Weekly Sermon

Introduction:
 
     A.  The Conflict
 
           1.  The publicans and sinners come
 
           Luke 15:1 – “Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.”
 
           2.  The Pharisees and scribes complain
 
           Luke 15:2 – “And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.”
 
     B.  The Message
 
           1.  Rejoicing when a lost sheep is found
 
           Luke 15:3-6 – “And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?  And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.”
 
           2.  Rejoicing when a lost coin is found
 
           Luke 15:8-9 – “Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?  And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.”
 
           3.  Rejoicing when a lost son is returned repentant
 
           Luke 15:22-24 – “But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.  And they began to be merry.”
 
           4.  Rejoicing by God the Father when a sinner repents
 
           Luke 15:7 – “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”
 
           Luke 15:10 – “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”
 
I.     The Other Brother Did NOT Agree with the Father.
 
Luke 15:24-28a – “Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.  And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.  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. And he was angry . . . .”
 
II.   The Other Brother Became Angry with the Father.
 
Luke 15:28-30 – “And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.  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: but as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.”
 
III.  The Other Brother Broke Fellowship with the Father.
 
Luke 15:28 – “And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.” 
 
IV.  The Other Brother Cared Only about Himself.
 
Luke 15:29-30 – “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: but as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.”
 
V.   The Other Brother Continued in Bitterness against the Father.
 
Luke 15:31-32 – “And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.  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.”
 
Note: The parable ends without any indication of repentance on the part of “the other brother.”  In fact, both brothers departed from fellowship with their father.  The younger son broke fellowship through a sinful lifestyle, whereas the older son broke fellowship through a sinful attitude.  Furthermore, the older son engaged in a broken fellowship while never leaving the father’s house, and while having continued in outward, “religious” service and obedience to the father.

Posted in Weekly Sermon, Luke, ​Delight of the Lord, Sin of Selfishness, Rebellion against God     

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Weekly Sermon

This message is a companion to a previous message:  If Ye Fulfill the Royal Law (Part 1) - James 2:8
 
James 2:8 reads, “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well.” 
 
In James 2:8 we find the commendation of the Lord our God Himself in His Holy Word unto all who fulfill His royal law.  Herein the law of the Lord our God is described as His royal law because He is the divine Lord and King of our lives.  Indeed, this reveals that we believers in this time of the New Testament do have the responsibility to serve under our Lord’s authority and to submit ourselves in obedience under the authority of law for our lives.  Furthermore, we have the responsibility to fulfill our Lord’s royal law, that is – to obey it completely and consistently.  Finally, we are brought to understand that we must fulfill our Lord’s royal law over our lives in accord with the Old Testament Scripture from Leviticus 19:18, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”  If we do this, then the Lord our God through His Holy Word by the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit commends us with the declaration, “Ye do well.”  If we do this, then in our Lord’s sight we are walking in the way of righteousness.
 
So then, what does it mean to love our neighbor as ourselves?  In Leviticus 19:17-18 this instruction was first given, wherein God’s word declares, “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.  Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.”  Then throughout the New Testament, this instruction of our God’s law was quoted by our Lord Jesus Christ on two occasion in Matthew 19:19 & 22:39 (with Mark 12:31 being a parallel passage to Matthew 22:39), by the apostle Paul on two further occasions in Romans 13:9 & Galatians 5:14, and by James in James 2:8.  Even so, through a study of these and of some supporting passages, we may develop a greater understanding concerning what it means to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Already in the first part of the study, we considered two truths concerning this matter, as follows:

1.  To love our neighbor as ourselves is the foundational principle of God’s law in relation to others.  
2.  To love our neighbor as ourselves is a debt that we constantly owe unto those around us.  

Now, in this second part of the study, let us consider four additional truths.

Meditations in Jeremiah

In Jeremiah 42:1-3 we read, “Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near, and said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:) that the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.”  Herein this remnant of Judah presented their request for prayer that the Lord their God might direct them in the way that He would have them to go.  Yea, they made request for prayer that the Lord might direct them in the way of His will in order that they might obediently walk therein.  Certainly, this was a good request to make.  Certainly, this was the right request to make. 

