Lost and Found
Luke 15
Introduction:
Getting lost is not as easy as it used to be! Global Positioning System (GPS) on most of our phones will direct us anywhere we want to go. Have you ever been using GPS and driving through a cow pasture wondering if you’re doing it right? Reading maps a lost art! Even so, getting lost in life is as easy as it’s ever been. Getting lost is easy, coming to your senses is hard, finding your way home is worth it.
Last week we saw the broken heart of Jesus lamenting over those who were welcomed to come to God, but they would not. In Luke 15 he turns his attention to the lost, wandering, wayward, and broken - those who are seeking a new life. Luke 15:1-2 “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
What does Jesus have to say to the traitors, sinners, Pharisees, and Teachers of the Law? He tells them four stories.
1. The Lost Sheep (Luke 15:3-7)
Luke 15:3-7
Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
This story seems illogical - leaving the 99 to chase the one!
This story seems unfair - the 99 need a shepherd too!
This story seems essential - for the lost one - for you and me.
This story tells of the marvelous grace of God’s grace - unearned love for the unworthy!
The lost sheep is found and put on the shoulder of the Shepherd for the journey home. Everyone can celebrate that!
2. The Lost Coin (Luke 15:8-10)
Luke 15:8-10
“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
The One Coin was important to the woman. A day’s wages. Perhaps it is her rent, or a savings for something she really needs. You’ve lost things before and it is frustrating!
The lost coin is found in the last place the woman looked. Isn’t that the way it always is?
In the end, that which is lost has been found, everyone can celebrate that ending!
Jesus is not really talking about sheep and coins, he is talking about people - and God’s willingness to search for us when we are lost… but the story that cuts to the heart is the next one.
3. The Lost Son (Luke 15:11-24).
Luke 15:11-24
Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
He went from having a home to being homeless.
Who knows what the Son was searching for?
He had money, opportunity, youth, idealism.
He had had a taste of home, work, family, God.
How many lives have been wrecked because of trying to find in the world what only God can give us?
He went from security to desperation
The son squandered his wealth in wild living.
The appeal of the world is strong / seems worth chasing!
It costs the son a lot to head out into world. His family, his home, his freedom, everything.
There is always a big price to pay for our time wandering away from God.
The Enemy is a deceiver and we buy into His lies.
He went from having a future to desolation.
He was lonely … no future … no money
It was hard to be in need. It was hard to feed the pigs (Jewish boy repulsed)
It was hard to be hungry enough to want to eat pig food.
“Sin will take you further than you ever thought you'd go; it will keep you there longer than you ever intended to stay, and it will cost you more than you ever expected to pay.”
Every loss drove him to a realization: I Can Not
The Son Discovers Two Solutions
A False Solution: The folly of self-repair
- "I" can fix everything
- "I" will be my father's servant
- "I" will not even try to be his son any more
Why is he still trying to make his own way? Pride is still present, even when everything has been taken away. Who does he need now? Someone who welcomes sinners
The Real Solution: Grace Saves the Day.
- Grace keeps the door open
- The Father keeps watching the distance
- Father runs to meet the returning sinner
- Truly receiving grace is the death of pride ... for to receive grace admits that you cannot do it ... only God can.
4. The Lost Brother (Luke 15:25-32)
Luke 15:25-32
“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ 31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
He wasn’t a Prodigal / wasteful son, but he was an ungrateful and judgmental son.
Still, the Father implores him to come into the celebration.
Conclusion
We’ve all been lost and found. We’re all former something … and the only way we are what we are is that we found our way to a Father who ran to love us. Getting lost is easy, Coming to your senses is hard, Finding your way home is worth it.
How does Jesus feel about those who are lost? (From a sermon by Clovis Chappell in 1933)
-He is the sinners’ friend. “He cannot be content as long as one lamb is away from the fold. He is the supreme lover. His heart goes out to the whole world. But he does not love us in the mass; he loves us individually….In him every sinner has a friend.” (Chappell)
-His attitude toward the lost was one of boundless hope. “Jesus believed every sinner was a possible saint, that every coward might become a hero, that every defeated man might yet stand upon his feet in the consciousness of moral and spiritual victory.” (Chappell)
-He is forever seeking the sinners’ recovery. “He spares himself no pain in his effort to bring the lost sheep back to the fold. Even now he is seeking us by every ingenuity that divine wisdom can devise.” (Chappell)
-He receives sinners when they repent. “Our Gospel then is a Gospel for sinners and for sinners only. Those who so receive it are saved not simply from a penalty; they are restored to right relationship. They are made right with God, right with themselves, right with their fellows.” (Chappell)
Your Repentance is Worthy of a Heavenly Celebration! He Rejoices in our being found!
Luke 15: lost sheep, lost coin, lost son. All found!
In each case: a celebration when the lost is found.
The angels in heaven celebrate, God celebrates!
You are worth saving – to the only one who can save you. All of heaven is interested in your response to Jesus.
Remember what started this series of stories - the accusation that Jesus is the sinner’s friend (Luke 15:2). If you have wandered away from Jesus, He welcomes you to come home. If you have not decided to become a Christian, he waits and watches for you. Getting lost is easy, coming to your senses is hard, finding your way home is worth it.
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Luke 15 is an amazing and well-known chapter. What stood out to you the most in Luke 15?
2. Why do you think Jesus chose to use a lost sheep to illustrate His point?(Luke 15:1-7) How does this parable reflect God’s heart for those who are lost?
3. Who are the “lost sheep” in our communities today, and how can we help bring them back to God?
4. What does the woman’s determination to find the lost coin tell us about God’s pursuit of sinners? (Luke 15:8-10)
5. Why do you think Jesus emphasized the joy in heaven over one sinner who repents?
6. How should this parable shape the way we treat people who are far from God?
7. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) what do you think motivated the younger son to leave home?
8. How do you relate to the younger son, the father, or the older brother in this story?
9. The older brother was angry about his father’s grace toward his younger brother. Why might someone struggle with jealousy or resentment over God’s grace to someone else?
10. How does Luke 15 challenge the way we view people who are far from God?
11. What else would you like to talk about today?
Next Week: Luke 16 - The Rich Man and Lazarus
