Luke 15:1–2 (NLT) Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!
Jesus had an agenda! Luke 19:10 (NLT) "The Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost." Luke 5:32 (NIV) I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
John 8:3–11 (NLT) 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. 4 "Teacher," they said to Jesus, "this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?" 6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, "All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!" 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.9 When theaccusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, "Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?" 11 "No, Lord," she said. And Jesus said, "Neither do I. Go and sin no more."
The Religious: Matthew 23:3–5 (NLT) ..Practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don't follow their example.For they don't practice what they teach. 4 They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. 5 "Everything they do is for show...
Legalism: excessive adherence to law or formula. "Legalism points to the law and misses the point of the law."
"A bad Attitude is a bad action."
The Prodigal on the Premises Luke 15:25–32 (NLT) 25 "Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27 'Your brother is back,' he was told, 'and your Father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.' 28 "The older brother was angry and wouldn't go in. His Father came out and begged him, 29 but he replied, 'All these years I've slaved 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. 30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!' 31 "His Father said to him, 'Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!' "
The bitterness of the older brother: 1. He was angry.
Anger tends to accuse.
Proverbs 29:11 (NLT) 11 Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.
2. He was stubborn: He wouldn't go in.
3. He was resistant to the Father
4. He had a broken perspective
5. He missed the Father's heart
Pursuing tenderness: 1. Walk in forgiveness. 2. Live with a spirit(attitude) of gratitude. 3. Continually ask the Lord to make you tender.
"The older brother, just like the younger brother, underestimated Abbas's kindness."
Luke 19:10 (NLT) “The Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
Luke 15:7 (NLT) 7 There is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!
Luke 15:10 (NLT) There is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”
Luke 15:22-32 (NLT) 22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began. 25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’ 32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”
The party is Life in the Spirit At every party, you find…. 1. Preparation
1 Corinthians 2:9-10 (NLT) 9 “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.
2. People
Ephesians 1:5 (NLT) God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
3. Pleasure
“If following Jesus is not joyful, then you are doing it wrong.”
Psalm 36:7-8 (NIV) 7 How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.
Psalm 16:11 (NKJV) In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
4. Presents Acts 1:4-5 (NIV) 4 “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
A. A Person B. Power “He doesn’t release us from responsibilities; he empowers us to fulfill them.” Acts 1:8 (NLT) You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere... C. Proclamation of our identity. Romans 8:15-16 (NLT) You received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
James 1:18 (NLT) He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.
____ Luke 11:9-13 (NIV) 9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Luke 15:17-22 (NLT) 17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.” ’ 20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ 22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet.
Sandals for his feet: 1. Sandals are a basic necessity for a journey.
2. Sandals were used in covenants.
3. Sandals indicate the restoration of sonship.
“Servants have responsibilities but not rights.”
John 8:31-36 (NIV) 31 To the Jews who that believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." 33 They answered him, "We are Abraham's des”endants and have never “een slaAbraham’syone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" 34 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a“slave to sin.35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. Three areas of bondage 1. Sin John 8:34(NIV) "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
“Anything you can’t say no to is bondage.”
Romans 8:12–14 (NLT) You have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
2. Fear
Romans 8:15–16 (NLT) 15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
“Fear is failure to trust.” Things that won’t help our fears:
Hardness of heart
Masquerading fear as faith
Worrying
Whining
Control
3. Performance “If you are obeying Jesus out of a burden, you are operating as a slave, not a son, a hireling, not an heir, and a laborer, not a lover.”
3 Breakers 1. Encountering, Knowing & Following Jesus. John 8:31-42 (NIV) 31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
2. Trusting that Abba is good, perfect, and loving.
“ A child-like faith is not something we must not grow out of but that we continue to grow into.”
Mark 10:15 (NLT) I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”
1 John 4:18 (NIV)There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.
3. Simple, joyful obedience.
Hebrews 11:8 (NLT) It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.
Luke 15:22-24 (NLT) 20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ 22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.
