"The Heart of God, the Heartbeat of our Church" - A Sermon Series in Luke 15

Luke 15; The Call Beyond The Call to Come Home

This week, we wrap up our series titled, "The Heart of God, The Heartbeat of Our Church", where we have looked at what Jesus teaches us about the Heart of God for us through a few parables, such as the prodigal son. While we may be familiar with this parable, we often can limit ourselves to identifying with either of the two sons. Ultimately, we are challenged to be like the Father in this story, full of grace, compassion and love for the lost around us. This sermon is preached by one of our teaching pastors, Trevor O’Keefe in the spring of 2025. For more information on our church, email ⁠⁠⁠Hello@RLCsd.org⁠⁠⁠ [Hello@RLCsd.org]

Luke 15; The Father

This week, we continue our series titled, The Heart of God, The Heartbeat of Our Church, where we have studied how Jesus describes the heart of God and how the church can mirror it.Throughout our series, we have studied how the parable of the lost sheep and lost coin showed us that God's heart seeks after us and how he seeks after us. Today, we look at what the father in the parable of the prodigal son teaches us about the God's heart for us. The son ultimately needs the father's love and forgiveness as those characteristics open the door for the son to come to his senses and realize he can come back home to the father. And when the son does come back home, the father is the first to be celebrating his return. This sermon is preached by one of our teaching pastors, Trevor O’Keefe in the spring of 2025. For more information on our church, email ⁠⁠Hello@RLCsd.org⁠⁠ [Hello@RLCsd.org]

Luke 15; The Older Brother

This week, we continue our series titled,0" The Heart of God, The Heartbeat of Our Church" where we have studied how Jesus describes the heart of God and how the church can mirror it. Looking at the parable of the prodigal son. It is easy to overlook the older brother's role in the story as Jesus talked to the sinners and religious elites in the crowd. Neither brother had to earn their way into their father's house, since the father's grace was freely given. But the older brother believed that he had earned his place, refusing to show grace to his younger brother. The older brother had deceived himself into thinking he was self sufficient and not in need of receiving the father's love and grace. This sermon is preached by one of our teaching pastors, Trevor O’Keefe in the spring of 2025. For more information on our church, email ⁠Hello@RLCsd.org⁠ [Hello@RLCsd.org]

Luke 15; The Younger Son

We continue our series titled, "The Heart of God, The Heartbeat of Our Church" where we are discussing how Jesus describes the heart of God and how the church can mirror it. Some of us may identify with the younger son, while others feel it is representative of a story not personally experienced. Identifying with the younger son does not only come from a journey of returning to your faith. As we'll study today, any of us who look to the world to find a meaning or love that replace's God's can identify with the younger son. Like he did, we are still able to come to our senses and return because God is always inviting us to come home with open arms. This sermon is preached by one of our teaching pastors, Trevor O’Keefe in the spring of 2025. For more information on our church, email Hello@RLCsd.org [Hello@RLCsd.org]

Luke 15; Redefining Safe

This week, we continue our series titled "The Heartbeat of God, the Heartbeat of Our Church" where we study how Jesus describes the heart of God and how the church can mirror it. In the parable of the prodigal son, we see a request made that would have been shocking in Jesus' day. We see the father giving his son what he asked for and more, since it would come at great cost for the father. When the son finally does return, the father can only respond with extravagant love, which opened the way for the son's repentance. And ultimately, Jesus' comparison of the younger, reckless son to the older responsible son reveals that the safe one might not be the older brother who thought he did everything right. This sermon is preached by one of our teaching pastors, Trevor O’Keefe - in the spring of 2025. For more information on our church, email ⁠Hello@RLCsd.org⁠ [Hello@RLCsd.org]