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Two Brothers

 

Luke 15:11 - And he said, A certain man had two sons: 

We often hear messages preached on the “prodigal son,” but there are two brothers in this family and this story discusses both sons. 

These two brothers illustrate two kinds of sins: sins of the flesh and sins of the spirit. The younger brother got involved in “riotous living” as he yielded to the desires of the flesh. The elder brother kept his body and life clean, but he was still a sinner! As the Apostle Paul expresses it in 2 Corinthians 7:1 – “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” The faithful older son may not have been guilty of filthiness of the flesh (thank the Lord,) but what about filthiness of the spirit? 

Here is where the dedicated Christian needs to take warning, for the sins of the spirit are just as bad as the sins of the flesh; and in some ways, perhaps they are worse. The Pharisees were morally clean, but they were so proud and critical that nobody could stand them. The older brother was faithful to obey his father’s commands, but he failed to share his father’s love. He was hateful; he had an unforgiving spirit; he was proud and self-satisfied; he demanded special attention and pouted when he didn’t get his way! He publicly announced his brother’s sins instead of hiding them under a covering of love.

Davis prayed “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). A clean heart and a right spirit – what more could a Christian desire?

From: Thoughts for Men on the Move – Warren Wiersbe