Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to Madison Church Online. I'm Stephen Feith, lead pastor. We're glad that you're joining us and listening in and I'm wondering I've got a really good feeling. I know the answer to this, but how many of you have ever checked your bank account and wondered where all your money went? For some of you, this is an experience of the last 24 hours, isn't it? You got paid on Friday, saturday came and Sunday morning you're checking that online bank and you're like where did that paycheck go? I'm not talking about the time where you had a little too much to drink at the bar and you tipped like you were a millionaire because you thought the bartender was into you. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about that really killer Cyber Monday sale on Amazon that you thought was a steal and three years later, you're still making credit card payments and now it's like a heist against you. Not Amazon. You right? Or maybe you were invested in crypto at the wrong time and I would ask has there ever been a right time to invest in crypto?

Speaker 1: 1:00

Losing money that happens. It happens to all of us. That's something in the room all of us have had. Happen to us. But I'm wondering have you ever lost a pet, maybe for a day, for an hour. Maybe for some of you you've lost a pet altogether, and I'm not talking to death, but just they ran away. They got out.

Speaker 1: 1:18

Megan and I, thankfully, we haven't had this. We're on our second. We have only had two dogs. We're on our second one and we haven't lost a pet, but we know plenty of people who do, and when you lose a pet you don't shrug your shoulders. Oh well, I guess we've got to go to the shelter later this week and replace Fido. That's a bummer. We don't respond like that at all.

Speaker 1: 1:36

What do we do Instead? We go around, we hang up flyers. We pick a cute picture of the dog and hang it up with our phone number. Some of us we offer cash rewards. We love our dog so much we're willing to pay money to have it returned. We blow up all the local Facebook groups have you seen my dog? Have you seen my dog? Have you seen my dog? We go around calling out its name in our neighborhood like we expect it to answer back. Well, I'm right here. We're just going out for a walk. We know that losing money, that sucks, but for those of us who have lost a pet and money. We know that losing a pet feels a little bit worse to us. And then there are people Some of us have been coming to Madison Church and you're driving on a Sunday, or maybe you're going to work on Monday, or you're going out on a Friday night, and you see the signs over the highway, the belt line, and you see that there's a silver alert out, and that's what happens when someone who is elderly goes missing.

Speaker 1: 2:32

Now, we don't know that person, but we look at the sign, we read it and we kind of maybe look around us. Is that car like right next to me by chance, and maybe I can help? We come together. And perhaps even more seriously though, when a child goes missing, there's an Amber Alert, and that Amber Alert will blast through a lot of your cell phones right now. It'll go loud and it'll stop the conversation. Whatever you're talking about, whatever it is that you're doing, it stops us. It's not just concerning, it's now urgent.

Speaker 1: 3:08

There's something about losing something that truly matters. It's a grief unlike other kinds of grief, this idea that something is lost, something I once possessed but I no longer have in my possession. And what might surprise you this morning is it's not just a human thing, it's not just you, it's not just me, it's not just us, it's also a God thing. We see that this is how God feels when it comes to those far from him. So we've been in this series called the Life that Matters, and we're walking with Jesus through Luke's gospel as he redefines what it means to live with purpose. A lot of us, we find our purpose maybe in our family or how we parent our kids and a romantic relationship, in our jobs, our careers, whatever it is achieving. But Jesus challenges that. Jesus says you find purpose elsewhere, and that is in following me. And so we're going to Luke 15 today. If you want to follow along on your smartphones or on the Bibles, we'll also put the words on the screen.

Speaker 1: 4:13

But at this point in our teaching series, which is like some 30 messages deep, at this point Jesus is in Jerusalem and he's not just teaching his disciples lessons anymore. He's not just doing the miracles himself. He is actually sending them out to teach, sending them out to do the miracles. He is equipping them to do ministry. Jesus isn't simply ministering to people anymore, he's ministering through people. He's inviting them to extend his mission, and obviously this comes up almost every week. Not everyone is on board. His influence is absolutely growing, but so is the resistance. As more influence comes to Jesus, there's more resistance by the religious leaders that did not like what they were seeing from Jesus. This was because Jesus wasn't just changing how ministry was done, he was changing who ministry was for.

Speaker 1: 5:07

And in Luke 15, jesus gives us the clearest, most powerful pictures of God's heart, especially for those who seem farthest from him. And so, beginning in verse 11, jesus is telling the story. There's a man who had two sons, and the younger son told his father I want my share of your estate now, before you die. And so his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons Certainly a story that many of you are familiar with. We're talking about the prodigal son in Luke 15.

