Scott LaPierre Ministries

Why did God ask Abraham to kill his son? Read or listen to the Introduction to A Father Offers His Son if you've ever wondered, "Why did God ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac?" Table of contentsFirst, God asked Abraham to Kill His Son, Because He Wanted to Test AbrahamSecond, God asked Abraham to Kill His Son, Because He Wanted a Type of His Son, JesusLet me make three requests for you to keep in min...

Psalm 100:2 says, “Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” This verse doesn’t just tell us to serve the Lord, it tells us HOW to serve the Lord: with gladness. And it is evident the older son in the parable of the prodigal son was not serving the Lord with gladness. Perhaps we don’t always serve the Lord with gladness, so we can learn from him. https://youtu.be/d3Muma2H...

Ephesians 5:1 commands us to "Be imitators of God [the Father] as beloved children." The parable of the prodigal son gives us a wonderful view of God the Father and reveals how we should be toward others as we imitate Him. https://youtu.be/wgTCm9CmuxA Ephesians 5:1 commands us to, "Be imitators of God [the Father]." The father of the prodigal son reveals how we should be toward others. Table of co...

There are many shadows and types of Christ in the Old Testament. If you have ever wondered, "What is a type of Christ in the Bible?" read or listen to this chapter from A Father Offers His Son for answers. Table of ContentsJesus Said the Old Testament Is About HimJesus Is Primarily Revealed Two Ways in the Old TestamentThe New Testament identifies many shadows and types of Christ in the Old Testam...

We understand the father being glad the son returned home, but what father would give his son the best robe, a ring, shoes, and the huge celebration after living so rebelliously? The son didn't deserve any of this, but grace is when sinful people receive favor they don't deserve. Romans 5:20 says, "The law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace increased all the more." Th...

The prodigal son’s father reveals what it is like for God the Father when one of His wayward children who has been living in rebellion and immorality repents and returns home. https://youtu.be/DMJ6pkYaCXc The prodigal son’s father reveals what it is like for God the Father when one of His wayward children repents after living in rebellion. Table of contentsFamily Worship GuideSermon NotesLesson On...

Can God forget the sins we commit? If God can forget sins, how can He be said to be omniscient, or all-knowing? If God can’t forget things, how can He say He forgives us any more than angry people in marriage counseling forgive their spouse when they can’t forget it? The biblical answer is God doesn’t forget our sins, but He chooses not to remember them: “I will remember their sins no more” (Hebre...

Luke 15 contains three parables, and the themes are repentance and joy. The third parable about the prodigal son does something different than the previous two. Instead of using the words repent and joy, we get to see repentance and joy demonstrated by the father and son. The son is never said to repent, but we get an answer to the question, "What does repentance look like?" by examining his actio...

Luke 15:17 says the prodigal son came to himself, or came to his senses. This is one of the best descriptions in Scripture of what it means to be trained God’s discipline (Hebrews 12:11). He recognized he was experiencing discipline versus a trial. https://youtu.be/Ipeis6tkq_4 The prodigal son "came to himself," or came to his senses in one of the best examples of being trained God’s discipline (H...

We see frequent examples in Scripture of why we should rejoice over the results versus the motivation. When other men began to prophesy Joshua was concerned, but Moses rejoiced (Numbers 11:26-29). When a man was casting out demons, the disciples were concerned, but Jesus said to let him continue (Mark 9:38-41). Paul said some people were preaching the gospel with good motivation and others with ba...

What leads to repentance? Romans 2:4 says, "God's kindness is meant to lead [us] to repentance." When we are thinking of repenting, we wonder, "Will God really forgive me? Have I done too much for Him to be able to love me? Would God ever want a relationship with me again?" It is thinking about God's kindness that gives us the confidence that we can repent and be forgiven. Table of ContentsFamily...

We are prone to wandering from God the Father. Generally, when we have sin in our lives we want to be as far away from God as possible. We don’t wander physically like the son in the parable, but we do wonder spiritually. We don’t physically go to a far country, but we avoid praying, reading the Bible, attending church and fellowship. https://youtu.be/Bu4-vZmz4D0 We are prone to wandering from God...

