In His Image - 10: Lost and Found

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patent toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” -2 Peter 3:9

Opening Thoughts
So, how lost IS lost?

Driving down the lonely highway, out in the middle of the desert. You haven’t seen a crossroads in more than 100 miles, much less a gas station. Your cell phone is dead and the map flew out the window hours ago. Now you come to a fork in the road and you have no clue which way to go.

Are you lost – oh yeah. Would you be willing to stop and ask for help if you could find it, even if you’re a guy? Definitely. What does it mean to be lost? Life is not over, you look for a solution, you hope to get back on track. But one thing for sure: for things to get resolved, you need to know how lost you are!

The Pharisees didn’t know how lost they were. And they didn’t care about those around them who were truly lost. The parables in Luke 15 help us to get the Savior’s perspective of understanding our lost condition, and what to do about it.


Study Notes
Lost and Found

1. How lost is lost?

• Can you be just a little lost? – Romans 1 and 3 make it clear that each of us are desperately lost in our sin, wandering in darkness, never able to enjoy God's holy presence


• 3 ways to get lost
  > aimless wandering - leads to danger -- Lot
  > carelessness – leads to uselessness -- Samson
  > rebellion – leads to misery

2. Luke 15 – The Lost & Found Department

• The crowds are coming -- tax gatherers, sinners, a tough crowd!
  -- What was wrong with being a tax collector? Usually a Jew working for Gentiles, a bad thing; worse: collecting taxes for Roman govt, essentially “sold out” to Rome
  -- God doesn’t like sinners? He receives them, eats with them, reaches out to them


• How Jesus used parables -- when studying the parables, you want to look for why He chose to teach, and why this particular story
  -- here: His character
  -- often to answer a question or deal with an attitude
  -- often a “surprise” ending
  -- here: why He eats with sinners
  -- dismisses self-righteous attitude


• what is the purpose of each of these three parables?


• The lost sheep
  -- always ready to leave the bunch to go after the one
  -- rejoice with me! He feels deeply and personally when a soul is rescued
  -- there will be more joy in heaven - imagine!
  


• The lost coin
  -- this woman was desperate; she lit a lamp, swept the house, searched every corner of the dark, dirt floor carefully
  -- there is joy over one sinner who repents
  -- the angels' joy – see 1 Peter 1:12; 1 Corinthians 11:10
  -- the Greek drachma coin was commonly equivalent to a day’s wage; one custom of the time was a headdress of 10 coins woven together and worn by Jewish women as symbol of marriage
  -- the lamp needed because there probably were no windows and the floor was normally packed dirt


• the first two of these parables set the stage for the third
  -- they speak to Pharisees' concern for possessions and position
  -- they emphasize concern for something lost and the genuine joy of finding what was lost
  -- the third parable transfers or transforms the human story to God and His concern for the lost sinner


• The lost son
  -- Independence--
  How are we being independent?
  > Our priorities are wrong
  > We cling to the familiar, or immediate, or pleasurable
  Why am I being independent?
  > Doubt the goodness of God
  > Don’t understand God’s perspective


• "Dad, I wish you were dead!"
  -- that's really what he was saying; he was asking for an inheritance that isn't his until his father is dead
  -- these acts should have completely ostracized the son, and probably embarrassed the father in the community
  -- but! The Father let him go
  > he insists on love relationship, not obligation
  > he knew his son would fail
  > so he anxiously awaits the son's return
  > then he runs to greet him when he does return – that day's culture considered it undignified for an older man to run, he would lose face; he probably hadn’t run for 20 years, and he would have to gather up his robe, showing his boney legs - but he ran!


• What we learn from this parable
  > Jesus chose to lose face for us
  > Note the tremendous contrast between our rebellion and God’s forgiveness
  > The turning point is verse 17, he came to his senses! – do we see repentance at this point? maybe not completely; this could just be“plan B” (D.Jeremiah); he wasn’t ready for grace yet, he’s still attempting to save himself
  > verse 20, he got up, picked himself up and got himself going
  > but when he fell into his father’s arms, he realized that his father had never stopped loving him, he was overcome by grace
  


• The Rebellious Son In The Key Of F (from Hampton Keathley on bible.org)
  Feeling footloose and frisky, a foolish fellow forced his father to fork over his fourth of the family farthings and flew far to a foreign field where he fast frittered his fathers fortune feasting foolishly with faithless friends. Fleeced by his fellows and folly, and facing famine he found himself a feed flinger in a filthy farm. Flushed and fairly famished he fain would have filled his frame with foraged food from farm fodder.
  
