For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is now found. That initiative springs out of His great love and compassion. Is it such a momentous thing that she should be bothering to call all of her friends to share this with them? Bright, shining as the sun. Neither did the Pharisees, for their early protest to Jesus had to do with His celebrating (cf. 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? And now he is found. So they began to celebrate. Let that be a lesson to you, in case you ever get the notion you dont want to go to church! In the last decade or so, hundreds have contacted us to say they believe they have lost their salvation or blasphemed the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that sinners are not just those in a certain segment of society, but that they are those whose attitudes and actions are contrary to the will and purpose of God. Praise His Holy Name! Great sums of money and many hours of time were expended in trying to recover this lost child. Take a moment and pray for the lost sheep. He rescued (saved) me from the destruction of my lostness. If He so seeks lost sinners, should not we? They know that it is the plan and purpose of God to save men, on the basis of the shed blood of the Son of God. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. 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. (2) You have given your other son a banquet, when all he did was to sin. Thus, the words of the son to his father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight (v. 18, NASB). I sit in a house that once resonated with life and laughter, but now sits as an empty shell of silence. Such repentance is Gods gift, not a work of man (Acts 11:18), and is inextricably bound up with saving faith. So his father went out and pleaded with him. Her mother nodded her head knowingly. 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. For the Pharisees, this was a humiliating exposure of their sin and their hypocrisy. This is because, at the moment, it is the return and reception of the lost which is at issue, not the righteousness of the righteous. Neither son (the younger son changed, happily) was able to enjoy their father for who he was. (1) Both sons wanted a celebrationa banquet. Paul writes that nothing created or even death itself can ever separate us from God (Rom 8:37-39). After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. A primary pronoun of the first person I. Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular. I am reminded as well by our text that our grasp of the lostness of men is, to a large measure, the degree of our involvement in seeking the lost and our rejoicing when they come to repentance. When the shepherd found the lost sheep, he didnt get out his whip and drive it back to the fold. It isnt that the Pharisees and scribes found it impossible to rejoice; they actively resistedthey grumbled. To a great degree, our understanding of this text is filtered through our own experience. The sinner may not even know that he is lost and headed for destruction, but that is the truth. Jesus replied, I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. The Lord hates pride, and so the Pharisees were just as sinful as the more outwardly notorious sinners whom they despised. Earlier, it was my understanding that the first two parables described Gods heart for the lost. Both sons loved money; they only differed in what they wanted to do with it, and when. Esth 3;10; 8:2; Gen 41:42), the shoes a sign of a free manslaves went barefootand the feast a sign of joy Talbert, p. 150. What do I do about calling a priest father at my Catholic University? We have already come. He became very angry and refused to go in to celebrate with the rest, even though this celebration was called for by the father. Without help, it will forever remain lost. The older brother was angry with the father because he felt he did not get what he deserved (a banquet), while the younger brother got what he didnt deserve (a banquet). Can people who live in areas of the world where there are no missionaries, no Bibles, and no mention of the Name of Jesus be saved having never heard the Gospel? The answer is both yes and no, and that is without equivocation. Let us start with the negative. No one can be saved unless they believe in Jesus Christ as Savior. I can identify with this woman. Do you think that now He will let you go back into your sins and be lost again? Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular. He cares for you. A highway will be there, a roadway,And it will be called the Highway of Holiness.The unclean will not travel on it,But it will be for him who walks that way,And fools will not wander on it. The Cross And Unjust Suffering (1 Peter 2:19-25), The Situation: All the tax-gatherers & sinners coming to hear Jesus, The Complaint: Jesus welcomes sinners and even eats with them. Explain what it means to be lost without Jesus. We know from the recorded teaching of Jesus, along with the fact that His teaching attracted the common people, that His teaching was simple (e.g. Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. When weve been there ten thousand years, The Cyber Hymnal (http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/a/m/a/amazing_grace.htm), Hymnary.org (http://www.hymnary.org/text/amazing_grace_how_sweet_the_sound). If you seek her as silverAnd search for her as for hidden treasures; We do not see our signs;There is no longer any prophet,Nor is there any among us who knows how long. The Pharisees looked at sin as an external thing, rather than a matter of the heart. A Biblical Analysis. Would she not have found the lost coin eventually? Do we rejoice when our stocks go up and we make a huge profit? But it will be for him who walks that way. The unrighteousness of self-righteousness will be exposed in the parable of the prodigal son, which is up-coming. Heb. Let us give serious thought to the matter of biblical separation, for much that passes under this label is counterfeit. But nothing of theirs was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that they had taken for themselves; David brought it all back. The Pharisees set themselves up as the elite, based (to some degree) upon their expertise in very complex rules and regulations. But he lived in a country where sheep were raised and valued. He told it because the Pharisees trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt. Thus the righteous are the self-righteous who need to repent just as much as the tax gatherers and sinners, but who are blind to their need. Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular. Jesus also confronts them in 16:15, when He says, You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. Jesus hits the same thing in 18:9, with the parable of the Pharisee and the publican going to the temple to pray. The heart of that father never forgot the wayward son. https://mymarshill.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/lesson19.mp3. I have always thought of these two sons in terms of their differences. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2:12). They Blind, physically or mentally. He rescued (saved) me from the destruction of my lostness. Thanks for stopping by! We saw the same thing back in Luke 5:32, when the Pharisees grumbled because Jesus and His disciples ate with the sinners at Levis house. 3-7, 8-10). I once was lost but now am found, Was blind but now I see. Explain what it means to be saved (rescued) by the Shepherd (Jesus Christ). Can I plead with you today? Rather, do what these sinners in Jesus day did: Draw near to Him and listen to Him. What does it mean that good works are the result of salvation? And they began to be merry. Discuss with prayer and thought. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men. So he got up and went to his father. WebFather, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. BEST VALUE in digital Bible study. The imagery of sheep is a common one in the Scriptures, primarily because they lived in a rural society , I heard you say, This man receiveth sinners, and Edith with them. (In Our Daily Bread.), Even though that girl misunderstood the text, she had applied the truth personally to her own heart. He calls them individually to come to Himself. Stop and think about the expense of having a celebration banquet, to celebrate the finding of one sheep. eternal security, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, NT Gospels: John 9:25 He therefore answered I don't know if (Jhn Jo Jn). Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular. When weve been there ten thousand years. ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. For related ideas, search our website for "Parables of Jesus." Heavens joy at the salvation is surely appropriate, and, in one sense, it is like the joy of the woman who found her one lost coin. 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. KJ21. The Cross And Our Response to Trials (1 Peter 4:12-19), 8. No, there is not, at least not until the celebration. This young man went and lived among the heathen as a heathen. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with them.. Let me emphasize two aspects of this story which relate to the younger brother. The first run-in between Jesus and the Pharisees had to do with Jesus authority to forgive sins, which was only the prerogative of God (Luke 5:17-26). Why Your Church Needs Vacation Bible School, Gods Amazing Conversions Through Dreams and Visions Part Three, Gods Amazing Conversions Through Dreams and Visions Part Two, Gods Amazing Conversions Through Dreams and Visions Part One, Ice Dragon: Legend of the Blue Daisies Movie Review, Phoenix Wilder And The Great Elephant Adventure Movie Review, The Boxcar Children: Surprise Island Movie Review. You see, we tend to appraise sin (and sinners) by merely external standards and criteria. I hope to share this in a moment, along with its implications. Our text is Lukes account of three parables, each of which describes the finding of a lost item, and each of which describes the joy and celebration which resulted. Sinners to the Pharisees were more a social category than they were anything else. Again, let me briefly apply this. What did give them joy? What are some of the worlds seemingly greener grasses that attract lost sheep and appeal to them to remain lost? He put it securely on his shoulders and carried it home. Finally, our text forces us to ask if we, as a church, welcome sinners, or whether we, like the Pharisees, send them a clear message that they are not wanted. The Apostle Paul could confidently say, I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me (1 Tim 1:12). It had no protection and it would be only a short time before the coyotes or other predators would attack and kill it. It was the right thing. But there is even more than this. Explain what it means to be lost without Jesus. Listen to his words to his father. I cant do other things when something is lost! Even the pigs, it would seem, were better cared for than he. The biblical description of those who do not know Jesus Christ is not unsaved, but lost. The older brother did not leave him, but did not enjoy him either. What a way to live. One proof text people cite is where the Author of Hebrews writes, For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore (Heb 6:4-6). All God loves each of us as if there were only one of us"- Augustine. But he lived in a country where sheep were raised and valued. The older brothers works didnt work, but the younger brothers repentance did.