Trusting God when life doesn’t make sense-The Way Home

• Sin leads us astray. Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay. The younger son’s journey to a “far country” represents how we can become spiritually and emotionally distant from God, even while physically present in our own lives.
• The goodness of God inspires repentance. The son’s turning point was not a realization of his own unworthiness, but a remembrance of his father’s goodness. The sermon emphasizes that it is “the goodness of God [that] leads you to repentance”.
• Repentance is a turning point. Repentance is an act of turning from “insanity” and inaction to a decision to go back to the Father. The son decided to “arise and go to my father”.
• You don’t need to be “fixed” to come to God. The son “arose and came to his father” without any counseling, cleaning up his life, or paying penance. The sermon stresses that you should “come with your brokenness. Come with your addiction, come with your sin, and Christ will make you whole”.
• You are always a child of God. The son believed he was “no longer worthy to be called your son,” but he never stopped being his father’s son. For believers, nothing can take away their identity as God’s child.
• God’s welcome is unconditional and celebratory. The father saw his son from a “great way off,” had compassion, and ran to him. He immediately restored him with the best robe, a ring, and sandals, and celebrated his return with a feast. The father’s response shows that when we come to the Lord broken, He doesn’t condemn us; He celebrates that we are found.

Icebreaker:

Have you ever been lost? What did it feel like to be found or to find your way back?

Part 1: The Wrong Way

Scripture References: Luke 15:11-13 , Proverbs 5:22 , Mark 7:21-23

Summary: This section introduces the younger son who asks his father for his inheritance, which was a very unloving thing to do. He then journeys to a “far country” and wastes his possessions with “prodigal living”. “Prodigal” means “wastefully extravagant, or lavishly reckless”. The younger son was not only physically distant but also spiritually and emotionally distant from his father. The sermon states that sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.

Discussion Questions:

• In what ways did the younger son’s actions show that he was going the “wrong way”?
• The sermon mentions that the son was not just physically distant from his father, but also spiritually and emotionally. What does this mean to you in your own life?
• How can sin make us feel like we are going the right way, even when we are not?
• The document says that the advice “follow your heart” is the worst advice you can give someone. Why is this according to Mark 7:21-23?

Application Questions:

• The sermon highlights that sin takes you farther than you want to go, keeps you longer than you want to stay, and costs you more than you want to pay. Can you identify a time when this was true in your own life?
• The sermon suggests that you can be in a distant country while living in your own house. What are some “far countries” we might journey to today?

Part 2: The Right Way

Scripture References: Luke 15:17-19 , Romans 2:4 , Revelation 2:5

Summary: The son “came to himself” and realized his condition, remembering that even his father’s hired servants had enough food to eat. This realization of his father’s goodness led him to repentance. He decided to return to his father and confess his sin , believing he was no longer “worthy to be called your son” but hoping to be a servant. Repentance is described as “turning from the insanity that was inside his mind that was paralyzing him into inaction”.

Discussion Questions:

• What does it mean to “come to yourself”?
• The son’s first thought was about his father’s goodness, not his own badness. How does focusing on God’s goodness lead to repentance?
• The document states that the son’s shame and guilt led him to believe he was no longer worthy of being called his father’s son. Why is this a lie that Satan wants us to believe?

Application Questions:

• When have you experienced a “change of heart” or come to a crossroads in your life like the son did?
• What is one practical step you can take this week to “repent and do the first works”?

Part 3: The Father’s Way

Scripture References: Luke 15:20-24 , John 1:12 , Matthew 11:29-30

Summary: While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him, had compassion, and ran to him. The father immediately welcomed him back by giving him a robe, a ring, and sandals, and preparing a feast. This shows that the son never stopped being the son, even though he felt unworthy. The son didn’t have to fix himself before coming to the father; he simply “arose and came”. The father’s response shows that when we come to God broken, He shows us compassion, forgives us, and celebrates our return.