Speaker 1: 5:38

But let me break this down to some context that maybe you weren't aware of. This wasn't just a financial request. This isn't like when my son comes to me and asks for a soda at the quick trip. It wasn't like that. This was a death wish. This was the son saying I want your things, but I don't want you, because in that culture, inheritance was only given after death. And by asking for it early. The son wasn't just being greedy, he was basically saying you're dead to me, you have no worth. Your worth is what you can give me after you're gone.

Speaker 1: 6:13

Now the most shocking part of the story is that the father doesn't lash out in that culture he could have backhanded his son. He could have lashed him, he could have hit him, could have run him out of town. He didn't have to give him anything at that point. He could have just kicked him out altogether. But instead the father doesn't punish the son, he actually gives him the money. The son takes his inheritance and sets off to a distant land.

Speaker 1: 6:35

We read he's ready to live on his own terms. It's like when you turn 18 and you finally get to move out of mom and dad's house and you're going to do this, so you're going to do that, and there's that excitement. But now imagine if mom and dad gave you half of their net worth before you did that. All of us know how this story ends. Yes, for a while. The money. It flows freely. The parties are endless, we read. He's surrounded by a whole bunch of people who are more than happy to help him spend that money. But what happens when the money runs out. When the money runs out, so does the party, and those so-called friends disappear and suddenly he has nothing. It might have been a month ago he was buying everyone drinks at the party, buying everyone dinner, and now he doesn't even have enough food to survive and nobody's helping him.

Speaker 1: 7:32

So desperate, he takes a job feeding pigs, and this is something no Jewish man under the law would have dreamt of doing, except out of pure desperation. Pigs were ceremonially unclean and yet we read he's knee deep in filth, doing the lowest work possible. And just when you think it can't get worse which at this point he's probably thinking it can't get worse he is so hungry, so desperate. He has a moment in which he looks at the disgusting slop that the pigs are eating. He says man, that looks tasty. That's how hungry he is. This is truly rock bottom. And it's at this point when something clicks.

Speaker 1: 8:18

We read in verse 17, he finally came to his senses. I love that he finally came to his senses. It wasn't that the reality in which he's about to realize wasn't real before. It's just that he realized it now. He said to himself more, and here I am dying of hunger. I will go home to my father I'll say, father, I've sinned against both heaven and you and I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. Please take me on to be a hired servant. So, sitting there in the mud and the slop, his stomach growling, he realizes this truth. I don't have to be here, because the same dad who is generous enough to give me the money will be the dad who would possibly take me back. You see, my dad takes really good care of his servants. Now you might think that this statement that he comes back, he says I've sinned against you in heaven and I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. You might think he's being dramatic, but that was just actually culturally accurate. He would have been dead to his family in a very literal sense. His father could have even had a funeral for him. That's how dramatic this whole shame and honor culture was. And yet, despite that, recognizing that I am dead to my family, probably I bet dad will take me back.

Speaker 1: 9:46

And it's as he gets closer to home that something unexpected happens. You might expect that he walks up. He has to ring the gate and, you know, somebody lets him in. He's got to beg and apologize and go through his script. But something unexpected happens, and that's in verse 20,. While he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. Let that sink in for a moment. His father was waiting. His father wasn't just waiting, his father was anticipating, eagerly waiting. And when he sees that on the horizon you can almost imagine it right, every day he walks out maybe he's got his morning coffee and he just stands out there and he's looking. And how many mornings went by. He stood out there and nothing over the horizon. And he goes back and he goes to work. But one day he stands there and he looks out the horizon and he says, could it be? And as that image gets bigger and more defined, once he realizes it's his son, drops the coffee, runs after him, runs to him. He would have had to have hiked up his little outfit. He would have been showing his legs, which for a Jewish man not appropriate at all. But that's the enthusiasm that overtook him. He was so excited to see his son.

Speaker 1: 11:18

The father doesn't care about dignity, he cares about his son. And the son goes into his apology speech just like he rehearsed back at the pigs. He's like you know, father, I've sinned against you, I've sinned against heaven. The father cuts him off and he calls for three things. The father says quick, bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. This kid is still smelly, I imagine. I mean, he's just been hanging out with pigs, right, so he's still stinky. Get the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger, sandal for his feet.

Speaker 1: 11:50

I'll tell you the significance behind these things in a moment. The father goes on kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, why? Well, the son of mine was dead. He has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found, and I love this line. And so the party began.

