The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
\nSeptember 11, 2016
\nLuke 15:1-10<\/p>\n
Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him.\u00a0 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”\u00a0 Then Jesus told them this parable:\u00a0 \u201cSuppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them.\u00a0 Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?\u00a0 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.\u00a0 Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, \u2018Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.\u2019\u00a0 I 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.\u00a0 Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one.\u00a0 Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?\u00a0 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, \u2018Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.\u2019\u00a0 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 (NIV1984)<\/p>\n Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,<\/p>\n As I was studying our sermon text for today, I was reminded of something that happened to me a while back.\u00a0 One evening my family and I went out to dinner.\u00a0 It was Brenda, Mickey, myself and Isaac.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t notice it until Mickey mentioned it, but they put us in the \u201cChildren\u2019s Section.\u201d\u00a0 After she said this I looked around and sure enough\u2014 I saw that most of the people in that section of the restaurant had young children with them.\u00a0 If this was done intentionally I can understand why.\u00a0 While I\u2019m sure that I never embarrassed my parents when I was young, there are times when children don\u2019t behave in a restaurant.\u00a0 In fact, I\u2019ve heard of restaurants that ban children, at least after a certain time of the day because there are people who want to be able to enjoy their meal without being disturbed or interrupted by a crying baby or a restless toddler.\u00a0 And believe it or not, my friends, sometimes this very same attitude seeps into some churches.\u00a0 People get upset if even a young child is not sitting quietly with their hands folded in their lap.\u00a0 That\u2019s one of the reasons that some churches have \u201cChildren\u2019s Church.\u201d\u00a0 All the children are invited to gather in a separate area for what we might call Sunday school.\u00a0 While the children are off having their \u201cChildren\u2019s church\u201d Mom and Dad and all the adults attend the regular worship service in the sanctuary.<\/p>\n Now, this is not going to be a sermon about children in church.\u00a0 I would anticipate that almost to a soul we all wish there were more children here in church on Sunday morning!\u00a0 No, my friends, I chose to use the example of children so that I could ask you this:\u00a0 Is there anyone <\/strong>that you would not <\/strong>want to see here in \u201cour\u201d church?\u00a0 Is there anyone <\/strong>that you would not <\/strong>feel comfortable sitting next to here in the house of \u201cour\u201d God?\u00a0 If you even thought about answering \u201cYes!\u201d to either one of those questions then you will want to pay extra close attention as we study our sermon text for today. Our sermon theme for today is very simply:\u00a0 As Disciples of Jesus\u2014 We Welcome Sinners.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 There are two things we want to see this morning.\u00a0 First, let\u2019s see that as disciples of Jesus we welcome sinners because this is the example that Jesus set for us while He was here on this earth.\u00a0 Then let\u2019s see that as disciples of Jesus we welcome sinners because this is the message that Jesus gave to us to proclaim to others.<\/p>\n When we think about the example that Jesus set for us while He was here on this earth we oftentimes think of His humility and His compassion and His faithfulness.\u00a0 What we don\u2019t often stop to remember is the example that is highlighted in the opening portion of our text.\u00a0 Luke says, \u201cNow the tax collectors and \u2018sinners\u2019 were all gathering around to hear him.\u00a0 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, \u2018This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n There are two groups of people here that could not be more different from each other.\u00a0 One group consisted of the \u201coutcasts\u201d of Jewish society\u2014 the hated \u201ctax collectors\u201d<\/em> and the scorned \u201csinners,\u201d<\/em> that is, people whose entire life was openly tainted by sin.\u00a0 The other group consisted of the \u201ccream\u201d of Jewish society\u2014 the Pharisees who fancied themselves the \u201cposter boys\u201d of living a life that was so close to perfect that God had no choice but to welcome them into heaven, and the teachers of the law who were well aware of the fact that they held a very high and honored role in Jewish society.<\/p>\n These two groups of people were not only polar opposites of each other when it came to their position in society, but they were also polar opposites when it came to their relationship with Jesus of Nazareth.\u00a0 For the most part, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law had no use for Jesus.\u00a0 Not only did they think that they didn\u2019t need <\/strong>Jesus\u2014 because as far as they were concerned they already had all the righteousness they needed to be saved all on their own\u2014 but they also had no use for someone who calls Himself a Rabbi yet He \u201cwelcomes sinners and eats with them.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The \u201ctax collectors\u201d<\/em> and the \u201csinners,\u201d<\/em> however, understood exactly how much they needed <\/strong>Jesus!\u00a0 Therefore, like Mary who understood the importance of sitting at Jesus\u2019 feet and listening to Him, these \u201ctax collectors\u201d<\/em> and \u201csinners\u201d<\/em> eagerly gathered around Jesus to \u201chear him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n While Luke doesn\u2019t tell us what Jesus said to these \u201ctax collectors\u201d <\/em>and \u201csinners\u201d<\/em> the two parables that Jesus spoke to the Pharisees and the teachers of the law might give us a very good clue.\u00a0 Like a sheep who had wandered away from the flock or like a coin which had gotten lost in the dust of a dirt floor, these \u201ctax collectors\u201d<\/em> and \u201csinners\u201d<\/em> had wandered away from God.\u00a0 These \u201ctax collectors\u201d<\/em> and \u201csinners\u201d<\/em> had gotten lost in the dust and the dirt of this sinful world.