Participants: Frank Fournier
Series Code: HPOV
Program Code: HPOV000021A
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00:01 Hello, my name is Frank Fournier.
00:03 I am here to welcome you to Heaven's Point of View. 00:06 We're still studying the Parable of the Prodigal Son 00:09 and you're invited to stay with us, hope you enjoy. 00:42 I like to invite you to turn with me 00:44 to Luke Chapter 15. 00:46 We finished studying the younger son 00:48 in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. 00:49 This young man was without God in the world 00:52 but praise God he found his way 00:54 through Jesus Christ, through salvation. 00:57 Now we're going to turn our attention to the elder brother. 01:01 But he's without God too. 01:03 The problem with him is that he is in the church 01:07 and he doesn't know that he is without God. 01:10 And do you know that if there is a problem 01:12 with you and I this would be the problem 01:15 we might be in the church putting our salvation, 01:19 putting our hearts and our hopes to a salvation 01:22 that doesn't exist because we don't understand 01:25 that it's not enough to belong to a church, 01:27 it's not enough to be religious. 01:31 We're going to-- we're in Luke Chapter 15 01:34 we're gonna start with verse 25 today. 01:37 Luke 15:25. 01:41 "Now his elder son was in the field," 01:44 now take note this as a Christian, 01:48 he's not out in the bars, he's not dancing, 01:51 drinking and fornicating with harlots, 01:53 this man is in the field, in the mission field. 01:57 If you please he's working for his father, 01:59 the father in the parable represents God. 02:01 He's in the churches employ and not only that 02:04 but the parable tells us 02:06 that he keeps all the Commandments of God 02:08 and yet something is drastically wrong 02:11 with this young man's Christian experience. 02:14 Verse 25, "Now his elder son was in the field, 02:19 and as he came and drew nigh to the house" 02:21 now remember in all the parables of Jesus Christ 02:24 the house always represents the church. 02:27 And so here we are, 02:28 the elder brother is in the field, 02:29 he's coming out of the field 02:30 and he comes by the church as it were 02:33 and he heard music and dancing 02:36 and this caught him by surprise apparently 02:39 because he called one of the servants 02:41 and asked what these things meant. 02:43 Now this is a mystery in my mind, 02:45 if there's one place in the world 02:47 where a man should be happy. 02:49 If there's one place in the world 02:50 where we should hear music and rejoicing 02:53 and where there should be dancing 02:55 whether it is figurative or not, it should be in the church. 02:59 There's misery all over the world 03:02 but if there's one place 03:03 where there should be joy it's in the church. 03:06 And yet when this young man comes by the church 03:09 he's surprised to hear that there's music there, 03:11 he's surprised to hear that there is rejoicing there. 03:14 Isn't that amazing? 03:15 Verse 27, "And he said to him" that is to the servant. 03:19 No, the servant said to him, 03:21 the elder brother "Thy brother is come, 03:24 and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, 03:27 because he has received him safe and sound. 03:30 And the elder brother was angry." 03:35 Now that's hard to understand. 03:37 You would think that the elder brother-- 03:39 the elder brother would have been happy 03:42 but he wasn't. 03:44 So now we need to try to understand 03:46 what's going on in this young man's head? 03:49 We need to get into his own shoes 03:51 and see if can understand this. 03:53 You see his younger brother hasn't done any work 03:56 around the place for a long time. 03:58 He's been happy to go out there to party 04:00 and to drink booze and to take drugs 04:02 and to have sex and to play games 04:04 and to sin pretty well all together. 04:06 Now he's got the goal to come home 04:09 with his hand out looking for or begging for a handout. 