Two Prodigal Sons? (Special guest Brandon Workman) | Season 5 Episode 2

Point Taken iconPoint Taken

3 views

Breaking down the parable of the prodigal son.

0 comments

00:01
I Are y 'all ready? I'm assume. We've already started. Are y 'all ready? Are you good? Yeah? I mean we basically already started
00:07
Hey everybody welcome to the point -taking podcast we have new cameras You can see the blackheads on my nose right now
00:14
He said at the times 20 zoom which I think with my nose you probably just need like a times two
00:20
It looks like a greasy bell pepper. I love you both very much guys. I say that with love
00:27
A greasy bell pepper, I've never been insulted that way a greasy bell so how much you like food, so I didn't
00:34
Love bell pepper yeah, there are only three and a half foods. I don't eat onions mushrooms
00:43
Tomatoes raw tomatoes I can't say tomatoes all out cuz I don't you'll do like chunks of tomato and like soup like so I used to not but Like if someone if someone actually makes good soup like this morning
00:54
One of those it had corn ground beef and the white sauce or ever I'll eat that no
01:01
Now look if you do a pizza do pizza sauce don't do them tomato chunks like those people from Chicago do that Oh, that's just crap for my wife
01:08
They make that crap for those bedwetters that like when I have vegan pizza, so they they can't just hand them cheese
01:15
All right, they got to put some other crap on it, too I want to ask you something and I had this argument slices of tomatoes on it, and that's how they sound no it is
01:24
He's right giant chunks of feta cheese We have never talked about this you can put the feta cheese on the meatlovers by the way
01:30
I want to see if you agree with me on this in season one. I believe was we had an argument and as normal Everyone disagreed with me
01:39
But I think I'm right. I Don't think there is such a thing as cheese pizza.
01:45
I don't think it exists. Let me explain If we define
01:50
I have my own definition of pizza and I admit it's my own but I think it's consistent pizza by definition in my brain is
01:59
Bread, and it doesn't matter if you do thin crust stuff. There's a self -rising whatever sauce cheese and a topping so so if you just have cheese
02:13
Okay, you have cheese toast With sauce there has to be one additional ingredient.
02:19
That's how I see it So like and here's how here's how a pepperoni pizza true or false.
02:24
Does it have cheese? Yes, nine times out of ten Yes sausage Yes, or no
02:30
No, does a sausage pizza have cheese? Yes meatlovers. Yes vegan
02:38
No So here's my point Here's my point. They all have cheese on them.
02:44
So a cheese pizza They every one of them have cheese on it except but it's just one cheese
02:49
Let me know when you're ready for my rebuttal So if they all have cheese on them and you take all the toppings off What kind of pizza is it if you say cheese, they all have cheese on them
03:00
Yeah, but they have additional toppings which make but okay watch this watch this on a supreme on a supreme
03:06
They have sausage, but you're not allowed to call it a sausage pizza I'll let so on a meatlovers.
03:12
They have cheese. You don't call it a cheese pizza. That's what I'm trying to say All right, so I'm super super into just Calling it like it is.
03:20
Yeah, don't try to be something. You're not right. All right your assessment of Would you call it cheesy crust whatever?
03:28
No, I love cheesy crust. Yeah, but you said you said something a second ago It wasn't it wasn't cheesy bread. It wasn't pizza.
03:33
It was cheesy bread Alright, well cheesy bread does not have sauce on it. So we'll start there. Yeah, okay, so I think
03:39
I said cheese toast with salt Okay a pepperoni pizza is a pizza with what on it pepperoni no, no, no a
03:51
Pepperoni pizza is a pizza with pepperoni on it. Yes. Yes or no, not exclusively.
03:57
No, I can't No, I'm gonna say no because meatlovers have pepperoni. No Listen to me.
04:04
I am a meatlovers Has all the meats so you can't you can't single out a single meat.
04:11
You have to call it a meat lovers That's why supreme is a supreme. You can't single out one ingredient, but a sausage pizza is a pizza with sausage
04:19
I've never me is a pizza with pepperoni on it and a cheese pizza is not a cheese pizza
04:25
It's just a pizza with nothing else on it You literally prove my point
04:32
Hold on You are calling it. What do you?
04:38
cheesy crust with sauce Alright, well that is trying to make up another term for when the proper word is pizza
04:47
All right. So to be clear you are agreeing with me that there's no such thing as cheese pizza I am agreeing with the fact that I don't know.
04:56
I don't think we're in agreeance at all So a cheese pizza a pizza is just a pizza until you add stuff to it.
05:02
So a cheese pizza is a pizza Yes, but so you it's redundant to call it a cheese pizza. I think it's redundant to call it a cheese pizza
05:09
I'll take the half agreement. Thank you, sir If you don't mind, yeah,
05:15
I Would never have taken you shake my hand that way That was my that was my impression of Justin For Justin we love him.
