Which of You Does Not Leave the Ninety-Nine? | Pastor Daniel Floyd

Well, hey, I want to say hello to all of our campuses and everyone joining us online or on demand, our gateway gatherings and of course our prison campuses. I just want to say as we do every so often, you're not a project to us. You are a part of our church family and we thank God for you.

Can we put our hands together at every campus and welcome all those who are with us for the very first time. Come on, let's welcome. Come on, let them know that you loved them. Man, we're glad that you're here. I want to um we're in week two of this series called That's a Great Question.

This is leading all the way up to Easter. And if you haven't gotten a copy of the devotional guide, we want to make sure that you get that. And I want you to follow along each day. I've been following along with it, doing my devotions out of it.

It's been a a wonderful guide, and it's going to lead us all the way up to Easter. We're in week two of that series. If you miss week one, you can catch it on demand. And I want to going to look at Lukeap 15 today. I'm really excited about this message.

And I hope you'll catch the heart of it. Luke 15 verse 1-7. Scripture says, "Now the tax collectors and sinners were gathered around to hear him." If you work for the IRS or you know, the Bible kind of categorizes sinners and then there's tax collectors. So uh but says but the Pharisees and were gathered around him to hear him.

But the te Pharisees and the teachers of the law they muttered. This is what they were saying under their breath. This man welcomes sinners and eats with them. And then Jesus tells them this parable. So his response to their muttering is a parable. And he says this. Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. who does not leave the 99 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. And then he calls all of 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'll be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who do not need to repent.

I want to just to focus on the question that Jesus asked in this text week two question two is all around the idea of who wouldn't leave the 99. Which of you wouldn't leave the 99? Let's pray together. Father, our hearts and minds are open to you. So, Holy Spirit, speak to us, challenge us, grow us.

May we never be the same because of it. And we pray this in Jesus' name. Everybody said, "Amen." >> Amen. Hey, one of my favorite things on the on the iPhone, if you if you're a Christian and you have an iPhone, if you have an Android, we have a deliverance ministry.

That'll help you get rid of the green bubbles. Come on, somebody. Ruining the green. Okay. Anyways, one of my favorite features on this though is um you know how to bring up memories, picture memories. Do y'all know what I'm >> Okay, I know Plano does right now. Plano knows exactly what are you going to know how to bring up of the picture memories and uh and so the other day it brought up a memory on uh on my pictures and beyond sometimes honestly I'll be I get lost in them because I see one from way back when and then I see I scroll through to the next picture but it was um Owen my 19-year-old who's home from college and it was he and his best friend Noah and they're both freshman in college now and they were playing te-ball we went way back they're playing te-ball and uh and the picture was the two of them supposed to be playing te-ball, but they were squatting down picking grass in the outfield.

Come on. Any parents, any grandparents, aunt, uncle, niece, right? You got, you know, I call it swarm soccer. It's like where the whole group of little kids is following the soccer ball around. And uh this this would be our boys. They were out and the the best part of of baseball was the snacks.

Snacks at the end, right? Little Gatorade, little chips, and some cookies or candy, whatever everybody is giving them, right? And I used to say to them, I tell you, Owen, you're missing the point, bud. The point is to win. Like, we want to win. Don't let anybody tell you it's to have a good time.

It's not. It's to get a W. Can I get a better amen? It's to get a W at the end of the day. You know, we don't give trophy. Okay. Anyways, it's just personal opinion. But we want to win. You're missing the point. And uh I tell you that story to say this is exactly what's happening in the parable we just read.

They're missing the point altogether. Jesus, the scene that's being said is this is he's hanging out with some tax collectors and sinners. And um in that custom and in that day, what would happen is tax collectors were often Jewish people that were hired by the Roman government so that they could collect tax on the people and the Jewish people.

So they were hated at a level that that you can't even wrap your mind around because they felt betrayed and they felt like these were people that were taking money from their own people. And so this is why they would say sinners and tax collectors. If you're with me, say amen. >> And it's not that in this scene Jesus is just having dinner with them or he's just around them.

He has brought them in close. This is who Jesus is. And and as he brings them in close, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law or the religious people or the church people of the day, they decide to start murmuring. The word murmur means to talk privately or to kind of grumble under your voice.

They didn't have enough courage to say it out loud, so they just like kind of grumbled around it. Are you with me? Say amen. >> And this is what they were saying is that he hangs out with the wrong kind of people. And so Jesus parable is a response to this perspective by the religious crowd of the day.

