Well, good evening again. It's a privilege to speak once again.
We are partway through a series in Luke, where we've been looking at the parables on the Sunday evenings.
And tonight I would like to deal with Luke chapter 15.
Now, we're not just going to deal with one parable, or even two, but all three that Alistair has read to us tonight.
And I'm hoping in the time that is available that we will get through them.
Now, a quick recap of what a parable is.
I think if you've been through Sunday school, we might have recited to the kids that a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.
Now, Roy Zuck in his book, Basic Bible Interpretations, he puts it like this.
He said it's a true-to-life story to illustrate or illuminate truth.
In other words, a short picture message that can help us to understand, that we can relate to and understand in order to grasp a truth that God intended us to comprehend.
Now, I have a headed section on Luke chapter 15, Repentance, Restoration and Rejoicing, which helpfully starts with the letter R.
And I'm hoping that's something that you'll be able to remember.
Now, the three R's once used to refer to reading, writing and arithmetic in the 19th and 20th century.
That was the kind of curriculum for education.
I think as we've gotten to the 20th century, the three R's might stand for, I guess for us, if somebody was to ask you what the three R's are,
then you might say that it's reduce, reuse or recycle.
Either way, the helpful letter of R will help us remember the key points.
Whether that was the agenda for education or the agenda for living sustainably,
I'm hoping tonight that these three R's you will be able to take away and it will help you remember the message that is contained within Luke 15,
which is repentance, restoration and rejoicing.
It's one of the most important truths, and I think it's largely forgotten and ignored probably by the majority today.
How good it is then when we come to the word of God that we have the confidence that what is said in Scripture is truth.
And it's true.
And it's as relevant for us today as it was when the Lord spoke it.
So the big idea in Luke 15 is this, that it is something or someone that is lost and is found,
and the celebration and the joy for those involved that comes afterwards.
When we talk about the word lost, we're referring to someone or something that is not in its rightful place.
It's not with the person to whom it belongs, and therefore it is of no use to the owner.
We know this, if you take a £10 note and you lose it, it is of no use to us when we're at the supermarket checkout.
Or a train ticket, when we lose it, it's of no use to us when we go to board the train.
We should note, however, though, that the value, it still has a value, right?
So the £10 note still has a value, the train ticket still has a value for the proposed journey.
As we move on to this idea of being found, we are thinking of the opposite.
We're thinking of something being back in its rightful place, back with its owner, back in service, right?
Fulfilling its purpose, reconciled, restored.
I'm sure there's many other things that you're thinking as I go through a list like that of what it means to be found.
Restoration is a magnificent concept.
We often think about, and probably you watch programmes of houses and furniture and things that are restored.
Maybe in a modern way, when your phone's software has gone a bit skewiff, a bit wonky, you might restore it back to its factory settings.
So you take it back to where it started from and it's in a state now that can be of use and it has a value to the owner.
Similarly, this is the same with us and God.
You see, man was created by God and in his image and we were created to belong to him and to have a relationship or have a friendship with him.
We'll see over these three parables what it means to God.
And I think if you've kept your Bibles open, you'll see this phrase repeated, for a sinner who repents.
When they're found, when they're restored, when they're reconciled, when they are, we use a word that we use in a Christian context often as a word saved.
When they are saved and we'll see what the outcome of that is.
Now, just to put into a bit of context, the teaching ministry of the Lord in Luke chapter 14 seems to have attracted despised tax collectors and sinners.
People who were outwardly sinners.
We see that when we get to chapter 19 with Zacchaeus.
Somebody who was despised and he lived outwardly different from the Jews of that day.
Even though Jesus' message was clear, right?
The way that he taught, the way that he preached, the way that he went out of business, it reproved their sin.
Even though that was the case, many of them acknowledged that he was right.
And they took sides with Christ against themselves.
In true repentance, they acknowledge him as their Lord.
And we find that whenever that happens, Jesus is willing and he gravitates towards them.
And he bestows spiritual help and blessing upon them who act in this way.
