“JOY IN HEAVEN”
LUKE 15:1-10

I. Introduction
Inexpressible joy! Such is the joy that comes with knowing Jesus Christ. We’re going to learn a lot about inexpressible joy as we delve into three of our Lord’s parables – the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost child. These parables are about seeking. But they’re not about the lost seeking God. They’re about God seeking the lost.

Each one of these three parables will be another reminder of the fundamental truth that the lost don’t seek after God at all. On the contrary, today and again next week, we’ll see that when it comes to salvation, it is God alone who does the seeking. He must do the seeking because, left to our own devices, left to pursue our own desires, left in our own sinful condition, not one of us would ever seek after Him.

Why? It’s simply because in the flesh we have no interest in knowing the God of the Bible. We may want to know about the philosophies of men, and we may want to know about the religions of the world, but in our lost condition, in our flesh, as Scripture defines it, we’re not the least bit interested in the God of the Bible.
Romans 3:10-12
10 “There is none righteous, not even one;
11 There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God;
12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.”

Christians sometimes say, “I found God,” and we usually know what they mean by that, but they are wrong. The fact is that you and I never found God. He found us. Listen, Jesus never said, “I have come so that the lost may seek Me and find Me.” He said…
Luke 19:10
10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Knowing “who sought whom,” and “who found whom” is so important. It is far more than a matter of mere semantics. The right biblical view of this issue is critical to a right understanding of our own human nature before we were saved, the scope and magnitude of Jesus’ accomplishment on the cross, what the gospel actually is, how it saves us, and most important of all, who gets the glory. Only when all of that is clear in our minds and hearts can we comprehend the joy that can be found only in knowing Christ.

Jesus is the One who gives us the joy that is inexpressible. The hymn-writer calls it “Joy unspeakable and full of glory.” This is the joy that is found in the presence of Christ. Even now, while we still live in this world, every true Christian dwells in Christ’s pre-sence. He is present with each one of us in the Person of His Holy Spirit.
In Psalm 16:11 King David said, “In Your presence is fullness of joy…” But there is still more joy to be had. There’s another aspect of joy that none of us, even as we are filled with the Holy Spirit, can yet imagine. It’s the joy we’ll experience and share with each other in heaven. It’s the joy that awaits God’s people when we step into glory and see Him as He is. Jesus speaks of it in the parable of the talents. He illustrates the mas-ter’s response to a slave who has been faithful with the gifts his master has given him.
Matthew 25:21
21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.’”

Can I explain that joy? Can I describe that joy? I cannot. I can do neither, but I, and all of you who are faithful to Jesus Christ, will have eternity to bask in that joy; the joy of your Lord and Master.
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II. Review
In Luke 14 Jesus exposed and strongly condemned the hypocrisy, religious pride, and apathy toward God’s people that infects so many of those who claim to believe in Him. The problem with such people is that their priorities are all wrong. While they often say they care about God’s people, they really care only about their pursuits, their desires, and their possessions. In other words, what they really care about is themselves. In the last segment of Luke 14 Jesus taught some things that were radical departures from how His hearers were living.
• First, Jesus told them to put away their phony religion and turn to Him.
• Second, He told them that they were to put Him above all else in this life.
• Third, He told them that there would be a cost for turning to Him and being His disciple. It might cost them everything they had in this world. It could even cost them their lives.
• Fourth, and most sobering of all, He told them that if they refused to turn from their man-made religion, count the cost, and put Him above all else, they could not be His disciple.

*Luke 14:27, 33
27 “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
33 “So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.

In summary, the Lord Jesus said that if you live this life for yourself, you will in the end lose it, but if you live this life for Him, you will ultimately find eternal life and joy unspeakable. Now, as we move on to Luke 15, Jesus will give us a glimpse of that joy.
He will do it in the form of three parables. This week we’ll see God’s joy expressed in the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin. Next week we’ll see His joy expressed in the finding of the lost child, better known to most of us as the parable of the prodigal son.
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III. Text
When we study God’s attributes we usually talk about things like His omnipotence, His omniscience, and His omnipresence. We may think of His eternality, His holiness, and His glory. Or we might speak of His love, His grace, and His mercy. But chances are we would seldom think of joy as being an attribute of God. Yet it is. Nehemiah 8:10 says, “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” That’s His joy, not yours. Jesus spoke of His own joy on numerous occasions. Luke 10:21 tells us that, “(Jesus) rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit…”

The writer of Hebrews tells us to focus our attention on Jesus because we will ultimately partake in His joy.
Hebrews 12:1b-2
1 …let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter (finisher) of (our) faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The parables we’ll look at over the next two weeks are beautiful illustrations of God’s own joy when the lost are saved.

