2012.09.23
The Fathers Joy Part 1
Luke 15: 1-
10
Here at
Calvary Chapel Wiesbaden we go through the Scriptures one verse at a
time….. and we are currently going
through this amazing history of the Lord Jesus Christ called the gospel of
Luke……. Last time I was with you we studied the last paragraph in a long sermon
that our Lord gave…. Jesus came
preaching the kingdom……. The people wewre waiting for the long promised
kingdom….. They were waiting for deliverance from Rome…. They hoped that Jesus
was the one…….
We're nearing the end of the ministry of Jesus…… He's headed toward the cross…… The unbelief
and rejection of Israel is certain……. The religious leaders have rejected Him
and already are plotting His death….. Soon The people will join in screaming
for His blood……
Jesus´
message is always a call to repentance……. It's a call to come to Him….. to come
into the kingdom of God……. to receive the forgiveness and redemption that He
brings…..
His message
is a call to the crowd…… Repent the Kingdom of heaven is at hand…… Jesus
invited the people to embrace Him as Messiah….. and receive forgiveness of sins and eternal
life…..
He is
calling people to follow Him…… to become His disciples….. to come after Him…….
And in paragraph after paragraph we hear the words of Jesus…….. In our text
last week…. We saw a very strong call to discipleship……. And it was an example
of how Jesus always called people to follow Him…... Just like the Father…..
Jesus always calls for everything we have….. Total commitment……
We come
this morning to an absolutely outstanding chapter in the gospel of Luke…..
I want to
ask you a question…… What makes God rejoice?
The
answer is when sinners repent….. when the lost are found…..
This is the
joy of Heaven….. the joy of God the Father…..….. the joy of the angels…… the
joy of the redeemed who are already in glory…… and it should be our joy…….
I hope that
when we leave here today…… It will be our greatest joy …..to see men and women
and boys and girls….. coming into the kingdom…..
What we
learn in this chapter is how different Jesus was from the religious leaders of
Israel……. Jesus rejoiced in the salvation of the lost……. because as God He
possessed that same divine joy that belongs to God our Creator and
Redeemer……. The joy that the Father has in the repentance and recovery
of the lost…..
Sadly, the
religious leaders of Israel who have no interest at all in the lost…….
The great
message of this chapter is Heaven rejoices greatly…… Heaven celebrates when a
sinner is saved…… when a lost soul is found and recovered and restored……. God himself rejoices….. And by the time we're
done with this chapter you're going to see into your own heart….. We will all
see where we are at…… Do we care about the lost? Really?
Sinners
hearing and believing the GOOD News….. repenting of their sins….. Coming to The
Lord Jesus….. being recovered….. found…. Is that our great joy?
Well we
find our joy in this world in a lot of ways……. But if you want to get in touch
with God…… and you want to share the joy of Heaven…… you're going to find your
greatest joy in the salvation of the sinner….. in the recovery of the lost…….
As we look
at this great text….. We can examine your own lives and test ourselves……
We need to
ask ourselves these questions…. Am I
closer to the attitude of Jesus andGod the Father?
Or am I closer to the attitude of the
Pharisees and the scribes….. Too proud and selfish to care about anything but
me….. my stuff…. My plans….my needs…. My
appearance of Christian perfection…. My pretending to care so that I can feel
good about myself….
That really
is the question here…... The Pharisees and the scribes who were the leaders of
Israel found no joy in even spending time with
the lost…… let alone seeing them converted…….. They were terrible
Shepherds……. They were the worst kind of
representatives of God……. And in contrast to them….. we see our Lord Jesus
Christ demonstrating the priority of Heaven in saving the lost…..
We don't
often think about God's joy…… When we think about God…… We look at His
attributes….. We think about what we know about Him…. they fall into two
general categories…… Typically, theologians have described them this way…… God
has certain incommunicable attributes…….. That is, those are things that are
true of Him and Him alone…... They don't get communicated to anybody else…… For
example,
God is
omnipotent…… He possesses infinite……limitless power……
God is
omnipresent….. He is everywhere at the same time at all time…..
God is
omniscient…... He knows everything that is, that has been, that will be….. God
is never surprised….. He never needs us to tell or show him anything….