The difference is the Pharisees and the scribes resented this fact that Jesus fraternised with people who were avowedly sinners.
And they did not show the grace and the humility that they should have shown to these people.
And they resented Jesus for doing so.
In fact, at the beginning of our passage, Alistair read that they hurled this charge at him.
That he came to eat, he received sinners and eats with them.
And they meant that as a kind of a slight against him, as a bit of a slur.
But in actual fact, this was the fulfilment for the very purpose that the Lord Jesus came into the world.
We read that elsewhere in scripture, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
You see, God seeks out sinners.
You see that right the way at the beginning of the book of Genesis, when God sought out Adam and Eve in the garden.
Right through to the words that we have quoted probably today about the Lord Jesus.
In fact, I'm sure that Colin said that this morning.
The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Whereas the Jews, they kind of operated in a different way.
They operated and they worked on their obedience to the law and modern personal purity to try and gain favour with God.
And they were angry with Jesus and his actions for acting in this way.
I wonder if you can remember back to the beginning of July.
On the 3rd of July, I spoke on the Good Samaritan.
The Pharisees had totally forgotten that they were not able to gain favour with God in this way.
And so the Lord Jesus goes on to then speak these three parables to illustrate the truth of repentance and restoration and rejoicing.
The first of these parables is a parable about the lost sheep.
It's a clear picture story to the men and women in that day that they would easily have related to.
Now, I think probably for us in Edinburgh, it's probably somewhat removed, right?
For us city dwellers, we don't tend to keep these kind of animals in our flats and our houses.
So it's probably maybe slightly removed, but I'm sure that you can get the picture as to what the Lord is speaking about here.
This is a picture of these publicans and sinners who had become separated from the flock.
The people who the Pharisees and the scribes despised.
They were looked down on and they had become outcasts.
As it was clear from their lives, right, that they lived in a very sinful way.
As the story progresses, we read the question about the man to whom the sheep belonged, right?
And it's written as a rhetorical question.
And I think this is a key thing to note.
It's written as a question as this, that as if there was no doubt that the shepherd to whom they,
or the one whom the sheep was lost, there's no doubt that he would go out
and he would seek the lost sheep until he finds it.
You see, this sheep has been lost in its own foolishness.
I don't know if you've seen sheep, but quite often if you're driving in the countryside,
a sheep will have found a little gap in a fence and in its own wisdom it'll have gone through
and it gets itself lost.
It's lost in its own wisdom and its own recklessness.
In Isaiah we read the words, all have sinned and gone astray.
We have turned, every one of us, to our own way.
But the shepherd knows the value of the sheep.
Just like, as I mentioned, with the tempo note and the rail ticket,
the sheep still has a value and the shepherd has a deep care for and an interest in its well-being.
And so he sets out to look for the sheep.
Now, I've already mentioned this in a Sunday school context.
For those who have grown up in the Christian circles and gone to Sunday schools,
you remember your Sunday school teacher would have really dramatised this type of story.
And, you know, maybe we can do that tonight.
When we think about the shepherd who would have went out to look for the sheep
and it would have been a long, hard journey, maybe even into the night,
across hills and mountains.
And depending on how theatrical your Sunday school teacher might have been,
you might have mentioned the fact that, you know,
it faced the danger of meeting a lion or a bear,
which is not outside the imagination of, you know,
what we can think about what happened to that sheep.
The sheep itself, and I think we can appreciate this,
the sheep itself would have been hungry and thirsty.
It would have been distressed and in danger.
And that is the point of a shepherd looking after a flock of sheep.
It keeps it safe.
We often quote Psalm 23, but it keeps it safe.
It looks after it.
It leads it where it can get food and water.
The sheep, on its own folly, has gotten itself into this position.
Not able in its own strength, not in its own wisdom,
to be able to return itself or make its own way back home.
So the shepherd seeks until he finds it.
And he lovingly lifts the sheep and he puts it on his shoulders
and he carries it home.
Now, as we've been through these parables,
we have lifted out some of the picture language
that the Lord is trying to present.
And in this story, it's a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus right here.
