Sunday Sermon Starter 2-11-13

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Among many things, the Bible is first and foremost a historical account of why and how God brought redemption to a lost and dying world.  And all of this information is included with the hope that all men would be saved.  But still men will be lost and the overriding question is why – why will men be lost?

Title – “Why Will Men Be Lost”

Text – Luke 15

Main Point – God has gone out of His way throughout time to ensure that all men would have an opportunity to be saved.  He even went to the point of sending His only begotten Son to shed His blood for our sins.  But men in good conscience continue to reject God and ultimately will be lost.  Why?  Why do men continue to reject right for wrong?  Why do men continue to reject promises for pleasures?  Why do men continue to reject Godliness for Godlessness?  Why do men continue to reject heaven for hell?  Of all the chapters in the Bible that deal with the concept of being lost perhaps Luke 15 answers this question in the most capable way.  In this chapter we read of four elements or people who are lost for four different reasons, reasons that are symbolic of the four primary reasons why men continue to be lost amidst everything God has done to save us.

Discussion Points:
·      Men Are Lost Because of IgnoranceExample: The Lost Sheep.  Sheep are ignorant animals.  They tend to wander without paying attention to where they are going.  So a sheep grazes throughout the day but never looks up and at the end of the day he is lost.  His destiny is a product of his own ignorance.  Too often, we are prey to this same issue.  There are many people in this world who are simply ignorant of what they must do to be saved.  And while many believe that ignorance equals innocence Hosea wrote that it was ignorance that condemned ancient Israel (Hosea 4:6).  The Bible emphasizes learning and knowing.  We need to, like Solomon, apply our hearts to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom (Ecclesiastes 7:25).

·      Men Are Lost Because of InattentionExample: The Lost Coin.  The coin in Jesus’ parable was at no fault for its being lost.  It was simply misplaced.  It was inactive and out of circulation.  Who knows how long it took for the owner to even realize it was gone?  The carelessness of the woman (vs. 8ff) was what lost the coin, nothing more.  While no man will be lost solely because of another we cannot discount the effects of environment in a person’s acceptance or rejection of the gospel.  Souls can be lost as a result of many indirect factors.  We as Christians have the responsibility to take the gospel to the world.  I cannot imagine a more horrible scene at the judgment than to have a lost soul look me in the eye and say, “But you never mentioned Him to me!”  Let’s not let souls be lost because of our own inattention.

·      Men Are Lost Because of IntentionExample: The Lost Son.  It is obvious from the opening verses of this section that this son was blatant in his apostasy (Luke 15:12-13).  This young man was a victim only of his own stubborn will.  There are many today who continue to purposefully live lives in blatant rejection of the Father (Hebrews 6:4-6).  They precede many of their actions by saying, “I know I shouldn’t do this…but!”  They can always find a rationalization for their sin.  If men do not carefully guard their hearts they can be lost because they want to be.

·      Men Are Lost Because of InsolenceExample: The Lost Elder Brother.  This young man was lost because of jealousy toward his brother and anger toward his father.  This type of individual is rarely considered lost.  He kept his nose clean.  He was at home in an environment that was clean and wholesome.  But he was self-serving and disrespectful.  One of the biggest problems men must deal with is self-centeredness, being unsympathetic to the sins and hardships of others (Galatians 6:1-2).  While this elder brother might not have actually been involved in any sinful activity himself, his unwillingness to grieve at his brother departure or rejoice at his return are indicators of his heart.  We must closely guard our hearts from the guilt of such insolence in view of lost souls around us.

While man’s attitude toward sin can be mixed depending on different variables in life, God’s is steady:  He hates all sin and He loves all sinners.  We need to come to ourselves, arise, and go home to the Father so that we, one day, do not find ourselves lost.

-Andy Brewer

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