Lost!

The parable for this post is actually only the first part of a parable! It is found in Luke's account of the Gospel, and in chapter 15. In v.3 of that chapter, we read: "So He told them this parable:" The following words lead us into the parable of the lost sheep - but Jesus goes on to deal with the lost coin, and then the lost son. The parable is a parable of the lost, with three examples being used, and three lessons being taught.

So, we begin by looking at the lost sheep. Sheep, in God's Word, are usually portrayed as foolish creatures, prone to wandering off and getting into trouble. It was its own foolishness that led to the sheep being lost. That, of course, is why sheep need a shepherd! 

But it is not only the four-footed animal that acts so foolishly. Isaiah, the Old Testament prophet stated: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;" (53:6). In other words, you and I can be as foolish as any sheep! The Pharisees and the Scribes would have had no difficulty in seeing the tax collectors and sinners thus described - but they would never have applied such a description to themselves! Yet the prophet made it clear that "all" are involved! Peter told his fellow-believers that "you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls." (I Peter 2:25); while Paul states, quite bluntly, that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Rom.3:23). "All" includes even those who are "religious" - even those who hold high office in the church!

Leaving the ninety-nine sheep was not an indication that the shepherd didn't care for them. Of course he did. But they were together and, even in the wilderness, were safe. However, when he went to look for that foolish sheep that was lost, he showed that each individual animal was important to him. Note, too, that when the shepherd finds the lost sheep, he doesn't treat it harshly for its foolishness. No, "he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing." (v.5).

And there is rejoicing! We are not told how the sheep felt but, remembering that the sheep represents the sinner who has been saved, those who have been touched in that way, and have become children of the heavenly Father, know this joy - and God's Word confirms it. When the Ethiopian eunuch to whom God the Holy Spirit had directed Philip was baptised as a disciple of Jesus, "the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing." (Acts 8:39; emphasis added). The shepherd, we have noted, was also rejoicing. And I guess that the event that comes second to our rejoicing when we are saved, is being used in the salvation of another. Finally, Jesus assures us that "there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." (v.7). Yes, the very angels rejoice when a lost sheep is found - when a sinner is saved. By the way, there is actually no-one who does not need to repent! Jesus is here referring to those who think that they have no such need - the "self-righteous". Remember the Pharisee in the Temple, in another parable! (Luke 15: 9-14).

Are you still a "lost sheep", lost in sin through your own carelessness? Then let the Good Shepherd find you, and bring you into the fold of His body. You will never regret it.

One doesn't require formal qualifications!

It is not a boast, but a verifiable fact, that I am fairly well educated. I have also a fair bit of experience of both teaching, and preaching, the Word of God. However, having shared, this morning, on the relevance of the 1st ('Old') Testament to disciples of Jesus, with a group of anglophones, one of the gentlemen spoke with me afterwards.

He reminded me of the record in Mark 4-5 where the Lord Jesus had been teaching a large crowd but, "... when evening had come, He said to [His disciples], "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them in the boat, just as He was. And other boats were with Him.  And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.  But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?" And He awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?" And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey Him?" (Mark 4:35-41) 

The record continues: "They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Ger'asenes.  And when He had come out of the boat, there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who lived among the tombs; and no one could bind him any more, even with a chain; for he had often been bound with fetters and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the fetters he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out, and bruising himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him; and crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure You by God, do not torment me." For He had said to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion; for we are many." And he begged Him eagerly not to send them out of the country." (5:1-10).

Many will be familiar with the Lord's agreement to send those demons into a herd of swine, that rushed, headlong, into the sea - much to the chagrin of the herdsmen! I am skipping over a section but pick up the story at v.21, as Mark has recorded it: "And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about Him; and He was beside the sea."

"What," asked my friend," do you take from that?" I looked at him! "I'd want to think about it. What did you take out of it?" "Well," he responded, "I thought of the ninety and nine (Matt.18:12), and that Jesus had crossed the Sea of Galilee for that one lost sheep - the demoniac."

Now this is a man whom I have known for a number of years. He has no formal theological education or training. Indeed, it is my understanding that he is still very "young in the faith"! However, what I was reminded was that God is no respecter of persons. God the holy Spirit had given this dear brother an insight that had not been given to this ordained, University and Bible College graduate, with more academic qualifications than he has hot breakfasts in a week (and I always have my bowl of porridge!), who has been preaching the Word for more than fifty years. 

It is good to be reminded of this. I am grateful for the education that I have been privileged to receive; for the godly men under whose teaching I sat; and for the opportunities, over the years, to serve in different capacities. But all of that is of neither importance nor help if I am not as open to the prompting of the Spirit as was my brother in the Lord when he was reading that passage.

