The Heart of the Father: The Elder Son

  • Jeremy Erb
  • Jun 14, 2009
  • Series: The Heart of the Father

What is God like? How does God feel about us? What is God’s heart toward us?

And the question has to be asked, in light of our constant failure, rejection, spiritual adultery, how does He feel about us?

How does God feel about people who are far away from Him?

10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Luke 19:10 (ESV)

What does it mean to be lost? What does it mean to be far away from Him? Who is lost?These are questions of identity. Who are we in relationship to God?
Last weeks we looked at the younger son. His answer: I’m not in relationship. I reject relationship. I reject God. I want to be God. I want His stuff but I don’t want Him.

The younger son.
  1. REJECTS THE FATHER
  2. RULED BY SELF
  3. RUINED BY SIN
  4. REPENTS
  5. RESTORED BY GRACE

11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

Luke 15:11-24 (ESV)

Today I want to focus on the elder son.

25 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29 but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’ ”

Luke 15:25-32 (ESV)

 The elder son:
  1. REMAINS NEAR THE FATHER “IN THE FIELD”
  2. RELIES ON SELF – RULED BY RULES – FEAR & INSECURITY “THESE MANY YEARS…”
  3. REMOVED FROM RELATIONSHIP “REFUSED TO GO IN”
  4. RESENTS THE FATHER – RULES W/OUT RELATIONSHIP BREEDS RESENTMENT
  5. RESENTS THE BROTHER – JEALOUSY & ANGER – COMPARISON “THIS SON OF YOURS”
  6. REFUSES THE GRACE OF THE FATHER

There is a Buddhist story that provides a fascinating contrast to the Lord’s story. It also tells of a son who left home and returned several years later in rags and misery. His degradation was so profound that he did not recognize his own father. But his father recognized him and told the servants to take him into the mansion and to clean him up. The father, his identity unrevealed, watched his son’s response. Gradually, time wrought changes, and the son became dutiful, considerate, and moral. Satisfied, the father finally revealed his identity and formally accepted his son as his heir.

The Pharisees would have understood and approved of such a story. It makes sense to wait for a son to achieve worthiness. It is reasonable to treat a repentant person according to the stage of penance achieved.[1]

 

“As I let all of this sink in, I see how the story of the father and his lost sons powerfully affirms that it was not I who chose God, but God who first chose me…For most of my life I have struggled to find God, to know God, to love God.  I have tried hard to follow the guidelines of the spiritual life – pray always, work for others, read the Scriptures – and to avoid the many temptations to dissipate myself.  I have failed many times but always tried again, even when I was close to despair…Now I wonder whether I have sufficiently realized that during all this time, God has been trying to find me, to know me, and to love me.  The question is not “How am I to find God” but “How am I to let myself be found by him?”  The question is not “How am I to know God?” but “How am I to let myself be known by God?”  And finally, the question is not “How am I to love God?” but “How am I to let myself be loved by God?”  God is looking into the distance for me, trying to find me, and longing to bring me home…I am beginning now to see how radically the character of my spiritual journey will change when I no longer think of God as hiding out and making it as difficult as possible for me to find him, but, instead, as the one who is looking for me while I am doing the hiding.… Can I accept that I am worth looking for?  Do I believe that there is a real desire in God to simply be with me?”[2]

Religion is mans attempt to get to God.

The younger son represents those who say there is no need to get to God.
The elder son represents those who say we get to God by what we do.
They don’t like each other very much.
They are both wrong.
And they are both lost.
The younger son is separated from God because of his badness.
The elder son is separated from God because of his goodness.

Christianity isn’t a religion – it’s a relationship.

For the first few hundred years, Christianity wasn’t considered a religion. It was an anti-religion.
The Romans called the Christians atheists because they understood the claims of Christianity to be so radically different than any other religion.[3]
It’s not about how we get to God. It’s about how God got to us.
It’s not about what we do. It’s about what He does.
It’s not about earning or losing His love. He loves us.

The Father’s response to both of his sons: Love.

The Father loves His sons because they are His sons.

The Scandal of the Fathers Love:

There is nothing you can do to make the Father love you more,

and there is nothing you can do to make the Father love you less.

BUT…

What we do affects our experience of that love.

 

[1]Tom Constable, Tom Constable's Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003; 2003), Lk 15:21.

[2] Nouwen, Henri. Return of the Prodigal. pp. 105-107.

[3] http://download.redeemer.com/sermons/The_Prodigal_Sons.mp3