05:27
I've got a little I've got a little something on on veganism I really do and we're not gonna get off on a tan.
05:34
Just eat your talk about raw food Is that just died from starvation? Oh, I didn't know about that one.
05:41
This is just a thought poor girl because natural selection Because Because Okay, let me just I've done this before there are vegans that do it for health reasons or visions that do
06:01
There are vegans that do it for a political stance. It doesn't matter Okay, so I'm talking about these people over here the ones that do it because they think all life is equal
06:11
Animal life plant life human like that. Has anyone ever met someone like this? They think dude. Those are the only girls
06:16
I dated Yes, I know. I was trying to look towards you. So so here's what I'm saying. I'm not talking about the health
06:22
I'm talking about the people that are vegans on a political stance because they believe all life and they literally mean
06:29
Like flowers all life is equal. I want you to think about something I've got to say but the kill babies think about this for a moment
06:38
In a sense In a sense when you pick an apple aren't you technically killing
06:46
Yeah, you're taking it from its life. You're at least you're at least making it where that life the apple and the apple alive
06:53
Okay, but it's a product. It's a product of the tree which you are stealing without permission
06:58
Yes, okay cutting down the tree would be the same avocados you use to make your flower you stole without toast.
07:05
Thank you It's avocado toast. So thank you. So Okay, their food their idea is no product of any kind from animal period right mulch if they're consistent
07:17
Makeup if they're consistent oil Believe me. I know. Yes. So here's my point.
07:23
They do the only two foods that I can think of That doesn't kill or alter life
07:34
Because like you're stealing the apples right your day. Okay would be milk and honey
07:40
Which they reject because they come from an animal. I think honey is like have I told you this before?
07:46
Yeah, but I think some people are more lenient with the honey. They can't it's a product of an animal You're gonna be consistent or you're not.
07:52
Oh, no, I totally agree with you There are some what's funny is they reject those even though you can get those without stopping any natural process
08:01
And it's cruel because those poor cows have to have their udders, right? But when they have overproduced milk that they you know,
08:09
I'm not talking about from a farming system Yeah that they don't need because of all the cows they don't have enough cows to do it They reject those because they come from animal
08:16
It is intriguing to me that promised land was promised to be a land of milk and honey Which doesn't kill life to produce it's intriguing to me if nonetheless my thing is if you if you are vegan for like the political stance just like Be sad just be miserable over there.
08:32
Like don't make a whole spectacle of it there was actually a little girl who she was friends with my cousin and they were over at dinner with their
08:43
They were over at dinner at my aunt's house And she's like, well, I can't eat that because I'm vegan and my aunt says well you can go eat the grass
08:51
That's in the backyard. Yeah, it's a good or you can eat what's put in front of you, but that kills life
08:56
Yeah, the consistency really bothers inconsistency. Go ahead pretty wild. You have a lot
09:02
I mean I have so much to say do one Parable of the probably are but we're not playing a game.
09:10
Yes. You got one comment to make my comment about veganism is everything everything that makes a vegan food is
09:20
Heavily processed made with soy. Yeah Let's think about this for a second All right.
09:27
Let's think about this for a second What do you have to do in order to create soy destroy molehills and you had a pillar person see
09:38
You know what we should just talk about the argument All right, so it's
09:46
It's time for the prodigal son. We don't play the game today because I won last week So we don't have to play another game today.
09:51
If I said something incorrect, you can correct me Yeah, I mean I wasn't playing against you. So I don't have anything to say because you sure had something to say last week when
10:01
I was winning You told me I was a sore loser when I was winning. No, that was with the spelling.
10:07
That was with the spell Spelling be anyway, so so here's what we're gonna do guys
10:14
We're gonna walk through the parable of the prodigal son the lost son And and I'm just gonna frame it for us
10:23
Anna's gonna read it and then we're all going to but primarily brother Brandon is gonna walk us through the text
10:29
So just to give everyone a frame of reference We're in Luke 15 and Jesus actually,
10:36
I don't know how many people notice this He actually tells the same parable three times using three different analogies
10:41
So first he starts with the lost sheep Then he talks about a lost coin then he talks about a lost son all three of the parables are just Re -illustrating the exact same point.
10:49
Yeah, Jesus was like me Let's try that again. I'm like Jesus in that Repeating myself with different analogies gets the message through apparently
10:57
Yeah, so lost sheep lost coin, but then the longest section is the lost son So that's what we're going to walk through here.
