“WHY MEN ARE LOST”
LUKE 15
Thesis: to come to a fuller understanding of what causes some to be lost.
Introduction:
1. A great question that travels throughout the ages, never to rest is “Why are some men lost”
2. This question was just as prominent in the days the Lord walked the earth as today.
3. Those of faith accept their fate at the hand of God, but why do some men never come to faith?
4. Faith can be defined as an ability to trust in the unseen; some never develop this ability.
5. Faith is a learned reaction to knowledge, not an ingrained ideal or gift.
6. Tonight, from the pages of Luke 15, we will explore why some men are lost.
Body:
1. Luke 15: 3-7
a. Like the sheep of this parable, some are lost by their own carelessness.
i. They allow the beauty of crystal chandeliers, the song of the deceitful siren, they echo of gay laughter, to pull them away from all that is right in the eyes of God.
ii. Often the man that is lost in this condition doesn’t realize he is lost at all.
1. Like the lost sheep, he grazes on tall grass (comfortable living)
2. He looses sight of what is important, because he has his head down filling his mortal belly; not realizing the heard has left him astray
3. He beckons in the light of the sun and moon to those who would find him; but he does it blindly not knowing which way to turn.
4. He is hopelessly lost until the Shepard comes to find him.
iii. Jesus says that this lost sheep is more valuable than all.
1. He is the sheep we refer to here at Monterey as “One More”
2. We must do all we can do to help him find his way back to the fold.
2. Luke 15: 8-10
a. Like the coin, some are lost by reason of the carelessness of others
i. The coin in this parable didn’t lose itself.
1. It had to be dropped by another
2. We too often drop others by our indifference
3. We become so wrapped up in our own lives we forget the commandment of the Lord: Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Gal 6:2
4. Have we become a world so involved in self that we have dropped a precious soul through the cracks?
5. Sadly, some are lost through carelessness.
a. Not through carelessness of the hand, but of the heart.
3. Lk 15: 11-24, 25-32.
a. Parable of the Prodigal Son
i. Tale of two sons and there relationship to their father.
ii. All of us fall into the category of one son or another
iii. Look deep in this story and see which one are you!
b. 11-24 The tale of the youngest son READ
i. Like the younger son, some men are lost by the sins of their body.
ii. They trade a fleeting moment of pleasure for eternal woe
iii. Live their life outside of the blessing s of the covenant of God through their sinful actions.
iv. Many do not come to the realization of their state, but choose rather to “waller with the hogs”
v. This young man didn’t like his present fortune or misfortune
vi. Which leads us to the next part of the story:
c. 25-32 The tale of the older brother READ
i. This son, though he should have been happy to see his brother instead chose to harden his heart though the temptation of greed
ii. It was this reason, that of the sin of his shameful disposition that caused him to separate himself from his father.
iii. Many a man separates himself from his father this exact same way;
1. Instead of cursing his brothers actions, he should have been thanking god for his presence
2. Instead of questioning his father’s actions, he should have been thankful for the kind heart of forgiveness shown to both brothers.
iv. This tale is of two brothers; but the central figure is the forgiving father
1. He alone is the strong, steadfast, unmovable, unchanging forces in the lives of these boys
2. This father represents the forgiving nature of God
a. How he longs for the return of his son
b. How he rejoices in both; even in their misgivings, he loves them both for who they are.
3. The youngest son may be you:
a. Impetuous, sinner, looking for a castle, and finding a hog-sty
4. Or maybe the older son is you (Jesus used him to describe the Pharisee of his day)
a. Ungrateful, unforgiving, greed-filled, not desiring to see the good in the return of one lost soul
Why are some men lost?
· By reason of their own carelessness
· By reason of the carelessness of others
· By reason of the sins of the body
· By the reason of the disposition of indifference
