The Recovery of the Lost Sheep

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This parable in which we're looking at speaks about repentance and the joy of heaven the joy of heaven now
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I have spoken and I've preached this message before it's been a very very busy week and and I was wrestling with the
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Lord in prayer and I It was I could not quite wrap get everything together in first Peter okay in chapter 4
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So to do justice I said Lord help me To go in the direction that you would have us as redeeming grace
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Church to focus on and I prayed about this thought about well To talk about Thanksgiving after Thanksgiving.
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What is Thanksgiving mean? Thanks living as brother Keaton said it's a it's a everyday Thing from our hearts to give thanks unto
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God, right? I thought about that. I thought well, maybe I could speak about Thanksgiving and it seemed like in prayer the
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Lord didn't I Didn't want to go in that direction, so I I kept thinking okay and praying
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Lord what what do we need to hear? What do we really need to hear? What is your heart?
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And I thought if you look into scriptures the heart of God is the souls of people
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It's not just having knowledge about God It's knowing
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God intimately and knowing God personally, but it's also
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Reaching the world and desiring them to be to know God That they may know
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God because people are perishing by the millions and I'm thinking
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I need this. I need to be reminded that Jesus came to seek and save the lost
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This is his heart. This is why he came It's all about him, right it's all about the glory of God God's gonna be glorified regardless At the end day the judgment after the judgment of the unbelievers and the believers and after it's all said and done
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Every the Bible says every knee is going to bow and every tongue is going to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the
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Father So every knee is going to bow Some is going to be bowing that's going to perish forever in eternal torment
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Against the wrath of God then some school then the saints of heaven is going to bow Everybody's going to bow well as you well know
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We can't cause people to bow we can't cause to bring a person into the kingdom of God, but God can
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That's the miracle of the new birth. That's why scripture says it is impossible It's really impossible for anyone to get into the kingdom by themselves.
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They can't you and I can't get into the kingdom by ourselves How can we come into the kingdom the spirit of the
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Living God must do the work of regeneration a new birth must take place a
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New heart must be Transformed within us and we must be transformed on the inside out
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Not the other way around in which so many people think somehow I got to be good and I got to earn my way to Heaven I got to do these good works.
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I got to go to church more. I spoke to someone here not long ago He was sitting on the side of the road and I had the opportunity to witness to him and I asked him some questions
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And I said, hi How would how would you in your viewpoint come to know
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God he said go to church more I Said oh my friend That's way out there.
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I said church is essential. I said, but that's after you come into the kingdom. I Said you got you must come into the kingdom by focusing on one person
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Jesus Christ. I said I Said I'm a pastor of a church, but first and foremost, I'm a Christian and I'm not going to point you to my church
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I'm going to point you to Jesus Christ I said people's in church going to hell that knows about God and don't know
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God. I Said friend you need to know who you are and who God is So in saying that this is what this parable is really about.
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It's the recovery of the lost sheep It's about repentance and the joy of heaven.
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It's it's about with joy of the joy of God You don't hear that often spoke of do you?
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How about God's joy? How about what what is God delight in? What is the joy of God?
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What does he delight in? So in saying that we're going to look at this wonderful parable go with me, please to this
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I I personally believe one of the greatest parables Found in the Word of God in the
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New Testament in the gospel of Luke Luke's gospel chapter 15 chapter 15
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Great chapter we're going to begin with the section
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Beginning at first one which runs to verse 7.
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I'm just going to look at that one section But there's really three parables in one here
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We're going to look at the first parable This is a cluster of parables. It's a trinity of parables
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There's three but it's all in one So Luke 15 beginning at verse 1 to verse 7 hear the word of the
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Living God then all the tax collectors and sinners drew near to him to hear him and the
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Pharisees and the scribes complained Saying this man received sinners and eats with them in verse 3.
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So he spoke this parable to them saying What man of you having a hundred sheep if he loses one of them does not leave the 99 in the wilderness and go after the one which is lost until he finds it and When he has found it he lays it on his shoulders
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Rejoicing and when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors saying to them
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Rejoice with me For I have found my sheep which was lost and I say to you likewise
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There would be more joy in heaven over one sinner one sinner who repents
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Than over 99 just persons who need no repentance Praise God.
