"God is love" is a fact. His is a deep and active love. He has "weather vane love." That means that God is love whichever way the wind blows. Luke 15:1-7 paints a portrait of God's love.
I. Vss. 2b & 4b - God's love is receptive. A. He "receives sinners...." 1. If anyone has a right not to receive sinners, God/Jesus does. 2. We need to remember, however, that God loves us, but that He hates sin. That includes my sins and yours. B. He loves and receives the lost. 1. Those lost in sin and bound for hell. 2. Those lost in this life, groping for more of this world and ignoring God. C. He is receptive to each of us daily. 1. He never sleeps and is available 24/7. 2. Just reach out and receive Him as Savior, or if you are already a Christian, reach out for more of Him. II. Vs. 4b - God's love is personal. ("one") A. Christ deals with individuals, not en-masse. 1. He knows each of us personally - every thought, every deed and every word. 2. He loves us as individuals. "Jesus loves me this I know......" B. Vs. 5 - He carries us on His shoulders. I know that you have heard of, or seen, the picture entitled: "One Footprint in the sand." C. See and feel Him loving you and carrying you today. We need to grasp the full significance of that. III. Vs. 4 - God's love pursues. ("go after") A. He pursues us in spite of our sins and shortcomings. Romans 5:8 illustrates that for us. B. He pursues us in spite of the fact that we do not want to be pursued. Many people are satisfied living in sin and don't want to be bothered. C. See His love pursuing you either to save you or to help you to grow in grace, In all of this, verses 5-7 tell us that when we respond to His love, He rejoices. He does not want any to be lost and when one is found, He rejoices.
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I am careful about using Old Testament types to illustrate the ministry of Christ, but if one presents itself obviously I will use it. In this case, I see Judah, from whose loins Jesus came, as a type of Christ. The background is the last trip of Jacob's sons to get provisions from Joseph in Egypt. In 43:9 Judah offered himself as a
guarantee for Benjamin's return and in our text, he offered himself in Benjamin's stead. I. Judah offered to be Benjamin's substitute. A. We believe and preach the substitutionary atonement. B. This atonement is illustrated for us in 1 Timothy 2:5-6 and in 2 Corinthians 5:18-19. C. Like Judah, Jesus put Himself in our place. II. Judah argued for Benjamin's freedom. A. Jesus Christ did all that He did to set us free from sin and self. B. Jesus said as much in John 8:36. 'Free indeed" means really free. C. True freedom from all that besets us comes from Christ. Jesus is our advocate with the Father. It is He who binds Satan and sets us free. III. Judah did what he did out of respect for his father. A. Judah knew that the success of this trip depended on the cooperation of his father. He could not leave his father out of the equation. B. It was by our Heavenly Father's will that the Son offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus is the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." John 3:16 reminds us that the Christ event was born in the heart of the Father. In obedience, the Son offered Himself as the sacrifice for our sins. C. Jesus wants to save you and present you to the Father. In today's text, Judah has served as a type of Christ, Who offered Himself as the sacrifice for our sins. Let us heed the message as it travels through the Old Testament to the pages of the New Testament and offers hope for the whold world. |
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