Matter of fact, the rest of Luke chapter 15 is Jesus responding to the religious leaders of the day and the response they had to Jesus associating with tax collectors and sinners. And he gives this parable. Now, I grew up that a parable, the easy way I remembered it in Sunday school was a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.

It's an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. But it's really even deeper than that. A parable is where Jesus is giving us a little insight into the kingdom of God. He he's giving us principles and he's he's giving us little treasures and he's giving us nuggets in these stories to help us to relate to them.

But ultimately what he's undoing is he is unpacking the kingdom of God. But how many of you know that the kingdom of God is upside down and different to the kingdom of this world? >> That the kingdom of God doesn't think like the kingdom of this world. And so Jesus gives us parables to help us to begin to think like the kingdom thinks and to value like the kingdom values because Jesus didn't come to establish another political party.

And he didn't come to set up ruling and reigning like they thought he would. He came to establish the kingdom of God. And the kingdom of God operates on a different set of principles. And this is what Jesus begins to unpack in this parable of the shepherd and of the lost sheep.

If you're with me, say amen. >> And I want to I want us to look at four different thoughts from this parable that I hope will so get ingrained in your heart because this is the heart of the kingdom. This is the heart of God. This is the values that God wants us to have.

This is the way he wants us to think about life and see life. Matter of fact, someone wrote once that parables were God's way of revealing truth to the hungry, concealing truth from the hard-hearted, and causing us to discover ourselves within the text. And so for those who are hungry, I pray that truth is revealed.

For those who are hard-hearted, you may get nothing out of this, but it's not the preacher's fault. I'm just joking. But I play ultimately that you'll see yourself in the text and say, "What is God wanting to say to me?" If you're with me, say, "Amen." >> Let me give you four thoughts.

Number thought one, thought number one is this. I want you to see the heart of the shepherd. The heart of the shepherd. Luke 15:4 says this. Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the 99 in the open country and go after the lost sheep?

Do you see the heart of the shepherd? The 99 matter. Don't get it wrong, but they're not lost. The 99 are not in danger of wolves and of animals tearing them apart. The the 99 are safe and they are fine. And Jesus is telling these Pharisees in the kingdom of God, if you've been found, your heart should be for those who have not yet been found. >> Can I get a better amen? >> In the kingdom of God, this is what it looks like.

Jesus is telling them this is the heart of the shepherd. That the 99 have been found. But what does the shepherd do? He goes and he runs after the one. He runs after the one that is strayed away, the one that has been lost, the one that is in danger, the one that needs the rescuing of the shepherd.

He goes after the one. And and can I just be real honest on this beautiful weekend that sometimes we sound more like the Pharisees than we do the shepherd. Let me ask you this. Could I could I challenge you a little bit today? Remember, I'm Daniel. I'm your friend.

That maybe we don't have the heart of the shepherd when it's been a while since we prayed for someone far from God. That maybe we've lost the heart of the shepherd. When it's been a while since we at least just invited somebody to church. Maybe we've lost the heart of the shepherd when it's been a while since we saw the person making our coffee but never wondered where their soul will spend eternity that we ran through the store and got the groceries but never wondered did the people around me know Jesus.

The heart of the shepherd is for the one. Matter of fact, in in Matthew, it says this, chapter 9:35-36. It says, "Jesus went throughout all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the Everybody say it with me. Proclaiming the good news of the what?" >> Because that's what he talked about more than anything, and healing every disease and sickness.

And when he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless. Listen. Like sheep without a shepherd. The word compassion there in the Greek is this word. It's flung nomi. If you want to impress somebody at lunch tomorrow, that that word means this.

It means a gut level compassion. It it means something that that that deep within you causes you to feel something because you see someone in their loss. This is what Jesus saw. He said they were like sheep without a shepherd. They were harassed. They were helpless. They had nowhere to go.

They were the one that had strayed away. That that's that's who he's talking about here. And it says that Jesus himself when he saw them, he had compassion on them. This is the kind that it's not I feel sorry for them. It's it's not I I hate that.

I hate they're walking through that. It's not that. It's something that's that's so deep within you that moves you to go, I've got to do something about this. I can't just stand by. This is what what Jesus said. Matter of fact, Philip Keller, who spent eight years as a shepherd in East Africa, wrote a book on Psalms 23.

And he says this. He says that sheep will stray away and they'll get so exhausted that they'll just lay down and they have no idea how to get back to the shepherd. This is I'm wanting you to see. This is the heart of the shepherd. that he goes after the one.

