Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Jesus Mission & Method ("The Jesus I Never Knew")






“The Jesus I Never Knew:  
His Mission and Method”

Luke 15:1-10
What happens after you search diligently for something that is valuable to you and you find it? You rejoice and you share your good fortune. “I found it!” (“Eureka!”). Undoubtedly, the shepherd and the woman in these stories would have cried out “Eureka!” when they found their lost valuable possessions.

In verses 7 Jesus moves from the realm of sheep and coins to the real message, people, people who are lost, people who are like wayward sheep without a shepherd, people who perhaps are like coins which have fallen off the dresser and rolled away in a dark corner somewhere, lost and forgotten, but not lost or forgotten by God. “There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” (15:7).  

This parable does not mean that heaven is not happy at the state of the righteous on earth. However, there has already been a day of rejoicing for the “found,” they are safe in the kingdom. But what about the many who have never had that day yet? What about the ever-wandering fearful sheep destined for death in the wilderness? What about the ever-lost and forgotten coin destined to remain hidden and forgotten? Jesus wants us to know these too are precious and valuable and worth looking for. God himself is not satisfied with seeing even one person being lost. God is relentless in His pursuit of the lost and He longs to see them found. And this is what makes heaven shout!

This Sunday, February 28th at Carrollwood Baptist Church, we will continue in our series of sermons, “The Jesus I Never Knew.” In this series, we are exploring the pivotal events and emphases in the life of Christ, taking a closer look at the Jesus we thought we knew. This Sunday we are looking at Jesus’ Mission & Method. This Sunday’s Scripture passage is shown below. All are welcomed to join us at CBC! Worship begins at 10:30 a.m. and we are conveniently located one mile east of the Veterans Expressway at 5395 Ehrlich Road. For more information, check us out online at carrollwoodbaptist.org.

Looking forward to celebrating Jesus this Sunday!

Pastor Joe

Luke 15:1-10, New International Version (NIV)
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

The Parable of the Lost Coin
“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”






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