  “My father’s flunkies fair far finer.” The frazzled fugitive forlornly fumbled. Frustrated and filled with forboding, he fled forthwith to his father. Falling to his father’s feet he forlornly fumbled, “Father, I have flunked and frugalessly forfeited family favor.” The fugitive’s, faultfinding brother frowned on fickle forgiveness, but the faithful father figure filled with fidelity, cried, “The fugitive is found. What forbids further festivities. Let the flags unfurl and the fanfares flare.” Father flagged a flunky who fetched a fatling from the flock and fixed a feast.
  
  The moral of the story is: The father’s forgiveness formed a foundation for the fugitive’s future fortitude.
  
  
  For further study:
  1. Meditate on the Fruit of the Spirit in Gal. 5:22-23, thinking about how Christ reflected each of the fruit in His life.
  
  2. Read Matthew 22-24, known as the Olivet Discourse. These important words from the Savior come just before the last week and the Crucifixion. Try to get some of the main points He seeks to bring across.
  
  3. As we’ve been looking at the life of Christ, what ways have you noticed as He ministers to and teaches His disciples? Are those things happening in your life, as one of His disciples?

In His Image - 9: Having a Life Message

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.” -- Matthew 11:28-30

Opening Thought
What’s Your Life Message?

Christ had a life message – we’re all in agreement on that. As we continue to look at His life, how He communicated His mind and character to those around Him, we constantly hear the message. The people that were around Him surely had no doubt about His message – it was crystal clear and burned in His soul.

So, if we’re agreeing that we are to be in His image, does that mean we should have a life message? Yes it does. Does it also mean that our life message should reverberate in all of our actions and interactions with others? Yes, it really should.

We’re reminded again about how challenging it is to follow through on this model of Christlikeness. He left us a lofty standard, and our human failings constantly work against our goal of reflecting Him to others. We need to put real thought into what we’re about, how our life should express Christ, actually put these thoughts in writing, and then into real life.

Study Notes
Having a Life Message

Study Notes

1. Who is the Man?

• Jesus reaching out to people
  o Matthew 14:13-36 -- after He hears of John the Baptist's death, He withdraws; but the crowds find Him and soon He is feeding the 5000; then He sends His disciples across the Sea of Galilee, and in the midst of the stormy weather, He appears walking on the water, and ends up rescuing Peter
  o What do we learn about Him from these events? -- He had a sensitive heart for the people around Him; He was concerned about their needs
  


• Jesus preaching the truth of the Gospel
  o Matthew 23 - one of the last and most serious encounters He has with the Jewish leaders before His death; His heart is broken for the coldness in their hearts
  o What do we learn about Him from this? -- He is willing to listen but then quick to speak the truth with clarity

2. What was Christ’s Life Message?

• Sin and separation from God
  o sin defined in absolute terms
  o white-washed sepulchers, Matthew 23


• Provision for redemption is only in Him
  o He is the Lamb to be slain
  o Repentance is at the core of this message
  o Christ preached in the tradition of the OT Prophets


• God’s fulfilled promises are real
  o The Kingdom
  o Mark 1:14-15; Matthew 4:17


• Righteous living
  o Matthew 22:37-39
  o Love God
  o Your neighbor as yourself


• Preach the message
  o "Euangelizo", to proclaim the message with passion
  o A passion for the lost
  o Christ was predominantly an evangelist
  o Mt 9:35


• Make the message personal
  

For further study --

1. Write down what you think the main points are to Jesus’ Life Message. Maybe put a verse with each if you can.

2. Now write out points for what you want your Life Message to be. Add a verse for each. Maybe add a couple of thoughts about what you need to work on to make your Life Message real.In preparation for next Sunday, read Luke 15, especially the story of the Prodigal Son. Think on how Jesus used these stories to minister to people and communicate His message.

