God Is Still Seeking the Lost
Intro: Because God does not change, we can expect him to continue doing the things He has done in the past, including seeking the lost.
I. THE CONTEXT - vs. 1-3
A. The Audience - vs. 1-2a
1. Group 1: The obvious Sinners - Tax Collectors and Sinners
2. Group 2: The presumed Spiritually Elite - Pharisees and Scribes
B. The Complaint - v. 2b (cf. Luke 5:29-32)
C. The Parables - v. 3
1. Their Point: God rejoices over repentance.
2. Their structure: Symmetrical or Asymmetrical
II. THE CONTENT - vs. 4-32
A. Parable 1: The Lost Sheep - vs. 4-7
B. Parable 2: The Lost Coin - vs. 8-10
C. Parable 3: The Lost Son - vs. 11-32
1. The Younger Son - vs. 11-24
a. The Younger Son Is Lost - vs. 11-19
b. The Father Seeks and Brings Back His Son - vs. 20-21
c. The Community Rejoices - vs. 22-24
2. The Older Son - vs. 25-32
a. The Older Son Is Lost - vs. 25-28a
b. The Father Seeks His Son - vs. 28b-32
A. God is the initiator in salvation; this is His call.
B. God will forgive you, but He will not bargain with you.
C. God rejoices over repentance not self reformation.
D. God wants your heart more than your service. (cf. Matt 9:10-13; Hosea 6:1-6)
Conc: In 2012, will God be seeking the lost through us or in spite of us?
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Jan_01_2012
