What Matters to God
Notes
Transcript
Some have called this the “Gospel of the Outcast” because Jesus hung around with what some would call the Low Life of Society - or Lower Class Citizens. What it’s really about is how much Jesus Cares for all people regardless of where they are at in society or what they have done.
It has been said that Jesus is looking for two types of people… The fully Committed and the Lost...
Let me take you to a story in the OT that gives us an example of being someone who is Fully Committed to ‘Seeking God.’ It’s found in 2 Chronicles 14-16
The story Asa who was King of Judah. Vs. 2-4 “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He commanded Judah to ‘Seek’ the Lord, the God of their fathers, and obey his laws and commands.”
In vs. 8 we read Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men.” (580,000 men - quite the Army - But they would come against an army of ‘Thousand thousands’ or ‘Thousands upon Thousands’ which would be a million plus - twice the size of Asa’s Army.
Vs. 11 “Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you and in your name, we have come against this vast army. O Lord, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you.” “The Lord Struck down the Cushites (People from Ethiopia)
Asa was victorious because of the Lord; because he sought the Lord and trusted the Lord. In 2 Chronicles 15:1-2 The Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Obed. He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.” … Then in verse 7
“But as for you, be strong and do not give up for your work will be remembered.”
Asa was committed… To Seek the Lord… God provided, gave him what he needed; promised to continue to do so as long as he would seek Him. So we read in 2 Chronicles 15:12 “They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul.” Vs. 15b “They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.
12 They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul.
But heres what happened… 35 years later. 2 Chronicles 16:1-4
1 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah. 2 Asa then took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus. 3 “Let there be a treaty between me and you,” he said, “as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.” 4 Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim and all the store cities of Naphtali.
Then we read in Vs. 7 “At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa King of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the King of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the Army of the King of Aram has escaped from your hand. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing and from now on you will be at war. … Fast forward… vs. 12 “In the Thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from physicians.”
God is seeking people who are fully committed to him… he is calling all who know him to be committed to him; to seek him; to trust him; Regardless of our situation or struggles, at home, at work, at school… he is looking for all who will be committed to Him and his purpose.
Now turn to Luke 15:1-3 - The background is that Jesus is speaking to a group of religious people - Pharisees who thought better of themselves then they ought and looked down on Jesus for associating with people they called sinners, because they were not like them.
Then Jesus challenges them with what really matters most… The Lost; people who do not know they are lost who think they are ok and living life as they see fit, but they don’t know Jesus. They are lost and God is seeking them to follow Him. Those who chose to follow Him are called to be fully committed to seeking Him in all of life.
He uses the parable of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost or Prodigal Son to illustrate his point… First, lets look at the lost sheep… Jesus is addressing religious people, upper Orthodox Jews. In their minds, being a shepherd was a lowly trade. Shepherds were lower class citizens. Notice how Jesus begins this parable as he speaks directly to them… “Suppose one of ‘you’ has a hundred sheep and loses one of them? … What do you think their response was? One commentator suggested that “They would think he isn’t talking about us because none of us would become a ‘shepherd.’ And if we had sheep we would hire someone else to look after the sheep.”
NOTE: in some ways that is what has happened to the church. Instead of being the church, they hire out the work to be done by a pastor. And when the pastor doesn’t work out the way they thought, they hire another. The role of the pastor is clear to shepherd the flock… to lead and to guide them; to strengthen them and provide for them as they go about their daily activities as the church to be the church. A neighbor who cares for their neighbor regardless of color or race. To be the church in their sphere of influence… to be an example what it means to be fully committed to Jesus, regardless of how tough times may be.
But he says, “This shepherd ‘loves’ the sheep. That’s what the church is to be about… but it isn’t hiring out the help. It’s about loving one another… caring for one another. It’s about seeing those around you who are doing well, but acknowledging that one is missing. Let’s take care of that lamb… Jesus is our shepherd… he is seeking those who are lost and he calls the church to do the same… be concerned about those who do not know Jesus.
The second parable is about a lost coin. As much as it pains me to say this, the religious leaders of Jesus day also looked at women in a negative way. They were considered 3rd class citizens. Yet this woman, when she see a coin is missing, she stops everything and looks for it.
One thought in regard to the culture of this day and coins is this…
Coins were very rare in agrarian cultures. Much of their trade was carried out by barter. Any cash you had would be used only for emergencies, only to buy things you couldn’t get any other way. Some scholars think this woman’s coins represent her dowry, her bride-price. Many tell us that a woman who had coins back then would probably make jewelry out of them, stringing them on a cord to make a necklace. So when this woman lost her coin, it ruined her whole ensemble. It wasn’t just that she was down one coin; she was also wearing jewelry that had one of its decorations missing. This panics the woman. She scours the house until she finds it.
By this time I would think the religious people are feeling a little ganged up on. The fact is, Jesus is trying to point out the value of those whom they considered less significant and how important it is to care about all that are lost!
Jesus has said to the church… you are salt… you are light… be a sweet savor to the world; be a light that shines brighting for Jesus. Jesus says, “Go and make disciples.... look for those who are lost and shine your light on the truth of Jesus love!
