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Voddie Baucham - How to read the Gospels without missing The Gospel · Voddie Baucham Sermons

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: But this question of fear, we're all afraid of it.
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: And there are things in relationship to this fear that
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  Speaker 1: you and I have to recognize. That if you trust
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  Speaker 1: in God and let him be your guide and strength,
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: you won't have that fear. And your fear is in
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  Speaker 1: relationship to your trust. As your faith in God gets stronger,
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  Speaker 1: your fear dissipates. And as your faith in God gets weaker,
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: your fear arises. You want to have fear dissipated and removed?
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: Then you rise up and hold up the name of
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  Speaker 1: the living God and look to him to undertake for you.
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  Speaker 2: And he will.
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  Speaker 1: It's our faith that brings victory. It's our faith that
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  Speaker 1: casts out fear and enables us to put our trust
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  Speaker 1: in the blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We will
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  Speaker 1: worship the man of Galilee who went to a cross 2,000
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  Speaker 1: years ago. And no one can take his place. No
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  Speaker 1: one will intercede or interfere. We will not permit it.
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  Speaker 1: So it is, we have faith without fear.
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  Speaker 2: All right, if you have your Bibles with you, Open
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  Speaker 2: them with me to the book of Luke. Book of Luke.
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  Speaker 2: Luke chapter 15. Luke chapter 15. And we know Luke
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  Speaker 2: chapter 15 for the parables there. Most notably the parable
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: known as the parable of the prodigal son. If I
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  Speaker 2: had to title the message this morning, it would be
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: how to read the gospels. without missing the gospel. How
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: to read the gospels without missing the gospel. It is
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: amazing how easy it is for us to read the
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  Speaker 2: gospels and to come away with moralism and legalism and
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  Speaker 2: everything but salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in
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  Speaker 2: Christ alone. To go to the gospels and to read
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  Speaker 2: specifically in the Lord's parables and to find in the parables,
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  Speaker 2: you know, keys to things that we must do in
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  Speaker 2: order to be better and not get to the heart
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  Speaker 2: of the gospel. There's another problem when we get to
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  Speaker 2: Luke 15, and specifically in these parables that we're going
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  Speaker 2: to look at, and the parable of the prodigal son,
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  Speaker 2: as we call it, is the way we read the Bibles.
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: We read the Bible the way you read a yearbook.
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  Speaker 2: How do you read a yearbook? You don't get your
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  Speaker 2: yearbook and then open up at page one and continue
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  Speaker 2: reading all the way through. No, no, no. You get
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  Speaker 2: your yearbook, you go to the index at the back,
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  Speaker 2: find your name, and then go look at... You know
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  Speaker 2: you do that. And then after you find all the
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  Speaker 2: pictures of you and complain about them, you go find
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  Speaker 2: your friends maybe and you look for them, right? But
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  Speaker 2: that's how we read the yearbook. That's how we read
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  Speaker 2: the Bible as well. We read the Bible looking for ourself.
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  Speaker 2: But it's even worse than that. We read the Bible
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  Speaker 2: looking for ourself and we only see ourself in the
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  Speaker 2: most favorable light. And so when we read something like
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  Speaker 2: the parable of the prodigal son, who are we? We're
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  Speaker 2: the one that the father's running to embrace. He loves
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  Speaker 2: me so much. running he's running for me he's so
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  Speaker 2: cute but what if that's not the point of the
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  Speaker 2: parable now even saying that can be a little controversial
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  Speaker 2: right what do you mean what if that's not the
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  Speaker 2: point of the parable don't parables have many points nope
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  Speaker 2: they usually have one parables usually have one point and
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  Speaker 2: one point only and and and it's best that we
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  Speaker 2: read the parables that way Read them as parables and
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  Speaker 2: not as allegories. Allegories, for example, if there's an allegory,
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  Speaker 2: then every little thing in the parable you want to
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  Speaker 2: point to something else, right? Well, this means this, and
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  Speaker 2: that means that, and here's... Sowing is the word, right?
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  Speaker 2: He's telling you what the parable points to and what
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  Speaker 2: it means. If he wants you to understand a parable
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  Speaker 2: that way, he will tell you. Otherwise, just assume that
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  Speaker 2: the parable has how many points? One. Just one point.