When God says, “Obey their voice,” it doesn’t always go the way we expect. In 1 Samuel 8 God told Samuel to obey the people’s voices and give them a king to their own detriment. In our lives, when we keep pushing sometimes God gives us what we want to our detriment. https://youtu.be/9n9RO9QI9GI When God says, “Obey their voice,” it doesn’t always go the way we expect, like in 1 Samuel 8 when God t...

Settling outside the Promised Land is problematic. The Promised Land’s physical rest prefigures the Christian’s spiritual rest in Christ. Two-and-a-half tribes stayed on the east side of the Jordan, outside the Promised Land, and it was detrimental to them. Spiritually it is detrimental to us when we stay outside the rest we can have in Christ. https://youtu.be/SlMoXSzpEcE Settling outside the Pro...

Some people have a mistaken notion about God. They think that if God doesn’t want them doing something, that He will prevent them. But it doesn’t work like this. God might give us what we want to our detriment. If we push God, He might let us have what we want even to our own detriment. We saw that in last Sunday’s sermon when God let Moses take Aaron with him. We see it in this sermon when God gi...

Romans 4:25 says, “[Jesus Christ] was delivered up for our trespasses and raised to life for our justification.” The first half looks back to Good Friday when Jesus died for our sins. The second half moves to Easter Sunday. This is what we’re celebrating today: Jesus being resurrected for our justification. Justified means, “Declared righteous.” What does this have to do with Jesus’s resurrection?...

When we say, “Father give me my share,” as the rebellious younger son did in Luke 15:11, we set ourselves up for problems. We always want to have soft, teachable, receptive hearts that are submissive and sensitive to God’s will. We never want to keep pushing for our will when God has made His will clear. The worst that can happen is not that God will keep saying no. The worst that can happen is He...

Jesus said, “There is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:7). Because we are one of many people who have been saved, we could wonder if our salvation is meaningful to God. But there is joy in heaven, not just over hundreds or thousands of people's salvation, but over one sinner who repents. https://youtu.be/dOZ7extp6CE Jesus said, “There is joy in heaven over one sinner who re...

Jesus said of Himself, “The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). The Parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, hidden treasure, and pearl reveal Christ’s heart to seek and to save the lost. https://youtu.be/5SmTMgu3OE0 Jesus said of Himself, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). The Parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, hidden treasure, and pearl reveal...

What does the Bible say about saving money? Should Christians save money? Proverbs 13:22 says, "A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children." Read or listen to this material from Your Finances God’s Way to learn what Bible verses about saving money teach us. Table of ContentsWe Develop the Habit of Spending or Saving MoneyThe Bible’s View of Saving MoneyAvoiding Financial RegretsSa...

Psalm 32:1-4 describes what it feels like being burdened by sin. David was one of the most vibrant and vigorous men in Scripture, but his sin prematurely aged him. His health deteriorated dramatically at an early age, especially in Old Testament times, and especially for a man as physically gifted and strong as he was. The tax collectors and sinners drew near to Jesus to have their sin burdens lif...

The danger of self-righteousness is that it prevents people from recognizing their spiritual sickness. Self-righteous people think they’re spiritually healthy, so they don’t look to the Great Physician. If you’re sick, but you think you’re healthy you don’t know anything’s wrong. You won’t get the medical attention you need. You keep getting worse, often without knowing it. It is dangerous to be p...

Jesus said, “Which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” (Luke 14:28). Jesus wanted to prevent people from starting to follow Him and then stopping later. Expectations shape experiences. When you know the cost involved in following Christ, there’s a better chance of persevering. So, He used two illustrations that both...

It is as though Jesus said, “You cannot be my disciple if you won’t do these things.” This is probably the clearest teaching on discipleship in all of Scripture. “Great crowds” followed Jesus. While many popular religious leaders would try to make the crowds even larger, Jesus seemed to try to stop people from following Him. Of all the statements He made that turned people away, we have reached th...

What do Bible verses on debt teach us? What does the bible say about borrowing money? Read or listen to this material from Your Finances God’s Way to learn the scriptures on owing money. Table of Contents for How Does God View Debt? What Does the Bible Say About Debt? What Does the Law Teach? What Does Wisdom Literature Teach? Even Churches Can Be WrongDebt Is Your Enemy Versus Your FriendOur Nati...