11:05
So miss Anna. It's a long section, but hey, it's the Bible so get over it Miss Anna's gonna read it and then brother
11:10
Brandon's gonna walk us through it. So let's go don't mess it up Okay so I'm in Luke 15 11 through 32 and He said there was a man who had two sons and the younger of them said to his father father
11:22
Give me a share of the property that is coming to me and he divided his property between them Not many days later the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into the far country
11:32
Where he squandered his property and reckless living and when he had spent everything a severe famine arose in that country and began to be
11:39
In need so he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country who sent him to his fields to feed
11:45
Pigs and he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate and no one gave him anything
11:51
But when he came to himself, he said how many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread
11:57
But I perish here in hunger. I will arise and go to my father and I will say to him father
12:02
I have sinned against heaven and before you I am no longer worthy to be called of your son
12:08
Treat me as one of your hired servants and he arose and came to his father But while he was still a long way off his father saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced and kissed him
12:19
And then the son said to him father. I have sinned against heaven and before you I am no longer worthy to be called of your son but the father said to his servants bring quickly the best robe and put on him and put a ring on his hand and shoes on His feet and bring a fattened calf and kill it and let us eat and celebrate
12:37
For this is my for my son was dead and his alive again and was lost and now is found and they began to celebrate
12:45
Yeah going 25 through 32 just finishing it up now His older son was in the field and he came and drew near to the house
12:52
He heard much music and dancing and he called to one of the servants and asked what these things meant
12:57
And he said to him your brother has come and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and But he was angry and refused to go in his father came out and then threatened or entreated him
13:09
But he answered less father. Look these things. I'm sorry. Look these many years
13:15
I have served you and never disobeyed your command yet You never gave me a young goat that I might celebrate with my friends
13:21
But when this son of yours came who was devoured your property and prostitutes You killed the fattened calf for him and you said to him son
13:29
You were always with me and all that mine is yours It was fitting to celebrate and be glad for this is your brother was dead and is alive and he was lost and now is found
13:38
I did mess up so You mostly did great He's such a bully
13:46
Brandon, no, I think you're just I'm only a bully until you get to know me So if anybody in church doesn't know me is listening to look at the way that he's dressed
13:55
I'm only a bully for as long as you allow me to be which is mostly your fault.
14:00
Yeah You see the rings that's like bully The rings.
14:06
Yeah punch him I'm talking about my signet ring. Yeah, that makes someone a bully.
14:12
Oh, yeah, and you see his tattoos and all that stuff He's just but the father in this exact story has a ring and he gave it to that.
14:19
I came a bully Joke master You was whispering thing
14:25
Brandon, okay I used to be very intimidated of Brandon when I first met him, but then
14:30
I saw him with his dogs. Oh, yeah Bowl of mush
14:36
I remember looking at him because we were over at your house for like accountability at one point with your wife
14:42
And I remember him coming in and him just being like, there's a good baby I'm just like Like what's wrong with them, but no he
14:53
I'm just like he is a bowl of mush It's just the front but now if you get to know Brandon, he's really cool. It's not just the front
15:00
There's there's some depth a little bit It depends on how your attitude is and where that attitude is directed if we're being serious about it
15:10
I will say it's a strong front But if your attitude is directed towards the wrong person you'll find very quickly it's not
15:18
That's fair Okay prodigal son Prodigal son.
15:24
Okay, so I've been thinking about this from my own perspective in my own
15:32
Experiences ever since I was asked to be on this podcast and I really don't think
15:39
The prodigal son applies to me in the sense that it's being asked because I you have to have first Been a part of the family in order to have left the family
15:52
When I was I asked what was what was needed for me? Like what was expected of me in the podcast and it was you know
15:59
I was asked to share my testimony from when I walked away with God to When I came back and I don't know that I I was ever really a part of God's family to begin with so I'll start by saying that I grew up in church
16:16
A lot of people like me grew up in church and they all experienced the same things and when you're young you don't realize that People are gonna act like people
16:29
Sinners are gonna act like sinners, even if they're Christians and they're doing the very best they can do
16:36
You're gonna find fault with them And so naturally, you know You call them a hypocrite or whatever and you you tried to use that as your crutch to leave
16:44
I don't wanna go to church with all those hypocrites, you know, who's heard that before anyway heard that before? Yes.
16:49
Okay, so He let's see here the son goes to his father, right and he says give me the portion of inheritance that it's false to me and I was thinking about thinking about that The the son going to his father and asking for his inheritance is probably pretty akin to Wishing the father was dead
17:15
You know what I mean? I mean like you think about that this only doesn't come till he's dead. Right? He doesn't come till he's dead He doesn't care about his father
17:22
And this is important for something that I want to follow up with later. He doesn't care about his father He doesn't have love for the father
17:28
He just wants what is his and he wants to go off and do what he wants to do And that was me for years and years and years and years and years.
