The Parable Of The Lost Sheep

Transcript

The Parable Of The Lost Sheep

Welcome to World Events and the Bible. I’m Brandon T. Ward. The Lost Sheep. It’s a great parable of Jesus, that just shows how much our Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us. How much he really cares about us. All right.

I’m going to share that with you, but before we do. Let’s just say a quick prayer.

Heavenly Father, we ask you for wisdom and understanding of your Word in Jesus name, amen. All right.

Jesus Eats With Sinners

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So let’s go turn to Luke chapter 15, verse one, Luke chapter 15, verse one. And it says, then drew near, unto Him and drew near to Jesus, all the publicans, that’s tax collectors and sinners for to hear Him.

So it wasn’t just the people that were waiting on the Messiah. They believed in God that wanted to hear what Jesus had to say. It was other people as well.

Why?

Because he has wisdom, and they heard about the miracles he was performing and everything. They want a piece of that action. You know, they want to see what, what he’s all about. So let’s see what verse two says.

And the Pharisees and scribes. Pharisees, one of the biggest denominations at the time, right. They murmured. They murmured. They’re talking smack about Him now. Saying this man receiveth sinners and eateth with them.

So like it’s a big, bad thing that Jesus is over there eating with the sinners, you know?

In some circles, some Christian circles, unfortunately, it’s looked that way as well. But Hey, that’s what we’re supposed to do is help our fellow man. Especially, if we’ve been educated in the Word and we’ve been given those blessings. We want to share them with other people naturally. Right.

So that’s what Jesus is doing. That’s why he set the example for us. And before I read the parable, I just want to show you how scripture is so tied together. Because this parable is also, it’s tied in with this other one here in Luke chapter five, verse 31 is where I want to go.

I just want to bring some more of this together. As we’re covering this parable, show you how complete the Word is.

Jesus Came To Save The Spiritually Sick

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Luke chapter five, verse 31. And it’s basically the same conversation. Okay. Same conversation. And Jesus answering and said unto them the Pharisees and scribes. They that are whole need not the physician, but they that are sick.

So he’s saying, someone who’s already, that’s why I’m sitting down here and eating with these sinners. And these, publicans is because they’re spiritually sick. You know, they weren’t literally sick. He wouldn’t have been eating with them. Right. But they’re spiritually sick and they need help.

And listen to verse 32, I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Because the righteous they’re already doing right. They’re already in God’s house. It doesn’t mean they’re perfect. Christians make mistakes all the time, but the difference is, is we know better. And we repent, right.

Now the sinner, they’re sinning all the time. Maybe they don’t even think about God and they’re certainly not repenting for it. That’s why Jesus came.

So that’s what he’s telling them. Cause they’re all put off, that he’s eating dinner here with them. He is trying to have a conversation with them. And he explains why he’s doing that right there.

The Lost Sheep

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All right now with that, because it’s kind of all tied together. I want to read verse three back in Luke chapter 15, verse three.

It says, and He spake this parable unto them. Remember why Jesus spoke in parables. It’s not meant for everyone to understand, just the Disciples and Christians like you, right?

Verse four. What man of you having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, does not leave the 90 and nine in the wilderness and go after that, which is lost until he find it?

So He put it to them in something that they can understand. Say you are a rancher or something. You got a hundred cattle. In this case, a hundred sheep, and one goes astray. All right. So the symbology here is that this 99, these are the people that don’t need the physician. Right. It’s people like me and you, were pretty well rooted in the Bible, right.

Or we’re trying to be anyway. And we’re trying to do as best we can every day. So Jesus is saying, and he, and he is this the person that’s going to go tend to this other one that’s gone astray, right?

So these 99 they’re well taken care of. They can work with themselves and kind of iron out the details and, and be okay while the shepherd is gone.

But so, but so the person wants to go and find that lost sheep because they care so much about it. That lost sheep that wanders away is like the people who veer from God, or maybe even never knew Him. And they go out into the world, hear what the world has to say, and they go away from God. All right.

Verse five. And when he hath found it. When the shepherd found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. Rejoicing. So he’s putting this to them so they can understand it. You know, and Jesus is saying, these people that I am eating with, there the one.

There that one sheep that went away. And he’s trying to save them. He’s trying to help him out. It’s up to them though, but at least he’s putting the effort out there and he’s going to them, or they came to Him. But then once they came, He’s given them the time and trying to educate them. Right. And He rejoices.