04:13 And worse than that his father receives him like 04:17 he's a celebrity and on top of that 04:20 the father applies the merits of the fatted calf to him. 04:25 He's done no pennants. He's done no work. 04:29 He spent no time on probation 04:31 while the elder brother has never left home, 04:35 he's always obey, he's always worked 04:36 and he's denied himself the pleasure of sin. 04:39 And you get the idea that perhaps 04:40 he would have enjoyed a little bit of sin now and then 04:43 but he wouldn't allow himself 04:45 because he was legalistic about this thing. 04:49 He stayed with the church 04:50 and he did all that hoping to be recognized. 04:52 He did all that hoping to be seen of men. 04:56 He did all that hoping to receive the robe, the ring, 04:59 the shoes and the feast and he received none of this 05:03 and it precipitated him into a spiritual crisis 05:06 because he just couldn't grasp what was going on. 05:09 He just didn't understand what he was going through 05:12 and he was confused and frustrated. 05:16 He didn't release that his kind of religion 05:19 did not save him. 05:21 I would like to have you turn with me to Romans Chapter 9. 05:25 We're going to Romans Chapter 9. 05:28 The Apostle Paul here in Romans Chapter 9 speaks to us 05:32 of then older brother and a younger brother. 05:35 Actually he's speaking to us about 05:37 the Jews in the days of Paul 05:38 and the Gentiles in the days of Paul also 05:41 and we're looking at verse 30. 05:43 Look at verse 30 with me in Romans Chapter 9. 05:46 "What shall we say then? 05:48 That the Gentiles," 05:49 that's the younger brother in my mind 05:51 "which followed not after righteousness" 05:54 Did you grasp that? 05:55 They followed not after righteousness. 05:58 My Bible in Psalms 119:172 says, 06:03 "All thy commandments are righteousness." 06:05 So in other words here we find the Gentiles 06:07 not attempting to keep the commandments of God 06:10 and yet the verse goes on to say, 06:12 "They have attained to righteousness." 06:15 They did manage to do the right thing. 06:17 They did manage to keep the Commandments of God 06:19 "even the righteousness which is by faith." 06:22 Isn't that amazing? How does that happen? 06:25 And look at the next verse, 06:26 verse 31 "But Israel," which I equate 06:30 to the elder brother in this context. 06:34 "But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness." 06:38 These people as you know-- 06:39 the Jewish people in those days would multiply commandments 06:43 in an attempt to guard from breaking 06:46 the Ten Commandments, you see. 06:48 They were hard on the track of keeping the law. 06:52 "But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness" 06:56 notice here "they attained not to it, 06:59 to the law of righteousness." 07:01 And then the next verse, 07:02 ask the question why, "Wherefore? 07:05 Because they sought it not by faith, 07:09 but as it were by the works of the law." 07:13 But I appreciate is next few words-- 07:17 We're going on to Romans Chapter 10. 07:19 But you know that in the original Bible 07:22 there's no chapter division, 07:24 this is the same discourse here. 07:27 And I want you to notice 07:29 how this is explained by the Apostle Paul. 07:32 Turn with me to Romans Chapter 10, 07:34 we're looking at verses 1-4. 07:37 "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer for God, 07:40 to God for Israel is, that they might be saved." 07:44 Talking about the Jews. 07:46 "But I bear them record that they have a zeal for God" 07:49 they are really religious, they know their Bibles 07:52 "but not according to knowledge." 07:55 There's something they don't understand. 07:57 "And they being ignorant." 07:59 Can you imagine that these people 08:00 would have been ignorant? 08:01 But they were ignorant. 08:03 They had misinterpreted the scriptures. 08:06 "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness" 08:08 that is the gift of God's righteousness. 08:11 They went about and trying to establish 08:13 their own righteousness have not submitted 08:17 themselves unto the righteousness 08:19 that is the gift of God's righteousness for Christ, 08:21 which is the gift of God by the way. 08:23 "God so loved the world He gave His Son." 08:26 For Christ is the end. 08:27 The fulfillment of the law for righteousness 08:30 to everyone that believes." 08:33 Amazing, it's a fantastic theology. 08:37 It's beautiful and we can see here 08:40 that all we have to do is receive the gift of God, 08:43 the gift of His righteousness and like the Gentiles 08:45 we may attain to righteousness. 