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Let's all pray and let's seek our Lord once again in this time as we hear his word
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Our Father in heaven you are the one true living God You're not the
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God of the dead. You're the God of the living You're the God and father of Abraham Isaac and Jacob But most of all you the
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God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ The God of the scripture. Oh Lord, we thank you
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We thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd of the sheep The Good Shepherd of the sheep who through the blood of the everlasting covenant
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The Lord Jesus Christ who came to seek and save the lost the lost sinner
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That's your heart. That's your heart Lord And we desire to have your heart and Lord we pray that your spirit
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Would just burn this word within our hearts today Lord I I have no desire to focus on any style of preaching here this morning,
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Lord I just my desire this morning is is your servant Lord is to convey your message to your people and To feed the flock of God So father help me as I speak and help each and every one of us to to hear what you have to say to the church
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And father for this one purpose Jesus came into the world to Seek and save the lost
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So Lord, I pray within this hour will give us ears to hear in the heart to understand and may we be able to comprehend by Your spirit with all the
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Saints as scripture says the width and the length and the depth and the height And to know the love of Christ to know the love of Christ Which passes all knowledge that we may be filled that we may be filled
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Lord fill us With all the fullness that you have for us and we ask this
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For your glory in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. And amen This is a great truth that's presented before us in this wonderful parable the great truth that is really the theme of this entire chapter and 15 is the revelation this one revelation of heaven that heaven rejoices
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Rejoices over the recovery of the lost That God desires to seek and save the lost and recover them
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That's the theme of Luke 15. You could see this in verse 7
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Notice what it says I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
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Than over 99 just persons who need no repentance Then you jump to verse 10
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Likewise I say to you there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents
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Again heaven rejoices God rejoices and then you look at verse 32
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It was right that we should Make Mary and be glad for your brother was dead and as alive again and was lost
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And is now found There you have the whole focal point of what this chapter is really about the characteristics of joy that God rejoices the angels rejoice heaven rejoices over one that repents one sinner that repents
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The characters didn't change As a shepherd who finds and recovers a lost sheep
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Then there's a woman who finds a lost coin and recovers it
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Then you see a loving father That recovers or restores a lost son the lost sheep the lost coin and The lost son and actually in the parable of the lost son, there's really two lost sons one's lost on the inside Of the house and then one's lost on the outside So really that's about two sons
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But the theme doesn't change and the main point is it is always the same What is that?
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the joy of heaven over lost sinners who repent On her found honor restored
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Now this is the heart of God. This is God's heart see age
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Spurgeon and other writers remind us that The three persons of the
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Blessed Trinity are linked together in the recovery of the lost Let us not forget this the father is part of it the sons part of it and The Holy Spirit the triune
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God They give us this observation and I quote
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Spurgeon here the first picture he says we have Christ as the
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Good Shepherd laying down his life to save the lost sheep and The second picture the woman sweeping the house for her lost coin is an illustration of the
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Holy Spirit working through his church the saved to save others then
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You have the spirits work naturally following the shepherds task So in the third picture
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God is suggested by the father seeking his lost child and Here he says the
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Divine Father is before us and all his abundant love to seek and save the lost in quote you know,
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I used to think when I first came to the Lord and When I was newly converted,
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I always used to think that this whole story is about Just the lost objects it is
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Significant and it is part of it that God Recovers what is lost and what is valuable and precious to him?
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But if you really look deep within this chapter It's all about the glory of God It's all about God's glory
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The celebration of heaven that God joyfully delights to see those who come to him
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And we know that no one could come to God within their own power. So You see within the first two parables
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That God is the seeker He's the seeker He seeks out as a shepherd.
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We see we will see Seeks out the lost sheep and then there's a woman who seeks the coin she tears the place apart to find that one coin a valuable valuable precious
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Coin to her and then we see repentance and then it's like Jesus gives in the parable that That He had to repent he had to come to himself
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And go to back to his father. So repentance is really a focal point as well
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So but it's the love of the father. It's the love of God That's really the focal point
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Along with repentance in this great story. So we have this all together now, so we have here in chapter 15
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Of Luke's gospel or it's not so much as like I said three parables This is so many people say but it's really one parable
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Jesus gives it's one parable But with three different aspects to it
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It's like a cluster So the point is that there's the great love of God and then
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God desires to seek out that which is lost and he does a great
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Work through his spirit to bring them back to recover them Now the aspects by my all means of this is a triune parable and Jesus sets forth the supreme and The sublime truth that as the
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Son of Man came into the world to seek and save the lost and we need to keep that before us Jesus said that so many times in his ministry
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But this is the reason why he came But usually the parables of Jesus were very simple there was simple sketches and Each of them standing out with their own distinctiveness
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Again, each of the story and I should say each story of this one parable has to do with one main point
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That our Lord Jesus was teaching in his perfect wisdom You think of it now when he taught there was no mistakes in his teaching
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We're talking about perfect wisdom and He knew exactly how to convey that and I find it really a an act of grace
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To even give this parable to the self -righteous Pharisees at this point because most of us would say we have nothing to do with But Jesus loved souls so much even the hard -hearted callous
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Pharisees He reached out to them now a lot of times it
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There was always grace a lot many times. It was scathing rebuke, but altogether
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It's the heart of God so we see what God loves
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And we also see what God hates God hates pride So we see the hatred of God here in one sense if you understand what
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I'm saying God hates the self -righteousness the pride The the haughtiness
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And where was it found the most within the religious circles in that time period?
