WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:04.820 Well, as we said at the beginning of our time together, this is our launch Sunday where 00:00:04.820 --> 00:00:08.199 we launch a lot of our fall programming and fall ministries. 00:00:08.839 --> 00:00:14.320 And so because this is our launch Sunday, we're spending the next three weeks revisiting some 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:22.420 of the core essential ideas and truths that shape our community, who we are and what we're 00:00:22.420 --> 00:00:24.940 about here in the D.C. area. 00:00:25.519 --> 00:00:29.080 And so this week we're going to be looking at the most fundamental idea of all. 00:00:29.079 --> 00:00:33.219 The whole reason we're here, we're going to be looking at the Christian gospel. 00:00:33.899 --> 00:00:37.899 And in order to understand what we mean by the word gospel, we're going to be looking 00:00:37.899 --> 00:00:45.140 at this very famous story, this parable in Luke chapter 15 about two sons and their relationship 00:00:45.140 --> 00:00:46.700 to their father. 00:00:47.239 --> 00:00:53.640 You know, about 20 years ago, I heard a sermon by the Presbyterian minister, Tim Keller, on 00:00:53.640 --> 00:00:58.619 this sermon that forever altered my perception of the Christian faith. 00:00:58.619 --> 00:01:05.420 Even though I had grown up in and around the church, I became fascinated with this story. 00:01:05.640 --> 00:01:08.359 I read a lot of books about it. 00:01:08.420 --> 00:01:13.359 One of the most impactful books that I read was The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henry 00:01:13.359 --> 00:01:19.219 Nowen as he sat there meditating on Rembrandt's painting based on this parable. 00:01:19.359 --> 00:01:22.079 And so this is a story that's been near and dear to my heart. 00:01:22.140 --> 00:01:25.239 I know near and dear to probably many of your hearts in this room. 00:01:25.239 --> 00:01:28.780 And it's one that we have to come back to again and again and again. 00:01:29.140 --> 00:01:33.919 You'll undoubtedly hear those influences that I just mentioned in our time together this 00:01:33.919 --> 00:01:34.199 morning. 00:01:34.199 --> 00:01:36.000 But we need to come back to it again and again. 00:01:36.379 --> 00:01:44.219 Because if we miss or lose sight of what this parable is telling us about the gospel, if we 00:01:44.219 --> 00:01:51.319 overlook it, miss it, forget it, which is very easy to do, then we actually lose hold of 00:01:51.319 --> 00:01:54.799 everything that Christianity has to offer the world. 00:01:54.959 --> 00:02:02.280 We lose hold of the reason why the gospel is, simply put, the best news for all people. 00:02:03.179 --> 00:02:07.939 And so we're going to look at this story this morning and for some of us maybe be re-centered 00:02:07.939 --> 00:02:09.340 on what this means. 00:02:09.579 --> 00:02:13.419 For others, if you're here and you're not sure what you believe, maybe this is an opportunity 00:02:13.419 --> 00:02:18.439 for you to hear for the first time what the gospel has to offer the world and why it's 00:02:18.439 --> 00:02:18.979 so unique. 00:02:19.340 --> 00:02:24.280 So I want to draw out, first just kind of walk through the story and look at these two 00:02:24.280 --> 00:02:28.620 sons, the younger brother and then the elder brother, and then we're going to draw out some 00:02:28.620 --> 00:02:31.699 of the implications for our question about the gospel this morning. 00:02:31.859 --> 00:02:32.479 So let's pray. 00:02:34.259 --> 00:02:40.819 Lord, we thank you that before we even bow our heads or open our lips, you're here. 00:02:40.819 --> 00:02:45.639 We thank you that everything that we do in this room, everything we do in our lives is 00:02:45.639 --> 00:02:53.579 but a response to your initiation, that you are a God who wants a relationship with us. 00:02:54.139 --> 00:02:55.859 And we are here at your invitation. 00:02:56.419 --> 00:02:59.439 And it's your voice and your word that we long to hear this morning. 00:02:59.539 --> 00:03:03.299 So we pray, Lord, through your written word that you would speak living words. 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:11.280 And that in those words, we would come to see face to face your word incarnate Jesus Christ. 00:03:11.700 --> 00:03:13.040 And it's in his name that we pray. 00:03:13.240 --> 00:03:13.540 Amen. 00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:17.280 So first of all, let's look at this story. 00:03:17.560 --> 00:03:21.700 And Jesus begins this parable with the younger son. 00:03:22.360 --> 00:03:25.000 This younger son comes to his father and he says, 00:03:25.160 --> 00:03:29.260 Father, I want my share of the property that is coming to me. 00:03:29.259 --> 00:03:34.539 Now, normally in this culture, when the father died, they would divide up the inheritance. 00:03:34.719 --> 00:03:39.139 And it was typical for the oldest son to get a double portion of the inheritance. 00:03:39.359 --> 00:03:42.099 And then the rest of the siblings would split what was left over. 