A Distant Country

 

Sermon Notes, March 10, 2019 AM

A Distant Country

Steve W. Reeves

steve@wschurch.net

 

INTRODUCTION:

A. In an episode of “The Andy Griffith Show.” Andy’s son Opie meets a new friend. The

    new friend is a little boy from a neighboring town who has decided to run away to

    Texas. He wants everyone to call him, “Tex.” The plans to run away suddenly
    diminishes as supper time rolls around and “Tex” begins to think about his mother
    and father waiting for him to come home.” At the end of the show Opie tells Andy that
    he, too, might run away from home one day and adds, “You can come too.”
    Unfortunately, all of us know that running away from home is not a laughing matter.
    It’s hurtful, dangerous, costly and even deadly.
B. In Luke 15 there are three parables, Two of the three are recorded only by Luke.  
    (Luke records seven parables not found in any other gospel “Two Debtors”- Luke
    7:41- 43; “Good Samaritan” – 10:30-37; “Rich Fool” - 12:” “Lost Coin” – 15:8-10; “Lost
   
    1. In Luke 15:4-7 there is the parable of the lost sheep (also recorded in Matthew
        18:12-14).
    2. In Luke 15:8-10 there is the parable of the lost coin.
    3. In Luke 15:11-32 there is the parable of the prodigal son.
C. Would you agree that the third of these is one of the most familiar parables told by
    Jesus?
    1. Many of us are familiar with this story. Some would even say we know it quite well  
        and have heard dozens of sermons preached about it. It would be tempting to
        think we could put our minds in neutral because we have heard all of it before and
        know everything there is to know with regard to this parable.
    2. May I challenge your thinking by saying that this parable may contain much more
        than you have ever thought?
        1. It is not the parable of one lost son but of two lost sons. One was lost in his sin,
            the other was lost in his righteousness.
        2. It does not have a happy ending. At the conclusion of the story one of the sons
            has not come back into the house.
        3. To those who first heard it, this parable challenged everything they thought they
            knew about God.
            a. It redefined God.
            b. It redefined sin.
            c. It redefined salvation.
        4. Will you open your heart and allow this familiar story to challenge you with fresh
            insight?  
 
 I. A DEFIANT SON
    A. Jesus said that a man had two sons.
        1. The younger son asked his father for his share of the inheritance.
        2. His share would have been one third of his father’s estate. The older son always
            received a double portion of the inheritance. In this case he would have received
            two thirds and the younger one third.
    B. This younger son was not asking for a loan or an advance on his allowance. He
        wanted his inheritance. How does a person receive an inheritance? Someone must
        die. In essence this son was saying to his father, “I want you dead. I want you out
        of the picture. I want your stuff but I do not want you.”
        1. Is this not characteristic of many people today?
        2. We want the blessings God gives but we do not want God.
    C. Jesus said that the father divided his wealth among his sons (verse 12).
        1. The word used here is “bios” meaning “life.”
        2. In other words, the father not only gave up possessions and wealth, he gave up
            a part of himself. When that young man headed down the road he took his
            father’s heart with him.          
        3. This son’s heart was so full of rebellion, rejection and resentment there was no
            turning back. He wanted a one way ticket away from his father.
 