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It was the poor that desired to hear the gospel it was the sinners that Jesus reached out to and ate with and come and rubbed shoulders with so to speak so Jesus's teaching was perfect and Here it's the joy of God.
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That's over the salvation of the lost and the first of these is a series is is what we see is a series is a parable of the lost sheep and we follow a familiar pattern and Seeking to understand this great parable now we need
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God's help in this and but it's a lot of times I Come to find this out a lot of times we can we can make it harder than we should make it harder
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What we need to do is humbly bow in prayer and say Lord teach me the simple things
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But really the simple things is the profound things and a lot of times we strain a lot of times in our flesh
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But when the Spirit of God starts to teach us what the scriptures teach it becomes clear to us
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And that's why God has to open up our ears So we'll be seeking to understand this pair when
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I want to talk a lot about the parable this morning I definitely want to focus a lot on the content, but we want to see a lot what the parable is saying, right?
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First of all in my first point, I'd like to give you the context of the parable because to understand what is really being said
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Context is king, right? This is a step which all too many teachers of our day seem to ignore
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Context this is why we have so many Misinterpretations about the parables
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We always must go to the context Not what
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I wanted to say, but what does God say? regardless Because whether we're dead or alive
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God's saying what he's saying, right? That's important. So context is king
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Second I'd like for us to look at and examine the The communication the communication of the parable first the context of the parable then we will look at the communication of the parable by Jesus that focuses our attention, especially on those details of the parable that's stressed by him in the context and then third and last and final
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We will look at the explanation or should I say the application of the parable that's offered by Jesus himself
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So you have the context the communication and The application let's look at it
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Look at the context of this parable the context of the parable of the lost sheep
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So in order for us to properly understand the teaching of this parable in Luke 15 Parable the lost sheep.
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It's extremely important to understand both the broader and The more immediate context there's a broad context and there's an immediate context
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Let's look at the broad and the immediate first the broad the broader the broader meeting the context includes key passages
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Both from the teachings of the prophets in the Old Testament and from the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ himself in the
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New Testament Now, what am I talking about there? For example in the days of the prophet of Ezekiel?
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Let's take Ezekiel for example God warned the leaders of Israel as you well know
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The prophets spoke to Israel who were supposed to have been shepherds of his people
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Who had failed to protect and care for them? So as the
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Holy Scriptures tells us from 2nd Peter 1 20 and 21 Knowing this first that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private
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Interpretation for prophecy never came by the will of man, but by holy men of God speaking of the prophets
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Spoke as they were moved By the Holy Spirit. God was literally breathing on these men to say thus saith the
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Lord. It was supernatural Ezekiel the prophet was one of those holy men of God that was moved by the
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Holy Spirit You have Daniel you have Isaiah And you have many many other prophets
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But let's look at Ezekiel He foretold a day when God would come to seek and save the sheep
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Go with me to Ezekiel chapter 34. Let's look at this This is the broader context and to understand what
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Jesus is really saying in this parable. You must see this context so we go to Ezekiel chapter 34 and beginning at verse 11
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Chapter 34 verse 11 God is the true
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Shepherd, right? Notice what he says And I like to read it all the way to Verse 19
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This is the Word of God for thus says the Lord God indeed my I myself will search for my sheep and seek them out as A shepherd seeks out his flock on the day.
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He is Among his scattered sheep so I will seek out my sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloud and dark day and I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel and in the valleys and in the heaven and all that Inhabitants inhabited places of the country.