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:50.060 So having two sons meant most likely that the eldest son stood to inherit two-thirds of the estate 00:03:50.060 --> 00:03:53.560 and that the younger son had a third of the wealth coming to him. 00:03:53.659 --> 00:03:55.479 So that's what the younger son is asking for. 00:03:55.479 --> 00:04:00.759 Now, typically, this happened after the father died. 00:04:01.399 --> 00:04:04.359 So this request from the younger son is actually a grave offense. 00:04:04.459 --> 00:04:05.780 It's a slap in the face. 00:04:06.439 --> 00:04:08.979 It would be horribly humiliating for the father. 00:04:09.819 --> 00:04:12.079 Because what this younger son is actually saying is this, 00:04:12.159 --> 00:04:15.019 Father, give me my inheritance now. 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:16.159 You might as well be dead. 00:04:17.620 --> 00:04:19.199 I actually don't care about you. 00:04:19.300 --> 00:04:20.560 I don't care about whether you live or die. 00:04:20.680 --> 00:04:22.719 I want the stuff that is coming to me. 00:04:23.680 --> 00:04:24.939 Father, I wish you were dead. 00:04:24.939 --> 00:04:28.959 And so the original audience would have heard this. 00:04:29.719 --> 00:04:33.139 You know, you can imagine all of the people sitting around listening to Jesus speak. 00:04:33.240 --> 00:04:36.399 Some of the sinners and tax collectors, some of the Pharisees and the scribes 00:04:36.399 --> 00:04:39.480 are all listening to Jesus teach this series of parables. 00:04:39.759 --> 00:04:41.879 And they would all be thinking the same thing. 00:04:42.600 --> 00:04:46.680 Any self-respecting father would immediately disown this son. 00:04:47.060 --> 00:04:51.220 He would drive him off his property, and he would tell him never to show his face again. 00:04:51.220 --> 00:04:54.400 And he might even throw in a beating just for good measure. 00:04:55.000 --> 00:04:56.780 So they're all expecting that to come next. 00:04:57.000 --> 00:04:58.300 But that's not what this father does. 00:04:59.500 --> 00:05:01.680 This father simply grants his request. 00:05:01.680 --> 00:05:10.759 One commentator said this is an almost unimaginable display of grace and patience on behalf of the father, 00:05:11.579 --> 00:05:13.280 because it would have been utterly humiliating. 00:05:14.079 --> 00:05:15.519 The father simply grants his request. 00:05:16.639 --> 00:05:21.319 The son takes his inheritance, and he goes, and he squanders it, as the Bible says, on reckless living. 00:05:21.319 --> 00:05:27.860 And then a famine arises, and before long, the son has become so desperate that he's gone to work feeding pigs. 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:31.620 Pigs were considered unclean for Jews to have any contact with. 00:05:31.719 --> 00:05:33.579 So this is ultimate desperation. 00:05:33.800 --> 00:05:37.719 He's so hungry that he longs to eat the food that the pigs are eating. 00:05:38.939 --> 00:05:39.959 This is rock bottom. 00:05:41.279 --> 00:05:43.459 So the younger son comes up with a plan. 00:05:44.100 --> 00:05:48.459 He knows that his father will never take him back as a son. 00:05:48.560 --> 00:05:50.719 He'll never be welcomed back in the family again. 00:05:50.720 --> 00:05:51.920 He's burned that bridge. 00:05:53.200 --> 00:05:58.420 But he thinks, if I can go to my father and convince him to take me on as a hired hand, 00:05:59.540 --> 00:06:02.640 maybe I can find somewhere cheap to live in town, 00:06:02.940 --> 00:06:05.860 and maybe I can make enough money to live on. 00:06:06.260 --> 00:06:09.060 At least I won't be starving in a pigsty. 00:06:10.200 --> 00:06:13.160 And he's got his speech all planned out. 00:06:13.300 --> 00:06:15.440 He's thinking, okay, as soon as I get there, 00:06:15.660 --> 00:06:18.620 before my father can say anything or send me away, 00:06:19.040 --> 00:06:20.260 I'm going to say this. 00:06:20.259 --> 00:06:23.779 I'm going to say, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 00:06:23.959 --> 00:06:26.180 I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. 00:06:26.639 --> 00:06:29.060 Treat me as one of your hired servants. 00:06:29.259 --> 00:06:34.959 And we can imagine him rehearsing that the entire walk home, right? 00:06:34.959 --> 00:06:38.079 He's walking down the road and he's rehearsing this speech. 00:06:38.079 --> 00:06:44.240 The father sees him while he's still a long way down the road. 00:06:47.300 --> 00:06:48.419 And he runs. 00:06:50.240 --> 00:06:51.219 He runs. 00:06:51.220 --> 00:06:57.200 You know, Craig Blomberg, the New Testament scholar, writes, 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:03.620 no older self-respecting Middle Eastern male head of an estate would have disgraced himself 00:07:03.620 --> 00:07:08.540 by the undignified action of running to greet his son. 00:07:08.540 --> 00:07:13.360 Now, he wouldn't, no father would have run to meet a son that he liked. 