The Prodigal's Repentance; Luke 15:17-20

Delivered during the Sunday Morning Worship Service, 6/16/2024. Jesus continues with the second major scene in His epic parable of a loving father with two wayward sons. Because of the richness of the text and the importance of what is happening to the son, we will deal in this lesson only with the turnaround itself. When the destitute prodigal son finds himself faced with starvation and imminent death, he "comes to himself". We will spend most of this morning discussing what that means in the context of the three parables Jesus has taught on the joy of the restoration of the Imago Dei. We will focus on why the son turns around, the nature of his turnaround, and his flawed plan of penitence to regain his father's good favor. This will prepare us for next week's lesson when the son is stunned by the amazing grace of the father. Ultimately we will discuss how the regeneration of the soul impacts the mind and body of the redeemed, thereby learning to trust the work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration and redemption, through the example of the prodigal's repentance.