Jesus Story Teller - Part 8

Intro:
It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in
Trying to fade into the faces
The girls' teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know

CHORUS
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
There is a way

A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat
And quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances tells him that his chances
Are better out on the road

Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the Body of Christ

Chorus
If we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way

Jesus is the way

Read:
Luke 15:1-7

1 Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Think:
Sometimes religious people can be judgmental of those they deem "sinners". By the time Jesus appears on earth there is a deeply divided religious system separating the "righteous" and "sinners" from each other.

Being certain you are "righteous" causes stoppedupearitis. It keeps you from hearing anything that doesn't fit in your tightly crafted worldview. Jesus had a great solution for this .... tell a story. A story has the ability to get past the defense mechanisms we design to protect ourselves.

God's view of "sinners" is different than ours. The parable of the lost sheep gives us a glimpse into His view. It is a view we might want to adopt.
1. Something of value is lost (v. 4)
2. It warrants an all out search (v. 4)
3. It requires a celebration (v. 5-6)

Think through those 3 things in relation to yourself first. How does God see you? He sees lost things as having value and worth pursuing. He looks for them with the passion of a man who's lost his paycheck. He searches under stuff. He looks in the dark caves. He looks high and low. He looks until he finds. What is lost is of value to Him. He will search until he finds.

When he finds what He values he experiences joy. He calls together his friends to rejoice with Him. He throws a party.

That is how God sees you.

Now think through those 3 things in relation to someone you deem a sinner. How does God see them?

He sees lost things as having value and worth pursuing. He looks for them with the passion of a man who's lost his paycheck. He searches under stuff. He looks in the dark caves. He looks high and low. He looks until he finds. What is lost is of value to Him. He will search until he finds.

When he finds what He values he experiences joy. He calls together his friends to rejoice with Him. He throws a party.

That is how God sees them.

I tell you there is rejoicing in heaven when someone turns to God. There is rejoicing by the God of joy. The God that eats with sinners.

Do:
How encouraging is this story for "sinners" like you and me? We have a God that loves us! We have a God that wants us. We have a God that searches for us until He finds us. We have a God that throws a party when we are with Him.

That's how God sees you.

That's pretty amazing.

Listen to If We Are The Body in the Devolink Worship Center.

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