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  Speaker 2: One point. Okay, one main point in the parable. And so,
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  Speaker 2: the other thing that we need to understand is the
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  Speaker 2: context of the parables. He gives the parable in the
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  Speaker 2: context of some kind of discussion or some kind of
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  Speaker 2: disagreement in order to make a point that is directed
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  Speaker 2: at that discussion or that issue or that disagreement or
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  Speaker 2: that thing that he's trying to teach. So when we
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  Speaker 2: get here in Luke chapter 15, we've got to ask ourselves,
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  Speaker 2: what is the question or the issue to which the
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  Speaker 2: parable is pointing? And I think the answer to that
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  Speaker 2: question is found in Luke 15, 1 and 2. Now,
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  Speaker 2: the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to him.
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  Speaker 2: Verse 2, here's the crux of the matter. And the
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  Speaker 2: Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, This man receives sinners
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  Speaker 2: and eats with them. So, he told them this parable, right?
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  Speaker 2: So he told them this parable. In other words, what
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  Speaker 2: comes in verse three is not somehow unrelated to what
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  Speaker 2: happened in verses one and two. What comes in verse
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  Speaker 2: three is a parable that is meant to address the
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  Speaker 2: issues that we find in verses one and two. Fair enough.
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  Speaker 2: But before we do that, before we do that, we've
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  Speaker 2: got to back up here because this one gets real
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  Speaker 2: interesting when you put it in an even broader context.
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  Speaker 2: So go back to chapter 14, verse 1. And we're
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  Speaker 2: not going to look at all of chapter 14, right?
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  Speaker 2: We're going to look at a couple of statements here
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  Speaker 2: to put this back in its context and then try
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  Speaker 2: to understand this. 14.1, on Sabbath, when he went to
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  Speaker 2: dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees,
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  Speaker 2: they were watching him carefully. So it's the Sabbath and
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  Speaker 2: Jesus is dining at the home of a ruler of
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  Speaker 2: the Pharisees, a big wig. So Jesus is dining with
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  Speaker 2: this man. 14.7. Now he told a parable to those
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  Speaker 2: who were invited. Jesus is not the only one dining
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  Speaker 2: at the home of this ruler. 14.12. He said also
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  Speaker 2: to the man who had invited him. 14.15. When one
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  Speaker 2: of those who reclined at table with him heard these things,
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  Speaker 2: he said to him, blessed is everyone who will eat
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  Speaker 2: bread in the kingdom of God. That is, just don't
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  Speaker 2: miss that. We're with the Pharisees. We're dining. We're at
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  Speaker 2: the home of one of the rulers of the Pharisees.
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  Speaker 2: So they thought enough of Jesus, this master teacher and
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  Speaker 2: miracle worker, to invite him over to the home of
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  Speaker 2: this ruler of the Pharisees and to have not only
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  Speaker 2: a dinner for him, but for other invited guests. And
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  Speaker 2: one of the invited guests, listening to Jesus, says, listen
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  Speaker 2: to these words again in verse 15. When one of
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  Speaker 2: those who reclined at table with him heard these things,
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  Speaker 2: he said to him, blessed is everyone who will eat
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  Speaker 2: bread in the kingdom of God. Sounds great, right? He
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  Speaker 2: gets it, right? No. 1425. Here's where the problem starts.
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  Speaker 2: Now great crowds accompanied him and he turned and said
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  Speaker 2: to them, We were at the home of bigwig ruler
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  Speaker 2: of the Pharisees. There were other invited guests, and everybody
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  Speaker 2: was happy. People were even proclaiming blessings on everyone who
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  Speaker 2: will eat this bread in the kingdom. Then in verse 25,
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  Speaker 2: he turns and addresses another group. Now look again at 15.1.
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  Speaker 2: Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near
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  Speaker 2: to him and the Pharisees who were eating with him
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  Speaker 2: in chapter 14. And the scribes grumbled saying, this man
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  Speaker 2: receives sinners and eats with them. We got a problem.
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  Speaker 2: They don't even know what the problem is. So Jesus
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  Speaker 2: proceeds to tell them three parables in rapid succession. These
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  Speaker 2: three parables have to be understood together. You don't get
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  Speaker 2: the point if you don't put these parables together. They
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  Speaker 2: were not meant to be divided or separated. They were
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  Speaker 2: meant to be understood together. And you'll see that as
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  Speaker 2: we go through this. So now, A parable usually has
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  Speaker 2: how many points? Just one, just one point. This is
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  Speaker 2: a unique situation in which there's three parables and the
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  Speaker 2: three parables have one point. Very powerful rabbinical teaching tool, right?
