September 10, 2016

"So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." Luke 15:20

The other day I got a new insight on what it means to be lost. Being lost means being unable to receive God's love.

God's love is a constant. God can't love you more than He already loves you. He cannot do anything more than He has already done to show His love. But love is a gift and as a gift must be received.

God IS love. In order to receive His love we must receive Him. You can't have love and not have God. But you can't have God when you are living sinfully. And when you can't have God - you are lost.

That is all the more reason why those who do know the love of God, should feel compelled to help their friends find the love of God, too. How can you know the love of God and not want people you love to also come to know His love?

In Luke 15, there are at least three examples of people who are lost because they weren't able to receive the love of God.

The religious leaders were unable to receive the love of God. They had trapped themselves in a joyless routine of religious rules and rituals. Somehow they had managed to create a religious system where love wasn't even required. They were lost in their own self-righteousness.

How were they lost? They were lost in the pride trap. As long as they kept their rules and maintained their rituals and lived by their laws, what's love got to do with it?

Love is hard and demanding. I have to love back. That's risky!

Pride is easy and rules are predictable. Plus, we make the rules! So, if they get too hard to keep we can just change them! And, if I honor all the laws and commands and do all the rituals God will have to love me!

Pride trumps love every time - and is proud of it!

God couldn't reach them with His love. Jesus couldn't put a dent in them.

Are there still lost people like that today? Uh, uh.

Where do I find someone like that?

Maybe in the mirror? 

Are there any hints of self-righteousness? 

Any private sin you are harboring? 

Any questionable behavior you're excusing? 

Any impure thinking that you are allowing? 

Any unhealthy attitude you are tolerating?

Take a hard look.

September 9, 2016

"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!" Luke 15:17

Parables are very effective in giving the big picture concepts but can break down a bit in the details. These three stories do a great job of illustrating God's heart for lost people, but one important truth that is lost in the details is this - we don't GET lost, we are BORN lost. By lost, I mean we are sinful, separated from God, morally bankrupt, corrupt in our thinking and deceived in out mind.

That self-righteousness that caused the religious leaders to be lost in their faith? That is a manifestation of their spiritual lostness. It didn't get them lost but it caused them to remain in their lostness and prevented them from reaching other lost people.

The self-indulgence that led the sheep away from the flock and away from the shepherd. That was the evidence of his selfish nature, his sinful heart that motivated him to be more interested in his appetite than his safety. It cut him off from fellowship and put him at serious risk.

Her loss of focus due to self-satisfaction, that is what caused the carelessness that led to a lost coin. Again, that is a result of a fatal self-absorption that IS our sin nature. The lost coin happened because she was lost! She lost her focus on the coin because she was so focused on her own comfort and well being. It is how sin is oriented.

And the self-interest that prompted the son to dishonor his father, shame his family and put Himself into bondage. That is because of the sin nature he was born with - we are born with. He got lost because he was lost.

So, the big truth in these three riveting stories is that we get more lost because we are lost. We remain lost until we are found. BUT - JESUS CAME TO "SEEK and SAVE THAT WHICH IS LOST".

The only thing that prevents us from being found is understanding and admitting that we are lost. Only as we get honest about our lostness can we develop a desire to be found. That is what happened to the lost son! That was his turning point. "He came to his senses". There always comes a point where your sin does you in. Ultimately pain pushes the change button in your mind. Every sinful play day brings a painful payday. The price of your sin will always exceed the pleasure. That is where this son was. He was confronted with the ugly truth about who he was and what he had done. He had dishonored his father. He had shamed his family and wasted their wealth. He had sold himself into bondage.

Thankfully, because God wants us to be found, He wired us with a conscience - a spiritual GPS to direct us back to Him. It is always operational. When programmed by the Spirit of God, it keeps us locked into to path of holiness pursuing God. But when it is ignored or programmed by the sinful nature, it leads to the path of destruction.

Jesus points to that crucial moment that everyone of needs to have in order to get from "lostness" to "foundness". We must "come to our senses" and listen to the voice of truth. We must honestly admit we are lost and confess a desire to be found. That was the turning point for the lost son. It was for me and it will be for you.

By this one act of humbly acknowledging the truth and heading home to the father, was the beginning of an amazing transformation. He went from starvation to celebration! He went from the pigpen to the palace! He went from loneliness and lostness to lavish love!

The bottom-line - sin is senseless! Come to your senses and live in celebration, plenty, and lavish love! Have you "come to your senses"? Are you ready for a change? Will you let today be your turning point?

