Reach Out or Talk Smack: Luke 15

Luke 15 is a good "escalator" passage. I gave a message on it this morning and these are some of my notes.

Luke 15:1-10

-Jesus' view of sinners was different than those of the Pharisees and Scribes. -God VALUES His creation. -Emphasis on the importance of sinners coming near to Jesus. -We shouldn't reject or look down upon sinners drawing near to or seeking Jesus.
*Repent of our grumblings (grumbling is never a good thing) against those who are unsaved and those who reach out to them.
- Don't be the Pharisees or the Scibes: These sinners' lives are VALUABLE to God! Itt's easier and more comfortable to talk with and be around people who are already saved, and it is imperative that we DO fellowship as believers, but we must also remember how much God values the lives of sinners and the unsaved and place value in what God values as well.
*Repent for times we have neglected to reach out to them.
- People will seek God who are unrefined, unlearned, and generally unattractive to us. We must remember that we were once without Jesus too- No matter how far-removed we are from that now. We must welcome and encourage these people to contuinue to seek Jesus. (then we sang the first verse of amazing grace and reflected upon the grace God's has given to US and asked for forgiveness for times when we were not so willing to reach out to those who were seeking God)
* Rejoice when sinners draw near to Jesus or seek Him!
- Realize the importance of [repentance for the unsaved] vs. [those who are already righteous] It's easy to dismiss people who are annoying to us and accept those who are more like us, but again we must take value in what God values.
***Will we be the ones grumbling (like the Pharisees and Scribes) or will we sharing the word of God?
- It's easy to talk about people- to judge their situations, motives, and acquaintences, but we have to choose whether we will be grumbling or sharing the word of God and the life-giving good news about how Jesus Christ died to cover our sins.