I invite you then to turn to the Gospel of Luke, the passage we read earlier this morning, Luke chapter 15. I know I looked at this with you several years ago, but you can never exhaust any portion of scripture. It's like an onion, isn't it? You peel back the layers, and as you get further into it, the deeper you study the scriptures, New revelation comes to your mind, things you didn't see before. I think that comes through experience, living the Christian life, and the study of the scriptures, and these are deep things. These are familiar things to you. Maybe some of you thought, oh no, not this passage again. That's possible. That's a good passage. It's a good passage to come to and reconsider. It's a parable of the Lord Jesus, as we know, Three parables in one. So we have one parable here with different aspects. We look at these two characters, the law keeper and the law breaker. These two characters in the Prodigal Son, that's who they are. One is a law breaker. He's broken the law. And the elder son is a law keeper. He's the one who keeps to the commandments. He says, I'm not disobeying one of your commandments. And that was probably true. So this parable is addressed to publicans and sinners and to the Pharisees and scribes, verse one and two. Then drew near unto him, that's Jesus, all the publicans and sinners, for to hear him. And in that group were the Pharisees and scribes. And what are they doing? They're murmuring, verse two. They murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them. Bad news if you're a Pharisee. Bad news if you are a scribe. If this man was a true rabbi, he would know who these people are. He would have no association with these sinners at all. Publicans, tax collectors, those who worked for Rome, those who betrayed the nation, those who extortion, in their taxes upon the people, and sinners, prostitutes and harlots, thieves and robbers, the dregs of society. This is whom Jesus has fellowship with. He eateth, he eats. That's a sign of fellowship. We've lost that in our culture. When you go to someone's home, do they provide a meal? You're inviting your friends, you're inviting ones who are friendly toward you. In Asian culture, it's an insult if you don't take food. Even at three o'clock in the morning, come in and have a drink, come have a drink, tell me, no bro, I wanna go home. They see it as an insult. So a meal is fellowship, is communion. That's when we come around the Lord's table, we break bread, we drink wine. It's an expression of that oneness, that fellowship in the gospel. And Jesus receives a native with sinners. That's the best news for the sinner. There's nothing greater that we can comprehend in our hearts and minds that Jesus eats and receives sinners. If he didn't, we'd be lost eternally. All would be undone. you wouldn't be here this morning. So that's the context of our passage this morning. The publicans and the sinners are there. The Pharisees also are there. Jesus is perceived as a rabbi. He's one who's versed in debate and discussion with the rabbis and the Pharisees. That's why they call him rabbi. He was seen to be a rabbi, a teacher of the law of God. And Jesus speaks this parable. So it's three parts, but one parable. What man of you having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? Now this is directed specifically at the Pharisees and the scribes. People of Israel, they were lost. They were those without a shepherd. Those who were supposed to be shepherded and guide them, ostracized them, they were outcasts. So the Lord speaks his parable. What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and using that metaphor, this is a typical way of the Lord Jesus, he spoke in picture language so the ordinary people could understand as well as educate it. What man of you have a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the 99 in the wilderness and go after that which is lost until he find it? If you're a good shepherd, you will go after the one that is lost. Notice where this one is lost. He's lost in the wilderness, a place of hostility, a place of danger, a place of death. There are predators. There are snakes. There are bears. There are wolves. And they are out there, and they are hungry, seeking whom they may devour. And a sheep would be pretty good meal for a wolf and his family. Now, what man of you who loses one sheep will not go after it, because that is his income, a source of wealth. He's invested time into that sheep. He knows it by name. And he goes into the wilderness, probably in the dark, full of dangers for a shepherd. And he goes into the wilderness crying the name of that sheep. And I can understand why studies here, shepherds knew their name, each and every one of those sheep. They knew him by name. That's wonderful, isn't it, in itself? I'm looking at sheep, and God knows each and every one of you by name. He knows your circumstances. He knows the dangers you face, the difficulties and the trials. He knows you. That's a wonderful, sweet thought for the Christian, I believe. And he goes after it. He cries. And the sheep, once he's lost, he has no way of returning home. They have no sense of direction. They have no sense of where home is. They're lost in the wilderness, amongst the pits and the fawns that are out there. And the shepherd goes out into the