Luke 15:2-3, 25-30 NKJV

Luke 15:2 NKJV

And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”

Luke 15:3

So He spoke this parable to them, saying:

Jesus then goes on to tell three separate parables all with a common thread of things lost.  The lost sheep was lost naturally, the lost coin was lost accidentally and the lost son (parable for our series) was lost willfully. Jesus by design takes the accusation of the religious folks and creates a crises of faith.

The lost son is the pinnacle of all the stories because it is this scenario that started their complaining in the first place.

Luke 15:25 NKJV

“Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.

Luke 15:26

So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.

Luke 15:27

And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’

Luke 15:28

“But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.

Luke 15:29

So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.

Luke 15:30

But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’

Revealing the attitude of religion

The attitude of of religion;

1. 1. Complains (vs. 2 & 30). Not just a casual complaint but an anger and emotional passion rising when you do not get what you want.  This chapter opens and ends with complainers!  We see this culturally as we watch various criminal activities – emotion is not a real good compass for judgment.  While there is a “biblical way to addres concerns, complaining is NEVER viewed in Scripture as a positive  (complaining is about your attitude and motive)

1. 2. Compares people (vs. 29) cannot overlook here that he NEVER showed any regret for the loss of his brother or joy for his return. He felt a sense of superiority; you cannot forgive as long as you feel superior!

• Good vs. Bad
• Generation vs. Generation
• Insiders vs. Outsiders
• Haves vs. Have Not
• Churched vs. Un-churched
• Class vs. Class

My heart as a pastor is to see this room filled with 1/3

Mature believers, beginning believers and pagans!

1. 3. Connects behaviors with blessing. A sense of entitlement due to your good behavior… “ lo these many years”, I have been here a long time, I have made this place happen. His tenure and work efforts provides and implied priority.

1. 4. Challenges priorities (in short summary, all three parables are about the issue of priority).  The opening criticism was that Jesus was talking to a “lost” people “ sinners”. Christ responds with a three parables about lost things – clearly He is making a point!

Another time that Jesus priority was questioned – story of Zacchaeus

Luke 19:9 NKJV

And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;

Luke 19:10

for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

You see what was wrong with the elder brother when you contrast him with the father (just like the younger brother)

Questions about the father –

1. 1. Which son did he love more?
2. 2. Which son treated the father wrong?
3. 3. Which son needed to repent?
4. Which sons condition was harder to see? (like Jonah and Ninevah, which one had a wrong heart)

Warning for all of us in this story- (and for those he was talking to). Listen close!

1. The elder brother was as far from the heart of the father as the younger ( elder brother was much like the prophet Jonah in the OT – who complained and criticized God for accepting the repentance of Ninevah (Irony)
2. The elder brothers condition was harder to recognize because it was buried below the surface of self –righteousness
3. The longer you have been home or away from prodigal living the easier become and elder brother

Removing the attitude of religion

Mover now from the father in this story to our Heavenly Father

1. 1. See what the father sees- the father had compassion on the younger – meaning he saw himself in him.
2. 2. Love like the father loves – know the heart of our Father and love what He loves
3. 3. Want what He wants

Peter 3:9  NKJV The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance

1. 4. Celebrate that you have always had the Father’s heart, and now another feels the same joy you feel.

6 12 11 HT AM

This morning I want to talk to you about “RELATIONSHIP ORDER” – we are going to look at various passages of Scripture so be ready to turn quickly in your Bible. Each of us have various relationship connections that make up most of our relational life – regretfully our ignorance of relational order often causes these relationship interchanges to be places of friction rather than fruitfulness.

The summer months are upon us – over the next few months most of us will experience a surge of face-to-face time with those we see little of all year long.  While summers are hot – our understanding of Relationship Order will keep the heat of conflict outside of our relationships.

God works through governing order – in creation, God brought an end to CHAOS bring creating ORDER Genesis 1, in Exodus 20 – God set Relational order in the 10 Commandments with the 1^st Commandment “no other Gods before me” the principles of creation and the ten commandments still apply today. When you violate governing order you step outside of His covering and blessing and possibly into disobedience bringing about sin and destruction, consider this from the book of Genesis.

