Posted on 02/01/2008 4:12:13 PM PST by WileyPink
Luke 15:1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
Luke 15:2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
Luke 15:11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
Luke 15:12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
Luke 15:13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
Luke 15:14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
Luke 15:15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
Luke 15:16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
Luke 15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
Luke 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
Luke 15:19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
Luke 15:20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
Luke 15:21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
Luke 15:22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
Luke 15:23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
Luke 15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
“The Motive”
Driving up to the dilapidated house trailer I focused in on the no trespassing sign dangling from the front door. As I walked up the steps toward the door I noticed a rusty chain that linked an empty dog collar to a utility pole. My thoughts raced as I wondered where the dog had escaped to and if he would return and greet me with a not so friendly chomp onto my lower leg.
I knocked on the door, and after hearing a loud crash inside the mobile home, the door was flung open! The man greeted me with a grunt as the smoke from whatever he was smoking struck me in the face. I introduced myself to him and asked if I could have a few minutes to talk with him. He nodded his head yes, and he said, “Whatever.” I was armed with a survey filled with questions that eventually led to a presentation of the gospel. I shared with the man the good news of Jesus Christ, and he told me that was a good story.
A few minutes of brief conversation passed as he stood before me with his eyes fixed on the ground before us. At that time he did not respond to the gospel as I hoped he would. At the close of our visit I asked, “May I came back for another visit?” His answer to my question was yes. I thanked the man for his time as I walked away from his home.
The man agreed to another visit with his simple “Yes”, but I never returned. I was able to chalk up another visit to my list of figures for the year as I moved on to the next person. It seems like I was not motivated enough to reach out to him again! I would be interested to know if anyone else has taken the opportunity to share with him about Christ.
Consider the question, “What drives my motivation for witnessing?” Some people are motivated by the socio-economic makeup of the neighborhood they witness to; others may be motivated by how many homes they can visit in one night. Today, we must focus on what Scripture teaches to be the true motivation for sharing the gospel.
Luke 15:2 (NASB) says, “And both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them.’” One thing we must take notice of is no matter how much we try to do what is right, someone is going to grumble about it. Jesus was willing to reach out to those that needed to hear, and yes, someone grumbled about it. But Jesus had the right motivation for His actions, and He accomplished what He purposed to do.
Luke chapter 15 shows Jesus’ motivation for ministry through three parables. Each of these parables tells the story of someone or something that was lost. Luke 19:10 (NASB) says, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” There is no doubt that Jesus came to save that which was lost. The question we must ask is, “What is my motivation for trying to witness to others?”
Luke 15:13 says, “And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.” The parable of the Prodigal son describes a young man that decided to go out on his own searching for a way that he thought would be better. As he ventured out he eventually found himself separated from his father and in great need.
In today’s world we are surrounded by people that have ventured out on their own and become separated from the love of the Father in heaven. These lost people need someone to point them to the love and grace of God.
Verse 20 describes the father’s action toward the son as he saw him. It is amazing how the father never lost hope in his wayward son. God’s love toward His children speaks of a love that never loses hope.
Verse 24 of Luke chapter 15 describes the life of a son that was lost and then found the restoration he needed in his father’s love.
If we genuinely want to see people have a restored relationship with God, we must be motivated through God’s love to reach out to the lost in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Andy Vaughn is pastor of First Church, Fulton, MS.
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In Christ...Alone!
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