darkness, calling the name of that lost sheep, seeking it until he finds it. So much more we can say about that sheep, but he's lost. But here's the good news. The shepherd finds the sheep. As the sheep hears the shepherd calling his name, it bleats, as if to say, I am here. Come and find me. That sheep is fearful. His legs have turned to jelly. He cannot walk, he cannot stand. And so the shepherd takes the sheep upon his shoulders and brings him home. Verse five, and when he had found it, he laid it on his shoulders, rejoicing. Now, I'm not a farmer, but I see a sheep in the field, that looks a pretty heavy animal to bear, 60 to 70 pounds, they're telling me. That's a lot of weight to bear in the dark, across rough terrain. shepherd lays that sheep upon his shoulders. What a wonderful picture that is of Christ carrying the sin, bearing our sin, bearing our penalty. He picks the sheep up and bears the weight upon his shoulders, friends. That is what Christ has done for each and every one of us. He has borne our sin on Calvary's cross and he gladly goes home rejoicing despite the bitterness and the shame, the contempt, was thrown upon him, he goes home and he rejoices. Verse six, and when he comes home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, rejoice with me, for I found a sheep which was lost. Now I always thought in my mind that the friends and neighbours, they would be responsive to that request. We don't read that here, do we? We don't read that they came and rejoiced with him. Friends. If you dig deeper into the scriptures and the writings of the Jews, you find that this term refers to the friends of particular society, the scribes and the rabbis, called a heberim. They were friends. They were those who had a trait, whatever trait it may be, a farmer, a tent maker, a carpenter, a stonemason. But he also set time to study the scripture, to study the Torah. And they were known as the friends, the companions. You still have that in Israel today. There's, at the current moment, you know, troubles in Israel. The Orthodox Jew will not take up arms because their time is dedicated to the study of scripture. So this group of friends, Look down upon those who did not study. They were called the herets, the people of the earth. That wasn't a good term. So we see here the Lord Jesus speaking to the friends. This is the scribes and the Pharisees. And they're not rejoicing. Rejoice for me for I found the sheep which was lost. I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth. More than over 99 just persons. that need no repentance. The Lord Jesus is bringing this lesson to the scribes and to the Pharisees who are still in the wilderness, are still outside of the kingdom of God. And we have that very short part of this parable, verse eight, even one woman having 10 pieces of silver, If she lose one piece, doth not light a candle and sweep the house and seek diligently till she find it. And when she have found it, she calls her friends and her neighbors together to rejoice. Rejoice for me, for I have found the piece which I had lost. So the picture shifted from the shepherd to this woman who's lost a coin. Again, in Jewish society, only women light candles. It's only women who sweep the house. And these houses, I've been to some of these houses in Israel, up near Galilee. They're made of black basalt rock. They're black. There are slit windows. It's dark inside these houses. And she's lost this coin in the house. She knows it's there somewhere. It can't go anywhere else. It's not outside the house. and she seeks for it diligently. She seeks, she brushes with her candle, seeking that which is lost in the house. So we have a sheep who's lost in the wilderness, we have a coin that's lost in the house. I suggest to you that these two represent the two sons. in the parable of the prodigal son, one who's lost in a far country in the wilderness, the one who said to his father, father, give me my portion of the inheritance. That is mine. And the second son, who is in the house, the father's house, who is angry when he hears of the music and the dancing, the son who is lost in the house. So moving on quickly. Verse 11, he said, a certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. If you are a father, you're the one who devised inheritance. You're the one who says to the older son, son, this is yours. Younger son, this is yours. It's an insult to the father. What he's actually saying is, I wish you were dead. I wish you were dead so I can have my portion here and now. It's an insult, particularly in that society, in any society. Father, I wish you were dead. And we see the father, he's gracious. And he divides the father. Give me a portion, verse 12, of the goods that afforded me. And he, the father, divided them his living. And then verse 13, not many days after, the youngest gathered all together and took his journey into a far country. And there wasted his substance with riotous living. riotous living. He takes, he converts the property into cash, he's gone into the village, gathered the cash together. The village now knows the insult to the father, and the father divided the inheritance, the substance, and is wasted. Wasted. His brother says he wasted on harlots, there's no evidence to support that, but he wasted. his substance in riotous living. He