The Prodigal Mountain Life Church/Life Pack/August 3, 2014
I. Jesus Audience A. Religious Folk 1. Judgmental 2. Law based 3. Graceless The Prodigal Sermon Notes August 3, 2014 B. Jesus message to his audience 1. God seeks and saves the lost 2. I must become a new creation 3. We all need grace II. The Story A. Introducing the father 1. A wealthy farmer 2. He owned land 3. He had servants 4. He had a large inheritance to give his sons 5. Neither son understands or truly knows their dad B. Introducing the younger son 1. I want it now, I want it ALL NOW! 2. Undisciplined 3. A Prodigal a. Prodigal = spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant. b. Latin = Prodigus (Lavish) c. A Prodigal is anyone who has been given much but wastes it C. Defining: The Inheritance 1. Everything pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1: 3) 2. Intimate relationship with a loving and extravagant God 3. Power over sin 4. Freedom from slavery I was discussing this story not long ago with a Bible study group made up mostly of "older brothers" and "older sisters." We'd played by the rules much of our lives, but we were beginning to see that our good behavior had been at least subconsciously a form of selfsalvation an attempt to earn God's approval and maybe even obligate him to do what we wanted. When we considered the fact that Jesus told this story to the Pharisees (older brothers if ever there were some!) in response to their outrage over his association with "sinners," we realized the parable is primarily about the father's relationship with the older son. "How did this story about two sons ever even get called 'The Prodigal Son'?" one of us asked. "An older brother must have named it!" was the answer. As we pondered the implications, one of the women confessed, "Still, it doesn't seem fair that the father had never thrown a party for the older son."? Several of us admitted that we, too, related to the son's complaint. We moved on to another of Jesus' stories: the parable of the Great Banquet. I began to wonder if, from Jesus' perspective, having a feast thrown in one's honor is a blessing, but being invited to help the father host the banquet is a vastly greater gift. My husband and I love holding pool parties in our backyard. When things go well when lots of people come and the food is tasty and there is laughter and music and good conversation there is a particular satisfaction and intimacy we share as we debrief together over the cleanup. Maybe the father in Jesus' story felt he could honor and bless his oldest boy more by inviting him into the deep relationship of mutual service than by merely giving him a party of his own. Maybe becoming a Christian is not only accepting Jesus into my life, but also accepting his incredible invitation to be a part of his life to participate missionally in the triune God's cosmic plan of redemption. As Jesus tells it, the Father is hosting a lavish banquet, and we're invited not because of our own merit, but because he loves us. And there's more. He's invited us to help him throw the party neither as servants nor as guests, but as family. 2 19
The Other Prodigal Son The Prodigal s home-coming was a gala for both sons By Carolyn Arends Growing up in Sunday school, I was very familiar with the Prodigal Son at least as he was rendered in flannel graph. I disapproved of his behavior with righteous indignation; as the first-born child of a Baptist household, I empathized with the older brother. How was it fair that the bad boy got a party and the good one didn't? It wasn't until I was much older that I realized the story was infinitely more about the father's love than the prodigal's misconduct. Only recently, however, have I begun to discover that the older son in Jesus' story is every bit as lost as the younger one. In his book The Prodigal God, Timothy Keller points out that the two brothers represent the two basic ways people try to make life work. The younger son pursues "self-discovery" he's on a quest to find and fulfill himself, even if a few people have to get hurt along the way. The older brother is committed to a more socially respectable way of being in the world the way of "moral conformity." He's on a program of self-salvation, earning the approval of his community and the favor of his father; when he feels the terms of this deal are violated, his good attitude evaporates into resentment. Kenneth Bailey is a theologian who spent 40 years living in the Middle East, striving to resituate Jesus' stories in their original Palestinian context. He points out that for Jesus' audience, respect for one's father is paramount; the younger son's request for his inheritance from a still-healthy patriarch constitutes an unthinkable offense. It amounts to saying, "I wish you were dead." But the older son's conduct refusing to join the party for his brother and arguing with his dad in front of the guests is no less egregious. Hospitality was of supreme value in 1st-century Palestine. The entire village would likely have been invited to the party, and the oldest son