Quote from Forum Archives on January 22, 2017, 11:00 am

Posted by: pastorbob <pastorbob@...>

The more digging I do the more this passage is speaking to me.  I may park here for a few Sundays and delve into different parts of this text.

 

 

5 People we come across      Luke 15:11 – 32   The Prodigal Son

 

All throughout our lives we will come across MANY different types of people; some of who we will identify with and some we will push away from because of our disagreements.

 

That is OK…..we were never designed to be The SAME and there are MANY disputable issues, understandings, teachings, etc in our world.

 

All of these different types of people we meet WILL MAKE an impression on our lives.  The closer the relationship the deeper the impression.

 

Just like a printing press, the impression; the impact, they have on the "PAPER" of our lifes story can be either POSITIVE or NEGATIVE.

            Help or Hinder

            Lift up or Push Down

 

In our text today, the Parable of the Prodigal Son, we will see a few of these people types.  These types are found most everywhere in our lives including our families, friends, co-workers, our community and our country.

 

Maybe we can learn a little bit about identifying and dealing with them today; both in our world and in ourselves.

 

1. The "Up For anything at Any Cost" – The Prodigal
1. No self control
2. No fore thought
3. They are going to do what they want to do

                                                  i.      Regardless of the cost

1. Financially
2. Family
3. Future
3. Running on hormones and emotion – NOT WISDOM
4. Poverty and loneliness are often the end of the trail of alcohol, drugs, and the "wild lifestyle"

                                                  i.      Brokenness

                                                ii.      Hunger

                                              iii.      Desperateness

2. The "Take Advantage of Everyone" – Those who helped The Prodigal in "Reckless living"
1. Always looking for a good time

                                                  i.      Never seemingly willing to pay or contribute

2. These are parasites

                                                  i.      They lock onto a free ride

1. For as long as the ride lasts
1. Then they are gone

                                                                                                                          i.      Off to the next host

3. The "Hard Hearted, Never Forgivers" – The Prodigal Brother
1. Caused Issues with his fathers and the servants with his hateful attitude and complaining to them
2. Always holds a grudge
3. Quick to complain about what others have or have done
4. Never forgives

                                                  i.      No matter how much they repent

                                                ii.      No matter how much pain drove them to seek forgiveness

5. They are the haters
3. Those caught in the middle – The Pig Farmer and the fathers servants
1. Maybe they are the servants, as in the test
2. Maybe they are other family
3. Maybe they are friends, co-workers or neighbors

                                                  i.      They seem to bear a heavy burden

1. Seeing loved ones fight and argue
2. Cleaning up the mess of others choices
3. Having to be in the middle of the mess
4. The Hope Bringers and Restorers – The Father
1. The Father in our story tries to bring restoration, wisdom, acceptance and peace to BOTH his prodigal sons.

                                                  i.      BOTH

                                                ii.      The one who stayed was just as distant from the father as the one who departed.

2. Know what's going on
3. Have clear vision of the failures and hurts around them
4. See the needs around them

                                                  i.      Do a supernatural work

5. This one is able to bring unity

                                                  i.      Celebrate the recovery of the lost

                                                ii.      Celebrate the ones who remained faithful

1. Recognize their faithfulness and reward
1. You were always with me
2. Everything I have is yours
5. I am not sure where each of us may fall on this spectrum today
1. But I know we have probably all been each of these shows from time to time

                                                  i.      We think we got it all figured out

1. But have no wisdom
2. We waste the resources God has provided
1. Time, Money, Witness

                                                ii.      We take advantage of who or whatever we can

1. With no thought of who they hurt to feed their belly
2. GIMME GIMME…or I am GONE
3. We USE people
1. We should USE THINGS not people

                                              iii.      We hold hard hearts against those who may have hurt or disappointed us

1. Anger replaces love
2. THOSE PEOPLE/That "SON OF YOURS"
3. They become constant complainers
4. Complain, fuss, dissent, disrupt
1. Never seek a real solution
2. Take pride in the fact that they "Did Something" by complaining and stirring up dissention
3. Only makes it worse for everyone

                                              iv.      Been stuck in the middle of the feud

1. Over worked
2. Over burdened
3. No clear way out of the middle

                                                v.      One God has placed to be His presence

1. Bring wisdom, hope and help
2. To be a vessel of restoration
6. Maybe you are here today in need of Gods help
1. Perhaps you have left God and are now hurting
2. Maybe you have become cold and hard and need to know true love for God and others again
3. Maybe you have become to dependent on others and need to know you can stand on your own
4. Maybe you just feel trapped in a bad situation

                                                  i.      Whatever your need the Wise Father, God Almighty is listening and willing to help

1. If you would only believe in Him enough to receive His free Gift

                                                ii.      You know you are in need of being saved for the situation

1. The One Path to that needed salvation is by GRACE alone, through FAITH alone, in CHRIST alone.

 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.' ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.

 

³¹ "'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'"

 

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