June 1 Rejoice with Me! Luke 15:3-7
Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “So, He spoke this parable to them, saying: “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? 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 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 we are admonished, that is, encouraged to practice, on earth, that we shall also practice in Heaven, and that is to REJOICE! Notice in verse 6(Then he called 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! 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 the 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! When we possess His Grace, we need to share, and when we share, we can rejoice that we are walking in OBEDIENCE! In the scripture today, it is clear that, as believers, we have a responsibility to “GO AFTER THE LOST!” As “SAVED” people, our responsibility is to Live True and “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 of the most “TRAGIC” words in the English language – “LOST!” It was our “Lost” Condition that moved God’s compassion to send Jesus to be the conduit to SALVATION for sinners like us! Friends, think of the jeopardy that our lost friends and neighbors are in being “Lost!” ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 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.” Will you REJOICE with me, as we commit to Sharing Jesus, praying for the Lost Souls, and to show, to the Lost World, our Commitment, by always being in a position of SPIRITUAL REJOICING! Stay Strong, Stay Focused … Remember, THE BEST IS YET TO BE!