3. In preparation for next Sunday, read Luke 15, especially the story of the Prodigal Son. Think on how Jesus used these stories to minister to people and communicate His message.

In His Image - 8: A Message for All Times

"What I tell you in darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops.” --Matthew 10:16

Opening Thought
Difficult Circumstances

Have you ever been in difficult circumstances? I can imagine your response being, “Where do you want me to start?” We’ve all been there. Tough times, bad choices, a combination of circumstances that have put you in a corner, bad news rolling over you in waves. The guy at the Pool of Bethesda was the definition of “difficult circumstances”. He had been sick for 38 years! Unable to move, or seemingly take care of himself in any way. While the older texts call him ”impotent”, it is likely more appropriate to say “infirmed” – we really don’t have a lot of information on what he actually was sick with.

In the midst of all those sick people, there he sat, in his difficult circumstances. And then Jesus entered the scene, knowing he was there, knowing he desperately needed healing, and most importantly, knowing already what his answer would be to His question.
In the midst of our difficult circumstances, ask these questions: Are our eyes fixed on Christ? Are we convinced that He can carry me through the tough times?


Study Notes
A Message for All Times

1. The Pool of Bethesda - John 5:1-16

• At the Sheep Gate - So called because it was adjacent to the Sheep Market. Even in Jesus' time, it had been there a while - rebuilt by Nehemiah (ch.3), so there when the Jews were taken into captivity in 597BC. This pool is located just north of the Temple 100 yards or so.


• The name could be Bethsaida or Bethesda, depending on manuscripts and interpretation. "Beth" refers to "house" and the Hebrew "chesda" is likely in the root referring to "mercy".


• The Pool with 5 porches -- It was probably actually two pools, on two levels, with porches or porticos on all 4 sides and one also going across the middle. Archaelogists actually found the remains in the 1960's.

2. Healing at the Pool

• Do you want to be well?? Who doesn't?! -- This is a marvelous example of how universal Christ's message is. All around us each day are people struggling with maladies, and they desperately want to be well. It's just that no one is around to help them get to the Living Water Christ offers.


• This man was a "poster child" for difficult circumstances. But he was surrounded by others with just as much need. These people huddled in the areas around the pool, common in there misery, likely insensitive to each other's needs. Today people are far from God in their sin, unable to see His hand in their lives.


• This man is honest, maybe even old & "crotchety" (Dan Wallace), frustrated and even annoyed by those around him, not able to get to the water for a chance to be healed. Stuck in his inability to seize opportunity, it seems by his response that he almost even missed the offer from Jesus.


• The reason for Jesus' probing question was to demand focus on the Savior, and to stimulate the man's will and faith. Once his mind was alive to the reality of Christ, he could determine to respond positively to the offer of healing. This is an important doctrinal distinction: God alone heals/redeems; yet this divine work is accomplished in response to a person's genuine faith to the offer.


• Isaiah 35:1-7 -- the lame will leap! Isaiah is anticipating God's literal fulfillment of promises to Israel of the millennial kingdom. The Messiah had indeed come, and this miracle is an enjoyable extension of that anticipation. In the millennium, all of Israel will be healed of the lame condition, and will indeed leap for joy.
  

3. What was Christ's message? From this miracle at the pool, and from other accounts about Jesus' ministry, we learn of these distinctives in His Life Message --

• Sin and separation from God -- Matthew 23:25-28, we need to see sin defined in absolute terms; we really are sick and desperately needy of someone to heal


• Provision for redemption -- John 3:16-21, the Savior is here; Jesus is the Lamb to be slain; being able to see your desperate need and readiness to turn away from sin to the Savior is at the core


• God's fulfilled promises - Mark 1:14-15; 4:17, Jesus spoke in the tradition of the OT prophet; He announced the Kingdom


• Righteous living -- Matthew 22:37-39, Love God, and your neighbor as yourself


• Preach the message -- Matthew 9:35, "euangelizo", proclaiming the good news; Jesus had a passion for the lost & needy around Him, He was predominantly an evangelist

For further study:

1. Continue to use the Harmony to read through the next events in Jesus’ life. Focus on the Sabbath Controversies in Mark 2 & 3, the Sermon on the Mount in Mt. 5-7, and Calming the stormy sea, in Mt. 8.Meditate on Galatians 5:22-23, the Fruit of the Spirit, and think about the picture of Christ that is given here.

