Two Sides Of The Story

I wanna welcome everybody at all of our locations and all of you who are joining us online. Thanks for being with us today. It is baptism weekend. And if you are here today to support a friend or family member, you're our guest. You've never been to Sun Valley before. My name's Chad, I'm the lead pastor. And I just wanna say a way to go. Thanks for being here in support of this person that you care about. We're gonna do baptisms here a little later in the service, but we're actually starting a brand new series today called "A Tale of Two Sons." And if you brought your Bible, you can turn to Luke chapter 15. I'm gonna show you some verses on the screen here a little bit later. But I've asked my friend Ash to read this passage of scripture for us. It's one of the most famous passages in all the Bible. Most people call it the story of the prodigal son, Luke chapter 15. And so Ash is actually a sophomore at Hamilton High School. He's a wrestler, and I've invited him to read this story that Jesus tells, and then he's going to pray for us. And so follow along with me in your Bible or listen closely. You read it for us? - Jesus continued, "There was a man who had two sons.

"The younger one said to his father, "Father, give me my share of the estate." So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in a wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating. But no one gave him anything. When he came to his senses, he said, "How many of my father's hired men "have food to spare? "And here I am starving to death. "I will set out and go back to my father "and say to him, "Father, "I've sinned against heaven and against you. "I am no longer worthy to be called your son. "Make me like one of your hired men." So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him. He ran to his son. Through his arms around him and kissed him,

the son said to him, "Father, "I have sinned against heaven and against you. "I am no longer worthy to be called your son." But the father said to his servants, "Quick, bring the best robe and put it on him. "Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. "Bring the fat and calf and kill it. "Let's have a feast and celebrate. "For this son of mine was dead and is alive again. "He was lost and is found." So they began to celebrate. Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called around the servants and asked him what was going on. "Your brother has come," he replied. "And your father has killed the fat and calf "because he has him back safe and sound." The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, "Look, "all these years I've been slaving for you "and never disobeyed your orders. "It 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 fat and calf for him. "My son," the father said, "you are always with me." And everything I have is yours.

But we had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead and is alive. He was lost and is found. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, I just pray that you would fill this room, God, with your goodness. You already have, God. We are going to be able to witness baptism today. So Father, we just thank you for that. Father, for Chad, I just pray that you would fill him, God. [BLANK_AUDIO] and speak through him to these people, God. Speak through them, God. Let us pray that you would be present in this room today. And in Jesus Christ's name, amen. So we do a, like, a run-through before services, you know, where we kind of walk through everything. And so I had to ask, read the passage of Scripture and pray. So I'm going to have him just go ahead and preach next weekend, because he's just got the gift. Thanks, man, for sharing the passage with us. This passage of Scripture, one of the most famous in all the Bible, most people call this the story of the prodigal son. How many of you have heard this passage of Scripture before? Yeah. The problem with the title, the prodigal son, is it actually doesn't communicate what the story is about. And I think it's really a mistake the church has made

for hundreds of years now, that when Jesus tells the story, we call the story, the story of the prodigal son. Because when Jesus starts the story, here's how he begins it. He says, there's a man who had two sons. And yet, when you call the story, the prodigal son, just the title of it, you make it about what? One son, but it's not about one son. It's about a man who had two sons. In fact, Jesus is making a big point here. And he talks about the younger brother, the first son. And he talks about the older brother, the other son. But both of the brothers, there are lessons there for you and for me. So over the next few weeks, we're going to be in this passage of Scripture. And we are calling the story of Jesus a tale of two sons. Because both sons will teach us a lesson. Let me give you a little context here. So you understand who Jesus is telling the story to. And it'll help us kind of get where we're going here in the next few minutes. So I'm going to give you an introduction today. And then we're going to be in this story over the next few weeks, this story of Jesus. And let me just add this. Everybody thinks Jesus is nice. Like, oh, Jesus is so nice, right? But I need you to understand that Jesus is brilliant. Like he's really, really smart. And there are so many layers to this story. And we're going to have a good time over the next few weeks just breaking it apart and walking through it.

