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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?

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