Jesus teaching us through illustration about God the Father

Luke 15:11-32

What can you learn about God from this passage?

Where do you find these things?

1. God allows us to leave, to make our choice—He gives us free will. God will let you mess your life up. Specifically allowing famines to happen in your life.

2. He may answer selfish requests

3. The son knew he could go back, just as much God is approachable. He is not holding a grudge and forsaking us, expressing that we will never be called His sons. It is rather the opposite with God.

4. God will allow us to suffer consequences for our sins. His view is that we learn and grow.

5. There is security and being taken care of with God

6. God does not need an explanation. The son was pretty much interrupted. God did not want to spend forty days to talk through all that went wrong

7. God refuses to be manipulated (by the older brother)

8. God feels compassion for us

9. God does not show favoritism

10. This goes counter-cultural, where sin is not as fun as it seems, whereas true lasting joy is with God

11. God shows His affection

    1. God runs

    2. God embraces

    3. God kisses

    4. Celebrated

    5. Forgave

12. God does not treat us as our sins deserve.

    1. When we return to Him with brokenness, He lavishes us with gifts when we deserve punishment.

13. God is always looking for the lost to come back. He does not give up on anyone.

14. God throws a party when his lost children return to him

    1. He is very happy when this happens

    2. He says we must celebrate this occurrence

15. God even has patience, restoring the ungrateful and self-righteous gently.

16. Treasures unity

17. He pleads for us to understand His heart

18. Since the passage is mainly intended for the application of the former point, we see a quality about God in how He convicts some of the most challenging prideful character, the one that mainly rejects Him, by pleading with the power of His grace.

19. We can get down on self, not feel worthy, whereas this shows that God does not want us to feel that way. God completely forgets about it and does not hold it against us, keeping a record of it looming over our heads.

20. There is plenty in God's house

21. God is not always the calamity creator. Whatever happens, God either causes or allows. However, the blame should not go on God because most predominantly He allows it. We and Satan are to blame for the consequences, not God. We live in a world with consequences because it is fallen.

22. Being on top doesn't prove righteousness. The fact that God uses you does not prove your righteous.

23. Dead apart from God