Participants: Frank Fournier
Series Code: HPOV
Program Code: HPOV000022A
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00:01 Hello, my name is Frank Fournier.
00:03 I'm here to welcome you to Heaven's Point of View. 00:07 We're studying the Parable of the Prodigal Son, 00:09 we've come to the very last lesson. 00:11 Go ahead get your Bible, come and join us, 00:13 there is a blessing in it. 00:44 I would like to invite you to turn with me to Luke Chapter 18. 00:47 We're studying the Parable of the Prodigal Son but notice 00:50 I didn't say Luke 15, I'm having you turn 00:53 to Luke Chapter 18, where we're thinking 00:57 more about the elder brother. 00:59 The elder brother in the Parable 01:00 thinks that everything is all right with himself 01:02 and obviously then everything would be all wrong 01:04 with his younger brother. 01:05 Ah, but when the younger brother 01:07 comes home and he receives the merits of the fatted calf. 01:10 The elder brother never did receive that blessing. 01:13 It precipitates the elder brother 01:15 into a spiritual crisis. 01:18 That's why I had you turn to Luke Chapter 18 01:21 because there we saw-- we see a -- we get a glimpse 01:24 I guess I should say into the life 01:26 of that kind of religion. 01:28 Look at verse 9, we're are Luke Chapter 18 01:32 and this is a parable also. 01:34 "And he spake this parable unto certain 01:37 which trusted in themselves 01:39 that they were righteous and despised others." 01:42 Now in the parable what was it that they trusted in. 01:47 Why they trusted in themselves 01:49 and what did they trust themselves for? 01:51 Well, they trusted that they were righteous, 01:52 they trusted that they were better than other people. 01:56 Do you know that we are not better than other people 01:58 and I don't care if you happened 02:00 to be saved or not, you are still a sinner. 02:02 You are saved by grace and you are not saved 02:04 by your perfection and so if you are still 02:06 a sinner, then you are not better 02:08 than the sinners who are lost. 02:10 You just happen to be a saved sinner 02:12 and praise the God for it. 02:13 Now I also want you to notice in the verse here 02:16 that it says what happens to the individual 02:19 who thinks so highly of himself. 02:21 Did you see in the verse that they become despicable? 02:26 They despise others, that's what it says. 02:28 Well, turn with me to Genesis Chapter -- let me see 02:33 here Genesis Chapter 16. 02:35 We're in Genesis Chapter 16 and we're going to look 02:37 at verse 4 in Genesis Chapter 16. 02:42 This is the story of Abraham and Sarah. 02:45 Abraham and Sarah were given a wonderful promise 02:48 some 25 years earlier. 02:50 They were going to have a son and of course 02:53 I supposed they did all they could to have a son, 02:55 25 years later they still don't have a son 02:57 and now its pass time for Sarah to be able to have a son. 03:01 And so she decides to take things 03:03 into her own hand, you know the story. 03:05 She wanted to find someone that Abraham 03:08 could have a child with, a surrogate mother 03:10 if you please and she chose Hagar. 03:14 Now I have question for us here? 03:16 I want us to consider this thing. 03:18 If you were Sarah and I assume 03:20 you have more than one maiden that you have several of them, 03:24 which one would you choose? 03:26 Would you choose the most rebellious one 03:27 or would you choose the one that's easiest to handle? 03:30 Would you choose the ugliest one 03:31 or would you choose the prettiest one? 03:33 Would you choose one that loves you 03:35 or would you choose one that hates you? 03:37 Well, it seems to me obvious that you would not choose 03:40 a rebellious one because you're going to have to deal 03:43 with her after the fact. 03:44 You wouldn't choose an ugly one, you don't want ugly children 03:47 and so you want to have the nicest one 03:50 that you can find that my type of reasoning in any case 03:54 and I assume that's what happened. 03:55 And so here is Sarah, she is going to find a woman 03:59 for Abraham so they can have a son 04:01 and she chooses my opinion, she chooses the prettiest, 04:06 she chooses one that's easiest to be entreated, 04:09 she chooses one that is not rebellious. 