Facing Yourself
Luke 15:11-32
According to a news report, a certain private school in Victoria recently was faced with a unique problem. A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine, but after they put an their lipstick they would press their lips to the mirror, leaving dozens of little lip prints.
Every night, the maintenance man would remove them and the next day, the girls would put them back. Finally the principal decided that something had to be done.
She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night.
To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required. He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it. Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.
There are teachers, and then there are educators...
Honestly facing ourselves is one of the hardest steps we can ever take. Admitting that I need help, or that there is something wrong in my life, is a very difficult thing to do, right? We as men, we are trained up as self-protectors, and self preservationist, not self-evaluation.
Open your Bibles and turn with me to Luke 15:11-32. Here we read a story that illustrates what happens when we actually face ourselves honestly. There, the Word of God says, “Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.
He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’
So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.
But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
We typically use this passage to inform the unsaved of of God's love regardless of how deeply they have sunken into sin. That truth lives here in this Scripture, and it is indeed beautiful! But there is yet another truth that we will add to this first truth.
While one brother came to himself and made improvements, the other brother maintained his righteous pride and lived on in misery. The truth is simple, making the most of our lives comes from an honest appraisal of our true condition, not just how we want to see ourselves, our how we want others to see us!
The Faulty Appraisal of the Younger Brother
A counselor from a seventh grade camp was discussing with twelve-year-old Scott about Scott's expereience with trying out 'snuff' on the school camp with two other boys the night before.¡"got really sick on the stuff," said Scott.
The Counselor asked, 'What did you think of the whole experience?."
Scott replied, "I won't ever try it again and I've already told God I'm sorry, but please dont tell my teacher Mr. Johnston."
The counselor questioned Scott: "But God knows what you did. What's the difference between god"s knowing and Mr Johnston knowing?"
Scott explained, "God won't tell my parents."
The younger brother in our Scripture, believed the real problem was with his home and his parents. Life just seemed so 'hum-drum' to him. He was probably wanting to have some excitement in his life. Have you ever felt that way? I know I sure have.
In fact, many people assume that the Christian life is just flat out boring. That is why so many will not accept Him into their lives, they feel he will want them to settle down and live a monotonous life. No fun, just old hymns and staying on your knees and praying to a distant God. They could not be any further from the truth!
I can tell you as a man of God, there is so much going on! And I am not just talking about potlucks! Though I will tell you, those are very fun! I am talking about a spiritual war here. Once you have accepted Christ, Satan now tries to get you back! Not because he misses you, but because he wants you to join him in the lake of fire!
He tries so many ways. Once he realizes one way won't work, he tries yet another!
The younger brother was looking into the future, and was looking at it in a faulty way! While where he lived was comfortable, that land off in the distance seemed to offer so much more fun, so much more adventure, so much life! So he thought. I was sent a text the other day that said, "The grass may be greener but you still have to mow it."
Kind of reminds me of a story in Wisconsin. It goes The old cow gave good milk, but she sure was dumb. She had a whole field in which to feed, yet no grass seems quite as tasty as those patches outside her own pasture. She often stretches her head through the barb wire fence, while right behind her is everything that she needs --excellent grazing land, beautiful shade trees, a cool, refreshing stream of water, and even a big chunk of salt; What more could she want?" It’s not just cows who pull that stunt. Sometimes we act like that old cow. We think that the "grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."
This younger brother felt that the people in the distant land had all the answers to life. You will notice, it did not take him long to discover that they did not. In fact, not only did they not have the answers to life, but they had even more questions! What seemed so attractive from a distance, was really garbage up close! Though the faraway land sounded so great, it was just as bad as where he started.
While he was there, all those people that he thought were such good friends were actually very self-absorbed. Let me ask, does any of this sound familiar? Have you ever had people portray themselves as your friend, maybe even close enough to be a brother, then prove themselves as the enemy? I sure know I have!
