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It Is Written Canada

Lost

Chris Holland

Lost Sheep

God's book, the Bible, still relevant in today's complex world.

It is written sharing messages of hope around the world.

He was a Bernese Mountain Dog, Australian Shepherd Mix.

He was a gift to Bronwyn Mengering of Fort St.

John, British Columbia for Christmas of 2013.

Now, Thor was the family's first pet and at 12 years old, Bronwyn was thrilled to have her first dog.

Thor loved Bronwyn and Bronwyn just loved him.

But on October of 2014, Bronwyn let Thor outside and when she called for him to return, he was nowhere to be found.

The family searched for their beloved pet.

They went door-to-door but no 1 had seen him.

They passed out flyers, put up posters, and posted on Facebook.

The family actually feared the worst, that somehow Thor had been stolen away and was being used in a dog fighting ring right there in Fort St.

So after months of searching, the family had finally come to grips, come to grips with the reality that their pet had been lost forever.

The family then had to move to Windsor, Nova Scotia.

Almost a year after moving to Nova Scotia and Almost 2 years after Thor had disappeared, the family received a phone call from their vet back in Fort St.

He called with the incredible news that Thor had been found.

Thor was found in a work camp in northern Alberta and had been taken to an animal shelter in High River, Alberta, almost 1, 000 kilometers from their home in Fort St.

Incredibly, Thor was safe, he was alive, and as fast as possible, all the arrangements were made, Thor was loaded in a kennel, put on a plane, And on August 10th of 2016, Thor and Bronwyn were joyously reunited.

Although Thor had been lost, he was now found and reunited with his owner.

Maybe as a child you were somehow separated from your mother or father in a crowded place or maybe as an adult you've taken a wrong turn somewhere.

Now I don't know about you but for me my anxiety level increases dramatically when I know that I am lost.

Maybe thinking about being physically lost, maybe that has you thinking more about other emotions that come with that.

The overall uncertainty of what to do, or that you are kind of wandering in the wilderness, somehow unsettled.

And in thinking about this, I'm drawn to 1 particular chapter in the Bible.

We find hope for that individual who is lost.

There's hope for the restless soul who is looking for something more.

There is assurance in a world of so much uncertainty found in its pages.

Now over the next several weeks we will look at this chapter and see that we do not need to feel lost.

We can be found and live a life of assurance.

Imagine living in Jerusalem and the surrounding area in the early part of the first century.

I want you to imagine for a moment hearing the stories of the miracles and teachings of Jesus.

The social outcasts were condemned and scorned by the teachers of the day.

As Luke 15 begins, it tells us that sinners were drawn to Jesus and He to them.

When the religious leaders confronted Jesus about this, He answered them by telling them a parable.

It begins in Luke chapter 15 and beginning in verse 4.

What man of you having a hundred sheep if he loses 1 of them does not leave the 99 in the wilderness and go after the 1 which is lost until he finds it.

And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing, and when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.

I say to you likewise, there will be more joy in heaven over 1 sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance." So first, let's talk about why Jesus told this parable.

Luke 15, 1 says that tax collectors and sinners drew near to him.

Other versions of the Bible call the tax collectors publicans.

These are individuals that worked in the public sector that collected taxes and couldn't be trusted.

In fact, the general population despised them.

The sinners were another group of outsiders altogether.

That is because they did not follow the traditions of the religious leaders.

Now another interesting insight is that the strictest of Pharisees did not respect the common people who had not received a rabbinical education and They referred to them as sinners.

These sinners were considered the common people and they had not received that education and as a people who were not respectable, the Pharisees called them sinners.

The Pharisees saw themselves as a special and superior group, especially in the area of spirituality.

The tax collectors and sinners, they were people who sensed their need.

While the scribes and Pharisees, you see, they thought that they had it all.

They followed Jesus not because they wanted to hear his teachings, but they wanted to keep an eye on him.

They were astonished by Jesus's fellowship with this group of undesirables.

They couldn't fathom being in such close proximity to that which was so common.

They thought that Maybe Jesus wasn't such a great teacher after all, and He was just another 1 of those sinners as well.

But Jesus Himself was really a rebuke to them and the traditions.

He rebuked their traditions that they held because Jesus was love personified.

He accepted all people and as we will see in this parable, he did far more than just accept people.

Jesus came to demonstrate that God loves and cares for the people who are despised and rejected in this world.

The first parable of the 3 that we will study right here in Luke 15 compares the unrelenting love of God to a shepherd.

Now this story undoubtedly would have resonated with the people because shepherding was a common occupation there at that time.

Jesus painted the scenario of a shepherd with a hundred sheep under his care and by all standards that was a fairly large flock.

Now you might think that's not such a big deal.

And the shepherds of Jesus' day knew their sheep personally.

