LOOKING INTO THE HEART OF GOD
LUKE 15
S-1720
A small boy was writing a letter to God about the Christmas presents he badly wanted. “I’ve been good for six months now,” he wrote.
But after a moment’s reflection he crossed out “six months” and wrote “three.” After a pause, he crossed that out and put “two weeks.” There was another pause, and that was crossed out too.
He got up from the table and went over to the little nativity scene that had the figures of Mary and Joseph. He picked up the figure of Mary and went back to his writing and started again: “Dear God, if ever you want to see your mother again…”
Bronwyn Lea, our youngest daughter, had one treasured possession in her young life—a bald Cabbage Patch doll named Otis Lee. Otis stole her heart.
Otis had a hard life. First of all, he had the smelly task of living under Bronwyn’s armpit day and night.
Once Becky, our Border Collie, fancied Otis as a chew-toy. Besides dragging the plastic heartthrob through dog-poop, several teeth-marks had penetrated Otis’ skull. After major surgery and some duct tape, Otis survived. We’re not sure whether he had brain damage.
Then there was the time when older sister, Brianna Lynn had finally taken all the pestering she could stand from her little sister. She watched the weather channel to find a rainy night in July. After dark, Brie slipped Otis under a very deeply planted rosebush and waited for the mud to bury Otis alive. Brie’s act was ruthless, pre-meditated dolly murder.
Of course, Bronwyn was inconsolable. The search for Otis Lea was organized. Finally, after several hours Otis was found. Bronwyn was in hysterics. In desperation, Julie threw Otis in the washer on perma-press. Although the rubber body parts were slightly deformed, Bronwyn didn’t mind. Otis slept in her bed for years.
As time went on her infatuation with Otis Lea faded. She began to focus on bigger fish.
That is when she found Richard—or perhaps Richard found Bronwyn.
We knew things were serious when Bronwyn went shopping for a wedding dress. She found just the perfect one and wanted to buy it.
“But, Bronwyn, he has not even proposed.”
“That’s OK. This dress is so good it will go with any guy.”
So, we bought it.
Today, Ricky has completely replaced Otis Lea. We are quite pleased that they found each other. Besides that, Richard is washable.
In many ways Christmas is all about God’s search to find those who are Lost and bring them safely into His fold.
Some of us today are lost. That is why God put on a body and came to earth: to seek and to save the lost.
Turn to Luke 15: This one of those special Bible passages that allow us to look right into his heart.
READ LUKE 15:3: Then Jesus told them this parable:
Jesus told three stories. All are about searching for the lost until he or she is found.
First, He told of a shepherd who had 100 sheep—and one sheep wandered away on its own and was lost.
Then, He told of a woman who had 10 coins—and she lost one. This coin was lost as a result of her carelessness.
Finally, He told of a father who had two sons—and in rebellion, his younger son was lost.
First, the shepherd had 100 sheep and one was lost.
READ LUKE 15:4-7.
Isaiah 53:6. “All we like sheep have gone astray.”
Sheep lost through aimless wandering.
Walked Philippino girl through the gospel in LA.
She was wandering aimlessly through making so many bad choices—and she was miserable.
Next, he told of a woman who had 10 coins and she lost one.
READ LUKE 15:8-10.
How was the piece of silver lost? It was not to blame for being lost. It was lost through the carelessness of others.
There are multitudes who are lost today because of someone else’s carelessness.
Perhaps someone else lost you.
What do you mean?
Story: Carol Painter’s testimony: lost in church; found Christ at Casas.
“I was raised in the home of devout, but not yet saved Catholic parents.
“God has always been the center of my life, and as a young girl, I fully intended to become a nun.
“Then at the age of 21, I experienced a spiritual betrayal by my church. I asked for a dispensation to one of the basic tenets of the church…and I got. A dispensation is a priestly approved exceptions to one of the principles of God’s Word.
“I got the answer that I thought I wanted, but I left that afternoon in a daze. All I could think was: The Bible is either true, or it’s not true. And if it’s God’s truth, no man can give a dispensation or make an exception. In that moment, I realized everything I had held nearest and dearest was a sham. I was following a work of man, not a work of God. And I was devastated.
“I was like the little girl who had sat all her life under a big, tall oak tree for shelter and protection. Then one day a mighty wind came and blew the oak tree down, and when the little girl looked inside, she saw that it was hollow. I went through a terrible time. At first it was shock, then the overwhelming sense of loss and pain, and then the anger. I left the church. Worse, I left God, too.
“Yet when I look back on that time, I see God’s hand of grace. I came to realize that the problem wasn’t God. The problem was man and what he does with the things of God.
“So I determined to start again, to begin my search anew. I knew He was there, and I was determined to find Him.
