The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.
1 Chronicles (partial, not specified)Opening call to worship: 'give to the Lord the glory he deserves, bring your offering, come into his presence, worship the Lord in his holy splendor'
Recap of previous sermon: discipleship requires putting Jesus first, carrying your cross, and renouncing all else
1 When he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching him.
2 Behold, a certain man who had dropsy was in front of him.
3 Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
4 But they were silent. He took him, and healed him, and let him go.
5 He answered them, “Which of you, if your son or an ox fell into a well, wouldn’t immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?”
6 They couldn’t answer him regarding these things.
7 He spoke a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the best seats, and said to them,
8 “When you are invited by anyone to a marriage feast, don’t sit in the best seat, since perhaps someone more honorable than you might be invited by him,
9 and he who invited both of you would come and tell you, ‘Make room for this person.’ Then you would begin, with shame, to take the lowest place.
10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes, he may tell you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you.
11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
12 He also said to the one who had invited him, “When you make a dinner or a supper, don’t call your friends, nor your brothers, nor your kinsmen, nor rich neighbors, or perhaps they might also return the favor, and pay you back.
13 But when you make a feast, ask the poor, the maimed, the lame, or the blind;
14 and you will be blessed, because they don’t have the resources to repay you. For you will be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous.”
15 When one of those who sat at the table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is he who will feast in God’s Kingdom!”
16 But he said to him, “A certain man made a great supper, and he invited many people.
17 He sent out his servant at supper time to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, for everything is ready now.’
18 They all as one began to make excuses. “The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please have me excused.’
19 “Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I must go try them out. Please have me excused.’
20 “Another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I can’t come.’
21 “That servant came, and told his lord these things. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor, maimed, blind, and lame.’
22 “The servant said, ‘Lord, it is done as you commanded, and there is still room.’
23 “The lord said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
24 For I tell you that none of those men who were invited will taste of my supper.’”
25 Now great multitudes were going with him. He turned and said to them,
26 “If anyone comes to me, and doesn’t disregard his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he can’t be my disciple.
27 Whoever doesn’t bear his own cross, and come after me, can’t be my disciple.
28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?
29 Or perhaps, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, everyone who sees begins to mock him,
30 saying, ‘This man began to build, and wasn’t able to finish.’
31 Or what king, as he goes to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?
32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an envoy, and asks for conditions of peace.
33 So therefore whoever of you who doesn’t renounce all that he has, he can’t be my disciple.
34 Salt is good, but if the salt becomes flat and tasteless, with what do you season it?
35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The main text: three parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and prodigal son
1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming close to him to hear him.
2 The Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, “This man welcomes sinners, and eats with them.”
3 He told them this parable.
4 “Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it?
5 When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’
7 I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.
8 Or what woman, if she had ten drachma coins, if she lost one drachma coin, wouldn’t light a lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently until she found it?
9 When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I had lost.’
10 Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting.”
11 He said, “A certain man had two sons.
12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ He divided his livelihood between them.
13 Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living.
14 When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need.
15 He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs.
16 He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any.
17 But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger!
18 I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight.
19 I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.”’
20 “He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.
23 Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate;
24 for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ They began to celebrate.
25 “Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing.
26 He called one of the servants to him, and asked what was going on.
27 He said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.’
28 But he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father came out, and begged him.
29 But he answered his father, ‘Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.
30 But when this your son came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’
31 “He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
32 But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’”
Brief allusion: 'there is no one righteous, no not one'
1 Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the profit of circumcision?
2 Much in every way! Because first of all, they were entrusted with the revelations of God.
3 For what if some were without faith? Will their lack of faith nullify the faithfulness of God?
4 May it never be! Yes, let God be found true, but every man a liar. As it is written, “That you might be justified in your words, and might prevail when you come into judgment.”
5 But if our unrighteousness commends the righteousness of God, what will we say? Is God unrighteous who inflicts wrath? I speak like men do.
6 May it never be! For then how will God judge the world?
7 For if the truth of God through my lie abounded to his glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?
8 Why not (as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say), “Let us do evil, that good may come?” Those who say so are justly condemned.
9 What then? Are we better than they? No, in no way. For we previously warned both Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin.
10 As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one.
11 There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned away. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, no, not so much as one.”
13 “Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongues they have used deceit.” “The poison of vipers is under their lips”;
14 “whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood.
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways.
17 The way of peace, they haven’t known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever things the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God.
20 Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
21 But now apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified by the law and the prophets;
22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all those who believe. For there is no distinction,
23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;
24 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus;
25 whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice, through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God’s forbearance;
26 to demonstrate his righteousness at this present time; that he might himself be just, and the justifier of him who has faith in Jesus.
27 Where then is the boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.
28 We maintain therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.
29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Isn’t he the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,
30 since indeed there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith, and the uncircumcised through faith.