Example – Adam and Eve in the Garden –

• Adam listened to Eve above God

1 Timothy 2:14 NKJV

And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.

• Eve listened to the serpent above her husband ( God had told Adam, he was to tell Eve

This morning is about the concept of relationship order and its transitions –I would encourage everyone one of you to listen to the message series taught by Pastor Holden two years ago “ the Five most important things in my life” ( CD or iTunes)

1.Not every relationship is equal – Not everyone deserves the same treatment.  When we make them equal we open the door for sin in our life  – Scripture to Consider,

Matthew 10:37 NIV Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;

This verse is NOT against your parents or kids – its FOR order! Relationship order – NOTHING is to be ahead of God in your life!

Many of our great dilemmas today is we have allowed things to find themselves outside of God’s order…. Starting with this one and moving all the way down.

2. Always honor the higher level of relationship

1 Samuel 2:28 MSG Out of all the tribes of Israel, I chose your family to be my priests: to preside at the altar, to burn incense, to wear the priestly robes in my presence. I put your ancestral family in charge of all the sacrificial offerings of Israel.

1 Samuel 2:29 So why do you now treat as mere loot these very sacrificial offerings that I commanded for my worship? Why do you treat your sons better than me, turning them loose to get fat on these offerings, and ignoring me?

1 Samuel 2:30 Therefore—this is God’s word, the God of Israel speaking—I once said that you and your ancestral family would be my priests indefinitely, but now—God’s word, remember!—there is no way this can continue. I honor those who honor me; those who scorn me I demean.

Issue here – Eli the priest was honoring his sons above God. He was allowing (by not stopping them) them to partake of what was rightfully Gods.

EXAMPLE

When you teach your kids that Family is more important than God – you place something lower above something higher.(don’t make this an either or scenario, you can have both). You usually teach this not by what you say but by what you do J

When a husband and wife disagree in front of the child about the child they have shown the lower relationship that it has a priority (go in private)..
Sin is the outcome of putting something that should be lower above something that should be higher (1st commandment)

3. Always protect the “higher” from the “lower”

Matthew 16:26 NKJV

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

4. Expect relationship transitions

Matthew 19:4 NKJV

And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who ◙ made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ ◙

Matthew 19:5

and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? ◙

Matthew 19:6

So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Leave and be joined to spouse – this is a relationship transition – priority becomes the spouse, not the parent.

You need to visualize how you are going to transition as life progresses – to many never see themselves not being who they are presently!

5. When you Honor Gods Relationship order God will honor you!

Ephesians 6:1 NKJV

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

Ephesians 6:2

“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise:

Ephesians 6:3

“that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” ◙

What is the Holy Spirit speaking to you today?

5 29 11 HT AM

John 4:19-24 NKJV

We began the 30DC with the message of LORDSHIP – today we conclude with the topic of WORSHIP – in particular our corporate/ congregational singing unto the Lord. By definition we know that worship includes various things from our lifestyle, serving, giving and even the songs from the heart.  For today we are going to focus on Worship within the corporate congregation and singing – something we give nearly half of every service to, our PUBLIC PRAISE.

Psalm 22:3 KJV But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

inhabitest

• to sit, sit down
• to be set
• to remain, stay
• to dwell, have one’s abode

praises

praise, song or hymn of praise

• praise, adoration, thanksgiving (paid to God)
• act of general or public praise
• praise-song (as title)
• praise (demanded by qualities or deeds or attributes of God)
• renown, fame, glory

When you sing – God stops and sits down!

John 4:19 NKJV

The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.

John 4:20

Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”

John 4:21

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.

John 4:22

You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.

John 4:23

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

John 4:24

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

IN THIS – JESUS GIVES US THE #1 KEY TO WORSHIP – IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH – NOT CONCERNED AS MUCH WITH FORM – LOCATION – BUT HEART – - MATTER OF FACT IN MT 15:8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,  but their hearts are far from me.⁹ They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules

Lets talk about worship today (context is PUBLIC WORSHIP – words, songs, etc)

WORSHIP

1. 1st. Its not about the mountain – its about the Maker. Its not about how we worship, where we worship or even when, its about WHO we worship!

