Sunday 09/27/26 – Adams Village Baptist Church
Sermon Title: “The Lost Sheep” - Luke 15:1-7 - “The Parables of Jesus” – Sermon Series – (Part 4 of 6)
(Cover
Picture – The Lost Sheep – Parables of Jesus – Luke 15:1-7 - Picture)
This morning, we are continuing our six-week sermon series
on “The Parables of Jesus,” or stories of Jesus. I chose just six parables for
this sermon series, but there are many others. If you have a chance to look at the
various parables of Jesus, I encourage you to do so. Read them and be changed
by them. For example, a parable of Jesus that we will not be discussing in this
sermon series, portrayed in this chalk painting, is the parable of “The Rich
Young Ruler.” Read them and be changed by them.
As I also have been saying throughout this sermon series,
Jesus grew up in farming, fishing, and in general, an agricultural world. I
have told you a few stories now about my late Granpa Winkelman. Well at least some
of the ones that are church appropriate, and in fact, I am the first generation
in the Winkelman family to have not been raised on a farm. Jesus’ parables were
given originally by Jesus to a world of farmers, fishers, and people who lived
off the land. Even so they are timeless, and they have incredible and powerful
meaning.
This morning, we are talking about the parable of “The Lost
Sheep.” Recently, in fact, a friend of mine lost their cat. It was awful, and
my friend was worried, of course, about their cat. “Was the cat alive? Was the
cat dead” the person thought. The cat then came back; thanks be to God. This
person though shouted for the cat, looked for the cat. I mean who would not go
after someone or an animal that was lost? Has anyone here ever lost a pet?
Worse anyone here ever lost a pet and never found the pet? Brothers and
sisters, God’s love for us is so strong, that He will tear after us when we are
lost. Even if we do not know God, God pursues us like “The Hound of Heaven,”
which is a poem that was written by English Roman Catholic named Francis
Thompson in 1890. God pursues us and seeks to find us when we are lost.
(Luke
15:1-17 Scripture – Picture)
In looking again at our Gospel of Luke 15:1-7 reading for
this morning, we hear this from Jesus, once again, starting in Luke 15:1:
15 Now the tax collectors and
sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees
and the scribes murmured, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them”
(Lk.
15:1-3, RSV).
The religious leaders were giving Jesus a hard time for
eating, talking with, and receiving people who society has rejected. I am so glad
that I am pastoring a church, where there is a place for anyone. For those that
have seen that pain chart at the doctor’s office that asks if your pain is a 1
to a 10, if you are screwed up from 1to a 10, you are still welcome here. Why?
Jesus loves everyone, died for everyone, and he ate with, received, and interacted
with tax collectors and sinners. Did Jesus ultimately invite all these people,
all people to repent of our sins and follow Him? Of course, but “The Hound of
Heaven” pursue us all. God wants us to be in relationship with. We have a choice,
but either way He pursues us. We can help lead people to change, to repentance,
while still loving them as someone made in God’s image.
In response to the tax collectors and the Pharisees or
religious leaders chiding Jesus for eating with, spending time with, and receiving
tax collectors and sinners, he responds with a story, a parable. This is what
Jesus said, that I just read a few minutes, once again:
3 So he told them this parable: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? 5 And 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 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance (Lk. 15:3-7, RSV).
Friends, what is most important is not what are you like
when you first walk into this church, what is more important, is how Jesus
changes you for when you leave. I can imagine over the many years of this
church that some people may have initially come into this place in a very broken
state in their lives. It is not about being perfect, it is about turning to
Christ who is perfect, repenting, and being changed by the Holy Spirit. Jesus
went to everyone because everyone needs Jesus. It does not matter if our level
of sins is at a one or a ten like the pain chart at the doctor’s office, Jesus
pursues us still.
(Lost Sheep
in the Woods - Jesus – Picture)
I remember a couple of years ago, going to Gideon’s International
Bible fundraising event. At this event, thousand of dollars were raised to buy
Bibles to give to people that do not have a Bible. The keynote speaker who flew
in from New Zealand told us a story. He told us how some hotels and other
establishments will no longer allow the no cost to them Gideon’s International Bibles.
These are generally Bibles that are in the nightstands in hotels. The Bibles
that are given to many, at no cost to recipient. Yet the people at this
fundraising event, were enthusiastic about getting Bibles, so the people might
read the gospel, and maybe a parable or a story like the parable of “The Lost
Sheep.”
