Recovering the Lost

Introduction

1-2: Series Introduction

3-7: Christ Before Bethlehem - pt.1-6 (The Pre-Incarnate Christ)

9-10: The Incarnate Christ - pt.1-2 (The Birth of Christ)

11. Learning from a 12 Year Old

12. The Jesus We Know Not (Years of Silence)

13. The Baptism of Christ

14. Having Victory Over Temptation (The Temptation of Christ)

15. The Call to Follow (Calling the First Apostles)

The TEACHINGS OF CHRIST - The Sermon on the Mount

16. A Disciples Progression (The Beatitudes)

I. Their Inward Conflict (v3-6); II. Their Outward Charity (v7-9): III. The Inevitable Cost (v10-12)

17. The Salt of the Earth (Mat. 5:13)

I. The Preamble (Mat. 5:1-12); II. Purposes for Salt; III. Pictures of Salt: IV. The Production of Salt; V. A Precaution Given

18. The Light of the World (Mat. 5:14-16):

I. The Facts of Light; II. The Function of Light; III. The Focus of the Light (v15-16)

19. The Correct View of the Law by Christ (Mat. 5:17-48)

I. The Satisfaction of the Law: II. The Strengthening of the Law: III. A Summary of Christ’s Teachings on the Law: Christ Has Satisfied the Law for Us; We are Subject to a Higher Standard; We should Live More Righteous, not Less

20. Standards to Pursue - pt.1 (Mat. 6:1-18)

I. Secretive Philanthropy (v1-4); II. A Sincere and Submissive Prayer Life (v5-15) III. Subdue the Flesh (v16-18)

21. Standards to Pursue - pt.2 (Mat. 6:19-34)

I. Seek Heavenly Treasures (v19-24); II. Submit Yourselves to God (v25-34)

22. Kingdom Mindedness - (Mat. 7:1-12)

I. Sound Judgments; II. Seeking God’s Guidance; III. A “Self” Centered Attitude

23. The Conclusion - (Mat. 7:13-29)

I. Behold the Choice (v13-14); II. Beware of False Guides (v15-20); III. Beware of False Assurance (v21-23); IV. Be Mindful of your Foundation (v24-27)

The PARABLES of Christ

24: The Sower, the Seed and the Soil

I. The Sower: Casts Faithfully; Casts Indiscriminately; Casts Expectantly; Casts Because Duty Demands It

II. The Seed: It is Good Seed; It is the Same Seed; It is Plentiful Seed; It Holds Limitless Possibilities

III. The Soil: It Varied Greatly; It Determined the Production

Introduction

Today we're going to examine not one but three parables that Jesus gives in Luke chapter 15.

The title of the message today is "Recovering the Lost". All three of these parables speak of things that are Lost. The sheep, the coin, and the son.

Before we get into the message itself though, I want to speak on the meaning of being Lost.

The Meaning of Being Lost

Lost Defined

Webster's has a great and large definition for this simple word. Many of us, when we consider Lost, think of maybe a few things but in actuality its usage is very diverse.

1. Mislaid or left in a place unknown or forgotten; that cannot be found;

…as a lost book.

2. Ruined; destroyed; wasted or squandered; employed to no good purpose;

…as lost money; lost time.

3. Forfeited;

…as a lost estate.

4. Not able to find the right way, or the place intended.

…a stranger is lost in London or Paris.

5. Bewildered; perplexed; being in a maze;

…as, a speaker may be lost in his argument.

6. Alienated; insensible; hardened beyond sensibility or recovery;

…as a profligate lost to shame; lost to all sense of honor.

7. Not perceptible to the senses; not visible;

…as an isle lost in fog; a person lost in a crowd.

8. Shipwrecked or foundered; sunk or destroyed;

…as a ship lost at sea, or on the rocks.

In the Christian sense typically when we think of the word "Lost", we think of their eternal state, as in the opposite of saved.

So what I want to caution you against is, as we are looking at the Lost sheep, the Lost coin, and the Lost son, we are not putting it in that context.

God has provided these parables for us in that it leaves room for some interpretation and application. However I believe the best application to be that which is not necessarily Lost eternally, but rather lost spiritually momentarily.

For instance the sheep was the shepherd's before he wandered away. The coin was the woman's before it was misplaced. The son was a son whether he was in the father's house or in a pigsty in the far country.

By and large though not exclusively, we will be looking at these things which were Lost in the sense that they are not where they should be. In other words it is a matter of proper sanctification rather than salvation.

That being said I want to look for a moment at the Lost described.

Lost Described

There is oftentimes a commonality when we're speaking about that which is Lost that is forgotten or misunderstood completely.

