Sermon Central
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You Matter To God (Easter 2014)
Contributed by T.j. Conwell on Apr 20, 2014 (message contributor)
Summary: When something lost is found, God celebrates the recovery! Jesus taught in three parables of the importance of finding things that are lost, which is EXACTLY what His death on the cross allowed us to be: We can now be FOUND because we matter to God!
You Matter to God
Easter Sunday 2014, Luke 15:1-32
Introduction
- This morning, we are going to push pause on our study in Revelation
-- The purpose of this message is to celebrate Easter, and really challenge us
- Often we like the same old stories, often we like to tune out familiarity
-- We often come to church to hear what we like, and miss the main thing
-- The main thing is that people need Jesus, and that’s why we are here
-- Today I’d like to challenge you to hang with me as we examine this
- Have you ever felt alone? Ever felt like you had no hope? Feeling it now?
-- If this describes you, then this message is for you this morning
- Today we celebrate the revelation of what Christ has done for us
-- The shame of the cross, the punishment we deserved, the sacrifice of sin
-- The scourging, the suffering, the death, and finally – the resurrection
-- IMP: What we stand on today is the HOPE of LIFE we must live for
- Today’s message involves three separate parables from Jesus
-- Jesus taught in parables (stories) as a way of giving real life explanations
-- It’s no different than using a colorful story to make a point
-- All three were taught with ONE common thing to learn
- Let’s examine these three parables and see what God says to us today
- Read Luke 15:1-7
Ω Point 1 – The Lost Sheep
What we see first is the crowd is already starting their nonsense (v2)
-- It’s like watching four year olds in a sandbox when the cliques form
-- Jesus is here, but look who He hangs out with … “Ewwww!”
- IMP: Jesus doesn’t reply to them (but you know He heard it)
-- (diff sermon) This says a lot about how we should respond to naysayers
- Speaking of sheep, he immediately identifies with the crowd on onlookers
-- Sheep meant you had something; had goods that you could sell at market
-- “You guys own livestock … and you value your merchandise, right?”
-- It represented livelihood, and the crowd instantly registered with that
- (v4) Even if you lost just ONE sheep, you would go after it … right?
-- This is their challenge … wouldn’t you chase after the sheep you lost?
-- Would you not carry it all the way home like a prize or a trophy?
-- Absolutely! And then, something awesome happens … (v6)
- Let’s call the Jones’s and the Smith’s over and let’s celebrate!
-- I had something lost, but now it’s found and woohoo … it’s party time!
- IMP: This is not Jesus saying it’s time to get drunk and party BTW
-- He is saying, “I’ve found what was mine … it was lost and it’s GOOD!”
-- Call the neighbors up, get them over here and let’s have us a party!
- APP: Jesus causes them to identify with the importance of being found
Ω Point 2 – The Lost Coin
- So, maybe you guys aren’t buying this sheep analogy, ok, try this …
- Read Luke 15:8-10
- Ten silver coins (drachma … each worth about a day’s wage)
-- If you lost a day’s worth of wages, you’d be scouring the house too!
-- Wouldn’t you light a lamp and start hunting for the money you lost?
- A day’s wage might mean you don’t eat for a few days
-- It might mean you cannot pay your debt/taxes that you owe
-- It might mean that someone will deal with you unfairly b/c of it
- If the bank took from you a day’s worth of pay, wouldn’t you be there?
-- Wouldn’t you be showing them how frustrated you are?
- But notice (v9) when she finds it, there is a CELEBRATION in the house!
-- She is so excited that even at night (lit a lamp) she wants to party
-- She brings some friends over and celebrate that she found her money
-- Of course, she’s not giving it away, but wants to celebrate her joy
- It’s no difference than what we do today: lost it, find it, celebrate it
- Get personal here: Don’t you celebrate finding something you lost?
-- Don’t you rejoice when something you had is now yours again?
-- We rejoice in the simple fact that we aren’t crazy and knew we had it!
- But, why would Jesus talk about this example of lost and found?
-- Because He’s talking to the lowly, to the poor, to the “have-nots”
-- To them a day’s wages is a LOT of money, and they know it! (So do we!)
- APP: Jesus causes them to identify with the importance of being found