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  Speaker 2: This emphasize something three times. So Jesus is emphasizing something
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  Speaker 2: three times. There's a very important point to be made
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  Speaker 2: And one parable just wasn't going to do this time.
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  Speaker 2: There needs to be three parables in order to drive
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  Speaker 2: home this point. And as he drives home this point,
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  Speaker 2: what I want you to do is ask yourself a question.
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  Speaker 2: Riddle me this, Batman. In light of who he's talking to,
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  Speaker 2: who's the character that he's highlighting for his audience? Verse three.
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  Speaker 2: So he told them this parable. What man of you
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  Speaker 2: having a hundred sheep, so we've got a hundred sheep,
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  Speaker 2: if he has lost one of them, does not leave
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  Speaker 2: the 99 in the open country and go after the
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  Speaker 2: one that is lost until he finds it. So we've
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  Speaker 2: got a hundred sheep. We lose one. We lose 1%
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  Speaker 2: of our sheep. Which one of you, Jesus says to
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  Speaker 2: the Pharisees, his audience, the Pharisees, Which one of you,
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  Speaker 2: if you have 100 sheep and you lose 1% of
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  Speaker 2: your sheep, doesn't go out and find the 1% of
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  Speaker 2: your sheep? And when, verse 16, he comes home, I'm sorry,
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  Speaker 2: verse 5, and when he has found it, he lays
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  Speaker 2: it on his shoulders rejoicing. And when he comes home,
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  Speaker 2: he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them,
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  Speaker 2: rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that
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  Speaker 2: was lost. Verse 7, just so. I tell you there
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  Speaker 2: is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
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  Speaker 2: than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance. You
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  Speaker 2: got a hundred sheep. You lose one. One percent of
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  Speaker 2: your sheep gone. Sheep are important. Sheep are important because they, again,
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  Speaker 2: sheep are important. You get wool from the sheep. You
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  Speaker 2: can get meat from the sheep. Sheep are important. You
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  Speaker 2: lose one of your sheep. One percent of your sheep
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  Speaker 2: What do you do? Every Pharisee there listening knows what
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  Speaker 2: you do. You go and find the one that's lost.
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  Speaker 2: And when you find the one that's lost, you bring
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  Speaker 2: him home and you celebrate and you have your friends
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  Speaker 2: to celebrate with you. Jesus says, okay, you get that.
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  Speaker 2: What I also want you to get is there's more
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  Speaker 2: rejoicing in heaven over one lost sinner who repents. Because
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  Speaker 2: one lost sinner who repents is more valuable than a sheep.
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  Speaker 2: So far? You're smelling what I'm sniffing in, right? Okay. Now, or,
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  Speaker 2: and you see the or lets you know that we're
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  Speaker 2: continuing here, right? Or, what woman having 10 silver coins,
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  Speaker 2: we've gone from 100 sheep to 10 coins. What woman
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  Speaker 2: having 10 silver coins, if she loses one coin, does
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  Speaker 2: not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek
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  Speaker 2: diligently until she finds it? This is going to sound familiar,
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  Speaker 2: verse 9. And when she has found it, she calls
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  Speaker 2: together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for
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  Speaker 2: I have found the coin that I had lost. Just so,
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  Speaker 2: I tell you, there is joy before the angels of
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  Speaker 2: God over one sinner who repents. Hundred sheep. You lose
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  Speaker 2: one of your hundred sheep, you go find it. When
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  Speaker 2: you find it, you rejoice. You call your neighbors, they
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  Speaker 2: rejoice with you. That's good. Heaven rejoices more over one
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  Speaker 2: sinner who repents. You got 10 coins. By the way,
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  Speaker 2: 10 coins, he's not talking about somebody who's got coins
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  Speaker 2: jangling in their pocket like you and me. 10 coins
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  Speaker 2: is all of her wealth. That's why she sweeps out
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  Speaker 2: the whole house to find one of the 10 coins.
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  Speaker 2: Because now we've gone from 1% of your sheep wealth
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  Speaker 2: to 10% of your coin wealth. You go find that coin. Amen?
