God’s Heart for the Lost

Inviting you to turn in your Bible to the gospel of Luke chapter 15. Luke chapter 15. We’re going to read the entire chapter this morning.

Correlate to one another. And correlate to one another. And initially, I’d thought about just looking at the 3rd parable, the prodigal son. But as I began to read through the entire chapter, I thought you can’t do that. At least I didn’t feel like I could this morning because there’s a whole broad context of what’s going on in chapter 15 that I want us to see.

I’m going to invite you to stand with me. And, it’s not a super, super long chapter. So I I think we can we can stand. Luke chapter 15 beginning in verse 1. Ben drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.

And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured saying, this man receiveth sinners and eateth with them. Parable unto them saying, what man of you having a 100 sheep and if he lose one of them, does not leave the 99 in the wilderness and go after that which is lost until he find it. When he had found it, he layeth it on his shoulders rejoicing. And when he come at home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors and saying unto them, rejoice with me for I found my sheep which was lost. I I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth more than over 9 and 9 just persons, which need not repentance.

Candle and sweep the house and seek diligent, diligently to she find it. And when she had found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbors together saying, rejoice with to you. There is joy in the presence of the angels of God sinner that ripen off. And he said, a certain man had 2 sons. And the younger of them said to his father, father, give me the portion of goods which falleth to me.

And he divided unto him or unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, he took his journey into a far country and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land and he began to be in 1. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat, and no man gave in to him.

And when he came to himself, he said, how many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare hunger. I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him, father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thine hired servants. And he arose and came to his father when he was yet a great way off. His father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and said unto him, father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy and I’m no more worthy servants, bring forth the best robe and put it on and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his and bring hither the fatted calf and kill it and let us eat and be for this my son was dead and is alive again.

He was lost and has found. And they began to be married. Now, His elder son was in the field and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard in your and dancing and he called one of his servants and asked what these things And he said unto him, thy brother is come and thy father hath killed the fatted calf because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry and would not go in. Therefore, came his father out and then treated him.

And he answered and said to his father, lo these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment, and yet thou never gavest me a kid that I might make merry with my friends. Which has devoured thy living with Harcourts, thou has killed for him the and all that I have is it was me that we should make, marry, and be glad For this, thy brother was dead. And it’s alive. And it was a lot of And it was a lot of And it was a lot of And We have rejoiced in your presence so far as we sang songs of praise to you, our great salvia. We’ve rejoiced.

We’ve And the beauty of your word that is a light to us that we can walk in as the Heitz women’s say. Now, Lord, as we come to your word, we rejoice that you have revealed to us your we rejoice that you have revealed to us your these next few moments, I pray that you, through the power of your spirit, would take these words that Luke recorded for us under the inspiration of the spirit. Hearts? Gone away for a day to do a prayer and fasting retreat. Typically, we do that in November.

This year, we had to bump that back to December. So the first part of December, Ward and I, made a trip down to the potter’s place in central. And took a day just for prayer and fasting and spent some time talking about the church, things of that nature. I shared with the board, during that time something that has been a growing burden on my heart for us as a church. Us as a church.

I believe that we’re living in unprecedented days. And I look around at the events in the world that are as I look around at things that are taking place in the Middle East and events that are happening around the world, it seems like our world is is shaking and right. I’ve mentioned this before, and I’ll tell you again on numerous occasions, no doubt, that I’m not a prophet, and I’m not the son of a prophet. But you don’t either. So it we’re on level ground, all right?

But you don’t either, so we’re on level ground, all right? I don’t know what the Lord is doing. I just know that God is sovereignly working in the world today for his glory. And our shaping up for the culmination of what he has told us in his There is coming a day that the Lord will Well, I don’t know. The timetable of the LAUREN: is what Jesus told us to look at and say, when you see these things, look up.

Your redemption draws nigh. Now, the reality is many of the events that 2 1000 years, we should have had our heads up looking for the redemption of humanity. Right? It heart towards the lost. Because as we see God’s heart towards the lost, and we seek to loss.

