Filling the House: Sheep, Silver, and Sons: The Heart Wrenching Truth of a Son Left Lost
Filling the House: Sheep, Silver, and Sons
The Heart-wrenching Truth of a Son Left Lost
Scripture
Full Scripture: Luke 15:11-32
Text Scripture: Luke 15:25-32
25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. 28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
29 And he 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 friends: 30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
29 And he 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 friends: 30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. 32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
Introduction
During the past few Sunday mornings we have explored God’s desire to have His house of forgiveness, love, joy, and grace filled with people. The message of forgiveness and reception is preached to all people but only repentant people are allowed to enter and attend the Father’s grand celebration. The first two parables in Luke 15 express the recovery of sheep and silver along with the rejoicing that accompanies the completion of the rescue mission. These two parables are great carriers of heavenly truth, yet another story is needed to add humanity and divine grace that can only be communicated through family. Today we will explore this climatic parable filled with true grace, forgiveness, acceptance, restoration and joy and in the end, a heart-wrenching truth of a son left lost.
Jesus again turns the page of His storytelling to engage both audiences in a more direct way. Pass the field with the happy shepherd; go beyond the house with the woman and friends celebrating the found silver coin, and onto a large estate owned by a father who has two sons. The story Jesus brings His audience into is far from a pleasant one. The place, at first, sounds nice to American ears. A father, two sons, servants, and a large estate sounds Disney-like; however, unhappiness exists in the hearts of both sons. Relationships are shattered; greed, lust, and competition abound. The family splits as soon as the story opens.
The Hearts in the Matter
As the story opens, three people appear: the father and his two sons. The younger son appears as the “disrespectful daddy hater.” He asks for his inheritance and leaves home to live a wild, sinful life. While the younger son is away the older son stays home doing all the father asks, playing the part of the “good” son. Meanwhile the younger son is in a far country going broke. His choices are catching up with him and maturing him at the same time. The job he obtains in order to survive is
not filling. He makes the decision to go home. What unfolds next reveals the true nature of each main character. Follow me in your Bible as the events unfold.
EVENT ONE
I. The Arrival of the Younger Son (17-20a)
a) What happened in the far country? The far country was a hard experience for the younger son. He lived a sin-filled life that left him empty. In the far country he discovered that money could not buy happiness and what he truly needed was a relationship with his father! There is grace in the younger son’s revelation. Many people move to a far country, go broke, live miserably, get sick and die. It is the mere grace of a loving God to use a bad situation to convict the heart.
b) The heart’s desire. As mentioned in point “a” above, God’s grace changes the heart of man. God can use kindness or hardness to call men to repentance, but man’s repentance is of God. What happens to the heart when God is convicting? The younger son decided to take a big step and head home, face dad and confess that he had sinned greatly. During the time of the parable there was no guarantee that the son would be permitted back in the family and there was the possibility of severe punishment; however, none of this stopped his heart from leading him to the father.
c) The long road home. The younger son, who at the time was starving, broke, dirty, and anxious to go home, started down the long road to the father’s house. The parable emphasized the distance as a “far country.” It was not a journey without obstacles or one he could complete unless his eye was on the prize. The long road home was a small price to pay if his dad would simply give him a servant’s job. The decision for a person to repent this morning is not a light one. It is not one that will be done without effort. There is the fear of failure, rejection, embarrassment, and the unknown, but if God is calling you to repent He will place in you the heart to follow through!
d) Who is the younger son? The younger son is a picture of those that are sinners who come to Jesus. They were in the audience the day Jesus spoke and they are in the audience today. The younger son had the smell and brokenness of sin on his body that could not be hid, yet his heart was humble and desired to repent and be close to the father. There would be much to be done after he was restored but none of that mattered. All he wanted was restoration. Today, if Jesus is calling you home to the Father, be humble, be repentant, and be the younger son. Come to the Father!
Application: Will you walk the long road home today?
EVENT TWO
II. The Father’s Acceptance (20a-24)
a) The father’s view. How God sees you may surprise you. Yes, He has allowed you by your own will to wander off, but He hasn’t forgotten you and His love has not failed! God sees you as a son that needs to be home in His care. The Father recognizes you just as the father in our story recognized his son. You may be far off, years may have passed and your looks changed, but the Father still knows His son! The father did not see his child as a vagabond sinner but as a son in his family. That is God’s view toward those that come to Him!
b) The father’s embrace. The father’s embrace began with a sprint. The father longed to hold his son and to kiss him over and over. The father tossed out all decorum of the day in order to express his full emotion for his once dead child. Imagine the relief and pure joy of touching someone you thought you lost for eternity. The filthy, skinny man in which his son had become did not detour the father from latching hold of his child. What others thought of the scene did not matter, the same way it did not matter to Jesus what those of His day thought of Him receiving sinners. Love was above decorum! The Father embraces those who want to repent. He handles them as if they are with the promise they will not be the same after His embrace.
c) The father’s ridiculous spending. Jesus taught Nicodemus about God’s love and He measured it by the gift of His only begotten Son. God’s love looks ridiculous. His great spending for a shattered soul is incomprehensible. A billion dollars for a wrinkled piece of common paper doesn’t compare to the price paid for us. What did this father do for his son? Robe, ring, roast, and a party? His son was recently a reckless spender indulging in sinful pleasure without restraint and the father gives him the “best” without placing the son under close scrutiny? It was wild spending that the father used to communicate absolute forgiveness and express what his heart has thought of his son through the years. The father was certainly prodigal (giving something on a lavish scale). God’s love for us is extreme and vast beyond all measure!
Application: Will you accept the embrace of God?
EVENT THREE
III. The Elder Son’s Protest (25-32)
i. Lost at Home- The oldest son, being hard at work in the fields came home to hear and see the festivities. Curious about the situation, he enquired what had taken place. He learned his little brother had come home and dad had gone all out to welcome him back to the family. This set big brother off. “How could
dad do such a thing? Has Pop lost his mind? This boy caused him and the family grief and shame and does not deserve anything! He hasn’t worked for a dime!” This type of attitude proves that the elder son was lost while at home the same way his younger brother was lost away from home. Salvation is first relational and then geographical. First, I am drawn to God because of His great love then I am geographically
dad do such a thing? Has Pop lost his mind? This boy caused him and the family grief and shame and does not deserve anything! He hasn’t worked for a dime!” This type of attitude proves that the elder son was lost while at home the same way his younger brother was lost away from home. Salvation is first relational and then geographical. First, I am drawn to God because of His great love then I am geographically
(positionally) with God. The elder son felt that being “close” to dad equaled loving dad. Lost and at home is a hard place to be.
