“WHAT IS GOD LIKE?”
Luke 15:1-24
INTRO: A Pastor was entering the Church when he noticed a little girl sitting
on the steps. She was drawing on paper with crayons. “What are
you doing?” asked the Pastor. “I’m drawing a picture of God,” she
replied. “But no one knows what God looks like,” said the Pastor. To
which she replied, “They will when I’m finished.”GOD IS LIKE...
GOD is like Coke...He's the real thing.
GOD is like Pan Am...He makes the going great.
GOD is like General Electric...He lights your path.
GOD is like Bayer Aspirin...He works wonders.
GOD is like Hallmark Cards...He cares enough to send the very best.
GOD is like Tide...He gets the stains out that others leave behind.
GOD is like VO5 Hair Spray...He holds through all kinds of weather.
GOD is like Dial Soap...Aren't you glad you know him? Don't you
Wish everyone did?
GOD is like Sears...He has everything.
GOD is like Alka Seltzer...Try Him. You'll like Him.
GOD is like Scotch Tape... You can't see him, but you know he's
there. -author unknown
There seems to be an irrepressible awareness in the heart of man that
there is a God. But in a scientifically oriented world discussions
about God are cold, calculating, theoretical and abstract in terms that
do not help one find a personal relationship with HIM. Jesus came to
reveal to us the Father. Jesus said in John 14:9, “”..He that hath seen
me hath seen the Father…” All that saw Christ by faith, saw the
Father in Him. In the light of Christ's doctrine, they saw God as the
Father of lights; and in Christ's miracles, they saw God as the God of
power. The holiness of God shone in the spotless purity of Christ's
life. We are to believe the revelation of God to man in Christ; for the
works of the Redeemer show forth his own glory, and God in him
(Jamieson, Fausett & Brown Commentary). Jesus talked about God
out of an understanding of Him that He had for all eternity (John 1:1-
2). He spoke of God not in scientific formulas or philosophical terms
but in simple every day language.
The Parables of Jesus help us to bring that which is beyond us to our
understanding. Jesus did not speak lightly, frivolously, or without
substance. He spoke with exousia (authority), telling it like it was in a
format that made truth understandable and application of that truth
unforgettable-literally life-changing for many (1). In our text Jesus
gives three parables that teach us about the nature of God.
(1)GOD IS A SEEKER
*Most religions of the world are in agreement thatGod, what ever that may
happen to be to them, is the object that the whole human race is seeking.
Mankind seeks God in many ways passed down to him by his parents,
culture, etc. But Jesus said God is the Seeker.
A. HE KNOWS US-THAT WE NEED HIM (VVS. 4-7). Why does the
shepherd seek the sheep? Because without the shepherd the sheep
are in great danger. Jesus said that man is like sheep separated from
God and our only hope is that He will find us.The lost sheep represents
the sinner as departed from God, and exposed to certain ruin if not
brought back to him, yet not desirous to return. Christ is earnest in
bringing sinners home (Matthew Henry). A shepherd is responsible for
each of the sheep, and if one is lost or killed, he must make up for it
himself. Sheep are lost because of their own stupidity; they wander
away and fail to see the danger they are in. Jesus came to “Seek and to
save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10) (2). God took the initiative. He
came to us so that we might have life through His name!
Isaiah 53:6; 1 Peter 2:24-25
Here is man's sin; he goes astray; it is his own act. His misery; he goes
astray from the pasture, from the Shepherd, and from the flock, and so
exposes himself to dangers without number. Here is the recovery by
conversion; they are now returned as the effect of Divine grace. This
return is, from all their errors and wanderings, to Christ. Sinners,
before their conversion, are always going astray; their life is a continued
error (Matthew Henry). Unless God seeks and finds us we will remain
lost in our sins. God seeks us. We don’t seek God.
B. HE VALUES US (VVS. 8-10). In man’s understanding the universe
continues to expand. If this little planet on which we live is only a
small part of the universe and I am but a speck on it why would God be
interested in me?
ILLUS: All men matter. You matter. I matter. It's the hardest thing in
theology to believe. -- G. K. Chesterton in The Father Brown
Omnibus. Christianity Today, Vol. 39, no. 13.