That he would search for lost sinners and carry them home.
Not on our own might or our strength or by our own understanding or our wisdom,
but by his love and his grace.
And upon reaching home,
the shepherd calls his friends and his neighbours and he rejoices.
Now, this is not some kind of cheap party
where we go to forget our worries and our woes.
But this is a deep satisfaction.
That the sheep that was lost is now back in its rightful place.
It is now restored to the one to whom it belongs.
Jesus makes it clear that this speaks of the joy that is found in heaven
over one sinner who repents.
Actually, Scripture says that there is more joy
over one sinner who repents.
Who realises that they are wrong
and that by repenting agrees with God
over their sin and the way that they live.
And also the way to be right with God.
Not by our works or wisdom,
but by the saving power of the Lord Jesus.
The Lord Jesus refers to himself in another place in Scripture
of the good shepherd.
As far as he's concerned,
the journey of the shepherd includes his descent into this earth,
his public ministry,
his rejection,
his suffering,
his death.
And how true...
This might be an old one for some people in the audience.
I'm sure most of you will know it.
But how true is the lines from the hymn,
the 99.
We don't sing it anymore,
but it says this,
But none of the ransomed ever knew
how deep were the waters crossed,
nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed through,
ere he found his sheep that was lost.
I think the lesson is clear.
There is joy,
and this is one of the key points of Luke 15
that we often gloss over,
but there is joy in heaven over one sinner who depends.
But there's a small section just at the end of that in verse 7.
There is no joy over the 99 sheep or the sinners
who are not convicted of their lost condition.
That verse doesn't actually mean that there are some people
for whom need no repentance.
For we understand well in other places
that all of us are sinners
and that we all must repent in order to be saved.
The verse instead describes those,
as far as they see themselves,
who need no repentance.
That kind of leads us on to verse 8,
which is the next parable that the Lord speaks about.
And it's similar to the first.
We find a story that the hearers would have known well.
And I've done a little bit of research.
I don't think it particularly matters,
but this coin would have been belonged to as part of a set.
It appears in the Jewish tradition
that as part of an engagement arrangement
or a wedding necklace,
there would have been a necklace
or some kind of headband
that would have had 10 coins in it.
And the person to whom it belongs loses one.
Now, as I was preparing for this,
I was remembering a story
a good number of years ago,
probably back in 2005,
when my sister,
yeah, 2005,
we were going through my cousin's baptism
in East Ayrshire,
and she'd taken off a ring
and she'd popped it in her hat
with other bits and pieces
and she had moisturised her hands
on the journey,
as I'm sure some of you guys will know.
And then when she'd finished,
she'd popped her hat back on
and we'd gone into the hall in Galveston.
And only when she was sitting in the seat
did she realise that she had
lost her engagement ring.
And I'm sure that you can all
just imagine the panic
and the distress that ensued.
Well, it's similarly
as part of this story as well.
Palestinian houses
would have been fairly dark,
not like what we have today
with electric lights
and smooth walls
and level floors
and all such like.
It would have been
a completely different house.
And the same rhetorical question
is asked,
who wouldn't do this?
If you had lost a coin,
who wouldn't do this?
And Jesus,
in asking that question,
Jesus is explaining
the concern and the care
that he has
for those who are lost.
And therefore,
that he would then seek
those who were lost.
Now remember,
this is in the context
of the Pharisees
who are looking on angrily.
Jesus is explaining
these parables to them.
So the woman lights the lamp
and she searches
until she finds that lost coin.
And we can just imagine her joy,
like my sister Gwen,
finding that in the street later.
In fact,
she actually found it
in her hat that was on her head.
But she had searched
up and down the street
and it was only until
she took her hat off
that she found this engagement ring.
Well, similarly for the woman,
verse 8 says
that she swept her house
and looked diligently.
And this kind of gives us
an idea as to the value
and the worth of the coin.
She searches really carefully
and I think that also
gives us the idea
of just how far
she was willing to go
and to the extent
and desire that she wanted
to find that coin
that was lost.
