The Plowman

Great Lessons from a Miserable Pagan [ 30:34 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (227)

Great Lessons from a Miserable Pagan: 2016 Gospel of Luke #63

This is an exposition of Luke 16:1-13. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning June 18, 2017.

Intro:

It had been an interesting couple of days. Jesus, exhibiting the grit and determination of a street fighter, had been slugging it out with some of the religious establishment. Animosity and hostility had been building for months. The Scribes and Pharisees were determined to destroy the trouble-making rabbi from Galilee. In an attempt to trap him in a compromising situation they invited him to a dinner party. At the dinner they placed a man who was terminally ill. This was no accident. They knew of Jesus’ reputation for compassion and healing. They knew that he did not feel bound by Sabbath regulations. So they set the trap. Jesus obliged by healing the man. But rather than being trapped – he trapped them! They found themselves on the ropes. He then jabbed them with a stern word concerning their pride and arrogance in seeking out the places of honor. And then hit them with a rebuke of their impure motives. Jesus then proceeded to address the darkness of their hearts in failing to respond to the Gospel, in the parable of the Great Banquet. A large crowd gathered around and Jesus spoke of the cost of following him. As all involved were reeling over what they’ve heard Jesus spoke the parable of Lost Things revealing the depth of the love and grace of God. About this time I’m sure the crowd felt as if they’ve heard everything but they were not prepared for what came next. Our text this morning is found in Luke Luke 16 beginning with Luke 16:1.

Text: Luke 16:1-13

Dr. Luke is writing to his good friend Theophilus.
His purpose is to present and accurate account of the life and ministry of Jesus.
The goal is to bring his friend to faith in Christ.
We are in the closing months of our Lord’s earthly life and ministry.
He is determined to go to Jerusalem.
The time appointed in eternity has now come.
The moment of redemption has at last arrived.

This parable is one of those that caused a double take.
There is that part of you that says, “I’m not sure I heard that correctly.”
It is important to note that Jesus spoke these words to his disciples.
This is a word to the “faithful”.
This is intended to instruct those who have committed themselves to following him.
The reason this parable is so unusual is the character of the central figure.
He is a thief. A rogue. A white-collar criminal.
Yet his master commends him for his shrewdness.
The story is called “The Parable of the Shrewd Manager” but I prefer to call it “Lessons from a Miserable Pagan.”

This is one of the reasons why I’m convinced that Jesus was a master storyteller.

Thesis: For only Jesus could use a miserable pagan to teach his followers the importance of diligence, faithfulness and loyalty.

Take a look at this story. Remember the context of a parable, it is a story to be heard. It is intended to leave you with an impression. We must be careful and not read things into it but allow it to speak for itself.

Recount the details.

This lying, scheming thief pulled off another scam. Now, what’s the great lesson our Lord wants his followers to come away with?

As our Lord applies this parable we find three valuable lessons.

1. The shrewdness of this pagan challenges the believer to diligent planning for the future. (16:8b-9)
2. The irresponsibility of this pagan reminds us of the necessity of faithfulness. (16:10-12)
3. The self-serving attitude of this pagan warns us of the danger of trying to serve two masters. (16:13)

Conclusion:

Now that I think about it, I guess you can learn a lot from a miserable pagan. We need to thank him for:

• challenging us to consider the future.
• reminding us of the need for faithfulness
• warning us of the danger of trying to serve two masters.

The Lost Brother [ 35:04 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (223)

The Lost Brother: 2016 Gospel of Luke #62

This is an exposition of Luke 15:25-32. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, June 11, 2017.

Intro:

He had been working out in the fields and was approaching the house when he heard laughter and music.  There was obviously a large crowd, what was this?  It sounds like a party but there was nothing planned, at least nothing he knew about.  The closer he got the more upset he became.  He called a servant over and demanded an explanation.  “Haven’t you heard?  Your brother is back.  He’s lost weight, he’s been through a lot but he’s home.  Your father is overjoyed and he’s called everyone to come and celebrate.  He’s home.  Your brother is home.”  That was not welcome news.  “So, my worthless brother has returned.  As far as I’m concerned this is no time for celebrating.  What in the world is my father thinking?”  It is here we discover there were 2 lost sons.  One obviously lost the other just as lost, perhaps even more lost, but not so obvious.  Our text this morning is found in Luke’s Gospel, Luke 15 beginning with Luke 15:25.

Text: Luke 15:25-32

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to die.  To give his life a ransom for sin.  Along the way great crowds are following him.  Tax collectors and sinners are flocking to him while the religious establishment seethes with resentment.  He was invited to the home of a Pharisee for dinner.  This was not a social occasion it was a trap.  They had hoped to force his hand and cause he to do or say something that they could use against him.  These religious leaders were confident in their plan, after all Jesus was just some country bumpkin traveling preacher.  They were wrong of course and his popularity grew.  As he continued on his way to Jerusalem they Scribes and Pharisees said, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”  Thus he turned to them and Spoke a parable.  Luke 15:4-32 is one parable containing three stories.  The whole parable is focused on the attitude and actions of God toward the lost and dying.

The religious leaders were outraged at the thought of his welcoming sinners.
They were repulsed by the idea that he would share a meal with them.
The parable was told to reveal how little these religious experts knew about God.

In contrast to their attitude of shunning and pushing away sinners, God lovingly welcomes repentant sinners into His presence and shares life with them.

