Our Beliefs : Sermons : Sermon Archive - 2007 : March 18, 2007

Theme: Which Child of God Are You?

Church year occasion: Lent 4

It looks like we're finally coming out of winter and heading into spring. Is there any snow left in your yard? Did you see some on the way to church this morning? Did you eat any of it? Why not? Because it's dirty. For whatever reason, whenever little kids get out in the snow, they just love to eat the snow. But that's probably because they can't see what's in it. When it starts to melt, you can really see the dirt -- especially if it's been plowed into a big hill in some parking lot. But even if it fell in the middle of a mountain meadow, it is still dirty because every single snowflake is formed around a piece of dust in the air.

This morning we don't want to look at snow but people, children of God. Some have some pretty dirty backgrounds, and they know it. Maybe that was you. Maybe it's still you. Others have led about as clean of a life as you could imagine. Maybe that's more descriptive of you -- you never got into too much trouble. But Jesus shows us that both need to be made clean through his blood.

The first child of God in Jesus' Parable of the Lost Son was the rebellious child who eventually repented. Let's just look at the highlights, or lowlights, of his story. He had it all. Had everything he wanted -- the son of a rich man. But what he had wasn't enough for him; he wanted more. So even while his father was still alive, he asked his father for his share of his father's estate. Imagine if you asked your father for all the money he should give you when he dies. That's kind of like saying, "Dad, you mean nothing to me. I'm sick of my life here with you. In fact, I'm sick of you. Give me the money you're supposed to give me when you're dead, and I'm outta here." He took the love his father had for him completely for granted.

Slapping his father in the face would have been nicer. He needed to be taught a lesson. If we were the father, we'd probably take that rebellious son by the ear and show him that's no way to speak to us. But this father lets him go. Why? The father knows his rebellious son needs to learn about grace the hard way.

So the son takes off, lives it up, spends all his money on wild living as if there is no tomorrow. But tomorrow eventually comes, and things go from bad to worse. His money is gone, and now he has no food and no job. Then a severe famine hits, so even if this son (who probably never worked a day in his life) wanted a job, no one would be hiring anyone. Eventually, as his stomach is aching with hunger, he finally gets a job, but it's the lowest job imaginable -- feeding pigs. That would have been horrible for a Jew. Pigs were unclean animals. That would have been like us getting a job at the local mosque and helping them set up for their worship services to Allah. If this son had any shred of religion left, it would have been the lowest thing imaginable. But it gets worse. Have you ever been on a pig farm? Whew! It doesn't smell very nice -- and that's miles away! And that's not all. He still has nothing to eat. No one will give him anything, maybe because even they were disgusted with how he lived. So he looks to the food the pigs are eating. Verse 16 says, "He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating." That means he wasn't able to eat those pods because humans couldn't eat them. They are carob pods, like the hard seed casings from a locust tree. If you try to eat those, you'll have all kinds of digestive problems.

So he had it all and lost it all. The pigs in their filth are better off than he is. He finally hits rock bottom. And then, only then, does he remember how good his father was to him. He knows that his father is the only one who can help him. He knows he doesn't deserve anything now from his father, but he seeks the grace he once despised. So he goes back home, crushed and broken, no longer rebellious, but repentant.

And, to make a long story short, even before he gets home his father shows he's been thinking of him the whole time. He runs out to greet him, embraces him and kisses him, gets the best clothes for him, gives him expensive gifts of a ring and shoes, and throws a big party because his son has finally come to his senses and has come home. And the father gives the reason for his joy: "For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."

What a story of paradise lost and paradise regained! But the story isn't over yet. If we can't put ourselves in the place in the rebellious child, perhaps we can put our place in the life-long lover of God, who, like a crisp, clean snowflake, is just as dirty on the inside as any rebellious child ever was.

The older brother also had everything. He also grew up in a rich man's house and lived an easy life. But whereas his brother despised his father and took his grace for granted, the older brother appreciated it and loved his father. When his younger brother left and spent all his inheritance, he stayed and did his duty. He helped his father and did all that was expected of him, and probably even more. So you can understand why he is angry when his younger, rebellious brother comes home begging for mercy and gets the red carpet treatment from his father. He is jealous. He refuses to go and celebrate with his brother. He says to his father, " '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. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' " How does the father respond? " 'My son,' the father said...we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "

The brother shows a different sin, which comes out clearly when you see the people Jesus was referring to. He told this parable in the first place because "The Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, 'This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.' " They had been religious all their lives, like the tax collectors and sinners hadn't been. While those rebellious sinners had been living it up, cheating, stealing, despising God and his Word, the Pharisees had been going to church, following God's Word to the letter, and had even added their own laws so that they were going above and beyond what God wanted. They were good, church-going folk. Today, it might be like the life-long church member who grew up in a good, Christian family, never missed a church service in their life, even made it when there was a blizzard outside (and wasn't afraid to tell others about it), volunteered at the local food pantry, always was there to help out someone who needed a hand, like the elderly neighbor who needed their drive shoveled, always gave generously to church and charities, always volunteered at church. But inside, despised all those people who weren't like they were -- those who didn't go to church or who never volunteered at church or anywhere else. And when they saw one of these wayward people in church, made sure they didn't get too close to them and certainly wouldn't talk with them. Because they were better. They have no problem focusing on what they've done, and comparing themselves to others.

So which child are you? The rebellious son or the self-righteous son? I'm assuming that there have been times when we've been both. You, like I, can remember with shame the times you have despised God's grace and lived only for yourself and your sinful pleasures. And there are times when you, like I, can think of when you looked down your nose at those "sinners" who don't help out at church give enough money to support the spreading of the gospel or lived a better life than others. In short, you despised God's grace because you didn't think you needed it -- you were good enough without it. Which child are you today? Both are sinners. Both are like that snowflake, whether it falls on a perfectly white, untouched meadow or whether it falls in the slush in the middle of the road -- both are dirty. Both are lost.

But Jesus came to seek and save the lost. That means he came to seek and to save you. Whether your sin is obvious and filthy to the entire world and would make a Hugh Hefner blush, or whether you have lived a godly life and sometimes find it easy to look down on others -- either way, Jesus died for your sin. Either way, Jesus came to give up his life, to be counted among the criminals, the rebellious, the self-righteous, the better-than-thou's. Either way, Jesus allowed his enemies to cruelly torment and torture him and pay the full price of damnation for your and my sins. And so, no matter what kind of sinner you are, Jesus has always and will always love you, and has forgiven you. The Holy Spirit has reached out to you and said, "You are no longer a sinner in my eyes, but now you are whiter than snow. You are pure and holy because Jesus' blood has washed your sins away. Believe it and live forever. Believe it and live now, appreciating the boundless grace of your loving heavenly Father." Whichever sinful child you were today, after coming to the cross of Christ and leaving your sins there, you leave as a child of God, totally forgiven, totally free to serve your Savior for the grace he has showered on you.

I'm assuming that most of you know who Michael Jordan is. He's arguably the best basketball player that has ever lived. I think we'd say he's successful. This is how he summed up his successful career. "I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game-winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over again in my life -- and that's precisely why I succeed." We always see those video clips of Jordan after he's hit the game-winning shot. But he's the first to admit that he's also missed plenty of them. You see, it's because Michael Jordan has failed and lost many times, that he doesn't take his successes and wins for granted. God doesn't want you to take his grace for granted either. You haven't just lost a game or two; you were lost eternally because of your sins. But God's grace has found you. Through faith, you are right now a child of God. Jesus made the "winning shot" for you. Think of how that grace has changed you. Think of how you can live that grace this coming week. Amen.