Coleton preached on the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15), showing how it illustrates God’s heart for celebration when lost sinners come home. He tied this story to the church’s vision of cultivating a Culture of Celebration, alongside Gospel saturation, pursuit, blessing, and belonging.Main Idea:God is the most joyful Being in the universe. His heart is full of celebration, and His people are called to reflect that joy so the world can see what He is really like. A culture of celebration not only honors God...
Coleton preached on the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15), showing how it illustrates God’s heart for celebration when lost sinners come home. He tied this story to the church’s vision of cultivating a Culture of Celebration, alongside Gospel saturation, pursuit, blessing, and belonging.
Main Idea:
God is the most joyful Being in the universe. His heart is full of celebration, and His people are called to reflect that joy so the world can see what He is really like. A culture of celebration not only honors God but also draws others to Him.
Why We Need a Culture of Celebration
1. Celebration shows us what God is really like
• From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture shows God’s joy, feasts, songs, and festivals.
• Jesus entered the world with joy and left His disciples with joy. Heaven itself rejoices over one sinner who repents.
2. We pass on what we love and enjoy
• People naturally share what excites them (sports, hobbies, food).
• If Christians only pass on duty and obligation but not joy and delight, the next generation will miss the fullness of life in Christ.
• Celebration helps us pass on the joy of knowing Jesus.
3. Celebration shows sinners it’s safe to come home
• The prodigal son expected rejection but was met with a feast.
• Many avoid God because they fear rejection.
• The church must embody God’s joy-filled welcome, making it clear that repentance is met with celebration, not condemnation.
Practical Applications
• In church life: expressive worship, prayer nights, baptisms, community parties, fun days, block parties, feasts, and celebrations of answered prayer.
• In personal life: throw parties when God answers prayers, create “redemptive calendars” of God’s goodness, and intentionally celebrate as families.
• The goal: when people experience joy-filled gatherings, they should walk away thinking, “I didn’t know Jesus was that good. I could follow this Jesus.”
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Discussion Questions
Understanding God’s Heart
1. When you picture God, do you naturally think of Him as joyful? Why or why not?
2. How does the father’s response to the prodigal son reshape your view of how God receives sinners?
Personal Practice of Celebration
3. What is one way you can create a rhythm of celebration in your home or with your friends?
4. What has God done in your life recently that deserves a party or a joyful remembrance?
Passing On What We Love
5. What do you naturally get excited about and pass on to others? How could you do the same with your joy in Jesus?
6. How might your joy in Christ become contagious to your children, friends, or neighbors?
Mission & Hospitality
7. If someone far from God attended one of our gatherings, would they feel celebrated? Why or why not?
8. What practical step can you take this month to invite someone into the joy of life with Jesus?
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Author Quotes from the Sermon
Charles Spurgeon:
“This age does not generally sin in the direction of being too excited about God. However, we have sinned so long on the other side. Perhaps a little excess in the direction of zeal might not be the worst of all calamities. For, it is a mark of Christ’s presence when the church becomes enthusiastic.”
Dallas Willard:
“We will never fully understand God until we believe that He is the most joyful Being in the universe.”
Richard Foster:
“Celebration is at the heart of the way of Christ. He entered the world on a high note of jubilation… He left the world bequeathing His joy to the disciples.”
“It is a danger of devout Christians to become stuffy bores… Celebration adds a note of gaiety, festivity, hilarity to our lives… Celebration helps us relax and enjoy the good things of the earth.”
Donald Miller (Blue Like Jazz):
“Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It’s as if they are showing you the way.”
Thomas Aquinas:
“No one can live without delight and that is why a man deprived of spiritual joy goes over to carnal pleasures. Because the church has deprived people of the joy of God, the world looks good.”
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