Word of Salvation – Vol.23 No.48 – August 1977
The Delightful Inconsistency (Luke 15:18-24)
Sermon by Rev. A. I. de Graaf, B.D. on Lord’s Day 46 & Luke 15:18-24
Scripture Readings: Psalm 36; Luke 15:11-32.
Psalter Hymnal: 57; 329; 328 (1-4); 328 (5)
The title of this sermon is “THE DELIGHTFUL INCONSISTENCY”. You may have wondered about that ‘high-falutin’ word: INCONSISTENCY. What does it mean?
Well, it means bringing two things together that don’t fit together. If a political party that SAYS it cares for the working man makes transport to the city so dear that only rich people can afford it, we might say “’Hey, that does not fit, that’s INCONSISTENT!”
When a serious and warm-hearted Christian girl wants to marry an indifferent and hostile young man who clearly hates God and the church, we say: “How can she do that? – that’s inconsistent – it doesn’t fit…….!
Ah well, but can’t we stay closer to home? When you, and I, Christian people who confessed that we have a heavenly Father who cares for us and is Almighty – that is: There is nothing He can’t do – when we then worry and fret and maybe even scheme and cheat as if we’d have to fend for ourselves, then aren’t we at times…. terribly inconsistent?
It just doesn’t fit..!
These are inconsistencies, and our life at times can be riddled with them. Outsiders are quick to notice them and they say: “It simply doesn’t fit!” These are inconsistencies that are far from delightful.
But today we want to think of DELIGHTFUL inconsistency. We find a few in the Word of God, where it tells us of things which do not fit either!
This is the kind of inconsistency in which life is bigger than our thinking, and the life of God jumps right out of the little schemes and systems we have made! We shall think of the amazing thing that happens when we learn to say “Father” to God Almighty. What a delightfully inconsistent thing that is! When we pray, really pray, we jump right out of the little systems that sinful men have made. When we pray, really pray, we step right into a miracle. Yes, miracles are inconsistent, too! We know!
Walk on the water and you sink!
That is the rule and God even made that rule!
But when Jesus says, “Come on, Peter, over the side you jump!” we see a man actually walk on the water; that is inconsistent all right! Delightful! Now in the story Jesus told of that young boy who ran away from his home, we hear of four delightful inconsistencies:
1) he ran away…. yet he longs for home!
2) he doesn’t dare to be child – yet he says, “my father!”
3) the beggar who gets dressed up as a prince, and
4) the music of the spheres…. at my party?
- Yes – that young man was not consistent.
He had turned his back upon his past, he had proudly declared his – INDEPENDENCE! Now to be consistent would mean: to rather die than eat crow, to rather perish proudly than beg for humble pie.
And yet – he says “I shall arise…. and go…. HOME”.
That is where a man is inconsistent: That is being saved by grace.
When God calls a sinner back to Himself,
He is asking him to turn around!
Not just to add some nice religious bit to a worldly life!
No, the prodigal son knew: I must leave the road I was on.
I must make an about-turn.
I was getting AWAY FROM home. Now I must head back.
Inconsistent! If any of his so-called ‘friends’ would still have been close to him, they might have pointed it out to him, like your ‘mates’ are quick to point out to you that “coming to Christ” does not fit in modern life.
It is inconsistent: it just can’t be done, it somehow isn’t right!
When we have been on the road of revolution against God, we cannot save face, when we decide to do something about the service of God.
There has to be that break, because the natural man does NOT WANT the things of God. The road on which we learn to say, “Father” to God is a road RIGHT BACK to where we came from.
“What’s happened to him?” his friends will say
“I don’t know him any more
“He’s ALL different ― it just doesn’t figure!
― it just doesn’t fit!”
A dead person begins to live – boy, how inconsistent!
But only from that glorious inconsistency can true happiness and joy be born. As a matter of fact, it is so inconsistent with the way people live, and what makes them ‘tick’, that only a miracle can bring it about.
The miracle we call new birth.
And without that miracle there is no hope for you.
Without that miracle you are heading for death, for hell.
