WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.040 Well, as Alastair mentioned, my name is Callum. 00:00:04.040 --> 00:00:09.080 I'm a student at Edinburgh Theological Seminary across the road, and I work here part-time 00:00:09.080 --> 00:00:10.080 for St. Columba's. 00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:14.280 And I want to begin before we jump into Luke 15, just with a brief apology that I've just 00:00:14.280 --> 00:00:16.280 got back last night from a week at camp. 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:17.440 I'm absolutely exhausted. 00:00:17.440 --> 00:00:19.199 I've got camp hangover. 00:00:19.199 --> 00:00:22.760 But hopefully together we can battle through this text and find out what God is teaching 00:00:22.760 --> 00:00:26.600 us through it, and we'll pray that His Spirit will help keep me awake. 00:00:26.600 --> 00:00:30.640 So if you have a Bible, Luke chapter 15, if you want to follow along, that might be helpful. 00:00:30.640 --> 00:00:32.640 Luke chapter 15. 00:00:32.640 --> 00:00:36.520 It's one of the most perhaps well-known chapters in the Bible. 00:00:36.520 --> 00:00:42.280 It's got one of the most well-known parables anyway, the parable of the prodigal son. 00:00:42.280 --> 00:00:46.760 And in Luke 15, we actually have Jesus telling us three stories, three parables. 00:00:46.760 --> 00:00:51.439 He tells us about a shepherd who goes looking for his lost sheep. 00:00:51.439 --> 00:00:56.040 He tells us about a woman who goes searching carefully for her lost coin. 00:00:56.039 --> 00:01:02.000 And he tells us about this father who is looking out in the distance for his lost son. 00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:06.599 I'm sure you all can relate to the feeling, the experience of having lost something. 00:01:06.599 --> 00:01:09.120 For me, it's something I experience on a regular basis. 00:01:09.120 --> 00:01:13.359 Every day I'm losing my phone, my wallet, my keys, my bag. 00:01:13.359 --> 00:01:14.680 Maybe some of you have pets. 00:01:14.680 --> 00:01:18.920 If you have a dog, you can perhaps relate to the feeling of searching for a dog that's 00:01:18.920 --> 00:01:21.439 managed to escape. 00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:25.840 I was staying last year with some friends, and they had this wonderful dog, this beautiful 00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:27.159 dog, this friendly dog. 00:01:27.159 --> 00:01:30.799 But this dog, the second you leave the door open, it would shoot out the door, and it 00:01:30.799 --> 00:01:31.799 would run away. 00:01:31.799 --> 00:01:35.840 And usually it would just run a few gardens away and find something interesting to sniff, 00:01:35.840 --> 00:01:38.120 and it would get excited by that, and it would stop. 00:01:38.120 --> 00:01:41.560 But there was one occasion when I was staying there, this dog managed to escape for a good 00:01:41.560 --> 00:01:42.560 four hours. 00:01:42.560 --> 00:01:46.400 And we were out looking throughout the surrounding towns, through the woods, through the local 00:01:46.400 --> 00:01:51.520 gardens, and down by the canal, and all the sorts of places this dog might like to go. 00:01:51.519 --> 00:01:56.159 And I wonder if you can relate to that feeling of a long, hard search for something, something 00:01:56.159 --> 00:01:58.280 you're afraid of losing. 00:01:58.280 --> 00:02:02.959 And this dog, we eventually found alive and well six hours later. 00:02:02.959 --> 00:02:03.959 This dog was a bit of an idiot. 00:02:03.959 --> 00:02:04.959 It was fine. 00:02:04.959 --> 00:02:07.959 It was safe, but we found it. 00:02:07.959 --> 00:02:11.400 And even if you don't have pets, I'm sure you can relate to that feeling of searching 00:02:11.400 --> 00:02:14.960 for something you think is lost, something you think is gone. 00:02:14.960 --> 00:02:20.599 And in Luke chapter 15, we have a picture for us of Jesus as a Savior who's on the search 00:02:20.599 --> 00:02:21.599 for lost people. 00:02:21.599 --> 00:02:25.560 And that's maybe something that seems obvious to you if you're a Christian. 00:02:25.560 --> 00:02:28.079 Jesus searches for lost people. 00:02:28.079 --> 00:02:30.000 But I think it's something we have to return to. 00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:31.439 We have to remind ourselves of. 00:02:31.439 --> 00:02:33.280 It's a wonderful truth. 00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:34.280 And that's what we're going to do this evening. 00:02:34.280 --> 00:02:36.799 We're going to think about it at two brief points. 00:02:36.799 --> 00:02:41.879 First of all, that Jesus is a Savior who reaches out to the lost. 00:02:41.879 --> 00:02:45.280 Maybe that seems obvious, but it's something Luke wants us to grasp in the whole of his 00:02:45.280 --> 00:02:46.280 gospel. 00:02:46.280 --> 00:02:51.159 And here, Jesus tells us three parables, three stories that are related to each other to 00:02:51.159 --> 00:02:53.280 make the same point. 00:02:53.280 --> 00:02:56.360 I think sometimes we can rip parables out of their context. 