ii. Slave or oon? The father heard of the mad, prideful, pouting son standing outside the house and came to him in order to bring him into the house as well. The older son knew to come into the house he had to agree with the father’s nature and decision on the matter of radical forgiveness, acceptance, and restoration and that, for him, was not an option. When the older son stated his case he used two words “served” and “commands.” At first, they sound noble, but underneath the seemingly good service was rot. The son felt that his work and obedience of duty gave him the right to judge the father. He believed that he was good enough and if anyone had earned the right to be rejoiced over it was him. This attitude reeks of religious pride and an unsaved heart. Keeping the speed limit, all your life only ensures you will not receive a speeding violation, but it does not generate a reward. Nothing was owed to the older son for doing right. Reward only comes by grace. The father in the parable knew this but the son refused to know it. The son saw himself as a slave and was lacking the same thing the little brother had lacked for many years and that was a relationship with the father.
iii.The son’s disapproval and father’s last call. The older son finally said it. “Dad, you approve of his behavior after all he has done, you are in agreement with a wicked person?” He cunningly called the father wicked. When Jesus began to teach in Luke 15 the religious crowd said that “he receives sinners.” He accepts them as family and the Pharisees meant that Jesus was in accord with wickedness. The sharp disapproval of the father’s decision to accept, forgive, and celebrate the return of a dead child was hideous in the sight of the elder brother. Instead of snapping on his son the father once again reminded him of the love he had for him. “All that I have is yours” and “You are ever with me.”
Then he reminds him that joy over a lost brother is necessary. The older son lost nothing when his brother left but a brother. It cost him nothing but it cost the father greatly. The only way the older son could enjoy his father was to enjoy the nature of his father. The story ends and the “good” brother is left outside the tent. A stark warning settles over the crowd who had been listening as Jesus made it clear that the father receives sinners to forgive them. Many will come from the corners of the world to worship God in eternity, but people like the Pharisees would be left out (Matthew 8:11-12)
iv. Who is the older son? It is clear by now that the older son in our story is the Pharisees that were in the audience the day Jesus spoke this story. They are with us still today. The heart- wrenching truth is many that know of God do not know God and will be left out the Kingdom of God on the Day of Judgment. This is the hard truth the religious people had to hear. This story, in fact, was the Father coming outside the tent entreating them that they come inside to the celebration and fulfilment of grace. These people had been faithful to do and obey yet it was out of control and not love. Their work was
strategy and not love. Their idea was God owed them and when God seemed to reject them they would simply point to how good they had been and how bad someone else had been. The plan sounds good from the human point of view, and works quiet well with other people, but God is not swayed by such antics and accepts people based on His grace and not their own merit.
v. The older son takes nothing away. The older son, being outside does not hinder the celebration of the dead son coming to life once again. Joy in heaven will not be broken up by the shrills of Hell. If the idea of the older son was to stop the great joy of the Father’s grace he was sadly mistaken. God is happy in Himself and we share His happiness when it is directed toward us by His grace.
Application: Will you rejoice with God as a true son and brother?
IN CLOSING
IV. The Missing Brother
a. God is good, God is just. God is good, therefore God forgives sinners.
At the same time God is just and must condemn and punish sin. How are these great truths reconciled in the parable of the prodigal son?
b. Jesus the brother. The only way the story ends with the younger brother in the father’s house is because Jesus is the author. The person telling the story can map it out as they wish. Jesus spoke the parable directly to both audiences. The younger brother is the sinner and the older brother is the knowledgeable Pharisee. Jesus tells the story knowing he would die for both. The judgment of the Father would soon fall on Jesus. Whoever ends up in the Father’s house will do so because of the cross of Jesus Christ. God forgives and judges based on the cross of Jesus Christ. He was the missing brother in the story. Only the religious crowd would know to ask how God can accept sinners in such a way. Many that heard the parable that day would soon hear the message of the cross and get their answers.
c. Repent, rejoice, or perish. Our teaching will close with this invitation.
To those who are younger brothers, God wants you in His house. He longs to forgive you and make you His. Will you repent? To those
To those who are younger brothers, God wants you in His house. He longs to forgive you and make you His. Will you repent? To those
that are true older brothers: will you rejoice with the Father? Will your prayers, labor, giving, and songs be one with your heavenly Father? Will you cast off pride and doubt and get happy over the atoning work of Jesus? To the religious and non-religious that are hard of heart: Do you wish to perish? Are you willing to die in the far country or outside the house of God? Will you be saved?
Application: Will you read each story through the lens of the cross? Will you live your life through the lens of the cross?
WatchNotesDownloadDateTitle
- Nov 5, 2017Filling the House: Sheep, Silver, and Sons: The Heart Wrenching Truth of a Son Left Lost
Filling the House: Sheep, Silver, and Sons: The Heart Wrenching Truth of a Son Left LostFilling the House: Sheep, Silver, and SonsThe Heart-wrenching Truth of a Son Left LostScriptureFull Scripture: Luke 15:11-32Text Scripture: Luke 15:25-3225 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. 28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
29 And he 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 friends: 30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. 32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.IntroductionDuring the past few Sunday mornings we have explored God’s desire to have His house of forgiveness, love, joy, and grace filled with people. The message of forgiveness and reception is preached to all people but only repentant people are allowed to enter and attend the Father’s grand celebration. The first two parables in Luke 15 express the recovery of sheep and silver along with the rejoicing that accompanies the completion of the rescue mission. These two parables are great carriers of heavenly truth, yet another story is needed to add humanity and divine grace that can only be communicated through family. Today we will explore this climatic parable filled with true grace, forgiveness, acceptance, restoration and joy and in the end, a heart-wrenching truth of a son left lost.Jesus again turns the page of His storytelling to engage both audiences in a more direct way. Pass the field with the happy shepherd; go beyond the house with the woman and friends celebrating the found silver coin, and onto a large estate owned by a father who has two sons. The story Jesus brings His audience into is far from a pleasant one. The place, at first, sounds nice to American ears. A father, two sons, servants, and a large estate sounds Disney-like; however, unhappiness exists in the hearts of both sons. Relationships are shattered; greed, lust, and competition abound. The family splits as soon as the story opens.The Hearts in the MatterAs the story opens, three people appear: the father and his two sons. The younger son appears as the “disrespectful daddy hater.” He asks for his inheritance and leaves home to live a wild, sinful life. While the younger son is away the older son stays home doing all the father asks, playing the part of the “good” son. Meanwhile the younger son is in a far country going broke. His choices are catching up with him and maturing him at the same time. The job he obtains in order to survive isnot filling. He makes the decision to go home. What unfolds next reveals the true nature of each main character. Follow me in your Bible as the events unfold.EVENT ONEI. The Arrival of the Younger Son (17-20a)a) What happened in the far country? The far country was a hard experience for the younger son. He lived a sin-filled life that left him empty. In the far country he discovered that money could not buy happiness and what he truly needed was a relationship with his father! There is grace in the younger son’s revelation. Many people move to a far country, go broke, live miserably, get sick and die. It is the mere grace of a loving God to use a bad situation to convict the heart.b) The heart’s desire. As mentioned in point “a” above, God’s grace changes the heart of man. God can use kindness or hardness to call men to repentance, but man’s repentance is of God. What happens to the heart when God is convicting? The younger son decided to take a big step and head home, face dad and confess that he had sinned greatly. During the time of the parable there was no guarantee that the son would be permitted back in the