Come HOME! (luke 15.1-7)
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Luke 15:1 (NRSV)
Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him.
And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So he told them this parable:
“Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?
When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices.
And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and 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.
Intro:
I want to lead off with this question.......
“Who came and got you, when you were lost spiritually?”
(Long pause)
I want to teach today concerning this phenomenon.......
.....the very thought that someone would go after someone who is lost is absolutely fascinating.
Because......
.........people don’t generally look for anything or anyone that is lost unless they mean something to them!
there has to be some kind of an attachement or connection
Freedom.......
Could it be possible that our communities and our families are so disconnected because the enemy is aware that if we don’t have a sense of connection or attachment...
.......and someone becomes lost
.......no one will look??????
(pause and expound - optional)
........and not only is it fascinating to me but it is also I believe critical towards both the life of the person and the life of the church!
Suicide rates are through the roof!
Divorce rates are through the roof!
...........and nobody is looking!!!
Because it’s just ONE......
......and so even though the statistics are astronomical
.......we minimize the ONE
(pause)
But can I suggest to us.....
......that ONE is only of greater value to us when it’s our ONE!!
........when the “ONE” is in our house
......when the “ONE” is in our community
But what if I told you.......
.........that our ONE is just as great even though we haven’t made a connection yet
(pause)
Look at the text now.....
Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
According to the text......
........there are four groups of people in the company of Jesus.
Tax collectors - despised because of their connection with the Roman government, as they were employees of the government. They directly or indirectly collected the money from the Jewish community
Sinners - A person who has missed God’s mark for their life
Pharisees - An important Jewish sect at the time of Jesus that was devoted to exact observance of the Jewish religion
Scribes - Any man serving as an expert in Jewish law.
(pause)
And the bible says that out of these four groups of people........
........two groups just kept getting closer and closer to Jesus!
.......and the two groups are the tax collectors and the sinners!
(slight pause)
And.......
........when the Pharisees and the scribes
(the experts and the important people)
.........noticed what was happened they expressed their negative attitude towards Jesus willingness to....
“Welcome and Eat with them”
(pause)
In the Greek the word for “Welcome” in this verse means.....
To Look forward to, or to Wait for
(slight pause)
You see Freedom,
.........Jesus is not just existing in their company
.........Jesus is preparing the atmosphere for them to join him!
He is setting a table with compassion and authentic presence
(pause)
........and I just believe that we need to do the same thing
........We need to make room for some people to show up that suggests to them,
“I have been looking forward to this moment with you!”
(pause)
And according to the text........
Jesus prepares to address the murmuring of the Pharisees and the scribes as it relates to his level of hospitality!
(pause)
Look at it now.....
So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?
It’s somewhat difficult for us reading this text now to fully relate to this parable from the perspective of Sheep.....
Because sheep are not relevant to our cultural norms.
But to Jesus’s crowd of listeners.....
........this is the perfect way of explaining to them why he is doing what he is doing....
(pause)
Because Sheep have a certain makeup that they are all familiar with in their context as shepherds who herd and raise sheep,
.......for example,
No animal strays so easily as a sheep. They are EASILY distracted.
No animal has this level of difficulty finding its way back home.
No animal is so reckless and unable to defend itself.
(pause and expound)
And......
........the picture that Jesus is painting for them is very simply,
“I need you to understand this level of LOSTNESS!”
And in my spiritual imagination.........
I hear Jesus saying,
You’re taking this too lightly......
You’re Misinterpreting the Gospel!
........and because of this you are limiting the effectiveness of what I want to do in the earth through you in the lives of others...
(pause)
Because.........
.......if you had 99 sheep who were comfortably grazing in the pasture
.......and just 1 of your sheep came up missing....
(slight pause)
Because you understand how dangerous it is for them to be lost.....
......and because you understand how vulnerable they would be in this situation
.......you would drop everything and go out to get the ONE!
(pause)
And the bible says something at the end of verse 4 that we can’t afford to miss.....
..........something that takes this parable to an entirely different level.
Because Jesus says to them..........
“When you go looking for the ......ONE”
There is no STOPPING point...........
Until the “ONE” is found!
(pause)
And Freedom,
God placed a WORD in me today to say,
“EVERYBODY aint here!”
(pause)
Because Jesus is saying in the text,
The 99 are GOOD..........
But what about the ONE!.........
(pause)
And........
............when we start thinking about who our ONE is
Who does she look like?
Who does he look like?
(slight pause)
What level of lostness are they experiencing?
Where is their life off track?
What are they running from......
.........because they don’t have the capacity or the company to fight back?
(pause)
Expound -
They don’t have the power or the tools to overcome!
And......
They don’t have the Faith circles to empower their breakthrough!
(pause)
And Jesus is saying.....
.........this is why i’m at PapaDeaux with Prostitutes (Strippers)
..........and Carrabas with Con Artists
(slight pause)
And I hear Jesus saying in my spiritual imagination.......
We need a table that no matter what got you lost...........
.........is able to communicate,
“I’m looking forward to meeting you!”
(pause)
And we need a heart that says,
I’m not CONTENT with staying with the 99 families!
When there’s ONE family that needs REBUILDING, or RESTORING, or RECLAIMING
(pause)
Watch this.....
When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices.
According to the text ....
Jesus says something remarkable!
(slight pause)
Because once the “ONE” sheep is found....
Jesus says,
You cannot BE found, and BE alone at the same time!
(pause)
So instead of FINDING the sheep.........
........and continuing to allow the sheep to run BESIDE the legs of the Shepherd until he gets back to the pasture...
Jesus says,
When the “ONE is FOUND”
........the ONE is CARRIED!
(pause)
And what this does is.......
It communicates the message that,
"I’m RELIEVING you from having to run alone any further”
(pause)
And Freedom.......
When we go out to FIND our ONE!
Because we walk in the POWER and ANOINTING of the Holy Spirit through CHRIST JESUS
We offer something to those who are LOST that says....
“I’m RELIEVING you from having to run alone any further!”
(pause)
Now.......
“COME HOME!”
(pause and expound)
And according to verse 6.......
When the shepherd comes back home............he calls his community together so that they can......
“Rejoice with him!”
And this word Rejoice in the greek language is the same Rejoice when the sheep was being carried back home........
(pause)
And all it means Freedom..........
.....is that “I’m Glad to see you!”
(pause and expound)
Jesus says in verse 7....
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.
Here it is Freedom........
The text says,
HEAVEN is going to be at FULL CAPACITY with JOY!
.......when we go out and FIND the ONE and bring them HOME!
(pause)
And when I thought about heaven being full of Joy........
quite naturally I asked the question........
“Who’s in HEAVEN causing all this joy!”
(pause)
Here it is........
Because if heaven is filled with joy..........
Because Heaven is occupied with........
a host of angels.......
heavenly beings........
God our creator............
(pause)
That means........
when we go and FIND the ONE...........
HEAVEN.............
is going to take NOTICE........and start CELEBRATING the HOMECOMING on another level!
(pause)
And I don’t know about you........
.......but my desire is for HEAVEN to CELEBRATE!
(pause and expound)
And I don’t know if there’s anyone that will join me........
But now........
I want to talk to the “ONE!”
(pause)
And here’s what I want to tell the “ONE!”
HANG in there!!!!
(slight pause)
Because when WE FIND YOU............
You wont have to do this ALONE no more!!
HERE WE COME.........
Freedom is COMING to get you!!!
(slight pause)
“COME...........HOME!”