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  Speaker 2: Because it's important. And you rejoice when you find it.
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  Speaker 2: Your neighbors rejoice with you. Heaven rejoices more over one
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  Speaker 2: sinner who repents. And now that Jesus has built a coffin,
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  Speaker 2: he starts to put nails in it. Verse 11. Verse 11.
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  Speaker 2: And he said, there was a man who had two sons,
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  Speaker 2: a hundred sheep, ten coins, two sons. The younger of
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  Speaker 2: them said to his father, Father, give me the share
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  Speaker 2: of property that is coming to me. And he divided
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  Speaker 2: his property between them. Now that share is coming to
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  Speaker 2: him when daddy dies. He's impatient. He can't wait. There's
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  Speaker 2: two sides. Now here's what's interesting. What's interesting is with
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  Speaker 2: the sheep. We don't get any information about the one
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  Speaker 2: sheep that was lost, right? But it's a sheep. We
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  Speaker 2: don't know if it's, you know, Harry or Jimmy or
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  Speaker 2: I don't know what you even name sheep, right? We
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  Speaker 2: don't know. Just a sheep. We don't know what color
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  Speaker 2: the sheep was, how old, how young. It was just
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  Speaker 2: a sheep. One of a hundred. And you don't even
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  Speaker 2: have to know about the sheep. It's one of a hundred.
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  Speaker 2: You go find it. The coins. We don't know. She
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  Speaker 2: had 10 coins. We don't know what kind of coins.
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  Speaker 2: We don't know. We don't know. But here, when he
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  Speaker 2: gets to the two sons, he develops the story. And
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  Speaker 2: the development of the story is incredibly important. Because he's
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  Speaker 2: trying to make a point. One point. One point. Heaven's
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  Speaker 2: rejoicing over sinners who repent. Jesus wants the Pharisees to
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  Speaker 2: know this son is a sinner. And so he starts
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  Speaker 2: with The boy is impatient and he's greedy. Okay, fine.
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  Speaker 2: He's impatient. He's greedy. He's a sinner. No, no, no. No,
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  Speaker 2: you don't understand. He's not just impatient and greedy. Verse 13,
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  Speaker 2: not many days later, the younger son gathered all he
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  Speaker 2: had and took a journey into a far country. If
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  Speaker 2: you know anything about redemptive history, if you know anything
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  Speaker 2: about Israel's history, Their history is replete with this theme
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  Speaker 2: of being close to God and in the midst of
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  Speaker 2: the people of God. Gathering in the place where God dwells.
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  Speaker 2: Their city is the city of God. They want to
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  Speaker 2: be in the city of God, in the place of God.
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  Speaker 2: They want to be near the temple of God. When
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  Speaker 2: they're not righteous, they're driven away from the place where
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  Speaker 2: God is into far countries. It's bad to be in
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  Speaker 2: a far country. He volunteered to go to one. He's
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  Speaker 2: greedy and he's impatient. And he does not love the
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  Speaker 2: place where God dwells. He's a sinner. Okay, we get it.
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  Speaker 2: He's a sinner. Wait. There's more. And there he squandered
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  Speaker 2: his property in reckless living. So now he's lost his property.
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  Speaker 2: He's reckless. He's impatient. He's greedy. He's unfaithful. And he's reckless.
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  Speaker 2: He's a sinner. Verse 14. And when he had spent everything,
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  Speaker 2: a severe famine arose in that country. Again, biblical history.
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  Speaker 2: Very clear. Famine. Famine is a picture of the judgment
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  Speaker 2: of God. He's greedy. He's impatient. He's impatient. He's reckless.
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  Speaker 2: He's unfaithful. And now he's under the judgment of God.
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  Speaker 2: And Jesus is still not done. And he began to
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  Speaker 2: be in need. You can almost imagine the Pharisees who
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  Speaker 2: know the scriptures, right? They know the scriptures. Jesus says
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  Speaker 2: he begins to be in need. I can just imagine
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  Speaker 2: the Pharisees going, you know. never seen the righteous forsaken
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  Speaker 2: or a seed begging bread. So he went and hired
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  Speaker 2: himself out to one of the citizens of that country
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  Speaker 2: who sent him into his field to feed pigs. Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: It got that bad. The little Hebrew boy is feeding pigs,
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  Speaker 2: but it's worse. And he was longing to be fed
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  Speaker 2: with the pods that the pigs ate and no one
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  Speaker 2: gave him anything. So Jesus wants us to understand here
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  Speaker 2: the depths of this young man's depravity. This is a sinner.