00:02:56.360 --> 00:03:01.439 And it's helpful for us to think, just first of all, why is Jesus telling us these stories? 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:06.080 Well, we see in verse one, it says that now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing 00:03:06.080 --> 00:03:07.439 near to hear him. 00:03:07.439 --> 00:03:12.599 And the Pharisees and the scribes, these religious leaders, they grumble, saying, this man receives 00:03:12.599 --> 00:03:16.639 sinners and eats with them. 00:03:16.639 --> 00:03:20.400 In other words, these religious leaders are not happy about the company that Jesus is 00:03:20.400 --> 00:03:21.400 choosing. 00:03:21.400 --> 00:03:26.479 They're not happy about the kind of people that Jesus is spending time with. 00:03:26.479 --> 00:03:30.519 Tax collectors and sinners in the ancient Near East, in Israel, were seen as people 00:03:30.519 --> 00:03:32.019 to be looked down on. 00:03:32.019 --> 00:03:33.479 They were seen as sinful. 00:03:33.479 --> 00:03:34.479 They were seen as unclean. 00:03:34.479 --> 00:03:36.719 They were actually seen as scum. 00:03:36.719 --> 00:03:39.519 See tax collectors, it's hard for us to get our head around today. 00:03:39.519 --> 00:03:40.519 Maybe it isn't. 00:03:40.520 --> 00:03:44.600 But in the ancient world, particularly, people who collected taxes would collaborate with 00:03:44.600 --> 00:03:45.600 the Roman authorities. 00:03:45.600 --> 00:03:48.600 They were seen as people who were betraying their nation. 00:03:48.600 --> 00:03:53.840 And not only is Jesus teaching this kind of people, he's spending time with them, he's 00:03:53.840 --> 00:03:57.360 eating with them, he's hanging out with them. 00:03:57.360 --> 00:04:00.640 And the point Luke makes in his gospel time and time again is that these are the kind 00:04:00.640 --> 00:04:03.240 of people Jesus has come for. 00:04:03.240 --> 00:04:07.520 People that society might have written off, people who are social outcasts, people who 00:04:07.520 --> 00:04:11.400 are morally and spiritually broken. 00:04:11.400 --> 00:04:15.160 And we see these Pharisees and the scribes, these great religious leaders, these people 00:04:15.160 --> 00:04:20.360 who think of themselves as great, people who think of themselves as morally altogether 00:04:20.360 --> 00:04:27.639 and sorted out, people who think that salvation is all about me and my performance. 00:04:27.639 --> 00:04:29.400 We see them grumbling. 00:04:29.400 --> 00:04:33.519 We see them complaining about the kind of people that Jesus is with, the kind of company 00:04:33.519 --> 00:04:35.600 that he's choosing. 00:04:35.600 --> 00:04:40.200 People who are essentially the down and outs, the dregs of society. 00:04:40.200 --> 00:04:41.520 So that's the context to these three stories. 00:04:41.520 --> 00:04:45.480 I think it's helpful to have that in our minds as we break them up and look at them. 00:04:45.480 --> 00:04:48.920 It's this question, what kind of people has Jesus come for? 00:04:48.920 --> 00:04:53.360 And I wonder how we would answer that this evening. 00:04:53.360 --> 00:04:57.120 Sometimes we think it's people who are like us, people who are religious, people who go 00:04:57.120 --> 00:05:02.000 to church, people maybe who are morally respectable. 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:07.279 This is why Jesus tells us these three stories, a story about a lost sheep, a lost coin, and 00:05:07.279 --> 00:05:09.839 a lost son, two lost sons. 00:05:09.839 --> 00:05:10.839 We'll come to that. 00:05:10.839 --> 00:05:13.959 And rather than working through them individually, I want us to think about them together kind 00:05:13.959 --> 00:05:19.439 of side by side, because really I think these three stories are driving home the same point. 00:05:19.439 --> 00:05:25.040 In each story we're being shown that Jesus is a Savior who has a heart for lost people. 00:05:25.040 --> 00:05:29.439 The first one is the shepherd who has a hundred sheep, but he leaves them all behind and goes 00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:32.480 off in search of this one lost sheep. 00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:35.959 And then he tells us another story about this woman who searched diligently and carefully 00:05:35.959 --> 00:05:39.040 through her house for a lost coin. 00:05:39.040 --> 00:05:43.379 And then we have the parable of the prodigal son, the son who wanders off, who wastes his 00:05:43.379 --> 00:05:47.839 life away, but his father is still looking out for him from a distance and welcomes him 00:05:47.839 --> 00:05:49.519 back with open arms. 00:05:49.519 --> 00:05:54.120 You see, each of these stories begins with something that's lost and ends with something 00:05:54.120 --> 00:05:56.120 found. 00:05:56.120 --> 00:06:00.680 The key point in these parables is not that God is our shepherd, it's not that God is 00:06:00.680 --> 00:06:01.680 our father. 00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:03.840 These are wonderful biblical truths. 