They cared for them in the most meticulous of manners.

Now sheep in general are fairly helpless and curious animals.

Now when the shepherd realized the sheep was gone, he didn't have to think about what he would do.

He left the 99 to look for that 1 that was lost.

The value of that 1 sheep was worth the risk.

You see, because without the intervention of the shepherd, the sheep would have remained lost.

Full of relief, the shepherd found the sheep.

The Lost Coin

The local government official of Florence, Piero Soderini, commissioned the artist, Leonardo da Vinci, to paint the depiction of the Battle of Anghiari in the Hall of the 500 in the Palazzo Vecchio, which was the town hall of Florence.

In 1440, the Battle of Anchiari was fought between the Republic of Florence and Milan.

The Republic of Florence emerged victorious and gained their place as the most important power of central Italy.

Now it is interesting to note that at the same time that da Vinci was commissioned for this piece Michelangelo was also commissioned to paint in the Hall of the 500.

He though was commissioned to paint the Battle of Cassina.

The 2 world-renowned painters were side by side in a battle of artists, so to speak.

However, Michelangelo never got past the drawing stage of his work.

But da Vinci, da Vinci worked with fervor on his scene from Anghiari.

And it was noted as it was completed for its life-like intensity.

However, just a few short years later, the city of Florence was overthrown, and it was believed that fire consumed a portion of the Hall of 500.

Giorgio Vasari was called upon to redecorate and refresh the Hall of 500.

Now, it was at that time that he painted frescoes over the works of da Vinci and Michelangelo.

However, for many years there were people who believed that this lost work of da Vinci had somehow survived.

Centuries later, in 2012, there was finally a breakthrough.

Maurizio Seracini, a fellow of National Geographic and others before him, noted that on Vasari's fresco were the words, Cerca Trova.

Translated into English it means, Seek and ye shall find.

What a number of scientists began to conclude is that Vasari in fact had not painted over the works of Da Vinci, but had somehow preserved them by painting his frescoes on what was actually a false wall.

Vasari's fresco was up for some work of restoration, so scientists took this opportunity and they drilled several holes in the fresco and inserted an endoscope into the wall.

They found a significant air pocket and discovered forms and figures of what appeared to be da Vinci's original work.

They took samples from the paint from the wall and they found that the pigments there were similar to those of da Vinci's work, the Mona Lisa.

It was believed that the lost work of da Vinci had been found.

Now I will tell you there's been some controversy concerning the finding, but what is a reality is that which was lost had been found.

You know, original Da Vinci paintings are very valuable and this story demonstrates to what lengths we will go to find something that's important.

Now last week we began studying Luke chapter 15 And it's 3 parables about 3 valuable things that got lost.

Each of them teach us that Jesus himself is on a quest to seek and save something that is lost.

And His greatest joy, His greatest joy is when He finds that which He has been looking for.

Now last week we've studied that first parable of the lost sheep and we discovered that Jesus is ever concerned with finding you and bringing you into a joyous relationship with Him.

Today we turn again to Luke 15 and this time we are going to read about a lost coin beginning in verse 8.

Or what woman, having 10 silver coins, if she loses 1 coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?

And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the peace which I lost.

Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over 1 sinner who repents.

You know, in this second of 3 parables, we see and we explore the symbolism that Jesus clearly outlines in defining the characteristic of his mission, the mission of seeking and saving the lost.

Certainly you have and you know how maddening it is to not be able to find it.

And that is how in this parable the woman was feeling as she looked for her coin.

Now the passage says that it was a silver coin.

In the original Greek language it is the word drachma.

Now the drachma was a Greek coin that was the equivalent of the Roman coin, the denarius.

Now you'll remember the denarius is equal to 1 day's wage.

So this silver coin, It was worth something.

And we see in the lost coin a symbol of those people who have lost or who are lost in their way of life, lost in their sins.

But the key, they do not have any sense of their condition.

They are far from God but are seemingly unconcerned or don't even know what kind of shape they're really in.

However, this parable reminds us that God even cares for those who are indifferent to Him.

She swept the room and carefully made her search.

Now remember, in the previous parable, the sheep was to blame for its being lost.

But in this case, no blame could be put on the coin.

But this story continues to emphasize the infinite value that God places upon just 1 soul.

No matter how you feel about your own worth, God places great value on you.

Now I want you to think about the woman's challenge.

As was common in those days, her home most likely had a dirt floor and not a significant amount of natural light, and a coin falling on the floor would have stirred the loose dust on the floor and the coin would have been easily lost.

It would have required a diligent search.

Lighting a lamp and sweeping would have been absolutely necessary for any chance of finding that coin.

When she finally did find the coin, there was so much excitement that she called her neighbors to celebrate with her.

How much more will heaven celebrate when 1 sinner is found?

