I want to tell you that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit has a HEART FOR MISSIONS!!
Do you believe it?!
Here is how I know this to be true!
Luke 19:10 – “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
-Jesus came for a few specific reasons…
-One of those primary reasons is to SEEK & SAVE the lost just as Luke 19:10 says!
Hear me this morning Christian!
JESUS FINDS LOST THINGS!!
-There are lost people all over this world that need Jesus!
-In a world of just over 7 billion people, it is estimated that about 32% of them – 2.1 billion people – profess Jesus as Lord and Savior!
The problem is…Jesus died for ALL of them!
2 Peter 3:9b - …not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
-Couple that with the Great Commission in Matthew 28, and we are reminded that we must be involved in missions to reach all people for Jesus!
-Every tribe and every tongue!
→All the Gospel into all the World!
-To PRAY, to GIVE and to GO!
That is the heart of Missions. To reach people who are lost and are destined for hell without Him. That is why Jesus came.
And THAT is His heart for MISSIONS that we need to adopt for ourselves!
With that in mind, I want to tell you that God has laid a Word upon my heart for us to heart throughout this month coming from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15.
-In fact, there are some that would call Luke 15, “The Gospel within the Gospels.”
-Because in it we see how Jesus goes to great lengths to prove that He is still a Savior who SEEKS out the LOST!
So, over the next three weeks we are going to look at three illustrations which will confirm that…
“JESUS FINDS LOST THINGS!”
…The Lost Sheep…
Let’s read our text…
STAND & READ - Luke 15:1-7
Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. 2 Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So He told them this parable, saying, 4 “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
PRAYER!
INTRODUCTION:
As we come upon the scene here in Luke 15, we first recognize that Jesus had a crowd gathering around Him - just as it normally happened.
-It tells us that the tax collectors and the sinners were coming NEAR to Him.
-They wanted to listen to what Jesus had to say!
*Which most of us would say is an awesome thing!
*After all, that is what it is all about!!!
But! It didn’t take long for the “religious” people to be frustrated and angered at Jesus once again… Which always happened.
-When Jesus healed the sick. It angered them!
-When Jesus spoke to certain people. It got them mad!
-Whenever Jesus speaks the truth. It makes them upset!
Nothing changes this time – they were still mad! And this is their accusation this time…
Luke 15:2 – “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
-It’s funny how Jesus always did things that frustrated and angered people…
But watch this!! Jesus WOULD NOT stray from His original purpose – to seek and to save the lost!
And I am here to tell you Church, that JESUS FINDS LOST THINGS!!!
JESUS IS A TRUE FRIEND OF SINNERS!
ILLUSTRATION:
One of my favorite Christian Bands is Casting Crowns and they sing a song titled, “Jesus Friend of Sinners.” All the lyrics are great, but the chorus pleads in prayerfulness…
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours
If we agree with these lyrics, then we must pray… “God give us a heart after yours. Give us a heart for MISSIONS!”
-Because if we don’t have a heart for missions, then we are in danger!!!
Why do I say that??
The truth is… Religious people do NOT have a heart for missions!
-I am going to be bold and say this. If you don’t have a heart for others, and for sinners, then you must repent because that IS NOT God’s heart!
POINT ONE: REJECT
We find, in our text, that it was the religious people who REJECTED Jesus’ heart for Missions!
-“Can you believe it,” they exclaimed, “Jesus sits and even eats with sinners!”
-More than that, they REJECTED the people who were lost in their sin themselves.
*With that attitude, they would never be able to help them or see change come to their lives…
However, the truth is…
Jesus actually goes OUT OF HIS WAY to REACH the lost! He wants to find them!
But, the religious people of Jesus’ time, and ours, REJECT the thought of reaching out to sinners and having a heart to win them to Christ.
Yet, in the scoffing of the Scribes and the Pharisees, we read a powerful truth!
Luke 15:2 - Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
-In this, they did speak the truth!! JESUS DOES RECEIVE SINNERS! Praise God!!!
-He even eats with them! In that culture, that is a big deal!!!
More than that though…
-Jesus died for these sinners and His blood is still powerful enough to wash them white as snow!
-He receives the biggest rejects and loves the unlovely!
I want to tell you this morning…
While the world may feel REJECTED by the religious folks and others in the world, the wonderful truth is that Jesus RECEIVES sinners!
-His heart is FOR the lost!!!
-And we need His heart to be our heart so that we can speak into the lives of the lost!
*REJECTING them is not going to give us an advantage.
POINT TWO: RECEIVE
This is the better thing for us to do – to RECEIVE them!
And THAT is what Jesus did!
-Because He has a heart for people - for MISSIONS!
In order for Jesus to prove His point more and to explain His heart for MISSIONS and for people, He decides to share a parable with these snooty religious folks…
The Great Shepherd tells us the parable of the Lost Sheep!
The scenario is that there was this shepherd who had 100 sheep within his care…
The dilemma is that 1 of those sheep wandered off, leaving only 99 behind.
