The Lay Preacher Luke 15:11-32 And he said, A certain man had two sons:… The aim of every Christian is to be complete in Christ; but how many of His own are poor in the possession of His sympathies, His generosity and meekness, His large views? Let us see how these are represented by the elder brother, and show how our Father in heaven deals with the errors of such a disposition. I. THE SOURCES OF IMPERFECTION IN THIS CHARACTER. 1. Wrong views of the character of God. This man had not sufficient trust in the integrity and goodness of his father. 2. Wrong views of the nature of religious service. This elder brother considered the service of his father as legal and constrained. The child of God ought to have feeling of possession in the property of his Father, serving Him as a son who is native to the inheritance. 3. Wrong feeling towards the objects of the Divine mercy. To mention the evils of his brother's life, at such a time as this, was bad taste, and worse feeling. He might have trusted the honest affection of his father, and waited till his own soul rose to that high eminence. That feeling Which refuses to recognize a man as one of the family of Gods because he has greatly sinned, is a bad feeling. II. THE DIVINE REMEDY. The same love which received the prodigal home now argues with the narrow-minded saint. That love is great to cover faults, and to develop the most unpromising germs of goodness. It is not expended in the single effort of forgiveness, but has reserves of force to transform, purify, and elevate. There are souls within the kingdom of God who are not fully in sympathy with the greatness of the Divine love. There are surfaces on which, when the light falls, some of the rays are quenched, and the reflection is imperfect. There are some souls who fail to reflect the full splendour of the love of God. What we know of this heavenly principle depends upon what we are able to receive. 1. The first remedy for this state of mind is to impress us with the sacredness and worth of true feeling. There is a logic of the heart which no sophistry can invade or dissipate. Let us follow those impulses of the Divine love within us, though we cannot now mark out by our reason the whole journey. At what time the mind disposes to unbelief, the heart can restore us to faith. 2. Another remedy is — We are reminded that God's resources are infinite. Lavish bounty of design and provision is the rule of nature. How grudging and narrow is man! How good is God! 3. We are reminded that constancy of service is superior to sudden rapture. (The Lay Preacher.) Parallel Verses KJV: And he said, A certain man had two sons: |
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