THAT IS THE FACT THAT THOSE WHICH ARE LOST THERE IS AN ELEMENT OF IGNORANCE THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH IT.

(Ill.) Have you ever taken a wrong turn (or your husband) and you think you know where you are, but you figure out a little later that you were simply lost - and maybe you didn’t want to admit it?

(Ill.) I'm not a pilot but I'm very aware of the phenomena of being disoriented when you have no visual markers to help you. They sometimes call it “the leans” or “Spatial Disorientation”. (Tell the story of John Kennedy Jr. and his death spiral).

He was off his path, he was spiraling toward doom - and most likely didn’t even realize it till it he hit the water.

So before we get into the message, I want every soul under the sound of my voice to consider that it's possible, just possible, that you are Lost. Again I'm not talking about on your way to hell - that may be - but I'm speaking about not on the path where you need to be. - AND YOU HAVEN’T REALY REALIZED IT BEFORE TODAY.

The Bible tells us: Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death.”

So today we're going to speak about recovering the Lost through Jesus's parables in Luke chapter 15.

I. The Manner of Becoming Lost

Through Wandering

As we consider the first parable we must think about the behavior of sheep. Sheep are not typically rebellious animals. They're docile and not real bright. (This is the reason we’re likened unto sheep, church).

But what sheep will sometimes do is wander off. Not intentionally, not maliciously, but simply begin to go astray.

This is one method of becoming lost - carelessness.

One way Christians lose their way, lose their focus is not maliciously but just by being careless. Letting things begin to slip. How does this happen?

Well, it begins slowly.

Maybe you miss a few services.

Have you ever noticed that it’s easier to miss the 2nd & 3rd once you missed the first?

You miss your daily prayer time - and before you know it, you’re spending very little time in prayer.

You miss your daily Bible reading.

You felt compelled to witness to one person, but you let that slide and you feel less & less compelled to witness at all.

Before long, you’re not just missing basic Christian activity & duties, you’re losing your focus on what’s important in life.

There may be some here that have lost their way. They are wandering & gone astray - and they don’t even know it!

The sheep surely knows something is different, it surely knows there are feelings associated with it - such as loneliness & fatigue - but it may not even realize that it’s lost it’s way!

Some become lost by Wandering

Through Wanton Neglect

SOMEBODY MISPLACED THAT COIN.

The coin doesn’t just get up and walk out.

The coin didn’t get lost on it’s own - it had help.

NOW I WANT TO MAKE SOMETHING CLEAR. You and I may misplace things from time to time but God does not misplace His children.

(Ill.) My wife is a meticulous housekeeper and living with me presents times of frustration for her. She makes sure that everything gets put up and in a place and I do not have a place for my things all the time. So what happens is my belt might become misplaced. Sometimes it's not because I put it somewhere but because I left it in a place and she put it elsewhere.

Now I say all that to say this: when we're talking about God's children, God does not misplace them but oftentimes they become Lost because others have influenced their position.

For the Christian it looks like this:

You may not wander astray like the sheep but you might find yourself astray because someone else intervened in your place.

There's been many Christians who were in the will of God but yet have strayed because of the influences in their life.

The Bible tells us: Proverbs 13:20 “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: But a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”

You've heard me speak often on the importance of only allowing the right influences in your life. For if you let the wrong people influence you, you will find yourself out of the will of God.

Some become Lost through wanton neglect - The neglect of others and the neglect of keeping good companions

Through Willful Disobedience

Lastly we get to the story of the prodigal son. The son became Lost:

Not because of simply wandering astray

Not because someone else led him astray

But because of willful disobedience. In other words he deliberately chose to leave the father's house.

It was no accident, it was a turning the back to the one who loved and bore him.

There are many Christians that identify with this as well.

In church make no mistake: just because your willful disobedience is not nationwide news does not mean it is any less wicked than those whose are.

(Ill.) There was an influential preacher, pastor that was arrested over the last week or two and very few people knew it. Very few people knew the wicked things he was engaging in. But he would most certainly fall under this category.

It wasn’t by accident

It wasn’t by influence of man

It was by willful disobedience

When you KNOW what you’re doing is wrong, yet you make excuse to believe somehow it’s right.

There are those who are Lost because of willful disobedience.

The Manner in Becoming Lost

II. The Method of Recovery

For each of these we see that they were recovered.

Church, this tells us one thing and that is no matter how you went astray, you can be recovered. You can get back to the path from when you strayed.

The Shepherd Seeks

The first instance of recovery, we see that the shepherd is seeking after the sheep that is has gone astray.

The Shepherd. The one who loves and cares for that sheep, He is concerned for him - desirous to find him, so much in that He takes a journey to seek him out.