You, too, may not have a degree in theology, or in anything else! However, if you are a disciple of Jesus, born again of the Spirit, then you have that same Spirit indwelling you - and He will speak to you if you listen to Him.

May that be your experience - for your own good, and that You may be used to bring glory to our Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

Saved to serve!

This morning, in my personal devotions, my reading was Matt.25:31-46. These are some of the words of the Lord Jesus concerning judgement. There is too much to share in a blog post but, perhaps, one of the most important lessons concerns behaviour. 

We read: "When the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and He will place the sheep at His right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the King will say to those at His right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see Thee hungry and feed Thee, or thirsty and give Thee drink? And when did we see Thee a stranger and welcome Thee, or naked and clothe Thee? And when did we see Thee sick or in prison and visit Thee?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' Then He will say to those at His left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see Thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to Thee?' Then He will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." 

What do these words say to us? May I suggest that the first thing is the certainty of His coming?  Secondly, that there will be judgement! But I want to emphasise what I see as a third lesson. If you read those verses carefully, you will notice that the charge against those who are condemned to eternal punishment does not concern what they have done, but what they have failed to do! There are sins of omission, as well as sins of commission! James writes: "Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." (4:17; my emphasis). The Westminster Divines defined "sin" as "... any want of conformity unto (omission), or transgression of (commission), the law of God." (Shorter Catechism). Not doing good is the moral equivalent of doing evil!

Of course, those who had - however unknowingly - served the Saviour (through serving others in His name) did not gain salvation by their good works! Paul makes that perfectly clear when, writing to the believers in Ephesus, he states that: "... by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God - not because of works, lest any man should boast." (2:8-9). I have written in the margin of my Bible: "Salvation is not by works; but good works are the result of salvation." In that vein, Paul continues: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Eph 2:10; my emphasis). 

We do not serve to be saved - but we are certainly saved to serve!

Make yourself clear!

One of the many privileges that I have enjoyed during my increasingly long life was sitting under the ministry of the late Rev. George B.Duncan (in the original St George's-Tron), and the tutelage of the late Rev. Prof. William Barclay in the University of Glasgow.  Both men instilled in me the need to speak that others might understand.  You see, there is no point in talking to people who can't understand what you are saying.  I have been discovering that, all too often, since I came to live in France!  I speak to someone - and receive blank looks; they respond - and I look just as blank!

Paul writes to the early disciples of Jesus on the great city of Corinth, and asks: "Now, brethren, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how shall I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will any one know what is played? And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? So with yourselves; if you in a tongue utter speech that is not intelligible, how will any one know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning; but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me." (I Cor 14:6-11).

Paul was making reference to the specific gift of speaking in a spiritual language (the gift of tongues), but the message may well be expanded.  We who are preachers have a special responsibility to keep our message so simple, and interesting, that even a child will be able to grasp it.  I have listened to many preachers who have been so intent on displaying their own academic excellence that they have simply talked "over the heads" of the gathered congregation!  But God's people are described, not as giraffes, but as sheep!  We who give out the Gospel message must keep the feed at a level that the sheep can reach!

Of course, this doesn't only apply to preachers!  All of us are preaching the Gospel, all of the time, whether we are aware that we are doing so, or not!  In the workplace; at our leisure activities; in the home (especially if we are the only disciples of Jesus there); wherever we may be, if people know that we claim to follow the Nazarene, then they are reading us, and listening to us, all of the time!

There is an old poem - that I may well have quoted on this blog before - that reminds us of this:

“Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work today;

He has no feet but our feet to lead men in His way.

He has no tongue but our tongues to tell men how He died;

He has no help but our help to bring them to His side.

We are the only Bible the careless world will read;

We are the sinner’s Gospel; we are the scoffer’s creed.

We are the Lord’s last message given in deed and word;

What if the type is crooked?  What if the print is blurred?”

The story is told of a judge who, having listened to the arguments in a divorce suit, said to the husband: "I have decided to give your wife £400/month in maintenance."  The husband's face brightened.  "That's very kind of you, your Honour.  I'll try to slip her a few quid, myself, now and then"!    A misunderstanding that may cause us to smile.  However, when it comes to the preaching of the Gospel, lack of clarity may lead to disastrous results.  Whether it is from a platform or a pulpit; in our general conversation; or when someone has asked a specific question, and we need to "... make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, ... with gentleness and reverence;" (I Peter 3:15); let us make clear that each of us is born a sinner, destined for hell (eternity without God); but that, out of His unsurpassable, immeasurable, love for us, Jesus died (and rose from the dead!) to pay the penalty for our sin.  Salvation, therefore, is the free gift of grace to all who will receive it, by faith.  "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God - not because of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph 2:8-9).

Jesus said: "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes Him Who sent Me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." (John 5:24).   That's pretty clear!