00:06:03.840 --> 00:06:09.120 But the main point I think being made here is about God's heart for the lost. 00:06:09.120 --> 00:06:13.199 He will actively seek out lost people. 00:06:13.199 --> 00:06:17.079 Maybe this evening here in St. Columbus there is a lost sheep that God is guiding back into 00:06:17.079 --> 00:06:18.079 the flock. 00:06:18.079 --> 00:06:23.600 Or maybe one of your colleagues at work or your friend at uni or school is a lost coin 00:06:23.600 --> 00:06:28.680 that God is searching for. 00:06:28.680 --> 00:06:32.320 We're very quick, I think, to write people off as beyond the pale. 00:06:32.320 --> 00:06:36.760 In our minds sometimes we tell ourselves that a certain person is too far gone for God, 00:06:36.760 --> 00:06:39.360 that that person would never come to church. 00:06:39.360 --> 00:06:42.480 That colleague at work would never respond to the gospel if I started explaining it to 00:06:42.480 --> 00:06:44.879 them. 00:06:44.879 --> 00:06:49.280 Jesus says in Luke time and time again, I have not come to call the righteous but sinners 00:06:49.280 --> 00:06:51.280 to repentance. 00:06:51.279 --> 00:06:53.839 This is what we see when he's with the kiosk later on in chapter 19. 00:06:53.839 --> 00:06:59.279 He says, the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. 00:06:59.279 --> 00:07:03.799 And if we take a step back from Luke and we look at the whole Bible we see that this is 00:07:03.799 --> 00:07:06.279 really the big story of God's plan for redemption. 00:07:06.279 --> 00:07:10.839 We go all the way back to Genesis to the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve created in a good 00:07:10.839 --> 00:07:16.199 world, a world free from sin, a world where they're both free to enjoy a relationship 00:07:16.199 --> 00:07:18.719 with God and with each other. 00:07:18.720 --> 00:07:23.400 And Genesis 3 is this point where that is broken, where that perfect world is distorted 00:07:23.400 --> 00:07:27.920 and evil comes into the world through sin. 00:07:27.920 --> 00:07:31.760 The point there is human beings mess things up and disobey God and as a result become 00:07:31.760 --> 00:07:32.760 lost. 00:07:32.760 --> 00:07:36.120 But can you remember the first thing God says to them? 00:07:36.120 --> 00:07:40.000 The first thing God says to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3? 00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:41.800 It's not words of judgment. 00:07:41.800 --> 00:07:44.600 It's not words of anger or condemnation. 00:07:44.600 --> 00:07:49.879 The first thing God says to humanity after the fall is, where are you? 00:07:49.879 --> 00:07:52.320 Where are you? 00:07:52.320 --> 00:07:54.520 God seeks out humanity. 00:07:54.520 --> 00:07:56.960 That's incredible when you stop and think about it. 00:07:56.960 --> 00:08:01.080 They have rebelled against God which the penalty God has told us is death. 00:08:01.080 --> 00:08:04.640 God could have instantly obliterated us. 00:08:04.640 --> 00:08:06.720 That's not to say that our sin doesn't matter to God. 00:08:06.720 --> 00:08:11.080 It's not to say that Adam and Eve, their sin was something to be swept over. 00:08:11.079 --> 00:08:15.639 But sin is a massive problem to God. 00:08:15.639 --> 00:08:18.199 But his first words to humanity, where are you? 00:08:18.199 --> 00:08:19.800 He seeks us out. 00:08:19.800 --> 00:08:21.560 And this is what the rest of the Bible is all about. 00:08:21.560 --> 00:08:26.759 It's God's rescue plan to bring lost people back to himself, to seek out people who have 00:08:26.759 --> 00:08:28.680 actually turned away from him. 00:08:28.680 --> 00:08:34.319 You see, God wants to take people like you and me, people who have rejected him, people 00:08:34.319 --> 00:08:39.960 who are flawed, people who are inconsistent, people whose hearts have turned away time 00:08:39.960 --> 00:08:41.720 and time again. 00:08:41.720 --> 00:08:43.840 And he wants to bring us back. 00:08:43.840 --> 00:08:47.120 And that's an incredible, incredible thing to remind ourselves of. 00:08:47.120 --> 00:08:51.440 Our Savior reaches out to people who are lost. 00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:54.680 We read in Isaiah 53, our Alistair read it to us. 00:08:54.680 --> 00:08:56.960 We all like sheep have gone astray. 00:08:56.960 --> 00:08:59.879 We've all turned to our own way. 00:08:59.879 --> 00:09:03.879 There's no one who seeks God, Paul says in Romans chapter 3. 00:09:03.879 --> 00:09:04.879 All have turned away. 00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:07.040 They have together become worthless. 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:10.879 There is no one who does good, not even one. 00:09:10.879 --> 00:09:16.000 That's the reality that without God's grace in seeking out lost sinners, we are all in 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:19.639 that state. 00:09:19.639 --> 00:09:22.799 Jesus came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 00:09:22.799 --> 00:09:24.879 This is the theme in Luke repeated time and time again. 