The two short parables we’ll look at today and next Sunday also serve to remind us of two other fundamental truths. First, as Christians, we are called to separate ourselves from the things of this world that would turn our heads and our hearts away from Jesus. But second, as Christians, we are never to be so isolated from the world that we lose all contact with the lost. Balancing these two truths requires wisdom that can only come from God. Now with all of that in mind, turn to Luke 15:1.
*Luke 15:1-10 (Please stand with me in honor of reading God’s Word.)
1 Now all the tax-gatherers and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him.
2 And both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
3 And (Jesus) told them this parable, saying,
4 “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?
5 “And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’
7 “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
8 “Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?
9 “And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost.’
10 “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

As this segment of Luke’s gospel opens we again see something that has become all too common wherever Jesus ministers to the people who so desperately need Him. The religious leaders stand against Him. The ones who should know who He is, the ones who should be the first to recognize, worship, and obey Him, are the very ones who oppose everything Jesus says and does. Their hypocrisy, pride, and apathy know no bounds.
*Luke 15:1-2
1 Now all the tax-gatherers and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him.
2 And both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

Of course the Pharisees and scribes grumble. They ridicule Jesus because He associates with people whom the religious leaders see as inferior to themselves. But how can you see anyone as inferior to yourself if you don’t see yourself as superior to them? Based on the religious leaders’ own high and exalted view of themselves, they wouldn’t associate with what you and I today might call “lowlifes.” And of this you can be sure – the hypo-crisy, the pride, and the apathy of the religious leaders’ would never allow them to share a meal with such people.

So because Jesus does, because Jesus actually talks to them, cares for them, ministers to them, and even eats with these outcasts and so-called “lowlifes,” it gives the religious leaders still another reason to reject and disdain Him. And in doing so they not only pro-claim their hypocrisy and pride, they also display their apathy. They could care less if those whom they considered inferior to themselves were lost and ended up in hell.
*Luke 15:3-4
3 And (Jesus) told them this parable, saying,
4 “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?”

Jesus’ question exposes at least three issues that His hearers will need to consider.
• First, it will point out that they, as spiritual leaders, are making a grave error when they ignore the needs of their flock.
• Second, it will expose their cold and hard hearts because they are unwilling to take responsibility for those whom God has placed in their care.
• Third, it will show that, even now, these religious leaders can still repent, turn from their wicked ways, and reach out with compassion to those who need them.

The Pharisees and scribes knew a great deal about shepherds and sheep since both were so prominent in the Israel of Jesus’ day. Actually, they had been prominent throughout Israel’s history. The patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel had been shepherds, as had Joseph, Moses, David, and others. God even described Himself as a shepherd in Isiaih and in the Psalms. We all know Psalm 23:1, don’t we? “The LORD is my shepherd…”
Isaiah 40:11
11 “Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arms He will gather the lambs, and carry them in His bosom…”

But by Jesus’ day shepherds had sunk to the lowest rung on the social ladder. One reason for this was that sheep required care twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week. This meant that shepherds were unable to keep all of the laws the Pharisees made with regard to religious requirements, rites, and duties. This made the shepherds ceremonially unclean. As time went on shepherds were seen as barely one step above “tax-gatherers and sinners” whom the religious leaders held in such contempt. But does God hold shepherds in contempt? I don’t think so!
Luke 2:8-11
8 And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
10 And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people;
11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (back to Luke 15)

In Luke 15:4 Jesus puts His listeners on the spot. It is understood that sheep are helpless and defenseless. Therefore, it is the shepherd’s responsibility to protect and defend the sheep against any and all harm that may befall them. If one of the sheep goes missing, it’s a life-threatening situation. So the responsible shepherd must find it and bring it back into the fold. This is especially important because few shepherds would actually own a hundred sheep. Rather, villagers would generally combine their sheep into one large fold and hire one of their own local shepherds to care for the entire flock.
Thus the hired shepherd was held accountable for everyone else’s sheep as well as his own. All of those who owned the sheep the shepherd was guarding counted on him to lose none of their property. That’s why, in Luke 14:4, it says the shepherd will “leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it.”
*Luke 15:5-6
5 “And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’

In these two verses the picture is complete. The shepherd rejoices because a lost sheep has been found. The Pharisees and scribes who are listening to Jesus may have little interest in the shepherd and his joy at finding and recovering one of his sheep, but they certainly understood the monetary value of the sheep. In that, at least, they would grasp the need for the shepherd to find the sheep and celebrate with his friends.

