God Determines Worth | Josh Brown | 3.15.26

Luke 15 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Y'all continue to pray this morning. Certainly need the need the Lord, as always, to be with us as we continue on and try to glean something out of his word this morning. If you have your Bibles with you, you can turn to the 15th chapter of Luke. And I'll spend my time there and pray that the Lord would guide me. You know, I've been on a while here a kick of sheep and shepherds. I think I've spoken the last couple times I've been here about that from Ezekiel 34 and John 10. And here again is another comparison of the Lord's people to sheep. And you know, I think that it's a common theme from one and something that deserves our full consideration when we look at these things. But in this particular instance, we're looking at that sheep that's gone astray, that sheep that is that is lost, that's out there in the world, in danger, not under the protection of a shepherd, not in the fold protected with the walls there that were prepared for for that sheep, but one that's gone out and wandered off and kind of separated itself and is in danger of becoming prey. In the 15th chapter of Luke, he says, it says, Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them. So in this scene, you know, I'm thinking he's talking about them, the Pharisees, he's eating with these people that are that are considered sinners. You know, the Pharisees consider them sinners and not understanding that they themselves are sinners also. But these these people that are not worthy in the Pharisees' eyes, they're not worthy. And this man who comes and he's been working these miracles, and people are saying he's from God and he's done all these wonderful things, and he speaks like no man has ever spake with authority. Um but here he is. You know, he's associating himself with these people, with these sinners and these publicans, and and even eating with sharing, sharing meal with them. So I picture him sitting there eating and talking and teaching and people coming close to here. And that's one thing that we should do. You know, when we come to church, one of the things that um that we're looking forward to is that spiritual food. You know, we're coming to have a meal with the Lord. Um maybe not saying we have lunch afterwards, but we're talking about the spiritual things. We're talking about being fed spiritually, um, and we come near to our Savior. So that's what they want to do. You had to come, they came near to hear what he had to say. Um and certainly encourage all the Lord's people, anyone that is curious, anyone that has any kind of doubt or wonder in their mind out in the world, and we would want to encourage them to come near. If you want to hear what the truth is, you know, if you want to hear from the Savior, if you want to hear from Jesus Christ, come to where he is and he is in his church. Um that's where we should come. So in this in this scene, I see him sitting in an area where it maybe could hold a lot of people. Um, and you've got a crowd of people coming and drawing close to him as they're eating. And the Pharisees looking at that kind of suspiciously and looking at any way to doubt, any way to doubt that he's the Messiah, any way to undercut his authority, to undercut his ministry. Um, and this is one of the things that they're accusing him of and not saying it's untrue, um, that he receiveth sinners and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, and so he begins to speak a parable. It doesn't, in this instance at least, it doesn't tell us about a question that they had, but we know in other places where he can perceive what's in their hearts, what's going through their minds, even without them saying it out loud. Um, but he began this parable. He knows what they're thinking. Uh he says, What man of you having in a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness and go after that which is lost until he find it. Um, this is something that speaks to them, their culture, the things that they did, their living, their livelihood. They understood this parable about these um you have a hundred sheep and you lose one of them. That's you know, uh a percentage of your income there. That's that's something that's precious to you. You you you need that sheep, right? That's a that's a significant loss. Not just it's not just one percent, right? You have a hundred sheep, you lose one, that's one percent. You don't think that's very much. Well, when you start thinking about um the lambs that sheep will have in the future, losing one you lamb, um you sheep is it doesn't cost you just that one, it costs you those after, those that it would have. Um, it's a valuable thing. And certainly you would secure the ones that you have, the 99, and go look for the one. You would go search it for it. Um, if you've ever had animals and you lost a dog, even you would go search for that animal because, for one, you care for it, it means something to you, not just financially, but we care about the animals that we take care of. You know, we we tend to them, we make sure they're fed and they have everything that they need, that they're doctored and and all those things. So he's speaking to something that they would understand. Um, who of you, having a hundred sheep, lose one, wouldn't leave the ninety-nine and go look for the one? You're not gonna just let it wander off and and have you know fall prey in in the wilderness. So he says um in the fifth verse, and when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. So he he's talking about picking this thing up and carrying it home, right? That was that was a practice that shepherds had. Um that they were it's a lot faster. You're trying to wrangle this sheep, or you know, it's not necessarily halted or broke. You grab it and you have you know, it's front legs and hind legs around your shoulders and you carry it home. And he's happy that he found it. That's a relief, right? If you've ever lost it, and there's other places where it talks about you know um losing things of value and and finding them, and you rejoice, right? Um, it's a relief. Like, man, the thought I lost it, but it here it is. I uh that is such a relief. Um, for one thing, it makes you appreciate it that much more, right? Because you take things for granted, and then when you lose it, you're like, oh no, I need that, I need that. You know, sometimes you don't even realize how much you depend on something or how much you value something until you think you've lost it, and then you go searching for