Luke 15:1-32
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
1Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
The Parable of the Lost Coin
8"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' 10In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
The Parable of the Lost Son
11 Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
13 "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20 So he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
25 "Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
28 "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
31 " 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "
Faith is a strong belief in something...We usually are referring to faith in God or God and Jesus when we refer to our faith...You are confident normally when your faith is strong and things are going well...Even though you cannot see faith, like you are confident in love, even though you cannot see love...So the inability of seeing faith and love do not mean they do not exist...Your faith has an influence over you and how you view the world and how you act and what you do...An enduring faith believes all things will work out in the end, even when you are in despair and lost...Faith helps you to be hopeful...Therefore, hope plays out very much in our faith...Hope is the anchor to our soul, and our faith...
When Jesus teaches us to love God and to love neighbor, He has forever tied God to man...In this command of Jesus is a sense of faith...Faith helps bring God's family of children together in fellowship...God does not want us to be lost in our faith, so He nudges us along so we can better find Him - as He did with the Prodigal Son...
When you lose your hope and your faith you are lost...You then feel lost, like the lost son did you lose your bearings and how life can be...The Prodigal Son was lost, and being nudged by His Father to come back to the family...The son saw this subtle nudge from God, when he was feeding the pigs...God is constantly subtly searching and seeking and patiently waiting and working for us when we are lost...He does want us to come to our senses...And Jesus gives us the lost Parables to show us about being and getting lost...
Jesus teaches us in the Lost Parables that God will go to many lengths to seek His Lost ones...We also see how easy it is to get lost in this world and be further away from our Father...Man is disobedient and makes bad decisions and we are flawed, and so we sin...We see this with the Prodigal Son...Jesus tells us when He is recruiting Matthew to be one of His Disciples, that we are sinners and that He came to call on sinners, and He did not come to those who think they are righteous...So though we are sinners, make very bad decisions, and are flawed God still searches for us and seeks His Lost family...And God does it through LOVE, forgiveness, and with His Great Grace...And as Jesus teaches us in the Great Commission He wants us to help others and give our own grace and love and forgiveness to others around the world and to the ends of the earth so they will not be lost...We do this when we love God and love our neighbors...