Restored This morning we will spend most our time in Luke s gospel as we continue to look at the teaching of Jesus toward the end of His earthly ministry. We are looking at the final few months of Jesus life to understand what loose ends Jesus wanted to tie up before returning to heaven. If Jesus had unfinished business or a message that He felt needed to be stressed, we want to capture that and understand why it may have been important to Jesus. Before we turn to Luke, let s take a few moments to look at a portion of Joshua. We will look at this so that we might better understand how God works and thinks. In the 5 th chapter of Joshua, we see a weird ritual take place. At that time the LORD said to Joshua, Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time. So, Joshua made himself flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel (Joshua 5:2-3 NASB). If we read the entire 5 th chapter, we would learn that during the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, none of the men were circumcised. Circumcision was a sign of the covenant between God and Abraham. This sign was lost during the trip from Egypt to Canaan. God wants to put the sign back in place as a sign. Now when they had finished circumcising all the nation, they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed. Then the LORD said to Joshua, Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you. So, the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day. While the sons of Israel camped at Gilgal, they observed the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the desert plains of Jericho. On the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. The manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land, so that the sons of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan during that year. (Joshua 5:8-12 NASB) From this reading in Joshua, let s note three things. First, God rolled away the reproach. God took the initiative. This idea will be underscored later in our message. Second, God had provided 1
manna for them to eat until they ate from the land. Even in their times of doubting God, even when they grumbled, God still provided for them. The third thing to note, and perhaps the most important, God restored His covenant relationship with His chosen people. Let s turn to the 15 th chapter of Luke. We will stay there for most of the rest of this morning. We ll start with the very first verse. Now all the tax collectors and the sinners (I.e. irreligious Jews) were coming near Him to listen to Him. Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with them. (Luke 15:1-2 NASB) When we read sinners, we should know that the wording is used for someone who has fallen or turned away from God. We might think in terms of hypocrite. So, Jesus is was talking with, visiting with, and associating with these tax collectors and sinners. The religious leaders had a problem with this. I want to stop right here and share this. As we plan and move toward growth, we look to having more people and people with diverse backgrounds worshipping with us. I have explored the question with several about how we as a congregation would react to a family from a differing ethic background. For the most part, I don t believe that would be a problem. However, are we ready to accept sinful people? Are we ready to have others look at us and say They receive sinners and eat with them? Moving on. Against this back-drop, Jesus tells a series of parables. We are very familiar with all of these parables. In fact, we looked at these parables a few weeks ago in Sunday School class. As we re-read them this morning, let s see what we learn as we realize that Jesus is telling us something that is important and relevant, even today. So, He told them this parable, saying, What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 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 which was lost! I tell you that in the 2
same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninetynine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:3-7 NASB) The message of Jesus for those who said: This man receives sinners and eats with them. Is a question. If you lost a lamb, even if it is only one out of a hundred, would you look for it? Would you be elated if you found it? Would you want to restore this lost lamb to the rest of the flock? Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost! In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. (Luke 15:8-10 NASB) The silver coins are approximately a day s wages. So, she had 10 days wages and lost one day s pay. She mounts a search for this coin and finds it. Again, the question for those who said: This man receives sinners and eats with them. Is would you look for your money? Would you be glad or relived if you found your money? The final parable in this series is much longer and is equally familiar. Many sermons have been delivered from this parable. In this parable, Jesus captures the essence of the situation. There are people who turn away from God and they are restored and there are people who never leave but become judgmental and super critical. And He said, A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me. So, he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. So, he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. But when he came to his senses, he said, How many of my father s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be 3
called your son; make me as one of your hired men. So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his slaves, Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found. And they began to celebrate. Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. 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 became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. But he answered and said to his father, Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him. And he said to him, Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found. (Luke 15:11-31 NASB) We know this story by heart. The younger son asked for and received his portion of his father s estate. We can almost hear him saying: Let me have it while I m still able to enjoy it. Don t make me wait until you die. Well, he lives the high life. He spends all of his money and is destitute and remembers my father s hired men have more than enough bread. He decides to go back home. He does not expect to be treated as a son. His request to his father: make me as one of your hired men. We know that the father is so happy to see him coming home that he prepares a feast and there is a big celebration with music and dancing. Happy ending, right? Well, not too fast. Look at the reaction of the older brother. You remember, he was the one that stayed with the father. He is sort of like the Pharisees and the scribes we saw in verse 2 of this chapter. 4
The father is happy to restore the lost child, the lost sheep, the lost coin while those who stayed the course aren t always happy. Let s review the last sentence from each of these parables. The lost sheep that was found ends with these words: I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. The lost coin that was found ends with: In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. The child that wandered off and squandered his inheritance but came home ends with the words of his father: But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found. There is a message of hope to be found. Just as God restored the children of Israel by the renewing of the covenant that we read about in Joshua the 5 th chapter, just as each of these parables that Jesus related to those who only saw lost worthless sinners, God is ready and rejoicing when each and everyone is restored into a covenant relation with Him. Are we ready to be restored to God? Are we ready to welcome those whom God has called to be a part of His covenant? 5