it and you find it, and it's such a relief, and you value it even more. Um so he says, When he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep, which was lost. Um, you know, if you've ever thought you've lost something, maybe you've lost it for a time and then found it, you tell that story, right? Um we may not call everybody over to have dinner and celebrate, you know, losing your favorite ring or something like that, but um we certainly have told the story. I know I don't wear my class ring anymore because it tends to fall off my finger. There for uh at least a year. I had lost my Tarleton class ring, this gold ring. I was pretty I wore it, I was you know, happy to have it, you know, it represented my education and the school that I was alumni of, and you know, I wore it, well, I would say with the you know, using the hopefully the sense of the word that is um appropriate, but kind of had I was proud of it, right? I was an accomplishment that made me happy. Well, it fell off my finger at some point and was in on the ground, and at work they they brought in a mobile office. They were doing some remodeling in the office, so they brought in a mobile office and they parked it right on top of my ring. And so there for about a year, I didn't know where that ring was, I had no idea. They finished the work, they pulled the mobile office off, and it's embedded in the asphalt out in the parking lot. I was very happy to find that ring, and I've told that story multiple times. I didn't have everybody over and throw a party, but I was happy and I showed everybody in the office. I was like, Can you I told the story and they were happy for me, right? They they rejoiced with me. That's something that we can relate to, right? When we find something that's been lost that is important to us, we we share that, and and other people that care about us are happy for us when we find it. Um He says, I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth more than over 90 and nine just persons which need no repentance. It's the same. He's making this comparison uh in heaven, they're gonna rejoice over someone that has been a sheep that's been astray, that's been lost, that's been uh, you know, a child of God that's been out living a life that is not pleasing, that's that they're doing the wrong things. Um when they repent and come and then join the fold, when they come and join the flock and enter into the fold, um, certainly there was rejoicing in heaven, and there should be rejoicing in the church. There should be rejoicing here on earth. Um so they're looking at him as these sinners and publicans come to hear what he has to say, and he rightfully and and rightly uh receives them and teaches them. Um how are they to learn if no man teaches them, right? He's speaking not he's speaking to their hearts, he's speaking to the inner man, but he's also speaking to their carnal minds and and the the sense and um you know sound mind that God has given them to speak truth to them and hoping and and working in them to repent and come and enter into the fold. And what what a joyful thing. He's seeking his lost sheep. Isn't that what we read in the 34th chapter of Ezekiel that God said he would do? Right? He he was accusing those those bad shepherds that weren't seeking the lost, they weren't gathering the sheep, they weren't binding the wounded. He was he was condemning them, and he said, I will come and I will search my sheep, I will seek them and find them and bring them. Like he's I will do it, and this is Christ, the fulfillment of that. When he is receiving these sinners and publicans, when he's receiving those that are downtrodden, the low in society, um, he is doing exactly that. He's being the good shepherd, he is finding the lost sheep, he is speaking his voice, and they're hearing his voice and responding and coming and following him. Um in the eighth verse he says, Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle and sweep the house and seek diligently till she find it. And when she hath found it, calleth her friends and her neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the peace which I had lost. Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels over God, of God, over one sinner that repenteth. There's joy in the presence of the angels of God. There is joy in the presence of the angels of God. There should be joy in just as in heaven there should be joy here on earth, joy in the church over the repentance of one. Now, this um in the eleventh verse gets into the parable of the prodigal son. Now, this is a well-known parable. This is probably one of the most well-known parables, one of the stories that that Christ spoke is something that is repeated in literature and in theater and movies and books, even today, right? We we see this story repeated. And they change the names, they change the the exact circumstances, but this is something that is repeated. Why is it repeated so often? Why is it repeated so much? Why does it sell so well? Like that we wouldn't be repeated, we wouldn't see it all the time if it didn't sell, right? People like this story. Why do people like this story so much? Why does it speak to us? Why do we relate to it so much? Because we can see ourselves in that. Like we're all we all have this rebellious nature in our flesh to rebel and to go out and to find our own, want to find our own way. And to, and we all have this nature in our flesh that that seeks its own satisfaction, seeks gratification, immediate gratification, wants to do things that feel good. And then the world, you know, will tell you, and the devil will tell you, like, do what makes you happy. Right? Nothing, you know, just do what makes you happy. You'll be so much better off if you just are happy all the time. If you just if you just, you know, do the things that make you feel good, right? Follow your heart and do the things that make you feel good. Um, we know that that is a terrible way to live. That's not what we teach our children. I'm not gonna teach my boys to just do whatever makes you feel good. I'm gonna teach them to be responsible. I'm gonna say that there's a cost to things. You want you want to do that, it's gonna cost you this. It might feel good now, but here's what it's gonna end up doing. You know, can't Cole was standing up on the pew back there because it he liked it made him feel good, right? He stood up and he felt like he was big and he felt daring, and and candisers breach over, and he's like, Mama, I got it, I got it. She's like, I'm just trying to make sure you don't fall.

