1. Find out how many siblings someone had, where they fit in the birth order, and which sibling they felt closest to growing up (and why, if you want to say). Is that still true today?

2. THE PARABLE OF A FATHER’S HEART
LUKE 15

3. 1.) What does this passage teach me about God/Father, Son or Holy Spirit? What is his nature/character? How does He behave? 2.) What does this passage teach me about people/me? What is our nature? How do we behave? EAST: Vss WEST:

4. What we learn about God from the father’s dealing with the younger brother:
>He loves ALL people, regardless of their behavior. > He’s not possessive. > He’s not controlling. > He’ll let life have its own consequences. > He won’t always run after us but He will always wait for us to “come to our senses.” > He’s continually hopeful. > He is forgiving.

5. What we learn about God from the father’s dealing with the younger brother:
> He’s continually watchful. > He does not keep a record of wrongs. > He loves people, not things. > He is merciful. > He is full of grace. > He is generous. > He’s affectionate. > He is happy, joyful and loves to celebrate us. > He loves to restore us to relationship with Him.

6. What do we learn about people/our natures/our actions from the younger brother?
>We’re selfish. >We’re foolish and stupid about sin. >We look to the wrong things for fulfillment and happiness. >We sin in many different ways. >We are often deceived. >We squander much of what God gives us. >We’re impatient. >We’re brash and rude.

7. What do we learn about people/our natures/our actions from the younger brother? > We’re self-destructive. > We can “come to our senses.” > We can “hit bottom.” > We can return to God. > We can let life teach us. > We can love again. > We can humble ourselves.

8. What we learn about God from the father’s dealing with the older brother:
>He is loving. >He is patient. >He is always there. >He is happy to throw us a party whenever we’re in right relationship with Him. >He loves being with us. >He doesn’t play favorites. >He doesn’t love based on our behavior.

9. What we learn about God from the father’s dealing with the older brother:
> He makes everything He has available to us. > He wants His joy to be our joy. > He can handle our godless anger. > He will challenge our wrong thinking, behavior and attitudes. > He pursues us even when we are stubbornly sinful. > He calls us into healthy family relationships.

10. What do we learn about people/our natures/our actions from the older brother?
> We are often jealous. > We are often duty rather than love-driven. > We hold grudges. > We don’t love others like our Heavenly Father. > We are petty. > We think God owes us blessings. > We constantly compare ourselves with others. > We like to think ourselves better than we are.

11. What do we learn about people/our natures/our actions from the older brother? > Circumstances have a way of revealing our sin. > Even the best of us dishonor our Father at times. > We falsely assume that our Father’s love is conditional and earned. > We have a warped view of our own goodness/ righteousness /work for God. > We have a warped view of God. > Our service for God can sometimes be a cover for our lake of intimacy with God.

12. Life-Shaping Practical Truths from this Parable:
1.) God rejoices over lost people being “found” AND saved people having His heart for the lost… and wants us to join in that rejoicing.
2.) This world and the things in it will always lie to us about where happiness is found.
3.) God’s love for us is not conditioned on our performance.

13. Life-Shaping Practical Truths from this Parable:
4.) Our experience of God’s love for us will be dependent upon our proximity to and intimacy with Him.
5.) Be careful what you ask for from God; He may give you what you want which could, in turn, lead you farther away from Him.
6.) God uses circumstances of life to show us our own sin.

14. Life-Shaping Practical Truths from this Parable:
7.) If we’re going to experience the Father’s joy, we must engage in the Father’s full and preemptive forgiveness.
8.) Living with a needy or rebellious sibling can damage or develop you and your relationship with God and others.

15. Life-Shaping Practical Truths from this Parable:
9.) All of us will probably be disappointed with God our Father and each other at some points in life. Neither need to be final…but both will probably require repentance to reestablish intimacy.
10.) Both “scandalous sin” and “sinful self-righteousness” grieve our Father’s heart.

16. THE PARABLE OF A FATHER’S HEART
LUKE 15

17. “MY DAD’S STUNNING RESPONSE WHEN I TOLD HIM OFF”