04:12 But watch what happens 04:13 we're in verse 4, we're in Genesis Chapter 16. 04:18 And he, Abraham, "he went in unto Hagar, 04:22 and she conceived, and when she saw 04:26 that she had conceived, her mistress 04:28 was despised in her eyes. 04:32 Now what in the world, how is it, do you know 04:37 that Sarah had been superior to Hagar 04:40 in every respect up until this point, 04:42 then all of a sudden for one thing Hagar is superior 04:46 to Sarah in one thing and it makes her 04:49 despicable right from there. 04:51 It's amazing to me but that's the way it works. 04:53 Now do you ever despise anyone? 04:56 Who is it you despise when you despise people? 05:01 You know, I grew up in a little village 05:04 and two blocks over there was a young fellow 05:05 by the name of Kenneth, and he always had a snotty nose, 05:10 and I just couldn't stand it. 05:12 He was -- I despised him, 05:15 I suppose that's the only way 05:16 that I can say, I despised this young boy 05:19 because he just couldn't keep himself clean, you see. 05:23 Do you know that the intelligent despise the unintelligent, 05:27 the strong despise the weak. 05:29 The skillful despise the clumsy, 05:31 the beautiful despise the ugly. 05:32 The educated despise the uneducated. 05:35 The religious despise the irreligious 05:37 and the saved despise the lost, why no. 05:40 The saved don't despise the lost because if they did, 05:43 they could not claim to be saved, 05:45 that's not how it works. 05:46 Ah, but you can see 05:47 how it is that we despise people. 05:50 This, today I would like to take a side trip. 05:54 I would like for us to look at God's ideal 05:57 what Christianity is supposed to look like. 06:00 And let me tell you something as we read these verses. 06:02 we're going to go through a series of them. 06:04 As we read them I want you 06:05 to judge your life accordingly, this is God's ideal. 06:09 Turn with me to Philippians Chapter 2, we're going to look 06:12 at verse 3 in Philippians Chapter 2. 06:18 This is Philippians 2:3, I think I said that wrong 06:22 a few minutes ago, this is Philippians 2:3. 06:25 "Let nothing be done through strife and vainglory, 06:28 but in lowliness of mind let each esteem 06:31 the other better than themselves." 06:33 Can you imagine? 06:34 What would the world be like if people esteemed 06:37 everyone else better than themselves? 06:39 Well, do you know that the world would be just like heaven 06:43 because this is how heaven is, that's how it works in heaven, 06:45 every one esteems everyone else greater than themselves. 06:49 Can you imagine you are in heaven, 06:51 we've finally gotten there, we're walking down 06:53 the street of gold and a mile or so beyond 06:56 as you going down the street of gold you can see Moses 06:58 is coming, you haven't meet Moses yet 07:00 and what a great man in your mind 07:02 that he is and so you're thinking 07:04 how I'm I going to meet Moses. 07:06 You're all excited and you don't know 07:08 what to say, but as you get closer and closer 07:11 to Moses you see that the same thing is happening to you. 07:14 But it doesn't make sense 07:15 why would Moses be looking up to you. 07:17 And when you get to talk to him about it, 07:19 he says "listen I haven't 07:23 had to go through the last days. 07:24 I can't imagine how you got through the last days 07:28 and that's why I'm looking up to you. 07:30 I mean after all as Moses you know 07:32 that I fell over"-- it wasn't anything 07:34 like -- what you are going through the time of trouble 07:37 and so Moses is looking up to you, you're looking up 07:39 to Moses and that's how it is in the kingdom of heaven. 07:43 Well, is that how it is in this world? 07:46 No, it is not the way it is in this world. 07:48 Praise God if that's way in your church. Is it? 07:52 I wish it was, that's the way it ought to be? 07:54 Turn with me again to Philippians Chapter 2 07:58 and we're going to look at verse 4 08:00 now in Philippians Chapter 2. What an ideal. 08:05 "Look not every man on his own things, but every man 08:09 also on the things of others" God is saying hey, 08:14 I want you to take care of your stuff. 