Lost and Found - Part 2 (The Thirteenth Parable)

Have you ever run away from home? I’m sure some of us have actually run away from home.  I haven’t experienced running away from home myself and probably the farthest place I`ve been too when I was young and trying to get away from my parents was my godfather`s house beside ours.    The first time I actually left home was when I went to college but I had friends who literally left their home, against their parents’ wishes.  Now that I am a parent myself, I cannot imagine the thought of any of my children running away from home.  My daughter Elaine went to Korea for her university program and she did it of course with our permission and it’s not easy for us but imagine if your son or daughter run away from home, against your will, it will surely break your heart if you are a parent.  Even in other things – when your child does things in his own way, against your will, it breaks your heart.  But you know what, you may have never ran away from home but actually for some of us, we may actually be far away from home in our hearts.  You may be in the church but you have prodigal minds.  Your thoughts are wandering away.   

 Every time I preach this parable, one question comes up.  Pastor, who is the most stressed character in the parable of the Prodigal Son?  Is it the father or the two sons or the servants?  It`s the fattened calf.

The parable of the prodigal son is the third in a trilogy of lost parables, the other two being about the lost coin and the lost sheep. We learned that Jesus was at the house of a prominent Pharisee for dinner and at one point, sinners and tax collectors gathered around Him and these three parables were actually Jesus` response to the side comments He heard “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

We also learned that the parables came in progression.  First, the lost sheep represents 1% of the total flock of the shepherd; the lost coin represents 10% of the woman`s total coins and the third parable, the lost son represents 50% of what the father has.  There was progression...probably to stress or emphasize the intensity of the idea and also to show it`s importance.

Verses 12-24 talks about the younger son first. He was the center of attention.  Usually, the youngest child becomes the center of attention right?  I`m a bunso or youngest in the family, a bit spoiled when I was young.  I remember whenever we played "hide and seek" my siblings will let me win. During dinner time, I get the best part of our food – well, maybe because I was too tiny then.   And usually, the eldest is the more responsible one in the family.  I think it`s true in most families.  The oldest sibling takes a lot of responsibility in the family and therefore in the end, they become more responsible.  The youngest child – they are usually, generally speaking,  the carefree ones.  

We learned in verse 12 that the younger son asks for his inheritance—it is an unusual request during that time, but it is a legal request. Remember, the young son was not doing something illegal here but it was a very disrespectful, dishonouring and like what I said, unusual request.  The younger son was in effect saying, "Dad, I don’t want to have to wait around here anymore for you to die and to get what’s mine.  Give it to me now! I want what is mine and I want it now! "  

Where do we hear these lines?  Does it sound familiar? Sometimes, we hear these lines in our PRAYER!  Lord, I want this job, I want it now, even if we already have a job... Lord I want a better job, I want it now.  Then we get the job, Lord, I want a second job, and I want it now.

Lord, I want to lose weight... and I want it now...let me just finish this sumptuous meal and I will start exercising. Lord, it`s not fair... I should have been promoted and not that worthless, undeserving and lazy officemate of mine – give me what`s mine, deserve it,  I want it now.

Lord, I want to become a spiritually mature Christian... I want to become one, I really, I want it now.  Lord, give me PATIENCE, give it to me NOW!

As parents, sometimes, we let them do what they want.  We allow them to do it hoping that they will learn their lessons themselves, and sometimes, it has to be the hard way.  They want to have something but they don`t realize what they already have. They sometimes don’t give much importance to the family because the family is always there anyway, they won`t disappear.  They will always be there.  My parents will always be my parents. We only realize that something or someone is important when that something or someone is gone.  It`s very true with our loved ones.  Why is it that you hear the nicest words being said in Eulogies? 

The father allows his younger son to leave. Sometimes the worst thing God can do is to give us what we want--to show us that our desires cannot really bring satisfaction. The son got what he wanted, but lost what he had.   In verses 13-16, we witness the results of the lost son`s rebellion. The prodigal leaves for a "far country"; a place which existed already in his heart a long time ago.   We long for things we don’t have.   We fail to realize, oftentimes, that the freedom that we long for, becomes freedom to commit sin.    The prodigal son wanted to "see life", apart from God.   He ended up being dead to sin.    Jesus said "Apart from Me you can do nothing. "

The lost son long for freedom without restraints and ended up enslaving himself.   He learned the hard way  -- we certainly cannot enjoy the things money can provide if we ignore the things money cannot buy.   We think if we run away from home, we enjoy more freedom.  But in reality, we become slaves – of  money, of sin, of our own misconception.  True freedom can only be found in Christ.  Jesus came to set us free.   

