3 Lessons from the Land of the Lost
Luke 15:4-10
May 21, 2006 FBC, Chester Mike Fogerson, Pastor
Introduction:
A One difference between Christianity and other world religions. Christianity teaches us that we are lost persons and can not find God by ourselves (e.g. the parables of the lost sheep and lost coin).
1 So God’s Son, Jesus Christ came to find us out.
a In other world religions, on the other hand, a person tries to find God as if God is lost, hidden or unreachable.
b In our faith, God finds us.
2 "What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 "When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 "And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ’Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. 8 "Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 "When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ’Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’ 10 "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Luke 15:4-10 (NASB)
B Jesus told about losing, searching, and rejoicing for the lost. (ETS)
1 Believers are to be looking for the lost. (ESS)
2 I hope you’ll be motivated to reach out to the lost people in your life. (Objective)
3 Who do you need to be reaching out to?
C Let’s look at two of the three lessons from the land of the lost. (T.S.)
D Pray
I God is seeking those who have wandered off. (V.4-7)
A The parable of the shepherd looking for the lost sheep told both sides of a story.
1 The sheep was so stupid he didn’t know he had wandered off.
a Kept head down, gap in the fence, goes through it & away it goes, wandering, until it is lost upon the mountains & it doesn’t know its way back.
b How many people do you know that don’t even know they’re lost? (Not given any real thought to God or eternity)
2 The shepherd went searching for the lost sheep.
a The shepherd left 99, what about those other 99?
aa He left them with neighbors or possibly other shepherds, but they were safe.
bb Perhaps he was the only guy there & he left the 99 unattended; one was worth the risk.
(IL.) Ridge was not in his bed, not in Lake’s room. I didn’t stop until I found him. I didn’t say, "Oh, I’ve still got another boy."
b Losing a sheep was a serious deal
aa Reputation & restitution
bb The shepherd rejoiced when the sheep was found! (Embraced, not chastised)
3 The lost sheep we know have already been paid for by the blood of Christ.
a God is commanding us to look for people who are oblivious to the Gospel.
b "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
B Have you heard the story of Shrek, the merino sheep that had evaded capture and shearing for 6 years?
1 When he was finally discovered in his high mountain cave of New Zealand by musterer Ann Scanlan, he was almost unrecognizable as a sheep.
a The first thing his rescuer did was pin back his wool so he could see to walk.
b There was such an interest in Shrek’s return that the owner kept him in a pen for weeks so reporters and television stations could broadcast the amazing return of the lost sheep.
c And then, on live television, world champion shearer Peter Casserly shaved off 6 years of matted wool. As the shearer worked, he laid Shrek on his side with a foot of wool as his bed.
2 How much is Shrek’s story like our story, for "we all like sheep have gone astray." But Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross removes all of our sin and guilt that makes us unrecognizable as children of God.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3665735.stm
II God is seeking those who are lost due to the carelessness of others. "Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 "When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ’Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’ 10 "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
A The coin was lost because the woman didn’t keep track of it (advertently or inadvertently)
1 The women of the day wore a frontlet (semedi) on their forehead.
a The semedi was made up of about 10 coins, about 10 ½ d, under a schilling (no real value). (IL) charms on a bracelet.
b Somehow, this coin went missing.
aa To her, it was of great value (possibly a wedding present, heirloom).
bb Can you imagine taking your vacuum apart to find a penny? Would you open it for the "lucky" penny your grandmother gave you?
c The woman went looking because the coin mattered to her.
2 Every soul means something to Jesus!
a Dirty, forgotten, mean, cruel, quiet, introverted people!
b God cares just as much for those on the front page & those in the police blotter.
3 The coin was "lost" at "home".
a I’ve got the names of 400 members of FBC who are lost at home.
b R.E.A.C.H., invite back...
c Takes time & effort-when they come back...rejoice!
B Following an exhilarating performance at New York’s Carnegie Hall, celebrated classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma went home, slept, and awoke the next day exhausted and rushed. He called for a cab to take him to a hotel on the other side of Manhattan and placed his cello—hand-crafted in Vienna in 1733 and valued at $2.5 million—in the trunk of the taxi.
1 When he reached his destination, he paid the driver, but forgot to take his cello.
a After the cab had disappeared, Ma realized what he had done. He began a desperate search for the missing instrument. Fortunately he had the receipt with the cabby’s ID number.
b After searching all day the taxi was located in a garage in Queens with the priceless cello still in the trunk.
c Ma’s smile could not be contained as he spoke to reporters.
2 Here’s the point, Yo Yo Ma did not quit but persisted because what was lost was too valuable to give up on.
a The spiritually lost are too valuable for us to quit trying to reach even though our efforts do not pay off quickly.
b We must keep looking for the lost.
Conclusion:
A Jesus told about losing, searching, and rejoicing for the lost. (ETS)
Believers are to be looking for the lost. (ESS)
1 We’ve looked at two of the three lessons from the land of the lost.
a God is seeking those who have wandered off.
b God is seeking those who are lost due to the carelessness of others.
2 I hope you’ll be motivated to reach out to the lost people in your life. (Objective)
B Who do you need to be reaching out to?
1 Seventy-five years ago the Titanic set sail from England to America. They said the Titanic was an unsinkable ship, and really, that was the only thing it ever did. It made its way into treacherous waters. Its captain was told there were dangerous icebergs along the way and that he should be careful. He read the note, folded it, put it away, and said: "Sail on." They sailed on and you know the story. They hit an iceberg and over 1,500 people died that night as a result.
There were people in the first, second and third class sections of that ship. Some were up and outers while others were down and outers. Some were very poor while others were very rich. There were people on board from all facets of society and many countries of the world. But, when the news arrived in New York that the Titanic had sunk, there were not longer many classes of people listed, only the saved and the lost.
Today, there are still only two classes of two people in the world: those who are saved and those who are lost. When Jesus returns, those who are lost will be left behind. Those who are saved will be caught up with Him into Glory. The only way the lost can be saved is for you and me to go to the valley and get their dirt and blood on our clothes and take them to the mountain.
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Mike Fogerson
