Sermon #112 Luke
Sermons
Title: The Parable of the Lost Sheep
Text: Luke
15:3-7
Subject: Christ
Saving His Sheep
Date: Sunday
Evening—
Tape # X-92b
Introduction:
(Luke
15:1-7) "Then
drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. {2}
And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying,
This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. {3} And he spake this
parable unto them, saying, {4} What man of you, having an hundred sheep,
if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness,
and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
{5} And when he hath found it, he layeth it
on his shoulders, rejoicing. {6} And when
he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying
unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. {7} I
say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that
repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no
repentance."
We have before us The Parable of the Lost Sheep.
The lessons which could be legitimately drawn from this parable are
numerous. But we must not use our Lord’s parables to make them teach just
anything we want them to teach, so long as it is doctrinally sound. We must
seek to understand what the parable is intended to teach and use it for that
purpose. Let me give you three or four words of instruction which will help you
to interpret the parables of Scripture correctly.
1. Do not endeavor to build any
doctrine upon the Parables.
Our Lord’s parables are illustrations and pictures
of divine truth, not expositions of truth. And there is a difference. We build
our doctrine upon the plain statements of Holy Scripture. Then we interpret the
parables in the light of that which we know is true. For example:
We know from the plainest possible statements of Holy Scripture that in the
strict sense there is no such thing as “just persons, which need no
repentance” (Compare Ecclesiastes 7:20 and Romans 3:9-23).
2. Remember that the Parables
are stories, illustrations of gospel truth.
They may or may not be actual events which took
place. They are earthly stories that illustrate heavenly truths.
3. Each Parable is designed and
intended to illustrate one specific gospel truth.
I know that different parts of a parable may serve
to illustrate different truths. But the parable taken as a whole is one story,
illustrating one truth. It is not needful that everything in the parable
precisely fit the purpose for which the parable was given.
4. The best way to determine
what truth a parable illustrates is by studying it within the context in which
it is given.
The parable of the Ten Virgins teaches
the need for watchful perseverance. It would be wrong to use that parable to
preach on the moral virtue of virginity, even though virginity is a moral
virtue we highly value and encourage. The parable of The Laborers
in Matthew 20 teaches the sovereignty and the freeness of divine grace. It
would be wrong to use that parable to preach on the moral value or the moral
evil of organized labor, though it might easily be bent in either direction.
Proposition: This parable of the Lost
Sheep is recorded to illustrate one thing – It shows us the deep,
self-sacrificing love of the Lord Jesus Christ for perishing sinners.
It opens the very heart of the eternal God to us, and shows us how pleasurable
it is to him to save sinners, because “He delighteth in mercy.”
The Savior’s audience was a strange looking
congregation (v. 1). It was an assembly of irreverent, disreputable riffraff,
made up of poor beggars, harlots, publicans, and sinners.
The scandalous accusation with which the Pharisees
hoped to discredit our Lord gives us the key with which to unlock the parable
(v. 2).
(1.)
They accused the Lord Jesus Christ of loving the company of publicans
and sinners, receiving them and eating with them!
These Pharisees would have nothing to do with such
filthy trash. They pointed their fingers at Christ and said, “This man
receiveth sinners, and eateth with them!” I am so happy to tell you that it
was a truthful charge. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the Friend of sinners.
(2.)
This
parable was addressed to these self-righteous Pharisees (v. 3).
(Luke 15:3) "And he spake this parable unto them."
They are the “ninety and nine just persons, which
need no repentance.” They thought they were good, righteous men. They
needed no Savior. They wanted no grace. So in this parable, our Lord says to
them, “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost”
(Matt.
As
you know, Matthew gives us a slightly different version of this same parable
(Matt.
1. As Luke records it, the
parable was originally spoken by our Lord to condemn self-righteous Pharisees –
“The ninety and nine just persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:1-3).
2. Matthew’s record shows our
Lord using the same parable to comfort his saints and to teach us to tenderly
regard his elect, even as he does.
3. In both places, the object
is to assure us that Christ has come to save sinners, to seek and to save that
which was lost (Luke 5:31-32).
Here is Matthew’s account.
(Mat
18:10-14) "Take heed that ye
despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That
in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in
heaven. {11} For the Son
of man is come to save that which was lost. {12} How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of
them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the
mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? {13} And if so be that
he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than
of the ninety and nine which went not astray. {14} Even
so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these
little ones should perish."