With that, Jesus turns directly to the religious leaders and applies the story to them.
*Luke 15:7
7 “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

What an encouraging verse this is! I doubt that many of us have taken the time to consi-der what happened in heaven the moment you were saved and received the Lord Jesus. But here we are told. At that very moment there was joy in heaven. What an amazing picture that puts before us! How many of you have come to saving faith since LBC opened its doors nearly ten years ago? When that happened your families rejoiced. We rejoiced. But there was joy in heaven. What a wonderful thought! (look again at v.7)

There are two major views as to who the “ninety-nine righteous persons” represent. The first view is they’re already Christians. They’re believers who no longer need to repent because they already have. But I’m not finished repenting. Are you? Some who hold to this view also think that the “ninety-nine” may be representative of God’s holy angels.

The second view of the ninety-nine is that Jesus is referring to the Pharisees and scribes He is talking to. And not them only, but all who think and act the way they do. I believe this is the right interpretation. For one thing, it fits the context of the passage. And for another, there is such a stark contrast. The Pharisees couldn’t care less about the lost. God, on the hand, couldn’t care more about the lost. He sent His Son to suffer and die for the lost. The contrast could not be any clearer, could it?

Think of it. The religious leaders lift themselves up above the masses. They obsess over trivial details, rites, ceremonies, and their own man-made laws.
All the while they look down their self-righteous noses at the multitudes of people who are perishing. So it’s easy to see why Jesus consistently rebukes the scribes and Phari-sees. So Luke 15:7 is more clearly understood if we read it thusly: “…there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than ninety-nine (self)righteous persons who (think they) need no repentance.” But there is more in these verses that we should not miss. The Apostle Peter reminds us that Jesus is the shepherd we so desperately needed when we were lost.
1 Peter 2:24-25
24 …and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

The ultimate reality is that Jesus is the ultimate Good Shepherd.
*John 10:11-14 (one of the seven “I Ams” in John)
11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
12 “He who is a hireling, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, beholds the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them.
13 “He flees because he is a hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd and I know My own, and My own know Me.”

Not only does Jesus lay down His life for His sheep, and not only does He know each one of us better than we know ourselves, He has promised that once He has found a lost sheep, He will never lose it. Look with me at our Good Shepherd’s own statement with regard to our eternal security.
*John 6:37-39
37 “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.
38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
39 “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me, I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.”

Can you imagine the joy on the day we will be resurrected? (back to Luke 15)
*Luke 15:8-10
8 “Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?
9 “And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost.’
10 “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Now Jesus drives home the same point with a different illustration. Just as the Pharisees and scribes considered shepherd unclean “lowlifes,” they saw women as second-class citizens. If they were offended at being compared to shepherds, they will be offended again by being compared to women.

In the parable the woman has lost a significant amount of her money. After what appears to be a frantic search, she finally locates the silver coin and rejoices. Just as the shepherd who found the lost sheep wants to share the good news with his friends, so too, this woman wants to share her good news with her friends. By the way, isn’t that what you wanted to do when you were saved – share the good news of the gospel with your friends and loved ones?

In any case Jesus aims this parable directly at the religious leaders. In v. 10 He says, “I tell you…” However, they are spiritually deaf as well as blind, and their disdain for lost souls is obvious. But that is not so in heaven. Far from it! “…there is joy in the pre-sence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Can you imagine what joy in the presence of angels is like?
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IV. Conclusion
Let me end with this – it’s so important: In neither of these two parables does Jesus say, “…there in joy in heaven over one sinner who believes,” does He? Listen if Jesus meant to say “believes,” He would have used the word, “pistĕuō.” But Jesus uses the word “mĕtanŏia,” meaning to repent, to change your mind about God, about Jesus, about your sin and lost condition, and then be willing to change the direction of your life. Does all of that include belief? Of course, it does. But believing without repentance saves no one. Believing in Jesus without repentance merely brings one up to the level of demons.

It is our sincere prayer that if there is anyone here this morning who claims to believe in Jesus, but has not repented and turned to Him for forgiveness, that you will do so today. You will be joyful, we will be joyful, and there will be joy in heaven, “joy in the pre-sence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

~ Pray ~