08:17 Ah, but be more concerned 08:19 with the stuff that belongs to others. 08:21 You know, I'm the president of an institution 08:24 and one of the things that bothers me on an institution 08:27 is that we have institutional vehicles 08:29 and we have institutional equipment and people 08:32 have to take the vehicles and not checked 08:35 the oil in the vehicle, why? 08:37 Why because its not theirs and they're only going 08:39 a short way then surely the next, 08:41 the last guy who took the vehicle he checked the oil 08:44 and I don't have to, and do you know that accidents 08:46 can happen that way, I mean, we can run out of oil sometimes 08:49 and burn up a motor or an engine. 08:51 Yeah, yeah, but the Bible strictly says hey, 08:55 be more concerned with what belongs to another 08:58 than what belongs to yourself. 09:01 Turn with me to 1 Corinthians Chapter 10. 09:05 We're going to 1 Corinthians Chapter 10 09:07 and we're looking at God's ideals, 09:11 the practicality of Christianity. 09:13 We're looking at verse 24 now in 1 Corinthians Chapter 10. 09:18 Let no man seek his own, 09:21 but every man another's wealth. 09:24 How many people do you know work 09:25 for to make other people wealthy, 09:27 I mean on purpose. 09:28 Oh, I know there is a lot of, there is a lot of little 09:31 people there who are working for -- working in a factory 09:34 and there somebody else getting wealthy and it isn't them. 09:37 Ah, but how many people do you know on purpose 09:40 they go forward and what they want 09:41 to do is make you wealthy instead of themselves. 09:45 Well, this it would be true Christianity, 09:47 if my burden was to -- in how should I say 09:51 if my burden was to make you wealthy 09:53 then I would be a Christian. 09:56 Look at verse 33, Paul speaking says, 10:00 "Even as I please all men in all things, 10:03 not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, 10:06 that they may be saved. 10:09 What an ideal is that. 10:11 I would like to see everyone blessed, 10:13 that's what I would like to see is as I walk 10:16 in my Christian experience, I would like to live my life 10:20 to bring you a blessing and this thing should spread. 10:24 Everyone in this world ought to walk that way, don't you think? 10:28 Go with me to Romans Chapter 12 now, 10:30 we're going to Romans Chapter 12 10:32 and we are still looking at God's ideals. 10:37 We're in Romans Chapter 12 and I believe 10:41 that we're looking at verse 10 in Romans Chapter 12. 10:47 "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love 10:51 in honor preferring one another." 10:54 Do you know what the word prefer means? 10:56 I mean, I may prefer bananas to oranges, 10:59 you know what that means, 11:00 I may prefer to drive a Chevy rather than a Ford. 11:03 We understand the word but the verse 11:06 is saying here, when an honor 11:08 is being dolled out, you ought to prefer 11:10 that the other person receives the honor 11:12 rather than themselves, rather than yourself. 11:17 I was in little institution, 11:20 this is nearly 35 years ago 11:23 and we were having a board meeting 11:25 and the president had been chosen 11:27 and then they had nominated my name to become 11:30 the vice president and they had also nominated 11:32 my brother in law's name to become vice president. 11:35 So they had us both step out and we were outside 11:38 a long time, a long time, we were wondering 11:40 what in the world's going on? 11:42 Why are they taking so long? 11:43 Finally someone came out from the meeting 11:45 and he addressed both of us, one at a time and he said 11:48 "you know we just can't decide who it's going to be? 11:50 Do you have any light to add to this thing?" 11:53 And I said, "yes, I certainly I do, 11:55 and my brother in law is a -- he is a much better man, 11:58 I think he ought to be the vice president 11:59 instead of my, instead of me." 12:02 Now I want you to know that in my heart I wished 12:06 that I had been chosen, it was an honor 12:08 and I would have liked it, but I passed that over to him. 12:12 So in the end what do you suppose 12:13 they did in that board meeting? 