December 27, 2015
Morning Service

Luke 15:1-10

 

What greater, and more meaningful time, than Christmas, to concentrate on seeking the lost?  We will see that in this chapter, and the next, different illustrations are given on the same subject.  The one in chapter 15 is recovering the lost.  Let’s begin:

 

Luk 15:1-10  Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.  (2)  And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 

·         Within many religions, there is divisions. Christianity is not to be that way.  We are taught throughout the Lord’s teachings that we are one body.  We should have the mentality that we are no better, or no worse than anyone else.  We all belong to the same body, in which Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God, is it’s Head.

·         As these Pharisees, and Scribes thought themselves to be better than others, we, as Christians are taught not to be like that.  We are all in the same body, only with different gifts for service.

 

(3)  And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 

·         And what prompted Jesus to tell them this was what they said about Him receiving, and eating with sinners.  God is no respecter of persons.     The parable.

(4)  What man of you, having an 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?  (5)  And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  (6)  And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.  (7)  I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. 

·         Jesus uses sheep as people, and the Shepherd, as God.

·         God is concerned about everyone, not just a certain few.  This Shepherd has 99 sheep in the fold, but yet is concerned about the one who went astray.

·         People go astray from following the teachings of the Lord, and we that remain faithful must win, and welcome them back with open arms.

·         First of all, people that are not studied up, and sold out to God, are easy pickins for satan.  He goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.  If you are not aware of this, and know what it takes to defeat satan, he will lead you away from the Lord’s church, or body.

1.   1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

·         Be sober, don’t be caught up in this world’s pleasures, and have a love for the things of this world, rather than the things of God.  Too much wine, or things of this world will lead you away from the things of God.  Fellowship in the church, Bible study, prayer, good works, not using your gifts, in the church, as God gave you, for edification, of the church.

·         Be vigilant, Watchful; circumspect; attentive to discover and avoid danger, or to provide for safety.  Such as, don’t forsake the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is.    There is a difference of just assembling, and assembling with the blessings, and authority of God.  You see, Jesus has a church, that the gates of hell will not prevail against.  That church has a given structure, and leadership, ordained of God, described in the Bible.

Peter warns “don’t fall asleep, and forget to be a faithful follower of Jesus Christ’s teachings, satan will lead you away from God.  And you will have your part in the lake that burns with fire.  Rev. 21:8.

 

 

Paul warns:  1Th 5:6-8  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.  (7)  For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.  (8)  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

Jesus warned:  Mat 24:48  But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; Mat 24:49  And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; Mat 24:50  The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

And the consequences are:

Mat 24:51  And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion (or part in the lake of fire) with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.     THE LAKE OF FIRE.

 

We can clearly see the portion of punishment those will receive who go back to living the way the world lives.  Lust of the eye, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, all the ways of the world. 

 

But the encouragement from our Word is that we do all we can to win them back to the body of Christ.

Such as the Scripture above, and this one that follows.

 

(8)  Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?  (9)  And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.  (10)  Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

 

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

 

But what about those who of their own free will choose to quit following the Lord’s teachings?  And what do I mean by this saying?  Let me be clear, there is no salvation outside the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Just as there was no saving those who were outside the ark in the days of Noah.

Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”  To be in the church is to be in Christ.  To be out of the church, is to be out of the Lord Jesus Christ.

·         We get into Christ, the church, through baptism.  Gal 3:27  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

We stay in Christ, when we keep His teachings:  Joh 15:5-6  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.  (6)  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. Joh 15:7  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

·         Abiding in Christ means to abide in His church, bringing ourselves under the authority of the local leadership, that speaks His Words, in His name.

 

I believe James sums it up for the leading of the lost back to the fold.

Jas 5:19-20  Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;  (20)  Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

Many have erred from the truth.  We have been in the great falling away for some time now.  The only measurement of truth that we have is the Word of God.  Every argument must have it’s conclusion with an answer from the Word of God.

 

ALMIGHTY GOD, MAY OUR HEARTS BE TURNED TO THE LOST, AND THOSE WHO HAVE LEFT YOUR FOLD, THIS COMING YEAR, AND MAY YOU BLESS OUR EFFORTS OF RETURNING THEM TO YOU.   AMEN.