And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, “Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? “
But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: --for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.“
– Matt 9:10-13
“The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
“So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? “He said unto them, “An enemy hath done this.”
The servants said unto him, “Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?” But he said, “Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers,-- Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.-- “
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and --gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away--. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the --wicked from among the just--, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
- – Matt 13:24-30, Matt 13:47-50
“What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, --“Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.”
“I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, ---which need no repentance. “ ...
... “Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.
Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. “
– Luke 15:4-7, 8-10
Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
“And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
And he answering said to his father, “Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. “
– Luke 15:25-32
“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his ---sheep from the goats:--- And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.”
– Matt 25:31-33
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LOST – The Original Series
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Last week we saw that there are two branches to Mankind, going all the way back to Cain & Abel. Righteous & Wicked, Just and Unjust, God-fearing vs God-hating, Sons of God & sons of the devil.
These two types have been locked in combat since the beginning of the world, with the wicked hating the good without cause, because their works are evil, and the other’s good. This animosity and rejection was experienced first-hand by our Lord Himself – who as Peter says “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by --wicked hands-- have crucified and slain:” (Acts 2:23). We also experience this rejection in OUR daily lives, being hated and rejected for no other reason than telling the truth!
It is in this context that we want to examine some very cryptic statements from the Lips of our Lord Himself. We have reproduced those statements – in context – this week, but if you have just skimmed our opening texts, we will excerpt the relevant ones here for your convenience.
1. “I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” – This is a huge statement!
2. “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, ---which need no repentance.—(!)” – The parable of the Lost sheep, also reflected in the parable of the Lost Coin. In the parable of the Prodigal son, it is the son that has been lost, and is found again.
3. Wheat and Tares, Sheep and Goats, good and bad fish(men), wicked and unjust.
What is this? To understand why we are perplexed, consider the points below…
A. Cain and Abel, Wheat and Tares, Sheep and Goats, Just and Unjust, Righteous and Sinners.
We seem to see two classes of COMPLETELY SEPARATE AND NON OVERLAPPING TYPES of PEOPLE/HUMANS!
Wheat –never ever- become tares, tares –never ever- become wheat, sheep –never- become goats, neither do goats EVER become sheep. While they grow together, the UNALTERABLE destiny of tares is to be burnt, as it is for goats to go into the fires of hell!
B. The Son of man DID NOT COME FOR THE RIGHTEOUS ( 99 sheep, 9 coins) but to call sinners and the LOST (1 lost sheep, 1 lost coin, 1 lost son).
It is very important to appreciate the lost sheep was -a sheep- (the shepherd did not replace it with a goat!), the lost coin was part of a set of 10, both faithful and prodigal sons were children of the Father! He did not come to call tares or goats to repentance because they will NEVER repent!
To appreciate this fully, consider the statement - “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, ---which need no repentance.—(!)” This would seem to indicate that there is a real possibility that 99 persons do not need Christ, while 1 does! “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.”
Hmmmm …… aren’t we all sinners equally? Didn’t Christ die for everyone? Doesn’t God love all humanity? Did Christ only die for those who need it, and there are people that DON’T need His sacrifice? Did God create people for the express purpose of sending them to Hell? (Brrr… that is very scary). Are there people on this earth that God has designed to NEVER accept the Gospel? What does that mean for our witnessing and missionary efforts? Are we wasting our time?
We will attempt to unpack this for you, and share the insights we have been given.
A. True Sheep will repent and turn back to God, growing up in the ever increasing knowledge of Him - and so, the first piece of clarity is that God’s eye is ever on His children (Christians and Non Christian alike) – they that are God fearing and walk in love and righteousness, showing MERCY AND LOVE --- AND NOT trying to curry favor by SACRIFICE (in today’s world – Religious Service or Self Denial – like the Pharisees in Christ’s day).
The key verses: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the --knowledge of the glory of God-- in the face of Jesus Christ.” - 2 Co 4:6
“But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice.” The full text of the scripture quoted here by Christ is from the prophet Hosea.
“Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for -he hath torn, and he will heal us-; -he hath smitten, and he will bind us up-. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. (Prophecy!)
Then shall we know, if we follow on to -----know the LORD-----: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away. Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth.
