Welcome to Sunday Fuel! This series of questions is designed to assist your personal reflection and fellowship with others about the sermon from this past Sunday.
- Which “son” reflects the place where you are today?
- Do you relate to the younger son, lukewarm or even cold-hearted to the Father? Do you want His gifts and blessings but not the Father himself? Or do you distrust Him and want to keep your distance, as far away from Him as possible? Will you confess this to Him, trusting Him to welcome you back with His forgiveness?
- Do you relate to the older son, frustrated or even angry? Are you trying to earn his love? Do you feel disappointed that he has not rewarded you for your hard work and faithfulness in some way? Can you confess your disappointment and articulate how you feel like He has failed you?
2. Take time to meditate on this name “Everlasting Father” as a description of Jesus.
- “Father”: As equal to God the Father, the Son is fully able to reveal to us the fatherly nature of God.
- “In Him, we see heaven’s eternal heart walking around on two legs in time and space.”—Dane Ortlund. How does Jesus reflect the heart of God the Father?
- Read Psalm 103 and note all the descriptions of the Father. Focus your meditation on the aspect you need the most today.
- “Everlasting” reminds us that unlike the fleeting or flimsy things of this world, He will permanently care for us as a father does, regardless of whether we are living in “younger son” days of sin and rebellion or “older son” days of prideful and demanding self-righteousness.
- “There is no unfathering Christ, and there is no unchilding us…he is everlastingly a father to those who trust in him.”—Charles Spurgeon
- Read Psalm 103 again, this time noting the ways our Father cares for us and fulfills our deepest longings. What is our great inheritance as His children? Name the blessings and benefits this psalm details.
3. What aspects of Christ’s “fathering” do you need in your life today?
- What is an unfulfilled longing or disappointment in your heart? How have you tried to satisfy it in your own way?
- What fears are you trying to keep at bay? How have you tried to manage them by your own efforts?
- What guilt or burdens have you been carrying that distance you from Him? How have you tried to wash yourself of them?
- Whether our best or worst days, God is everlasting—He remains the same and He is able in every moment to be the Father you need. Christ fulfills Isaiah 9:6 today and right now. Will you come to Him?
Resources: Psalm 103: “The Benefits of God’s Love”–Pastor Tim
