WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.700 Luke chapter number 15, what an amazing chapter we're going to find here. 00:00:04.700 --> 00:00:06.080 We're going to be here for a few weeks. 00:00:06.980 --> 00:00:13.000 It's one of these that the Lord just kind of opens His heart to us and really shows us who He is. 00:00:13.480 --> 00:00:15.160 That He is a God that loves us. 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:18.240 We might be lost, but He is seeking us. 00:00:18.920 --> 00:00:23.580 We say things like this, and we'll mention this every minute, and there's no, I don't mean it in a mean way, 00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:24.600 I found God. 00:00:25.699 --> 00:00:26.379 Here's the truth. 00:00:26.620 --> 00:00:27.400 God found us. 00:00:28.079 --> 00:00:32.579 That He came for us, that He sought us, and we're going to see that played out here 00:00:32.579 --> 00:00:35.719 in really the first ten verses that we're going to look at this morning. 00:00:35.960 --> 00:00:36.640 So you found your place. 00:00:36.739 --> 00:00:39.299 If not, you can follow along on the screen if you don't have a copy of God's Word with you. 00:00:39.539 --> 00:00:40.519 But here's what the Bible says. 00:00:41.000 --> 00:00:44.439 Then drew near unto Him all the publicans, these would be tax collectors, 00:00:44.560 --> 00:00:49.200 these are not great people in the world's estimation, and sinners for to hear Him. 00:00:49.640 --> 00:00:51.679 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, 00:00:51.679 --> 00:00:54.140 This man receiveth sinners and eateth with him? 00:00:54.140 --> 00:00:57.799 I mean, this was culturally unacceptable, what Jesus was doing. 00:00:58.600 --> 00:01:02.159 Of course, Jesus was doing exactly what He came for, to seek and to save. 00:01:02.780 --> 00:01:03.880 But verse number 3 tells us, 00:01:03.880 --> 00:01:05.799 And He spake this parable unto them, saying, 00:01:06.620 --> 00:01:12.460 What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, 00:01:12.620 --> 00:01:15.500 and go after them which is lost, until he find it? 00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:18.879 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 00:01:19.159 --> 00:01:22.260 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying, 00:01:22.260 --> 00:01:26.439 Unto them, rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost. 00:01:27.200 --> 00:01:32.780 I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:37.240 more than over ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance. 00:01:38.100 --> 00:01:41.680 Either what woman, having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, 00:01:42.240 --> 00:01:46.260 doth not light a candle and sweep the house and seek diligently till she find it? 00:01:46.719 --> 00:01:51.000 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbors together, saying, 00:01:51.000 --> 00:01:55.280 Rejoice with me, for I have found the peace which I had lost. 00:01:56.099 --> 00:02:03.519 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. 00:02:04.420 --> 00:02:07.519 This morning I want to preach a message simply entitled this, Lost and Found. 00:02:08.340 --> 00:02:11.020 Jesus is searching and He will find us. 00:02:11.460 --> 00:02:13.680 The question is, will we respond when He does? 00:02:13.719 --> 00:02:15.439 Let's go to the Lord and ask Him to help us this morning. 00:02:15.539 --> 00:02:16.560 Father, thank You for this time. 00:02:17.060 --> 00:02:19.460 Lord, thank You for the opportunity we have to open up Your Word. 00:02:19.460 --> 00:02:22.240 Lord, I pray You would just calm our hearts and our minds. 00:02:22.939 --> 00:02:29.800 Maybe there are some things that we're carrying some burdens and some things that maybe this past week are things we know that are upcoming. 00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:32.420 And Lord, we were reminded that You're already there. 00:02:33.159 --> 00:02:36.319 But Lord, I know that You want to meet with us right here in this moment. 00:02:36.879 --> 00:02:37.780 You want to speak to hearts. 00:02:37.860 --> 00:02:41.379 You want to remind us and encourage us and challenge us and convict us where need be. 00:02:42.020 --> 00:02:44.480 Lord, I pray there is somebody that does not know You as Savior. 00:02:44.479 --> 00:02:48.259 Lord, that they would realize this morning that You are seeking them. 00:02:48.519 --> 00:02:52.019 You are searching for them, Lord, and You desire for them to be found. 00:02:52.519 --> 00:02:53.419 Lord, I pray You be with me. 00:02:53.500 --> 00:02:55.159 You would empty me of self, cleanse me of sin. 00:02:55.239 --> 00:02:58.280 Lord, fill me with Your Spirit that I might be a help to these people this morning. 00:02:58.359 --> 00:02:59.519 We ask it in Christ's name. 00:03:00.139 --> 00:03:00.439 Amen. 00:03:00.599 --> 00:03:01.339 Thank you so much for standing. 00:03:01.399 --> 00:03:01.780 May I be seated. 00:03:04.839 --> 00:03:07.399 How many of you have lost something very valuable in your life? 00:03:07.400 --> 00:03:11.700 I mean, for us, it could be simple things like your wallet. 00:03:12.080 --> 00:03:13.640 You know, don't you love when you lose your wallet? 00:03:14.379 --> 00:03:17.080 Because then you start thinking, I've got to get a new driver's license. 00:03:17.180 --> 00:03:18.120 That means I've got to stand in line. 00:03:18.180 --> 00:03:21.259 I've got to drive to like Wichita Falls to go to the DMV because you can't get anywhere else. 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:23.099 You know, you start going through all these things in your head. 00:03:23.159 --> 00:03:24.180 Maybe you lose your keys. 00:03:24.439 --> 00:03:25.719 You lose your phone. 00:03:25.860 --> 00:03:27.879 I mean, how do we function without a phone? 00:03:28.480 --> 00:03:31.620 You know, I've accidentally left my phone at my house a couple times. 00:03:31.939 --> 00:03:33.500 I'm like, man, today is so easy. 00:03:34.040 --> 00:03:35.000 Nobody's calling me. 00:03:36.140 --> 00:03:37.180 Maybe we should try it. 00:03:37.420 --> 00:03:38.300 More than we do. 00:03:38.719 --> 00:03:42.680 But I mean, when you lose something valuable, isn't it amazing how like quickly life just 00:03:42.680 --> 00:03:45.560 kind of stops until you find what you lost? 00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:48.159 I mean, when it first happens, there's no panic. 00:03:48.219 --> 00:03:49.640 You're like, I know it's here somewhere. 00:03:49.740 --> 00:03:50.520 I just had it. 00:03:51.060 --> 00:03:53.280 But then like five minutes in, you start panicking. 00:03:53.420 --> 00:03:56.100 You're kind of retracing your steps like your mom and dad taught you to. 00:03:56.360 --> 00:03:57.420 Every time I say, mom, I can't find it. 00:03:57.659 --> 00:03:58.480 Retrace your steps. 00:03:58.879 --> 00:04:00.760 So I still try to apply that to my life today. 00:04:00.939 --> 00:04:02.319 So I start retracing it. 00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:05.780 And then 10 minutes in, I'm starting to kind of really kind of worry now. 00:04:05.780 --> 00:04:09.159 I got all the cushions of the couch out, even though I haven't been on the couch like in 00:04:09.159 --> 00:04:09.740 two days. 00:04:10.580 --> 00:04:13.259 You know, have anybody ever found your stuff in the fridge? 