17:39
I Grew up in church. I I was only there because my parents made me go
17:46
And I you know, I had friends there but it wasn't Something that I didn't want to be there if I had my choice and oftentimes
17:54
I would think you know when I get old enough Where I can make the decision not to come
17:59
I'm gonna stop coming I said that to myself a lot and I did when I was 16, you know 17
18:05
It was those were really bad years for me, too Before the podcast
18:11
I found out something Brandon used to do when he was 15 and that was no That was the dresses came after that.
18:16
Okay, I wasn't gonna admit that you were dressed. Oh, I have no shame. Okay I've done a lot of stuff in my life.
18:23
I learned a long time ago Can you imagine Brandon in a dress and not even tell you something man? It was red velvet.
18:29
Okay, those who are wondering the first dress I ever wore was red velvet and It was at school and my science teacher who was also a it was like a retired wrestler
18:40
Tried to look him up it what I couldn't find anything do that name Maybe he was lying to us, but I I'll bet my paycheck.
18:46
I remember he said his name was Hugo humongous So a wrestler not a wrestler a wrestler.
18:51
Yeah, I'm sorry. Is what my English too good? Yeah, it was Yeah, not Southern enough my mistake
18:57
Anyway, he he told me no, he was like not in my class. You can take that off right now
19:04
But that was just me being stupid. Yeah Anyway 16 17 year old Brandon, you know, so little interesting as The father it doesn't really go into it because the story is a bit vague
19:16
But the father gathers together his estate and gives it to his son, right?
19:22
But it doesn't talk about the pleading that no doubt the father Did with his sir, you know and the mother where's the mother and all this?
19:30
So you've got the father pleading with his son many many many times over and over but the son will not listen
19:36
He is stubborn. He is prideful and arrogant and entitled. Let's not forget that.
19:41
That's a word that people don't want to apply to themselves pride and entitlement is something that I have dealt with a lot in my life and Still deal with and I think you know going back to that whole being opinionated thing
19:54
I think there's a lot of entitlement in people that are opinionated because Nobody cares what you have to say.
20:02
Yeah, just just shut up That's what other Brandon tells me that all the time but I'm like mid -sentence and so I have to commit
20:10
But nobody cares and it's that sense of entitlement that somebody really cares what you think about their outfit.
20:16
Yeah, you know, I mean anyway, so He doesn't listen to his father.
20:23
He Doesn't listen to counsel. He doesn't listen to the wise a person that is
20:29
Pushed himself away from God the way that I did doesn't want to hear or listen or abide by rules or Doing what they know is right now whether somebody admits it or not, you know,
20:45
I did When I was running around running around I think that's what
20:50
I was gonna say. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, you know anyway, so How far did he go?
20:57
He went Let's see here, where is it he went to another country, right it says he into a far
21:07
Traveled to a distant country, right? Well, how many times have you heard pastor Jeff talk about sin will take you further than you want to go and keep you there longer
21:15
Than you want to stay. Yeah, so I think that's an interesting distinction that he went to a far -off country where nobody knew him
21:21
Yeah, right where his family couldn't come visit him Where there wasn't anybody that knew his family
21:27
That knew him that could give reports back to his family And I so for me personally when i'm reading that passage.
21:35
I see that as sin Dividing me from the father And at that time in my life, um,
21:43
I did not have a great relationship with my dad who Is not a great communicator
21:50
But was doing everything he could do to communicate with me And I was also not a good communicator at that time
21:56
So I was doing whatever I wanted to do anyway, um So he let's see here
22:04
He's far away, I think that is a representation of um Sin keeping us from our heavenly father
22:13
And then we've got um, it says in verse 14 Uh that after he spent all a great famine arose in the country
22:22
I think it's uh, I think it's a funny side note that people that don't have anything are always in famine.
22:28
Yeah that's that's kind of a hard lick on People that can't govern their finances.
22:35
Well, not just their finances, but their lives, you know what I mean? Yeah But they're always in some sort of turmoil or peril or famine and I think it's funny that um
22:44
You know and then when you when you have your stuff together, it's just like an inconvenience It's not for sure is falling right exactly
22:51
But a famine is always going to arise when you have spent all And he has spent all
22:57
You know one thing that when you just said that in verse 14 So I look at it two different ways
23:07
Luke presents this dude As he spent everything and squandered it on worthless crap.