lived it up. He was living the dream. It's what I wanted to do. And he squanders all. And we live in a society which is just like this, son. We live in a society where we desire the death of God, death of the father. And we want to take all the goods to ourselves and squander it and use it to our own benefit. And for Jesus, this was the sin, the sin of desiring the death of God. Because the Father is a representation of God the Father. And sin is open rebellion. It's reflection there of Psalm number two. It's reflection of a broken relationship. If you are not a Christian this morning, you are in a broken relationship with the Lord God Almighty. And that is a sin. And you're wasting your substance, you're wasting your life, you're wasting your time and your resources on riotous living. You may think, I'm not a riotous liver, but you're living for self. We're in fact, we should be living to the praise and to the glory of God. Verse 14, when he has spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land, and he began to be in want. He began to be hungry. All his fair-weathered friends have deserted him. All he had, the money and the substance, and he wasted that substance. He had friends who were close to him, who were sponging off of him. And when it all had been spent, they desert him. I've no friends like that. You know people like that, they will take all they can from you. And when he spent all there arose a mighty famine in the land and it began to be in want. Began to be in want. Want of shelter, want of friendship, want of food, want of fellowship. And to overcome his difficulties, verse 15, he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country. This is a gentile country. How do we know that? Because they keep pigs. They sent him into the fields to feed the swine. Swine and Jews just don't mix. It's not part of their culture, is it? But that's where he was sent. And that's how low this man had come, to feed the swine, and even to eat the husks of the swine. Then verse 70 we say, this is a turning point of this man's heart and mind. And when he came to himself, he said, how many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare? And I perish of hunger. And he's thinking back home, my father's servants, they have plenty, they're not hungry, they're cared for, they have warmth and shelter. that he hatches a plan. I say, Tina, I'll arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired servants. That sounds good, doesn't it? Well, it works. Make me as one of your hired servants. I will work off the debt. What I've squandered and wasted, I will pay back. Tray me as a tradesman, and I will pay you back. He's thinking of a salvation of works. He has this mantra, I will rise and go to my father. I will say to father, I have sinned against heaven. before he sets off on his journey back home I am no more worthy to be called my son make me as one of I hired servants and he rose and came to his father with that thought running through his head I'm no more worthy to be called my son make me as one of I hired servants he rose and came to his father But now we see the father's heart. Verse 20, but when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him. Every morning a father was looking down the high street of the village onto the horizon from a distance where he saw his son go, seeking him. Is he returning? Every day, the father's compassion. Father's compassion. And verse 20, arose and came to his father, but when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion. And he ran, he fell on his neck, and he kissed him. We don't see the cultural significance of what the father is doing here. Middle Eastern man of his, Rank and stature would never run. It would be a disgrace to him and his family, even to show his ankles. His garment would glide across the surface of the ground. But this father, he has compassion and he runs. And not only that, he falls on his neck. Not only that, he kissed him. This one, this son who's dishonored the family, the reputation of the family, dishonored the father. The father has compassion and he runs, falls upon his neck and kissed him. You see the grace and mercy of God? You sinner, he saw you and he sought you and he ran. And he fell on your neck and he kissed you. The kiss of peace. I mentioned to you before when King Charles was crowned and William went up to his father and kissed him. It's a lovely picture, isn't it? In a sense, we see the father kissing the son. a kiss of reconciliation, of peace and grace. At verse 21, the son said unto his father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight I am no more worthy to be called thy son. Part of his speech is missing. He doesn't talk about working off the debt, does he? Grace has touched his heart. Grace has melted him, and he sees his sin. He sees he's been a rebellious son. And the father embraces him, and kisses him, and clothes him. Verse 22, the father said to his servants, bring forth the best robe, like a wedding garment, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and put shoes on his feet. He's being clothed, isn't he, in the garments of righteousness. Not only that, he says, bring hither the fatted calf and kill it and let us eat and be merry. For this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found. And they began to