unknown 15:04

Right?

SPEAKER_00 15:05

That's what a parent does. Like we're there to for uh guardrails for our kids as they as they come up. But we're rebellious. That story that speaks to us because we've all experienced it at different degrees, of course. You know, different different degrees of rebellion. Um, thankfully, you know, I was raised in the church and with a mother who was um did a good job of keeping me in line and keeping me around good examples, and um so I didn't rebel too much, like I didn't get so far off, but I mean I rebelled. Um so I can relate to this prodigal son. That story speaks to me. And I watched those, I've seen the same story, and I'll and then every time it's presented to me in a new way with new people, I I'll watch it again as if it was brand new. So he he's got done talking about the 99 and one, the one sheep that was lost. He's talked about the the um that piece of silver, and now he goes into something that is um more you know human. He's given a human example. Like here's people, these these people that you're calling sinners and publicans, and why I'm eating with them. A certain man had two sons, and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. So he his younger son, you know, uh, at that time, the the eldest son would get the inheritance, right? He was he would be after the dad died, um, he would be the head of the household. He would inherit it basically it all. Um and this younger son is saying, you know, coming up, he's a young man. He's like, what will there be for me? You know, my older brother is gonna be the head of my father's house. What is there for me? I can I can kind of imagine this. This is the way the story is told in all the movies and books that we read, right? So um this younger son is I'm gonna go out and make my own way. I'm gonna get started now. Um, Father, give me what what's due to me. All right, give me my portion of the inheritance. Um and it says that the father divided unto them. He didn't just give, like, take what was his and give it to him and keep everything else. He divided unto both sons. He didn't just give to one and not the other. He said he divided unto them the portion of goods that falleth. It says, and not um he divided unto them his living. So and not many days after the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. He just he went out and he had been in this rural area living with his father and their servants and tending to the animals and the household for his whole life, been sheltered, like we would call he lived a sheltered life, right? Um, and he was given some freedom. He was of uh old enough, he was of age where he could make some decisions of his own, asked for his inheritance, got the portion of goods, went into a far country. I'm gonna go explore, right? That's I I think about nowadays, I think about um someone that's of college age, and kind of the really terrible thing that we have is an expectation almost of riotous living in college. Right? When we get to that age, when we leave the house, it's almost an expectation of people, and it's like we we say we justify and say it's okay. Like you're gonna experience, you gotta try new things, you're gonna experience the world in college. It's really not good. Like it's that is not a good thing for that to be an expectation for us. Um so he goes out and he's at of that age, and he gets to this city where there's everything a young man can desire, right? Later on, his brother says it outright. He wasted his living on harlots. Right? He did some bad things. He wasted his living doing whatever felt good in the moment and spent it all. And here comes a famine in the land. There's a famine in the land. Um and certainly when when you have a pocket full of money and you go into places like that, you're everybody's best friend, right? Everybody's want, they're gonna talk to you, they're gonna act like they're your best friend, so you'll spend your money there. Well, you see what happens is there's a famine. He runs out of money, and they don't care as much about him anymore. And there's really they haven't, even the people that would be charitable don't have enough. They have to take care of themselves and their families. They don't have enough to even give him. So no nobody in this country would even give anything to me. So he joined himself with a citizen of that country who puts him to work feeding you know his animals, feeding the pigs and things like that nature. And he can eat what the pigs don't eat, basically. He's sitting there, he's living and eating with the pigs. Um He has hit rock bottom. When we talk about rock bottom, that he is there, right? This younger son who had his whole life in front of him, who felt like he could conquer the world, um, who wanted to go out, get out from under his brother's shadow, to get out under, you know, and to go make something for himself, went and did whatever felt good in the moment, spent all that his father gave him, and was left destitute. Um I mean, I don't know how much lower you can get. We think about the poor that we see, would he would he would be grateful to be in some of their positions, right? Um he was absolutely at rock bottom. And what he what I find um interesting is the way he is described of coming to his senses, right? Coming coming back, like realizing how big of a mistake he made and the words that he uses. Um in the it says that when