That honestly make you want to scratch your head a little bit, wonder.
One of those times was when he turned the tables, actually two of those times.
The Synoptic Gospels tells us, as Matthew, Mark, and Luke, they wrote very similarly,
tells us about Christ turning the tables at the end of his ministry.
When John mentions it, it's at the beginning of his ministry.
Both times, it was shocking that he did that.
We picture in our mind Jesus being the one that has the lamb on his shoulders,
that greets the children when they come, and that's exactly who he is,
healing others with a touch.
We don't think of him turning those tables.
But he does physically, but he also does mentally.
And even more than that, he does spiritually.
He'll turn the tables in your life if you'll listen to him.
He'll work and move in you.
And that's what happens in Luke chapter 15.
Now, some of you may know that I preached on Luke 15 last week,
and some of you may not, even though you were here.
I remember years ago, an older pastor told me, he said,
all you need is five years worth of sermons,
and when you're done with those five years, you start over again.
I said, I've had long tenures, you know.
And I said, people, I wouldn't do that, but even if I did,
they would remember those.
And he said, they don't remember what you preached last week.
So, maybe not.
I want to look at Luke 15 again, and I'll just be honest,
I don't care to rehash.
And I don't aim it, folks.
I'll let the text take care of it.
And I'm not trying to insult your intelligence or waste your time
by dealing with this parable again.
I want to show you something this morning.
There's a part two here that you cannot miss.
You have to catch the context of all of Luke chapter 15.
Jesus is taking in, loving on folks,
building relationships with folks that church folk don't like.
And the Pharisees and the scribes say,
this man is the one that receives sinners.
He even eats with them.
And Jesus does not buck that comment.
Instead, he responds to it.
By explaining God's reaction to the lost.
And by the way, when we say that people are lost without Christ,
that's where this comes from.
This is the biblical basis for such a comment.
He tells the story of the lost sheep.
A man lost one sheep.
He left 99 to go look for it.
He was never satisfied with just the 99.
He celebrated over the fact that he found the lost sheep.
And he said, in the same way, heaven rejoices to hear such.
And when the Pharisees and scribes heard him say that,
they rejoiced as well.
It was bowling right down their alley.
They liked it.
They didn't like him eating with sinners,
but praise God, God receives them.
He then speaks of lost money
and how the lady swept the house looking for one coin,
even though she had nine others just like it.
A few years ago, I arrived at a high school football game
before it was to start, and I was talking to somebody.
And Abby was standing right there with us,
and she looked down on a muddy ground
and found clean money just laying there,
right there between us.
It was four very new and folded $20 bills.
Money from heaven had fell.
I told her, I said,
go put it in the little booster booth over there,
and if somebody comes and claims it,
then, you know, they lost their money.
It's not yours.
But if nobody claims it by halftime,
you can have it.
You know?
They ain't lost it by halftime.
They ain't gonna get it.
They did not.
And when I went back to try to remember
which child this had happened to,
Abby confessed to me.
She didn't even realize she confessed.
She said, I put 40 in the booster
to see if anybody would claim it.
So anyway, she didn't even turn all the money in.
But anyway.
Nobody came,
and she went back and got the money.
I was public address announcing.
I snuck out of the booth
and went down to the concession stand
to get something to drink
to get me through halftime,
and I reached in my pocket,
and I had no money.
The $100 bill I had broke at lunchtime
and put the change in my pocket was gone.
Abby had retrieved that clean money on that money
because I had just dropped it.
So I did not want to take the zeal away from Abby
who had just found that money
and was so excited about it
by telling her it was mine.
For one, she'd probably still be bitter this day
and think I was lying.
So I did as any good dad does.
I negotiated with her to buy stuff
that I was already gonna have to buy on her behalf,
and we worked it out,
and I told her well after the fact
that when a teenager finds $80 clean dollars
on a muddy ground,
she feels like it's time to kill the fatted calf
or to buy a Louie or a golden goose
or whatever it is the latest overpriced trap is.
It's fun to find stuff.
Just like when a soul is found.
And people love a story about finding money,
and then Jesus goes again,
and he shares another.
And I want to warn you,
this one's a little more controversial.
It's Luke chapter 15, verse 11.