Why? Because the one can't find their way back to the shepherd. >> He doesn't text them and give them directions. He doesn't say, "Well, they'll figure it out one day." No, he runs after them. Are you following me? A moment in my life that I'm not extremely proud of is a season in my life where I lost the compassion for the one someone who made me aware of a gentleman in our town that was battling brain cancer and I knew who it was and I had access to go talk with And I knew he didn't know the Lord.

But I was busy. I was pastoring a growing church. I had a busy schedule. I had requests coming in to speak different places. There was demands on my life. And I never went and had the conversation. And the man passed away. And I don't know where he is right now.

Because I had a season where busyness cost me compassion and I lost the heart of the shepherd. May we never be a place that loses the heart of the shepherd. >> For the one that is far from God. >> I love what Timothy Keller says. He said, 'The gospel is this.

We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared to believe. So, you're like, I needed to be encouraged this weekend. Here's the encouraging part. Yet, at the very same time, we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope. >> Isn't that great news today? the heart of the shepherd.

Number two, I want you to see the pursuit of the shepherd. Luke 15:4, the end of the verse four words that I find so interesting. It says this, he goes searching until he finds it. Until he finds it. It wasn't if he found it, it was until he finds it.

Aren't you glad in your own life that Jesus didn't pursue you if fill in the blank? But he pursued you until he found you. >> I think sometimes that we categorize who we need to pursue. Like, yeah, we obviously need to pursue the obviously rebellious people, but what about those who life just happened?

Sometimes I think we have categories. They're like a center center. Come on, get your halo off. We like categorize them. They're center. And you know, we're even like the Jewish people. There's tax collector. You know, there's really bad and they definitely need to pursued, but you know, Philip Keller in his book on Psalm 23 said that a lot of times that the sheep would just stray.

It wasn't like a rebellious thing. It wasn't like, "I'm done with you, shepherd. I don't want to be around you." It was just a stray. And how many of you know that there are people in our life that it's just been a stray? >> It's not like there's this overt rebellion in their life.

There isn't this put my fist up at God, I don't want to serve you anymore. It's just time happens and life happens and disappointments happen and unmexedexations happen and there's just a strain. And aren't you thankful that whether it's outright rebellion or it's just I've let life happen in my life that we serve a God that is in pursuit that he says, "Hey, until I find you, I'm coming after you.

That I will keep pursuing you. I will keep running after you." It's a compassion that led him to action. The shepherd is like, "I'm going to get him." He didn't talk about how ignorant the sheep was. He didn't list all the reasons why the sheep got himself in trouble.

No, he just went and pursued the sheep. He just went and ran after him. You know, it's like we have four kids, right? We have 19, 16, nine, and seven. I think that's right. And you would think I was crazy if I ever came to you and they were like, "How are your four kids?"

And I was like, "I don't know about one of them, but three out of four ain't bad. It's pretty good percentage. I mean, they're lost somewhere, but three out of four, I mean, what do you expect? There's four of them, and I'm tired. And no, you would think I'd lost my mind.

You would think I was a negligent father. If you didn't see me doing anything but doing everything in my power, pulling every string that I had, talking to everybody that I knew to go find that one child that was lost. This is the heart of God to us.

Matter of fact, all of Luke 15 is his rebuttal to the Pharisees, saying that he hangs out with sinners and tax collectors. >> How many of you know if Jesus rebutts your comment with one parable, you should shut your mouth? >> When he rapid fires three at you, you should really get the point.

Can I get a better amen? cuz he starts with the lost sheep. Then he goes to the lost coin, right? If you know the text, chapter 15:8, what does it say? It says, "Or suppose a woman has 10 silver coins," talking about a widow, "and loses one of them."

Says, "Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully, everybody say the next word together, sleep carefully until she doesn't just like, well, I guess that coin's gone. Well, I guess I'll just have to make some more coins. I guess I'll have to go get a job.

No, the Bible says that she searches and she searches. Can I just want you to see Jesus is trying to give us this picture of the heart of the father, of the kingdom of God, that it is a kingdom that is pursuing after the lost. >> That those who are far from God, that those who don't know Jesus, that this is the heart of our God and this is the kingdom of God. that we run after the lost.

The lost that is next door to us. The lost that is in the nation. The loss that is globally. We run after the lost that he searches for it. And if a a sheep is that important and a coin is that important, how much more is a son.

And the prodical son says he finally comes to his senses. If you know the story, he comes back and it says, "So he got up and he went to his father and but while he was still a long way off, his father saw him." Which I don't know because the text doesn't tell us, but I don't know if that dad didn't just like get on the porch every day at a certain time hoping he would see the sun come down the road.

