Saturday, April 13, 2024

Speaker: Ben Snyder, Lead Pastor

Title: What does God want most?

Theme verse: Romans 6:14 (NLT) Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

Religion - focusing on what we must do to earn God’s favor.

"Earn More Tickets" = do less bad things and more good thing.

This practice inevitably leads you to bargain with God.

"God, if you will ____, then I will ______."

Bottom Line: Religion always breaks relationship with God.

Religion focuses on the transaction.

Relationship focuses on the connection.

God doesn’t want something from you. He wants to do life WITH YOU.

Key Passage: Luke 15

Luke 15:1-3 (NLT) Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them! So Jesus told them this story...

Sinners drew near to Jesus, which made the religious uncomfortable.

Are we becoming more like Jesus in our relationships, or more like the religious?

Luke 15:11-32 (NLT) To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: "A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. "A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything."When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, "Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant."’"So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’"But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began."Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’"The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’"His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’"

Indicators you have an "older brother" mindset:

• You do it out of OBLIGATION
• You get ANGRY

Additional Passage: Ephesians 2:18

Next Steps:

Text campaign - text the word "more" to 419-419-0707

Song Links:

Take You At Your Word - YouTube // Spotify

You've Already Won - YouTube // Spotify

Run To the Father - YouTube // Spotify

Discussion Questions:

Ice breaker: Do you think religion is good for society? Why and why not?

Why is it easy to believe God wants something from us versus a relationship with us?

Read Luke 15:11-32. What do you observe about the father as he deals with both sons? What does this teach you about God?

Which son do you best relate with in the story above?

What is one way you can strengthen your relationship with God beginning this week?