12.15.2025

Sermon Summary

Our tendency is to read the Bible as if we are the main character. We read it to affirm what we already know, infer our own presence as the hero of the story, and get our ego stroked by false affirmations. Instead, the Word offers another function in reading: it trains, it equips, and it shapes like fire and a hammer. The story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 may be better titled if the focus is not on us, but on God. It’s a story about a father who recklessly loves his two sons. He showers the one with unrestrained celebration and offers all he has to the other as an excessive act of mercy. Our hearts are prone to connect with the younger or the older son, but the real connection is to keep our hearts dwelling on the central character of the story, the prodigal's father.

You can find this week's sermon notes and Sermon Guide here: https://gracechurchsp.org/resources/sermon-guides/

Books Referenced in the Podcast

The Knowledge of the Holy, by A.W. Tozer

Forgotten God - Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit, by Francis Chan

The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World, by Rosaria Butterfield

Saturate: Being Disciples of Jesus in the Everyday Stuff of Life, by Jeff Vanderstelt

Fill the city with Jesus. This is the vision not just for our church, but for our people. The city is not just a physical location, but a collection of our family members, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances. How can you bring Jesus to your city?

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