00:07:15.220 --> 00:07:17.420 This son has humiliated him. 00:07:18.379 --> 00:07:20.180 And yet he breaks out into a run. 00:07:20.300 --> 00:07:21.340 And the Bible tells us why. 00:07:21.540 --> 00:07:23.500 He's so overcome by compassion. 00:07:23.500 --> 00:07:27.120 This is total abandon. 00:07:28.579 --> 00:07:32.439 A total lack of self-awareness that comes from being overwhelmed by emotion. 00:07:33.939 --> 00:07:35.300 And he embraces him. 00:07:36.060 --> 00:07:36.980 And he kisses him. 00:07:37.839 --> 00:07:41.600 You know, and the son starts to try to get through the speech that he's rehearsed a hundred times. 00:07:41.899 --> 00:07:43.579 You know, Father, I've sinned before. 00:07:43.720 --> 00:07:46.500 And the father doesn't even wait for him to get his words out. 00:07:46.560 --> 00:07:48.579 The father is already shouting to his servants, 00:07:48.579 --> 00:07:54.159 bring quickly the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his finger and put shoes on his feet. 00:07:56.079 --> 00:07:58.060 He doesn't want to hear the speech. 00:07:59.859 --> 00:08:01.300 He's already forgiven him. 00:08:03.399 --> 00:08:07.060 He doesn't wait for the son to clean up. 00:08:08.339 --> 00:08:11.099 At a minimum, it would have been expected, 00:08:11.219 --> 00:08:14.159 it would have been customary for there to be a probationary period. 00:08:15.479 --> 00:08:17.219 Well, we'll see if he proves himself. 00:08:17.220 --> 00:08:19.780 And then maybe we'll let him move into the house. 00:08:20.800 --> 00:08:22.640 But the father doesn't wait for any of that. 00:08:23.100 --> 00:08:26.260 He puts the best robe he has around his son's shoulders, 00:08:26.560 --> 00:08:28.440 who probably still smells like pigs. 00:08:29.380 --> 00:08:31.820 He puts a ring on his finger, a symbol of authority. 00:08:32.060 --> 00:08:33.759 And he puts sandals on his feet. 00:08:35.040 --> 00:08:37.340 Servants and slaves don't wear sandals. 00:08:38.320 --> 00:08:41.060 Only family members would have worn sandals. 00:08:43.240 --> 00:08:45.440 And just like that, the son is fully restored. 00:08:45.440 --> 00:08:48.100 Just like that. 00:08:50.060 --> 00:08:54.480 He's once again a member of the family with all of the rights and privileges, 00:08:54.780 --> 00:08:56.640 as though nothing ever happened. 00:08:57.760 --> 00:08:59.080 And then the father shouts out, 00:08:59.160 --> 00:09:00.180 Tonight we're going to feast! 00:09:00.460 --> 00:09:03.040 For this my son was dead and is alive again. 00:09:03.240 --> 00:09:05.180 He was lost and is found. 00:09:05.500 --> 00:09:07.000 And they kill the fatted calf. 00:09:07.060 --> 00:09:10.120 And this would have been the kind of party where everybody would have been invited. 00:09:10.120 --> 00:09:15.560 So the whole town, the whole village was invited to come and celebrate what has happened. 00:09:17.320 --> 00:09:21.840 Now meanwhile, the other son, the elder son, has been out working in the field all day. 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:23.799 He has no idea that any of this is happening. 00:09:23.960 --> 00:09:25.039 He's walking back. 00:09:25.100 --> 00:09:25.560 He's hot. 00:09:25.659 --> 00:09:26.100 He's hungry. 00:09:26.200 --> 00:09:26.720 He's tired. 00:09:26.860 --> 00:09:27.379 He's sweaty. 00:09:27.500 --> 00:09:27.960 He's thirsty. 00:09:28.340 --> 00:09:29.620 And he's nearing the house. 00:09:29.820 --> 00:09:32.039 And he hears the sounds of music and laughter. 00:09:32.120 --> 00:09:34.060 And you wonder, what does he think is going on? 00:09:34.120 --> 00:09:36.060 Maybe in the back of his mind he's wondering, 00:09:36.059 --> 00:09:37.439 are they throwing a party for me? 00:09:39.819 --> 00:09:42.679 And as I said, a party like this probably involved the whole town. 00:09:42.819 --> 00:09:44.619 So he probably heard it from a long way off. 00:09:44.639 --> 00:09:47.579 And he's walking up thinking, what good news has occurred? 00:09:48.899 --> 00:09:50.619 He asked one of the servants, what's going on? 00:09:50.659 --> 00:09:53.519 The servant says, verse 27, well, your brother has come. 00:09:54.459 --> 00:09:58.319 Your father has killed the fattened calf because he's received him back safe and sound. 00:10:01.519 --> 00:10:02.619 Brother's furious. 00:10:02.620 --> 00:10:06.100 He refuses to go in. 00:10:08.700 --> 00:10:09.919 Father comes out. 00:10:11.659 --> 00:10:13.159 He entreats him to come in. 00:10:14.759 --> 00:10:18.580 But the brother says, all these years, all these years I've served you. 00:10:20.299 --> 00:10:21.919 I've never disobeyed you. 00:10:23.100 --> 00:10:24.560 I've never questioned you. 00:10:25.460 --> 00:10:27.680 I've always done what you've told me to do. 00:10:29.580 --> 00:10:31.039 And you wouldn't even give me a goat. 00:10:32.620 --> 00:10:36.019 He's furious. 00:10:36.720 --> 00:10:42.080 You know, in our society right now, there's this big debt, big debate over college debt forgiveness. 00:10:43.340 --> 00:10:45.759 I think some people can probably identify with the elder brother. 00:10:46.679 --> 00:10:47.480 I worked hard. 00:10:47.560 --> 00:10:48.519 I saved all my life. 00:10:48.639 --> 00:10:50.480 I made all the right financial decisions. 