This man from New Zealand then told us a true testimony. A
man had lost his job, his marriage was in tatters, and so he left his home and
checked into a hotel. The man was in emotional anguish. Do you know that brick wall,
the forks in the road that some of us face in life? What do you do now? The man
purchased a large bottle of Vodka and started drinking it heavily. The now very
intoxicated man, for some reason opened the drawer to his hotel room nightstand.
Lone behold, there was a Gideon’s International Bible. He probably figured that
since his life was in tatters and he was drunk as a skunk, why not try reading
the Bible. He opened to one of the gospels, and that night God, “The Hound of Heaven”
did spiritual heart surgery on that man. By picking up that Bible and reading,
this man repented of his sins and brokenness and came to Jesus Christ.
My brothers and sisters,
this is why we say in this church, come as you are. If you are at 1 or a 10 in
how messed up your life is, Jesus goes leaves the 100 to go after lost one.
Jesus is an expert at people who have lives that are so bad that they are at a
10. So, could Jesus have asked the tax collectors and Pharisees this morning,
why are you not going after the people that are 10’s in their lives being
messed us? Why not help those who are hurting and who need the grace of God in
Jesus Christ? Also, while that man in the hotel room did come to Christ that
night, I think he still had a bad headache the next morning! You can be forgiven,
but you have still had to deal with the consequences of a night of drinking!
In this picture, we see a lost sheep, who could easily have the man in the hotel room that I just talked about. This lost sheep could be your neighbor, a person at the grocery store, a person who is not a Chicago Cubs fan, etc. Yet Jesus leaves everything and drops everything to come after you, just so you will be change, restored, and saved. After that he can use you as a piece of the puzzle that is this church to transform lives and serve others.
(Man with
Sheep on His Shoulders – Picture)
Jesus says that when the
shepherd finds the lost sheep, that once again in Luke 15:5-7:
5 And 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 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance (Lk. 15:3-7, RSV).
Is Adams Village Baptist
Church for everyone? Yes, it is. Do we all have story? Yes, we do. Even so “The
Hound of Heaven” pursue us, and Jesus leaves the heard for us. Whether we are at
1 or a 10 the pain or sin chart, Jesus comes after us.
(Jesus
holding a Sheep – Picture)
Of everything that I have seen or heard this week, this
picture of Jesus holding this lost sheep has been the highlight of my week. Maybe
we were this sheep once, and just maybe, we know of other lost sheep that might
think that they will never be found. We are part of the puzzle of God’s Kingdom,
and we all have a place here at the Adams Village Baptist Church.
With said how does the parable of “The Lost Sheep” apply to
our lives to today. Let us look at some application points for the parable of “The
Lost Sheep.”
The core application of Luke 15:1–7
is that believers must adopt God’s heart by actively seeking the lost and
rejoicing extravagantly when a sinner repents, rather than grumbling like the
Pharisees.
1.
Model the Shepherd’s Pursuit
·
Intentionally seek the lost: God does not passively
wait for straying people to figure things out on their own; the shepherd leaves
the ninety-nine to actively search. Apply this by identifying specific
individuals in your life who are far from God and making intentional efforts to
reach them.
·
Overcome helplessness with grace: Sheep are prone to
wandering and cannot save themselves. Recognize that spiritually lost people
need patient rescue, not harsh judgment or condemnation.
2.
Reject Self-Righteous Grumbling
·
Examine your attitude toward outsiders: The Pharisees
complained because Jesus welcomed and ate with social and moral outcasts. Guard
against spiritual pride that looks down on non-believers or resents God showing
mercy to "undeserving" people.
·
Refuse to stay outside the celebration: Being close to
religious routines (the "ninety-nine") does not equal having God's
heart; join heaven's perspective instead of standing back and judging.
3.
Celebrate Redemption
·
Rejoice over every single return: Heaven explodes with
joy over one repenting sinner. Cultivate a church culture and personal life
marked by deep celebration and gratitude when someone comes to faith, viewing
evangelism as an invitation to a party.
Brothers and sisters,
this is why “The Parable” of “The Lost Sheep” matters, and this is how it
applies to our lives and our faith. To drive this point home, I want to show a great
video with lyrics. The song is called “Reckless Love,” by Cory Asbury, and you
should have a bulletin insert with these lyrics. Let’s listen and sing together.
Amen.
(Reckless
Love – Lyric Video)
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