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I will feed them in good pasture and their fold shall be on the mountain high mountains of Israel and there they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in the rich pasture on the mountains of Israel and I will feed my flock and I will make them to lie down says the
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Lord God and I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away and Bind up the broken and strengthen that which what was sick and I will destroy the fat and the strong and feed them in judgment and as for you
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Oh, oh my flock does says the Lord God behold. I shall judge between sheep and sheep between rams and goats
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Is it too little for you to have eaten up the pasture? That you must tread down with the feet of the residue of your pasture and to have drunk of the clear waters
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That must that you must foul the residue with your feet and as for my flock
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They eat what you have trampled with your feet and they drink what you have found with your feet
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And it goes on there are Many times that in this book you see that there are shepherds
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That really are not God's shepherds But here it speaks if you notice and that in the context that God seeks out his own sheep he seeks them out and He will bring them home and God always brings his elect home
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The elect will come Now as for us on this side of eternity, we don't know who the elect is but we are to obey our
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Lord's command to go into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature and As that word goes forth not our word, but God's Word Jesus said it my sheep hear my voice
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They will come and he said that all that the Father gives will come to me
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And then he said Jesus said this and he that comes to me. I will no wise cast him out Wonderful passage of Scripture so the commentary of the
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New Testament As use of the Old Testament deals prospectively with Jesus's application of Ezekiel Ezekiel's passage to himself as he takes up the metaphor of the
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Lord as a shepherd who seeks his law sheep That's basically what is said there in Ezekiel 34
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Jesus asserts that he does the work of God Whose love and mercy for sinful and weak people is
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Reflected in Jesus is calling tax collectors and sinners to himself To repentance to repentance as Jesus's audience he has an audience here most of the time when
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Jesus taught it His many times it wasn't in the synagogues.
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It was out in the highways in the byways he actually went into a boat once and Basically preached from the boat
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But most of the time when he taught parables, it was on the long the roadside and along the way and and he was conversing
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He taught constantly on the road Amazing And so as Jesus's audience is consisting here in this parable of the
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Pharisees and the scribes These were the religious scribes. They were they were the the theologians of the day
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The know -it -alls about the Word of God They had all this head knowledge of the law and and here they are the
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Pharisees and the scribes who complained to Jesus That he eats with sinners
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What do you do in eating with sinners and then Jesus in a loving and a wise
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Truthful way he challenges them Jesus loved to challenge people Challenged them to understand themselves as shepherds, but the the
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Pharisees and the scribes lacked Concern and mercy they did not have mercy for sinners.
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Did they? Jesus told him that he actually called him hypocrites and snakes and vipers and he said in the inside you you're full of dead man's bones and filth and putrid
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Inside of you and on the outside you look all cleaned up and white as sepulchers
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Sounds like people today we know of right? The Pharisees and the scribes lacked the concern and the care and the mercy for sinners that which echoes in Ezekiel 34
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So in which God directs the prophet to speak against the leaders of the nation of Israel who
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Neglect their duties and leave Israel scattered As it says like sheep without a shepherd
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You don't care and a shepherd cares Shepherd cares for his sheep
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He loves his sheep Announcing that God himself will seek out rescue and care for the sheep so Jesus is parable and It gives the indication to the scribes and the
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Pharisees for they for their failure To be the faithful shepherds of God's flock
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And implies that Jesus's love and mercy for sinners is consistent with God's mercy
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Care for the sheep, you know, listen very carefully. There's our
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Lord. Jesus Christ himself is that very fulfillment of Ezekiel's prophecy? It's so crystal clear not only from this parable.
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However, but is also clearly in Indicated in other teachings of Jesus as well For example on several occasions
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Jesus made it back quite plain to the disciples that he Was the promised coming
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Anointed one the Lord the Messiah The Lord to seek and save his sheep
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To seek and save his sheep We see this in Matthew chapter 10. You can go with me very quickly there.
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Look at Matthew 10 Matthew chapter 10
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Look at 5 through 7 he says to the 12 apostles that he gives instructions and these 12
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Jesus sent out and commanded them saying do not go into the way of the Gentiles and Do not enter into a city of the
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Samaritans But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel as you go preach saying the kingdom of heaven is at hand
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Heal the sick cleanse the lepers raise the dead cast out demons Freely you have received freely give provide neither gold nor silver nor copper or in your money belts
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Nor bag for you journey nor to turn it tunics nor sandals nor staffs for a worker is
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Worthy of his food So you see there he sends him out first to the lost sheep of Israel Then if you go to Matthew 15 24
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Look at verse 24 in Chapter 15 But he answered and said
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I was not sent Except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel The house of Israel He comes to Israel first Then if you go to John 10 that wonderful chapter
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John 10 look at verse 11 through 16 10 11
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I Am the Good Shepherd the Good Shepherd gives his life for the sheep but a hireling
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He who is not the shepherd one who does not own the sheep
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Sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them
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The hireling flees because he is a hireling and he does not care about the sheep
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Then Jesus says I am the Good Shepherd and I know my sheep and I am known by my own and as the father knows me even so I the father
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I know the father and I laid down my life for the sheep and Other sheep
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I have which are not of this fold He's speaking here about the Gentiles the sheep are the elect of God Then in verse 16 and other sheep that will eventually be the
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Gentiles that were here He says them also I must bring and they will hear my voice and there will be one flock and one shepherd
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Now that's a perfect illustration, but look at verse 24 through 28
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Then the Jews surrounded him and said to him. How long do you keep us in doubt?
