By Grace Alone – He Seeks the Lost

This sermon was preached on Sunday, June 6, 2021, based on the context of Luke 15. The pastor explains that the three parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son were told by Jesus Christ in response to the murmuring of the Pharisees and scribes who objected to His eating and associating with tax collectors and sinners. The audience of the three parables comprises four types of people in two groups: those considered sinful and those who considered themselves righteous.

The first major section focuses on the lost condition of humanity. Since Adam and Eve sinned, all of humanity has been lost and separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-4; Psalm 14:2-3; Romans 3:11). Scripture confirms that in the natural state of sin, no one has any desire to seek God. The history of Israel in Exodus, Numbers, and Judges illustrates the recurring cycle of sin, rebellion, crying out, and forgiveness, demonstrating humanity's forgetful and rebellious nature.

The second section presents God's solution to humanity's sinful condition, which is grace. Grace is defined as a gift we do not deserve to receive. God is not indifferent but actively seeks to save humanity: immediately after Adam and Eve sinned, He called out to find them, promised a Redeemer (Genesis 3:15), and clothed them with animal skins. Romans 5:6-8 and Ephesians 2:3-5 affirm that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. This stands in complete contrast to every religion in the world that teaches humans must seek God or truth on their own.

The pastor explains that seeking requires three elements: the desire to seek, information about the object of the search, and directional guidance. Humanity lacks all three because it has no desire to seek God, cannot know who God is unless He reveals Himself through Scripture and through Jesus Christ (John 14:5-7), and cannot find the way unless He provides it. It is the Holy Spirit who actively moves in human hearts to awaken the desire to inquire and receive Christ.

The sermon concludes with a comparison between Jesus' parable and a story from the Mahayana Buddhist Lotus Sutra about a father and a wandering son. The fundamental difference between the two stories is summed up in one word: grace. In Jesus' parable, the father runs to meet his son from a distance, embracing and kissing him unconditionally, whereas the Buddhist story depicts a father who keeps his distance and only acknowledges the son after decades of the son proving himself. This is the unique and unparalleled nature of the Gospel.