Episodios

  • God Knows Your Heart, Part 2

    God Knows Your Heart, Part 2
    Jul 18 2024
    The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void. “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery. (Luke 16:14-18) Since these last verses on divorce and adultery tends to get sectioned off as its own little segment by those who broke down the section titles in the Bible, I’ve included the previous verses for context. But just like we saw last week where Jesus seemingly took a turn into another topic, He’s actually still on the topic of the heart here. He’s just using another example to His initial point that they were justifying themselves before men, but that God knows the heart. Before we jump in here to this, I know divorce can be a touchy topic, especially in our culture where the divorce rate is almost half of all marriages. As we look at what Scripture says on this, it isn’t to point fingers at you or anyone else, this is simply the section of Scripture we happen to be in and we’re looking to grow in the Lord and understand His word. Everyone Who Divorces Jesus makes a clear claim that everyone who divorces and marries another is committing adultery. As we look at this, we have to take this in context to the rest of Scripture, because far too often it’s verses like these that get used as weapons and chains of captivity and that is not the heart of God here. God never intends for His word to be weaponized to keep people captive in abusive relationships. We get more insight into what Jesus said on divorce in Matthew 19 where it says, And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” (Matthew 19:3-9) Paul also spoke to divorce details in 1 Corinthians 7, with the instruction that divorce shouldn’t happen, but that if a believer has an unbelieving spouse who will not stay married to them, let it be so and let the unbelieving spouse leave. What we need to remember here is that in the whole context of all these verses is the same thing – these are issues of the heart. Remember in Matthew 5 where Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28) As we look at what Jesus has said about adultery and divorce, we need to remember the true issue of the heart here because that’s where the Pharisees were going wrong, was justifying sins of the heart with a perspective of having purity of the body. Divorce Exemptions In the days of Moses and beyond, divorce became an option that was deemed acceptable as long as proper protocols were followed, such as a certificate of divorce. Yet God doesn’t want what He joined together to be separated by man. Now in light of the verses in Matthew 5 that talks about anyone who looks at someone with lust commits adultery, there honestly aren’t many marriages in which a spouse hasn’t committed adultery then because lusting in the heart is such an unseen thing. The ultimate ideal would be repentance and reconciliation, whether committed with only the heart or also with the body. But if sexual sins are committed, these are where the exemptions come into play. It is gracious of God though, to expressly word exemptions such as sexual immorality or an unbelieving spouse leaving. Otherwise, there would be people who stay in abusive relationships with their spouse habitually cheating or watching pornography or in sexual abuse or the like, and that’s not the purpose of God saying He doesn’t want divorce. In an ideal world, people would get married, have a perfectly blessed marriage, never battle with sexual sins, and be married till death parts them. But we don’t live in a perfect world and God, ...
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    11 m
  • God Knows Your Heart, Part 1

    God Knows Your Heart, Part 1
    Jul 11 2024
    The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void. (Luke 16:14-17) Jesus had just told quite a few parables about the kingdom of God, God’s heart and perspective, that we can go astray and how much joy it brings God when we repent, and that we cannot serve God and money – really hitting home that the issues of sin are a heart issue, not a ‘how good you can act outwardly’ issue. And even after all that, it says that the Pharisees ridiculed Jesus. Hearts Motivation The text gives us context here as to why the Pharisees ridiculed Jesus and it was because they were lovers of money. They had just been told by Jesus that they cannot serve God and money and since they were lovers of money, it apparently hit close to home and they didn’t like it, so they ridiculed Him in response. That word “ridiculed” in the Greek means to scoff, deride, or turn up the nose at. This wouldn’t be the last time they do this to Jesus either. The next and only other time this Greek word is used is in Luke 23:25 during Jesus’ crucifixion where it says, And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” Unfortunately, the ridicule or scoffing over the truth that one cannot serve God and money would continue to drive the scoffing at the cross as Truth Himself looked back at them as He died to offer them redemption of their souls. Hearts Revealed It’s pretty cool to notice here that Jesus didn’t react with an outburst of upset when they ridiculed Him, He responded again with truth that got to the heart of the matter – their hearts. Jesus, who we know doesn’t look at the outward appearance but looks at the heart, told them a few poignant truths about themselves: They were justifying themselves before men, God knows their hearts, and what was exalted before men is an abomination before God. These were undoubtedly hard things to hear, but Jesus told them for their benefit because He loved them. Yet, the specific things that Jesus pointed out were bound to cause one of two responses – either, pushing away due to a prideful heart or drawing near due to a humble and repentant heart. And these are the responses we get to choose from when faced with things Jesus tells us too - push God away or draw near to Him. The Law Revealed As Jesus mentions the Law and Prophets, it would seem that He moved into a whole new topic but in actuality, He’s still on the same topic. All of this is in context to the heart and the fact that in our flesh we seek to justify ourselves before men, but that God knows our hearts. Jesus mentioned the Law and Prophets right before mentioning that the good news of the kingdom of God had been preached. The Pharisees didn’t exactly put this together, not realizing that the Law and Prophets all spoke of Him, but this is what Jesus is telling them. And He adds that everyone forces his way into it – this is speaking of the misunderstanding of the Law and Prophets and thinking that outward observance of the Law would save them. As the people read/heard the Law and Prophets, they had a desire for their Messiah to come set them free physically from their captivity under the Romans, not really understanding that He would come to set them free spiritually from their sin under death. When Jesus came and John the Baptist had made straight His paths, they both preached repentance and that the kingdom of God had come. But the people tried to force their misaligned perspectives into the mix and even used that as a reason to justify to themselves and others that Jesus wasn’t their long-awaited Messiah, as they continued to try to force their way into it. Yet, Jesus was reaffirming that He would indeed fulfill the Law when He said that it would be easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void. Jesus knew His calling and mission, and nothing was going to deter Him from it. Our Response Remember those two responses that were mentioned when Jesus points out specific heart issues? We read that the Pharisees pushed away, staying prideful and justifying themselves before men, but it doesn’t have to be that way for us. We can learn from their mistakes and when God puts these hard truths in front of us to face, we can draw near to Him with a humble and repentant heart, ready for Him to cut that out of our hearts and mold and shape us more into His image. For the Pharisees, there were the things of their day that was exalted ...
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    13 m
  • The Fight for Freedom