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If you are the Christ tell us plainly Jesus answered them. I told you and you do not believe
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The works that I do in my father's name they bear witness of me and you do not believe because you are not of my sheep notice that you are not my sheep as I have said my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and Then he says this and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish
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Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand My father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of my father's hand
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I and my father are one He's basically telling the the religious people that was contradicted him here.
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You're not of my sheep Now, I don't know about you they didn't get that Jesus plainly told him in Another section you will die in your sins and when
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Jesus says you're gonna die in your sins They died in their sins and they perished They were not of the sheep
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God's sheep Now so Jesus was sent first to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
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That's very plain in Scripture, isn't it? That's exactly why John 1 verse 11 says he came unto his own and his own did not receive him
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In verse 12, but as many as received him to them He gave the right the power the privilege to become the children of God to those who believe in his name
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And I love verse 13 who were born not of blood nor the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but of God It's God that does the work
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So he would seek the other sheep not of this fold, which means that he will seek out the
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Gentiles Eventually the gospel as you well know there was a transition after Israel's rejection
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Paul talks all about this in Romans chapter 9 and how God orchestrated and Paul really gets he got he really falls on his face before God is as The man of God he was and the great missionary and the theologian he was and understanding the plan of God But how
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God orchestrated it through the rejection of Israel by crucifying Christ and then Christ rising again
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Notice Israel rejected them rejected Jesus They rejected their king.
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They rejected the Messiah, but through that rejection The gospel goes to the
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Gentiles But it was all in God's timing So the initial focus on the lost sheep of Israel will be especially helpful in our understanding of this parable in Luke 15
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So we have passages that provides the broader context
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The proper background for understanding the parable in Luke 15 so this background helps us to understand just how important this analogy is that would have been to Jesus and those people in his day as he spoke and as he was
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Speaking this parable and it helps us to understand That also that the scribes and the
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Pharisees Again, the so -called smart theologians of that day They would not have missed the points that Jesus was making they understood truly what he was saying they did not have ears to hear
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Spiritually, but when Jesus conveyed the truth they knew They just rejected their heart was heart
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Unbelief unbelief So they would not miss it. So there's the broader context and then we have the immediate context
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The immediate context is the found in the first three verses of the passage before us notice verse 1 back to Luke 15
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Then all the tax collectors and sinners drew near to him to hear him So in order to get the point of the parable
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We need to understand just who made up the two groups who's made up the two groups being referred to here, right?
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There's two groups of people There's the tax collector that's one group
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For were those who collected taxes there were the scoundrels of that day
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They were They were the rejects. No one liked him who liked the tax collector who'd like someone coming after you money
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Who like those that were like Levi Zacchaeus There were those tax collectors that on behalf of the
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Roman government, right? Jews who were regarded as thieves and traitors Read the
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Scriptures you see that and as such a regarded as especially heinous scoundrels
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Extreme example of sinners again Zacchaeus comes to mind. He's a he's a big one
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Levi Jesus calls to himself to follow him in Luke chapter 19
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Zacchaeus was actually a chief tax collector. He was one of the head tax collectors
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And he was very rich He got he was rich off of people's money by collecting them
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And you can read that in Luke 19 verse 1 through 9 But it but this leads to the next term that which referred to his sinners sinners.