September 8, 2016

"Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming to hear him. But the Pharisees and the experts in the law were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:1-2

Do you find it intriguing that irreligious people (AKA - tax collectors and sinners) were running away from the "Pharisees and experts in the law" and running to hear Jesus?

They ("Pharisees and experts in the law") seemed to be clueless about it was happening but it sure bothered them.

I would love FredWes to be a place where irreligious people feel drawn to come investigate faith! That would be a dream come true!

So, what's the key?

The answer is found in each of the parables Jesus told as recorded in Luke 15. Each of these parables place a high value on relationships.

The shepherd had a relationship with the owner of his sheep and didn't want to lose one. The woman had a marriage relationship she wanted to honor so she couldn't lose the coin. And the father had a beloved son he didn't want to lose.

Let me ask you a question, "When you go to church are you going there to get religious or are you going to enjoy relationships?"

I think you get my point.

Jesus came to introduce people into a relationship with God not to promote or preserve a religion. He was relational in His teaching style and in His ministry among the people. He would later pay the ultimate price to make that relationship possible and these religious leaders would do their part to help it happen.

The Pharisees and religious leaders call people to a system of rules (632 of them) and rituals and regulations. Their approach to religion was designed to make themselves feel justified and self-righteous and everyone else feel unworthy and unwanted.

Mission accomplished!

People fled from that approach to God by the scores. It was like a frenzied stampede away from what they were offering.

On the contrary, Jesus offered relationship with Himself and with God! He moved among the people healing some, counseling some and helping others with overwhelming needs they had.

His only rule was "Love God with all your heart and love others as yourself!" When your relationship with Jesus is right good things happen!

It was that love which drew people to Jesus and it is that love of Jesus that will draw lost people to FredWes. Loving Jesus will also send us searching for those lost people He loves.

Relationship is the key and the key relationship is your relationship with Jesus!

Reach Lost People

"Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming to hear him. But the Pharisees and the experts in the law were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:1-2

Jesus is telling a story or a "parable" as He often did. The word "parable" derives from the Greek word "parabole"  and means "to put beside for comparison".

So, a parable was a story with a moral. A parable set a spiritual truth alongside a commonly understood situation. Parables didn't focus on details but broad principles. The parables Jesus told were designed with an emotional tug that would move the listener and stick in his mind.

You must be careful about straining parables out too far in terms of the setting of the story while also being careful not to miss the big truth.

The point of these parables is to communicate to His disciples and the religious leaders how God feels toward sinners who are lost. So he puts this truth alongside three common situations they were very familiar with and emotionally connected to.

Everyone hearing this parable immediately related to the image of a shepherd tending his sheep and then realizing one is missing. They understood the sense of panic that would bring a shepherd. It was clear to them that in such a situation the shepherd would immediately secure the ninety-nine sheep in the fold and urgently search for the lost sheep hoping to find him before a wolf did.

The hearers understood that most shepherds didn't own the sheep they tended. Anyone wealthy enough to own 100 sheep would be wealthy enough to hire someone to watch them. So, the shepherd had the responsibility of caring for the sheep of his employer. To lose a sheep would result in losing his job. So, while his concern was truly for the sheep it was also for his job.

In addition to the responsibility of being a shepherd the was the matter of his reputation. If he lost his job because he lost a sheep how would he ever be trusted to care for sheep again?

Also, don't rule out the factor of relationship. You can imagine if you spent hour upon hour and day after day caring for that flock you would get attached to the sheep. You would know their names and their unique personalities since they were lambs. So, when one went missing it was personal.

No wonder there was rejoicing when the lost sheep was finally found unharmed! Everyone hearing this story would understand the joy and relief and the celebration.

That's why He took advantage of the moment and made the point that the angels in heaven rejoice in the same way over every lost sinner who repents!

Does reaching lost people mean that much to you?

How do you calculate the value of a soul?

The lost coin is powerful because it wasn't like losing a penny or a dime or a nickel or even a quarter. This coin she lost was one of ten coins on her wedding necklace presented to her when she was married to her husband. This would be similar to losing your wedding ring or maybe the setting off of your ring. If you lost the diamond setting from your wedding ring I have a feeling you would become anxious over that! Right?

So, Jesus said, "Heaven rejoiced over repentant sinners in the same way you would rejoice if you found your lost wedding ring setting!"

Does reaching lost people mean that much to you?

How do you calculate the value of a soul?

Thank God it meant that much to Pastor Gerald and Brenda when they came to Fredericksburg 22 years ago to start FredWes for the purpose of reaching lost people.