family and there was the possibility of severe punishment; however, none of this stopped his heart from leading him to the father.c) The long road home. The younger son, who at the time was starving, broke, dirty, and anxious to go home, started down the long road to the father’s house. The parable emphasized the distance as a “far country.” It was not a journey without obstacles or one he could complete unless his eye was on the prize. The long road home was a small price to pay if his dad would simply give him a servant’s job. The decision for a person to repent this morning is not a light one. It is not one that will be done without effort. There is the fear of failure, rejection, embarrassment, and the unknown, but if God is calling you to repent He will place in you the heart to follow through!d) Who is the younger son? The younger son is a picture of those that are sinners who come to Jesus. They were in the audience the day Jesus spoke and they are in the audience today. The younger son had the smell and brokenness of sin on his body that could not be hid, yet his heart was humble and desired to repent and be close to the father. There would be much to be done after he was restored but none of that mattered. All he wanted was restoration. Today, if Jesus is calling you home to the Father, be humble, be repentant, and be the younger son. Come to the Father!Application: Will you walk the long road home today?EVENT TWOII. The Father’s Acceptance (20a-24)a) The father’s view. How God sees you may surprise you. Yes, He has allowed you by your own will to wander off, but He hasn’t forgotten you and His love has not failed! God sees you as a son that needs to be home in His care. The Father recognizes you just as the father in our story recognized his son. You may be far off, years may have passed and your looks changed, but the Father still knows His son! The father did not see his child as a vagabond sinner but as a son in his family. That is God’s view toward those that come to Him!b) The father’s embrace. The father’s embrace began with a sprint. The father longed to hold his son and to kiss him over and over. The father tossed out all decorum of the day in order to express his full emotion for his once dead child. Imagine the relief and pure joy of touching someone you thought you lost for eternity. The filthy, skinny man in which his son had become did not detour the father from latching hold of his child. What others thought of the scene did not matter, the same way it did not matter to Jesus what those of His day thought of Him receiving sinners. Love was above decorum! The Father embraces those who want to repent. He handles them as if they are with the promise they will not be the same after His embrace.c) The father’s ridiculous spending. Jesus taught Nicodemus about God’s love and He measured it by the gift of His only begotten Son. God’s love looks ridiculous. His great spending for a shattered soul is incomprehensible. A billion dollars for a wrinkled piece of common paper doesn’t compare to the price paid for us. What did this father do for his son? Robe, ring, roast, and a party? His son was recently a reckless spender indulging in sinful pleasure without restraint and the father gives him the “best” without placing the son under close scrutiny? It was wild spending that the father used to communicate absolute forgiveness and express what his heart has thought of his son through the years. The father was certainly prodigal (giving something on a lavish scale). God’s love for us is extreme and vast beyond all measure!Application: Will you accept the embrace of God?EVENT THREEIII. The Elder Son’s Protest (25-32)i. Lost at Home- The oldest son, being hard at work in the fields came home to hear and see the festivities. Curious about the situation, he enquired what had taken place. He learned his little brother had come home and dad had gone all out to welcome him back to the family. This set big brother off. “How could
dad do such a thing? Has Pop lost his mind? This boy caused him and the family grief and shame and does not deserve anything! He hasn’t worked for a dime!” This type of attitude proves that the elder son was lost while at home the same way his younger brother was lost away from home. Salvation is first relational and then geographical. First, I am drawn to God because of His great love then I am geographically(positionally) with God. The elder son felt that being “close” to dad equaled loving dad. Lost and at home is a hard place to be.ii. Slave or oon? The father heard of the mad, prideful, pouting son standing outside the house and came to him in order to bring him into the house as well. The older son knew to come into the house he had to agree with the father’s nature and decision on the matter of radical forgiveness, acceptance, and restoration and that, for him, was not an option. When the older son stated his case he used two words “served” and “commands.” At first, they sound noble, but underneath the seemingly good service was rot. The son felt that his work and obedience of duty gave him the right to judge the father. He believed that he was good enough and if anyone had earned the right to be rejoiced over it was him. This attitude reeks of religious pride and an unsaved heart. Keeping the speed limit, all your life only ensures you will not receive a speeding violation, but it does not generate a reward. Nothing was owed to the older son for doing right. Reward only comes by grace. The father in the parable knew this but the son refused to know it. The son saw himself as a slave and was lacking the same thing the little brother had lacked for many years and that was a relationship with the father.iii.The son’s disapproval and father’s last call. The older son finally said it. “Dad, you approve of his behavior after all he has done, you are in agreement with a wicked person?” He cunningly called the father wicked. When Jesus began to teach in Luke 15 the religious crowd said that “he receives sinners.” He accepts them as family and the Pharisees meant that Jesus was in accord with wickedness. The sharp disapproval of the father’s decision to accept, forgive, and celebrate the return of a dead child was hideous in the sight of the elder brother. Instead of snapping on his son the father once again reminded him of the love he had for him. “All that I have is yours” and “You are ever with me.”Then he reminds him that joy over a lost brother is necessary. The older son lost nothing when his brother left but a brother. It cost him nothing but it cost the father greatly. The only way the older son could enjoy his father was to enjoy the nature of his father. The story ends and the “good” brother is left outside the tent. A stark warning settles over the crowd who had been listening as Jesus made it clear that the father receives sinners to forgive them. Many will come from the corners of the world to worship God in eternity, but people like the Pharisees would be left out (Matthew 8:11-12)iv. Who is the older son? It is clear by now that the older son in our story is the Pharisees that were in the audience the day Jesus spoke this story. They are with us still today. The heart- wrenching truth is many that know of God do not know God and will be left out the Kingdom of God on the Day of Judgment. This is the hard truth the religious people had to hear. This story, in fact, was the Father coming outside the tent entreating them that they come inside to the celebration and fulfilment of grace. These people had been faithful to do and obey yet it was out of control and not love. Their work wasstrategy and not love. Their idea was God owed them and when God seemed to reject them they would simply point to how good they had been and how bad someone else had been. The plan sounds good from the human point of view, and works quiet well with other people, but God is not swayed by such antics and accepts people based on His grace and not their own merit.v. The older son takes nothing away. The older son, being outside does not hinder the celebration of the dead son coming to life once again. Joy in heaven will not be broken up by the shrills of Hell. If the idea of the older son was to stop the great joy of the Father’s grace he was sadly mistaken. God is happy in Himself and we share His happiness when it is directed toward us by His grace.Application: Will you rejoice with God as a true son and brother?IN CLOSINGIV. The Missing Brothera. God is good, God is just. God is good, therefore God forgives sinners.At the same time God is just and must condemn and punish sin. How are these great truths reconciled in the parable of the prodigal son?b. Jesus the brother. The only way the story ends with the younger brother in the father’s house is because Jesus is the author. The person telling the story can map it out as they wish. Jesus spoke the parable directly to both audiences. The younger brother is the sinner and the older brother is the knowledgeable Pharisee. Jesus tells the story knowing he would die for both. The judgment of the Father would soon fall on Jesus. Whoever ends up in the Father’s house will do so because of the cross of Jesus Christ. God forgives and judges based on the cross of Jesus Christ. He was the missing brother in the story. Only the religious crowd would know to ask how God can accept sinners in such a way. Many that heard the parable that day would soon hear the message of the cross and get their answers.c. Repent, rejoice, or perish. Our teaching will close with this invitation.