If that miracle does NOT happen to you (no matter if you’ve been in church from childhood) you are consistently on your way to destruction. You may be inconsistent in that you LOOK LIKE a Christian, but, really, you are not. The day must come that you, too, then, must say:
I shall arise, and go….. go back!
No matter what THEY say!
I shall arise before it is too late,
to be saved by grace,
to be at the mercy of my very Judge,
and call for healing from the very Man I put on the cross!
Inconsistent all right!
So inconsistent that it is an outright miracle that you’d even want it!
But ― praise God ―He breaks through our systems of death and He is doing this thing right now ― He can also do it here!
* * * * *
- And then there comes the second inconsistency:
then the lost boy says: “I shall arise and go to MY FATHER
and I shall say to Him:
FATHER I am not worthy to be YOUR SON!
Now there is inconsistency number two and the biggest one of the lot!
FATHER….. I am not worthy to be YOUR SON!
That tells you what a miracle it is to say “our Father!”
We would not really say it if Christ Jesus had not COMMANDED it.
For indeed, we ARE NOT WORTHY TO BE God’s children,
and yet Jesus says: ‘Come on, say: FATHER..!”
And the Holy Spirit too.
He sees that we don’t know WHAT we must pray,
and He teaches us that true humility and self-knowledge
in that we SEE HOW UNWORTHY WE ARE,
and say “I… a child of God, I?
but O, look who I am!
Look what’s going on in my murderous, adulterous heart!
This same Holy Spirit says:
“Come on, I’ll teach you: say “Abba-Father!” to your God!”
Abraham knew the secret of that inconsistency.
He knew: “I am but dust and ashes!
How can I dare to approach God?”
But then in that same interview with God he haggles and argues with the Almighty to make sure that He would spare the sinful city of Sodom even if there were only 50… 40… 30… 20… yes what about even 10…! righteous people there!?
Not worthy to be your son….. Father!
I KNOW my unworthiness…. FATHER!
What inconsistency! Here the miracle for which Jesus died on the cross jumps right out of our little systems. And in that miracle I find myself, praying to the One Who knows I am NOT fit to be a child, and I say “Father..!”
Oh if Jesus had not commanded me, how could I dare?
If He Whose blood is between me and God’s terrible judgment
had not told me to do so, how could I?
If the Spirit whom He sent to be with me today
would not coax me even today,
how could I ever be so inconsistent?
But our little systems break under the weight of so much love and so much grace.
The justice of God WAS satisfied on the cross, and I who was unworthy and still am, I get the UNSPEAKABLE Gift: “Come, say “Father”. Don’t ask:
“But what on earth am I doing?””
“It is impossible…!”
Just BECAUSE you say that, look to Him Who makes the impossible possible!
Yes indeed as Jesus said: what IS impossible with men IS possible with God!
Not every school class can say Father to God, and not every Anzac crowd of unbelievers in Jesus can mumble the Lord’s Prayer.
It isn’t as easy as that: It cost the blood of the Lamb!
Not every self-satisfied, self-pleased humanist can easily mutter
that OF COURSE God is the Father of all men,
and we are all brothers…..!
Natural religion does not show us the Father, only Jesus does!
He is the Way, the truth, the only Life,
and no one comes unto the Father….. but by Him!
* * * * *
- But and here is delightful inconsistency number three,
ALL WHO HAVE RECEIVED JESUS
GET THE AUTHORITY to become children of God!
Yes, received….. for nothing!
Received…. as beggars receive riches in empty hands.
“Father..!” – says the beggar, inconsistently.
“I am not your son… how can I be, after what I did…..
but make me only a slave in your home.”
Only a hired servant! That’ll be enough!
The beggar stretches out an empty hand.
But listen to the Father!
The beggar killed His Son Jesus by driving the nails through His holy hands! Here comes the murderer of Jesus and stretches out an empty hand but the Father does not call the dogs and doesn’t say “ATTABOY! Kill him, the dirty swine.” which is what I was and what you were – He says: “Put a ring on his finger and a ring means power (authority) to seal documents. Put a garment of beauty around his shoulders and that means the right to be a prince! He says, “THIS MY SON WAS LOST BUT WAS FOUND! And so the beggar does not even just get that place as a servant somewhere down at the back, but he gets authority – the very word used in John 1.