00:04:14.259 --> 00:04:14.900 Okay, thank you. 00:04:14.960 --> 00:04:15.939 I'm glad I'm not the only one. 00:04:16.100 --> 00:04:18.699 Because sometimes I go in to get the fridge and I'll set my keys in the fridge. 00:04:18.740 --> 00:04:20.199 I'm like, where are my keys? 00:04:20.939 --> 00:04:24.439 You know, after 30 minutes, I mean, it's just, you're losing your mind. 00:04:24.439 --> 00:04:25.800 I'm accusing my kids. 00:04:25.920 --> 00:04:26.719 I'm accusing Renee. 00:04:27.079 --> 00:04:30.800 I'm praying to the Lord and asking for forgiveness and help to find it all at the same time. 00:04:31.040 --> 00:04:31.139 Why? 00:04:31.319 --> 00:04:35.779 Because when you lose something valuable, you don't just shrug your shoulder and say, oh 00:04:35.779 --> 00:04:36.000 well. 00:04:36.899 --> 00:04:37.980 I mean, you need your keys. 00:04:38.399 --> 00:04:39.259 You need your phone. 00:04:39.339 --> 00:04:40.019 You need these things. 00:04:40.100 --> 00:04:41.939 That's kind of how we function in our life. 00:04:42.040 --> 00:04:45.899 The idea is when we lose something valuable, we search for it. 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:46.899 We retrace it. 00:04:47.079 --> 00:04:49.819 We do not rest until it's found. 00:04:50.560 --> 00:04:52.040 And we come to Luke chapter 15. 00:04:52.040 --> 00:04:54.220 That's exactly what Jesus is showing us. 00:04:54.980 --> 00:05:00.860 Jesus has been teaching and the Pharisees have been gathered around and they feel that 00:05:00.860 --> 00:05:04.280 all they need to do is just work, work, work. 00:05:04.480 --> 00:05:08.000 And as they follow the law and they check the boxes, then they're going to make it to heaven 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:08.520 one day. 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:14.800 But what Jesus reminds them is there is nothing you can do to work your way to heaven. 00:05:15.420 --> 00:05:18.740 That salvation is by faith and grace through Christ alone. 00:05:18.740 --> 00:05:23.240 And he's reminding us and he's showing us that he is on a rescue mission. 00:05:23.699 --> 00:05:24.879 That that's why he came. 00:05:25.160 --> 00:05:26.720 He didn't come to do these miracles. 00:05:27.100 --> 00:05:29.579 He didn't come to draw a crowd. 00:05:29.840 --> 00:05:32.100 No, he came to find the lost sheep. 00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:34.040 He came to find the lost coin. 00:05:34.280 --> 00:05:37.720 He came to find sinners in need of a savior. 00:05:38.259 --> 00:05:40.120 And that's exactly what's taking place. 00:05:40.120 --> 00:05:48.840 That Jesus, he is relentlessly pursuing for something far more valuable than a set of keys, than a 00:05:48.840 --> 00:05:50.800 wallet, than a phone. 00:05:51.680 --> 00:05:56.019 See, as we read in our text and we saw a lost sheep and we saw a lost coin, but that's not 00:05:56.019 --> 00:05:57.060 what this text is about. 00:05:57.840 --> 00:06:01.459 No, this text is very clearly about the heart of God. 00:06:02.139 --> 00:06:03.699 That's what Jesus is revealing. 00:06:03.699 --> 00:06:10.439 See, as we've walked through our study in the Gospel of Luke, we have repeatedly seen that Jesus is 00:06:10.439 --> 00:06:11.920 moving towards Jerusalem. 00:06:12.519 --> 00:06:15.620 The Bible says it like this, that his face is set towards Jerusalem. 00:06:16.379 --> 00:06:16.719 Why? 00:06:16.819 --> 00:06:18.159 Because that's why he came. 00:06:18.959 --> 00:06:20.839 He came for the cross. 00:06:21.240 --> 00:06:24.959 He has come to seek and to save that which was lost. 00:06:25.120 --> 00:06:26.079 That is his heart. 00:06:26.319 --> 00:06:27.240 That is his mission. 00:06:28.360 --> 00:06:30.259 And not everybody understood that mission, though. 00:06:30.259 --> 00:06:35.079 Well, you see the Pharisees, man, I mean, they just need to learn to keep their mouth shut. 00:06:37.399 --> 00:06:38.279 Nobody else thinks that? 00:06:38.339 --> 00:06:38.500 Okay. 00:06:38.980 --> 00:06:39.579 I do. 00:06:40.339 --> 00:06:41.839 But here's the awesome thing. 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:44.360 Sometimes when they keep their mouth shut, God just reads their heart. 00:06:44.920 --> 00:06:47.039 He reads their mind and says it, and they're like, I didn't say that out loud. 00:06:47.779 --> 00:06:51.180 But what they do here in verse number two is they begin to complain. 00:06:51.759 --> 00:06:56.879 They begin to complain because of the occasion that's taking place, and they see Jesus around 00:06:56.879 --> 00:06:59.779 these people, and their complaint, I'm thankful for it, actually. 00:07:00.259 --> 00:07:04.300 Because it really allows this great, great chapter in Scripture. 00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:09.399 Because in response to their criticism of Jesus Christ, here's what he's going to do. 00:07:09.560 --> 00:07:13.779 He's going to pull back the curtain and show us what the heart of God looks like. 00:07:14.199 --> 00:07:15.699 And that's really the main idea here. 00:07:16.060 --> 00:07:21.839 The main idea of this text is God actively seeks sinners because they're precious to him. 00:07:22.480 --> 00:07:23.639 Because he loves them. 00:07:23.899 --> 00:07:28.180 And not only are they precious to them, he rejoices when they're found. 00:07:28.879 --> 00:07:31.720 This concept would have just blown their mind. 00:07:32.199 --> 00:07:36.860 Because they lived in a system, and their religion and their rigidity would have said, you've got to work, 00:07:36.939 --> 00:07:37.400 work, work. 00:07:37.459 --> 00:07:38.379 And here's what Jesus is saying. 00:07:38.540 --> 00:07:39.819 No, I'm coming for them. 00:07:40.319 --> 00:07:41.439 I'm going to find them. 00:07:41.560 --> 00:07:43.379 I'm going to bring them unto myself. 00:07:44.100 --> 00:07:47.100 So if you're taking notes, we're going to ask this question and answer it this morning. 00:07:47.100 --> 00:07:51.340 What does Jesus reveal about God's heart for lost people? 00:07:52.140 --> 00:07:56.080 What does Jesus reveal about God's heart for lost people? 00:07:56.660 --> 00:08:03.480 The first thing we see is in the first opening verses here is God values every lost soul. 00:08:04.320 --> 00:08:06.640 God values every lost soul. 00:08:07.220 --> 00:08:09.520 Notice who's drawing near to Jesus there in verse number one. 00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:14.859 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 00:08:15.479 --> 00:08:19.019 That word publican would be closely related to the tax collectors of the day. 00:08:19.259 --> 00:08:20.539 Everybody loves tax collectors. 00:08:22.199 --> 00:08:25.639 Yeah, even in 2026, it's like, I'm not sure about that. 00:08:25.859 --> 00:08:27.979 We see tax collectors and sinners. 00:08:28.299 --> 00:08:37.639 Really, the idea is he is with all the outcasts, the dregs of society, the very people that the Pharisees would never be caught dead with. 00:08:37.639 --> 00:08:38.779 But you know what's funny? 00:08:38.860 --> 00:08:40.980 They always seem to be at these places where these people are. 00:08:41.439 --> 00:08:45.100 Because they're trying to find Jesus and they're trying to trap Jesus. 00:08:46.139 --> 00:08:47.840 So why are these type of people? 00:08:48.460 --> 00:08:52.019 These people that really have been ostracized from the synagogue. 