4/20/14 Message

This past Sunday, we celebrated Easter Sunday and looked at the parable of the Prodigal Son. Here are some thoughts from Luke 15:

1) Living apart from God will eventually cost you everything and leave you with nothing. vs 14 “spent everything”
2) God uses times of need to bring us back to our senses. vs 14 “began to be in need”
3) The road home to God begins with repentance. vs 17 “came to his senses”
     A) An acknowledgment of sin - "I have sinned against heaven and against     
     you"
     B) A realization that God takes us back because of His great love, not our  
     goodness. "I'm not worthy"
     C) A desire to start living for God. "Make me like one of your hired men"
4) Returning to God happens when we get up and do something about it. vs 20 “So he got up”
5) God is willing to meet us even while we’re still a long ways off. vs 20 “While he was still a long way off”
6) Returning to God is a time of celebration, not punishment. vs 23 “celebrate”
7) Jesus Christ fully paid the price for our sins to be forgiven, in order that we can be reconciled to God. vs 24 “was dead…is alive”

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