He Was Lost and He Has Been Found

In one paragraph

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. 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...

Read together

1. 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'
2. Luke 14 Recap of previous sermon: discipleship requires putting Jesus first, carrying your cross, and renouncing all else
3. Psalm 62:8 Introduced before the offertory song: 'trust him at all times and pour your heart out to him for God is our refuge'
4. Luke 15:1-32 The main text: three parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and prodigal son
5. Romans 3 (implied, not specified) Brief allusion: 'there is no one righteous, no not one'
6. 1 Peter (partial, not specified) Closing benediction: 'for you are like sheep going astray, all of you, but now you have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls'

Talk about it

1. 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?
2. 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?
3. The younger son rehearsed his speech the whole way home, but the father interrupted him before he could finish it. What does it say about the father, and about God, that he didn't even wait to hear the whole apology?
4. The pastor said that when he first heard this passage with the emphasis on the older brother, he thought, 'That's me.' He asked whether we are happy when people from different sinful backgrounds come near to God, or whether we are angry or want them to immediately look just like us. How would you honestly answer that question for yourself?
5. The sermon ended with the father telling the older brother, 'It was necessary to celebrate and rejoice.' Is there someone in your life whose return to God, or first steps toward God, you have found it hard to celebrate? What would it take to get there?