Latest / Journey Elgin / Sunday Message June, 7 2026- Luke 15 "The Value of the Lost"
Transcript
- Phillip Thomas: All right. Today we are going to be in Luke fifteen. And ⁓ and as we've been doing, ⁓ reading the many of the parables of Jesus, and and you find that Jesus, one, we know that he taught in parables quite a bit, but he had some similar patterns as well that he would many times use three parables that would build on each other. ⁓ and so we kind of we looked at that over the last couple of weeks in in regards to the kingdom of God and explaining ⁓ what the kingdom of God is, what it looks like. ⁓ Luke chapter 15 could be the the most important understanding of who God is. ⁓ and and he uses three very familiar parables, and and so I I'm gonna read all of Luke 15. And then we will look at how what these tell us about God. Starting off in chapter fifteen. Now the tax collectors, sinners, were by the way, I love how the Bible connects taxing with sin. Amen. Amen. Right? So there we go. Now the tax collectors and sinners. We're all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with them. Okay. That's very important to understand the re the rest of these parables. They go together, and this sets up the context. So you have the religious leaders of the day who are the pious, the high and mighty. They can't believe why would you be associating with these sinners, right? That they are beneath ⁓ us, right? They they have already made their decision, and so why waste your time with them? Essentially is their mentality. And so then Jesus gives these three parables. So he told them this parable. What man of you having a hundred sheep, if he lost one of them? does not leave the ninety nine in the open country and go after the one that is lost until he finds it. And then he has when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. 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 Or or what woman? Having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it. And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost. Just so I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. And he said, There was a man who had two sons, and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me this share of of property that is coming to me. And he divided the property between them. Not many days later the younger son gathered all he had, took up a journey into the far country, and there he squandered his prop property and reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in the country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent into his field to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself. He said, How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger? I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants. And he arose and came to his father, but while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, felt compassion, ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to h said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servants, Bring quickly the best robe, put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet, and bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let it and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and he is alive again. He was lost, and he is found. And they began to celebrate. Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house he heard music and dancing, and he called one of his servants and asked, What do these ⁓ what these things meant? Then he said to him, Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound. But he was angry and he refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, Look, these many years I have served you, I've never disobeyed your command. Yet you never gave me a young goat that I might celebrate with my friends. But when his son of yours came, who has devo devoured your property with prostitutes, you kill the fattened calf for him? And he said to him, Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. And it was fitting to celebrate and to be glad, for this your brother was dead, and now is alive. He was lost, and now is found. Course, very familiar parables. The parable of the prodigal son is probably one of the the the most known and talked about parable in in all of scripture. But it it starts off with Jesus addressing the religious leaders, ⁓ because the religious leaders ⁓ the they didn't get it. They didn't they didn't recognize. And so they were just looking for any reason to critique. So why would this guy hang out with sinners? Why would he do that? That is beneath him. Right? ⁓ that would bring shame on you. One of the things in that culture there was a lot of shame and honor. So you did things that would bring honor to you and your family, ⁓ rather than shame. Well, and you wouldn't want to associate with people who had brought shame on their household. So the religious leaders, that's how they look at at the the tax collectors and the sinners. Those are people who are shameful, who have done things. Why are we associating with them? Yet Jesus did. And Jesus spoke to them and taught them because he wants them to come to know him. Right? And so he gives three ⁓ three parables. The first is the A ⁓ a hundred has a shepherd has a hundred sheep, ⁓ but one goes astray. And so he leaves the ninety-nine, goes to get the the one that is lost, and when he finds it, they celebrate. Right? And ⁓ you know, you it's pretty simple to to understand what this is getting at. What is the character of God that he pursues those who are lost? Right? He pursues. Us. Right? It doesn't mean that the 99 aren't important. Are they important? Yes, very important. But they have been found. They're where they're supposed to be. He is always going to be reaching out and looking for those who have not been found. He doesn't give up on us. He seeks us. That's ⁓ important understanding. of who God is. That's part of his character. Right? And ⁓ and for the religious leaders, they of course, they would have seen themselves as the the good cheap, right? The they are where they're supposed to be. Okay, that's that's fine. But God is about reaching everyone. He's about going outside the pen and sharing the gospel message. Right. So what had happened in that day, they had become They had become very Israel first, right? It was all about the political nature of of their ⁓ of their country. And it was the Jews and then everyone else. And everybody else was a gentile. And basically there was no appetite or no reason or no encouragement from the religious leaders for anyone to go and pursue the Gentiles. In fact, just stay away from. And so this first ⁓ kind of big picture parable that Jesus tells is that no God He He will leave the ninety nine and He will go to to find that one because He desires for all to come to know Him. And ⁓ and then it is very important because sometimes sometimes these parables are used to kind of shame us as the church that we're not open to those who are different or we're not open to those who believe differently and ⁓ and we are very judgmental and there's some of that ⁓ for sure we should be open it doesn't matter what anyone believes or how they live they can come in and they can worship here. Right? Now that doesn't mean that we condone all their beliefs or their behaviors. In fact, what does every one of these ⁓ parables talk about? That they repented, right? The reason that Jesus is talking to the ⁓ tax collectors and the sinners is because he wants them to repent, right? And guess what? If they don't, remember those parables about the kingdom of God? That there was lots of separation. If they don't repent, they will be left out, right? But but the the goal is to get them to repent and to reach out no matter what. And that's who God is, and that's how we should be as well. Right? And ⁓ and so Jesus goes on to the next ⁓ parable, parable of a of a a woman who loses a coin. Now probably with the image that Jesus is giving, he's not just talking about, you know, the how you carry ten ten quarters in your pocket and you lose one. He's probably not talking necessarily about money, even though it would be a form of money. one of the traditions of of that day is ⁓ whenever a woman was married, ⁓ they would either sometimes it would be a headband, some many times it would be a necklace, and it would actually have ten silver coins on it. And it would be part of the dowry. It would be kind of like a wedding ring, right? So so it was. ⁓ it was ⁓ given whenever you were ⁓ married and then it was it was very important. It was worth something, yes, but it also signified, ⁓ you know, kind of like what our wedding rings do today. So if you lost one of those, that that would be very, very meaningful, right? And you would want that back, not just because it's worth something, but because it means something more than that. It's not just an amount of money, it's it's it's actually Representative of this relationship that you are in. And so so the the woman loses it and then she goes through through ⁓ great lengths to find it again. And again, very similar. ⁓ that ⁓ that God is a God who is going to seek what what is lost, going to seek and bring it back to where it should be, where he designed it to be. Right? So God is a God who goes out. And looks for those who are lost. And we should do the same. We should have that mindset that we are sensitive to those who do not know the Lord. Right? And ⁓ and desire to give them an opportunity to come back. And then of course the last ⁓ parable is is just such an amazing parable. And and we could go, I mean, you could you could probably spend three weeks just going through the the parable of the prodigal son. ⁓ but it's it's important and and if you see the progression of these parables, what's what's happening? It starts off kind of big picture with 100, right? Then it's narrows down, kind of that number is ten, so it's getting a little more personal and relational. And now you're dealing with two sons. I mean, you're talking about a very personal relationship with with ⁓ with Christ, right? So so that is what God is seeking. Whenever he's seeking the loss, he is seeking a personal relationship with them. And so here you have the two sons, ⁓ and and it's very self-explanatory what's going on here. ⁓ but but know what it meant when the younger son would have