08:47 We can do the right thing by the power of God, 08:50 the power of His grace. 08:52 Now as you know the broken law makes 08:55 two claims upon a human being. 08:58 And the first claim that it makes is that 09:00 we live a perfect life from the day 09:03 we're born till the day we die. 09:06 And if we fail of living a perfect life 09:09 from the day we're born till the day we die 09:11 than the law demands that we die, of course. 09:14 That we die not just a normal death 09:17 but as the Bible speaks of the second death 09:19 that we die an eternal death. 09:21 Now obviously we failed already. 09:24 All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, 09:26 we can't live that perfect life 09:28 therefore we are facing the sentence of eternal death 09:31 and who wants to pay that? 09:33 Can you imagine how lost we are? 09:35 If we saw in reality our spiritual condition today, 09:40 we would understand 09:41 that we're hopelessly, helplessly lost. 09:44 There's nothing that we can do about it. 09:47 We are done expect for one thing, 09:50 "God so loved the world 09:53 that He gave His only begotten Son." 09:55 And do you know that, that Son Jesus Christ 09:58 has met the claims of the law on both accounts? 10:03 Jesus lived a perfect life from the day 10:05 He was born till the day He died. 10:07 He was tempted in every respect just like we are, 10:10 yet He never sinned, perfect life. 10:13 And not only that, at the end of a perfect life 10:15 He didn't have to die 10:17 but He chose to be sacrificed on our behalf, 10:19 He took our death 10:21 and paid the penalty that we deserved. 10:24 After this He was resurrected, He ascended to heaven 10:27 and He came to His Father in heaven 10:29 after He had paid the price. 10:32 In one hand He presented to His father, 10:34 His perfect life in this world out of the other hand 10:37 He presented to His Father 10:39 a perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world 10:41 and His Father said it is enough, 10:45 give to the human race the gift of salvation. 10:48 And so that's what Jesus Christ has done. 10:50 He's given to us the gift of salvation 10:54 and by this we're saved. 10:57 We cannot be saved by anything else. 11:01 The elder brother, the Jews of old, 11:04 some Christians today and all the other religions 11:07 think that religion and good behavior 11:10 and hard work and a reformed lifestyle 11:13 will make a way for them to the Kingdom of heaven 11:16 but, friends, it won't. 11:18 Consequently the Jews lost their place 11:20 as God's chosen people. 11:22 And the elder brother did not experienced 11:25 the gift of the robe and the ring 11:27 and the shoes and the feast 11:28 and unless you and I understand 11:32 the gospel as it is, as I've just explained it 11:35 then you and I are preparing ourselves 11:39 for one of the worst surprise that we could ever experience. 11:42 We don't want this at all. 11:44 I'll have you turn with me to Luke Chapter 17. 11:49 We're going to Luke Chapter 17 now, 11:54 Jesus in Luke Chapter 17, 11:58 in some respect it appears to be 12:00 out of context, out of character. 12:03 We're in Luke Chapter 17, it's a little parable. 12:06 I want you to see that in verse 7. 12:08 We're going to go to from verse 7 12:10 to verse 9 in Luke 17. 12:13 "But which of you, having a servant plowing 12:15 or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, 12:18 when he is come from the field, 12:20 Go and sit down to eat? 12:22 And will you not rather say, 12:24 make ready where with I may sup, 12:26 and gird yourself and serve me, 12:28 till I have eaten and drunken 12:30 and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?" 12:32 And this is why I say that 12:33 this is kind of out of character for Christ 12:36 because Jesus came to this world to be the servant of all. 12:40 He's the greatest servant that ever lived 12:42 and yet in this parable He's saying, hey, 12:44 how many people do you know 12:45 that go around hiring people in order to serve them? 12:49 Well, we don't hire people to serve them. 12:51 We have a job that needs to be done. 12:53 We hire them so that they can do the job, okay. 12:56 Well, Jesus has a point in all of this. 12:58 He's trying to teach something, verse 9. 