Jesus said God values us the way the woman values the coin. Although
the coin was only a small part of the whole, yet it was valuable to the
woman. It is estimated that the coin was worth about 18 cents, so ten
of them would be valued at near $2.00. In the parable of the lost piece
of silver, that which is lost, is one piece, of small value compared with
the rest. Yet the woman seeks diligently till she finds it. This represents
the various means and methods God makes use of to bring lost souls
home to himself (Matthew Henry). How valuable is man to God? John
3:16 gives us the answer. He values you so much He sent His Son to
die in your place. He values you so much He gave you the Bible so you
could know more about Him and His will for you. He values you so
much that He established the Church that you might have a place
to worship and serve Him. He values you so much that He has gone to
prepare a place where you can spend eternity with Him! Man is
separated from God and He values us so much He seeks until He finds.
C. HE LOVES US (VVS. 11-24). In a father-son relationship the heart of
the father toward his son should always be one of love. The prodigal’s
father loved him inspite of his sin and waywardness (v20). The father,
full of compassion, ran to his son, hugged and kissed him. Fell on his
neck and kissed him--What! In all his filth? Yes. In all his rags? Yes.
In all his haggard, shattered wretchedness? Yes. "Our Father who art in
heaven," is this Thy portraiture? It is even so (Jer_31:3). What a
picture of God this is! God’s attitude toward us is love no matter what
we have done. Because God cares He seeks!
ILLUS: No matter how bad you are, how evil you are, or how sinful you
are God loves you. God is crying out to your soul and heart. "I
love you. I love you. I love you." What is your response to
the love of God. Will you say no and laugh in the face of God?
Will you refuse God's love and spit into his face? Or will you
say yes to God, yes to Jesus, and yes to the Holy Spirit? Accept
Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Trust Jesus to save you
and let him be the boss of you life. What will it be? The
decision is yours! Are you on the side of God or are you his
enemy? - Billy GrahamSBC 1982
God is a seeker, but also----
(2) GOD IS A SAVIOR
*Jesus described this in terms of activity, not in theoretical, abstract terms.
God proved He is the Savior not by word, but by action. He took the
initiative to save. Man could not save himself so God made a way for man
to be saved. He loved. He gave. He sought. Notice:
A. HE RESCUES US (VVS. 4-7). When the shepherd finds the sheep he
lifts him from his precarious position, lays him on his shoulders, and
carries him back to the safety of the fold.When the shepherd found the
sheep, he embraced the sheep and threw it over his shoulders. He
received it...
- with arms wide open.
- embracing it.
- rejoicing in heart.
- supporting and carrying it to his home (Luke 15:6).
God came tothis world of ours, He found us in the midst of our
problems, wallowing in the muck and mire of sin, sinking deeper and
deeper in the pit of sin which we brought up ourselves, and He lifts us
out of that miry clay, that horrible pit of sin when we by faith receive
Him (Psalm 40:2-3). He lifts us. He rescues us.
ILLUS: In 1981, a Minnesota radio station reported a story about a
stolen car in California. Police were staging an intense search
for the vehicle and the driver, even to the point of placing
announcements on local radio stations to contact the thief. On
the front seat of the stolen car sat a box of crackers that,
unknown to the thief, were laced with poison. The car owner
had intended to use the crackers as rat bait. Now the police and
the owner of the VW Bug were more interested in apprehending
the thief to save his life than to recover the car. So often when
we run from God, we feel it is to escape his punishment. But
what we are actually doing is eluding his rescue.
God desires to save man from themselves because we are sinners and
Left to ourselves we will die in our sins and spend eternity in hell!
B. HE RESTORES US (VVS. 8-10). A coin is valuable only as long as it is
in the hand of its owner. When a coin is lost, outside the hand of its
owner, it has no value. The woman searched diligently for the coin until
she found it. There was great loss felt, as though there was no other
silver piece. There was no comfort in knowing the other pieces were
safe. So much depended upon finding this one lost coin. The coin’s
very purpose and usefulness in life depended upon being found and
saved from the dirt of the earth, so one thing was set: she would not
give up until she had found it.
- She willed to find the coin: dedicated and committed her life to finding it, always praying for God’s direction and trusting Him for His help.
- She labored diligently: poured all the thought and energy and effort of her being into seeking her lost coin. Seeking the coin became the focus of her life until she found it.
- She endured: the work was tedious and hard, for it involved sweeping away the dirt and filth under everything and in every little corner and unseen place.