00:10:50.899 --> 00:10:52.600 I was able to avoid debt. 00:10:52.659 --> 00:10:53.799 I was able to pay my debt off. 00:10:54.000 --> 00:10:55.480 And now you're just going to forgive it? 00:10:55.480 --> 00:10:59.120 I think we can kind of identify with that. 00:11:02.320 --> 00:11:03.159 He's furious. 00:11:03.480 --> 00:11:07.720 So the father tries to get him to come in. 00:11:08.300 --> 00:11:11.920 And he says, I've done all these things for you. 00:11:12.259 --> 00:11:13.420 You didn't even give me a goat. 00:11:13.419 --> 00:11:17.659 And then he says, but this son of yours, and notice he doesn't refer to him as his brother, 00:11:18.159 --> 00:11:22.199 this son of yours who has publicly humiliated you and squandered your wealth comes back, 00:11:22.419 --> 00:11:23.819 and you give him the fatted calf. 00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:26.240 It's a grave injustice. 00:11:26.719 --> 00:11:31.099 And what we need to understand is the fatted calf represented the wealth of the father. 00:11:31.100 --> 00:11:39.019 So this would be like the father selling off a bunch of the best stock in order to throw this lavish affair. 00:11:40.639 --> 00:11:43.940 And as we said in the beginning, who stood to inherit the majority of the wealth here? 00:11:44.600 --> 00:11:45.800 Well, the elder brother. 00:11:46.860 --> 00:11:53.820 So what's behind this anger is, you're spending my inheritance on a party for him after what he did to you. 00:11:55.360 --> 00:11:57.160 And the story ends here. 00:11:57.360 --> 00:12:00.139 And I want you to notice a reversal has taken place. 00:12:00.139 --> 00:12:02.019 A reversal in space. 00:12:02.879 --> 00:12:07.819 The son who was out of the house is now in the house as a guest of honor. 00:12:08.179 --> 00:12:12.659 The son who was in the house is now outside in the cold. 00:12:13.860 --> 00:12:14.899 It's a great reversal. 00:12:16.740 --> 00:12:23.519 Now, if we understand what Jesus is saying with this parable, it is absolutely earth-shattering. 00:12:23.519 --> 00:12:32.340 Because he's basically saying everything that you think you know about God and religion and the way the world works is wrong. 00:12:33.319 --> 00:12:34.659 You are wrong. 00:12:35.939 --> 00:12:39.399 The elder brother represents the good people. 00:12:39.399 --> 00:12:45.659 In Jesus' day, this would have been people like the scribes and the Pharisees who we read about in verse 2. 00:12:45.759 --> 00:12:46.679 They're listening in. 00:12:47.240 --> 00:12:48.199 The scribes and the Pharisees. 00:12:48.279 --> 00:12:50.959 These are people who live morally exemplary lives. 00:12:51.079 --> 00:12:52.259 They're obedient to the law. 00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:54.139 They're devoted to family and tradition. 00:12:54.959 --> 00:12:56.639 They are genuinely good people. 00:12:56.639 --> 00:13:02.220 If we were to meet them today, we would be ashamed to compare ourselves to them. 00:13:02.580 --> 00:13:03.919 They're genuinely good people. 00:13:04.779 --> 00:13:07.539 The younger brother represents the bad people. 00:13:07.720 --> 00:13:10.299 People like the tax collectors and the sinners. 00:13:10.620 --> 00:13:14.000 We read about them in verse 1 who are also listening in. 00:13:14.519 --> 00:13:16.299 These are people who had disobeyed God. 00:13:16.419 --> 00:13:20.519 They had betrayed Israel in the case of the tax collectors by allying with Rome. 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:24.360 They had departed from the tradition of their families. 00:13:24.519 --> 00:13:26.600 They had chosen to live immoral lives. 00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:35.980 So when Jesus started telling this parable, every single one of his listeners thought they knew how the story was going to play out. 00:13:36.679 --> 00:13:41.579 Jewish rabbi teaching the kind of thing that other Jewish rabbis had taught at the time, 00:13:41.799 --> 00:13:44.199 they thought they knew how the story was going to go. 00:13:44.620 --> 00:13:49.159 Surely the younger brother would get what he deserved in the end. 00:13:49.159 --> 00:13:55.100 He would be disowned and forgotten, left to die in misery and squalor for his sin. 00:13:55.860 --> 00:13:58.779 And surely the older brother would get what he deserved. 00:13:59.259 --> 00:14:02.899 He would be held up as an example for everyone to follow. 00:14:03.059 --> 00:14:08.379 Perhaps there would even be a feast to honor his years of faithful servants and obedience. 00:14:08.600 --> 00:14:10.679 And at the end of the story, the application would be, 00:14:11.139 --> 00:14:17.199 all of you listening here need to be like this faithful elder brother, a paragon of virtue. 00:14:17.200 --> 00:14:22.120 And the reason that people would have assumed that, the reason that we would assume it if we were sitting there, 00:14:22.379 --> 00:14:26.300 is because we all tend to assume that life works according to the laws of karma. 