31 Do we then nullify the law through faith? May it never be! No, we establish the law.
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
Pastor Mark preached through all of Luke 15, keeping the three parables together the way Jesus told them, and showed that every one of them is making the same point: God goes looking for what is lost, and when it is found, heaven rejoices.
What was said
The passage opens with a small piece of context that sets everything up. Tax collectors and sinners were coming near to Jesus to listen to him, and the Pharisees and scribes were grumbling about it. Pastor Mark connected this back to the previous chapter, where Jesus closed his teaching on discipleship with an emphatic call: "The one who has ears to hear, listen." The very next thing Luke records is that the people with ears to hear showed up. The people doing the complaining did not.
The first parable is the lost sheep. A man with a modest flock of a hundred loses one and goes after it, not stopping until he finds it. When he does, he does not drag it back begrudgingly; he puts it on his shoulders and walks home rejoicing. Then he calls his neighbors to celebrate with him. Jesus draws the line plainly: there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine who have no need of repentance.
The second parable mirrors the first, but now the searcher is a woman who has lost one of ten silver coins. Pastor Mark noted that a drachma was roughly a day's wages, so she is not panicking over pocket change. She lights a lamp, sweeps the house, and searches carefully until she finds it. When she does, she calls her friends to rejoice with her. Jesus says the same thing again: there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
The third example is not a lost thing but a lost person. A younger son demands his share of the estate while his father is still alive, goes far away, and burns through everything in reckless living. A famine hits, and he ends up feeding pigs and hungry enough to want what the pigs were eating. Pastor Mark said that when the son "came to himself," he rehearsed a speech of genuine humility all the way home: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son."
The father never lets him finish the speech. He sees his son while he is still a long way off, hikes up his robe, and runs down the road to meet him. He puts a robe on him, a ring on his finger, sandals on his feet, and throws a party. Pastor Mark read the father's words as the heart of God on display: "This son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found."
Then Jesus keeps talking. The older brother comes in from the field, hears the music, and refuses to go inside. He lists his faithful years of service and accuses his brother of spending their father's money on prostitutes, which is the first time that detail appears in the story; Jesus had only said reckless living. Pastor Mark pointed out that the father came out and pleaded with the older son too, just as he had gone after the younger one. He affirms him, reassures him that everything remaining is his, and then says plainly: "This brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found."
Pastor Mark closed by noting that people raised in church are more likely to recognize themselves in the older brother than in the younger one. The question Jesus is pressing, he said, is whether we are glad when people from different and messy backgrounds come near to God, or whether we are angry about it and want them immediately conformed to our own pattern. The parables are not three separate lessons; they are one sustained picture of what God is like, told to the people who were complaining that Jesus was willing to sit down and eat with sinners.
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages
in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
The pastor pointed out that the tax collectors and sinners came near to Jesus to listen because they had ears to hear, while the Pharisees and scribes responded by complaining. What do you think it looks like, practically, to have ears to hear versus a heart that complains?
In the parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd doesn't just go after the sheep, he goes after it until he finds it, and then puts it on his shoulders rejoicing. What does that picture of God's pursuit tell you about how God feels about the people around you who are far from Him?
Speaker 3Well, morning, everybody. How are doing? Head nod, yes? Well, I've got an encouraging word from, first Chronicles to lead us in worship. And would you stand before we as we we sing together?
So the the verse from Chronicles is, give to the give to the Lord the glory he deserves. Bring your offering. Come into his presence. Worship the Lord in his holy splendor. What do you say we do just that?
Speaker 1Can you hear me? Ah, there we go. Alright. Monday night's the first beat. What's up, McCart?
Speaker 3We are on tomorrow at six, a meal, music, and message of the Lot Shaw small group is gonna be making burgers and summer food and things like that. And we're in Mark 11 where Jesus teaches his disciples about prayer and faith and forgiveness. Really good stuff. A lot of great takeaways, and we'd love to have you. If never checked out a Monday night, please check it out.
Speaker 106:00. Good place to be on a Monday evening in the summertime. Yeah. Good time. Meal, music, and a message tomorrow night, 06:00.
Noah Wanna during that. We have something called Right Now Media. How many of y'all know about this? A few of you know about it. This is kinda like the Christian Netflix.
Okay? And if you go to church here, you have access to it, but you need to let us know your email address, and we'll give you send you a code so you can sign up for it. It's free to you. It's absolutely free. So Bible studies, videos, resources.
We had somebody contact us this week that said, hey, do you all have stuff that you recommend? This this is as close as we get to that. If you call me and ask me, I've got tons of commentaries. I have stuff on my shelf that will boil my blood. It would definitely boil yours.
Okay? But I read everything. Try to expose myself to all of that. But this is pretty good stuff. Right now, media is like Christian Netflix.
