More Than a Story: Repentance

[Luke 15 – The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, The Lost Son]

We are all at one time LOST and need to REPENT

We aren’t meant to do life alone

We realize that with our Pig Pod Moment and change of mind (see v. 16)

No matter the sin / sinner, all those who repent are forgiven / accepted / loved.

Once we are FOUND, what can we do as a child of God / disciple of Jesus:

• Go After – “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? (v. 4 NASB)
  • To Go – poreuomai (por-yoo’-om-ahee) – travel, journey, go, moving something from one destination to another
• Seek Diligently – “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?” ( v. 8 ESV)
  • Diligently – epimelós (ep-ee-mel-oce’) – carefully
• Embrace – “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.” (v. 20 NLT)
  • Embraced – epipiptó (ep-ee-pip’-to) – to embrace with affection, fall upon, gripped
• Rejoice – vs. 5 “rejoicing” v. 6,9 “rejoice with me”, “celebrate” v. 23-24
  • Rejoice – sugchairó (soong-khah’-ee-ro) – rejoicing in God’s grace, rejoice together
  • Celebrate – euphrainó (yoo-frah’-ee-no) – merry outlook, joyous, feeling sense of victory

Bible Study Questions:

1) These three parables are told together and there is a shared theme – repentance. Jesus was with a particular group of people when he told these parables. Who was He speaking to and what started the “storytelling” moment?

2) What is the takeaway from Jesus’ transition from the grumbling “religious people” to the three parables? Why is it important to spend time with those in need of repentance?

3) The 99 sheep were left so that the owner could hunt down the one lost sheep. At first, this might sound foolish. Consider what would happen if these 99 sheep in the open country would wander off. The open country would have been a pasture – abandoned wilderness used for free range shepherding. Why did the owner leave them in the open country? What does this say about the one lost sheep?

 4) When looking at the Lost Coin, it differs from the other items. It didn’t move far, whereas the sheep and the son could wander away. What type of person does this remind you of? How did the woman find this lost coin? What is the lamp that we use?

5) How do we know if someone is having a Pig Pod Moment of desperation? (see v. 16) What can we do to help the lost from where God has placed us?

More Than A Story is a 12-week Sermon Series and Bible Study focused on the parables of Jesus.

Richness
Forgiveness
Persistence
Fruitfulness
Obedience
Humility
Compassion
Responsiveness
Repentance
Readiness
Faithfulness
Kingdom-Focused