And it says,
And he said there was a man who had two sons,
and the younger of them said to his father,
Father, Father, give me the share of property
that's coming to me.
He divided his property between them.
Not many days later,
the younger son gathered all he had
and took a journey into a far country.
And there he squandered his property
in reckless living.
When he had spent everything,
a severe famine arose in that country,
and he began to be in need.
So he went and hired himself out
to one of the citizens of that country
who sent him into the field to feed pigs.
And he was longing to feed
with the pods that the pigs ate,
and no one gave him anything.
But when he came to himself,
he said,
How many of my father's hired servants
have more than enough bread,
but I perish here with hunger.
I will arise and go to my father,
and I'll say to him,
Father, I've sinned against heaven and before you.
I'm no longer worthy to be called your son.
Treat me as one of your hired servants.
And he arose and came to his father,
but while he was still a long way off,
his father saw him and felt compassion
and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
And the son said to him,
Father, I've sinned against heaven and before you.
I'm no longer worthy to be called your son.
But the father said to his servants,
Bring quickly the best robe.
Put it on him, put a ring on his hand,
shoes on his feet,
and bring the fatted calf and kill it
and let us eat and celebrate.
For this my son was dead,
and thank God is alive again.
Lost and is found.
And they began to celebrate.
Praise the Lord, a boy came home.
The lost has been saved,
and the Pharisees and the scribes
like that story too,
but let me tell you what they were thinking.
The part about the father running,
what's that about?
I mean, if that's to be the God,
the father,
he's not running to meet anybody.
Bless God, you crawl to get to his throne,
especially the lousy lost,
you know, them people.
That's what the Pharisees and the scribes were thinking.
Those people that are not like us.
So they're not so sure about what he's saying anymore.
These people don't even deserve to come before God
with all their wickedness.
Blowing money, sleeping around,
picking up odd jobs,
begging, or near about that.
But Jesus isn't done
because I want to remind you
of the context in which he speaks.
It's found in verse 2,
and it says,
and the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled,
saying,
this man receives sinners and eats with them.
And I'm just going to tell you
that when Jesus got wind of them saying such as that,
it set him off.
And he's about to turn some spiritual tables over
because he goes on
and tells the second half of that story.
Now his older son was in the field,
and as he came and drew near to the house,
he heard music and dancing,
and he called one of his servants and asked,
what do these things mean?
And he said to him,
your brother's come,
and your father's killed the fatted calf
because he's received him back safe and sound.
But he was angry,
and he refused to go in.
His father came out and treated him,
but he answered his father,
look, these many years I've served you,
and I've never disobeyed your command,
yet you never gave me a young goat
that I may celebrate with my friends.
But when this son of yours came,
who has devoured your property with prostitutes,
you killed the fatted calf for him.
And he said to him,
son, you are always with me,
and all that is mine is yours.
It was fitting to celebrate and be glad,
for this your brother was dead and is alive.
He was lost and is found.
You see, the older son didn't like the celebration.
And the reason why he didn't like the celebration
was he was a compliant child.
He did what he was supposed to do.
He didn't rock the boat.
He stayed behind.
He did his job.
He was a good kid.
He was the faithful one.
And when his brother came and asked for his inheritance,
by the way, the older brother got his too,
and it was double what the younger brother got.
But he continued to rock on faithfully for his father,
just like he was supposed to do.
And yet the father calls him out for his wrong attitude
about sinners coming to God.
He ought to join in that celebration, but he didn't.
He didn't feel like he could.
Why?
Because the same reason the Pharisees
didn't like that part of the story.
They didn't like that part of the story.
Same reason some Christians don't like that part of the story.
The wandering sinner wasn't worthy
to have the best thrown at him.
Do you know why they felt like that?
What characteristics in us cause us
to miss the celebration?
To have a hard time with the thief on the cross
who Jesus promised would be with him that day
once he died?
What's that about?
You're talking about a deathbed confession right there.
And yet the same salvation that saves us
is the same salvation that saved that man that day.
And those folks have been faithful for years.
They didn't like it.
It don't seem fair.
What characteristics cause us
to miss a heavenly type celebration over a soul?
I'll tell you what it is.
One of them self-righteousness.
Older son was proud of his accomplishments.
