Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Lost and Found, Part 46 of 78
TEXT: "Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.' But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.' And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found' " (Luke 15:25-31).
IDEA: The Father’s grace is greater than our ugliest sin.
PURPOSE: To convince the listener that God’s grace goes to all kinds of people.
Have you ever watched a motion picture through the eyes of a film critic? Often the impact of the film lies in its details:
The matching of scenes
The cutting within a scene to produce suspense
The background music
The placement of the actors on the scene
The symbols used to convey a message that is subconscious
The use of long shots and close-ups
The impact of a story told on film is in its details.
The impact of a parable is often in its details. Look at the details in Luke 15:25-28:
"Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf,' But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him."
Have you ever given a party or attended a party that was marred by an incident that dampened the celebration? How did it make you feel?
Look at how the elder son insults his father by his action:
He refuses to go in and act as the host at the party and actually creates a scene in public.
How would you have expected the father to respond to the insult of his son? How would you have handled it? What were his options?
For the second time in the same day, the father goes out of his house to one of his boys and offers “a public demonstration of love in humiliation.”
The father “entreats” his older son. He doesn’t scold or rebuke. He begs in front of the guests for what he has a right to demand.
Compare and contrast the reaction of the two sons to the father’s public display of love in humiliation:
The younger boy was melted.
The older son complains.
How do you explain the reaction of the two sons to the father’s humiliating display of love?
Is it possible that we can reflect in our own lives the response of the older brother?