Now,
again,
like the point
in the first parable,
she too calls her friends
and her neighbours
and rejoices
once she has found that coin.
Now,
I think
in both of these stories
and both of these parables,
it's easy for us
to take them granted
because I don't necessarily think
that we are that invested.
Maybe in the second story
for the women in here
that have lost
or maybe the men
that have bought the ring
but certainly
if you've lost your engagement ring,
you might be a bit more invested.
But in terms of the sheep,
we might not be invested as much
because I don't suppose
there's any farmers in here tonight.
But the people in them days,
the Pharisees described
and all of the people
that would have been gathered there
listening to the Lord Jesus
would have known the impact
of these stories
quite acutely.
As lost,
both of these items
have no value
to the owner
but they're not worthless
as we mentioned previously.
But they're not useful, right?
To the owner,
there is dead.
And Jesus was actually saying
that God searches out
for sinners
who are in this condition.
No wonder that the Pharisees
and the scribes
are offended by this, right?
There's no place
in their legalistic theology
for a God like this.
And as I mentioned
as we opened up,
God searches for sinners.
We see that right away
from the beginning of our Bibles
in Genesis chapter 3
for Adam and Eve
when they had sinned
and they had hidden themselves
from God.
God comes out
and searches for them.
And in spite of their
supposed knowledge of scriptures,
the scribes and the Pharisees
forgot that God actually
is like a father
who pities his wayward children.
Now there are a few joys
that match those,
that match the joy
of finding the lost
and bringing them
to the saviour.
A quote from John Wesley
says this,
that the church
has nothing to do
but to see souls saved
and therefore we should spend
and be spent in this work.
Now that brings me on
to the biggest section
in Luke chapter 15
verses 11 to 32
where Jesus really elaborates
on the message
that he is communicating
about the need for repentance
and the need for restoration
and the joy
and the rejoicing
that this brings
to those involved.
I think quite often
when we look at these parables
we quite often focus
on the repentance part.
We may focus a little bit
on the restoration
but I really think
that quite often
we miss the fact
that there is real
deep satisfaction and joy
over one sinner
who repents.
Now I'm sure,
in fact Alice
had already mentioned this
but I'm sure
if you've been around
in Christian circles
you might have heard
this parable
being referred to
as the parable
of the lost son
or the parable
of the lost
of the two sons
but I think it could also
be called the parable
of the loving father.
I think it emphasises
as you look at it again
I think it emphasises
the graciousness
of the father
more than it does
the sinfulness
of the son.
But unlike the shepherd
and the woman
the father
in this parable
does not go out
and seek the son
but it is instead
the memory
of the father's goodness
that brought the son
to repentance
and forgiveness.
Romans chapter 2
verse 4
says this
So let's have a look
at some of the details
within this part
of the chapter.
From the start
we see that the son
did not understand
the father.
He did not want
to work for the father
he did not want
to live by his rules
and he didn't want
to, I don't think
this is pushing
it too far
from the context
of his mourance
but I don't think
he actually wanted
the father to be alive
that's why he goes on
then and asks
for the portion
of goods
that would have
come to him
in the event
of his father's death.
I think as sinners
we have all been
in this situation
at some point
that we have
not wanted to live
in that environment.
When the son
comes and asks
for the portion
of goods
I think again
from a little bit
of research
that this could
have been
allowed in kind
of Jewish law
whether it was
common or not
it was certainly
allowed.
I don't know
at what point
in a father's life
that he would
have accepted it
but certainly
this would have
happened before
so I don't think
this is too unusual.
Now in Jewish law
which is probably
not similar today
but the elder son
would have received
a bigger portion
maybe even double
a portion
to the son
or other sons
that his father
would have given
his estate to.
The father divides
the estate
and gives to the son
as we read
both sons actually
as we read in verse 12
and then as you come down
if you've still got
your Bibles open
into verse 31
you'll see that
the father reminds him
of this when he says
all of this
that I have
belongs to that elder son
but we'll leave him there
for the time being
and I just want to focus
on the younger son
just now.