If you will let us know. So Nick is back there in the back, and he keeps up with the list. He's the administrator person. So if you would let us know, we'll we'll sign you up for this. And it's good.
Kids stuff, small group stuff. It's good. It's good. Right now media. Solid rock tour of the Imani Milele Choir from Uganda is coming to Jackson.
That's Wednesday, the twenty eighth and Friday, the thirtieth, six to 07:30 at the Presbyterian Church. So if you would like to be a part of that, that's where it's going to be. And when? This weekend, we're having a service for Jeanette Woodling. Nobody that I know knows her as Jeanette.
Her family back home calls her Jeanette, but Moosey. Moosey Woodling's funeral service is happening here 12:30 Saturday, June 17. So that's this coming Saturday. There will be a little lunch to follow. Musy lived to be 100 years old.
Just a great, amazing, amazing woman. Moved out here seventy years ago and this was her place for seventy years. Quick story. She used to ask for three bulletins every Sunday when we did the bulletins. And she had one of them that she would keep for her files.
One of them she sent back in red line for typos. And the other one, she sent back to her home church from where she's from. Yeah. Just to let her know she's not wandered far from God. Anyway, I think that's great.
She's a wonderful one. We're having her service this weekend. So, the other thing about this is she had storage units, three of them storage units here in Jackson. They're being cleaned out this Wednesday and you are invited if you want to come 10AM to the storage table. So, families asking anybody that wants to to come by and take any items that you can use.
Okay? That's a that's an announcement. Vacation Bible School, First Baptist Church. This is happening June twenty sixth to the twenty eighth right here, nine to twelve in the daytime. Pets Unleashed where Jesus cares for you.
Volunteers sign up is available on the website but you can also talk to talk to us in the church office for or Liz Jacobson. I'm Liz Owens. And she'll get you signed up. Twenty twenty three church directory. Nick, do you want to say anything more about this?
Do you you want me to explain what horizontal is? Yes, please. Okay. This is vertical. Okay.
Horizon. This is horizontal. Okay. So would you send, of yourself, a horizontal photo with your name, your phone number, your email address, mailing address to the assistantfirstbjackson dot org if you want to be included in the directory? It's kind of nice.
We have a lot of new faces and we'd like to be able to recognize who those people are. You can take a photo in the lobby and share the info with Nick and he will get that signed up. Is that happening today? Yes. Okay.
Alright. Wonderful. So, church directory 2023 is easier than it's ever been. That's the way we want for it to be. FBC Church Campout, July seventh through the ninth at Palisades.
If you would like more information, you can call Mike Demetrius. He's a youth director. So that'll be Church Campout. He's standing in the back right there, right now, and hollering. But that ought to be fun.
And if you would like to have the emails or if you'd like to have the first B in the Bible emails, let us know that and we will get you signed up for all that sort of stuff. Is there anything else? Those are all new. Brad Yates, would you stand up? Fantastic.
Okay. So, for the people who are listening online or watching online, if you're signed up for the first b in the Bible emails and you're not getting them, it's not because we're taking a break. It is just because you're probably having your emails sent into your spam filter. If you take them out of that, mark them as important. It should fix the problem.
Right? Okay. Thank you. Would you all let me see. Is anybody else?
Would you all stand and we'll hey, greet one another. We'll bring it back together with a song.
Speaker 3Good word from Jesus here in in Luke. He says, and the very hairs on your head are all numbered, so don't be afraid. You are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. Thank you, God, for your love and your care for us. God, as we reach out to you in worship, we experience the fullness of joy being in your presence.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Speaker 2Yes. You always will be God. I will tell I will tell of your wonders, sing of your grace. The God of creation knows me by name. The Lord is faithful.
Yesterday, I count on one thing, the same God who never fails or will not fail me now. You won't fail me now in waiting. The same God who's never late I count on one thing, and the same God that never fails will not fail me now. And you won't fail me
Speaker 3You can have a seat here for a moment. This is the worship through giving part of the service and I invite the ushers to come on forward. We're gonna sing a song called gratitude, very fitting, from Psalm sixty two eight. It's all my people trust him at all times and pour your heart out to him for God is our refuge. Before we sing, Ray, would you pray?
Speaker 1Yep. Lord God almighty, thank you for this beautiful day. Thank you for the the smiling faces looking back, Lord, that we are gathered in your name, singing your praises together is important and not missed. God, I thank you that you have allowed us this grateful place to be rejoicing together. Lord, there are laments and there are times and seasons of crying.
But right now, Lord, my goodness, you've brought us together to to do this. In Jesus name, may we be reflecting the good and awesome, mighty, loving, merciful, and forgiving God. May we walk a straight path, lord, and may we be winsome, and drawing people into a real, meaningful relationship with the creator, with their creator, the creator of all this beauty around us. In Jesus' name, Lord, I stand here today thankful, appreciative. Would you do your will and your way among us?
