That was my water. He was giving
me a challenge. Good morning, everybody. Thank
you for having me again. It was a pleasure to come back.
I took the scenic route to get here. It was a long trip, but
I'm thankful to be here. And as always, I was fed very
well, and I had a good bed to sleep in and a hot shower to
clean up in. I'm thankful. If you would this
morning, turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter 15. Luke chapter
15. I want to look at the first 24
verses. We'll read them and then I'll
try to spend less than a minute a piece on average, okay? This
is kind of a part one to the next message. The points are
laid out here for us, and we're seeing what the Lord does in
the saving of sinners. That's what we're seeing. And
that's gonna be the same layout for the next message. It'll kind
of be a part two, but from a different text. Look here with me in Luke
15. We'll begin in verse one. Then
drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, this man receiveth
sinners and eateth with them." There's a new paragraph. And
he spake this parable unto them. Unto who? The Pharisees, and
the scribes, and the publicans, and the sinners, all that hear
him. This message is worthy to be
declared to anybody. He spake this parable unto them,
saying, verse 4, What man of you, having a hundred sheep,
if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine
in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he
find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders
rejoicing, and he cometh home. He calleth together his friends
and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I found
my sheep which was lost. I say unto you that likewise
joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than
over ninety and nine just persons who need no repentance. Here's
a new paragraph, but it keeps going. Verse 8. Either what woman,
having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not
light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till
she find it. And when she hath found it, she
calleth her friends and her neighbors together and says, Rejoice with
me, for I have found the peace which I had lost. And likewise,
I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels
of God over one sinner that repenteth." Now, verse 11, this is a new
paragraph too. And this is continuing. We're still talking to the same
publicans, the same sinners, the same Pharisees, the same
scribes. He's still the same one speaking, but he keeps talking.
And, he said, a certain man had two sons. And the younger of
them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods
that falleth to me. Give me my inheritance. And he
divided unto him his living. And not many days after that,
the younger son gathered all together, and he took his journey
into a far country. And there wasted his substance
with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there
arose a mighty famine in that land, and he began to be in want.
It was a great need. And he went and joined himself
to a citizen of that country, and he sent him to the fields
to feed swine, go out and feed pigs. And he would fain have
filled his belly with the husks that the swines did eat. And
no man gave unto him, nobody gave him anything, and he was
ready to eat pig food, pig feed, with desperation. Verse 17, and
when he came to himself, he said, when his pure mind was stirred
up, as Peter said, how many hired servants of my father's have
bread enough and to spare? And I'll perish with hunger.
I'm out here starving to death and even the servants, the lowest
person in my father's house has plenty to eat. Verse 18, I will
rise again and go to my father and I will say to him, father,
I've sinned against heaven and before thee. and am no more worthy
to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired servants.
And he arose and he came to his father, but when he was yet a
great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran
to him. He made haste and fell on his
neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, father,
I've sinned against heaven and in thy sight. I've sinned
against thee and thee only have I sinned. I've sinned against
the holy God. everything and you happen to
see me do it and I'm no more worthy to be called thy son but
the father said to his servants didn't just ignored him bring
bring forth the best robe and put it on him and ring on his
hand and shoes on his feet and bring bring the fatted calf and
kill it and let us eat and be merry for this my son is dead
was dead and he's alive again he was lost and found and they
began to be merry in the lower. I was always talking about the
reviews talk to school give us the five W's to walk where women
want what are they talking to what's
the context of what's the situation that's going on when this this
conversation is taking place and and what are they supposed
to be insane and he's got three points you've
heard a lot of messages over the years of preachers get up
and preach the gospel so minus I got three points last year
the lord had three points he's he's speaking he's the one speaking
with who's he talking to He's speaking to everybody. So
whatever station of life somebody's in, they need to hear this. Everybody
needs to hear this. Prisoners or politicians or sometimes
both in the same person, whatever it is, they need to hear it,
don't they? That's who he's speaking to.
Well, why is he speaking? Well, that's twofold too. The
scriptures, I was always told that as a child, they're bifocal.
There's a practical application, this is what's happening, what
we can learn from it. But this is a spiritual thing. Look here
in verse one again, it said, then drew near unto him all the
publicans and sinners for to hear him. He had an audience.
