Lost & Found

May 03, 2026

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 1:04

Good morning, Church. Good morning. It's good to see you. Good to be with you this morning. My name is Pastor Mark. It's my privilege to lead you in the Word of God this morning. I'm grateful for that. You know, this past week, uh, Pastor Joe and I, we were in a conversation in my office, and uh we're just talking with one another and we're dialoguing about a number of things. And in the course of that conversation, a particular subject, a particular topic came up, and we're talking about that, and it came to mind, and I said to Joe, I said, Well, hey, I've got a really good book on that topic. I mean, it's excellent. I read it a few years ago, it's really good, and uh, let me get it for you. And I go over to the bookshelf and I look on the shelf where it's supposed to be, and it's not there. The space is there, but the book isn't there. Now, none of you are disturbed by that at all, are you? And I'm like, oh man, where'd that book go? And so I thought, well, there's one other place it could possibly be. And so I looked in that space and it wasn't there either. And so I let that go, and I get back in conversation with Joe, and we continue our conversation. I'm like, oh, I can't find that book. And and then after we were done with that conversation, I made a broader search for that book. I still haven't found my book. And that's disturbing. Typically, when we lose things, we uh it's just a temporary loss. Uh we don't we don't lose it for long because we look for things that are lost. And then we go after them, and when we find them, we rejoice when we find what is lost is found, and we share that joy with other people. Uh, most often the losses that we have are temporary losses, but sometimes, like maybe my book, the loss is a loss for good. And when that happens, that's a real bummer. That just stinks when we lose something and we can't recover it. Undoubtedly, all of us have had that kind of experience. Undoubtedly, all of us have lost things. Undoubtedly, all of us have lost things and found them and experienced that kind of euphoric joy that we have in finding that which is lost. And undoubtedly, they we've all had the experience of losing things that we've never recovered. And we could tell all those stories and share those stories. Matter of fact, between the services, I've had people share some of their lost and found stories with me. Some of them are more dramatic than others. Uh, have you ever lost anything to the laundry? Yeah, yeah. Oh, that's an understatement. Someone's like, yeah, we've lost things to the laundry. That that really cool, super groovy 1987 shirt that never came back. That we've lost things to the laundry. Ever lose your car keys? Oh, that's a drag. That is a real pain. You lose your car keys when? You lose the car keys when you need to go somewhere, and you've got little margin to get there, right? And uh you've lost your car keys, they're not where they're supposed to be, and you've got little margin to get where you're going, and you're disturbed at the whole world, and then you finally find those keys and you rush off to where you need to go, and you get there, and you tell them the whole story of the grief that you had and losing the car keys and finding them, and of course the keys become the reason for why you're late. It's interesting, car keys almost never remain lost. Almost everyone finds their car keys because they're just not that far away. You ever lose a family pet? Ever have a family cat or a family dog wander away? That can be a real tragic thing, particularly when family pets become real companions. And so often you walk around town and you might find a little sign-up that says lost, and there's a picture of the puppy or the cat or the dog, and there's someone looking for that, and you can help find it. Ever lose a piece of jewelry? Maybe an earring. Earrings are easy to lose. Wedding band, necklace, wristrotch. I had a niece once that uh was traveling to another country and she was in the airport, and uh, while she was in the airport, she used the restroom and uh she was washing her hands of the restroom and she took off her wedding brand, put it on the sink, washes her hands, walks away, gets 20 feet down the corridor, and realizes, oh, I left my ring, and she went right back and she uh she didn't find it. And that, oh, that's loss for good. Yeah, maybe you've lost a piece of jewelry. Today, probably the most panic-inducing loss today would be the loss of our cell phone, right? You lose a cell phone, that just is that that could produce some real panic because so much of our life is on our cell phone. Our calendars are there, our schedules are there, our tasks are there, our contacts are there. So if you lose a cell phone, that that just becomes a real panic moment and you look for it. Um probably the greater loss than the cell phone would be the loss of the cloud. Whatever the cloud is, wherever the cloud is, it stores all of our information. If we ever lose the cloud, we'll send out a search party for the cloud. Well, anyways, with all those things in mind, I want to give you this before we look into the scripture. When something of value is lost, we diligently search for it. And then when we find it, we rejoice over the fact that we found that which was lost. And when something of value is lost and it remains lost, we are disturbed, we are unsettled, and we grieve that which is lost, because lost things are meant to be found. All right, with those thoughts in your mind, take out your Bibles and turn with me to Luke chapter 15. Luke chapter 15 is where we are today. Uh, Luke is that third book in the New Testament. So you have four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and then John. And uh, we're gonna be in Luke 15 this morning. If you don't have a Bible with you, you can use the one in the seat back in front of you. And if you don't own a Bible, certainly take that one home with you. We'd love for you to have a copy of God's Word as your own. In Luke chapter 15, we're gonna discover that Jesus tells a parable about things that are lost and things that are found, and then finally something that remains lost. Um, this morning we are