Lost & Found

Lost & Found

June 6, 2021 Morning Service

Immanuel Baptist Church, Wagoner, OK

Rick Boyne

Message Point: Jesus came to seek and to save the lost.

Focus Passage: Luke 15:1-32

Supplemental Passage: "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10 NASB)

Introduction: My best friend and his wife fostered, then adopted, a child whose mother had been addicted to drugs. He was also born addicted. Consequently, he had major developmental issues and could barely function on the level of a 2-3 year old. He was severely sight impaired and had very little communication abilities. Nevertheless, my friend loved his son and took care of him as his own. One day, we all went to the zoo with all of our kids. Somehow, his son wondered off and got lost. He was unable to give his name. He was unable to give his parents’ names. He was unable to point them out of a crowd. My friend’s wife went into a frenzy looking for him. She shouted so loudly that everyone around us became concerned. Her son was lost! After nearly 30 minutes of tears, panic, shouting and prayers, she spotted him on a security golf cart being driven by. He was safe! The reunion was spectacular with even more tears. God loves us even more than she loves her son.

I. The Grumblers

a. The religious folks were complaining that Jesus was spending time with sinners.

i. vs 2

ii. Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?" (Matthew 9:10-11 NASB)

iii. And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner." (Luke 7:37-39 NASB)

b. The thing is Jesus SAT with sinners; He didn’t Sin with them

II. The Parables

a. The Lost Sheep

b. The Lost Coin

c. The Prodigal Son

III. The Conclusion

a. Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?" But when Jesus heard this, He said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. "But go and learn what this means: 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9:10-13 NASB)

b. "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10 NASB)

Application/Call to Obedience: If Jesus came to save the lost, then we, too, must make leading the lost to Christ a priority in our life. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples…” He didn’t say, “go and make Baptists” or “go and make religious people.” And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. (Luke 9:23 NASB) If you are lost, you can be found! The Bible says that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. (Romans 10:9-10 NASB)