23:15
Oh for sure Okay, the woman with the problem of blood She spent everything he had
23:23
On stuff she thought was not worthless. She did not intend to squander it on on But she spent all
23:28
I had on what ended up being worthless crap. Yeah, okay It says she went to every physician she knew and the bible says she gave
23:36
All her money to physicians and no one could help her. Yeah, so He squanders it on probably a bunch of bull crap
23:46
She squanders it on things. She thought she were helpful Neither of them until later went to jesus and they both came up empty -handed brokenhearted destitute
23:56
Nothing. So it when you just read that Uh, I thought about that. They both spent all they had on two totally different lifestyles, but without jesus
24:05
They both came up with the end same result for sure for sure um, so the famine arose in the country and The reason that I think that's important in this passage is um
24:16
Not only did it push the son to come to a place where he needed to come to in order to uh,
24:25
Make the decision to go back home But if the famine is arose in the country his father certainly has heard about it and and it's it's
24:34
Covering a lot of people not just him, right? But what does that what does that mean for the father in this particular story, right he says he knows yeah
24:44
He's aware and he's probably worried about the well -being of his son. He thinks his son is dead Probably right probably right?
24:51
He he's not an idiot He's the father And he knows that his son is an idiot and is out there squandering his living and is probably going to die because of the famine because he's not
25:03
Not better prepared and I like that because when he comes back and he says You know
25:09
In the last verse your brother was dead and is alive again You know what
25:14
I mean? And that also is another portrayal of uh, not portrayal. I don't think that's the right word. Uh, Representation of us being dead in sin.
25:22
Yeah Yeah until we come to the father and he restores us and because the bible doesn't say
25:29
We were swimming in sin or we were wallowing and it says we were dead in sin.
25:35
That's exactly right so the son Is very stubborn just like me. I was very stubborn can't still can't be told now think about this
25:44
He is broke. He's destitute. He doesn't know what to do. He's in a land that is not his home
25:51
And he doesn't go back home that hasn't even entered his mind yet Because he's so far removed from everything that he grew up in What does he do?
26:03
He attaches him to he attaches himself to a citizen to try to get a job And the citizen has him slopping hogs and he's jealous of the hogs
26:13
And and you know less anyone as i've heard some dude before say well, this dude was so unkind
26:19
All I did was let him feed the pigs just think about this for a moment. It's in the same country Which means this dude hired somebody during that during an economic depression if you want to whatever he hired somebody
26:31
Of which he already had these pigs. He probably didn't need him. He hired him in this time period
26:37
And gave him a job. I wonder how many people were hiring at this point There's a famine in the land, right? How many people were jealous that he got to eat the pig slot, right?
26:44
Well, it doesn't say that he ate it and it doesn't say that he was hired It just says that he went to work for somebody.
26:50
No mine says he went he He hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country. All right
26:55
That's what mine says he longed to eat his fill from the carob pods. The pigs were eating But no one would give him any but he never heard of a jewish boy slopping hogs
27:06
No, how far do you have to fall dude? That's true, right? That's pretty low.
27:12
And so isn't that the point? That's a good point. Yeah, the point is that God will put us into a position
27:20
Whether we like it or not More than likely when we don't like well, he got himself into this position.
27:26
Maybe he did. Yeah Maybe god allowed him to be in that position, correct? Yeah to teach him that he needed to come back, right?
27:34
Yeah, there have been many many times in my life as a young adult as a teenager as a as a freaking full -blown adult yes where I needed to Come back home
27:47
I knew it in my mind I kept trying to fill the void with women
27:54
Or I didn't really I didn't do any drugs or alcohol or nothing. So mostly it was just women I can can I tell you that surprises me?
28:00
It surprises a lot of people women and just I mean just yeah Stereotypes.
28:06
Yeah, it's okay. Everyone has their thing. Yeah, I never liked it I've never been drunk.
28:11
I've never been high um Well, let me say that again I have taken prescription medicine
28:19
That has made me High. Yeah, and then I quit taking it like when I was when
28:25
I got my butt whooped and I had to have that Collarbone surgery. It was a cheap shot. You told me It was it was brutal is what it was.
28:32
It was kind of awesome. Really? I wish you'd been there I wish i'd been there too because you told that story three times it gets better.
28:37
I love that story so He gave me some hydrocodone I think is what it was and I took it he says hey listen
28:45
Take this before you go to bed. It'll help you sleep And so I took it and I went to bed just like I was told to do and then this next night
28:51
I took it and went to bed like I was told to do but on the third night I thought i'm gonna take this pill and finish watching this movie that I love so much
29:00
But towards the end of the movie i'm just staring at the tv and I am feeling amazing
29:06
And I have I was like a totally new feeling for me And other brandon goes whoa
29:11
Like we snapped out of it You know the brandon says This is why people steal their grandmother's pain medication.
29:18
Yeah, and I quit taking it. I had three bottles of it Three bottles three bottles good night.
29:23
How long did he want you to stay on that? I don't believe ever I'm, not lying. I gave it to a buddy of mine. He ate all of it in two weeks
29:30
All three bottles. So you were his drug dealer? Well, no because there was no exchange of money It's more like I was his friend that gave him a bunch of drugs.