12:17 Well, they chose my brother in law, 12:19 that's what they did, yes. 12:21 A year -- no, may be less than a year ago 12:23 there was another board meeting and this time 12:26 they were attempting to choose a president 12:28 and I was chosen to be president. 12:30 Ah, it wasn't because that my brother 12:32 was not better fitted, I think it was because 12:35 my brother had -- brother in law had been vice president 12:37 for already a year and he knew enough not to get himself 12:42 into that position and I was green, 12:44 I didn't know and there I ended up to be the president. 12:49 Turn with me to Romans Chapter 15, 12:54 Romans Chapter 15 we're looking at verses 1-3. 12:59 "We then that are strong ought to bear 13:02 the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 13:06 Let every one of us please his neighbor 13:08 for his good to edification. 13:11 For even Christ pleased not himself." 13:14 And so those of you who are strong ought to bear 13:17 with those who are weaker. 13:18 But do you know and you know this, 13:20 this, kind of mostly applies, or applies very specifically 13:24 to people who are married. 13:26 Did you know that you have married someone 13:28 and that she or he has strengths that you don't have 13:31 and you have strengths that they don't have. 13:35 One of you will be stronger intellectually, 13:37 one of you will be stronger physically usually it's the man, 13:40 one of you will be stronger spiritually, 13:43 one of you will be stronger sexually, 13:45 one of you will be stronger emotionally or socially, 13:48 in all these realms of life one of you will be stronger 13:50 and the Bible says the strong one is to bear 13:54 the infirmities of the weak one. 13:57 This is God's ideal in Christianity. 14:01 Turn with me to Mathew Chapter 11, 14:04 I hope you don't mind using your Bibles 14:06 and I hope you don't mind looking at all of these ideals. 14:11 We're going to come to one of my favorite one 14:13 I think here we're in Mathew Chapter 11, 14:16 we're looking at verse 11 in Mathew Chapter 11. 14:20 "Verily I say unto you, among them 14:21 that are born of women there hath not been 14:24 a greater than John the Baptist." 14:26 Who is the greatest man that ever lived? 14:29 Who did Jesus say 14:30 was the greatest man that ever lived? 14:32 Does Jesus know what he is talking about? 14:34 He is pointing to John the Baptist 14:36 and there he says he is the greatest man 14:38 that ever lived, and you know, 14:39 can leave a man scratching his head is like why would 14:42 John the Baptist be greater than Moses, 14:45 greater than Joseph, greater than Daniel, 14:47 greater than Elijah. 14:48 How does this happen, do you know? 14:53 Yeah, he is greater. 14:56 What is it that made him greater? 14:58 Do you know that the rest of the verse tells us? 15:00 Look at the rest of the verse, 15:01 ah, but it's not easy to understand however, 15:04 I will try my best to point it out. 15:06 "Notwithstanding Jesus speaking he that is least 15:11 in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John the Baptist." 15:16 Do you know that John the Baptist 15:18 has esteemed every one as greater than himself 15:21 and acted accordingly and when Jesus saw this he said 15:25 this is the greatest man that ever lived. 15:29 In a little book called 'Last Day Events' Page 296 15:32 it says the greatest there, that is the greatest in heaven 15:37 is the least in self esteem and the least is greatest 15:42 in his gratitude and wealth of love. 15:45 When we get to heaven, we will esteem everyone else 15:48 greater than ourselves. 15:50 We will find ourselves in the kingdom 15:51 and we will see that we were not worthy to be there. 15:55 But by the grace of God we found our way to the kingdom of heaven 15:59 and we are going to be humble about it. 16:01 We're not going to be exhibiting any kind of pride. 16:05 Okay, now that we've gone through all of these ideals, 16:08 we want to go back to Luke Chapter 18. 16:10 So now let's go back to Luke Chapter 18, 16:12 we're looking at this parable that we started with, 16:15 Jesus pointing to these people who trusted in themselves 16:18 that they were righteous and turned out to be despicable. 16:22 That's what it says, they despised others. 