Other shepherds quite possibly would have. Just let them go. Think of it for a moment. (Ill.) If you have a dollar yet you lose one penny, how diligent are you going to be to search for it? If you have $100 yet, one is Lost. How much sweat are you going to give for it?

But that's the difference between other shepherds and our Lord Jesus Christ.

John 10:11–15 “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

We see the Shepherd Seeks

The Owner Sweeps

Next we see that the owner of the lost coin is sweeping, diligently seeking to find it.

This one is very similar to the first, but with one exception:

The first speaks more to the diligence of the Shepherd, the second speaks more to the value of the coin.

In both we’re seeing one more heaven and earth to recover that which was lost, but here church we’re focusing on why. AND THERE IS A WHY. WHY DOES GOD CARE SO MUCH TO SEEK OUT THAT WHICH WAS LOST? BECAUSE HE SEES VALUE IN THEM!

God sees value even in those who stray away! So much so that He seeks and searches them out that they may be found!

(Ill.) Church, I believe right now that the Holy Ghost of God is searching the hearts of men and women here and revealing these truths to you. God is seeking you out because He sees value in you!

The Owner Sweeps

The Father Waits, the Son Repents

Now the last one, the one that deals with the Lost Son, is different. We notice that in this instance the father is not out searching for the son but he's patiently waiting at home.

Why is that? Well the difference lies in why he’s lost.

Remember: the sheep wandered, the coin was lost by neglect - but the son, he was willfully disobedient.

Let me tell you something. When someone has wandered off in the sin, there is nothing anybody can do until that person makes the decision to repent.

(Ill.) I have counseled many people who have backslid in sin and I do not sit and lecture them about how bad it is, the things that they are doing. They know what they are doing is wrong. I simply ask them, "What kind of person do you want to be? What do you want your life to look like? What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?”

The father chasing after the son would have done no good. Something had to happen in the mind and heart of that son and we find it in Luke 15:17 “And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!”

Now, when this young man repented and went back, where was the Father - waiting & watching! Luke 15:20 “And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”

The Father waited till his son Repented.

The Manner in Becoming Lost; The Method of Recovery

III. Morals to Remember

Lastly I want to share with you just a few things to understand concerning these parables.

There was Joy in the Recovery of All

No matter the circumstance there was joy when that which was Lost was recovered. Luk. 15:5-7; 9-10; 20; 22-24.

This is such an important concept for us to understand. You see it doesn't matter why you left. It doesn't matter how you got off track. The most important thing about all of these is that when the Lost is found there is rejoicing in heaven.

It's not a time for judgment or condemnation. It is a time of rejoicing!

You may feel that because you've wandered or because you were encouraged to go astray or you willfully disobeyed and left the house of the Father. That is what you'll experience if you admit that: shame and condemnation.

But church, if you know you're in the wrong, you're already experiencing the shame but you will not experience the condemnation. God is not desirous of you to live a life masquerading as if you're on track when you're not. God desires for you to worship Him in spirit and in truth.

There's joy in the recovery of all.

The Prompt of the Parables

We must go back to the beginning of the chapter, because these parables didn’t pop up out of thin air, they were prompted by a group of people and a situation.

Jesus is giving these parables unto the Pharisees. They were the targeted audience of what Jesus is teaching here. And what he is teaching is:

The 1 is just as important as the 99

There’s value in lost things

God cares about those who others don’t

But there’s something else that’s important to consider…

A Point to Consider

We've examined in these three parables three Lost things: a sheep, a coin, and a son but church, there was a fourth and that was the elder son.

The parable was prompted by the Pharisees and Jesus concludes the parables with a picture of the Pharisees. What does it show about the Pharisees?

He stays home but doesn't know his father's heart.

He resents grace.

He refuses to rejoice.

He distances himself from his brother: "this thy son..." (Luke 15:30).

The father gently pleads with him just as Jesus is pleading with the Pharisees.

In that sense, the chapter is really about two lost sons:

One was lost in rebellion and knew it.

One was lost in self-righteousness and didn't.

And so you may be here today and you might not fall into any one of those three categories we spoke of. It just might be that you fall into this fourth.

The Pharisee didn’t think he needed the Grace of God - but he did.

The Pharisee thought he was fine - but he wasn’t

The Pharisee ended up outside the house - because he couldn’t come in on his own terms.

Let me just say this: you'll either get to heaven through the grace of God by faith in Jesus Christ or you'll lift up your eyes in hell. You and your flesh are not good enough to go to heaven. You need Jesus.

This kind of Lost are the ones that are damned. Could that be you?

Conclusion