29:38
I had this sounds like a pizza argument from her Just saying I mean, no, my mom's done that with a couple of her first.
29:44
What was the movie? The movie was the duelists Never heard of it. And if you haven't seen it, it's a drama
29:50
It's very boring But I think it has one of the best endings of any film i've ever seen and I I love it
29:58
It's one of my top five favorite movies But it is for real boring So if anybody wants to watch that's why you had to watch it high
30:07
No, I didn't watch it high. I was like, you know, i'll just i'll finish this movie and then i'll go to bed But then towards the end
30:12
I was like we are so high It's a so it's a movie during the napoleonic era about two men
30:22
That fight a series of duels over a number of years. I want to say like 10 or 12 years 14 years something like that They sword duels or gun duels both
30:33
They are some bad shots if they did a bunch of them. You have to watch the movie to understand they um
30:40
It's based on true events I've never looked them up. So I don't know how I could that is but as a piece of fiction
30:46
The movie is amazing. I really like it anyway so going back to um
30:53
Him being stubborn and having to come to a place where rock bottom Yeah, he had to make the decision rock bottom is different for different people.
31:00
Yeah, and for me It was um, I was tired of I was tired of doing stuff my way
31:07
You know, I was so tired of doing stuff my way and my whole life
31:12
I had been in rebellion against god a rebellion against What I knew I needed to do people would ask me if I was a christian and I would say no
31:21
Why don't want to do that? and People would ask me. Um If I was religious and I would say no
31:28
I mean the three Subjects that I never talk about was work Politics and religion we talked about anything else, but I wouldn't talk about those three things
31:37
And I would tell people They would say well, why aren't you a christian and I would say well i'm not ready to submit myself to the lord
31:44
That was my excuse for like 10 years. I feel like that's an honest answer I felt like that was the most honest that I could be.
31:52
Yeah Without getting into it now, I wouldn't volunteer that information But if somebody asked me that's what
31:58
I would say because it felt like a lie To say anything else not a lie against god just a lie against myself
32:06
That seems kind of arrogant, but that's what I would say. Yeah, but that's an honest answer that I have more respect for that answer
32:12
Versus like some other bs answers that i've heard in the past Ultimately that is the root
32:20
If somebody knows about god, especially fools that have grown up in church that have rebelled we know
32:27
They just want to do their own thing 100 for sure And they'll find any means necessary to justify their poor actions
32:35
But eventually you'll find yourself slopping hogs and trying to eat out of the hog trough And you'll make a decision to do something else which uh, you know our boy ricky
32:44
He does that here and just make sure everyone understands we're in verse 16 He wasn't even allowed to eat the pigs.
32:52
Yeah, because he can't eat pigs because he's jewish He is literally longing longing to eat
33:02
The slop the pigs are eating. That's that's the desperation we're talking about here
33:08
So after he's like envying their food like right I was the pig After he decides to do something about it
33:15
That's when I think the real beauty happens He decides to get up and go home for whatever reason right whether his reasons are selfish or whether they're righteous or whatever
33:26
He decides to get up and go home and when he was yet a long way off The father saw him and ran to him
33:33
Now, I don't know anything about the culture of that time But how would that have been?
33:41
Viewed by anybody watching that the father Ran out there to the son
33:47
It also said that he felt compassion For his son as he was running out.
33:52
I think that's an important thing to note Yeah, so The father restores him
33:57
He kills the fatted calf and he Celebrates his long lost dead son's return, right?
34:06
And that's that's pretty much the story. That's where everybody stops but personally
34:13
I think it should be the story of the prodigal sons Yeah Because there's two of them and the older son while he gets mentioned some he doesn't really get the main focus because He wasn't lost.
34:27
He didn't leave, you know, he stayed But that's not true. I don't think that's true so I wanted to examine that a little bit more because I feel like Now in my christian walk, even though I had to come to that place that hard love where I had to make a choice
34:45
I can continue to do things the wrong way my way or I can I can submit to god and do things the way he wants me to do them
34:53
And i'll say that since doing that my life is has been made
35:01
Has been made to be Exponentially better not easier
35:07
Right. It's still difficult and I still face all kinds of trials mostly the ones that I put on myself, right?
35:14
But god gives us the strength and the hope to persevere through those issues
35:21
Right, right. We have hope and the people that don't have god don't have hope. Amen.
35:27
And that's the That's the difference. So anyway Um the older son now
35:32
I hesitate to say this Because the older son is the representation of the pharisees in this story, right?