God is
immutable…. that is, He never changes…… And
God is
eternal…... He is from eternity to eternity the living God….
Those
attributes of God are not communicable…… We don't receive those…… But there are
other characteristics or attributes of God that are communicable attributes…….
He is
righteous, He is holy, He is wise, He is loving, He is compassionate, He is
gracious, He is merciful…… and He has communicated those to us in some small
ways…
As human
beings we possess some elements of those communicable attributes…… All humans
can understand somethings….. All humans can love….
As believers we have received an even greater
portion of those things by the work of the Holy Spirit in us…… We talk a lot
about those attributes….. God's righteousness and holiness…… and wrath and
judgment and justice…..
And on the
other side, His wisdom, love, grace, mercy, compassion……. But one of the things
that is true about God……. One that we don't often talk about is His joy……. We
get caught up in the fact that Jesus is "a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief" as the prophet Isaiah said……. We never, in the New Testament,
hear of Jesus laughing, although we have already learned in Luke there was a time
when He rejoiced greatly in the 10th chapter of Luke…….
But here in
this chapter the theme is the Joy of
God…...
Jesus tells
three stories to illustrate the joy of the Father…. Let´s start with the first
2…..
Turn with
me to Luke 15….. I will begin at verse 1…..
Luke 15:1 -10 NKJV
1 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners
drew near to Him to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained,
saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So He spoke this
parable to them, saying:
4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if
he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go
after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he
lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls
together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I
have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 I say to you that likewise there will be
more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just
persons who need no repentance.
8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp,
sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she has
found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘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 the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 15:1 -10 Schlachter 2000
1 Es pflegten sich
ihm aber alle Zöllner und Sünder zu nahen, um ihn zu hören.
2 Und die Pharisäer
und die Schriftgelehrten murrten und sprachen: Dieser nimmt Sünder an und ißt
mit ihnen!
3 Er sagte aber zu
ihnen dieses Gleichnis und sprach:
4 Welcher Mensch
unter euch, der hundert Schafe hat und eines von ihnen verliert, läßt nicht die
neunundneunzig in der Wildnis und geht dem verlorenen nach, bis er es findet?
5 Und wenn er es
gefunden hat, nimmt er es auf seine Schulter mit Freuden;
6 und wenn er nach
Hause kommt, ruft er die Freunde und Nachbarn zusammen und spricht zu ihnen:
Freut euch mit mir; denn ich habe mein Schaf gefunden, das verloren war!
7 Ich sage euch, so
wird auch Freude sein im Himmel über einen Sünder, der Buße tut, mehr als über
neunundneunzig Gerechte, die keine Buße brauchen!
8 Oder welche Frau,
die zehn Drachmen hat, zündet nicht, wenn sie eine Drachme1 verliert, ein Licht
an und kehrt das Haus und sucht mit Fleiß, bis sie sie findet?
9 Und wenn sie sie
gefunden hat, ruft sie die Freundinnen und die Nachbarinnen zusammen und
spricht: Freut euch mit mir; denn ich habe die Drachme gefunden, die ich
verloren hatte!
10 Ich sage euch, so
ist auch Freude vor den Engeln Gottes über einen Sünder, der Buße tut.
Verse 7 ends the first story that Jesus tells…… His words in verse 7 are "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."
He's
talking about joy in Heaven, God's joy……. At the end of the second story in
verse 10, "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of
the angels of God over one sinner who repents." And now we add to God's
joy, the joy of holy angels……..
And then in
verse 32 at the end of the third story……
Luke 15: 32
NKJV
"...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: 32 Schlachter 2000
32 Du solltest aber
fröhlich sein und dich freuen; denn dieser dein Bruder war tot und ist wieder
lebendig geworden, und er war verloren und ist wiedergefunden worden!
And here
the joy expands even more…… to all those who rejoice in the salvation of someone
else…….
This is
about joy……. This is about God's joy…… And
the joy of the holy angels that surround His presence and the redeemed
and glorified saints that dwell in Heaven……. That God possesses joy is
obvious……. Joy is a part of our lives…….. We know joy….. We experience
pleasure, delight, joy, laughter, happiness……. Where did it come from? Well, it
had to come like everything else, from God our Father….. the Creator….. He
is the source……. In
Romans
14:17 particularly, the apostle Paul says…..