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; ----and the knowledge of God---- more than burnt offerings. But they -like men- have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me. “
- Hosea 6:1-7
It is the knowledge and FEAR of God that is the beginning of wisdom, and faith in His Word is what gives us access to Righteousness. A right knowledge of God will always translate into right living – it’s why God has given us His Word (through the prophets and finally Himself through His Son) in order that we might get to know Him, and turn from our wicked ways.
The key issue with Atheism is that you are accountable to nobody except yourself and the Laws of the land. IF you were to be accountable to God, there would be severe restrictions on your behavior, therefore, you can see why people do not WANT to acknowledge the existence of God. It will put a damper on their unfettered enjoyment of sin!
The promises of restoration are – ONLY TO – God’s people that have turned away from Him. Hosea was given the prophecy that Christ would die for the sins of Israel (after 2 days will he revive us), in the third day he would rise – and “raise us up, and we shall live in his sight”. This is clearly indicated in that Hosea is speaking to the people to RETURN to the LORD. These are LOST SHEEP!!!!
B. What about the Tares, Goats and Bad Fish?
“Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As he saith also in Osee(Hosea) , I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. “ – Romans 9:20-25
The Apostle Paul also goes to Hosea, to address this very question in Romans. Hosea is very clear as to the Sovereignty of God – “ for -he hath torn, and he will heal us-“. God takes responsibility for allowing the enemy to plant the tares.
These are the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. The devil, his angels, and those humans that willingly carried out the bidding of the evil one.God gives these humans all the benefit of that He gives His chosen. Life, Light, the Gospel, the good things of the earth – his rain falls on the just and unjust like. However, the end game is different.
God is showing his longsuffering (tolerating the depredations of the enemy for millennia, tolerating the suffering it causes for millennia) and patience – but His cup of wrath has been slowly filling! He has also exalted His grace and mercy towards us, to show Heaven and Earth the riches of His Glory – Hallelujah!
At the final judgement -- every mouth will be stopped. Just as Job covered his mouth, Isaiah was undone, and a man showing up without a wedding garment was speechless – NOT A SINGLE HUMAN OR ANGEL will be able to say that God has been UNFAIR!
Witnessing to these people is an exercise in futility.
Christ Himself says, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” – Mat 7:6 We need to be VERY WISE when disseminating the Gospel!
C. So what are the Lost? These are God’s elect that are suffering under the heel/influence of the enemy. These are righteous people that do not yet have the Gospel. These are Christians that once believed in Christ but have turned away for one reason or another. These are sheep that have been born as sheep by the gracious hand of God, but have wandered and are lost, like the coin, sheep, son.
Christ says it many times – His Ministry was –exclusively- to the Lost Sheep of the People of Israel. The Apostle Paul, and the Holy Spirits mission is to the Gentiles – in fulfilment of the prophecy that there are other sheep (Righteous sons/daughters of God) all over the world, and they should be gathered into one Fold, and there will be One Shepherd! “I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.”
Christ’s message is to the righteous people who are living in this fallen world, and, for various reasons, have despaired of God and turned away from Him. The Gospel message is for these “Lost” sheep – and these sheep will HEAR Christ’s voice and joyously respond to the Gospel. “My sheep hear my voice”.
“Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
But ye believe not, ----because ye are not of my sheep----, as I said unto you. -My sheep- hear -my voice-, and -I know them-, and -they follow me-: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
My Father, which ----gave them me-----, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. “ – John 10:24-10:29
CONCLUSION:
Righteousness is attributed to us by God, it is not something we can claim for ourselves by good works or sacrifice. Because it is attributed by Him, it is NOT contingent on our feeble efforts to spread the Gospel – if we fail to reach a person, God is still merciful to save him/her to eternal life – by attributing the blood of Christ to them, and registering them in the Book of Life.
God’s eyes are always on the righteous, be they Christian or NOT!, Cornelius, Job, a Roman Centurion, a Syro-phoenician woman – and merciful to His children that are sinning. He offers His Grace and Mercy to the wicked as well, but they will not ever accept it. The Righteous are like the brother of the Prodigal Son, the 99 , or the 9 coins. We are not to be jealous of the grace God extends to murderers, adulterers, or homosexuals who have returned to Christ. but rejoice that they have been found again!
Following God means to really think about what He wants – Mercy (Chesed or Favour is the Hebrew word) and not sacrifice.
When we get this, we like “Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found. Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein. “ _ Hosea 14:8,9
Hallelujah!