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Morning Message Text: Luke 15: 1-10
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus.
2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them this parable:
4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?
5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders
6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’
7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
The Parable of the Lost Coin
8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?
9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’
10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Morning Message:
It is said that patience is a virtue. Unfortunately for me, it is not a virtue that I have mastered. I think that most of us struggle, at least a little, with being patient. We struggle with waiting on God. We know what we want, and we want what we want right now. Scripture can help us if we will allow it to sink in and work in our lives. “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3: 1). God is more patient than we are because he sees from the perspective of eternity. I know what you are thinking because I had the same thought. I could be patient too if I knew what was going to happen. Then I thought to myself, as a follower of Jesus I know enough. We know that God has a plan for our lives and weather or not it’s what we want, we can trust that it is good and right. If we truly believe and trust in God, we have to know that his plan for us is not only right, but that’s what we are going to receive no matter what we want.
Moses wasn’t called to his work until age eighty. Jesus began his ministry at age thirty. Abraham’s prayer for a child wasn’t answered until it seemed too late, but it wasn’t. Jesus showed up at the home of Lazarus after the man had died. God doesn’t work on our timetable. I have been reading a lot lately in Genesis, the story of Joseph. He was enslaved at age seventeen and spent about thirteen years in slavery and prison. Yet during that time, God was preparing him to become one of the most powerful men in the world. If you are waiting for an answer from God, be patient and remember that God has perfect timing. An anonymous little poem that I read this week puts it like this: “God has perfect timing; never early, never late. It takes a little patience and it takes a little faith. But it’s truly, worth the wait!” Charles Spurgeon puts it like this: We shall not grow weary of waiting upon God if we remember how long and how graciously He once waited for us.
As Christians, becoming more faithful, more often than not, comes down to accepting our condition. If you are a new Christian just starting out in your faith, I would recommend Psalm 51. If you have been a follower of Jesus for a very long time and are seeking to grow in your faith, I would recommend Psalm 51. If you are a strong disciple of Jesus, living a faithful life before the Lord, I would still recommend Psalm 51. Confession is not only good for the soul, but I don’t believe you can truly follow Jesus without it. Forgiveness of our sins is something we need constantly, not just when we accept Jesus. How many have you gone through this whole week and didn’t commit a single sin? Raise your hand! How difficult is it to ask God to wipe the sin away? Psalm 51 helps us to accept our condition as sinners. Not only does it remind us of our condition, but it reinforces our need for a Holy God, and it reminds us that we were born this way. Born into sin. People today act like they are perfect. I have news for them. They never were, and they never shall be perfect while they dwell on this planet. We can be forgiven and washed in the holy blood of Jesus, but perfection is not of this world. I am a little unsettled about something this week, and I get myself into trouble when I voice this truth. There has only been one perfect man who walked this earth, and He died on a cross for our sins to prove it. I don’t like to hear the word saint thrown around no matter what a mere human has done. The worldly news media eats it up. I think it’s terrible and disrespectful to God. Jesus said, “No one is good, only God.”
Jesus spent time with sinners, not to become like them, but to seek to save them. The story of the one lost sheep could be called the story of four verbs.
The first verb is lose. In this case the meaning of lose is when something or someone strays away or loses their way. Understand what Jesus is saying here. He is talking about something that already belongs to them. It is their sheep. But in the same way, He is talking about a soul that already belongs to God. The person may not know it yet, but God has already claimed him.
The second verb is seek. When something that we care about is lost we look for it. In this case Jesus is making himself available so that the lost, the ones called sinners, might find their way to Him. This is how God seeks his children. He just shows up. He shows up in their lives, in the circumstances of their lives, in the most unlikely places those whom God has ordained as his children find Him because He is seeking and pursuing them. People don’t come to Jesus by accident; there is no coincidental salvation. God seeks what is His.
The third verb is find. He finds them one hundred percent of the time. Christians sometimes have a hard time accepting who they are. When God finds you, your condition is saved by grace. Sometimes we just have to know who we are and accept that we are children of God and act like it.
The last verb is rejoice. There should be rejoicing when someone is found and realizes that they belong to Jesus. Not only should we celebrate and rejoice when someone gives their life to Jesus, but we should rejoice always because we are children of God. It’s okay to smile and be happy in the Lord. Coming to Jesus is the only thing that matters in this life, so when we are found, we should rejoice knowing that we are His for eternity.
Now I find verse 7 interesting, and I have to wonder if Jesus isn’t making a very clear point to the Pharisees and teachers. Repentance is necessary for everyone. You cannot be saved unless you repent of your sins. As we said earlier, repentance is not a one and done occurrence. We repent of our sins every time we confess them. When we confess we turn from our sins and turn to God. I think that Jesus is pointing to the Pharisees, the teachers, and to all who feel so self-righteous that they don’t think they need to apologize to God and repent of their sins. The heavens rejoice over the one who has found his way. I wonder if they are also mourning for those who think they are righteous. If you are a Christian, accept your condition. You are still a sinner, but you are no longer lost. Your sins are forgiven, but you still need regular confession. You have been found by your loving God who knew exactly where you were and never stopped seeking you because you belong to Him. Rejoice in how you are in Christ and where you will spend eternity.
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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