In Luke, chapter 15, verse 29, the elder brother says, 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 Christmas. I'm not being treated fairly. I'm being abused. I'm being unappreciated. I have entitled this message
the It's Not Fair Club. How many times have you been
treated unjustly, unfairly? How many times has your wife
not understood and abused you? I'm not saying anything. How
many times has your husband misunderstood you? What about your parents,
your children, your boss, the government, the preacher, the
church member, treated unfairly, misunderstood? You know, this club has a lot of
members and Unfortunately, it's a part of the human experience,
isn't it? Unfair. Life is not fair. The elder brother certainly exemplifies
the members of this club. Let's start in chapter 15, verse
1. then drew near unto him all the
publicans and sinners, for to hear him, the only holy man to ever live. And yet the publicans and come
into his presence and not feel threatened. They could draw near. Verse 2, And the Pharisees and
scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and he
even eats with them. Something's wrong with this picture.
These sinners can come into his presence. And he doesn't demonstrate
his disapproval of him. He doesn't hold them off. Something's
wrong with this. This is not right. The way this
man receives sinners. And he eats with them. He even
socializes with them. This is wrong. This is not fair. And verse three, he spake this
parable unto them. Now, who is this parable addressed
to? The Pharisees. The Pharisees. Now, I know these
fellows. I'm ashamed to say that I'm very
familiar with their way of thinking. It's the natural man's religion.
It's the religion that you and I have by nature. All men by nature are totally
depraved, and all men are by nature Pharisees. Isn't that
amazing? Both of those things are true.
Now, this parable has three parts. The lost sheep, the lost coin,
and the lost son. Let's just read verses three
through ten together. And he spake this parable unto
them, these Pharisees, who had such objections of the Lord not
rebuking these sinners and publicans, but receiving them and eating
with them. He spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of
you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth
not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after
that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found
it, he laith it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh
home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying
unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was
lost. I say unto you that likewise
joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth. You see, when you're found, you
know what you do? You repent. There shall be joy in heaven
over one sinner that repenteth more than over ninety and nine
just persons which need no repentance. Either want woman having ten
pieces of silver. If she lose one piece, does not
light a candle and sweep in the house and seek diligently till
she find it. And when she found that she calleth
her friends and her neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with
me, for I found the peace which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto
you, there's joy in the presence of the angels. Who's in the presence
of the angels? The Lord himself. There's joy in the presence of
the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. Now, I believe
the shepherd is the Lord Jesus Christ. The woman seeking the
peace represents the work of the Holy Spirit and the parable
of the prodigal that we're getting ready to read is the work of
the father. Now let's pick up in verse 11
once again. He tells a story. He said a certain man had two
sons. And the younger of them said
to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth
to me. I want mine inheritance right now. I don't want to wait. I want it right now. And you
can understand that. I'd like to have mine inheritance
now, too. It's been too old to enjoy it. Whatever that is. And what did he do? And not many days after, the
younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far
country. And there wasted his substance
with riotous living. He wasted all of his money on
wine, women, and songs. He was living the high life.
He was having a good time. I got to thinking about how many
times can this story be told over and over about some kid
going away to college? Same thing, isn't it? There is pleasure in sin for
a season. If you've not lived like this,
you've wanted to. He wasted his substance in riotous
living. Verse 14, And when he had spent
all, he squandered all of his money, and a mighty famine arose
in that land, and he began to be in want. He didn't have anything. You know, this was a blessing,
actually, as we're going to see. He began to be in want. Verse 15, and he went and joined
himself to a citizen of that country. You know, this is what
happens to people. They see that the riotous living
route didn't get them anywhere, so they go the route of religion.
He went to join himself to a citizen of that country. And he sent
him into his fields to feed swine. The most degrading job a Jew
could ever have. Verse 16, And he would fain have
filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat. And no
man gave unto him. Now, something takes place, verse
17, when he came to himself. He started thinking clearly by
the grace of God. He re-evaluated his past, and
he remembered How many hired servants of my father's have
bread enough to spare? And I perish with hunger. Here's what I'm going to do.
