The Elder Son

How do you do, dear friends? Once again we turn to the Word of God, the Bible, to bring to you today another gospel message. Will you please turn with me to Luke's Gospel, Chapter 15. As a rule, when we turn to this wonderful chapter, we speak principally on the parable that's given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ in three parts.

That is to say, the lost sheep, the lost piece of money, and the lost boy, and his reception on his return to his father. Today, however, I would like to speak on the latter part of the chapter in connection with the elder's son. I'll read to you from verse 25.

Now his elder son was in the field, and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.

And he was angry and would not go in. Therefore came his father out and entreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment.

And yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.

It was meet that we should make merry and be glad, for this thy brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found. Now the prodigal son presents to us a glorious gospel picture of this young man who returned to his father, owning that he had sinned against him and was not worthy to be called his son. And we know the story well, how this young man was received by his father and brought into a place of blessing.

And in the 24th verse we hear the father saying, for this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found, and they began to be merry. Heaven's gladness for the joy that was in that home that day as the young man, having returned to his father, sat down at the table with his father, and they fed together on the fatted calf, bringing before us a picture of our fellowship with the father and joy in Christ together.

But the elder son now comes into the picture in the 25th verse. Now let us notice what the word of God says about the elder son. First of all, he was in the field.

The Lord Jesus, in the parable of the sower, said to his disciples, the field is the world. So we find that this young man was in the world, and yet he was the elder son. Maybe today, my dear friend, as I speak to you on this tape message, you are the child of a Christian father and mother, and yet you are away, and you are in the world that cast out and crucified the Lord Jesus.

Now when we speak of the world in that way, we refer to the world system that man has built up in order that he might live in separation from God and his sins, seeking happiness which he never can find. Meanwhile, the world system ruled and governed by the devil, the prince and God of that great system. And that's where this young man was.

He was in the field. And as he came and drew nigh to the house, what a contrast to the younger brother, of whom in verse 20 we read, and he arose and came to his father. The elder son only drew near to the house.

There seemed to be no interest at all in his father. He drew near to the house. Oh, how different to the younger son who drew near to his father and found that grand reception that his father gave him with his arms around him, embracing him and kissing him.

The elder son only drew near to the house. How cold that seems after reading the story of the younger son. Only a house.

But on the other hand, a father's love. He drew near to the house. He heard music and dancing.

What joy was taking place in the house. And there was no joy outside the house. The joy was in the house.

The young man enjoying his father's company, the elder son outside in the cold, only hearing but not participating in the joy of the house. He heard music and dancing. How the world loves its music.

And how many young people today are seeking to find happiness in the dance. Here we have dancing in the right place. It was in the father's house, in the father's company, not outside in the field of the world, no, but in fellowship in the father's house.

Music and dancing. Speaking to us of joy and gladness. Verse 26.

And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. There was no calling upon the father. He called one of the servants.

The younger son had prepared to say to his father, make me as one of thy hired servants. And now we have the elder son in fellowship with the servants outside the house. And he said unto him, thy brother is come, and thy father.

Notice he brings these two points before the elder son. Thy brother, thy father, hath killed the fatted calf because he hath received him safe and sound. There was a reason why there was music and dancing in the house.

And notice how lovely the scripture speaks about it. The killing of the fatted calf because he, the father, hath received him, the lost boy, safe and sound. Let us notice those four words.

He hath received him. Doesn't that make us think of the gospel? How you and I who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal savior have been received by God the father. And we are now his children.

He has received us. We are accepted in the beloved. And how blessed to know that we have been received.

God has graciously received us. And yet he has retained completely, 100%, his holiness and his glory. Because on the cross, the Lord Jesus has settled for eternity.

The sin question, insofar as the believer is concerned, God has been glorified in the work of Christ even more so than if man had never, never sinned and was today as Adam was when first created an innocent creature. I say the work of Christ on the cross, the shedding of his precious blood has brought more glory to God than the lives of any and all of his creatures could have brought had they never, never sinned and were innocent. Oh, how wonderful and how glorious to remember this.

The finished work of Christ has glorified God for eternity about the sin question. And our sins are forever gone. He has received him safe and sound.

Verse 28. And he was angry. Now I believe we can learn something in connection with today in these words.

And he was angry. The man of religion, the man whose religion consists in two words, d-o, do, is always angry when he hears about those who are resting in the other word, d-o-n-e, done. Religion likes to exalt man.

It likes to glory in the flesh. It likes to see man placed on a pedestal. It likes to see man made prominent.

But the grace of God makes nothing of man and makes everything of Christ and brings glory to the God of all grace. And so we may ask you today, my friend, what kind of a religion are you following? Is it one of do, which means man's good works, seeking to keep the law, resting on baptism and other ceremonies? Or is your religion one of four letters, done? It is finished, resting 100% on what Christ has done on the cross. I think it's important at this point to ask you, unbeliever, if you hear my voice, what joy are you missing today by rejecting God's offers of grace? Are you saying, as some have said to me recently, all Christians are hypocrites? They're not sincere.

Is that an excuse for you to reject Christ? Let us suppose that a lot of money is counterfeit. Does that mean that you are going to destroy all the money you may have saved in the bank? Does that mean when you receive your paycheck, you're going to tear it to ribbons and say all money is counterfeit? Man is always foolish. When he argues on divine principles and the divine word of God, he is very clever when it comes to arguments in connection with man's reasonings.

But again, I say how foolish he becomes when he speaks of divine things, unless he is a born again believer indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. And so he was angry and would not go in. Are you angry today? Has your wife's faithfulness to you and seeking to lead you to Christ made you angry? Has the husband's faithfulness to the wife caused you, the wife, to be angry as he has spoken to you of the grace of God? This man would not go in, and he has many followers today who are living in Christian homes with Christian fathers and mothers, with Christian wives and husbands who refuse the grace of God and will not come into blessing by receiving Christ.