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  Speaker 2: This is a sinner. Yeah, we get it. He was
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  Speaker 2: a sinner. No, no, you don't understand. You don't understand
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  Speaker 2: how much of a sinner this was. And to a Pharisee,
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  Speaker 2: can you just imagine? Remember, they're uptight over tax collectors
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  Speaker 2: and sinners. Jesus says this was a sinner verse 15
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  Speaker 2: but when he came to himself he said how many
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  Speaker 2: of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread
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  Speaker 2: but I perish here with hunger I will arise and
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  Speaker 2: go to my father And I will say to him, Father,
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  Speaker 2: I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am
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  Speaker 2: no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me
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  Speaker 2: as one of your hired servants. And he arose and
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  Speaker 2: came to his father. By the way, Jesus says two sons.
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  Speaker 2: And he goes to great lengths to say one of
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  Speaker 2: them is a sinner. Amen. Amen. And then right after that,
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  Speaker 2: he says, he's a sinner who repents. Now, because of
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  Speaker 2: the repetition of these three stories, it's very clear what
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  Speaker 2: ought to happen next. Amen? Hundred sheep, one's gone. Find
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  Speaker 2: the one. Get your friends, throw a party, celebrate. Heaven
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  Speaker 2: rejoices even more over one sinner who repents. Ten coins,
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  Speaker 2: lose one, find the one you lost. Call your friends,
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  Speaker 2: throw a party, rejoice. Heaven rejoices more over one sinner
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  Speaker 2: who repents. Two sons, one of them is a sinner
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  Speaker 2: who repents. Some good stuff ought to come next. He
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  Speaker 2: rose and came to his father, but while he was
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  Speaker 2: still a long way off, his father saw him and
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  Speaker 2: felt compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
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  Speaker 2: And the son said to his father, Father, I have
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  Speaker 2: sinned against heaven and before you I am no longer
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  Speaker 2: worthy to be called your son. But the father said
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  Speaker 2: to his servants, This is what's supposed to come next.
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  Speaker 2: We saw it in verse 6. We saw it in
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  Speaker 2: verse 9. Again, there's detail in this one. In verse 6, right?
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  Speaker 2: Shepherd calls friends, has a party. In verse 9, coin
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  Speaker 2: lady calls friends, has a party. Verse 22, it gets
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  Speaker 2: more specific. But the father said to his servants, bring
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  Speaker 2: quickly the best robe and put it on him. And
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  Speaker 2: put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet.
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  Speaker 2: And bring the fatted calf and kill it and let
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  Speaker 2: us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead
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  Speaker 2: and is alive again. He was lost and is found.
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  Speaker 2: And they began to celebrate. Amen. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord.
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  Speaker 2: So far so good, right? So far so good. Remember,
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  Speaker 2: there's one point. So if the Pharisees are listening to this,
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  Speaker 2: is Jesus saying to the Pharisees, when you hear this parable,
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  Speaker 2: I want you to understand that the character in this
• 24:45
  Speaker 2: story that represents you is the son who sins and
• 24:50
  Speaker 2: comes home and is embraced. That doesn't make sense. It
• 24:55
  Speaker 2: makes no sense whatsoever. What's the problem? The problem is
• 24:59
  Speaker 2: they're upset. They're upset because Jesus is eating with tax
• 25:02
  Speaker 2: collectors and sinners. So far, this story follows the pattern
• 25:07
  Speaker 2: of the other story. Till now. Verse 15. Now his
• 25:15
  Speaker 2: older son was in the field and as he came
• 25:19
  Speaker 2: and drew near to the house, he heard music and
• 25:21
  Speaker 2: dancing and he called one of the servants and asked
• 25:24
  Speaker 2: what these things meant. And he said to him, your
• 25:26
  Speaker 2: brother has come and your father has killed the fattened
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: calf because he has received him back safe and sound.