    The Fight for Freedom
    Jul 4 2024

    Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. (John 15:13-14)

    In our walk with Jesus, we come to know and understand a profound truth – our freedom in Him is both a gift and in part a battle we continue to fight for. When we first encounter His grace and receive salvation in Him, we are liberated from the bondage of sin and death. It’s a moment of joy and relief as we realize that through Christ’s sacrifice, we are indeed set free.

    Yet, as we walk by faith, we soon learn that our freedom is not passive – it’s free, it just costs the rest of our lives. Just as a nation must defend its freedom against external threats, we too must fight the demonic threats and temptations that come against us. The apostle Paul clearly describes this struggle: “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other” (Galatians 5:17). Our battle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces that seek to ensnare and destroy us.

    Jesus has already won the ultimate victory over sin and death through His death and resurrection. His triumph on the cross secured our freedom once and for all. But the battles we face daily remind us that we live in a fallen, sinful world where temptation and trials are a daily thing.

    In these moments of struggle, we are called to remember the truth that sets us free – Jesus Christ. He is not only our Savior but also our source of strength and victory. Through Him, we find the ability to resist temptation, the wisdom to discern right from wrong, and the grace to forgive others and to seek forgiveness when we all fall short.

    The freedom we have in Jesus is not just a one-time event but a continuous journey of transformation and renewal. It requires discipline, prayer, and a deepening relationship with God. As we immerse ourselves in His Word and surrender our lives to His will, we experience the freedom found in the truth of His word.

    Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). Let us hold on tight to this promise, knowing that in Christ, we have the strength to overcome every single obstacle we face AND the assurance of eternal life in Him.

    As we celebrate our nation’s freedom, let us never forget the freedom we have in Jesus. It is a precious gift that empowers us to live boldly, love deeply, and serve faithfully. May we continue to fight the good fight and run our race well, knowing that our ultimate victory is assured through Jesus who loves us and gave up His life for us.
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    6 m
  • You Cannot Serve God and Money

