Prodigal God

8/6/2009
Session 4
Tim Keller
Book Reason for God
Spiritual renewal. WE say we want to do all of these things but we don't have the people fired up to do it. People are spiritual dead.
Parable of the prodigal son. Recklessly extravagant. The parable was not mainly about the younger brother. Pharisees were looking at Jesus hang out with the sinners. He wrote these parables to them. The younger brother was like the sinners around Jesus. The elder brother were like the pharisees, the last part of the parable is addressed to the older, that is like us in the church the older people. Both younger and older are alienated from the father's heart. They are lost and need to be invited in. The younger just wanted the fathers money, the older didn't love the father either because he was mad about the party and how he is using the money. Both love the fathers things. The elder trys to get the money by being completely compliant. 2 different ways to not be in full relationship with God. They were being their own saviors. In both cases the father has to come out and urge them to come in to the celebration. The elder does not come in. The bad boy does. The good boy does not come in because of his goodness, his trying to control. The gospel is not morality or immorality. Not I obey that is why I am accepted.
It is I obey because of what God has done for me. Elder brothers are trying to serve in order to get things. People who believe the gospel are living for God because of what he's done for us. They want more of HIM.
Elder brothers are trying to get to God by being self righteous. Their standing with God is based on their performance. Not on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They get angry when their life does not go well. It is ok to be discouraged, but not furious like God owes us. You may say I am a sinner saved by Grace but you don't believe it. Creating spiritual deadness. How do you respond to criticism? Either counter attack or meltdown. Elder brothers pray but more petitions, when things are tough you try and pray more, but they don't enjoy God. Adoration and intimacy. Your self image allows you to loathe people because you feel superior to others. Holding grudges.
What do you do?
New level of repentance and rejoicing. We should be sorry for our wrong doing.We need to look at the things we do right and be repentant because we do it to be superior to others. We act like we are doing God a favor. What did it cost the father to bring back the prodigal son? The younger son had spent half the estate. Everything was left to the elder brother. To bring the prodigal son back he had to use the elder brothers inheritance. The elder brother did not have a true elder brother but a pharisee. He should've gone to get his brother. We have a brother that came to get us. He saved us at the price of His life.
Spiritual renewal has to happen in your heart. The elder brother has to be squeezed out. Getting the gospel deep in our hearts that the gospel is not religion or irreligion. It is something else not legalism and moralism
5 things:
You the leader have to work this into your heart. Book Prodigal God
When you communicate go beyond biblical principles to the Gospel. As we believe more in the word we will do it more. Jesus had gone through all of that. He was frustrated.
Get a group of leaders together and go through a book and study guide.
Work it into congregation either the slow way through your leaders or have the whole church go through the book. (We need to be able to have gracious disagreements)