"Search And Rescue" | Luke 15 | Pastor Keith

Open your Bibles as we're in the series on the parables and in

we're in Luke 15. I have sent myself an enormous

task and I probably won't complete it as there are so much

information in in these parables.

Title of tonight's 3 parables is our Search and Rescue in Luke

Luke 19 · chapter mention

chapter 19. So I open your Bibles to Luke

15. That's where we'll be.

But in Luke 19, verse 10, it says for the Son of Man has come

Luke 19:10

to seek and to save that which is lost.

To seek and to save that which is lost.

That's you and me. The essence of Christianity and

of the gospel is this, to seek and save that which is lost.

For the Son of man, God in the human flesh has come and refers

to his birth. He was born in Bethlehem.

This Sunday will be, I think, 69 days away from when we celebrate

his birth, His incarnation, God putting on the body of a man His

entry into the world. And why did he come?

He came to seek to save that which is lost.

Jesus came for you and I that that should make you just

astounded, astounded that God, the God of the universe came and

considers you. The word seek means to pursue.

It means to look for, to watch for.

It means to strive for. It took effort to search after

God became a man Incarnate, born into this world for the purpose

of pursuing. And then comes another

infinitive of purpose and to save.

Jesus Christ came into the world with the purpose of pursuing out

the lost. Devastated we are, ruined, we

are destroyed, men and women we all are, in order to save us

from danger, to rescue us from harm, to save us from our sin

and from ourselves and from death and hell.

In fact, in Matthew 121, the message was given you, you shall

call his name, the child born in Bethlehem, Jesus, for He shall

what He shall save his people from their sins.

Jesus Christ today can save you from all your sins.

I look at the World News, I look at the situations and the

problem isn't politics. The problem isn't Trump or Gaza

or Hamas. The problem is sin.

Sin has come into the world and we see it wreaking havoc in our

world. It's what causes us pain and

sorrow. Jesus came to save us.

He came to call sinners to repentance.

In one Timothy 115, Paul wrote. It is a trustworthy statement

and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the

world to save sinners. That's why the church is here.

He came to save us and the church is where groups of saved

people get together and thank him.

Now I want you to understand the setting of our passage of

Scripture tonight and Luke 15. The setting is found in the 1st

2 verses. That's let's read Luke 15.

Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to him.

There's Jesus to hear him. Notice who came to hear him.

Tax collectors and sinners drew near to him to hear him.

And the Pharisees and the scribes complained about him

saying, this man receives sinners and eats with them.

And then verse 3, it tells us why we have these three

parables. So he spoke parables to them,

saying, and he's speaking to the Pharisees.

All the tax gatherers, collectors, and the sinners were

coming near to hear Jesus speak. Church is for sinners.

Church is a place where if you're broken, if you shattered,

come to church, come and hear what Jesus says because you've

tried everything else in the world and it's failed you.

Then it says in verse 2, and almost without explanation, it's

apparent to us this is a typical reaction.

And both the Pharisees and the scribes, the religious leaders

began to grumble saying this man receives sinners and he eats

with them. Terrible notice back in verse

one, it says that all the tax gatherers and sinners were

coming near to him. All of them, not some of them,

not a few of them, but all of them.

You know, sometimes I wonder what is the problem with people

not coming to church? Is it they think that church is

about church or is it a place where you can come like I did

when searching for Jesus and I went to church and all they'd

spoke about was fights and jumble sails.

I didn't hear about Jesus parable #1 and they all have the

same basic point. Verse 3.

And he told them this parable saying, what man among you, if

he has 100 sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the

99 in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost

until he finds it. Notice it's relentless.

And when he has found it, when he has found it, he lays it on

his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls

together his friends and his neighbours, saying to them, Hey,

rejoice with me, come gather, for I have found my sheep which

was lost. I have found not our sheep the

sheep. I have found my sheep which was

lost. The idea of verse 4 is the

phrase What man among you? If the idea is that no one would

do anything other than this to go out to look for the lost

sheep, you all know you would do this.

Jesus said to the scribes and the Pharisees, if you were a

shepherd and you had 100 sheep, but you lost 1, you would leave

the 99 safely. They were safe in the fold.