would be expected to co-host the proceedings. His refusal is another round of humiliating rejection for the father. But the father actually goes out looking for this son, entreating him to come join the party, and Jesus leaves the story unfinished. Will the son abandon his own plan for making life work and accept the extravagant gift of his father's love and inclusion? Or will he stick to the terms of his deal and exclude himself from his place in the family? D. The hook (Jesus hooked His audience with this part of the story) 1. The younger son asks for the inheritance to be given early 2. The father agrees! (What?) 3. The son does what prodigals do 4. The famine 5. The end of the rope 6. Coming to his senses 7. Returning home E. The nature of the father revealed 1. He s not a control-meister 2. He s an excellent father with rebellious children 3. He lets us go our own way a. Our own way always causes us misery b. Our own way is always a waste 4. He loves us so much he lets us suffer a. Suffering can lead to poverty of spirit b. Poor in spirit is when I realize my need for God F. The undignified God 1. The father saw his son and RAN to him 2. He gave gifts to his son a. The Robe - The robe of righteousness b. The Ring - Authority c. The Sandals - I m a child, not a slave (slaves went barefoot) d. The Fatted Calf - God parties when a sinner comes home G. Introducing the quiet rebel - the older son 1. Refused to come join the party (Embarrassing the father) a. He s an obedience and works guy b. Can t see his own need for grace 2. His failure to receive grace keeps him from knowing his father s heart 3. His failure to receive grace keeps him from partying 4. His failure to receive grace keeps him as a slave, not a son 18 3
Life Group Questions for August 3, 2014 Message = The Prodigal Ice Breaker: Tell about your most rebellious time in your life. Read Luke 15: 11-32: 1. What strikes you about this passage? 2. Compare and contrast the two brothers in this story. 3. Why do you think the father gave the younger son his inheritance so early when he probably knew he was too immature to use it wisely? 4. Why do you think he let the son leave home? 5. What does this say about the nature of God? 6. The famine was a providential thing that God used to bring the son home. How has God used difficulties and hardship in your life to bring you to Him? 7. Tell what you think the robe, ring, and sandals mean and how they relate to your life. 8. The older son was judgmental because he never felt a need for grace. Have you ever noticed in your own life that when you are judgmental, you have failed to receive grace for yourself? 9. Pray for one another. IV.And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors A. Acknowledge my sin and thank God for forgiving me through Jesus sacrifice on the cross B. Forgive and release others for their sins against me 1. Acknowledge that someone sinned against me and hurt me 2. Give the memory of the violation to God 3. Cut them loose from all debt they owe me 4. Acknowledge that bitterness has NO HOLD on me 5. Lavish love on them and pray for God to bless them V. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil A. Put on the whole armor of God (Put on the Lord Jesus Christ) 1. The belt of truth (Mentally accept God s truth over lies I have been hearing) 2. Breastplate of righteousness (Thank Jesus for giving me His righteousness which enables me to boldly enter His presence) 3. Shoes of preparation (readiness) of the Gospel of peace (Take time to digest the scriptures - committing them to memory) 4. Shield of faith (Step out on God s truth for my situation) 5. Helmet of salvation (Thank God that He has saved me and remember that I am different than the world. Satan has no power over me except the power I give him by believing lies.) 6. Sword of the Spirit (Apply the Word to the lies I hear, and the situations I find myself in today.) B. Run to the Lord for protection (You are my refuge, my fortress, my God in whom I trust!) 1. I set my mind on things above, not on things of the earth 2. God has set His love upon me 3. He knows my name and will never leave me or forsake me VI.For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever A. Make your faith declarations B. Return to praise 4 This outline inspired by Henry Blackaby & Larry Lea 17