Verse six. And when he cometh home, he calleth together His friends.

Heaven Rejoices Over One Saved Sinner

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He’s so excited about this one sheep, and his neighbors saying unto them, rejoice with me. For, I found my sheep, which was lost. He found it, which was lost. And listen to this next verse.

Verse seven, I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth more than over 90 and nine, just persons which need no repentance.

They don’t need the physician. The 99 don’t, right. They’re already with God. They’re already trying to do it His way. They didn’t veer away from the world, or I’m sorry, veer away from God and everything. Right. It’s only that one, and it just shows you how special, you know, salvation is. And this whole plan that God put out for us. That if we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, we can have everlasting life.

It’s just for that one person. He sent his only son into the world. If we could just have one more soul, cause He doesn’t want anybody to die. God does not want anybody to die. He doesn’t want anybody to perish. I want to bring in another verse here.

I want to turn over to Matthew chapter 18, verse 14. All right.

So let’s turn over there real quick. Matthew chapter 18, verse 14.

Now this would be also a parable of The Lost Sheep as well over here. We’re not going to cover all of it though.

All right. It says, and even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones perish. The same thing, same message. He doesn’t want anybody to perish and it, and if one is saved, there’s rejoicing in Heaven. The Father rejoices.

Be Humble As Children

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And I want to tie in these little children. So these little children, Jesus was talking about, read from the top of the chapter on your own. Okay. Top of chapter 18 of Matthew.

Little children. You think about them about three, four or five years old. They don’t care. They’re so humble. The Disciples had asked the question, who is the greatest in the kingdom of God?

That’s what we do as men, right?

Men and women, we’re always worried about who’s better than this one and all this kind of stuff.

And Jesus said, you have to be humble like these children. And so, what I’m saying is three to five years old, they don’t care what their friend looks like. If he has clean clothes on, dirty ones, they’re just happy they got a friend. They don’t care if his family has a lot of money or little money, they don’t care about those things. Right? Kids are humble.

It’s not until we start growing up into, as an adult and the world starts telling us what’s important. This, that, and another thing. That we kind of veer to the world, kind of like that one sheep will kind of start to veer away. The world will tell him what is important to him.

What should be important. When really all along, it’s the Word of God. You know, it’s the Word of God. That’s important.

So that’s what Jesus is saying, you got to be humble like that. And God doesn’t want any one to perish, because that little baby. That little child is going to grow up and be an adult like you and I, one day. That is why he doesn’t want us to perish. We’re all His children. All right. We’re all His children.

And I want to tie this to some other verses here. It’s a short parable, so I want to bring in some other Scriptures here. Show you how complete the Bible is. It’s all tied together.

God Has No Pleasure In The Death Of The Wicked

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This is Ezekiel chapter 33 verse 11, Ezekiel 33:11.

Say unto them as I live, sayeth the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live, turn, turn ye from your evil ways for why will you die? Oh, house of Israel.

Why do you want to die?

You can have everlasting life in God’s kingdom that lasts forever.

What do you want to die for?

You know, God doesn’t want that. He created everybody because He loves you. He wanted companionship. He wanted children and all this, and that’s why we’re here. And he wants to keep them all.

You know, and we’re here today to decide if we’re going to follow God or Satan. I mean, that’s, that’s why we’re here. And we’ve got free will to decide if we’re going to do that or not. I’m going to go to one more verse. You don’t have to turn your Bible there.

It’s second Peter chapter second, Peter chapter three verse nine.

Okay. I’m just going to read the last part.

The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. So over and over and over again. We have in the Old Testament, New Testament, different books in the New Testament, the same message. God doesn’t want anyone to perish. He doesn’t even want the wicked to perish.

He would much rather that they turn from their evil ways and come and accept Him. It’s the one sheep, the one sheep that got lost and He wants to find that sheep. And it’s our job as Christians to be like the junior shepherds. You know, Jesus is the Senior Shepherd, we are the junior shepherds. We are supposed to go out in the world and preach the Gospel to people, try to help them out.

We’re trying to help bring in that one, because it’s that important to God. That’s why He sent His Son into the world, so we could have everlasting life, if we so believe on Him.

That’ll do it for this parable.

Thank you so much for joining us.