00:08:52.740 --> 00:09:00.340 People that their testimonies wouldn't have been acceptable in any court because of their work and what they did. 00:09:01.539 --> 00:09:02.580 But here's what they knew. 00:09:02.659 --> 00:09:03.319 They were broken. 00:09:04.159 --> 00:09:05.659 They knew they needed some answer. 00:09:05.659 --> 00:09:08.839 They weren't finding it from the religious establishment of the day. 00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:13.559 But this man named Jesus was preaching and he was loving and he was compassionate to them. 00:09:13.839 --> 00:09:17.259 They knew they needed grace and they just were looking for a place to find it. 00:09:17.899 --> 00:09:20.439 And they continually found it at the feet of Jesus. 00:09:21.399 --> 00:09:25.779 See, the very people that religion pushed away were drawn to Christ. 00:09:26.059 --> 00:09:26.299 Why? 00:09:26.480 --> 00:09:28.579 Because they finally found some hope. 00:09:29.159 --> 00:09:30.980 There was hope in Jesus Christ. 00:09:31.759 --> 00:09:33.539 But not everybody's excited about it. 00:09:33.539 --> 00:09:34.980 Verse number two. 00:09:35.620 --> 00:09:37.899 And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured. 00:09:38.759 --> 00:09:39.839 You know what murmured means? 00:09:40.699 --> 00:09:42.039 Continual grumbling. 00:09:42.759 --> 00:09:45.279 It's like when you take a road trip with your children. 00:09:46.019 --> 00:09:49.159 And you don't really know what's going on, but you hear it in the background. 00:09:50.099 --> 00:09:52.360 And sometimes I'll say, hey, what is y'all's problem? 00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:53.139 Oh, we're just talking. 00:09:53.240 --> 00:09:54.059 I'm like, no, you're not. 00:09:54.439 --> 00:09:56.779 That tone does not sound like you're just talking. 00:09:56.779 --> 00:10:01.439 I mean, the Pharisees are just that grumpy old man walking around like, murmur, murmur, murmur, murmur. 00:10:02.419 --> 00:10:04.740 That's how I picture murmuring in the Bible. 00:10:05.199 --> 00:10:06.919 You see, the children of Israel, they murmured. 00:10:07.100 --> 00:10:09.639 They complained in the wilderness about all the things. 00:10:09.860 --> 00:10:12.079 And the idea is they just kept complaining. 00:10:12.740 --> 00:10:13.980 It was constant. 00:10:14.279 --> 00:10:17.720 It was all the time when Jesus was doing these things. 00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:19.899 Why were they murmuring in this situation? 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:23.959 Because they said, this man received his sinners and eateth with them. 00:10:23.960 --> 00:10:29.120 He said, not only is he around these people, he's sharing a meal with these people. 00:10:29.740 --> 00:10:33.300 Now, we understand this may be not as much in our culture as it was in this day. 00:10:33.560 --> 00:10:36.480 When you had a meal with somebody, you were associating with them. 00:10:37.040 --> 00:10:38.019 I mean, this was a big deal. 00:10:38.100 --> 00:10:41.580 This was saying, hey, these are my friends and I enjoy their company. 00:10:42.259 --> 00:10:49.840 And they would look at it like, how can a so-called rabbi, how can the son of God, as he says he is, enjoy these people? 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:54.660 I mean, because publicans or tax collectors were especially despised. 00:10:55.340 --> 00:11:00.300 In the view of many, and especially the Pharisees, they had sold their soul to Rome. 00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:01.280 And that's kind of what they did. 00:11:02.120 --> 00:11:04.759 They were basically in cahoots with Rome. 00:11:04.940 --> 00:11:09.420 And they would buy a franchise, kind of like, you know, a fast food franchise. 00:11:09.560 --> 00:11:11.019 But it was a tax collecting franchise. 00:11:11.660 --> 00:11:12.840 And they would set a booth up. 00:11:12.860 --> 00:11:15.600 And they would gather the taxes for Rome. 00:11:16.040 --> 00:11:18.120 But then they would also just take whatever they wanted. 00:11:18.120 --> 00:11:21.759 Because Rome would give them a quota and say, hey, here's what you got to get. 00:11:21.980 --> 00:11:26.860 But they were known for getting that and then taking a bunch off the top and putting it in their pocket. 00:11:27.399 --> 00:11:28.679 We're going to meet a man like that. 00:11:28.720 --> 00:11:29.620 His name is Zacchaeus. 00:11:29.960 --> 00:11:31.679 He was a great publican. 00:11:32.080 --> 00:11:34.659 I mean, he was the head of the tax collectors, so to speak. 00:11:35.759 --> 00:11:39.139 So when the Pharisees looked at these people, all they saw was problems. 00:11:39.820 --> 00:11:41.700 All they saw was wrongdoing. 00:11:42.139 --> 00:11:44.980 All they saw was just awful, awful people. 00:11:44.980 --> 00:11:48.340 But Jesus saw them and he saw their soul. 00:11:49.279 --> 00:11:50.840 He realized they needed something. 00:11:51.420 --> 00:11:52.620 They were searching for something. 00:11:52.820 --> 00:11:53.980 And they were trying to find it in this. 00:11:54.060 --> 00:11:55.159 And they were trying to find it in that. 00:11:55.460 --> 00:11:57.379 And there was no hope for them. 00:11:57.480 --> 00:12:00.039 But Jesus was continually giving them hope. 00:12:01.259 --> 00:12:04.980 But here's what makes their criticism, and it's going to help us understand this here in a minute, 00:12:05.440 --> 00:12:06.840 makes it even more tragic, 00:12:07.720 --> 00:12:11.720 is these Pharisees were supposed to be helpers. 00:12:11.720 --> 00:12:17.080 This religious establishment, it goes back, and God was the one that originally established it. 00:12:17.279 --> 00:12:19.800 Now they had perverted it and made it about themselves. 00:12:20.720 --> 00:12:24.040 But according to Ezekiel 34, these were the spiritual leaders, 00:12:24.340 --> 00:12:26.879 and they were supposed to shepherd God's people. 00:12:27.460 --> 00:12:29.259 They were to guide them to God. 00:12:29.440 --> 00:12:31.700 They were to lead them to the places they needed to. 00:12:31.920 --> 00:12:35.320 They could learn from the Word of God, and they could know who God is. 00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:40.820 But what Jesus is doing is he's calling them on the carpet because they had failed miserably. 00:12:41.720 --> 00:12:44.740 Instead of caring for the sheep, here's what they cared for, themselves. 00:12:46.440 --> 00:12:48.040 That's their number one priority. 00:12:48.879 --> 00:12:53.280 Instead of seeking the wandering, instead of seeking the lost sheep, 00:12:53.379 --> 00:12:54.620 they just ignored them. 00:12:55.220 --> 00:12:56.940 Because they said, we don't have time for that. 00:12:58.540 --> 00:13:00.320 Nobody wants to mess with that. 00:13:00.320 --> 00:13:04.900 And in response to that in Ezekiel 34, 11, God said this, 00:13:05.020 --> 00:13:11.540 Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep and seek them out. 00:13:12.379 --> 00:13:17.240 What God was promising in Ezekiel 34 is if the shepherds wouldn't do their job, 00:13:17.420 --> 00:13:18.379 he would do their job. 00:13:19.560 --> 00:13:22.560 And that's exactly what is taking place here. 00:13:22.760 --> 00:13:25.280 That this is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy 00:13:25.279 --> 00:13:29.019 that Jesus is eating with sinners and receiving outcasts, 00:13:29.019 --> 00:13:30.399 and he's seeking the lost. 00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:35.139 See, the Pharisees, they thought, what kind of scandal is this? 00:13:35.759 --> 00:13:38.740 And Jesus is saying, this is prophecy being filled right in front of your eyes. 00:13:39.339 --> 00:13:40.620 That I am the good shepherd. 