Lesson 5: God's grace is not in addition to anything, writes Dasher. “The reason that man misses salvation is not because he fails to keep a specific list of rules and laws, but because he fails to see God as a loving and forgiving God who expressed (with the ultimate gift) His love for us (II Thess. 1:5-9; Rom 5:6-8). Man is lost because he fails to see his complete spiritual poverty, and so refuses to turn to his loving God.”
Lesson 6: God wants you to wake up! “The young man in the parable experienced a spiritual awakening that was the beginning of his salvation,” writes Dasher. “When he saw his condition, that he had fallen from great heights to the ultimate bottom, ‘he came to his senses’ and decided to humble himself before his father and accept whatever status his father was willing to give him. There is no negotiation for position or rationalization of his stupidity to be found in this young man.” No, God just wanted him to wake up!
Lesson 7: You are worthy! “He knew that he had nothing to offer his father with which to redeem himself, writes Dasher. ”He expressed to his father his total unworthiness. The young man may have felt ‘unworthy’ but he missed one very important point. While he may have ‘felt’ unworthy, his father considered him to be of great worth.” God feels the same way about you!
Lesson 8: Beware religious jealousy.“Legalists always become angry, whenever grace is extended to another,” writes Dasher. “The reason is because they like to think that there is some merit in what they do. Legalists always ignore their own poverty. Legalists usually perform well and, in the eyes of the world, measure up quite well. In fact, they are the ones who set the rules (ones that are easy for them and hard for others to keep). They like to look at the sin-infested world and click their tongues.”
Lesson 9: Don’t ever think you have God figured out. “The maturation process of our faith takes a lifetime,” writes Bunch. “Even if you understand everything in the entire Bible (and you don’t, but let’s imagine), all that is God is not even in there. The Bible is what God chose to reveal to us, but our mind is not capable of understanding the mind and being of God.”
Lesson 10: Be teachable!“Never get to a point of arrogance that you cannot be taught by the lessons and instruction of Jesus,” writes Bunch. The Pharisees of Christ’s day “were so blinded, they couldn’t see God standing right in front of them.”
Lesson 11: Maybe you’re the older son. “This son represents God’s chosen people,” writes Bunch. In our day, that could be “anyone who is jealous that another is offered forgiveness. Have you ever felt jealousy over someone being offered forgiveness after committing way more sins than yourself? Ever felt like you’ve been in church obeying all the rules your whole life, and other people get blessed that shouldn’t be? Then perhaps you’re the older son in the parable.”
Lesson 12: God has taken your shame. “The amazing application for our own lives is crystal clear,” writes Williams. “Our heavenly Father has taken our shame through his Son, Jesus, who willingly endured the cross on our behalf. He took our sins’ shame so that we would not have to.”
“The story tells us that we can be forgiven, restored — accepted,” writes Williams. “We do not have to fear going home to our Father and confessing our sins, no matter what we have done, or how many times we have done it (remember, Jesus taught his followers to forgive 70 times seven).” “In the parable,” writes Williams, “only the father could restore the son to full sonship in the family. In our case, we are sinners, and there is nothing that we can do to restore our lost relationship with the Holy God of the Universe. He calls us and waits. A single repentant step in his direction and He is off, running to welcome us back home!”
....... That I may know Him and the power of his resurrection... Philippians 3:10
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