    You Cannot Serve God and Money
    Jun 27 2024
    [Jesus] also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Luke 16:10-13) The few verses above are the end to the section on the Parable of the Dishonest Manager, or rather the takeaway of the parable. The parable is about a rich man who had a manager that was wasting his possessions, so he called him to confront him and fire him. Being the dishonest manager that he was, and it notedly said he felt he was not strong enough to dig and ashamed to beg, he hatched a plan to short his now previous master of the debts owed to him by others. The Dishonest Manager The only thing the dishonest manager was commended for was his shrewdness. How sad that the only thing commendable about this man were his sharp-witted ways when it was used to prove his character and integrity was severely lacking. Being shrewd, or clever and sharp-witted may be deemed a good thing in the world’s eyes, but when it’s used for evil it’s certainly not a good thing at all in the eyes of God. Take a look what God not only says about a false balance (or in essence, shorting what is due like what this dishonest manager did), but also look at the contrast to those who are upright before the Lord versus the prideful and crooked: A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight. When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death (Proverbs 11:1-4) Jesus’ Conclusion: Now we can come up with our own conclusions and opinions about the dishonest manager, but really the only conclusion that matters is God’s in this and He laid it out pretty clearly here for us. There are two aspects to this: You should be a faithful steward with what you’ve been entrusted with by God.If you can’t be honest and faithful in handling a little, you won’t be any better with a lot. When it comes down to it, our level of faithfulness is not dependent on how much or little we have to be faithful in. So, the hard truth is, if you’ve been waiting for God to bring something bigger and better along for you to jump in head first in serving, all while pretty much phoning in the smaller stuff He’s already entrusted to you – it’s not a problem with how much or little, it’s a faithfulness problem. Now that’s not to say you can’t grow in this area, because you can. But again, having these heart check moments is so vital to our understanding of ourselves and where our hearts are at so that we don’t get on auto pilot in the wrong direction. The reason Jesus mentions this goes beyond the physical here and is very much so spiritual when He said, “If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?” The truth is that we as followers of Jesus have works that God prepared for us to walk in, Ephesians 2:10 tells us that clearly, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” But if we’re not being faithful to walk in them like we should, how can expect God...
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    12 m
  • It Was Fitting to Celebrate

    It Was Fitting to Celebrate
    Jun 20 2024
    “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened 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 have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’” (Luke 15:25-32) The parable of the prodigal son continues and now we get to see the older son’s perspective. Now the older son’s perspective seems understandable from a human only perspective, but that is the point; we shouldn’t be looking at things from a human only perspective, we should be looking at things from God’s perspective. The Older Son’s Anger The older son was in the field as his younger brother came home. This was undoubtedly because he was serving in the field, and as he approached home, he heard music and dancing and obviously there was some kind of celebration going on. Totally understandable to wonder what’s happening but he ended up angry at the reason. The older son heard the words of the servant, but did he truly hear the heart of his father in what the servant relayed? By what we read, it seems that he didn’t. Instead of hearing the father’s heart that his younger brother has been found and everyone was celebrating that he was now home, the older son heard it through a jealous and selfish lens – that his reckless, disobedient brother was getting rewarded after blowing his half of their dad’s money. His thoughts were instantly on himself. In that moment of selfishness, he felt it unfair that he never got even so much as a young goat to celebrate with his friends, but his dad just killed the fattened calf for his dumb little brother who had messed up. The older son missed the big picture and the purpose of the celebration altogether. James tells us for good reason to “be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20). The Father’s Entreat In the older son’s anger, he refused to even go inside where the celebration was happening, yet his father came and met him where he was at and entreated him. How often do we get angry over something and decide to self-isolate and stew in our anger? It doesn’t ever help, yet in our flesh that’s a go to. However, our heavenly Father also meets us where we’re at, even in our anger, and entreats us to come into his home and see things from His perspective, in which our anger would fade away in as we align ourselves with God. And even when the older son snaps back with his argument of fairness, the father spoke kindly to him, reminding him that he is always with him and shares in what he has always. Then his father spoke words to right that wrong perspective – the right perspective being that the celebration going on in the father’s house was indeed fitting because the big picture was that his brother was alive and found. The focus was on celebrating where his brother was at currently, not condemning where he had blown it previously. Notice that even in the older son’s anger, he tried to diminished his relationship when talking to his father when he said, “But when that son of yours came…” He didn’t say his brother, he put space between him, which would make it easier to stay angry. It’s much easier to try to justify our sin when we rationalize things, stay in our very narrowly selfish perspective, and create space and divide between us and other people we’re angry at. But is that what God does? No, God does quite the opposite - while we were sinners, Christ came as one of us and dwelt among us and died for us. Instead of creating a divide, He bridged the gap between us that our sin had created. How We Respond The question we need to ask ourselves here is, do we respond like the older brother or like the father? Of course, our initial reaction is going to be to say we respond like the father, but it’s worth taking the time to really think about this and be honest with ourselves because this type of thinking goes beyond this application and into other areas of our life. Are we joyful over things that the Father is joyful over? Or do others bring him joy while we scoff and get angry at what we deem unfair to us? Because if we can’t be joyful over the smaller things that bring God joy in other people’s lives, then the ultimate...
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    10 m
  • He Ran to Embrace Him