00:09:24.879 --> 00:09:30.079 He came to seek and save lost and broken people. 00:09:30.079 --> 00:09:34.079 In other words, Jesus didn't come for those who think they've got it all together. 00:09:34.080 --> 00:09:38.160 He didn't come for you if you think that you're morally sorted out. 00:09:38.160 --> 00:09:42.560 Jesus came for those who are broken, for those who are failures. 00:09:42.560 --> 00:09:45.480 And maybe he's seeking out people here this evening. 00:09:45.480 --> 00:09:48.560 Maybe you already know Jesus as your Lord and Savior. 00:09:48.560 --> 00:09:50.680 And maybe he's using you to reach others. 00:09:50.680 --> 00:09:54.520 So that's the first thing I want to think about in Luke 15. 00:09:54.520 --> 00:09:56.960 God searches for people who are lost. 00:09:56.960 --> 00:10:00.960 The second thing we learn in Luke 15, and I think this is the key point, he absolutely 00:10:00.960 --> 00:10:03.120 rejoices when we are found. 00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:08.080 You see, Luke is building this great contrast for us between the grumbling of the religious 00:10:08.080 --> 00:10:14.320 leaders, the complaining of the Pharisees and the scribes in verse two, with the absolute 00:10:14.320 --> 00:10:18.440 joy and delight of God. 00:10:18.440 --> 00:10:22.080 This chapter, when you look at it, when you break it down, is absolutely full of God's 00:10:22.080 --> 00:10:23.080 joy. 00:10:23.080 --> 00:10:24.960 That's the central theme repeated time and again. 00:10:24.960 --> 00:10:29.879 In verse five, after the shepherd finds his sheep, he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing. 00:10:29.879 --> 00:10:33.159 And when he comes home, it tells us he calls together his friends and his neighbors and 00:10:33.159 --> 00:10:37.759 he says to them, Rejoice with me, I have found my lost sheep. 00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:42.679 I tell you, Jesus says, in the same way, there'll be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner 00:10:42.679 --> 00:10:48.639 who repents than over 99 righteous people who do not need repentance. 00:10:48.639 --> 00:10:50.279 We see the same thing in verse nine. 00:10:50.279 --> 00:10:54.240 The woman finds her coin, she calls together her friends, she calls together her neighbors, 00:10:54.240 --> 00:10:58.840 and she says, Rejoice with me, I have found my lost coin. 00:10:58.840 --> 00:11:03.320 In the same way, I tell you, verse 10, there's rejoicing in the presence of the angels of 00:11:03.320 --> 00:11:07.000 God over one sinner who repents. 00:11:07.000 --> 00:11:09.600 We see the same thing again, a third time with the prodigal son. 00:11:09.600 --> 00:11:10.720 He returns home. 00:11:10.720 --> 00:11:14.879 The father says to his servants, Quick, bring the best robe and put it on him. 00:11:14.879 --> 00:11:17.840 Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 00:11:17.840 --> 00:11:20.399 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. 00:11:20.399 --> 00:11:23.560 Let's have a feast and celebrate. 00:11:23.560 --> 00:11:26.080 It's a vivid picture of joy. 00:11:26.080 --> 00:11:31.800 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found. 00:11:31.800 --> 00:11:33.840 So each of these parables actually has the same ending. 00:11:33.840 --> 00:11:37.120 It ends in the same way to make the same point. 00:11:37.120 --> 00:11:41.240 God experiences phenomenal joy when the lost are found. 00:11:41.240 --> 00:11:44.240 And I want to think just briefly about why that is. 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:47.440 Luke 15 tells, I think, two key things here. 00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:50.320 First that God rejoices because of our repentance. 00:11:50.320 --> 00:11:53.520 There'll be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. 00:11:53.519 --> 00:11:56.240 Verse seven and verse 10. 00:11:56.240 --> 00:11:57.559 But what does that actually mean? 00:11:57.559 --> 00:12:01.960 Well, literally the words in the Greek, it means to change your mind. 00:12:01.960 --> 00:12:05.079 When you repent, the Bible tells us, you're effectively saying before God 00:12:05.079 --> 00:12:08.759 and before the people around you that you were wrong. 00:12:08.759 --> 00:12:11.679 It's saying that God was right. 00:12:11.679 --> 00:12:15.799 It's an acknowledgement that we need a change of direction. 00:12:15.799 --> 00:12:17.480 And that's what we see with the prodigal son. 00:12:17.480 --> 00:12:18.840 He's gone off his own way. 00:12:18.840 --> 00:12:21.799 He's taken with him his share of the family money, 00:12:21.799 --> 00:12:25.240 and he's really a picture of having completely rejected his father. 00:12:25.240 --> 00:12:28.959 And he's wasted away by partying and wild living. 00:12:28.959 --> 00:12:31.799 So this guy, he ends up working in the field with pigs, 00:12:31.799 --> 00:12:34.479 which for Jews is a picture of ultimate humiliation, 00:12:34.479 --> 00:12:36.159 ultimate brokenness. 