Coming Home

Intro:

Group project:

Get in a group of three, and describe your week in three words to your group. Now, in 3 words describe God’s proximity to you tonight…

Tonight we are going to talk about running away from home. Who has ever felt the need to run away from home? (await a response) I can tell you that in my youth I had a couple of moments when I wanted to run away from home. The biggest reason for this was I figured life would be a whole lot simpler and a bunch more fun on my own. The plans never panned out, and I guess the biggest reason I didn’t run away due to my dependence. But, image you didn’t have the title of a dependent and your had the resources to run away successfully, would you do it. Let’s here a story…

Story time:

I need 5 volunteers, to help me tell a story. (get 5) Assign the dad, son 1, son 2, 2 pigs/friends/servants. The story I’m about to tell is known quite well that being said I believe it still has a lot to teach us. A man had two sons… Before we go on I feel that we need to give these people some names, so lets do that. (ask for names)

- The younger son wanted his inheritance, even before his father died.

- The son packed up and left his father ____ and brother ____ and started an new life

- The life he chose to lead wasn’t good, he made “friends” with his wealth and in time those friends and this new life of his took everything from.

- After wasting the inheritance his father ___ gave him, the was a famine the hit the land and their was little to eat and little jobs to get.

- So ___ was reduced to helping a pig farmer feed pigs

- One day as he was feeding the pigs, the pods that the pigs eat started to look like a big mac, a donair or a pizza (with your favorite toppings on it.

- Then he snapped out of it. ____ realized that His fathers servants had it way better than this.

- So he decided that he would come home and become one of those servants

Jump back to father…

- Each day the father would take time to check if his son would return.

- Then that day came, his son was on the road and without apology or regret the father began to run to his son.

- The son begin to speak the formalized apology the he had written…

- But before he could finish, the dad got a party started…

- They slaughtered a pig, put a robe on the found son, and got the music going. (start music)

- After the party was going for a while, the father noticed his other son wasn’t there. So he when out to the field to fetch him.

- The father asked the other son why he wasn’t coming for the party

- The older son told the father how unfair this situation is…

- Then the father reminded the son of his previsions, and reminded him of the outcome of his brother’s circumstances.

- The end… give a hand for the amazing actors.

Each of us can find ourselves in either one of the situations that these brothers were in. But tonight I want to send a call out there to all of us. It’s time to come home…

1. Recognize God as your provider

- Explanation:

o He gave us life

o Our seconds, minutes and hours are ours because of Him.

o He gave us the inheritance at the beginning not the end.

§ What are we doing with it.

Scripture: Philippians 4:19,

o Paul knew that God supplied and sustains

- Illustration:

o Knowing your supply helps you to fill your needs

- Debate:

o I fill my own needs

o I have to do it myelf

- Application

o Come home and be filled

2. God wants to reconcile with you…

- Explanation/Illustration: (add to if needed)

o The father didn’t pace because the younger son was past curfew

o He kept faith that his child would return

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:19

- Debate:

o We fear God’s response (2 Corinthians 5:19)

- Application:

o Let go of your anxiety and go home

3. God will restore you…

- Explanation:

o The son wasn’t just accepted and brought in, he was celebrated.

o Son 2 was given an example of the love of the father, which can drive us crazy sometimes but it doesn’t need to…

- Illustrated:

o When a family loses a child for multiple days, they celebrate the return of the child.

- Debate:

o I’m not worthy, nope but love isn’t about being worthy, it about protection.

- Application:

o Come home and be restored to the place God has for you

o Don’t let satan steal your life, live it in abundance. Jn 10:10…