demanded ⁓ his ⁓ inheritance. Essentially, he was riding off his father as dead, right? that that he was like, you know what? I I just assume that you were dead because I want what's mine. Because this was not normal. It was not normal that you would get your full inheritance until your father died. Right? Now the the thing is is is you are actually participating in your inheritance, right? but but it it wouldn't be fully yours until after the patriarch ⁓ had had passed away. And so the young son, he's just like, you know what, I'm I'm done with him. I don't I don't want to live under these rules. Just give me what what is mine. The first thing we see about the father, who is obviously representative of God, is he actually allows his younger son to make that decision. He allows his younger son to make horrible choices and to go and he knows what's going to happen. But God is a God who doesn't force us to stay in the corral, right? He does allow us to to make our own decisions. And so so the younger son makes that decision and he leaves, right? And and as as as we all know and the that God certainly knew that he was not prepared for that. He was not ready and he was going to mess it up quickly. So he lost you know. played the stock market, he invested in Bitcoin and it crashed. He you know, whatever he did, right? He ⁓ he he lost all of his money to to a to not just a point where you're broke, but he was to a point where he could not take care of himself, that it he was going ⁓ going to die. And and I I love how Jesus even just to to really emphasize how desperate things were getting Is that he began to work with the pigs, right? Pigs were off limits to the Jews, right? ⁓ and there was a reason for that, right? They were, ⁓ especially in that day and age, pigs ate they and they still do, they eat anything, right? And so ⁓ if they are eating unhealthy stuff, guess what would happen if you ate the pig back then? You would get the unhealthy stuff, right? So so to be even be associated with pigs. was was a a a no-no. And now he's literally looking at what the pigs are eating and saying, hmm, looks kind of good. Right? Just desperate. And so what does he do? And I love the the word there. It says, whenever he came to his senses, right? Because the the prodigal son is one who had been part of of the of the family, right? But then he rebelled. And all of a sudden he comes to his senses and he realizes, wait, even my father's servants, they they have plenty to eat. They are well taken care of. They're not wondering where their next meal is coming from. So I'm going to go back and he's thinking of this very transactionally. He's actually thinking of this the same way the older son is thinking about. We'll get to him in just a minute, but that that this relationship is based on works. It's based on here's what you do and here's what you earn, right? And ⁓ and so he's going to just throw himself at the mercy of the father because he know he doesn't deserve to be let back in. So he's like, I don't even want to bring up, I don't want my old position back. I I just want to want to be able to eat. So just just let me be a servant. And so he so he's hoping that the the the father would say, Well, that's a good enough trade. I'll I'll let you back, right? But what does the father do? No, he does so much more, right? And I I love one, there's the imagery of he sees him from a long way off. So so that son has been on the father's mind. He hasn't given up on the son, right? God doesn't give up on us. He doesn't give up on you, right? Now he also doesn't force you to come back. And sometimes we wish he would, especially if you have a situation in your family and you know what's going on, and you you want so much to your family member to come to their senses. You want God just to go and just wrestle them back. That's not how it works. But God does not give up. And at the same time, he is pursuing. Just like he went after the the one sheep, just like he looked for the one coin, he is pursuing and he is giving you an opportunity and always never giving up. And so the the ⁓ father sees his son from a long way off, and then it says that he he ⁓ gathers his clothes and he runs, which that was very undignified. ⁓ men in that day. We don't run because I can't run. I think everything would just break if I tried to run, right, as you get older. But it was an undignified thing. Like, no, that's that's beneath us, right? ⁓ we we we do not run as as respectable ⁓ men in that day. But what does he do? He runs. He is not worried about being dignified because his son is returning. And and you get the feeling that, you know, you can tell that the son had practiced this speech and he's, you know, spitting it out and the father's not hearing any of it. Why? Because the father knows what true repentance looks like. Right? Now, is it important for us to verbalize our repentance to God? Yes. Yeah, I think that is. However, God actually cares about what's really in here. Is Are you truly repentant? Or do you truly realize, man, I have just messed up so much. And I I'm just throwing myself on the mercy of a loving God. ⁓ He doesn't even necessarily need to