When they were in the hotel for several weeks they reached lost people. When they moved to the Regal Theaters they reached lost people. Later, when they moved to the Jazzercize building on Lafayette Boulevard they reached lost people. When they bought the current building on Mosby Street they reached lost people.

A little over eight years ago, God called us here to continue the mission of reaching lost people and loving them to life. To make room so we can keep reaching people we went to two services several years ago. That worked well enough we are now faced with adjusting service times again so we can have space to continue reaching people. 

How do you calculate the value of a soul?

If there is even one more lost person that we can by adjusting our schedule, shouldn't we adjust it?

September 6, 2016

Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them. "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.'" Luke 15:10-24

We have been taking a look at lostness. There are four types of lostness revealed in this portion of Scripture. None of them are good.

There were the Pharisees and teachers of the law who were lost within their faith due to their self-righteousness.

There is the lost sheep who became lost from the flock when he nibbled himself away from the shepherd through self-indulgence.

There is the woman whose lost focus resulted in a lost coin because of her self-satisfaction.

The third parable deals with a father and his two sons which shows that lostness can happen within the family because of self-interest.

Jesus saved the best story for last.

It is not unusual for a man to have two sons and it is not unusual for that man to be quite wealthy. That was the scenario that Jesus sets for this parable.

It is not unheard of for a father to choose to distribute his fortune to his sons while he is still alive, that was often how they handled their retirement. What is very unusual was a youngest son coming to his father and demanding that the father release his portion of the family fortune. That shows gross disrespect, almost contempt, for the father.

Amazingly, the father capitulates to the request and gives it to the son!

The same foolish, immature, self-interest that drove the son to demand his fortune was not a formula for success. Predictably, armed with the means to do so, he rushed foolishly into self-destruction wasting money on wine, women, and wantonness.

My mother has a lot of wisdom. She always says, "A person wrapped up in himself makes a pretty small package." This youngest son proved that point. What his father had accumulated over a lifetime, he squandered in weeks.

This is one of the most powerful pictures of what it means to be lost. He was separated from his father, feeling foolish and flat broke. I was there once. So were you. It is the human condition. It is how sin plays out in your life. Lostness is caused by spiritual separation from your Heavenly Father. He is holy and you are sinful. Because He is the source of life and love, the fact you are separated from Him means that you are cut off from the source of spiritual life. God is also the source of wisdom. Because we are cut off from that source of wisdom we do foolish things. The result of those two factors is that we end up spiritually broke. Bankrupt, actually.

Self-interest is the root of sin. Sin deceives us into believing that we can be in control of our lives and sin without consequences. That never has a happy ending. It didn't end well for the younger son and it won't for you. You may be familiar with the pain that self-interest can inflict on relationships. It can cripple a marriage. It can alienate children from parent and parent from children. Some of you are all too familiar with the pain and loneliness caused by people living under the same roof but pursuing selfish interests. There is nothing lonelier than being lonely within marriage and family relationships.

If you are familiar with that pain, you understand lostness. If you have experienced that pain you can relate to how God feels toward His many lost sons and daughters.

This story has a happy ending. 

But first, you need to realize that when you look at the younger son you are looking at your own selfish nature. When you look at the younger son's plight, you are looking at your future. Just as his selfishness did him in, so will yours. It will drive you to flee from the Father and from the freedom of the mansion to the filth of the pigpen.

If you REALLY have self-interest, flee TO the Father. You don't have to stay in the sty. There is a way back home.

September 5, 2016

"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Luke 15:8-10

Several times I have dropped change as I paid the person in the drive-thru window. When I drop a penny, I let it go. When I drop a nickel, I let it go. When I drop a dime, I let it go. If I drop a quarter, I put the car in neutral, open the door and try to find the fallen quarter.

Ever done that?

If you have done that you know what you find when you go down their - lots of pennies, nickels and dimes.

Why is that that? There seems to be sort of inherent value system coded into our psyche that determines whether the reward gained is worth the effort expended. Simply stated, I am only going to do something if I think it is worth the effort. You, too.

That is the 800 pound gorilla in these three parables. We decide what we will do or don't do based on how much we value something or someone.

The shepherd ventures out into the wilderness because he values the lost sheep more than he values his own comfort.

A woman grabs and flashlight and a broom and searches day and night until she finds the coin that was lost. Why does she do that? Only because of the high value she places on that coin. That coin means more to her than the time and effort expended to find it.

When a son goes lost his father makes time everyday walking down the road to the top of the rise to search the horizon for that missing boy. Why would he do that? Because that son is more valuable to him than anything else he could do during that time.