You would go out to find that one lost sheep.

Every shepherd would do that. It was not only a matter of

duty, it was a matter of affection and of ownership. 3

things. Over a period.

Those sheep known by the shepherd would be so well known

by the shepherd he would call them individually by name.

Bible says we're going to get a name, doesn't it?

Each night as they came into the fold, where he laid across the

gate of the fold to protect them from the wolves, He examined

them as they came in. When they came back into the

fold, He would come to know each and every one of them.

I'll look at him. Look at him.

Look, he's had a tough time. Look what's going on.

I need to groom him. I need to fix him.

He's hobbling that one. And when one was lost, the

shepherd would go to find that one to seek it out.

Then in verse 5, after having found it, what does he do?

He lays it on his shoulders. Now I worked with sheep for a

number of years learning to be a livestock buyer.

And so you get the sheep down and they would put the both leg,

grab the front legs, fore legs and the behind legs.

And then they would tie a little rope around them, point them

over and it's like a a woollen cravat, but backwards.

You got it over your shoulder. And that's how you walk, Walk

back with the shepherd's staff, the sheep over his shoulder, and

the valley of the sheep was up against the neck of the

shepherd. Carry the sheep back to the

fold. It says in verse 6.

When he came home, he called together his friends and his

neighbours in order that they might have a celebration, saying

to them, rejoice with me, hey, come with me.

I'm happy, for I found my sheep which was lost.

These are parables of great heavenly joy, the three of them.

The parable only has one basic point.

Remember, it's a it's a, an earthly story with a heavenly

meaning. The joy of the shepherd.

That's the point of the parable. The joy of the shepherd who

sought and found the lost sheep is the point of the parable.

His friends are called into the picture in order that you and I

might understand the tremendous breadth of joy and depth of

emotion the shepherd is feeling. You don't just go.

Oh, that's great. Now close up.

Oh man, that was tiring. And have a wash and go to bed.

No party time. He can't celebrate alone.

It's too big. He's so overjoyed.

It's too wonderful. It's not something he can

quietly say in his heart, well, isn't that nice?

I've got my sheep home. Isn't that wonderful that that's

happened? He's safe now he has to call

together a large group of people for a great celebration because

his joy is so profound, so explosive.

And so the sum of it all comes in verse 7.

And here's the application, verse 7.

I tell you that in the same way, here's the reason for the story.

I tell you that in the same way there will be joy.

And I think it's best not to say more joy.

It's best to translate it without the word more which was

added. If you're going to add a word,

then add the word rather at the end of the phrase.

I tell you that in the same way, there will be joy in heaven over

1 Sinner who repents rather than over 99 righteous persons who

need no repentance. In other words, there is joy in

heaven over 1 Sinner who repents to the extent that God calls for

a celebration. Think about that.

The moment you got saved, you made an impact in heaven.

You made an impact with God. Question is, what does this mean

to you? And I listening tonight this

parable that God is the seeking shepherd whose desire is to find

his sheep. You don't find God.

Well, I I found God. No, you didn't.

No one's ever found God. God found you.

God sought you out. God is fulfilled in the finding.

God is fulfilled in the finding, but the joy is so great with God

that he can't contain it in Himself and it must be shared

and it becomes the joy of heaven.

What an amazing truth. The emphasis again is on the

seeking heart of God who seeks until he finds.

That one that is lost in those who's rejoicing cannot even be

contained until it is spread throughout the angels of heaven.

What a tremendous thought. God in the deepest part of his

nature so longs for the soul of a lost man, and I find this

astounding. And a lost woman that he pursues

you. He went after you to the degree

that having found you the celebration heaven itself is

barely big enough that we might say to contain God's joy.

In Isaiah 53, verse 6, the prophet Isaiah wrote these

Isaiah 53:6

words. All we all we like sheep.

What got stray, we're lost. We have turned everyone to his

own way. Sheep wanders off and the second

parable starts in verse 8, the lost coin in each of the three

parables, something was lost also in being lost, the sheep,

the coin, and we'll see two prodigal sons are lost.

