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Moral of the Story

March/06/ 2016
Moral of the Story
Part 4
The Parable of the Lost Son

Luke 15:20-24 “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. 21 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.[b]’
22 “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. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.”

Moral of the Story: You may leave the Father’s house but you can never escape His heart.

Romans 8:38-39 “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.



Deuteronomy 26:18 “The Lord has declared today that you are his people, his own special treasure.”

Notice the heart of the Father for his lost son.

  1. A heart of compassion:

verse 20 “Filled with love and compassion for him.”

Psalm 103:8 “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”

Psalm 103:13 “The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.

2. A heart of protection:

verse 20 “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


1 Peter 5:4-7 MSG “But all of you, leaders and followers alike, are to be down to earth with each other, for— God has had it with the proud, But takes delight in just plain people.So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.”

verse 20 “he ran to him and embraced him...”

  1. A heart of restoration:

Verse 21-22 “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.[b]’22 “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.

2 Corinthians 5:16-20 “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!  And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. 18 “And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

4. A heart of celebration:

Moral of the Story

March/06/ 2016

Moral of the Story
Part 4
Parable of the Unmerciful servant

Matthew 18:32-34 “Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.”

Moral of the story: The merciless life is the miserable life.

4 results of the merciless life

1. Our prayers are hindered
Mark 11:24 “I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

Matthew 5:23-24 "So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and suddenly you remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God."

2. Our vision is blurred

I John 2:10-11 “Anyone who loves a fellow believer is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.”

3. Our relationships are poisoned

Hebrews 12:15 “Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.”

4. Our sins are not forgiven

verse 34-35 “Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. 35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters[m] from your heart.”

Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

If we want to get out of our misery we have to give more mercy.

Mercy = remembering what God has done for us while forgetting what others have done against us.

How do I show mercy?

1. Remember what God has done for me.

verse 32 “Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?”

Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Colossians 3:13 “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

2. Forget what others have done against me.
There is freedom in forgetting.

I Corinthians 11:23 “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”




Moral of the Story

February/28/ 2016
Moral of the Story
Part 3
Parable of the Solid Foundation

Matthew 7:21-29
21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’ 24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” 28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.

1. Sand was never meant to __________________

2. Building on a Solid foundation takes _________

- Obedience is they key to having a strong foundation in Christ and obedience triggers opposition

James 1:22-24
22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.

3. Building on a solid foundation take the _________________

-- Fasting without praying is just a diet and praying without actually communicating to God is just insanity!


Moral of the Story: The stronger your foundation the higher you can build



Moral of the Story

February/21/ 2016
Moral of the Story
Parable of the Great Banquet

Luke 14:15-24 “Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. 17 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ 18 But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ 19 Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 Another said, ‘I now have a wife, so I can’t come.’ 21 “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 22 After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ 23 So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. 24 For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’”

  1. God is always inviting you into his plan

2. The enemy will always give you an excuse to miss out on God’s plan.

Notice 2 things about excuses.

  1. Excuses are in the great majority

Proverbs 22:13 “The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion out there! If I go outside, I might be killed!”

b. Excuses reveal true priorities

Moral of the story: When we opt out we miss out.

verse 24 “For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.”

What if we decided we would not allow anything to keep us from the master’s best?

Example: The Woman with Issue of Blood

She didn’t make excuses she made a path.

Example: David and Goliath

David didn’t make excuses he made arrangements.


Example: Joseph

Joseph didn’t make excuses he made allowances.

Colossians 3:13 “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

Example: The men in Mark 2

These men didn’t make excuses they made a way.

Final thought: Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure. What kind of house are you building?

Moral of the Story

February/14/ 2016
Moral of the Story
Part 1

Matthew 25:14-15 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.

1. You have an assignment

Verse 16 “The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained 5 more.”

verse 16-19 “The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.”

2. You have an appointment

Hebrews 9:27 “people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.”

Verse 19 “After a long time the master of the servants returned and settled accounts with them.”

Romans 14:12 “Yes each of us will give a personal account to God.”

verse 21-30 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

verse 24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ 26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Moral of the story: The biggest risk is not risking

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God.”

Why did the man bury his talent? Fear!

Verse 24-25 “Then the man who had received one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you”

What fears cause us to bur our talents?

  1. Fear of loss.

b. Fear of failure

c. Fear of commitment

verse 26 “ you wicked and lazy servant”