kicking off a certain short sermon series on five different parables that Jesus taught. This morning we'll look at one of them. The next four weeks we'll look at four more. Parables are short stories. They're told in a particular context, they're told to a particular audience. They are short stories intended to have a real impact upon the listener. They're like really powerful illustrations. If we don't know it already, we're gonna discover that Jesus was a master storyteller. And for us, it's gonna be wonderful today and over the next few weeks to sit at Jesus' feet and to listen to some of the stories that he told. This morning we're gonna look at a very familiar and popular parable. We're gonna look at a singular, single parable, but this parable has become well known, but the message of the parable, I believe, has become so truncated, so reduced, that the full message of the story often fails to land on us. So, right here at the beginning, as we kick off the series and as we look at this one parable, I want to say, hey, let's let's pay attention. Let's pay attention to what uh Jesus has to tell to us. As we jump into Luke 15, where I had you turn, we need to begin by looking at the very last sentence of chapter 14. So the very last sentence before we get into chapter 15. This is what it says. Jesus is speaking, and he says, He who has ears to hear, let him hear. And prior to that, Jesus has just been telling the people around him the cost of what it means to be a disciple, to be a follower of Jesus Christ. He gets to the end of that communication and he says, Hey, who he who has ears to hear, let him hear. In other words, whoever wants to listen, let him listen. And whoever listens, pay attention and listen closely. From there we move right into the chapter 15, and the opening verse says this. Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. So Jesus says, He who has ears to hear, let him hear, and the people who are drawing near to hear him are the tax collectors and the sinners. This should be startling to us. This isn't the seminary students who are drawing near to hear Jesus. This isn't the religious leaders who are drawing near to hear Jesus. This isn't the synagogue staff that are drawing near to hear Jesus. These are the renowned sinners, the people with really bad reputations. And they're drawing near to listen to Jesus, to hear what he has to say. They have a real interest in what Jesus has to say. The very next verse tells us, and the Pharisees and the scribes grumble, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with them. So it it the sinners, the renowned sinners, and the religious sinners, these are the people. This is the audience that Jesus is speaking into. On one hand, you have the renowned sinners. These are the people with really bad reputations. They're drawing near to Jesus, they're listening to him because they're intrigued, they have a real interest in what he has to say. Why? Because they've made a real mess of their life. They've lived a life in such a way that they've made their decisions, they have made such a hash out of their life, they want to hear what Jesus has to say because they're hoping he has words for them that will rescue them. So they're listening. On the other hand, you have the local religious leaders, the local synagogue staff. And they're there too, but they're grumbling about Jesus. And they're remaining aloof. They're standing at a distance, if you will. They're not drawing near to hear him. Why not? Well, because they've spent their whole life building up a righteous reputation. They've spent their whole life keeping all the commandments, doing all the right things, building up a low uh righteous reputation, and Jesus is associating with the wrong kind of people, with sinners, renowned sinners. And so they're keeping a distance to Jesus because they don't want to be associated with the wrong kind of people. So this is the context. And this is the audience that Jesus is gonna tell the parable to, to renowned sinners and to religious sinners. Let's hear what Jesus has to say. Now, before we get into the text, what I'm gonna have you do is I I normally say, you know, follow along, I'll read the text. I don't want you to follow along. I simply want you to listen as I tell the story or as I read the story that Jesus told. So I don't want you to follow along on the text. Just listen because when Jesus told this story, he told it to people in his proximity, and they heard what he had to say, and they responded to his message. And I kind of want you to do the same thing. So listen, I'll read the story that Jesus told. Luke chapter 15. I'll begin in verse one or read the old chapter. Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with them. So Jesus told them this parable. What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he's lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on its shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Or what woman have among you, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house, seeking diligently until she finds it. And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost. Just so I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. And he said, There is a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me my share of the property that is coming to me. And so the father divided his property between the sons. Not many days later the younger son gathered all he had, took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in the country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to the citizen of one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into the field to feed pigs, and he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. When he came to himself, he said, How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread? But I perish here with hunger. I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants. And he arose and he came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to the servants, Bring quickly the best robe and put it on him, put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet, and bring out the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate, for this my son was dead and is alive again, he was lost, and is now found. And they began to celebrate. Now his older brother was out in the field, and he came and draw near to the house, and he heard the music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And the servant said to him, Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him back safe and sound. But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him. But he answered his father, Look, these many years I've served you, I've never disobeyed your commands, yet you never gave me a young goat that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours has devoured all your property with prostitutes, you kill the fatted calf for him. And he said to him, Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is mine. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead and is alive. He was lost and is found. Aye, did you listen to the parable? Did you hear the message of the parable? Here's the message of the parable. The lost sheep is found. Yay! The lost coin is found. Yay! The lost son is found. Yay. One son remains lost. That stinks. That's disappointing. That's not how we want the story to end. We don't like that at all. We don't like it when lost things remain lost. And this is this is where the story ends. When what is lost is found, we rejoice. And so Jesus gives three illustrations the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son. When what is lost is found, we rejoice, and our joy isn't full until we share that joy with others and we invite them in. But when what is lost remains lost, we are disturbed. We are unsettled and we grieve the loss. And the greater the value of what is lost, then the greater the grief if it remains lost. And what is of greater value than a son or a daughter? You see, we want what is lost to be found. And Jesus tells a story that ends with a brother who is still lost. It's super unsettling. If that doesn't fall on you and me, then we're missing the reason why Jesus is telling the parable. If that doesn't fall on you and me, we're actually missing what Jesus is communicating with this short story. This parable is intended to awaken the older brother who's never gone away, who's always been around, who's always kept the commands, he appears to be in good standing, but when the story ends, he's still the one who's lost. He's outside and angry. The parable is for him. So if we come to Luke chapter 15 and all we hear is the lost sheep is found, yay, the prodigal son comes home, yay. We're really missing the point of the parable. Jesus is telling the parable to disturb the religious people who are grumbling about him, who are no longer listening to him, because they feel they're so good, that they don't need him. Jesus is telling them the parable to disturb religious people. He's telling the parable to disturb self-righteous people who are not paying attention to them because he wants to awaken them to their lost condition so that they too might be found like their younger brother. You see, the renowned sinners are listening to Jesus. The religious sinners aren't listening to Jesus. So this parable that we're so familiar with is intended to be a gut punch, a wake-up call to those who remain outside the Father's love due to their lack of repentance and their rejection of his son. You know, looking back at this chapter, if you go back to the very beginning, in the opening verses, we discover that Jesus is telling this parable to two audiences, to the renowned sinners and to religious sinners. Therefore, the message of the parable runs in two directions. So let's consider the two messages that run in two different directions. The renowned sinners who've drawn near to Jesus to listen to him, they're hearing a message. They're hearing the message of the goodness of the Father and how he receives and welcomes and celebrates over those who repent and those who return home. Through the parable, these renowned sinners are receiving abundant encouragement to repent and return home because the door is wide open for them. And undoubtedly, they are delighted to hear of the goodness of the Father and of his posture and attitude toward rebellious children who come home. If they would come home, they would receive a warm welcome and they would be rewarded, and the Heavenly Father would receive them. Well, that's one message of the parable because that's one audience of the parable. But on the other hand, you have the religious people who are grumbling about Jesus. And Jesus is telling them the parable too. When they hear the parable, Jesus is using the parable as a mirror to their soul. And the mirror reveals that they're still lost. They're angry. And they're outside. They think they deserve better. I mean, they've lived such a good life. They've been to all the vacation Bible schools, they learned all the verses, they've kept all the commands, they've lived such a good life, they've built up such a reputation. They think they deserve better. And quite frankly, they think the father is being kind to the wrong kind of people. After all, he's welcoming in sinners, forgiving them and receiving them. We read the story and we discover that the religious people, they don't like the father. They don't like the father because they don't like what the father likes. They don't celebrate what the father celebrates. They really don't have any interest in the father. They just want the father's stuff. They're really no different than the younger brother. They've kept all the commands and they've hung around because they're just waiting for dad to kick off so that they can have the inheritance. They're no different than the younger brother. They don't like the father, they don't like the family, they don't love their brother for sure. They are so self-oriented, they can't even rejoice over the brother who's returned home. How messed up is that? They have a brother who made a hash out of his life, has come back home, and has received, and they're like, no way. How messed up. We read in this parable that there's a party going on in the house. But these religious people are so self-regarding, they refuse to celebrate anything that's not about them. And we read the story and we're like, man, they're bitter and they're angry and they're lost. The religious