WebI Once W as Lost, But Now Am Found Isaiah 53:6; Luke 15:1-10 February 10, 2008 Intr oduction: Bunny-Lovey Being Lost In these two parables, Jesus powerfully shares with us who we really are. But is the womans effort justified? How could he say that he had never neglected a command of his father when, moments before, his father had commanded that there be a celebration, and the older brother had refused to take part? 3 Jesus does seem to grant that the 99 are actually righteous here. The IRS has done it again. This presents us with one of the greatest hindrances to our study, interpretation, and application of this text. They never took in the goodness of God and partook of the Bread of Life. One proof text people cite is where the Author of Hebrews writes, For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore (Heb 6:4-6). When a self-righteous person continues in his self-righteousness, he gets the glory and God is not pleased. The kids were always getting in trouble with the law. The father said, My child, you have always been with me (v. 32a). Middle voice of archo; to commence. The Pharisees could easily agree that if they lost one sheep or one coin, they would diligently seek to find it, and they would greatly rejoice in finding it. Peter had also gained a great knowledge about sheep by the teachings. Jack has written 1300 articles on What Christians Want To Know! His self-righteousness is such that he expects, even demands Gods approval and blessings. [For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.]. He had to go without sleep because the longer the sheep remained lost, the greater the risk of its being destroyed. Bible Verses About Lost God loves each of us as if there were only one of us"- Augustine. We most often tend to think of Him as the giver, rather than as the gift. Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. Blind, physically or mentally. The first run-in between Jesus and the Pharisees had to do with Jesus authority to forgive sins, which was only the prerogative of God (Luke 5:17-26). For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore, Can a Christian Lose Their Salvation? Previous post: What it Means to Become a New Creation in Christ. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with them.. I drew away from Him little by little. No, the glad fact is, you are not secure in your salvation because of your grip on the Good Shepherd, but rather because of His grip on you. But nothing of theirs was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that they had taken for themselves; David brought it all back. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but dung, that I may win Christ. But he lived in a country where sheep were raised and valued. A prolonged form of a primary heuro, which heureo is used for it in all the tenses except the present and imperfect to find. Bob is a pastor/teacher and elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, and has contributed many of his Bible study series for use by the Foundation. He sought after you until He found you and rescued you from your hopeless condition. (3) The younger lost his inheritance; the older did not. From ekei; that one (neuter) thing); often intensified by the article prefixed. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. Consider the similarities in these two sons with me for a moment. Too bad!, The daughter went into the kitchen where her mother was preparing dinner and repeated the news. 240 Bible Verses about Lost And who is adequate for these things? Thus, the words of the son to his father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight (v. 18, NASB). Is salvation by grace plus works a false gospel? The son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. It was only in my study for this message that I came to realize the many similarities in the two. 8:00 am 1st Service Why are all of our righteous acts considered filthy rags? 10 Bible Verses For When You Are Lost vv. gain access to 50+ premium resources to enhance your study of Scripture. Some argue that you can have saving faith without repentance. I believe that the fullest explanation of this is to be found in Matthews gospel, in the 23rd chapter. But he answered his father, Look! Once again, the search and the rejoicing seems to be overdone, when it comes to the sheep and the silver (coin). The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist. The late Bible teacher, Harry Ironside, told of a new convert who gave his testimony at a church service. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? Thats what they get for not going to church and for living like they do. Few of us will choose to identify with the older brother, and yet, in the context of chapter 15, he is the central figure, his sin is most in view, and his reaction to his brothers repentance and return is our Lords explanation for the grumbling of the Pharisees and scribes. He rescued (saved) me from the destruction of my lostness. When a close family member is lost, you cannot be at rest until he or she is found. One day the teenage daughter from the first family told her father, You know, Dad, I think theres trouble next door. 9. 