Luke 15:1-2 (NKJV) Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them
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I. Feel God’s
1. Jesus sees while the pharisees see
1) Jesus is attractional
2) Jesus is welcoming
3) Jesus is loving
John 3:16 (NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Ephesians 3:18-19 (CEB) I ask that you’ll have the power to grasp love’s width and length, height and depth, together with all believers. 19 I ask that you’ll know the love of Christ that is beyond knowledge so that you will be filled entirely with the fullness of God.
2. Jesus seeks while the pharisees people
Luke 15:3 (NKJV) So He spoke this parable to them, saying:
1) Love is not passive but active
Luke 15:4 (NKJV) What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it
2 Peter 3:9b (NKJV) The Lord is. . . not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
2) Love is not judgmental but discerning
Heb 2:1 (NIV) We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
Luke 19:10 (NIV) For the son of man came to seek and to save what was lost.
3. Jesus wants to save and celebrate
Luke 15:5-7 (NKJV) And 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 which was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
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II. Feel God’s
1. The lost sheep reminds me of losing a pet
1) The pain of worry
2) The pain of sadness
Romans 6:23a (NKJV) For the wages of sin is death
2. The lost coin reminds me of losing my wallet
Luke 15:8 (NKJV) Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it
1) The pain of frustration
2) The pain of fear
3. The lost son reminds me of losing a child
1) The pain of desperation
2) The pain of terror
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III. Feel God’s
1. The sheep is vulnerable and you need to go now
2. The time is late and you need to light a lamp
Luke 15:8 (NKJV) Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it
1) The light of sacrifice
2) The light of service
3. A coin is lost in the cracks and you need to search
1) Carefully
2) Diligently
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