See the younger son
imagined that
this would allow him
to go and enjoy
and live
as he wanted
by his own rules
and enjoy the freedom
and all that
that this would bring.
He kind of shunned
his father
and it shows
that his heart
was far away from him.
He rejected the safety
and the joy
that that provided.
The son had the choice
once he had received
the portion of the goods
that were going to
befall him
he had a choice to make
but as he has
considered this
and I guess
through the story
you can see this
that the perspective
the son's perspective
of the father
was skewed
and this is why
he acts in this way
he doesn't understand
his father
he wanted to live
separated from him.
Now I think
we need to probably
understand some of
the kind of cultural
differences of that day
and
I think when we start
to look at a bigger
picture in scripture
you see this
that
they would have lived
much more in
familial settings
so
they would have lived
in large family circles
and we only read
about two sons here
but they would have lived
in large family circles
servants and workers
would have been part
of that domestic situation.
I think in this day and age
we're probably removed
somewhat from that
kind of familial setting
we live in relative
affluence
we've got
social safety
and welfare
and if you look
even in Edinburgh
there's many homes
that are just occupied
by single people
so we're a little bit
removed
but what we're not
removed from
is children
who do not want
to live under
the guidance
of their parents
nor are we removed
from people
who want to live
recklessly.
The son goes off
and he lives
as he wants
the word prodigal
means exactly that
it means wasteful
one who spends
money wastefully
who lives
recklessly extravagant
and
you know
similar today
we see people
living in that same way
who just want to live
with reckless abandon
we
smiled as
I was putting this
together with this quote
that probably
many of us have used
YOLO
you live as you want
you live as you please
you only live once
so
let's go and do it.
Well
the younger son
he ends up in a situation
that this extravagant
living
exhausts
the resources
that he has
and in addition to this
there's a depression
that comes over the land
and the fun
and the friends
and all that he enjoyed
comes to an end
and evaporates
right
times are tight
and he finds himself
forced to do
for a stranger
what he wouldn't do
for his father
and that is to go to work
to live
and to work
in that
way
I think this is
I think this scene
in the parable
is the Lord's way
of emphasising
what sin
really does
in the lives of those
who reject the father's will
sin promises freedom
but it brings slavery
it promises success
but it brings failure
it promises happiness
but it brings misery
it promises life
but we read that the wages
of sin is death
and for most of us
that know
who have repeated that
many times
we know that that is
that word for separation
when God is left out
of our lives
enjoyment becomes
enslavement
and we become slaves
to this world
and the master
and its masters
instead of the one
who created us
the man finds himself
in a pigsty
feeding pigs
and the Bible
and Alice has read this
but the Bible reminds us
that he would have
filled his belly
with what he was feeding
to the pigs
it tells us
that the money
that he was receiving
for this job
that he was doing
wasn't even enough
to buy him food
and he is
he's just brought low
and in his misery
his mind is taken back
to his father's home
and as he thinks
about home
and about his father
he sees his father
in a new light
he sees his father
as the father
always was
and continues to be
and we'll see that
as we move on
no longer just the guidance
right
you can appreciate this
not just the guidance
and the rules
that are part and parcel
of living at home
but also the peace
and the joy
and the stability
that that affords
and the better conditions
that he
as he's sitting there
in the field
feeding the pigs
he
it comes to mind
that even the
even his
even the servants
that work for his dad
have enough
to eat
and to live comfortably
they make enough money
for them to buy
food
but as he's sitting there
he doesn't just pity himself
feel sad
and then
go on his way
regardless
as many of us do
when we are
in a kind of situation
like that
and I think this is
I think this is where
it gets to the kind of
absolute thrust
of the message
that Jesus is teaching
he wanted them
to understand
what it is
to be truly repentant
in this parable
about the son
who sees his father
in a new light
it's in the right light
with clarity of mind
and he agrees
with himself
in that
when he was sitting there
considering his father's home
and all that was
all that he could enjoy
in his father's home
he saw his father