    He Ran to Embrace Him
    Jun 13 2024
    And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and 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 that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. “But 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 am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and 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 am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened 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 found.’ And they began to celebrate. (Luke 15:11-24) This parable of prodigal son, which is fully covered in verses 11-32, but we’re going to focus on the first portion of the verses and break this into two weeks. The father in this parable is our Heavenly Father, and we are the children. We tend to fall into one of these two categories – obedient and working according to the will of the Father or prideful and stumbling, having to hit rock bottom where our pride is shattered before returning to the Father. The Prodigal Son We don’t see the word “prodigal” in the actual parable, it’s how the header of that section is labeled, and it isn’t necessarily a word most people use in everyday conversation, but the word means spending money or resources freely and recklessly or wastefully extravagant. Since this son asked for his father to give him his inheritance before he was technically entitled to it (because that would have been upon his father’s death), he seemingly already had this sort of prodigal mindset. He wanted his portion of the wealth to go spend it and he did so not many days after receiving his portion of the inheritance. But because he took it and squandered it, he was left with nothing while his brother was still at home. Notice the big difference there – the son at home was daily in the presence of his father, both serving his father and enjoying all that his father had. But the prodigal son took what he had, wasted it away, and was now left with nothing. The world he had lived prodigally in took everything from him and gave him nothing in return, not even pig food when he was starving. Yet, in his lowest point, being a Jewish man sitting among unclean pigs and couldn’t even eat pig food, looks up again to remember his father’s goodness to his servants and longs to go home and serve. The Father’s Response The prodigal son had already practiced his speech of acknowledging his wrongdoing and asking for forgiveness as he had repented and turned from the world back to his father’s house. AND YET his father ran and embraced him as he welcomed his son home! He clothed him in the best robe, put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet and had a wonderful meal prepared to celebrate and share a meal together once again. Jesus tied this parable with the last two as He includes “he was lost, and is found”, and the immense joy the father had as he celebrated the return of his lost child. It may look like the father didn’t acknowledge his son’s confession since he went straight into telling his servants to bring the best robe, a ring, shoes, and killing the fattened calf. But the father was not only acknowledging the confession of his son, he was showing his son that he was not going to dwell on the mistakes the son had made, but instead rejoice in the fact that he was back home. This is much like our heavenly Father – when we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness, clothing us in the righteousness of Christ Jesus. He remembers our sins no more. And that word remember means to take action on something. So, to remember our sins no more means God is not going to take action in accordance to our sins. We have that safety and security in Him. He doesn’t drag out our past and go through it with a fine-toothed comb, He clothes us in Christ’s righteousness and ...
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    12 m
  • Joy Before the Angels of God

    Joy Before the Angels of God
    Jun 6 2024
    “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek 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.” (Luke 15:8-10) Jesus is on a roll with this as He continues on from the parable of a man who left the ninety-nine sheep to go after the one lost sheep and just rolls right into His next example of this concept – a woman who lost one of her ten silver coins. She searched until she found it and then called her friends and neighbors to rejoice with her. With the ultimate point being made again that there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. Everyone is Precious Notice this theme, that only one was lost, yet it was counted as precious and important enough to search for. The shepherd has lost one of the hundred and it was worth his time and effort to find it because it was precious to him. This woman lost one of ten coins and it was worth searching diligently for. Every single person is worth an immense value to God. So much so that He deemed them worthy to die for. This parable not only demonstrates the value people have to God, but the joy He has when they are no longer lost. There is a joy in repentance because repentance is a reconciliation between God and man, the reconciliation God paid the ultimate price of Jesus’ blood to redeem. We might be tempted to look at lost people by the dirt they’ve accumulated on them by sin, but their value never changes in God’s eyes. Jesus died for all of us while we were yet sinners – the sin that Jesus took on and became on the cross in order to redeem us wasn’t a hinderance to His love and sacrifice. Just because not everyone will accept Jesus as their salvation, doesn’t mean their value is any less in God’s eyes – He still paid the price for their salvation whether they accept it or not. Lighting the Lamp In the first parable with the shepherd, it gave a clear picture of Jesus as our Good Shepherd, going out to seek the lost sheep. However, in this parable of the woman, it gives a clear picture of the church. The Church is likened to the Bride of Christ, and we are commissioned as members of His Church, to go make disciples. The Holy Spirit is also likened to oil in the Bible, being the oil in our lamps that lights the way for us, as the Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light to our path. Notice in this parable that the woman lights a lamp as the first act in searching for the lost coin. God’s word is essential in being the first action of the Church in searching for the lost. We can’t be lights of the world if we don’t first spend time in God’s word, individually and corporately together as a church body. Sweeping the House And after the woman lit a lamp, she swept the house. This, metaphorically, is effective in both our personal lives and in the ministry of reconciliation. We need to sweep the house of our hearts often. There can be dust bunnies hiding in places of our hearts that need to be cleaned out and make finding a lost coin much easier. Practically, if you had dropped a coin and it fell under a dresser, then when you shine a light, the dust is going to make it harder for you to see the coin because the dust may block some of the light from hitting the coin. In the same way, dust in our own spiritual lives can hinder the light as we search for the lost. Joy in Heaven This phrase that Jesus keeps using, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents, has more meaning than our current culture understands on the surface reading of this. According to William Barclay, a Scottish minister in the early 1900’s, the religious rulers during that time, of which Jesus was primarily speaking to during this, had a saying, “There will be joy in heaven over one sinner who is obliterated before God.” How vastly different Jesus’ words and the perspective of God is here! The Pharisees in essence had made sound bites glorifying destruction of sinners and attaching a false perspective that it was joyous to God. Yet Jesus is telling them that the truth of the matter is – it’s the exact opposite. There isn’t joy in heaven over the destruction of sinners, that actually hurts the heart of God; the truth is, there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. We must be careful as followers of Jesus to not have hearts like the Pharisees over the lost and sinners. We must remember from where we once came – we were lost, we are sinners, and just because we have accepted salvation and are saved by grace through faith in Jesus doesn’t make us perfect people who can now judge the lost. Being saved makes us people with a testimony who can be very effective in reaching the lost because we were once there too. We have experienced the ...
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    11 m
  • I Have Found My Sheep

