WHEN HEAVEN GETS HAPPY
LUKE 15:1-7 NKJV
1 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them." 3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying:
4 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, 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 neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' 7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
As you take the time to read the book of Luke, the picture of how radically different Jesus was becomes clearer and clearer.
This entire 15th chapter is Jesus' responses to the Pharisees and scribes complaining to Jesus about the people He associated with.
Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners. These groups of people, these sinners, wanted to hear what Jesus had to say. Jesus didn't have to corral them; they came near to Him. And He would not turn them away.
So here is a side thought. If sinners could draw near to Jesus without being rejected, how much more will He accept His own who come near to hear Him? His own being those who have received Him as their Lord and Savior. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.
In this chapter, Jesus reveals heaven's perspective of those who are lost. Jesus told parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. The lost son is the famous parable of the prodigal son.
Jesus said that a man who has 100 sheep and loses one goes looking for that sheep until he finds it. When he finds the lost sheep, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. Then he goes home and calls his friends and neighbors and throws a party. All because he found his lost sheep.
According to Jesus, heaven rejoices when one who is lost turns and repents. In fact, that is when heaven rejoices the most. When those who are lost and away from God come back to Him.
APPLICATION:
It's way too easy to forget how important it is for people to find Christ as their Savior. And for people who have walked away to return to Him. Salvations make heaven happy.
For any church to be a viable, thriving part of the Body of Christ, there must be a desire to reach the lost and those who have turned away from God.
I pray we never become so happy with our salvation that we lose sight of the lost. We want to do what makes heaven happy.
PRAYER:
Father, thank You for my salvation. Help me to be a light and a blessing to those who are lost and away from You.