2. Meditate on Galatians 5:22-23, the Fruit of the Spirit, and think about the picture of Christ that is given here.

3. What is our life message? What distinctives do those around us take away from interacting with us?

In His Image - 7: The Master Fisherman

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. – John 1:14

Opening Thought
The Word Became Flesh

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the Word, the essence of God – there at the beginning, the Creator of all things, the True God. The Word is the expression of His person, Who He is, how He feels and expresses Himself. The Word is how He reaches out and seeks to have a relationship with us, His precious creation.

Through all of man’s history, God has worked to draw us to Himself. He spoke to us in many different ways, revealed His ways to us, accomplished many wondrous acts. The Old Testament Tabernacle was a marvelous picture of pitching a tent and dwelling among His people. Yet now, we have the pinnacle act of reaching out to us – He took on a body of flesh and came to dwell among us.

That is not the end of the story however. Christ accomplished His mission, the provision of salvation. But the message to desperately needy men & women must continue to be “evangelized”. You and I are expected to continue the great work of the Word becoming flesh. By the gracious power of the Holy Spirit, we become the person of Christ so that the church can be strengthened, and more can be drawn to Christ and His salvation.


Study Notes
The Master Fisherman

1. A Miraculous Catch - Luke 5:1-11

• Review where Luke is with his story -- Luke 4, the Temptation, and the rejection in Nazareth, is likely before the wedding in Cana. Then several miracles, preaching in a synagogue, and from Peter's boat.
• The men follow Jesus after a remarkable challenge -- This "following" apparently came in stages - see John 1:35-51, Matthew 4:18-22 and Luke 5:11. "Follow" is a strong word for the Gospel writers, and very rarely used in the rest of the New Testament. It has the meaning of attaching oneself, following a person as an attendant or disciple, to take that person's "side".
• Remarkable! The God of the universe chooses to call us mere mortals, enjoining us to work with Him in His divine program. His work is the only investment that will last eternally, yet He does this by His entering our work! Remember that He above all others understands our work -- He "crafted" the craft we take as our own.
• The people were "pressing in" - He must have enjoyed that, just an election candidate wants to feel the people showing their support. But these people were pressing in because they knew they were hearing the Word of God.
• "Let down the net" -- Jesus lays down a test of obedience for Peter and the others. Obedience is often a chore. So much logic and emotion get in the way! And then there's physical preference. These guys were tired, after fishing all night, the normal way the fish were caught. They had probably just finished going to all the "holes", the places that should have had fish -- nothing. Now Jesus just casually says "Let's go over here...!" -- "Launch out into the deep!"
• Go by faith, follow His lead, allow Him to work. Each of must come face to face with Jesus' authority and power, then see that He fully desires to empower us to successfully accomplish His mission.
  

2. John's Seven Signs -- One of John's distinctives is that he uses the term "sign" in reference to Jesus' miracles. These 7 distinctive references to sign/miracles help us to learn much of John's view of the Savior.

• John 2:1-11
• John 4:46-54
• John 5:1-18
• John 6:5-14
• John 6:16-21
• John 9:1-7
• John 11:1-45

For some extended study time, take a sheet of paper, write the key words of each passage, and at least one key characteristic of the Lord Jesus. Remember the goal of these studies is to enable us to "be Christlike" so we need to be learning "what Christ was like."

For further study:

1. Use the Harmony of the Gospels and review the events in Jesus’ life after the Sermon on the Mount through Matthew 11. Be sure to consider what additional events are covered in the other Gospels.
2. If someone were to write “The Gospel According to YOU”, what would the message of that gospel be?
3. Think more about the person of Christ in the events we have studied thus far. Are we learning more about the Savior? Perhaps spend a little extra time this week quietly reflecting on Him.