00:12:36.159 --> 00:12:39.679 It's a guy who has completely ruined his life. 00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:41.399 And we see that he's so hungry at this point, 00:12:41.399 --> 00:12:45.959 he's desperate to have some of the food that the pigs are being fed with. 00:12:45.959 --> 00:12:47.879 But verse 17, we have the turning point. 00:12:47.879 --> 00:12:50.359 This is his moment of repentance. 00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:52.800 He says, when he came to his senses, 00:12:52.800 --> 00:12:56.320 he said, how many of my father's hard servants have more than enough food, 00:12:56.320 --> 00:12:59.039 and here I am starving to death. 00:12:59.039 --> 00:13:01.240 I will set out and I will go back to my father 00:13:01.240 --> 00:13:03.000 and I will say to him, Father, 00:13:03.000 --> 00:13:05.680 I have sinned against heaven and against you. 00:13:05.680 --> 00:13:08.279 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. 00:13:08.279 --> 00:13:11.279 Make me like one of your servants. 00:13:11.279 --> 00:13:13.000 See, this is the thing. This is the point. 00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:16.320 Repentance is not about having your life together. 00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:20.960 Repentance is not about somehow becoming perfect and then God will accept you. 00:13:20.960 --> 00:13:23.760 It's never about what we can do for God. 00:13:23.760 --> 00:13:28.080 Christians were very good at twisting repentance into something that it's not. 00:13:28.080 --> 00:13:31.240 We like to make it all about our own performance. 00:13:31.240 --> 00:13:34.280 Repentance is for people like the prodigal son. 00:13:34.280 --> 00:13:38.800 It's people who come to their senses and realize that we are in the mud with the pigs. 00:13:38.800 --> 00:13:41.560 It's when we realize how much we need God's grace, 00:13:41.560 --> 00:13:43.720 how much we need his mercy. 00:13:43.720 --> 00:13:48.360 It's a recognition that we can't ever possibly do it by ourselves. 00:13:48.360 --> 00:13:51.680 And I think the point in Luke 15 is that that kind of repentance, 00:13:51.680 --> 00:13:56.160 that kind of acknowledgement brings God incredible joy. 00:13:56.160 --> 00:14:00.519 You see, repentance is like powerful evidence of God's grace. 00:14:00.519 --> 00:14:03.840 It's when we hold our hands up and recognize that he is Lord, 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:08.000 that it's his authority in our lives. 00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:12.360 Maybe you feel this evening that there's nothing that you could do to make God happy. 00:14:12.360 --> 00:14:16.879 Maybe you feel like there's nothing you could do in your own life to bring God joy. 00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:21.440 But the Bible tells you here in Luke 15 that your repentance, 00:14:21.440 --> 00:14:25.159 that your individual repentance brings incredible joy to God. 00:14:25.159 --> 00:14:29.279 There is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. 00:14:29.279 --> 00:14:32.279 We bring God incredible joy when we repent. 00:14:32.279 --> 00:14:35.039 We are incredibly precious to him. 00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:38.720 And these parables, I think, teach us that one small insignificant person, 00:14:38.720 --> 00:14:41.960 like you or me, makes a massive difference to God. 00:14:41.960 --> 00:14:46.400 His heart is full of joy at the thought of one sinner repenting. 00:14:46.400 --> 00:14:48.680 So God rejoices because of our repentance. 00:14:48.680 --> 00:14:52.400 Secondly, God rejoices because of reconciliation. 00:14:52.400 --> 00:14:56.960 In other words, they're bringing back together of two people that have been apart. 00:14:56.960 --> 00:15:00.240 Another way of thinking about reconciliation is picturing something 00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:02.519 that you've got back that you thought was lost. 00:15:02.519 --> 00:15:06.759 And for us, it was that dog, that stupid animal that had run away. 00:15:06.759 --> 00:15:10.840 The first emotion we felt when we found this creature was not anger. 00:15:10.840 --> 00:15:12.519 It was not frustration. 00:15:12.519 --> 00:15:14.280 It was pure joy. 00:15:14.280 --> 00:15:18.320 It was joy to find this dog alive and well. 00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:22.240 And the whole point of these parables is that if this man feels this much joy 00:15:22.240 --> 00:15:24.160 at having his lost sheep back, 00:15:24.160 --> 00:15:28.080 if this woman feels this much joy at having a lost coin back, 00:15:28.080 --> 00:15:32.240 if this father feels this much joy at having his lost son back, 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:38.560 how much more joy do you think God feels when a lost sinner comes back to him? 00:15:38.559 --> 00:15:43.119 I wonder if you ever feel that nobody really values you in a deep way. 00:15:43.119 --> 00:15:44.319 It's easy to feel like that sometimes. 