Luke 15:1-10
Seeking That Which Was Lost
Introduction
1. Are you lost? The God of the universe is seeking you.
2. Luke 15:1-10 You may be lost and don’t know it. Jesus was talking to a group like that.
Are you lost? The God of the universe is seeking you.
I. THE COMPLEXITY OF THE SEEKER 15:1, 2
A. Lost and Know It 1
He that hath an ear, let him hear…there are two groups drawing near to Him with one
purpose…to hear. This isn’t the group that you would expect.
1. Publicans (tax collectors) these are traitors, thieves…outcasts!
*These were Jews hired by the Roman government to collect taxes for his fellow Jew
to give to Rome.
*He bought this right from the Romans. He bought into their system. He was a traitor
in the eyes of his Jewish neighbors.
*Forsake all…these crowd in toward Jesus. They know they are lost.
2. Sinners…not to Luke, but in the eyes of the Pharisees.
*These were people who did not keep the Law. They called them, The People of the
Land. There was a complete barrier between the Pharisee and the People of the Land.
*The Pharisee was forbidden to be the guest or have him as a guest. As much as
possible they had no business dealings with him.
*It was the aim of the Pharisee to avoid every contact with the People of the Land.
*He that hath and ear to hear let him hear. The People of the Land drew near.
*To be saved, you 1st must be lost! Look at their lifestyle. They knew they had a
need. You may be like that!
B. Lost and Don’t Know It 2
Two groups were shocked. It was lunch time and the group stopped to eat.
1. Scribes…their business was to study and know the law. These were very religious.
2. Pharisees…these were the elite of the religious. They went above what the Law required. They were bent of keeping the Law pure. They were very judgmental.
They were the standard.
*They murmured. They were appalled. They were shocked!
*Jesus receives sinners…He welcomes them with open arms. Are you lost? Jesus
opens His arms to you. I’m so glad He receives sinners. That way He can receive
me!
*He eats with them…maybe they spread out a blanket or opened a basket and began to
share their lunch. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice
and opens the door, I will come into him and sup with him and he with Me.
(Rev 3:20)
*The complexity is those who should have drawn near didn’t! v. 3 He spake unto
them (the self-righteous, the religious) this parable. Parable is singular. The lost
sheep…lost coin…lost son are not 3 parable, but one parable with 3
movements. All 3 are lost. All 3 are restored. All 3 result in joy.
Are you lost? The God of the universe is seeking you.
II. THE CATASTROPHE FOR THE SEEKER 15:4, 8
In both cases there was a loss of something of value to the owner.
A. The Lost Sheep…there were 100 sheep and 1 was lost. On paper the loss would not affect the estate very much. The sheep would be Helpless. The sheep would be Hopeless.
B. The Lost Coin…this was a piece of silver, a drachma, and was worth about one days wage. The owner has 10 pieces and loses one. Why was she so eager to find one?
*To a poor family the wage was necessary, and little stood between them and starvation.
*In Palestine the mark of a married woman was a head dress made of 10 silver coins
linked together by a silver chain. For years a girl may save to amass her 10 coins. They
were precious because of the time it would take. Once she had it, it could not be taken
from her even to repay a debt. It may well have been one of those coins.
The lost object never searches for their owner. No man that seeks after God
(Rom 3:10,11) If you are seeing after God, it’s because He is seeking after you.
Are you lost? The God of the universe is seeking you.
III. THE COMPASSION OF THE SEEKER 15:4b, 8b
A. Both the Shepherd and the housewife have a heart for the lost.
B. They both clear their schedules.
*He searched because He cared for the sheep. She searched for the coin because it was of
great value to her.
*God cares for you. He sent His Son to die for you. For God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life. (John 3:16)
Are you lost? The God of the universe is seeking you.
IV. THE COMPULSION OF THE SEEKING 15:4c, 8c
A. Does not leave (99)…Does He not look…He pours His energy into the task. The Shepherd is personally responsible. The sheep is lost, and has no way of getting home on its own.
B. Does not light a lamp and seek diligently…a coin lost in the reeds or rushes would be like
looking for a needle in a haystack.
*Christ must look for that which is lost…Christ is not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance.
*C.G.Montifiore (Jewish N.T. scholar) said: these parables were revolutionary because
while the rabbis agreed that God would receive a repentant sinner, the idea that God
seeks sinners was a new idea. We find Him because He finds us!
Are you lost? The God of the universe is seeking you.
V. THE COMPLETION OF THE SEEKER 15:5, 9a
A. Until He find it…and when he hath found it, He puts it on His shoulders…brings it home.
He transfers to Himself the burden of us. Philip Melanchton (friend of Luther)
B. Til she find it…when she hath found it… Pascal experienced this searching when he heard
the Shepherd say: “You would not be searching for Me had I not already found you.”
*We long for Him because He draws us near.
*He finds us through crumbling dreams, and a failure to achieve them…the marriage we
wanted…the success we pursued…the home we wanted…achieving our dreams, but
there is a nagging emptiness…a feeling of incompleteness…an underlying sense of
loss…of alienation…THEN A DESIRE TO FIND GOD AND TO BE FOUND!!
*Are you seeking Him? Then He is seeking you. When He has found you, He will bring
you home. He who hath begun a good work in you will continue to perform it until the
day of Jesus Christ. (Phil 1:6)
Are you lost? The God of the universe is seeking you.
VI. THE COMMOTION OF THE SEEKER 15:6b, 10
There is rejoicing. There is a time of celebration!!
A. Divine Application…God rejoices in the presence of His angels when the lost is found!
He rejoices more over a newly found sinner than a multitude in the fold. There is a greater momentary joy when the lost child is found or when the sick child recovers!
When God rejoices, heaven rejoices as well!
B. Divine Appropriation…why is there such great rejoicing in heaven?
It is because a sinner…repents! He changes his mind. He turns around. He changes
ownership. He turns from His sin! His life is changed!!
Are you lost? We were all lost!
All we like sheep had gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way (Is 53:6)
God searches us out…we believe, we repent, He carries us home!
Is God seeking you? You are lost. You have no purpose. There is a desire to follow Him. If you are seeking Him, It’s because He is seeking you.
COME!