Imagine the consequence of the son`s action:  Because he lost everything, he ended up working for strangers – he ended up doing for a stranger what he refused to do for his own father--to work. Isn`t that bondage?  For a Jew, being a swineherd is probably one of the lowest form of employment.  The   "pods" of verse 16 were likely the fruit of the carob tree, which only those who are very poor will eat.

In verse 20, the son realized his mistakes... he was willing to swallow his pride... he was determined to come back to his father.  Not as a son... but he would take even as the position of a servant. 

Let me read from verse 21:

  

The lost son "came to his senses", and "found" himself.   The first step of repentance comes when people realize the foolishness of their actions.  The prodigal cannot blame anyone else but himself.   He has reached rock bottom, and his only remaining resource is repentance.   I remember David after being rebuked by the prophet Nathan for his sin of adultery and murder:

 he wrote in Psalm 51 ``For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight

When the son left home, he had a fairly positive self-image, and his wild companions probably assured him that he was a likable, generous individual.  Of course when we compare ourselves  to ungodly people, probably we would be measured favourably.  Even later when he was forced to work at a pig farm, he may have compared himself to the other workers there and he may have figured he was better than them; very likely he was, considering his privileged background. But when his thoughts turned to home and he compared himself to the father he abandoned, when he realized what was his stature in the family,  he admitted he was no longer worthy to be called his son.      

 A mark of repentant heart is the desire to be subject again to authority. He became lost when he claimed his rights; he is found when he surrenders them. By returning to his father, he has found God’s wisdom.

The  son attempts to deliver his prepared speech  —he admits he has sinned against "heaven", too shamed to even speak the name of God.   He begins, but doesn’t get to finish, for his father calls to the servants to bring out the robe, the ring and the shoes.   

MEANWHILE

I love this word that you can find in verse 25 “Meanwhile...” I looked at the dictionary, the word MEANWHILE is synonymous to “in the meantime” or “in the interim” or it means “simultaneously” or “at the same time.”

Meanwhile, while everybody is partying... while everybody is busy celebrating because the lost has been found...while everyone is enjoying the roast calf... or maybe let’s take it a bit more relevant to us...

Meanwhile, while we are busy pointing finger at someone... while we are so occupied finding the fault of many prodigal sons...like in our case, while we are busy looking down at other people’s fault, or sometimes, we even find fault in the father of the prodigal son... e kunsintidor yung tatay e, the father has spoiled the prodigal son, he shouldn’t have given him what he wanted... it’s his fault... Meanwhile ...

While Rembrandt’s painting was probably the most popular, I personally like this interpretation of Spanish painter Esteban Murillo.  Here you see all the main and supporting characters... the father, the prodigal son, you can even see the fattened calf... the most stressed out character in this story, you can even see the axeman who will probably slaughter the calf... you can see the servants carrying the robe and the sandals...and even the ring.  There’s even a dog here, a puppy... I think it’s a white terrier or a Chihuahua... I don’t know... it’s not important. 

This painting is very biblical except for the dog...I read the passages several times and I can’t find a dog.

 Obviously, you probably won’t find this breed of a dog during Jesus’ time.  But why would this artist include this dog leaping towards the prodigal son who returned.  I think he was trying to make a point, which will make the Biblical story to be more understood.  Everybody is celebrating... the father, the prodigal son, the servants and even the dog! But meanwhile, look at this dark, gloomy figure at the background... who almost fell outside of the canvas... who is this bitter and angry character... IT’S THE OLDER BROTHER!

Let me read the rest of the passages:

Who was this older brother? When Jesus told this story, He had a group of people specifically in mind -  the Pharisees, the self-righteous experts in Jewish law.  They cared little about those who were lost in sin, they condemned Jesus for welcoming sinners and eating with them. While these 3 parables were intended to instil compassion for the lost it was also intended to REBUKE those who think highly of themselves...those who think they are righteous enough.

This older brother stayed obeying the rules, he followed his father, but he too was far from home.  He had strayed away from home in his heart long before the prodigal son left.   He regarded his position in the family as one of bondage.   He was home, yet not at home!  How many of us are like the older brother -- home but far away from home?

How many of us feel that being a Christian is a burden... serving in the ministry is a bondage?  We cannot do what we want...we’re not appreciated for what we do... we’ve been in the church for a long time but the pastor has never appreciated our efforts so we harbour ill-feelings.

How many of us are like the older brother, while everyone is celebrating, we feel bitter and angry?  This story is really about two prodigal sons. Both were slaves--the younger by his economic situation and the older by his own perception.

