Part 6 of the 6 part series: The Lost Son
Read Part 1 / Read Part 2 / Read Part 3 / Read Part 4 / Read Part 5
The Lost Son is part of the two-week study "The Lost Series
Luke 15:11-32 (yes, read it all again!) Luke 17:6; 1 Peter 2:4; Matthew 20:1-9
Ultimately, what do we learn from this whole parable? Mercy. Mercy? Although the word is never once stated the Father is ultimately showing us how loving and merciful He is. Come on, He opened his arms and welcomed his son back, no questions asked. He showed a kind of love to the son that was completely and totally self-sacrificial. This is the kind of love that we are asked to give and show on a daily basis!
But in order to give this self-sacrificial love we have to repent. We have to go back and go to confession so that we can go and continue to work and serve the Lord. To be able to continue to live out His works and Words on a daily basis. So that we can continue to be nourished through the sacraments and prayer. This way its not just our physical nourishment that we are receiving but our spiritual as well! We have to desire this though. If we are just doing this because it is what all of our friends are doing how is that self-sacrificing? Sounds more like buddy joining than self-sacrificing. When he repent, we are able to have hope in God’s mercy and trust in the help of his grace to be able to work and serve Him.
So we continue to talk about working and serving the Lord. How are we doing that? How are we supposed to do that? Don’t worry.
The Lord says, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed…” you see that is all it takes. It may have taken the son years to finally decide that he needed the nourishment from his Father, but all it took was the little faith that he had left to go home.
We just need that mustard seed sized faith to return home and work in the vineyards of the Father. Vineyards, vineyards, vineyards… there are plenty in Rancho Cucamonga for you all to work in right? No, those are the wrong vineyards that he is calling us to. He is calling us to your work places, to those in the coffee shop you go to every day, to the guy who just cut us off on the freeway. Those are the vineyards that He is calling us to, those are the vineyards that He wants us to work in and live out His word and works. Not alone by word, but by actions as well.
“may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature.”
Therefore then, we can escape the corruption of the world because of our passion and therefore be a part of something so much greater. Something the Lord has beautifully prepared and in store for us, our inheritance.
Remember: Monday starts a new study on the Book of Galatians!! Woot woot! And make sure you join our "The Lost Series" Link Up party that's launching today!