Being part of a church is not the totality of what it means to belong to Christ. The ninety nine sheep left in the open country were still the Shepherd’s own; the lost one was separated not by location only from participating in religion. When the Shepherd finds the lost, He carries them close and will not let them go. True discipleship flows from surrender to Christ’s leading, allowing Him to shape decisions, ambitions, and life itself. Being in the fold of the Church is where He wants you to be but that is secondary to being across His shoulders as He saves you from being lost.

Automatically Generated Transcript

[00:00:00] Because I knew I would be not able to immediately carry through my teaching through the book of Luke and Acts, I then wanted, felt compelled or felt important to bring to our attention something that’s here in the 15th chapter of Luke. So I’ve jumped ahead of my schedule and I guess you’ll have to wait till I come back to recover that promise of going through Luke and Acts. But this is a very famous passage and I’ve known it for a long time. In fact, I’ve liked preaching on it. It’s the one where we have the prodigal son, where you have the lost sheep, the lost coin. There’s three lost things, I think. It starts with the sheep and goes to the coin and then to the lost son. But here in the beginning of Luke in chapter 15, it’s just on the lost sheep.

[00:01:02] And this is such a very famous passage and it’s one that I love. Michelle and I have spent time on a dairy farm where it also ran sheep. And I’ve told you before, they named one of the sheep born Michelle. Well, the silly thing used to be camped up on the top of a hill with a thing around her, the sheepness’s neck, and she committed suicide by jumping off. So, never mind. I like the name Michelle, even if the sheep didn’t. Well, anyway, this is a very famous passage of the scriptures of Jesus talking about lost things. And in his talking about the lostness of humanity, I compared the two sets of sheeps. There’s the 99, and I usually used to preach that they’re safe in the fold. There is another part of the scriptures that talks about Jesus saying that he’s like the door of a sheep fold

[00:02:12] and he lies across the door to stop the bad things coming in and the sheep going out. But I’d always just assumed that this passage was comparing the 99 in the fold and the one that’s out on the mountainside. Depending on what translation you read as to whether it says they’re in the wilderness or on the mountainside, or it’s a pretty rare one that says mountainside. But there’s other spots that talk about people where the shepherd has to go chasing down around the mountainside. So I just assumed that the sheep were in the fold and it was a surprise to me and it sank home in one of our prayer meetings in that room over there Thursday morning. It sank home to me because David read from this passage and although I knew it so well, I looked at it carefully because it doesn’t say

[00:03:14] that the sheep are in the fold. Jesus elsewhere does talk about the fold. It’s not a bad thing to say, you know, there’s a fold that Jesus has and when you belong to him, you’re in his fold. It’s a good metaphor. But actually in this passage it says, if you look at it, so he told them a parable, verse 4, what man of you having a hundred sheep, if he’s lost one of them, doesn’t leave the 99 in the fold? No, no, no. In open country. And go after the one that is lost until he finds it. And the comparison is between, in the protection of the fold, no, no, it’s not. It’s between being right with Jesus and one of his 99. And you might be in the open country and he leave you there and go and chase down the one that is lost. So what makes the sheep lost is not because he’s not in the fold.

[00:04:19] It is if you take the idea of the fold metaphorically. But it’s because he doesn’t belong to the shepherd as one of the 99. He’s been lost from the connection to the shepherd, not his connection to the fold, at least in this parable. Now where that hit me was I’ve always thought, and you’ve heard me say, I like it when people come to church twice on Sunday. And I give them praise. I think if you come for a double dose, you’re going to get double blessing. I think that’s true enough. But where some of you may be lost from is not necessarily from church. But you’re lost from Jesus’ relationship. Actually, realising that that’s what mattered to Christ is his connection to you. Did something to help me understand because there’s another Bible passage I’ve had a bit of a problem

