Luke 15:1-7

This morning, I invite you to turn with me once again to the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel of Luke in Chapter 15. And I’m going to read verses 1 to 7. We looked at the first part of this last week. We’re going to look at some more this week. Chapter 15 of Luke, verses 1 to 7. then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees inscribed and murmured, saying, This man receive his sinners and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them saying, What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which. is lost until he find it. And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over 99 just persons which need no repentance. During the famous Fisher-Spasky chess championship in Iceland years ago, a reporter was amazed as he listened to 80-some grandmasters, discussed the game as it was going on. And he said the thing that struck him the most was he found that these grand masters supposedly never aired. And if the games go differently than they’re predicting them to go, it’s because one of the players chose a different line, the wrong line, as they put it. And so since the game masters are infalleled, they never lose the game because they were outplayed. They lose because they weren’t feeling well, or the climate was too hot or called, or they had a finger slip in a one position, or they had too much to eat or drink, or the other player cheated somehow. When the reporter couldn’t get it, but he couldn’t get over, though, was the arrogance of the grandmasters, that they didn’t do anything wrong. Jesus, during his Perian ministry, taught parables indicating the marks of the kingdom of God. And here the focus, as we talked about last week, is on seeking the lost. The setting demonstrates that the scribes and the Pharisees did not have this characteristic of being. in the kingdom of God because verses 1 and 2 indicate they were very unhappy with the publicans and sinners being embraced by Christ. Being self-righteous, these religious leaders saw no need to repent. And like the grandmasters, evidently, they didn’t think they ever erred. Therefore, they looked down on those who were. who were known sinners. Christ, however, sets the example for us. The most notorious sinners may draw near to Christ. Publicans and sinners drew near to hear him. Notorious sinners need to hear the gospel. That’s why they drew near to hear what he had to say about salvation. And Christ receives notorious sinners. This man receives sinners and eateth with them. And so we see these things standing out. The parable of the lost sheep demonstrates Christ’s concern, not for the self-righteous, which we said were the 99, out in the wilderness, but for the sinner, the one has gone astray, that he seeks out and brings to himself. Let me begin this morning by saying this. You should realize Christ’s love for sinners here in verses 3 through 6. We read here, and he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you having a hundred chief, if you lose one of them, does not leave the 90 and 9 in the wilderness, and go after that which is long. until he find it. And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comeeth home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, rejoice with me. I have found my sheep, which was lost. Christ here seeks out the lost sinner. Now the 90 and 9 are not the ones that he says, seeking after here, but he is seeking after the one that is lost. So the son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost. And the lost sheep, though it may portray all the elect of God, is certainly good for indicating an individual child of God. Particularly, the lost sheep speaks of those chosen by God. among the Jews, these were very few, a remnant, according to the election, of grace. And the majority of those chosen were among the publicans and sinners that we read about. These individuals, given by divine election under Christ, we find, he can’t, cares for. Even before the foundation of the world, Christ had been given a charge by God the Father to save and to care for these people. However, with man’s sin and the fallen Adam, they were placed in a lost position, and therefore they were in grave danger of possibly perishing. eternally. Being the sheep are stupid and insensible, the danger, the wandering lost sheep, is never going to return on its own. So the shepherd has to pursue it and bring back the lost sheep. So the great shepherd here of your soul had to come after you and retrieve you. And you learn from this. the fact that salvation is of the Lord. For Scripture declares there is none that seeketh after God. And if it weren’t for Christ seeking after us, we would have perished. God always takes the initiative when it comes to salvation. There’s no cooperation in this matter. The lost sheep doesn’t meet God at half late. point. No, the shepherd has to chase him down and find him. So you are like a wandering sheep, lost, facing death, and if Christ had not sought you out, you would have eternally perished. But the fact is, he did seek you out. Now, when we think about even the backsoned a slid and the Christian who perhaps has fallen off and gone astray, it was the Lord who sought and found the fleeing prophet Elijah, remember, when he was at Mount Horibh, far away. What doest thou here, Elijah? And the Lord sought him out. And he provided for his return. to service. And so this whole story, we find Christ providing an example for you and I that we should seek after the lost sinner where he has no real interest in returning or in coming to the Lord. And the same is true really for a fellow believer as a backslider. You which are spiritual are to go to him and attempt to turn him from his sin. and back to the Lord. And so this is what we should do in trying to restore sinners. So Christ seeks outlaw sinners. Notice here, Christ is resolute in seeking outlaw sinners. He hunts till he finds till he find it, as this text tells us here. Now the good shepherd doesn’t give up on the mission. He is resolute. He is resolute. he keeps seeking. He keeps hunting until he recovers the sheep. You’ll recall that when Saul and his servant spent days looking for some lost donkeys, eventually they gave up their quest, and they thought we better go home. People are going to be starting wondering about us and not the donkeys any longer. So they gave up their quest for finding the donkeys. But here we see the determination of Christ. The elector brought to salvation. He doesn’t give up on them, no