He says that those who hold this view need to go up to heaven and set the angels straight on this matter. Let me emphasize two aspects of this story which relate to the younger brother. They have given us a new set of rules for figuring our income taxes. Whether the person knows it or not, the Bible describes every person who does not know Jesus Christ as being lost. I will also forewarn you that I will not be as sentimental in my interpretation of this parable as some have tended (wrongly, in my opinion) to be. A primary particle of conditionality; if, whether, that, etc. The celebration will undoubtedly be a banquet feast, with lots of meat served. 1. It is unqualified. He calls them individually to come to Himself. GNV For this my son was dead, and is alive again: and he was lost, but he is WebLuke 15:1-32 ESV / 15 helpful votesHelpfulNot Helpful. He rescued (saved) me from the destruction of my lostness. Sinners to the Pharisees were more a social category than they were anything else. WebThis is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. The father, on the other hand, is apparently waiting and watching for the younger sons return. 9. Joy was the only proper reaction in such a situation. The young man realized his folly and he returned to face his father. to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. Eternal Insecurity Once I Was Saved, But Now Am Lost? From eu and phren; to put in a good frame of mind, i.e. It has been said that in the Old Testament we see sheep dying on the altar for the shepherd, but in the New Testament, we find the shepherd dying for the sheep at Calvary. office@mymarshill.org In this chapter, Jesus stripped away all of the facade of self-righteousness and spirituality which surrounded the Pharisees. I cant do other things when something is lost! And he was lost, but he is found! And they began to be merry. This son of mine was dead, and is alive again! Lets have a feast and celebrate. WebWhen a sheep becomes lost, it stays lost. The three parables which He spoke in response, were directed toward the Pharisees and scribes (cf. John Newton Their kids were honor students. From ekei; that one (neuter) thing); often intensified by the article prefixed. Bible But this final parable proves this assumption to be entirely false. In either case, you are worthy only of Gods condemnation. Explain what it means to be saved (rescued) by the Shepherd (Jesus Christ). Adverb from a derivative of airo through the idea of suspension; just now. The third parable, the parable of the prodigal son, reveals the attitudes of the Pharisees which caused them to resent the salvation of sinners, rather than to rejoice in it. KJ21. Give attention to those things which this son mentioned to his father, which are the basis of his actions, his anger, and his protest: (1) I have worked hard, but you gave me no banquet. for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found. And they began to celebrate. You cannot have one without the other. Our concept of separation is the very thing that hinders us from evangelizing the lost, and it is one of the things which causes sinners to shun us, even as we do them. In Luke 15, this parable serves as the Lords final, forceful response to the grumbling of the Pharisees at His response to sinners. Thus Jesus was using irony to show them their self-righteous pride, especially in the case of the older brother who could not bring himself to rejoice at his brothers repentance. If He so seeks lost sinners, should not we? Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! Let that be a lesson to you, in case you ever get the notion you dont want to go to church! I fear that our failure to reach such pagan unbelievers with the gospel and then to integrate them into our churches is due to our twisted concept of spirituality. We've no less days to sing God's praise. Suppose that someone were to come along with a one-paragraph explanation of all the rules (impossible as it seems), easily understood and applied by the masses. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. To a great degree, our understanding of this text is filtered through our own experience. The were hard at work with respect to keeping the law, as they interpreted it, supposing that this was what would win Gods approval and blessing. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. 15:33) and spending time with sinners? One proof text people cite is where the Author of Hebrews writes, For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore (Heb 6:4-6). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus emphasized the internal aspects of sin (cf. 6:15 pm. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. He knew that this would necessitate facing his father, and so he rehearsed his repentance speech, one that he was never allowed to finish. Let us seek the illumination of Gods Spirit as we approach this very important passage of Gods Word, so that we may learn what our Lord wanted His audience to understand. A lost sheep in the Judean wilderness was doomed. Heavens joy at the salvation is surely appropriate, and, in one sense, it is like the joy of the woman who found her one lost coin. Luke 14 ends with Jesus saying, He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Luke 15 begins with the notice that all the tax-gatherers and sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. I hope to share this in a moment, along with its implications. God loves each of us as if there were only one of us"- Augustine. The pig was unclean (Lv. Not one whom the Father has chosen and given to the Son will be lost, or else Satan and his evil forces would rejoice and the angels in heaven would mourn. He willingly endured the abuse of arrogant men whom He could have zapped off the face of the earth in order to secure the salvation of His sheep. Would it be wise, even profitable, for a man to put 99 sheep at risk, leaving them unprotected in an open field, to search for one lost lamb? When a sinner turns from his sins to God, all heaven rejoices because God gets the glory. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep. 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 15:32 But it was fitting to celebrate and be glad 1:12). A primary verb; to look at. But when we hear of a sinner getting saved, we say, Thats nice. God greatly rejoices when a sinner repents; so should we. This is because, at the moment, it is the return and reception of the lost which is at issue, not the righteousness of the righteous. When I walked my son across the street in his youth, I didnt tell him, Okay, hold on as tight as you canits up to you to hold on tight! No, I said, Ive got your hand, and Im not letting go. God is the One Who preserves us and keeps us in His name. He does not speak of or claim any rights. This is why I plead with you today to repent and put your trust in Christ. Should she be so happy at finding this coin? So many people think they can lose their salvation, but what does the Bible say about eternal security? because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found. Then the celebration began. He was dead and now he is alive again. If we understand the grace of God, we will welcome sinners as those, like us, who are unworthy of Gods favor, and rejoice when they experience grace as we have. John 4:23. Let me illustrate this, to be sure that my understanding of this issue is clear. 