Luke 15

Thought on This Chapter

LK 15:1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.

LK 15:2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

I have heard these verses misused today to try to validate bringing the world into the church. They will says that Jesus sat with publicans and sinners. Then they will reason. Therefore we need to bring fleshly rock-n-roll music in to appeal to the sinners, and all the other worldly things they do. Their reasoning is that this is the way to get the sinners in.

There are many major things wrong with this reasoning. In this verse the sinners did not come to get entertained. They did not come to have their flesh catered to. Verse one says that they came to hear Jesus. They came for the preaching. They came for the word of God. And let me tell you they did not get no watered down feel good message. The got the truth from the Son of God. Jesus' preaching brought conviction.

Second there is a huge difference between preaching to sinners and partaking in their sin with them. Jesus NEVER partook with their sin.

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Bringing fleshly music into the church house is partaking in the sinners sin. You cannot use these verses to justify partaking in sin to try to reach the sinner.

Thought On This Chapter

LK 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.

A lot can be said about this parable. One thing that always stands out to me every time I read it is that the father saw the son coming when he was yet a great way off. This clearly implies that the father was watching for the son to come. The father had no advance warning that the son was coming. He received no advanced notice. No messenger was sent ahead of the son. The father had no advance indication that the son was coming. And yet the father saw him coming. Clearly the father was looking constantly for the son to come. The son was in great sin and yet the father still loved him and was longing for him to come home. What a wonderful picture of the Heavenly Father watching and longing for sinners to come home.

I know some preachers preach this text as a lost man who is lost in sin and his repentance and confession of it and his coming to the father is a picture of salvation. Others will preach that he is a backslidden saved person who is coming home. This entire chapter has the same context. Verse 1 Jesus is sitting with lost people. Verse 2 the Pharisees and scribe take issue with it. Look at verse number 7. It is talking about the lost. There are other verses that would support the first view as well as the second. So which is it? Well the picture here is a sinner coming to the father. Is not both true. A lost person is a sinner and needs to repent and come to the father. And a backslidden Christian is living in sin and needs to repent and come to the father.

The context of the chapter is that which is lost is found. Fellowship that is broken gets restored. A man on his way to hell is lost and has no fellowship with the Father. A Christian who is backslidden has lost his fellowship with the father. He is still saved but fellowship is lost. In both cases fellowship is restored.

And in either case our Heavenly Father is eagerly watching for the one in sin to come to Him. And there is great rejoicing when he does.

King James Bible Main Index:

Luke 15 [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24]

LK 15:1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.

LK 15:2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

LK 15:3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,

LK 15:4 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?

LK 15:5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

LK 15:6 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.

LK 15:7 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.

LK 15:8 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?

LK 15:9 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.

LK 15:10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

LK 15:11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:

LK 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.

LK 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.

LK 15:14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

LK 15:15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

LK 15:16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

LK 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!

LK 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

LK 15:19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

LK 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.

LK 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.

LK 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:

LK 15:23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:

LK 15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

LK 15:25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.

LK 15:26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.

LK 15:27 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.

LK 15:28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.

LK 15:29 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:

LK 15:30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

LK 15:31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.

LK 15:32 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.

LK 15:7 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.

LK 15:10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

Heaven rejoices when one person gets saved. Every time that I read these verses I think of the song The Value of One. This is just the chorus.

"Go sound the horn

Strike up the choir

A sinner is saved

Saved from the fire

No more in darkness

He's received my son

All heaven rejoicing

That's the value of one"

If there is joy in the presence of the angels when a soul gets saved, should not we also have great joy when someone gets saved?

If the value of one soul is enough to make heaven rejoice, should we not spend more time in prayer for souls to be saved?