LOST AND FOUND

Luke 15:1-10

I. THE SETTING

A. The Tax Collectors and ____________

1) At the end of Luke 14 Jesus warns of the cost of discipleship: “He who has ears let him ____________ “
2) The next verse, Lk. 15:1, states: “All the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to _____ Him.”

B. The __________________ and Scribes

1) Rather than hear Jesus this group grumbled, the same root word used of __________ in the wilderness
2) Their complaint, “This man receives sinners,” is actually a wonderful truth about the _________ of Jesus

Verse 3 calls the 3 stories contained in this chapter a single parable because they have the same main _____
These stories reveal that Jesus not only receives sinners, He _____ them until He finds them; then He rejoices

II. THE STORIES

A. The Tragedy of Being _____________

1) Some human beings are lost because like sheep they are easily led astray and they follow the ______
2) Some human beings are lost because of their ____________ --by accident of their birth or tragic events
3) Some human beings are lost because they squander their privileges and run from God in __________
4) These 3 stories provide examples: there are other reasons, but by nature, we are all _______ from God

B. The Marvel of Being ______________

1) The shepherd _________ the one lost sheep enough to leave the 99 sheep and seek it until he found it
2) The housewife sought the coin because of its value ($100) or perhaps because it was part of her_____
3) These stories reflect the heart of Jesus: He left heaven, took flesh and _______ on the cross to seek us

C. The Experience of Being ___________

1) The first 2 stories use similar words to indicate an absolute __________________ to find what was lost
2) Many Christians testify that they were pursued by the “ ________ of heaven” until they yielded to Jesus

III. THE SIGNIFICANCE

A. Joy in ______________

1) Finding a lost soul seems to be the only time that the Bible tells us _____ causes celebration in heaven
2) The 99 sheep caused no joy: they represent those who are too _______________ to repent and believe

B. Our Attitude toward _______________

a) We cannot afford to be self-righteous, holier-than-thou or condescending to __________ : we are all lost
b) If we are followers of Jesus, then we will experience the same joy in “finding” lost _______ that He does