But here's what I do know is that as soon as he got his eyes on him, the Bible said he had compassion on him. You know what that Greek word is for compassion? It's the same word Jesus had in Matthew. It's a gut level. It's a deep within him that caused him to run after his son and to throw his arms around him and to kiss him and to love him.

And if we're to have the heart of the father, this is the heart you and I got to have. that there's something in us that goes, "I just can't let lost sheep be around me without doing something about it." The lost friend, the lost aunt, the lost family member, the lost co-orker, the lost student on your football team, the lost student in your home room, in the dorm room, in the culde-sac.

Are y'all with me? >> This is the heart. This is why we as a church can never stop pursuing the one. You know why? Because the grace of God at some point pursued me and pursued you. And aren't you thankful? >> Aren't you thankful? I think it was Charles Spurgeon that called him the Holy Spirit, the Hound of Heaven.

Aren't you thankful that the Hound of Heaven wouldn't let you go, >> wouldn't stop running after you? Aren't you thankful that there was someone, it may have been a parent, it may have been a Sunday school teacher, it may have been a co-orker, it may have been a friend.

Aren't you thankful that they inside of them got compassion on you and a compassion that moved them to share Jesus with you to invite you to church to show you the gospel to love you with compassion? Man, I'm so thankful my mom is here this week. And it was my mom who cared enough to show me Jesus >> and it changed my life.

Why? Because that is who our shepherd is. >> Our shepherd is one who pursues the lost. I like to say it this way. I think we ought to do anything short of sin to reach lost people. If you got to bribe them with lunch, take them somewhere good.

I'm not saying you like kidnap them to bring them to church, but whatever it takes everybody because the shepherd pursues. He pursues the one that's far from him. Number three, I want you to see this. The grace of the shepherd. It's one of my favorite parts. The grace of the shepherd says this in verse 5 and 7 of Luke 15.

It said, "And when he finds it, being the sheep, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. And 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 re these aren't word my words this is God's words there's more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who do not need to repent.

You know what I just picture every time that we're together and every time someone slips up their hand and every time someone responds to the gospel that heaven is just like I don't I don't know what the party looks like but it's got to be fun >> just in heaven.

I mean, just think that for a moment that as we end our times together every week and people respond to the gospel of Jesus, there's like a party thrown in heaven. Like they're breaking out shakuterie boards there. Come on, somebody. Like they're serving can like I I don't know what it looks like.

I don't know if it's dancing, but I'm just saying there's a party going on in heaven every time. And I think this is probably the part of the story that got the Pharisees so messed up. I imagine they hated this part of the story because how many of you know that religious people, they want you to come to God, but they want you to come to God and they want you to make sure you know how bad you were before you came to God.

But the shepherd, he doesn't even tell the sheep, "You dumb sheep. You could have got yourself killed. Do you know why you got yourself in that problem? Do you know how you can I tell you somebody? Someone that's in a ditch doesn't need to be told how they got in the ditch.

They just need somebody that'll love them enough to get them out of the ditch. Come on. Can I get a better amen in God's house today? He didn't worry about how the sheep strayed away. He didn't worry about what caused the sheep to stray away. All he did is he found it and he put it on his shoulders and he brought it home and he called everybody around him and he said, "Let's have a party because the sheep was lost and now it's found."

And if you read the one about the coin, she has celebrated. And if you read about the prodical son, it says he embraced him. He blessed him. put a robe on him and then he threw a party for him and the religious son was like, "Why didn't I get a party?"

You know what the father said to him? Basically, you could have had a party every day of your life cuz you were in the house. >> My son who was lost is now found and we need to celebrate. Here's the pattern. They find him, embrace him, bless him, and then celebrate him.

He found the son. >> He embraced the son. He blessed him. This is the heart of God. And then he celebrated him. >> He found him. He embraced him. He blessed him. And then he celebrated him. You know what that's called? It's called grace. >> Because the sheep didn't deserve a party. and the prodical son didn't deserve a party.

But how many of you are grateful that God is not fair? >> That he gives us what we do not deserve. >> And that's called grace. >> My Sunday school teacher taught it like this, the acronym. It's God's riches at Christ expense. >> That's what grace is. It's God giving me what I do not deserve.

I don't deserve his forgiveness. I don't deserve his kindness. I don't deserve his mercy. I don't deserve heaven. But he found me and he embraced me and he blessed me >> and he celebrated me. And that's called grace. Everybody, >> may we be a place of grace for everyone who walks through our doors.