Verse 18, I will arise and I'll go to my father and I'll say
unto him, Father, I've sinned against heaven and before thee. And I'm no more worthy to be
called by son. Make me as one of the hired servants,
I wouldn't dare presume to take the position of a son once again. So he got everything planned
out, he arose and came to his father, but. When he was yet
a great way off. Before he could even see his
father. His father saw him. He said, that's my boy. That's
my son. And he had compassion and he
ran and he fell on his neck. I wonder what the prodigal thought
when he saw his father running at him. I bet he was wondering
what was going to take place. I don't think he was expecting
the reception he got. And the son, verse 21, said unto
him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and
I am no more worthy to be called thy son. But before he could
even finish, look what the father says. But the father said to
his servants, Bring forth the best robe. Not some second-rate
robe, but the best robe. He no doubt still smelled of
the swine. But you bring forth the best
robe. Oh, the father is the star of
this story. You bring forth the best robe
and put it on him. And put a ring on his hand and
put shoes on his feet. Verse 23, and bring hither the
fatted calf and kill it and let us eat and be married. Let's
have a party. For this my son was dead. and
is alive again and was lost and is found and they began to be
married what a wonderful story verse 25 now his elder brother
remember there were two sons his elder brother was in the
field While the younger son had wasted his substance and riotous
living and was out partying and living a desolate life, the other
boy was working as he should have been, serving his father
as he should have been. And he came and drew nigh to
the house and he heard music and dancing. There's a party
going on and he called one of the servants and asked what these
things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come. And here's what's taken place.
Thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he received him
safe and sound. And he was angry. He was mad. And he would not go in. Now I'm trying to put myself
in the elder brother's place, I'd be mad too. This boy was
worthless. Utterly worthless. He'd squandered
away the father's money. He brought shame
and disgrace upon the family. And you just receive him like
this? This is not fair. It's not right. The elder brother
was a long-standing member of the It's Not Fair Club. And can't
you identify with this man? I would have been saying the
same thing. It's not right. Doesn't this fellow face any
consequences for sin? You're just going to receive
him just like that? It's not right. It's not fair. You see, The members of this club have
a real hard time with free grace. Don't they? People in this club keep an account
of what they've done. Look what he says. Lo, these
many years do I serve thee. He remembered all the good stuff.
that he had done, and they had a very high opinion of their
personal obedience. He said, neither transgressed
I at any time thy commandments. Anybody believe him? I don't.
I don't believe him for a second. But there he talks. And yet thou never gavest me
a kid. This is not fair that I might make Mary with my friends,
but as soon as this look at his opinion of his brother, he didn't
say my brother, he says your son, your son, this zero, this
moral reprobate, this one who has spent all your money on harlots. Now, one of the things I notice
about the members of this club, they love to point out the sin
of others. We wouldn't have known that this fellow had been with
Harlots unless the brother said this, but he points it out to
make his own star shine a little brighter, doesn't he? As soon
as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with
Harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. What is
right about this? How can you receive him like
this after what he's done? It's not right. It's not fair. Verse 31, 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, is this elder brother nothing
more than a Pharisee? I wouldn't say he's not, but
I also know this. I see myself in him. I see myself
in the prodigal. Oh, I see myself in the prodigal.
And I see myself in the elder brother. It could be suggested
that the elder brother represents the old nature. The elder nature. The prodigal, the returning penitent. represents the new nature. I
don't know. But I know this. The older brother
is a member of the It's Not Fair Club. This is the oldest club
I know of. It's not fair. You know who started
this way of thinking? Satan in the garden. He said,
God's holding out on you. You could be just like him, but
he's holding out on you. He's not really treating you
fairly. You know who the founding member
was? Cain. It's not fair that you accept
my brother's sacrifice and you don't accept mine. That's not
fair. That's wrong. I'm not being treated
right. I can tell you who the board
of directors are on this club. Would you turn with me to Matthew
chapter 20? Matthew chapter 20, verse 1. For the kingdom of heaven is
like unto a man that is a householder. which went out early in the morning
to hire laborers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the
laborers at six o'clock in the morning, for a penny a day, he
sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third
hour, nine o'clock, nine a.m., and saw others standing idle
in the market, and he said to them, Go also into the vineyard,
and whatsoever is right I'll give you. And they went their
way, and he went out about six hours, noon, and the ninth hour,
three o'clock, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour,
five o'clock, an hour before quitting time, he went out and
found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye
here all the day idle? And they said, Because no man
of hours. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard,
and whatsoever is right, that shall you receive. So when even
was come, six p.m., end of the day, twelve-hour work day, The
Lord of the vineyard saith unto his stewards, Call the labors,
and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were
hired about the eleventh hour at five o'clock, they received
every man a penny. But when the first came, they
supposed that they should have received more, wouldn't you? If you work 12 hours and somebody
else only worked one hour, don't you have more coming? Now put
yourself in these fellows' place. I would be mad. This is not fair. This is not right. I have done
more. That was their attitude. I'd
say the fellows who worked 11 hours felt that way. I'd say
the fellows that work nine hours and three hours, there's the
board of directors. All of them said, this is not
fair. Look what they said. Verse 11,
when they'd received it, they murmured against the good man
of the house, saying, These have wrought but one hour, and thou
hast made them equal unto us. There's nothing right about this.
We've done twelve times more, and you've made them equal to
us. Which have borne the burden and
the heat of the day. They let the good man know what
they thought about working for him. It's a burden. We haven't enjoyed any of this.