And I’m just going to tell you We’re going When we read this, this chapter, we’re going to be looking at a little bit of this as well tonight, but this morning I want to, I want to look at Luke chapter 15. When we read this, this chapter, we that Jhousals within the those parables have a similar and it’s a terrible of the that has 99 sheep that are in the pasture, but one is missing. And so Jesus says, what shepherd would not leave the 99? Go and find the the one that is lost sheeps. And say, a dumb creature.

Get back to the rest of them. Takes that she puts him on his shoulders. And woman who has lost a coin would not take the and turn the house upside down until she’s found that one All 3 of those parables are familiar to us. And they message. But the reality is, is they are all told for a of chapter 15, Luke records for us what spurred Jesus to tell these 3 parables.

If you have your Bible still, the tax collectors, the stinnards, the stinnards, the stinnards were drawing, and as the sinners were drawing near and as a result of their coming to him, the Pharisees begin to murmur and grumble and complain, saying this man receives sinners. And he doesn’t just receive them, but he eats with them. He accepts them. These scribes and Pharisees, the ones who are so diligent in their orthodox positions, their ceremonial washings, their diligence of aiding the law, so that the law itself can surely be kept. They’ve put enough barriers around the original law.

We’ll make sure that people keep the law. These ones who They would never, they would never touch a they would never touch a. And yet, Jesus seems to throw away all of their concerns about ritual, purity, the wash, the care of lepers. He touches them, the one who goes and sits down with these sinners and eats with them. They begin to murmur and grumble and complain that this rabbi who throws away all of their traditions, accepts, in his presence, and he teaches them.

Them and help us understand God’s heart towards the loss. For a for a It begins to teach us the significance of loss, accepted them for who they were. Well accepted them for who they were. Well, the Pharisees wanted to hold them away. And Can I just say to us this morning one of the things that you and I must always Can I just say to us this morning, one of the things that you and I must always keep in mind is that we don’t compromise the word of God just to try to placate to a just to try to placate to a sin?

When the Bible calls it sin, it sin. And we have to be clear on that. Jesus didn’t compromise the true, but what he did is he welcomed them in, showed them love and care, while the Pharisees said, solid character. I want you to notice this morning some true. I want you to notice this morning some true.

I want you to notice this morning some true. I want you to notice this morning some true. I want you to notice this morning some truths about Jesus’s heart, loss. First thing that I want you to notice is the the the the first parable of the sheep that is on lost people is because lost people or lost things are worth seeking. In particular, when we talk about sheep, we’re talking about an opportunity to foolishly wonder away.

In fact, Jesus oftentimes compares us to. And Isaiah tells us that we like sheep have all gone astray, Jesus shows that through the foolishness foolishly wandered away, the shepherd goes looking for the That’s the point that Jesus is trying to make. Every soul is worth seeking, even when they’ve made choices foolishly that have led them away. And wanderings away come searching for where you are. Isn’t it true that many times we look at people as almost expendable?

We look at people who’ve made foolish choices and say, well, they made their bed. They can lie in it. Made their bed. They can lie in it. Aren’t you glad that Jesus didn’t say that about you?

And I look at some of the things that I’m guilty of, things that I pray that some people will never ever find out about. Divinity. You know, what he’s worth seeking after. He may have been wandered away on foolish choices. But he’s worth seeking.

Your worst lost people are worth turning the house upside down just like the woman who lost the. Corpse. Things are lost because of people. You know, there are some people that are that are out there that are lost, choices based on responses to what others have done. They’re there because of choices that others have.

I know some people right now, grew up in the church, does terror. If you know a little bit about the history and the background behind, You would maybe understand this just a little bit better. A father would give his daughter 10 silver coins that she would wear on a on a chain that would be used as a garland on her in her in her in her in her in her that would identify her as a married woman. But that would identify her as a married woman. Maybe the closest thing that we could assimilate it to within our culture is it was like a wedding, a wedding band.

A part of that is value to you, even more than just monetary value, but it’s of great significance. And so you turn the place upside down and to your scouring to And fact, lost things are so significant to God that he would actually send his son from heaven, the glories of heaven into the world. And all of the trappings of this prison, and all of the trappings of this prison, and all of the trappings of this prison. And so, Stauffer, the world, shining the light. Scour the world, shining the light, to find that which is lost.

Lost things are worth waiting for their return, just like the prodigal son. Lot of the the division of the inheritance. Here’s a son arrogantly going to his father and saying, dad And not just any son, this is the youngest son. This is not the heir to the estate. This is the one who gets the seconds, if you will.

