Special Father’s Day Message The Father’s Heart
Introduction
On Father’s Day, the Lord wants to give a glimpse of the heart of our heavenly father.
Understanding the text from a Middle Eastern perspective.
The younger son.
When he said, “Father give me my share of the estate,” what was he saying?
“Father, I wish you were ___________” He was ___________ his father.
“Give me what is ___________.” He was bound by ___________.
“I don’t care who I ___________!” He was ___________.
He set off with his money to a far-off country, and there ___________ it.
As a self-centered man, he took no thought of the ___________, only his present happiness.
He found sinful ___________ only lasts for a moment.
Circumstances changed, and he became in ___________.
He fed ___________, and he longed to eat their food.
His need brought him to his ___________.
He decides to return to his father and ___________ and ___________ himself.
The greatest realization is that we have ___________.
Go to the place you got off track and start again.
He realized how great he had it in his ___________ house.
The ___________ brother.
By his unwillingness to come to the celebration and instead of standing ___________, he was making a statement.
“I am ___________ my father for I disagree with what he is doing.”
“My father is crazy.”
“I am dishonoring my brother and will ___________ forgive him.”
The older son’s ___________ is revealed.
He saw serving his father as ___________.
There is no real ___________ between the older son and the father, for he does not know his father’s heart.
He is as ___________ as the younger brother.
The waiting ___________.
The father was ___________ for his younger son to return.
The father was publicly dishonored by the younger son’s actions, yet he looked for him to return.
When the father saw his son, “he was filled with ___________ for him, he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
He was aware of what would happen if others got to his son first. At best his son would be publicly ___________, at worst he would be ___________ for dishonoring the family.
The father kissed and hugged him in spite of the dirt and smell.
The father ___________, something no one of his status would do.
He restores his son and holds a celebration, thus attempting to ___________ his younger son with those who had been offended by him.
The father humbles himself to reach out to the ___________ son.
The older son accuses the father of being a hard task master and being ___________.
The father’s heart of love is shown to both sons.
Reflecting on the father’s heart.
Individually
We see ourselves in the father’s sons.
The father ___________ for us to ___________.
His ___________ protects, reconciles, restores, and moves us to forgiveness.
We are to ___________ because heaven celebrates when a sinner repents.
As a church
We ___________.
We ___________.
We ___________.
We ___________.
We ___________.
Conclusion