Prayer Guide I. Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your Name A. Picture Calvary and thank God you can call Him Father by virtue of the blood of Jesus B. Hallow (lift Him above everything in your life) the names of God corresponding with the five benefits in the New Covenant and make your faith declarations Benefit Sanctify Spirit Soundness Success Security Name Jehovah-Tsidkenu Jehovah-M Kaddesh Jehovah-Shalom Jehovah-Shammah Jehovah-Rophe Jehovah-Jireh Jehovah-Nissi Jehovah-Rohi Meaning Jehovah our righteousness Jehovah who sanctifies Jehovah is peace Jehovah is there Jehovah heals Jehovah provides Jehovah my banner Jehovah my shepherd Personal Devotion Pages The following pages are designed to help you enjoy a regular time alone with God. We have divided up the curriculum to help us grow wherever we are at in our relationship with God and in our knowledge of His Kingdom. LEVELS: Since we are a Colorado church, we use skiing imagery to communicate the different levels of intensity and time involved in relating to God. BEGINNER: If you are new in your relationship with God, we encourage you to try the exercises under this symbol: INTERMEDIATE: If you have walked with God for some time and would like a little more challenge and more time involvement, try the exercises under this symbol: II. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done (God, what are you doing? How can I (others) get in on what You are doing?) A. Myself Give me awareness of how to meet others needs today I choose to take the initiative to love others B. My family (spouse, children, other family members) C. My church (pastor, other leadership, faithfulness of people, the harvest) D. My nation (city, state, and national political and spiritual leaders, the harvest) III.Give us this day our daily bread A. Believe that God desires to provide for me B. Be specific C. Be tenacious D. Talk openly about my worries and give them to Him E. Today s needs - Tomorrow will care for itself ADVANCED: These exercises are for people who have walked with God for some time and display maturity in their relationship with Him. These exercises provide a practical way to encounter God and His truth on a regular basis. There are no rules here. Please don t hurry through the process. Slow meditation and memorization seems to soak in better than cramming. Enjoy! 16 This outline inspired by Henry Blackaby & Larry Lea 5
Day One 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Slowly read Luke 15: 1-32. 3. What have you heard God say to you this week? Write it down in this space. Day Five The older brother was angry and wouldn t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, All these years I ve worked hard for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the finest calf we have. His father said to him, Look, dear son, you and I are very close, and everything I have is yours. ~Luke 15:28-31, NLT The younger brother was repentant, the elder brother was angry. He was angry because he himself had never experienced grace. He thought he was a good boy. He had always obeyed his father and was a very hard worker. But he had no need for grace. At least that s what he thought. Memorize Isaiah 1: 18. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you insight into the meaning of this verse. Memorize Isaiah 1: 18-19. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you insight into the meaning of this passage. Memorize Isaiah 1: 16-19. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you insight into the meaning of these passages. Notice the father begged the elder son to come to the party for the younger. He begged him! The heart of the father was to celebrate the homecoming of a scoundrel. The heart of the older son was to punish - because you have to earn a party! When I fail to give grace to others, the thought of my heart is, I have earned my relationship with God - and I deserve His grace! This poor person has done nothing to deserve grace, so why give it to them? My failure to give grace to others is a sure sign that I ve fallen from grace - and entered into earning. Father, show me where I ve judged others and failed to receive Your grace for myself. 6 15
Day Five 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Read Luke 15: 1-32 again today. 3. Take time to pray for your co- workers today. 4. Finish your Bible memorization today. Day One To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, I want my share of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die. So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. ~Luke 15:11, 12, NLT Jesus takes time to illustrate God s heart for the sinner with three successive parables. This final parable, the longest and most profound of the three, illustrates with fine lines and beautiful color. Remember, before we can truly understand what is going on in the parable, we must know the audience. Luke 15 begins with this line...tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such despicable people--even eating with them! Luke 15:1, 2, NLT. Jesus is talking to religious big shots who are blind to God s love for sinners. They see God s salvation as something only for special goody-goodies and not for the dregs of society. So, to illustrate God s love for sinners, Jesus paints a picture of a loving, excellent father who has two sons. He then introduces His audience to the younger son, who shows himself to be a real sinner. But by the end of the story, He has shown that there are two sons who need redemption. The younger son is an overt sinner, but the older dresses up his idolatry and sin with the mask of a devoted child. Many of us see the focus of the parable on the younger son, but Jesus audience was probably stunned by the waywardness of both! All of us can relate to one of those boys! Father, thank you that You desire relationship with me, even though I have often pushed away from You! 14 7