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These are the sinners These are the scoundrels. They are greedy They are the the scum
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And certainly they were such but here the term doesn't refer to all who have sinned
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But which would include everyone, but rather it is being used in a specialized sense
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Specialized sense what I mean by that? Well the ESV study Bible captures the proper
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Significance of the term sinners and I quote this from a study Bible here the
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Reformed study Bible quote Pharisees would have regarded as sinners anyone who failed to keep
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God's law as they interpreted it and The term here seems to reflect a commonly under understood meaning by which it included both guilty of Publicly known sin and others who did not keep the strict purity
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Requirements of the Pharisees in quote so this thus the term here is sinners sinners was used by religious establishments and that describes
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Those who regarded as outcasts and the scum not only because they were actually open sinners
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Publicly, but also because they did not follow the legalistic traditions of the
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Pharisees and the scribes They were rejected. They were considered scum. These are outcasts now on the contrary
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Those who followed the pharisaical way were regarded as righteous. Oh You had to be righteous to be part of the
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Pharisees and scribes. You got to be in their group You had to be in their little clique You know what?
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I mean, you've seen it So often do we see man pretends to be so religious?
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Religious the more religious he is the more good he is a fact that will become very
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Crucial as we understand Jesus's application on this parable later on What is important to observe here?
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Is this that these outcasts these tax collectors these sinners in which Jesus is referred to?
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They were flocking to Jesus. They were going to Jesus Jesus ain't with them and yet these scribes and Pharisees and hypocrites
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Jesus called them We're talking about him and they threw that word. He eats was sinners
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He's a friend of sinners Jesus was a well, anyway these self -righteous
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Pharisees Were on the wrong path when they sad the same Luke 15 to look at verse 2 and the
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Pharisees and scribes complained they murmured Saying this man receives sinners and eats with them
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Notice what they're saying about Jesus you see the scribes of the Pharisees not only viewed these people as sinners and outcasts
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But also is unclean They were unclean Don't even get around them.
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Don't even touch them. Don't even associate it with them They believe that the close interpersonal contact with such people as would be involved with eating with them to eat with them
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That's serious things as the Pharisees would look at it, that's a Don't even get what what's what's
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Jesus doing eating with such rejects scum of the earth the scoundrels
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So they didn't like it at all when Jesus Had meals with them
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In fact, this verse is a complaint about Jesus and his disciples. That wasn't new
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The same complaints were registered when Jesus called the tax collector Levi as I mentioned earlier to follow him and Jesus had dinner at his house and How about Zacchaeus?
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he Had dinner with him wonderful now
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I'm not going to go there but Luke chapter 5 verse 27 through 30. You see that this passage of Luke 5
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We realize that even more than a risk in ritual impurity when Jesus spent time with such people as tax collectors and sinners
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He was also plainly denying legalistic standards To be in their clique the
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Pharisees the scribes thought was so important Had to be part of their group had to be part of their little holy club
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Jesus thought there was something more far more important Which is why he begins to teach them in a series of parables and this is introduced in Luke 15 in verse 3
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He spoke this parable to them saying this leads to my second point of the communication of the parable now
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We go to the communication of the parable there. You got the content Look at verse 4 what man of you among you?
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Have in a hundred sheep If he loses one of them does not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness and go after that one
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Which is lost until he finds it Notice the wisdom that how
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Jesus brings them in There are a couple observations that's worth noting here in this situation and this story and in this parable
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That's described first of all the New King James translation here is the Greek Which speaks of the wilderness the wilderness?
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That could be a bit misleading with the passage, but it might indicate that the sheep were all in an unsafe place
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But I think it would be better there's another translation I think There's a little bit more accurate the
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ESV says open country the open country. There was an open country or The NASB says an open pasture, so you have wilderness open country open pasture
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But I would think open pasture would be more accurate but you get the point
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Jesus was simply referring to an unhabited area places where sheep go to graze and The second observation is here is is
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Rhetoric it's rhetorical rhetoric. It's a it's a question here that he gives and expects an answer
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And of course no man among us wouldn't even leave the ninety and nine Safe sheep to go seek that one sheep
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Right some think it would be odd that Jesus would even ask a question Seriously to expect such an answer and of course who?
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They wonder who who will look after the ninety and nine that's left behind who will who will look after the ninety and nine
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That are safe in the fold to go after that one sheep that needs to be rescued Well, Jesus doesn't concern himself with the that and he doesn't expect his disciples to be concerned about it either but there's no doubt because what he is describing is a
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Realistic situation in which it would be expected that more than one Shepherd would be looking after 100 sheep so what's the point the point is this is that the 99 are safe and There's no need to be in sought out the emphasis for the moment is on the fact that the
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Shepherd cares so much and loves so much that one
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Lost sheep and that's what Jesus is getting across. That's the communication
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He's saying there's one sheep that's gone astray out there. He could the Shepherd cares enough to go after him
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He personally goes after that sheep that has gone astray Seeks it out.
