September 13, 2009

"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 desparation 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?

September 12, 2009

" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' " Luke 15:31-32

What a sad ending to an otherwise great story.

When you say, "Psalm. People think 23rd Psalm."

When you say, "Parable. People think Prodigal Son."

It is one of the most popular, well-known and best loved parables that Jesus ever told. But it deserved a better ending. The finale should have been the party for the Prodigal, but instead, it focuses on the party pooper, a.k.a., the elder brother.

Why did it end that way? Why didn't this older son enjoy the party with his father and his brother? Everyone loves a party, don't they?

Well, let's review his complaints:

"You have never had even a small party for me and I have faithfully served you for all these years."

Am I sensing a little resentment here? Was it justified? Did he have a valid complaint?

Well, let's think about it. Should you expect a party for doing what you are supposed to do? Serving the father was his job. Do you get a party for doing your job? I don't think so. For doing your job you get to keep your job and you get to make a living. This son had a nice living. He had access to everything that his father possessed. He had a comfortable home, he had the love of a family, and he stood to inherit all that his father had.

Don't you think the father would have thrown a party for this son anytime the son would have asked? He never asked for a party.

If you ask me, I think this young man had an attitude problem.

"But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes come home, you kill the fatted calf for him."

Should the father not be excited about the return of his son? What was this older son thinking? Shouldn't he have been happy to see his brother return safely? Shouldn't he have at least acted happy out respect for his father?

When I look at this older brother I see some deadly attitudes that take the joy out of life.

There was an attitude of entitlement. "I have done these things so I deserve this thing." Apparently he wasn't serving the father because it was right, he was doing it for the reward.

There was an attitude of self-righteousness. "I am more deserving because I have done the right things." Sure, his actions were good but his attitudes were all wrong.

There was an attitude of envy. He thought he should have been getting the party instead of his brother. He saw himself as more deserving that his younger brother.

So, who lost out because of these bad attitudes? Not the younger brother, he got the party. Not the father, he went to the party, too. It was the older brother who missed out because of his lousy attitudes. He allowed his negative attitudes rob him of the joy of the celebration.

Bad attitudes usually lead to an unhappy ending. It is unfortunate when it happens in an otherwise positive parable. But it is tragic when it happens in real life.

Unfortunately, I have seen these attitudes steal the joy from Christians and from churches. And then they wonder why there is no joy in their life or in their fellowship. They look resentfully at other churches that have the joy.

Joy is the attitude of celebration. Celebration in the church is centered around lost sinners who come home. Giving into feelings of entitlement, self-righteousness, and envy, will crush the spirit of celebration everytime.

Please learn from the party pooper in this parable. Ask God to search your heart for any attitude that will rob you of your joy and keep you from the party.

September 11, 2009

"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

One of the enduring memories from 9-11 was the sight of the police, paramedics, and firemen rushing into a burning building while everyone else who could was running out. Too many of them lost their lives trying to save the lives of others. Many lives were saved by them.

What is it that compels a person to rush into danger when most are fleeing from it? What motivates a person to risk his life to save the life of a total stranger?

Thank God there are still people who have a rescue mindset! Thank God there are those who value human life so highly that they will risk their own life to save others! As you pray today and as you meditate on the significance of this day take time to pray for the police, the firefighters, and the EMT's of your community. Take time to thank God for them.

Actually, I think those heroic acts of self-sacrifice on that fateful day eight years ago capture the very essence of the truth Jesus is teaching in Luke 15. Jesus is telling us that God has a rescue mindset. God is committed to rushing in to life threatening crises when others are running out. Jesus is the proof of God's commitment to rescue people trapped in the rubble of sin. He came from the splendor and security of Heaven in order to offer his life in order to save others.

So, how do we respond to that sort of mindset? How do we show our appreciation for such a great sacrifice?

I think Jesus answers those questions in Luke 15. I hear Him telling us that to prove our gratitude to God for His great love in two ways: (1) By loving Him and; (2) By loving what He loves - other people. I hear God calling us to have a rescue mindset and to rush into rescue situations when everyone else is running out.

Will you take a moment to ask God to give you a rescue mindset? Will you ask Him to fill you with His love for lost people? Will you praise God for being a Father who runs to meet lost people? Think about this, our faith is the only faith in the world that serves a God Who actively seeks us. Christianity is the unique faith that worships comes to us rather than expect us to somehow try to placate Him.

Seek God today and serve Him by seeking others who need to know Him.

September 10, 2009

"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'" Luke 15:25-30

Of all the lostness I have been highlighting this week in my posts, this one is the ugliest to me.

We have seen how the religious leaders were lost within their faith due to self-righteousness.

We have seen how a sheep was lost from the flock due to his self-indulgence.

We saw a coin that was lost because of lost focus due to self-satisfaction.

We saw a son who became lost from his family due to self-interest.

But in this post, we are going to look at another son who was doing all the right things, living in the shadow of his father, but had a heart filled with selfish indignation. He was enjoying the graciousness of the father and was heir to his fortune, but rather than living in a love relationship, he was living in resentment. Rather receiving the love offered freely by the father he was resenting the love extended to the wayward brother.