he came in the 17th verse. And when he came to himself, when he came to himself, when he came to his sense, when he came to himself, he had not been himself. The devil had gotten a hold of him, and had he had followed the lust of his flesh, and was not the man that his father had raised. Like that was he was not acting the way that he had been taught. And says, when he came to himself, how many hired servants of my fathers have bread enough to spare, and I perish with hunger? He's like, even this, my father was a good man. I say good, there's none good, no, not one, but he was he was a man that that was um took care of his family, that took care of even his servants. He was respected, he he led a good household. He led such a good household that he could feed all of his servants and have some to be charitable with. And he's out here eating with the pigs, and and I perish with hunger. And he's thinking to himself, I will arise and go to my father. We sing that song, I will arise and go to Jesus. Like, I will arise and go. I've got to get up from where I'm at and I've got to go. I've got to move. I've got, I'm here, I need to be there, I need to get up and go. There's a some choice, there's some follow-through, some work that he needed to do to save himself, right? We we we've talked, it's we dance around this and and um try to be very careful to rightly divide scripture about works and salvation. Is there salvation in doing good works and being faithful and uh working through faith? There is salvation in that. Um there's what is he saving himself from? He's not saving himself from eternal punishment to everlasting joy. What he's saving himself from is eating with the pigs to having a warm place to sleep and some food to eat. That's what that's what how he's saving himself in a temporal way. Um much more, just much alike us. And if we're um we've gone astray, if we've left the church, if we're out and we come to ourselves and we come back, we're saved, we've saved ourselves from riotous living and wasting our lives and all that turmoil and lack of hope, to having hope, to coming back and having assurance of our salvation, to to having fellowship with Christ and his church. We've saved ourselves from no fellowship to fellowship and all the blessings that come with that. Um so he he says, I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired servants. So he came, he he thought about this, you know. I've got to get up, I've got to go, uh what am I gonna say when I get there? How am I will he receive me? You know, I left. He he provided for me my whole life, and I pretty much took it all for granted, said, I I I can do better on my own, and offended, he offended his father, right? He offended him by by doing this. That's not what his father wanted for him. That's not um how he was raised, and he he goes out and he does these things that and brought if anybody in that country, I'm seeing this as a far country, if if anybody knew his father and he like this is that his son, like our kids, our children's behavior reflects on us. And I pray that I don't put too much pressure on my kids and the way they behave because I'm more concerned about the the way they reflect on me, and I'm more concerned about them. That's the way I should be as a good father. I should be concerned about them and not necessarily the way other people are looking at me, but that happens, right? We're out in public and my kids are acting up and they're embarrassing me, right? I'm worried about these people think that I'm a terrible father. What we do reflects on the people that we love. And the and what we do as members of Snyder Pennington Baptist Church reflects on the church. When people know that you're a member here, and if you're out doing things in a way that don't bring, you know, that's not the way, you know, people say, not the sort of way a Christian should act. If you're not being charitable, if you're not being loving, if you're out doing things that don't reflect well and don't reflect what's in scripture, the way that a um a disciple of Christ should act, then you're not bringing good things on the church. Um and that's the way he he understood, right? I haven't I haven't brought good things to my father's name. I bear his name, what I do reflects on him, and I haven't been doing what I should do as his son, this this man that is respected, this man that's that's done everything right, that's done right by me, and he does right by his servants. I haven't been doing that. Um so he he thought about what he would say and the way he would approach his his father and wondered, I'm sure, if his father would even receive him. Um so in the 20th verse it says, and he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion on him and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. So he he thought before, um, in the 19th verse, he says, I am no more worthy to be called thy son. I am not worthy to be called thy son. I want to think about that term worth. I kind of went ahead and before I made this point, I wanted to make. Um He's the object in this situation, right? This younger son who is the prodigal son, he's the object that we're considering of worth. What is he worth? He he is saying, I'm not worthy to be called thy son. But he's the object. You know, who makes that determination? Who decides if he's worthy to be called his son? The father decides that, right? He's