I prefer, however, another view. He cares about every lost sinner who needs repentance. Let us seek to have the mind of Christ in warmly receiving sinners, like us. One. Many also cite Hebrews 10:26-29 which says, For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Do you think that now He will let you go back into your sins and be lost again? Matthew 6:34 The older brother we know to be the one in the parable who represents the Pharisees and scribes, who grumble at Jesus reception of sinners. They can think they are saved one day but the next day, they are lost. Its not like the old hymn with a new twist where it says, I was once lost, but now am foundbut then I He sought after you until He found you and rescued you from your hopeless condition. What was it in Matthew 23 which characterized the Pharisees and scribes, and which helps us to understand their agony at seeing sinners flock to Jesus? The shepherd goes after one sheep. As an Israelite, this young man would understand several things about the blessings which God promised His chosen people. This is the final lesson in a nine part study for children on the parables of Jesus. Listen to his words to his father. 1 The Pharisees words are pregnant with meaning, I believe. These parables show Gods concern and compassion for sinners, but not for sinners en masse, but for individual sinners. It actually says a lot about the security of the saints, and its not up to the saints to hold onto it by their own efforts alone. | Echoes from Heaven It is unqualified. Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. The fathers answer suggests the opposite. He had to expose himself to the dangers of the wilderness and the weather. The third parable is to be seen as distinct, focusing attention on a different area. Peter had also gained a great knowledge about sheep by the teachings. A materialist would easily identify with the mental torment of losing even one out of 100 sheep or one out of 10 coins. He sternly rebuked them, thus precipitating His own execution. The only reason they were found is that the shepherd and the woman initiated a diligent search for them. The biblical description of those who do not know Jesus Christ is not unsaved, but lost. She would light a lamp to illuminate her search, and then she would sweep and clean until she found it. It has been said that in the Old Testament we see sheep dying on the altar for the shepherd, but in the New Testament, we find the shepherd dying for the sheep at Calvary. When a self-righteous person continues in his self-righteousness, he gets the glory and God is not pleased. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin. In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.. We all sin, but believers dont deliberately seek out and practice sin. I am, exist. 2-3). It was no accident that the father saw the son coming from a long way off (v. 20). In the last decade or so, hundreds have contacted us to say they believe they have lost their salvation or blasphemed the Holy Spirit. I was on my way to the office when I encountered it. The Good Shepherd knows His sheep by name (John 10:3). Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in You Isaiah 35:4 Tell everyone who is discouraged, Be strong and dont be afraid! Let us give serious thought to the matter of biblical separation, for much that passes under this label is counterfeit. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, NT Gospels: John 9:25 He therefore answered I don't know if (Jhn Jo Jn). Scripture is clear that if we are saved, it is because the Lord took the initiative; we did not. (Charles Spurgeon, Twelve Sermons on the Prodigal Son [Baker], pp. Whereas I was blind, now I see.--Better, Being a blind man, now I see. I can see the Pharisees becoming bug-eyed and red-faced with anger at this mans sin. How great the love of this father. There are no demands. WebI Once W as Lost, But Now Am Found Isaiah 53:6; Luke 15:1-10 February 10, 2008 Intr oduction: Bunny-Lovey Being Lost In these two parables, Jesus powerfully shares with us who we really are. The younger brother partied with the pagans in a foreign land. Wheres the balance between bad company corrupts good morals (1 Cor. We can rejoice in our own salvation, and thus we can also share in the joy of others who come to repentance as well. When I walked my son across the street in his youth, I didnt tell him, Okay, hold on as tight as you canits up to you to hold on tight! No, I said, Ive got your hand, and Im not letting go. God is the One Who preserves us and keeps us in His name. (Verse 25) Peter reminds his readers of what they were before Jesus Christ became their Savior and Lord: For you were like sheep going astray. Lets have a feast and celebrate. How do I know that? The Jews, as a group, felt superior to the Gentiles, but the Pharisees felt superior to other Jews (John 7:45-49). Paul writes that nothing created or even death itself can ever separate us from God (Rom 8:37-39). Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. Legacy Standard Bible He will receive you. What a way to live. He allowed the son to go his own way, even when he could have prevented it (at least he could have refused to finance the venture). The younger brother left his father, his family, and even his nation to have a good time. A rabbinic saying runs, Cursed be the man who would breed swine (Baba Kamma 82b). Not only does this son think that his works should have merited his fathers blessings, he also is so arrogant as to assume that he has never sinned. The older brother refused to celebrate with his father (and younger brother), but he indicated a strong desire to have been allowed to have a banquet WITH HIS FRIENDS. Her one consuming focus was on looking for that lost coin, no matter how much effort it took. He could sell the capital if he chose, but the buyer could not gain possession until the death of the donor.4. He finished with He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Lukes very next words inform us that these sinners came near to hear him. Leon Morris, The Gospel According To St. Luke, The Tyndale Bible Commentary Series, R. V. G. Tasker, General Editor (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1974), p. 238. What does it mean to us (those who have been rescued by the Savior) that there are many sheep that remain lostincluding some of our closest loved ones and our dearest friends? The third parable depicts the loving and forgiving heart of God (in the father), the repentance of the sinner (in the younger brother), and the sullen joylessness of the Pharisees (in the older brother). Neither did the Pharisees, for their early protest to Jesus had to do with His celebrating (cf. This son of mine was dead. It did not produce warm, fuzzy feelings, at least not for those Pharisees who understood what Jesus was saying to them. How can we share the gospel of a hope-so salvation, rather than a know-so salvation in Christ? He sent His Son to secure your redemption by His blood. The things that make us happy reflect our values or what we consider important. It was not the younger brothers sins which resulted in the fathers celebration, but in his repentance and return. You cannot have one without the other. And they began to be merry. Wiersbe expounds: Every lost sinner is like a sheep gone astray; ignorant, lost, wandering, in danger away from the place of safety, and unable to help himself. Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Plural. His self-righteousness is so strong that he resents the grace of God and refuses to rejoice in it. The Pharisees were lovers of money (Luke 16:14), and it is therefore not hard to see how they would leave 99 sheep to seek one lost sheep, or to turn the house upside-down to find one lost coin. Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Thanks for stopping by! Verse 6 says, All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Before we continue with todays lesson, it would be wise to read again 1 Peter 2:21-24. The fathers words to his older son seem to say, The fatted calf (celebration and joy) were yours to enjoy at any time. The older brother did not think so. The 99 sheep, the nine coins that were not lost, and the older brother who never strayed all represent the Pharisees and scribes. Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular. That one lamb may well have been killed, or it might never be found. A time to search and a time to give up as lost;A time to keep and a time to throw away. Bring the best robe and put it on him. Sin, from a biblical point of view, is often characterized more in terms of attitudes. They found banquets to be occasions where they could attract attention to themselves, where they could be in the limelight. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.. What do you think? Once again, the search and the rejoicing seems to be overdone, when it comes to the sheep and the silver (coin). Let me emphasize two aspects of this story which relate to the younger brother. Sometimes I have spent hours trying to track it down, even after Ive decided not to use it! 8 It was fitting is not strong enough for his word edei, which means It was necessary. The welcome to the younger son was not simply a good thing which might or might not have occurred. God is the One Who preserves us and keeps us in His name. Jim Peterson, in his excellent book, Evangelism as a Lifestyle, indicts the church for its failure to reach pagan unbelievers, those who have little or no contact with or knowledge of Christianity. For the younger son, the father was the provider of the inheritance, so he could indulge his fleshly desires. He rescued (saved) me from the destruction of my lostness. He knew the nature of sheep, that they are prone to stray, to get lost and to stay lost without the help of a shepherd. Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular. Verse Concepts. Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear The hour I Jesus said were in His and the Fathers hands (John 10:28-29). Great effort is expended in reaching the lost and when the sinner repents, the angels rejoice in seeing Gods purposes fulfilled. Let us attempt to set aside the previous interpretations of this parable, as well as our own predispositions and needs, and seek to study this text in the light of its context. 2:12). Blind, physically or mentally. 