• 25:35
  Speaker 2: So the brother rejoiced with his father. That's what ought
• 25:48
  Speaker 2: to have happened. But he was angry and refused to
• 25:58
  Speaker 2: go in. His father came out and entreated him, but
• 26:06
  Speaker 2: he answered his father, Look, these many years I have
• 26:11
  Speaker 2: served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you
• 26:15
  Speaker 2: never gave me a young goat that I might celebrate
• 26:18
  Speaker 2: with my friends. But when this son of yours came,
• 26:23
  Speaker 2: who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the
• 26:27
  Speaker 2: fattened calf for him. That's the one point. They probably
• 26:53
  Speaker 2: didn't even see the coffin being built before the nails
• 26:55
  Speaker 2: were put in it. I can't believe he just had
• 27:05
  Speaker 2: this mule with one of the leading men of the community.
• 27:11
  Speaker 2: Now he's there with the tax collectors and the sinners.
• 27:14
  Speaker 2: What is wrong with him? What is wrong with him?
• 27:18
  Speaker 2: Let me tell you some stories. A hundred sheep, lose one,
• 27:25
  Speaker 2: find it, throw a party, friends rejoice. And they're listening
• 27:29
  Speaker 2: to that story. They're probably nodding along with him, right? Yep.
• 27:32
  Speaker 2: I get, absolutely. We all know sheep. We all know, yep.
• 27:35
  Speaker 2: Lose one, you know. Somebody back there probably saying, you
• 27:38
  Speaker 2: know what happened to my cousin? You know, yep. Nodding
• 27:41
  Speaker 2: right along, right? Yep. Heaven rejoices more over one sinner
• 27:44
  Speaker 2: who repents. Okay. You know, 10 coins. Lose one. You know, fine.
• 27:50
  Speaker 2: But I mean, still, they're nodding along. They're nodding along. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.
• 27:55
  Speaker 2: We get that. You know, I get, check my purse,
• 27:58
  Speaker 2: wear my, you know. Yes, we get that. That's great.
• 28:02
  Speaker 2: Two sons. One's a sinner. You know, like the people
• 28:09
  Speaker 2: you don't like me eating with. And he repents. You know,
• 28:21
  Speaker 2: like the people that the angels in heaven rejoice over.
• 28:27
  Speaker 2: And his father runs to him because his son was
• 28:32
  Speaker 2: dead and now he's alive. And his father puts a
• 28:38
  Speaker 2: robe on him and a ring on him and kills
• 28:41
  Speaker 2: the fatted calf and every one of you knows that
• 28:44
  Speaker 2: that's what you would do if it was your son.
• 28:47
  Speaker 2: You get me, don't you? You follow me, don't you?
• 28:50
  Speaker 2: But there's another son. And the other son is so
• 28:59
  Speaker 2: arrogant that he does not realize that he's at least
• 29:05
  Speaker 2: as big of a sinner as his brother. His brother
• 29:14
  Speaker 2: is so arrogant. And not only is his brother arrogant,
• 29:17
  Speaker 2: and hear me, by the way, in case you haven't
• 29:20
  Speaker 2: figured it out, this is who you are in the story.
• 29:24
  Speaker 2: You and I are the elder brother in this story.
• 29:27
  Speaker 2: There's one point Jesus is making. And the one point
• 29:31
  Speaker 2: is check yourself because you too have a tendency to
• 29:35
  Speaker 2: be the older brother. You think the father owes you
• 29:43
  Speaker 2: something because you've been good. That's just because you don't
• 29:47
  Speaker 2: know what good is. You think you've done the father
• 29:58
  Speaker 2: a favor. You've done the father a favor. That's just
• 30:04
  Speaker 2: because you don't understand who the Father is. You have
• 30:10
  Speaker 2: no idea that what you just proved is that you
• 30:15
  Speaker 2: no more love the Father than you do your brother.
• 30:20
  Speaker 2: Because if, oh faithful son, you really loved your father...
• 30:25
  Speaker 2: your heart would rejoice at that which causes his heart
• 30:29
  Speaker 2: to rejoice. But the fact that he's rejoicing over his
• 30:33
  Speaker 2: son and you can't rejoice with him means you don't
• 30:37
  Speaker 2: love what the father loves. But you're the good boy. Saints,
• 30:45
  Speaker 2: do you love what the father loves? Or do you
• 30:52
  Speaker 2: love what you think the father owes you because you're
• 30:54
  Speaker 2: better than most people? Here's the other thing. Not only
• 31:04
  Speaker 2: is it broken vertically, but it's broken horizontally. This is
• 31:09
  Speaker 2: not just your father's son. This is your brother. Listen
• 31:15
  Speaker 2: to how he talks about him. But when this son
• 31:18
  Speaker 2: of yours comes, That's your brother. Who do you think
• 31:29
  Speaker 2: you are? That you can sort of make him this other.
