Gtcotr/ss122919
Have
you ever lost something? Something you greatly value? And after searching for
it everywhere you happily find it? Then you get so excited that you tell your
family and friends that you’ve found it? That’s how God feels about us … Let’s
look at Luke 15.
A
few days before Jesus was arrested and crucified in Jerusalem, the Pharisees
and the teachers of the Law of Moses were openly complaining about Him. They
didn’t like the fact that Jesus spent the major portion of His time with tax
collectors and notorious sinners. Jesus, wanting them to understand how God
felt about sinners, decided to tell them a story hoping they would see
themselves and the truth in the parable.
First
Jesus told them about a man who had 100 sheep and one became lost. “Which of
you, Jesus said, would not leave the 99 safe and go in search of the one that
was lost? Finding it, a man would rejoice and tell all of his neighbors." Jesus
concluded:
Luke 15
7 “I say to you that likewise
there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God
than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!”
Jesus then proceeded with a second parable
about a woman who had 10 silver coins and lost one. After lighting a lamp,
sweeping the house and searching diligently, she found it. Upon finding the
lost coin the woman called her friends and neighbors and said, “rejoice with me
… for I have found the piece which I lost.”
10 “Likewise I say to you, there
is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”
11 To illustrate the point
further, Jesus told them this story …
“A man had two sons.
12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my
share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his
wealth between his sons.
13 “A few days later this younger son packed all
his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money
in wild living.
14 About the time his money ran out, a great
famine swept over the land, and he began to starve.
15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and
the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs.
16 The young man became so hungry that even the
pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said
to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and
here I am dying of hunger!
18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father,
I have sinned against both heaven and you,
19 and I am no longer worthy of being called
your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
20 “So he returned home …
Luke 15
20 “So he returned home to
his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming.
Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed
him.
· There is reasonable
evidence in this scripture to suggest the father was watching daily with great
diligence, hoping for his son to come back home.
· The father was already
filled with a love and compassion that motivated him to action.
o The scriptures say
that Jesus was moved with compassion and healed the multitude.
o We are told that our
faith works by love.
o Love is the motivation
and the power we often need to rise above the hurts and the disappointments we
are served in this life.
o God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son …
§ Notice: The father ran … He made up the difference; covered
the distance; bridged the gap.
§ Notice: The father embraced … Sudden acceptance is so
important to the repentant person. The embrace says, “don’t worry … we’ll
figure this out … I’m with you.”
§ Notice: The father kissed … I’ve thought hard and meditated
long on this kiss. It is the kiss of a covenant. The reassurance that we are
still in covenant. The kiss was the father’s seal of relationship. You are my
son …
·
A
kiss can mean many things …
·
This
kiss was the kiss of covenant
·
Covenant
is the promise of a future together
·
It’s
like the kiss of marriage – the seal of the covenant … I am yours and you are
mine.
21 His son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy
of being called your son.’
22 “But his father said to
the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get
a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet.
· The Robe – A sign of
family
· The Ring – A sign of
authority
· The Sandals – A sign
of comfort and care
· Quick! – No
hesitation; nothing to prove; sudden acceptance
o That’s what we receive
when we repent
Where
there is repentance, God’s love and forgiveness demands no penance. Restoration
is sudden and complete.
23 And kill the calf we have
been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast,
· Let’s celebrate!
24 for this son of mine was
dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the
party began.
Luke 15 NLT
10 In the same way, there is
joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”
Word
of Knowledge concerning 2020
2020
is the end of some things and the beginning of others. Things are going to get
easier and better in 2020 for so many people. Increase will come and seeds
which have been planted in the past will produce an abundant harvest. Long
prayed prayers will be answered, and life will be happier for so many of you.
Of
course, not everyone will reap the benefits of these good days to come because
not everyone has sown seeds for this harvest. Nonetheless, people will be
better off and find greater opportunities for honest increase.
Like
in the days of Noah and in the seven years of plenty during the life of Joseph while
he was in Egypt, things will be easier and better, and people will experience
abundance. Make no mistake, these blessings come from the Lord just as sure as
those that were given the Israelites in the Land of Promise. Do not be
deceived, every good gift and ever perfect gift comes from the Father of Lights.
The
great concern and perhaps the hardest challenge that will be faced by the
Christian in America will be to not forget God. Blessings from God have always
come with a purpose. There is a definite reason why God is going to pour His rain out
on the just and the unjust. When God blesses us, it is so that we can be a greater
blessing.
Listen
how Moses encouraged the Children of Israel before they entered the Promise
Land:
Deuteronomy 8 NLT
10 ¶ When you have eaten your
fill, be sure to praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.
11 “But that is the time to
be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God and
disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today.
12 For when you have become
full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in,
13 and when your flocks and
herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along
with everything else, be careful!
14 Do not become proud at
that time and forget the LORD your God, who rescued you from slavery in the
land of Egypt.
15 Do not forget that he led you through the
great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where
it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock!
16 He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a
food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your
own good.
17 He did all this so you
would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength
and energy.’
18 Remember the LORD your
God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill
the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.
Turn
and return to God. With every step, keep turned towards Him.
Hear
the Word of the Lord and make your vow today so that the blessings coming your
way and the increase you will certainly enjoy will not distract you from the
mission God has for your life. Certainly God will bless you. Remember, He is
blessing you to make you a blessing.
· We cannot afford to worship
the blessings more than the Blessor.
· We cannot imagine we did
it by our strength or wisdom.
· We will not forget to
honor the Lord with our substance and with the first fruits of all our
increase.
· Let’s keep making time
in our busy schedules for Church, for family, and for friends.
The
Covenant Kiss of God is on your life. Praise the Lord!
You
were lost and now you’re found … Don’t forget to keep praising the Lord in 2020.
Happy New Year!
