Surfer’s Chapel, Huntington Beach: Pastor/Teacher Bill White

from 9/9/1995 #7 in a “Power” series [I am riffing from a sermon that was from a series started in April of 1995 (+/-), at my home church in Huntington Beach, Ca.]

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Jealousy can be over anything. Skills and abilities, Talents, possessions, etc. Churches have divided, split, as a result of jealousy issues. Jealousy is negative, Trusting God is a positive when we stop and shift “gears” in our hearts. Comparison is deadly, it kills a mood, a right way of composing yourself emotionally before God and others. Like the other “deadly C’s”, Complaining, and Criticizing, Believers shouldn’t be falling into the trap of jealousy when comparison happens. Comparison kills the love we are supposed to have flowing non-stop.

Luke 15 has three parables in it, and we’re going to skip right up to the third and discuss that prodigal son. You know the story, right? Let me quickly summarize if you haven’t read it or heard it (it’s a good read, and has tons of application in it to unpack).

A dad has two sons, younger and older. The younger says (basically) dad I don’t want to wait for you to die, I want my inheritance now, so give it to me. Amazingly, his dad agrees, and divides up the wealth. A little time after this passes, and the younger packs up his stuff and heads out. It’s not long when he’s foolish with it. Verse 13 says “he squandered his estate with loose living.”

Then, as it happens all the time, it gets worse for him, and all the people basically as it’s an agricultural era culturally. The younger son is in a pinch, has nothing left of his inheritance, and then it happens. In one word: Famine. Severe famine, that means there’s nothing like there used to be, all the resources were “dried up” and it was hard living for everyone in that country. The younger guy then tries all sorts of ways to get by, ends up feeding pigs and starts to drool for the food he’s feeding them.

Context here might help you, this, to a Jew (Jesus’ audience at the time) is deeply offensive. Pigs are unclean, disgusting in the mud, all sorts of wrong, you dig?

So back to the younger idiot, (I mean son), isn’t getting any handouts from the people he’s around. Without knowing what it was really like, of course, they probably remember him in the “good times” when he was foolishly spreading his money around, but now that he’s penniless, he’s dirt to them. After a while with these pigs, he’s thinking, and figures that even the hired men at his dad’s place are eating better. So he hatches a plan to correct his situation, and builds up a script he practices on his way back to his dad’s place. It’s a great example of asking for forgiveness, so I’ll share it:

Luke 15:18-19: 18 “I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”’

If you’re thinking this isn’t a grovelling request, to be one of the hired men, again you need context. In that culture, the “hired men” are many levels below a son of the estate. Not far from slaves, actually, and often not the best life, but it was better than being homeless, work-less, and destitute.

Back to the story, while the younger is practicing his script, and gets within at least a few hundred yards (a long way off, verse 20),from his dad’s place, His dad sees him, runs to him, grabs him in a bear hug, kissing him and squeezing him, figure him crazy-stoked his son is back. Just before the bear hug, the son was trying to get his script out, but was cut off by his exuberant dad. Verse 24 sums it up well: “For this son of mine was dead and has come to life again, he was lost and has been found”. The dad tells his slaves to get the party started and they head to the “ranch”.

The plot thickens a little bit as the older son comes in from the field, a bit later, and sees the party going on. He gets a servant to tell him what’s up, and they reply with the deets about the big party going on because the younger son is back from the dead. This doesn’t go over well with the older brother, right? He’s lit-up with anger and jealousy, doesn’t even want to go into the house. His dad realizes the older son isn’t coming in, pleads with him, but the older son replies with the complaint that he’s never done anything like the younger son, never been a screw up like him, always been there, but hasn’t EVER gotten a party like that! He even goes into the details in verse 30 “but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.” His dad takes this in stride, tells the older all he has is his, and that he should come in and celebrate and rejoice, his brother was dead and is now alive, has begun to live, was lost and is now found.

The older son obviously thought his dad was playing favorites. Yet between the older and younger, who was really the prodigal?

Another jealousy issue is revealed in Joseph’s multicolored coat. While the Prodigal Son parable was, a parable, a teaching tool “story” to get a point or learning across, we can see the real-life jealousy in Genesis 37. This is our history, grafted into God’s family as Gentiles, and Joseph’s brothers didn’t like the favoritism their dad paid to Joseph. That brother was always dreamin’ these weird (prophetic) dreams they couldn’t understand, and again that fly-coat their dad gave him. You can read this, and you should, in Genesis 37. There is so much you can learn reading the history in Genesis.

Favoritism builds resentment, right? It’s totally obviously unfair, like “fairness” is a human right. It’s awesome God calls us all his favorite, not favoring anyone over anyone, He’s God, loves you more than you can possibly realize.

Romans 10:12: “No difference between Jew and Gentile, the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him.”

God is fair, we are all the same in His eyes (those who truly believe and obey). He’s full of grace, compassion, and mercy. He doesn’t play favorites against each other, nor should we ever think He’s unfair in any way.

Trust in His timing, He works in mysterious ways! He has your best interest at heart, ALWAYS!

In the Prodigal parable, the older son was caught in the “performance trap”, motivated by expectation for more blessing. God is blessed by motivation based out of love!

The “performance trap” makes grace seem earned, yet no works = salvation.

Salvation is gift of love, and the older son missed it.

Matthew 7:7-8 talk about how we should pray.

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.“

See again in verse 7, if you have your Bible open, highlight and consider it says “it will be given to you.” God is a loving heavenly Father. He wants to stoke you beyond your expectations.

Why be jealous?

Matthew 6:7-8 again is also talking about prayer, while 7 says don’t be meaninglessly repeating your prayers like the word-count will matter to God, and Jesus states in verse 8:

8 “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”

This is a mind-blowing statement, yeah? What follows these two verses is His instruction on how to pray (often called the Lord’s prayer, but I think this is just an example on how, Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane is the Lord’s prayer!). Back to this example, I want to close with this thought on prayer.

You cannot think of God as some kind of Santa Claus, or some kind of genie in a bottle. Just because you’re asking, you cannot expect to get your request answered. It’s according to His will is how he wants us to ask. Like in John 16:24 “If you abide in me…” Full stop, just the first 5 words are foundational, like verse 10 here in Matthew 6, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done.” He knows what we need, and knows what we want. There’s a difference, right? He will always meet our needs, yet it’s crazy I’ve known Him to give me my wants from time to time. Don’t ask me how or why, He’s in the business of blessing us, especially if we’re obediently living as He commands, seeking Him with our whole hearts. One more thing, and this has hit me hard in the time of typing this: as I understand scripture, God is more interested in our being shaped into Jesus’ likeness and becoming who He’s designed us to be, than giving me a re-start in my career (I’ve been out of work for a few months). He’s still providing our needs, as a family, yet I’ve not been hired. I”m pressing on with my blog posts, YouTube videos of these blog posts, and continuing to spend time in prayer and His Word daily. That He would be glorified.

Don’t let Jealousy ruin your moments. As life is made up of many small moments.

Jealousy – Who needs it?

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[I attended Surfer’s chapel in the mid-90’s, right before moving to New Mexico. Everyone at Surfer’s chapel either surfed regularly, or were married/dating/or otherwise related to someone who did. Therefore this sermon, and the series, was on-point with the fellowship in attendance.]