Going After The One Series

January 22 Going after The One Luke 15:3-10

Our lives are most meaningful, most fulfilled, most exciting

when we join Jesus on His mission.

The One=the one who is lost and separated from the Father

The risk

The intentionality

The dedication

The reward

The Father asks: “What will you risk…How intentional will you be…How dedicated will you be—to find The One and celebrate with Me?

Newlyweds Ben and Merissa McNeal had a problem. They were on their way to their wedding in San Diego when Merissa’s wedding dress flew out of their truck bed. By tracing their journey, they were able to narrow it down to being lost somewhere between Oklahoma City and Groom, Texas. (map w/OKC, Groom)

The search involved teamwork. The Texas DOT shared a picture of the wedding dress on their Facebook page, which was shared 900 times. The dress was found within hours and in good condition in Parma, Texas. (updated map with Parma)

Turn with me to Luke 15:3-10. Last week we began this discussion about getting our hearts aligned with the heart of the Father. Getting our lives aligned with His priorities and values. Getting on mission with God. God’s on a mission: that why Jesus came, right? He was on a mission. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10 That’s why Jesus came. From the manger in Bethlehem to the cross at Calvary, Jesus was and still is on a mission to seek and save, rescue and redeem those who are separated from the Father.

Our lives are most meaningful, most fulfilled, most exciting when we join Jesus on His mission. If you want to live a life that is off the chart in thrills and excitement, then see yourself as a missionary where you live, work and play. Christians begin to wilt, and churches begin to die, when they get away from the mission. Let me repeat that…

We saw last week that Jesus was all about going after The One. The One=the one who is lost and separated from the Father In Luke 15 Jesus is having dinner with tax collectors and sinners; in other words, He’s spending time with the irreligious and the reprobates. The Pharisees and Scribes hated him for it because their view of holiness was that you didn’t associate with those who were outside the faith community. Aware of their perspective and grumbling, Jesus told 3 of His most notable and powerful parables, stories—bang-bang-bang—to try to shake them from their apathy toward the lost. We’re going to study 2 of them this morning.

So let’s read Luke 15:3-10 (on screen)

The first parable has numbers, has people, and something lost, right?

What are the numbers? 100, 99 & 1. Out of those numbers, which is the most important in Jesus’ story? The One.

Who were the people involved? First and foremost, there was a shepherd, right? But then who? Friends and neighbors that he calls to come help him celebrate.

What was lost? A sheep. Pretty valuable to a shepherd, wouldn’t you think? I mean, a sheep is not particularly valuable to me, but then again, I’m not a shepherd. The sheep was extremely valuable to him.

The second parable has numbers, people, and something lost, right? What are the numbers? 10 and 1. If you subtract the 1 from the 10, then there is the implied number of 9. Out of those numbers, which is the most important in Jesus’ story? The One.

Who were the people involved? First and foremost, there was the woman, right? But then who? Friends and neighbors that she calls to come help her celebrate.

What was lost? A coin. Pretty valuable to the woman, wouldn’t you think? I mean, if it was me, I’d just go to the bank and get another coin. But apparently this was the only money this woman had. The coin was extremely valuable to her.

Think about the dynamics in these two parables. First, let’s talk about The risk that the shepherd took. Apparently he didn’t have anyone else to watch the other 99 sheep so there was the risk that some of them would wander off while he was gone. There was the risk that while he was gone, a wolf would attach the flock and kill some of them. This was a risky move on his part. It’s not that the 99 weren’t important, but it would be worth the risk if he could find The One.

Why would the shepherd take the risk of losing more of his sheep? Well, to be honest, sheep are stupid. They can’t take care of themselves. They are so top heavy, if they stumble and fall, they can’t get up and end up on their backs and suffocate… They’re vulnerable to the attack from predators. But so valuable was the sheep to this shepherd that he had to do what he could to find The One.