00:15:44.319 --> 00:15:46.319 We can feel surrounded by people in our lives. 00:15:46.319 --> 00:15:48.559 We can have lots of friends and colleagues. 00:15:48.559 --> 00:15:52.679 But we can feel that maybe nobody cares about us in a deep, deep way. 00:15:52.679 --> 00:15:55.559 Maybe some people here this evening are feeling that. 00:15:55.559 --> 00:16:00.439 God is telling us something profound and wonderful with these parables. 00:16:00.439 --> 00:16:05.279 He's telling us that you are more precious to him than you can possibly imagine. 00:16:05.279 --> 00:16:07.399 He's telling you that your individual repentance 00:16:07.399 --> 00:16:11.399 and your reconciliation to him mean the absolute world. 00:16:11.399 --> 00:16:13.720 We have a God who seeks out lost sinners 00:16:13.720 --> 00:16:17.480 and who absolutely rejoices in their return. 00:16:17.480 --> 00:16:20.519 So just briefly, how should we respond to these parables this evening? 00:16:20.519 --> 00:16:23.919 I think there's two clear pictures of application for us. 00:16:23.919 --> 00:16:27.559 We have the younger son, first of all, the prodigal son. 00:16:27.559 --> 00:16:31.079 I think in verse 13, we have one of the best illustrations of someone thinking 00:16:31.079 --> 00:16:32.679 that we can go our own way, 00:16:32.679 --> 00:16:36.360 that we can find happiness and fulfillment and contentment 00:16:36.360 --> 00:16:40.440 by turning our back on God. 00:16:40.440 --> 00:16:43.159 I think most people today would say they want to be happy. 00:16:43.159 --> 00:16:48.480 I think you'd struggle to find someone who doesn't want to be content in life. 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:50.840 I wonder if you've heard of a guy called John Rockefeller. 00:16:50.840 --> 00:16:52.879 I've maybe mentioned him here before. 00:16:52.879 --> 00:16:55.159 He was a guy at the end of the 19th century. 00:16:55.159 --> 00:16:58.240 He controlled most of the oil in the USA. 00:16:58.240 --> 00:17:00.120 And if you adjust for inflation, 00:17:00.120 --> 00:17:04.720 he was worth over $400 billion in today's money. 00:17:04.720 --> 00:17:07.039 This is a guy who's pretty rich. 00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:10.360 He's got all the material possessions he could possibly want. 00:17:10.360 --> 00:17:12.240 And someone once asked this guy this question. 00:17:12.240 --> 00:17:14.279 He said, how much money is enough 00:17:14.279 --> 00:17:20.240 in terms of contentment and satisfaction and happiness and purpose in life? 00:17:20.240 --> 00:17:21.720 And his response is really interesting. 00:17:21.720 --> 00:17:25.600 He said this, just a little bit more than I have. 00:17:25.600 --> 00:17:27.680 Just a little bit more. 00:17:27.680 --> 00:17:30.880 And if we're honest with ourselves, we're truly honest with our hearts, 00:17:30.880 --> 00:17:33.680 I think that's so often our answer to contentment in life. 00:17:33.680 --> 00:17:37.840 If I could just have a little bit more. 00:17:37.840 --> 00:17:41.560 And when we think like that, even if we don't live a wild lifestyle, 00:17:41.560 --> 00:17:47.400 even if we don't quite mirror what the prodigal son does in this story, 00:17:47.400 --> 00:17:50.200 we're effectively doing the same thing. 00:17:50.200 --> 00:17:53.440 We're so quick to turn our back on God's and find that contentment, 00:17:53.440 --> 00:17:56.519 that joy, that fulfillment in other places, 00:17:56.519 --> 00:17:59.799 in our own desires, in our career, 00:17:59.799 --> 00:18:03.919 in money, in sex, in family, 00:18:03.919 --> 00:18:05.119 saying to Gustin Poole like this, 00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:07.960 he said God has made us for himself, 00:18:07.960 --> 00:18:12.799 and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in him. 00:18:12.799 --> 00:18:16.440 The problem is we so often try to find that rest in other places. 00:18:16.440 --> 00:18:20.519 There's a reason that we're drawn to the party lifestyle. 00:18:20.519 --> 00:18:24.000 But when we look at the prodigal son, we have this clear, clear picture 00:18:24.000 --> 00:18:28.119 that if we turn our backs on God, if we try to find that in other places, 00:18:28.119 --> 00:18:30.359 this is ultimately where desires leave us. 00:18:30.359 --> 00:18:33.879 We're crawling around in the mud with the pigs. 00:18:33.879 --> 00:18:37.279 Some of us this evening would hold our hands up and say that we've been there. 00:18:37.279 --> 00:18:40.759 Maybe some of you this evening feel like you are there. 00:18:40.759 --> 00:18:44.119 Maybe this is the point in life where you acknowledge that you need to turn back 00:18:44.119 --> 00:18:48.399 and say, Father, I've sinned against heaven and before you, 00:18:48.399 --> 00:18:54.759 Luke 15 is teaching us that when we do that, he welcomes us back with open arms. 00:18:54.759 --> 00:18:57.519 But this is not just a story about one son, it's a story about two sons. 00:18:57.519 --> 00:19:02.639 And I want to think very briefly, because I think I'm tired and running out of words. 