in this
in the right light
so it wasn't
it wasn't that his father
had changed
but just in his mind
he sees his father
in the right light
and he acknowledges
and agrees
within himself
that the father's way
was best
the son is repentant
and what do I mean by that
well it means that
he changes his mind
about his father
and not only does he
change his mind
but he goes on
to show that
in his response
a complete change
right
had he just stopped here
he would only have
experienced regret
and remorse
but true repentance
true repentance
involves
not just the will
but it involves
the will
as well as just
the mind
and the emotions
the son resolves
and I think this is part
of it
the son resolves
and he says this
he says
I will arise
and I will go
and I will say
and this is what
our response
needs to be
verse 18
he says this
I will arise
and I will go
to my father
and I will say to him
father
I have sinned
against heaven
and before you
see the young man
he just can't remain
he cannot remain
this is what he's saying
to himself
I can't remain
here as I am
in this condition
he recognises
that he has wronged
his father
and he has failed
to live up to the
standards of his son
and he is truly sorry
he changes his mind
not only about himself
and about his situation
but he admits
that he's a sinner
when he goes back
he says
father I have sinned
against heaven
and before you
in that
and I never finished
the rest of the verse
but in that
he recognises
and I think this is key
for us
he recognises
that his father
was a generous man
and that service
at home
is far better
than freedom
in the far country
you see
for us
I think it's God's goodness
not just man's badness
that leads us
to repentance
you know
if the young man
had only thought
about himself
about his hunger
about his loneliness
about his homesickness
he would have despaired
there's no hope
in that situation
but his painful circumstances
helps him see his father
in a new way
and this
this is what brought
about him hope
if the father was good
so good to servants
then maybe he would be
willing to forgive a son
and this
this is the part
of the story
that brings joy
to your heart
as the man
as the young man
approaches home
his father sees him
in the distance
and I got a text
this morning
just to remind me
that the father
runs
and greets him
and kisses him
and brings him home
and he asks
for the best
to be done
for his son
we see that the son
didn't even get
to finish his confession
and yet the father
is ready
to act
and receive him
with joy
in fact
it's this
in the same text
a good friend
that texted him
this morning
just to encourage me
he had quoted
a line
that my grandfather
used
and I'm sure
there's a few lines
that will come out
but one of the lines
that my grandfather
used
he said this
he said
he kissed him
when he still
had the smell
of pigs
upon him
now
you know
when we think
about us
God receives us
as repentant sinners
not as polished Pharisees
but as repentant sinners
in the condition
that we
repent to God
now the son
did not deserve
this
given the way
that he had
spurned his father
he disrespected him
he disappeared
from him
and yet we see
the goodness
and the kindness
in the fact
that the father
still loved
the wayward son
and he too
like the first two
in the first two parables
he too is filled
with joy
and he invites
his family
and his friends
to rejoice
and to celebrate
with him
for he says this
for my son
was dead
and is alive again
he was lost
and is found
now
the Pharisees
listening to this
and I asked you
earlier on
just to park
the older brother
but the Pharisees
that were listening
to this
are shown
as the older brother
they claim
to have served God
all this time
but in reality
their hearts
are far
from the father
note
you'll see that
in the verse there
that the older son
actually wants
the same
as the younger son
as he asks
he says
you never give me
a fatted calf
so I could go off
and enjoy it
with my friends
and not with his father
and that is why
Jesus' parable
is fully understood
when we see
that each one of us
are in this parable
somewhere
now for the majority
of us
it would have been
in this prodigal son
but there might be
some of us
who are
who are sitting here
like a Pharisee
just not
considering the fact
that there are people
Jesus came to seek
and to save
that were lost
the Pharisees
were annoyed
at the fact
that the Lord Jesus
was eaten
that he was received
as sinners
and eaten with them
and that is the
extent
that the Lord Jesus
tells these three parables
and there might be
some of us
that sometimes
act in this way
that we are just
a little bit annoyed
that there are people
who live
an outwardly sinful life
and yet
God
is willing
as the loving father
in this story