People can live in the same house or even in the same church yet they are not one in spirit. It is wrong to assume that we’re members of God’s family because we were raised in a Christian home. God doesn’t have any grandchildren – only children.  Please take note of that.  The Pharisees based their spirituality on their being Jewish. The Apostle Paul warned that being born in a Jewish household doesn’t make a person a child of Abraham spiritually.  Everyone on earth is a physical child of God by creation; but not everyone is a spiritual child—because to become a spiritual child of God, this takes a personal choice-- re-birth, re-creation.

The prodigal son chose to repent.  The prodigal’s father chose to forgive; the older brother refused.

Prayer

Wherever you are, whatever you situation you may be -- you need the love of Jesus in your life.
Please say this prayer sincerely from your heart:  

Father God, I confess all my sins to you today.  Please forgive me.  Today, I open my heart to your Son Jesus Christ.  I accept Him in my life as my Savior and as my Lord.  May the Holy Spirit come to my life and make me the kind of person you want me to be.  In Jesus Name, I pray.  Amen.

The above article is an excerpt from a sermon delivered at WCF Richmond during its service on  Sunday, June 7, 2015.

I apologize if there are grammatical and spelling errors.

I also apologize if I have missed acknowledging or making proper references to my sources, if any.  as it is purely unintentional.

If you are looking for a church in British Columbia, Canada please visit our website at:

 www.wordchristianfellowship.com

Lost and Found - Part 1

Have you lost something?
We’ve lost a lot of small things.  Sometimes we’ve lost our money, our wallet, our cell phone, little things...reading glass, our keys, screw drivers, pair of scissors -- According to surveys, the top five commonly lost items are: Keys, USB Flash Drives, Nailclippers, Eyeglasses, Gloves
They say with the advent of social media, we also lose a lot of privacy.  Some people even with GPS, they lose their way and to a lot of people, the can easily lose their patience.  
Sometimes, we lose more important things – Manny Pacquiao lost his match with Mayweather, singers they lose their voice.  Sometimes we even lose the trust of someone... we’ve lost a relationship or we’ve lost a friend and probably, worst of all,  we’ve lost a loved one.   Even in the business world, if they don’t do well in the business… they have a Net Loss.    We hear people saying “I’m losing my mind.”  One time I heard one of the men saying, I lost my appeal... some would say I lose my appetite.  I think one of the few times that we are happy even if we lost something is when we lose weight.  Are you with me or are you lost now?

The title of our message is Lost and Found and our scripture is in Luke 15.  We are going to talk about the Lost Parables – not because they are lost but because these parables talk about losing something or someone.  These are very familiar parables. Today, God will reveal to us something about His nature.  If you read the Bible, there are a lot of “names” used to described somebody who does not have a relationship with the Lord.  We call them non-believers or unbelievers, pagans, ungodly, the unregenerate.  In Psalm 14:1  it says there “the fool says in his heart, "there is no God.”  In the New Testament, these type of people who does not know the Lord Jesus Christ is called LOST! 

Why lost?  Well Jesus said in John 14:6  “I am the WAY.”  Obviously, a person who does not know Jesus, does not know the Way, obviously, he’s LOST!
How important it is to God when somebody is lost.   Why can’t He just concentrate on those people who are not lost, those people who are already in His side, those who have followed Him.  Why bother with those who rejected Him or continue to reject Him?   But the God whom we worship is not like that.  His ways are not are ways.  His plans are certainly not our plans.  Jesus has compassion for the lost .


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 neighbours 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.
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 neighbours 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.”

Verses 11-32 is about the Parable of the Lost Son.
·         It talks about a man and his two sons, the younger one asked for his inheritance, eventually he left and squandered all his money.
·         He became so poor and hungry so he decided to return to his father – asking to be his servant.
·         The father, instead of punishing him, he ran towards his son, restored his sonship and threw a party.
·         The older son was so angry and did not join the celebration
·         The father told the older son, this brother of yours ... he was lost and now is found

UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT

Jesus was at a Pharisee’s house on a Sabbath day (14:1)
So Jesus was invited to have dinner at a Pharisee’s house on a Sabbath Day.   He got invited not because they liked Him.  A lot of times, these Pharisees would like to trap Jesus in their conversation.  They were waiting for the right opportunity to build a case against Him.
Jesus talked about doing good things during Sabbath, humility, the Parable of the Great Banquet and the cost of being a disciple (14:2-34)
In Chapter 15 verse 1, when the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus speaking, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were whispering  “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Jesus told the three parables in response to the Pharisees’ and teachers’ sarcastic comment that He welcomes sinners and eats with them (15:1-2)

His audience were:  [a]  The Religious Pharisees and Teachers,  [b] Sinners and Tax Collectors, and [c] His disciples and followers
And this is a very interesting discourse and there is a very good pattern.