Yet after having revealed the Lord’s answer to their request in Jeremiah 42:7-18, the prophet Jeremiah then presented a significant rebuke against this remnant of Judah.  Even so, in Jeremiah 42:19-20 he proclaimed, “The LORD hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day.  For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it.”  Herein the prophet Jeremiah accused this remnant of having dissembled in their hearts as they expressed their request for prayer.  Now, to dissemble in one’s heart means to attempt to manipulate another by concealing one’s true motives under a false appearance.  Even so, this remnant of Judah dissembled in their prayer request before the Lord God.  Yea, they sought to manipulate the Lord God through prayer, appearing to desire His will concerning their way, while having already decided what way they intended to go.  Indeed, they sought to manipulate the Lord God through prayer into agreeing with that which they already desired and had already decided.

Thought for Meditation
(And a little bit of politics)

The welfare mindset tends to think selfishly.
It tends to be concerned only with what it can acquire for itself,
at no expense of effort or energy to itself;
and it tends not to consider at all what this might cost someone else.

Thought for Meditation

You may have an outward form of godliness,
whereby you think yourself to be righteous before the Lord;
yet your selfishly unbridled and biting communication gives you away,
outwardly revealing that you are carnal and ungodly in character.
Indeed, to be truly righteous before the Lord,
you must repent with a broken and contrite heart 
of that selfishly unbridled and biting communication.

Proverbs for Life

The book of the Proverbs presents a number of truths concerning that upon which we should or should not set our love, and concerning the manner in which we are to love.  In this first part of the study, let us consider that upon which we should, or should not, set our love.

Thought for Meditation
(This thought is a companion to a previous thought for meditation:  Selfishness versus Godly Love)

Only by yielding oursleves to the filling influence of the Holy Spirit
can we overcome our selfish nature (which is the essential opposite of godly love)
and walk in genuine godly love toward others.

Weekly Sermon

This sermon is a companion to three previous sermons:
            By the Renewing of Your Mind (Part 1) - Romans 12:2     
            By the Renewing of Your Mind (Part 2) - Romans 12:2     
            By the Renewing of Your Mind (Part 3) - Romans 12:2      

Romans 12:1-2 reads, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

In Romans 12:1 God the Holy Spirit pleads with us to present ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto the Lord our God.  Then in verse 2 God the Holy Spirit gives two commands that we must obey if we are truly to present ourselves as such a living sacrifice unto the Lord our God.  The opening portion of the verse presents the first command – “And be not conformed to this world.”  Then the second command follows – “But be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.”  Brethren, we are not to be “conformed to this world.”  We are not to be in the same form or in agreement with this present evil world.  Rather, we are to be “transformed.”  We are to be changed into a different form and a different character than this present evil world.  Yea, we are to be changed into the same form and character as our Lord Jesus Christ.  Even so, 2 Corinthians 3:18 declares, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image [as the glory of the Lord] from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

In addition, Romans 12:2 reveals that the means of this transforming work is “by the renewing of your mind.”  We are commanded to be “transformed by the renewing of [our] mind.”  This means that we ourselves must involve ourselves in the renewing of our minds.  We ourselves must seek out, and commit ourselves to the things that will make for the renewing of our minds.  What then are the things that will make for the renewing of our minds?  Already in the first three parts of the message, we have considered six answers to this question – (1) We must commit ourselves to the truth of God’s holy Word; (2) we must commit ourselves to put away from us any and all sin; (3) we must commit ourselves to live wholly unto the will of God; (4) we must commit ourselves to the truth of our new life in Christ; (5) we must commit ourselves to walk in and after the Holy Spirit; and (6) we commit ourselves to walk always in prayer and thanksgiving.  Now in this second part of the message, let us consider one additional answer to this matter.

Proverbs for Life

Proverbs 25:8 – “Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.”

A proverbial statement might be defined as a short, meaningful saying that expresses a significant, substantial truth for life.  In the book of the Proverbs, a proverb is often constructed with two lines, presenting a comparison or contrast.  However, Proverbs 25:8 is not contrasted in this fashion.  Rather, Proverbs 25:8 presents a state-ment of warning concerning hastiness to engage in conflict.  This warning is constructed with three consecutive lines.