Use these offerings, lord, to advance the gospel. In Jesus name, your will done your way. Amen.
Speaker 2All
Speaker 1church downstairs. And if y'all are wondering, some of y'all were here last week. A lot of y'all were here last week. It was Florine's last Sunday. They did get to Salt Lake City to get on the flight.
They did get on the flight, and they are now in Romania. I talked to him a couple times this week, and he said the first time I talked to him, he said that the girls are playing with their cousins for the first time ever. So that was pretty sweet. Violetta's families, little ones. And talked to him a couple of other texted with with him back and forth.
We text a lot, but he's doing well. Violetta's doing well. The girls are adjusting well. So thankful for your prayers and your support, so thank you for that. We're up to Luke 15 in the text.
I've got something back here that I might ought to explain. Tanya, my wife, Tanya, is a teacher at the classical school. She teaches kindergarten through fifth grade art. And each year, the National Museum of Wildlife Art puts out a call for submissions, and it's for the teachers of the valley, lower school, middle school, upper school, to bring in kids' work and display it at the museum. They give them one word.
Last year, it was community. This year, it was transformation transition. And so, the teacher takes that and then does what they will. They might give an individual assignment or they might give a collective assignment. Tanya gave probably 73 individual assignments, and then a few other people helped out a little bit too.
But these are kindergarten through fifth grade. They were given one piece each. So there are three pieces per stripe up there. And it's been at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Hope you all don't mind me putting it up on display.
But I think it's cool. So two views of the mountain. There's an older way and a newer way of seeing things. So if you're looking at it from over here, it's like you might have seen it from a teepee or a Conestoga wagon. If you're looking from over there, maybe from the airport.
Okay? But Luke 15, here we are. One through 32. This is everything we're covering today. And I want you to notice this starts off just kind of with establishing context, and then it's Jesus.
Okay? So red words, old red letter edition of the Bible. This is what it looked like. It's a little bit of context and then three parables, all illustrating the same thing. So I don't wanna break them apart.
If you break them apart, you can use them for whatever you want to. But this is the way that they were presented. That's the way we're gonna cover them. So now all the tax collectors, even today when you see that, go, tax collectors. But then, imagine an oppressive Roman government is right there in your holiest city, and they're telling you what you can and you cannot do.
And they're telling you And then you've got some of your own countrymen who are collecting taxes for the Roman government. It's something that It starts off, now all the tax collectors and it follows it up sinners and sinners. So centers would be centers. I mean, we see that and we automatically have our list, our favorites. The ones we have that we think are our favorites because we want to do them, and those aren't so bad.
And then we have the list of the ones that they do that is really bad. This would have included that. It also would have included sinful professions. So sinful professions like shepherd, pig farmer, somebody who dealt with that. So it's not just that.
There there were other undesirables. Right? So tax collectors and sinners were coming near to Jesus to listen to him. Wait a second now. So these bad people were coming near to Jesus to listen to him.
I want you to think back to so Mike preached last week, did a great job from all reports. Yeah. That's good. You can go ahead. Thank you, Lord.
You got a deep bench. It's really nice. If you think back the last time I preached two weeks ago, we were covering Luke 14 and it's talking about who can be Jesus' disciple. And it's it's straight talk from Jesus. He makes three points and these are that.
You can't be a disciple unless you put Jesus first, unless you put me first, he said. And the second, you can't be a disciple without carrying your cross. Y'all individually have steps that God has ordained for you to do, that you're the one that can do em and you need to be doing em. That's carrying your cross and it might come with a little bit of weight. Some idea of it feels like punishment.
You can't be a disciple unless you put Jesus first. You can't be a disciple without carrying your cross, and you can't be a disciple without renouncing all else, giving up all else, living with an open hand, having everything that is yours available for God to use. So that's the textual points Luke makes. And then he closes it out with this. The one who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Actually, it's emphatic in this case and it really is more like this. The one who has ears to hear. Listen. Okay. It's right there.
The very next thing we see is in the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to him. Why? Because they had ears to hear.
Speaker 2Sorry.
Speaker 1Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to complain. Is that any surprise to any of us? No. But think about this for just a second. Do we do that?
How how quick are we to complain? Both the pharisees and the scribes know the law, very proud of themselves for following it meticulously and perfectly. And they see those tax collectors, and they just think, and sinners. Good grief. Bad company.
One bad apple and the whole like. This is what they're saying. This man receives sinners. Not just receives them, you know, like they approach him, but he receives them and he eats with them. Table fellowship is huge.
In the New Testament, table fellowship, if you are willing to eat with somebody that is saying, I accept you. I care for you. I love you. And he receives sinners. Well, you can't help that.