You know, searching takes work and diligent effort.

But friend, this is what God has done and what He wants to do for you.

He wants us to treat others in the same way, by the way.

Jesus lived and taught among the common people, especially those who didn't know God, who were lost, those people who were lost and confused.

He was to be an anchor that people could cling to.

The very heart of God, the very heart of Jesus is an unquenchable desire to reach out to people and help them find their way.

You know, in our culture today, it's easy to dismiss as insignificant or even bothersome to our busy lives, those who have the greatest needs.

The poor, the needy, The people suffering from disease and terminal sickness, people that just need someone to talk to, it's easy to discard them.

But Jesus, Jesus pursued those kinds of people.

Maybe you are 1 of those kinds of people.

He searches for you and He searches for them.

He's intensely interested in you to pick you up from the dusty floor of life and show you that there is an escape plan.

Then share the love and hope He has given you with others around you.

For Jesus it is of infinite value, so much so that He was willing to die for you and to die for me.

God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

First John 3.16 states, by this we know love because he laid down his life for us.

If God places that kind of value upon you, each of us must value others in the same light.

On May the 28th, 1708, the San Jose, a 1, 066-ton ship that had been built in 1696 was equipped with 60 cannons and it set sail for Europe from the Spanish colonies in the New World.

Its plan was to first stop in Cartagena en route to Havana and then on to Europe.

It was an important ship holding a stash of gold and silver coins and emeralds from the mines of Peru.

The San Jose was carrying such a particularly large treasure that this treasure would provide the needed funding for the war of Spanish succession.

It was a conflict that saw the Spanish and French against the English.

Each year, the Spanish fleets would escort treasures back to Europe.

However, in a recent expedition, the English fleet had destroyed a portion of the Spanish fleet, so in turn, small French warships took over the responsibility of escorting those treasures.

The San Jose was part of the first group to make the long voyage in 6 years.

Louis XIV desperately needed the treasure to continue funding the war.

So the commander of the Spanish fleet, Admiral José Fernández de Santillán, Count of Casa Alegre, he made the decision to go ahead without them.

The Prodigal Son

I'll not forget the day, January the 8th, 1989.

I was a teenager and a fan of the Chicago Bears.

That day, my dad took me to the National Football Conference Championship game between the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears there at Soldier Field in Chicago.

It was a very cold winter day and with the wind chill, the temperature was dropping.

But I'll tell you, my excitement was high because the winner of the game would go to the Super Bowl.

Having lived For most of my life up until that point in the Chicago area, this was a very exciting moment.

The Bears could go all the way to the Super Bowl.

After a few hours of enduring negative temperatures, my excitement dwindled to disappointment as the Bears lost the game.

I didn't realize that that was just the beginning of my disappointment that day.

After the game, my dad took me to dinner and told me something that would drastically change our family.

After 15 years of marriage, he and my mom were getting a divorce.

And I'll tell you, I didn't understand at the time.

I knew things were tough, but I didn't think it was that bad.

As my parents went through the divorce process, I became angry about many things and I actually began to get angry with my mom most especially.

At the age of 18, having just graduated from high school, 1 day I packed up my stuff and I left home.

My mom had gone to work that morning as she had almost every day to support me and my 3 younger brothers Since the process of the divorce had begun, I packed up my stuff and left without speaking to my mom or letting her know where I was going.

She tried contacting me, phone calls, cards, gifts, never missing a holiday, finding whatever excuse she could to send something or to make something for me, but I didn't respond to her at all.

1 weekend I attended a conference that, looking back on it, taught many principles that were not biblical.

However, something good came out of that conference.

During a time of reflection, I came to realize how selfish that I had been and how selfish I was being.

As soon as my mom answered the phone and she heard my voice.

I said the only thing that I could think of and I said, I'm sorry.

My mom accepted me back with no conditions, no questions, no pressure.

You see, I had been lost and confused, but now I was found.

I share this story to help illustrate the point that God pursues each of us in a similar way.

No matter where you are in life, he wants to be reunited with you.

For the last 2 weeks, we have studied the parables in Luke 15 and have seen that Jesus is relentless in his pursuit after us.

We go to the last of those parables recorded in the third gospel.

And beginning in verse 11, it says these words, Then he said, A certain man had 2 sons, and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of the goods that falls to me.

And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.

But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in the land, and he began to be in want.

Then he went, joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no 1 gave him anything.

But when he had come to himself, he said, How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger?

I will arise and go to my Father and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.

But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.

And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.

I am no longer worthy to be called your son.

But the father said to his servants, Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.

Bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat, and be merry, for this is my son, who is dead and is alive again.

He was lost and is found." And they began to be merry.

Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.

So he called 1 of the servants and asked what these things meant.

And he said to him, Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.

Series

Lost

The Prodigal Son

Transcript

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