Message: The gospel according to Luke
Text: Luke 15
The reason for one of Jesus’ most important parables is the religious leader’s complaint that Jesus hangs around sinners…and likes them!
In all 3 phases of this parable, joy over the lost being found is the only common denominator.
~You will never find joy by searching for it. You will only find joy by searching for others.
~Joy will not come by anything you do for yourself, only by what you do for someone else.
Hebrews 12:2
Positive: A real sense of Joy!
Negative: A total lack of joy.
So, if joy is about someone else, lack of joy is about me sitting around feeling sorry for myself, or simply thinking about myself too much.