Do you notice the progression in the three parables? 

First was the lost sheep – representing 1% of the flock.  Not a big number but the shepherd still had to go out and search for the missing sheep.  

Second was the lost coin – this time representing 10% of the woman’s total number of coins.

Lastly, the lost son – 1 out of 2 sons, 50%, obviously it’s very significant in terms of percentage.

But that’s not the only case in point here... the approximate value of the lost sheep was $100.  So there is perfect logic for the shepherd to look for the missing one, right?  If you lose $100 today, won’t you look for it?  It’s valuable right?  If you have $10,000 in your pocket and you counted it and you are missing $100, I am pretty sure you will look for it.

The Greek translation of the word coin here is “drachma” which is equivalent to the Roman denarius or a day’s wage of a Roman soldier.  In our time today, it’s probably equivalent to $200.  It is still valuable, right?  Especially if you only have 10 coins, you will for sure search for it if you lose one. This father in the parable lost 1 out of his two sons.  No matter how bad his son was, no matter how disappointing he was, he was still his son!

Much more if we are talking of human beings.  The 3^rd parable talks about a lost son.  Have you ever lose a child in the mall?

The Bible says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We were made in His image and likeness.  Not His physical attributes because God is a spirit but we are made in His image of being capable of being loved and loving back in return.   God loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son and He does not want anyone to perish but that all should come to repentance.  If we are lost, it breaks His heart.  If we head towards a different direction and not towards His Son Jesus Christ who is The Way, it breaks His heart.

The Bible says in Luke 19:10:

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

#1:  If God has so much compassion for the lost, so should we because we were once lost as well.  (v7)

If we call ourselves Christian, we should have the same compassion for the lost as Jesus do even for the simple reason that we too, we were once lost.  But we should remember the more important fact... that while we were yet SINNERS, Christ died for us.  When we were lost, Jesus did not give up looking for us.  He was like that Shepherd who had to go out of His way to seek the lost sheep.  He was like that woman, who had to light up a light in the dark and sweep her floor in order to find that missing coin.  He used different people to share with us – and probably we have ignored a lot of those people.  Up to now, to some of us, probably Jesus is seeking.  He did not say “oh ok, I’m not going to share the Gospel with my relatives this time, they’ll be coming back for vacation next year anyways.”  Or I am not going to ruin the mood or I’m not going to be a party-pooper, I can share Jesus some other time. If Jesus had that attitude, we shall all be doomed.  God has compassion for the lost.  God loves the sinners.  God cares for those heading towards a different direction.  He expects us to have the same compassion. 

#2:  Believers are commanded to actively seek the lost and share the Gospel with them. (v8)

We have a mandate.  Jesus gave us instructions.  He said “Go and make disciples of all nations.”  He said go and be my witness.  In Acts 1:8:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

When we seek the lost and share the Gospel, we become witnesses for Jesus Christ.  We tell the people, hey, look at me and listen to what I have to say.  This Jesus that I am sharing with you... I have experienced Him.  He changed my life to the person I am now so it is very important that you are indeed a changed person.  Remember what I told you in the past, you can either be a good or a bad witness. 

You can interpret this verse metaphorically and make it applicable to personal evangelism Jerusalem being your own immediate family.  Share Christ with them first.  Be a witness to them first.  You cannot be an effective witness for others about Christ if inside your home, you are a different person.  WITNESSING starts in Jerusalem, in your own household.  The you witness to your    JUDEA.  Judea is another Jewish town in Israel.   This represents your friends, relatives and other loved ones.  Sometimes, these firs two groups of people are the hardest to share the Gospel with.     SAMARIA.   Samaria is a place that the Jewish people avoid.  They were enemies with the Samaritans.   Samaria represents the people you don’t like. Some of them are even your enemies. Jesus said, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.  If you are able to share the Gospel with them, they can even become your friend. And of course   ENDS OF THE EARTH – these are the people you don’t know.  People you meet on the streets, in the gym, at the supermarket.  These are people who have no idea that you exist and yet you spend time with them and share Jesus with them.  We are commanded to actively share the Gospel.

#3:  Seeking the lost is never easy as there will always be challenges ahead. (v4, v8)

I’m not sure if you noticed it but if you read verse 4, it says there:  “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.” 

Also, in verse 8, it says there “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.”

What do these verses tell us?  Seeking the lost is never easy.  It means taking some risks. The shepherd has to take the risk of leaving his flock in the open country – open country meaning his flock will be vulnerable to attacks... but wolves and even vulnerable to theft from other shepherds.  This is the reason why even in churches today, if the shepherd is not always around... the sheep goes to other pastures and sometimes they end up going to other shepherds.

