Parables: Keys to the Kingdom - Lost

Luke 15:1-10- Kirk Rupprecht 

Commonplace Church exists to glorify God, equip disciples & share the Good News of Jesus. Learn more at commonplacechurch.org

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:35

So silly. Alright. How's everybody doing? Good, good, good to be with you guys. Grateful that we're together. So cool we get to gather on Sunday mornings. If you're visiting, checking out our church cat for the first time, so glad you guys are here. Thanks for being a part of it. My name is Kirk, the pastor here. And over the past few weeks, here's what we've been doing. We've been looking at this series called Uh Keys to the Kingdom. These are parables of Jesus. These are teachings that Jesus offers to just help us understand what it looks like to be a part of his kingdom? What does it look like to walk and be disciples of Jesus? And so this morning we're going to look at um just an incredible parable. We're going to look at really one that's going to show us a characteristic of the God that we follow. And it's really, really powerful this morning to see how Jesus presents this incredible attribute of God. We see this in these two parables that we're looking at today. And we'll be in chap uh Luke, chapter uh 14 today. Um and uh chapter 15, sorry, wrong one. Chapter 14 today. Chapter 44 is next week, but 15 today, and uh we're gonna look at two. There's actually three parables that take place in this uh account, but we actually looked at the third one uh a couple months ago. So we're just gonna look at two parables today, the first two that we see here, and what we're gonna see is um this characteristic of exploration is this about God. It's God being a pursuer, he's a pursuing God. And so to help us really unpack that, let's let's take a look at this word pursue in itself. And and so here's what definition would be: it really means to like to follow, uh, to chase, to strive towards something of value, maybe a goal, maybe an interest, maybe a person, and doing so at times with persistence, persistence over time. And I love that definition because it captures really something essential about who God is. Because what we're gonna see in these parables of Jesus here today is God doesn't just sit at at a distance, right? God moves towards what he values. And so within that, there are really two key elements when it comes to this idea of pursuit, okay? Um there's there's one who is doing the pursuing, right? And then there's what the object being uh pursued, that that thing of value. And it's a simple concept, really, but when it comes to God, it just takes on this incredible, um, just just powerful reality. Because what Jesus is about to show us is just this is just how far God, He is willing to go in pursuit of what He values. So as we jump into these two parables today, there's something we need to recognize. Um, and what I want to point out is this there are um there are variables that create this action of pursuit. Here's what I mean by that. When talking about pursuing something, well, there's always a starting point. Let's let's call that a reason for this pursuit to actually take place and begin. And now generally the pursuit falls into, I would say, two categories. Here's the first one it's the pursuit of gaining something. I'll give you an example. Um, we have uh just a great amount of uh high school seniors, and they're about to graduate, and so their next steps might look like this pursuing maybe um college, maybe a trade, maybe career. They're pursuing something that they don't yet have, right? That's the pursuit of just gaining something that that hasn't hasn't taken place yet. And of course, there's another kind of pursuit, and and it's not pursuit for gain, but it's this it's pursuit for what is to be regained. This is when something was once was, and well, now no longer is, right? Two things that were once together, now we find separated. Something of value been misplaced, maybe wandered, or in some cases has chosen to go its own way. The word that I think best describes that condition is this word lost. Something is lost. And I don't think we need a ton of like examples of explanation for loss, right? Maybe the pursuit of lost car keys we've talked about before, maybe the pursuit of like a lost pet, or or even like the pursuit of, let's say, like a relationship where um someone has maybe walked away, but the desire for relations is still there, and desire for restoration is still there. It's the pursuit of something that once was, but now now is gone. And this right here, that's the kind of pursuit, that's what Jesus is going to show us in these parables. Because in the gospel of Luke, chapter 15, verses 1 through 10, through this parable of the lost sheep and parable of the lost coin, Jesus reveals something so powerful about the character of God. He shows us that God is not just one who pursues for gain, he is God who pursues to regain. And so maybe just a simple way to um to kind of go about this today is to just go this phrase here God pursues what is lost, and he rejoices when it's found. So let's take a look at these parables. If you have a Bible, Luke 15, 1 through 10, here we go. Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to him, and the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with them. So he told them this parable. And when he has found it, he lays it on his soul's shoulders, rejoicing. 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 that was lost. Just so I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance. And he goes on to the parable of lost coin. Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she chooses, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, seek diligently until she finds it. And when she's found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I lost. Just so I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. So from this tagline, God pursues what is lost and rejoices when it's found. Let's just unpack these parables together today and explore this attribute of God as pursuer. That's better, I think. Well, hold on. There we go. Technical difficulties happens. So, in this instance of uh the gospel of Luke here, I think it's important, though, to start by looking at the setting of the story, the circumstances, kind of understanding some context of what Jesus is saying. So here's what the setting looks like. Jesus, in this moment, he is in the presence of this group uh known as the Pharisees. And here's what the Pharisees are. They are the religious elite at that time, they're the religious highest authorities within the Jewish faith. And they're a group, though, that's here, present, not to learn from Jesus, not to celebrate what Jesus is doing, but rather to present, uh, I guess, let's say, a critique of Jesus, to really challenge him, to question his authority. And the Pharisees, they're the ones who are currently in this position of influence. And what happens is when Jesus comes into the picture, well, their authority is challenged, right? When Jesus arrives, they they realize that this is an authority, this is an authority that they've never seen before. Yet instead of like recognizing that authority and and and receiving it and just being joyful, they feel threatened. They feel insecure. That's what Jesus' authority does, it exposes their insecurity. So rather than surrendering their position, here's what they do: they push back, they push back against Jesus to protect it. So how do they go after Jesus here? Well, they do so by going after the people that Jesus is spending time with. They critique Jesus based on the company that he keeps. Why do they choose that route? Well, it's simple. Jesus, he's associating with people the Pharisees would never allow into their circle. People they would consider unworthy. And yet, those are the exact people that Jesus is inviting into his presence. And so, who are the ones that Jesus is being criticized for? Well, they the Pharisees don't leave it vague, okay? Verse 2 says this directly. It says, This man receives sinners and he eats with them. There's your answer. Sinners. That's who Jesus is being criticized for engaging with. And yet here's the thing it's not that Jesus is just like near these folks, right? He's not just in like proximity. That's not what offends the Pharisees. It's that Jesus is doing this. He is actually sharing life with them. Because in this context, this word receive, it means more than just like acknowledging someone, it means to welcome them into your life. It means to accept them, it means to make space for them. If you think about it this way, throughout history, uh access to certain uh people and spaces uh have been at times been controlled, right? And this idea of receiving. If you think about like uh the gilded age in American history, if someone wanted access to like the social elite, they couldn't just like walk in. There was a process. Even to visit the home of the elite, the servant of that house would go to the owner and ask, will this person be received? In other words, here's what they're asking. Are they worthy to enter into your presence? And what we see here is that Jesus, he makes this intentional decision to receive them, to welcome sinners into his presence. And but here's the thing, the Pharisees, they don't stop critiquing Jesus for that, because it's not that Jesus is just welcoming them, it's he's sharing life with them, he's eating with them. And if you know anything about meals in that culture, right, it's it's a little different than the meals we have today, where we kind of just like throw down food and we're on our way, right? The table, it meant something so different, right? To sit at the table meant this I accept you. It means I'm with you. It means you belong here. Here's what the table ultimately was a table was a place of relationship, it was a place of connection, it was a place of acceptance. And so when the Pharisees see Jesus, he's eating with sinners. What they see is not just Jesus like interacting, right? They see an identification that he's okay with this. And they can't handle it, right? So what they do, they they critique him, they go out and they challenge him. Ultimately, they question Jesus' authority based on this, based on the people he welcomes. Now, of course, in response to uh this critique, Jesus offers these parables parables that they reveal this theme. It's the theme of the attribute of this pursuing God, a God who moves towards the lost. Why? Well, once again, God pursues what is lost, and he rejoices when it's found. So as Jesus tells these stories to the Pharisees, he's not just answering the critique, he's actually doing this. He's then offering a critique of his own. It sounds something like this. Okay, hey, you claim to represent God, that's great, but do you actually share in the heart of God the the heart that you the the God you represent? Or me maybe even more simply put is this would you rather police or partition yourselves against sinners or pursue them? That's what he's asking. And Jesus presses into this reality even more. He talks about this in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 23. He says, But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. And so with that, I want to just pause for uh just a quick moment and ask, right? This pharisitical uh tendency that Jesus rebukes, yes, that's a first century problem. But if we're honest, is it possible that the pharisitical posture still exists in our time as well? Isn't it true that this still shows up even in modern church, right? Just as easily? Maybe even Jesus offering the same question in our time, right? To us as a church, asking, hey, are we more concerned with policing