https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/LostSheep.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Luke 15:1-7<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nI. When people can’t fault a person, they will sometimes seek to find fault in the way\nsomeone does things.\n
A. This is how the Pharisees and Scribes sought to degrade Jesus’ reputation.<\/p>\n B. It wasn’t something they would do. In fact, they implied it there was something\nwrong with Jesus because of the people he was with.\n
C. They didn’t even address their complaint to Jesus. They spoke to others.<\/p>\n
1. Their goal was to undermine Jesus’ reputation<\/p>\n
2. They sought to cause people to doubt Jesus’ character<\/p>\n
II. The parable of the lost sheep was Jesus’ response to the rumors being spread about him<\/p>\n A. He asked how many of them would leave their flock of ninety-nine safe sheep to\nsearch for just one which was missing. Would they not rejoice when it was found,\nand make a greater fuss over the one than the ninety-nine that never left?\n B. Jesus’ parable is often applied to fallen Christians, but notice that the complaint\nwas against Jesus teaching among sinners.\n 1. What is stated is true about anyone caught up in sin, including fallen\nChristians.\n
2. But it’s primary application tells us about teaching the lost.<\/p>\n
III. Lesson about saving the lost<\/p>\n
A. You have to admit that there are lost sheep<\/p>\n
1. It is one of the biggest failings of our time.<\/p>\n
a. People avoid saying others are in sin for fear of driving them off. <\/p>\n
b. “Oh, you’re alright just the way you are!”<\/p>\n c. But a sheep in wilderness, remains in the wilderness if it is not\nbrought out.\n
2. Ancient Israel was scattered by their own shepherds – Jeremiah 50:6<\/p>\n
3. God sent His Son because of this – Isaiah 53:6<\/p>\n
4. We were once like this as well – I Peter 2:25<\/p>\n
B. You have to leave the safety of the flock to find the lost sheep<\/p>\n
1. You can’t save people from sin by attending church services.<\/p>\n 2. Sure, some lost sheep will stray into services, but most will require a\ndiligent search on your part.\n a. “Well, he’s not at the neighbors. I don’t see him walking down the\nroad. Oh well, I did look, but I can’t find him.”\n
b. The shepherd had to enter the wilderness.<\/p>\n
3. The command of Jesus was to go<\/i> and make disciples – Matthew 28:19-20<\/p>\n
4. Go and preach to everyone – Mark 16:15-16<\/p>\n
5. The early Christians accomplished this – Colossians 1:23; Romans 10:18<\/p>\n C. The lost sheep might be too weak to return on his own. You might have to carry\nhim for a while.\n 1. A lost sheep doesn’t eat well. It can’t rest well. It’s coat will be matted and\nfilled with dirt.\n
2. The strong need to bear up the weak – Romans 15:1-3<\/p>\n
3. Uphold the weak – I Thessalonians 5:14<\/p>\n 4. When a lost soul is brought into the church, he isn’t going to be just like\nthe rest of the sheep – not for a while.\n
a. There are things to learn.<\/p>\n
b. Paul took such in consideration when teaching – I Corinthians 3:1-3<\/p>\n 5. How many of us are willing to work with a person with all his flaws to lead\nhim to maturity?\n
a. Too often the weak are rejected as unable to fit in<\/p>\n b. Or they are pushed out because they aren’t maturing at the pace we\ndemand\n
6. But even the weak are necessary – I Corinthians 12:18-26<\/p>\n
D. In a wilderness you see all sorts of critters, but only find one lost sheep<\/p>\n 1. Jesus told his parable while surrounded by many sinners, but he told us he\nwas looking for that one lost sheep.\n
2. Too often we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by the task at hand. <\/p>\n
a. Look at all the lost people in our community!<\/p>\n 3. Too often we allow ourselves to be defeated because so many don’t\nrespond\n
4. What we should be doing is looking for that one lost sheep.<\/p>\n a. We shouldn’t waste time trying to convince the mountain goat that\nhe really should be a sheep.\n b. We shouldn’t be inviting in the wolves just because our numbers\nwould be greater.\n 5. Time is too short to waste. As Jesus told the seventy, deliver the message\nand keep going – Luke 10:8-11\n
E. Welcome the lost sheep into the fold<\/p>\n 1. The past doesn’t matter. What is important is that other person is on his\nway to heaven.\n
2. People rejoiced to hear others coming to Christ – Acts 15:3<\/p>\n
3. Barnabas encouraged the new converts – Acts 11:23<\/p>\n
4. What greater joy can there be? – I Thessalonians 2:19; 3:7-9<\/p>\nIV. Jesus taught the parable because the Pharisees and Scribes only wanted those like\nthemselves into their numbers.\n
A. They had forgotten that people can and do change.<\/p>\n
B. They only want people who already were perfect.<\/p>\n C. They had forgotten that people need to grow and need encouragement in their\ngrowth\nV. Brethren if the only ones we accept in our number are those who have conquered sin, our\nnumbers will quickly diminish.\n