To those who are younger brothers, God wants you in His house. He longs to forgive you and make you His. Will you repent? To thosethat are true older brothers: will you rejoice with the Father? Will your prayers, labor, giving, and songs be one with your heavenly Father? Will you cast off pride and doubt and get happy over the atoning work of Jesus? To the religious and non-religious that are hard of heart: Do you wish to perish? Are you willing to die in the far country or outside the house of God? Will you be saved?Application: Will you read each story through the lens of the cross? Will you live your life through the lens of the cross? - Oct 24, 2017Filling the House: Sheep, Silver, and Sons: The Pure Desire to Find Dirty Silver
- Oct 8, 2017Filling the House: Sheep, Silver, and Sons: The Immense Value of the Shepherd
Filling the House: Sheep, Silver, and Sons: The Immense Value of the Shepherd
- Oct 1, 2017Filling the House: Sheep, Silver, and Sons: The House and the Audience
Filling the House: Sheep, Silver, and Sons: The House and the AudienceSeries: Filling the House: Sheep, Silver, and Sons
Part 1: “The House and The Audience”Text: Luke 14:23; Luke 15:1-2Scripture:Luke 14:23
23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
Luke 15:1-2
Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with themThe Aim of this Series:
There is no place like home. My life experience has been that home is the height of love, acceptance, and comfort. What is home? It is a dwelling with unique smells, surroundings, furniture and so much more. It is a place where love, desire, forgiveness, acceptance, and comfort reside. Home is this because a person or persons dwell there and generate such pleasantness. The dwelling, smell, memories, surroundings, and unique features of home get value from the person or persons that dwell there. Remove the unique person or persons and home is empty and void although the same dwelling, items, and smell still exist.
The aim of this series is to invigorate in each person’s heart that you are invited to the single and plural nature of God that makes God’s grace your home and heaven a suitable dwelling place for all eternity. God, His grace, and Heaven cannot be separated.Introduction to the text “Highways, Hedges, and the House”
Luke 14:23 lands us in the middle of Jesus’ response to a group of Pharisees that did not understand the mission of God. A sick man that needed healing was eating with Jesus and the religious elite. The Pharisees liked religion their way and people as this sick man did not fit into the formula of their Sabbath. It is from this background that Jesus speaks. Notice that Jesus is explaining Himself to the Pharisees. He is being truthful and compelling.
The parable that we run into in Luke 14:23 is about a man that made a great meal and invited the most capable of people to come and enjoy it. These people refused for their own reason revealing they prized something more than the master and his meal. The master therefore became angry and sent a group of ambassadors into the highways and hedges to fill the house. This parable highlights Jesus’ teaching just a few verses earlier in Luke 14:12-15. Jesus taught that the need and invitation go together. What you have is most valuable when you share it with those who lack it. This is the position of Jesus therefore He shares openly the meal of eternal life with all those that heed His invitation. The Pharisees were people capable of coming to eternal life because they knew the scriptures, yet they had many reasons why they could not accept the meal of the Master. The broken, blind, and ignorant are the least capable of knowing the Messiah because they lack the knowledge of the Scripture, yet Jesus sends and fetches them from the highways and hedges to the house. I want you to see the house is the grace of God’s salvation and eventually the unveiling of the eternal presence of the thrice holy God of Heaven. This is the house the Lord Jesus wants us to dwell in. He wants all the beggars to come home. He invites us, by the gospel call and Spirit to a home that we never knew was ours! I hope today you are in the house but by chance if you are in the highways and hedges you are still invited home.A Great Truth About the Invitation:When Jesus invited those that were capable to attend the meal of salvation each person had an excuse, revealing they loved something more. Luke 14:24-27 states Christ’s declaration that only those who prize God over all things are worthy to be His disciples. The invitation to the meal of discipleship is to be examined through the lens of truth. You cannot come to the table unless you are all-in. Do you see this truth as harsh? At first glance, it seems harsh but let us apply it to serious matters in life. When you married your husband or wife, were the vows that you exchanged “all-in” vows? Did they read something similar to, “For better or worse, in sickness and in health, until death do us part?” That is a bit radical. Loving a person is a BIG RADICAL COMMITMENT. Being faithful to a person, working over, or quitting a job to care for a person that you cannot benefit from while they lay sick and dying is very radical! Even high school, college, and professional coaches want their athlete’s radical commitment. Only those who do not prize God above all others would think it crazy of God to ask His people to be zealously committed to Him. That is why Jesus teaches to “count the cost” of being His disciple. In Luke 14:28-33 Jesus teaches to consider what must be given to enter and enjoy His house. The ox, the land, the wife and any other thing you prize must be put in its rightful place to follow Jesus and enter God’s grace awaiting the unveiling of His glorious presence in Heaven. You must love, truly love, God to follow Him!Thus Far and Beyond
Luke 14 presents a glimpse at the mission of Jesus. He came to prepare a meal of salvation and celebration. Those that are capable to attend are invited as well as those who are not. Also, there is emphasis on prizing God above all things. The Master, house, and meal are all very important. Remember, as it is with your home, so it is with the Master’s house and meal: it is not the same without Him. Keep in mind that Jesus has stated that the house (a place of salvation, celebration and glorious present and future fellowship) is to be filled. Jesus desires that His audience knows the importance of His house and heeds the invitation to fill the house. We will now venture into Luke 15:1-2 and discover the house and the audience.The House (Luke 14:23)- We have already stated that this house is the house of grace in which God will unveil His glorious presence. It is also a place of salvation, celebration, and glorious present and future fellowship. What else can be learned about this house?The Owner is Hospitable (Luke 14:16 “Bade many”)- The house is open to enter upon invitation. There are many invitations. The Lord has much room in His house and wants people to fill it for their enjoyment. He truly wants to share what is His with those who have much less than He does. He does not invite us to a house of pride but to a house of humility and hospitality. The Lord wants you. You are being bidden to enter the house of salvation and dwell there. Now, do not think in your heart that you deserve to be there? because you certainly do not. The Master is far above you and me in all manner of living. He is perfect, powerful, and resurrected. We can bring nothing to His meal but scraps and beggar’s bread. Yet, He desires our company! Would it be full hospitality if we were considered good company? Not according to the Lord’s teachings (Luke 14:12-14). We must be the lesser if God is to show His full character to us. We are less so He can share more of Himself!The Owner Spends Lavishly (Luke 14:16 “Great Supper”)- The Lord has spared no expense when it comes to His preparation. This will be a reoccurring theme through the next several weeks. God has spent lavishly so that many can be filled with His sufficiency. John 3:16 “God SO loved the world” means that God loved the world radically. He loves us to the point of “reckless spending”. The house and meal God has made for His people is a great one that comes at His own expense. You can bring nothing to the table. His expense causes the delivery of great joy. This is seen in Romans 8:32 “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Do