Seek – Week 2 – One More Disciple
11 He also said, “A man had two sons.
12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.’ So he distributed the assets to them.
13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living.
14 After he had spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he had nothing.
15 Then he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.
16 He longed to eat his fill from the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one would give him anything.
17 When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger!
18 I’ll get up, go to my father, and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.
19 I’m no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired workers.”’
20 So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him.
21 The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father told his servants, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
23 Then bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let’s celebrate with a feast,
24 because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his older son was in the field; as he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.
26 So he summoned one of the servants, questioning what these things meant.
27 ‘Your brother is here,’ he told him, ‘and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “Then he became angry and didn’t want to go in. So his father came out and pleaded with him.
29 But he replied to his father, ‘Look, I have been slaving many years for you, and I have never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me a goat so that I could celebrate with my friends.
30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’
31 “‘Son,’he said to him, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.
32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
SEEK25
Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
A desire for ONE MORE.
How will you and your household invest financially in our 2025 Ministry Plan? (The Big Give)
How will you and your household partner in serving to accomplish the work outlined in this plan? (The Big Serve)
Luke 15:1-3
1 All the tax collectors and sinners were approaching to listen to him.
2 And the Pharisees and scribes were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 So he told them this parable:
“the tax collectors and sinners were approaching to listen to him.”
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
“So he told them this parable”
What is a Parable?
A parable is a simple, illustrative story Used to convey spiritual or moral lessons. Parables were often Jesus’ teaching method of choice in the New Testament, He uses everyday scenarios, objects, or characters To communicate deeper truths about God, faith, and ethical living. The word “parable” itself comes from the Greek word parabolē, Which means “to throw alongside.” This reflects the idea that parables place a familiar, earthly story alongside a hidden spiritual truth, Helping listeners understand complex concepts through relatable analogies.
Luke 15, Jesus tells three Parables to address his point
Verses 4-7 – The Parable of the Lost Sheep
Verses 8-10 – The Parable of the Lost Coin
Verses 11-32 – The Parable of the Lost Son
Matthew 19:26
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Luke 15:17a
When he came to his senses…
A way to pray for future disciples “Lord, bring them to their senses”
John 6:44
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.
Luke 15:17b
17 When he came to his senses…he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger!
He recognizes two crucial truths:
First, in His father’s house, there is “more than enough food”
It is full of abundance,
Meaning the Father who represents God in the ParableHas a house rich with mercy and grace, Where sinners can find forgiveness.
And second, “he is dying of hunger”
He is starving.
Meaning that without God, as a sinner, We have nothing…We are spiritually empty And we will die in our sin and be separated from him, both now and for eternity. And only in this place of emptiness Can we recognize both God’s abundant mercy and our own desperate need for him
Charles Spurgeon
“The greatest proof that there’s “more than enough food” in Jesus Christ is the cross. Picture it for a moment—follow him to Gethsemane, where he sweats blood in his anguish. Imagine the scourging he endures before Herod and Pilate. Walk with him along the painful path through Jerusalem, and then stand at the foot of the cross, watching as he’s nailed up to bleed and die. That’s just the surface; the real depths of his suffering can’t be put into words. God placed the weight of sin on Christ, and where sin rested, God’s wrath fell. “It pleased the Lord to bruise him; he has put him to grief.” The one who died on that cross was God’s only Son. Can you even begin to measure the worth of such a sacrifice? In Christ’s finished work, I see an ocean of merit, so deep there’s no bottom, so vast there’s no shore. There is more than enough power in Christ’s blood, Christ’s sacrifice, as a divine offering, can’t be measured or restricted. In the atonement of Jesus, there’s truly “more than enough food.” As Paul wrote, “He is the Savior of all people, especially those who believe.”
So far, he has shown us WHERE we will find “one more disciple”
HOW to pray for future disciples
And WHAT means are available to those who draw near him
He then shows us WHY they need to be discipled
Luke 15:18-19;
18 I’ll get up, go to my father, and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.
19 I’m no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired workers.”’
They need discipleship because
They don’t know who they are in Christ
They have a poor view of the Gospel
Matthew 3:17
“… This is my beloved Son, (daughter) with whom I am well-pleased.”
Luke 15:20
20 So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him.
When? “while the son was still a long way off”
What does it mean to be a long way off?
They have no hope of Christ
Some don’t even have a knowledge of God
How does the father (God) respond?
“But while the son was still a long way off… his father SAW him”
He saw him!
God’s eyes of mercy are quicker than our eyes of repentance;
CH Spurgeon “God sees sinners before sinners see him”
Charles Spurgeon
When God sees anything, his is a very different sight from yours or mine. We see a thing with our eyes, and then we get a microscope, and look through that, and see it very differently; but God, as it were, always sees everything microscopically and telescopically. He sees the whole of it, sees the very heart and soul of it. God at this moment sees all the sin of the whole of your life, he sees all your brokenness of spirit, all your doubts, all your fears, all the strugglings against sin, and all the strivings of his Spirit. He takes it all in with a single glance, and comprehends and understands it all; and though you are a great way off, the Father sees you, and he sees you with a father’s eye, too.
But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and… was filled with compassion
Matthew 9:36
36 When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.
Luke 15:20
But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion… He ran
Repentance may be slow, but forgiveness is swift.
God can run to us even when we can barely take a step,
Luke 15:20
But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran…threw his arms around his neck and kissed him.
Even if we are limping toward him,
He will still rush to embrace us.
With his arms of mercy
And his Kiss of Grace
He begins to lavish undeserved Grace on the son
Luke 15:21-24
21 The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.’
Luke 15:22-24
22 “But the father told his servants, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
23 Then bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let’s celebrate with a feast,
24 because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate.
All this was before he was even in the house
Lastly, in the parable, Jesus gives us and his audience a word of warning
Luke 15:25-31
25 “Now his older son was in the field; as he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.
26 So he summoned one of the servants, questioning what these things meant.
27 ‘Your brother is here,’ he told him, ‘and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “Then he became angry and didn’t want to go in. So his father came out and pleaded with him.
29 But he replied to his father, ‘Look, I have been slaving many years for you, and I have never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me a goat so that I could celebrate with my friends.
30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’
31 “‘Son,’he said to him, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.
32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
What is the warning?
We don’t get to decide who deserves Grace or not
Today, God desires “One More Disciple”
The question is, do we?