The lost sheep reveals our God’s persistent pursuit of the lost and dying.
The lost coin reveals His diligent determination is finding the lost and dying.
The lost son reveals His joyous reception of the repentant sinner.

We often call the story of the lost son the story of the “Prodigal Son.”  The word prodigal means wild, extravagant and wasteful.  That is a term that might more properly be used to refer to the Father’s love for the lost son.  This son hated his father.  Rejected his father.  Demanded control of his share of the father’s estate only to waste it all on reckless living.  Then, having hit bottom he had the nerve to come home.  He returned to find his father waiting, longing for his wayward son to return.  While he was still a long way off the father saw him, had compassion for him, ran to him, embraced him and kissed him repeatedly.  Then he called for the finest robe, a signet ring and a barbecue.  This son, once dead, was now alive.  The one who was lost had been found.   But not everyone rejoiced.  There was an older brother.

What is the context of this parable?
Who was our Lord addressing?
What was the specific concern?
Now our Lord brings the Scribes and Pharisees into the story as he brings it to a close.

Here we learn…

Thesis: The biblical gospel joyously proclaims the wild, extravagant love of God even for the cold-hearted, self-righteous, and morally upstanding sinner.

Before the apostle Paul comes to the conclusion in Luke 3 of Romans that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, he builds his case by first talking about the “Saturday Night” sinners in Luke 1.  These are those folks who are far way from God.  The thorough going sinners involved in every form of immorality and showing no regard for God at all.  Then in Luke 2 he deals with the “Sunday Morning” sinners.  Those who give the appearance of righteousness.  Those who claim to love and obey God and yet are just as rebellious and sinful as that crowd spoken of in Luke 1 – just in more respectable ways.

This is what is at the heart of our text this morning.
There are three things I want us to note as we work our way through this brief text.

1. It is entirely possible to be lost without ever leaving home.  (15:25-28)
2. The devastating soul-sickness of “good” lost people.  (15:29-30)
3. The love of God for morally upstanding sinners.  (15:31-32)Conclusion:
   You notice it ends there.  There is no conclusion.  Luke doesn’t say, “In a moment the result of that parable.”  It’s left open.  Why?  Because you must write the ending of your own story.  My hope and prayer is that you will enter into the party and experience the father’s grace for yourself!

The Lost Son [ 39:44 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (249)

The Lost Son: 2016 Gospel of Luke #61

This is an exposition of Luke 15:11-24. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, June 4, 2017.

Intro:

Lost things.  We’ve all known the heartache of losing something we cherish.  As a child you lost a favorite toy or a treasured memento.  You thought there could be nothing worse than losing that thing you loved this until you lost that friend who moved away.  As you grew older you learned that things come and go and that friends move away.  Lost things are part of life.  That knowledge really didn’t help when you lost that friend, not because he or she moved away but because they no longer wanted to be friends.  Nothing hurts more than continually running into that thing which is lost yet remains physically close.  As painful as it is to lose something or someone, there is no greater joy than finding that which was lost.  There’s that ball glove.  I should have known it was in the bottom of my closet.  Oh, there’s that doll.  It fell behind the dresser.  She’s been there all along waiting to be found.  “Hey, guess who just moved back to town?”  Or one day you ran into each other at lunch.  There was a bit of small talk and before you knew it the distance between you had somehow vanished.  Whatever it was doesn’t matter anymore.  All that matters is that your relationship has been restored and your heart is full.  What was lost has been found.  What was broken is now restored.

It is the most famous of our Lord’s parables.  The parable of lost things.  It’s all one parable yet told in three parts; three stories telling of the pain of loss and the joy of finding.  Luke 15:4-32 is one parable.  The focus of the parable is on the attitude and actions of our God toward the lost.  Three stories yet one theme.  One melody played by three different instruments.  It is the same music yet each with a distinct sound.

Our text this morning is Luke 15:11-24.

Text: Luke 15:11-24

Two weeks ago we considered the story of the lost sheep emphasizing the persistence of our God in His loving pursuit of the lost and dying.  A man had 100 sheep and 1 came up missing.  He left the 99 and went in pursuit of the 1 lost and remained at the task until it was found.

Then last week we considered the story of the lost coin.  A woman had 10 silver coins (her life’s savings) and 1 came up missing.  There we learned of the diligent determination of our God in pursuing the lost and dying.

This morning we consider the story of the lost son.  This is one of the most famous stories ever told.  It is famous because it is told by our Lord.  It is famous because it is so perfectly told (not a single detail is wasted).  It is famous because when we hear it we cannot help but sense it is really our story.  We pity the sheep, we value the coin but we identify with the son.

In this, the climax of the three stories, we again are reminded of the attitude of our God toward the lost.  In this story we are reminding that…

Thesis: The biblical gospel powerfully proclaims the love of God in His joyous reception the repentant sinner.

That has been our Lord’s focus – 15:7 & 15:10
Now we have a powerful picture of that truth in this story.
There are 3 things I want us to note as this drama unfolds.

1. The Lost Son (15:11-16)
2. The Journey Home (15:17-19)
3. An Astounding Acceptance (15:20-24)

Conclusion:
Do you know how much the Father loves you?
He sent the Lord Jesus to be your Savior.
He is calling you back from the far country of sin.
He is looking for you – longing to receive you.

Will you come home to the Father’s love?