46-47.). They wandered in the wilderness in a desert region;They did not find a way to an inhabited city. The older brother failed to see that he was a sinner, and he also failed to understand that God has provided salvation for all sinners who truly repent. One day the teenage daughter from the first family told her father, You know, Dad, I think theres trouble next door. And someone said to Him, Lord, are there just a few who are being saved? And He said to them. His anger toward his brother and his unwillingness to receive him back was due to the fact that he had squandered part of his fathers possessions. eternal security, Should one abandon the 99 sheep, leaving them vulnerable to getting lost or to attack by wild animals? We are not of those who keep on sinning after they hear the gospel and thereby, trample on the blood sacrifice of Christ. If the younger sons sins were great, so was his repentance. Do we rejoice when our stocks go up and we make a huge profit? Notice that the older brother is out in the fields working when the younger brother returns. This is, of course, the flip side of the first protest. ), in which case he was bound by the provisions of the Law. Bible verses about Lost And Found. Luke 15:11-32 ESV / 6 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. And he said, There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me. Bible Verses, Quotes, Christian Answers, Songs and More. Today, it stands as a testimony of what was. My dear people of Mars Hill Baptist Church, my Shepherd reminds me today that I too am a testimony of what was. But unlike this special house, I have a different testimony; I once was empty, lost and undone, wandering aimlessly in my sin, but the Great Shepherd came and found me. Take a moment and pray for the lost sheep. 1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! Lets say, then, that five sheep and perhaps a couple of goats are slaughtered, not to mention the cost of the other food. The son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. The Lord had left unchallenged, at the beginning of this chapter, the assumption on the part of the Pharisees that while others might be sinners, they themselves were righteous. Still others berate us for teaching the security of the saints, despite what the Bible teaches (Rom 8:35-39; John 6:37-39, 10:28-29). Without help, it will forever remain lost. 5 For a Jew no occupation could have been more distasteful. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ. The biblical description of those who do not know Jesus Christ is not unsaved, but lost. Today, I testify to the greatness of my Shepherd, that He would allow me to hear His voice. To recover life. The older son protested to his father that he had not been given a party. And he was lost, but he is found! And they began to be merry. 1 John 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. Resource Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), Crossway Bibles. Again, let me briefly apply this. There are no lost books of the Bible, or books that were taken out of the Bible, or books missing from the Bible. Every book that God intended to be in the Bible is in the Bible. There are many legends and rumors of lost books of the Bible, but the books were not, in fact, lost. Rather, they were rejected. And they began to be merry. Heaven, too, rejoices more at the repentance of one lost sinner, more than over the 99 righteous who seemingly did not need to repent.3. But if youre up for it, lets have respectful conversations. The words of this famous hymn by John Newton seem to resonate with people of all theological Salvation, Jack Wellman is a father and grandfather and a Christian author and pastor of Heritage Evangelical Free Church in Udall, KS [https://modelchrist.org/] & also a Prison Minister. Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Singular. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. Second, let us look at the characteristics of the younger brothers repentance. Paul says that the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ (2 Cor. The late Bible teacher, Harry Ironside, told of a new convert who gave his testimony at a church service. Eternal Insecurity Once I Was Saved, But Now Am Lost? He was in the place of honor, not them. New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition, New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition. WebVerse 25. 9. to respond; by Hebraism to begin to speak. The structure of the entire chapter can be summarized as follows: (1) The Pharisees Response To Jesus Association with SinnersVerses 1 & 2, (2) Mans Response to the Lost, Compared with HeavensVerses 3-10, (3) The Older Brothers Response to the Return of His Sinful Brothervv. This man receives sinners, and [Steve] with them. If you will join the tax gatherers and sinners and draw near to Jesus and listen to Him, you will know the joy of singing, I once was lost, but now Im found!. The Cross And Our Response to Trials (1 Peter 4:12-19), 8. As you well know, the story of the prodigal son is one of the most familiar stories in the Bible. Although not a shepherd, he knew a great deal about sheep. He does not know of the younger brothers return until his attention is aroused by the sounds of celebration coming from the house. This presents us with one of the greatest hindrances to our study, interpretation, and application of this text. They only got a taste or sample of it, so this is not about believers. (a) adj: dead, lifeless, subject to death, mortal, (b) noun: a dead body, a corpse. Consider the similarities in these two sons with me for a moment.
Let's think about possible futures!