35:39
So I hate to put myself in In league with the pharisees here, but I have felt like the older son many many many more times for sure than the younger son
35:51
So I dare say That they were both lost Yeah One of them had the gumption to ask for something and then go out and get lost
36:01
But the older son I think had been lost the entire time Now let's think about this he says
36:10
Then he became angry and didn't want to go in now. He hasn't seen his brother for however long
36:15
He's got to have love for his brother, right? I mean brothers a brother's love is very strong, but he's angry
36:24
Not at his brother What is he angry at at his father? What what is he angry at?
36:30
That he's not getting celebrated. Yeah, no He's angry Because his brother is being forgiven
36:40
Okay now listen to this he says But he replied to his father. Look I have been slaving many years for you.
36:47
I have never disobeyed your orders Yet you never gave me a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends
36:54
But when this son of yours came who has devoured son of yours, not my brother Yeah, exactly.
37:01
I was I was just about to make that point when this son of yours Came who has devoured your assets with prostitutes now.
37:08
Let's let's go back for a second he Went to a travel to a distant country where he squandered his estate in foolish living
37:17
It doesn't say anything about horse Right. It doesn't say anything about prostitutes
37:22
But the older brother is trying to make it Worse than it actually is because he's angry
37:30
You slaughtered the fatted calf for him He is angry At his father's forgiveness.
37:37
He does not believe that his brother needs to be forgiven Deserves to be forgiven because he does not have any forgiveness in himself
37:46
I've been there A lot. Yeah. Another thing is He has done all of these things
37:55
But it wasn't for love of his father Right. It was for the fatted calf. It was for his inheritance for the recognition right for his uh, personal gain
38:08
Am I misreading that at all? No, I don't think so. Those are actually really good points that i've never well like like you said earlier when
38:16
People go over like in church the prodigal son It's always the first section. It's never over that second section
38:22
And so preparing for this podcast, I actually I did read that and so the father says like oh that son sounds bitter son
38:28
He said to him you were always with me and everything I have is yours But we had to celebrate
38:36
And rejoice because your brother the brother of yours was dead alive I'm, sorry
38:42
Was dead and is alive again He was lost and he is found so you have the father right pleading with both sons
38:51
Both sons are lost one doesn't even know he's lost He thinks he's doing good because he's at church every day
38:59
And the other one who has wasted his life in foolish living He probably had a great time until he found himself with no money and no friends or food, right?
39:09
um But the father loves them both The father pleads with both of them to come inside and be a part of the party and Is willing to as you said earlier have compassion and restore?
39:22
What needs to be restored? and so I I have felt like both personally and I think a lot of times now my strong sense of justice irritates me when
39:32
I see people Not getting the justice that I think they should be giving because I struggle with Giving god's mercy and grace to other people because you don't think that they deserve it
39:45
Because I don't think they deserve it or I mean there's because i'm entitled I mean, i'm not like pointing the finger at you.
39:52
I relate to this a lot. I'm saying that's that's what pride and entitlement um
39:58
That's what it looks like I think Yeah, I think You know if you look at the beginning of the chapter the scribes and the pharisees
40:09
Do you recognize their original complaint in verse two? Yeah, it was slumming He was sitting down and eating with sinners exactly and the pharisees describe in verse two and the pharisees and scribes grumbling
40:20
Saying this man receives sinners and eats with them And he told them this parable so these series of parables.
40:27
Excuse me is a response to their grumbling and you know
40:35
When they do this in other times It says like they grumbled where he couldn't hear them, but he knew their hearts
40:41
I don't know here if he heard them or he just perceived so he literally watch he told them a parable
40:48
So he directs his talking from the sinners. He's eating with To them who are standing off away from the table.
40:55
I would assume since they can't eat with sinners by the way Oh, they were probably loud about it.
41:01
They probably were people that have strong opinions about things. They want to be heard um I could go on a little tangent and i'm just going to mention it in passing the whole thing about eating with sinners they're getting that from psalms 1 who says blesses the man who does not sit at the seat of the scornful nor standeth in the way of sinner
41:19
And it's talking about a lifestyle not the actual act of eating and anyone who has read psalms 1 know that but they want
41:25
To make it more about the letter of the law so on and so forth, but I think What jesus does here?
41:32
Um He obviously is comparing them to the older brother Oh for sure, and let's say the gentiles or the tax collectors are supposed to be the younger brother
41:44
I think another parable that jesus tells In matthew, which is really short relates to this really well.
41:51
He said look It's there are two sons
41:58
It's like super short Uh one the father tells them both to go work in the field
42:04
One refuses and says no and then later goes back out and works in the field The other says sure pops no problem and then never goes which one did the father's will?
42:16
And they said well eventually the first one And the point was
42:22
That even though they resisted They eventually did my father's will whereas you
42:28
Said you would and never have so while they both disobeyed and had to repent one eventually
42:34
Repented and came to me you never have right? And of course then they perceive that he's talking about them and then they get all mad and stuff
42:41
But it is amazing when we read this now how long it took them to realize he was talking about them
42:48
So, uh, and you know, I don't know if this one if they ever did figure it out it doesn't say I think brandon makes a good point.