In His Image - 6: The Fisherman at Work

“But when Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” - Luke 5:8

Opening Thought:
The Plumb Line of Truth

The carpenter uses a plumb bob suspended on a line in order to establish a truly vertical line. Any structure not built with a faithful reference to a perfectly vertical line is doomed to failure. All guys should appreciate this excellent excuse for another trip to Home Depot, to buy your own plumb bob. They're very cool, turned brass, etc. -- even if you don't ever use it, you have to admit it's a great conversation piece.

For our walk in Christ, we are challenged to seek the “measure of…the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). He is the total and complete demonstration of the godliness which is our goal. All we need to do is have the plumb line set on Christ in heaven, the line reaching down to the Bible in our hands, and with the point set on Christ, the plumb line is set for our life to be measured by Him alone.

We are on an exciting, challenging journey in this quest for Christlikeness. It doesn’t come naturally, and it will not be easy. Worse yet, the world and our own sinful natures, will exert constant pressure to throw that plumb line off.

Don’t let it happen! Maintain vigilant watch on the plumb line – anchored in Christ, it’s point centered on God’s Word. The issue becomes simple once you are at that point – establish your path in perfect match to that perfect line of Truth.


Study Notes
The Fisherman at Work --
John 4, The Samaritan Woman

1. He needed to go that way

• People in Jerusalem not only didn't "need" go through Samaria, they made sure to avoid it; but Jesus took the shortest reasonable path to where He was headed, knowing He would encounter this needy woman.
• There's a lot of bad history between these two societies, Judah & Samaria. This is sad considering they are together the 12 tribes of Israel. The problems began during and after the captivities, when the northern tribes returned to their land and began to intermarry with non-Jewish cultures.
• John 4:4, He "had" to go? Jesus lived every moment of His life with purpose - talk about being driven!
• The purpose of God takes a straight line approach to meeting needs. Bias and preference doesn't enter in to the equation.
• When Jesus and His disciples arrived at Jacob's Well, they had traveled perhaps 20 miles. (Maybe take a minute to find a map and take a look at the route.) He would have been hot & dusty, tired & thirsty. It was likely 6pm (Roman time), a typical time for the women to come for water.

2. A Conversation with Reality

• Setting things straight -- Nicodemus wanted everything to be orderly. What this woman needed deep in her soul was to have a clear conscience.
• Her background , her theology, her understanding of God, likely accomodated a desire for convenience and hiding, maintain distance between her and true worship of God. "We'll just worship here on our own mountain" -- "I have no husband." She was likely bitter for all the hard turns in her life, skeptical of genuine caring, and quick to judge.
• Once again, Jesus offers a remarkable statement.
  With Nicodemus, Jesus opened the real conversation with a striking statement ("Unless a man is born again." Nicodemus had attempted to start a conversation, but the Lord knew it needed to go in an entirely different direction). He does the same thing here with the woman ("If you knew the gift of God..."). He catches her off guard, and is able to nudge towards Truth.
• Removing barriers -- They both knew that a Jew would never ask for a drink from a Samaritan, much less consider drinking out of their cup. Yet Jesus openly asked, and she was amazed. And perhaps just a little willing to talk and listen.
• Taking Jesus at His Word -- Once the sinner is willing to listen to God's words, they can begin considering what He is saying. She interacts, considers, struggles, then takes small steps towards the Savior.
• Put it all on the table -- She moved from hostility to apathy, then to contrition, then to outright rejoicing. What a beautiful picture of the salvation experience. As she took her steps to Him, He sought to make the Gospel both relevant and desirable.
• “I AM” -- The summary of it all, He is God, He is sovereign, He is truly our Savior, He is to be worshipped. Her feeble attempt of distraction by mentioning the Samaritan's defiant worship of God at their own place on Mt. Gerizim served only to emphsize Jesus' point. True worship of the God Who Is clears up all the questions and opens the way for rejoicing together. Place doesn't matter - the heart does!

For further study...

1. Use a Harmony of the Gospels outline to discover the next few events in Jesus’ life after Luke 4.
2. Read Matthew 14:15-36 – What godly characteristics does Jesus demonstrate in these verses?From these verses, when we get disappointed or frustrated with people, how can we respond in a Christlike way?
3. From these verses, when we get disappointed or frustrated with people, how can we respond in a Christlike way?