13:01 "Do you thank that servant because he has done 13:04 that which you have commanded?" 13:06 Then He says, no way. Look at verse 10. 13:10 "So likewise you, when you shall have done all those things 13:15 which are commanded you." 13:17 Look you, when you have kept all the commandments of God, 13:22 I want you to stay, 13:23 we are yet unprofitable servants, 13:25 we have only done what that which is our duty to do." 13:29 Can you see it? 13:30 We can keep all the Commandments of God. 13:32 There is grace for it and I'd like to encourage you 13:35 to keep the commandments of God. 13:36 But, friends, after you and I have done 13:39 with the keeping of the commandments, 13:40 after we've done our best and we're good citizens, 13:43 do you know that it doesn't work for us 13:47 to get into the Kingdom of Heaven 13:49 and does not get us any favor with God, 13:51 we've just done our duty. 13:53 Friends, the reason for that of course 13:55 is that we're already sinners, 13:58 we've already broken the law, haven't we? 14:01 What would you think of a man 14:04 who is accused of murder showing up before the judge? 14:08 And he says to the judge, now listen judge, 14:10 I want to promise you, 14:11 I will never kill another man in my life again. 14:14 What would the judge say? 14:16 Oh, the judge will say, 14:17 you're not on trial for the men you haven't killed. 14:20 You're on trial for the one you've already killed. 14:22 You've already fallen. 14:23 You've already sinned, you've already done it 14:25 and this is why you're on trial. 14:27 But, friends, you and I 14:28 are on trial for the very same thing. 14:30 We can't promise God we will never sin again, 14:33 even if we did never sin again it would be too late 14:37 because we already had sinned, 14:39 we're already lost. 14:40 The only way to the Kingdom of Heaven 14:43 is through the righteousness of Jesus Christ as a gift to us, 14:46 that's the only way. 14:48 I hope you understand that because that is the truth. 14:52 Now someone will say, well, 14:53 isn't there a verse in the Bible that says 14:55 we have to work hard to be good? 14:57 Turn with me to Luke Chapter 13 14:59 because that's what it seems to say there. 15:02 But I would like to dispel this notion because it isn't so. 15:06 Oh, it doesn't mean we don't have to work hard, 15:09 but it's not to be perfect because it just doesn't work. 15:13 Go with me to Luke Chapter 13, we're looking at verse 24. 15:21 "Strive as in agony." 15:23 By the way I added the words as an agony 15:25 because that's what in the margin of my Bible. 15:28 It starts with the word strive to enter in 15:30 but it's actually saying, 15:32 "Strive as in agony to enter in at the straight gate, 15:36 for many, I say unto you, 15:37 will seek to enter in and shall not be able." 15:40 Now doesn't it sound like 15:41 it's really hard to get into the Kingdom of Heaven? 15:44 It says, here it's so hard as a matter of fact 15:46 you have to strive as an agony to get in there. 15:50 But, friends, did you ever take into consideration 15:53 what it is actually saying here? 15:55 Strive as an agony to enter in through the straight gate. 15:59 What does the gate represent? 16:01 Can I have you turn in your Bibles to Luke-- 16:03 excuse me to John Chapter 10? 16:05 We're going to John Chapter 10 here, 16:08 in our Bibles John Chapter 10 16:12 and we're going to look at verse 1 and also verse 9. 16:16 Look at John 10:1, 9. 16:20 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, 16:23 He that enters not by the door" 16:25 by the way that's the gate 16:26 "He that enters not by the gate into the sheepfold, 16:29 but climbs up some other way, 16:30 the same is a thief and a robber." 16:32 Look at verse 9. "I am the door." 16:37 Jesus is saying, "I am the gate, 16:40 by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, 16:44 and shall go in and out, and find pasture." 16:48 Listen, friends, the verse we read in Luke Chapter 13 16:51 is not saying that we need to place 16:53 our efforts in being good. 16:55 It's not saying that we need to put our efforts 16:57 in keeping the commandments 16:58 or trying to protect Christian character. 