Tabor Baptist Church

• Three stories that Jesus tells
• Great similarities in each story:
• Lost sheep, lost coin, lost son
• In each story these things are found
• Once they are found there is a part
• Difference in the third story:
• The elder brother refuses to go in
• Audience: tax collectors and sinners (v1), pharisees and scribes (v2)
• The pharisees were seen as being the most godly people
• Are we really good at being a Christian, especially on a Sunday?
• Are we better a playing a Christian than the real deal?
• The pharisees were the same: outwardly looking okay but inwardly looking to themselves
• Are we like the pharisees?
• This story is shocking
• The first story is about the Shepherd
• The second story is about the woman who does the work
• The third story is about a Father with two sons
• The father's behaviour would have shocked the audience at the time

Broken Relationships

• Younger son
• He rejects his father
• 'Father I wish you were dead'
• Rejecting the authority of the father and his relationship with the father
• The sons big problem is that he has no relationship with his father
• The father
• Divides his life, his livelihood to the son
• This would have taken time and commitment
• The older son
• He rejects his father
• This son does what he wants so others respect him
• 'If only more people were like me'
• He has no relationship with his father (v29)
• He is a servant/slave to his father, not a son
• He is working for his father for what he can get out of it
• The younger son is the tax collectors and sinners
• The older son is the pharisees and scribes
• Are we like the older son?

Graceful and disgraceful encounters

• The younger brother:
• He came to his senses (v17)
• My father is very generous - there is food to spare
• He prepares a speech
• Make me a servant
• I will come and pay off my debts by working at the farm
• His father comes and hugs him
• Shock no 1: runs to his son (no self respecting Jewish man would ever run)
• For the pharisees he is disgraceful
• The father actually shows amazing grace and love for his son
• Shock no 2: the father went out to look for an errant son
• The older brother:
• Should have gone into the party
• Refuses to go in
• Shock no 3: the father goes out
• Shock no 4: pleads with him in love
• We see the father as full of love and grace but others see it is as disgraceful

The Father's lavish generosity

• He shows his love
• Younger son:
• Best robe - he has been working with smelly animals, he needs to be covered
• Ring - he has authority, he is my son
• Sandals - only family members have sandals, he is back in the family
• There is a party
• Older brother:
• Goes out to him
• Everything I have is yours - enjoy it, grab hold of it
• This parable is all about the love that the father has
• Don't be nervous - see the reception you get from God
• The older brother should have gone to look for the younger brother
• The older brother should have covered him
  with a robe, given him a ring and sandals
• The father does not bring the items, the servants do
• Christ is serving God to bring His robe of righteousness
• Jesus died on the cross to set us free
• John 3:16 - God willingly gives up His only Son
• Will you come in?