Romans 14: 17
NKJV
17 for
the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and
joy in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 14: 17 SCHLACHTER 2000
17 Denn das Reich
Gottes ist nicht Essen und Trinken, sondern Gerechtigkeit, Friede und Freude im
Heiligen Geist;
That means
that joy is an important part of the kingdom of God…… God´s joy is given by the
Holy Spirit to those who are in the kingdom…… Turn to the next page….Romans
15:13…..
Here we
read a blessing from paul to the Roman Christians…. Paul writes,
Romans 15:13 NKJV
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all
joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the
Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13 SCHLACHTER 2000
13 Der Gott der
Hoffnung aber erfülle euch mit aller Freude und mit Frieden im Glauben, daß ihr
überströmt in der Hoffnung durch die Kraft des Heiligen Geistes!
God
couldn't fill us with joy unless He had some to give……. God, who is the source
of joy, has joy in Himself to share……
Notice that
righteousness peace and joy and hope are connected to each other in these 2
passages….
You
remember in Psalm 51
David coming out of his terrible sin….. Cried
out to God for forgiveness……. He had committed adultery and then murder to
cover it up……. David asked God to
restore to him the joy of his salvation…...
God
rejoices….. God experiences joy…….
God
delights in the recovery of sinners……. And God shares that delight with all the
holy angels and all the redeemed and glorified saints….. And part of eternal
rejoicing in Heaven is going to be this endless chorus of hallelujahs because
we have been redeemed…… God finds His joy in the recovery of lost sinners……
In Deut
30….. God speaking through Moses warned the children Of Israel to turn from
their sin and rebellion….. He said that he knew they would rebel……. He said
there will come a day when you cry out to me again…… Then I will
circumcise your hearts……
Deut 30: 6 Schlachter 2000
6 Und der Herr, dein Gott, wird dein Herz und das Herz
deiner Nachkommen1 beschneiden, daß du den Herrn, deinen Gott, liebst von
ganzem Herzen und von ganzer Seele, damit du lebst. so that you will love the
Lord your God with all of your hearts and live…..
Then the
Father say ….. I will rejoice!
listen to
verse 9 and 10……
Deuteronomy 30: 9-10 NKJV
9 The LORD your God will make you abound in all
the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your
livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. For the LORD will again
rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers, 10 if you obey the
voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are
written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the LORD your God with all
your heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 30: 9-10 Schlachter2000
9 Und der Herr, dein
Gott, wird dir Überfluß geben in allem Werk deiner Hände, an der Frucht deines
Leibes, an der Frucht deines Viehs, an der Frucht deines Landes zu deinem
Besten; denn der Herr wird sich wiederum über dich freuen, zu deinem Besten,
wie er sich über deine Väter gefreut hat,
10 wenn du der Stimme
des Herrn, deines Gottes, gehorchst und seine Gebote und seine Satzungen
befolgst, die in diesem Buch des Gesetzes geschrieben stehen; wenn du zu dem
Herrn, deinem Gott, umkehrst von ganzem Herzen und von ganzer Seele.
We're not
talking about external religion….. we are talking about a circumcised heart…….
we're talking about transformation and salvation…….
What brings
the Lord joy? It is the recovery of the lost…... It is the salvation of
sinners……..
The
prophets understood this…… Look with me, if you will, at some of the
prophets…….
In Isaiah
chapter 62 the Spirit of the Lord speaking through Isaiah…… says that in the
future….. there is coming a day of repentance…….. That God Himself will
rejoice…..
Isaiah 62: 5b-6 NKJV
And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
So shall your God rejoice over you.
6 I have set watchmen on your walls, O
Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention
of the LORD, do not keep silent,
Isaiah 62: 5b-6 Schlachter 2000
und wie sich ein Bräutigam an seiner Braut
freut, so wird dein Gott sich an dir freuen.
6 O Jerusalem, ich
habe Wächter auf deine Mauern gestellt, die den ganzen Tag und die ganze Nacht
nicht einen Augenblick schweigen sollen. Die ihr den Herrn erinnern sollt,
gönnt euch keine Ruhe!
