Sermon Intro:
Luke 19:10 “For the son of man came to seek and to save the lost”
Lost = anyone that is not a part of the Kingdom of God, because they never were or perhaps because they have wandered away
Seek = actively search for
Save = bring into the Kingdom of God, for the first time or help return
Why did Jesus do this? Because he loves the lost, kingdom people ought to as well!
Slide Read Luke 15
Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!
* The set up...
The people who gathered to hear Jesus
Tax Collectors - generally not liked people, worked for Roman government, sometimes they took more than needed, but even without this people did not tend to like them because of their position
Sinners - non specified but something was evidently obvious about them that identified them as sinners. Perhaps these were people who had been seen sinning before, men and women that worked as prostitutes or people who had offered sacrifices to Roman idols, maybe people who had been branded for crimes against the government, perhaps they had a public trial...whatever they had done they held this label
These people are coming to hear from Jesus about the Kingdom of God
Also the Pharisees are there - these were the leaders in the temple, similar to a priest. They did not always do the “preaching” but they did handle the sacrifices. It was the Pharisees that made sure people knew the laws both of Moses and tradition and adhered to these law
Quick note - it should be stated that Pharisees were not a position God ordained in the creation of the Tabernacle and the pattern of Worship for the people of Israel...they came later
The Teachers of the law were also there - these people were like the “pastors” of they day. They taught people in the temples daily and were most likely students of the Pharisees
Now these Pharisees and Scribes are supossedly also there to learn from Jesus (though some had likely been sent to trap or question Jesus...or gather evidence against him) and they find themselves in mixed company...
A teacher of the law might find himself standing by a sinner
A Pharisees is suddenly sitting beside a tax collector
They do not much like this and feel Jesus should address the imbalance...they surely should not be expected to need to learn the same things as the “riff raff”
And yet Jesus is teaching them all the same, he is making the sinner and the tax collector feel WELCOME eating with them even...appalling behavior indeed to the “more religious” and so muttering happens
Do we ever mutter?
Perhaps we do not speak out against people we feel don’t belong but we mutter... what do they think they are doing here
We don’t openly oppse them maybe but we try to find people that agree with us... certainly we would want “those people” in our company
Maybe we do neither of these things...but we still do not openly welcome those that are different than us...we do not seek to learn about the poor and the refugee and those with diffent cultural backgrounds
We don’t want to welcome them because then we would learn their story and learn that they are people that deserve our love... even if they are lost
But Kingdom People... love the lost
Slide Read Luke 15
So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!
*Example of Loving the Lost 1 - leave the crowd to find the one
Jesus addressed the religious leaders with this parable (remember a story with a deeper meaning)
Sheep: 99 that stayed are the religious, 1 lost are the sinners that need to be found
Shepherd: Jesus and those who would seek to be like Jesus
Jesus is saying that Kingdom people show their love for the lost by leaving the crowds to find the lost
It is not being Kingdom people to stay in a Christian bubble...repeat
Do you have friends who are not Christians? If not you need some...
How can you reach others with the Kingdom of God if you never meet anyone who needs the kingdom?
They don’t have to be far...some are probably right within your own family or living next door to you
SLIDE - Over 80% of unchurched people are likely to attend church if invited by a friend, yet only about 2% of church members actually extend an invitation.
If we want God’s kingdom to grow we need to sometimes leave the same crowd of religion and wander into the wilderness
Note: Christian friends are of course important and vital to the Kingdom as well, we need strength from each other... but the kingdom of God will not grow if we simply huddle together and wait for the lost to come to us
They won’t find the way...they are lost!
Slide Read Luke 15
“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”
*Example of Loving the Lost 2 - be persistent in your pursuit
I love this story
this poor woman has lost something that is hers
This is me with my keys every other week
Silver coins: people
Searching women: Jesus and those who seek to be like Jesus
If we look closely at this story we can sense the time she has spent searching
She needs a lamp to help her as she searching in the dark for this coin
The coin is small and difficult to find but she is determined and will not stop looking easily because she knows there is so much value in that coin
Do we continue to reach out even when it becomes difficult?
Or if we hear one “no” from someone feel one rejection do we give up
Are we willing to search long and in the dark? Willing to go into new unfamiliar territory for the sake of the Kingdom of God?
When God calls us to these places we are thankful for the Light of the holy spirit to guide and direct us!
Slide Read Luke 15
summarize first bit. Son wanted $$, got $$, spent $$, stuck with pigs, back to father
“Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’
28 “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, 29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’
31 “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”
*Example of Loving the Lost 3 - celebrate when the lost are found
Often we atop before the end of this story...but the end is really the important bit when we remember the set up
The Pharisees and Teachers are upset and muttering that they are lumped together with the tax collector and sinners
Lost Son: sinner who find Jesus
Father: Jesus and all who seek to follow Jesus
Older Son: those who cast judgement rather than welcome
I would hope there was no Christian people who is like this older brother...but sadly I have met people who are
People who continually bring up peoples past wrongs rather than living in celebration of who they are in the Kingdom
I even met a woman who said she hated the fact that people could be saved on their death bed, because they should get the same place in the Kindgom as she would get for following Jesus since childhood
I have know people who when some leave the church they never seek them out again to find out what happen, like they want nothing to do with them anymore rather than showing compassion and figuring out whats wrong
OR people that when someone comes into the church after being gone awhile cast judgmental “WHere have you beens” rather than compassionate “I’m so glad to see you...come have lunch with me after service”
People that act like this brother...upset that certian people...ya know the “those people” would be as welcomed into God’s Kingdom as they are
God welcomes the lost and
all of those who claim to be followers of Jesus must also welcome them and CELEBRATE when they return
Do we celebrate...are do we judge?
Slide Conclusion
Practical Practices:
Get out of your bubble...invite people who need the kingdom into it, could be people in your work or neighboorhood...even your own family (dont be part of the 98% that never invite anyone to church)
Find out what is happening with the lost...notice when people are walking away from teh Kingdom, maybe not attending, maybing attending but the “Light” seems gone...write to them, go get coffee, find out what’s happening LEARN THEIR STORY
Celebrate with God when the Lost return! Let our hearts be filled with joy rather than judgement. Share this joy through compassion in invitations to eat together, meet together...do real life things together, so those that were lost can feel truly connected and perhaps stop them from becoming lost again...
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21)
