Sermon Tone Analysis

lk 15:

I. Do you live missionally?

lk 15:1-7

A. To reach our city, we must spend time with sinners.

Illus: You have heard the phrase that “Good Christians don’t smoke, drink, dance, nor spend time with people who do.”

As a teenager I clearly learned that Christians should not spend time with sinful people.

We are Christians should be separate from the world.

Right?

Yes, we are called to holiness, yes, we are called to pursue righteousness, but we are not called to remove ourselves from the very mission field God has placed us.

How can you be salt and light if you put yourself in the salt shaker or stick the light under a shade.

God doesn’t want to remove you from your lost friends and family, but he wants you to change the way you relate to them.

Instead of being influenced by them, he wants you to become the influencer.

He wants his gospel to be seen through you.

When you spend time with those outside of the body of Christ, ask yourself this, am I allowing them to change me, or am I allowing God to use me to change them?

B. We are called to live in, but not of the world.

Illus: The pharisees and scribes probably had good intentions in avoiding the tax collectors and sinners.

Frankly, they probably thought they were doing the the fellow Israelite by warning them about destructive behavior and being tarnished by wicked people.

The old testament is full of warning about not associating with wicked people.

But there was a reason… every time the people of Israel spent time with sinful people, the people of Israel adoped the the sinful people’s sins.

frankly speaking, is spending time with sinful people leads you to sin, you probably need to stop.

BUT God’s intent is that his people would be a transformational people.

In other words, that their following of God would rub of on others.

We live in the world, in neighborhoods, in families, in workplaces, in hobbies… but not of them.

We are called to view the relationships around us as missional relationships.

Places where the light of the gospel within us can shine.

Jn 17:14-19

II.

Every person matters to Jesus.

lk 15:3-

A. Jesus pursues every person, and so should we.

Lk 15:

Illus: Jesus has and is pursuing you.

You think— oh I know that one who wandered away.

It is “THAT” person.

There is a temptation to think… oh my sins aren't that bad, and see no need to be rescued.

You think— oh I know that one who wandered away.

It is “THAT” person.

There is also the temptation to think, you don’t know how bad my sins are, there is no way he would come save me.

The very pride in your heart

The very pride in your heart

Jesus loves every person.

Jesus died for every sin.

There is no sin so small nor sin so great that Jesus is not pursuing you nor rescuing you.

Jesus expounded on what he mean’t my rescuing that one, you, in the story of the prodigal son...

Lk 15:11-

Luke 15:11-

In responding the the pharisees who accused him of eating with the tax collectors, Jesus made an even bolder statement.

Notice that Jesus did’t just pursue the prodigal son, but he also went outside mid dinner to pursue the older angry self righteous brother.

No matter whether you sin in like the prodigal son, or the self righteous brother, Jesus Christ pursues you.

Both are lost sheep, both are pursued by the good shepherd.

B. Jesus pursues those who have fallen away, and so should we.

Illus:

He

Illus: We need to fight the temptations to think that because we grew up in christian families in a christian nation that we are christians.

The only thing that can make you a genuine Jesus following Christian in Jesus Christ Himeslf.

The pharisees thought they were good.

They stood in the side accusing Jesus of being with those people.

I know in christian gossip, which is an oxymoron, that we talk about people and who they hang out with.

You know what that makes us… the scribes and the pharisees that are so impressed with their self righteousness, that they do not see the need for Jesus.

There is good news, the story of Jesus pursuing the lost sheep, the prodigal son does not end with just the prodigal son coming home

:

Notice that the father leaves the party to go and plead with the older brother.

In the same way that he pursued the prodigal, he also pursues the self righteous.

No matter whether you sin in like the prodigal son, or the self righteous brother, Jesus Christ pursues you.

Both are lost sheep, both are pursued by the good shepherd.

III.

Christ is a different kind of shepherd.

LK 15:3:7

A. A wandering sheep faced consequences from the shepherd.

Illus: Interesting fact about shepherding in biblical times.

It was normal for a shepherd to pursue a wayward sheep.

Upon finding that sheep, the shepherd would place the sheep on his back like we have in so many pictures… and then the shepherd would then break it’s legs so to serve as an example to all the sheep of what would happen if they wandered off.

He made an example of the prodigal.

But Jesus is a different kind of shepherd.

Where the regular shepherd breaks the sheep, Jesus chose to be broken for us.

That is the story of the gospel… That Jesus took what we deserved for our wanderings.

Is 53:

Does God want you to spend time with sinful people?

How is Jesus a different kind of shepherd?