[00:05:28] with the differing interpretations thereof. It’s Revelation 3.20. A very famous verse that says, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any person hear my voice and open the door, I will come into that one and fellowship with him or her and he, they with me. That passage in Revelation 3.20 is often argued about by people who get a bit annoyed at evangelists. I know because I’ve been corrected by some people who say, Oh, you’re always talking about asking Jesus into your heart. My old Sunday school teacher, when I was a little kid, asked his students every week, Do you know Jesus? Do you need to ask him into your heart? Now, this idea of asking Jesus into your heart got to be a metaphor of doing business with Jesus and finding him as your personal saviour. You don’t really have to imagine

[00:06:29] that it’s saying Jesus hopping into your blood pump. There is a truth that’s near to that because when a person comes and puts their trust in Jesus and faith in him, God gives them not only the forgiveness of sins, not only a home in heaven when you die, not only that you’re right with him, but God gives you a sense of relationship that won’t be broken. One of the things about these parables, go back home when you go home and look up at Luke 15 and marvel at something else. Just by the way, one of the reasons I think Jesus gives this because he wants his people to know that if you get lost, he’s going to go sketching you. You can’t really be lost from Jesus because he’s coming chasing. Indeed, you might be here this morning and you’re someone who’s done business with the church, people who’s been trained.

[00:07:29] I was like this, trained up and believing. I was a first-class little boy of life who was doing everything. I went to Sunday school. We had good Sunday school. This is in Perth, West Australia. And I loved them and I could quote, well, I wasn’t always very well behaved with them. I took my water pistol and squirted people in the eyes when they went looking. But nonetheless, I’m glad for that background and my parents who were so good at teaching their family. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for my dad and mum, my big sister. Maybe not my big brother because I had lots of fights with him, but never mind. Never mind. Not lots, actually. If you ever heard that, that’s unfair. He was a good big brother and meant other ways. But let me just say here that I thought I was in because of the church.

[00:08:28] And it took a moment of God getting me to realise I was mistaken. I hadn’t become in with Jesus yet. Even though I believed about him and I’ve been taught in Sunday school, Sunday school teaching doesn’t necessarily make it happen. I was taught well. I had a family well. My dad was someone, a leader in West Australia in Baptist circles. He was someone that helped our family. My big sister always looked after me. I had everything going and thought I was in. And when Jesus came to me that occasion at the Billy Graham crusade, it was a shock to suddenly, because of the conviction I came under, to realise as far as Jesus is concerned, I’m out in the desert. And by the way, the word here in this storyline, verse 4, look at it on the screen, what man of you having a hundred sheep and if he’s lost one of them doesn’t leave the 99

[00:09:34] in the open country. Now, if you look different versions, some will put desert, some will put, this is very rare, there’s a few who might say mountaintop or something. But the actual word is a word that means the unpopulated area. It’s just the general people away from where people are found. And it’s an interesting word. It doesn’t mean, you know, briars and bad soil and like when the Israelites went through the wilderness. That’s the same word. If you look at it in Greek, it’s a Greek word I’m talking about. It just means someone who’s at a distance, someone who’s not connecting and I think Jesus meant it metaphorically about the fact that the 99 which he left out there in that same wilderness but they were all his huddled together. The 99 lostness but there’s one who was lost and his lostness wasn’t just that he wasn’t

[00:10:36] in the church that was if there was a church then. His lostness is not just because he’s not in the sheep spot. I think we’ve got the wrong idea that it’s going to church that shows you’re safe. I think going to church is a wonderful thing to do. It’s where you’ll hear hopefully the message of the gospel. I’m glad one thing about our church you can’t get in here too often without hearing the gospel and even in communion, thank you Jared, he was getting the centre of the gospel you can go to lots of churches even Baptist ones and they will give you a bit of a religious talk in the communion but the gospel seems to be forgotten at too many it’s one of the things our church has, you can’t be here too long without hearing the gospel but Jesus was saying about the lost one that they were lost with regard to him

[00:11:38] that helped me when it comes to that verse in Revelation 3.20 I was talking about that behold I stand at the door and knock and I’ve often taught people it’s the door of the church it’s a bit of an affront to say to the church as Jesus is left outside knocking someone had a bit of trouble getting in through our door which was jammed this morning and so the picture might be that Jesus couldn’t get in because somewhere other than no one would let him in the door that’s not a bad picture but I don’t think that’s what Jesus had in mind what they’re lost from is him you either know him or you don’t you’ve either been called by him and you’ve responded and you’ve become a Christian because you came to Christ and the thing that’s been making me on my heart these last weeks is that Jesus is the salvation.