They're gonna come up to you no matter what. Right? But not just that, but he eats with them. Makes me sick. That's the Pharisees and scribes.
The began there is in italics. They put the began to complain in there just to kind of help the flow of the story in English, but they were complaining. It's a present active verb. They're complaining. It's what they do.
Highly religious folks that ought to know better complaining. This man receives sinners and eats with them. And so he, Jesus, cappellate, Jesus, told them this parable. He's speaking to tax collectors and sinners, pharisees, and scribes. Okay?
He told them this parable saying, what man among you? If he has a 100 sheep actually, a 100 sheep is not a huge amount of sheep. For me, a 100 sheep would be a lot to keep up with. For me, one lamb for four h would be a lot to keep up with. But if you had a 100 sheep 300 was considered a pretty good sized flock.
So if you had a modest sized flock. If you had a 100 sheep and had lost one of them, what one among you doesn't leave the other 99 in the open pasture where it's safe and go after the one that's lost until he finds it? Not just go after it, but go after it until he finds it. Either he's going to find it or he's going to find it live or dead, but he's going to find it. Right?
He's going after it because he cares, because he loves. When he's found it, and this is why I say love. When he's found it, he puts it up on his shoulders. It's not like, oh, dead blasted sheep. Crap.
I gotta get back down. It's not that. He's like, oh, there you are, buddy. Take him up by the legs. Throw him over the shoulder.
You're alright now. I know how scary it is when you're
Speaker 2out there by yourself. You're going be alright. I got you now. I'll get you back home.
Speaker 1When he's found it, he puts it on his shoulders rejoicing. Can you see the bounce in the man's step? I was afraid the next corner I came around, he was going to be dead. I was afraid the next corner I came around, there was going to be a wolf after him. Right?
When he's found it, he puts it on his shoulders, rejoicing, getting back to the others. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors saying, rejoice with me because I found my sheep that was lost. Wow. He wasn't I think, I don't wanna tell anybody I lost a sheep. No.
He's like so overjoyed by the fact that what was lost is now found that he can't help but share it. Right? Oh, rejoice with me. I found my sheep that was lost. I tell you, in that very same way, Jesus is using this to illustrate a kingdom principle.
In that very same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who have no need of repentance. Now, we can stop right there and you could say, well, there's no one righteous. No, not one. Don't don't begin to complain. There is no one righteous, no not one.
This could either mean there are people who are doing just fine, gathered, and everything's alright. They're okay. They have a relation, real relationship with God and that's okay. Or it could mean people who don't even realize they need repentance. He's talking to tax collectors, sinners, scribes, and pharisees.
So if the shoe fits, whatever your shoe is that you need to put on, put it on. I tell you in that same way, there'll be more joy in heaven over the one sinner who repents and it's found. Right? And over 99 righteous people have no need of repentance. This one is just beautiful by itself, and you can teach a lot of lessons from that one.
But Jesus doesn't even slow down. Right there he starts. Or what woman? So what man among you? What woman among you?
He does this a lot in Luke actually. He does dual parallel or parallel examples and one's a guy and one's a gal. He does that a lot in Luke. Or what woman? If she has 10 silver coins and loses one coin, doesn't light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it.
Now, for us these days, we don't have coins that are terribly valuable, right? And we have a dollar coin maybe. But if we think of a coin, that's a dollar, not that big a deal. So the coins is a drachma. Drachma, it's the only time it's used in Luke.
It's a coin that is about a day's wages. It's a chunk of silver. So in Wyoming, the average hourly salary is $16.74 in Wyoming. I didn't say Jackson, in Wyoming. $16.74 that's average hourly rate for a day laborer and we're considering that this woman is poor, but we don't know that for sure.
He doesn't say that, probably not an important detail, I'm spending too much time on it already. Average hourly rate $16.74, ten hours is normal for a worker to work, 167.40. Most of the time back then they worked twelve hours, but one hundred sixty seven point four zero, that's starting to be something I'd look for. If I lost a coin that was worth $167 I think I'd be sweeping the house. She had 10 of those.
So she had saved $16.74 dollars That's pretty good. But she lost it and she's back down to $1,400 and she's fretting over it until she finds it, right? $16.74 is better than $140.07. So that's when she finds it, yes, she's excited about it. We'll get to that in a minute.
That's the poor lady coming out of a Victorian home. Paintings, you never can tell what's going on with the artist. This is another one. This is another possibility. Like it could be that she had this on her headband right there in front of her.
And to lose a coin from right here, that's obvious you lost it. Right? That's a possibility too. She might not have been poor. Jesus doesn't mention, so it doesn't really matter.
But she is upset over having lost it. Wait just a second. Have you ever lost anything that you just were like so frantic about? You all know Tanya does the angel tree here. And do you know the the wrapping and the unwrapping and the moving and the all of the all of the Christmas fun?
