Prodigal WhoAugust 21, 2011Please turn in your Bibles to Luke 15.Vs. 1-2: Notice two groups of people.•Those coming to find life: tax collectors and sinners (ref. Luke 19:8-9)•Those coming to find fault: the religious elite (morally upright) Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 1Timothy 1:15App: Have you come to Christ for life?App: What keeps us from associating with people who need Christ? Vs. 3-10: Lost people matter to God. Vs. 11-32: If they matter to God, shouldn’t they matter to us? Property (gr. bios): life, livelihood, means of sustenanceProdigal: recklessly extravagantVs. 17-20: Coming to our senses (awakening): even a fool’s story can end when there’s a turning point. Notice the son merely turns; it’s the father who runs the distance.Vs. 21: The father never hears all the words the son had rehearsed. He doesn’t need to. His words were rooted in a need to fix things himself. All that was required was coming home.Vs. 22-24: Fully restored by God’s recklessly extravagant grace. •His recklessly extravagant grace covers any sin you have committed.•His recklessly extravagant grace isn’t dependent on one’s sense of worthiness, but rather one’s sense of unworthiness.•His recklessly extravagant grace simply calls to all who will hear, “Come Home!” •God’s recklessly extravagant grace will cause Him to run the distant to you though you are still a long way off.Vs. 25-32: Mutterers cannot share the Father’s joy because they’re out of touch with the Spirit of the Kingdom. In the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus confronts a religious spirit that says, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them” in a derogatory sense when it is really the glory of the gospel!APP: Jesus will receive you.APP: What’s your attitude toward the lost: compassion or condemnation? What is His Spirit saying to you this morning?