16:26 Verse 9 "And he spake this parable unto certain 16:30 which trusted in themselves 16:32 that they were righteous, and despised others. 16:34 Two men went up into the temple to pray, 16:37 the one a Pharisee, the other a publican." 16:40 Now what's a Pharisee? 16:42 Well, a Pharisee is, is one of the religious leaders 16:45 in the days of Jesus, he was more or less a pastor, 16:48 he had been to seminary, he had been to school, 16:51 he'd learned his Bible and he was a spiritual leader 16:53 in the community and obviously he was well looked up to. 16:57 Now today we equate Phariseeism with legalism 17:00 and we don't have a great positive picture 17:04 of these people, but in those days 17:05 it was not that way, the Pharisee was well acclaimed. 17:11 But who is a publican? 17:14 The publican was a tax collector, 17:16 but the problem with that was that 17:19 he was a Jewish tax collector. 17:22 He was a member of the Jewish community 17:24 and yet he was serving the Roman community 17:27 and he was drawing taxes from the Jews 17:29 to give to the Romans and sometimes 17:31 he filled his own pockets and he became a thief. 17:34 And so one is highly respected, 17:36 the other one is despised, that's the publican. 17:39 Okay, now watch how they behave. 17:42 Verse 11 "The Pharisee stood 17:44 and prayed thus with himself." 17:47 Now why would he pray with himself 17:50 because God wouldn't hear that kind of prayer 17:53 and notice what he calls himself, the very next word 17:55 it says God, he prayed thus with himself God. 17:59 Now if you think I made that up, 18:00 I actually read it somewhere in, In Signs of the Times, page, 18:04 excuse me, February 1985, watch, 18:07 talking about the, the Pharisee here it says 18:10 "He began his self worship God, I thank thee, 18:16 that I am not as other men are, extortioners, 18:18 unjust, adulterers and even as this publican, 18:21 why I fast twice in the week, 18:23 and I give tithes of all that I possess." 18:27 Amazing, yeah, this is what it means to be self righteous. 18:32 It means that we feel no need of God, 18:34 we're satisfied with our Christian experience 18:36 and everyone else around us seems to be a little inferior 18:41 to us in their Christian experience 18:44 and so the elder brother didn't feel the need of his father. 18:46 He was doing fine without God 18:49 and so it is with this, this Pharisee 18:52 in the parable that we are looking at. 18:54 Now he could even say, I am not as other men are. 18:58 Well, friends, listen there is not a man in the world 19:01 that is not as other men are, we all come from one father. 19:03 And let me tell you something. 19:05 If the Holy Spirit of God should be withdrawn from you, 19:09 if the Holy Spirit of God should withdrawn form me, 19:12 whatever the atrocities are that some men may commit 19:15 in this world, I would be capable of committing 19:17 the very same atrocities should there be no God, 19:20 should there be no grace controlling my life. 19:24 This man was as other men were, 19:26 he just did not know. 19:31 Now we turn our attention to the publican 19:34 and this must have been really hard on the Pharisees. 19:36 We're looking at verse 13 "And the publican standing 19:40 afar off, would not so much as lift his eyes unto heaven, 19:43 but smote upon his breast saying, 19:45 God be merciful to me a sinner." 19:49 So he felt his need of help, he saw his undone condition, 19:53 he saw his sinfulness and do you know 19:55 that, that appeals to the heart of God more than anything else. 19:59 And so Jesus makes a pronouncement in verse 14 20:02 "I tell you this man talking about the publican 20:05 went down to his house justified, 20:08 he was saved amazing rather than the other. 20:12 No matter how rotten he was when he came 20:14 with a contrite heart, appealed 20:16 to the heart of God for his need. 20:18 He went to his house justified that's what it says 20:21 and then Jesus gives us a law, it's a wonderful law. 20:25 I want you to look at this law. 20:28 In verse 14 still "For every one that exalts 20:31 himself shall be abased, and he that humbles 20:35 himself shall be exalted." 