matter how difficult the search. As we read in John 639, and this is the Father’s will which have sent me, that of all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing. So these elect ones, who are lost in their sins, Christ is going to pursue and find and deal with. The good shepherd is a accountable for his sheep. You know, in ancient tongues, a shepherd who was hired to watch over a flock of sheep, like Jacob was, remember with his uncle Laban, he had to watch over the sheep. Now, a shepherd was responsible for each of the sheep, and he would be held accountable if any of the sheep were eaten by a wolf or maybe some wild bear or perhaps a lion or something of that nature. And the owner would often require the shepherd to restore the value of the lost sheep that was missing. Remember how Jacob declared this to Laban. That which was torn of beast, I brought naught to thee, I bear the loss of it. Of my hand, didst thou require it, whether stolen by night or by day. You held me accountable no matter what happened, even if a wild beast came. Now, the law of God has a means of dealing with this. You’re supposed to bring the remnant of that which is not eaten by the wild beast to the owner to prove that you didn’t steal the sheep, but this sheep was actually mauled by some wild animal. normally a shepherd would have to do that. In a similar manner, Jesus Christ, the good shepherd here, fully is accountable to God for the father, for the sheep that are given to him. Christ is such a faithful shepherd that not a single one of the sheep eternally given to him is unfound. and surely the text here speaks about the irresistible grace of God how the Lord continues, and he finds the sheep. There is no one that’s chosen that will ever perish. John 10, 27, and 28 says, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal. life and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. Since Christ is your example for seeking the lost, you have here an obligation to be diligent, to be persistent in your efforts to reach the loss as you go through this life. True, we don’t know who the elect are. Still, still, There needs to be a tireless effort to seek out people to try to give them the gospel. They might be saved. Look at the Apostle Paul. Look at the traveling he did over land and sea and off the distant lands, doing all things he tells us for the elects sake that they may obtain the salvation which is found in Christ Jesus. How Christ’s determination here puts the shape. shame our puny efforts to reach lost souls. May God give us the grace to be more diligent in this regard. In a similar manner, a backslidden saint, there needs to be a persistence and seeing him restored. And Matthew 18 talks about talking to him privately and then maybe taking one or two more people with you to try to persuade him. and eventually it goes before the church. And the church, as a whole, tries to persuade him to turn back. So Christ is resolute in seeking out sinners. Notice something else here. Christ’s strength is what delivers the sinner. He layeth it on his shoulders. He lays the lamb or sheep on his shoulders. Notice the good shepherd. did not leave it up to the legs of the sheep to have him return home. He carries him. He carries him. It’s a long journey. Still with, you know, pitfalls and dangers, there are mountains of difficulty to overcome and distracting attractions that may get the sheep back off the path. straying again. So he doesn’t even lead the sheep, much less drive the sheep here. But we see Christ takes it up in his arms, lays it on his shoulders, and carries it himself. This shows, I think, the passiveness of the sin in conversion. You see, your weakness and impotence to do any anything that is spiritually good on your own. You cannot think a good thought or good action, much less begin and carry on the work of grace in your heart. Like Mr. Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress, you’re going to find there are all kinds of temptations that you’re going to face on the narrow road. Remember he had this law of spawned and he had the Hill of Diffica, and the fiend of Paulian in the valley of the shadow of death, and then in Vanity Fair, and then bypassed meadow, and doubting castle, and the enchanted ground in the river of death, the giant of despair, pagan, a worldly, wise man, Mr. Legality, the flatterer, the atheist, all these he encounters on the narrow road. And thus the strength of Christ bears and carries you all the way. He carries you through all the afflictions, all the temptations, all the difficulties until you arrive and are eventually brought to glory. It behooves you to realize the exceeding greatness of God’s power toward us who believe. And we find here it’s according to his mighty power that he reaches out and saves us. Like the Apostle, Paul, you acknowledge, I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. You can do nothing on your own. So here you learn that Christ must do the saving. And you cannot save a soul, no matter you know, how hard you try, Christ alone has the power to do that. So he puts it up on his shoulder and carries it. And that is what we see here. What need there is to pray for Christ to reach out to those lost sinners by his power that we are witnessing to that he might save them and to rely on his efforts. Notice something else. Christ brings the sinner to his house when he cometh home. While the self-righteous are left out in the wilderness, as we mentioned last week, the elect sheep is brought to the shepherd’s house. In the prophet Nathan’s parable, when he told King David about the little you lamb, remember that this lamb grew up together with this poor man and his children. He ate. of his own meat. He drank from his cup and he lay on his bosom. And it was a very close relationship. The Bible says the little lamb was like a little lamb was like a daughter to him. And it seems more like a house pet. And it’s this kind of love and closeness which is found in our text. The house or home to which Christ comes and brings the sheep. May indeed be here the church of Christ. It is by Christ’s gift and purchase that the head and ruler of his church that we are bought and we find that Christ brings his people to his house and he adds them to his church. There are those who look at the house here as the Father’s eternal home in heaven. And some take it a little further than that and take them as if we are brought safely all the way to heaven. I prefer the church, but it’s possible that that could be a correct interpretation. There was a young Christian and he was at the deathbed of an older Christian man and he said I brought to you the sweetest verse in the Bible I’m going to read it to you and the young man said that he was going to read from John 14 and he read this, in my father’s house many mansions if it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. The ancient saint said, No, that’s not the sweetest verse in the Bible. He said, keep reading. Read the next verse. And the next verse said this. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, there you may be also. He said, that’s the sweetest. He says, it’s not the mansion I look forward to. It’s being with Christ. And so here’s something to that. Can there be anything sweeter than to be forever with the Lord? And that is a wonderful thing. To be eternally cared for and provided for like Christ. So like Christ, your design in reaching out to sinners is to see them brought into the fold of the church and ultimately to heaven itself. Both speak of fellowship with the Lord. Lord. And the same could be said for the backslidden sinner or saint that he needs to be returned to the flock and have the assurance of heaven granted to him. So you realize Christ’s love love for sinners here. But notice my second major point is this. You should realize Christ’s encouragement to the center, the latter part of verse 6 and verse 7. He says this, rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over 90 and 9 persons, just persons, which need no repentance. There is joy in heaven. when a sinner repents. When the lost sheep is brought back, we find here that there’s a celebration with his friends and neighbors. And Jesus likens this to the joy in heaven. And that’s in sharp contrast to the grumbling and murmuring of the scribes and Pharisees who said, oh, he receive a sinner. but we see the angels and Christ and heaven rejoicing that these sinners have come to know the Lord. Verse 5 says the shepherd himself rejoices. And you may well ask, well, why does Christ rejoice when lost sheep or saved or restored? Was there ever any doubt that they would be? And, of course, there was not? But think of this more in human terms to begin with. Suppose a father or mother have six children and one of the children is gravely. It’s in critical care in the hospital. Now this child is very weak. Could die at any moment. Yet suppose the child has a miraculous recovery. Will not the saved child. The saved child be at least for the time being a chief joy for the parents. Aren’t they rejoicing in him in particular because he has recovered? The other five were never in that kind of thing, but he was. Now we see the reason of Christ’s joy is far deeper than that. Christ’s joy is far deeper than that. Christ died for the sheep. He shed his blood for them on the cross. And their salvation is the fruit of his suffering and death. And therefore Christ rejoices because he sees the result of his death coming to pass. Christ loves his sheep as the true shepherd. In spite of all our sin, in spite of all our foolishness, and our wandering, he still loves you. He rejoices in love when you are restored to him. In bringing the sheep back, Christ is doing the will of God the Father. For it’s not the will of the Father that any of the sheep perish. And therefore in doing the will of the Father, Christ, rejoices. And seeking and finding and restoring those who are lost, Christ is gathering his whole. church, his beloved, and his glory will be complete when each one of them is saved. And so Christ here calls on others to rejoice with him when a sinner is restored. The angels in heaven rejoice. The church on earth should rejoice as well. Notice this. You find all rejoicing is based upon repentance, as verse 7 indicates to us. The joy is not for the 99 who are self-righteous. They don’t see they need to repent. But the joy is over those who see themselves as sinners and do repent and come to the Savior. So there is a need to rescue such people. But over a lost one, there is always rejoicing you may be lowly and despise sinner. You may be a publican of the basis sort. You may be scorned. You may be derided. You may be ignored by self-righteous people. But when you are brought to repentance, there is great rejoicing. And while you are on your knees weeping, seeking forgiveness from the Lord, the angels in heaven are singing. And the Lord’s people are rejoiced. The Savior rejoices for one whom he loves, which was lost, but now is found. A sheep, snatched away from Satan’s hand, is always a precious thing. So we should learn from this, that being religious, being a good churchgoer, being a dedicated worker in the church, without repentance, does not please the Lord. What is needed by sinners is not external reform. We don’t take the publican and try to turn them into a Pharisee. What we need is internal reform. Regeneration or the new birth, a spiritual change in the life. Have Christ and the Holy Angels ever rejoiced over you? That’s a good question to ask. The point. years that you come to Christ and you’ll have a wonderful welcome and celebration. There’s no need hesitating because of our sinfulness. Well, let me conclude by saying this. Those who were watching, you know, the chess master’s play, the championship, and looked at the grandmasters who were commenting on it, that reporter thought, boy, what arrogance these people have, they don’t make any mistakes. They don’t make any errors. Well, that’s the last of the first of them. way I think the Pharisees looked at themselves. You know, they’re above the chattled of the people. And so they were beneath them, and they were the righteous one. But Christ tells us what the truth is here. The one who repents is the one that gets the rejoicing and that heaven rejoices over. And may we say, see here the marks here of a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. One of them is they seek after the loss. We should follow Christ’s example that we have here this morning. May God bless us as we consider this passage. Let’s close with the word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your goodness and mercy, for your watch, care, and provision. Lord, how much we owe you in this life. We sought us out to save us from our sins. We pray, Lord, that we will rejoice when we see others saved from their sins as well. In the name of Christ, we ask these sins. With Thanksgiving. Let’s stand for the benediction. Now, the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. Amen.