“The Good Shepherd and the Lost Sheep”
TEXT: Luke 15:1-7 (Verses 3-7 Main Focus)
Luke 15:1-7 (KJV)
1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Introduction:
A. Last week we looked at the first two verses of this chapter -- and we focused on the statement found in verse two, speaking of Jesus the Savior, it says, “This man receiveth sinnners, and eateth with them.”
1) Jesus – the Holy One, the Son of God, receives sinners – He doesn’t turn them away.
2) That is GREAT NEWS!!
3) We talked about the difference between the Publicans (Tax Collectors), the Sinners, and the Pharisees.
• The most wretched of sinners, the most despised of the earth-- sought out Jesus and He received them.
• The Pharisees – were deeply religious, keepers of the law, dogmatic, judgmental of others, shunned sinners, and wanted nothing to do with Jesus. They would not receive Him.
B. Jesus cannot help those who are bound by religion and feel no need to accept Christ as Lord.
C. But now, we look a litter deeper into LUKE CHAPTER 15.
D. Jesus in His teaching , is going deeper and deeper, teaching some great lessons about the TRUE PATH to SALVATION.
1) He gives us an illustrated lesson, a parable of the LOST SHEEP.
I. The Lost Sheep
A. “What man of you haing one hundred sheep if one of them is missing does not leave the 99 to go search for the one lost sheep.”
1) He searches until he finds it.
2) He then carries it on his shoulders, back to safety, rejoicing that he has found the one that was lost.
B. It is quite Obvious that in this story, Jesus is the Shepherd who goes out to search for the lost sheep.
C. In this Parable, Jesus is revealing to us, His Part in the Salvation of Man.
1) In the first two verses, the publicans and the sinners (harlots, adulterers , liars, thieves, etc…. they sought out Jesus and Jesus received them.
2) In the Parable of the Lost Sheep, Jesus seeks out the sinner --- the lost sheep.
3) One of the greatest truths from God’s Word is; Luke 19:10 (KJV) “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
But none of the ransomed ever knew,
How deep were the waters crossed,
Nor how dark was the night that the Lord
passed through, Ere He found His sheep
that was lost.
Out in the desert He heard it's cry,
Sick and helpless and ready to die,
"Lord, whence are these blood drops all
the way, That mark out the mountains
track?
They were shed for one who had gone
astray,
Ere the shepherd could bring him back,
Lord whence are Thy hands so rent and
torn?
They're pierced tonight by many a thorn.
D. Who could deny that fact that the world around us is like a wilderness.
1) We are taught the Word of God, many of us, from the time we are a child.
2) The Word of God reveals to us the commandments of God which list so “DO NOTS” as well as some commands to “DO.”
3) My parents and grandparents always told me, “Don’t ride your bike in the road, you have plenty of land to ride on, stay out of the road.”
a. But something in me just had to try it. I had to see what it was like to ride that bike out in the road.
b. It ended up being a costly ride – one week without a bike.
c. Adam and Eve – the forbidden fruit.
d. Satan comes to lead God’s children astray --- he leaves things in our path that are designed at leading us off the path of righteousness and into the path of death and destruction.
E. We can end up lost in the wilderness – where there is danger and the potential of death, eternal separation from God, Our Father.
1) But Jesus “The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
2) Jesus searched through the wilderness for that which is lost.
a. The Judean Wilderness was not an easy place to walk through.
b. It is VERY HOT during the day.
c. It is a very dangerous place at night because it is filled with steep canyons and thorny bushes.
3) Jesus comes into the wilderness of this world to suffer as He seeks to find the Lost Sheep.
4) “LOST” – means to perish, to be destroyed, to lose eternal life, to be spiritually cut off.
II. Why is there So Much Emphasis Placed on One Lost Lamb?
A. The Shepherd knows that the LAMB is NO MATCH for the wilderness.
1) It has no defense against the beast of prey.
2) It cannot smell out the water on its own.
3) If that lost lamb is not found – it means certain death.
4) A lamb has no sense of direction – it cannot find its way back alone.
B. YOU are NO MATCH for this world, you cannot survive on your own.
C. Sheep are really dumb.
1) The greatest danger to man’s spiritual wellbeing – is thinking he knows more than God.
2) God wrote the book of Life and no matter how smart and educated we become, we will never know a 1000th of what our Creator knows.
"The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead" (Proverbs 21:16).
3) Sheep do not have enough sense to keep from roaming off.
a. Now the Holy Spirit guides us and convinces us to stay on track.
4) Sheep do not seem to have a sense of danger.
a. What could one bite of that fruit hurt?
b. What harm could one shot, one sniff, or one taste hurt?
c. What harm could one night with that person do?
5) The wilderness had an excitement about it.
a. The unknown and the risk aroused the emotions, but once the sheep ventured out into the wilderness, he found its terrain rugged, full of narrow ridges and deep ravines and crevices.
b. It was rough going, heavy with thick underbrush, pricking thorns, dangerous footing; and, if the way out was never found, it would sap the sheep's strength and age him ever so rapidly.
c. Eventually the wilderness would take its life.
6) The wilderness and thrills of the world do attract a person.
“The wages of sin is death” – every time we sin, a little piece of us dies.
d. Satan seeks to lead us astray, away from God, away from the sheep fold.
1. He may does this by laying one small temptation at a time in our path.
D. When sheep wonder off by themselves – they become easy prey for the wolves.
1) Wolves in sheep’s clothing.
2) Wolves – false religion, false hope, false security
3) Leads to destruction.
E. Once the lone sheep has wondered off, it has no homing instincts -- it cannot find it’s way back home on it’s own.
"All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6).
III. The Beautiful Picture is Presented Here of the Shepherd Returning Home with the Lamb Over His Shoulders.
A. When I could not come to where He was, He came to me!!
B. I could not make it home to my Father, but Jesus sought me out, rescued me from the wilderness, and brought me to the Father.
C. The Good and Faithful Shepherd was not content to let the erring sheep be destroyed, but when out and searched for that which was lost.
1) When he finds it, he puts it on his shoulders and carries it back to safety, rejoicing all the way.
D. When He returned Home with me, He celebrated my return!!
a. I mean that much to Him!!
b. He would celebrate my return.
c. That Joy is carried over into the Heavenly Scene as they rejoice in the finding of that which was lost.
d. The shepherd did not rejoice alone – this meant too much to him for that, we brought others into his celebration.
E. The Savior rejoices and calls for others to rejoice over one sinner who comes home!!
1) All of us have known the desperation of having lost something that was of value to us.
2) We have all of us engaged in a diligent search to find that which was lost.
3) Sometimes we never find it, and we know how forlorn that makes us feel.
4) But then to find something after searching for it so long is always a joyous occasion.
5) Maybe we have shared our loss with someone else who has joined us in our search, and when that which was lost is found we call them to share our joy.
6) That tells us something of the value God places upon each one.
F. Jesus the speaks of the JOY in Heaven over the ONE sinner that repents, it is more than over the 99 that needed no repentance.
Hebrews 12:2 (KJV)
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Closing:
A. This all means that if you are lost today, Jesus has been seeking you.
B. The Pharisees would not even GO NEAR people lost in sin, but Jesus seeks them out.
C. The sheep represents a repentant sinner.
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19).