00:14:27.640 --> 00:14:32.280 All religions are essentially karma religions, which essentially say, 00:14:32.600 --> 00:14:36.520 good people at the end of things will be rewarded. 00:14:37.160 --> 00:14:40.120 Bad people at the end of things will be punished. 00:14:40.120 --> 00:14:43.720 Eventually, you will get what is coming to you. 00:14:46.500 --> 00:14:48.279 But ultimately with this parable, 00:14:49.480 --> 00:14:57.060 Jesus is subverting the entire way that we think about goodness and badness. 00:14:57.899 --> 00:14:59.919 Because by the end of this parable, 00:15:00.639 --> 00:15:06.480 the bad person who should be on the outside has been welcomed in as the guest of honor. 00:15:06.480 --> 00:15:12.539 And the good person who should be the guest of honor is standing outside in the cold. 00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:16.120 No religion would say this. 00:15:17.940 --> 00:15:22.300 No religion, by the definition that we just gave, would say this, 00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:28.480 which shows us that the gospel isn't really a religion at all. 00:15:28.580 --> 00:15:29.500 It's not irreligion. 00:15:30.080 --> 00:15:31.560 It's something else. 00:15:31.559 --> 00:15:35.079 It's something outside of those categories. 00:15:36.839 --> 00:15:42.899 And this is why the gospel can do something that no other religious tradition can do. 00:15:44.859 --> 00:15:46.879 It can actually change hearts. 00:15:49.119 --> 00:15:50.759 This is what we need to see. 00:15:52.059 --> 00:15:54.919 The older brother has been good all of his life. 00:15:55.379 --> 00:15:57.059 And I mean genuinely good. 00:15:57.959 --> 00:15:59.699 He's done all the right things. 00:15:59.700 --> 00:16:05.860 Now, in our culture, living in D.C., in the age that we live in, 00:16:06.220 --> 00:16:08.140 goodness has all kinds of definitions. 00:16:09.259 --> 00:16:09.440 Right? 00:16:10.100 --> 00:16:14.560 Goodness, according to this, or according to some people in our culture, 00:16:14.660 --> 00:16:18.460 might mean that you go to church and you read your Bible and you pray and you volunteer. 00:16:18.700 --> 00:16:18.840 Right? 00:16:18.860 --> 00:16:19.660 That might be goodness. 00:16:20.060 --> 00:16:24.780 And the bad people, you might think of as the pagans and the atheists 00:16:24.780 --> 00:16:28.600 and the secular liberal progressives and the sexually immoral people. 00:16:28.600 --> 00:16:29.580 And those are the bad people. 00:16:30.500 --> 00:16:33.820 Then you go to another group down the road and they might think the exact opposite. 00:16:34.560 --> 00:16:38.100 It's the progressive, open-minded people who are the good people. 00:16:38.700 --> 00:16:44.240 And it's all of those traditional religious bigots and closed-minded folk who are the bad people. 00:16:44.360 --> 00:16:44.520 Right? 00:16:44.720 --> 00:16:47.620 So, there's lots of different ways of thinking about goodness and badness. 00:16:47.620 --> 00:16:56.500 But according to every definition that we have in this culture, the older brother had been good all of his life. 00:16:56.560 --> 00:16:57.779 He had done all the right things. 00:16:57.779 --> 00:17:01.379 But the question is, why? 00:17:01.379 --> 00:17:01.860 Why? 00:17:01.860 --> 00:17:02.080 Why? 00:17:02.179 --> 00:17:04.079 Why? 00:17:04.079 --> 00:17:13.059 His response to the father once he hears what is happening shows us the truth about his heart. 00:17:13.059 --> 00:17:19.359 that ultimately His goodness is not motivated by love for the Father. 00:17:20.940 --> 00:17:30.000 Ultimately, He's after the Father's stuff, which means ultimately, if we draw this out, 00:17:31.220 --> 00:17:39.339 He's actually no better than the younger brother. They're both after the same thing. 00:17:39.339 --> 00:17:46.279 They're both after the Father's stuff. The younger brother goes after the Father's wealth 00:17:46.279 --> 00:17:54.339 by rejecting Him to His face. The older brother goes after the Father's stuff by obeying Him 00:17:54.339 --> 00:18:04.559 perfectly and then demanding what he believes he is owed. The older brother's goodness is not 00:18:04.559 --> 00:18:13.720 actually motivated by love, but a desire for control. His goodness is actually a lever 00:18:13.720 --> 00:18:21.279 that He can use to try to manipulate His Father into giving Him what He believes He deserves. 00:18:23.139 --> 00:18:28.159 And we see this in our own lives. As I was reflecting on that this week, I thought about my own 00:18:28.160 --> 00:18:34.140 way of thinking about God. How do we respond when God doesn't answer prayer, when God doesn't give 00:18:34.140 --> 00:18:39.759 us what we think He should, when we want something good from God, something that God would want us to 00:18:39.759 --> 00:18:49.800 want, and then God doesn't do it. And it's so easy to think, I have prayed, I have trusted you, 00:18:49.799 --> 00:18:54.519 I haven't taken these shortcuts, I have waited on you to act in my life. 00:18:57.879 --> 00:19:02.419 The least you could do, God, would be to give me this after all I've done for you. 00:19:03.680 --> 00:19:10.220 Right? That reveals our desire for control in our relationship with God. 00:19:10.220 --> 00:19:20.539 An elder brother and a Christian can be identical on the outside. An elder brother and a faithful 00:19:20.539 --> 00:19:25.620 Christian can look absolutely identical on the outside. If you look at their life, if you look at 00:19:25.620 --> 00:19:30.339 the way they use their body and spend their money and invest in their relationships and the good they 00:19:30.339 --> 00:19:36.799 do in the world, they can look exactly the same. The primary difference between them is on the inside. 