“The ring speaks of the identity & rights in the family.”
I. Beloved Identity
1. We believe John 1:12 (NIV) To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
2. We belong 2 Corinthians 1:22 (NIV) (He) Set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
3. We behold 2 Corinthians 3:16–18 (NIV) 16 Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
4. We become "You become like who you behold."
5. We behave
It’s in your Nature It’s your Nurture
II. Our Authority. "Because we belong to God, what belongs to God belongs to us!"
Luke 15:31 (NLT) ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours.
Luke 12:32 (NKJV) It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Galatians 4:3-5 (NIV) 3 When we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. 4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.
Matthew 28:18-19 (NIV) 18 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” 19 Therefore go…
"Our assignment is authority." Matthew 10:7–8 (NLT) 7 Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!
Authority Over 1. Sin and bondage 2. Sickness and disease 3. Poverty and Lack 4. Orphan and Enslaved Mindsets
Philippians 4:19(NIV) My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Luke 15:20-23 (NLT) 20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
Luke 15:22-24 (NLT) 22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.
The Finest Robe 1. Righteousness
Matthew 5:48 (NIV) Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
“The righteousness that is required is not earned. It is provided!”
A. Right standing. 2 Corinthians 5:17–21 (NIV) 17 If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Ephesians 2:8–10 (NIV) 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
B. Right-living
"Right standing produces right living."
Philippians 1:11 (NLT) May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.
2. Regeneration John 3:3 (NLT) Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
Luke 15:22-24 (NLT) For this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life.
Galatians 3:26–27 (NIV) 26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
3. Removal of shame
1 John 1:8-9 (NIV) 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
4. Preparation for a celebration.
Ephesians 1:3-5 (NLT) 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
1. You are worthy. 2. You are approved. 3. You are wanted.
Meet with the Pastors. If you started coming to Overflow in the last month we'd love for you to join us directly after service in the Parlor so you can get to know our staff and a little more about Overflow.
Next Sunday, Deeper, our membership class, starts back up @ 9:45am. Sign up by scanning the code beloe.
September 8th, Two Services begin! Service times will be 9 and 11am.
Luke 15:17–19 (NLT) 17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.” ’
Luke 15:20-21 (NLT) 20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
“He went seeking Mercy and found Grace.”
The Fathers Pusuit 1. The Father Sees Proverbs 15:3 (NIV) The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.
Job 36:5 (NIV) “God is mighty, but does not despise men; he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.
2. The Father Cares
Psalm 145:8 (NLT) The LORD is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
3. The Father Runs “The Son was reluctant in his return; the father was relentless as he ran out to meet him.”
“The Father chose desire over dignity.”
4. The Father Embraces Romans 5:8 (NIV) But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
5. The Father Lavishes love
Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV) The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.
1 John 3:1 (NIV) How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
___ John 1:16-18 (NIV) 16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.
Hebrews 1:3 (NIV) The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.
Luke 15:11–19 (NLT) 11 “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. 13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. 17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.” ’ 20 “So he returned home to his father...
1. The Prodigal’s Pursuit: independence & freedom “He chose independence over access.”
2. The Prodigal’s proximity: a distant land. “The prodigal’s demise was the distance.”
3. The Prodigal’s Predicament: Hell on earth Luke 15:13–16 (NLT) 13 he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
“What he thought would be freedom ended up in bondage to a cruel master.”
Romans 6:23 (NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 8:24 (NLT) “Unless you believe that I Am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.”
He remembered home. Luke 15:17–19 (NLT) 17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.” ’ 20 “So he returned home to his father...
John 6:44 (NLT) No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them.
From Hell to Home. 1. Come to your senses 2 Corinthians 7:10 (NLT) For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.
2. Humbly head home Luke 15:20 (NLT) “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.”
“He went seeking Mercy and found grace.”
“Jesus is the road back home.”
John 14:6 (NLT) Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
Colossians 2:13 (NLT) You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive withChrist, for he forgave all our sins.
