Go after the 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.

Introduction

Good morning!

were so glad youve decided to join us this morning!

The holidays are upon us and its going to be a beautiful day.

My Message today is going to be simple..

but its very important..

Recap

A couple of weeks ago we took a look at this passage in Luke 15 where Jesus tells one of his most memorable parables.

And we looked it it through the context of its nieghboring account in matthew 18:10

where Jesus tell this parable to his followers.

when we looked at it the first time we saw how part of our purpose as believers is to go out and find the lost, help them get to Jesus, and then celebrate when they return.

Today

Today I want us to look at this parable through as different lenses though

because the account in luke 15 is set within a different context.

Jesus is talking to a different audience

and the message comes from a different direction

so I want to take a few moments this morning and break this passage down

and I promise I wont preach long..

I know we have a wonderful dinner waiting for us..

and i’m sure the smells are going to start wafting in and make us all hungry.

But the message Jesus is giving here is a life altaring message..

That if we will listen, this message has the propensity to change our lives..

so lets dive right into it and break down this passage..

Passage Breakdown

Audience lets

start by looking at the audience Jesus is talking too..

The people that he is intending this message to reach..

Mixed

When we enter this story

we find a mixed group of people.

People from all walks of life..

Pharasees and scribes

on one side of the audience we have a group of pharisees and scribes..

these were the religous leaders and their associates in Jesus days.

They were the ones responsible for the spiritual state of israel at the time

and in charge of teaching the poeple and caring for the poeple..

They were church folk if you will..

church leaders to be more specific..

and in this story theyre not really happy about whats going on..

Because in this moment Jesus is associating with another group of people that they have marginalized..

people they would not associate themselves with..

But Jesus IS sepaking to them through this parable as well..

and reminding them of the real heart of god, and what should be their heart as well..

that being all humanity..

Tax collectors and sinners..

on the other side of the audience though..

we have the people that Jesus is truely directing this parable too..

a group of tax collectors and sinners..

like I said before..

its important to understand that this group of people..

was a group of people that the religous leaders of the day had pushed away and wanting nothing to do with..

Tax Collectors..

Tax collectors were hating by all jews.. not just the religous..

they were jewish many times themselves..

but they worked for rome and represented the roman opression of the jewish people..

they took peoples money.. and often times took more than they should have..

extorting people and getting rich off of them..

so no one in the jewish culture wanted anything to do with them..

Sinners

Then we have the sinners..

Now catch this..

What the bible is refering to is the pharisees understanding of sinners..

Not nescesarily God understanding of sinners..

The pharisees considered anyone who failed to keep God’s law as they interpreted it a sinner

The term sinner here also seems to reflect a commonly understood meaning by which it included both people guilty of publicly known sin and others who did not keep the strict purity requirements of the Pharisees.

thats why the parisees were always so upset with Jesus..

Because Jesus didnt do things the way THEY THOUGHT they should be done..

He did things the way HE KNEW they should be done..

Jesus loves on all equally..

And while he did not affirm their sin..

he did not Justify their sin..

He did give all a chance to turn from their sin and follow him..

In talking to the sinners, Jesus is about to remind them that he came for them as well as the righteous..

that the heart of God is not just that religous poeple go to heaven..

but that all are saved and restored into relationship with God..

US

you may be here today and you feel one of these two groups..

You may feel lonely..

Tax collector

like you have no place in the world like the tax collectors..

you might feel like everyone hates you and theirs now hope..

ive come to tell you today thats not true..

Jesus loves you and thier is a family of believers who love you too and want to see you restored to god and walking in your purpose..

Sinner

Or maybe its just the church that you feel dispises you..

you fell like if you walked into the building everyones looking at you and youll burst into flames..

but I want to remind you both of those are false..

You didnt burn up yet..

and they arent looking at you they are looking at me..

NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE.. WHERE YOU ARE.. OR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE..

JESUS CAMES AND GAVE HIS LIFE FOR YOU..

HE GAVE IT ALL.. SO YOU COULD BE RESTORED TO HOPE..

Jesus is talking to a big group of people here..

a wide group of backgrounds..

and he is telling them a parable..

Parable

jesus throughout the gospels tells lots of parables..

Parables were a short moral story..

they were packed with imagry, metafor and analogy..

but they wer’nt Jesus random storys..

Jesus was illustrating if you will his point in telling them..

each parable had great kingdom meaning..

In each Jesus was telling the people who listened and important truth..

and thats whats happening here..

Jesus has gathered this group of people..

and he is now telling them this parable..

that has a life changing truth..

and the truth is that Jesus has left everything to come and save the lost..

that is the point of the story..

lets look at the main points for a minute..

Main Points

First..

Jesus is the great shepherd..

Jesus is using the analogy of the sheep and the shepherd..

the poeple of Jesus day would have readily understood this analogy..

Because this was a farming culture..

and the jewish culture was heavily surrounded be sheep and sheperding..

look how he starts the parable..

Luke 15:4 (ESV)

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep...

But Jesus is not just saying go find your lost sheep..

remember parable have kingdom meaning..

Jesus is not talking about random shepherds..

JESUS IS THE SHEPHERD..

Look what he will tell us later in scripture..

John 10:11 ESV

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Jesus is the shepherd he is talking about here..

and look how the parable progresses..

We are the lost sheep

Luke 15:4 (ESV)

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them..

Now Jesus gives us more context to the story..

this parable is about a shepherd who lost sheep..

Jesus is the shepherd..

but I want to tell you today..

we are the lost sheep..

romans 3:23

Romans 3:23 ESV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Ephesians 2:11–13 (ESV)

Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Jesus is the shepherd..

and we are the lost sheep..

not of israel..

but of the flock of God..

Garden..

if we go all the way back to the beging of the bible..

we find the reason for our being lost..

God created the world..

he intended for it to dwell in relationship with him..

Sin, disobiedience, entered the world though adam and eve

and seperated us from god..

We became lost..

but look what Jesus goes on to day in the parable..

Jesus gave everything to find us in our sin and brings us home

Luke 15:4–5 (ESV)

“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.

You see Jesus, the great shepherd..

came to find the lost..

us..

and helo us come home..

look what the rest of John 10 says..

John 10:11–17 ESV

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.

and paul writes this in philippians 2..

philippians 2:7

Philippians 2:5–8 ESV

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Romans 5:8 ESV

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

You see Jesus left everything so he could come and save us..

He left heaven..

He laid aside his throne..

and gave up his life..

why?

so we could be brought home to relationship with him..

Us

We are the lost sheep..

He is the great shepherd..

He has already paid the price for us..

to have salvation..

to be restored in relationship..

and brought back home to our father in heaven..

if you are a sinner..

if you are a tax collecter..

if you are a pharisee..

or evening a church member..

JESUS GAVE HIS LIFE FOR YOU SO YOU COULD COME HOME…

How?

You might say pastor..

I hear you..

How can I come home..

Romans 10:9–11 ESV

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Its a simple asking coming before god and asking for forgiveness..

and starting to walk after him and his ways..

heaven celebrates when we come home..

you might be here this morning..

and know you need to come up..

but be thinking..

how could i..

after all Ive done..

and I want to encourage you with this.

it doesnt matter what youve done…

the tax collectors were the worst of the worst..

but look what Jesus said of those who come home..

Luke 15:7 (ESV)

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.

Gods not mad at you..

he wants you to come home..

hes been pursuing you..

and he wants to save you..

and celebrate you return..

Altar Call

Have you been found?