Our God is a God who seeks and Saves Sinners

MPS: We are sinners who have been sought out by Christ and brought into His Kingdom with great joy.

Christ’s Purpose

What is Christ doing in his ministry here on earth? We are already in the 15th chapter of Luke’s gospel and notice the crowds around Christ. They were not people of reputation, rather, they were tax collectors and sinners. They were traitors, scammers, and prostitutes.

Christ was often around those who were socially “grubby.” His kindness drew the sinners. He spoke words of redemption and grace.

Surely, we recognise ourselves amongst this rabble. We too were sinners who sought our own selfish gain, who as Paul says in Ephesians,

“Were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is at work in the sons of disobedience – among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh.” (2:1-3a)

We were like the sinners and the tax collectors, those of ill reputation. In our natural state, in Adam, we are sinners. We have been born into sin and naturally hate God. We can see ourselves in Israel too, we go after our own way, being led by our sinful desires.

Yet, it is to us that Christ has come. As he came to the sinners and tax collectors, he has come for us. As Christ said in Luke 4, he has come,

“To proclaim food news to the poor… to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” (4:18-19)

We ourselves had been blinded by our sin. Led by our own desires. But, Christ has come not only to those sinners in his time, but also to each and every one of us, for we all possess that nature that naturally hates God. Yet, Christ has come to redeem us.

Crowds Gathering Around Christ

So, the crowds, “were all drawing near to hear him.” They recognised in the voice of the One who told them to count the cost of discipleship, those words of Isaiah from Luke chapter 4. They recognised the voice of the one who spoke words of grace and truth.

How did Christ go about his ministry? Matthew describes it like this,

“a bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not quench,

Christ’s ministry was characterised by gentleness. He did not turn to these sinners as the pharisees did, and snub them. He did not tell them to go away. Instead, when they heard what he said about counting the cost of discipleship, they gathered closer to hear the words of their saviour.

Why did Christ respond to them in this way?

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” *(Matt 11:28ff.)

Application: These words, Christ now speaks to you also.

Are you weak? Do you know that you are a sinner? These words of Christ are yours. He will not snuff you out, nor will he turn you away. For there is no sin, there is no darkness into which Christ does not reach to pull out those who are his.

His yoke is easy and his burden is light. Though the call for discipleship is weighty, the burden is light. Gather around him now as those in Christ’s day did, and hear what he has to say.

These words of Christ prompted a sneering response from the Pharisees. As the fool says in psalm 14, “there is no God,” the pharisees say, “this man cannot be our God, receives sinners and eats with them.”

We have seen past conflict with the pharisees, in response last time, Christ said, “those who are well have no need for a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

This time, Jesus responds with parables side by side talking about his work in saving sinners, bringing them into his Kingdom. They describe a woman who searches for a lost coin and a shepherd searching for a lost sheep. Jesus tells these two parables for the purpose of highlighting his character in seeking and saving the lost.

For our God, is a God who seeks after us

We are like this sheep that has gone astray

As Paul says in Eph 2, we were dead in the ways we once walked.

Our wandering did not lead to life but to death.

The desires of our minds and bodies or, our thoughts and actions reckoned us children of wrath.

We stood, due to our own actions, justly under the wrath of God.

This is the path the sheep wandered. Its desires caused it to be led down a path that leads to death. The shepherd here knows it and goes to search after it, leaving behind the 99 to search for the one sure to go the way of death.

So too, God knows where our wandering leads. He knows the path that leads to death, the way that our sinful desires lead.

Just like the shepherd, he goes out, he finds us, brings us in and breathes life into our mortal bodies. But God, those wonderful words the Apostle Paul writes. But God, has search for us. What beautiful words.

He searches high and low. It is indeed true that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. Neither height nor depth can separate us from his love.

He slings us over his shoulders and carries us to life.

God, who is “rich in mercy” has gone after you, he goes out and searches for you and I because of his great love that he has loved us with. His great love for you.

We are his sheep, his flock. He cares deeply for us. His work was not in vain. The scars upon his hands and his side signify for you and me, an effectual purchase. One that cannot be revoked. It is impossible that any who are bought by the blood of Christ would be lost.

Our God is a deep well full of living water, full of grace and truth, full of mercy.

These words of Christ you read here, this Gospel that is preached to you. These are the words of the Good Shepherd full of grace and truth who pursues his people out of love.

The sinners and tax collectors saw this in Christ and gathered about to hear these words of life.

This searching is “until he finds it.” The shepherd searches for his lost sheep until he finds it. The woman searches for her lost coin until it was found. So too, God does not stop calling those who are his to himself until all those who are his have come. This world will not pass away until God achieves all his good purposes in us. Today is the day of salvation.

When we come to Him in repentance, who is God’s response?

Read vs 6-7, 9-10

God rejoices. Not just a joy you feel at finding lost headphones. But celebrates with as with a large party.

God’s rejoicing is like that of these two people here. Finding that which is precious means pulling out all the stops.

What a wonderful thing this is to contemplate!

Our God is a God who greatly delights in us and our salvation.

1 Timothy 1:15–16 (ESV): 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

the purpose that Christ would save you is for his delight alone and he does it for his own glory.

yet, The God of the universe who created the heavens and the earth greatly rejoices at your salvation!

Charles Spurgeon notes that when he finds the sheep, he does not immediately seem to put it back into the flock, instead he carries it with him to celebrate. And a wonderful point is made here. Spurgeon says,

“It looks as if Jesus did not save a soul so much to the church as to himself, and though the saved are in the flock, the greatest joy of all is that the sheep is with the shepherd.”

It is we ourselves, sinners who are the delight of the Lord God. Christ’s desire, his love is for his sheep. His delight is that we would be made his.

For as the author of Hebrews says, “who for the joy set before him, endured the cross.” As the Psalm 14 promises, salvation for Israel has come. The good shepherd has come and gathers all who are his.

We are then sinners who have been sought out by Christ and brought into his Kingdom to be with him forevermore.