Stories are a great way of communicating truth. In fact, Jesus used stories to communicate truths that we are still living out today. So, today we are looking at the movie ‘Finding Nemo’.  

For those of you who haven’t seen the movie, ‘Finding Nemo’ is about a father & son, Marlin and Nemo who are clown fish. Marlin is an overly protective father and Nemo is an inquisitive & adventurous youngman, who eventually disobeys his father by swimming into open water, where he is caught by an Australian scuba-diving dentist who takes him away to his office as a pet. The rest of the movie follows Nemo’s experience in a fish tank and Marlin’s ocean-crossing journey in pursuit of his son.

Marlin’s love for his son is a great picture of our Heavenly Father’s love for us. God has always been about pursuing what is lost and in need of rescue. 

[GENESIS 3:8-9]

“When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?””

God went looking for them!  He cared that they were spiritually disconnected from Him, so He went looking for them. I don’t know what your experience has been with church, or God or religion, but I can tell you for sure that God cares about YOU. 

3 Truths From The Prodigal 

• WE ALL HAVE A CHOICE

[LUKE 15:12-13]

“ The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living.”

“We sin when we value what we want more than what God wants for us.”

[LUKE 15:14-16]

“ About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into the fields to feed the pigs.  The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him.”

• GOD CHOSE TO RESCUE US

[ROMANS 5:8]

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

[LUKE 15:17-24]

“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’

“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

Maybe you feel stuck in your own fish-tank, like Nemo, created by selfishness or bad choices or bad habits, but I want you to know God sent Jesus as your rescuer!  God isn’t mad AT you He’s mad ABOUT you. 

• GOD RESCUED US TO HELP RESCUE OTHERS

[MATTHEW 28:18-20]

“ Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

[ROMANS 6:23]

“ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

[ROMANS 10:14-15]

“ But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

• I hope you’ve learned that God loves you and nothing will change that.
• That God has gone to great lengths to rescue you.
• That you can help others find and follow Jesus.

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Application Questions

1. What stood out to you from this message and why?

2. What is one thing God is telling you to START doing because of this message?

3. What is one thing God is telling you to STOP doing because of this message?

4. How will this message change how you act at home, work and in the your relationships?