II. A DISTANT COUNTRY
    A. Where did this young man go? Jesus did not give the name of a particular country
        or region (that was not the point). This young man went to a distant country. Upon
        what basis did he choose to go the distant country wherever it may have been?      
    B. Here are the characteristics of the distant country.
        1. A poor promise. It offered the promise of fun, enjoyment, happiness and
            satisfaction. Ultimately it could not deliver any of those things.        
        2. How many people do you know who have journeyed to a distant country of sin
            because it promised happiness, enjoyment, satisfaction and fulfillment?
            a. Once there was a man who lived in a house on a hill. Each morning he would
                look across a large valley and see a house with golden windows on a nearby
                hill. One day he left his home and made the treacherous journey through the
                valley and up the other hill. When he arrived he found that the house was an
                ordinary house. As he looked back across the valley at his own house in the
                evening sun he noticed that it now had golden windows. He was seeing the
                sun’s reflection. So many people are never content with what they have.
             b. Husbands / Wives leave their marriages and children to go to the distant
                country of adultery in search of a spark of youth or happiness.
            c. People turn to alcohol hoping it will solve all of their problems. Even our
                communities turn to the sale of alcohol promising that it will solve all of our
                economic woes. The end result is always the same. Life in the distant country
                is hard.             
            d. This young man was looking for pleasure and happiness. Always remember
                Hebrews 11:25, “pleasure of sin for a season.”
        3. A perilous plight.
            a. Can you imagine a reckless young man with a pocketful of money? The wine
                flowed freely. He had women draped around his neck. He visited prostitutes.
                He spent his money to fulfill every lust and desire he had.
            b. Then one day after he had said, “the drinks are on me,” he reached into his
                purse to find it empty. Nothing was left. He asked his “friends.” They all left
                What was he going to do? Who was going to pay his debts? How was he
                going to live? Suddenly the happiness faded. The pleasure ceased. Despair,
                loneliness, heartache and hunger set in.        
       4. A pitiful picture.
            a. On top of everything there was a famine. There were no crops. Without crops
                there were few jobs and very little money. He lived on the streets as a
                eggar.
            b. He found a job feeding pigs. Here was young Jewish man feeding swine. It
                was the most incredible insult imaginable.        
        5. A precious promise.
            a. In the squalor of a pig sty the younger son found two qualities you and I need
                today: humility and repentance.       
           b. He said to himself, “How many of my father’s hired men have more than
                enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! ¹⁸ I will get up and go to my
                father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your
                sight; ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your
                hired men.”
            c. On any estate there would be servants who lived on the premises. There

               would also be “hired men” who did not live there but merely worked there. The

                son was not asking to be restored as his father’s child. He wasn’t even asking
                to be a household slave. He just wanted to work as a hireling.
            d. When the father saw the son coming he did something unheard of. Older men
                did not run. Running required them to raise their garments and tuck the hem
                of their tunic into their belt. Older men did not do this. This one did.
            e. He hugged and kissed his son. When the boy started to give the speech he
                had practiced the father stopped him. “Come in!” He called for the fatted calf
                to be killed and a robe placed on his shoulders and ring on his finger.
                1.) The calf was eaten only on the most special occasions.
                2.) The ring signified that he was part of the family.
                3. The robe – the father’s robe – was placed on his shoulders covering the
                    old, dirty, town, ragged clothing.
 
III. A DISGRUNTLED BROTHER
    A. Can you imagine how the older brother felt when he came home and saw the
        celebration that was occurring?
        1. Can you imagine his reaction upon hearing of his brother’s return?
        2. His father had never thrown a party for him. He had been faithful. He had been a
            hard worker. He had remained with his father at home. As he thought about his
            rebellious little brother he became angry. Even his father’s reassurance that he
            was always loved was not enough to calm him. Why? There was no love.
            a. The irony of the story is that both of these boys were using their father to get
                what they wanted.
            b. The young brother demanded his inheritance. The older one worked
                begrudgingly because he had no love. He had an undercurrent of anger
                towards his father and towards others.
            c. The younger brother was totally dependent. The elderly brother had plenty
                and resented the prospect of sharing what he had.
    B. The story ends with the rebellious but repentant son on the inside of the house and
         the disgruntled righteous son standing outside. What a powerful message for the
         two groups of people who comprised Jesus’ audience (verse 2).
 
CONCLUSION:
A. Did you notice that the father went out to both sons? He took the initiative and
    reached out to both of them. The difference was that the rebellious son recognized
    his sinfulness. The self-righteous son never understood his sinfulness.
B. God reaches out to all of us.
    1. He reaches out to those who have gone into a distant country of sins.
    2. Just as importantly, He reached out to those of you who have remained at home
        but in the process have come to trust in your own self-righteousness while
        sneering at others.          
y we all be willing to come to the Ma

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

Sermon Notes, March 3, 2019 AM

 

Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?