[00:12:31] He, the person of Jesus, you either have him or you don’t. He that has Christ has life. He that does not have the Christ, the Christ does not have life. That’s what the Gospels teach and maybe there’s someone here this morning and you’re a distance from knowing Jesus and he’s calling to you to get that fixed, come to him he who comes to me, Jesus says I will in no wise throw out one of the things you have to do with people who have come to Christ is to help them come to an assurance that they’re in the door, I wish Brittany was here because she came to Christ at one of our church camps but then she kept coming to the home group I’m bad on names this morning yeah, yeah, thank you, that lady that waved Jones’ house, yeah actually your name was very handy at the wedding of your son

[00:13:45] I seem to remember how I made a joke about keeping up with the Joneses the sons were all needing to get married but anyway, Brittany came to the Joneses’ home group and I can’t count the several times she came to me afterwards and she was unsure whether she was in the door with Jesus or he was in the door with her and I had to take her through the foundation understandings he’s made the promise and just rest in his promise and after several times of that she came to an assurance how she’s gone on but if you’re here this morning and there’s something that you can’t quite erase a doubt then that verse is not Jesus standing at the door of the church it’s his verse standing about his relationship to you behold I stand at the door and knock if any person hear my voice then open the door to you

[00:14:51] doesn’t have to be imagined as your heart like the little girl who thought she had to cut open a bit and let Jesus in no, it’s that closeness because you trust him that closeness because you surrender to him and once you’ve come to him in the first place he leads you on actually to gradually hand over more and more because at the beginning you still think you’re running your life. Gradually as time passes, he calls on you to present yourselves as a living sacrifice, Romans 12. And that’s a step that takes you further. And the deeper you go in this walk with Jesus, the more certain you are. Certain because he gives you the assurance. And Jesus knew there was one sheep that didn’t have it and he was going to chase it down. I like the fact that it gives us assurance

[00:15:49] that if you do come to Jesus and he finds you at a lost distance, he’s coming chasing. Isn’t that fantastic? If you’ve got it wrong and you mistook and God wanted you one way and you went another way, Jesus will come chasing. It’s one of the assurances that come from this parable. He’s going to get you in the long run to see what it is that he wants you to do or be. And that’s a fantastic assurance to have. What man of you having a hundred sheep, if he’s lost the one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country? It’s actually what it says. It’s the word for desert in some translations. And go after the one that is lost until he finds it. And he’s not going to quit until he gets you. Now you can keep saying no to him. Or if he’s asking you to pay a cost you’re not willing to pay.

[00:16:52] But he’s not going to quit until he has found it. Now what’s interesting in some of the teaching that you do when you learn about evangelism, and evangelism explosion is one of them, but when you learn about evangelism is that there are certain things from this parable. He lays it on his shoulders, but it also says he’s found the ones lost until he finds it. And he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And what you don’t fully understand when shepherds put the sheep on their shoulders, do you know what the practice is? They’re making sure they can’t run away. And that’s what the Lord has gotten in his intentions for you. And if there’s a purpose for you, just let’s imagine, I’ll make up an idea, just imagine that God is wanting you to be a missionary. And there’s a lot of people as they get older