46-47.). They need to tell them not to rejoice until the sinner dies and goes to heaven, because they may be rejoicing too soon. Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Plural. Still others berate us for teaching the security of the saints, despite what the Bible teaches (Rom 8:35-39; John 6:37-39, 10:28-29). In the three parables, the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son all represent the lost tax gatherers and sinners who were coming to hear Jesus and getting saved. Eternal Insecurity Once I Was Saved, But Now Am Lost? He returned to his father, hoping only to be received as a slave, but not dreaming that he could be a son again. Its not like the old hymn with a new twist where it says, I was once lost, but now am foundbut then I was lost again. What a way to live. Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 5:8). The process of repentance began, I believe, when the younger brother began to suffer the painful consequences of his sin. Verse Concepts. Wiersbe expounds: Every lost sinner is like a sheep gone astray; ignorant, lost, wandering, in danger away from the place of safety, and unable to help himself. Because this brother thought he had to work for his fathers approval and blessings, he was no less a slave than his younger brother. Office Hours: 8am-4pm M-F, Sunday John says that they went out from us because they werent really of us in the first place (1 John 2:19). He had to expose himself to the dangers of the wilderness and the weather. Thus they are not at present in need of repentance. The parable of the prodigal and his proud brother serve to instruct us in the area of worship. But it does mean that many actions which appear righteous and spiritualprayer, for examplemay be evil, if the attitude behind the action is evil. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. I am, exist. TESTIMONY: I ONCE WAS LOST BUT NOW I'M FOUND! We can rejoice in our own salvation, and thus we can also share in the joy of others who come to repentance as well. Peter was not a shepherd by trade; he was a fisherman. In a similar way, Jesus added, all of heaven rejoices over the repentance of one lost sinner. Should all Christians be seeking to spend time with the lost, or just those with the gift of evangelism? And who is adequate for these things? Is salvation by grace plus works a false gospel? - He therefore answered (and said), Whether he be a sinner - using the words of "the Jews" ironically - I know not.You assert it, but the facts of my experience are Second, let us look at the characteristics of the younger brothers repentance. That time, I felt that I am The Apostle Paul could confidently say, I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me (1 Tim 1:12). It isnt that the Pharisees and scribes found it impossible to rejoice; they actively resistedthey grumbled. If, in the gospels we find Christ closely associating with sinners, then we can both have union with Christ and intimate association with sinners at the same time. If the first two parables reveal to us that the Pharisees did care (too) much about lost possessions, this parable exposes why they are not concerned about lost people. The Cross And Christs Suffering For Sins (1 Peter 3:18-22), 6. Scripture is clear that if we are saved, it is because the Lord took the initiative; we did not. Next week we will study the parable of the lost (or prodigal) son. Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me;My heart is appalled within me. Even if he becomes aware of his condition, there is nothing he can do about it. Previous post: What it Means to Become a New Creation in Christ. The kids were always getting in trouble with the law. Many hear the Word of God and have tasted Gods goodness (Heb 6:4-6), but they just keep on sinning, showing they are not Gods children anyway (1 John 1). It had no protection and it would be only a short time before the coyotes or other predators would attack and kill it. Sinning, sinful, depraved, detestable. The lost sheep and the lost coin were passive in the process. They would search for the lost coin, just as they would rejoice in finding it. We quickly grant that stealing, murder, rape, and violence are wrong, especially when they are perpetrated on us. But, thank God, He has intervened! Lost and Found (Luke 15:1-32) Introduction I have always had a special joy in finding lost things. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Few of us will choose to identify with the older brother, and yet, in the context of chapter 15, he is the central figure, his sin is most in view, and his reaction to his brothers repentance and return is our Lords explanation for the grumbling of the Pharisees and scribes. They were grumbling. Note verse 5, rejoicing; verse 6, rejoice; verse 7, joy; verse 9, rejoice; verse 10, joy. Heaven is already filled with joy, but when a sinner gets saved, they throw a party, just as the father of the prodigal son did! In the case of the woman and her coin, everything was set aside until she found that coin. Jesus did not selfishly cling to the glory and beauty and comfort of heaven, but He laid aside His rights and came to this earth, not as the mighty King to judge sinners, but as the lowly servant to give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). They never went to church. But Jesus socialized with lost sinners and rejoiced when they came to repentance. The older brother did not leave him, but did not enjoy him either. The Cross And Unjust Suffering (1 Peter 2:19-25). We once lost Christa at Disneyland when she was about seven years old. Jesus maintained His holiness and yet sinners seemed comfortable in His presence. God is coming to your rescue My people have become lost sheep;Their shepherds have led them astray.They have made them turn aside on the mountains;They have gone along from mountain to hillAnd have forgotten their resting place. (Verse 25) Peter reminds his readers of what they were before Jesus Christ became their Savior and Lord: For you were like sheep going astray., Wiersbe expounds: Every lost sinner is like a sheep gone astray; ignorant, lost, wandering, in danger away from the place of safety, and unable to help himself., Barclay writes: Men are all prone to wander and go astray, like silly sheep, which describes the condition of Peters readers before their conversion [repentance and trust in Jesus Christ which leads to their following Jesus].. They found banquets to be occasions where they could attract attention to themselves, where they could be in the limelight. His books are include: Teaching Children The Gospel/How to Raise Godly Children, Do Babies Go To Heaven?/Why Does God Allow Suffering?, "The Great Omission; Reaching the Lost for Christ," and Blind Chance or Intelligent Design?, Empirical Methodologies & the Bible.".