If the Lord gives somebody a voice, if he gives them a message to
speak, he's gonna give somebody to hear it. And someone came
there to hear, they didn't come there to judge him, they didn't
come there to pick at him, well let's see what he's gonna say
and we'll accuse him of his words. They came to hear. God Almighty
in human flesh preached, could you imagine that? When this life's
over, that's what we're gonna hear. We'll get to see our Redeemer
face to face, and he's gonna speak to us. But that was publicans
and that's sinners. Well, we know what sinners are,
right? Even common folks walking down the street, they say, well,
you know, I've sinned, and I've committed some sins. They'll
agree to those acts, but sinners, you know what you are. What's
a publican? What's a public? Well, they were
tax collectors, right? But what we would call nowadays,
they were mafiosos. It was like the mafia. They would
take the taxes for the government, but they skimmed some off the
top. They added to it so they could profit from it. Well, that
got busted up, and they started moving through Europe. That business
run out. And they made it up through Europe
and to England and that area. And they had trouble finding
work, so they would open public houses. I was there in Chicago
in an airport. I had plenty of time there. And
they have the Publican Tavern. a public and a public and a public
and a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and
a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and
a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and
a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and
a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and a public
and a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and
a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and
a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and
a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and
a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and
a public and a public and a public and a public and a public and a public
and a public to the religious ones and what they do, look at
verse two. And the Pharisees and scribes, they were there
and they murmured. Christ was speaking. God of glory
is talking. Nothing but grace comes out of
his lips. He was speaking. And these Pharisees and these
scribes murmured. Can you believe he said that? I can't believe
he said that. Saying, this man receiveth sinners.
He'll be in the company of sinners. This is a hard accusation. This
is a mighty charge they gave against him. He receives sinners. And it's not just they're allowed
to be in his presence, which would be wonderful. They're allowed
to be in his company. and he even with them We're disgusting and vile and
wretched. And he would come, if we was
eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and pick it up and
take a bite right after you take a bite. For disgusting worms. That's
a great charge. This man doesn't just be in the
company of sinners. I wouldn't hang out with someone
that he's hanging out with. And he eats with them. He eats with
them. That's the worst thing these
religious folks could say about him. And for a worm, for a criminal
against the kingdom, this is the sweetest news we could hear.
He receives sinners, and he ain't just going, well, we'll let you
in, but there's some rules. You can be in here, but you got
to sit over there. Come here and sit down. He serves us. He's
the one bringing the food and eats with us. That's good news. You talk about bifocal, that
makes you mad or glad, one of the two, doesn't it? Well, the
Lord's speaking, the Lord of Glory's speaking here, and He's
speaking to the ones that oppose the way He saves sinners. And
those sinners are there rejoicing. So we know who's speaking, we
know to whom He's speaking, and we know the reason, they're murmuring.
One's are there, half of them's there to hear and to rejoice,
and the other half's there to murmur and complain and nitpick
and oppose, right? Now, what's said? We know who's
speaking, to whom he's speaking, why he's speaking, now what's
said. Lord's gonna preach here. He's
got one message. It's one parable with three different
divisions, with three points. Look here in verse three. It
says, and he spake this parable unto them. He starts, and he's
gonna talk about the 99 sheep and the one lost sheep. And then
look at verse eight. Either, what a woman. This is
a new paragraph, but it's the same message. I looked that word
up. Either. What does either mean?
You could ask a small child that. What does either mean? Well,
I'm going to drink either out of this bottle, either this one
or this one. It's one or the other, right?
Well, it means also, it means also, I don't like a toothache. And you would say, me either,
me also, right? So this is a continuation. He
started there in verse three and he spake, and then here in
verse eight, either what a woman, and he goes on and tells about
that woman that lost a coin. And she got a lot out and diligently
searched for it. And then look at verse 11. And,
this is a new paragraph, and he said, and he said, this is
the third point. And he goes on and Christ speaks
about that prodigal son. that wanted his inheritance and
he wasted every bit of it. He willingly took it and he willingly
just threw riotous living, burnt through every bit of it. This is all one message with
three points. Look at the end of each of them.
