You Matter To God (Easter 2014)

You Matter to God

Easter Sunday 2014, Luke 15:1-32

Introduction

- This morning, we are going to push pause on our study in Revelation

-- The purpose of this message is to celebrate Easter, and really challenge us

- Often we like the same old stories, often we like to tune out familiarity

-- We often come to church to hear what we like, and miss the main thing

-- The main thing is that people need Jesus, and that’s why we are here

-- Today I’d like to challenge you to hang with me as we examine this

- Have you ever felt alone? Ever felt like you had no hope? Feeling it now?

-- If this describes you, then this message is for you this morning

- Today we celebrate the revelation of what Christ has done for us

-- The shame of the cross, the punishment we deserved, the sacrifice of sin

-- The scourging, the suffering, the death, and finally – the resurrection

-- IMP: What we stand on today is the HOPE of LIFE we must live for

- Today’s message involves three separate parables from Jesus

-- Jesus taught in parables (stories) as a way of giving real life explanations

-- It’s no different than using a colorful story to make a point

-- All three were taught with ONE common thing to learn

- Let’s examine these three parables and see what God says to us today

- Read Luke 15:1-7

Ω Point 1 – The Lost Sheep

What we see first is the crowd is already starting their nonsense (v2)

-- It’s like watching four year olds in a sandbox when the cliques form

-- Jesus is here, but look who He hangs out with … “Ewwww!”

- IMP: Jesus doesn’t reply to them (but you know He heard it)

-- (diff sermon) This says a lot about how we should respond to naysayers

- Speaking of sheep, he immediately identifies with the crowd on onlookers

-- Sheep meant you had something; had goods that you could sell at market

-- “You guys own livestock … and you value your merchandise, right?”

-- It represented livelihood, and the crowd instantly registered with that

- (v4) Even if you lost just ONE sheep, you would go after it … right?

-- This is their challenge … wouldn’t you chase after the sheep you lost?

-- Would you not carry it all the way home like a prize or a trophy?

-- Absolutely! And then, something awesome happens … (v6)

- Let’s call the Jones’s and the Smith’s over and let’s celebrate!

-- I had something lost, but now it’s found and woohoo … it’s party time!

- IMP: This is not Jesus saying it’s time to get drunk and party BTW

-- He is saying, “I’ve found what was mine … it was lost and it’s GOOD!”

-- Call the neighbors up, get them over here and let’s have us a party!

- APP: Jesus causes them to identify with the importance of being found

Ω Point 2 – The Lost Coin

- So, maybe you guys aren’t buying this sheep analogy, ok, try this …

- Read Luke 15:8-10

- Ten silver coins (drachma … each worth about a day’s wage)

-- If you lost a day’s worth of wages, you’d be scouring the house too!

-- Wouldn’t you light a lamp and start hunting for the money you lost?

- A day’s wage might mean you don’t eat for a few days

-- It might mean you cannot pay your debt/taxes that you owe

-- It might mean that someone will deal with you unfairly b/c of it

- If the bank took from you a day’s worth of pay, wouldn’t you be there?

-- Wouldn’t you be showing them how frustrated you are?

- But notice (v9) when she finds it, there is a CELEBRATION in the house!

-- She is so excited that even at night (lit a lamp) she wants to party

-- She brings some friends over and celebrate that she found her money

-- Of course, she’s not giving it away, but wants to celebrate her joy

- It’s no difference than what we do today: lost it, find it, celebrate it

- Get personal here: Don’t you celebrate finding something you lost?

-- Don’t you rejoice when something you had is now yours again?

-- We rejoice in the simple fact that we aren’t crazy and knew we had it!

- But, why would Jesus talk about this example of lost and found?

-- Because He’s talking to the lowly, to the poor, to the “have-nots”

-- To them a day’s wages is a LOT of money, and they know it! (So do we!)

- APP: Jesus causes them to identify with the importance of being found