\u00a0 Like lost sheep there was no way they could defend themselves against their spiritual enemies, provide for their own spiritual needs or ever be able to find their way back to God.\u00a0 Like a lost coin there was no way they could ever brush themselves off and clean themselves up so that they were acceptable to the God of heaven. \u00a0So like a shepherd who loves each and every one of his sheep so very much that he is willing to go out and search for that one lost lamb, like a woman who understands the value of each and every coin, the Son of God came into this world for one overriding reason:\u00a0 to reach out to the \u201ctax collectors\u201d<\/em> and \u201csinners,\u201d<\/em> to call the \u201ctax collectors\u201d<\/em> and \u201csinners\u201d<\/em> to repentance, to share with those who realize that they have no <\/strong>righteousness of their own that through faith in Jesus as the Promised Messiah perfect righteousness and eternal salvation is theirs as a free gift from the heavenly Father.\u00a0 That\u2019s the message I think Jesus was sharing with the \u201ctax collectors\u201d <\/em>and \u201csinners\u201d<\/em> here in our text.\u00a0 That\u2019s the message that I think the \u201ctax collectors\u201d <\/em>and \u201csinners\u201d<\/em> here in our text eagerly gathered around Jesus to hear.<\/p>\n \u201cThis man welcomes sinners and eats with them.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Absolutely!\u00a0 While the Pharisees and the teachers of the law spoke those words out of contempt for Jesus, we join with the \u201ctax collectors\u201d <\/em>and the \u201csinners\u201d<\/em> to rejoice in the fact that this is exactly what Jesus did while He was here on this earth\u2014 and <\/strong>\u2014 this is exactly what Jesus continues to do right down to this very day!\u00a0 Think about it, my friends.\u00a0 Who of us can say that we already have all the righteousness we need to be saved?\u00a0\u00a0 Who of us can say that we never sin against the God of heaven whether in thought or in word or in deeds?\u00a0 Who of us can say that we never stumble or fall in our walk with our Lord?\u00a0 Who of us can say that we never struggle in our life of Christian sanctification\u2014 taking the faith that God has created in our hearts and letting that faith shine brightly in our day to day lives?\u00a0 That\u2019s why the truth that Jesus \u201cwelcomes sinners and eats with them\u201d<\/em> is an especially comforting truth each and every time we come here to His house.\u00a0 That\u2019s why the truth that Jesus \u201cwelcomes sinners and eats with them\u201d<\/em> is an especially comforting truth each and every time we approach His altar to receive His holy Supper.\u00a0 If we were to walk into church with a heart that says, \u201cGod, I thank you that I am not like other men\u2026\u201d<\/em> (Luke 18:11), if we were to approach God\u2019s altar thinking, \u201cI hope I don\u2019t end up next to so-and-so again,\u201d then we would be no different than the Pharisees and the teachers of the law here in our text.\u00a0 On the other hand, if we enter into God\u2019s house humbly rejoicing in the opportunity to hear Jesus speaking to us through His holy Word, if we approach God\u2019s altar humbly confessing, \u201cGod, have mercy on me, a sinner\u201d<\/em> (Luke 18:13)\u00a0 then as Jesus says here in our text the angels of God in heaven above are rejoicing!<\/p>\n \u201cThis man welcomes sinners and eats with them.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Absolutely!\u00a0 Because this is the example that Jesus set for us while He was here on this earth and because Jesus continues to do this for each and every one of us each and every day, as disciples of Jesus we need to do the same.\u00a0 Yes, my friends, we need <\/strong>to reach out to the \u201ctax collectors\u201d<\/em> and the \u201csinners\u201d<\/em> of today.\u00a0 We need<\/strong> to share with them the glorious message that our Savior has given to us:\u00a0 Jesus welcomes them\u2014 and so do we!<\/p>\n Does this mean that we condone their sin?\u00a0 Does this mean that we look the other way because we are afraid that if we say anything to them they will be mad at us?\u00a0 Of course not!\u00a0 Out of love for their immortal soul we call them to repent of their sins just as out of love for our immortal soul Jesus calls us to repent of our sins.\u00a0 Once God the Holy Spirit has led them to repent of their sins, once God the Holy Spirit has given them the power and the desire to turn away from their sins and to trust in Jesus for complete forgiveness for all of their sins, do we treat them any differently simply because of their past?\u00a0 Do we look down on them because surely we would never do anything like they have done?\u00a0 Of course not!\u00a0 Kneeling at the foot of the cross we follow the example of the apostle Paul and confess, \u201cHere is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance:\u00a0 Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners\u2014 of whom I am the worst\u201d <\/em>(1 Timothy 1:15).\u00a0 Then keeping the cross always before our eyes we treat others the way Jesus treats us\u2014 \u201cThis man welcomes sinners and eats with them.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n So, my friends, now that we\u2019ve looked a little deeper at what our Savior says to us here in our text, let me ask you again:\u00a0 Is there anyone <\/strong>that you would not <\/strong>want to see here in church?\u00a0 Is there anyone <\/strong>that you would not <\/strong>feel comfortable sitting next to here in God\u2019s house?\u00a0 My prayer is that anytime the little Pharisee that lives inside of us tries to get us to say \u201cYes!\u201d to either of those questions that as disciples of Jesus we will remember both the example that Jesus set for us as well as the message that Jesus gave to us to proclaim.\u00a0 \u201cThis man welcomes sinners and eats with them.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Absolutely!\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because \u201cI tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n To God be the glory!<\/p>\n Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost September 11, 2016 Luke 15:1-10 Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him.\u00a0 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”\u00a0 Then Jesus told them this parable:\u00a0 \u201cSuppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them.\u00a0 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