All of that stuff. She lost one of her grandmother's earrings last year. Yeah. And she got home, and she couldn't find it anywhere. I know I had it this time.
I know I had it that time. Took off this scarf, put on this so and so, checked everything. And we had lost it, and it was lost. And she was looking for it. I was looking for it.
We had employed lots of help. Told everybody, but if you see something because it's either going to be how many places do go during Christmas? Right? It could have been anywhere. And she woke up in the middle of the night thought, I haven't checked that bag.
And she went, and it was a reusable grocery bag. How many of those things do we have? And she turned it upside down, she did like that. She woke me up and said, I found my earring. Right?
When she's found it, she calls together her friends and her neighbors saying, rejoice with me because I found the coin which I had lost. That is there is something that feels horrible about having lost something. But, man, when you find it, it's such a relief, isn't it? And Jesus is tapping into something that we've all experienced. Rejoice with me because I found the coin which I had lost.
And in the same way I tell you again, second parable, same teaching. In the same way I tell you, there's joy in the presence of the angels of God. That's actually a circumlocution. God's happy. Okay.
God is joyful. In the same way, I tell you there's joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. That that reminds me. That's right what he just said. In the same way, in the same way, over one sinner who repents.
He receives sinners and tax collectors, and he eats with them. Can you believe it? This is the way God feels though over one sinner who repents. How are they gonna hear the news if if the people who know the news don't tell them? Straight up just reading the Bible, how are they gonna know?
Where do you start? One sinner who repents. I tell you in the same way, there'll be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, that's from above, than over the 99 righteous who have no need of repentance. Yeah. It's there's something about the coming into the kingdom that is incredibly joyous for those who are experiencing it and for the ones who are welcoming them in and for heaven, for God almighty over one sinner who repents.
So he doesn't stop there. He keeps going. Third example. Boom. Boom.
And now, this one is not a thing. This one is not an animal, it's not a thing, this is a person. And he said, a man had two sons. Great entry. A man had two sons.
Both of them are here from the beginning of the story. Okay? A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the share of the estate that's coming to me. And immediately, it's just no further explanation.
Jesus doesn't waste time on that. And so he divided his wealth between them. Now, older brother, younger brother, older brother would have gotten a double portion. So this kid gets a third of what the father's estate includes. And the father is still living, so he can still go about the land and use things the way that he normally would.
But the things that were cashed out, that younger son just got it. He asked for it and he got it. So he divided his wealth between them. Not many days later, didn't take long, the younger son gathered everything together and he went on a journey to a distant country. He wanted to get as far away from that place as he could.
And there he squandered his estate in wild living. Probably better reckless living. Reckless financially reckless living is a better rendering, probably. Wild living, I think we took the name prodigal and kinda put that on him. What what Jesus said was he he squandered it living recklessly.
He wasn't getting any return on his investment. Now when he had spent everything, that's one bad situation. He's broke. A severe famine occurred in that country. That's another bad situation.
To be broke is one thing for everybody around you to be suffering too, not to be able to find any help. And he began doing without. Oh my goodness. He began doing without. Destitute.
So he went. He hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, a Gentile, not some other countrymen. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into the field to feed pigs. I had pigs when I was little too. Well, never had any lambs.
I don't remember feeding the pigs being a pleasant experience at all. I did see one chew bubble gum one time. Was kind of fun. My uncle threw a piece of bubble gum in because my cousin was being kind of snotty. And he said, if you're going to eat it or the pig's going to eat it.
He threw it to the pig. The only fun I ever had, slopping pigs. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country. And that boss sent him into the field to feed the pigs. He longed have we're to to but it's not very good.
He longed to have a his fill of the carob pods that the pigs were eating, but no one was giving him anything. He couldn't even eat that. Those are for them. That's not for you. Now the boss might have been taking care of him.
He might have had employee housing, who knows? Not important, he skipped that detail. But when he came to his senses, actually the technical, it says when he came to himself, when he really looked himself in the mirror, when he came to himself, he said, how many of my father's hired hands? How many of my father's hired laborers have much more than enough bread? And I'm dying here of hunger.
That's a that's a hard realization. I wanted it, and I got it, and I've wasted it. And here I am starving, feeding pigs. This is what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna quit this job.
I'm gonna go back home. I'm gonna set out. I'm gonna go to my father, and I will say to him, father, I've sinned against heaven. Is that humility? It is.
Honestly, he sinned against his father. Right? But any sin against anybody else is also a sin against God. Why would you mistreat someone who's made in the image of God? Father, I've sinned against heaven and in your sight.
Against God and against you in what I've done. This is him practicing his speech. Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired laborers.
