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Luke 15:1-10 Ice Breaker: Option 1: What Was the Last Thing That You Lost? Did You Ever Find It? 2: Where Was the Weirdest Plac

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Luke 15:1-10 Ice Breaker: Option 1: What Was the Last Thing That You Lost? Did You Ever Find It? 2: Where Was the Weirdest Plac Luke 15:1-10 Ice Breaker: Option 1: What was the last thing that you lost? Did you ever find it? 2: Where was the weirdest place you’ve ever found your TV remote or car keys after they were lost? ___________________ Read Luke 15:1-7. The Parable of the Lost Sheep The key to understanding a parable is to realize it has one main point. They’re not allegories in which everything is a symbol. Could somebody retell the story? If we’re going to figure out the point, let’s think about the elements. What’s the overriding theme here? Is anything repeated? Questions for Discussion 1. Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." Why do you think Jesus spent so much time with the “sinners” of his day? 2. What were the Pharisees complaining about? 3. If this story were retold today who would you cast as a Pharisee, who might you be muttering about? 4. As Jesus often did He skipped the direct attack and told a story. Why do that? What’s the value of a parable? It’s Worse Than You Know Did you notice what verb they attribute to Jesus there? They say he (vs2) “welcomes” sinners. That’s true enough but kind of passive. Now check out the verbs He applies to the character representing Himself in the stories. He goes after, finds, puts them on His shoulder, and takes them home. He lights a lamp, sweeps the house, searches carefully and finds. Jesus is saying, “It’s worse than you know. I don’t just welcome them, I go after them, search carefully, and sweep the house. I do whatever it takes and I find them and bring them home. And I do it all for joy.” Luke 19:10 Vs 6,7,10 I have heard this paraphrased as, “the angels in heaven rejoice when a sinner repents.” But I’m not sure that captures what Jesus is saying. It says there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels. In whose presence do the angles spend all their time? Isn’t it the Father’s? I think Jesus is saying that the angels who “long to look into these things,” are observing the joy of the Father. He is the one who delights to show mercy (Micah 7:18). This was all His idea. 5. Why would the shepherd leave the 99 to search for just one? It is easy to think of God offering mercy to those who beg Him for it. It is much harder to understand the type of love God has for us, who tenaciously seeks to save us while we are still sinning and unrepentant. In your own journey toward or away from God, what role have other Christians played in helping you accept God’s grace and make Him the leader of your life? 6. Have you ever found it difficult to rejoice over someone who finally makes a commitment to follow Jesus Christ and claims forgiveness in His name? Read Luke 15:8-10 The Parable of the Lost Coin 1. This story is similar to the first. They both share the 2. What’s the common element in both stories? (Lost people matter to God!) Hebrew women of Jesus’ day received ten silver coins as a wedding gift. In addition to the monetary value of the coins, they also had special significance like a wedding ring. Have you ever lost something of special one-of-a-kind significance? Share a story. This second parable highlights that searching for a lost treasure often requires diligence and persistence. How much effort should we be putting toward helping the lost find their way back to God? 3. What does this story teach us about the character of God? / / Application: 1.Do you still have significant friendships with those who don’t know God, or have you isolated yourself from nonbelievers? 2. Could you simply and clearly explain to someone how they can have a relationship with God? Give me 5 discussions (5 networks 5 people 5 tasks) Take a moment of silence and think of the people in your life that might be far from God, and make a short list. Commit to pray for them (you can do this in small groups of three people, in pairs, or as an entire group), commit to include them in your life in a welcoming way, and commit to invite them to church where they can hear the good news of God’s love for them. .
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