Welcome Home: Celebrate the Father's Love for us

Lk 15

1. This story is about us. Isa 53:6 "We all like sheep have gone astray."

2. We must all come to our senses. We need to run to our Father.

3. This story is about a Prodigal God. Prodigal means having or giving on a radical, lavish scale. In this story, the one who gives on a radical, lavish scale is the Father. The Father ran toward the son to protect him, because the culture's response would have been to stop the son and keep him from coming to the father. The Father kept the son from getting what he did deserve, and have him grace which he didn't deserve.

4. Our relationship with God is based upon identity, not following rules. God loves us because we are his children, we need to love him as our Father no matter what.

5. There's no such thing as cheap grace. Grace doesn't mean we can do whatever we want. Lk 23:32-33. 

6. If you don't like celebrations, you won't like Heaven. Lk 15:10. Heaven will have good food, loud music, dancing, and Jesus! 

Welcome Home: A Party You Don't Deserve

Lk 15:1-24
We serve a God who loves to give people what they don't deserve. ♥️
Ways that we see the radical love of God:
1. The Father looks for the mess. v20 The father was searching for his son even after the son was gone for a long time.
2. The Father runs toward the mess. v20 God chooses to become undignified for us to restore dignity back to us because he loves us. 2 Cor 5:21. God's love for us is scandalous.
3. The Father embraces the mess. v20
4. The Father celebrates the mess. v22-24 He celebrates us just the way we are, even though we don't deserve it. Praise God!

Welcome Home: Return to the Father

Lk 15
1. Pride always pulls us away from the Father. "Pride is the complete anti-God state of mind." C.S. Lewis
- when our view of God gets distorted, consequently, so does what is important in our life. Pride is the root of every sin.
2. Pride always keeps us away from the Father. Due to his pride, the son did not return to his father right away when he realized he messed up. Sin always over promises and under delivers.
3. Humility always draws us into the Father. Awakening>honesty>action=lasting transformation.
-Awakening: How many alarms do I snooze through and ignore?
- Honesty: be honest about my mistakes and my sin. Lk 15:18-19 Take full responsibility.
- Action: take action. Lk 15:20. The depth of our relationship with God is largely dependent on the depth of our humility before God. Rom 10:9

Where are you right now with God??