Goes to his father and says, dad, I want what’s mine. Give it to me. Embarrasses his father, shames his family, takes what he has, and leaves. In the cultural context, Jewish fathers would not be found running even to a child who had, divorce father was. And then, Jisus tells us the parable that here’s a father that seems to be waiting for this son who has wandered off.

And at the first glimpse of him, doesn’t wait for the son to come, doesn’t wait for the son to grovel at his feet begging for mercy, but runs to the sun and says, my son which was lost is found. My son who was dead is alive. Go and bring the robe. Go and get the signet ring. Put it on his put it on his finger.

He’s a part of the and truth is, and You and I all have made choices to reject the father’s grace, haven’t we? All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The truth is, there’s not a person here this morning that not or at some point was not lost. We all were. This morning because somehow you had the ability to pop out of the and find your way back onto the chain of the the woman’s headdress.

You’re not you’re not here this morning because somehow you were enough to weasel your way back into the family and say, hey, I’ve been wrong. And Jesus is talking to these Pharisees who look at sinners and say, oh, repulsive, repugnant, ah, repulsive, repugnant, lot of you hang out with some sinners and you will find that some of them are repulsive and repugnant people. But can I also tell you that the Lord looks at them and says, they’re worth they’re worth and they’re worth they’re worth COURT COURT COURT COURTNEY COURTNEY source of purpose for which Jesus came? The Pharisees couldn’t understand. And our stories If you’re here and you’re lost, there’s a God in heaven that’s got his eyes on got his eyes on you.

There’s a God in heaven that’s looking for you. There’s a God in heaven in his sovereign grace, is reaching down to played out. There’s a coin, but in the last one, we see that there’s a snorer who responds and drops. And so, is the working of God’s sovereign grace, hot on your trail, looking for you when you’re lost. But you have to respond to that There’s not There’s not a place that he won’t go to find you.

You. He’ll go with you into into a whorehouse to find you. He’ll go with he’ll go with you inside of that addict’s house to find you where you are. But you have to respond to that. And so you have to respond to that.

And respond to that. And so I want you to see is the high premium parables, every one of these parables, when the sheep is found, soul. And when one is lost, and he finds, it’s let’s celebrate, let’s rejoice, let’s throw up. And again, it’d be the equivalent somebody who’s lost their wedding band or is lost, let’s celebrate Call everybody in. Look, the work can wait.

The work can wait. Get everybody. And it was the because there’s a group of Pharisees that’s sitting back and they’re saying. They’re the undesirables. They’re the addicts.

They’re the lustful. They’re the proud. They’re the self centered. They’re the scum. They’re the sinners.

And Jesus says, oh no, no, you don’t understand. Their heaven, rejoice, somehow, church. I wish somehow you and I could somehow peel sin, and be able to witness the scene around the throne of God when a sin, and it would transform the way that we see loss transform the way that we see lost. I think sometimes we have, we have a 2 doll view of what happened. I think sometimes we have, we have a 2 doll view of what happened.

And I think sometimes we have, we have a 2 doll view of what happened. We have a 2 doll view of what heaven. When I read these passages of scripture, I can’t help but think in heaven, there is all sorts of praise and partying going on. You say, oh, past party and and these parables is and we could somehow get a glimpse of, of sin is saved by the grace of God, it would do something in us to say, we got to find somebody who needs salvation. We gotta find somebody who’s lost, and we gotta bring them back into the All of these parables and tend to help these Pharisees understand God’s heart for the and it also reveals the heart of the Pharisees in the.

Jesus told these parables because the Pharisees questioned his relationship with the lost. In fact, he ends the third parable with the In fact, he ends the 3rd parable with the prodigal son. And he ends the parable of the prodigal son story does. You’d want them as your son. I’ll guarantee you would.

He stayed home. He didn’t he didn’t demand his inheritance. He didn’t take his inheritance and go waste it. He worked in the field. He did what he was supposed to.

He kept his father’s You’d want that son as a son, wouldn’t you? Don’t lie you. Problem is, that son’s angry. Because while he did all of the right things, God showed special favor, it seems like, or the father shows special favor towards the one who is lost. George, can I remind us this morning that Jesus came for the sick, not the well, Amen?

