Quest For The Lost
Notes
Transcript
Movies, Books, Video Games, Radio serials (some of you remember those), Comic books, old mythologies; They all have something in common. They all are about a quest, an journey that has to be done: save the girl, destroy the bad guy, steal the cars, romance the mysterious man. It’s all about the quest
As we continue on with the Life of Jesus, Jesus speaks again about quest.
We are back in the Book of Luke chapter 15
Jesus is eating again
How much of Jesus teaching revolves around the table
Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were drawing near to hear him. And both the Pharisees and the scribes were complaining, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!” So he told them this parable, saying, “What man of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the grassland and go after the one that was lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he places it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he returns to his home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost!’ I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance. Or what woman who has ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found the drachma that I had lost!’ In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Pray
As Jesus is at the table taboo people came around and eating with him
Tax collectors (your IRS agent comes and sits with you)
Sinners – like prostitutes, and porn artist, and other unsavory types
Not temple goers
people the Pharisees would never be seen in the presences of. Pharisees take serious things like Psalm 1
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the advice of the wicked; nor does he stand in the way of sinners; nor does he sit in the assembly of mockers.
That is a great verse.
Its powerful. It resound. It tells us that we have to be different from the world. And we can’t be living like them. We can’t be Hypocrites. We can’t let the world and the culture of our society dictates (as we so often do) the way we live and the things we do. We are to be called apart
The Pharisees take that seriously. They don’t even go around that type of person, because of many reasons.
They don’t want negative association, Guilt by association. Do you do that.
They don’t want to fall into temptation. Real threat when you have relationships with sinners. Sometimes they try to lead you astray instead of you putting them on the straight and narrow.
They don’t have anything in common with them. Yes we all sin (they knew that too) But they have chosen to live a different lifestyle then the world
They are the church goers today. They are many of you
Many of you don’t go around sinners (other than family) for the exact same reasons
But Jesus tells a story about a man leaving the 99 sheep at risk to go find the one that has gone astray. Jesus uses his parable to make a striking point
The listener is supposed to be a bit shocked
Why risk the rest for one. Because it is that important
In neither story is the amount small in fact
The money is about a day’s wage. The sheep is a valuable commodity in that day.
Quest
Quest
God in this story puts us on a quest
He does not want us to be a society of isolated believers. He does want you to be different and follow his commands. But not be isolated. And it is easy to dismiss the variety of people who our biases deem less then worthy
But God cares for them even if they go astray
But we withdraw for whatever reason
Don’t want to compromise our testimony by being around them. Evangelism requires time and energy. Just like the man and woman in these stories. We have to search. We have to build relationships. We have to allow God to draw others to him through use
Read a story Jesus Freaks page 147
Stenley the missionary
It took the death of a man for Christians in the area to come to the realization that they couldn’t live like the world and that they had to quest for the Lord
The Lord has a quest for you
He wants you to go and tell and make disciples
I know that many of you were never disciple yourselves so you don’t know what that looks like
Me neither But we have to break that cycle it has to start with us
We must be the one who say that I will lead others to Christ
I will take the time to say follow me and I will teach you what I know about following Christ
Pray and God will lead you
Can’t continue to be a society that takes no part in the work of God
We must be active in the quest God has laid out before us
And I pray it doesn’t take the martyrdom of someone else for us to see
If we commit and look for opportunities God will show them to you
Next Steps
Next Steps
Are you committed to the Quest of Jesus Christ
Pray