Day Two 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Slowly and carefully read Luke 15: 1-32 today. 3. Is seeking and saving the lost a number one priority in your life? Why or why not? 4. Pray for your loved ones and family. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you specific requests for each one. Day Four He persuaded a local farmer to hire him to feed his pigs. The boy became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, At home even the hired men have food enough to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired man. ~Luke 15:15-19, NLT For Jesus religious and Jewish audience, getting a job as a feeder of swine was the lowest of lows. Life could not get any lower than this. Such a person deserves death, not redemption. Yet, from here on, Jesus has nothing but stunning surprises for His audience. When we read this part of the story in conjunction with the whole Bible, we find that even the starving was brought on by the love of God. 5. Continue memorizing and meditating on the scriptures for this week. The famine brought this man to what Jesus called spiritual poverty. When I become poor in spirit, I begin to realize my need for God. God loves us so much that He will allow us to run wild in sin and eventually let sin bring us into misery. That misery will lead some of us back to God. Unfortunately, some of us never come to our senses like this young man did. Sometimes, God must allow us to get to the end of our rope so that we will hunger for Him. For many of us, the end of the rope is further down than we could ever imagine. 8 13
Day Four 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Meditate on Luke 15: 22-23. 3. Think about the meaning of the robe, the ring, the sandals, and the fayed calf. How do these things relate to you? 4. Continue meditating on and memorizing the scripture for this week. Day Two The younger son told his father, I want my share of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die. So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. Luke 15:12, NLT Jesus story gives us dump-trucks of insight into the heart of God the Father. Your first inclination may be to ask, why would an all wise God give such vast wealth to someone too young to value it? Some of us may even blame God for this whole debacle. Jesus simply illustrates that God has given us all an inheritance - that inheritance is called Everything pertaining to life and godliness. The inheritance He has given us enables us to have precious relationship with God and the power to live without idols, sin habits, and spiritual slavery. Jesus also illustrates that God gives us freedom of choice. We can do with our great treasure whatever we wish. It s our choice. He will not make us love Him, nor will He control our lives. The loving Father doesn t have any desire to make us do His will. The younger son went out and used his treasure unwisely. However, the older son had all the treasure he needed, but never used it. These two boys are such pictures of you and me! Father, I want everyday to be a day using my treasure wisely. Today, I choose to walk with you intimately, depend on You wholly, and pursue wisdom diligently. 12 9
Day Three 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Meditate on Luke 15: 32. Day Three A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and took a trip to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money on wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. ~Luke 15:13, 14, NLT As Jesus audience heard this part of the story, they probably secretly rejoiced: Serves him right! Got what he deserved! 3. Bring at least three friends or loved ones to the Lord and ask Him to bring them to repentance and faith. Ask Him to show you how you can boldly love them and speak the words of Jesus into their lives. 4. Continue meditating on and memorizing the scripture for this week. After a brief stint of wild living, the young man s money ran out. Jesus story reflects the words of Solomon who told us that a fool and his money are soon parted. Once again, we must visit the idea that the father of this boy perhaps knew that his son would pursue this kind of lifestyle. Yet, he let him. While I was in the midst of my own time of sowing wild oats, I remember wondering why God let me continue living that way. I questioned why God would let me continue being such a fool. Yet, He let me. God promised us that the wages of sin is death. After a while, death gets a little miserable... for some of us. For others, it s what we know and there s no turning away from it. But for many of us, the misery of sin gets us to a place of hating our lifestyle. That s what happened in this young man s life. The sinful lifestyle can look like overt partying and it can also look like church-going goodness. Without real, authentic relationship with God, both are sinful lifestyles. Father, bring me to a place of hating every moment away from You! 10 11