[00:17:50] and realise that God calls some people to be missionaries. Not everybody. We all are sort of missionaries to tell the gospel, but some people have to leave and go to Niagara Falls or some other place, you know. If God has got something for you and you don’t want to do it, well, you know what the shepherd does to the little sheep who doesn’t want to get taken where the shepherd’s got him on his shoulders for, they break a leg or two. They know it can get fixed. And they take them nonetheless where they can’t run away because their leg’s broken. And he keeps them close. And a part of the long walk back with the shepherd around your neck brings that sheep close to the shepherd. And you know the Lord does that to people. I wouldn’t mind guessing that there’s some here that he’s got you across his

[00:18:49] neck. He might even break a leg here and there. But because of the warmth of the shepherd and the sheep, he gets that little lamb closer to his heart or its heart closer to him. And that’s what Jesus has you here to do. Can you hear it? Boy, what a… I was reviewing all of this in the prayer meeting. It was moving me. That’s why I’m preaching it this morning. And I thought it would be out of step because it’s chapter 15. And then the whole question about my, you know, I’ve got to do something about the leave. I can’t leave the leaders in the lurch of doing nothing. It just sits there. Money-wise, they have to account for everything. And so I’m acting. But also my book. And it’s the one that’s got a title at the moment. The title at the moment is the lost or missing application of the gospel. And that application

[00:20:04] is on discipleship. And a part of what you’ve been getting out of me is how the gospel not only converts you, but the gospel disciples you. And the deeper you know this central message of Christianity, the more it changes you. It not only includes the coming to be forgiven in the first place, because you trust in Jesus totally, but also your sanctification following getting converted, which why Romans 12 is at the end of Romans as a gospel, as a sort of gospel, at the end it says to present your bodies as a living sacrifice. And sometimes what happens to people who have already been converted is that God then works on them to come to give over to him the right to control their lives and to make decisions. And sometimes there’s been pet little ambitions you’ve had. In my case, there were stupid ones. Well, I wanted to be a racing car

[00:21:01] driver. It was really, very silly. It was. But God got a hold of me and he got something far more exciting to do. And God is able to do that, but there’s some point when you give in and say, Lord, I’m sorry, I’ve been imagining this and thinking that. Lord, you take me where you want. There’s some deep relief to knowing that Jesus has got you. I’ve been across his neck. And it is marvellous to leave it with Jesus, where he’ll take you. And if he has to discipline you a bit, well, he only has good things in mind. He knows the leg will heal again. That’s you and Jesus. this morning, I wanted to, I’ve got one more sermon, which is after the wedding, thank goodness, on next Sunday. But the, I wanted not to fail to bring to you, it’s not the church that is the fold. The Bible tells you not to forsake the assembling of yourselves together as

[00:22:22] the matter of some people was. But that’s not the fold here. This is relationship to Jesus, where you just trust him. And you let him carry you where he wants. It’s a degree of surrender to let Jesus be the decider of what is going to be your thing. And he’s calling you to find that for yourself. Let me pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for the day. Lord, I’m a bit emotional today, but Lord, I thank you for this beautiful passage. Lord, if there’s someone here who has thought that it’s the church, they were half right. But the better answer is, it’s Jesus and letting him be the one who decides for them. Lord, we pray that you will bless us all and be with this church. I pray for those who might be a bit put on the spot by my leave coming up like this. I pray for Joey, our secretary, who does a fantastic job, who’s so helpful. You’ve no idea

[00:23:41] how helpful, Lord, you do know. I thank you for Cameron, and he’s got such a busy life in serving you in what he’s in during the week, but he also blesses us. We thank you for those who work in different areas. Lord, the prayer meeting this morning before church was full again or nearly full. Sometimes, Lord, there’s almost no more seats left in the prayer meeting. How many churches have that happened? Wow. Thank you, Lord, for the boom in the Sunday school and all those kiddies are hearing about Jesus from the youngest years. Oh, Lord, please keep blessing the church, and I guess that’s what I want to cry out to you. Will you not let there be a stop of what you’re doing at the moment, Lord? And Jesus, we tell you as a church, we know that it’s relationship to you that counts, and we want you to stick with us as you’ve been and as you’ve promised. In Jesus’ name, amen. Amen.