00:13:40.899 --> 00:13:42.899 We see that Jesus calls himself that. 00:13:43.959 --> 00:13:46.779 And so in response to their murmuring, in response to their complaining, 00:13:47.259 --> 00:13:48.579 Jesus gives two parables. 00:13:49.419 --> 00:13:53.639 He gives a parable of the lost, a man who loses a sheep and a woman who loses a coin. 00:13:53.639 --> 00:13:56.899 And the point of both parables is very simple, 00:13:57.100 --> 00:14:00.639 that something valuable has been lost, and it must be found. 00:14:01.439 --> 00:14:03.439 That's what Jesus wanted them to understand. 00:14:04.699 --> 00:14:06.939 Now, when we read about the man here with the sheep, 00:14:07.439 --> 00:14:10.659 a hundred sheep represented a fairly substantial flock. 00:14:11.259 --> 00:14:12.259 That's a lot of sheep. 00:14:13.100 --> 00:14:15.340 And the shepherd wasn't poor. 00:14:15.939 --> 00:14:21.000 On paper, I mean, maybe losing one sheep out of a hundred might not seem like a big deal. 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:24.580 And many shepherds may say, well, you still got 99. 00:14:25.320 --> 00:14:26.299 You're good, man. 00:14:27.620 --> 00:14:29.519 But the shepherd doesn't think in percentages. 00:14:29.720 --> 00:14:30.899 He thinks in value. 00:14:32.039 --> 00:14:36.500 Because Jesus shows us the value of one soul, of one person, 00:14:36.820 --> 00:14:38.460 that he's interested in just the one, 00:14:38.679 --> 00:14:41.240 that he's not saying, well, I got a bunch over here, so I don't need any more. 00:14:41.419 --> 00:14:44.820 No, Jesus says, I'll leave the 99 if it's just for one person. 00:14:44.820 --> 00:14:46.620 And we see that take place. 00:14:46.980 --> 00:14:51.100 Because every sheep matters, and the loss of one sheep mattered greatly to him. 00:14:52.020 --> 00:14:54.280 And likewise, we're going to see in just a moment that Jesus, 00:14:54.520 --> 00:14:58.740 when he turns to the woman in verse number 8, she loses one coin. 00:14:59.740 --> 00:15:02.900 Now, from what we can tell from the text, most likely she was not wealthy at all. 00:15:03.660 --> 00:15:06.740 This one coin would have represented about a day's wage. 00:15:07.520 --> 00:15:11.900 And for someone most likely living day to day, that's a pretty serious loss. 00:15:11.899 --> 00:15:15.360 That's your meal for the day. 00:15:15.779 --> 00:15:17.139 Maybe the meal for the next day. 00:15:17.819 --> 00:15:20.939 This wasn't a quarter lost in the couch cushions. 00:15:21.620 --> 00:15:23.199 No, this was something that mattered. 00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:25.579 So what's the point of the parables? 00:15:25.899 --> 00:15:29.319 That both people lost this something powerful, something valuable, 00:15:29.559 --> 00:15:33.519 but the reminder is that God still values every single person. 00:15:34.240 --> 00:15:35.139 Every single soul. 00:15:36.100 --> 00:15:39.720 Because we live in a world that assigns value based on usefulness. 00:15:39.720 --> 00:15:42.560 You know that because you have a job. 00:15:43.660 --> 00:15:45.399 You're there because you're useful. 00:15:46.080 --> 00:15:47.200 They're valued that way. 00:15:47.440 --> 00:15:53.720 We live in a world that assigns value based on popularity, or success, or status, or money. 00:15:55.080 --> 00:15:57.080 But God reminds us here in Luke 15, 00:15:57.980 --> 00:16:00.779 that he assigns value because every soul bears his image. 00:16:01.540 --> 00:16:04.660 You go all the way back to the beginning, we are created in the image of God. 00:16:04.659 --> 00:16:08.399 And he is willing and wanting to rescue that, 00:16:08.600 --> 00:16:12.240 which means there is no insignificant people on this planet. 00:16:13.199 --> 00:16:15.419 That every single soul is eternal. 00:16:16.100 --> 00:16:18.319 Every single soul matters. 00:16:19.179 --> 00:16:22.059 And he reminds us, and he was reminding the Pharisees in that day, 00:16:22.259 --> 00:16:23.480 that there are no throwaways. 00:16:23.620 --> 00:16:25.059 There are no hopeless cases. 00:16:25.219 --> 00:16:27.779 There's nobody too broken or too far gone. 00:16:28.679 --> 00:16:31.379 The Pharisees saw sinners, but Jesus said, 00:16:31.740 --> 00:16:32.679 I'm here for my sheep. 00:16:33.339 --> 00:16:35.299 I'm here as the good shepherd. 00:16:35.539 --> 00:16:38.179 And I don't know about you, but I'm thankful that Jesus is the good shepherd. 00:16:39.019 --> 00:16:42.459 I'm thankful when this sheep was lost, he came looking for me. 00:16:42.959 --> 00:16:46.480 That he came out and searched and searched and searched. 00:16:47.980 --> 00:16:50.620 And sometimes we give the Pharisees such a hard time. 00:16:51.919 --> 00:16:53.220 Think, man, what is their problem? 00:16:53.220 --> 00:16:56.540 But I think sometimes we can act just like the Pharisees. 00:16:57.580 --> 00:16:59.600 We can write people off really quick, can't we? 00:17:01.060 --> 00:17:02.360 You say, well, I tried one time. 00:17:03.220 --> 00:17:04.059 So what's the big deal? 00:17:04.140 --> 00:17:06.299 I mean, they're too far gone. 00:17:07.059 --> 00:17:12.519 I mean, we see addiction and we see rebellion and we see bad decisions and we label people. 00:17:13.900 --> 00:17:16.360 But what Jesus is reminding us, if we're going to follow him, 00:17:16.819 --> 00:17:19.720 if we're going to be his children, we're going to be on the same mission, 00:17:19.720 --> 00:17:23.079 we're going to have to have the same heart that the shepherd has. 00:17:24.440 --> 00:17:26.420 See, because the Pharisees, they were hirelings. 00:17:26.980 --> 00:17:29.140 You know, when it's not your sheep, it's not that big a deal. 00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:31.240 Eh, it's not that, they'll handle it. 00:17:31.519 --> 00:17:33.480 But when you put it in, you know, that's why, 00:17:33.539 --> 00:17:35.460 I guess that's why my dad made me buy stuff growing up. 00:17:35.779 --> 00:17:36.940 He's like, you have to earn it. 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:38.100 Because you know what? 00:17:38.180 --> 00:17:41.200 When I bought it with my money, I took a lot better care of it 00:17:41.200 --> 00:17:43.019 than when it was just kind of given to me. 00:17:44.440 --> 00:17:46.360 See, the Pharisees, they were just kind of given that, 00:17:46.559 --> 00:17:48.100 Jesus said, no, no, these are my sheep. 00:17:48.099 --> 00:17:52.719 And we must learn to see people the same way that Jesus does. 00:17:53.419 --> 00:17:57.299 Not as interruptions, not as problems, but somebody he loves. 