Let me show you this. This is the context, the place where Jesus was in, who he was talking to when he tells this story. Look at this as it comes here on the screen. Matthew, excuse me, Luke 15, beginning in verse 1. It says now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, what's the next word, say it with me? Muddered. I just love that word. I just wanted us all to say it together. So there's tax collectors and sinners, and then there's Pharisees, teachers of the law. So here's what you have, okay? You have really irreligious people, and then you have very religious people in the crowd. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, the religious people, muttered, and here's what they said, quote, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." Okay. Let me give you a little background here, and then we'll kind of dive into the story. So Jesus is talking to very irreligious people and very religious people. Now Jesus kind of had a reputation when it came to the religious people. He was called, quote, unquote, "a friend of sinners." How many of you heard that before? Jesus was a friend of sinners. Yeah. When he's called that, it's not a compliment. When Jesus is called, "a friend of sinners," it's the religious elite of the day calling him that, and it's actually a put down. See, Jesus was a rabbi. He was a teacher, and he was a religious leader, and he began to have followers. But Jesus was different than any other religious leader they'd ever seen. Why?

Because Jesus would spend time with everybody. Now reality is, everybody's a sinner. But with some people, it's just a little more obvious. Don't look around right now. They'll bow in somebody. Yeah. Just look at me. Anytime the Bible says tax collectors and sinners, here's what that's about. were considered turncoats because they would collect taxes from their fellow Jews as they were working for the Romans. Here's what it would be like. It would be like a Jewish person during the time of World War II working for the Nazis and getting rich off of it. They hated tax collectors. And so when it says tax collectors and sinners, it's the outcasts of society. Who's in the crowd in that category of sinners? It's tax collectors. It's drunkards. It's prostitutes. It's thieves. It's people that used to be in prison. It's people like that. And so the religious people realize that Jesus eats with these kinds of people, goes to parties with these kinds of people, people who like do too much, people that live a crazy life. Now listen, Jesus never sinned. Jesus never overindulged. Jesus never got drunk. Jesus never did anything wrong. But he was friends with people that did. And he hung out with people that did. And the religious leaders would look at that and they would mutter. We cannot believe that Jesus is hanging out with obvious, what's the word, sinners. And so Jesus knows that they're muttering because that's what religious people do. Don't look around right now. But they mutter. They complain. They're self-righteous. They're critical. So Jesus sees it as a teaching opportunity, right? And so what he does, if you read Luke 15, is he tells three stories. I'm going to give you an overview of the three stories. The first story is about a shepherd that lost a sheep. In fact, he had a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost. And so the shepherd leaves 99 and goes and finds the one. And then he brings the one sheep back. And he's so excited about finding the lost sheep that there's like a party. And then Jesus says this. In the same way, in heaven there's a party, any time a sinner repents. Did you guys know that there's parties in heaven? I'm so glad. Have you ever seen the cartoon where, you know, it's showing someone in heaven and they're like floating around on a cloud and a diaper playing a

harp? That's not what heaven is going to be like. And I'm so glad because I don't want to see y'all in a diaper. That's just wrong, right? But Jesus says there's a party in heaven anytime a sinner repents. That's the first story. There's a shepherd that lost a sheep. The sheep has found there's a party. Second story, there's a woman who loses a coin, a very valuable coin. And she's like searching the house for it. She's taken off the couch cushions. She's, you know, pulling furniture out and looking underneath it. Have you ever lost your car keys and like gone nuts trying to find them? That always happens to me when I'm in a hurry. Now I just keep them in a bowl and fix that. I have a bowl. My truck key goes in the bowl. But anyway, she can't find the coin. Finally, she finds the coin and she's so excited that you know what she does? She throws a party. There you go. There's parties in all three stories. She throws a party. And then Jesus says, just like that, anytime a lost person, somebody outside of the kingdom of God is found and comes into the kingdom of God, there's a party that happens in heaven, lost sheep found party, lost coin found party. And then Jesus tells the story we're going to look at over the next few weeks. He said there was a man that has what? Two sons. Now listen, he's making a point. He's talking to a crowd of people where there are obvious sinners and there are very religious people and he's talking and communicating to both. He tells a story. It's something called a parable. Now here's the thing about parables. Any time you read a parable in the Bible, you want to ask yourself three questions. First question, when Jesus tells a parable a story, who is God in the story? Because when Jesus tells the story, there's somebody in the story that represents God. And so we've got to ask ourselves that question as we hear the tale of two sons. So who is God in the story? Second question you want to ask yourself is who are you in the story? Literally just ask yourself, who am I? So God is in this story and I am in this story and then the third question is, what am I supposed to learn? Who is God? Who am I and what's the lesson? I'm going to give it to you one more time when Jesus tells a parable Who are you in the story? Who am I? And what's the lesson? Remember who he's talking to. I mean, it could include all of us. Some of you, I'm gonna keep it real.