 

Steve W. Reeves

steve@wschurch.net 

 

INTRODUCTION:

A. Have you ever been surprised by a dinner guest? In the early years of our ministry
    Tami and I were looking forward to having a group of young adults come to our house
    for dinner on a Saturday night. On Friday night we were going about our business at
    home with a two-year old daughter when the doorbell rang. At the door was a young
    couple from church with a covered dish. They came in. A few minutes later another
    young couple showed up at the door with a covered dish. They, too, came in. Tami
    and I were terrified. The house was a mess. We looked at each other. How had we
    misunderstood the date? Before long there was a large group of young adults in our
    home with their covered dishes. Suddenly, they all took the lids or foil off of their
    dishes to reveal they were empty. Without saying a word they all left! We had been
    the brunt of a practical joke! Thankfully, everyone showed up on time Saturday night
    with full dishes!  
B. Most people enjoy sitting down for a meal with family and friends. In Bible times,
    however, meals were much more than food, fun and fellowship. They
    were very important events. Meals were used to seal covenants, signify relationship
    and show acceptance.
C. Jesus used the occasion of a meal to tell a parable about a great feast.
    1. The setting was a meal with a group of Pharisees (Luke 14:1-14). This might
        seem strange since Jesus often found himself at odds with these men.
    2. Jesus used every opportunity to help people understand what God is really like.
        These Pharisees had developed such a distorted view of God. They valued their
        traditions more than human beings.
    3. In this setting Jesus told a story (parable) to illustrate God’s concern for people
        from every walk of life.
 
 
I. THE FABULOUS INVITATION
    A. Oscar Wilde told the story of “Aunt Jane,” who lived alone and received very few
        visitors. When her new neighbors threw a lavish party Aunt Jane determined that
        she would not be outdone. She decided to host her own ball. Immediately she set
to work. The old house was repainted, refurnished and the grounds replanted. The gourmet ood and the band were ordered from London. An army of servants was hired. Everything ould be of the best quality with no question of cost. At last the anticipated night arrived. The rive was lit for two miles with colored lights. The hall and staircase were gorgeously ecorated with fresh flowers. The ballroom floor was as shiny as a mirror. The bandsmen, ressed in formal attire, bowed as Aunt Jane, adorned in a splendid diamond studded gown, escended the staircase and waited beside the door. Time passed but no guests arrived. inally, after midnight Aunt Jane swept a deep curtsey to the band and said, “Go and have our supper. No one is coming.” Aunt Jane lived the rest of her life regretting that no one ame to her party. Only after her death was it discovered that she had forgotten to mail the nvitations.

    B. Jesu’ story concerns a man who also held a lavish banquet. He invited many

        people. Notice two important characteristics of the invitation.
        1. It was extended to many. 
            a. In Matthew 11:28 Jesus said, “Come unto me ‘all’ you who labor and are
                heavy laden.”      
            b. In Isaiah 55:1 God said, ““Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;
                And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk
                without money and without cost.”
            c. In John 6:37 Jesus said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and
                the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”
            d. In John 7:37-38, Jesus spoke, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and
                drink. ³⁸ He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost
                being will flow rivers of living water.’”
        2. The invitation to the banquet was extended on two occasions.
            a. The invitation to the banquet was given by the man in verse 16.
            b. According to verse 17 at the dinner hour the man sent out his servant to let
                everyone know “all things are ready.”
            c. God’s invitation of redemption was promised following humanity’s fall. It was
                Jesus, His son, who came and said, “Everything is ready – come.”
    C. The greatest invitation you’ll ever receive is the one that comes from God. His
        invitation is real, valid, necessary and applicable to each of us.
 