00:19:02.639 --> 00:19:06.319 The second son, he teaches us a hugely important lesson. 00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:09.920 I think in the church, perhaps a lesson that's more important for us. 00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:12.079 Look at verse 25. 00:19:12.079 --> 00:19:15.319 It says, The older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, 00:19:15.319 --> 00:19:17.200 he heard music and dancing. 00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:20.079 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 00:19:20.079 --> 00:19:21.879 And he said to him, Your brother has come. 00:19:21.879 --> 00:19:26.519 Your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound. 00:19:26.519 --> 00:19:30.720 But this is the thing, he was angry and refused to go in. 00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:33.680 His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, 00:19:33.680 --> 00:19:38.240 Look, these many years I have served you and I never disobeyed your command. 00:19:38.240 --> 00:19:42.240 Yet you never gave me a young goat that I could celebrate with my friends. 00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:48.279 But when the son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, 00:19:48.279 --> 00:19:50.720 you killed the fattened calf for him. 00:19:50.720 --> 00:19:54.319 And he said to him, Son, you are always with me and all that is mine is yours. 00:19:54.319 --> 00:19:57.919 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad for this brother of yours was dead 00:19:57.919 --> 00:19:58.919 and is alive again. 00:19:58.919 --> 00:20:01.919 He was lost and is found. 00:20:01.919 --> 00:20:05.319 Now, do you see what's significant about the older brother's response? 00:20:05.319 --> 00:20:08.720 I think the point in Luke 15 is that he is not joyful. 00:20:08.720 --> 00:20:13.119 This is someone who is not ecstatic at the return of this lost son. 00:20:13.119 --> 00:20:14.119 In fact, he's angry. 00:20:14.119 --> 00:20:17.079 He's bitter at the father's joy. 00:20:17.079 --> 00:20:20.759 He doesn't think that the lost son is worth it. 00:20:20.759 --> 00:20:24.960 I think this chapter is meant to give us, the reason it's here is to give us 00:20:24.960 --> 00:20:27.879 this sobering window into the hearts of the Pharisees. 00:20:27.879 --> 00:20:31.680 That's why we read about the context in verse one. 00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:36.279 But I think as well, it's a window into our own hearts this evening. 00:20:36.279 --> 00:20:38.400 There's a danger we can be a lot like the older brother, 00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:42.319 especially if we've grown up going to church, if we've grown up here in the gospel, 00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:48.720 if we've grown up in the kind of familiarity of Jesus that we're thinking about this morning, 00:20:48.720 --> 00:20:50.880 we can be a lot like the older brother, 00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:53.880 we can think that we feel entitled to God's acceptance in some way, 00:20:53.880 --> 00:20:56.240 because we go to church because we're consistent, 00:20:56.240 --> 00:20:58.240 because we've performed, because we've earned it, 00:20:58.240 --> 00:21:01.600 because we haven't gone off the rails like so many others. 00:21:01.600 --> 00:21:05.039 And I think this parable should deeply, deeply challenge us. 00:21:05.039 --> 00:21:09.279 It should make us ask, do we long to see this place filled with people 00:21:09.279 --> 00:21:13.600 like the tax collectors and the sinners of this world, the down and outs, 00:21:13.600 --> 00:21:15.799 the people we might think of as broken, 00:21:15.799 --> 00:21:18.759 people who might make us uncomfortable. 00:21:18.759 --> 00:21:20.759 You'll find as you read the Gospel of Luke, 00:21:20.759 --> 00:21:25.480 that's the kind of people Jesus is all about. 00:21:25.480 --> 00:21:29.720 The point of Luke is to present Jesus first and foremost as a Savior, 00:21:29.720 --> 00:21:32.039 a Savior for all kinds of people, 00:21:32.039 --> 00:21:36.240 a Savior for whom nobody is beyond His reach. 00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:39.240 I think it was Bilbo Baggins in the Fellowship of the Ring 00:21:39.240 --> 00:21:42.680 who said that not all those who wander are lost. 00:21:42.680 --> 00:21:44.879 We're very quick to write people off, 00:21:44.880 --> 00:21:46.160 and there's truth in that quote. 00:21:46.160 --> 00:21:48.160 There's not all those who wander are lost. 00:21:48.160 --> 00:21:50.160 That's what we see in the Prodigal Son. 00:21:50.160 --> 00:21:53.160 See, this evening, no matter how distant you might feel from God, 00:21:53.160 --> 00:21:57.160 no matter how far away from Him you might feel like you've wandered, 00:21:57.160 --> 00:22:00.760 the truth of the Gospel is you are never too far gone. 00:22:00.760 --> 00:22:03.240 We have a Savior who has a heart for the lost. 00:22:03.240 --> 00:22:08.320 He reaches out to people in darkness and brings them into His glorious light. 