You're an obvious sinner. Like you felt really uncomfortable when you first came back to church. Could be today, you feel uncomfortable because you're like, I'm not like these people. (clears throat) And I just want you to know Jesus is very approachable. And it could be that religious people don't like you, but Jesus likes you a lot. In fact, he spent time with people who were obvious sinners on purpose. And the truth is, no matter where you've been or what you've done or what's been done to you, he loves you, he cares for you and he welcomes you. It could be, you're like the religious leaders. Like you grew up in Sunday school. And for the most part, you've done things right for most of your life. Then it could be that you look down on people often. Then it could be that God welcomes some people and it confuses you. And so Jesus is talking to both groups of people. Again, there's a story about a lost sheep that's found, there's a party, a lost coin that's found, there's a party, a lost son that comes home, there's a party. Here's the story, I'm gonna give it to you in modern vernacular ash read it a moment ago, but I'm gonna remind you of a few things 'cause it'll set us up for the next few weeks.

There was a man who had two sons. The youngest son comes to him and says, "Dad, I don't care about you, I care about your money." And that day and time, how inheritance were, is if you had two sons, the older son would get two thirds of your inheritance and the younger son would get a third. That's just how it worked, older brothers got more because they're the eldest child, they would be the new patriarch of the family, they're the oldest son. And so the younger brother goes to dad and says, "I really don't care about you, I care about your money. "You're gonna die one day, but I'm young "and I wanna have a good time. "Can I go ahead and have my inheritance now? "Can I have a third of your net worth?" And shockingly, the father says, "Yeah, okay." And the younger son takes that money and he just parties for the next couple of years. You get the idea from the story that the father's probably pretty wealthy. And so the younger son goes out and he parties and he drinks that money away and he drugs that money away and he pays for friends, you know what I'm saying. And he spends all of this money. And after a couple of years, he wakes up and the money is gone because for the last two years, there's no planning, there's no budgeting, there's this, right? Y'all seen this, right?

I mean, that money's just going. And he's paying for everybody at happy hour and he's paying for friends and he's having a good time and he wakes up one day and the bank account is empty, there's nothing left. And the bank accounts empty and the credit cards are cut up and this guy, who was rich all of his life, has squandered it all and now he's po. You ever heard that before? You know who taught me that? Pastor Ricky Jenkins, you guys remember when he was here? He's from Mississippi and one day we were talking and he was like, Chad, when I was young, I was po. I'm like, you mean, poor, he goes, no, po. We couldn't afford the O and the R. (audience laughing) Like, all right, bro, I grew up in the trailer park. I'm catching what you're throwing down. This kid's got nothing left and he's trying to find a job and nobody will hire him and so he goes to work on a farm and he starts taking care of pigs. And for a Jewish person in the Middle East and this day and time, everybody, when Jesus says and he starts taking care of pigs, their skin started to crawl because you know they didn't eat bacon and they wouldn't be around pigs. And then Jesus takes it a little bit further and he says, in fact, he's so hungry that he's eating the slop with the pigs. And then he comes to his senses and says,

well, maybe if I go back home, dad will have mercy on me and I can at least be a hired hand. And so, you know, he's rehearsing that speech, right? And he's ready to go talk to dad and he's scared to death. But he really has no other option. And so he starts to go on to the estate and then Jesus says he's telling the story, makes this turn in the story. And I promise you, at this moment, every quote unquote tax collector in the crowd is going, "Oh, no, here it comes." Because every center and tax collector in the crowd has already heard the speech that they think the father is about to give the son. In fact, probably people in that part of the crowd have already been, like, excommunicated from their family. Dad doesn't talk to him, mom doesn't talk to him, siblings don't talk to them, they're an embarrassment to their family. And so they go, "Oh, no, here it comes." At the same time, the religious people in the crowd are going, "Oh, yeah, here it comes." And rightfully so, thank goodness Jesus is about to drop the truth bomb and give that younger brother what he deserves in the context of the story. But Jesus says that the father sees the younger brother far off and runs to him. Middle Eastern patriarchs don't run. And you get this picture of this old guy hiking up the robe right with the bony knees and just taking off, and he hugs him, and he says, "Get the best robe, which would have been his robe." And he says, "Get the ring, which would have been the family ring, with the family insignia upon it, what he's doing is he's hugging him and he's welcoming him fully back into the family." And instead of saying, "Shame on you," he's grasping his son and saying, "Shame off you." Let's clean him up.