Divisions: Let
me call your attention to five things in this parable.
1. The Shepherd.
2. The Sheep.
3. The Search.
4. The Salvation.
5. The Satisfaction.
I.
First,
I want to talk to you about The
Shepherd.
In
this parable, the Lord Jesus portrays himself as a Shepherd. He is not a
hireling-Shepherd, who cares not for the sheep. He is our owner-Shepherd. He is
one who both owns and cares for his sheep.
Illustration: Picture a Shepherd – That is
what Christ is!
A. One of the most beautiful
and most frequently used descriptions of Christ is that of A
Shepherd.
· “The Lord is my Shepherd!”
A
shepherd is a man who tends and serves sheep. He knows sheep. He knows how to
lead them, where to feed them, how to protect them, and how to nurse them. He
leads them out in the morning, tends them all through the day, and folds them
when the day is done. Throughout the Scriptures, our Lord Jesus Christ is
spoken of as The Shepherd of his sheep.
1. He is Jehovah’s
Shepherd, smitten by the sword of divine justice, so that his sheep
might go free and be saved (Zech. 13:7-9; John 18:7-9).
2. Christ is The Good
Shepherd, who willingly, voluntarily laid down his life for the sheep
(John
3. He is The Great
Shepherd, who rose in triumph and victory from the dead (Heb.
4. He is The Chief
Shepherd, who shall soon appear the second time, without sin, unto
salvation (1 Pet. 5:4).
5. Christ is The Shepherd
and Bishop of our Souls, who saves us and preserves us unto life
everlasting (1 Pet.
6. The Lord Jesus is Our
Covenant Shepherd, under whose care we have peace (Ezek. 34:22-25).
7. He is The Shepherd
Of The
Sheep, who gathers his little lambs in his arms and carries them in his
bosom (Isa. 40:11).
B. Christ is the Shepherd; and
all the sheep belong to him. We are his sheep…
· By Covenant Agreement (John
· By Lawful Purchase (1 Pet.
C. Now, get this – The
Lord Jesus Christ knows his sheep (John
He
knows his sheep with a peculiar knowledge of love and grace. He knows all about
us. But there is more. He knows us! He shall say to the wicked – “I never
knew you.” But he says, “I know my sheep!” He knows…
· Who they are.
· Where they are.
· What they have been.
· What he will make of them.
· What they need.
· How to protect them.
· How to bring them home.
II. Now, second, let me
talk to you about The Sheep.
I
am sure Benjamin Keach is correct in the analysis he gives of this parable. Mr.
Keach said…
· The One Hundred represent
all mankind in Adam – All belong to Christ!
· The Ninety and Nine
represent the self-righteous. The Pharisees of this world, who are just and
righteous in their own eyes, and having no need of repentance, are left to
perish in the wilderness of their ignorance.
· The One Lost Sheep represents
all of God’s elect in this world who are brought by Divine grace to see their
lost and ruined condition. ― “I am not sent but to the lost sheep of
the house of
God’s
people in this world are set forth as silly, lost, helpless, ignorant sheep. “All
we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way”
(Isa. 53:6).
A. We were all lost by the fall
of our father Adam – (Rom.
B. We went astray as soon as we
were born speaking lies – (Ps. 58:3).
C. If left to themselves, the
sheep would surely perish.
Silly
sheep have no sense of direction. They roam and wander, straying further and
further from home, until the Shepherd finds them.
III. Third,, this parable particularly emphasizes The Search for the sheep.
The
Shepherd leaves the ninety and nine in the wilderness and goes out to search
for his one lost sheep. His search will continue until he finds that one lost
sheep. He knows the sheep that is missing. He has a picture of it in his mind. He
thinks nothing of the ninety and nine who need no Shepherd. His heart is all
wrapped up in that one lost sheep. This one thought seems to possess his entire
Being: “One of my sheep is lost.” Immediately the search begins.
A. It is an all-absorbing search.
That
one lost sheep consumes the Shepherd’s tender heart. He can neither eat nor
sleep until he finds that lost sheep. The poor, wandering sheep has no thought
for the Shepherd. But the Shepherd seems to think of nothing else but that one
lost sheep.
1. He loves that sheep, and he cannot bear the thought of it being lost.
· He knows all the pits into
which the sheep might fall, and all the wolves that are thirsty for the sheep’s
blood.
· He knows that the poor sheep
is both defenseless and senseless.
2. That sheep belongs to the
Shepherd. – He
purchased it with his own precious blood; and he will not lose it.