II. THE FOOLISH EXCUSES
    A. Jesus said that three men rejected this invitation by offering excuses.
        1. In verse 18 one of them said, “I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out
            and look at it; please consider me excused.”
        2. In verse 19 another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try
            them out; please consider me excused.”
        3. In verse 20 the third said, “I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot
            come “
 
B. Do these sound like lame excuses? They are.
        1. Consider the land owner.
            a. Why is he waiting until after he had bought the property to examine it?
            b. What is his hurry? If he has already purchased the land where is it going? He 
                had plenty of time to view his land.
        2. The man who had bought the oxen reminds me of a man who bought a car and
            then took it for a test drive.
        3. The man who had married had the rest of his life to be with his wife.
    C. There are two realities to this story.
        1. They did not want to come.
        2. In ancient culture to reject such an invitation was to reject a relationship. In a
            society build on hospitality to reject an invitation was an insult to the person who
            extended the invitation. Today when a person rejects an invitation we overlook
            it. This was not the case then.
    D. If you have never become a Christian, what is your excuse?
        1. In Acts 26:28 Agrippa told Paul. “I’ll call you at a more convenient time.”
        2. In Matthew 19 a young man told Jesus, “I don’t want to give up my
            possessions.”
        3. In John 6 the crowds turned away from following Jesus because they didn’t like
            what He said.  
        4. Are you using one of these excuses or have you made up one of your own?
        5. Whatever the excuse you are insulting God.
 
III. THE FERVENT MASTER
    A. The servant reported the excuses to the man giving the banquet.
        1. The master was not happy. He was offended. These people should have been
            honored that they had been invited to the banquet. Instead, they considered it a
            disruption to their busy lives. Do you know any people who consider God in this
            way today? 
        2. The master said, “‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring
            in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.” (vs. 21).  These are the
            people who see their need because they are not full of themselves.
        3. Still, there was room so the master said, “Go out into the highways and along
            the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled. ²⁴ For
            I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner” (vss. 23-
            24). There would be no last minute changing of the mind and no late arrivals.
    B. Do we feel compelled to bring people to the Master’s banquet? The word “compel”
        means to “urge strongly.”
        1. Someone who was poor might say, “I can’t come. I have nothing to wear.” To
            compel means that you say, “It doesn’t matter. Come on in.”
        2. Someone might say, “I have nothing to bring.” To compel means to say
            “Everything is provided, come on in.”
        3. Do we suppose that our presence in this community is enough? Do we feel that
            since West Side is here people can make up their minds about whether to
            come? If they choose not to come we are absolved of responsibility? Do we
            seek to compel people to come?
 
CONCLUSION:
A. When I was five years old I became engaged to Susan who lived down the street.
    She was an “older” woman of six years old. She asked me if I wanted to be engaged.
    Since I wasn’t doing anything else I said, “Sure, why not.”  Several months later
    Susan broke my heart. She had a birthday party and I wasn’t invited. I rode my
    bicycle up and down the street thinking she would see me and invite me in. She
    never did. The engagement was apparently off!
B. God has invited you to the most lavish, extraordinary banquet you will ever have the
    opportunity to attend. How foolish it would be to miss out because of a lame excuse.
    “All things are ready. Come to the feast.”
 
         
.

The Challenge of Christ

 

Sermon Notes, February 24, 2019 AM

The Challenge of Christ

Steve W. Reeves

steve@wschurch.net

 

 

INTRODUCTION:

A. Actor Fred DeVito says, “If it doesn’t challenge you, it can’t change you.” We have a
    sister in Christ in our congregation, Janice Ragsdale, who is fond of that saying. I am
    amazed at the challenging things she has undertaken like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro
    or parachuting from an airplane. 
 