• 31:43
  Speaker 2: And why? Because I've been so good. Because I've done
• 31:51
  Speaker 2: the things that he didn't do. Because I am moral
• 31:59
  Speaker 2: and I keep law. And because I'm moral and I
• 32:03
  Speaker 2: keep law, you owe me. That's the Pharisee in a nutshell.
• 32:12
  Speaker 2: And that's you and me in a nutshell. No, no, no.
• 32:20
  Speaker 2: I wouldn't be like that. No. Wouldn't you though? Wouldn't
• 32:26
  Speaker 2: you though? I was a good girl. I saved myself
• 32:33
  Speaker 2: until I got married and now we can't get pregnant.
• 32:36
  Speaker 2: She's out there sleeping around not wanting to get pregnant
• 32:39
  Speaker 2: and she gets knocked up. How fair is that God?
• 32:52
  Speaker 2: We live right. We go to church. We serve the Lord.
• 32:57
  Speaker 2: We're faithful to him. And yet the promotions keep going
• 33:02
  Speaker 2: over there. I'm a good faithful Christian on my job
• 33:08
  Speaker 2: and yet I'm not being recognized. Do I need to
• 33:15
  Speaker 2: go on? Every last one of us You go to
• 33:20
  Speaker 2: the doctor and you get some kind of diagnosis that
• 33:24
  Speaker 2: you don't like and you shake your fists at God
• 33:27
  Speaker 2: because you think that somehow because you've been moral and
• 33:30
  Speaker 2: religious and kept law that sickness shouldn't come your way.
• 33:38
  Speaker 2: Persecution shouldn't come your way. Loss shouldn't come your way.
• 33:52
  Speaker 2: And we shake our fists at God. There's something you want,
• 33:57
  Speaker 2: something you desire. And you've been praying and God hasn't
• 34:00
  Speaker 2: answered your prayer. And you're angry with God. You're angry
• 34:04
  Speaker 2: with God because he hasn't given you this thing that
• 34:07
  Speaker 2: you want. Oh yeah, you are the elder brother. It's
• 34:13
  Speaker 2: in there. It's in all of us. And that's not
• 34:23
  Speaker 2: even the most pathetic part of it. Verse 31. The
• 34:31
  Speaker 2: father says to him, son, you are always with me.
• 34:37
  Speaker 2: And all that is mine is yours. This gets to
• 34:47
  Speaker 2: the heart of the matter. This brother's been gone for years.
• 34:55
  Speaker 2: Which means he's missed out on fellowship and communion and
• 35:00
  Speaker 2: intimacy with his father for years. And he can't get
• 35:03
  Speaker 2: that time back. This other son had all of that
• 35:09
  Speaker 2: that his brother lost. And yet he's so blinded by
• 35:15
  Speaker 2: his jealousy that he can't even count that blessing. Saints,
• 35:25
  Speaker 2: do you hear me this morning? God's been so good
• 35:34
  Speaker 2: to you. God's been better to you than you could
• 35:39
  Speaker 2: have or would have been to yourself. If for no
• 35:46
  Speaker 2: other reason than up to now you have not yet
• 35:50
  Speaker 2: gotten what you deserve, which is death, the grave, hell.
• 36:09
  Speaker 2: Verse 32, it was fitting to celebrate and be glad
• 36:15
  Speaker 2: for this your brother was dead and he's alive, was
• 36:19
  Speaker 2: lost and he was found. It's fitting. It's fitting. It's appropriate.
• 36:30
  Speaker 2: The Pharisees missed this for the same reason that you
• 36:32
  Speaker 2: and I missed this. Here's what's interesting about this. The
• 36:40
  Speaker 2: Pharisees were upset. They loved it in chapter 14 when
• 36:43
  Speaker 2: they had status and respectability because they were the ones
• 36:50
  Speaker 2: identified with Jesus. But when the tax collectors and sinners
• 36:55
  Speaker 2: begin to identify with Jesus, all of a sudden their
• 36:57
  Speaker 2: status and respectability is called into question. You're not really
• 37:02
  Speaker 2: that special because apparently he'll hang with anybody. So they're
• 37:10
  Speaker 2: upset because Jesus hanging with them cost them their status.