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He finds it and he recovers it Isn't that our Lord?
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How much he cares for that one soul look at verse 5
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And when he had found it, he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing and notice the two things here
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Which happens when the Shepherd finds and recovers that one lost sheep first the Shepherd lays it on his shoulders
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Don't you love that? He lays it on his shoulders There's such care and tenderness
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There's such love for the sheep Jesus is such a wonderful Savior He's a glorious Savior, oh
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He's Lord, but he's Savior too And actually he's not gonna be Savior unless he is
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Lord But you see he lays it on his shoulders Which indicates the great care that Jesus has as a
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Shepherd taking the sheep bringing it back to the flock He treats the sheep with great tenderness with great care.
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He protects it. He cares for it as We read earlier a hireling doesn't care does he he could care less
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Hirelings in it for the money. He's in it for the hire the money about himself
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So be a shepherd you must be selfless You know, it's probably also indicates that the sheep is too weak also to return to his home
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I would think so the sheep is just too weak. He can't make it back. He can't make the journey back
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So he puts him on his shoulder And that shepherd takes it forth He goes the rugged ways for him
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The scene clearly portrays it the care of Jesus that has for the sinners as he seeks to restore them
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Notice also that the sheep is lost until the shepherd finds it and that the sheep cannot restore itself
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He cannot restore himself He needs someone to care for him and to love him and to seek him out and put him on his shoulder and take him
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Back, ain't that beautiful? That's what
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Jesus did for us Hallelujah, he did it all Jesus paid it all all to him.
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Oh The shepherd must find the sheep and restore it and what a beautiful picture.
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This is isn't it? And what's this a picture of? inability The sheep does not have the ability to go back home and to be restored the shepherd goes after him
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He does the work. He puts him on his shoulder. He takes him back. Jesus did it There's inability to save we cannot save ourselves who can save us.
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We can't save ourselves. No one can save themselves That's why we need a
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Savior If by if you your good works or my good works can get us in heaven
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Then we have no need for Jesus and as you well know the gospel is about this It's the good works of Jesus that gets us in the heaven because none of us are good
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No, not one Not one The picture of the inability
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Jesus takes on takes on On our behalf.
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He seeks us out. He saves us. He's a Savior Look time and time actually the name
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Jesus means Jehovah saves He comes to save This is what the psalmist understood so well
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When they cried out in Psalm 119 176, I have gone astray I have gone astray like a lost sheep seek your servant for I do not forget your commandments
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Those of us who have been saved by the good Shepherd Jesus Christ know that we are always
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Dependent upon him second here. The Shepherd starts rejoicing notice. He rejoices
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This is what God rejoices in which shows that he's static joy and the happiness
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And it brings to the Shepherd when the sheep is found Clearly portrays the attitude that Jesus has when tax collectors and sinners are brought to repentance
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He's filled with joy God is filled with joy Jesus is filled with joy We notice the way both of the reactions are opposite of the
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Pharisees Completely opposite and the Scribes is reaction They do not care for the sheep.
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They do not care for sinners. They want to stay away from them They're unclean don't even get around them
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As the Scribes and Pharisees would say in fact, they just complained when Jesus interacts with Verse 6 and when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors saying to them
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Rejoice with me for I have found my sheep my sheep Which was lost?
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This is God's heart This is the heart of God And this is where we should be thinking of as well here.
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We see pictured the kind of joy that One can't help but share with others
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It is is it not that Jesus himself? If he has joy over a lost sinner that is saved he repents and it is that we should all feel the same way this leads me to the final point the explanation of the parable the explanation the
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Application of the parable is found in verse 7 notice verse 7 I say to you that likewise it will be more joy more joy in heaven over one sinner one
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Who repents then 99 just persons who need no repentance
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Wow beautiful in it and and in devotional time read
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Luke 5 because in Luke 5 it basically speaks here that Jesus makes a reference to those who are called righteous and Those who are called sinners this also reflects the way in which the terms used in the parable of the lost sheep and It's explanation he's using the terminology the way they should understood in order to challenge them
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Jesus understood that there is none righteous. No, not one. He understood that Of course, he's the only righteous one there is he is the righteous one the
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Pharisees Sins like pride and hypocrisy and greed love of money the praise of men in which they desired it was so self -centered
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Desired the preeminence indeed. They the very parable here implies an accusation of Sin against them for they do not care for the sinner the way that God cares for the sinner the true
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Shepherd the main point is that we know that Jesus wasn't
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Saying here that they were Truly righteous by no means rather he was indicating that the only those who understand that they are sick those who are sick that need a position those that knew that they were sinners will see their need for the position and Only those who understand that they we are sinners and people are sinners that they need repentance
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That's the gospel. See we could almost paraphrase it like this in Luke 5 31 32, let me read it to you those who think they are.
