…
The Three Parables From Luke 15
Finding The Lost
• By nature, sheep are wayward, defenseless• They are in constant need of supervision• The Bible often portrays men as “sheep” in
both the O.T. & N.T. cp. Psa 23:1 100:3Mt 9:36 25:32
The Three Parables From Luke 15
Finding The Lost
The Lost Sheep vv. 4-7
• The shepherd who went out to find & rescue the stray sheep = selfless
• The sheep’s value = its need for guidance, protection
• Christ is the “Good Shepherd”… He gave His life for His sheep
cp. Jn 10:11
The Lost Sheep vv. 4-7
The Three Parables From Luke 15
Finding The Lost
• The coin used = Greek drachma• Equivalent to wages for 1 day’s labor• To most, this coin would be insignificant
• After all, the woman had 9 others• However, the owner saw it as important
as the 9 she hadn’t lost• She left nothing unturned to find it v. 8
The Three Parables From Luke 15
Finding The Lost
The Lost Coin vv. 8-10
• When lost, the coin was useless• Yet, while lost, it was still valuable
• It still bore the image stamped upon it• It never stopped being a coin
• It is the same re: lost people• Precious souls still bear the “image”
of their Creator Lk 20:24-25 Gen 1:26
The Three Parables From Luke 15
Finding The Lost
The Lost Coin vv. 8-10
• The youngest of 2 sons cannot wait for his share of the inheritance
• Upon squandering his estate, he finds himself in the “far country” vv. 13-14• What he wanted…trusted in is gone• This is the sinner “afar off from God”
cp. Eph 2:13
The Three Parables From Luke 15
Finding The Lost
The Lost Son vv. 11-32
• He knew things could not be like they were if he returned home• He would ask to be made a “hired servant”• Working 1 day at a time, no guarantee of
a job the next day and living on “poverty’s edge”
The Three Parables From Luke 15
Finding The Lost
The Lost Son vv. 11-32
• What a contrast!!• He left home a prince…he came back a pauper• Such it is with sin…it “bankrupts us” Mt 5:3• The 1 thing he didn’t foresee or couldn’t
even imagine…grace & mercy from his father
The Three Parables From Luke 15
Finding The Lost
The Lost Son vv. 11-32
• Even when gone, he remained valuable• His life may have been in shambles• But he always had potential in his father’s eyes• He was still loved & thought of often
Rom 5:6-8
The Three Parables From Luke 15
Finding The Lost
The Lost Son vv. 11-32
• There are different ways people become lost Sometimes, men are lost like sheep
Applications
• Sheep are senseless, careless…wanderers• They do not know when they are lost• There are myriads of people lost this way• They have not openly rebelled…they have
simply drifted away Heb 2:1
The Three Parables From Luke 15
Finding The Lost
• There are different ways people become lost Sometimes, men are lost like the coin
Applications
• The coin did not lose itself…it was lost through the efforts of someone else
• This does not remove personal accountability• Jesus warns of causing others to be lost
through our efforts Mt 18:3-7
The Three Parables From Luke 15
Finding The Lost
• There are different ways people become lost Sometimes, men are lost like the young son
Applications
• The son was not lost through carelessness, nor through the carelessness of others
• He was open, defiant, willful re: his desires Heb 10:26-27
• This is the very essence of sin
The Three Parables From Luke 15
Finding The Lost
• The lessons of these 3 parables is not that man is lost
• The focus is God’s attitude toward the lost• There is a search• There is joy upon finding the lost vv. 7, 10
Conclusion
The Three Parables From Luke 15
Finding The Lost
• God misses everyone that is lost• No true father can rest until all his children
have come home safely• Even more so re: our heavenly Father• God desires that all would come home to Him
1 Tim 2:4 2 Pet 3:9
Conclusion
The Three Parables From Luke 15
Finding The Lost
The Three Parables From Luke 15
Finding The Lost
Won’t you be found today?
…