He's back in the family. In fact, I'm so excited. Let's throw a party. Kill the best calf. Get the buffet ready, invite the friends, somebody get a band over here. My sons come home. And all the sinners and tax collectors in that little crowd, as Jesus tells the story, they're going, "I love this guy." Jesus, we love you. And all the religious leaders are really starting to mutter. See that's the first act in the story. Act one is the younger brother. But then there's a second act in the story. Literally, Jesus says, "Meanwhile," act two, "Meanwhile, the older brother is out in the field and you know what he's doing, he's working because that's what older brothers do. I know I'm the eldest brother. How about you? How many of you are the oldest child? You know what I'm talking about. Now it is a general rule of thumb. It's not always that way, right? But typically, the eldest is the responsible one and then the youngest is the rebellious one. That's typically how it goes. But it doesn't always go that way. But in the story, that's how it goes. The older brother is working. And he realizes that, you know, this jockey is driving up unloading speakers. There's a band coming in too and like, you know, where's the prize cow and where's the

calf and, you know, all that's going on, right? And so he asked the servant, "What's happening? Oh, your little brother came home. Oh, and your dad gave him his robe and the ring and a party." And I'm going to tell you immediately with that old brother thought because the older brother gets two thirds of the inheritance. He's like, "Wait a minute. Dad gave him the robe. Wait a minute. Dad gave him the ring and he's going cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching. And he's thinking this too. I just lost a third of my part of the inheritance is what he's thinking. And he's hot and he's angry. And so there's a party, but he won't go in. And so catch this now. Just like the father went out to the younger brother, now the father goes out to the older brother. And he says, "Hey man, that's a party, come on in." And the older brother's not into partying. And he says, "I can't believe it, Dad." [BLANK_AUDIO] You never even gave me a goat for me and my friends. And the dad's like, "Everything I have is yours. I love you just the same." But your younger brother, we had to celebrate. Because he was lost. Now he's been found. And everybody in the crowd right there, and they're waiting, like, "Okay, so you're going to end the party, but Jesus doesn't tell us." He just stops.

Younger brother was lost, been found, and then Jesus just takes the mic and goes, "And the crowd is standing there. All those religious leaders going, what?" Because here's what Jesus is doing, and here's what we're going to learn over the next few weeks. You ready? We all think that the truth is like this when it comes to how we operate with God, and Jesus just goes, "Ooh, click." Could it be, could it be, that how we operate with God, the reality of it all, the truth of this thing called the gospel, could it be, could it be, that's not what you think it is? Could it be that maybe we're missing out on the real thing? Let me show you a couple of verses, and then I want to make one point. And then we'll pray, and we'll celebrate baptism, and we'll unpack this over the next few weeks. Let me read you one verse about the younger brother. He comes to his senses, he's in the pig pen, the whole deal. He says this, Luke 15 verse 18, follow along with me here on the screen. He says, "I will set out and go back to my father, and say to him, 'Father, I have, what's the next word?'" "Father, I've sinned against heaven and against you." What do you notice about that statement? Confession takes personal responsibility, repentance, in case you're missing it. You know what that statement's about? You ready? You know what the... Dad, it's all yours. Dad, I don't deserve anything. Dad, I surrender, whatever you want to do with me, I'll do. I'm a sinner.