They could do nothing in and of themselves to change their being

lost. They were lost and what asked

what else is it? When you're lost, you're

hopeless. You know when you're lost, you

don't know where to go. How often have you gone into the

car park trying to find your car and you go, I don't know.

Here's a funny story. I'm not going to do parable 3.

It's not going to happen, so I'll leave that story.

So I need to keep one. They were lost and considered

extremely valuable to the owner or what woman next parable.

This is just an an obvious thing, something that's

axiomatic. What woman, if she has 10 silver

coins, and in those days that would be one day's full wage,

about equal in value to the Roman denari.

If she has 10 silver coins and loses one coin, doesn't light a

lamp and sweep the house, the whole house and search what

carefully until she finds it, There's no stopping.

Notice the shepherd went out and he wasn't coming back until he

found the woman's not not stopping sweeping and searching

until she gets that coin. Think about that.

You know, you and I, we pray about our loved ones or God's on

their case. When a Jewish girl married in

these times, she began to wear a headband of 10 silver coins to

signify that she was now a wife. It was the Jewish version of a

modern wedding ring in those days, and it would be considered

a calamity for her to lose one of those coins.

It was the value of a full day's wage, one coin.

Now the floors were made of dirt, and that coin could easily

find its way under some surface dirt.

Our lives without Christ we're covered, and we're hidden under

the filth of the world. When the priests would go to the

temple, before they could go in and serve the temple, the

Levites there was the liver and they had to wash before they

could go in. Why?

Because they get covered with the the filth of the world,

their bare feet doing the things of the Lord without Christ.

We are covered and we're hidden and we get covered with, you

know, we sit in a car and or you go catch a train and you hear

language. You go to the shop, you hear and

see things that you go, oh, why do I hear that?

How come I you see a bumper sticker?

So that's revolting. That bumper sticker.

They cover us. She would be sweeping this

woman, moving that dust and dirt around until she found that

coin. And it was such a wonderful

thing to find it. It was so valuable.

Notice verse 9, when she found it, what does she do?

Go to the band gate. Oh my goodness, I found it.

Sleep. No, she calls together her

friends and neighbours, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have

found the peace which I had lost.

There's a connection, similarity, another word.

She can't contain the celebration in her own heart.

She has to pull her friends in because the joy is so unbounded.

That's the same idea, isn't it? That's the first one, is it not?

The shepherd found the sheep because he sought the sheep.

He rejoiced with all who would rejoice with him.

The woman found the coin because she sought the coin, and

rejoiced with all who would rejoice with her.

The application again comes in verse 10.

In the same way I tell you Jesus has now told the story.

Now here's the meaning. Now follow this.

There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over 1 Sinner

who repents. Why such rejoicing?

Why does Jesus mention this for the second time?

Now in two parables, verse 7 and verse 10, Luke 15, verse 7, I

Luke 15:7

say to you that likewise there'll be more joy in heaven

over 1 Sinner who repents than over 99 just persons who need no

repenting. Speaking of the sheep, because

the heart of God is powered, is driven to seek to to save you,

you who are lost. That's why verse 10.

Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the

angels over of God over 1 Sinner who repents notice.

Are you getting the message? Are you getting the story?

Even though the sheep had run away, even though the coin was

lost, they both remained valuable.

You note that they're lost. That doesn't mean, oh, they both

remained valuable in the mind of the owner, the shepherd, the

woman, and they remain valuable in spite of their lost

condition. When you see someone now, I pray

that God has changed your eyesight.

I know that happened to me. I will drive along around the

city when I was in my old work job and I'd go through some bad,

bad parts, a lot of homeless people.

As I pull up, I begin to pray because I see them now.

God would tell I've died for that person.

I hung on the cross for that person I hung on the cross.

I died. I took the nails for that

person. And so I see them now as he sees

them. And what does it actually mean

but joy in the presence of the angels of God?

And notice with me carefully, it doesn't actually say joy among

the angels. There's a difference.

It says there's joy in the presence of the angels of God.

Whose joy is it? It's none other than the joy of

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit who exists in the

presence of the holy angels. I see God.

I can't fathom this. God rejoicing.

The angels go, wow, you really loves them because they can't.

God beyond this. It's the joy of God.