Discussion Questions:

• What does the father’s reaction to his son’s return tell us about God’s character?
• The son thought he was no longer worthy to be called a son. What does the father’s response teach us about our identity in Christ?
• The sermon highlights that the son didn’t fix himself before returning to his father. Why is it important to come to God with our brokenness and not wait until we feel “fixed”?

Application Questions:

• Have you ever felt too broken or sinful to pray or go to church? How does this story challenge that feeling?
• What is one area of your life where you need to “come with your brokenness” and give your failures to Christ?

Day 1: The Wrong Way

• Scripture
• Reference: Luke 15:11-13
• Key Focus: Recognizing when we are going the “wrong way” in life.
• Reflection: The younger son took his inheritance and “journeyed to a far country”. In doing so, he wasn’t just physically distant from his father, but also spiritually and emotionally. This journey represents how our sin can take us away from God. Sin promises freedom, but it only leads to slavery. The sermon states that sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay. We may think we’re on the right path, but like “Wrong Way” Riegels, we can get so turned around that we “swear that we are going the right way”
• Application Question: What are some “far countries” you might be journeying to in your own life?
• Prayer Prompt: Pray for God to reveal any areas in your life where you have been going the “wrong way” and to show you the truth about your journey.

Day 2: Coming to Yourself

• Scripture Reference: Luke 15:17
• Key Focus: The goodness of God leads to repentance.
• Reflection: The son’s turning point came when he “came to himself”. While starving in a foreign land, he remembered how his father’s hired servants had “bread enough and to spare”. This realization wasn’t first about how bad he had been, but about how good his father was. The goodness of God is what leads us to repentance. When we see God’s grace and goodness, we recognize our own sinful condition in comparison.
• Application Question: When has the goodness of God led you to a place of repentance?
• Prayer Prompt: Ask God to open your eyes to His goodness and grace, that you might be led to true repentance.

Day 3: The Act of Repentance

• Scripture Reference: Luke 15:18-19
• Key Focus: Turning from sin and returning to God.
• Reflection: Repentance is more than just feeling bad about sin; it’s an action. The son didn’t just feel sorry; he said, “‘I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you…'”. This is a decision to turn away from sin and toward God. The son concluded that “being a servant in my father’s house is better than being a slave to the world”
• Application Question: Is there a specific sin or habit you need to turn away from and “arise and go” to your Father about?
• Prayer Prompt: Pray for the strength and resolve to repent and turn away from the things in your life that are taking you away from God.

Day 4: You Are Still His Child

• Scripture Reference: Luke 15:20-21, John 1:12
• Key Focus: Nothing can take away your identity as a child of God.
• Reflection: The son felt unworthy to be called his father’s son, but the father never saw him as anything else. When we receive Christ, we are given the right to become children of God. Satan wants us to believe the lie that we are no longer worthy or that our sin has disqualified us. This is a lie we must reject. We are not defined by our failures, but by how God shapes us through them.
• Application Question: Do you believe the lie that you are “too broken” to pray or go to church? How can you hold on to the truth that you are a beloved child of God?
• Prayer Prompt: Thank God for His grace and for the truth that you are His child, no matter what you have done. Pray for help to overcome the lies of the enemy about your identity.

Day 5: The Father’s Celebration

• Scripture Reference: Luke 15:20-24
• Key Focus: God’s compassionate and joyful response to our return.
• Reflection: The father saw his son “a great way off” and “had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him”. He didn’t wait for his son to be “fixed” or to pay penance. The father immediately celebrated his son’s return by giving him a robe, a ring, and sandals, and preparing a feast. This shows that when we stand broken before the Lord, He celebrates our return. “This my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found”
• Application Question: What does the father’s compassionate and celebratory response to his son’s return teach you about God’s love for you?
• Prayer Prompt: Pray and thank God for His incredible compassion, love, and grace. Ask Him to help you fully accept His welcome and celebrate the fact that you are found.