you see what Paul is saying? Because Jesus gave Himself and He is supreme then all things have been delivered to us. When you go to a resort you can pay a great price and great service will be granted. The price the Jesus paid on our behalf unleashed the eternal gift of all things to us.The House Will Be Filled (Luke 14:23 “that my house may be filled”)- The great hospitality and expense of our Lord will be fruitful. All those God allows will come to fill His house. There is a twofold filling in the house: 1.) The house is full 2.) The people are filled. The goal of the gospel is to fill and fill. The message we preach does both because it draws people to salvation and fills them with the joy of God. God’s efforts will not be wasted; many will eat of the great supper. It is true those that eat will not be polished like the Pharisees may think, but they will be welcomed!My Story: Years ago, I was invited to a party by a single’s ministry. I figured it would be a good idea to go. Maybe I could get to know some Christians that were my age. I showed up with a card with a piece of money in it and sat in one of the seats. Minutes passed and I was unnoticed and quite frankly left out. I went invited, spent for it, and left empty. It was a bad impression and I never returned for another empty experience. Because Jesus fills His house and then fills His people we at Bethany we want to reflect the hospitality and expense of the Lord. We want people to fill the building and be filled at our expense!Question: Will you labor to fill God’s house and fill God’s people?The Audience (Luke 15:1-2 “this man recieveth sinners”)- Jesus spoke of His desire to bring people into a household relationship with Him. Exactly who was He talking to? Those that were present to hear Him were both Pharisees and sinners. Of course, both were sinners, the Pharisees just thought they were less of a sinner. Who is the audience, what does it mean, and how does this affect our understanding of Luke 15?Who is the audience? - Two classes of people from vastly different backgrounds heard the words of Jesus on this occasion. The religious class knew more about God from the scripture, or should have known more, and the sinning class knew less about God from scripture. One class looked polished, at least religiously, and the other not so religious. Luke 15:1-2 reveals that the sinners looked for and longed after the teaching of Jesus. They were seemingly always around. The Pharisees often came to judge and ridicule. Today we bash Pharisees as they did not exactly give themselves a good name, but Jesus did not “Baptist Bash” them. Bashing others that are Pharisees does no more than make you what you are bashing. We could call it “the pot calling the kettle black.” Jesus did not run the Pharisees or the sinners off. Instead He invited them into some in-depth teaching and presented truth that would move each class of people if heeded. The audience was different, but Christ was not indifferent toward either class.What does it mean to have two different audiences? - The audiences reveal to us that Jesus skillfully put together earthly stories to relay heavenly truth to reach both types of people because He loved them both and longed to save the Pharisee as much as “sinner.”How does this affect our understanding of Luke 15? - We will be introduced to three parables in Luke 15. One of sheep, the other about silver, and the third about two sons. When we read these stories, understanding the audiences will help us stay on task with the main idea behind the messages. We should look for the message for each group and understand they are sometimes the same. We will also keep in mind that Jesus wants to fill His house with people from both audiences. These parables are a call to His audience to fill His house and be filled by Him!Question: You are the audience; how will you respond to the invitation and expense of the Master to fill you?Will You Be Filled?Jesus has spoken. Whether you are a Pharisee or “sinner” Jesus went to great lengths to invite you to His house of grace to be filled. Will you enjoy His goodness? If you are not in His house, will you come? If you are in His house, will you be filled with His truth? Will you celebrate with the Master His divine character and supply? Will you join in song, prayer, missions, and purity? Come in the house and be filled! - Sep 24, 2017The Great Sin of the Church: Apathy Week 3
The Great Sin of the Church: Apathy Week 3
- Sep 17, 2017The Great Sin of the Church: Apathy Week 2
The Great Sin of the Church: Apathy Week 2Scripture
Revelation 3:14-22
: 14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.The Scriptures for the MessageWe will use the same text from last week. Our launching text Revelation 3:14-22 and our teaching texts Matthew 24:37-25:46. There is a lot of scripture to cover so I encourage personal devotional time this week from our text.Introduction to the Cost of ApathyLast week we began to preach on the “Great Sin of the Church: Apathy”
We defined Christian Apathy as “Being without emotion or care toward God”. This could be called “so what Christianity”.
Apathy is expressed within the church when church attendance is scoffed at, baptism refused, lack of involvement in partaking of the Lord’s Supper unresponsive to the call of prayer, uncharitable in giving, lack of service, refusal to engage next steps or joining congregational study, attending life groups, and striving for personal holiness to name a few.
The church that we are examining in the present text were “so what Christians”. They were neither cold or hot. The church was useless because they lacked any desired quality. The Lord states he wished they were either cold or hot, because to be at the indifferent temperature of lukewarm was detestable.
If you are interested in what the character of being lukewarm (apathetic) looks please see the message from the previous week “The Great Sin of the Church: The Character of Apathy”.Review of “The Character of Apathy”Normal is the Aim (Matthew 24:37-29a)
Anger at Others (Matthew 24:48-49)
Appears Adequate but it Lacking (Matthew 25:3)
Disregard for the Knowledge of accountabilityFalse Holiness (Matthew 25:43-45)What causes Apathy?1.) Cares of the World- You may recall the parable of the "Sower and the Seed". At one point in the parable the "seed" of the Word begins to grow and is quickly choked out with "the cares of this world” (Mark 4:19). It is easy to see how many professed believers become apathetic toward doing the will of God. MY time, My money, My retirement, My vacation, My decisions, My rest, my health, my responsibility, my job, my, my, my! The worry that accompanies selfishness, rebellion, and lack of trust chokes the WORD!
2.) Non-Responsive to needs of others- (1st John 3:17, James 2:16)
This non-responsiveness is directly tied to "cares of this world". We find reasons not to respond and before long don't care to respond because we have reasoned away true faith. Our non-responsive nature to the needs of others is evidence that we have not responded to God.3.) Unaware of personal needs (Revelation 3:17). Again, connected to the "cares of this world". We measure our need by things we dig out the dirt or pick out the field like little children. We do not need the bread of life because we have a mud pie we made with our little hands. You can't live off mud pies! We see the lack of personal need for God and His word in our very own prayer request. A pray list in a church generally represents everyone outside the church. "pray for my aunt.... Pray for rain my uncle is a farmer.... Pray for my neighbor they are having it rough." I know it sounds humble, it sounds religious, it sounds proper, but if prayer is simply limited to others and avoids personal needs it stinks of "I have need of nothing"!The Cost of “So What Christianity”Today we will look at the cost and the dangers of Christian apathy. Apathy says, “I don’t care”, but the cost of apathy in your daily life toward God screams “you should care”. The very important question we will answer today is “why should I care about the faith I profess to have”?Scriptural reasons to care or be zealous1) God rejects so called apathetic Christians (Revelation 3:16)- A professor of Christ without the practice of Christ is an imposter of Christ. There will be professing Christians that are rejected from the true church of God come the judgment.