1 John 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. Neither son (the younger son changed, happily) was able to enjoy their father for who he was. That is not good economics. As he tells his older son, We had to be merry and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found (15:32). This included the necessity of living a life that was very distinct (holy) from that of the heathen. 11:7) and the Jew under normal circumstances would have nothing to do with it at all That no one helped him shows the low esteem into which he had fallen. But, if you have still not trusted in Christ, then you are still dead in your sins (Eph 2:1-5) and have no hope outside of Christ and on judgment day and have no security of salvation when you eventually face Gods judgement (Heb 9:27; Rev 20:12-15). office@mymarshill.org 7 The father, to the best of my knowledge, did not restore to the son what he had lost, but he did restore him to the full benefits of being a member of the familyin other words, the inheritance, which he squandered was not replenished, but he was given a coat, a ring, and sandals. We all sin, but believers dont deliberately seek out and practice sin. That is the way Gods grace worksit is bestowed on unworthy people, sinners, who do not trust in their good works, but in Gods grace. Suppose that someone were to come along with a one-paragraph explanation of all the rules (impossible as it seems), easily understood and applied by the masses. But this final parable proves this assumption to be entirely false. Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up. Let me summarize several pertinent characteristics of the Pharisees, as our Lord exposed them: (1) The Pharisees loved the place of honor at banquets (Matthew 23:5). God was going to bless His people for obeying His law. They wandered in the wilderness in a desert region; They did not find a way to an inhabited city. This is, of course, the flip side of the first protest. The bottom line was that the Pharisees wrongly believed that it was good works which merited Gods favor, rather than His grace manifested toward sinners. If that is what our God is like, then that is what we, as His people, should be like. 31 And he said to him, Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. What does death mean to a lost sheep (someone without Jesus Christ)? A rabbinic saying runs, Cursed be the man who would breed swine (Baba Kamma 82b). Eternal Insecurity Once I Was Saved, But Now Am Lost? Should one abandon the 99 sheep, leaving them vulnerable to getting lost or to attack by wild animals? The only reason they were found is that the shepherd and the woman initiated a diligent search for them. Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. The younger son was first of all enslaved by his passions (sins), and also by a foreign employer. The preacher was speaking on Luke 15:2, which in the King James Version reads, This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them., Afterwards, one of the children, a girl of 8, went up to the pastor and said, Pardon me, sir, but I didnt know that my name was in the Bible. He asked, What is your name? Edith, sir. No, he said, Edith is not in the Bible. Yes, it is, she replied. Eternal Insecurity Once I Was Saved, But Now Am Lost? So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. Paul writes that nothing created or even death itself can ever separate us from God (Rom 8:37-39). The critical difference between Jesus and the Pharisees is that they cared about possessions, while Jesus cared about people. He was lost and has been found. So they had this huge party. No wonder people are flocking to their accountants or those who professionally prepare tax forms. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate. Peter reminds his readers that they too were once lost, wandering aimlessly in their sins. Jesus, Peter reminds his readers, is the only shepherd that could rescue and return them from their lostness. Let us seek the illumination of Gods Spirit as we approach this very important passage of Gods Word, so that we may learn what our Lord wanted His audience to understand. Our concept of separation is the very thing that hinders us from evangelizing the lost, and it is one of the things which causes sinners to shun us, even as we do them. John Which one of them, if they owned 100 sheep, would not leave the 99 to search for but one lost sheep? WebJohn 3:1-36 ESV / 24 helpful votesHelpfulNot Helpful. It seems to me that many Christians are sad sacks, devoid of joy, because they have lost sight of their own salvation by grace, and they are not involved in leading others to it. WebI once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see. What does it mean to be spiritually lost? | GotQuestions.org The older brother refused to celebrate with his father (and younger brother), but he indicated a strong desire to have been allowed to have a banquet WITH HIS FRIENDS. Peter had also gained a great knowledge about sheep by the teachings. Luke 15:32. Mark 8:22 And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. 49 Bible verses about Being Lost - Knowing Jesus Amazing Grace > Lyrics | John Newton - Timeless Truths For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Do we rejoice when our stocks go up and we make a huge profit? 