Now look at the response of both the shepherd and the woman… Vs. 5 “And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Notice, the lamb needs care… it needs help getting from point ‘A’ to ‘B’
That’s the role of the shepherd. That’s the role of the church when it comes to people who were once lost and begin to seek Jesus; it is to help them on their Spiritual Journey to know Jesus in a personal way. Then the Shepherd calls all those whom he knows… friends and neighbors together to rejoice with Him.
We are to Compassionately seek the Lost and Celebrate the Lost when they are found… find Christ.
So the two kinds of people that Jesus is seeking are those who are ...
Fully Committed
Those who are lost...
One pastor wrote...
And the fully committed are not proud, self-conscious, religious types who think that the most important thing is their religious life.
He’s really saying two things in this parable. First, lost people matter to God so much that he’s on an all-out search to find them. Every time a lost person is found, all of heaven rejoices with the hero of heaven, which is God. And, secondly, the fully committed are those who understand this and rejoice with God when he finds what is lost, so much so that they join the all-out search as well.
Can you see why God says in 2 Chronicles, “My eyes are searching the earth to find every person who is fully committed to me”? It’s because God so loves those who have wandered from his Fatherhood that he is enlisting all of his other children who are willing to join the search.
Only the fully committed reach out to the lost.
Only the fully committed serve long hours at the church so that it’s a place where the lost can get found.
Only the fully committed pray diligently for their friends who will otherwise spend a Christ-less eternity.
Only the fully committed alter their spending habits so they can render the full tithe and fund ministries that reach lost people.
Only the fully committed stay up late, dreaming of ways to reach out to their lost friends and neighbors.
Only the fully committed look out of eyes that see as God does, thinking first about others and second about themselves.
Only the fully committed...
The struggle that I have with these thoughts is that there are many times when I have said, “I’m fully committed to the purpose of Jesus and seeking him; seeking the lost, but I fall short, more often than I care to admit. I would imagine that some of you might think the same thing.
The good news is that God in is Grace… His mercy… His Compassion… His faithfulness… is very patient with us and knows how much reminding we need to stay focused on that which matters most to him.
So no matter where you are or where you have been know that God is calling you to come out of the darkness and into the light. He is calling you to place your complete trust in him for All things. He is calling you to be committed to seek Him in every situation and circumstance of life.
His desire is to have people who are fully committed to seeking him and for all who are lost to know they no longer have to walk in darkness.
A prayer that I encouraged you to pray last week was “Lord Change me. I want to be who you want me to be; I want to do what you want me to do.” This week I’m asking you to pray, “Lord Give me a heart for what matters to you. Give me a heart that is concerned about all people who do not know you as Savior and Lord.
The first step in becoming a committed follower of Jesus is to recognize that you are lost … you are spiritually lost.
I was visiting with a neighbor this past week. We talked about the events that were taking place in Minneapolis, wondering, why thing happen the way they do. His statement to me was simply this, “We are all sinners.” What happened to Mr. Floyd was wrong! What others are doing in protesting by ransacking business, stripping the Target store bare of its merchandise is wrong. Both are sinful.”
What happens in sin is that we become blind to what is true. What we all need is Jesus; rather who we all need is Jesus. We need to become people who first and foremost repent of our “Own Sins” and ask Jesus to forgive us. To invite him to live in our hearts. To be the center of our lives. Once we do this, God not only grants forgiveness, but he gives us fresh eye; a heart of flesh and not stone; a heart that seeks to be like Jesus, (Working out our Salvation) who will do whatever is necessary for others to know that Salvation and Eternal life is found in no other person that Jesus. It doesn’t come from being a church goer… Baptist, Lutheren, Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, or any other religious background. it only come by faith in Jesus.
Acts 4:12
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Revelation 3:20
20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
Ephesian 2:8-9
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
My friend, have you asked Jesus to be your savior? Have you asked him to come into your heart? if not, let me encourage you right now to turn your heart and mind towards God and tell him, “Lord, I know that I am a sinner just like everyone else. I am sorry for my sins and ask you to forgive me. I invite you into my heart and ask you to open my eyes to see you; open my ears to hear your voice. I want to be a fully committed follower of yours; one who loves as you love and lives as you lived, by faith and in obedience to your Oh God my Lord. Amen.
If this is your prayer, than right now, Heaven is rejoicing with you for your decision to follow Jesus. You have listened to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and God has come into your life. All of heaven is rejoicing with you and so are we. Your next step is to tell someone near you that you asked Jesus into your heart. You are now a born again believer in Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life… understanding that by Faith no one enters heaven apart from faith in Jesus.
If you are a believer and feel lost, then God is calling your to turn your heart back to him. Seek him and obey him. He will direct your steps. It begins with a prayer of repentance to God telling him, you know how sinful you have been and can be. You need him; you need his love; you need the assurance of his forgiveness through Grace.
As you trust in Jesus today, you are on the road to knowing that you matter to Him and that others matter to him as well. he is calling you from being a religious hypocrite to be in a renewed relationship with a Holy God. Give him Praise, thank Him for his love and forgiveness and say to Him Lord, I am here to be one of your fully committed followers. Lead me and guide me. Show me what I am to do and help me to be everything you created me to be for your glory and honor. Be the fully Committed person God called and created you to be. Be a person who says, I was once lost, but now I’m found; Be a person who cares about the lost and be a light that shines bright for Jesus. In Jesus name! Amen!