people who don't know Jesus or pursuing them with the heart of God? Now let me let me be clear here. We might hear this offering and we might feel some tension. Tension, like, hey, wait, I thought if God opposes sin, we should as well. And yes, right, that's that's true. And this challenge of Jesus, here's the thing it doesn't mean we start calling good what God calls evil. It doesn't mean we celebrate sin or that we ignore its consequences, right? Jesus doesn't do that. But what Jesus does is he shows us this accepting someone who is far from God is not the same thing as affirming every choice they make. Those aren't the same thing. And Jesus is breaking that tension, recognizing it is possible we can do both. We can accept sinners, but remain fully committed to the ways of God. We can love people deeply without compromising truth. You see, what we often miss in the church is that there is no forced divide here between acceptance, right? That doesn't equal affirmation, right? And here's what we have to recognize compassion doesn't equate to compromise. Those tend to be categories that we create. But here's the thing: God holds that tension perfectly because he's God, right? God cares for his people without compromising his design. And that tension is exactly what we see on display in these parables. Because at the core of both of these stories is this reality. The one pursuing is pursuing something of deep value. And yet doing so at the same time, that object that's lost, right, that's wandered, right, is strayed, it's no longer, recognizing it's no longer where it's meant to be. But here's the thing in that reality, what hasn't changed is the value of the object. Sure, there's distance in relationship, but there isn't a decrease in worth. From that space of value, well, the the this is what happens. The desire to recover that what is lost becomes so great. So great that nothing, nothing takes precedence. And that's what Jesus is revealing. He's pointing to the Pharisees and to us, and he's showing what the value is, it's the value of God's image bearers. Because in these stories, people are metaphorically are the sheep. People metaphorically are the coin. They are what God values. And the value being declared here is not based upon their behavior, it's not based upon their proximity, it's not based upon performance, it's based upon creation. It's based on the reality that every human being is made in the image of God. What theologians they they call the doctrine of the Imagodai. Now, if that term is new to you, here's what it means. So from the very beginning, when God created the world, he made humanity distinct, set apart from all other created things. And what makes humanity unique is this it's we're created to reflect God. We're created to bear his image into this world. And so what that means is this every person carries inherent worth, every person carries dignity, every person carries value, not because of what they've done, but because of who made them. Here's the thing, distance does not erase dignity. And the challenge, challenge for the Pharisees, and maybe for maybe for some of us, is maybe we've lost sight of that truth. And so what Jesus is describing here through this analogy of the sheep, through the picture of the coin, is the level of value that God places on every single person who bears his image. Me, you, your neighbor, that jerk from work, right? Every one of us has value to God. And it's not, it's not based upon our performance, it's based on our position. Image bearers. Yeah, here's the tension the understanding of worth and value, it was not received well by the Pharisees. And why is that? Well, because their entire system, their economy of worth, it was built on this. It was built on performance. Their value came from what they did for God, not for what had been declared over them by God. They they took the truth that humans are given dignity, humans are given worth by God. And here's what they did: they turned it into a system where humans had to earn dignity and worth from God. They shifted the value of human beings to then create the idea of human doings. And if we're honest, it's not really different from maybe how we operate today. Isn't it true in our culture? We we tend to do the same. We assign value to like ourselves or or to others, not based upon what God has already declared, but really based on what we can achieve, based on what we can produce, what we can prove. We're a very merit-based culture. And think about it, we start like evaluating worth at a really young age. Report guards, performance reviews, right? We're a culture that highlights even like trying to get our children into the best preschool. So that leads to the best school, that leads to the best college, leads to the best career. Now, no, listen, wanting the best for our kids is not wrong. But underneath it, there tends to be this deeper desire that they would, these kids would be recognized, they would be validated, they would be seen as valuable. And that's the same mindset that shows up in religious spaces too. Right? Just like Pharisees, where in order for someone to be considered worthy of belonging, here's what happens: Prove it. Prove you can live within the rules, stay in the boundaries, do the right things. And listen, if you perform well enough, right, you're welcomed in. If not, keep trying. Here's the thing: Jesus flips that entire script. He reclaims the truth that worth and value are not earned by what we do. They are given by who God is. That every person has dignity, every person is valued. It's not because of their performance, but because they were created in the image of God. I love Jesus. He offers this truth about it. He says this, Matthew 6. Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, body more than clothing? He says, look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap, nor gather the barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them, and don't miss this last part. Are you not more valuable than they? Look at what Jesus is pointing out here. He's speaking directly into value, into how God values his creation. Jesus says, Hey, look at those birds. They don't do anything, right? They don't perform, they don't produce in any sort of way that brings about like some sort of production, and yet God still provides for them. God still sustains them. Why? Because God values what he has made. And then Jesus goes this far. He says, Okay, are you not more valuable than these birds? I'll give us the answer. Yes. God values his image bearers. Sorry, birds, even more than you guys. And it's possible. I don't know. Maybe this is maybe this is something some of us need to hear this morning. Right? That God values you. It's not based upon how great you were this week. It's not based upon how not great you were this week. Your value is not earned, it's given. Because for some of us, I I don't know if if we're honest, at times I I think we struggle to to believe that to be true. Maybe at times we wrestle with thoughts like, does God even care about me? Does anyone even care about me? Like if I wasn't here, would anyone notice? I don't care. And listen, if that's where your your mind has convinced you of, I just want to say this clearly. You are valued. You matter. You matter this church community, but even greater. You matter deeply to God. You bear his image. Your life carries worth. So what Jesus is revealing to us is this all human life matters to God. Valued to the extent that He's willing to do this. He's willing to interrupt everything, everything to pursue you, to bring you back into relationship with the one who created you, the one who gave you that worth in the first place. Because that's exactly what these parables are describing. God seeks out those who are far from him. And look at the lengths he's willing to go. In the parable of the lost sheep, he does this, he leaves 99 of them and he goes after the one. Now, listen, from our human perspective, our cultural perspective, we might hear the decision and be like, that sounds kind of irresponsible, right? If we're honest, we may be like, that's kind of bad management, right? Just cut your losses, right? You still got 99. All right, stay with what you have. Because, you know, leaving the 99 might, that might be more risk. The rest of the flock, they could wander away, right? More loss could follow. It just doesn't seem wise. And yet, that's exactly what the shepherd does. He chases the one. Why? Well, because what we struggle to grasp, I know I do, is just the level of value God places upon even the one. We often miss the depth of his pursuit. The reality that to him, the one is never expendable. The one is worth going after. And don't miss this. The pursuit of God flows from the value he places upon what is lost. If he is willing to leave the 99, right, to go after the one, here's what that reveals it reveals the depth, the depth of the value he holds for every single one of his image bearers. You, me, your neighbor, even that jerk from work. Or take the coin. This woman, right? She disrupts everything in her life to find it. She lights a lamp, she sweeps the house, she searches carefully. And we might look at that and be like, hey, well, you still got nine, right? I mean, just move on, cut your losses. And of course, that's a pretty human response, right? Why spend so much time on one coin? You're still doing pretty well, lady, right? You're still doing good. But God doesn't operate that way. God just doesn't take a loss and move on, right? Instead, he pursues, he seeks, he goes after what is missing. And the question is like, well, why? Why does he care so much about the one when he already has so many? Once again, the answer. Because every single person bears his image. Every single person carries value to him. You, me, your neighbor, you know where I'm going. That jerk from work. And don't worry, that's not like a passive aggressive thing. I work alone, so maybe I'm the jerk from work. I don't know. But here's what this starts to press in on us, okay? Because if that's the heart of God, right? Then what does that mean for people, the people of God? What does it mean for the church? Right? If God is is He's willing to disrupt, He's willing to just pursue, He's willing to inconvenience the rhythm. The question is, are we? Because what Scripture tells us is this look at 2 Peter, it says the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise of some count slowness, but he's patient, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should what? Reach repentance. That's the desire of God, that none would be lost, that all would come to repentance. And so now listen, if we're asked the question, are we willing to pursue? I would say, yeah, most of us would be like, yeah, that's of course what we want to do, right? We want to we want to share the heart of God, but here's the follow-up. Do we want what God wants enough to allow that to even interrupt our lives? Do we desire it enough to allow God to disrupt our schedules, to inconvenience our routines, to step into moments we we didn't plan for? Are we willing to be interrupted for the sake of what God values? Or are we more committed to protecting our comforts, our goals, our timelines, our plans? And asking that from a space of humility, right? Because what happens when God's priorities, when it actually interferes with ours? Well, here's what happens pursuing it pursuing the loss comes at a cost. It could be the loss of our comfort, it could be the loss of our time, it could be the loss of control of our schedule, right? It's easy to say, hey, I want what God wants, but the real question is, am I willing to live that out? Even even when I know it's gonna cost me