March
26th Luke
15
The Lost Sheep
1:
Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear
him. 2: And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man
receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 3: And he spake this parable
unto them, saying, 4: What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he
lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the
wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5: And
when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6:
And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and
neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my
sheep which was lost. 7: I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be
in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and
nine just persons, which need no repentance.
The
Lost Coin
8:
Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece,
doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently
till she find it? 9: And when she hath found it, she calleth her
friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I
have found the piece which I had lost. 10: Likewise, I say unto you,
there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner
that repenteth.
The
Lost Son
11:
And he said, A certain man had two sons: 12: And the younger of them
said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth
to me. And he divided unto them his living. 13: And not many days
after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey
into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous
living. 14: And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in
that land; and he began to be in want. 15: And he went and joined
himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields
to feed swine. 16: And he would fain have filled his belly with the
husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 17: And when
he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's
have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18: I will
arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have
sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19: And am no more worthy to
be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20: And he
arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off,
his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his
neck, and kissed him. 21: And the son said unto him, Father, I have
sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be
called thy son. 22: But the father said to his servants, Bring forth
the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and
shoes on his feet: 23: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it;
and let us eat, and be merry: 24: For this my son was dead, and is
alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
25: Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh
to the house, he heard musick and dancing. 26: And he called one of
the servants, and asked what these things meant. 27: And he said unto
him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf,
because he hath received him safe and sound. 28: And he was angry,
and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated
him. 29: And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do
I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and
yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my
friends: 30: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath
devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted
calf. 31: And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all
that I have is thine. 32: It was meet that we should make merry, and
be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was
lost, and is found.
Is
it the publicans and sinners that are attracted to your Church? If
not then something is out of tune with Christ’s ministry. Christ
did not get along at all with the religious leaders! But the
prostitutes and the low life loved him. Why was that? I can only
think of one reason. He loved them. People are attracted by love.
When the religious leaders complained about Christ’s company, did
he change? Did he withdraw from the common people? – No of course
not. Christ gave us a parable in three parts to explain why he
reached out to sinners. The first story is of sheep that had gone
astray. The second is of a precious coin lost and the third is of a
lost son. Now none of this has got anything to do with being saved!
It’s all about restoration. The sheep the coin and the father’s
boy were returned to the rightful owner. The reason why we call them
lost is because they were previously the possession of the owner.
What l would like to draw attention to is not the lost but the hero
of the story. The hero is not the sheep the coin or the prodigal. The
hero is the shepherd, the woman and the Father. When the shepherd
came home he called the other shepherds to say rejoice with me. Why?
‘For I have found my sheep which was lost’. This story is not
about the sheep it’s about the shepherd and of his joy in finding
the lost sheep. Now what does the woman who has lost her coin do when
she found it? She calls her friends and neighbours saying, Rejoice
with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Then Christ
says something interesting. He says - I say unto you, there is joy in
the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. Now
this is not about the joy of salvation it’s the joy of repentance –
the joy of restoration. And you will notice that Christ does not say
that the angels are joyful! He says there is joy IN THE PRESENCE of
the angels. So who is joyful? God. He is the one full of Joy. And if
God is full of Joy can you now see why Christ preached to Israel
Repent? God was calling on Israel to return to Him. To change their
minds and come home to him. And when they did Heaven rang with the
shouts of joy in the heart of God. Lastly, we have the story of the
man who had two sons. It’s not just about the Prodigal nor even
just about his brother its about the Father. A certain MAN had two
sons. It’s about restoration to the father after backsliding. The
father had two sons that were far away from him – in heart. The
youngest went away and the far country was sent a famine to bring him
home. Notice what it says. And when he came to himself. This is
repentance. A realisation that he had taken the wrong path followed
by a resolution to return. I will arise and go to my father, Followed
by confession - will say unto him, Father, I have sinned. However the
story as l said is not about the boy it’s the story of a man who
had two boys. Will you notice it says, the father said to his
servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a
ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted
calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: Why did the father
ask the servants to eat and be merry with him? Nobody else would
rejoice with him. Nobody else could understand grace. And these
servants though they don’t understand either at least they can
rejoice in the fathers joy. So what was the part about the elder son
all about? Well he was angry when he heard that his brother had
returned. he was angry, and would not go in: The father justified his
joy to his son he said - It was right (meet) that we should make
merry, and be glad: The elder brother could not understand Grace and
nobody else could understand grace except the Father and the
prodigal. In the courts of heaven Joy rings out and the angels look
on trying to understand the joy of the love of the Father when one of
his children comes home. One other thing about the prodigal. When he
came home he was destitute and unclean and smelly in the extreme. He
had been looking after pigs! But, what did the Father do? He ran and
threw his arms about his neck and kissed him. He didn’t wait for
him to wash first. And so it is with our heavenly father when we as
christians set out to return to him after backsliding he doesn’t
wait until we have washed first or even made our confession. He
throws his arms about us and kisses us.
- What is the main point of the parable of the Lost sheep?
- What is the main point of the parable of the Lost coin?
- What is the main point of the parable of the Lost son?
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