to receive them
when they are
truly repentant
but we can see
ourselves
all of us
in this room today
can see ourselves
in this parable
none of us
have been living
as we should
and that is why
the Bible says
and reminds us
that we've all sinned
and we've fallen short
of the standard
that God expects
we've already quoted
Isaiah
that all we like sheep
have gone astray
and we read elsewhere
in scripture
that there's a way
that seems right to man
but the end thereof
is destruction
so what does that
mean for us today
then
how do we
take this passage
and how are we
to apply it
do these three R's
that I've mentioned
resonate with us
the Bible tells us
that God
is the same
yesterday
and today
and forever
and so
we come to learn
that these principles
are indeed
relevant for us
you see as sinners
we must repent
if we are to be
accepted
by God
we must accept
that like sheep
we have disobeyed God
and we have
become lost
in the folly
of our own wisdom
like the coin
we are unable
to find ourselves
and you know
the far country
exists in our hearts
right
for we are
in a natural state
we are far from God
Colossians 1
21 says this
and you
who once were
alienated
and hostile
in mind
doing evil deeds
repentance
is about
changing our mind
and seeing
that the way
that we live
is an affront
to our maker
it's accepting
that by
that God's design
and desire
for our lives
is the only way
that we should
have been living
but
the point
one of the points
in this
the three R's
repentance
restoration
but there is
a piece in here
that reminds us
that we can be
restored
we can be brought
back into relationship
with God
through the death
and the resurrection
of his son
the Lord Jesus
he said
I am the way
that this can happen
he said
I am the life
he came to give
he came to give us life
John 10 10
reminds us
I am come
that they might have life
and they might have it abundantly
just following on
for that verse
that I quoted
in Colossians 1
and 22
it says this
but now he has
reconciled
in his body of flesh
by his death
in order to present us
holy
and blameless
and above reproach
before him
like the clothes
that the father
presented to the son
to demonstrate
that he was his son
as restored people
we are clothed
in Jesus righteousness
as we stand
before God
and our father
sees us
as righteous
as his son
Jesus
and that brings us
on to this
the last R
which is rejoicing
you see
joy is deep
satisfaction
and delight
both for the
seeking saviour
and for the
saved individual
and this is what
brings joy
to the waiting
father
if you are repentant
and have been restored
reconciled to God
then this parable
tells us
that the joy
that fills heaven
and should fill our hearts
the Christian life
as we probably all know
from what we think about
on our prayer newsletters
from Brunsfield
the Christian life
can be tough
but as a true believer
we experience that deep joy
when we are right with God
so as I finish
I want to encourage us
not to forget
about these three R's
repentance
restoration
and rejoicing
and if you have not found
that deep peace
and joy
that is afforded
by the Lord Jesus
then I just ask
that you consider
this message
that there is joy
over one sinner
who repents
and the father
is waiting
to forgive those
who come to him
now before I hand over
to Alistair
I just want to pray for us
and I just want us
to consider these
three R's
as we
think about
what's been said
tonight
our heavenly father
we
come before you
we thank you
that
in your word
we find stories
like this
simple stories
that we can
understand
and that we can
remember
and that we can
just see the truth
that you have
for us
our father
we thank you
that this
reminds us
that you are
a loving father
and that you have
our interests
at heart
and our father
even before
the dawn of time
you had
salvation's plan
and that you are
willing to send
your son
to come
and to seek
and to save
that which was
lost
our father
we thank you
for our salvation
for those
who have come
to put their
trust and faith
in the Lord Jesus
our father
we thank you
that you are
willing to
accept
and forgive us
our father
we just ask
that as we have
thought about this
that we might
just consider
our lives
and our father
that all of us
might just be
repentant
and how we live
that displeases you
and how that we
are often far
from you
and our father
we just ask
that as we
consider this
tonight
that your word
would speak
to us
that might
just ring
in our hearts
and our minds
and our father
we just pray
that as we
just consider
this message
tonight
that you
indeed
will be
glorified
in sinners
that seek you
and that are
saved
and so our father
we just commit
this time to you
we give you
thanks for it
and we do so
in the name
of our Lord
Jesus
Amen
Good
agen