something. So I I think this is where the challenge really meets us in our cultural moment. Because living this out might actually, it might actually really cost us. Might mean putting down our phones, might mean stepping away from our devices, might mean actually choosing to acknowledge the value of the people right in front of us. Because if we truly align with the heart of God, to pursue what is lost, to step into discomfort, it's gonna, we're gonna disrupt our routines. Well, we also have to be honest that this is a cost. And and it might cost us even the desire to want to check out, scroll endlessly, protect our me time. Right? It might even cost us engaging with the person we'd rather avoid. You know that one. But I mean, for for some of us, right, it might just cause to choose to prioritize people over our cultures of obsession with productivity. Now, listen, that doesn't mean we abandon responsibility, right? Part of bearing God's image is to work, is to create, is to contribute. But the question is, how often does production take precedence over people in our lives? How often do our preferences, how we want to spend our time, our energy, our resources, take priority over the people God has placed right in front of us. Now, listen, I'll I'll be honest with you, this is challenging to me. I'm not I'm not preaching from like an elevated place, like I figured this whole out thing out. This is something I'm working through. And so if you feel that tension here, you're not alone. And this is just a good, safe space to acknowledge that, not from a place of shame, not from a place of guilt, but from a place of honesty, right? Recognizing that this is an area I think all of us living in this culture, we we're we're we need to lean into Jesus if we really want to see this happen. Right? Because not this isn't to shame us, right? Because shame, guilt, obligation, that's not God's goal of his pursuit. Right? No, here's what God, he doesn't just like check off a box, right? He doesn't just say, all right, got another one. This is this is how God responds when he finds loss, right? He got he does this. God rejoices. That's the response. The heart of God is to rejoice. Look what happens when he finds this lost sheep. He says, and when he has found it, he lays on his shoulder, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends, his neighbors saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. Now look at the response when the coin is found. And when she says she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin I lost. Just so I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. So, so what's the theme of this response? It's not like, all right, case closed, right? We found it. No, it's not even close. It's rejoicing, it's it's celebrating, right? And don't miss this, it's not like some private, like solo moment, it's communal. The shepherd does this, he calls his friends. The woman, he calls her neighbors, come celebrate with me, right? The one who is lost is found. What's happening here is it's an invitation to party, right? And and friends, we are given this example as permission, as a model for how we are meant to respond in these moments. We're called to celebrate. And and I share, I share this observation with us, especially within the church culture. If there's any area growth for all church communities, it might be this. Our ability, our ability to celebrate what God celebrates, right? To celebrate the lost that were found. Listen, a couple weeks ago, we got a glimpse of this. We had five people come forward for baptism, and we celebrated that moment well. I was so proud of this church. But if we're honest, sometimes it feels like we just schedule our celebrations. We got Christmas, we got Easter, we got Baptist Sundays. All right, those are our celebration days. And yes, those those matter, right? But my concern is we've we've unintentionally maybe limited celebration just to just a few calendar moments when this passage, this passage invites us to something bigger. It's a lifestyle celebration. Now, yes, there are real struggles, real pain, real grief. We don't pretend those don't exist, but here's the thing, right? What if celebration actually became a discipline in our lives? Something we intentionally practice, not randomly, but purposefully. And with this desire to celebrate this lifestyle, have celebration as our lifestyle. I I want to call us just for a moment to put this in practice. And here's how I want to do it. You can throw a slide up. Um, so there's an envelope somewhere by you, maybe in front of you, maybe on the floor. Um, why don't you go ahead and open that, grab that? Yeah. There's no money in them, I'm just gonna let you know, right? You're like, ah man. Um, so here's the thing. Uh as we came in this morning, uh, this card has a few things in it. There's a lot of information, I will let you know. But it also has a key and also has a keychain. And so here's here's what what we're giving out. In this packet here, whatever you want to call it, these are our plans as a church from now until summer and summer into fall. And here's what we're doing: it's taking these keys to the kingdom that we're studying, and it's using these keys to unlock and activate opportunities God has given us as a church. And so from now today until summer, we are unlocking this vision right here. First, most importantly, it's a call towards intentionally accessing the presence of Jesus. Awareness that this access has been given to us. And just really, really uh diving into that. Second, it's using the presence from the Spirit, our spiritual gifting, right? Unlocking, unleashing the spiritual gifting. Maybe that's through serving. Maybe that's through using our times, talents, maybe that's through uh generosity. And then lastly, and I think this one's really big, it's committing to being present with people.

