God Rejoices To Know You

Have you ever met a famous person? Well a famous person you like? If I ran into Taylor Swift at the store I might say hi, but I wouldn’t freak out. Would you be excited? Right.

Now one that is more my speed, I found out last week that Mike’s son Sell who is a college pastor in Atlanta is the chaplain for the Kennesaw State basketball team. Their head coach is Antoine Pettway, who I watched play basketball at Alabama when I was a student and he was on the coaching staff for like a decade until this year when he got this new job. When I found out about this connection my eyes got big! I texted Sell to say something about it and he told me that former players have stopped by the gym… and he’s gotten to meet them! I told him to let me know if he ever needs a guest speaker!

We get excited to meet people, or find people, who we care about! The point of Luke 15 is that God is excited when He finds a sinner and they turn to Him!

God and Heaven rejoice when a sinner is saved!

pray then read verses 1-10

There is joy over repentance

I get excited when I find something that I thought was lost. I lost two little tiny pieces to some tools last night and I thought they were gone and I found them both and man I was feeling great about it! That’s good, but the best is finding some money! When I reach into a jacket pocket and pull out a wadded up $20, aww yea!!!

There is more joy in Heaven over a sinner who repents! Jesus is telling us that’s the feeling He feels but on steroids when one of his brothers or sisters come home! When you put your faith in Him!

The Pharisees and scribes didn’t get it. They didn’t understand who Jesus was.

Matthew 9:13 ESV

Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Know that if you are a Christian, they had a party for you!

If you are a Christian, do not look at non-Christians the way the Pharisees and scribes did.

If you are not a Christian, your Creator would rejoice in you turning to Him to have a relationship with Him!

But we aren’t coins or sheep, we’re a little more complex than that.

We aren’t just lost

read 11-12

It’s one thing when you lose something, but it’s another when what you lost embarrasses you. There’s not much sadder than seeing a man running down the street in his underwear chasing after his dog that has run off! If you ever want me to dog sit for you, you need to know that if your dog gets out, I’m getting dressed before I got after it. I don’t care about my own dogs that much, so I certainly don’t care about yours that much!

read 13-19

Apart from Christ we aren’t just lost, we are running away and disrespecting God. I said a minute ago that we’re different than sheep, but not entirely.

Isaiah 53:6 ESV

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

read 20-32

Christian, He rejoices over you and other believers! Rejoice with Him! Do not be like the older brother, but invite sinners to come home and celebrate when they do!

If you are a Christian but you have wandered away from home… Jesus will run out to meet you too!

If you are not a Christian then you are still rebelling against the Father, still walking in your sin. But the invitation is there and if you will take it tonight then you will find Him there waiting for you! And we will celebrate!