- She looked and prayed while walking upright, bowing, bending, and kneeling. Despite the inconvenience and difficulty, she shifted, removed, and rearranged all the furniture in order to clean and reach out to unnoticed areas—all in an attempt to reach and find the lost coin.
When the woman found the coin it was restored to value. The lost
person is separated from God. Being separated from God means we
don’t really know who we are nor why we are here. Proverbs 4:18 says
“The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they
stumble.” God is our Creator and if we are separated from Him we
undervalue ourselves and feel life has no significance. Life is empty,
meaningless without God. But when we are Saved by God’s Amazing
Grace and enter into a new relationship with God, life takes on
meaning and has value and purpose!
C. HE RECEIVES US (VVS. 11-24). The prodigal son had wasted his
wealth, broken his Father’s heart and shamed the family name. He
had no hope that the Father would do more than let him be a servant.
At home, he found only opened arms of reception. He was accepted
even before he confessed. This is a significant point to note.
Repentance is the sign that we are sincere when we confess, and God
knows we are sincere when He sees us actually turn from our wicked
ways. He forgives when we repent, when we truly want Him to forgive.
This is the reason the Father runs to meet His son. The son had
turned away from the far country and had come to the Father. Note:
- the Father’s eyes were merciful: no matter what He had seen, He wanted to have mercy.
- the Father’s heart was merciful: He wanted to reach out in compassion to the sinning son.
- the Father’s feet were merciful: He wanted to run and meet and escort the sinner home.
- the Father’s arms were merciful: He wanted to embrace the prodigal son and weep with him.
- the Father’s lips were merciful: He wanted to welcome the prodigal son home with all the tenderness of a true Father.
The prodigal was accepted and restored. But note: he would not have
been accepted and restored if he had not returned. The key to being
accepted by God is repentance. We must always remember this fact, a
fact which determines our eternal destiny.
1. The father restored him.
a.The “robe” restored him to a position of sonship and honor.
It symbolized being clothed with the righteousness of Christ.
“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” (2Cor. 5:21).
b.The “ring” restored him to a position of authority. The son
was now to represent the father and his kingdom.
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again
to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption,
whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself
beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of
God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we
suffer with him, that we may be also glorified
together” (Romans 8:15-17).
c.The “shoes” immediately restored and elevated him above
servanthood, which means he became a free man. The son
was now shod with shoes to carry the gospel of peace
wherever he went.
“Being then made free from sin, ye became the
servants of righteousness” (Romans 6:18).
d.The celebration pictures reconciliation, full acceptance, and
the great joy of the occasion.
“But after that the kindness and love of God our
Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to
his mercy he saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which
he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our
Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should
be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life”
(Titus 3:4-7).
God is a Seeker, a Savior and lastly,
(3) GOD IS A SINGER
Luke 15:7, 10, 23-24—“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. Likewise I
say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God
over one sinner that repenteth. And bring hither the fatted calf,
and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was
dead, and is alive again: he was lost, and is found. And they
began to be merry.”
Zephaniah 3:17—“The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty, He will
save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over
thee with singing.”
A. GOD DESIRES ALL MEN TO BE SAVED. 2 Peter 3:9 and 1 Timothy 2:
4 make that abundantly clear. But notwithstanding that this is God’s
desire, not all men will be saved. Many because of Pride, Possessions,
and procrastination will miss heaven. It is not that God by the Spirit
has not sought after these, but that they have not turned to Him in
repentance and faith.
B. GOD REJOICES WHEN MEN ARE SAVED. As Zephaniah 3:17 tells us
God rejoices with singing while He is saving you. He finds in His heart
joy and expresses it when one who is lost is found as these parables
illustrate for us. There are people who believe God is somber and angry
and seem to think God’s greatest enjoyment comes when He finds
someone doing wrong so He can punish them. They think God’s
ultimate joy will be when He takes all the sinners and casts them into
a devil’s hell. God is the righteous judge and He will judge sin and
those who delight in it, but God’s greatest joy is in showing mercy and
bringing salvation (Psalm 100:5). Yes, God does judge but He does so
with a broken heart (Ezekiel 33:11). What brings God joy is mercy.
The father rejoiced to give the prodigal son what he did not deserve.
God, the Father rejoices to give us what we don’t deserve, forgiveness of