00:17:58.339 --> 00:18:02.939 And maybe for you today, it's a prodigal child, it's a co-worker, it's a neighbor, 00:18:03.179 --> 00:18:05.399 it's somebody that everybody else has given up. 00:18:05.539 --> 00:18:09.139 But I just want to remind you, if they matter to God, then they should matter to us. 00:18:09.980 --> 00:18:11.639 That's what Jesus is teaching right here. 00:18:12.299 --> 00:18:15.439 He shows us the value of every single soul. 00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:20.259 Because before we were found, this is going to be super deep, we were lost. 00:18:21.740 --> 00:18:25.360 He wants us to remember, you know, my dad said, don't forget where you came from. 00:18:26.220 --> 00:18:30.059 Listen, when it comes to our salvation, when it comes to that we're in the family of God, 00:18:30.100 --> 00:18:33.180 if we know Christ our Savior, we don't need to forget where we came from. 00:18:34.059 --> 00:18:35.100 Because we were lost once. 00:18:35.820 --> 00:18:38.820 And Jesus sought us, and he found us, and he saved us. 00:18:38.819 --> 00:18:43.119 And so Jesus shows us that not only does he value every single soul, 00:18:43.460 --> 00:18:46.720 that he, number two, he actively seeks the lost. 00:18:48.359 --> 00:18:49.919 It's not when he has time. 00:18:50.659 --> 00:18:52.339 No, this is what he does. 00:18:53.059 --> 00:18:56.099 That he has come, and he came to seek and to save. 00:18:56.279 --> 00:18:59.379 The shepherd doesn't shrug his shoulder and say, hey, I still got 99. 00:18:59.740 --> 00:19:02.460 No, the woman doesn't say, well, I still got nine coins. 00:19:02.460 --> 00:19:07.779 No, the thought is this, that the lost demands action. 00:19:09.140 --> 00:19:11.440 God is not indifferent towards sinners. 00:19:12.380 --> 00:19:13.559 He pursues them. 00:19:14.200 --> 00:19:15.079 He seeks them. 00:19:15.299 --> 00:19:16.180 He searches them. 00:19:16.400 --> 00:19:20.900 Notice at the end of verse number four, until he find it. 00:19:22.360 --> 00:19:25.480 He didn't say the shepherd's going out there if he finds it. 00:19:26.460 --> 00:19:30.000 Hey, I'll search for a little while, because when it's not my keys, I'll search for a little while, 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:32.140 but if I can get where I need to go, like, I'll find it later. 00:19:33.160 --> 00:19:37.380 You know, it's not if he finds it, until the shepherd gets tired. 00:19:37.600 --> 00:19:40.920 No, a good shepherd searches for the sheep until they're found. 00:19:41.640 --> 00:19:43.420 There's no rest until it comes. 00:19:44.519 --> 00:19:45.960 Now, here's what we've got to understand about sheep. 00:19:46.900 --> 00:19:50.460 I think our modern-day society, we romanticize sheep. 00:19:50.980 --> 00:19:52.500 They look so cute and fluffy. 00:19:53.700 --> 00:19:54.559 They are dumb. 00:19:54.700 --> 00:19:55.680 Yeah, that's right, Brother John. 00:19:56.200 --> 00:19:57.259 They smell. 00:19:58.200 --> 00:20:00.019 You know, they cannot take care of themselves. 00:20:00.779 --> 00:20:03.879 They are absolutely helpless, defenseless. 00:20:04.579 --> 00:20:06.740 There's nothing a sheep can do to protect itself. 00:20:07.819 --> 00:20:09.039 They don't even know where to go. 00:20:09.579 --> 00:20:10.619 Some of you have seen that video. 00:20:10.700 --> 00:20:14.200 I saw it on Facebook, where the sheep, it's running, and it jumps in the ditch. 00:20:14.200 --> 00:20:19.620 And the shepherd goes and picks it up, and he sets it right out there, and it runs, and it jumps in the ditch. 00:20:21.220 --> 00:20:22.960 I felt very seen in that video. 00:20:24.039 --> 00:20:26.480 I was like, is that what I look like, Lord? 00:20:26.740 --> 00:20:28.580 He's like, sometimes that's what you look like. 00:20:28.579 --> 00:20:31.199 But that's what sheep do. 00:20:32.259 --> 00:20:33.799 The sheep are helpless creatures. 00:20:34.119 --> 00:20:36.000 They have a very poor sense of direction. 00:20:36.439 --> 00:20:42.899 Unless the shepherd is leading them, unless the shepherd is guiding them, unless he's telling them what to do, they have no idea. 00:20:43.139 --> 00:20:45.619 They are completely dependent upon the shepherd. 00:20:46.859 --> 00:20:48.220 And the shepherd knows that. 00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:54.680 He knows if he doesn't go and find the sheep, the sheep are not coming home. 00:20:55.600 --> 00:20:56.819 They're going to be lost forever. 00:20:57.240 --> 00:20:58.259 They're going to be in that ditch. 00:20:58.339 --> 00:20:59.059 They're going to die. 00:20:59.500 --> 00:21:01.079 They're going to be completely helpless. 00:21:01.380 --> 00:21:05.059 And he's just teaching us this truth, that the lost must be found. 00:21:05.059 --> 00:21:08.779 So the shepherd leaves the 99, and he begins searching. 00:21:09.059 --> 00:21:14.579 He goes across the hills, and the valleys, and the rocks, and the thorns, until he finds it. 00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:17.919 But here's what I love about when the shepherd finds it. 00:21:18.519 --> 00:21:19.079 Verse 5, 00:21:19.679 --> 00:21:22.839 And when he had found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 00:21:25.039 --> 00:21:30.179 You know, when the Lord found me, he didn't say, what is your problem, man? 00:21:31.899 --> 00:21:33.200 No, he picked me up. 00:21:33.200 --> 00:21:37.500 He put me on his shoulders, and he carried me home. 00:21:38.259 --> 00:21:39.559 That's what Jesus does. 00:21:40.180 --> 00:21:41.400 That he doesn't scold. 00:21:41.660 --> 00:21:43.779 He didn't come to me and say, where have you been? 00:21:44.200 --> 00:21:46.059 No, no, I hope that you understand it. 00:21:46.180 --> 00:21:48.539 This is a beautiful picture of salvation. 00:21:49.340 --> 00:21:51.880 And we need to be reminded that sheep don't carry themselves home. 00:21:52.100 --> 00:21:53.140 The shepherd does. 00:21:53.700 --> 00:21:57.360 And Jesus doesn't simply point us to home and say, hey, good luck. 00:21:58.360 --> 00:21:59.779 No, no, he came. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:01.319 He bears our burdens. 00:22:01.319 --> 00:22:02.960 He carries us by grace. 00:22:03.700 --> 00:22:09.000 And I think maybe there's some people just need to be reminded this morning that Jesus Christ didn't come stop looking for you. 00:22:09.000 --> 00:22:13.619 I'd imagine in a room this size, some of you may have ran for years. 00:22:14.859 --> 00:22:15.960 And the shepherd was pursuing. 00:22:16.700 --> 00:22:18.539 Some of you may have wandered far. 00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:20.359 Some of you may have resisted his voice. 00:22:20.500 --> 00:22:21.519 But he kept pursuing. 00:22:21.759 --> 00:22:22.640 And he kept convicting. 00:22:22.859 --> 00:22:23.660 And he kept drawing. 00:22:23.859 --> 00:22:24.579 And he kept working. 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:26.259 And one day he found you. 00:22:26.559 --> 00:22:29.279 And it changed your life forever. 00:22:29.980 --> 00:22:32.880 I don't know about you, but I'm thankful he kept looking for me. 00:22:32.880 --> 00:22:35.240 Not because we're looking for him. 00:22:35.420 --> 00:22:37.920 Because he came for that reason. 00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:42.320 See, if you're saved this morning, you know Christ is your Savior. 00:22:42.700 --> 00:22:44.500 Your testimony is not God found you. 00:22:44.759 --> 00:22:46.860 No, it's God wasn't lost. 00:22:46.980 --> 00:22:47.400 You were. 00:22:48.720 --> 00:22:50.600 I was lost. 00:22:50.920 --> 00:22:52.320 I didn't know I was for a while. 00:22:52.319 --> 00:22:54.619 But he gave us his word. 00:22:55.500 --> 00:22:57.059 And he shows us how much he loves us. 00:22:57.980 --> 00:23:00.539 See, your testimony, if you know Christ, is he sought you. 00:23:01.919 --> 00:23:03.720 He brought people into your life. 00:23:04.439 --> 00:23:08.299 He orchestrated circumstances that you may have thought, this is the worst thing that's ever happened in my life. 00:23:09.019 --> 00:23:10.000 But you know what God was doing? 