the object. The father is the one that decides the worth. Um if you've been rebellious as I have, if you've sinned the way I have, and maybe not in the same manner, but you know, if you've been convicted of the sin in your life, there's times where I felt unworthy. Right? And I am. When it comes right down to it, through my own works, through my own things, you know, my own account, I am not worthy. Right? Of ourselves, we're not worthy to be called the sons of God. The things that we've done, our nature uh in sin and um the things that we've done, we're not worthy to be called his sons. We're not. Um how who decides that? Do we decide that or does God? God's decided that. He's decided what we're worth to him. When you think about an object and what it's worth, um it's it's worth as much as somebody's willing to pay to obtain it, to possess it. That's what it's worth. You know, that's why markets change, right? When they're that's that's economics. It's um as if things become more scarce, but they're still desired, they're worth more. If there's a lot of it, then it's not worth as much, right? Because it's plenty plenteous. You don't need to worry about it. I tell the boys love for me to tell them stories. I kind of make up my own way of telling it, but um the three pigs, I tell them about the three pigs. And um I I make I don't know if they are brothers in the way the original story, but I make them brothers, and I make them the younger brother, the middle brother, and the older brother, and the younger brother. I I talk about the materials they're using to buy their houses, and um I talk about the fact that the straw was cheaper, it's it's abundant, right? There's straw everywhere. There's there's hay, it's it's grass, it's everywhere, right? It's it's cheaper to build that house. You can do it faster. And so then he can go buy out, go out and buy a fancy car and spend his money on things that he wants instead of things that he needs. You know, I try to talk about that. That straw is is abundant and it's not worth much. It doesn't cost much unless you're in a drought. Um so the circumstances of things change. But this son doesn't feel like he's worth worthy to be called his father's son. And he's probably right. The way us looking on the outside and look at it, yeah, you you messed up. You messed up, bud. You know, you're you finally came to yourself and you realize that you've done things that aren't worthy to be associated with your father's house. Um, much the same way that we feel when we are convicted of our sin and we don't feel worthy of God. But look at the way that the father responds. It says that the son arose and he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, so think about him in the distance, like out on the horizon. You can just see his silhouette, right? We we know those that we see every day, those in our family, those that we love. You can kind of recognize the way they stand, the way they walk, you can recognize people from the back of their head, with their silhouettes. Um you can recognize them. And so he his father probably had been looking at that horizon every day that his son was gone, just waiting for his for him to come back, even just for a visit. Like a father, we we love our children, we love our sons, we want them to be with us, and he's been away for a while, and the father's probably had news of the famine, and he's worried about his son, and he's probably been looking every day, waiting and anticipating his son coming back. Doesn't our God, if we we've gone astray for those lost sheep that are out there, don't you think his son, where his children, like heirs and joint heirs with Christ, he's looking every day, he's wanting, he's he's waiting for his sheep to come into the fold, to come join the flock, to be part of his church again. Like he's he's waiting for he's anticipating. I say that that as he's a human, um, but he's greater than us, he knows all things. Um but that's that kind of anticipation and um desire that our father has for us, that we would be with him. And he, when we leave, he wants us to return. And we should look much the same way for our brothers and sisters in Christ in anticipation. And and I know we do, like when we see someone new come in to the church, um, come even just for a visit, um, it fills us with excitement and joy, right? It makes it makes for a good day, right? It makes us happy and we rejoice over that. Um so his father saw him a great way off, and and he recognized him. Um it says his father saw him and had compassion. He was just so grateful to see his son alive and coming home. Um it says he had compassion. He ran. He ran to him. Like he took off and ran to his son. Um and he fell on his neck and kissed him. I mean, I picture this scene. He's out there and uh he sees his son, and you're out there kind of in the country, and just takes off running across the field and just hugs his neck. Like fall, it says falls on his neck, like all his weight probably is on his son. His son's probably weak. You know, they both probably hit the ground. Um, and he's hugging and kissing on him, and just so grateful to see his son. It says, and the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. He said you know what he had thought that he needed to say, and I believe was honest. Like this wasn't just something I need to say to get my father to take me in. This is the way he felt.