42:59
It is incredible How We who have received god's grace and mercy
43:08
Can ever be hesitant To give somebody else And I think one of the reasons
43:17
Is because we forget What does the bible say leave room for his wrath vengeance is mine says the lord
43:26
I will repay I think david Expresses this in psalms. There are some psalms where um
43:34
David says lord. How much longer are you going to allow them to blaspheme your name?
43:41
I mean, I mean, where's the Where's the vengeance where's and you know it to david's credit
43:49
Uh One of the the reason that david and bathsheba lost their child was because of unrepentant sin
43:57
The lord made the child ill that's what the bible says, right Uh and god's answer is always the same whether we're in psalms whether we're in revelation chapter six
44:08
His answer is always the same I will balance the scales and make all things right in my time
44:15
That's literally always his answer Uh, i'll i'll do it in my time Which is not our time.
44:21
It's not and it's it can be very frustrating our time Well, we can't think outside of our own
44:28
We can't think outside of our own brains, right? So we oftentimes when we are trying to understand something or a perspective or something that we've read
44:37
All we have to go by is our point of view unless We pull ourselves out of it to think about it dispassionately from like a third person's view
44:47
Other brandon's view not other brandon other other brain, right because other brandon's in your head.
44:53
So unless we do that we We can't comprehend
44:59
You know god's time in god's time and plus we don't want to do it in god's time We do it in ours right now for sure.
45:05
Oh, so right now so impatient. I I read uh somewhere
45:11
Actually, there's a book um, I don't often Recommend recommend books because you know, whatever there is a book
45:20
I read called the holiness of god by r .c Sproul is one of the top five most influential books i've ever read
45:27
It is written I don't know how to say this. It's not like super thick super Difficult to read it's very readable.
45:37
It's very readable And it's called the holiness of god and in that he says something and I have never forgot it he said mercy
45:49
Is god not giving out the punishment someone deserves justice is just fairness, right?
45:55
God has never been too harsh So justice is the middle ground
46:01
If you want to think of it that way on a scale if you want to think of that way as we go We are so accustomed to god's mercy
46:10
That whenever he shows an ounce of his justice we call him being unfair We say that he's being if you think about it, that's crazy god's justice is a scary thing
46:21
It's it's terrifying. It's a fearful thing to fall Angry god if it really happened the way we wanted it to happen, you know retribution on this person for our imagined slights
46:32
And god came down and struck them with the justice that we desire in our heart
46:38
I think it would scare us. I think it would scare the life out of us. Oh, heck. Yeah, you know what I mean? I think it'd be terrifying
46:43
I think If god were to peel back the curtain of hell
46:50
For half of a second we would fall on our face and beg for hitler's forgiveness
46:56
I mean, I believe that when I read the the descriptions of hell in the bible it is
47:06
Earth -shattering it's terrifying. But I again I I I really like what the way sproul puts it there
47:13
He says we have grown so accustomed to god's mercy because god shows his mercy in in this
47:21
Uh time frame god shows his mercy way more often than he shows his justice Way more often than that day will end right one day his mercy will end and his justice will reign but for now
47:35
He the bible calls it long suffering. I think it's an interesting phraseology for it
47:40
Uh, he shows his mercy far more often Than he shows his justice that whenever he shows his justice at all.
47:47
It's easy for we as humans to say. Well, that's not fair Right. Yeah So and we don't really want justice.
47:55
We actually don't we want we want to be left alone We want to do what we want to do unless someone wronged me
48:00
Yeah, and then I want that person punished for it, but I don't want universal justice We appreciate you guys watching brandon.
48:07
I would love to have you back. Why does she not sit here? She's a much better host than I am. I said that last because you're the overseer
48:13
It's because now not of this why isn't this a round table? Let's ask that question, uh, because it was free
48:19
Yeah And it's not a great answer. It's the only one I have 70 of the food you ate Yeah Brandon You need to come back on.
48:31
I will be happy to come back on anytime. I'm invited. I'll get back with you Um, but the reason why
48:36
I didn't like hosting was because we had that super long intro that like I was always We'll make a new intro.
48:42
No, we don't have an intro. It's just welcome Brandon love to have you back on. Um, we enjoyed this conversation
48:48
Like I said, if you guys like the conversation hit the like button share subscribe do all the things but until next time
48:56
Deuces, okay, we're gonna do that again because brandon didn't do it. It's like every time we have a guest brandon's not gonna do it
49:03
All right, i'll do it for him. You're gonna do i'll do it for him. Okay until next time