March 24, 2010, Luke 15

Key Verse:

“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. “

(Luke 15:7)

Central Truth:

Lost people matter to God. Therefore, as Christians we must be willing to step out and use our influence to bring them into a relationship with God.

WHAT WAS LOST WAS FOUND

Luke Chapter 15 begins with Jesus talking to a large crowd. In front of the crowd were tax collectors and sinners. There were also “religious” people there to find fault with Jesus. These religious leaders didn't even want to be in the presence of “unclean" people. They thought that Jesus was wasting His time with them. The “sinners” were there to listen to what Jesus had to say. He was identifying with them. He loved them and accepted them, and they were beginning to care about what God had to say to them.

Jesus tells three different parables to the crowd. All of these parables have a common theme. In the first, there was a shepherd who lost a sheep. In the second, there is a woman who lost a coin. And in the third parable, a father loses his son. These parables teach us that God is interested and yearns for the lost. Jesus was trying to help the religious leaders understand that all people are important to God. The religious leaders truly thought that God didn’t care about sinful people. They thought God only cared about “religious” people.

In my opinion these parables teach us, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God cares about all lost people. He doesn’t care what kind of house a person lives in, how much money a person makes, or what kinds of clothes a person wears. He doesn’t care if a person smells bad and has rotten teeth. He doesn’t care if they have purple hair, tattoos or body piercings. God doesn’t care if they are fat, thin, big, or small. But, God DOES care whether a person is lost or not.

These parables also teach us that God and the Heavens rejoice when the lost are found. The Bible tells us that when a person accepts Jesus as the Lord of their life that there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God. Wow! It makes you think that there is probably a party in Heaven when someone is saved! Unfortunately some “religious” people have difficulty with this concept. Some people might think that certain actions or lifestyles don’t warrant forgiveness and salvation. However, the Bible tells us that we have a God that offers unconditional love and acceptance. It doesn’t matter WHO we are or WHAT we did before our relationship with Jesus. He will forgive us if we just ask.

God wants us all to be found and to be free. He created each and everyone of us. He knows that we need Him. We need salvation definitely. We also need a personal relationship with Him. As Christ-followers, we need to step out of our comfort zones and even take risks to guide people into a relationship with our Lord. We should feel a burden for the lost. God could even be using you right now in a relationship to influence someone for eternity. Can you imagine all of the parties in Heaven if each one of us reading this devotion would reach out to one lost person today?