“My search was to last over 30 years. I spent the last 20 years of it in the New Age Movement. Of course, I was searching for Him in all the wrong places.
“Then on the Sunday before God would save me, I was talking after church with a friend. This was one of several who I later learned were praying me into God’s kingdom. I told my friend about my long held belief in reincarnation, explaining that reincarnation made perfect sense to me as a morally responsible philosophy. But recently I had the thought to ignore the philosophy and to focus only on a “last life.” When I did that, suddenly I had a serious question: How are we ever going to make the leap to God? No one will ever live a perfect life.
“The following Sunday, at Casas Adobes Baptist Church in Tucson, Arizona – Pastor Roger Barrier stepped to the front of the platform. With no opening statement of any kind, he quietly repeated my exact words from the previous week. He said, “No one will ever live a perfect life. It is our belief in His Son that makes us perfect in God’s eyes and allows us to be with Him through eternity.”
“And in that moment, God touched me and I was changed. I was different, and I knew it. I know the moment before, and I know the moment after. I know the exact moment in time when God saved me.
“I still had a lifetime of questions, but suddenly they didn’t matter. Somehow I knew it would all be sorted out. Because I also knew I now had the answer… I knew Who was the answer. The answer is Jesus Christ.
“As a little girl in the Catholic Church, I knew Jesus was the Son of God. And I knew Him as Savior. But in that moment, He became my Savior. Perhaps even more remarkable, I knew He had just become the Lord of my life.
“There’s nothing quite like 52 years of hunger and searching to recognize, to taste and see that the Lord is good. I had been feeding on cardboard all of my life and suddenly was set before me the Bread of Life. I was ravenous. I’m ravenous still. I picked up a Bible for the first time 7 years ago, and in essence, I’ve never put it down. I have devoured God’s Word, and His Word truly is life to all who find it.
“All I did to receive this incomprehensible gift from God was to say yes. Yes. I’ve been saying yes to Him ever since. By the power of His Holy Spirit, I intend to keep right on saying yes to Him, as a way to love Him back. As a way to thank Him for what He has done for me, to thank Him for the precious gift He has given to me.
“It’s been a long road home, but I am home indeed.”
Many lambs have been lost by churches over the years. I am sorry if you got lost at the hands of a church—or dropped and lost by anyone one else that you thought were spiritual—you thought were Christians.
Next, He told of a father who had two sons and he lost one.
Tell story of LUKE 15:11-24.
READ LUKE 15:20-24
This striking expression – “came to himself” – puts the state of rebellion against God as a kind of madness.
LA lawyer in rebellion—witnessed and he agonized over the decision.
Wept and wept and refused to give up his life to Christ.
This is not aimless wandering. This is not a losing through carelessness. This is deliberate, self-centered choice to turn away from the Father and the Father’s house.
NOW LET’S LOOK RIGHT INTO THE HEART OF GOD. WHAT DO WE SEE?
1. GOD SEES MANKIND AS LOST.
Jesus seldom called people sinners; He called them lost. Countless multitudes are lost in sin, but our God is the God of the lost, and longs for their return.
: 2. GOD’S HEART ACHES FOR THE LOST.
The shepherd is suffering because a lamb is lost.
The woman is suffering because her coin is lost.
The father who knows the depths of agony as he waits on the porch for his boy to come home.
: 3. GOD THROWS HIS WHOLE HEART INTO FINDING THE LOST.
Jesus came to die:
“I came to seek and to save the ones who are Lost.
“Greater love has no man than this—to lay down his life for his friends.”
: 4. GOD’S HEART FILLS WITH JOY EACH TIME A LOST SOUL US FOUND.
Angels rejoice when Shepherd finds a lost soul.
Woman called all her neighbors to come and rejoice with her when she found the lost coin.
Father throws a party of rejoicing when the lost Son comes home.
ONE NIGHT I REALIZED I WAS LOST. I CAME TO CHRIST from this passage.
was lost and then I was found.
LIGHT THE Christ CANDLE: Candle of light. Imagine Christ searching in the dark to find you.
How close are you personally to Christ?
: Spiritual growth graph: never heard gospel; hostile; almost there: like a marriage, say yes, you’re ready describe future growth.
Pray a prayer in just a moment so you can come to Christ.
Invite you wherever you are on the graph to move to 0 and +1. Begin the journey.
During the next song—It is time for you to give up your kingdom to enter into the kingdom of Christ.
Some of you are Lost Sheep—wandering aimlessly—like the Pilipino girl. Let’s say that she is a (-5): God was searching for her (she went from -5 to 0 in about twenty minutes.
Some of you have gone your own way. Not really thinking about Christ.