unknown 35:07

Right?

SPEAKER_00 35:08

He says he came to himself. He's like, I need to be true to myself and to my father. I need to be true and and just explain the way things are. Um, and he really didn't feel worthy. Um, so he he, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. So bring the best, like go in my closet, get the best robe I have, bring it, get get a ring, put a ring on his finger, like that's a symbol that he is my son. That ring is symbolizes that um status of one of his heirs of the head of the household. And shoes on his feet, just take care of him, right? Um and bring hither the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and be merry. So the father, the son does not feel worthy to be called his father's son. Does not feel worthy, but he doesn't decide if he's worthy. The father decides. Right? He's the head of the house, he's the one with the authority to decide if you are gonna be brought back into the family. And he, the son, was worthy. It didn't matter. I say I won't say it didn't matter, it certainly mattered, but at this point, the father's just grateful. He is loves his son, and his son has repented and come back and is asking for a place. He's asking for a place. He said, make me as a servant. I'll just just to be a servant in your house. It's better to be out in the world with with all these people, right? Just to be a servant in your house. And that's the way we should come to our to the Father. To be a servant, not claiming ourselves worthy of our own works or how strong a faith we have or anything that we've done. We should come knowing that we are not worthy to be called his sons. But guess what? He has made us worthy, he has determined our worth. And just as we talked about a possession, uh, uh something, how is it decided what it's worth? It's worth what you're willing to give up to obtain it. Well, God loved us, he loved us so much, and we were worth so much to him. What were we worth to him? We were worth the blood of his only begotten son. We are a purchased possession, bought with a price. The price of the Son of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the only begotten of the living God, um, God Himself manifest in the flesh, we are worth that to God the Father. That's what we're worth to him. And it's not of our own works or material any kind of material or worldly knowledge of value. It's because he loved us. It's simply that. Like the son wasn't, didn't go out and make a fortune and come back to the father and say, Look what all this, you know, give me, make me the heir now, because I'm the younger son, make me the heir over the older son, because I've done all these things. No, he said, I'm worthless. I am not worthy to be called your son. And the father said, No, you are worthy to be my son. You are my son, and I'm glad you're here, right? We're gonna kill the fatted calf and we're gonna make merry. Um when we repent and come to the Father, um, we do so humbly and as beggars before God. We come as beggars before him, asking for mercy and grace. And he is um the worth that he sees in us is that imputed righteousness of Christ. The works that Christ completed, the works that he did while he was here on earth, the work that he completed on the cross is the worth that God the Father sees in us, his children, um, not because of things that we have done, but because of the finished work of Christ. Um in the twenty-third verse he says, Bring hither the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and be merry. For this my son was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found, and they began to be merry. Now his elder son was in the field, and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard um music and dancing, and he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed it, killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound, and he was angry and would not go in. Therefore came his father out and entreated him. So here's the older son, right? Here's the heir. He's the older son, and he's he never left. He's been he's been diligent, he's been a good son.

unknown 40:30

Right?