Seeking the lost is never easy as there will always be challenges ahead.  When the woman lost one of her silver coins, it says in verse 8 that she had to sweep the house and she even had to light a lamp, she probably lost the coin at night.  Seeking the lost will certainly involve some work for us and it is certain that we’ll face some challenges.  People will not like us.  People will persecute us.  People will mock us.  Sometimes, even our own families will abandon us because we are sharing the Gospel with them.   Missionaries risk their lives in order to seek the lost.  Should we keep on counting?  Maybe Jesus needs to remind us.... “Hey, I gave up my life in order to seek and find you... isn’t that enough reason for you to seek others?”

Jesus Himself said:

You will be hated by everyone because of me (Matthew 10:22)

But we know that as we get to know the truth more and more, God allows some challenges and trials and testing to keep us growing in our faith.  It is through these challenges that we depend on God more.  Remember also that our battle is not against flesh and blood.

It is spiritual in nature.  It is against the dark forces of this world.  Once the devil sees that you are embracing this new faith... once the enemy sees that you have personally accepted Jesus in your life, then he starts to pay attention to you.  He starts to create situations that will challenge your faith and makes you doubt the decision that you made.

In case you did not notice, in verse 8, the woman when searching for her coin, had to light a lamp.  It was probably night time.  She cannot wait until the break of dawn, until it’s daytime to look for her missing coin.  In the same way the shepherd in verse 4 cannot wait to bring his flock to a safe place, or have them taken-cared of by another trusted shepherd but instead he left them in the open country to look for the missing one.

What does this tell you? 

There is urgency in seeking the lost, we should not waste time and we must share the Gospel with them.

I read from somebody... seeking the lost is like responding to an emergency, on a beach... somebody is drowning and shouting for help.  You happen to know how to swim and you have knowledge and skills on how to save a drowning person.  The natural reaction is for you to RUSH towards the sea and to swim towards that person and save him from getting drowned, right?

If you see a drowning person, and you have the proper training and skills, assuming you are drinking coffee... you will not tell the drowning person “ah, please wait, I need to finish my coffee... you know this is a nice coffee... this is from Organo Gold.”  You will not say that right?  Or if you are running towards the drowning person, you will not stop, assuming you saw a beautiful lady in her bathing suit and you just stop and chat with her... no, you won’t do that.  You probably won’t call the lifeguard, you will save him yourself.  If you know a person who needs salvation, you don’t need to call your pastor or wait for his availability before sharing Jesus with that person.  The natural tendency is to run towards that drowning person before it’s too late.  Church, a person who is lost is worst that a drowning person.  So there is an element of urgency.  We are talking about his eternal destiny.... where would he spend eternity?   

In verse 5, it tells us “And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders  and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’   

As far as the woman is concerned, in verse 9 it tells us “And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’  She threw a party... she might ended up spending more than the value of the coin. 

Same thing with the Father when his son returned, he threw a grand party, to the dismay of his envious older son.

We should rejoice when the lost is found or when somebody receives Christ in his/her life (v9)

Are you glad when somebody receives Jesus?  Are you happy when somebody realizes that he was lost and then was found?  One of the issues Jesus had with the Pharisees and teaches during His time was their “holier than thou” attitude.  They think and act as if they are morally superior to others.  In fact, most of them, they look down on others who don’t share the same faith with them.  We must be careful with the same attitude.  It’s called PRIDE.  Some Christians become too proud of being a Christian that they don’t even want others to become one. We should rejoice when others found Christ.  The Bible says “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.”  The right context of the 99 sheep actually was that they represent those who are these self-righteous people who thought they are good enough for God and that they don’t need any grace at all.

Despite the challenges and the certainty of facing persecutions,

Will you go out and seek the “lost?”

Will you celebrate when they are “found?”

Prayer

Wherever you are, whatever you situation you may be -- you need the love of Jesus in your life.
Please say this prayer sincerely from your heart:  

Father God, I confess all my sins to you today.  Please forgive me.  Today, I open my heart to your Son Jesus Christ.  I accept Him in my life as my Savior and as my Lord.  May the Holy Spirit come to my life and make me the kind of person you want me to be.  In Jesus Name, I pray.  Amen.

The above article is an excerpt from a sermon delivered at WCF Richmond during its service on  Sunday, May 24, 2015.

I apologize if there are grammatical and spelling errors.

I also apologize if I have missed acknowledging or making proper references to my sources, if any.  as it is purely unintentional.

If you are looking for a church in British Columbia, Canada please visit our website at:

 www.wordchristianfellowship.com