00:23:10.519 --> 00:23:11.720 He was searching for you. 00:23:12.599 --> 00:23:19.419 I would imagine the majority of you that know Christ is your Savior, you can look back and you can see God's fingerprints all over these things. 00:23:19.420 --> 00:23:23.180 And many of you are sitting in this church today because of that. 00:23:23.680 --> 00:23:26.720 It's not because you just randomly, well, you know, I'd say, hey, how did you hear about our church? 00:23:26.960 --> 00:23:27.640 Oh, the website. 00:23:27.820 --> 00:23:28.460 No, no. 00:23:28.560 --> 00:23:29.120 Here's what it was. 00:23:29.420 --> 00:23:30.580 God is searching for you. 00:23:31.340 --> 00:23:32.759 God is seeking for the sheep. 00:23:32.960 --> 00:23:34.120 And he's looking for ways. 00:23:34.200 --> 00:23:35.200 And he's looking for opportunities. 00:23:35.500 --> 00:23:37.640 And when he comes, he convicts your heart. 00:23:37.740 --> 00:23:39.360 Not because he's trying to make you feel terrible. 00:23:39.580 --> 00:23:41.220 No, because he's trying to open your eyes. 00:23:41.759 --> 00:23:43.200 That we need him. 00:23:43.779 --> 00:23:47.279 And if he had not come after you, you'd still be lost. 00:23:47.279 --> 00:23:50.660 And we see that same idea in the second parable. 00:23:51.700 --> 00:23:56.460 I mean, this poor woman, she turned her house upside down to find the lost coin. 00:23:57.379 --> 00:23:59.279 Many houses in these days wouldn't have windows. 00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:01.779 And so there'd be very little light. 00:24:01.859 --> 00:24:04.000 But she lights a candle and she takes a broom. 00:24:04.299 --> 00:24:06.200 And the Bible tells us she begins to sweep the floor. 00:24:06.680 --> 00:24:09.420 The floor would have been dirt, but they would have put hay all over it. 00:24:09.680 --> 00:24:11.420 You ever try to find a needle in a haystack? 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:12.799 Kind of hard. 00:24:13.539 --> 00:24:14.399 Especially these coins. 00:24:14.460 --> 00:24:15.460 They're not very big coins. 00:24:15.460 --> 00:24:17.980 It wasn't this big giant silver dollar kind of thing. 00:24:18.200 --> 00:24:22.380 And she's looking and she's searching every corner, every crevice. 00:24:22.500 --> 00:24:23.620 She's on her hands and knees. 00:24:23.740 --> 00:24:28.120 I mean, she turns the house upside down and refuses to stop until she finds it. 00:24:30.079 --> 00:24:33.140 See, Jesus is just showing us the shepherd's persistence. 00:24:33.539 --> 00:24:35.140 He's showing us the woman's persistence. 00:24:35.440 --> 00:24:36.660 And here's what they both reveal. 00:24:36.920 --> 00:24:38.019 The persistence of heaven. 00:24:39.799 --> 00:24:42.120 That God is not tired from searching for sinners. 00:24:42.119 --> 00:24:46.359 No, that's the only reason he hasn't come back, by the way. 00:24:47.079 --> 00:24:47.899 Because that's what he's on. 00:24:48.339 --> 00:24:49.199 He's still seeking. 00:24:49.559 --> 00:24:50.459 He's still searching. 00:24:50.739 --> 00:24:52.019 That God pursues. 00:24:52.219 --> 00:24:54.859 He doesn't passively wait with folded arms. 00:24:55.099 --> 00:24:58.039 See, and this idea would have been mind-boggling to these people. 00:24:59.079 --> 00:25:02.419 That God would pursue people like publicans? 00:25:03.259 --> 00:25:04.439 How dare he? 00:25:05.320 --> 00:25:09.880 I mean, they, even these religious people, they viewed God as distant. 00:25:11.000 --> 00:25:16.680 That if we just work hard enough and hopefully when it all pans out, we would have done enough to make it. 00:25:17.279 --> 00:25:22.160 You know, we trusted in the law and we checked the boxes and we went to church and we did all these things. 00:25:22.420 --> 00:25:24.600 But Jesus says, here's what God actually looks like. 00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:25.640 He's coming for you. 00:25:26.400 --> 00:25:29.140 And Jesus was coming for these Pharisees, by the way, too. 00:25:29.539 --> 00:25:30.220 He loved them. 00:25:30.220 --> 00:25:34.000 See, they thought sinners had to find their way to God. 00:25:35.200 --> 00:25:38.160 What Jesus reminds us is that God comes searching for them. 00:25:39.360 --> 00:25:41.180 That's why Jesus is eating with them. 00:25:42.000 --> 00:25:44.640 He wasn't sympathizing with their sin. 00:25:45.480 --> 00:25:47.380 He wasn't condoning how they lived. 00:25:47.700 --> 00:25:50.240 No, he was saying, listen, I want to change your life. 00:25:51.220 --> 00:25:54.539 He was showing them that they were the mission. 00:25:54.539 --> 00:25:59.279 That's the whole thought of the gospel of Luke. 00:25:59.859 --> 00:26:02.559 Luke 19.10 is the main verse of this whole book. 00:26:02.859 --> 00:26:07.859 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. 00:26:08.960 --> 00:26:11.659 Jesus didn't do that casually every once in a while. 00:26:11.879 --> 00:26:13.200 And he didn't do it on Sundays and Wednesdays. 00:26:13.359 --> 00:26:15.399 That's why Jesus did every single day. 00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:18.000 And that's what we see there in the gospels. 00:26:18.619 --> 00:26:19.740 That's why he left heaven. 00:26:20.059 --> 00:26:21.339 That's why he took on flesh. 00:26:21.339 --> 00:26:22.819 That's why he went to the cross. 00:26:23.159 --> 00:26:25.480 Because he loves lost people. 00:26:26.899 --> 00:26:28.319 Preacher, how does that apply to us? 00:26:29.519 --> 00:26:31.919 Well, number one, if you're lost, you need to come to him. 00:26:32.779 --> 00:26:33.659 He's right here. 00:26:33.839 --> 00:26:34.879 He's knocking on your heart. 00:26:35.079 --> 00:26:39.139 But if you know him as your savior, he just reminds us that we should be on the same mission. 00:26:40.199 --> 00:26:42.959 Are we actively seeking the lost? 00:26:43.959 --> 00:26:46.839 Have we maybe stopped praying for the lost? 00:26:47.459 --> 00:26:49.859 Have we maybe stopped loving them like we once did? 00:26:49.859 --> 00:26:51.859 Have we stopped sharing the gospel? 00:26:53.019 --> 00:26:54.759 Because our God, here's what he does. 00:26:54.939 --> 00:26:56.879 He specializes in finding lost people. 00:26:58.359 --> 00:27:00.459 Some of you may be not good at hide and seek. 00:27:01.619 --> 00:27:02.000 You know what? 00:27:02.119 --> 00:27:03.419 I thought I was a really good hider. 00:27:04.179 --> 00:27:05.919 Turns out my sister just got tired of looking. 00:27:07.639 --> 00:27:09.079 I'm like, man, I am the champ. 00:27:09.799 --> 00:27:12.139 I go in there and she's like, mom's got her a snack. 00:27:12.559 --> 00:27:14.599 I'm like, I thought we were still playing the game. 00:27:14.599 --> 00:27:19.039 Listen, God is calling us to go into all the world. 00:27:19.859 --> 00:27:22.000 The problem is, is some of us are, we're eating a snack. 00:27:22.639 --> 00:27:25.379 We're like, hey man, I tried, but it was really hard. 00:27:26.039 --> 00:27:27.740 I'm so thankful God didn't do that with me. 00:27:28.439 --> 00:27:29.679 He didn't just give up on me. 00:27:30.879 --> 00:27:32.899 I mean, because if we want to get real honest, we complain about culture. 00:27:33.299 --> 00:27:34.799 We complain about the darkness in this world. 00:27:34.879 --> 00:27:37.240 We complain about how bad people are and how bad it's becoming. 