Series: Creating Contagious Compassion
Finding the Lost Passion for Lost People
Luke 15:1-32
DT: God is in the relentless pursuit of finding lost people.
THIS MESSAGE WRITIEN BY GOOD FRIEND KARL SCHAD AT GATEWAY CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN ST.LOUIS GCCKARL@AOL.COM
INTRODUCTION
It was Dec 7 1988. Armenia. They called it the earthquake of 1989
This quake was off the rector scales. Altogether 30,000 people died in 4 minutes. Established businesses lay demolished, Dream homes into splinters of wood. Green parks blanketed in white rubble.
The father of 10 year old Armond could not drive to his son’s school. Streets were closed.
Armand’s father fondly gets to the school, breaks through the crowd. Climbs upon a rock pile of rubble---
(VIEWER: THIS IS A SEGMENTED ILLUSTRATION DESIGNED TO KEEP AUDIENCE IN SUSPENSE.. IT WAS SUPPOSE TO BE ABRUPTLY STOPPED. IT KEEPS THEM HANGING TELL YOU TELL THME MORE LATER)
Have you ever felt like you have blown an opportunity for God? Have you ever felt like God was using you to find someone who was lost? Lost in the rumble of dead-end dreams and bags of failure?
I can imagine God looking down from heaven and saying, “Hey Son, go get Gabe( GABRIEL) and Mike( Michael) and have them take a look at this.
I got Ryan down there on this airplane right next to this guy who says I don’t exist. I have been getting him ready for this moment for a long time.
He’s going to score big on this one…tell the angels to get the confetti ready and party hats out.”
and With all of heaven watching, I drop the ball and say nothing about one who found me. How about you? Have you ever missed the opportunity to win big?
-When you are on a long flight and the person next to you starts to talk about our world’s problems?
-When a friend asks you what you are doing Saturday night?
-When a co-worker shares a crisis in there life?
-When a family member talks about how you have changed since you started getting all religious?
Do you miss the opportunity?
The religious leaders of Jesus’ time did. They had people gathering all around, hungry for the heart of God and all they could see were worthless, lost, outcasts.
Beginning in Luke 15:1 the Bible says…
15:1 Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them this parable…
There were people who were ripping off there own people, adulterers, drunkards, maybe even homosexuals and that were supposed to represent God were disgusted by them.
But Jesus was different. Jesus wanted to communicate that God’s was in a relentless pursuit of lost people, so He began to tell three consecutive stories about a lost sheep, a lost coin and a lost son.
They are stories that carry hidden truths to expose the heart of God, but also to model for us the way we should live.
The first one picks up in vs. 4 and says…
Read or Retell: Luke 15:1-7
4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not 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.
-sheep are dumb. They live to fill there stomachs and have to be moved from pasture to pasture to keep from eating the roots system and killing their food supply.
They will wander aimlessly…even into danger. But a good shepherd loves his sheep and will do anything to keep them together and to keep them safe.
What drove Armand’s father? Same thing that drives the shepherd to look for his lost sheep
- The 99 are safe in the folds, but the shepherd journeys for the one that is lost…until he finds it.
God loves the lost and …
MOVEMENT 1) Seeks with Passion
-It is not a gift: when people talk about sharing their faith, they use the excuse that it is not my spiritual gift…talking about your relationship with Christ is not a spiritual gift
-It is a command: “go into all the world and make…” “preach the word, in season and out!”
-It is a blessing: “blessed are the feet of those who bring good news”
If you want to be passionate about the lost, then…
a) You may have to follow them into some rugged terrain.
- Berry MCMurtie from a church of over 5,000 in California Followed some sheep in some rough terrain. Porno convention was in town. You could go there and get an autograph from your favorite porno star. Barry the Senior Pastor set up a booth there and called it the XXX church. They handed our material for those woh have been broken by pornography. I spoke to barry last week and he told me he has had over 1 million hits on the site desgned for that convention out reach.
Wow! over 1 million lost sheep finding a way home off the rugged terrain of sexual sins only to find the good shephard waiting for them on the other end of a click of a mouse.
b) Meet them at their level of spiritual interest.
-but I don’t like getting out of my comfort zone…maybe this Jesus thing is bigger what we like of don’t like. Maybe God wants us to step outside of ourselves and be vulnerable.