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Joy is to be one of the characteristics of the Christian. When the shepherd found the lost sheep, he didnt get out his whip and drive it back to the fold. As an Israelite, this young man would understand several things about the blessings which God promised His chosen people. The fathers answer suggests the opposite. Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 10. Surely the law is not going to be lost to the priest, nor counsel to the sage, nor the divine word to the prophet! If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? The message which these three parables brought home to the Pharisees and scribes is painfully clear: they had too much compassion on their own lost possessions, but they cared little for lost people. I was on my way to the office when I encountered it. Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular. New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition, New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition. Thanks for stopping by! WebAnd when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.. They only got a taste or sample of it, so this is not about believers. 1:4, 5). For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 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!. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. It is as though the angels were leaning over the rail of heaven, straining to see just one saint come to repentance and faith. Bible Verses About Being Lost - KING JAMES BIBLE ONLINE And he was lost, but he is found! And they began to be merry. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him! My son, the father said, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. (2) Both sons wanted to celebrate WITHOUT THEIR FATHER. He could make the truth simple; the Pharisees made it mind-bogglingly complex. Start your free trial today! Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition The Lockman Foundation, Related Topics: Hamartiology (Sin), Soteriology (Salvation), Steve served as the pastor of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship from May, 1992 through his retirement in December, 2018. This man receives sinners, and [Steve] with them. If you will join the tax gatherers and sinners and draw near to Jesus and listen to Him, you will know the joy of singing, I once was lost, but now Im found!. What matters is that you know you are a sinner, that you are unworthy of Gods favor, and that Christs death on the cross of Calvary is Gods gracious gift to you. A son, descendent. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. The Cross And Unjust Suffering (1 Peter 2:19-25). They also contrast the love for that which was lost in the Pharisees with that of the Lord Jesus. We felt a wave of horror sweep over us, followed by about ten minutes of frantic searching that seemed much longer. Even if he becomes aware of his condition, there is nothing he can do about it. Matthew 6:34 This is why they could not rejoice at the repentance of lost sinners. He finished with He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Lukes very next words inform us that these sinners came near to hear him. Leon Morris, The Gospel According To St. Luke, The Tyndale Bible Commentary Series, R. V. G. Tasker, General Editor (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1974), p. 238. 3-7, 8-10). And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Would they not tenderly put the sheep on their shoulders, lovingly carrying it back to the fold, rather than kicking it back, scolding it all the way? And now he is alive again. Let us concentrate, then, on each of the three central characters of this parable. for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry. Lets say, then, that five sheep and perhaps a couple of goats are slaughtered, not to mention the cost of the other food. For the Pharisees, this was a humiliating exposure of their sin and their hypocrisy. What do you think? Come on and let us strike at him with our tongue, and let us give no heed to any of his words., Now the donkeys of Kish, Sauls father, were lost. Look in the back of your Bible; it may have a Bible concordance (index) which will direct you to a few verses that contain each word that you find in the concordance. The embrace would stop the prodigal from going to his knees. They know the joys of Gods glorious presence in heaven, where those rescued by the Good Shepherd will spend eternity. Jesus said that whoeverbelieves in Him can receive eternal life (John 3:16). 8 Bible Verses About Being Lost - What Christians Want A materialist would easily identify with the mental torment of losing even one out of 100 sheep or one out of 10 coins. Spurgeon pokes fun at the view that those whom the Savior has rescued can ever be lost again. To come to life again, revive, regain life. I write this lesson on this Tuesday morning, October 22, 2012, in the lonely solitude of an empty house. This family avoided their lost neighbors and rejoiced when they finally moved away. TESTIMONY: I ONCE WAS LOST BUT NOW I'M FOUND! While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. And they began to be merry. My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back. So Kish said to his son Saul, Take now with you one of the servants, and arise, go search for the donkeys.. Verse Concepts. What Does the Bible Say About Lost? - OpenBible.info Their house and lawn were a mess.