Your are sick of the failures in your life.
You have wandered aimlessly for far too long.
You don’t know what the right path looks like but you know you don’t have it.
Trying so hard to get your life together and it is just not working.
Failed marriage; failed job; great job and you are absolutely miserable—because you have ignored the people you loved best—and they have walked out the door.
You need to come to Christ.
Maybe you are a (-8) like the LA lawyer: agonized, wept and wept knew the stakes and said no and refused to give up his life to Christ.
Relatively far from God and in fact somewhat antagonistic to the things of Christ.
Maybe some ways you felt that God let you down? Time to get a new perspective.
Been hurt by the way Christian hypocrites act.
Maybe cheated by a Christian repair man. Lost all respect for Christ because of the way some Christians behave—I am better than they are. I don’t need their Jesus.
I am sorry for the people who have let you down and disappointed you. It was not supposed to be that way.
The Father is waiting with outstretched arms for you.
In a minute I am going to invite you home.
: Maybe you are a minus (-1) or (-2). Someone else lost you. But you are searching and you are right near coming to Christ.
Carol Painter’s testimony: lost in church; found Christ at Casas.
Some of you are right there.
You were hurt by some church or someone in the church and you left hurt and disillusioned.
You would love to believe that you could be found by the real God.
You have been afraid you might somehow be rejected again by your last church—or by some who claimed to be Christians and they rejected you.
You are thinking right now about surrendering you life to Christ. You are longing to invite Christ into your life. Why don’t you do so today.
Wherever you are on the scale, you can go from a -8 to a 0 in an instant.
imagine Jesus searching in the dark to find you.
EXPLAIN HOW TO RECEIVE CHRIST.
☻SLIDE #24: READ John 1:12:
Bow your head for a moment WHILE I INVITE YOU TO MEDITATE DURING THE UPCOMING SONG.
CUE: Please bow your heads (Praise team into place–(Roger talks while heads are bowed.)
If you are not yet a Christ follower—still on the negative side of the scale, would you consider inviting Christ into your life today?
Lost and aimless sheep—God is searching for you
Hurt and wounded sheep—God is searching for you
Rebellious sheep—God is searching for you
In a moment I will invite you to pray this prayer with me inviting Christ into your life.
But, lets read it first so you can meditate on it when Brittany sings in just a moment.
: Dear Jesus,
I am one of those lost sheep you talked about. I am tired of being lost. I am ready to be found.
Living life on my own is so exhausting. I am so tired of trying.
I have broken my conscience. I am sorry for my sins, for the things I have done wrong, that hurt You and the people around me.”
Please forgive me. I am ready for a new start—forgiven—a new life lived in partnership with You—the one designed for me to live before I was even born.
I don’t want to live by my plan anymore. I want your peace? I want you kingdom? I want your forgiveness. I want your life.
I now invite you into my life to be my Lord and my Savior. Thank you. Amen.
Listen to song and after song I am going to ask you to invite Christ into your life.
If Believer: Pray for those who still struggle with their unbelief.
SONG: Hungry by Brittney Gelatt
MANY OF YOU ARE LONGING TO RECEIVE Christ.
MAY i Invite you to pray a prayer with me.
Dear Jesus,
I am one of those lost sheep you talked about. I am tired of being lost. I am ready to be found.
Living life on my own is so exhausting. I am so tired of trying.
I have broken my conscience. I am sorry for my sins, for the things I have done wrong, that hurt You and the people around me.”
Please forgive me. I am ready for a new start—forgiven—a new life lived in partnership with You—the one designed for me to live before I was even born.
I don’t want to live by my plan anymore. I want your peace? I want you kingdom? I want your forgiveness. I want your life.
I now invite you into my life to be my Lord and my Savior. Thank you. Amen.
Who prayed that prayer? Raise hands.
: All stand.
If you prayed that prayer I want to ASK YOU TO COME FORWARD: Big step. Walk down aisle and meet me in these next moments.
If alone or scared, tap someone on the shoulder and ask them to walk down with you.
You have tried for so long to keep your life all together, there is life—the life of Jesus Christ and you can enter in today.
If you prayed that prayer, come.
Counselors and pastors here to explain and pray with you; Bible for you as you begin your new spiritual journey.
Ask a friend to come with you—or the person next to you.
Many raised hands who didn’t come. “I can make it on my own.” No, need others.
Why do that. Come to Christ in the context of others. Help you get way down the road.
RESPONSE SONG of worship: Sing while you come forward.
EVERYONE SINGING: HUNGRY
AFFIRM THOSE WHO HAVE COME (applause)
Congratulations to those who have come. Clap.
MOVE TO BACKSTAGE:
If you didn’t come, come on back.
worship leader close service.