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Right?

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From now until summer, I want to just challenge us to be present, consistent in Sunday gathering, Sunday mornings, but also consistent together throughout the week. And so here's why I believe this call from now until summer, here's what it does for us as a church. I think it gives us momentum as we move into summer, right? And listen, we all, we're all all over the place this summer, I get that, right? But it's it's momentum to prepare us for the call for this summer to be summer of celebration. Okay? That's that's what I'm desiring here at Common Place. It's a celebration summer. And here's what that call is: it's celebrating who God is and what God loves. Celebrating God, who is this pursuer, who loves to pursue those who are far from him. And so here's what the call is: it's a call towards opening our lives and opening our homes to those who have not yet been found. So practically, here's what I want to call us toward this summer. This summer as a church community, I'm I'm calling us to host at least 20 parties, okay? Oh, okay, done. All right, good. Um You can't host all 20 of them, actually, okay? This is a collective thing. But but here's the thing, right? You can do that in barbecue form, you can do that as a picnic, you can do it at an old-fashioned house party, right? Or for those who have a pool, right? Good old pool party, which I'll gladly accept the invitation to. Um, just kidding. But um, but the hope is, yes, we can invite church people, right? That's that's great. Uh we should, right? But the goal is not just to invite church people, the goal is to invite those God is pursuing. Neighbors, friends, co-workers. I'm not gonna say jerk from work, okay? But but not from any sort of agenda other than just celebrating life. That's what we get to do as followers of Jesus. And now, sure, there might be gospel opportunities that come about. Praise God, I hope so. But the goal for the summer is to just be hospitable, to build relationships with those God has in your life. And what that means is we might need to create some margin. We might have to flex those hosting hospitality muscles. But as a church, 20 parties. And at the end of this summer, we'll have one more party, but we'll do it as a church family, and it's gonna be our end of summer celebration. And the goal this time is, of course, to connect as a fellowship of believers, but also to share our celebration moments for the summer. Who did you connect with? Conversations you had, where did you see the Lord move? And and who took a step towards Jesus? So listen, that's our challenge. From now until summer, unlocking the church to Christ's presence with presence and being present. And then summer to fall, celebration summer. 20 parties, culmination, one big blast. Now, listen, if you're wondering why we are celebrating, once again, here's why. We're celebrating that we have a God who pursues those who are far from him. That we are offered the chance to get to witness even one person turn, repent, and come home. That we are given the chance to celebrate what God celebrates. Because this is so important. What happens? We're not just celebrating on earth, okay? We're rejoicing something so much bigger. Jesus says this there is rejoicing in heaven. There's angelic rejoicing. Now think about that for a moment, okay? How many opportunities in life do we have to join into what heaven is doing? There's not many, but this is one of them. And so if that's true, why wouldn't we prioritize that? Why wouldn't we lean into that? Why wouldn't we celebrate like it actually matters? And so let me just challenge us this morning. Are we willing to celebrate? Because if so, we can even start that now. We can, through our worship, through our singing, that we can rejoice before the Lord. Why? Because our celebration is this it's of a pursuing God whose heart is one who values his creation. His creation is worth pursuing, and that when the lost are found, listen, we don't just move on, we celebrate. This isn't some like kind of divine game of like hide and seek where you know we run, God finds us, and that's it. Like no, that's not the case. The goal of God's pursuit is redemption, it's new life, it's restoration, it's renewal of relationship that was broken by sin. It's a return to what was peace, shalom, where humanity and God were in right relationship. And that's what the gospel offers to us. That's the good news that Christ came to rescue sinners, that Jesus came, he set out to seek and save the lost, that God sent his one and only son on a rescue mission to pursue the scattered creation, right? A people who wandered far because of sin, wandered because of shame, guilt, pride, brokenness. But through Christ, he offers peace once more. And so here's the beauty of it that offering isn't something we can earn, it's not something we can achieve. It's all grace. It's a gift. It's all