The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-07-08
LOST AT HOME"
A Brilliant Sunday Sermon By Rev.
Francis J. Mcconnell.
The Parabl. in Luke Which Deals With th.
Grace OF God Toward the Lest

pastor OF the New York Avenue NJ f..
Church. The sermon was based Oh Luke
Nv. Mr.. Mcdonnell said
All the parab,es OF this fifteenth chapter
81 Luke deal with the grace of God toward
She lost. There is the story OF sheen lost
another OF coin lost and another OF two
sons lost. The parable from which the text
NJ the evening is taken is not the parable
Vi the lost son, but the parable OF the lost
sOHs. \ great many OF Us stop at the TWEEN.
iy-htth verse. We rejoice in the sound OF
music and dancing which welcomes home
Che prodlgal, and prefer that the story
should end with the happiness of the BAN
luet. The remaining verses. perhaps, seem
20 Us somewhat out OF place. The beautiful
uarrdtlve Is marred by reference 10 the
ug.iucss Of the elder brother. but if we
leave the elder brother out OF the parable
we have lost in large part the Master =
point. Remember that Jesus is speaking
Di the lost: lie Is justitying His dealing
with pubicans and sinners. These are lost
sheep which have wandered away from the
shepherd; lost coins which have c,udcd the
fingers OF the housckeeper and fallen into
the cracks; lost sons who have wandered
far from home to spend all in riotou, liv.
ing. Inc parable was spoken in response
to the murmurs of PhdrIsees and S-rlbes.
With wonderful eXquisitcnc.s Jesus puts
the Pharisees and Scrlhcs into the parable
The elder brother is the Scribe. who can
DOT understand the love OF the Master for
publicans and sinners. 1t requires but a
moments glance to see that in the Masters
thought the Pharlsec is los.-!ost not IN
open prodigallty and outbregking vice. but
lost in false conceptions and false feelings.
Jesus does not say, indeed, that the PhGri.
see is lost. but He implies az much. When
we look At the parable in the light OF the
whole teaching oi Jesus, we can see clearly
tine "iostness' ci the elder brother.
Possibly 1t would be well to say just
word about the sense IN which the word
"iost' il here used. Lost in the gospel
means not thar destruction has already
come upon the soul. but that the soul is III
the grip of forces which, II left to them
selves. VIII sooner OF later bring disaster.
Ii the stcep.c-clmber loses his hold the
onlookers cry out Lost not because the
death-doa.ing shock has already come. but
because the stCepe.ciimher is IN the grasp
of force which viii inevitably bring him
20 destruction. II a ship falls into the
clutches OF an Irresistible current running
upon the rocks the watchers upOn the
shore cry Lost At the moment OF the
cry the ship Is is st1unch as ever. The
''lOstness' consist, in her being in the
grasp OF a force that must. ii LETT to itself,
bring her to doom, The sheep out in the
wlldernes, had nor been killed when the
shepherd found it. It, however. was lost
because wandering aimless,y in the pres.
encc OF danger that must. sooner or later.
brlEs the end. The coin in the dust was
as good as ever, but in danger OF being
swept out upon the rubbish heap, where
It might never be found. The younger son
had not yet lost his lie, but his DAYS were
short II they were to be left to the forces
preyins upon them. Now, in this sense OF
the word. in the sense OF being in the grasp
OF delth'bringing forces, the elder brother
was lost as truly as the younger
tDI course there NAV he -, sslosL
ness. One man may be further from the
rlght road than another. though anv man
of the road Is lost. 4 respectable.looking
fharisee certainly does not seem so bad
as a dlsso.ute spendthrift reduced to the
company OF swine. But when lo5tness is
under consideration, nothing is 50 decep.
tivc a' outward appearances. Physical
vices that manifest themselves in outward
signs are no more deadly than some subtle
spr.taal wees tnat work quietly within
Not all wees are rough and boisterous
Again, IN the parable before US we NAV
fan 10 see the lostnes4 OF the elder brother
because he remained at home We are very.
apt TO think OF lostness a. sDatial. The
younger son was in a far country. and
whether we realize IL or not, something OF
our thought of hi io,tness has to do with
his geographical position. The elder son
was at home and, therefore. safe; but the
Iostac,s %. the parable has very little to
nos nave saved the younger son b. faster-
ing chains upoa him and keeping him at
nome. The son was already far away
whe1 he clespcd his fathers hand to say
Sooihy. Ncarncss ia spiritual sense is
not az al! a matter OF physical distance
ne soa who remained &C home was in a
spir.ti1l sense a. truly lost as the son who
wandered into the FAR country. Spiritual
Ios;ncss consists in false ways of looking
al ald iee.Ing about spiritual things
II may be that some Will object that the
ihai-sle5 We're particular class OF peop,c
iNla- 40 particular date in the worlds
hislo9y; that they have long since passed
on, carrying all their irailties with them.
VI Nhat use 70 speak of Phlrisees to-day?
H. must be responded that this view is
wholly 5upcricla!-that Jesus spoke for all
age; tnat in Pharisaism were Ger ain fun.
damcntal S.that appear over and over
again. Pharlsaism j. not vet dead; the
name u changed, but the characteristics
Ieappear. Few men are far enough beyond
PhlTisalsa to make a protest AGAINST the
discussion OF the lostaess OF Pharisa!sm
especially relevant.
, First OF. all, the .tay.at-home was lost in
MS thought OF himself. "L.o, these many
year 20 | serve thee" The word "serve'
1s not at az accidental; it is very essen
tmI part OF the picture; it strikes at ono
utep :. iaHitS ~ Pnaussism-the inability OF
Df so r
Naht-o,p ~ ms Thought Of mans relation
% TOD. The elder brother did not take
hlmseL as a son, but as n servant. and
therefore wa, ,OEt in hi- thought OF him.
sen Alter the proiigal among the swine
same 70 himself he aid Il am no more
worthy TO be called thy son; make me as
o7e OF thy hired servants" The prodigll
thpuFht ot himself a. lost forever to son.
Shlp and hoped only for servantship. and
yet the great redeeming fact in the reck
H's sinners case was that he had cor,e 70
tnnr point where he could appreciate son.
snip pom that fact the father restored
MN The prodigal had learned something
in ms disgrace. He had learned 70 think
OF hlmsef as one who had siuned against
sonship. With that lesson there followed
wlu arise and 20 TO my father" SO far
rs this essential realization OF sonsbir ,vas
concerned the elder brother was a. LAT as
the waHderer who had gone to the Jar
Looking at the parable in the light Of its
eternal spiritual significance. this must he
SAIL the man VINO strives 10 serve God
.is servant and not as a son is lost Nor
thht ne u villain or given TO outbreaking
trnnsgresslon, but so long as he merely
serves God he is lost TO all ioy for him.eif
and - dead loss to God. / say Lost 10
JOY, because there IL no Joy in merely
serving God--that j., ii we take the work
seriously Ii we look upon God as a great
taskmaster great lord over servants. we
are lost IN misery; for we make so many
mistakes and we leave 20 much undone and
we absolutely fail 50 many times that we
get but little satisfaction out OF the work
ttself. Ii we really look upon God as a
tas.master we must honestly confess that
We can never please Him. With our limit
en insight and our laundering faculties we
are lost % the happiness OF successful SER
- ka