The Church of the Elder Son

Please watch the video of this text on libaw or youtube under Bathroom Minister episode 21 the church of the elder son.

Luke 15:11 Now in Luke we find Jesus talking about the prodigal son but I think we will find the real story in the Elder son. From the 11-19 verse we find the prodigal son going through his life journey. The story that we are all familiar this son want to take his money and go party right! We teach this story from the point of view that when you leave God you just have to turn around and come begging back because we need God he don’t need you.

This point is fundamentally wrong in my point of view. For years we have taught serve God or die and go to hell. As Christians we present God as the big bad boogieman the all seeing and knowing God. This God is the one that punished those who disobey him. He is the bringer of death, pain and soul damnation.

But it’s something more than Gods wrath and those who serve him out of fear miss out on his love. Luke 15:29 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:

In this passage the elder son shows his disappointment with his father he also point out the reasons why he stayed and did not leave. The Elder son tells the father I serve thee neither transgressed against your commandments. His reason for staying is not so much out of love for his father but out of obligation. You see the Elder son would have been subjected to much more pressure than his younger brother. He would be the one to carry the family name, to up hold the honor of the family.

Now do not get me wrong the Elder son must have had love for his father but so did the youngest. The difference was the Elder felt an obligation which distorted his reason for being there and serving his father, this is the current church as I see it in most cases. We fear God so much that we miss out on his love, we serve him out of fear and not out of love. The down fall to serving out of obligation is that you become bitter and unable to enjoy your life. You look more to the future than enjoying the present service that you are providing to God. We all heard the stories, this earth is not my home and my troubles will soon be over, ect. These things are true but Christ said I come to give you life and he wanted us to have it more abundantly even in this life. Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the will of God that we love him John 3:16 for God so love the world, he don’t want to be served out of simple fear and respect but he want us to love him.

The prodigal son was rewarded because he realized how much his father loved him. He seen that this world had no use for him and that his father love his servants more than the world loved their so called friends. Have you ever had someone to break up with you just to have them return later after trying other relationships? I submit to you that if that person is sincere in their return you would never have to worry about them leaving again because they realize your love is far better than any other.

Let’s look at Luke that 7:36-50 these passages tell a story of a woman, someone that is deem unfit by the so called worshipers of God in that time. When you read this story you clearly see the different styles of honor that is giving to Christ by those who are obligated to worshiper God. Simply because they are Jewish leaders, compared to the sinful woman who discovered she was in love with Christ.

Luk 7:44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.

Luk 7:45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.

Luk 7:46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.

Luk 7:47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

Luk 7:48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

Luk 7:49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?

Luk 7:50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

In Closing you see that it’s not about just obeying commandments and be being a faithful servant. This walk is about falling in love with God. If you are saved because of your family honor or a status you have in the church, then you are missing the point of God reason for creating us. In no means this writing is to give permission to sin, for the wages of sin is death. God will punish those who show a lack of love and respect for his laws. However he wants you to obey because you have been through the process of seeing that this life cannot offer you anything greater than his love. The Elder son was bitter when his younger brother returns because he did not understand the magnitude of his father love. What a shame to serve a God out of fear and never understanding his forgiving power. So pray for those that find themselves in the pig pen, searching for the reason they are alive and their purpose in life. The Elder son could have easily left his father house in search of his brother to persuade him to come home before he hit rock bottom. The question why didn’t he already answered itself through this writing, he could not go tell of his father love when he himself only serve out of fear and reverence never knowing the love. So let us not be the Church of the Elder Brothers and Sister that stay home but let us go into the filth of the pig pens and get down into the mud to tell someone, somebody that it s time to come home for the father love you.

Last thing I want to leave you with, is can you love two people? Most people might answer this in different ways however I suspect that the consensus will be no. You will be right to say no but you can’t but life is not always black and white and easy as yes and no. The trick is to love someone more than yourself. It is self that causes us to lust behind other things to flirt with other people, its thing that causes us to walk away for our true love in the end (God). Galatians 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.