SPEAKER_00 40:30

He's he's done what he's supposed to do. He stayed there, he worked, he worked every day alongside his father, he took care of the things that he needed to take care of, he listened, he he he was a good son, and he had done everything right. And here comes the younger brother who had gone out and done everything wrong, and they're having this big party. Um he was upset about it. Certainly, we've all experienced envy, we've all experienced that ourselves, those feelings. We can relate to this story even as the older brother. We could probably, if you're old enough and you've had children, you can probably relate to it as the father. Um we all relate to it as the the prodigal son, and and some of us we can relate to that envy uh and entitlement that that older brother felt. Um so he was angry, and the father came out and entreated him, he wouldn't go in, and he's answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment, and yet thou never gavest me a kid that I might make merry with my friend. You killed him, the fatty calf. You never even gave me give me a kid goat to have a party with my friends. Uh, I've never you've never done anything like this for me, and I've done everything right. Um one thing about it is that that brother, he's looking at this as it's the party for the son, and the way I see this, I mean, really, it's for the father. Like the father's the one that is, he's celebrating his son. He said it said he he was lost and he was found, he was he was dead, and now he's alive. He was he might as well have been dead because he was gone, and now he's alive. The father is making merry, right? He's like, come kill the fatted calf. I am ecstatic to have my son back. Um, so that's one thing that the the older brother is looking at it as you're throwing this party for him, and really I see it as the father's throwing the party for himself, right? He he's throwing the party because he is so overjoyed that his son has returned. Um when the host, when the angels before of God are in heaven rejoicing over one sinner that repenteth, it's because God is rejoicing. He is he is happy, he rejoices when his children come back, and they come and they repent and attempt to follow him. Um says, But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hat thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meat that we should make merry and be glad, for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again, and was lost, and is found. So he's saying, he's putting it to the older brother like this Your brother, your brother was lost and he's found. He was dead to you. He was gone and he's alive again. We should be happy. You should be happy that your brother's back. Um we Can each fall into that frame of mind, that sense of entitlement, that sense of envy of others. There's been times where, and I would be a liar if I said it didn't uh happen recently, or um I don't expect it to happen again. Like I hope it doesn't, and I pray that I get over this um thorn in my flesh, but I get envious of other ministers' gifts. I mean, I I listen to a I'll sit in the congregation and listen to a sermon and and be just lifted up. And the Lord has spoken to me, and I will sit there and I'll let it turn to something it shouldn't be. Right? I'll be envious. I'll think about, man, I wish I could, I'll I'm singing, you know, I you can hear me. Where's few enough of us few enough of us that y'all can hear that I'm not the best singer? I get envious of other people's voices. Like, I wish I could sing like that. Really, the way I should feel is overjoyed that the Lord is glorified. When I hear a sermon where there's no dry eye in the house and and everybody is just amening, and it's instead of thinking like, man, I wish I had that gift, I should be overjoyed that God is glorified. When I hear someone with a gift for song and singing, um, I shouldn't be envious, like, man, I wish I could hit that note like that. I wish I could be a better leader. I wish I could do those things. I should just be glad that God has blessed his church with that gift of that brother, that sister that can sing that way, because it it lifts us up when we hear that music, that sweet music in our natural ears, and it combines and it makes melody in our hearts even. Um, we should be grateful. That it's not for us, right? The gift of preaching isn't for the preacher, it's for God first and his church. It's not any gift that God's given me isn't for me. It's not a gift for me, it's a gift for him and for his church. Any gift of song or prayer or um uh ability to cook or um fellowship, like a welcoming presence, an ability to speak to people and have, you know, my wife is one that I love her so much. She is one that people will tell their whole life story to. She she people that she met the first day, and she'll know everything about them because she is easy to talk to, right? She has a gift for that. Um, that's a gift for God and for his people, for the church. That is a gift that where people want to be around her because she's easy to talk to and she they know that she cares about them, and that's something that God has given her for himself and for his people. Um so when we think about these things that that God has um blessed us with, we should know that it is ultimately for him. It's all for him, and it should be for him. We shouldn't be entitled thinking, I deserve this, I've worked hard, and I deserve this. I've I've been in the church um my whole life, and this person's a recent um convert, and look at the power that they can speak with, right? Look at the way they move the congregation. Look at, you know, why can't I do that? I've been here the whole time. That's not the way we should behave. We should be grateful that God has brought his child to his church and that he has blessed his church with that gift. Um, you are not worthy of your own because of your own works. You're not. But I want you to know that God has made you worthy. He loved you before the foundation of the world, and you were worth the blood of his only begotten son to him, and he paid the price, and you are his. Um, so when you feel that way, when you feel like you're not worth anything, and you don't feel like coming to church because you just can't do it that day, right? I just don't even feel like I can enter into the doors. Come. Come. Um, he'd fall on your neck and put a robe on you and shoes on your feet and a ring on your finger. He'll kiss you. Um that is even like when you don't feel like coming, it's probably the time you should, you definitely need to come. And when you feel like coming, you should definitely come. You should always come. Anytime you're able, you should come. Just to be a servant in his house. It's much better than being anywhere out in that sin sick world to be be here. I thank you for your kind attention. If you've gained anything from my efforts this morning, give God the honor and the glory for it.