True worship is God-centered worship. People tend to get caught up in where they should worship, what music they should sing in worship, and how the worship looks. Focusing on these things completely misses the point. Music is worship and worship is music / music has always shifted based on culture, language, technology, and even decade.

(Deron “I surrender all” – “Arms open wide”)

Regretfully worship has also created dividing lines. Lines between style and even generations – some will attend a church or even leave a church based upon worship preferences – while this is certainly understandable, you have a right to decide what you like – but not a right to decide what God likes. His worship preferences are not about what’s heard but what is in the heart. – He will bask in the cries of the rocks!

1. 2nd. Worship is about a humble heart

James 4:6 NKJV

But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:

“God resists the proud,

But gives grace to the humble.” ◙

James 4:7

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

James 4:8

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Worship draws God in a pushes the Devil away!  It was worship and the desire to be exalted above God that caused Satan to rebel in the first place! You want the enemy to flee SING! He can’t stay it when you sing to God, because its praise that he is after!!

A. Worship Expression in Scripture;

• YADAH – TO EXTEND THE HAND – BASICALLY – TO LIFT THE HAND – THE OPPOSITE IS TO WRING YOUR HANDS – PS 63:4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands

IN VICTORY WAY – CLOSELY TIED TO TOWDAH

• TOWDAH  – EXTENSION OF THE HAND IN ADORATION – PS 50:14 OFFER UNTO GOD PRAISE (TOWDAH) AND PAY THY VOWS TO THE MOST HIGH

***INTIMACY – HANDS TO PARENT  —

• HALAL –  TO BOAST – WE GET OUR WORD HALELEUJAH FROM THIS – MEANS TO BE CLEAR, TO SHINE, TO BAOST, TO RAVE, TO CELEBRATE,

PS 113:1Praise the LORD.^[a]Praise the LORD, you his servants;  praise the name of the LORD.

*** HAVE A PROBLEM W/ THIS – NOT VOCAL – YES YOU ARE – SPORTS – CULTURE HAS TOLD US NO – if you have ever called the hogs/ sung the sooner fight song or sang about your pride and joy with Stevie Ray– then you can WORSHIP YOUR CREATOR!

• SHABACH – TO ADDRESS IN A LOUD TONE, TO COMMAND TO TRIUMPH, GLORY, SHOUT. HEAVEN WILL NOT BE QUIET! OUR CHURCHES MISS IT HERE.

PS 145:4 One Generation shall praise (Shabach) they works to another and declare thy mighty acts.

***LETS KEEP OUR SHOUTS IN AT THE RIGHT TIME

*** Keep in mind corporate vs. private worship – there is a difference! DON’T LET YOUR WORSHIP BE AN OFFENSE. TWIRLY BIRD!!!

• BARAK – “TO KNEEL DOWN, TO BLESS GOD AS AN ACT OF ADORATION.” WE DON’T DO THIS A LOT.

PS 95:6 O Come let us worship and bow down, let us kneel (barak) before the Lord our maker.”

• ZAMAR – “TO TOUCH THE STRINGS” TO PLAY INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC,

PS 150:3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,

• TEHILLAH – “TO SING, TO LAUD” PUBLICLY!

PS 22:3 God is enthroned or inhabits the praises (tehillah) of Israel.

Psalm 149:1 NKJV

Praise the Lord!

Sing to the Lord a new song,

And His praise in the assembly of saints.

1. 3rd. Praise and worship is your moment to BRAG on GOD!

(Deron – I will BOAST)

Like a woman showing off an anniversary band – or a man showing off a new car – or a child showing off a new video game or shoes – as children of God we have so much to brag about our God to our God and in the company of others!!!

Psalm 150:1 NKJV

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in His sanctuary;

Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

Psalm 150:2

Praise Him for His mighty acts;

Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

Psalm 150:3

Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;

Praise Him with the lute and harp!

Psalm 150:4

Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;

Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!

Psalm 150:5

Praise Him with loud cymbals;

Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

Psalm 150:6

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!

The word Praise here is the word “Halal” – it means to

BOAST! Our praise and worship is a time to BOAST about

our God! We boast corporately for both practical reasons

and supernatural reasons

(God stops and takes a seat -when we sing)

If worship exists because of WORTH it is our obligation as believers to bring our best worship each time we come to the house of God!