Here is the
prophet seeing the future salvation of Israel…... This is what God looks
for…… God rejoices to see sinners repent
and come back……… He commands the watchmen to speak of the Lord….. and not keep
silent……. We who know the Lord are able to participate in God´s joy….. by
proclaiming the Good news……… There is hope…… Repent…. The Kingdom of Heaven is
at hand…… We are to encourage them to come back….. we are to be good under
shepherds…… looking for lost sheep to rescue……
Jeremiah echoes the same thing, Jeremiah,
chapter 32…… This is wonderful news….. I
want to show you these passages….. I want you to know the heart of your God……. Jeremiah also
looked into the future restoration of Israel……. Turn to Jeremiah 32, verse
37…..
Jeremiah 32: 37- 41 NKJV
37 Behold, I will gather them out of all
countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in great wrath;
I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely. 38
They shall be My people, and I will be their God; 39 then I will give them one
heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and
their children after them. 40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with
them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in
their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. 41 Yes, I will rejoice over
them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My
heart and with all My soul.’
Jeremiah 32:
37-41 Schlachter 2000
37 Siehe, ich will
sie sammeln aus allen Ländern, wohin ich sie in meinem Zorn und Grimm und in
meiner großen Entrüstung verstoßen habe, und ich werde sie wieder an diesen Ort
zurückführen und sie sicher wohnen lassen;
38 und sie sollen
mein Volk sein, und ich will ihr Gott sein;
39 und ich will ihnen
ein Herz und einen Wandel geben, daß sie mich allezeit fürchten, ihnen selbst
zum Besten und ihren Kindern nach ihnen.
40 Und ich will einen
ewigen Bund mit ihnen schließen, daß ich nicht von ihnen ablassen will, ihnen
wohlzutun. Und ich werde die Furcht vor mir in ihr Herz geben, damit sie nicht
mehr von mir abweichen,
41 und damit ich mich
über sie freuen kann, ihnen wohlzutun; und ich werde sie einpflanzen in dieses
Land in Wahrheit, mit meinem ganzen Herzen und mit meiner ganzen Seele.
We are
commanded to love the LORD our God with all of our heart… and soul and
strength……. Here God says I will rejoice over them with all My heart and all My
soul…… What makes God rejoice?...
The
salvation of the lost…… the rescue of
those who are perishing…….
One other
prophetic testimony to this joy of God is Zephaniah…… It´s near the end of the OT…..
The prophet
Zephaniah writes in ch3…....
Zephaniah 3: 14- 17 NKJV
14 Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The LORD has taken away your judgments,
He has cast out your enemy.
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;
You shall see disaster no more.
16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear;
Zion, let not your hands be weak.
17 The LORD your God in your midst,
The Mighty
One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with
His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3: 14-
17 Schlachter
2000
14 Jauchze, du
Tochter Zion; juble, Israel! Freue dich und sei fröhlich von ganzem Herzen, du
Tochter Jerusalem!
15 Denn der Herr hat
die Gerichte von dir abgewendet, er hat deinen Feind weggeräumt. Der Herr, der
König Israels, ist in deiner Mitte; du brauchst kein Unheil mehr zu fürchten!
16 In jenen Tagen
wird man zu Jerusalem sagen: Fürchte dich nicht! Zion, laß deine Hände nicht
sinken!
17 Der Herr, dein
Gott, ist in deiner Mitte, ein Held, der rettet; er wird sich über dich freuen
mit Wonne, er wird still sein3 in seiner Liebe, er wird über dich jubelnd
frohlocken.
Something
good's coming as the prophet calls everyone to rejoice……… What is it?
v15
Zephaniah 3: 15 NKJV Schlachter 2000
15 The LORD has taken away your judgments,
He has cast out your enemy.
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;
You shall see disaster no more.
15 Denn der Herr hat
die Gerichte von dir abgewendet, er hat deinen Feind weggeräumt. Der Herr, der
König Israels, ist in deiner Mitte; du brauchst kein Unheil mehr zu fürchten!
God will
rejoice with singing when people repent……This is the heart of God…….
Remember
what Ezekiel said……. Three times the prophet Ezekiel says….. speaking for God:
"I
have no pleasure in the death of the wicked."
