Power Point Show
Scripture Reading: Psalm 130
Lost and Found
Intro.
1. Complaints of Pharisees and scribes against Jesus prompted three parables that describe our need for forgiveness, God’s willingness to forgive, and our reactions when God forgives, Luke 15:1-2.
2. Which characters in these parables describe us?
I. THE LOST SHEEP: COMPASSION FOR THE LOST, Luke 15:1-7.
A. God Seeks the Lost, Matt. 18:10-14. So must we.
1. Tempted to inspect gospel prospects (Matt. 9:9-13) Acts 10:34-35.
2. Self-righteousness, Luke 18:9 (Isa. 65:5).
B. Heaven Rejoices Over One Sinner Who is Saved, Luke 15:5-7.
1. We mute heaven’s joy when we say, “It won’t last;” Expect failure.
2. Pharisees and scribes considered themselves “just,” but they were the ones who needed to be “found” (saved).
II. THE LOST COIN: THE VALUE OF THE SOUL, Luke 15:8-10.
-Sum was small, but it was all she had. Losing one coin was severely felt.
A. God Sent His Son to “Find” Lost Souls, John 3:16; Luke 19:10.
B. Souls are Worth the Effort to Try to Save.
1. When one Christian wanders from the truth, James 5:19-20.
2. The Pharisees / scribes placed no value on the “sinners” (15:1).
3. The value of souls moves us to try to restore the fallen, Gal. 6:1.
III. THE LOST SON: GOD’S FORGIVENESS AND OUR MERCY, Luke 15:11-32. (Parable justified Jesus’s conduct in receiving sinners and showed that rejoicing over their return was proper. It rebuked the unthankful, hardened hearts of the Pharisees and scribes.)
A. The Wasteful, Unthankful Treatment of God’s Blessings is Sin, Luke 15:11-16.
1. The gospel gives sinners an inheritance, Acts 26:18.
2. Christians have obtained this inheritance, Eph. 1:11.
3. Sin is the wasteful (prodigal) treatment of God’s inheritance:
-Neglectful sin, Heb. 2:1-3; Willful sin, Heb. 10:29.
B. Younger Son: The Sinner Must Change His Heart and Life to be Forgiven, Luke 15:13-20a.
1. Failed to value his father’s blessings, 15:13.
2. He lived in self-indulgent consumption without planning for the future, 15:13-14 (spiritual application, James 4:13-15).
3. He “came to himself” – Realized his condition (sin) and changed his mind (repentance), 15:14-17 (cf. Acts 8:19-24).
a. No more demands (15:12); He humbly offers himself as a servant.
b. Godly sorrow . . . repentance . . . salvation, 2 Cor. 7:10.
4. He went back to his father, 15:18-20a. [An action of faith]
a. Our sin separates from God, Isa. 59:1-2.
b. Repentance changes everything! (“I am not worthy.”)
c. Sinners go back to God and are forgiven, 15:20a; Matt. 11:28-30.
C. The Father: God in Mercy is Ready to Forgive, Luke 15:20-24.
1. The Father had already done everything for his son, 15:12.
2. The father did not harden his heart against his son because of his sin against him (squandering his inheritance).
3. Saw his son’s condition and had compassion, 15:20; Eph. 2:4-5.
a. Mercy: The outward action of pity over another’s distress.
b. God’s mercy, prompted by love, forgives the repentant. -Joy-
4. We can do no less and be God’s child, Luke 6:36 (Matt. 5:7).
a. Mercy does not ignore, overlook, or endorse sin.
b. Mercy urges God’s remedy for sin, Jude 20-23 (22).
D. Older Son: Unwilling to Rejoice When a Sinner is Saved, Luke 15:25-32. Outburst of rage (orge).
1. Long-held resentment? Suspicious of his brother’s motives? Hurt?
2. Problem: He focused on himself instead of the lost soul that was restored. (cf. “He mistreated me,” “he hurt others,” etc.)
3. Perception is NOT reality; cf. 15:28-31. He completely misjudged his brother’s conversion and his father’s rejoicing.
4. We must have a heart of forgiveness, Col. 3:12-13.
a. Ready to forgive (like God), cf. Psalm 86:5; 130:7-8.
b. So that we rejoice when sinners repent, Luke 23:34; 15:7.
Conclusion
1. Which characters in these parables describe us?
a. We all have sinned, so we all need God’s mercy (Rom. 3:23).
b. We all must be humble, repent, and go to God (Acts 2:37-38).
c. We dare not resist heaven’s joy over the sinner’s salvation.
2. Keep a heart of forgiveness so that when a sinner seeks your mercy you will give it – just as God gives it to you.
By: Joe R. Price
Posted February 22, 2024