I just I just know that they're better off than I was. I wouldn't have to deal with pigs. I'd be able to eat. I know how you treat people, and you treat people well. Father, I'm no longer worthy to be called your son.
Just treat me like one of your hired laborers. And so he set out and came to his father. But when he was still a long way off, he'd already repented, had he not? He'd already repented. He'd already humbled himself before God When he was a long ways off, his father saw him because he was looking for it.
Just like the gal who's looking for the sheep, just like the lady who's looking for the coin, The father is looking for this kid who's wandered far away. And now he's coming home. His father saw him and felt compassion for him. He ran and embraced him. Literally, it says he fell on his neck.
Let me hug your neck. But he was still a long ways off. His father saw him, felt compassion for him, and he ran and embraced him and kissed him. How undignified. Hike up his long robe and run out down the road to get to him, and he fell on his neck and he kissed him repeatedly.
The verb tense says, And the son said to him, father, he's practiced this speech over and over, probably all the way home. Father, I've sinned against heaven and in your sight. I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father, interruption. He doesn't get to the last part.
Some people says maybe he just didn't didn't really mean that last part, he didn't say it. I don't believe that. I think that this says I think Jesus is emphasizing that this says, He just had to make the turn. Right? Father, I've sinned against heaven again in your sight, and I'm no longer worthy to be called your son.
But the father that last part, treat me as one of your hired laborers. That's what he that's what he was gonna say. That's the but daddy interrupted him by hollering out. But the father said to one of his slaves, quickly, quickly, go get it. Go get the best robe.
Come back and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger. That's some authority, signet ring. Right? He didn't say to that slave, run, slave.
Go grab the robe, put it on, put the put the ring on your finger, come back and rub it in his face. He said, you, go get the best robe, put it on him. You, go get a ring and put it on his finger and get sandals on that boy's feet, for crying out loud. He's walking around barefooted. Get him.
Put him on him. Treat him well. Bring the fattened calf. Slaughter it. Let's eat.
Let's celebrate. This is a time for rejoicing. This is the heart of God. Right? This is what Jesus is saying.
For this son of mine was dead, and he's come to life again. He who is lost has been found. Wow. I mean, an earring, a coin, a sheep, but this is a human being. This is one of two sons.
Right? Wow. This son of mine was dead and he's come to life again. He was lofted and he's been found. And they began to celebrate.
Party, party. Good time. I've been to four graduation parties this week and I missed one last weekend. It's a good time. This is a time to celebrate.
I think this is a great sermon to hear right then too, to think about it. You got a different choice. You got two different choices to make. Honestly, I don't think either one of these sons made great decisions. But one of them made one good decision.
You know? He recognized where he was and he said, I'm getting
Speaker 2out of here. I'm going home.
Speaker 1So that's three beautiful pictures of the lost being found. Rejoicing in celebration. Wonderful. But Jesus is still talking. There's more.
Right? And this is the one. I'm I'm actually I'm an older brother. I am an older brother. I'm I have one brother.
He's younger than I am. So, I mean, there's there's another brother we hadn't talked about yet. Jesus is still speaking. So now his older son was in the field working. He was in the field.
And when he came and he approached the house, he heard music and dancing. What is going on here? There's always I might have to clean up this mess too, I'm sure. You can hear him begin to complain, can't you? Pharisees and scribes began complaining.
Sinners and tax collectors are coming near because they have an ear to hear and they're listening. And what they heard was, it doesn't matter where you start from. Come on. God's ready. He's looking down the he's looking down the driveway for you, ready to run out to meet you.
Now his older son was in the field. When he came and he approached the house, he heard music and dancing. And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what things these things could be. What's going on? And the servant said to him, your brother has come.
Your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he's received him back safe and sound. The slave knew what it was about. He's safe and sound. We didn't know where he was. Now I know and I've been through the trauma of families not knowing where someone is.
I cannot imagine him being gone and having no news, no word. There's no Life three sixty on this kid. Right? We don't know where he is or what he's up to. But he's received him back safe and sound and there's a party going on.
But he became this is the the he is the older brother. But he became let's fill in the blank. What do you think? He was so excited that his little brother was back. What do you think, really?
What's a good response to that? He became angry. Yeah. He was mad. He was ticked off.
He was angry, and he was not willing to go in. I'm not gonna party for that guy. Squandered. Sorry. It's so and so.
You can hear, I'm not going in there. It's ridiculous. That old man. He became angry. He was not willing to go in.
And his father came out. Ain't that sweet? Oh, ain't that sweet? The same way that the father was looking for that guy that had run off and squandered as well. Where's my where's my older boy?
He's outside. He's mad. He's not coming in. Yeah. Those servants are running around between them.
His father came out. Praise God. And he began pleading with him. Listen. Jesus is sitting there talking to Pharisees and scribes.
