Audio for Sunday’s Msg? Click here.

And if you’re a reader – see below for a quick outline!

---

Psalm 34:8 – Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

Have you tasted? Have you seen how good the Lord is?

We all know that we come with our own baggage. We’ve experienced brokenness, pain, or confusion. Perhaps we’ve even contributed to the mess of this world.

And life can be a struggle. To have responsibility when we haven’t even fully arrived. To know that we have brought pain to others. It can be tough to trust ourselves b/c most of us are hardwired to go one way or the other.

• To break the rules and rebel.
• To follow the rules and judge.

And the things we leave in our wake can really damage ourselves and others.

What does God think about all that? And what if there was another way for us to go about our relationships?

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

The Prodigal Father and His 2 Sons (Luke 15:11-31) – Read it for yourself!

Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, I want to invite you to listen to what God’s grace for you today.

The Younger Son

• Younger son asks for his inheritance, which is dishonorable and culturally unacceptable. He’s essentially telling his dad to go and die. He’s a mess-maker.
• The younger son goes off into another land. A distant land. And he foolishly squanders his entire inheritance. He lives it up. Uncontrolled spending. Poor choices.
  • This son eventually ends up in a pigsty. Sleeping among the smells of these pigs and their crap. Imagine how destitute and hopeless he must have been!
• The younger son hits rock bottom and has a moment of clarity.
  • He says, “I’ll get up, go to my father, and say to him, “Father I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.” So he starts the journey back to his father.
• God’s grace is an amazing reality. But like the younger brother, many of us struggle to even entertain the notion of God’s grace.
• On his way back home, the younger son resigns himself to taking a lesser identity.
  • He says: “I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.” (Luke 15:19)

The Father’s Love

• God waits and searches for each one of us, no matter what kind of baggage you have.
• As the son returns home, the father doesn’t see a mess-maker. He sees his beloved son. He sees you and me. And he restores us. He wraps us in the best robe and gives us his ring – symbols of his love, protection, and acceptance.
• The father shames himself and bears the weight and cost of his son’s offenses.
  • God, in Jesus, has borne the weight and cost of your offenses because he loves you!
• There is no distance you can go where God’s love does not pursue you.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

The Older Brother

• As the story ends, we find out that the older brother is really ticked off.
• The older brother is the exact opposite of the younger brother. He’s responsible, faithful.
  • Can’t stand what’s happening between his father and his mess-maker brother.
• The reality of God’s grace:
  • It’s SHOCKING. It’s SCANDALOUS. And it calls you to respond.
  • The father comes to the older son and reminds him – Come celebrate! What was lost is now found! And all that I have is yours.
  • God operates on an economy of abundance, not scarcity.

“A saint is not someone who is good but who experiences the goodness of God.” – Thomas Merton

Whether you’re more like the younger son, the older son, or a combination of the two, no matter what you’ve experienced, no matter what your default is, God searches after you day after day. He went to the top of the hill and was nailed on a cross for you. He took two knees to the ground. He died and rose again because you’re worth it.

How will you respond? For some, your next step is to simply accept God’s grace and love for you for the first time. For others, God might be inviting you to go rogue like the Father.

How to Go Rogue: 6 Markers

1. It challenges you to love those not like you.
   • When was the last time you had someone over who doesn’t look like you? Who doesn’t think the same way you do politically?
2. It grants grace to the undeserving.
   • Who in your life doesn’t deserve grace? It may be time to release yourself from the anger and bitterness you’ve held onto for so long.
3. It uplifts the marginalized.
   • Weep with those who weep, and celebrate with those who celebrate.
   • Who’s hurting in your community? In our society? Instead of judging, listen and choose to see others.
   • Luke 4:18-19: “Spirit of the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord.
4. It costs you something – time, resources, reputation.
5. It serves others rather than yourself.
6. It points you and others to Jesus. Can’t do it on your own.

How is God calling you to respond today?

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

---

For Life Group Next Steps, click here.