-So this shepherd leaves the 99 to go get the 1 that foolishly wandered off.
Now, some might think, “So, what’s the big deal? You still have 99! Why even worry about that dumb one that wandered off?”
But there is something that you need to understand about a shepherd back in Jesus’ day…
-While it was a lowly job, they took it seriously!
-And they understood that this job was a treacherous one at times!
-Still, a good shepherd did NOT take their job lightly.
In fact, for some small and poor villages, they would put all their sheep together to make one herd and leave a shepherd to oversee all of the flock.
Then at that point of the day, when it was time to take a head-count of the flock to be sure that none were lost, sure enough, they came up one short!
-Now, keep in mind that this was serious!
*It was their job to take GOOD care of the flock. No sheep left behind… ☺
-Plus, each of these sheep had value and purpose!
*They were accountable to the owners to answer for the loss…
After all, we can read in the Old Testament of when David was a shepherd boy and he actually risked life and limb protecting his flock…
-He fought a bear once and a lion before, protecting and keeping watch over the flock in his care.
-All because this was serious business!
Likewise…MISSIONS is serious business as well!
That is why Jesus came to this earth - to seek and to save the lost!
-Jesus went searching for the ONE lost sheep!
*That is you and that is me!
And that is the many multitudes who have yet to receive Christ!
In this parable, we find the shepherd leaving the 99 secure sheep behind to go find the 1 who was lost and wandering.
-Up and down the hills…
-Over rocks and in the crevices he would look…
-Near and far he would search for this one sheep who foolishly wandered off on his own…
This is a picture of a loving God who cares!
As much as the world may turn you off because of it’s sin and degenerate ways.
-Which cause some to REJECT the lost…
-Jesus still goes out to search for them, even at great cost, so that He can RECEIVE them back into his care and covering!
-To reconcile them back unto God!
Long story short, the great news is that the 1 lost sheep was found!!!
More than that, the Bible says that the shepherd REJOICED at finding the lost sheep!
Luke 15:5 - When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
POINT THREE: REJOICE
Listen to me friends…
After that foolish sheep was found, we don’t read that the shepherd scolded the sheep or stuck it with his staff.
He didn’t shout at the sheep about how much trouble he caused.
No…
Instead, he picks the tired sheep up and carries it home on his shoulders!
-Then this faithful shepherd celebrated and even REJOICED!
-That is what Jesus does when just 1 lost soul is found today as well!
That what Jesus reveals to us in this little parable…
I have to tell you that there was GREAT REJOICING in the heart of the shepherd when a lost sheep is found.
Luke 15:6 - And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!”
But that is just a fraction of REJOICING in comparison to the REJOICING that Jesus, and all of Heaven’s host will do when just ONE LOST SOUL comes back to Jesus!!!
Luke 15:7 - I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Church, I want to point out that God is not just happy to have the 99 secured within the sheep-gate - valuable as they are…
But God’s mind cannot break free of thinking about the 1 sheep that has foolishly wandered off…
-He just has to seek them out!
-Because His heart is for the lost! His heart is for MISSIONS!
Similarly… We could rest at ease thinking that 1/3rd of the world knows Jesus - that is quite a bit…
-But there is still 2/3rd that do NO know Jesus!!
Then, remembering that Jesus isn’t willing for any to perish, but that ALL would come to repentance, motivates us to get involved in the Great Commission!
-The heart of our Lord!
-His heart for Missions!!!
So, give Jesus a reason to celebrate and REJOICE!
More than that, LET’S START A PARTY IN HEAVEN!!!
Let’s seek out the lost and be a people who are motivated for Missions for the Lord!
After all, that is the heart of Jesus!!! He finds the Lost Sheep!
→Because JESUS FINDS LOST THINGS!
AS WE CLOSE:
ILLUSTRATION:
The words of that famous hymn, “Amazing Grace” come to mind…
“I once was lost, but now I am found!”
That is what Jesus proves to be of utmost importance here in Luke 15!
-Finding the Lost Sheep was priority #1 for the Shepherd.
-And finding the lost is priority #1 for the Great Shepherd!
That is what Jesus is all about… JESUS FINDS LOST THINGS!!!
In our instance here with the Lost Sheep, we need to understand…
These sheep are dumb and foolish!
-They don’t understand what they are doing.
-They just follow their nose and wander off aimlessly. Getting mixed up and lose their way back home.
Likewise, there are multitudes who have foolishly wandered away from the Lord…
-They may have done it to themselves, but the compassion and responsibility of the shepherd motivates us to get involved in the great commission!
-Like a sheep that has gone astray, thousands in the world have wandered away from the Lord and they don’t know how to get back to Him.
THAT is why there must be a preacher/missionary – a voice! -Romans 10:14
THAT is why there must be a shepherd who will go!
THAT is why Jesus came to earth!
THAT is why there must be MISSIONS!!!
Thank God that Jesus still finds the foolishly lost things…
ALTAR CALL:
Salvation…
Pray for those who have foolishly wandered off.
To have a Heart for Missions!
