GRACELAND: A place where grace rules and prodigals can call home. On April 27 we will start a 4-week series called “GRACELAND”, A Place Where Grace Rules and Prodigals Can Call Home. As we focus on and dig into Luke 15, we are praying that this series impacts how you see others, how you see yourself, and how you reach out to the prodigals in your world.
Week 3: “Welcome Home” – Luke 15:12-24, 25-32 Jesus told 3 stories, back-to-back-to-back, all to make a point. People matter to God. All people. All the time. They matter so much that Jesus came to gather them to Himself. When something valuable is missing, God goes searching…and so should we. This week, the older son who wasn’t ready to celebrate his younger brothers return. Sometimes we are the reason it is tough for a Prodigal to come home. We can either a signpost pointing to God or away from God.
DISCUSSION/REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
- Talk about a time when you got lost and needed help of directions.
- Talk about a time when you felt very welcomed somewhere.
- READ: Luke 15:12-24, 25-32
Spend some time SOAPing this passage. You can either spend time SOAPing individually and documenting for a several minutes and then spend time sharing with each -OR- SOAP in real time with each other. Either way make as many observations as you can.
Observations: What are the things that stand out to you about this passage?
Why didn’t the older brother celebrate when the younger brother returned? How does the older son feel about the return of his younger brother? Which son do you identify with? Why?
- READ: Ephesians 2:8-9. Define “grace”? What is it? Why is grace such a hard concept for us to grasp?
- A parable is a story that is an earthly story to make a heavenly point, or to make you think and invite you to think differently. How is this parable inviting you to think differently or change your mindset?
- Doug said that “sometimes we are the reason it is tough for a Prodigal to come home. We can either a signpost pointing to God or away from God.” What are some ways we could be a signpost pointing prodigals away from God?
- What are some ways you could live as a signpost pointing people to God?
- Doug gave us 4 questions for reflection. Discuss each of these:
- Am I allowing God to use my life as a signpost pointing people to Him?
- Am I more “Welcome Home” or “Keep Out”?
- In what ways am I like the younger brother and need to repent?
- In what ways am I like the older brother and need to repent?
- To “repent” is a change of head, heart and feet…a change of thinking, belief and action. What steps do you need to take this week because of these parables?
- What else stood out from this week’s sermon?
- APPLICATION: What is your big takeaway from this week’s sermon? Be specific.
NEXT STEPS:
Everyone has a next step to apply what we have learned. What is your next step? Be specific.
MEMORY VERSE: *Challenge yourself or your group to commit this verse to memory:
Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
PRAYER:
Spend some time praying for each other.
Scripture References:
Luke 15:1-24; 25-32; Luke 5:32; Luke 19:10; Ezekiel 33:11; Jonah 4:10-11; Ephesians 2:8-9