Two sons are featured in this parable. The younger son is more famous, and is often called the prodigal son. The older son is lesser known, but Jesus is actually talking primarily to pharisees who are more like the older son than the younger son. Today we will look at Jesus' call to the listener who thinks they have it all together.

Jesus accepted a sinful woman and forgave her sins. But the religious man who knew and taught the Bible was too arrogant to admit his need for Jesus. He lived in denial of his sins, and he worked too hard to protect his reputation to give it up in a confession of his sins. Consequently, he neither needed nor loved Jesus. Let us listen carefully to the Word of God so we do not make the same mistake.

It is not enough to know the truth about God and about Jesus Christ. Knowledge cannot get you into heaven, nor can it guarantee a stable life. One must build one's life upon the truth. In this parable, Jesus calls His followers to build their lives upon Him, the Solid Rock, the Firm Foundation.

Jesus taught us that there is a fundamental difference between those who are born again in the Kingdom of God, and those who are lost. In this parable He instructs us to look for the fruit of the gospel on those who have been transformed by the gospel.

Is mankind basically good? Is mankind basically evil? Has mankind inherited a sinful nature? Can men and women reach God without God first giving them a new, Spiritual birth? We will examine these questions and more from the scriptures in this lecture.

My grandfather had a rubber fish mounted on a plaque with a little red button. When you pushed the red button, the fish seemed to come alive. It turned its head toward you and started singing, “Don’t worry, be happy!” while it danced. Many people believe that Christianity is all about being happy. But Christians face challenges just like everybody else. When something terrible happens, how should the Christian respond? Should he or she sing the "Don’t worry, be happy!" song? Let’s listen to God’s Word as it tells us something about how we should deal with tragedy in our lives.