sinners are literally forfeiting the grace that could be theirs. The father has gone out to them. The father is entreating them, inviting them in. They're forfeiting the grace that could be theirs. Like the younger brother, they could repent. They could look at the mirror to their own soul and see how they are unlike the father. And they they could repent. And they could come in and they could join the party. The father is inviting them. But they refuse to return. You see, Jesus wants them to see their true condition. They are in A pig pen of their own making. And he wants them to see it. Why? Because Jesus wants them to be found. He wants them to be found. Luke chapter 19, we won't go there this morning, it's just a few chapters away. But in Luke chapter 19, verse 10, we we learn that Jesus has come to seek and save the lost. And the lost ones are the ones who are not repenting. The ones who are repenting are going from lost to found. And there's an audience that's not repenting, and Jesus has come for them. And he wants them to repent because he wants them to be found. Folks, isn't it good news that no matter your background, there's a way home. Because Jesus has come to seek and to save the lost. Well, this parable ends. And the religious are still outside and angry. And we're meant to be disturbed by that, or they're meant to be disturbed by that. Let's go one more deeper with the message of this parable. Here's the message. Let's consider this. Point one, when what is lost is found, we rejoice. We know that. We know that experience. That's why Jesus used three illustrations the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son. He uses three illustrations to be like, of course, when we find what is lost, we rejoice. But then he goes on and he says, When sinners repent, all heaven rejoices. Now that's interesting. Because we see that in verse 7 and we see that in verse 10. So if you still have your Bible open, you can look at verse 7, and it says, just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance. You know what's fascinating about that? Is that falls in the story where there's no repentance taking place. You want to know why? Lost sheep don't repent. And he's been talking about lost sheep. When a shepherd has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, you know, sheep are so foolish, they don't just wander back. They don't know how to wander back, they're lost, they're helpless. A shepherd has to go out and find them. Sheep don't repent. But when he's saying this, he interjects this. There's joy in heaven when a sinner repents. We're not talking about repentance, we're not talking about sinners, we're talking about sheep. But then if you look at verse 10, look at verse 10, he says the same, almost the same thing. Just so I tell you, there's joy before the angels, angels of God over one sinner who repents. In this context, he's talking about lost coins. Certainly, lost coins don't repent. Lost coins don't have life, lost coins aren't animate. If you're gonna find a lost coin, you're gonna have to go find it. But Jesus says in the parable, there's joy in heaven when sinners repent. Because lost sheep don't repent, lost coins don't repent, but lost sons. Whether they're renowned sinners or religious sinners, when lost sons come to their senses and they realize their lost condition, and they realize the goodness of their father, and they repent, meaning they turn around and they go back home. They experience from the Heavenly Father mercy and grace and acceptance. You see, when formerly rebellious people or formerly religious people repent and return to the Heavenly Father, they find the Heavenly Father as He truly is. He welcomes and He's joyful and He's lavish and He celebrates when those who are lost repent and come back home. He rejoices over that. That's good news. Well, let's go back to the message. When what is lost is found, we rejoice. We know that experience. When sinners repent, all heaven rejoices. When what is lost remains lost, we are disturbed. And this is where the story ends. This is where the parable takes us. In the words of Pastor Joe, this is this is the big idea. This is where the parable takes the listener. The lost sheep is found, yay. The lost coin is found, yay. The lost son is found, yea. One son remains lost. That stinks. We read in the parable that the father goes out to the lost son. Isn't that remarkable? He didn't run to the pig pen. Somehow, in his providence and in his wisdom, he's not chasing the rebellious son to the pig pen, but when the religious son is outside the party, Jesus goes out to him. Or the father goes out to him. The father goes out to the lost son, he entreats the lost son to come home. The father reminds this rebellious religious son of their shared possessions. I mean, everything they have they share in common. There's great rewards to belonging. The generous father is literally wooing the son back into the party, saying, Come home. You see, this parable, while it teaches us about the lost being found and the joy over sinners repenting and grief over the self-righteous remaining lost, the parable also teaches us about the Heavenly Father. And Jesus' parables do that. There's three things I'm going to share with you about our Heavenly Father. I'm not going to develop them for the sake of time this morning, but three quick things about our Heavenly Father. The goodness of the Father leads people to repentance. We learn that from the rebellious son. He's in the pig pen, he's made a hash out of his life. He's reminded of the goodness of the Father, and he's like, man, my father's servants get treated better than this. I'll go home. The goodness of the Father leads people to repentance. The Father seeks what has been driven away. We learn that from the older brother, the religious brother, who's outside the party, and the father seeks what is lost. And so he goes out to him. And then finally, the father rejoices over repentance and faith that bring the lost home to him. That, of course, is the encouragement for both groups, the renowned sinners and the religious sinners. Well, that's the message of Luke 15. That's the whole message of Luke 15. That's the singular parable that Jesus told to that audience, the