This son was lost within the family because of his selfish indignation. While he should have been enjoying life in the presence of his father, he was trying to earn love by performing for the father. Rather than living in joy and freedom, he was bound by jealousy and frustration. You can't be honoring the Father when you are trying to earn the Father's favor.

Unfortunately, that is a picture all too familiar within many areas of the Faith today.

As ugly as that attitude may be, the manifestation of it is even worse. When a believer gets so preoccupied with earning God's favor that he loses touch with God's grace, that is a problem. In this parable we see why it is a problem, it robbed him of his compassion for his little brother. He should have been celebrating but instead he was complaining and critical. Rather than partying with his family he was pouting by himself. This is evidence of one who has lost his purpose and his focus - maybe more than that.

If this parable was illustrating a potential problem or a theoretical problem, that would be one thing - but tragically, this problem is prevalent in the church. I have seen it. It is ugly and damaging. When God brings in a lost son and they come into fellowship with the church and the pastor begins to pay too much attention to that person, or when that new believer gets to the place where he is ready to step into leadership I have seen this elder brother attitude rear its ugly head.

Celebrating churches live and thrive and grow. Critical complaining churches die - and they should.

That elder brother attitude can easily creep into your spirit. Without realizing it you can lapse into trying to earn God's favor rather than receiving it and honoring Him. Unless you continually work at it you fail His grace and fall into griping.

God deliver us from the Elder Brother syndrome. Give us hearts to celebrate and remove our critical spirit. Fill us with the joy of our salvation and let us party with the Father over every sinner who repents!

September 9, 2009

"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 rivoting 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 lonliness and lostness to lavish love!

The bottonline - 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, 2009

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 wantoness.

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 lonliness caused by people living under the same roof but pursuing selfish interests. There is nothing lonlier 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. We will consider that in a later post.

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 7, 2009

"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

I have been talking about the four different levels of lostness that Jesus is talking about in these parables. The first was the lostness within faith and the religious leaders who weren't reaching the lost because they were lost in their self-righteousness. Then I shared about the lostness from the flock and how this lost sheep nibbled his way into lostness through self-indulgence.

Today I want to talk about the third type of lostness. This lostness is a loss of focus due to self-satisfaction.

So, what is the point here in this particular parable?

The lost coin was likely a part of the woman's dowry or he net worth that she brought into the marriage contract. Her husband had to pay a price to the bride's family for the right to marry her and the bride had to bring a dowry to secure her future should something happen to the husband. This coin was one of ten that was crafted together to make necklace and this necklace served as the equivalent of a wedding ring.

Obviously, this coin had some real value, some sentimental value, and strong emotional attachment. Losing this coin was a big deal.

How would you feel if you lost your wedding ring? How would your spouse feel? How would you explain that?

One of the interesting things about engagement/wedding rings is that they are usually one of the first big financial investments made by a young man at a time when he can least afford it. He goes into debt through his extravagant effort to show how much he loves and values his bride-to-be. Of course, he expects her to receive his gift of love and to cherish it.

I am sure you can identify with that scenario so you can understand the significance of what Jesus is talking about here.

We are not told exactly how she lost this coin, how it became dettached from the necklace. We are not told how long it took her to discover that it was lost after it became lost. It seems like there was some time lapse between the coin being lost and the discovery of that lostness. Otherwise it would fallen and hit the ground or hit a piece of furniture and she would have heard it and found it and picked it up. So, that would indicate a loss of some focus and attention to the valuables.

Could it be that Jesus is pointing to how easily we lose our focus over what is truly valuable in our lives? People and relationships with those people are the most valuable things in our lives, but we lose that focus. We get self-absorbed. We get distracted. We get comfortable and self-satisfied. It happens and when it does we become dettached from our passion and purpose for living.

Thank God, something happened to jolt her out of her self-satisfaction and caused her to once again focus on what really mattered in her life. Once she discovered that one of her coins was missing, her passion returned and her purpose became clear - she had to find that lost coin. Immediately there was a sense of urgency. She had to find that coin! Her reputation was at stake. Her relationship was at stake. Her financial security was at risk.

So, the antimated search began. She got the flashlight. She got her broom. She searched and swept and swept and searched and did not rest until she finally found the coin. And when she found it she was so relieved! When she found it she rejoiced! When she found it she vowed that she would never be so careless as to lost it again!

It is so hard to stay focused on the things that matter most. It is so easy to settle into a zone of comfort and become self-satisfied. Is it possible to maintain a consistent sense of urgency for our purpose?

Yes, it is hard. Yes, it is easy. But, yes, it is possible.

How?

By remembering what happens when we lose our focus or become self-satisfied - valuable things get lost.

By daily calling on God to give us His heart for the lost and daily focusing on His Word and daily allowing His Spirit to work His will in us.

If you are dettached from God, reattach! Otherwise something value will end up lost - it may be you!