The Church at Mesquite Luke

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Literary Context:

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Literary Context: This parable of JESUS is neatly placed by Luke in a discourse that includes 3 parables that all reveal how important it is to HIM for sinners to repent and return to HIM.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Literary Context: Luke Then drew near unto HIM all the publicans and sinners for to hear HIM. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, this man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And HE spake this parable unto them saying… (KJV)

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Historical Context:

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Historical Context: Pharisees Scribes Publicans Sinners

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Historical Context: Pharisees:

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Historical Context: Pharisees: Best known religious group of JESUS’ day. They were very influential. They considered themselves separate from “regular” Jews and their theology proved to be a synergistic twist of the Old Testament mingled with a great deal of their own traditions.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Historical Context: Scribes:

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Historical Context: Scribes: Those who copied the Torah. Hence they felt that they were more noble than others because of the amount of time they spent reading and writing the law.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Historical Context: Publicans:

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Historical Context: Publicans: Jews who collected taxes for the Romans. Considering the fact that the Romans proved to be the oppressors of the Jews, Publicans were especially heinous in the minds of the Jews.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Historical Context: Sinners:

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Historical Context: Sinners: A sinner was anyone who sinned. Of course this describes all of us but in the context of Luke 15 the Pharisees and Scribes had determined that they had transcended sin which is why they felt they were able to judge others.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Historical Context: Pharisees Scribes Publicans Sinners

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Significance…

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Significance… Now that we have considered the contexts (literary and historical) we are now more equipped to consider the lesson that JESUS left for us in Luke

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke After considering the contexts we are able to see that the emphasis of this text is not the Prodigal Son but actually the Loving FATHER.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke We have all gotten to a point in life where we thought we were grown enough to do what we wanted to do.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke Hence, we all have visited the “weary land” and wasted the blessings, abilities, and gifts that GOD has given us.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke Eventually GOD allows things to happen to us in life that takes the very blessing HE has given us away because we proved to not be good stewards of them.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke In times like these GOD has a way of bringing us low, so we are able to see how far away from HIM we actually are.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke Prayerfully…we wake up!

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke Prayerfully…we wake up! Rom 2.4 (The goodness of GOD leads to repentance).

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke When we come to ourselves we understand that the place that we are in, is not the place that GOD designed us to be in.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke This is significant in this context because the Pharisees and Scribes did not realize they were sinners (even though they were), hence they could neither repent or return to GOD.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke GOD goodness led us to repentance and we reacted to HIS “another chance love” by coming back to HIM.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke HIS reaction…COMPASSION!

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke GOD’s reaction to our repentance…forgetfulness, celebration, merriness

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke The spirit of the Pharisees/Scribes

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke The correction of the Pharisaic/Scribal spirit

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke Spiritually speaking, GOD’s HOUSE is where GOD rules.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke Spiritually speaking, GOD’s HOUSE is where GOD rules. GOD rules in HIS kingdom (the church).

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke Spiritually speaking, GOD’s HOUSE is where GOD rules. GOD rules in HIS kingdom (the church). Hence we are able to deduce that in the church there is a specific spirit that should exist…

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke Spiritually speaking, GOD’s HOUSE is where GOD rules. GOD rules in HIS kingdom (the church). Hence we are able to deduce that in the church there is a specific spirit that should exist…The SPIRIT of GOD.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke The church: is a place of perpetual peace where being held accountable does not mean being judged.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke The church: is a place of perpetual peace where being held accountable does not mean being judged. Where people realize that we are all sinners saved by the grace of GOD, hence, no one is any better than anyone else.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke Paul noted in Romans 8.9: But ye are not in the flesh, but in The SPIRIT, if so be that The SPIRIT of GOD dwell in you. Now if any man have not The SPIRIT of CHRIST, he is none of HIS (KJV).

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke I grew up in a paradigm of Christianity that focused on calling things by the right names but had little concept of living in the right SPIRIT.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke In My FATHER'S HOUSE the focus is walking in HIS SPIRIT and not in our own self-sanctification. That is, walking in a way that causes us to think that we can be so perfect or do things so correctly that we are worthy of HIS forgiveness.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke Paul noted in Eph 2.8: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of GOD (KJV).

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke In other words you and I will never be “good” or “correct” enough in what we do to merit salvation. Hence we do well to lean on the grace of GOD, and recognize that on our best day we are unworthy.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke If you are in the weary land and need to come before GOD and repent for your sin.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke If you are in the weary land and need to come before GOD and repent for your sin. If you have lived as a Pharisee or Scribe and need to repent of your sin.

The Church at Mesquite In My FATHER'S HOUSE Luke Understand that you can do this…

The Church at Mesquite