17:00 Listen, I wouldn't want to discourage you 17:02 from trying to protect Christian character. 17:04 This is what we want to do. 17:05 We want to reflect Jesus Christ to the best of our ability, 17:09 this is what we want to do, 17:10 but we don't enter heaven that way. 17:12 We only can enter heaven through the straight gate. 17:16 And so the efforts we put in is in guarding ourselves 17:19 against thinking that we can do it ourselves. 17:23 It's in guarding ourselves against thinking 17:25 that there's any other way into the Kingdom of Heaven 17:27 but through the gate, through the door, 17:31 Jesus says, I am the door. 17:36 Turn with me to Matthew Chapter 19. 17:40 We're going to Matthew Chapter 19. 17:42 We're going back to the story of the rich young ruler. 17:46 As a matter of fact in our very first study 17:48 we started with rich young ruler. 17:51 He had this question, what must I do 17:52 to inherit eternal life? 17:54 Jesus said, why do you call Me good? 17:56 Because he had asked him good master. 17:59 There is none good but one and we established by this 18:02 that there is the very foundation of salvation. 18:05 And we need to know that we're lost 18:07 and we need help to get to the Kingdom. 18:09 Well, Jesus finally eventually tells the young man-- 18:12 He answers his question in verse 21 18:14 and He gives fives verbs in that verse. 18:18 He says, go, sell, give, come and follow. 18:22 And apparently the rich young ruler 18:24 didn't like that recipe 18:25 and so he turned his back on Jesus 18:28 and he walked away sorrowful. 18:29 Well, do you know that, that left Jesus 18:31 with a huge problem with His disciples? 18:33 Because the Jews in those days 18:35 believed that if a man was wealthy 18:39 because he was saved and God was favoring him. 18:41 And so here a young man shows up, 18:44 he's good looking, he's young, 18:47 he's got education, he's wealthy, 18:49 he's a ruler and he wants to be a disciple. 18:51 I mean, they look at this guy and they say, what an addition 18:55 to our little band of disciples here. 18:57 He would make a wonderful edition 18:59 and Jesus sends him down the road sorrowful 19:03 and they just can't understand it 19:05 and so Jesus has to deal with this. 19:07 Okay, so we're looking in Matthew Chapter 19, 19:10 we're looking at verse 23 and 24. 19:15 "Then said Jesus to His disciples, 19:17 Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly" 19:20 that is with great difficulty 19:22 "enter into the kingdom of heaven" 19:24 and I'm sure that the disciples are scratching their heads. 19:27 What do you mean? He's already there. 19:28 He's got the favor of God, he's wealthy 19:30 and Jesus is trying to teach them something. 19:32 No, no, it's the opposite. 19:34 It's really hard if you're wealthy 19:36 to get into the kingdom of heaven. 19:38 And so Jesus tells them a story 19:40 or uses a parable or an object lesson. 19:43 Verse 24, "Again I say to you it's easier for a camel 19:47 to enter into the eye, through the eye of a needle, 19:50 than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." 19:53 Traditionally we think that this eye of a needle here 19:57 is a little door on the wall 19:59 of that surrounds the city of Jerusalem. 20:01 In the days of Jesus there was a wall around the city 20:04 and there was a main gate 20:06 and if people didn't get through the main gate 20:08 before the doors were shut in the evening 20:10 than if a man came late he had to find another wall 20:14 where there was a little door 20:15 and that door was called the "eye of a needle." 20:17 Well, if you had a camel all loaded up 20:19 you would have to unload the camel 20:21 and then the camel would have to get on his knees 20:23 and he would have to scrunch his way through that little door 20:26 if he was going to get into the city. 20:28 And a lot of evangelists was used 20:30 that as an example of what it means to be saved, 20:33 but friends, using that as an example ruins the gospel. 20:37 That isn't true. 20:38 You can't be saved even if you work as hard as a camel. 20:43 Just doesn't work, just doesn't work. 20:45 When Jesus was speaking about 20:46 going through the eye of a needle, 20:47 putting a camel through it, 20:49 He was speaking about the eye of a sewing needle. 