June 8 “Rejoice with Me!” Luke 15:3-7
Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 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!’ 7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:3-7)
There is one exercise that we are admonished for, that is, encouraged to practice on earth that we shall also practice in Heaven, is to REJOICE! Notice in verse 6 (Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with Me; I have found my lost sheep’) that we find the most valid grounds for rejoicing that it is possible to experience! What are the conditions for this rejoicing experience? I believe that the NUMBER ONE condition is the JOY OF SALVATION! No one can rejoice over something that they are not aware of, nor can they rejoice if they do not possess it as their own! Rejoicing comes from an awareness of God’s Love for us through Jesus Christ! I believe that the SECOND Condition for Rejoicing is the JUBILEE IN SHARING THE GOOD NEWS OF GOD’S LOVE! When we possess His Grace, we need to share, and when we share, we can Rejoice that we are walking in HIS OBEDIENCE! In the scripture today, it is clear that, as believers, we have a responsibility to “GO AFTER THE LOST!” As “SAVED” people, our duty, our responsibility, is to Live the Truth, and to “SEEK THE LOST,” and to “SHARE THE GOOD NEWS” with everyone that we encounter!! We are told that the “Fields are White to Harvest,” so we need to be about the Father’s Business!! In this passage of scripture, there is one word that is one of the most “Tragic” words in any language – “LOST!” It is our “LOST” condition that moved GOD’S compassion to send Jesus Christ to be the conduit to SALVATION for sinners like us!! Friends, think of the jeopardy that our lost friends, family and neighbors are in, in being “LOST!” “‘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 ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.’” Will you REJOICE with me, as we commit to Sharing Jesus, Praying for the LOST, and to show, to this LOST WORLD, our Commitment, by always being in a position of SPIRITUAL REJOICING!!!! Stay Strong, Stay Focused… THE BEST IS YET TO BE!!