He said, look, these many years I've served you
and I've never disobeyed your command.
Look at me.
And the irony is that the son of the estate owner's job
at such an event as this,
if there was a gathering,
a party,
if there was to be such a meeting,
the job of the owner of the home,
excuse me,
of the son of the owner of the home,
his job was to hold the door open.
His job was to work the room,
to work out any kinks that may come.
The son even stood at the door barefooted
as if he was a servant
and was to hold that door for the guest,
physically standing there
and by his physical presence there,
basically saying,
I am here to serve you
on behalf of my father and his estate.
And instead of that,
this older son stood outside with his arm crossed.
If he had anything to say,
he should have said it after he served,
not pacing around angry,
but instead he went out there,
got on his cell phone,
went to Facebook
and said,
this ain't right
and I ain't gonna do it.
He had too much dignity
to bear his dirty laundry,
so he put a cryptic message
that just his friends would ask about.
Private message him
and pat him on the back.
He refused to serve,
hush, Siri, my soul.
He refused to serve,
but just wanted to talk about his service.
That's what self-righteous does.
Self-righteous is a horrible sin
that is seldom seen
by the one who's guilty of it.
And it'll send you to hell
or it'll make you act like you've been there.
Jesus told the Pharisees
in Matthew chapter 23, verse 15,
he said,
they were turning converts
into twice as much son of hell
as you are yourselves.
That's the words of Jesus.
And that's why Jesus speaks
of the 99 that need no repentance.
Who does not need repentance?
Every sinner needs repentance,
but some don't think they do.
Everyone's a sinner,
but everybody don't think they are.
Self-righteousness will cause you
to miss the celebration.
Tell you what else will, jealousy.
Jealousy will cause you to miss it.
It is easy to point out the wrong
in somebody else's life.
It's easy.
It's much easier than facing
what's wrong in your life.
It's much easier than dealing with
what you're dealing with
when the younger one was wrong
and he was wrong
and he left the house
and separated himself
and rebelled,
estranged himself from the estate.
But at the same time,
the older one stayed home,
but he distanced himself.
He refused to go in.
His daddy reached out to him,
petitioned him.
Let me tell you about the God that saves.
The one who grew up in church
and then outgrew it,
thinks it's old-fashioned
and out of touch,
that one will find a loving father
running out to meet him
when he comes back to the cross.
That's the God we serve.
God does not want us
to waste our time.
God does not want us
to waste our talent.
God does not want us
to waste our treasure.
But when we do,
thank God,
he'll take us back.
That's the God we serve.
He'll receive us back.
The wanderer had come
up with what he was gonna say
the last time he was feeding those swine.
When it clicked,
I call it the Holy Spirit clicked.
When the Holy Spirit spoke to him
about what he needed to do,
he needed to go home,
he prepared a speech
that he would say to his father
so that his father would receive him.
And I'll tell you
that when he got there,
his father went running out to him,
cut him off
from telling his story
that he wanted to tell
and gave him the best that he had,
saying,
you don't have to explain yourself, son.
You're mine.
I receive you back.
Just come.
And I will tell you today, friend,
if you are wandering away from God
and God speaks to your heart and life
and draws you to come,
you just come.
You don't have to have an explanation for that.
You just come.
I want to get right with the Father today.
I want to make it right.
You just respond.
Some may have a hard time
with what God does
in others' lives,
but we ought to love it.
We ought to love it.
God will forgive the faithful pew sitter
who thinks he's better than his neighbor.
He'll forgive that too.
Jealousy doesn't look as bad
as flagrant sin does.
But Jesus died for it too.
And it'll separate you from the Father.
The only hope that any of us have
is in Christ.
And the ground is level at Calvary.
All of us need it.
But you'll miss the joy of the journey.
You'll miss the celebration
if your life is also filled with selfishness.
Selfishness.
We have a good thing going on here.
We don't want anybody to mess it up.
Well, let me be honest with you.
This dad in this story,
he was loaded.
He was loaded.
He had many servants.
He was loaded.
A lot of money got wasted
when that boy left
with a third of the estate.
A lot of money got blown.
Even more was given to the older son.
He was now the joint owner of the estate.
And when he complained,
his dad told him,
all that is mine
is yours.
Is that enough?