• 37:14
  Speaker 2: But they don't understand the significance of the story here.
• 37:20
  Speaker 2: That in the story here Jesus is talking about the
• 37:31
  Speaker 2: salvation of lost sinners. They're worried that Jesus receiving sinners
• 37:40
  Speaker 2: and tax collectors cost them status, but it cost him
• 37:45
  Speaker 2: his life. All we like sheep have gone astray. Each
• 37:54
  Speaker 2: of us had turned to his own way, Isaiah says.
• 37:57
  Speaker 2: but God has laid upon him the iniquity of us all.
• 38:02
  Speaker 2: God made him to be sin who knew no sin
• 38:06
  Speaker 2: so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
• 38:08
  Speaker 2: Christ died for sin once for all, but just for
• 38:11
  Speaker 2: the unjust in order that he might bring us back
• 38:13
  Speaker 2: to God. It is the cross It is the cross.
• 38:27
  Speaker 2: Christ dies to save sinners. Christ lays down his life
• 38:34
  Speaker 2: to save sinners. He lays down his life to pay
• 38:37
  Speaker 2: the penalty that sinners owe to a holy, just, and
• 38:41
  Speaker 2: righteous God so that God's wrath might be satisfied as
• 38:47
  Speaker 2: it's poured out on Christ. And that God's righteousness might
• 38:52
  Speaker 2: be satisfied as the righteousness of Christ is imputed to
• 38:56
  Speaker 2: us from the perfect life that he lived and then
• 38:59
  Speaker 2: laid down on our behalf. And so when we stand
• 39:06
  Speaker 2: before God boasting about our moralism and our legalism and
• 39:12
  Speaker 2: our righteous, ultimately what we are saying is the calf
• 39:18
  Speaker 2: that he slew The lamb that was slain by God himself.
• 39:31
  Speaker 2: was somehow not good enough Jesus is not good enough
• 39:42
  Speaker 2: I need Jesus and perfect health I need Jesus and
• 39:46
  Speaker 2: babies on demand I need Jesus and promotions on my job.
• 39:51
  Speaker 2: I need Jesus and, Jesus and, Jesus and, then I'll
• 39:55
  Speaker 2: know you love me. I need Jesus and for you
• 39:57
  Speaker 2: to hop to and answer every prayer exactly when I
• 40:01
  Speaker 2: ask it. Otherwise, if you don't do all of those things,
• 40:04
  Speaker 2: I will call into question your love for me regardless
• 40:08
  Speaker 2: of the fact that you crushed and killed your only
• 40:11
  Speaker 2: begotten son to demonstrate your love for lost sinners like me.
• 40:19
  Speaker 2: God help us. We are the elder brother. We are.
• 40:29
  Speaker 2: But here's the good news. Here's the good news, saints.
• 40:36
  Speaker 2: Jesus ends his story here. But the gospel's not ended here.
• 40:45
  Speaker 2: Do you know what the most amazing news about this is?
• 40:49
  Speaker 2: It's not, it's not that the father runs to that
• 40:55
  Speaker 2: son who comes and who repents. Here's the great news.
• 41:01
  Speaker 2: The great news is these, even though you and I
• 41:03
  Speaker 2: are absolutely the elder brother. And some of you here
• 41:08
  Speaker 2: may be the younger brother. And the good news is
• 41:13
  Speaker 2: the blood of Jesus is sufficient. But here's the great news.
• 41:19
  Speaker 2: if you've seen yourself today in the elder brother, know this.
• 41:25
  Speaker 2: If this story continues on and the elder brother comes
• 41:31
  Speaker 2: to himself like the younger brother did and repents of
• 41:35
  Speaker 2: the sin that he was not yet able to see,
• 41:39
  Speaker 2: I believe daddy's got another fattened calf. I believe he's
• 41:48
  Speaker 2: got another robe And another ring. Because none who come
• 42:01
  Speaker 2: in repentance and faith will ever be cast out. Try
• 42:13
  Speaker 2: not to read the Gospels and miss the Gospel.