“So What Christians” are not who Jesus died for- Jesus gave Himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and purchase to Himself a peculiar people zealous of good works (Titus 2:14). That is Jesus purchased you to be his workmanship (Masterpiece) created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10). Jesus gave Himself to give people a new zealous nature that pursues and prizes God above all things! Jesus did not die to purchase people to a life of lukewarm apathy.
“So What Christians” will be vomited out- When John wrote The Revelation of Jesus Christ the idea of Jesus rejecting those who professed Him as Lord but rejected His life style was nothing new. We do not have to evaluate this scripture by itself. You can look up Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name, have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Jesus also asked, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).Obviously those Christ rejects are those that are professing something that is not true. Apathy says, “I am not a Christian, and I do not follow Christ”. Let us labor together to be “yawn resistant” toward the things of God. Let us pray fervently and be holy with our living.
My Story: Tara and I drink different types of coffee each morning. We are both known to leave our cups about anywhere in our home and every so often I pick up her cup. Recently, while rushing around the house getting the kids off to school, I grabbed her cup and headed out the door. I got in the car and took a sip of her coffee only to immediately open the door and spit it out. It had been sitting idle to long and cooled off just enough to disgust me. It was not what I thought it was going to be. The same is with God. He expects those that claim to be His to have a fire about them.Ask yourself: Are you redeemed? Are you Red Hot for the glory of God?2) Severe and Unpleasant Surprises- Matthew 24:45-51
When you read this account a vivid picture is painted. One steward was called faithful and wise. The faithfully wise servant was promoted “ruler of all the master’s goods”. The evil servant was demolished “cut asunder” and then demoted “appointed him his portion with the hypocrites”. What had apathy done to the servant to make him wicked?a. Apathy makes you think God is a Liar (48)- The evil servant’s problem began in his heart. He had no love for the Lord and it showed in his personal belief system. When your belief is off your behavior will follow. Apathy led the evil servant to embrace this theology: “God will not return at all and therefore I will not be accountable and can do what I please for there is no higher authority than myself”. Apathy is very dangerous because it reveals in your behavior what is locked in your heart!b. Apathy lies to you about judgement (50)- Judgement came to the wicked servant in a day he was not prepared. The truth is that no matter the day the Lord would return the evil servant would fail to be prepared. The Lord’s return was not a pleasant surprise. The evil servant may have thought that if the Lord did return just maybe the punishment wouldn’t be severe, but it was very serve, and the unfaithful servant was destroyed in a ruthless way for his behavior.My Story: When I was a pre-teen I was given a task by my dad to perform a task after school for a week. The task was simple; I had to rake the leaves in the backyard. It was not something I was looking forward to and there were many more things I could do as a kid after school beside rake leaves and besides dad always came home after dark and wouldn’t see the progress one way or the other. What was the big deal? I figured that dad would give me another shot or maybe I could plead with him to get one of my brothers to help me. I knew I would be punished for not completing my task but maybe if I did a little the punishment would be less severe. I was wrong! I remember my dad coming home and turning on the back-porch light on that Friday evening to see my work barely begun. I pleaded my cause and he listened, unmoved by my defense. Then came my judgement. No TGIF that night on ABC, and I was sentenced to raking the back yard by a flash light! I would have been whipped, or restricted, but I was sent to my terrible fate of work in the dark!Ask Yourself: Will the day of Jesus’ return be a pleasant one for you?3) Pleading that leaves you without- Matthew 25:1-12
10 virgins had lamps, 5 of the ten had sufficient oil, and the other 5 lacked sufficient oil. Maybe the 5 that lacked the oil thought within themselves that they needed nothing but what they had. We each know of someone, it could be us, that trust in what they got when it is not the best for them. What can we learn about apathy from these 5 young women?a. They wanted to be with the Groom (v1)- There is no doubting that these women wanted to be with the Groom. They had a lukewarm desire. When the Groom was near they picked up their lamps and went to meet Him, but they lacked oil. They had desire but lacked oil. They wanted in on the celebration but they lacked the substance to enter the celebration. There are many who like the thought of Jesus in the church, but only those that love and labor for the Lord are His.
b. A lamp is no good without oil (v8)- I want to be clear on this point. It is “by grace, through faith” people are saved (Ephesians 2:8). Paul writes “where sin abounded grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20). When we view the teaching of Paul with the teaching of Jesus we discover grace saves and saving grace works through faith and our faith is visibly seen by our works. Be careful not to get those things out of order. God’s grace first saves me through faith and then God’s grace compels me to be zealous about good works by faith. James says it like this, “I will shew thee my faith by my works”. The virgins in the parable had no works which meant they liked the grace of God.c. They were disobedient- When we skin the parable back and look at the internal organs of it we find that 5 of the virgins were disobedient and did not prize the Groom over all else. He was not their priority and it showed in their preparation. 1st place in their lives was taken by something else. That something else is not mentioned in the parable and doesn’t have to be, because anything else besides Jesus being prized is not sufficient and will lead to apathy concerning love for God.d. Pleading does not take place of practicing (11)- Open unto us they cried. They pleaded with the Groom through a closed door, but it was too late. All the tears in the world would not open the door. The door was opened at one period and time and they were not ready. Do not bank on pleading with God in the last hours of your life for salvation. Hear the voice of the Groom and receive and live by His divine grace.Ask Yourself: Does my work for God show divine grace is working in me?Losing that which you were given-(Matthew 25:14-30) The parable of the talents is a parable of chance squandered. Chosen and destined to embark on greatness 2 of the 3 servants labored. The 1 servant that had 1 talent took another route. He decided to do nothing with his opportunity. And when his Lord returned he lost the 1 talent and was severely punished. Apathy cost dearly!Seize and Do Not SquanderYou and I have been given great opportunity. I mean how great is it that God allowed you to be under the preaching of His word today? Isn’t God wonderful for even giving us opportunity at eternal life? Yes, God is good! But let us not be fooled, every person that we studied today in the parables of the Lord were given great opportunity. They were given task by the Master and even allowed in His visible community for a season, but when judgment came it was proven by their works that they never cared for the Lord and harsh punishment and rejection came to them. Seize the opportunity to be saved and if you are saved wake up and be alert for the Lord will return!It will be Asked So I must AnswerThere is a question I had to deal with during this study. “Can a believer become apathetic for a season?” The answer is Yes. Therefore, Jesus writes through John to the church of Laodicea. The ones in the church that have the Spirit of God will yield to the warning of God. Salvation for the believer is eternal and I do not doubt that. What concerns me is those who do not heed the warning of being apathetic for they are lost and nearer hell than anyone else.2nd Peter 2:21-“For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.”Next WeekJoin me next week as we study, “The Cure of Apathy” - Sep 10, 2017The Great Sin of the Church: Apathy Week 1
The Great Sin of the Church: Apathy Week 1Scripture14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.16 So then
because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
(Revelation 3:14-22, KJV)"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Revelation 3:14-22 https://www.bible.com/bible/1/REV.3.14-22"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Revelation 3:14-22 https://www.bible.com/bible/1/REV.3.14-22 "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Revelation 3:14-22 https://www.bible.com/bible/1/REV.3.14-22 "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Revelation 3:14-22 https://www.bible.com/bible/1/REV.3.14-22 IntroductionIt's my hope over the next several weeks to preach and teach along a very important topic that I really want to encourage you to listen to thoroughly. It is entitled “The Great Sin of the Church: The Sin of Apathy.”