Look here in verse seven. This is that lost sheep. Verse
seven says, I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in heaven
over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine
just persons which need no repentance. How does the Lord finish up that
first point? He said, there's going to be
joy in heaven because a sinner repented. This is about somebody
being saved. This is about the Father being
pleased to do his own will. Look at verse 10. This is that
lost piece of silver. Likewise, I say unto you, there
is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner
that repented. What's the culmination? What's
the end point of that second point? The Lord's saving his
people. They're gonna be in glory. And
God's pleased with this. This is what he's pleased to
do. Look down verse 22. But the father said to his servants,
bring forth the best robe and put it on him and put a ring
on his hand and shoes on his feet and bring hither the fatted
calf and kill it and let us eat and be merry. For this my son
was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found. And
what? And they began to be merry. those
were there to murmur and more said I've got good news I have
three wonderful points of good news to you this is what pleases
God this is what makes makes him happy this is joyful news
to you this ain't something to murmur about this is wonderful
so who's speaking? God is Christ is to whom? to everybody Why? Well, some were there to hear
and be happy. This is good news. I want to
hear what he has to say. And there was others that were
there and they were sad and grumpy because of sinners. And what's
the end state of each one of these? What's the tone? There's
joy of sinners being in Christ, being made one with him and being
where he is. Now, how are sinners with Christ? How is this repentance? towards God and faith in Christ.
How's that accomplished? This is, to me, this is good
news. To me, this is joyful. Now, how
are we gonna get there? I was in San Diego and I had
joy. I wanted to come to Rock Valley.
Well, how am I gonna get there? We gotta get there somehow, don't
we? Let's look back here in verse three. Here are how sinners with Christ,
and notice the, we'll see the person and the work of the Lord
in this. Verse three, and he spake a parable unto them, saying,
What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them,
doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go
after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath
found it, he laith it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when
he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying
unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep, which
was lost. It was my sheep. And it got lost,
and I found it, and I brought it home. And I say unto you that
likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth
more than over the ninety and nine just persons which need
no repentance." The Lord's speaking there to these sinners, these
publicans, and these well-educated theologians. And I'll tell you
what he doesn't do. God's, the capital P preacher
is preaching. And he doesn't give a monotheistic
approach to reconciling deplorables. What's that mean? He talks about
sheep and shepherds. We can learn something about
that, don't we? The Lord spoke to him, he said, you let these
children come to me. What kind of theological dissertation did
he have that day? He said, I'm a door. You kids
know what a door is. Yeah, that's a door back there.
Do you go under the door? No, you go through it. Can you
go out that wall? No, you got to go through a door.
Lord spoke plainly in terms. He talked to farmers about farming.
He talked to fishermen about fishermen. He talked to people. He said, you ever lost your keys?
You ever look, where'd my glasses go? I looked for my glasses the
other day, and it was on my face. I've lost things. This lady lost
a coin in a second point. He speaks to us in terms we can
understand. I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful. Now you think about a shepherd
and a sheep. A sheep's a flock and goats are
a herd. Just the terms that were still in our language is wonderful.
You have to corral goats and whip them and beat them and coerce
them into going someplace. And sheep's a flock, they just
flock together and follow the shepherd. They go wherever he
goes. But there's a lot of sermons about the 99 and I don't know
much about that, but I know about being a lost sheep. This sheep
went away. It was his, but either through
ignorance, but willingly, the grass was greener over there.
The shepherd had me here, but I want to see what's on the other
side of that fence. And just being self-willed and self-taught
or whatever, willingly left. It willingly went away. It willingly
got itself lost, and it couldn't come back. And this shepherd,
this shepherd's connected to him. related to him, it's his
property. And he's able to recover them.
They can't recover themselves. He's the one that's able, and
he's willing to do it. You ever read that in Ruth? A
kid's been redeemed. They had to be related. They
had to be able to redeem, but then they had to be willing to
do it. It's good just that this is a legal standing and this
is what's accurate. They had to want to. Boaz had to want
to redeem Ruth. And this shepherd, he leaves
his home, because that's where he's going to go back to, right?
And he goes into the wilderness. And boy, there's some sacrifice
involved. He's walking through the thorns.
He's walking through the thistles and the mud and the dirt and
everything else. And what's that shepherd doing? He's willingly
to lay down his life for the sheep. If he gets cut up and
he's bleeding, he's willing to do it. If those thorns he's looking
through for that sheep, it pierces his brow, He's willing to do
it. That's his first point. The Lord's
speaking to Pharisees and publicans alike. He's speaking to sinners
and scribes alike. And he says, there's rebellious
sheep, but the shepherd's faithful. There's a self-willed sheep that
leaves, and this self-sacrifying shepherd will go get him. throughout scriptures, the Lord's
taught, it's called the good shepherd that lays down his life
for the sheep. He's the one that redeems. He's
called the great shepherd. That's the one that keeps us
and sustains us. We can't get away. He keeps us
till we're with him in glory. And the chief shepherd, that's
the one that's returning to take us into glory, carry us all the
way home. That's the Lord's first point.
