Who's Your One

Gospel in Our Town

Who’s Your One

Luke 15:1–7 ESV

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Setting the Scene

Luke 15 is often referred to as the Gospel in the Gospel.

The “Lost” Chapter.

This is a turning point in his relationship with the Pharisees in the book of Luke.

At the end of Luke 13 several Pharisees warned Jesus that Herod wanted to kill Jesus.

Pharisees hated that tax collectors and sinners gathered around Jesus.

The tax collectors and sinners were drawing near to him.

People who were despised, particularly by the religious elite.

It can be assumed that these were not just any old

The Awful Attitude of the Pharisees.

They awaited the destruction of the sinner, not the salvation of the sinner.

There are sadly many who exhibit this attitude within the Church.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

The Lost Sheep

The value of a sheep to the shepherd.

“The Shepherd was personally responsible for the sheep. If a sheep was lost the shepherd must at least bring home the fleece to show how it had died.”

He Seeks

Par for the course for the Shepherd.

Part of the job.

Shepherds could and did track their sheep all across the hills for miles to find them.

The would risk their lives for their sheep.

1 Samuel 17:34–35 ESV

But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him.

He Finds

Think of the moment of relief that the shepherd experiences in this moment.

Have you ever thought you lost something but found it?

Rejoicing

There is rejoicing over the sheep!

He calls together his friends and neighbors and says, “rejoice with me for I have found my sheep that was lost.”

There is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people that didn’t need Repentence.

Applying this to Our Lives

This was specifically related to Jesus and his reason for coming.

The Pharisees were criticizing Jesus for his interaction with “sinners”

This is Jesus response to them.

We need to understand that we are not Jesus.

We are not a shepherd looking for our sheep.

We are sheep that were in need of saving.

However we are given the task of being the witnesses for our Savior.

This means that when there is a lost sheep that he would seek, we are called to seek that sheep.

As we think about this parable, I want to give a specific way we can apply this to our lives.

Who is Your One?

This cooperates with the Gospel in our Town.

Who is one person, that is far from God, that you want more than anyone else to see come to Salvation?

Will you commit to:

Pray for them.

Engage in their life.

Share the Gospel with them.

Disciple them.

Example of how this works - Real Life Example My Friend (Kyler)

multiplication vs addition

Who is your One?