In Revelation, when Jesus is revealing himself to John, Jesus starts off around the second chapter speaking to 7 churches. The church in our text is the church of the Laodiceans. Now, a lot of folks like to group these churches into church ages, but I'm going to veer off from that ideology for a second and tell you that the Laodicean church is an actual church that existed in the time in which John was writing, real people, real so-called believers that professed the name of Jesus Christ, and they had a real problem.The problem was they were apathetic. Now, that is where we'll pick up, in verse 15, and I want you to read this again with me in your Bible, underline it, highlight it. Verse 15 says this: "I know.” This is Jesus declaring his sovereignty; he knows; he's not in the dark; he's not having to search CNN or track your life like we've been tracking the hurricane and many hurricanes out in the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico; he's not having to pull up a data report on you; he already knows.
What he knows is your works; he knows what you're doing. He knows why you're doing it, the Word of God is quicker, is sharper than any two-edged sword, and it does dividing, it knows the intent of the heart, knows why you're doing what you do. Even our charitable works, our charitable giving can be found in sin, based on why we're doing it. If we're doing it for self-glory, then we're doing it out of a sinful heart. See, God knows these things, and we ought to honor him for his supreme knowledge and be in awe of him, and humbled before his majesty. Jesus being in the “know” should be humbling to us.
He says to the church of the Laodiceans "Thou art neither cold," you're not good for drinking, "Nor are you hot," you're not good for cleansing or washing. He says this great statement, "I would that you were cold or hot, I would that you stood in an un- redeemed nature, not knowing the truth, having the ability for redemption, being cold, un-churched, lost, I'd rather you be that, or either hot, fervently zealous, the character of a Christian, in love with me. I would rather you be one or the other, but I would that you were not standing between and be apathetic."The Aim of the SeriesIf you'll bear with me the next several weeks and give me the chance to unload, to unleash and to preach truth, that hopefully is life-changing for you as a believer, and soul-converting for you if you're lost. Do not look for me to attempt dynamics to woo you and wow you and win you. Please be focused on the scripture that we're going to give to you. The aim of this series is to hit you right at the heart. I'm not attempting to graze you, I'm not aiming to nick you, I'm aiming to wound you in your heart. I'm aiming to prod you with a hot iron, to sear you, to inflict spiritual awakening to your dead and maybe apathetic soul.I'm taking aim wholeheartedly, with all my study and all my prayer life and all my preaching and all my demeanor and all the zeal God's given me, and I'm trying to be a marksman, I'm trying to hit you where it hurts. Hopefully, realizing the wound that you have can be healed by the Holy Spirit. Now I think before we go any further, we've got to answer the question..........
What is Apathy?
I want you to see the command of God and say, "He matters more. His command matters more. His request of me is supreme. It's more precious than even my own life." We want the church to leave apathy concerning missions, leave apathy concerning volunteering.
We are thankful that people have been passionate about giving, because the folks talking about giving have given good sound warning and truth and encouragement concerning giving. We took up more last week than we did in our 50/50 giving in July, so people are figuring out to be passionate in those areas. That's good, that's a start, but we want that zeal for God's word to amp up here.
We want folks to give, but we want to give around the Word and give because of the Word, and give because God is the Word, manifest flesh. We want you to get that. We want the music to be God-centered and Word-centered. We desire marriages to be God-centered and Word-driven. We are aiming to have Christ as the high prize of all that we do and this can only be accomplished by doing away with apathy toward our faith in God.
The Scriptures for the Next Several Weeks
Matthew 24:37-25:46
We will jump around, I will do my best to explain it, but you must do reading on your own time. This morning, I hope I make you one of two things: glad or mad, but I hope that one of those two emotions come to the forefront, because I'd rather you be one of those than a "so what" Christian. Let’s discover the character of apathy from the scripture. Let’s see what it looks like.At the beginning of Matthew 24, the Lord is talking about his coming. He is talking about him returning. He's talking about some of the things that come along with it, some were in the present, in the future, but overall he's talking about his return. In Luke, he talks about, when the son of man comes, will he find faith in the Earth? Here He talks about his coming, and then he lays this out: “As the days of Noah were so shall the days be like at my coming.” If you'll look and study Genesis, you will see a mirror image of what the characteristics look like in the society that we live in. As to when Jesus comes, look at verse 38. "For as in the days of Noah," here's what it looked like. Before the flood came, (judgment was the flood), before everything was wiped out they were “eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage, until the very day that Noah entered the ark.” Verse 39: "They knew not," now, compare that to what Jesus says, "I know," and the characteristic of the days when Jesus is going to return. It says, "They knew not." Now link that up in the Old Testament, the prophets foretell that there is a famine coming that is greater than food, and it's the famine of the Word of God. That's where the "know not" comes from, because people don't want to know. Not that preachers aren't preaching it, not that singers aren't singing it, not that missionaries aren't going, but people just do not want to know. They're apathetic, “So what,” he says; they don't want to know.
Christian Apathy Produces a Life Aimed at Normal
The first characteristic of what Christian apathy looks like is that Christian apathy has normal as its aim.The status quo is apathy’s aim. Apathy says, "If this is how society is going, this is how I'm going.” Apathy determines not to think rationally or spiritually. “I am gaging what is going on, and throwing everything about me at it.” In church we talk about modesty, which begins within and comes out, and that becomes a very, "You're a legalist and you're this and you're that," and I understand that there are boundaries, and I understand that there's the ditch on both sides of the straight and narrow, but what I can tell you is this: If you look at how the world carries themselves, and you have mimicked that completely, ask yourself, “Why?” If what you listen to is what the world listens to generally, ask yourself, “Why?” If the movies you want to go watch and fill your eyes with are the status quo of what's put out all the time, ask yourself, “Why? The answer is you want to be normal. You have set your bar with the world. You want the tattoos like everybody, the ear piercings all over. I'm not here preaching legalism, I'm trying to get you to think, why is that your norm? As a Christian that's been blood-washed, why are we looking there instead of in the Word itself to find out where we are to aim? Their (in the days of Noah) aim was normal, they had a normal life. In the days of Noah, they just wanted to make a living, eat, drink, marry their kids off to multiply. They just wanted to do what they were doing.What was normal in the days of Noah? Normal was evil, and you also know the normal of their day, well they heard warnings, 2nd Peter 2:5 says, "Noah was a preacher." Normal was labor, celebration, and apathy toward the things of God, that was the norm, and that was the aim, and that's what they were after. What is your spiritual aim this morning, and what do you promote within your homes and your heart?
