THE PROBLEM WITH BEING GOOD (3 OF 3)
Scripture: Luke 15:25-32
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The Problem With Being Good (3 of 3)
Series: Prodigal
Dave Gustavsen
Luke 15:25-32
We've been taking the past few weeks to do a deep dive in Luke chapter 15. The chapter starts with Jesus teaching, and gathered around him, listening to him teach, are the tax collectors and sinners. The most despised members of society. Standing over to the side, watching all this, are the most respected members of society: the Pharisees and teachers of the law. And when the religious people see Jesus spending time with such unreligious people, they can't believe it. And they mutter: ''This man welcomes sinners, and even eats with them.''
So in response to the muttering, Jesus tells three stories: a shepherd who loses one of his sheep, a woman who loses one of her coins, and a father who loses one of his sons. In all three parables, the person who incurred the loss takes the loss deeply personally, they desperately want to get back what they lost, and when they finally get it back, they throw a party.
So through the collective force of these three parables told back to back to back, Jesus is showing us how God feels about lost people: he is passionate about finding them and bringing them home. If you have lost people that you love-prodigal sons or daughters or friends who have pushed away from God, this is how God feels about them-he's passionate about finding them and bringing them home, and God invites us to join him in that passion.
So let's focus on that third story-the Prodigal Son. The father welcomes his son back into the family, they kill the fattened calf and throw the greatest party they've ever seen. It's the perfect ending for this whole thing! The son is back; he's learned his lesson; everybody's happy! Right? Not quite. There is one person who's not happy at all. The fattened calf. No-actually, the older brother. The obedient one who stayed at home! He's not having a good day. This last message is all about him.
And there's a very good chance ...
Series: Prodigal
Dave Gustavsen
Luke 15:25-32
We've been taking the past few weeks to do a deep dive in Luke chapter 15. The chapter starts with Jesus teaching, and gathered around him, listening to him teach, are the tax collectors and sinners. The most despised members of society. Standing over to the side, watching all this, are the most respected members of society: the Pharisees and teachers of the law. And when the religious people see Jesus spending time with such unreligious people, they can't believe it. And they mutter: ''This man welcomes sinners, and even eats with them.''
So in response to the muttering, Jesus tells three stories: a shepherd who loses one of his sheep, a woman who loses one of her coins, and a father who loses one of his sons. In all three parables, the person who incurred the loss takes the loss deeply personally, they desperately want to get back what they lost, and when they finally get it back, they throw a party.
So through the collective force of these three parables told back to back to back, Jesus is showing us how God feels about lost people: he is passionate about finding them and bringing them home. If you have lost people that you love-prodigal sons or daughters or friends who have pushed away from God, this is how God feels about them-he's passionate about finding them and bringing them home, and God invites us to join him in that passion.
So let's focus on that third story-the Prodigal Son. The father welcomes his son back into the family, they kill the fattened calf and throw the greatest party they've ever seen. It's the perfect ending for this whole thing! The son is back; he's learned his lesson; everybody's happy! Right? Not quite. There is one person who's not happy at all. The fattened calf. No-actually, the older brother. The obedient one who stayed at home! He's not having a good day. This last message is all about him.
And there's a very good chance ...
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