Family Service Sermon Notes (7.31.22)

Intro/Welcome

Welcome families to Family Day

It is so good to have all the families together

We are going to do a little bit shorter sermon today

Mother’s Day, Father’s Day today, on Family Sunday —

How God loves Family.

The family was God’s plan to reach the world with his Love

All the way back in Genesis when he created Adam and Eve and said

Genesis 1:28 ESV

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

God sends his own family (His son) to rescue the World.

Kids

Kids let me ask you this, “Do you all know who this is?”

[Picture of Jesus]

That’s right!

And Jesus loves to tells stories to teach people about God’s Love

I thought we’d just this book today as we talk about God’s love for families.

[Pic of Jesus Story book Bible]

Do you guys know this this book?

I hope so!

Sermon

We are going to look at a famous story of the prodigal Son.

You can find it in the 15th chapter of Luke

Or page 272 of the Jesus Storybook Bible.

We are going to look at this story taht Jesus tells about a family and we will see three things:

Points:

God loves His Family

God loves us into His family through Jesus

God loves the Family

The family is God’s plan to bless the earth

The family is God’s plan to brings His Kingdom to Earth

Intro

Name, Welcome

Welcome online

Let’s Pray

Pray

Luke 4:18 ESV

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

The Runaway Son

Jesus story book bible is for everyone

JESUS TOLD this story about a boy who ran away:

Once upon a time, there was a boy and his dad. Now, one day, the boy gets to thinking, Maybe if I didn't have my dad around telling me what is good for me all the time, I'd be happier. He's spoiling my fun, he thinks. Does my dad really want me to be happy? Does my dad really love me? The son never thought of that before. But suddenly he doesn't know anymore.

So the son goes to his father and says,'"Dad, I'm better off without you. I can look after myself. Just give me my share of your money.

His father is sad but he won't force his boy to stay. So he gives his son what he wants. The son takes the money and goes on a long, long journey to a far off country. And everything's wonderful and perfect - for a while. He can go wherever he wants, do whatever he wants, be whoever he wants. He is the boss, he is free!

Sometimes he gets a strange, hungry, homesick feeling inside his heart, but then he just eats more, or buys more clothes, or goes to more parties until it goes away.

Jesus is telling this story to Pharisees

Luke 15:1–3 (ESV)

1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So he told them this parable:

he wants to teach them about God’s love for His family.

Running away form God

This son begins to doubt whether his Father really loves Him

He does the same thing that we all do

The same thing that Adam and Eve did

We begin to think that maybe God doesn’t love us, or that God isn’t loving us

The Father releases him

So this son asked his father for his share of his money.

in that day, parents would often leave a sum of money or posessions to their kids when they died and went to be with Jesus.

This son wants it now

It’s like getting your birthday presents now instead of on your birthday.

We want that sometimes don’t we?

We think it would be better.

And becuase the Father loves his son, he won’t force him to stay.

Because he knows we can’t force someone to love us, they have to choose it.

He knows that sometimes, his kids have to learn on their own

So he grants his wish and lets him go.

All is well

So the Son has a great time

doing whatever he wants, whenever he wants

staying up as late as he wants

eating whatever he wants

And even though he misses his family at times, he just keeps on doing whatever he wants

We sometimes, think that if we do whatever we want, it will make us happy, but it won’t.

Just like his money runs out, so does any happiness not found in God.

Feeding the Pigs

So what happens next?

But soon his money runs out - and so do his friends. He ends up getting the only job he can find: feeding pigs. One day, he is so hungry and so desperate he even tries some piggy food

"What am I doing?" he says suddenly, as if he has woken from a nightmare.

He spits - YUCKI all of it - ICK! ~ out of his mouth.

"My father is rich, and here I am ~ in a pig sty, eating piggy food!" He wipes his mouth and dusts himself off. "I'm going home!"

Once his money is gone, he is no longer free to do whatever he wants

There is a cost to happiness

He finds out that the World doesn’t love him the same way the father loves him.

So he has to get a job

A terrible job, feeding pigs

And he is so hungry that he decides to eat piggy food

anybody ever had piggy food?

A famine

Jesus teaches in Luke 15:14 that not only did he run out of money, but a famine came — and so circumstance hit

Luke 15:14 (ESV)

14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.

Sometimes circumstances beyond our control come to us so that we we remember and return to God

Repentance

So the son gets to thinking, why am I living like this?

My father is rich!

he remembers who his father is

And he decides to return to his father in hopes that he will take Him back.

Luke 15:17–20 (ESV)

17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’ 20 And he arose and came to his father...