Can you think they saw themselves right here? Makes me mad that he'd sit down with a who is this guy? What's he even talking about? Sinners and tax collectors. There were all kinds of Old Testament examples of why you wouldn't wanna hang out with people, but it's basically bad company corrupts moral character.
Right? Jesus knows that he's not the one sinning. Jesus wasn't collecting taxes. Jesus wasn't the one that was sinning. He just happened to be with sinners and willing to receive them and lovingly, winsomely bring them into understanding the way God's kingdom is.
He's just as willing to show the Pharisees how God's kingdom is. He's just as willing to plead with the scribes from the scriptures how God is. The father came out. He began pleading with him, but he answered and said to his father there's an interruption there. The the father interrupted the young brother by by not letting him get to the place where just make me like one of your hired hands.
He didn't even let him say that. Put the robe on and put the ring on and put sandals on his feet. And now he's pleading, come on. It's your brother. He says, but he the older brother answered and said to his father, look, that's emphatic.
This is a guy talking to his dad. That look is kinda it's like that. Look, for so many years I've been serving you, acting like a slave, and I've never neglected a command of yours. Anything you tell me to do, I just do it. And yet you never even gave me a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends.
This guy goes out and does all this. I mean, you come back and give him a fatted calf, not even a young goat. Cabrito al pastor. Nope. Never even gave me a young goat so that I could celebrate with my friends.
But when this son of yours, he doesn't call him by name, he doesn't call him his brother, he says, but this son of yours, he comes in and he's devoured your wealth with prostitutes. Wait a second. That's the first time that's come up. That that's not what Jesus said. He said reckless living, but this guy's inventing things in his mind.
It could have been. It's possible. That's a that is a form of reckless living, but he had envisioned his brother, and he'd made it up in his own mind. And he comes back and he says, he's devoured your wealth. He spent everything you had on prostitutes, and you slaughtered a fatted calf for him.
And the father says to him, son, he still calls him son, son, you've always been with me. I know. You've always been with me. He affirms what he can. I like that.
I try my best to do that. Affirm what you can. There are scriptural standards. By all means, yes, there are scriptural standards. Affirm what you can.
Draw a line where you can't, but, Son, you've always been with me. All that is mine is yours. He also reassures him, All that's mine is yours. He didn't take your half, your two thirds. He just took what was coming to him.
You've always been with me. All that I have all that's mine is yours. You a young goat, go get one. Got a fatty calf in the house, but if you want to stay out here and go get that goat, go get it. But we had to celebrate.
It was necessary. It was necessary to celebrate and rejoice because this brother of yours, he calls him the son of yours. And the father turns around and said, he's your brother. He's your brother. Because this brother of yours, this son of yours, this brother of yours who was dead, we had no news about it.
We didn't know anything about what had happened. He has begun to live. He's living. He's right here among us. Well, he was lost and he's been found.
So much more than a coin, so much more than a sheep. That's the end of the that's the end of the text. Do I need to go over application points? No. All those red words of Jesus, he just gives three examples of the heart of God.
And so you may be one of the sheep that has wandered away from the '99. Okay? When we were in Mexico as missionaries to the deaf, one percent of the world's population is deaf. So they took this story kind of as their, hey, if if there are there are 99 who don't who can hear and there's one that can't, then we go and we teach that sign language and we expose them to the gospel. Right?
So you might be one that you know better, you're brought up in the group, you're brought up in church, and you've wandered far away from God. And God is looking for you to come home, to bring you back into the fold. If you may be an older brother I think growing up in church, you're more likely to be an older brother. I don't know if that's true or not. If you're in church your whole life, you're still in church now and you hear me, I I the first time I heard this with emphasis on the older brother, I thought, oh my goodness, that's me.
Just like a few weeks ago when I saw synagogue leader, indignant. Like, it just keeps coming. Fill in that blank. Are you happy when people from different sinful spheres approach God or attempt, come near, and seek after him? Or are are you angry about it?
Are you upset about it? Do you want them to immediately be fixed and start doing everything just like I do? If that's the case, you may be a Pharisee or a scribe or you may be an older brother. Listen to Jesus describing what the kingdom is like. There's more joy over one person who repents.
There's plenty of joy already for people who are in the fold but there's more joy over one sinner who repents. Just like the sheep, just like the coin, and just like that prodigal son coming home. Would you stand with me? And then we're gonna sing, take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee. Consecrated, set apart for holy use.
So may this be our prayer today. Amen. God, would you would you just impress upon us how how joyful you are over not just that we came back to you, Lord, but that we are continuing to walk with you, that there's joy there, and that you can use us as an instrument to bring others in. Lord God Almighty, would you impress upon us exactly how necessary it is to celebrate and rejoice when somebody comes and approaches you. Amen.
For you are like sheep going astray, all of you. But now you've returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls, first Peter. Amen.