00:19:36.799 --> 00:19:46.899 The primary difference is one of motive. What is the motive behind the morality? What motivates 00:19:46.899 --> 00:19:53.899 your morality? You know, Jonathan Edwards, the great theologian, spent a lot of time thinking about 00:19:53.899 --> 00:19:58.720 this question, and there's lots of different places in his writings where he comes back to this question 00:19:58.720 --> 00:20:06.700 of motive. And in his writings, he summarizes the difference between what he calls common virtue, 00:20:06.799 --> 00:20:13.399 and true virtue. And he essentially says that most of the time our virtue is what he calls common 00:20:13.399 --> 00:20:20.299 virtue. Most of us are motivated by common virtue motives. And he says, you know, most common virtue, 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:29.559 behind it, you're going to find either fear or pride, or both. You know, so take an example of a 00:20:29.559 --> 00:20:36.279 virtue that probably many of us would like to share, the virtue of honesty. He says, what motivates 00:20:36.279 --> 00:20:42.259 an average person on the street to be honest, to want to be an honest person? And he says, well, 00:20:42.299 --> 00:20:47.700 on the one hand, it can be motivated by fear. You know, if you're a religious person, you might think, 00:20:47.779 --> 00:20:52.799 well, I need to tell the truth because if I lie, God is going to punish me. So I need to tell the truth. 00:20:52.799 --> 00:20:58.500 If you're non-religious, if you're a secular person, you might say, well, you should be honest or people 00:20:58.500 --> 00:21:04.000 won't trust you. You should be honest because society won't work unless people are honest. 00:21:04.599 --> 00:21:12.299 Democracy dies in darkness, right? We can also be motivated by pride. Religious people might say, 00:21:12.539 --> 00:21:18.119 don't be like those sinners, don't be like those immoral people, be a good godly person. 00:21:18.119 --> 00:21:26.159 God wants you to tell the truth. And when I tell the truth, I can somehow assume that I'm maybe a bit 00:21:26.159 --> 00:21:32.339 better than those people who lie all the time. Non-religious secular people might say, don't be 00:21:32.339 --> 00:21:37.179 like all those terrible dishonest people who cause all the injustice and oppression in the world. 00:21:38.099 --> 00:21:44.519 Be committed to the cause of truth. So whether we're motivated by fear or pride, these are all 00:21:44.519 --> 00:21:49.759 versions of the same thing. Edwards would say, we're all virtuous primarily because it's in our best 00:21:49.759 --> 00:21:58.619 interest to be virtuous. We've come to believe that it's worth being honest because more often than 00:21:58.619 --> 00:22:08.359 not, it's going to go well for us if we're honest. And I want to make clear that common virtue, even 00:22:08.359 --> 00:22:14.439 according to Edwards, is not a bad thing. It's generally good for society when people are committed 00:22:14.439 --> 00:22:19.159 to being virtuous, when people are committed to, say, being honest. Things tend to go better in 00:22:19.159 --> 00:22:25.559 society when people behave virtuously, no matter what their motives. And elder brothers can be highly 00:22:25.559 --> 00:22:31.159 virtuous people. And there are religious varieties of elder brothers, and there are secular varieties 00:22:31.159 --> 00:22:37.759 of elder brothers. Our society is full of secular elder brothers who champion all kinds of social and 00:22:37.759 --> 00:22:41.799 political causes. They try to make the world a better place, and they do a lot of good in the world. 00:22:42.379 --> 00:22:50.000 So we need to say that up front and be clear about that. What's the problem? Here's what Edwards says, 00:22:50.559 --> 00:23:01.160 with common virtue, we have not done anything to root out the fundamental cause of evil. We have 00:23:01.160 --> 00:23:10.740 restrained the heart, but we have not changed the heart. And because of that, common virtue will always 00:23:10.740 --> 00:23:20.680 be fragile. It will always be fragile. The moment that a certain virtue becomes impractical, the moment 00:23:20.680 --> 00:23:27.279 we realize that the cost of this virtue is going to vastly outweigh the benefit, we tend to drop it. 00:23:27.279 --> 00:23:34.139 Right? So think of the example again of honesty. Most of the time, I like to think of myself as an 00:23:34.139 --> 00:23:40.599 honest person. Probably you do as well. But then