renowned sinners and the religious sinners. That story was told 2,000 years ago. Jesus told it to people in his proximity. But it's not difficult to cross the bridge into our own lives. Have you ever come to the end of yourself? Ever come to the end of your own road? Ever come to the end of your own path, of your own direction, and realize the goodness of the Father and returned home to the Father? And experienced His welcome and His grace? Well, if you've done that, then you're celebrating the goodness of God and you're celebrating the welcome that He's given you, and you're doing that with others who've experienced the same welcome. So that's that's either you or you're still outside the party. Rejecting the Father's lavish benevolence and his goodness and his grace. And the only reason you'd be doing that is because maybe you don't want to associate with those kind of people. The people who were bad people, who recognize that there's a way home, and that way home is through repentance and faith. You're not too good for God's grace, are you? I certainly hope not. God is seeking lost people, whether they're really bad people or they're really good people. The Father is seeking sinners, and he's sought them through Jesus Christ, and he's provided a way for them to come home. Isn't that good news? Jesus is the way to come home. Everyone who comes home receives that warm welcome from the Heavenly Father. So the question as we land this parable is where do you stand in relation to your Heavenly Father? The message of the parable, no matter who you are, is come home. Come home. You'll find a Heavenly Father with wide open arms prepared for you. I hope that through the testimony of the Scripture, you've come to the knowledge of the goodness and the benevolence and the grace of your Heavenly Father. And I and I pray that the goodness of his grace and kindness and the glory of his perfection has revealed to you your own shortcomings. You're not like him. But I pray that you've listened to Jesus and realized that the Father loves you and has paid for your rebellion and has wide open arms for you and that you've come home. The message is return home and receive your Father's unrestrained embrace. When you do that, you'll go from lost to found, and all heaven rejoices with you, and all of God's people rejoice together. So today, boy, if you haven't repented, this is the day, this is the time, this is the opportunity. Repent and return home. The Father will invite you in. You know, in just a moment, the musicians are going to come back out on stage and they're going to lead us in singing. But before they do that this morning, we need to celebrate the Lord's table together. You came in, and I trust you grabbed those elements on your way in, the door today. But the Lord's table is where we remember Jesus and where we celebrate him. The Lord's table is for people who have repented of their sin and returned to the Father and received his abundant welcome and his provision of grace. As I've said, Jesus was sent from the Father to seek and to save lost people. According to Jesus, that's why he came. He came and he willingly bore the sin of the world in his own body, and he nailed that sin to the cross, dying for sinners. He rose again for our salvation, and through faith in Jesus Christ, we have full acceptance, full welcome. We're brought in as sons and daughters. So this is the message. Sinners can come home. God has given us his love in Jesus Christ, and the welcome and acceptance is open to all. The worst of sinners and the most religious of sinners. The Lord's table is a time where we remember Jesus and we celebrate him. The Lord's table is also a unique opportunity where we take a look around and we say, Oh, these are my people. These are God's people. These are the people that God has rescued. They've gone from lost to found. These are my folks. Because we remember Jesus and we celebrate him and we do it together. And the ones who participate in it are the ones who've gone from lost to found. No matter the background, no matter the backstory, if you've returned home, you've received that welcome. The Lord's table is reserved for former sinners who have returned to the Father through faith in Jesus Christ. And if you've done that, you're welcome to partake with us today. Let's take a moment and prepare ourselves for the Lord's table together.

unknown 33:03

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 33:15

That the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, he took bread. And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Let's partake of this bread together as we remember Jesus. Scripture goes on to say, in the same way also he took the cup after supper, saying, This is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes again. Let's partake of this together as we remember Jesus. Heavenly Father, we come before you this morning in prayer. We're so grateful for your benevolence, your kindness, your mercy, and your grace to us. We were lost and far away, and you sent Jesus to find us. And you found us in our sin, which was against you. You found us in our rebellion. You found us in our self-righteousness. You found us as sinners and you set your affection upon us, and you've opened our eyes that we might see you, your goodness, given most clearly in the person of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who bore our sin away in his own body, the one who poured out his blood as a ransom for us. Father, we thank you that through Jesus Christ we can we can come home, we can return, and it's full welcome, full embrace, richly rewarded. We thank you for this parable. We thank you for the message that's found in it from you, about you and about your son. We thank you for the conviction that it brings, we thank you for the joy that it brings us that you've searched for lost people and you've found them, brought them to yourself. We thank you for this table that we're we where we've remembered Jesus Christ together and celebrated him. And we look forward with faith to when we will celebrate it anew in your kingdom when Jesus Christ returns, and we'll celebrate indefinitely. Thank you for your kindness to us. We pray this in Jesus' name.

unknown 35:32

Amen.