Karl my best friend who is a youth pastor in St.Louis, Mo told me about a place called Mississippi Nights. Downtown St. Lois . Plays anti-god bands.
A Youth group went to this sin-infested place pulled up a in pick-ups. Dropped the tailgates and heated up some burritos to pass out to the young kids leaving the crowded concert
. Why? Because they love Jesus. The had a passion for lost sheep
Booths and Burritos.. whoever would of thought they were God’s tool of finding lost people.
(PICK-UP ON SEGMENTED ILLUSTRATION)
Armand of Armenia illustration #2 Father look s for Armond he climbs a tree he scans the skyline. He studies the layout of the rubble of a once thriving school. He tries to locate where his son’s class would be.
He stand onto of the classroom He begins to pull rock after rock, desk after desk, looking for his lost son…
(Read or Retell: Luke 15:8-10
8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not 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.”
Dowry: The coin to this poor woman was probably her whole life r life savings…the point: it wasn’t worth much… to the person looking. To them it means the whole world.
What does the old woman and Armand’s father and God have in common
MOVEMENT 2) Scans with Persistence
-It takes resources: what investment are you prepared to make?... -It takes time: what sacrifice are you prepared to make?
Our church has decided to give $10,000 to our missionary, Rick Main in Africa, becuase you have all learnd the passion of God for lost people.
-It takes wisdom: what are you willing to say?
a) You may have to open your mouth and give a reason for the hope that you have within you.
b) You may have to do some spadework to uncover interest.
-what is going on in their lives…
Chinese word for danger is made of two characters that represent two other words…danger & opportunity.
-most of us are a lot more willing to listen and learn when our answers are failing us.
Build a relationship with them by modeling authentic faith.
-Mike Breaux senior pastor of Southland Christian Church in Lexington ,KY… Mike ate at a local sport’s bar. He became a regular face.
People recognized him from the broadcasting of his 8,200 member church. He began to hear that the bar-tender and every one he ate with watched his sermons.
One guy yelled ad Mike was leaving the bar, "Hey Mike! thanks for eating with sinners like us.”
To which Mike replied,
"shoot I am the worst"
See Mike met them where they were, willing to sacrifice his reputation to find lost sheep in a bar.
Armand of Armenia illustration #3
(10 hours has passed, but he continued to dig when others told him to give up.. ) 24 hours finally passed and Armand’s relentless father will not give up.. would you? Hands cracked, knuckles bleeding… heart racing…
We stop because we do not have much patience with people
Read or Retell: Luke 15:11-32
11 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 men 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 men.’ 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.
25 “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.’”
Rebellious son. Angry brother. Forgiving father
One willing to be a slave…the other always feeling like one!
What does Armand’s father rend God have in Common?
MOVEMENT 3) Searches with Patience
A guy’s car was stalled at a green-light. Cars behind him would honk and honk. Out of frustration, the guy walked out of his car, tapped on the window of the person behind him and said," Say, My car will not start, if you would not mind trying to start my car, I will sit back here and honk your horn for you)"
( this gets a good laugh)
See we are not patient with people are we? But God is.
He will not lay on his horn, picket your house or send you forwarded e-mails, but he will let us experience consequence of our own wanderings. And he will let us fall flat on our face until we understand our total dependence on him…watching someone go through this…
-It may hurt you deeply
-It may last longer than you had hoped
-It may have to get worse, before it gets better
a) You may have to watch them hit rock bottom before they look up
Before you shove our finger in the face of God and accuse him of not caring…take a look at the cross and remind yourself that he has more interest in finding lost people than we do.
b) Trust God and do not doubt His desire to see them saved.
-He sees so much more that we see.
God will patiently wait.. he will wait for your familiar figure to walk back from the dusty of road of despair and rebellion.
CONCLUSION
Two Messages here:
Those that are found…Don’t ever give up! Be passionate, persistent and patient! The danger of being found is that we might turn into the older brother…be careful!
Those that are lost…He’ll never give up! He is still looking. Don’t give up hope.
Armand of Armenia illustration #4 (12, 24, 36…after 38 hours he pulled a rock back and heard his son’s voice) They were faint cried of papa , papa, papa ,papaya
His passion for what was lost finally paid…. papappppapa
“You found me, you found me!”…
He found me.... aren’t you glad he found you? .. or what about you would you like to be found today?
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