offered through Jesus. Jesus, the one who lived the perfect life we never could. Jesus who went to the cross, took our sin upon himself in exchange, the one who gifted us his righteousness. Jesus, who defeated death, who rose again in victory, and now offers forgiveness to anyone who desires to receive it. And so, what's our role in this whole thing? We get to join in the pursuit. We get to go after those who are lost, just like we once were. We get the opportunity to live on mission, to be ambassadors of reconciliation, to invite others into the same gospel, to let people know there is a God who created them, who values them, who is pursuing them, a God who will leave the 99, who will disrupt the routine, who will not stop pursuing, even to the very end. That's what the Pharisees, that's what they missed. They missed the heart of God. They missed the mission of God. But Jesus reveals it through these parables. He shows us the character of God, a pursuing God. And as I think about the that truth, this idea that God pursues to the very end, I can't help but think of another moment in the Gospel of Luke. It's the account of the thief on the cross. Look what look what happens here. One of the criminals who were hanged rallied at him, saying, railed at him, saying, Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us. But the other rebuked him, saying, Do you not fear God? Since you're under the same sentence of condemnation, we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds. But this man has done nothing wrong. And he said, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. So if you ever wonder how far God is willing to go out to seek those who are lost, you don't have to look any further in this moment right here. On a cross, in his final hours, this man he encounters Jesus. And how does Jesus meet him? Don't miss this. It's not with contempt, it's not with condemnation, but it's with compassion. He meets him with invitation. Right? This man wasn't a model citizen. He wasn't serving in his community, right? He wasn't helping old ladies cross the street. He wasn't doing good works to earn favor. He was a criminal. He was a thief. And yet, in spite of everything he had done, he was not outside the reach of the grace of God. Not even was he overlooked by our pursuing loving God. And what that shows us is this no one is beyond the mercy of God. No one has gone too far. And I don't know, maybe, maybe some of us here today, maybe that's exactly what you need to hear. Maybe you convince yourself that you messed up too much, you've gone too far, that your past disqualifies you. And now listen, it's true, God does not love sin. But it's also true that he deeply loves his creation and he loves you. And just like the thief on the cross, here's the thing, he offers you the same peace. And it's peace for today, and it's peace for eternity. So if that's you, let today be that day. Don't push it off, don't wait. God is inviting you now, in this moment, to come to him. Receive forgiveness, receive new life. And I just want to say this this is this is this is hands down the most important, the most important decision you can ever make. And listen, I'll give you a little heads up. If you take that step, there's a good chance some church people Are gonna celebrate, but if they don't, I can't stop heaven. Because Jesus says when one sinner repents, there is rejoicing, angels, angels celebrating. Why? Because what was valued, what is valuable, what was lost has now been found. Let's pray. Father, thank you that um you give us these incredible just insights and realities of your character, of your heart. Lord, that God, you and even just of your plan, God, your plan of pursuing, of redeeming, Lord. And thank you that, Lord, back in the garden after Adam and Eve turned from you, that that wasn't the end of the story. Lord, that even at that moment, Lord, you declare that you, Lord, you you are gonna send one to rescue, to redeem, to restore what has gone astray. And God, that you have not stopped since that moment. Even today, Lord, you are pursuing people. God, I pray that we would share your heart, Lord. God, whatever opportunities you're calling us to, Lord, that we would be open. Lord, that just as we get, we draw close to summer, God, that we would just, we would take this challenge to be present, Lord, to recognize your presence. Just offer the presence that you've given us, Lord. And God, as we turn the corner towards summer, God, that we would, we would celebrate. God, that we would just be invitational. Lord, you would bring people, even in this moment, God, you're already orchestrating these, these, these, these parties, these gatherings, whatever you want to call them. God, you are already in the midst of it. You are already just putting on people's hearts, Lord. We thank you that you are sovereign, Lord, that you know all things. We thank you, Lord, that you love us enough to send us, Jesus. We love you, Jesus. Your name I pray. Amen.