20:51 Now tell me how hard is it to put a camel 20:55 through the eye of a sewing needle? 20:57 Why? It's impossible, isn't it? 21:00 As a matter of fact, for me it's probably impossible 21:02 to put one hair of the camel through a sewing needle. 21:05 So you can see how impossible it is. 21:07 And, friends, that's exactly what Jesus is trying to say. 21:10 Look at verses 25 and 26. 21:14 "When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed," 21:18 and it's like "Who then can be saved?" 21:21 It appeared to them like nobody could be saved. 21:23 If rich people can't be saved than nobody can be saved 21:26 because we thought that they were favorite by God 21:30 that's why they were rich and they just were blown away. 21:34 And Jesus had them just where He wanted them. 21:37 Verse 26, "And Jesus beheld them and said to them, 21:42 With men" this is what? 21:45 "Impossible." 21:46 Do you know that it is impossible 21:48 with men to be saved? 21:50 But look at the rest of the verse. 21:52 It says, "But with God all things are possible." 21:57 In other words, God can save us. 21:59 We can not save ourselves, 22:01 trying to save ourselves is impossible. 22:06 Can you see it? 22:08 Now it's not as if we have nothing to do. 22:11 I would like to have you turn with me to Mark Chapter 9. 22:15 We're going to go to Mark Chapter 9, 22:17 that's the book just next to Matthew 22:19 and we're gonna look at verse 23 in Mark Chapter 9. 22:25 Beautiful verse 22:26 and it kind of as a just the right text 22:30 following the one we've just read. 22:31 We're in Mark Chapter 9 and we're reading verse 23 22:35 "Jesus said to him, if you can believe, 22:39 all things are possible to them that believe." 22:43 Do you see it? 22:44 With God all things are possible. 22:47 All things are impossible with men 22:49 as far as salvation is concerned. 22:52 But all things are possible to them that believe. 22:56 Do you have faith? 22:58 Can you believe that God can save you? 23:01 Can you put yourself in God's hands and say, hey, 23:04 I can't save myself, I've tried it doesn't work. 23:06 I can't even straighten up my life in anyways. 23:10 Lord, help me. 23:11 Do you think He can do it? Why? 23:13 With God all things are possible. 23:18 Now the question remains, 23:19 why is it hard for a rich man to be saved? 23:22 Do you know that Jesus also gave an answer to that. 23:25 We're going to go to chapter 10 in Mark. 23:28 That's just one chapter over. 23:30 We're going to chapter 10 of Mark 23:32 and I want you to look at verse 24. 23:34 This is the very same story. 23:36 It's the rich young ruler, it's just in Mark words. 23:39 And we're looking at verse 24 23:41 and Jesus or Mark here explains it to the point 23:45 where we can not fail of understanding. 23:48 "The disciples were astonished at his words" 23:51 because of course he was saying that 23:53 this is rich man couldn't make his way 23:55 into the kingdom of heaven with his riches. 23:58 "The disciples were astonished at His words. 24:01 But Jesus answered again, and said to them, 24:04 Children, how hard, how difficult is it for them 24:08 that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God." 24:12 What's wrong with riches? 24:14 Well, the problem with wealth 24:16 is that we have a tendency to put our trust right there 24:19 and that's what was wrong with the rich young ruler. 24:22 It's not that Jesus didn't love him-- 24:24 as a matter of fact the Bible says, 24:25 Jesus loved him and was very sad to see him go. 24:29 But do you see it? Do you see it? 24:33 We tend to put our trust in riches. 24:38 Do you know that you're wealthy? 24:40 Oh, you may not be wealthy 24:41 with a lot of money in your pocket 24:43 or a lot of money in your account, 24:45 but do you know that you're wealthy just the same? 24:48 You may be wealthy in education. 24:50 You maybe wealthy in good looks, you maybe very intelligent, 24:53 you maybe, hey, who knows what else 24:56 but for sure god has given you a talent, 24:58 God has given you many gifts and you are wealthy. 25:01 And do you know that the tendency 25:03 is to put your trust in that which God has given you 25:06 instead of putting your trust in God 25:08 who Has given the gift, that's the way it is. |
Revised 2014-12-17