The Father's House Part-2

 Date of Sermon Delivery: 7. May . 2023

Place of sermon Delivery:  Delhi, India

Sunday Worship Service 

Speaker: Brother Ramesh

Title:  The Father's House Part-2

Bible : Luke 15:11-32

Key verses 25-32

Praise the Lord everyone

How are you all doing this morning? 

Few weeks back I was out of the town to attend a wedding and it was good experience to have. 

I have never attended that before however, I could see lots of new things and culture.

I praise God for giving me all the good things in life and ask God’s wisdom for all the challenges that will be in life. 

Last week brother Jatin delivered us the sermon on prodigal son and how important it is to be in the house of the Lord. 

From David’s Psalms we could see how thirsty David was to be in the presence of God and to take care of the house of the Lord. 

I believe we all have become bit better from what we hear last week, and God would have moved our Spirit for the house of the Lord. 

Main Body

Today when we see the key verses, we could see that older son became angry and refused to go into the party that the father had organized. 

I would like everyone of you to imagine yourselves as older brother. 

Your younger brother has left the home and all the money is wasted; he is now returning back to father’s house to be a servant. 

You are the elder brother, what kind of response will you have?

You will have to now share everything what is yours and might need to share your inheritance as well. 

How will you feel.

Most of the time we read the passage till verse 24 and do not think about the further passage due to happy ending. 

A son was lost now has come to senses, Father is happy to meet his son and they are now having a party. 

I studied this bible like this for many years, I only meditated till verse 24 and not further. 

However, when we see the bible ahead, we could find the reaction of elder son. 

We could really see bitterness and resentment of the older son.

This older son was very hardworking, never went away form the father. 

He was obedient and faithful to his father even when his brother left, he took care of all the things. 

He took care of the house, servants, land, and father as well. 

Today children want to take care of the parents if they are getting their salary and have always promoted that in society. 

If some parents are earning or have a job and are living with a son, son is taking care of them. 

However, another son with whom the parents are not living or not giving some part of salary or inheritance the other son will not be ready to take care of parents. 

He will complaint that your earnings are going to that house, now you have nothing you want me to take care of you. 

Today we see the older son, he was living with his father and obeying father and did whatever father told him. 

He sees this as a duty and compulsion. 

He is doing everything by rulebook. 

But when his brother came back, he was angry, not from his brother but from his father.

He is complaining V29 Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 

I can somehow say this is reaction is appropriate. 

For many of you are younger than me and I have been here before you.

I have worked hard and with diligence. 

I think this place as my home, and I am servant of this House as well. 

Whenever there is any incident like the prodigal son. 

I talk with the Lord and sometimes to my fellow brothers. 

Why, why it needs to be like this.

I did not get anything to party. I work hard day and night. 

I am like a gatekeeper, but the other person comes in and take all the plunder of this house. 

The reason I am sharing this with you all is because I have seen same pain in many of your hearts. 

I know that you are doing hard work and obeying but you are the ones who are taking most of the beating. 

You are doing labor in the house of the Lord and thinking that Lord I have done enough and now people who are not worthy or have wasted every single thing are partying because they are found. 

They have done so much wrong, but because you have accepted them now, there is a party. 

I come here every day, every time I think of this place, but this younger brother of mine is back now from wasting everything and sinning dreadfully there is a party. 

I never transgressed… you never gave said the son. What is this, Lord?

This might be the pain in some of our heart and I understand that. 

I want to tell you that this is kind of a heart of a pharisee, this is the heart of person who is not near to God’s heart. 

I can sympathies with you, but I can’t say this is correct way to see the house of the Lord. 

Or if this is the correct way of seeing the Gods work in our life.

the older son was obedient, yet far from his father’s heart. 

In this sense he was a perfect example of the religious leaders who were angry. 

Why Jesus received tax collectors and sinners? 

This story reveals the possibility of living in the father’s house and failing to understand the father’s heart.

Conclusion

Today’s question for self-reflection is that am I the person who is living in the house of the Lord but am I also living closer to God’s heart or not?

There are chances that we could spend eternity in the Church but will not know Father because of our stubborn heart. 

In this world stubborn is thought of as a positive adjective but in God’s kingdom it is not. 

In the beginning of the chapter 15:1-2 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

They were talking within themselves not to everyone, but God knows. 

We may have the false sense of self-righteousness many times because of the flesh. 

Because I can be good Pastor, worship leader, good cook, good manager, good member of CLF, because I can fix things, because I come to Bible study because of this or that and we might think like the older brother. 

I remind myself again and again that no Lord! I could only work because of you, because I love you.

I don’t do this because I can do better job than this or that person.

I don’t do this because I am you son, and I must do it but because I love you and I cherish your presence over me.  

I do labor because I love you. The is the reason I do it is because I want to see your kingdom grow and gloried 

We once were prodigal sons running away from God but now our roles have changed, we are now the elder Son. 

The Father’s love and inheritance is for the His children only who are with him. 

V31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.

Let us work hard not because of people attention and appreciation. 

Not because of the blessing that we will get but for the love we have for the house of the Lord. 

We need to be happy and joyful because we have God with us. 

Bible calendar verse of the month was I am your share and your inheritance. 

Lord I am happy not because I have so many things but because I have you as my Father.

My dear brothers and sisters let’s keep our joy intact and be joyful not in our labor but in the inheritance of the Lord