And here you've made them equal to us. Verse 13, But he answered
one of them and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong. Didst not thou agree with me
for a penny? Take that thine is and go thy
way. I'll give unto this last, even as unto thee. Now here's
fair. Is it not lawful for me to do
what I will with my own? There's fair. Is that I evil
because I'm good, because I'm generous? Are you going to accuse
me of being evil because I'm generous to this one hour worker
and I may be an equal to you? Is that bad on my part? So the
last shall be first and the first last for many be called, but
few are chosen. Now, let me tell you a few things
about the members of this club. Let me tell you about their doctrine.
Their doctrine works like this. Turn to Romans chapter four. Verse three. Or verse four, Romans
chapter four, verse four, and now to him that worketh is the
reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. That's their belief. They believe that somehow salvation
is an entitlement. It's the reward, not of grace,
not a free grace, but what is owed to me. And these people
have a very high opinion of themselves, like the elder brother. I never
tried to grasp that commandment, not even once. And they have
a very low opinion of others, this thy son. They just can't
stand this thing of grace. Now these members are described
real clearly in Romans chapter 9. Would you turn there? Romans
chapter 9. You see, this club's been around
a long time, hasn't it? Romans chapter 9, verse 11, to the children,
talking about Jacob and Esau, being not yet born, neither having
done any good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to
election, might stand not of works. but of him that calleth. It was said unto her, The elder
shall serve the younger, as it is written, Jacob have I loved,
but Esau have I hated." Esau's being wronged here. How could this be right? How
could God hate Esau? It's not right for him to hate
Esau and to love Jacob. That's not fair. Verse 14, what should we say
then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Is God unfair? God forbid. For he saith to Moses,
I'll have mercy on whom I will have mercy. And I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then, it's not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.
You're in God's hands. He can show mercy on you. He
can extend favor toward you, or he can pass you by, and whatever
he does is right. It's right. And the fact that
I don't think it's right proves that I'm the one that's wrong.
Not God. The problem's with me. I've got
a problem with God. Listen, if you've got a problem
with God, you've got a problem. You've got a real problem. Whatever
God does is right. And no man has the right to set
in judgment upon Him and say, well, I agree with this or I
don't agree with that. Let's go on reading. Verse 17,
For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose
have I raised thee up. that I might show my power in
thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the
earth. Therefore, hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy? And
whom he will? He hardens. Thou wilt say unto
me, why did he yet find fault? How can he hold me responsible?
If he hardens my heart, how can it possibly be fair for him to
hold me responsible for what he did? To harden my heart and
send me to hell for it when he's the one who hardened my heart?
That's not right. That's not fair. And the reason
I know about these objections is because I've made every one
of them. I tell you the thing, when the Lord first dealt with
me, what I had the hardest time with was the fact that God elected
the people and there wasn't anything I could do to make myself one
of them. And it made me mad. It's not fair. It's not right.
There's nothing I can do to save myself. But I didn't understand
that election didn't keep me out of heaven. Elections wouldn't
bring sinners into heaven through Christ. It wouldn't be saved
if it wasn't for the elect. Say, that's not fair. When we
make an objection like that, that's not fair. What we're saying
is, is I'm, I'm more fair than God. I'm more righteous than
God. I'm more merciful than God. That's
what we're saying. But it's such hypocrisy. And
here's why it's hypocrisy. Because if it was up to me or
you, I've said this several times recently, if it's up to me or
you, nobody would be saved. Maybe I'd be saved. I'd be saved. I'd find out a way to have mercy
on myself. But you've crossed me enough. I might forgive you
two or three. After the hundredth time, that's it. Send them to
hell. I know I'd do that. And you would
too. You would too. Nobody would be saved. It was up to you. And you stand
in judgment on God? That's not fair. That's not right. Isn't that hypocrisy? You can
see that about yourself, can't you? I know it isn't. That's
not fair. No, here's fair. Verse 20, David,
old man, who are you to reply against God? Since when do you
have the moral authority to sit in judgment upon God, shout the
thing for him, say to him that formed it, why hast thou made
me thus? Here's fair, hath not the potter power over the clay? of the same lump to make one
vessel into honor and another into dishonor. What if God, willing
to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with
much longsuffering the vessels of wrath headed to destruction,
that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels
of mercy which He had aforeprepared unto glory, even us whom He had
called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles, as
He said also in Hosea, I called them My people which were not
My people. and her beloved, which was not my beloved, and shall
come to pass in the place where it was said unto them, You are
not my people, there shall they be called the children of the
living God. Isaiah also cried concerning
Israel, though the number of the children of Israel be as