May these words stir your soul today. And he was angry and would not go in. I notice the grace here, which speaks to us of the grace of God.

Therefore came his father out and entreated him. Oh, I think of the words of the Apostle Paul, writing by the Spirit of God in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. I pray you, in Christ's stead be ye reconciled to God. It makes me think of these very words, and entreated him.

Today, beloved friend, God comes out to man in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the power of the Holy Spirit and entreats man, come now and let us reason together, set the Lord. Think of God coming out, a holy and a righteous and a sin-hating God, humbling himself to come out to entreat men and women to receive Christ, to receive his salvation as a free gift, and entreated him.

Oh, beloved friend, have you heard the voice of God entreating you, pleading with you to come and receive salvation as a free gift? For God does not want your money. Now, I know that there are many who say that Christians are after money. They say that, as a rule, you hear these words, don't forget to send in your money, for all they're interested in, they say, is money.

By the grace of God, it is not so with us. For God does not want your money, unbeliever. And we who belong to Christ would not receive your money, because God's salvation cannot be purchased.

Men like to say, well, I gave five dollars to the cause of Christianity. It means nothing to God. God doesn't want you to give.

He wants you to receive Christ, to receive without money and without price, his salvation. And so here we read, his father came out and entreated him. May God grant today that his Holy Spirit will entreat you, unbeliever, lost in your sins, on the way to eternal darkness, may I say the grace of God entreat you to come into this great blessing, this great joy, this great peace that only Christ can give to your soul in this poor, dark, lost, hell-bound world in which we live.

Verse 29, and he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee. How this reminds us of the Pharisees' prayer in Luke 18. I thank thee that I am not as other men are, and so on.

How this speaks to us of pride. Lo, these many years do I serve thee. Neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment, and yet thou never gavest me a kid that I might make merry with my friends.

Notice, his friends. Where were his friends? They were in the field. They were in the world.

They didn't belong to the father's house. What about your friends? Are your friends the ungodly? Are your friends those who reject Christ and reject the grace of God? My friends. Verse 30, but as soon as this thy son was come.

He doesn't say my brother, but he says thy son. As if he was too good to be the brother of that poor prodigal who is enjoying his father's love and grace in the house. Thy son is come which hath devoured thy living with harlots.

Now notice, the Lord Jesus didn't say that about the younger son. He said he wasted his substance with riotous living. But he doesn't tell us how he did it.

But the elder son, this self-righteous man, accuses his brother, his father's son, with devouring his living with harlots. Thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. Although the fatted calf was not just killed for the prodigal son.

It was killed that the father and his prodigal brought into blessing might enjoy the fatted calf in communion together. And he said unto him, son. Thou art ever with me and all that I have is thine.

Now notice, this elder son rejected relationship. The father said son. Secondly, he rejected fellowship.

Thou art ever with me. And thirdly, he rejected the inheritance. All that I have is thine.

He rejected these three things. Relationship. Oh dear Christian, you and I are brought into relationship with God.

We are his children. He says I write unto you children. 1 John 2 verse 12.

He are all the children of God through faith in Christ. Romans 8 verse 15. We cry I have a father.

We're his children. And he tells us also in Galatians 4 verse 5. To redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba, father.

In the second place, the elder son had rejected fellowship. And in 1 John chapter 1 verse 3, we read these blessed words. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that ye also may have fellowship with us.

And truly our fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ. I like to think of the father in connection with the prodigal. And the fatted calf, speaking of the son, and there the father and his returning son, the prodigal, were feeding together on the fatted calf.

The fellowship of that young man was with his father. And with the fatted calf, a type of Christ, or with the father and with his son, Jesus Christ. This elder son rejected that fellowship.

In the third place, he rejected the inheritance. And in 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 3, which I will now read to you, we read something about the inheritance. Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.

What a wonderful inheritance that is. And then there's another verse I want to read to you in the 8th chapter of Romans. Romans chapter 8 and verse 17.

And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. And then in Acts chapter 20 and verse 32. And now, brethren, I command you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctifying.

This elder son, again I say, rejected the relationship. He rejected the fellowship. He rejected the inheritance.

And how solemn and how sad are the last words of that wonderful chapter. Luke 15, verse 32. It was meet that we should make merry.

Notice that we, not just the boy, but the father and his boy. It was meet that we should make merry and be glad for this thy brother. What a word for his conscience.

Thy brother. In verse 30, the young man had rejected also the fact that this prodigal had returned was his brother. He says, thy son was come.

But the father says, for this thy brother was dead. Oh, and say, friend, you are dead in trespasses and sins. According to Ephesians 2, verse 1, all unbelievers are dead in trespasses and sins before God.

Not dead physically, but dead spiritually. Was dead and is alive again. And was lost and is found.

You without Christ today are lost. How solemn a position you are in today. You are lost.

May these words be engraved on your soul. L-O-S-T. You are lost in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not.

And if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. O dear friend, would you not like to be found today? To be saved today? Then receive the Lord Jesus. To as many as received him, to them gave he power or authority to become the children of God.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And thou shalt be saved and thy house. How shall we escape if we neglect, not reject, but only neglect so great salvation? Once again you have heard the gospel.

There is a Savior waiting to receive you. To bring you into the house, into joy and peace and gladness. May God grant that he will bless his word.

That you my dear friend, if not the Lord, may receive today the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray this for his namesake and his eternal glory. May God bless and encourage you all.

We pray. Amen.