one morning, you're late for a very important Zoom 00:23:40.599 --> 00:23:48.599 meeting for work. And you're late because you slept in and you completely forgot about it. 00:23:48.599 --> 00:23:55.179 And you're scrambling to at least put a professional-looking shirt on. And you jump in front of your 00:23:55.179 --> 00:24:02.659 computer still in your pajama pants, fixing your hair. And you log on, and all the faces come up on 00:24:02.659 --> 00:24:07.419 your screen. And they're already mid-conversation on a topic that you should have been helping lead the 00:24:07.420 --> 00:24:16.140 discussion on. And what do you say? Technical difficulties. And you make some joke about how 00:24:16.140 --> 00:24:22.980 you'd think we'd all figure this out by now. And you tell a lie. Now, why do you do that? You didn't 00:24:22.980 --> 00:24:27.140 wake up that morning and think, I'm going to lie to the first people I see today. No, you woke up thinking, 00:24:27.240 --> 00:24:31.000 I'm an honest person. And then before you know what's happening, a lie is tumbling out of your mouth. 00:24:31.000 --> 00:24:36.259 Now, why? It's because in that moment, the cost-benefit didn't play out. You realize, you know, 00:24:36.319 --> 00:24:42.359 I could tell the truth that I slept in and I'm wearing pajama pants. But that's going to not go 00:24:42.359 --> 00:24:47.839 well for me professionally. And it might actually be better for me in this moment just to tell a 00:24:47.839 --> 00:24:53.380 little white lie. It will actually benefit me more. And so you, an honest person, told a lie 00:24:53.380 --> 00:24:59.240 because your virtue is fragile. You're not nearly as honest as you think you are. 00:24:59.240 --> 00:25:04.880 Right? So then Edwards goes on and he asks, well, if that's just common virtue, 00:25:04.980 --> 00:25:11.000 then what is true virtue? What is true virtue? And he says, true virtue is when you are virtuous 00:25:11.000 --> 00:25:17.200 not because it benefits you, not because it makes you feel superior, 00:25:18.680 --> 00:25:28.500 but because you are so smitten by the beauty of God and His character. You are so smitten by God's heart 00:25:29.240 --> 00:25:35.519 love. It's when you come to love virtue not for your own sake, but for God's sake. It's when you, 00:25:35.599 --> 00:25:40.400 it's when you love God so much that you want to be what He wants you to be. 00:25:44.500 --> 00:25:49.680 That's true virtue. Now, how do we get that in our hearts? 00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:59.980 How do we get that kind of love in our hearts? That kind of delight in God that would become a 00:25:59.980 --> 00:26:06.940 wellspring of virtue? And Jesus is saying we essentially need three things. 00:26:09.080 --> 00:26:12.880 First, if we look at this parable, we need to realize that our heavenly Father 00:26:12.880 --> 00:26:16.320 is pursuing us with His love right this minute. 00:26:19.040 --> 00:26:25.540 Your heavenly Father is pursuing you with His love right this minute. 00:26:28.040 --> 00:26:35.920 The Bible says we can only come to love God after we have experienced His love for us. We love because 00:26:35.920 --> 00:26:42.860 He first loved us. And we see that in the Father in this parable. Throughout this parable, 00:26:42.859 --> 00:26:52.219 this Father has one single aim, to have both of His sons in His embrace. That is all He wants. 00:26:54.240 --> 00:26:59.639 Even when they disrespect Him, even when they humiliate Him, even when they reject Him 00:26:59.639 --> 00:27:09.539 in their different ways, He pursues them. He goes out to them. He entreats them. He embraces them. 00:27:09.539 --> 00:27:19.659 The point is that God is always pursuing us. He is always inviting us. He is always entreating us 00:27:19.659 --> 00:27:23.240 to respond to the love that He is pouring into our lives. 00:27:23.240 --> 00:27:32.160 And He's doing it right now as we sit here. So, we need to realize that our heavenly Father is pursuing 00:27:32.160 --> 00:27:38.019 us with His love. Our ability to love Him in the way that Edwards talks about flows out of that love 00:27:38.019 --> 00:27:45.059 that He pours into our lives. Number two, we need to repent not only of our badness and our sin, 00:27:45.140 --> 00:27:51.400 which the Bible says is bad. Sin is bad. God hates sin. We saw that in the Psalm that we read earlier. 00:27:51.400 --> 00:27:57.800 God hates sin. He wants to root it out of us. We need to repent not only of our sinfulness, 00:27:57.940 --> 00:28:02.300 our badness, but we also need to repent, in many cases, of our goodness. 00:28:05.220 --> 00:28:12.940 Are you saying, don't be good? No. Younger brothers are alienated from God because of their sins, 00:28:13.060 --> 00:28:17.640 because of their immorality, because they live in the world that God made and they ignore Him. 00:28:17.640 --> 00:28:23.720 And that's a slap in God's face. It's us saying to God, I don't want you. I just want your stuff. 