Prodigal 1–Lost at Home
Pray.  Read Luke 15:11-32
Intro: Luke 15 contains familiar story.  Who are the main characters?  
Father, prodigal, stay-at-home, only one more actually gets a speaking part–servant
Who does the Father represent?  God.  The sons?  His children who are humans–you realize angels are not called the children of God.  Adam is called the son of God and Jesus is called the Son of God, indeed John says behold what manner of love the father has given unto us that we should be called the sons of God.  

What is the major contrast in this parable–it’s between older son and younger son.  More specifically between how older son relates to the Father and how younger son relates to the Father.  But in spite of that big contrast, there is one thing both sons have in common.  Have you noticed it?  I’m going to let you think about that for a moment.  I don’t want to take the discovery away from you.  Who’s seeing what the two brothers have in common.  They both misunderstood the character of the Father.

This is part one of a two part series on this parable, and it’s entitled “Lost at Home.”  Let’s look at the older son.
Son comes home, father starts a party, then our verses: read with me vv.25-26 
Did you hear that?  came to house and didn’t know what was happening, he called a servant to ask him.  

What misunderstanding of his Father do the older son’s actions reveal here?  

This is really remarkable.  I know he’s been out in the field, and maybe he didn’t see the start of the party, but to come up and ask a servant what is going on reveals a serious misunderstanding of his Father.  Where has the older son been while his Father, has been wringing his hands and standing on the porch looking down the road for the younger son.  How do we know he was doing that?  “He saw him a long way off,” verse 20 tells us.  How could the older son not have noticed how much his Father missed the younger son?  How could he live in the same house, and not know how sad his father was–I’m sure there were no parties in that house the whole time the younger son was gone.  Can you imagine?  The Father’s friends ask, “Hey, can we have the New Year’s party at your house?”  The man just looks down.  “I’d love to have you, it’s just that, I don’t feel much like celebrating since my son left.  Maybe next year, guys.”  How could the older son not know what had happened?  He comes in from the field and a party has spontaneously erupted in his Father’s house for no reason?  No, there was only one thing that would get his Father excited like that, but the older son had missed it.  The biggest event ever to take place under his father’s roof, and he didn’t even recognize it.  

How does the older son’s attitude toward the younger compare with his Father’s attitude?  He was indifferent.  He didn’t really care if the younger brother ever came back.  

What can we conclude?  The older son didn’t know his Father.  You can’t remain indifferent to the plight of sinners and know the Father.  Maybe he knew about his father, but he was not intimate, and did not identify with the father’s interests.  Folks, it’s impossible to really know the Father, and not care what happens to sinners!  Yet people drift in and out of churches that are full of people who are claiming to know who?  The Father!  People come and go and slip back into sin without even a phone call sometimes!  If you know the Father, you will have a concern for sinners.  
There’s one other thing we need to note here.  Apparently it’s entirely possible to be living in the same house with those who do know the Father, and not know him.  Folks, attending a church does not guarantee knowing the Father, do you agree?

What is it that reveals whether or not we know the Father?  Our attitudes, yes, indeed.  Our attitudes toward sinners will make it very plain whether we are more like the older brother or the younger brother.

Look at verse 28 What additional attitude reveals even more clearly the older brother’s misunderstanding of the Father’s character.  “He became angry and refused to go in.”  What is he really getting angry about, at the root of it?  

The Father’s love.  The Father is doing what He does best, loving a sinner.  What kind of love does he extend?  unconditional love.  The Father is doing what comes naturally to Him.  It is His nature to love sinners.  And the older brother is offended.  Don’t miss this: Imagine being resentful over the Father’s generous love being extended to another.  Of all the things to resent, don’t allow the Father’s love to cause you to be resentful.  

Do you know what this looks like?  When someone gets excited about the love of God do you know what effect that has on some people?  They get angry.  –Hawaii story, from another denomination.  

–What would you do if a homosexual responded to the love of God and joined your church.  I’m not talking about a ‘cured homosexual’ who has become heterosexual.  I’m talking about one who is still tempted, but has committed to celibacy?  (By the way, how many of you have ceased to be tempted by sin?)  Would you get angry over God reaching out to love such a person?  Or could you march into the house and celebrate with God over a sinner who repented?

If you’re offended when God does what He does best what does that tell you about yourself?  You haven’t seen Him in His true character yet.  You may know about Him, but you don’t know and appreciate the beauty of His character.  

The older son is so angry that in vv 29-30 he brings out an argument that reveals even more how little he understands the Father.  Let’s read. 29 "But he answered and said to his father, 'Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends;
 30 but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.'

What does the older brother believe the Father’s love is based upon?  Works.  Are you hearing that?  He thought he deserved to have a party because he’d been slaving away.  So what was his motivation for doing the work?  He was doing it to get the reward.  In fact, what interesting claim does he make about his work?  Let me quote the kjv  “Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment:” Now who’s he talking to?  Who does He represent?
What condition is the older brother in that would lead him to make such a unique statement?  He’s fooling himself.  In fact, what commandment is he transgressing right at this moment?  –Love! 

What was the older brother missing?  He says, “Here I’ve been slaving, working hard in your fields,” But look at his Father’s response.  v 31 “Son you have always been with me, and everything I have is yours!”  The older son had missed two very significant things when he complained of not being given a lamb!  What had he missed?  1.  It was already his.  In fact he could take 100 and have a party!  It was his right and inheritance, but he never claimed it.  He failed to recognize his own inheritance.  Many Christians today are living underprivileged lives.   Christians are heirs to all the riches and joy of heaven, yet they go around moping as if God was a very hard taskmaster demanding difficult work and withholding all the fun!  –examples of dialogue?

He also failed to recognize the great privilege of living in relationship with His Father.  He was envious of the brother who had left.  He thought somehow that the other brother had gotten the better deal to be able to go away and live in a pig sty and come home to a party.  Let me tell you, going away from the Father is not a privilege, and if you find yourself envious of those who’ve gone away and come back, you’re sadly missing the privilege of being close to the Father.  Some say things like, “How can someone go from being a Christian to leaving God and going into the world, and then come back to God again.  It just can’t be!”  Well this story says it can be, and that God rejoices when one returns to sonship.  

How about you, are you living in the joy that is in God’s presence?  Do you need to repent of some attitudes that reveal your misunderstanding of the Father?  Are you seeing His mercy in a new light this morning?  Who wants to testify this morning?  Just a little warning this morning.  We want to hear about Him not about you.  I have the hardest time getting people to tell me about God.  Who wants to tell us something about God this morning?