Sermon Title: The reckless love of God
Scripture: Luke 15:11-31

Guilt-Innocence culture vs Honor-Shame culture

Eastern cultures are much more focused on the group and operate by an “honor-shame” culture. In an honor-shame culture whenever an individual has done something shameful, there is very little that this person can do, on their own, to abate this. It is incumbent upon the group to not only ascribe shame for actions and attitudes that go against the group but also to ascribe honor. Theology in the Context of World Christianity - Timothy C. Tennent

I. A selfish son

“To accept one’s inheritance involves accepting leadership responsibilities in the family clan. Receiving your inheritance means you’re bound to oversee the property, help solve family quarrels, defend the family honor against opponents, increase the family’s wealth and represent the family name nobly at village functions like weddings, feasts, funerals and business transactions.” He must build his father’s house & labor for the future success of the family. But this is specifically what he does not want and does not ask for. He wants the money, not the inheritance. The Parables of Jesus - Joachim Jeremias

• But what he has not grasped is that he hasn’t broken a law, he’s broken his father’s heart. It’s not the money the father wants restored, it’s the relationship with his son.

• When we say the words “sorry” without feeling the gravity or damage created by our words and actions, it feels hollow.

II. A self-righteous brother

• He is the model son: dutiful, loyal and responsible.

• He is angered by the generosity of his father when the prodigal returns.

• Here is our problem with God’s mercy: the greater the offense, the greater is God’s mercy. We gratefully receive it when we are the offender but we have a hard time with the extravagant and unqualified offer of God’s grace to those whom we think deserve punishment for their crimes.

• This older son needs to be forgiven by his father just as much as his younger brother. He thinks they need to apologize to him. In reality, he needs their forgiveness.

“He serves as a warning to me that it is possible to obey God’s commands, to fulfill what I believe is my duty before God, to even serve God… and be lost. I can be leading in the church, praying, reading the Bible, serving, or witnessing and be lost. As I work for God, I can appear to be near God and yet actually be very far from him.” The Emotionally Healthy Leader - Pete Scazzero

3 questions we can use to discern whether we are like the older brother in this story:

- Do I hold on to my anger, rather than process it and let it go?

- Do I find myself grumbling complaining about what others have that I don’t?

- Do I have a hard time forgiving others because I’m unaware of my own failures?

III. A shameless God

The word run in Greek is the technical word used for the foot races in the stadium. We can translate it this way: “His father saw him and had compassion on him and raced.”

There must be a demonstration of his suffering visible to the son. Without this, the son in his callousness, would never discover the suffering of his father or understand he is the cause of it. This physical demonstration of self-emptying love is crucial; without it there can be no reconciliation.

Jesus endures the shame and suffering of the cross, so that he might run to you with nothing but compassion in his heart towards you.

Additional Notes: