Luke 15:1-7 ( NIV ) " A Heart for the Lost "

Luke 15:1–7 (NIV)

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.

“ A Heart for the lost “

Our text open in verse 1 with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Surrounded by an unusual crowd

If you look at verse one you will discover that Jesus

Is surrounded by what the Bible calls

SINNERS and publicans

It's not a holy crowd

It's not a crowd of church folks

He's surrounded in verse one by sinners and publicans

Publicans were thought to be thieves

Persons that was unethical

Persons that had no morals

They was not liked by regular citizens

They jacked up the prices

They escalated taxes

Plain and simple they were cheaters

Jesus in verse one is surrounded by publicans , tax collectors and known sinners

Not Saints and preachers but sinners and publicans

But what's real interesting when you look at verse one

It looks like Christ has become comfortable in this type of crowd

It seems as if Christ doesn't flee from this crowd

But it seems as if Christ is drawn to this crowd

I say that because not all Christians are comfortable in this type of crowd

But the Christ is comfortable in this crowd

It's a crowd filled with sinners and publicans

Not Deacon's nor Deaconess , not trustees members not ushers and choir members

But it's a crowd that’s filled with sinners and known sinners and publicans

Me personally

Give me that type of crowd

I want to be around the crack addicts, whoremongers , weed smokers , guy people

So I can tell them about Christ that Change and deliver

But keep the messy members, the church critics , the kingdom killers

Away From me

And I believe with all my heart

That Christ was comfortable in this type of crowd

Because Jesus knew that it was impossible for folks

To have contact with him

And not be impacted by him

Jesus knew that it was impossible

for a person to be around him and still stay the same

Jesus knew he could be where they are

And at the same time not do what they do

Example: Weddings and receptions [ Stop going to Chili’s & Texas roadhouse ]

Example: One spoil thing in the icebox don’t contaminate everything in the icebox

Because Jesus was so infectious with his mire presents

He would change the atmosphere

When we look at Jesus résumé in scripture

We see so many people having contact with Jesus

And leaves his presence with a spiritual contagious contact of change

that their life will not be the same for that individual

Zacchaeus met him in a sycamore tree

He met him a trickster but left him a tither

Paul met him on the Damascus Road

When Paul met him he met him a persecutor

But he left him a preacher

Legion met him in the graveyard

Legion met him a madman but when he left him

Left him a missionary

Blind Bartimaeus met him sightless but when he left him

He left him seeing

The woman with the issue of blood

Met Jesus bleeding but when she left him

She left him better

The Bible says in John chapter 5 the man at the pool of Bethesda

When he met the Lord he met him lame

But when he left him he left him leaping and praising the Lord

Because it's impossible to meet the Lord and stay the same

If I could be a little Baptist Messy

when folks say and claim that they have met the Lord

But there's no change in their life

I have a problem with that

Jesus was comfortable with this crowd

But it appears as if the crowd is comfortable with the Christ

Because when you look at verse 1

They're not coming to him because they want something tangible or a physical manifestation

But the Bible says in verse 1 that they're coming because

They wanted to hear Him

They are coming because they want a word from the Lord

They're not coming because they wanna wonder

They're coming because they want a word

They are coming because they need a mighty message from the master

That should be the motivating factor for each of us

To drive us to church is that we need a word from the Lord

That's why when God assigns you to a church

That's where your word is going to come from

I am not saying that there's not ( A ) word anywhere else

But when God assigns you to a church

Assigned you to a house

Assigned you to Pastor

That's where your word is going to come from for your life

You can't get your word on the Internet

You can't get your word on television

You can't get your word lying in bed

You can't get your word at the dinner table in your kitchen

You have to go to the house that God has assigned you to get your word

These men came to Christ because they needed a word

From the Lord

Isn't it interesting when you look at verse 2

When the master was ministering to these men

There was some of the men in the multitude that was murmuring about the master message

There was some critics in the crowd that was complaining

Because the Christ was converting with a different kind of crew

There were some people there that was mad with Jesus Christ

Because he was talking to people that didn't look like them

And didn’t act like them

He was talking to people that was publicans and sinners

Luke 15:2 (NIV)

2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Isn't it interesting that no matter who you are and what you’re doing

The good that you're trying to accomplish for the Kingdom

There's always going to be somebody

Always having something to say

Simply because of the work you do for Christ

Note: Sometimes you just got to tell people “ Whatever you think of me, thank you for thinking of that “

Note: Because whenever you’re on the WALL for the Lord there will always be some Sanballet’s and Tobiah”s that’s going to try to get you to come down off the wall

Note: This text bless me because if folks criticize the Christ they definitely going to criticize you and I

Note: And my advice to you today, is stick to the Lord’s business and ALWAYS REMEMBER as Pastor Mark Lewis said his Pastor told him is

“ I know what’s my business & I know what’s NONE of my business “

You got KINGDOM work to do

But look at how the Lord responded to the critics

He didn't address them personally

But the Bible says in verse 3 the Lord decides to share a parable

Because Christ realize that he's dealing with loss people

Because the Lord realize that he's dealing with the Pharisees and scribes

Who DON”T KNOW their loss

As well as the publicans and sinners and tax collectors

Who KNOW their loss

What the Lord decides to do is take this opportunity

To teach them some truisms about lostness

Jesus in verse 3 opens up his mouth and shares with them a parable

In this parable he talks about a sheep that was a part of the shepherd

Some kind of way the sheep straight away

A circumstance came up, a situation came up

In the sheep's life

And whatever that issue was the Bible suggests

That that situation drove the sheep away from the shepherds fold

The emphasis in this particular parable is not on the unfaithfulness of the sheep

But it is on the faithfulness of the shepherd

The emphasis of this parable is not on the lostness of the sheep

But it's on the love of the Shepherd

The emphasis is on the faithfulness of the shepherd

Praise the Lord that we have a faithful shepherd

What the Lord’s teaching in this text

Is to teach these Pharisees and scribes

Even if you’re loss we serve a faithful shepherd

One that is so faithful that he is willing to lay down his life

For his sheep

The emphasis of this sermon is soul winning

Jesus Christ is committed to winning souls

Whenever the Lord saw people that was lost

Whenever the Lord saw people that was out of the ark of safety

Whenever the Lord saw people that didn't have a relationship with God

It literally broke his heart

Matthew 9:36 CSB

36 When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.

Christ goal was to help every soul that’s save

To go out of their comfort zone to help others get saved

That's important because many of us today have gotten comfortable

In our own individual salvation that we have failed to recognize

That the only reason God saved us is to help save somebody else

The church has become selfish in their salvation

And that's why the church is not making an impact in the world

Note: God PULLED us out of DARKNESS, saved us and sent us back into the world that’s dark to be a lite to save others

So what Jesus does is share with us the actions and attributes of this faithful shepherd

What we want to do is learn and glean from this text some lessons that we can use from this Shepherd to save Soul’s

Every child of God should have these traits in their life to be able to save other people

Luke 15:3–5 (NIV)

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

" A Heart for the Lost "

1st His Refusal to Settle ( V. 4 )

Luke 15:4 (NIV)

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?

This shepherd had 100 sheep and lost one

But he refused to settle

Just with the 99

Now to put this in perspective buy my own admission

Losing one out of 100 is not a major lost

If you read the entire 15th chapter of the book of Luke you will discover

The Lord told three different parables

He shares the parable between the shepherd and the sheep

He shares the parable between the woman and a piece of coin

Then he shares the parable of the man that had two sons

In all three parables the shepherd, the woman and as well as the father

All had something and lost something

The shepherd lost sheep

The woman lost silver

The father lost a son

All three individuals lost something however all three proportionally lost something different

The father lost 50% out of two sons

The woman lost 10% out of 10 coins

The shepherd only lost 1% he lost one sheep out of 100

So proportionately speaking if you had to analyze the shepherds loss

Proportionally speaking he didn't lose very much comparison to the woman and the father

But what impresses me about the shepherd is this

He came to the conclusion that even though it's only one sheep

I refuse to settle with 99 because I'm used of having 100

Note: You can’t settle for what’s in Lighthouse today

Note: Don’t settle for less

Note: If you’re in ministry here and OK with what we have here now you need to go find another church because we are not settling here with what we have

Note: The real problem with the church is that people are settling in their personal lives for anything and come to the church with that SAME mindset

We have to make up in our minds that we cannot settle for having 99%

We can’t settle for what we have, we have to consider what we could have

Don't settle for half of your friends being save

Don't settle for half of your family being save

Don't settle for half of your children being save

Don't settle, until you have reached everyone with the Caruth on you and Gilliam on the preaching of the good news of Jesus Christ

" A Heart for the Lost "

1st His Refusal to Settle ( V. 4 )

2nd His Regard for his Sheep ( V. 4A )

Luke 15:4 (NIV)

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?