Speaker 1: 12:13

These gifts, as I mentioned, they're not just accessories, they were statements. The robe, the finest one in the house, was a sign of honor and belonging. The son was not a servant, but he was in fact a beloved family member. The ring was a symbol of restored authority. This isn't just a welcome home gift, it was a full reinstatement of his place in the family. And the sandals the servants would have likely been walking around barefoot, but family members wore shoes. It wasn't just an act of mercy, but restoration. You're restored, you're reinstated, you're honored and you belong. Son, the father doesn't just offer forgiveness, the father extends grace. And if the story ended here it'd be perfect. We'd all leave today feeling really encouraged. We might go out and party tonight, right, like, yes, that's what we talked about in church today, but hold on. Yes, a lost son was found. Yes, a broken relationship was restored and yes, a shameful past was erased, but Jesus continues the story. Yes, a shameful past was erased, but Jesus continues the story.

Speaker 1: 13:28

Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard the music and dancing in the house and he asked one of his servants what's going on. He says your brother is back and your father has killed the fattened calf we are celebrating because of his safe return. We got to put ourselves in the older brother's shoes here. We can't judge him too quickly. He is literally out working hard. When he hears music, when he probably sees guests coming onto the property and he sees the lights. You know, as it's getting dark outside, he sees all the lights lit up and he's hearing the laughter and the music and he's out working. And what's going on at home? He asked the servant. The servant's probably had a drink or two and he's coming out. He says we're having a party, why aren't you here? Well, he stands outside arms crossed, not going to celebrate.

Speaker 1: 14:28

You see, deep down, he doesn't just resent his brother, he resents grace itself. He resents grace. The older brother was angry and he wouldn't go in. His father came out and begged him. But he replied all of these years I've slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing. You told me to. And in all that time you never even gave me one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf.

Speaker 1: 15:10

The older brother refuses to call the younger brother by his name, refuses to even call him brother. You see he's still dead. To the older brother he says this son of yours, not my brother, but your son. And for any of us who have ever been in that situation where we can't even speak the name of someone we are so angry with, we get it. It's not just anger, it's bitterness. Sometimes it might be entitlement, other times it might be self-righteousness, but it is a strong, fiery feeling and, if we're honest about every single one of us in the room watching, listening online we've all been there.

Speaker 1: 15:53

The older brother's words reveal something deeper, and that is that he doesn't just see himself as a beloved son. The older brother doesn't see himself as a son. The older brother sees himself as a servant earning a reward. The older brother sees himself as a servant earning a reward. All these years, I've slaved for you. I never once refused to obey you, and yet you never gave me. This is religious legalism the belief that our obedience earns us status with God.

Speaker 1: 16:31

The older brother wasn't serving out of love. The older brother wasn't serving because he loved God, because he loved people, because he loved the family, because he loved what he was doing. Rather, the older brother was working for a payout. Everything he did, he was keeping score. This is what you owe me. I did this. Therefore, you owe me that.

Speaker 1: 16:50

And when grace was given freely to the younger brother, who didn't do anything as a matter of fact, didn't do not anything. He was very offensive and rude and disrespectful and squandered wealth, grace was given and the older brother, who sees himself as a servant was offended because grace Grace feels unfair when you feel or think that you have earned something. Well, that's the older brother. Let's look at how the father responds to him. His father said father responds to him. His father said look, dear son, look dear son, you have always stayed by me and everything I have is yours. Present tense Everything that I possess is already yours. But we had to celebrate this happy day, for your brother was dead. He's come back to life, he was lost, but now he's found.

Speaker 1: 17:57

You see, of all the different ways the father could have responded to an elder son who's out there with his arms crossed, stomping his feet and I want to have a party with my friends, and you've never given that to me. And the father dear son, you're missing the point. You're not a servant, you're my son. And look around you, this is all yours. The other son he already had his. It's gone, he's squandered it, as you pointed out, but everything around you is yours. The father could have ignored him. The father could have just let him stewed in his anger outside all. When he wants to come in and talk to me, he knows where I'm at, but the father goes out to him the same way that the father runs to the younger son, he pursues the older one. The same way that the father ran to the younger son, he pursues the older one. The same way that the father ran to the younger son, he pursues the older one.

Speaker 1: 18:45

Because grace is not just for the rebellious, it's also for the resentful. Grace isn't just for those who rebel, it's also for those who are resentful. And then Jesus ends the story. It's over. No resolution, no response from the older brother. This is intentional. Jesus, the master storyteller, doesn't forget to tie the story off and conclude it.