The younger brother did eventually make a few good decisions though. He decided that the pigpen was a terrible way of life. Something just had to be better.
Now, All of us have made some good decisions in our lives. But we have also made some pretty lame ones too, right? Like should I hang out with a person who is doing things that can only lead to bad results? Or, should I go ahead and tell that lie so I can get what I really really want? You know what I am referring to, right?
Then you go ahead and do what you knew was wrong. Maybe you seem to reap something good from it, at least temporarily. But the truth eventually catches up to you and what you did, and then you have a high price to pay for it, right? Amen?
When you sit back and think about it, you eventually realize there must have been something better than living that life. He did!
SO he took the first step to correct the situation. Look at verse 18 with me, “I will set out and go back to my father and say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.”
He admitted his guilt of sin. First he was convicted, then he confessed his sins. That is the first step to correct the situation. You see, he realized that the the bad things of a good life are always far better than the best things of a bad life. Amen?
After making an honest appraisal of his predicament, he made a conscious decision to act. Verse 20 says, “So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son , threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
A pastor tells the story, “Once at a young girl’s funeral, I had to make just such a decision. The girl’s father was a member of the church and an air force serviceman. He was an aide on Air Force One and had flown with the president many times. A few generals and lots of upper-crust brass attended the funeral. When it came time to review the open casket at the end of the service, I went to take his customary place at the head of the little casket. Standing in this needy place, I often hug family and friends, particularly at a child’s funeral. There is no kind of occasion that more elicits tears and touching than a child’s funeral.”
“On this particular occasion I looked at all the generals who were there, and I thought to myself, I must keep my respectful distance here. It is not my place to hug a general.”
“But as the people began to pass me by, one of the enlisted men, who was a pallbearer, came past me and hugged me. He was weeping, and I hugged him back. The next person by the casket was a general, and when he saw the serviceman ahead of him weeping for the child, tears filled his eyes. When he came to me, I took his hand to shake it, whereupon he reached out, grabbed my hand, and pulled me toward him. I hugged him as he wept. His open humanity gave all the other upper-level military brass permission to hug me.”
“Hugging generals was never a goal of mine, but I am grateful for the ministry of touch, and I hope you yourselves might realize that touching is one of the senses, and the one that is easiest to appropriate in following your calling. Remember the Prodigal Son; remember the waiting father. When the son returned, here is what the father did:
And he arose, and came to his father.
But when he was yet a great way off,
His father saw him, and had compassion, and ran,
And fell on his neck, and kissed him. (Luke 15:20 KJV)
His father could not come into his environment, but the son could leave and go home.
Looking at verses 20-24, we can see the positive results, “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.
For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”
He had found that the good life, the genuine good life comes from personal introspection and change!
Now, the older brother, he had a faulty perspective
This guy was as miserable in his self righteousness as his brother was in his sinful lifestyle. In fact, he could represent a whole lotta church members, couldn't he?! He had a much more difficult time facing his needs than his younger brother did in facing his. He had never done anything so outrageous, no prostitutes, no partying, no pigpen. So righteous!
You see, he had a two-fold problem. A person cannot truly love others and still acts as he did in verse 28,“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.”
This guy had way too much self love. Have you ever met anyone like that? I have, and you can really see their colors when under pressure. They can give Christians a really bad name.
He actually thought his father should not love his younger brother. I mean, the younger brother was wayward, and was so undeserving, right?
Genuine love never shoots it's wounded!
The real tragedy of this story is the older brother never comes to himself. He missed the celebration because of his anger and self-righteous attitude.
Application:
When we come to ourselves, our heavenly Father celebrates! His child has returned!
Jesus was sent by the Father to speak to our hearts today. SO that we do not need to miss the heavenly celebration!
I ask that today, you make an honest appraisal of yourself. Are you living in that far off country, maybe wallowing in a mess of life? If so, I urge you to accept His offer of grace! Be a part of his celebration of life!
