2016.07.03 Luke 15:
1- 10
God is a Joyful Savior
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…..
We are going to look at Luke 15
this morning…
The great message of this chapter
is Heaven rejoices greatly when a sinner
is saved…… When a lost soul is found and
restored……. God himself rejoices….. And
by the time we're done with this chapter you're going to get a glimpse
(Einblick) into your own heart….. We will all see where we are at… Do we care
about the lost? Really? We should…
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 and God 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… He came to seek and to save the lost… It
was His great joy to do so… And God the Father…?
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
He is righteous, He is holy, He is wise, He is loving,
He is compassionate, He is gracious, He is merciful… These characteristics make
up part of His self revelation… Exodus 32-34…. Particularly Exodus 34: 6-8…. We looked at at them on Friday Night… When we looked
at Psalm 100…
But one of the things that is true about God… One that we don't often talk
about… is His joy… 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 slt 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.
v7 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… Later as Jesus tells the story of the prodigal sons… we come to V32…
Luke 15… v32…
And then in verse 32 at the end of the third story…
Luke 15: 32
NKJV
32 … 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… The entire household rejoices over this one who was lost… Now the
celebration includes all those who
rejoice in the salvation of someone else…….
This chapter 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… Because He made us able to experience these things…
Hope and joy are connected to
each other… 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……
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…
When we talk about the Gospel… We're
not talking about external religion… we are talking about a circumcised heart…
we're talking about transformation and salvation… He causes us to be born again
for His great names sake…
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 38…
Jeremiah 32: 38- 41 NKJV
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: 38-41 slt2000
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 slt 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 sein in seiner Liebe, er wird über
dich jubelnd frohlocken.
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 is by Nature a Savior… 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
13 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 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 restored?
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? We are clearly sent to proclaim the Good News… And It produces great Joy in Our Heavenly
Father…
We have all tried to please our
dads… Haven´t we…? It brings them joy to know that we obeyed because we love
them…. That's exactly the point of Luke 15… In it, our Lord tells three stories… but
really they're just one story… It´s the story of Redemption… 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… Let´s pray…
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