00:27:37.419 --> 00:27:38.339 But here's what Jesus says. 00:27:38.539 --> 00:27:39.379 Why don't you go find them? 00:27:40.439 --> 00:27:41.919 Why don't you go tell them that somebody loves them? 00:27:41.920 --> 00:27:45.340 Why don't you go tell them there's a good shepherd that wants to take care of them? 00:27:46.660 --> 00:27:47.759 Because here's something about sheep. 00:27:47.820 --> 00:27:48.680 They don't know they're lost. 00:27:49.640 --> 00:27:50.820 They're just wandering around. 00:27:51.940 --> 00:27:54.220 They're just there until the shepherd comes and tells them what to do. 00:27:55.600 --> 00:27:56.960 And if we have the heart of the shepherd, 00:27:57.740 --> 00:28:00.100 then we shouldn't be able to sit by comfortably in the fold 00:28:00.100 --> 00:28:02.759 while lost sheep are perishing all around us. 00:28:03.279 --> 00:28:04.180 We must love. 00:28:04.279 --> 00:28:04.880 We must pray. 00:28:04.980 --> 00:28:05.920 We must go. 00:28:07.920 --> 00:28:09.539 See, but the story doesn't end with the search. 00:28:09.539 --> 00:28:12.960 Because both searches, whether it's for the sheep or the coin, 00:28:13.220 --> 00:28:14.399 they're moving towards something. 00:28:14.619 --> 00:28:15.539 And here's what they're moving towards. 00:28:15.879 --> 00:28:16.220 Joy. 00:28:17.220 --> 00:28:22.139 And that's what we see lastly, that God rejoices when the lost are found. 00:28:23.039 --> 00:28:24.500 Notice that word in verse number five. 00:28:24.920 --> 00:28:27.639 He layeth it on his shoulders rejoicing. 00:28:27.640 --> 00:28:31.680 And he's got so much joy in his life that he found this sheep 00:28:31.680 --> 00:28:33.540 that he can't even keep it to himself. 00:28:33.800 --> 00:28:35.840 He comes home and he calls all his friends saying, 00:28:35.960 --> 00:28:39.960 hey, you should rejoice with me because the sheep that was lost is found. 00:28:40.680 --> 00:28:42.240 And here's the amazing thing. 00:28:42.520 --> 00:28:47.420 Jesus says, when that happens, all of heaven rejoices. 00:28:48.420 --> 00:28:50.800 That it's not just something that happens in our life 00:28:50.800 --> 00:28:51.960 and something that happens personally. 00:28:51.960 --> 00:28:57.360 No, I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, 00:28:57.480 --> 00:29:01.299 more than over ninety and nine just persons who need no repentance. 00:29:02.860 --> 00:29:04.220 Heaven's not just seeking. 00:29:04.539 --> 00:29:05.519 God's not just searching. 00:29:05.799 --> 00:29:08.160 No, he celebrates when a sinner comes home. 00:29:08.860 --> 00:29:09.559 We're going to see it. 00:29:09.700 --> 00:29:12.079 And many of you will be familiar with the prodigal son. 00:29:12.539 --> 00:29:14.160 We're going to see what heaven does, 00:29:14.340 --> 00:29:17.860 that the father rejoices when those that were lost are found. 00:29:18.019 --> 00:29:20.759 And the same rejoicing is found in the story of the woman. 00:29:20.759 --> 00:29:25.079 And once again, what Jesus says is he takes us from earth to heaven. 00:29:25.200 --> 00:29:28.619 He says, I say unto you there is joy in the presence of the angels of God 00:29:28.619 --> 00:29:32.079 over one sinner that repenteth. 00:29:34.480 --> 00:29:37.079 What Jesus is doing is he's contrasting. 00:29:37.680 --> 00:29:41.539 We've got the Pharisees over here grumbling over these sinners. 00:29:42.140 --> 00:29:43.279 You know what heaven does over sinners? 00:29:43.839 --> 00:29:44.359 Rejoices. 00:29:45.500 --> 00:29:50.180 The religious crowd, they were complaining about how dare he eat a meal 00:29:50.180 --> 00:29:54.500 and God is celebrating that one day we're going to all sit down at the same table. 00:29:54.500 --> 00:29:58.340 And then we're all going to have a feast one another. 00:29:58.740 --> 00:30:00.700 See, the Pharisees just saw a problem. 00:30:00.960 --> 00:30:03.160 But heaven says, listen, I'm looking for victory. 00:30:03.880 --> 00:30:05.580 That's what Jesus is searching for. 00:30:06.940 --> 00:30:10.100 The Pharisees said, this man receiveth sinners. 00:30:10.340 --> 00:30:11.779 And here's what heaven's response is. 00:30:12.039 --> 00:30:12.720 Praise God. 00:30:13.120 --> 00:30:13.720 He does. 00:30:13.720 --> 00:30:17.220 Because we're all just sinners saved by grace. 00:30:18.039 --> 00:30:19.720 That's how we come to God. 00:30:19.720 --> 00:30:26.299 And it's just the very people that religion wanted to avoid were the people that heaven celebrated. 00:30:27.339 --> 00:30:29.720 What an incredible picture of the heart of God. 00:30:30.539 --> 00:30:32.240 That's what these first ten verses really are. 00:30:33.860 --> 00:30:36.500 And we're almost done, but I just want to slow it down right here for just a second. 00:30:36.500 --> 00:30:39.799 And I want us just to picture what Jesus is saying. 00:30:41.099 --> 00:30:45.160 That God himself delights in redemption. 00:30:45.960 --> 00:30:47.539 He delights in rescue. 00:30:48.460 --> 00:30:48.680 Why? 00:30:48.920 --> 00:30:51.700 Because it displays the glory of his grace. 00:30:53.720 --> 00:30:56.619 God doesn't just tolerate sinners. 00:30:57.599 --> 00:31:00.279 He rejoices over them. 00:31:01.220 --> 00:31:04.180 He didn't say, well, I guess if you want to come, you can come. 00:31:04.180 --> 00:31:06.460 No, he seeks. 00:31:07.120 --> 00:31:07.880 He finds. 00:31:08.340 --> 00:31:09.259 He rejoices. 00:31:09.740 --> 00:31:11.360 And he calls us to be a part of it. 00:31:11.560 --> 00:31:14.060 And I think it really should change the way that we think about God. 00:31:14.880 --> 00:31:22.060 Listen, we live in a world that maybe people imagine God sitting in heaven with folded arms and saying, well, you messed up again. 00:31:23.560 --> 00:31:26.259 I don't think that's the picture that the Bible paints of God. 00:31:27.039 --> 00:31:27.900 Yes, is he just? 00:31:28.019 --> 00:31:30.140 Is he going to execute righteousness? 00:31:30.580 --> 00:31:31.019 Absolutely. 00:31:31.019 --> 00:31:31.200 Absolutely. 00:31:32.200 --> 00:31:35.180 But he also delights in saving sinners. 00:31:35.460 --> 00:31:37.059 He delights in restoring people. 00:31:37.299 --> 00:31:40.299 He delights in bringing his children home. 00:31:42.619 --> 00:31:44.960 Maybe as a parent you've been in this situation before. 00:31:45.299 --> 00:31:49.480 You get separated from your parents and your children in a crowded store. 00:31:50.519 --> 00:31:53.400 You know, for maybe a moment you're okay, but then panic sets in. 00:31:53.400 --> 00:31:57.400 The parents, you're searching frantically. 00:31:57.960 --> 00:32:01.920 I've been in there before where it's like, well, Tyler Bettner plays come to the customer service desk. 00:32:03.780 --> 00:32:09.080 You know, I'm hiding like in a rack, you know, that you're never supposed to climb under because my mom said they'll fall and crush you. 00:32:09.780 --> 00:32:10.660 Anybody else's parents? 00:32:10.660 --> 00:32:17.380 I haven't seen any news reports of kids getting crushed, but apparently I also told my kids that. 00:32:17.680 --> 00:32:19.360 So it's not me lying. 00:32:19.500 --> 00:32:20.220 It's nonny. 00:32:20.320 --> 00:32:21.560 So that's what's going on there. 00:32:22.779 --> 00:32:26.880 I mean, but I've been in there and I've seen it where employees are getting involved and everybody's looking. 00:32:26.880 --> 00:32:28.620 And finally the child's found. 00:32:30.120 --> 00:32:31.540 Who rejoices more? 00:32:32.420 --> 00:32:34.720 The child or the parent? 00:32:35.660 --> 00:32:37.480 I would say both are overwhelmed. 