Now he's got point two, look at verse eight. Either, also,
he keeps going on them. Also, what woman, having 10 pieces
of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle and sweep
the house and seek diligently till she find it? And when she
hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbors together,
saying, rejoice with me, for I found a piece which I'd lost.
Likewise, I say unto you, there's joy in the presence of the angels
of God over one sinner that repenteth." That repentance there is talking
about a coin. You ever seen a coin repent? What's this showing us? That coins us, isn't it? In Adam,
we willfully sinned against God, but we did too. If we can't blame
everything on Adam, and can't blame everything on the law being
impossible to keep, can't blame everything on the devil trying
to get us. That's my fault. That's my fault. And after I'd
went away from birth, from the womb, speaking lies, conceiving
sin, I'm like a coin. I can't turn over, I can't do
anything. And where's that coin at? It's in the darkness. It's
in the dirt, the dust of this world, isn't it? I was laying
there lifeless, thinking it's OK, but something's going to
come, and it's going to illuminate. And the coin didn't find that
lady. The lady found the coin. What's this light? David said
in Psalm 119, he said, your word, Lord, is a lamp to my feet and
a light unto my path. That word's made effectual. It
means gets the job done. by the Holy Ghost and God, the
Holy Spirit is the one that abounds towards his people and makes
that preached word effectual. It makes us see what we are and
see who he is, see our need of that shepherd, see our lifelessness
and our inability and our death and our darkness and our destruction.
that's what it is. The first point the Lord made,
he said, this here is the work of the Son. This is God the Son's
work, this is Christ's work. And now he's shown us the work
of the Spirit that comes to us and illuminates, that uses the
bride, that church, to cast forth that light on a mountaintop.
You don't put it underneath a bushel. It goes forth, seeks diligently. And what are we taught? Because
this is all together. He said, when the Holy Spirit
comes, I'll send you the comforter. And he ain't going to talk to
himself. He's going to speak of me. That's what that's going
to be. So we see the first one, there's
a difference in these points. Did you know that? In point one,
there's a rebellious sheep and sacrifice by the shepherds made. That second point, it's a dead,
lifeless coin in the dust. And then illumination, revelation
comes in. But there's no sacrifice in that
coin, is there? All these have to go together.
Our deadness is revealed and His faithfulness is declared.
And we've seen the work of His Son and of the Spirit coming
to us. And you see these two points. Who do you think the third point's
gonna be about? If we see the first point's about the Son,
and the second point's about the Spirit, who's left? It's
the Father. God the Father. Look here at
verse 11. And, he said, Here's the last
point the Lord's given us. And he said, a certain man had
two sons. And the younger of them said
to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that follow
to me. And he divided unto him his living. And not many days
after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey
to a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in the
land, and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself
to a citizen of that country, and he sent him to the fields
to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with a
husk that the swine did eat, and no man gave to him. That's
a bad place to be, and everything we had is gone. And we have no
option but to join ourselves to somebody of this country.
That ain't my people. Verse 17, and when he came to
himself, He said, how many hired servants of my father's have
bread enough to spare and I perish with hunger. Now, if we just,
and I've heard good messages out of these, but if I was to
preach just this last point, if I preach just the first point,
well, how's that going to get to me? And if I preach just the
second point, well, there's no sacrifice. The blood hasn't been
shed. I'm not the one that rebelled.
I just happened to be on the floor. Well, on this third one, it says
here, this boy, he came to himself. and a man one, said he still
was afraid the scriptures one day in a possible this year's
the gospel also know by preaching and he said no To everybody that would read
it, about this earth, what truth is. And I said, oh, really? I
said, so God just spoke to you directly, and then you wrote
an open letter, an epistle, if you will. Oh, no, I didn't say
that. I'm like, no, that's exactly what you said. Are you an apostle?