The danger for us is is that it can be easy for us to have this attitude in our hearts well, we are well. They are solid. They made the choice. And he doesn’t look at it that way. And he doesn’t want us to look at it that way.

In fact, I was challenged this week as I was working through this. What’s the attitude of our hearts towards lost people? What’s your attitude towards lost people? As I’ve pondered and meditated on these these parables, I was struck by this this thought. We we?

We’d probably all rejoice. I would think we would. However, your true attitude for the lost is not revealed so much by how you respond when they come back home, but by what you do to help find them when they’re lost. Your true attitude towards lost people is revealed more by what you do to redeem the lost, than your celebration when they’re found. Challenge by that.

Do you see people’s lost sheep who need help getting back to the fold because it made foolish choices? Or do you see them as they deserve what they get for wandering off? Do you see people as lost coins who’ve been hurt somed, a circumstances in life that have left them on the dusty floor of life waiting to be picked up, Do you see people as the prodigal son who was duped into believing that there was more out there that was grander than what was at home. That was grander than what was it. Where do you see them as lost people?

You desperately need to find their way. And you desperately need to find their way. And you desperately need to find their way. And you desperately need to find their way. And you desperately need to find their way.

And you need to find their way. And you need to find their way. And you need to find their way. And you need to find their way. And you need to find their way.

And desperately need to find their way home? George, I’m challenged by the fact that not a place that our savior would not go to find the loss, then there shouldn’t be a place that you and I are not willing to go. Willing to put ourselves in for the redemption of the loss. And so as such, are we willing to imitate put ourselves in for the redemption of the loss? And so as such, are we willing to imitate our father in heaven, who goes out there and helps them to find their way.

I’m challenging us this as we begin a new year, I’m challenging all around us. Are account. Some who have made foolish choices on their own, been hit with some hard knocks in life and people have wounded them, somebody helping them understand your value, your loved by your creator. There is healing for your for your life. Every day, there are people that will stand before a holy, and we’ll have to give an account for their life.

And so, And our father in heaven will have to say, depart from me. Never knew you. Never knew you. Never. And because he wasn’t the responsibility to lost people and lead them to the one who can save and and prayer, brother, arms, I want this to be the prayer of our heart this year.

I want this to be the prayer of our heart this year. Laura, would you impress upon my heart as one of your It’s one of your It’s one of your It’s one of your It’s one of your It’s one of your It’s one of your It’s one of your It’s one of your It’s one of your It’s one of your It’s one of your It’s one of your It’s one of your It’s one of your It’s one of your to be looking for that which is lost and drawing them to the one who is their and draw them to. And can we pray this year, Lord, would you lay upon and have a part of reaching into their life and pointing them to the one who is their it’s and then you this morning. And then you draw all measures to redeem that which is lost. I thank you that you have a heart to search for for lost people, because you found me.

Laura, I pray for those that are here this morning that maybe they know that they’re dead in their trespasses and sin. Uncompromising word, regular, just pins them against the wall and reminds them that they’re not walking in obedience to your They know that they’re lost. I pray, Father, that you would help them to see of God who goes to where they’re loves draws them to your draws them to your loves them, draws them to your self. You helped them to respond to your grace. Church that you would help us to see that these words were spoken to the Pharisees to help them to see your true heart towards the lost.

That heart towards the lost. It revealed the Pharisees didn’t have a heart for the loss. And I would pray this morning that if your spirit is speaking to us and showing us that we’re so self centered and so self absorbed that we don’t have a heart for the centered and so self absorbed that we don’t have the same heart that you have for the Lord, help us. Give us a heart to Help us give us a heart to look for those around us that are lost and give us heart to reach out to lead them to the one who is their salvia. This year would be, by the power of your spirit in our lives.

This year, we would see those who are in our community that are lost, that they would come to. And so that’s why we would see those who are in our community that are lost, that they would come to. And so that’s why we would see those who are in our community that are lost, that they would come to. And so that they would come to the community that are lost, that they would come to. -They would come to – in your name.

Give us boldness. Give us be your witness as I pray in jesus, then amen. The Lord bless you. You were a to draw a and then and then the Lord bless you. You were a to draw a and then the Lord bless you.