Sermon Audio (Lent 1): The Joy of the Father

Here is the Sermon from Last Sunday. The first in the Lent series on the Prodigal Sons.

Download or listen: HERE.
Scripture Text to read first is HERE.
Google Document of text of sermon is HERE (if you just want to read it).

*Warning: The tape is very old, I think. So the quality is not good. We bought new tapes this week. But its OK.*

But here is a start:

God is Grace. He is more than that, but he is not less than that. God has grace woven into the fabric of his being. And Jesus is the exact image of the invisible God, so it is no surprise that Jesus has grace woven into the fabric of his being.

Look at Luke 15:1:

Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

Look at the main verbs in those two verses:

• Gathering.
• Muttering.
• Welcoming.

Who is doing what?

• The (so called) Sinners are gathering.
• The Religious types are muttering.
• And Jesus is welcoming (and even eating with them.)

Right there in those verbs is the heart of the Christian message.

Three questions to unlock the text: (All about motivation).

• What is the motivation of the sinners to gather? V1
• What is the motivation of the religious leaders to mutter? V2
• What is the motivation of Jesus to welcome? V3-12

Download or listen: HERE.

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