00:28:24.300 --> 00:28:29.960 I wish you were dead. But older brothers are alienated from God because of their righteousness, 00:28:30.320 --> 00:28:36.920 because it is a self-manufactured righteousness. And what that means is that elder brothers don't 00:28:36.920 --> 00:28:42.500 actually believe that we need God for anything. We don't need God's mercy. We don't need God's 00:28:42.500 --> 00:28:49.000 forgiveness. We simply need God to be on call, and when we want it, to give us what we're owed. 00:28:50.279 --> 00:28:56.700 If anything, elder brothers tend to believe, God actually might need me or more people like me 00:28:56.700 --> 00:29:04.079 in the world. So, elder brothers need to repent of their desire to be their own source of salvation, 00:29:04.859 --> 00:29:10.140 their own source of righteousness. And this is important for us as a church, 00:29:10.140 --> 00:29:15.120 as we think about our vision and the culture of Church of the Advent. Churches tend to be very good 00:29:15.120 --> 00:29:19.460 at turning younger brothers into older brothers. 00:29:22.520 --> 00:29:27.700 Elder brothers tend to occupy leadership positions. They tend to be pastors. They tend to sit on boards 00:29:27.700 --> 00:29:33.200 and vestries. They tend to be ministry leaders. They tend to be people that are brought up front and 00:29:33.200 --> 00:29:39.900 held up as examples to follow because human beings really haven't changed that much in the last 2,000 years. 00:29:40.140 --> 00:29:45.640 Churches tend to be pretty good at turning younger brothers into elder brothers. 00:29:47.120 --> 00:29:53.680 A gospel-centered church, right? For Advent to be a gospel-centered church, we have to minister to both. 00:29:54.920 --> 00:30:01.240 We have to preach the gospel to the sinfulness of younger brothers, and we have to preach the gospel 00:30:01.240 --> 00:30:07.680 to the self-manufactured righteousness of the elder brothers. And we need to always do both 00:30:07.680 --> 00:30:18.140 all the time in everything we do, inviting everyone into the saving embrace of God's grace, 00:30:18.759 --> 00:30:25.519 inviting everyone to let go of all of the ways that we try to live in God's world apart from Him. 00:30:26.600 --> 00:30:35.600 That's true repentance. Abandoning our attempt to live lives as righteous people apart from Christ. 00:30:35.599 --> 00:30:41.879 So, we need to repent not only of our badness but our goodness. And that comes after we've 00:30:41.879 --> 00:30:47.619 recognized that God is pouring His love into our lives. The last thing we need is that we need to 00:30:47.619 --> 00:30:56.359 receive the lavish grace, the lavish grace of Jesus Christ. Notice that the Father doesn't even let the 00:30:56.359 --> 00:31:02.319 Son get the words out before He embraces Him. There's been so much debate, did the Son really mean it? 00:31:02.319 --> 00:31:06.779 Is this real repentance or is this more about self-interest because He wants something to eat? 00:31:07.019 --> 00:31:14.000 Is He genuine or not? Jesus deliberately doesn't answer that question because He wants our focus to 00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:21.899 be drawn not to the heart of the sinner but to the heart of God. Why are we forgiven? Is it because 00:31:21.899 --> 00:31:26.819 our repentance is genuine? No, it's because God's eternal nature is always to have mercy. 00:31:26.819 --> 00:31:33.539 That's why we're forgiven. It's because God delights in forgiving sinners. And when He sees even the 00:31:33.539 --> 00:31:39.059 slightest inkling of an opening in your heart, He rushes in. And before you even know what's 00:31:39.059 --> 00:31:48.539 happening, He is scooping you up. He's kissing you. He's covering your sin with His robe of righteousness, 00:31:48.539 --> 00:31:59.420 Jesus' robe. He's putting a ring of sonship on your finger, Jesus' ring. He's putting sandals on your 00:31:59.420 --> 00:32:06.420 feet because He's adopting you as His children alongside His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. 00:32:07.339 --> 00:32:16.019 And then He is shouting, let the festivities begin. And the Bible says that all of heaven resounds 00:32:16.019 --> 00:32:24.859 with shouts of joy and praise when one single sinner comes home. All of heaven breaks out in song when 00:32:24.859 --> 00:32:33.299 one person comes home. And the cry goes out, let the party begin. Let the celebration begin. And guess 00:32:33.299 --> 00:32:39.720 what? There is already celebration happening in the heavens. Why? Because instead of a fatted calf, 00:32:39.720 --> 00:32:52.120 a lamb has been slain, the lamb has been slain. Jesus Christ, the lamb of God, who gave His life on 00:32:52.120 --> 00:32:58.920 the cross to cover our sin, the sins of younger brothers, the sins of elder brothers. And now the 00:32:58.920 --> 00:33:05.779 door is open wide. The party is underway. The invitation has gone out to all people everywhere. 00:33:05.779 --> 00:33:15.139 It is time to come home. It is time to come home. Let's pray. Lord, we thank You. 00:33:19.139 --> 00:33:31.440 And we stand in awe of this. Give us the grace to come in. In Jesus' name, amen.