Sermon: April 28, 2022
Story: I remember as a kid playing with my little Hot Wheels cars. I played with about 10 or 20 cars at a time. And on occasion, one would roll under the couch or get lost. And what did I do? I got upset and I did whatever I could to find that car even though I still had a whole collection of Hot Wheels cars. And if I lost it completely at the beach or at the park, my mom might say, “Son, we can get you another one just like it.” But I would say to her, “But it’s not the same. That car was special to me.”
Well, this is very similar in the way that Jesus views us. He cares about us so much and is very concerned if one of us is far away from him or needs restoration with Him.
(Read text)
Text:
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
15 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
There are three principles we can take today that show how Jesus is concerned deeply for believers that have fallen away from him.
#1. You are God’s prized possession.
In Luke 15 verse 3, Jesus begins the parable, and He understands his audience. The house owner, who in that agrarian society would also be a farmer and owner of animals, is asked to compare himself or herself to a shepherd who has lost an animal.
Sheep are always important to a shepherd, but when one is lost, its value is intensified. Money is always important to a person on a fixed income, but when a significant portion is lost, it is sorely missed.
Jesus says that in the parable, the farmer leaves the 99 sheep and put all of his attention into finding that one lost sheep. He didn’t say, “Oh it’s just one sheep. I still have enough. I have 99 left.” If you had 10 children and one of them was lost, wouldn’t you seek after that one child until he/she is found. Absolutely! That’s how God feels about us.
Story: I remember being lost at a swap meet one time when I was a child. I was panicking, crying, and had no idea where my mom was. I felt so helpless and was scared. But just imagine how my mom felt! The people at the swap meet called out on a loudspeaker and the whole place could hear the message. They said there was a lost child looking for his mom. I remember my mom coming over quickly, squeezing me so tight, and being so thankful to the people that worked there. She valued me so much. Just imagine how much Jesus values you!
What’s another way to know that Jesus is concerned for you if you fall away from him? #2 If just one of the people that he himself created strays away from him, he will seek that person until you decide to follow Him again.
We don’t seek Jesus. He seeks us. In Luke 19:1-10, we see a chief tax collector by the name of Zacchaeus, who knew Jesus was passing through Jericho. But he was so short that he climbed a sycamore fig tree to get a better look at him. Jesus comes near the tree, tells Zacchaeus to come down and tells him that he must stay at his house. People began to mutter to themselves, “Why is he going to a sinner’s house?” Tax collectors were also lowly in society, yet Jesus didn’t care about his status.
Zacchaeus welcomes him gladly to his home, tells Jesus he gave away half of his possessions, and if he cheated anyone, he would pay him pack 4 times the amount. The man is saved immediately, and Jesus confirms why in verse 10: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Remember! Zacchaeus didn’t invite Jesus to his home first. Jesus sought out Zacchaeus first and told him that he had to go to his home. He saw that Zacchaeus was curious about him and realized his heart could be changed.
Also, Jesus confirms how he seeks us shortly before his death. Jesus told his closest followers in John 15:16, during what is now down as the Last Supper, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide in me.
And this is a reminder for Christians. If you know someone that doesn’t know Jesus or has fallen away from God, you need to pray for them and do your best to seek them out.
Story: When I was in elementary school, my grandma vowed that she would never become a Christian because her boss was a Christian and didn’t care about her employees very well. However, when I had my high school graduation, a pastor preached at my graduation and I remember my grandma saying, “He almost made me want to go to church.” A light bulb went off in my mind and I saw hope that I could get my grandma to attend one church service. I prayed about it and prayed about it and when I was in college, my grandma finally agreed to attend a service with me. But even more impressive was that she started attending a Bible study with my grandpa and she got saved! Just as Jesus never gives up on people, we also need to have hope and pray for those closest to us to know Jesus more.
What is another way to know that Jesus is concerned if you fall away from him? #3, When you do find him, Jesus has overflowing joy that he cannot contain by himself.
Looking at verse 7 it says, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner that repents than over 99 righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Verse 10 repeats this when it says, “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Notice that in these verses we see that the farmer joyfully puts that sheep on his shoulders and goes home. But he is struck with so much joy that he has to release it somehow, so what does he do? He calls his friends and neighbors and tells them to rejoice with him since he found his lost sheep. Can you imagine how I felt when my grandma was saved? It was the best feeling in the world for me and I couldn’t wait to tell my friends and my mom. It’s still one of the best memories of my life.
Do you know someone that hasn’t been to church in a while or do you know someone that might be frustrated with their walk with Christ? Maybe that person is you and you just don’t want to be in church right now. Jesus is wanting you to come back to him. He wants that intimacy and relationship with you again and he wants you to be honest with your feelings. He will comfort you and restore you.
Satan doesn’t want you to restore that relationship with Jesus. He tried hard to get Job to disown God. He will deceive you to turn you against Jesus like he did to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. But the Lord wants you to heal that relationship with Him and restore you like e did with Job.
If you are a Christian but haven’t had a relationship with the Lord in a long time, remember that Jesus loves you. Life can be difficult, but you need to cling to him because you can’t accomplish anything in this life without him. Maybe someone close to you has had failing health, maybe you’re having a hard time paying the bills, or you’re just overwhelmed with family issues. Don’t give up on the Lord. He knows how hard life is because he experienced ridicule, torture, and even death just for our sake. And he is waiting to put his arms around you and be full of joy when you come back to him.
Later on in Luke 15, we see that the Prodigal Son abandoned his father to enjoy a life of indulgence and partying and wasted all his money on himself and got hungry. What did the son do? He went back to his father because he had nowhere to go. However, he planned to repent of what he did. In verses 18 and 19 it says, “I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” You can see the humility and guilt there.
Did the father criticize or rebuke him? No. When he saw his son from a distance, he ran up to him and embraced him, kissed him, put the best robe on him, a ring on him, and put shoes on his feet. But not only that, the father got a fattened calf and celebrated his homecoming! That’s how Jesus will feel when you turn back to him. His arms are open wide for you!
I have a verse for you: Acts 3:19-21: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.”
The Lord wants to refresh and restore you and wipe your sins clean again.
If you aren’t a Christian, it is still your decision to follow Jesus or not. He will never force you to do anything you don’t want to do. You need to realize that Jesus loves you no matter what kind of person you are, what kind of sins you have committed, and what kinds of regrets you might have in your past. It can all be made clean today by committing your life to the one who is seeking you with all of his heart. If you make that commitment today, not only will Jesus be full of joy, but ALL of Heaven will be rejoicing, the angels will be singing, and you will be with Jesus in eternity.
Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)
Instagram: l.a.seoulguy
