Honouring our Father in heaven
Robert shares a message on Luke 15 – Responding to the Pharisees who were asking Jesus why he was associating with Sinners.
Jesus gives 3 responses in the way of parables:
- A Man found his lost sheep
- A Woman finds her lost coin
- A Father finds his lost son
Look at the response to finding something lost, it is joy and rejoicing. When a Sinner confesses their sin there is rejoicing and there is a celebration. It brings Joy to the Lord as lost souls come to God. We may think witnessing and bringing someone to God something we do occasionally.
Think of what it is like to find your lost child. As a parent it is distressing to loose your child every parent can relate to that.
Our Heavenly Father knows sons and daughters who don’t belong to him are going to be in hell. The Father knows that these lost souls are going to be destroyed in the lostness of the world. This is why God rejoices when a lost souls repents. Heart of the father we have a responsibility to reach out to the lost souls.
Prodigal son:
In reality there were two sons that were lost:
- The younger Is lost because he is away from home and the family.
- The Elder son is lost even though he is still living in the family.
- The Father is lost as well (Prodigal Father.)
A Younger son takes his inheritance and goes away and starts spending it. If he had an intimate relationship with the father he would have stayed at home. When younger son realises he has lost everything that he should go home and be a servant to the father. His mindset about his father is wrong. No compression of a close relationship with a Father and son.
When Father sees lost son he runs to him. Fathers reaction to son is different to what the son is expecting. An elderly person in this culture should certainly not run and certainly not for a son who wasted all his inheritance. (In Jewish culture that was unbelievable.) Asking for inheritance before Father had died was a disgrace. In Jewish culture (laws of Moses) he could even be stoned. Father runs to the son because he knows his younger son is at risk of being stoned.
Prepare a fesast for my son, give him a place of honour.
Luke 15:22
How far was the mindset of the Father from the sons expectation. The Son’s mentality was to go and be a slave to the Father.
Elder son:
How was he thinking about his Father? He was under the impression his father has slaves and he was one of them. He complains to the father. Elder son’s expectation of Father was also not correct.
Both sons have similar mindsets to the father. Older son was lost because he didn’t understand the deep maternal love the Father had for him. Many people are lost in the world and don’t find the love of the Father’s heart. Serving but the mindset is that of a servant, but they consider themselves as slaves.
Lost Father:
Is very sadden when he understood how his sons viewed him. His sons did not understand his fatherly love. This is a calamity in our families if the father is not understood as he should be. We see that the elder son is angry with the father why is he showing such a good reaction. The Father explains he was lost and now he is found. Takes us back to the start of Luke 15.
Pharisees:
Why are you eating and drinking with sinners. These tax collectors and sinners have come back to the family. We have to rejoice. Jesus clarifies a very important reality. Sinners / Tax collectors similar to the younger brother. Father loves the other son because he is his son, not because he is complying with the Law. He loves both his sons equally because they are his sons not because of what they have done.
God has created us in his own image. God renews his image in us when we become saved. He renews his image in us when we turn away from sin back to the father. Change your mindset of a servant accepts to be a son this is understanding Grace.
Gal 4:24 Comparison between Hagar’s son (Ishmael servant) and Sarah’s son (Isaac son of Promise).
Jewish live with the mentality of the need to be saved by the Messiah. Christian lives with the mentality of the promised son.
Living in the spirit of God (Grace). Not in the spirit of Law (Slavery) We have to respect the law. We are children of God, not slaves. We can have a Father son relationship with the Lord. Don’t look to the Lord as a Father but as of slavemaster.
I am not calling you servants but call you sons. Not servants but friends.
Check you have the right relationship with the Father.
Message is for the Christians that are within the Church. Elder Brother let us return and get to know the Father.