I've sinned against heaven and against you. Dad, as you wish." Younger brother. Older brother, verse 29, look at this, see what you notice about him, but he answered his father, look, with an exclamation point, "All these years I've been slaving for you." And read the next word with me, "Never, what's the next word, disobeyed." How many of you think that's true? How many of you think that might be a slight exaggeration? And I've never disobeyed your orders. What do you notice about that statement? Is there real personal responsibility in that statement? Is there self-righteousness in that statement? Is there humility in that statement? All right, I'm going to give you one big thought, and then I need you to think about it with me, and then we're going to pray, "You ready?" Here it is. Here's what Jesus is teaching. We're going to unpack this over the next few weeks. It's not the depth of our sin that keeps us from God. It's the height of our pride. I'm going to say it again. It's not the depth of our sin that keeps us from God. It's the height of our pride. All right, think with me. What did the younger brother want at the beginning of the story? He didn't want dad. He wanted dad's money. What does the older brother want? At the end of the story, he doesn't want dad. He wants neither one wants dad.

Both hearts are separated from the father, and here's the kicker. is separated from the father by being very, very bad. by being very, very good, not so obvious, because neither one really cares about the Father. And neither one really loves the Father. And they're both trying to find their own way in the world apart from the Father however they can, and they want the blessings, but they do not want the one who blesses. And that is Jesus' point. He's talking to this crowd going, don't you see, don't you understand who the Father really is? Because in the beginning, the younger brother is self-righteous. Don't tell me what to do. I'm not following your rules in your ways. I'm gonna go do my own thing. And the older brother is self-righteous. You owe me. I'm not like him. I'm not like them. You owe me, and neither one understands who he is. And here's what Jesus is saying. Older brothers, it's not your way. You will never keep enough rules to understand God's heart. Like it's not about rules. It's about relationship with him. And younger brothers, you can never rebel enough to satisfy your soul. Jesus is saying it's not this way, and it's not this way.

Jesus is really saying that he's the way. If you wanna know God's heart, look at him. If you wanna understand who God is, look at him. And it's not our sin that keeps us out, except for the sin of our own pride. But no matter where you've been or what you've done, he loves you. And there's no room for hypocrisy in the kingdom of God. And there's no room for self-righteousness in the kingdom of God. Because we all need a savior. And the sooner we get to the brokenness of realizing that, the sooner we get to go in to the party of amazing grace. He loves you. There's a party to be found in the person of Jesus. And no matter where you've been or what you've done or what's been done to you, his message to you is trust me. And welcome home. Thus begins over the next few weeks, the tale of two sons. Would you guys pray with me? Let's pray together. (gentle music) You know how you received the love of the Father? You just opened your arms and let it in. And we do that by trusting in Jesus. If you'd like to do that today, I can help you. You can pray in your own heart and mind he'll hear you. Let's talk to him, just say, Father.

I've sinned. I don't deserve anything. And I know this is why Jesus came. And so I pray that you would save me from my sin. And I trust in your grace. And I ask you to lead me from this day forward that you would teach me how to live and how to be part of your family. I receive you. Thank you for receiving me. Amen. If that was you right after the service, we do a thing here called First Step. It's right at the front of the auditorium. It's that way at all of our campuses. Here's what you want to tell them. We have a free gift for you. It's a Bible, just come up front after service and just tell the group that meets over to the side to say, "I want my free Bible." And they'll give you a high five and give you the Bible and just say, "Congratulations." And so I want to encourage you to take that step. Can we celebrate with all those who just prayed to receive Jesus' gift? And over the next few weeks, we're gonna continue the story that Jesus tells. There's a whole lot here. It will really be helpful. In your seat today, there's a little card

that says, "God loves you." That's not for you. That's for you to give to somebody. You can hand this to them. It just says, "God loves you on it." No matter where you've been, what you've done But if you'd be so bold, don't just hand the card, invite them to come to this series over the next few weeks, 'cause I think it will be very helpful. We're gonna enter into a time of celebrating baptism. Baptism is a party. Lost sheep found party, lost coin found party, lost son found party, God likes to party. Is everybody tracking with me? So this is a person who has surrendered and in humility given their life to Jesus, they've died to themselves, been washed in his love and mercy and grace, and now there's a brand new person who follows him. We celebrate that. So I'm gonna pray again, pastor's gonna come out and give us some instructions, and we're gonna celebrate baptism together. I love you guys, come back for the series, let's worship and celebrate new life in Jesus. Father, we thank you for these who have trusted in Jesus. I pray in this moment that we would just join you in heaven because you rejoice over people who've been found. Bless this time of worship, we pray, and give us wisdom of your heart.

In Jesus' name, for his glory and our good, we ask these things, amen.