3. The Shepherd is responsible
for that sheep. – His honor as a Shepherd is bound up in the welfare of that sheep.
B. It is a definite search. ― The Shepherd goes after his sheep, that one, definite,
particular sheep –
Illustration: Goats in
C. It is an active search. ― No hill is too difficult to
climb. No mountain is too high. No valley is to low. No precipice is too rocky.
No distance is too far. The Shepherd must have his sheep.
D. It is a persevering search. ― He will search for that lost
sheep “until he find it.”
E. It is a personal search. ― It is Christ himself who
goes after the sheep.
Spurgeon said, “It is glorious to think of him still personally
tracking sinners, who, though they fly from him with a desperateness of folly,
yet are still pursued by him – Pursued by the Son of God, by the Eternal Lover
of men – pursued by him until he finds them.”
F. It is a successful search.
I
know that all men will not be saved. Not everyone who hears the gospel will
believe. It may be that many whom I love and for whom I labor with a heavy
heart will perish at last. But of this one thing you may be sure – Not one of
Christ’s sheep shall ever perish. Not one of those lost ones for whom he
suffered and died will be lost in the end – (John
(John
10:16) "And other sheep I have,
which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my
voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."
IV.
Now, fourth, I want you to get a picture of The Salvation mentioned in the
parable – “When he hath found it” (v. 5).
One
of the old writers said, “In his incarnation Christ came after
his lost sheep. In his life he continued to seek it. In his death
he laid it upon his shoulders. In his resurrection he bore it
on its way. And in ascension he brought it home rejoicing.”
Picture that lost sheep – He has fallen over the edge of a high cliff on a
dark stormy night. Overhead, he sees the terrifying storm of God’s wrath. The
lightening seems to strike out at him, saying, “The soul that sinneth, it
shall die.” Below, he sees the gaping jaws of hell opened wide to engulf
him. He is losing his footing, slipping into hell – But the Shepherd has found
his sheep. What does he do?
A. He reaches down the long arm
of his almighty grace, and lays hold of the sheep – (Eph. 2:1-4, 8-9).
(Eph
2:1-4) "And you hath he
quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: {2} Wherein in time
past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience: {3} Among whom also we all had our conversation in times
past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the
mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. {4} But
God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,"
(Eph
2:8-9) "For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: {9}
Not of works, lest any man should boast."
“I was sinking deep in sin,
Far from the peaceful shore;
Very deeply stained within,
Sinking to rise no more:
But the Master of the sea
Heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me,
Now save am I!
Love lifted me! Love lifted
me!
When nothing else could help
–
Love lifted me!”
B. He laid his sheep upon his shoulders.
1. This is a place of rest for
the sheep.
2. This is a place of security
for the sheep – (John 10:28-29; Deut. 1:30-31).
(John
10:28-29) "And I give unto them
eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck
them out of my hand. {29} My Father, which gave them me, is
greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my
Father's hand."
(Deu
1:30-31) "The LORD your God which
goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you
in Egypt before your eyes; {31} And in the wilderness, where thou hast
seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all
the way that ye went, until ye came into this place."
(Mat
V. Now, fifth, I want
you to see The Satisfaction
of both the Shepherd and the Sheep – (vv. 5-7).
(Luke
15:5-7) "And when he hath found it,
he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. {6} And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends
and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep
which was lost. {7} I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven
over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons,
which need no repentance."
This
man who had lost his sheep is filled with joy in finding it. And the sheep is
the sole source of his joy! His soul, his heart, his mind,
his body had all been absorbed in finding the sheep that was lost. Now
he finds great joy and satisfaction in that sheep which he has found.
A. The shepherd is satisfied – (Isa. 53:11).
(Isa
53:11) "He shall see of the travail
of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities."
· It was for this joy that he
endured the cross.
B. The sheep is satisfied – (Ps. 65:4). ― “All
that thrills my soul is Jesus!”
(Psa
65:4) "Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy
courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of
thy holy temple."
Application:
1. Picture the Shepherd
· In His Search.
· In His Saving Mercy.
· In His Soul’s Satisfaction.
2. Now learn this – “He delighteth
in mercy!”
There
is a holiday in heaven over one sinner who repents (v. 7).
(Luke 15:7) "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."
3. Children of God, as Christ
gave himself to save you – Give yourselves to serve him. As we have filled his
heart, may he now fill our hearts.
Amen.