    I Have Found My Sheep
    May 30 2024
    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 he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has 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 his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his 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. (Luke 15:1-7) In our culture, it may be hard to understand this parable because not many of us understand having sheep. Most of us likely think of sheep as the dumb animals that literally need a shepherd to care for them or they’ll die. But here we’re given context to the owner of the sheep’s perspective. If one sheep is lost, they leave the ninety-nine and go after the one lost sheep, rejoicing when it’s found. It’s very interesting here because Jesus is telling this parable to Pharisees and scribes, none of which would lower themselves to the status of shepherd, which was a rather low society job and a social outcast. Yet He is telling them a parable specifically with the shepherd’s perspective. It was going to require the Pharisees and scribes to humble their perspective to understand God’s perspective, that of a Good Shepherd. The Lost Sheep We already know God likens us to sheep. We may be smarter than animals, but in light of God, we’re dumb like sheep. We get into all sorts of trouble and we NEED our Shepherd to guide us, lead us beside still waters, restore our soul, anoint our heads with oil, and literally step by step take care of us through life. We are completely dependent on Him for eternal life and should be completely dependent on Him for all our needs on this side of eternity too. We all go astray at times, but God is faithful to go after us when we do. Notice that when the sheep is found, it is laid on the shoulders of the shepherd, as the shepherd rejoices. There are times of going astray and it takes its toll on us. God doesn’t just find us and poke and prod us with the shepherd staff, He picks us up and carries us home. We are close to Him, hearing His voice once again, and being carried to a place of safety. The Joy of Repentance And look at that heavenly scene Jesus describes – that there is joy in heaven when a sinner repents! Jesus makes a clear point here, but it can be easily looked over. He says there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Now this requires realizing that there will only be one righteous human being in heaven who never needed to repent, and that person is Jesus Christ. We know that all have sinned and fallen short and all need to repent in order to receive salvation in Jesus and stand righteous before God. So, then what is Jesus saying here? Jesus is emphasizing the point that repentance is highly important and joy inducing, even among the angels in heaven. Repentance is required to enter heaven; therefore it is important and therefore it induces joy because that means that Jesus gets one more person whom He died to redeem. Jesus gets more of the reward He died to pay for and that is a joyous thing! The prideful Pharisees and scribes who thought of themselves as righteous before God in and of themselves were faced with this truth – that even if they were able to be completely righteous by themselves, God’s joy and delight is in the sinner’s repentance. Jesus spent time telling the Pharisees and scribes again and again that they weren’t all that and a bag of chips to help them see and understand their need for salvation in Him, to understand what their Law had been saying all along. Repentance was always part of what God was saying to them through the Law and Prophets, but they refused to acknowledge it. They instead sought to create their own self-righteousness that would never truly be righteous before God at all. And on the other hand, the tax collectors and sinners who had drawn near to hear heard the good news of repentance. They would have already felt like the lost black sheep of Israel, but the good news that God had come to seek and save the lost was stirring hearts to repentance. Where Are You? Where are you at in the fold of God today? Are you part of the herd, eating up the Word of God with your fellow sheep, listening to the voice of the Good Shepherd? Or have you wandered off alone – maybe you haven’t even taken the time to look up and realize that you’re lost? Take a personal pause today and look up – if you see your Shepherd and you’re among the sheepfold being guided by the Shepherd, keep going...
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