5 Signs of the Elder Son's Heart

Luke 15:28-31.
Five signs of an elder brother's heart.
1.  When you use your goodness to demand your rights everywhere.
2.  He's very angry about how his life is going and he compares himself to others. I am valuable because I am doing good.  How do you interpret your own life?
3.  Another sign is when obeying God is hard and painful.  The attitude is "I have slaved all these years."  No gladness in the soul.  Motivation is wrong. We need a love birth of God!!!
Our delight is in the law of the Lord!!!!
4.  There is a combination here of a lack of joyful assurance and a tremendously judgemental spirit towards others. You can't be judgemental and angry and be connected to God.
5.  In fact it's very sad.....His heart is on things, material things.  That what he cares about more than anything else.  Not God, his relationship, and God's will.

God needs to be able to trust us, to bless us to draw us closer to Him.

When goodness is badness

Luke 15:28-31.  The other Prodigal son. The one that stayed home. He was more lost than his brother.
When the father is having the party he had to go get the older son. He didn't want to be apart. Some of our greatest conflicts come from our goodness?  Jesus gives a warning to good people.  If the older son was in the right place in his heart, he would have been at the party celebrating. How you relate to others shows what is inside of you!!! (Our conduct)  Then the father would not need to go and get him. The older son wandered inwardly from his fathers heart.  Separated him from God.  A good person doesn't think they need God!!! A new covert needs everything from God!!!  If your life is falling apart you see the need for God!!!! And if you use your goodness against God, you think you deserve better because you are good.

Marriage Fables part 1

Ashley Madison- over 40,640,000 members. A group hacked in and exposed everyone. Minimum of 400 Pastors have been on the cite. Families hearts will be broken. It could have been avoided!!!!
The blood of Jesus cleanses, but there are consequences. If they could see the outcome, they probably wouldn't of done it.  Staying together in a world that pulls us apart. Matt. 19:4-6
God created marriage. Don't violate it. It's sacred!!!!
People love fantasy. Fantasy attracts people. It's phoney. You exchange old problems for new problems. You only see the one side.  Good marriages take time and work. We need to go beyond ourselves. We need the Spirit of God and Jesus and you become more loving.  We need to run to Jesus to help us.

The Way of the Father #2.1

The Son and His Sin.    Luke 15:13-19

Can you be depended upon?  Our God is dependable.  Can God use you to build the church?  The people who need the most counseling are not in church enough.  What would happen if you pursued God as you would your job!  Our best is found in God!!!   

As the prodigal son got to a point where he didn't recognize himself in his sin. Sin has to run its course. God's goodness should draw them back and have a personal revelation.   Sin drains us. There should be consequences to sin.  There is right and wrong and morals. His Father needed to be a Godly example to his son. He let his son go. The son didn't want his father to see the things he wanted to do. 

And then he finally took responsibility for his actions and wanted to come to his loving home. His heart was right and he wanted his father to see he had understanding.

1. We need to take sin seriously.  2.  We don't think there are consequences.  No consequence - a person doesn't change!!!  He understood there was forgiveness in his fathers house. He became honest, confessed and repented.  And received his blessing.

The Way of the Father parts 1&2

The Prodigal - Luke 15:11-21
The son's request is to terminate his relationship with his father.  In his mind he needs freedom from his home. He wanted his inheritance now!!!  You owe me!  You can't run away from yourself.  Need to take responsibility for your actions. Your the problem!!  The Father stays silent. Maybe he knew what his son was thinking.  You can pick up on a bad spirit or attitude.  The son's mind was already made up.  What made him whole was being at home with his father and brother. When he left he needed to find wholeness in a far country. Father had a real life view of his son, knowing he was capable of sin and rebellion.  Sometimes we are blind as a parent.  We do not need to loose dominion in our own life.  We all have a choice to make by doing right or wrong.
Deu. 30:19-21 - Choose life or death.  No one can blame the condition of our life on others.
Can God depend on you?  Don't make me the bad guy when I have guidelines. The Father is not manipulated by the son.  Beliefs will be tested at home.  Have to stand!!!!

Love in Action

Being a blessing to others. Are you a blessing?  Do you really care about people?
1Peter 3:9 - We want to encourage.  We need a tender heart.
Proverbs 18:21 - We can curse with wrong attitude. We should try to put ourselves in their place.
We need to be full of compassion. Jesus was full of compassion. He was sensitive.
Mark 5 - The woman with the issue of blood and His touch. He showed compassion.
Compassion is being sensitive.  Are you sensitive?
Compassion takes advantage of an interruption. How do you respond when your life is interrupted by the needs of people?
Compassion is gracious.  Jesus met people where they were at.  He didn't just loved them, he liked them too!!  We have to be merciful.  Love is active. Could their needs affect you!!  Love isn't love until you give it away.

God Knows the Difference

Jesus sees our soul and the potential in our lives.  We have a lot of questions and need quiet with God.  God do you know what I am going through?  Is there a point to this?  We choose to believe that God, you know me and what I am going through better than I do.
Mark 5:25-34  The woman with the flow of blood touched Jesus's cloak and believed she would be healed.  Jesus felt it even when the crowd was pushing. A push separates and a touch brings you closer!!!  World of difference between a touch and a push.  What gives us credibility is what we say.  What we say needs to be true.  Modern Christianity appears not to be Christian.  Can God evaluate our souls?  Man looks on the outside and God sees the inside.   We hear God and something changes in us.  Sometimes we are not sensitive.  God see's beyond the mask.