“The Parable of the Lost Sheep and The Parable of the Lost Coin.”

Can you picture it…Jesus has been reaching out to your grandma for 80 years with no response. One day while you and grandma were having a cup of coffee she collapsed of a heart attack. She was rushed to the hospital and there they brought her back to life. Grandma then started to share with you how her brother had become a Christian and had been preaching the Gospel to her and praying for her until his death 13 years ago. But she had never really listed to him and thought that she was ok just the way she was. She then goes on to say that now after almost dying she can see that there is more to what her brother was saying, there is more to this Jesus then a mere man that people perceive as a god. She now understands that Jesus is real that there is life and hope after death! Hope that can only be found in Him. Two days after this conversation grandma dies! But she leaves a letter for you that says the following,
“I was a lost sheep and a lost coin. I was the sheep that wandered off to be alone and see what the world had to offer because I did not see a need to have help from anyone! I lived a life of drinking and promiscuity, and gambling. I had no understanding of right from wrong and my morals where nonexistent. My brother for as long as I can remember tried to get me to hear the gospel message of Jesus and I refused thinking in my own regard that I have no need for someone like him, my life is great. Now that time is coming to an end, this heart attack has nearly killed me. I think that I understand why he preached for so long on the faithfulness of Christ. Before he passed 13 years ago he asked me to read Luke 15:1-10! I can see now that Jesus does not give up on anyone! When we are lost he will leave to come and find us! He will search and search until we are found. Then once we are found He will rejoice with the angles and all of heaven when we are saved! I pray now as I am on my last hours here on Earth before I meet our father in heaven that you forgive me for not accepting this gift of salvation earlier so that I could also share this good news with you! I love you, now go and as my brother told me go my dear and read Luke 15:1-10 and find the heart of Christ!
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While listening to a sermon yesterday during my workout Mark Driscoll was teaching on two parables out of the Gospel of Luke. The teaching of parables by Christ has the primary focus is the coming of the kingdom of God and the resulting discipleship that is required. This is why it is so important for us to follow and learn from to them today.
It was Luke 15:1-10 “The Parable of the Lost Sheep and The Parable of the Lost Coin.”
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
What do we think of when we read this passage? All that I can think of is why if you have 99 sheep left are you looking for that 1 that got lost? Then I realize that this is probably the most selfish thing that I could do! Just because I have 99 left that are just as good as the 1 that I lost does not mean that I should not care for them all and leave the 1 to die alone!
God has a different plan that often exceeds our understanding and way of doing things. Jesus is speaking of himself here and when there is 1 of us that have wondered off that He will come looking for us because it is not the righteous person who needs to be found but the wayward sinner who has wondered into the wild. Then there is a rejoicing that is done because the 1 has been found!
At the time that we are found and Christ has saved us from our sins it says in verse 7, “in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents.” Picture how happy you are when you find something that has been missing and it was something important to you and your family. This rejoicing is only a fraction of what the rejoicing in heaven is like when just one of us commits our life to Christ!
Then we look at Luke 15:8-10: The Parable of the Lost Coin
8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
How much of a bigger picture is this of the rejoicing that goes on in heaven. Not only are the angels and heaven rejoicing but it appears that God himself is rejoicing! When I heard this I was intrigued so I looked up the Greek for, “in the presence” I found the meaning and word in Greek for “in the presence” is “enopion” {en-o'-pee-on} and the meaning: 1) in the presence of, before 1a) of occupied place: in that place which is before, or over against, opposite, any one and towards which another turns his eyes.
Can you see it, do you understand now why it is so important for us to not just live our lives in a Christian bubble surrounded by Christian friends and family. We have to be out there living a life that glorifies and honors Jesus with everything that we do! There needs to be an emphasis on our lives and a priority to spread the Gospel to all who do not know it!
There are so many different forms of evangelism that we could be using to minister to people. The one that I most recently read was a section from Timothy Keller in his book, “Gospel in Life”. He called it “Oikos” Evangelism, “household” evangelism. When we are begin to look at this form of evangelism we see that: 1. Our lives are under observation by those who don’t believe. 2. Your life is the attractor and evidence for the truth of the faith. People should get a carry good view of how Christianity works in a life. 3. The other person is “in the driver’s seat.” they get to raise questions and determine the speed of the process, and 4. The humbling nature of the gospel leads us to approach people without superiority and with deep respect.
Is your life showing the Gospel of Christ to those around you when they are watching and you do not know it? Can you say that you are the image of Christ? What can we do to change if we are not that Holy image that God has called us to be?