A. This is a place for sinners to recover.<\/p>\n
B. Some treat the church as a hospital that only takes in the healthy.<\/p>\n C. We ought not accept people who want to stay in their sins, but when a person is\nweak and wants help overcoming their sins, they deserve all the love we can give\nthem.\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 15:1-7 I. When people can’t fault a person, they will sometimes seek to find fault in the way someone does things. A. This is how the Pharisees and Scribes sought to degrade Jesus’ reputation. B. It wasn’t something they would do. In fact, they implied it there was something wrong with…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[536,47,451],"class_list":["post-47091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-preaching","tag-salvation","tag-teaching"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":54785,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-one-thing-that-matters\/","url_meta":{"origin":47091,"position":0},"title":"The One Thing that Matters","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 2, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 11:5-13 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0How do you pray? What do you pray for? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A young Chinese preacher asked me to explain Luke 11:9-10 better so that he could teach others in his area better \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0God is all knowing, but God expects us to ask \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Consider how\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":93601,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-people-thousands-of-years-later-dont-know-more-than-the-eyewitnesses\/","url_meta":{"origin":47091,"position":1},"title":"Why People Thousands of Years Later Don’t Know More Than the Eyewitnesses","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Gardner Hall The president of Colombia caused quite a stir in Latin America when he recently said, \"Jesus made love, yes ... because a man like that couldn't exist without love.\" There's more to the quote that I don't care to repeat, but this kind of nonsense is heard\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":52556,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-is-sin-still-our-fault\/","url_meta":{"origin":47091,"position":2},"title":"Why is sin still our fault?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 5, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I have something to ask that's been a big question for me. I don't understand things the way I ought to. All have sinned. Can you help me reconcile the fact that it's impossible to never sin, but sin is still our fault? I know factually that God\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35863,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/safe-sins\/","url_meta":{"origin":47091,"position":3},"title":"Safe Sins","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 20, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 6:9-11 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The lengths people will go to justify their sins is sometimes amazing \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is a rare person who will say that something they are doing is a sin and that it shouldn\u2019t be done. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0More common is to dress up the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61774,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/and-just-whose-fault-is-it\/","url_meta":{"origin":47091,"position":4},"title":"And Just Whose Fault Is It?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 2, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 9:14-24 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I received a note that I found disgusting \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A woman complained that her husband wasn\u2019t giving her the affection she deserved, so she kicked her husband out and brought in a boyfriend. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0That sin doesn\u2019t justify sin apparently doesn\u2019t matter to her\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45605,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/shouldnt-the-divorce-decree-mention-sexual-unfaithfulness\/","url_meta":{"origin":47091,"position":5},"title":"Shouldn’t the divorce decree mention sexual unfaithfulness?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 24, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I wrote to you years ago concerning my ex-wife, who divorced me for desertion while I was stationed in another country while in the military. She has since passed away. I've been a widower for years now and I've met a lady in the church. She has had two\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47091"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47091\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}