00:32:38.340 --> 00:32:39.220 Both are relieved. 00:32:39.920 --> 00:32:43.100 But often the joy of the parent is even greater. 00:32:44.020 --> 00:32:45.700 Because the kid's like, hey, I'm okay. 00:32:46.640 --> 00:32:47.500 You know what the parent was doing? 00:32:48.000 --> 00:32:51.060 Searching, seeking, actively trying to find. 00:32:51.180 --> 00:32:52.660 Because the value of that child. 00:32:53.080 --> 00:32:54.480 How much they loved him. 00:32:54.480 --> 00:32:59.599 And it's wonderful when we think that God has that same type of joy. 00:33:01.019 --> 00:33:05.599 That the creator of the universe had that joy when I said, Lord, I'm a sinner. 00:33:05.680 --> 00:33:06.400 Would you forgive me? 00:33:06.960 --> 00:33:09.460 He had been searching and he had placed people in my life. 00:33:09.740 --> 00:33:11.519 And my story is kind of, it's crazy. 00:33:11.599 --> 00:33:12.700 I grew up in church all the time. 00:33:12.799 --> 00:33:14.319 But we had moved back to Texas. 00:33:14.400 --> 00:33:15.279 We were trying to find a church. 00:33:15.380 --> 00:33:16.599 And so we had some friends from Tyler. 00:33:16.920 --> 00:33:18.099 We lived in the Metroplex. 00:33:18.720 --> 00:33:21.299 They invited us to this ski camp in Colorado. 00:33:22.180 --> 00:33:23.460 I go to this ski camp in Colorado. 00:33:23.460 --> 00:33:27.400 There's a church from Louisville that's like 10 minutes down the road from my house that we hadn't visited yet. 00:33:28.200 --> 00:33:30.120 And God started placing all these people in my life. 00:33:30.299 --> 00:33:34.940 And just a long story short, God used those people in that church. 00:33:35.140 --> 00:33:39.120 And put a youth pastor in my life named Dan Preston that just poured into me. 00:33:39.220 --> 00:33:40.400 And led me to the Lord. 00:33:40.579 --> 00:33:43.059 And still is actively in my life today. 00:33:43.259 --> 00:33:45.500 And it's just the fingerprints of God all around. 00:33:45.500 --> 00:33:49.519 And God rejoiced that somebody was actively seeking. 00:33:49.640 --> 00:33:53.059 And somebody was just doing their job and serving where he placed him. 00:33:53.240 --> 00:33:55.119 And he was just preaching to teenagers. 00:33:55.220 --> 00:33:56.960 And he thought, I don't know if any teenagers are ever going to get it. 00:33:57.119 --> 00:33:58.539 I'm thankful he preached. 00:33:59.339 --> 00:34:00.500 Because God used him. 00:34:03.240 --> 00:34:05.720 Hebrews tells us that Jesus endured the cross. 00:34:05.720 --> 00:34:09.639 For the joy that was set before him. 00:34:09.639 --> 00:34:10.780 You know what part of that joy was? 00:34:11.340 --> 00:34:13.619 Bringing lost sinners home. 00:34:14.460 --> 00:34:15.320 You know what that joy was? 00:34:15.840 --> 00:34:16.159 You. 00:34:17.099 --> 00:34:17.579 Me. 00:34:18.260 --> 00:34:20.800 Coming to the realization that he loves us. 00:34:21.440 --> 00:34:23.019 That he's been seeking for us. 00:34:23.019 --> 00:34:28.340 See, if heaven rejoices when sinners repent, shouldn't we? 00:34:29.199 --> 00:34:30.539 Shouldn't we be excited about it? 00:34:31.719 --> 00:34:36.179 If God delights in seeing lives transform, shouldn't we be delighted in that? 00:34:36.940 --> 00:34:37.860 Shouldn't we be excited? 00:34:38.000 --> 00:34:38.500 Shouldn't we be on board? 00:34:38.659 --> 00:34:40.019 I mean, we can rejoice over things. 00:34:40.079 --> 00:34:41.380 And I'm thankful for buildings. 00:34:41.460 --> 00:34:42.679 And I'm thankful for good attendance. 00:34:42.800 --> 00:34:44.119 I'm thankful for programs. 00:34:44.340 --> 00:34:46.579 But do we rejoice over souls like that? 00:34:47.259 --> 00:34:48.579 Is that what we're seeking? 00:34:49.039 --> 00:34:50.460 Is that what we're searching for? 00:34:50.460 --> 00:34:52.659 Do we rejoice when prodigals come home? 00:34:52.659 --> 00:34:53.940 When addicts are delivered? 00:34:54.219 --> 00:34:56.440 When we celebrate when broken people are restored? 00:34:56.679 --> 00:34:57.879 Because heaven does. 00:34:58.799 --> 00:35:00.239 That's what heaven's looking for. 00:35:01.359 --> 00:35:07.079 And see, if our hearts are aligned with God's heart, we will rejoice over the things that bring him joy. 00:35:08.179 --> 00:35:09.779 That's what Jesus is teaching us right here. 00:35:11.579 --> 00:35:16.279 See, as we step back and look at these two parables together, one truth becomes impossible to miss. 00:35:16.899 --> 00:35:22.079 That the lost sheep and the lost coin, neither could recover itself. 00:35:22.659 --> 00:35:24.639 Neither could find its way home. 00:35:25.639 --> 00:35:29.019 Both required somebody to search for it. 00:35:30.079 --> 00:35:32.639 See, the shepherd searched because the sheep matter. 00:35:33.839 --> 00:35:36.359 The woman searched because the coin mattered. 00:35:37.500 --> 00:35:40.639 And God searched because people matter. 00:35:41.279 --> 00:35:42.480 Because sinners matter. 00:35:43.359 --> 00:35:44.399 Because you matter. 00:35:44.400 --> 00:35:51.900 See, we can rejoice today because there's a God who values the lost. 00:35:52.579 --> 00:35:53.880 Who seeks the lost. 00:35:54.680 --> 00:35:56.579 There's a God that rejoices when they're found. 00:35:58.039 --> 00:35:59.840 See, everybody in this room began the same way. 00:36:00.860 --> 00:36:01.280 Lost. 00:36:01.280 --> 00:36:09.240 The Bible tells us in Isaiah, all we like sheep have gone astray. 00:36:10.019 --> 00:36:11.400 We were out wandering. 00:36:12.060 --> 00:36:12.740 No hope. 00:36:13.100 --> 00:36:13.880 No chance. 00:36:15.519 --> 00:36:20.060 Paul tells us in Romans chapter 3, there is none righteous, no not one. 00:36:20.460 --> 00:36:22.640 There is none that seeketh after God. 00:36:22.639 --> 00:36:25.960 But praise the Lord, he sought after us. 00:36:27.900 --> 00:36:29.519 See, these might have been parables. 00:36:30.420 --> 00:36:34.420 But I hope that you recognize we were the wandering sheep. 00:36:35.119 --> 00:36:36.579 We were the lost coin. 00:36:37.420 --> 00:36:39.019 We could not rescue ourselves. 00:36:40.239 --> 00:36:41.299 But God could. 00:36:42.659 --> 00:36:44.199 And because he could, he sought us. 00:36:44.500 --> 00:36:45.480 And he pursued us. 00:36:45.719 --> 00:36:46.699 And he found us. 00:36:47.139 --> 00:36:48.699 And he lifted us on his shoulders. 00:36:49.019 --> 00:36:50.319 And he brought us home. 00:36:50.320 --> 00:36:56.960 No wonder John Newton could say, amazing grace, how sweet the sound. 00:36:57.740 --> 00:36:59.320 That saved a wretch like me. 00:37:00.240 --> 00:37:03.280 I once was lost, but now I'm found. 00:37:03.700 --> 00:37:06.080 Was blind, but now I see. 00:37:06.960 --> 00:37:08.320 That's what Jesus teaches us here. 00:37:09.539 --> 00:37:11.440 The take-home thought is super simple this morning. 00:37:12.480 --> 00:37:15.800 If lost people matter to God, then they should matter to us. 00:37:15.800 --> 00:37:23.260 Because when our hearts begin to reflect the heart of the shepherd, we stop seeing people as interruptions. 00:37:23.600 --> 00:37:24.940 We stop seeing people as problems. 00:37:25.100 --> 00:37:27.580 And we begin seeing them as souls. 00:37:28.720 --> 00:37:29.700 That's how God saw you. 00:37:30.640 --> 00:37:32.100 Would we live on that same mission? 00:37:32.880 --> 00:37:36.800 Would we seek the lost just like Christ saw us? 00:37:36.800 --> 00:37:38.460 Would you stand with your heads back? 00:37:38.460 --> 00:37:38.500 Would you stand with your heads back?