It's the joy of the seeking. God who dwells in the presence

of angels and of course the angels share in the celebration.

I've got 8 minutes. Verse three, third parable.

We won't finish it. We'll have a good cut out and

it's the parable of the lost sons, not lost son.

Get that? It is not the prodigal son, as

if this is a story of one. It is two sons here.

And Jesus makes that clear in verse 11.

And he said a certain man had two sons.

This is not the story of one son.

This is the story of two sons and this is the lost sons, both

of them and the younger of them said to his father, father, give

me the share of the estate that falls to me.

Notice this and he divided his wealth.

Notice read it between them. So the oldest son, he got the

goods too. We always think, Oh well, he

just the young bloke, he just went off and he took him.

Meanwhile the the oldest brother, he's home, he's just

working. He hasn't got any money in the

bank. No, no, he divided amongst them

both. Now what that tells me is that

son #2 who doesn't speak, the oldest son is also there, and

he's getting in on this as well. The older brother was in this

story as well as the younger, though the younger does.

The talking of the younger is the focus of the first half of

the parable. The father divided the wealth

between them. Verse 12 tells us that so both

of them got what was coming to them.

Verse 12 and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give

me the portion of goods that falls to me.

So the father divided to them his livelihood.

Now what you need to know is that this is completely unheard

of in the Middle East. In that culture then and even

today, for a son to go to his father and demand his

inheritance on the spot is tantamount to verbalising your

wish. Dad, I wish you were dead.

You'd be better off there. Just give me what I just give.

Die. Just just give me my.

What's do you mean? But it's incredible to see the

grace of the father here. He's a loving father, and he

does an unprecedented thing. He gives them their inheritance.

He says, OK, here it is. They got it early and then the

narrative of the parable follows.

The youngest son, verse 13. They have received their

inheritance and it says are not many days later, some period of

time passes, the youngest son realises he's got all that he's

got and so he gathers everything together, decides to go on a

journey into a distant country. There he squandered his state

with loose living. He takes all that he has and

goes on to live his wildlife. And when he had spent

everything, verse 14 says now when he had spent everything, a

severe famine occurred in that country and he began to be in

need. The Lord constructs the parable.

Now young man goes off, spends his entire fortune, then a

famine hits. The best he could do was feed

pigs. Of course, this would be

absolutely horrendous to a Jew to imagine, to having to work

with the most unclean of all animals in Jewish ceremonial

law. And yet that where is where this

young man winds up. From the Father's house, through

riotous living out on the end into absolute poverty, and now

into the pig's house. A graphic picture again of our

lives when we rebel and we want run away from our loving

Heavenly Father. You and I end up, we end up in

the Pigsville. And he was longing to fill his

stomach with the pods that the swine were eating.

And no one was giving anything to him.

He was on his own. When he came to his senses, he

said, how many of my father's hired men have more than enough

bread? But I'm dying of hunger here.

The first thing he does is express the sorrow of his human

circumstance. But he doesn't stay with just

his situation. Out of his situation comes the

beginning of repentance because he takes the responsibility for

being in that situation. Verse 18.

Oh, get up, I'll, I'll get up and, and he plans his speech.

I'll get up. I'll go to my dad and I'll say

to him, Dad, I've sinned against heaven and in your sight he

rehearses, He says I'm going to go back.

I'm going to confess my sin against heaven.

That means I've sinned against God.

He's aware of his degeneracy. He's aware of his condition.

That's what you need to do to get saved.

You've got to realise you're lost.

And he's aware that it was caused by his sin, nobody

else's. He has sinned against his

Father. When he says, in your sight, he

repeats, He has sinned against his Father with his

thanklessness and his ingratitude.

He's sinned against his Father with his righteous living,

violating the way that he had been raised.

But more than that, he has sinned against heaven.

He has sinned against God, but notice verse 20.

He got up, came to his father. He put feet to that resolution.

Now a lot of people say they're going to do something, but they

don't do it. I see this as the real action of

repentance. Repentance means to turn around

about turn. He says, and he says in verse

19, I'm not worthy to be called your son.

Dad. He manifested humility.