So, Jesus is making an important statement about God's value system and ours. He is clearly stating that God values lost people more than just about anything else. In fact, God values lost people more than He valued His own Son. How do I know that? Because God gave His Son to atone for the sins of lost people.

Words are important. Words have meaning. But, actions speak louder than words. God expressed His love through the writings of the Torah and especially through the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. But that wasn't sufficient. He wanted to show His love and prove it by his actions.

So, what we do ultimately determines what we value, and vice versa. Conversely, we get insight into what we don't value by virtue of what we fail to do.

Jesus told three stories to make it clear that God values lost people. He expects us to value lost people as well. And He expects us to prove our love for lost people by seeking them, searching for them until they are found and brought to the Father.

Heaven values lost people because God values lost people. Heaven proves its love for lost people by celebrating whenever one is found.

Do you share God's value system? Don't tell Him. Show Him. Your action will speak more than your words. So will your inaction.

September 4, 2016

"Then Jesus told them this parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?" Luke 15:3-4

I believe that Jesus believes that we don't have enough concern for lost people. He challenges us in that area.

I can't only speak for myself and I must confess that I often lapse into a casual attitude toward lost people. I am found, my life is good, my future is secure, so my sense of urgency wanes. In fact, it should be just the opposite.

If you have ever been like me. If you have ever lost your urgency over the plight of people who are spiritually lost, Luke 15 is just what we need.

Jesus tells three stories that deal with the desperation of lost people and their value to Him. The first deals with a lost sheep. Let's see what we can learn about lostness.

There are not many things sheep do well. The one thing they are most known for is – GETTING LOST.

Philip Keller was a sheep rancher. In his book, "A Shepherd Looks at the Twenty-third Psalm," he says that sheep they require more attention than any other livestock. They just can’t take care of themselves. Unless their shepherd makes them move on, sheep will actually ruin a pasture, eating every blade of grass, until finally a fertile pasture is nothing but barren soil. Sheep are near-sighted & very stubborn, but easily frightened. An entire flock can be stampeded by a jack rabbit. They have little means of defense. They’re timid, feeble creatures. Their only recourse is to run if no shepherd is there to protect them. Sheep have no homing instincts. A dog, horse, cat, or a bird can find its way home, but when a sheep gets lost, it’s a goner unless someone rescues it.

Being lost means being out of relationship.

Because of their propensity for getting lost, the two things that sheep need most are: A SHEPHERD and OTHER SHEEP. They will not survive long without those two important things.

That is what happened in Jesus’ story. This sheep got separated from the care of the shepherd and the security of the other sheep. He did not know where he was, where he needed to be or how to get there.

Sheep are not worth much and a single lost sheep is even less valuable. Apparently the other 99 sheep didn’t even notice he was missing. Only the shepherd noticed and only the shepherd cared.

Even though the sheep was out of relationship with the flock and with the shepherd, the shepherd did not stop caring about the lost sheep.

Why should we care about sheep let alone a single lost sheep?

Because this story is not about sheep - it is about us, you and me. We are created for relationship. God designed us to need Him and other people in order to be healthy and happy. And we especially need to be in relationship with God Who is our only hope for abundant life now and eternal life later. Anyone who is out of relationship with God is spiritually lost and dead.

Being lost means being in great risk.

A sheep has absolutely no means of defending itself. It cannot fight and it cannot run. Its only security is found in the flock with 99 other sheep and under the protection of the shepherd.

But this sheep had wandered away from those two sources of safety. To a lion or a wolf a lone sheep looks like lunch! This sheep had put himself at great risk.

Also, sheep have been known to graze themselves off a cliff and fall to their death. They are not very bright to begin with and even worse when they are preoccupied with grazing. It’s not a good picture. Sheep, lost out in the wild, are goners. They aren’t very bright. They have no natural defenses. They can’t even run real fast. On their own they don’t do well at finding adequate food and water. Every time the word lost is used to describe a sheep, it’s a word in the original that carries a powerful sense - in fact it’s a word for absolute destruction, death, ruin. That’s what it means to be lost. By becoming lost, this sheep had put his life at risk.

So, why does this matter to us?

Because Jesus is not really talking about sheep, He is talking about us. He is warning of the great risk faced by those who are out relationship with God and the church. A lost person remains lost until he is found. If he never gets found he will slip into eternal lostness. That is unacceptable to God and should be unacceptable to us!

Why isn't it? 

Why do we not feel a sense of urgency? 

How can we be casual when people are out of relationship and at eternal risk?