00:22:08.320 --> 00:22:13.440 We have a Savior who absolutely rejoices at the return of a lost sinner. 00:22:13.440 --> 00:22:15.680 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, 00:22:15.680 --> 00:22:18.400 for this brother of yours was dead and is alive. 00:22:18.400 --> 00:22:21.160 He was lost and is found. 00:22:21.160 --> 00:22:23.160 Let's pray. 00:22:25.799 --> 00:22:27.960 Our Father, we come before You this evening, 00:22:27.960 --> 00:22:34.039 and we thank You and praise You for the powerful love You've shown us through Jesus Christ. 00:22:34.039 --> 00:22:37.480 We praise You that You are a God who searches out lost sinners. 00:22:37.480 --> 00:22:39.799 You are a God who knows the heart. 00:22:39.799 --> 00:22:42.080 You know every thought that goes through our mind. 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:44.519 You know all our guilt, you know all our shame. 00:22:44.519 --> 00:22:47.399 Lord, you know when we are distant and far away. 00:22:47.399 --> 00:22:50.000 And Father, we pray that if we feel that way this evening, 00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:52.119 You would draw us back to Yourself. 00:22:52.119 --> 00:22:54.879 Lord, that Your Holy Spirit would work in our hearts, 00:22:54.879 --> 00:23:00.240 that, Lord, You would help us in our struggles with sin and with temptation. 00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:03.439 Lord, help us to be people who love You more, 00:23:03.439 --> 00:23:04.559 people who live for You. 00:23:04.559 --> 00:23:11.240 Give us the desire and the heart for this place to be filled with lost sinners. 00:23:11.240 --> 00:23:16.519 Father, we thank You for the power of the gospel to change and to transform lives. 00:23:16.519 --> 00:23:21.319 We pray to You, Lord, that we would share the joy You experience at the return of lost sinners. 00:23:21.319 --> 00:23:28.000 Lord, make us a people who are so joyful, so enthusiastic, so exuberant about our salvation. 00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:31.200 Lord, we pray that You would ignite our hearts this evening 00:23:31.200 --> 00:23:34.440 with joy and with love for You and for one another. 00:23:34.440 --> 00:23:35.920 We pray this in Jesus' name. 00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:37.920 Amen. 00:23:37.920 --> 00:23:41.320 We're going to conclude our time of worship together by singing. 00:23:41.320 --> 00:23:43.560 I'm going to sing the hymn, 00:23:43.560 --> 00:23:47.200 Bless the Lord, O my soul, ten thousand reasons. 00:23:48.920 --> 00:23:53.440 Bless the Lord, O my soul, worship His holy name, sing like never before, 00:23:53.440 --> 00:23:56.440 O my soul, I'll worship Your holy name. 00:23:56.440 --> 00:24:14.440 We'll stand together please and we'll sing to God's praise. 00:24:14.440 --> 00:24:32.960 Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul, worship His holy name, sing like never before, 00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:42.960 O my soul, I'll worship Your holy name. 00:24:42.960 --> 00:24:50.960 The sun comes up, yes, a new day dawned. 00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:56.960 It's time to sing Your song again. 00:24:56.960 --> 00:25:05.960 Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me, 00:25:05.960 --> 00:25:15.960 Let me be singing when the evening comes. 00:25:15.960 --> 00:25:32.960 Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul, worship His holy name, sing like never before, 00:25:32.960 --> 00:25:42.960 O my soul, I'll worship Your holy name. 00:25:42.960 --> 00:25:49.960 You're rich in love, and you're slow to anger. 00:25:49.960 --> 00:25:55.960 Your name is great, and your heart is kind. 00:25:55.960 --> 00:26:04.960 For all Your goodness I will keep on singing. 00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:14.960 Ten thousand reasons for my heart to fight. 00:26:14.960 --> 00:26:32.960 Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul, worship His holy name, sing like never before, 00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:41.960 O my soul, I'll worship Your holy name. 00:26:41.960 --> 00:26:49.960 And on that day when my strength is failing, 00:26:49.960 --> 00:26:55.960 The end draws near and my time has come. 00:26:55.960 --> 00:27:03.960 Still my soul will sing Your praise on ending. 00:27:03.960 --> 00:27:14.960 Ten thousand years and then forevermore. 00:27:14.960 --> 00:27:31.960 Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul, worship His holy name, sing like never before, 00:27:31.960 --> 00:27:40.960 O my soul, I'll worship Your holy name. 00:27:40.960 --> 00:27:46.960 I'll worship Your holy name. 00:27:46.960 --> 00:27:55.960 I'll worship Your holy name. 00:27:55.960 --> 00:28:02.960 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy. 00:28:02.960 --> 00:28:07.960 To the only God our Saviour be power, glory, majesty and authority. 00:28:07.960 --> 00:28:26.960 No and always. Amen.