be merry. So we see here that beginning of this part of the parable that the son says to the father, I wish you were dead. Now we see the son who's come back from the dead. Interesting parallels between the narrative there of Jacob and Esau. We haven't got time to go into that today, but there's a lot of comparisons between this parable and the narrative of Jacob. Jacob, who deceived his father. Jacob, Isaac, who is approaching death. He wants to bless Esau. There are many comparisons. And in a sense, I think this is Jesus retelling of the Jacob narrative. For this, my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found, and they began to be merry. So there we see in this character here, the first part of that lost sheep, the parable that Lord Jesus spoke about. The son lost in a far country, lost in a wilderness, who comes to himself, and the father embraces him and receives him back into the community. Then Jesus speaks to the scribes and Pharisees, particularly Verse 25, now his eldest son was in the field and was come and drew nigh to the house. He heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. Now, the servant is in Hebrew, he's a boy, a young boy, a young servant of the household. And the boy tells him, my brother is come and my father's killed a fatted calf. because he had received him safe and sound. And the eldest son said, oh, that's great news. He's home, wonderful, excellent. How is he? Is he well? What's his circumstances? We don't do it. He was 28. He was angry and would not go in. Therefore came his father out and entreated him. We see again the grace of God. in the father here. The eldest son is now insulting the father. He was angry and would not go in. And the father comes out. Again, this is against all tradition. You respect your father, you respect your elders. His father comes out and he treats him. Come on in. Come rejoice with us. Your son, your brother. He's home, safe and sound. In 29, he says, he said to his father, lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time by commandment, and yet thou never gavest me a kid that I might make merry with my friends. He's the law keeper. These many years do I serve thee, Neither have I transgressed at any time thy commandment. I'm a good law keeper. I do what's obeyed. The Lord commands me to do, I do it. He does it with a hard heart. You can see that, can't we? Lo, these many years do I serve thee. It's a hard service. There's no joy in serving the Father. Neither have I transgressed at any time thy commandment. This is the son who's lost in the house. He's at home with the father. He's in the community. Yet he's serving with bitterness. And this parable is directed directly at these publicans and sinners, particularly the Pharisees and the scribes. He never gave me a kid. I made party with my friends. But as soon as this thy son come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf." You can't even refer to him as a brother. But as soon as this, you feel a disdain, can't you? This thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And the father says, To him, son, thou art ever with me. And all that I have is thine. It was meat that we should make merry and be glad. For this thy brother was dead, and is alive again, and was lost, and is found. And there the parable ends. My question is, did he go in? Did the elder son go in? Was his heart so bitter towards his younger brother, so incensed with the generosity of his father that it was as if he was to cut off his nose to spite his face? It was me that we should make merry and be glad. For this my brother was dead. And each and every one of us who are outside of Christ, who are dead in our trespasses and sins, we are rebels against the grace of God. But now he's been found. The father has found him. The father ran to him. Yes, the son approached the father, but the father ran and found his son, threw his arms around him, kissed him and clothed him. He's alive again. And to be a Christian is to be alive. To be a Christian is to be truly alive. The world out there thinks we are poor, pitiful creatures, but they're the poor ones. We are rich in Christ. We are alive to spiritual things. We are alive to reality. We are alive to the events of the world. We see a sovereign God who controls all events in time, every aspect of our life and of our nation. We are alive to his promptings and to his callings. We were hardened at one time, but now by the grace of God, we are alive. We were lost in that wilderness, all its dangers, all its snares and temptations, but now we're found. There's nothing greater in this world than to be found. You are found people. God has set his love upon you and he has found us and restored us. Did he go in? I think some went in. You read the book of Acts, you find that many of the scribes and Pharisees believed. Hence we pray. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Pray for the Jews, that they may come in and be found with this wonderful Saviour, this wonderful Lord Jesus Christ. What a wonderful God we have. We praise and bless him, and we close with singing hymn 702. For this is where we stand, so safe to the rock that is higher than high. My soul is conflict and sorrows will fly. So sinful, so weary, Vine, vine would I be, Thou blessed rook of ages, I'm hiding in thee. Hymn 702.