the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved, for he will finish
the work and cut it short in righteousness, because a short
work will the Lord make on the earth. And as Isaiah said before,
except the Lord of Sabbath had left us a seed. We had been as
Sodom and been like unto Gomorrah. Now here is the facts of the
case. We would be no different than those fellows in Sodom and
Gomorrah unless God was pleased to elect a people and save them. Election doesn't keep anybody
from being saved. Election, the God of election,
saves people, opens the door of mercy wide open. Is this good
news to you? The children being not yet born,
neither having done any good or evil, doesn't have anything
to do your works. The purpose of God, according
to election, might stand. This opens the door of mercy. I don't want to be in the, it's
not fair club. Let's go back to the prodigal
and Luke 15. I want us to look at him. We
see the elder brother and I see him in me. Now let me tell you something
about this prodigal. He did not want fairness. He wanted mercy. That's what he wanted. He didn't
come to the Father and say, give me what I got coming. He wouldn't
have dared said that. He wanted mercy. He was like that Roman centurion
who said, I'm not worthy to even come under your roof. I'm not
worthy to have you come to me. Just speak the word only. He's
like that Syrophoenician woman who said, I'm a dog. True, what you said when you
said it's not fit to take the children's bread and throw it
to the dogs. I'm one of them. But the dogs eat the crumbs that
fall from their master's table. I'd be grateful for any crumbs
of mercy that come my way. Like the publican in the temple,
God be merciful to me, the sinner. He had no merit. He didn't have
any. He didn't have a drop of it.
What he needed was mercy. How about you? What do you need? I need mercy. Look at his view of his works. The elder brother said, neither
transgressed I at any time thy commandment. But he says, I will
arise in verse 18 and go to my father and say unto him, Father,
I've sinned. That's my works. I've sinned. I've sinned against heaven. My
sin is against God. And I've sinned in thy sight.
And he certainly had a low view of his person. He said, I'm not
worthy to be called by son. I wouldn't presume to think something
like that. And he sure had no sense of entitlement. He said, make me as one of thy
hired servants. He understood that the only hope
he had is what the Father made him to be. It was totally out
of his hand. Make me. I'll be grateful to
just be a hired servant. So he has rehearsed how he's
going to deal with this. And in verse 20, and he arose
and came to his father. But when his father was yet a
great way off, his father saw him. and had compassion. He saw this boy coming, no doubt
with the smell of pigs around him, having lived in poverty,
and he had compassion. And he ran, and he fell on his
neck, and he kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father,
I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight I am not worthy
to be called thy son. But before he could finish, the
father interrupted. The father said to the servants,
Bring forth the best robe. What's the best robe? That's
the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. You bring forth
the best robe and put it on him. He didn't say, hand it to him
and let him put it on himself. He said, put it on him. He does
it all. And you take a ring. When a married couple give each other
a ring, they say, I'm yours forever. A ring is a token of eternal
love. He said, you give him the token
of eternal love. And you put shoes on his feet. Grace to walk in the gospel. And let's have a party. Now, the star of this story is
the father. His forgiveness. Shakespeare
made this statement. And I think it's the best statement
he ever made. To err is human. To forgive is divine. What was the difference between
the father and the elder brother? Now you see yourself in both
of these men, don't you? The prodigal and the elder brother.
I sure do. But what was the difference between
the father and the elder brother? Love. Love. Love wants to bestow the best
on the object of its affection. Love. Love will receive freely. Love. Love wants the best. Now, to
all the members of the It's Not Fair Club. Everybody knows what it is to
be treated unfairly. To be treated unjustly, to be
misunderstood, to be unappreciated, to be abused. To all the members of the Unfair
Club, remember when you're angry who
you're angry at. You're angry at the Lord. He's the first cause behind everything.
He's the one who's in control. And we're showing what a low
opinion we have of Him and being mad at Him. He's the Lord. He's
good. You're bad. He's good. I'm evil. He's good. Whatever
he does is right. But let me say this. God will meet you on the ground
you choose. He'll let you come to him on
the basis of law, if that's what you want. He'll let you come
on the ground of fairness. But is that really what you want?
What will happen to you if you come like that? Or He'll let you come on the
ground of pure, free, sheer grace. And I can tell, or we're given
some understanding as to which ground you've come on. How you
come, how I come, will be seen in how I forgive others. That's what you see. If you come on the ground of sheer free grace
and forgiveness, you know what you'll do? You'll forgive. And if you come on the ground
of law and works, you know what you'll do? You'll refuse. Ephesians 4, 32. Be ye kind, tender-hearted, forgiving one
another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Why did God forgive you? Because
you asked? No. Because you were sorry? No. He
did it for Christ's sake. That's the only reason he needs.
And it's the only reason we need. May the Lord enable us to come
just like this prodigal did. We need the same thing he does.
Let's pray.