Speaker 1: 19:15

He leaves the question open for you and me, his disciples, anyone who has had access to a New Testament and can read Luke 15. You see, the question is is where are you standing right now? He's asking his followers. Luke is asking readers where do you stand right now? The older brother was doing everything, right on the outside, and we can understand why he felt resentment toward the younger brother who ran off and wasted everything. We can even, maybe, feel some frustration for the father, who seems to irresponsibly celebrate this. Well, he's just going to do it again. Dad, look how you treated him. He wasted all the money and now you're rewarding him for that. Maybe you've felt that way before Somebody who's made all the wrong choices in their life. They get a ton of grace. Well, you've worked hard and you have followed the rules, and when it comes to your faithfulness, it doesn't seem like it's being rewarded as much as somebody who gets a fresh start.

Speaker 1: 20:15

What I want to point out today is that we should see ourselves in both brothers. We should be able to see ourselves in both brothers. We should be able to see ourselves in both brothers. If we're taking an honest look at ourselves, you see, we're like the older brother when we feel shame. That's certainly what the older brother felt. Who am I? What's my identity? Judgment. Well, the judgment's being made right now. The judgment is I can just work out here, do all the right things and dad doesn't care. Isn't that an indictment on who I am? Fear, scared. Dad's going to continue to waste money on my brother. What's my family going to have? What are my kids going to have? What are my grandchildren? What about the legacy of this name?

Speaker 1: 21:00

Jesus leaves this story open, but if you go back to Luke 15, at the very start of this parable, jesus makes something clear he ties up two of the parables before this one he's talking about when somebody loses a sheep. He says, in the same way, there's more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents and returns to God, over 99 others who are righteous and haven't strayed away. And then he says in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God's angels when even one sinner repents. So what do you know today? You know that heaven, how heaven responds when the younger brother returns. You know how the angels respond when the younger brother returns. We even know how God, the Father, responds when the younger brother comes home. But Jesus asked us the question is how will you respond? Because that has yet to be written, because every day we make the choice to respond. We know how heaven, the angels and God respond. The party is happening, the feast is prepared. You're going to stand outside or you're going to come in and join us. Are you outside arms crossed, keeping score with God a cosmic scoreboard or will you step inside, not just to celebrate someone else's restoration but it's not just about someone else but to experience grace, to witness grace. To witness somebody else experiencing the grace that has already been extended to you, son, all I have is already yours that grace that when we see God give someone else, it's not going to run short. It's already yours and you're invited.

Speaker 1: 22:47

The fun thing about our talk today is the content was written back in 2012, before we even moved to Madison, before Megan and I moved to Madison, before Madison Church was a reality. Back then, I was working for a Hy-Vee grocery store in Springfield, missouri. I was making nine bucks an hour and every paycheck after we paid our bills went to put gas in our car so we could travel all around the Midwest to churches to tell them about the vision that we had for Madison Church. We were going to be this kind of community, and so this was the message I would go to other churches with. This was the sermon, and I would give this sermon and I would ask every church I go how will we respond? Because there are people in Madison who are ready to come home. There are people in Madison who need this grace and we're not there. Will you help us Now?

Speaker 1: 23:38

Some churches welcomed us with open arms. They were ready to invest in the vision, but not all did. And yet I'm so grateful for the ones who did, because I look out at you all what we've been able to do in the last 10 years. It was the result of other people who didn't stand outside the family farm with their arms crossed and said well, we already have churches in Madison, there's already enough grace in Madison, we have our own bills to pay here. But rather, they came in and they joined the party and they celebrated with us.

Speaker 1: 24:15

Now, 10 years later, let's ask ourselves. Let's ask ourselves Madison Church, will we be that kind of church? Will we pay grace forward? Will we be a church that exists for those who are not here yet, because at some point this church wasn't here yet, not just a church that welcomes people home, not just the church that stands here. We're at madisonchurchcom and you can find us and come join us on Sundays at 11. But are we a church community who, like the Father, runs after those who are searching and for those who are seeking? So let me leave you with two things today. First, if you've been far from home. So let me leave you with two things today. First, if you've been far from home, it's time to come home. No hesitation, no shame, no judgment. Come home, we're ready for you. The door is open. The invitation has always been there, but maybe you've been home. So when someone does come home, let's celebrate. No arms crossed, no scorekeeping, no resentment, just joy. Heaven is celebrating. The angels are celebrating. God is celebrating. Will Madison Church celebrate.