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Well have no need a position but those who are sick and know it and Have not
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I and then he says I have not come to call the self -righteous But those who know they are sinners to repent.
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That's what Jesus is saying So in a similar way we can understand Jesus's statement here in in Luke 15 7 this way
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Say to you that likewise there will be more joy in the heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 just persons who think
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They need no repentance What's the implication it's clear heaven and God rejoices they rejoice over that one
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Scoundrel that reject that outcast that tax collector that sinner coming to Christ and Repents as he repents
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But he will not rejoice over the Pharisees and scribes who think they know already know and their pride
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God doesn't bless pride. Matter of fact, he humbles them and They will be humbled
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That's why God calls us to humble ourselves so that he doesn't have to humble us
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You see this brings us to The thrice -repeated emphasis of joy look at verse 5 verse 6 verse 7 joy joy joy
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Repentance of a sinner is calls for great joy great rejoicing It is the kind of thing that should make us want to everyone to throw a party and to celebrate
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The sinner has come home. He's repented Hallelujah. Well, I'd like to conclude and Give a a
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Application here the law sheep do not go looking for the shepherd, right?
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It is the shepherd who goes looking for the sheep. It's That and in first Timothy 115.
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I like what Paul says the saying is trustworthy and deserving full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world
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To save sinners and then Paul said this of whom I am the foremost
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The old King James I like for I am chief I'm the chiefest of sinners the
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Apostle Paul now Don't you think of that the Apostle Paul who was once a Hebrew of Hebrews a
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Pharisee of Pharisees one of the most religious men that thought he was doing God's service by killing
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Christians a terrorist a Man that knew the Word of God.
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He knew God's Word, but he didn't know Christ and Jesus came after didn't he
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Look at his conversion in Acts chapter 9 the greatest conversion story in the
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Word of God He comes after me knocks him off his horse on the road to Damascus on the
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Damascus Road, and he sees a blinding light so bright and He's blinded, but he hears the voice of Jesus and the scripture says that no one else saw the vision only he did
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Now what's amazing about that that Paul at that time Saul of Tarsus was not looking to be converted
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Christ came after him and converted them and changed him That's encouraging, isn't it?
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That we have such lost sinners around us among our family, but Jesus knows how to go out
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Let me close with Spurgeon Spurgeon says
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Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners It is a very surprising thing a thing to be marveled at most of all
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By those who enjoy it and I know that it is to me even to this day
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Spurgeon says the greatest wonder that I've ever heard if that God should ever justify me and I feel myself to be a lump of unworthiness and a mass of corruption and a heap of sin apart from his almighty love and I know by full assurance that I am justified by faith which is in Christ Jesus and treated it is as if I had been perfectly air with Christ and Yet by nature.
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I must take my place among the most sinful. I Who am altogether undeserving and treated as if I had been deserving
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I Am loved with as as much of love as if I had always been godly
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Whereas before I was ungodly Who can help?
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being Astonished I love that word astonished at this
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Gratitude for such favor stands dressed in robes of wonder in quote
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God is not willing that any should perish But that all should come to repentance Jesus Christ came into the world to seek and save the lost
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Let's pray father. We thank you for this time Lord, we thank you for this wonderful parable of the lost sheep
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Lord, we just see your love in this we see your greatness in this you see your care in this a
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Picture that you are taking the initiative of seeking and saving the lost sinner
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Those that don't even care about you, but you care for them and yet Jesus a friend of sinners a friend of the tax collectors comes to see and when they come and repent
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Which is a grace by you Lord. What a joy there is in heaven
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What a joy that you rejoice over with singing and yet on earth complaining among the
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Pharisees such opposites Lord help us have the mind of Christ and this and that we would seek and save the lost at this time
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Lord especially this window of opportunity during this time of the year when everybody is so busy about buying and buying and spending but Lord Help us to reach out
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Lord to them and give them the words of life And the living hope that Jesus Christ came to seek and save the loss.
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Oh Lord we see this in Luke 15 how much love you have for those sinners
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Help us do the same Give us the compassion move us with compassion
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Lord as you was moved with compassion as well So Lord, we ask this in Jesus name and for your glory