20:38 Do you know that God takes that responsibility 20:40 into his own hands and he says I'm going to deal 20:43 with every single individual in this world. 20:45 I'm going to deal with you and if you exalt yourself, 20:48 if you lift yourself up, I'm going to knock you down, 20:51 but if you will humble yourself I'm going to lift you up. 20:55 Now you all realize we've been talking about 20:57 the Parable of the Prodigal Son and we need to return there. 21:01 The prodigal son was lost in this world of course 21:05 and the elder brother in the Parable of the Prodigal 21:07 was lost in the church, but because 21:09 he was in the church, he was quite sure 21:11 that he was superior to his brother in spiritual things, 21:16 but friends he wasn't superior to his brother 21:18 at all and of course when his brother came home 21:22 and received the merits of the fatted calf 21:24 and then the elder brother were told 21:28 in the parable became angry. 21:30 Do you know that that's the very place 21:32 where we find Cain and Abel in Genesis Chapter 4. 21:37 Turn with me to Genesis Chapter 4. 21:39 We are going to go there, Genesis Chapter 4. 21:48 And we are going to begin reading with verse 3. 21:52 "In the process of time 21:53 it came to pass that Cain brought a fruit, 21:55 the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord." 21:58 You know he was a farmer 22:00 and he must have had beautiful fruit, 22:02 he put it all together a huge basket 22:05 he carried it up this hill were there was an altar 22:08 and there at the altar he offered the sacrifice, 22:11 the sacrifice that he himself had made on this altar. 22:15 Well, then his brother comes along 22:17 but his brother is not a farmer, 22:18 he is a shepherd and so he brings a lamb, 22:21 this is what it says in verse 4. 22:23 "And Abel, he also brought the first fruit, 22:26 the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. 22:29 And the Lord had respect unto Abel 22:31 and to his offering and unto Cain to his offering 22:35 he had no respect and Cain was angry." 22:39 Why was Cain angry? 22:41 Was it because God accepted 22:44 Abel's sacrifice instead of his own. 22:46 Well, partly, but really the reason Cain 22:49 is angry is because God will not, 22:50 will not accept his own sacrifice. 22:53 It's not a comparison between the two sacrifices. 22:56 God will not accept a sacrifice but his own. 23:00 Jesus -- God so love the world, 23:02 He sacrificed his only begotten son. 23:03 That's the only way we can get to the kingdom of heaven 23:06 and Cain was ruining the object lesson. 23:08 Cain was ruining the symbolism here 23:11 and so God could not accept that 23:13 otherwise he would ruin the theology 23:15 behind salvation and it made Cain angry 23:19 to the point as you can see this in verse 8. 23:22 "Cain talked with Abel and his brother, 23:24 and it came to pass, when they were in the field, 23:26 that Cain rose up against him, 23:28 his brother and he slew him." 23:35 If you'll turn with me to 1 John Chapter 3. 23:40 Turn with me to 1 John Chapter 3. 23:44 We're going to see what John 23:47 has to say about something like this. 23:50 1 John Chapter 3, we're looking 23:53 at verses 14 and 15, beautiful verses. 23:59 "We know that we have passed from death to life." 24:03 Do you know that we're born dead, 24:05 conceived in sin, born in inequity. 24:08 David used to say or that he said that in Psalms 51 24:12 and we need to pass from death to life 24:15 and we may know if we have pass from death to life. 24:18 "We know that we have passed from death 24:20 to life because we love the brethren. 24:24 He that loves not his brother abides in death. 24:28 Who so hates his brother is a murderer, 24:31 and ye know that no murderer 24:33 has eternal life abiding in him." 24:37 And in this we recognize what happened 24:40 to Cain in relationship to Abel. 24:42 We also recognize what happened 24:44 to the elder brother in relationship 24:46 to his younger brother. 24:50 He killed him, and how would we relate to that? 24:54 Do you ever get angry with people? 24:57 Are you ever filled with wrath? 24:59 Ah, friends don't you know that that's the beginning of murder. |
Revised 2014-12-17