    2. He did not accept the “status quo” of human thought and behavior. He never  
        backed away from confronting human traditions that undermined the will of God. 
    3. The timelessness of the Gospel can be seen in how the teachings of Jesus
        continue to challenge us.  
    4. William Wilberforce (24 August 1759 – 29 July 1833), was a member of the
        British parliament who challenged the status quo of slavery in the British Empire.
        For years Great Britain had sanctioned the enslavement and sale of human
        beings. Wilberforce was convinced this was immoral. For twenty-three years he
        worked to challenge the status quo until Parliament acted in 1807.  He is just one
        example of someone who sought social justice through challenging the status-quo.
B. In Luke 13 the physician provides us with a detailed account of how Jesus
    challenged people’s thinking. Jesus was not concerned with popularity, prevalence or
    position. His did not hesitate to challenge, change and convict people. In verses 1-19
    Luke records three of these challenges.   
 
I. THE STANDARD OF JUDGMENT (Luke 13:1-9)
    A. According to Luke 12:1 there were thousands of people in the crowds that followed
        Jesus. Throughout chapter 12 Jesus had directed his remarks to those who were
        His disciples. Now, He turns his attention back to the large crowd.
        1. Some of the people asked Jesus about an incident where Pilate, the Roman
            governor, had ordered soldiers to slay a group of Galileans who were offering
            sacrifices. Thus, the blood of these Galileans intermingled with the blood of their 
            sacrifice.
        2. Luke is the only Gospel writer and the only writer from antiquity to record this
            dialogue and make reference to this incident. The ramifications were
            exceedingly large.
            a. The Jews and Romans hated each other passionately. Pilate was a harsh,
                brutal ruler. Galilee was a region of Palestine that was prone to uprisings
                against Rome. By slaying these Galileans Pilate was making a bold
                statement, “Do not mess with Rome.”
            b. Among the thousands following Jesus at this point were many who were
                ready to fight Rome. They were zealots looking for something to ignite the
                powered keg of a military uprising with Jesus as the conquering hero.    
        3. There were also theological overtones that continue to exist.
            a. Many people believed that misfortune was a direct result of sin. They believed
                if something bad happened to you it was because you had done something to
                deserve it.
            b. This was illustrated in the conversations between Job and his friends.
            c. Even today, when some misfortune occurs, people often ask, “What have I
                done to deserve this?”
    B. Jesus replied to the crowd by saying, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were
        greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? ³ I tell you,
        no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:2-3).
        1. Jesus reinforced this by referring to another contemporary event about a tower
            that had killed eighteen people in Siloam. He asked, “Were they worse culprits
            than all of the others who lived in Jerusalem?” Again, Jesus responded, “I tell
            you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:5).
        2. It is significant that Jesus used two different tenses of the verb “repent” in verses
            3 and 5. The first time referred to a fixed point in time. The second refers to an
            ongoing action. Repentance is something we do in the process of conversion.
            It is also something we continue to do daily.
    C. Jesus wants to challenge the status-quo of your life. He wants you to repent. He
        has been patient with you. Jesus told in story about a fig tree that was unfruitful.
        The land owner was ready to cut it down but was persuaded to give it one more
        year. This is descriptive of God’s patience with us. “The Lord is not slow about His
        promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to
        perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
 
II. THE STRICTNESS OF T RADITION (Luke 13:10-17).
    A. Beginning in verse 10 Jesus went into the synagogue (Jewish place of worship)
        on the Sabbath. There He met a woman who was bent over and unable to
        straighten up. This woman would have been of particular interest to Luke as a
        physician. He mentioned that the woman had been this way eighteen years.
        1. Jesus called her saying, “You are free.” Then, He compassionately touched her.
        2. She straightened up and walked.
    B. Luke writes that the synagogue ruler was “indignant” and said, “There are six days
        in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on
        the Sabbath day.”
        1. Was he serious? In the face of a great work of God all he could do was worry
            about tradition.
        2. Jesus noted that the experts of law made an exception for untying a donkey and
            taking it to be watered on the Sabbath but they refused to accept the healing of
            this woman who was a daughter of Abraham.
        3. Can you imagine the passion in Jesus’ voice and the fire in His eyes as He
            rebuked this synagogue leader?
    B. All of us appreciate the honor, respect and reverence of so many Christians
        towards the word of God. How do we feel when our traditions are challenged?
        1. The seven most deadly words to a church are, “We’ve never done it that way
            before?”  
        2. Many of our traditions and methods were originally met with the objection,
            “We’ve never done it that way before.”  The means by which we partake of the
            Lord’s Supper, collect the contribution, sit in the assembly, use song books or
            power point, meet at specific times of the day and other traditions are not
            commands of God, they are matters of expediency that have come to be a
            tradition.
        3. Jesus was not afraid to challenge that in His day. He wouldn’t be afraid to
            challenge it in our day.
 