The Shepherd not only love the 99 but he also loves the one that went astray

The 99 sheep represents the faithful ones

The 99 sheep represents the ones that didn't go astray

The 99 represents those that kept up

The 99 represents those that Hawking to the voice of the shepherd

The 99 represents those that was gonna to church

The 99 represents those that was doing ministry God's way

The 99 represent those that was to paying their tithes and offering

It's easy to love the 99 because the 99 are doing what they’re supposed to do

But however the shepherd just didn't love the 99

But the shepherd loved that one

That was trying to do right but just couldn’t

That was trying to overcome some struggles

That wanted to do better but just couldn’t

1 Corinthians 3:1–3 (KJV 1900)

1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

This text teaches us that not only God loves the faithful

But this text teaches us that God also loves the unfaithful

God loves the 99 but he also loves the one that went astray

Somebody need to praise God today because you was that one at one time

You was that hardheaded one

You was that one nobody couldn’t tell you nothing

You was that one headed to hell and didn't even know it

You was that one that sold drugs and try drugs

You was that one getting what you wanted to get but begging for what you needed

You was that one that got pregnant as a teenager

You was that one that dropped out of school

But even though you was lost you was lost in the tender loving care of a father

Note: And we know that God loves the one is because you are a living testimony today that you are still here.

Note: My Brothers and my sisters if we are going to reach the lost God's way we got to have a love for the loss

" A Heart for the Lost "

1st His Refusal to Settle ( V. 4 )

2nd His Regard for his Sheep ( V. 4A )

3rd His Relentless Search ( V. 4 )

Luke 15:4 (NIV)

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?

He makes up in his mind

If it takes all day

If it takes all week

If it takes weekends

If it take holidays

If it takes all month

I'm not coming back without that sheep

In other words the shepherd said I'm not giving up

And some mother need to hear this word on today don't give up on your child

" A Heart for the Lost "

1st His Refusal to Settle ( V. 4 )

2nd His Regard for his Sheep ( V. 4A )

3rd His Relentless Search ( V. 4 )

4th His Rescue was Sensitive ( V. 5 )

Luke 15:5 NIV

5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders

Note: Even though the search was time-consuming and physically exhausting, once having found his sheep, the shepherd, in typically Mid-Eastern fashion, places it over his two shoulders, with its stomach against the back of his neck, and with its four feet tied together in front of his face.

This shepherd when he found the sheep

He didn't question the sheep

He didn't badger the sheep

He didn't interview the sheep

He didn't interrogate the sheep

He didn’t ask where you’ve been or who you've been with

He didn’t ask Why you left in the first place

Note: The shepherd found the sheep and joyfully scoops down and pick him up and put it on his shoulders

That's why you shouldn't let nobody shut down or dictate your praise because they don't know what you've been through in life

Note: It might not look like it but you’ve been rescued

Note: I’m rescued because God carried Me

Luke 15:6–7 (NIV)

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.

When you ask the Baptist church how many Ministers you have they say 13-15 ministers

But when you go to the Jehovah witness church and you ask them how much ministers they have they say well let's see we have 300 members so that means we got 300 Minister’s

The Baptist go out on Saturdays in the most comfortable clothes they can find with water bottles and water coolers and all they do is complain about how hot it is but the Jehovah witness go outside on Saturdays with suit and tie dresses to the ankles no water bottles no water coolers but only tracks in the hand and they ask do you know the Lord

" A Heart for the Lost "

1st His Refusal to Settle ( V. 4 )

2nd His Regard for his Sheep ( V. 4A )

3rd His Relentless Search ( V. 4 )

4th His Rescue was Sensitive ( V. 5 )