DIGGING DEEPER
WEEKEND OF FEBRUARY 14 & 15, 2026
SERMON NOTES
Learning to Love
Pursuing and Restoring
Scripture anchors: Luke 15 & Hosea 2
Big Idea:
God’s covenant love pursues and restores
Covenant Love in Everyday Relationships
Because God has pursued and restored us, we pursue and restore others:
- Speak truth with kindness (not silence or sarcasm)
- Choose forgiveness (not minimizing pain, but trusting God with justice)
- Drop bitterness (don’t keep a record of wrongs)
- Replace destruction with kindness (respond gently instead of escalating)
God Celebrates Restoration
Luke 15:20–24 (ESV)
“While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran…”
- God does not define people by their worst moment.
- Repentance is met with compassion, not crossed arms.
- Restoration is God’s goal—not punishment.
Challenge:
Take steps to pursue and restore like God in your relationships.
- Pursue a hard conversation.
- Repent without defending yourself.
- Restore through grace.
Prayer:
“God, help me love the way You love—pursuing, restoring, and extending grace.”
DIGGING DEEPER
In Hosea, God pursues His people even after unfaithfulness.
What does this reveal about God’s heart toward people who have wandered or failed?
Read Luke 15:4, 8, and 20.
What do you notice about God’s posture toward the lost in these three pictures (searching, sweeping, running)?
Which image connects most with your story right now?
The father in Luke 15 runs toward his returning son before the son can prove anything.
What does this teach us about repentance, grace, and God’s desire for restoration in our relationships?
Is there a relationship in your life where God might be inviting you to move toward brokenness instead of avoiding it?
Where do you struggle most with releasing bitterness or the need to “be right”?
God does not define people by their worst moment but celebrates restoration (Luke 15:22–24).
How might this reshape the way you see someone who has hurt you—or how you see yourself?
This week’s challenge is to pursue and restore a specific relationship.
What is one concrete step you can take this week?
- Initiate a hard conversation
- Repent without defending yourself
- Extend grace where bitterness has taken root
Looking for questions based on a past sermon?