Sermon Tone Analysis

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Luke 15:1-

WHAT MATTERS TO GOD? | /

Scripture Reading:

If we were to ask God, “What matters to You? What do you really care about?

What’s really important to you? —What do you think He would say?

As we study the Bible, we discover God is searching for two groups of people.

But he’s not casually searching.

He is intense about finding these two groups of people.

In fact, if we classified all the people on Earth into groups, we would discover there are actually only four different groups.

However, of the four, God is specifically searches for just two of them.

Are you curious yet?

My hope is before the morning is over, you will discover which group you are in, and which one you want to be in.

Let’s take a look…

The first group of people God is searching for are the fully committed.

For background, let me share this story which every Jewish child learned by the age of 10.

This background would have been part of the Jewish leaders training as they grew up, and one verse from 2 Chronicles in particular, was memorized.

In the Old Testament, a king of Israel named Asa came under attack from the neighbor to his north.

Asa was a seasoned king who had been at war several times before, and in those previous battles, Asa’s strategy was to do the best he could to deploy his troops tactically, and then pray that God would fight for them— and God always did.

In fact, Asa never lost a battle!

One time, Asa was attacked by a vastly superior force from Ethiopia.

So he deployed his troops and then prayed.

Let me read you the actual account from 2 Chronicles:

2chron

That’s what Asa prayed; now look at verse 12 to see what happened:

2 chron

Once an Ethiopian named Zerah attacked Judah with an army of a million men

and three hundred chariots.

They advanced to the city of Mareshah, so Asa

deployed his armies for battle in the valley north of Mareshah.

()

2 CHron

Then Asa cried out to the Lord His God, “O Lord, no one but you can help the

Several years later, King Asa is older and more established.

So when this king from the north attacks him, Asa’s reluctant to go into battle, because now he’s got more to lose than when he was just a young king starting out.

powerless against the mighty!

Help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in you

alone.

It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde.

O Lord,

“So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians in the presence of Asa and the army of Judah, and the enemy fled” ().

you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!” ()

This time Asa is more conservative.

Instead of deploying his troops and praying, Asa takes money from his treasury and pays the king of Syria to attack his rival from his eastern flank.

That way Asa risks nothing.

He let someone else fight his battle and ignores God.

That’s what Asa prayed.

Here’s what happened:“So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians in the presence of Asa and the army of Judah, and the enemy fled” ().

BUT GOD WAS WATCHING!

He knows about the hostile king on Asa’s northern border.

And God is disappointed when Asa takes the comfortable way out, so God sends a prophet to Asa, whose name is Hanani.

tells us what happened.

That’s background for what I want to share with you now: Several years later, King Asa is older and more established.

So when this king from the north attacks him, Asa’s reluctant to go into battle, because now he’s got more to lose than he used to when he was just a young king starting out.

So this time, in his conservative days, instead of going to battle, he takes money from his treasury and pays the king of Syria to attack his rival from his eastern flank.

That way Asa risks nothing.

2 CHron 16:

Now look at closely at verse 9, it’s verse every Jewish child memorized:

He lets somebody else do his fighting for him.

But, God is watching, like he always does.

He knows all about the hostile king of Asa’s northern border.

And he is so disappointed when Asa takes the comfortable way out that he sends a prophet to Asa, whose name is Hanani.

Here’s what happened: Hanani the seer came to King Asa and told him, “Because you have put your trust in the king of Syria instead of in the Lord your God, you missed your chance.

Don’t you remember what happened to the Ethiopians… and their vast army?

At that time you relied on the Lord, and he handed them all over to you? ()

Now look carefully at verse 9:

“The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

What a fool you have been!” ()

Do you see what happened?

God knew the predicament Asa was in.

It was a chance for Asa to do good and express faith.

To be fully committed and prove it.

God knew the predicament Asa was in.

It was a chance for Asa to do good and express faith.

To be fully committed and prove it.

I can almost hear God saying, “O Asa!

I have been searching for someone who I could use.

Someone who would do my bidding.

Someone who would trust me and be committed to saving my people from their enemy.

And, Asa, you ducked!

You chumped out.

Asa, what a fool you have been!”

God is on an all-out search for two kinds of people in this world.

The first kind is the kind he can use; fully committed people.

Is that you?

has three parables—stories that all have a common theme… explains why God is searching for fully committed people.

The stories all have people who take risks…people who leave their comfort zone and reach out to get something that was lost.

Jesus tells stories about: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son.

explains why God is searching for fully committed people. is the story that reminded me God wants His people to take the risks He provides!

Jesus tells stories about: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son.

ILLUSTRATION: Margaret and Africa

is the record of Jesus telling three stories: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the wayward son.

When you read the parables of Jesus, you discover when He tells a story, he then goes on to explain its meaning BEFORE telling another story.

However in , Jesus doesn’t pause to explain.

He just launches right into the next story, and then the next.

Why?

To understand, we need to remember the introduction we read just a few minutes ago.

Let’s read it again:

[Read verses 1–3.]

NLT

Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach.

This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!