Somebody asked John D. Rockefeller,
who was worth in today's dollar
about $25 billion
at the turn of the 20th century.
They asked him,
they said,
John D.,
how much is enough?
He said,
a little more.
We can get that way
about our church.
We can get that way
about our role in it.
Modern day Pharisees
don't want a whole lot
of their church changed
by those people.
Those people can be new Christians.
They can be new people.
Or they can be the whole generation
that's following them.
I don't care to serve in that role.
I've done my time.
But I don't think
they ought to be serving either.
That's selfishness.
This older brother wanted a goat
to celebrate with his friends.
He thought that's what was fun
instead of seeing lives changed.
And instead,
it's just selfishness.
Let me tell you
what all of us ought to do
is find our spot
to serve the Lord
and let's get after it
using our gifts
for his honor and glory
in his church.
Young and old,
find your place.
Be faithful.
Serve faithfully.
Let's get after it.
Let's see what God
does in us
when we give him
everything we've got.
But we will miss it
if we get selfish.
I'll tell you another thing
that causes you
to miss the celebration
and that is aloofness.
Again and again
in this story it says
he distanced himself.
He distanced himself
from his brother
when he's talking to his daddy.
He said,
this son of yours.
He didn't claim him
as his own.
Not only that
but he distanced himself
from his dad
when he said,
your property.
He squandered your property
because he thought himself better.
He was too good
to open up the doors
to a dirty center.
Too good to approve
of him coming home.
Too good to show him up
as a welcoming guest.
To welcome him
as a guest.
Modern day Pharisees
in the church
only get involved
when it's good for them.
They look at a bulletin
and they hear the announcements
and they look at it
from this perspective.
This bulletin gives me
church events
to choose from
instead of ministry opportunities
to be a part of.
It's just a different perspective.
And the reality is
that the father
extended the same grace
to the older son
that he did
to the younger son
but his nose
was so high in the air
he didn't even notice it.
I want to be clear today.
Whether you went out
and squandered money
in years
on riotous living
or whether you've been
in the church
and a part of the church
maybe sulked a little bit
along the way
I'll tell you
God's not mad
at any of us.
He's not mad at you.
He'll accept you
as you are
but he will call you
he'll call it as it is.
He'll make it clear.
We are responsible
for our response
when he speaks to us
and we're all sinners
and the only difference
between one and the other
is one is lost
without Christ
and one is saved
by the grace of God.
Not one of us
has earned it.
As you read earlier
Ephesians chapter 2
8 through 10
says for by grace
you've been saved
through faith.
This is not of your own doing
it's the gift of God
not as a reserve of works
so that no one can boast.
Listen
what's he saved us for?
We are his workmanship
created in Christ Jesus
for what?
For good works
which God prepared beforehand
that we should walk
in them.
Let's walk
in it
together
for the honor
and the glory
of God.
I want you to notice
two things.
by posing
two questions
and I'll close.
Is this the whole point
of Luke 15?
If you look at it
in the context of it
it actually is.
Now don't misunderstand me.
Just like one loses
an animal
and wants to go
after that animal
and one loses money
and wants to go
after that money
and one loses
a loved one
and wants that loved
one to come back.
Of course
all those things
are true.
But the reality
is the beginning
of this
was in verse 2
and in verse 2
the Pharisees
and scribes
grumbled saying
this man
received sinners
and eats with them
and the gospel
writer says
so he told
them this
parable
and he followed
it with another
and he followed
it with another.
When I was
growing up
my neighbor
had HBO
sandbox
there at the house
but they had
a contract
with Mike Tyson
in the 80s.
Mike Tyson
was quite a boxer
in his day
unlike anything
I've seen
and every time
he'd fight
on HBO
me and my dad
possibly my brother
we'd go up
and watch
boxing
with Uncle Charlie.
He'd pop popcorn
in a brown paper
grocery bag.
Some of you
don't even know
what that is
but anyway
and he'd fill it up
and we'd have
Pepsi Cola
and popcorn
sitting floor
and watch boxing
and it was a quick
fight usually.