God said he's going to save by the foolishness of preaching,
right? How did this boy come to his
right mind? Well, he was a lost sheep. God
sent the Holy Spirit to him, and then he stirred up his pure
mind, didn't he? That word that was taught to him as a youth
was like a two-edged sword. It was sharp. Those things, you
had that happen. You all heard Joe say something,
and then like a year or two later, you're at the bowling alley,
or I don't know, someplace. You're out in the field working. I get it. I get it now. Turns on, doesn't it? The Lord
planted that seed a couple years ago. It didn't germinate and
pop out of the ground Two years later. But this one came to his
right mind. How did he know? How did he know
he could go home? He knew he wasn't home like that
sheep that was lost, right? How did he know he could? Cause
that shepherd. How was that revealed to him?
God, the Holy Spirit taught him through the word, didn't he?
He taught him these things. Remember Christ is preaching
here. I was trying not to preach this out. I was so excited to
tell it because the outline is laying right here in front of
me. This is a perfect sermon. The Lord, we're on good ground
today. We are. Look at verse 19. Or verse 18, I will rise and go
to my father and I will say unto him, father, I have sinned against
heaven and before thee. He's practicing because he ain't
there yet. He's rehearsing these words.
That's what the scriptures say. We rehearse these words. We were
the Lord's watchman on the walls of Israel. One of the translations
of Amplify version is the Lord's remembrances. That's my job. Remember what the Lord said?
Remember what was written in Matthew? Remember what the Psalms
say? They said, I'll rise and go to my father and I'll say
to him, father, I've sinned against heaven and before thee, and I'm
no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired
servants. he rose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way
off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on
his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, Father,
I've sinned against heaven, and in thy sight I'm no more worthy
to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants,
Bring forth the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring
on his hand, and shoes on his feet, and bring the best cow
you can find, and kill it, and let's eat and be merry. For my
son was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and he's found. And they began to be merry. How
can we go home to the God that we sinned against? We left willingly
like that sheep. Christ came and died for his
sheep. Well, how am I going to figure this out? Through the
preaching of the word, the Holy Spirit works in the heart of
the Lord's people. And then we'll look at part twos next hour,
but when we bring our pardon letter to the Lord, what do you
got to say for yourself? I ain't say nothing. You read
what he has to say. And we think there'd be a harsh
judgment. And I don't want to explain nothing to myself, do
you? And you go there and say, I'm pleading Christ's blood and
his blood alone. That's all I'm going to say. That terrifies
me even. And the father's going to say,
come here, my good and faithful servant. Oh, let's have a meal. Everybody get together. Bring
a robe. Let's clothe them. Come on. Come here. Us is going
to fall and kiss your neck and hug you. Why? Who did all the
work? salvation of the Lord, that triune
God in full presence, chose a people, saved a people. Go read Ephesians
1, and it's all laid out there, a little different order, but
the Father purposed this to happen. The Son purchased it, and the
Holy Spirit abounds towards His people diligently, I would say
like a linebacker chasing down a guy with a football, and doesn't
quit and doesn't fail, and finds His people and sheds His light
abroad in their hearts. He did all the work. Who gets
all the glory for that? God does. Christ has all the preeminence
in it. You remember why this word was spoken? I'll wrap up.
Some were there to hear, and some were there to murmur. Now,
when you see that, you see these three parables, that's one parable,
isn't it? Christ laid down His life for us. He sends the Comforter
to us to teach us of Him. And because of that, we have
reconciliation with the place. I go to prepare a place for you.
What's that place? Well, it's a house. It's two-story. No,
it's a place of reconciliation. He's done all of this. Now, does
that make you murmur or does that make you rejoice? That makes
me rejoice. It does you too, doesn't it?
Salvation to the Lord. I hope that was a blessing to
you. , I was itching to get here and give them tell you about
it, and reminded of every day the
same old story, and I tell you the Lord's promise that's gonna
come to pass Kill the calf. Get the best thing
we got. We're having a party. We're having a feast for you.
Alright, let's pray together. Father, thank you for this. Thank
you for. Preserving your word that we can hear what our master
had to say and thank you for sending that word to us. How
wretched we are and how mighty Christ is. Don't give us ears
to hear in hearts that rejoice in what he has done. for our
undeserved people and the fathers pleased in him and us in him.
I'll be with every soul here and our brethren around this
world as your word goes forth today and be with your preachers
and give them boldness and clarity to speak plainly your word. Forgive
us for what we are, Lord, as because of Christ, our great
shepherd, we ask this. Amen. All right, brethren.