“Those who received Jesus
received Him for nothing…
received….. that’s what a beggar does
just receive…. receive!
THEM He gave the right to be called the very SONS, CHILDREN AND HEIRS of God!
See him there, that beggar! He is now a prince and he gets the very sceptre of the world in his trembling hands! See him there, that beggar! But God calls him to rule! To say to a restive earth: “THUS SAYS THE LORD!”
See him there, that beggar – but he is called to be God’s prophet, priest and king!” Can you wonder that the eldest boy, the next one, the proud one, the one who always thought he was so conscientious and humanistic and self-sacrificing, cannot stand this doctrine of pure grace? God makes children out of no-hopers, but the ones who thought they managed fine and indeed – THEY DID THEIR BEST – He passes by! God places the rule of earth, the ring on the finger on the hand of him who is saved by grace! Inconsistent!
Yes, says the Lord – that is the offence of the cross – when we say “Father” to God and get the authority to be His children, then the foolishness of God is wiser than men…! …and the weakness of God is stronger than men…!
That’s how God does things.
Not many wise and not many noble….!
But let these beggars then GLORY IN THEIR GOD!
And when they say “Father” to God ever after…,
O how can it ever be without the shiver of wonder,
how can it ever become the commonplace
of self-righteous church members who say:
“OF COURSE, OF COURSE THE LORD’S TEMPLE ARE WE!!”
No, it is more inconsistent than that. The Christian lives by a very miracle when HE (of all people) says Father to God. Compared to that miracle the fish of Jonah and the sun turning backwards and the walk of Peter on the sea are mere trifles! Will we never learn?
* * * * *
- And then finally, there is a last inconsistency:
“Then they begin to make mu sic there, and to dance”,
and – says the Bible – “they began to make merry!”
Merry? But that word is not dignified!
Merry? It is as if in that story of Jesus I see that Father
drinking wine with his guests, and cracking jokes!
But oh, look, God’s children drink TEA, not wine!
and are we not supposed to be DIGNIFIED?
When we make merry (as at weddings or parties) we do not think religion should come into it. At our parties we get a band, not the music of the very spheres! Oh says Jesus, is that what you thought? But when a sinner gets salvation then yes, then they began to be merry!
Our Father WHO ART IN HEAVEN……! And indeed we learn from the Bible, too, that we shall never think of His heavenly majesty in an earthly manner. But when heaven comes so close to earth WHAT THEN BECOMES OF EARTH?
Then He Who is God of God and Light of Light,
Very God of very God
becomes my eldest Brother.
He Who wept at Lazarus’ grave becomes the merry Guest at a wedding and Father does NOT want a forbidding chilly atmosphere in His house when his long-lost boy came back. Then there is music and dance, and He who says NO to the ravages of sin says YES to life itself as He made it.
“Very good.” says the Father, “very good!”
“Glad to see you here, “let’s have a glorious time together!”
Tomorrow there is much work to do because there are plenty of lost boys and girls of mine whom I want to come back to this My home. But I am glad you are back, and I am glad human life is coming back. I am so glad, come let us drink together and eat, let’s have a party, and the music of the spheres will play for us. Let’s get merry, for sorrow and sighing will flee away.”
That’s the kind of thing that happens when Jesus teaches us to pray. When he who knows, “I am not worthy to be called son.” is TOLD to call the very Ruler of all the Universe: ‘Father’.
When Jesus teaches us to pray…. the miracle is already happening.
My friend, what are you waiting for?
The consistency of sin and rebellion is getting you on that straight line to hell. But oh – the delightful inconsistency of God! His foolishness yes, but it is wiser than men! His weakness… yes! But it is stronger than men!
“Father,” we stammer, “Father, Our Father Who art in heaven!”
‘How close, how wonderfully close have You come….. to our earth!”
Amen.