Explores understanding and living out grace, patience, and love as depicted in the parable of the Prodigal Son from the Gospel of Luke.
Good morning, dear friends. We are gathered here today in the warmth of our faith, in the comfort of our shared belief. We are here to learn, to grow, to understand.
We turn to the Gospel of Luke, to the fifteenth chapter, verses twenty-five to thirty-two. Let us listen to the Word of God:
"Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.' But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, 'Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!' And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'"
In these verses, we find a story of grace, of pace, of embrace. A story that is as old as time, yet as fresh as the morning dew. A story that speaks to the heart of each one of us.
G.K. Chesterton once said, "The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people." It is a sentiment that rings true in this passage. It is a sentiment that echoes in our lives.
The face of grace is something we often struggle to understand. It's a concept that is both simple and complex, both comforting and challenging. It's something that we experience in our daily lives, yet often fail to recognize. It's something that is always there, always available, yet often overlooked.
A perfect example of this: The younger son, who squandered his inheritance and lived a life of sin, is welcomed back by his father with open arms. He is not judged, not condemned, but rather, he is embraced, loved, and celebrated. This is the face of grace. It's not about what we've done or haven't done, it's about who we are – children of God.
How do we come to know this grace?: How do we recognize it in our lives? How do we live in the light of it? These are questions that we must grapple with as we seek to understand the face of grace.
Firstly: We must understand that grace is not something that we earn or deserve. It's not a reward for good behavior or a punishment for bad behavior. It's a gift, freely given by a loving God. The older brother in the story struggled with this. He had been faithful, he had worked hard, he had done everything right. Yet, he felt overlooked, unappreciated, unloved. He couldn't understand why his father would celebrate his wayward brother's return. He couldn't understand the face of grace.
Secondly: We must understand that grace is not about fairness. It's not about getting what we deserve or giving others what they deserve. It's about love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. The father in the story didn't care about what was fair. He didn't care about what his younger son deserved. He cared about his son. He cared about his relationship with his son. He cared about love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. He knew the face of grace.
Thirdly: We must understand that grace is not about us. It's about God. It's about His love, His mercy, His forgiveness. It's about His desire to be in relationship with us, despite our flaws, our failures, our sins. The younger son in the story realized this. He realized that he didn't deserve his father's love, his father's forgiveness. But he also realized that it wasn't about what he deserved. It was about his father's love, his father's forgiveness. He came to know the face of grace.
Fourthly: We must understand that grace is not a one-time event. It's a daily, ongoing experience. It's something that we need to continually seek, continually accept, continually live out. The father in the story didn't just welcome his son back once. He continued to love him, to forgive him, to celebrate him. He continued to show him the face of grace.
We find ourselves now in the midst of the story, where the pace of the prodigal son's life takes a dramatic turn ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO
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