Christian Apathy Produces Anger at Others
Number two: anger at others. We leave this parable and we go a little further down (Matthew 24:42-51) where Jesus is talking about what the coming days would be like when he returns. He introduces us to two servants that had responsibility, and he said, "I'll come back. I will return. Be responsible. Stay alert.” He used the word "watch", which means vigilant, awake, aware.
He says, "Be aware that I will return. Keep good accounts, work, be diligent. I will return." One kept it, and the other said, "The lord is delaying his return, or he won't return," and he got this attitude, "Who cares? God will not really judge me," which, by the way, is the very first doctrine of scripture that was challenged by Satan, "You surely won't die, God's not really going to judge you. You're okay, you're okay just like you are." It said that he (the servant) got angry. His anger, you know what it led to? It led to abuse of others. Now pay attention to that, because it's very important. He had apathy toward others, "I don't care about your life, I don't care about your needs, I don't care about you, this is my stuff, my house, my belongings, my money, my job, I work for this, mine, mine."
When you say, "My, my, my ", you're letting out little smoke signals that you're angry, that you're selfish, and that you're not hearing or heeding the Word of God. Now, there's two things that happen with this anger, he pointed it toward others. Then because he was angry, he turned to addiction. He was probably angry and didn't want to be, or either he wanted to stay angry, or he didn't want to worry about his anger. Whatever it was, he was angry and drunk. Addiction is an outlet to deal with a sin that's not necessarily the addiction itself. The addiction is the manifestation of the sin or the brokenness that's within.
Now, it's not hard to figure out that we live in an angry society, anti-bullying is where we bully bullies. It irks my nerves to see divisions in society that make people angry promoted within churches, within pulpits. Social media makes me nauseous, makes me zealous for the things of God, and makes me want to tell you if that's the way you are and the way you act, the signs are you will not inherit the kingdom of God. I'd be very cautious. How do you feel about others? Do you see them as intrusive, or are they God's people, and you love them as God does?Christian Apathy Looks Qualified but is Lacking Substance
Three, "Appearances of adequacies that are truly lacking." We begin at Matthew 25, and we start off with a parable about a wedding, and there's 10 young ladies, 10 virgins that are selected to go out and meet the bride and the groom when they're coming back to the home and it's evening and it's dark. You're invited to do this, it's a very important thing, a very precious thing. The bridegroom says, "Look, you need lamps, you need oil, make sure you have them, because you're going to escort us in, this is going to be a big celebration. You're all invited, you're all special to me, you're all precious to me, be involved with it," so they're invited.
Every virgin had a lamp, that's what they had in common. Now, that is the vessel with which divine grace can reside. It echoes of Matthew 5:16, where he says, "Let your light so shine before men that they can see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” A lamp is made for one reason, to shine.
Why buy a flashlight if you don't have batteries in it or a light bulb for it? Why have a lamp if there's no oil to burn it, what good is it? It's decorative, but it's no help. Here's what happens, they have just enough to kind of get started, but not enough to carry them through. The picture is this, there's some people that are invited that are within the church that are as tares, that have the lamp, they look like a lamp, they look like they could burn. They could burn, they could be useful, they could give God glory. They could be redeemed, but they just got the lamp and just enough to say, "I have a light, that's enough," and it burns out. Then they go to the people that's got it on that day when they're supposed to be ready, and says, "Let us have some of yours," and they say, "No, you should go purchase what you need, because what we have is what we have. We cannot give it to you, or we'll be found lacking."
The idea is that divine grace will see you through, and whether you're burning or not for Christ shows if divine grace is in you. I don't care if you're a lamp, I want to know, do you have the oil of zeal? So does Jesus. Five of the virgins had appearances that were inadequate. They had the lamp, the vessel that reveals divine grace, but they lacked the oil, the substance of divine grace. One is our bodies, the other is the spirit himself. Are you burning for the Lord Jesus or are you just a lamp?Christian Apathy Disregards What It knows about Accountability
Four, the disregard for the knowledge of accountability. Apathy says, “I don't want to be accountable, don't like the aggravation of it, don't like the stress of it, don't like the work of it”. In Matthew 25:14-30 a large sum of money 10 talents, 5 talents, 1 talent, are given to the servants. What did the servant with 1 talent do? Look at verse 18 with me, "But he that had received one talent went and digged in the Earth, and hid his lord's money." Why did he do with it? He didn't care. Look at verse 24 and 25, this matters: "Then he which had received the one talent came when the judgment came, and he said, 'Lord, I knew, I knew that you're a hard man. You reap before you have it sown, and you gather where you have not strawed. I knew who you were, I knew it, you told me. I knew it, no doubt, and so that made me afraid. I was so afraid that I would fail. The stress came over me, so I just decided not to care about what I knew, and so I hid your talent."
Is this what the master wanted? The answer is no, he wanted the servant to care about him to the point he cared for his things. Disregard for the knowledge of accountability, we live in an age that I do what I want because I feel like I want, and we're returning to what it seems to be brute beast within the church, not speaking of what is without the church, because what is without is without, but those within are supposed to know the name of Christ. We are supposed to be those who are embracing those things for which God is going to hold us accountable. This servant made two choices. 1. The master's character could be swayed. God won't truly do what he said he would do, there must be another interpretation, must be an allegory, must be an illustration, it certainly cannot mean what it means.
It certainly cannot mean that these people knew the master, and these people were allowed within the master's community. Then we find out that some of the people even allowed within the community while here on Earth, while he was gone, was allowed in, but when he comes back, they're thrown out. That certainly can't be the case. Certainly everyone that professes Christ is saved, certainly that's got to be it. Right?, "For anyone that calls upon the name of the lord shall be saved." There's a lot more to it than that, isn't there? Because then we have, "Not all that will come to me on that day and cry, 'Lord, lord, lord'," there's got to be more than that.
Paul spoke truth when he said that you believe in your heart, you really believe really from within, really the reasoning factor of your brain has infected and affected your heart to love God and prize him above all things. If you believe with your heart and then confess with your mouth, you shall be saved. There's a little more to it than a tip of the hat, a dive in the Baptistry, a hand clap at church. Salvation is more that: I sing in the choir, I volunteer with the children's ministry. Certainly, certainly, I'm in. Jesus said, "I know your works." The steward with one talent received his sum with excitement, and then he dug, he worked based on his decision, literally dug his own grave. Do you despise the accountability the Word of God drives into your spirit, or do you embrace it in humility and prayer and care for the things of God?
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