He finds
His supreme joy in the salvation of the wicked…... That's why in the wonderful
teaching of Jesus in Matthew 25 in a parable about the kingdom….. "Come, enter into the joy of your
Lord."
Can you
imagine being in Heaven and having God shouting for joy over the fact that
you're there?
Can you imagine, right now, because you're in
His kingdom, He is shouting for joy and the holy angels are shouting with Him
and the church triumphant around His throne is joining in the cry…… A party is
happening in Heaven as we speak and it continues to grow and grow….. every time a soul is saved…….
Our Lord
was a "man of sorrows" and He was "acquainted with grief,"
but He also knew joy……….
In His high
priestly prayer in John 17 and verse 13, He said….
John 13: 17 NLT
"Now I am coming to you. I told them many
things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy.
John
13: 17 Neues Leben
13 Jetzt aber komme
ich zu dir. Ich habe ihnen vieles gesagt, während ich in der Welt war, damit
sie von meiner Freude vollkommen erfüllt sind.
He knew
joy…... He wanted us to share His Joy….. He knew joy even going to the cross
because Hebrews 12 and verse 2 says…
Hebrews 12: 2 NKJV
2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher
of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12: 2 Schlachter 2000
2 Dies tun wir, indem
wir unsere Augen auf Jesus gerichtet halten, von dem unser Glaube vom Anfang
bis zum Ende abhängt1. Er war bereit, den Tod der Schande am Kreuz zu sterben,
weil er wusste, welche Freude ihn danach erwartete. Nun sitzt er an der rechten
Seite von Gottes Thron im Himmel!
What was
that joy?...... The joy of recovering the lost……. Heaven's joy comes in the
recovery of lost sinners…...
As we look
at our own lives, we might ask the question "How important is that in my
life, the recovery of the lost?"
How Important is that to me? How do I find my
greatest joy? Is it the perfect life….
The perfect wife……. The perfect man…… the perfect tan…….. Money…… pleasure……
Or do I
find my joy and my delight
in the knowledge that a sinner has been found and redeemed?
That should
be our greatest joy…….. If seeing the lost come to repentance and Salvation is
not our main joy……. Then why do we say we belong to Jesus….. Why do we say we
believe this Book? That's exactly the point of Luke 15…… It's a very convicting
chapter…… In it, our Lord tells three
stories….. but really they're just one story….. It's the story of Heaven's
reaction when the lost are found…… The first story is the story about a lost
sheep…… The second story is about a lost coin…... And the third story is about
a lost son……..
Close
Psalm 96: 1-3
NKJV
1 Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!
Sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from
day to day.
3 Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
Psalm 96: 1-3 Schlachter 2000
1 Singt dem Herrn ein
neues Lied, singt dem Herrn, alle Welt!
2 Singt dem Herrn,
preist seinen Namen, verkündigt Tag für Tag sein Heil!
3 Erzählt unter den
Heiden von seiner Herrlichkeit, unter allen Völkern von seinen Wundern!
In
Zephaniah….. God rejoices over us……. Here David says to us….. Sing to the LORD
a new song!......proclaim the Good news of his salvation from day to day…….
That means tell the Good news everyday…..…… the psalm ends reminding us that
God is coming to judge the earth….PS 96…. Verse 10-13
Psalm 96: 10-13 NKJV
10 Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns;
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be moved;
He shall judge the peoples righteously.”
11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth
be glad;
Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;
12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is in
it.
Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice
13
before the LORD.
For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the
earth.
He shall judge the world with righteousness,
And the peoples with His truth.
Psalm 96: 10-13 Schlachter 2000
10 Sagt unter den
Heiden: Der Herr regiert als König! Darum steht auch der Erdkreis fest und
wankt nicht. Er wird die Völker gerecht richten.
11 Es freue sich der
Himmel, und die Erde frohlocke, es brause das Meer und was es erfüllt!
12 Es jauchze das
Feld und alles, was darauf ist! Dann sollen alle Bäume des Waldes jubeln
13 vor dem Herrn,
denn er kommt, denn er kommt, um die Erde zu richten! Er wird den Erdkreis
richten mit Gerechtigkeit und die Völker in seiner Treue.
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