It's just what Jesus said, you remember in chapter 18, the

public and beating on his breast who was so humble he wouldn't

lift his eyes up and the Pharisee saying God, man, man,

I'm glad I'm not like him. But here's the heart of the

whole parable. And this often gets missed

because we focus too much on the sons.

We ought to focus on the father because this whole parable is

illustrating the seeking God, just as parable one and two did.

Notice this. But while he was still a long

way off, you see, no Sinner on his own can approach near to

God. In fact, in the terms of Romans

Romans 3:11

chapter 3, verse 11, it says no man even seeks after God.

It's not until God begins the work and the heart that the

Sinner even begins to initially seek.

And while a Sinner is still a long way off, his father saw

him. How did he see him?

I tell you how I believe the Father was out there every day

doing what? Looking for him.

You know, God is looking out every day for the lost here.

And here's the picture of the seeking Father.

He sees that son a long way off. And a father knows his son even

at a distance, and he feels compassion and he runs to him.

And here is the heart of God. It's not a dispassionate God

that we serve. It's a God of great passion and

his heart is wrenched for his son and he doesn't stand there

coldly saying, well, when he gets there, I'm going to give

him just the talent off. No, he ran.

He embraces him and he stinks. He smells like a pig.

And he kept on fervently kissing him.

This is God. This is the seeking God who

sought you and seeks you. The coin didn't seek the lady,

the sheep didn't seek the shepherd, the Sinner can't seek

God in and of himself. There's a degree in which this

parable gives us a full picture than the first two, because the

son does respond to the prompting work of the Holy

Spirit and the parable. This is the heart of the

parable. So while he's hugging and

kissing his son, the son said to him, Dad, and he's about to give

him his speeches reserved. I have.

I've sinned against heaven and I violated God in your sight.

I'm no longer worthy to be called your son.

And apparently before he can say any more, I will come one of

your hired servants. The father said to the slave,

hey, quick, quick, get to kill a fatted calf.

Bring out the robe, bring out the ring, bring out the sandals.

He takes over the conversation. Notice that you see, I see

confession of sin here. I see a humble heart.

I see a mourning over sin, but the father stops him.

I love this. He says.

I got my plans for you. He doesn't say first you're

going to be flogged and then you're going to be, you know

this and, you know, come back and work hard and sort some

things out. You got to prove yourself now.

No, he's not only a seeking father, he is a loving.

And here's the other part. He's forgiving, gracious,

generous. This joy is like the joy of the

shepherd who found the sheep, the joy of the woman who found

the coin. So the father says we got to

have a party. Notice it's all three.

We got to celebrate. Forget about the fact he want to

be dead. Forget about the fact that he

wasted what I what I gave him. Forget about the fact that he

lived in sin and immorality. Forget about the fact that he

wound up feeding unceremonly pigs.

Forget about the fact that he came back empty handed with

nothing to offer but he's sin and regret.

Forget about that. We're going to have a party.

This is the heart of God, the God of the Bible.

Forget what he did in the past. That's what God does with you

and I. He forgets what you did in the

past. He knows it no more.

He says in verse 22, Bring out the best robe, put it on him.

Put a ring on his hand. Sandals on his feet.

The fatted calf. Kill.

Let's eat and be merry. Why?

For the son of mine was dead. It's come to life again.

He was lost and been found. And they began to be merry.

You see the point? The parables all have the same

common theme. A seeker who finds and rejoices.

OK, the oldest son. Do I have time now?

I'll stop. We'll pick up the oldest son

next week because he's he's lost too.

He's lost and he doesn't know his father loves him.

I want to tell you, don't ever say to yourself, well, no, I

feel alone. God doesn't love me.

Don't ever say that because that's a lie.

You cannot say no one loves me. I'm alone.

If you're a believer, that's not true.

If you're lost and wandering away, you can't say that because

it's not true. It's a lie because the Bible

says that God loves you. He sent his Son to die for you.

He's come to seek and to save you.

And don't say, oh, you don't know what I've done.

He doesn't care about what you've done.

That's why his son came to wipe that away.

And he has a plan for you, and he rejoices when you come home.

I pray that each and everyone of you know God loves you, that he

found you, that you were lost, that you were hopeless.

Then It's all His work.