We call that repentance

It is when we remember who God is and return to Him

Repentance is remembering and returning to God

This is what the son decides to do

And it is what God desires all of us to do

to think about where we are

remember who he is and return to God.

It’s what mommies and daddies want their kids to do,

to not run away from them in disobedience

but to remember their love and return to their parents instruction.

In the family of God, you can always turn back to God.

So let’s see what happens next.

The Return

As he starts for home though, he begins to worry: Dad won't love me anymore. I've been had. He won't want me for his son anymore.

So he practices his I'm-Sorry-Speech.

He hopes that if he is sorry enough, maybe his father will love him again.

The Father’s Waiting

All this time, what he doesn't know is that, day after day, his dad has been standing on his porch, straining his eyes, looking into the distance, waiting for his son to come home. He just can't stop loving him. He longs for the sound of his boy's voice. He can't be happy until he gets him back.

My girls and bike riding this week — returning home.

God wants us to come Home

He is waiting as a good loving father for us to come back home to him.

It’s a powerful picture.

The Father’s Love

The son is still a long way off, but his dad sees him coming. What will the dad do? Fold his arms and frown? Shout, "That'll teach you!" And, "Just you wait, young man!"

The dad leaps off the porch, races down the hill, through the gap in the hedge, up the road. Before his son can even begin his I'm-Sorry-Speech, his dad runs to him, throws his arms around him, and can't stop kissing him.

The father is so excited that his son has come home!

Luke 15:20–21 (ESV)

20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

He won’t even let him finish his “I’m so sorry speech”

The father is so excited that he wants to throw a party!

He has forgiven his son!

The party

"Let's have a party!" his dad shouts. "My boy's home. He ran away. I lost him ~ but now I have him back!"

Luke 15:23–24 (ESV)

23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

God loves whenever one sinner repents and comes Home.

Luke 15:7,10 (ESV)

7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

There is a literal party in Heaven whenever one sinner repents

Isn’t that exciting!

The Message

So what does all this mean? Jesus tells them:

Jesus told them, "God is like the dad who couldn't stop loving his boy.

And people are like the son who said, 'Does my dad really want me to be happy?*"

Jesus told people this story to show them what God is like. And to show people what they are like. So they could know, however far they ran, however well they hid, however lost they were it wouldn't matter. Because God's children could never run too far, or be too lost, for God to find them.

God Loves His Family

No matter what you have done

of how far you have run from God

God says, return home to me!

God loves his family!

God loves us into His family through Jesus Christ

he loves his family so much, that he sent his own son, his one and only son, Jesus Christ

[Picture of Crosses]

to die for our sins

for every time we ran away from God

from every time we sinned

So that we could return to the Father.

God loves his family through Jesus Christ

God loves The Family

But God also loves the family

The family is God’s plan to bring his kingdom to earth

And the family is under attack in our day.

God wants families to be like His family.

When Mommies and Daddies are loving their kids as God loves them

like in our story

And when Kids are learning to trust and obey the love of their parents

as they learn to trust and obey the Love of God

When our families can look like God’s family,

the world can be changed

and come to know the love of God

In this way the family of God can grow!

The Older Brother

Sometimes we struggle even when we are doing what is right

We may think that God loves us becuase we are doing all the right things

But God loves us becuase he loves us

he loves us for who he created us to be

It is from God’s love, not for God’s love, that we do the right thing.

Luke 15:24–32 (ESV)

24 ...And they began to celebrate.

25 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 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.’

28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29 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.

30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’

31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’ ”

The Older brother didn’t think it was fair that the Father forgave his son and welcomed him back home and they had a party

Sometimes we don’t think it is fair how God treats our siblings

or how our parents may treat our brothers and sisters.

Focusing on the Father’s Love rather than our own understanding.

focusing on what we do have (all that is the father’s)

rather than what we don’t have.

The older brother had unforgiveness in his heart

which turned into hardness towards his father.

unforgiveness has the power to divide families

perhaps there is someone you need to forgive!

Application

God loves family.

He wants your family to look like His family

practice repentance

where we can give and receive forgiveness

give and receive grace

Jesus, the center

Making Jesus the center of your family.

He makes a way for us

So it’s not about what we can do or achieve but about what He has already done

At the same time, when we believe in Jesus he gives us the power to become more like Him

so that we can become more loving and forgiving

precisely because God has loved us and is living inside of us through his Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:5 ESV

5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

So mommies and daddies, sons and daughters, families of God

let’s be like God’s family

and show the world what God is like, loving, forgiving and life changing.

Closing Prayer