Title: God is Seeking You
Theme: To show how God is seeking after the lost.
Text: Luke 15:1 – 7
Introduction
If you would please turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter 15. Luke 15. Bishop Kerns did an excellent job reviewing the stories in this chapter. He challenged those of us who felt like we are lost. Maybe lost our way, lost our purpose or lost our desire.
It is my goal this Sunday to “zoom” in on the first story. This is the story of the shepherd and the lost sheep. But before we go there let me tell you why this chapter was written. Look at the first two verses.
Luk 15:1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. (2) And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."
So Jesus attracted crowds. He attacted the sinners and the tax collectors. These were considered to the be the “outcast” of society. They were lonely and beaten down. They struggled with their self worth. They struggled with their lifestyle. They struggled with their sin.
Nobody was giving them hope. Then Jesus comes on the scene. He shares a message of God’s love, acceptance and forgiveness for “all mankind”. Not just the Jews but the Samaritans and the Gentiles alike.
So the people flocked to him.
“First, they were hungry for His message. They were not coming out of curiosity, nor to observe, nor to seek physical blessings; they were coming out of a spiritual need, out of the need to receive His message of salvation.” – Preachers Sermon and Outline Bible on Luke 15.
Jesus also attracted another crowd. They were the religious crowd. They would never be seen talking to or hanging out with the tax collectors and sinners. They did not understand how Jesus could do this.
“They felt it was beneath the dignity of any respectable person to associate with such vile sinners.
Note an important point: Christ was not of the world, but He was out in the world trying to reach men for God. It is this that is often overlooked by both the liberals and the separatists.” PSOB on Luke 15
This important reminder, we can seek the lost without compromising our faith. Jesus’ desire is not to keep them where they are but to draw them out.
(3) So he told them this parable: (a story of symbolism)
Jesus often used illustrations to get His point across.
(4) "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?
Let’s pause here. First notice the number. There would 100 sheep. How many got lost? 1. It makes you pause for a moment and consider what the shepherd is doing. He could easily have said, “Well I got a good many. You keep what you got but you cannot keep them all.” But to this shepherd to God everyone is important.
Lost (apollumi): to perish, to destroy, to lose, to lose eternal life, to be spiritually destitute, to be cut off.
How sheep get lost?
3 (15:4) Sheep, Lost—Man, Lost: the sheep was lost because of itself. A sheep loses itself in one of five ways. From Preacher's Sermon and Outlibe Bible on Luke 15
a. The sheep is attracted by something out “in the wilderness,” away from the flock of the shepherd. What the sheep sees is more attractive and appealing. It tempts and seduces him, and he lusts after it (“the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes,” 1Joh 2:16).
b. The sheep is aimless, not paying attention to what is going on. It aimlessly wanders off, and while it is getting lost, the sheep does not know it is losing its way. The sheep is already lost when it discovers it has lost its way.
c. The sheep refuses to heed the warnings of the shepherd and the example of the other sheep (“the pride of life,” 1Joh 2:16).
d. The sheep is not attached enough to the shepherd or to the other sheep. There is not the bond or union there should be. Therefore, he stays off by himself, eating and resting and working alone until eventually he wanders off without anyone’s knowing it, including himself (Heb_10:25).
e. The sheep does not trust the shepherd. It does not think the shepherd will take care and see that there is satisfying food. It goes astray in search of greener pasture and more satisfying food (see note—Mat_18:14 for the help of others needed by the shepherd to care for the sheep).
“All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
But instead he “leaves” the 99 in the open country. This tells us about his care for the 99. No doubt he left them in the open country to be seen after.
Why leave? To search for the one. The impression here is that there is a task to finding the sheep.
This shows the compassion and love that the shepherd has for the sheep.
God loves us with the same Passion
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
What does he do when he finds it?
(5) And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
This is a big deal.
He cares for the sheep. Lays it on his personal shoulder. He doesn’t scold or yell at the sheep. He loves the sheep. This is an embrace from the shepherd. What a hug this sheep gets.
“Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 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 53:4-6).
Then he rejoices.
(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 that was lost.'
He celebrates with others. Not waiting on the sheep to wander again. He brings in the family and friends and they celebrate.
“The shepherd tenderly called the lost sheep “my sheep”—“my sheep which was lost.” It was his, no matter how dirty, filthy, unclean, destitute, depraved, ugly or lost it had been. It was still the shepherd’s sheep.” PSOB – Luke 15
Bringing it home.
(7) Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
There is joy over you when you turn to God.
Deeper Study # 1 – PSOB Luke 15
(17:29-30) Repentance: to change; to turn; to change one’s mind; to turn one’s life. It is a turning away from sin and turning toward God. It is a change of mind, a forsaking of sin. It is putting sin out of one’s thoughts and behavior. It is resolving never to think or do a thing again. (See Mat_3:2; Luk_13:2-3; Act_2:38; Act_3:19; Act_8:22; Act_26:20.) The change is turning away from lying, stealing, cheating, immorality, cursing, drunkenness, and the other so-called glaring sins of the flesh. But the change is also turning away from the silent sins of the spirit such as self-centeredness, selfishness, envy, bitterness, pride, covetousness, anger, evil thoughts, hopelessness, laziness, jealousy, lust.
1. Repentance involves two turns. There is a negative turn away from sin and a positive turn toward God. It is a turning to God away from sin, whether sins of thought or action. (See note, Repentance—Luk_3:3. See 1Th_1:9; Act_14:15.)
2. Repentance is more than sorrow. Sorrow may or may not be involved in repentance. A person may repent simply because he wills and acts to change; or a person may repent because he senses an agonizing sorrow within. But the sense or feeling of sorrow is not repentance. Repentance is both the change of mind and the actual turning of one’s life away from sin and toward God. (See Deeper Study # 1—2Co_7:10.)
Conclusion