hear the words because he knows what's in the heart. And so the so so the father, he knows that his son is is being true. He's not just trying to wiggle his way back in. Right? He knows that he's re repentant. And so what does he do? He just reinstates him into to to the household and he throws a party and he just celebrates because that's who God is. Right. And here's what's interesting too is that did did God, did the father punish the the the son? No. However, did the son have major consequences? And many times we would look at what was happening to the son as see that look at what God is doing to punish him. No, that was just a result of the son leaving the the Lord and living his own life, right? And living according to his way. And that leads to those types of punishments, if you will. God doesn't have to intentionally punish us, we punish ourselves by not living. the way that he has called us to live. And so so whenever the son is repentant, he comes back, the the father celebrates just as he celebrated the finding of the one sheep, just as he celebrated the the finding of the the lost coin. And and so so we have very similar ⁓ parables here. But then this one adds a little bit more, doesn't it? You have the older son. And this is why it's very important to remember The start of chapter fifteen. Who was Jesus talking to? Right? He's talking to, yes, the sinners and the tax collectors. So they would be hearing these parables one way that, ⁓ wow, God actually cares about me, a lost sheep. He cares about me, a lost coin, he cares about me, a a person who has just l lived my life in complete rebellion. Yes. But Jesus was also talking to those religious leaders, those religious leaders who thought that they were doing everything right because they believed and had a misunderstanding of the relationship that God desires for us. The relationship God desires for us is not based on our good works. It's based on our relationship with Him. See the the son makes it clear that to his father says, I have done everything that you have requ ⁓ ask of me. I've done I've I've earned my place here, right? I I have done everything that you have asked, I've not rebelled, I have followed the rules perfectly, and yet you've never thrown a party for me. Yet you've never acted this way towards me. You see, whenever we whenever we think of our relationship with God in terms of just that checklist of here's here's what I do, here's how I earn it, we actually miss the beauty of being in a relationship with God. We start focusing on the wrong things. We start We start looking at ourself and saying, ⁓ look how much I have done. And then in our humanness, that naturally is going to lead to where we look at other people and say, Yeah, I've done a lot more than them. I'm a lot better than them. And then you become just like the religious leaders. And you quit going and looking for the one sheep that is lost. You quit looking for the coin because you're only focused on yourself. And you're like, Nay, I've I've got it all, I I'm in the pen. I'm still on the necklace. I'm I'm doing everything the way that I'm supposed to. But if your relationship, if your faith is based just on the fact that, nope, I live this way and I live perfectly and I'm I make every decision the way that God wants me to and I follow all the rules, you are missing out on the transforming power of Jesus Christ. You're going to miss out on being able to have joy. Even in times of grief. You're going to miss out on having peace in the midst of chaos. You're going to miss out on all of those things that come from having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That is what God desires for us. And He never gives up on us. And you know what? He doesn't give up on the older son either. The opportunity, the invitation is always there for you to come back into the fold. Whether you were there and left or whether you were never there before, that invitation is always open. Let's make sure. One, wherever you are in your life, maybe you're that one sheet. Maybe you're that coin. Right. Know that God is pursuing you. At least, at least think about it. At least open your heart up enough. Say, you know what? Should I should I listen with new ears? The gospel message? Or maybe you've grown up in church, maybe you have been been doing this now for for fifty years, going to church every Sunday. But you've just become bitter and stale in your relationship because really it's just you've you've focused way too much on, man, I I've followed the rules and look at everybody else. The the the world is going to hell in a handbasket, right? And it is. It is. But you just get so frustrated. Look how bad everyone else is. Look how bad things are around us. And we just become start becoming judgmental, even even though you may be right, you start becoming bitter and angry. Man. Why don't you open your heart to be softened? And open yourself up to a true relationship with Christ so He can give you eyes to see those who are lost, those who are hurting, those who are deceived, so that He can use you to bring them back into the fold. Because God is always pursuing us. He never gives up on you.