Mike Tyson
fought every six weeks
during those days
and normally
he'd hit a man
one time
and he'd fall down
first couple of rounds
it's pretty amazing
to watch
but if he ever
got challenged
he'd begin
to work on the body
man keeps
his hands
up high
but if you
work on his body
you bruise
him around
his ribs
he'll drop
his hands
in protection
and when he
drops his hands
he opens his face
and exposes
himself
for a knockout.
The parable
of the sheep
was a body blow.
The parable
of the lost
coin
was a body blow.
The parable
of the lost
son
was a body blow
and when the
Pharisees
and the scribes
began to drop
their hands
Jesus
delivered
the blow
and that was
the prodigal
other son
or the real
prodigal.
second thing
is this
what happens
next
after this
story?
It's interesting
if you'll notice
the story's
not quite
complete.
We don't know
how it turned
out.
Did he go
in?
Did he apologize
for his attitude?
Did he confront
his brother?
Did he bust
up the party?
Did that
wayward boy
that came
home
did he stay
home?
Did he continue
to be faithful?
Did he stay
right?
What's next?
I'd love
to know
but Jesus
told it
the way
he told it
on purpose
because
for us
today folks
it really
don't matter
what happened
next
in their
lives.
What matters
is
what happens
next
in our
lives.
Are you
coming home?
Ephesians
chapter 2
verse 13
says
but now
in Christ
Jesus
you who
were once
excuse me
you who
once were
far off
have been
brought near
by the
blood of
Christ.
Have you
been here
all the
time
but yet
not really?
Possibly
crossing your
arms and
looking down
on others
and not
joining in
the celebration?
The celebration
is where
God's on
the move.
The celebration
is where
God is
at work
and we
don't
dictate
how he
does that
and we
can't
conjure up
how he
does that
or who
he does
it in.
We just
get in
on it
and God
opens the
invitation
for us
to just
get in
on it
and I
don't want
to miss
it
and I
don't want
you to
miss it.
so my
question
for all
of us
today
is what's
next?
Christ
has exposed
the lostness.
Christ
has exposed
the smugness.
Christ
has exposed
who we
really are
and he
does that
through the
Holy Spirit
of God
speaking to
our hearts
and lives.
it's a
good thing
to know
what's
wrong
with us.
It's
another
thing
to do
something
about it
and so
my question
today is
what's
next
for you?
Maybe
as these
folks were
baptized today
you realize
there's never
been a time
in your life
when you've
surrendered
your life
to Christ.
You've
never given
him control
of your
life.
Whether
you've been
a part
of a church
or whether
you've
been
publicly
baptized
the reality
is when
you look
at your
life
you don't
see evidence
of true
salvation.
And you
look at
your life
and realize
you've never
given your
heart and
life to the
Lord Jesus
Christ.
I'm going
to tell
you the
Father will
not only
receive you
he will
run and
meet you.
I tell
folks the
hardest step
that they
possibly will
ever make
is to
walk into
the aisle
to come
down but
once you
do it
it's amazing
how the
Father will
meet you
where you
are and
give you
the strength
to continue
and he'll
do that
for you
today.
Maybe you
have done
that.
You know
you're saved
you know
you're Christian
but the reality
is you've
enjoyed your
place so
much that
you failed
to serve
the way you
need to
serve.
What's next?
I'll
never ask
you to
do
anything
God
wouldn't
have
you
to
do
but I
don't
ever
want
you
to be
satisfied
with
doing
anything
less.
I don't
know what
God's
saying to
you today
but I
know you'll
never be
satisfied
until you
follow his
will and
his way
for you.
With
every head
bowed and
every eye
closed
dear Lord
I pray
today
for those
who need
to make
private
decisions
Lord for
those who
need to
make public
decisions
God I
pray today
that you
will speak
to each
and every
one of
us and
that God
you will
give us
the strength
and the
faith and
the fortitude
to do
exactly what
you called
us to do.
Lord there's
some that
may need
salvation
today.
There's
some that
may need
to publicly
profess that
through baptism.
Some that
know that
you're leading
them to be
a part of
this church.
God lead
them.
Show them.
Lord there's
hearts that
need to be
made right
whether at
this altar
in their
seat
with a
pastor praying
regardless
God
help us
Father
to simply
follow your
will and
your way
in all of
our life
and may
you get
all the
glory for
it all
in Jesus
precious name
Amen.