I was thinking about this this week in the first year of the church that Tammy and I got to start in Virginia. I'll never forget this little single mom. She couldn't have been more than 20some. And at that size of the church, if you're new, everybody knew. You know, you walk in the door, it's like a new person, get them.

And this little mom came in with a car seat, you know, the car seat thing all by herself bag young. And you could see the weight and the shame on her, head down, kind of sat in the back. Soon as service was over, went right to her. So glad that you're here.

What's your name? talked to her. Came back the next week. Came back the next week. Came back the next week. Saw shame start to lift off her life. Saw a smile start to come on her face. Met her husband at the church. Got married. Took that little girl as his own.

Ended up leading one of the major areas as a volunteer of the church. And I remember as the years went on, I would say, "What was it that kept you coming back?" She goes, "I just received so much grace." She said, "I came to church expecting to be condemned because I had a baby and I wasn't married.

But y'all showed me so much grace and it changed my life. The Bible doesn't say it's the condemnation of people that leads people to repentance. It's the kindness of God. So if it's the kindness of God that leads people to repentance, shouldn't it be the kindness of God's people that help lead people to see the beautiful grace of God?

May they say about us, we're a people of grace, just like the shepherd. Final thought I want you to see is the purpose of the shepherd. And I'm not talking about the shepherd in the parable. I'm talking about the chief shepherd, Jesus. And we see the purpose of the shepherd in Luke chapter 19, four chapters later.

You know the story Zakius up in the tree. Come down. I'm going to your house today. Anybody grow up in Okay. You had to grow up in Sunday school to know that. And once again, the Bible says the Pharisees and the teachers of the law mutter because he's going to hang out with a tax collector.

And Zakius says, he meets Jesus. He says, 'I'll sell and give back and I'll make right everywhere I've made it wrong and I'll do above and beyond. And he says, 'Today salvation has come into your house. And the very next verse, verse 10, says this in chapter 19, for the son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost. >> You want a mission statement for the life of Jesus?

That's it. And so if that's the purpose of the shepherd, should it not be the purpose of our lives that we get the amazing privilege, think about this, to join Jesus in his mission of seeking and saving the lost. Let's not get it backwards. It's not Jesus, come join me in my mission of building what I want to build.

Sure, God blesses us and God does wonderful things in our life. But the way it really is is Jesus, I get to join you in your mission of seeking and saving the lost. You know why? Because found people should go find people. >> And if you've been found, guess what?

You get to join Jesus on the mission >> of finding people. Why? because that's who the great shepherd is. >> And aren't you thankful today that one day when you were the lost sheep, you were the lost coin, and you were the prodal that the great shepherd came and looked for you. >> Amen.

Everybody. >> Amen. Do you receive the word of God today? Will you pray with me? every head bowed, every eye closed at all of our locations today. Maybe you're here today and where you find yourself in the story is that you're the lost sheep that you've strayed away and you feel the pursuit of the shepherd, the love of God, the grace of God coming towards you today and you need to respond.

You want that grace of God to be poured out in your life. You know in your heart that you're far from God. But you don't have to live life that way. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save those who were lost. So if you say, "Pastor, that's me today."

At any one of our locations, maybe you're online, maybe you're watching on demand later in the week or at another time, you say, "I need a fresh start today." You know, the Bible gives you this promise. If anybody be in Christ, they're a brand new creation. All things pass away and everything becomes new.

And so if that's you today, you say, "I need that fresh start or I've strayed away and I need to come back to God." Then in just a moment, we're going to pray together as a church. There's nothing special about the prayer. It's just me helping you express to God your heart.

The Bible says that if you'll confess him as Lord with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, then you will be saved. So if today that's your heart and you want that, then before we pray, I just want to know who I'm praying with.

No one's looking around. No one embarrass you or come to you, just myself or the pastor at your campus. But if you'd say, "That's me." And when I get to three, I just want you to shoot your hand up high enough long enough for myself or the pastor at your location to see, and then we're going to pray together.

But if God is speaking to you today, then you respond now while the time is available. On three, you shoot your hand up. One, two, three. You just shoot it up high all over the room. God bless you. I see you. Keep it up. Just keep your hand up every location.

God bless you. Incredible. Thank you. God sees you more importantly. It's beautiful. You can put it down. Church, let's pray this out loud together for the benefit of those who just slip their hand up. Just say, "Jesus, I need you. I ask you to forgive me of all my sin.

I believe you died for me. I believe God raised you from the dead. Today I make you my Lord and Savior. Thank you for a brand new beginning in Jesus name. Everybody said a big amen. >> Come on, let's celebrate those who made that decision.