III. THE STRUCTURE OF THE  KINGDOM (Like 13:18-21).
    A. Jesus did not hesitate to challenge people’s thinking about the kingdom of God.
        1. There were many in this crowd who thought the kingdom of God was all about
            political power and military might. They were “chomping at the bit” to
           overthrow those dastardly Romans!
        2. They were ready for a supernatural show of force accompanied by stellular,
            spectacular signs of strength. They could get excited about wonders, signs and
            miraculous works that stirred the imagination of people and appealed to their
            physical senses. They liked the things that were big and powerful.
        3. Are people today any different? Many people are still attracted to something that
            is big, full of pizazz and excitement. Many long for the experience of sensory
            stimulation.
    B. Jesus challenged that concept. In verses 18-19 He said, “What is the kingdom of
        God like, and to what shall I compare it?  ¹⁹ It is like a mustard seed, which a man
        took and threw into his own garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds
        of the air nested in its branches. ²⁰ And again He said, “To what shall I compare
        the kingdom of God? ²¹ It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks
        of flour until it was all leavened.”
        1. Mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds, yet, it produces a tree that is eight to
            ten feet high with branches so large that birds can sit on them.
        2. Yeast is tiny and yet it can interact with flour and water to make dough rise.
    C. The kingdom of God is not about the spectacular but the simple. It is not about the
        powerful but the poor. It is not about the majestic but the meek.    
        1. Have you considered how God has often used small things to make a big
            difference?
        2. He used a boy named David to slay a giant with a sling and a stone.
        3. He used a servant girl in Syria to introduce the leper Naaman to the prophet
            Elisha so he might be healed by dipping in the Jordan River seven times.
        3. He sent His Son as a baby born in the most humble circumstances to live the life
            of a servant and reclaim the world.
        4. He used the ordinary, fallible apostles to “turn the world upside down”: (Acts
            17:6).
    C. The kingdom of God is comprised of the simple service given by humble people.
        Astronaut Jim Irwin of Apollo 15 on his return from the moon reflected on his life as
        he looked out the window and saw the beautiful earth in the distance. He thought
        of the accolades he and his companions would receive when they arrived home.
        Then he realized, “God called me to be a servant, not a celebrity.” I wish we would
        recognize this in our congregations, on our college campuses and throughout the
        church.    
       
CONCLUSION:
A. On December 1s1912 Russell H. Conwell, a preacher and the founder of Temple
    University in Philadelphia, preached a sermon about a little girl named Hattie May
    Wiatt who died in 1886. Hattie lived near a church where the Sunday school was
    very crowded. Cornwell told her that one day they would have buildings large enough
    to accommodate everyone who wanted to attend. Hattie became sick and
    died. Conwell was asked to do the funeral and the girl's mother told him that Hattie
    May had been saving money to help build a bigger building. She had saved 57 cents.
    Following the funeral Conwell had the 57 cents changed into 57 pennies. He told the
    church the story of Hattie May and sold the pennies for a return of about $250. Fifty-
   four of the original 57 pennies were returned and put on display to encourage others
   to give. People began giving what they could. The small, seemingly insignificant gift
   became the beginning of Temple College – later Temple University and Temple
   University Medical center.
B. Will you allow Jesus to challenge your thinking? It will not be easy? You will be
    uncomfortable and angry. You might resist. If you will follow Him He will save you
    eternally! We invite you to come!