Bible Studies for Life Series for February 3: Breakthrough in confidence

Posted: 1/25/08

Bible Studies for Life Series for February 3

The motive

• Luke 15:1-2, 11-24

By Steve Dominy

First Baptist Church, Gatesville

Why bother? That is the question posed to us today. Why bother trying to witness? Why bother telling someone about Jesus?

It is a question that at first might offend us. “Well, because without Jesus they will spend an eternity separated from God in hell!” And we would be right, but if we look at our situation more closely, I would bet that “Why bother?” is a question we need to take seriously.

When was the last time you led someone to the Lord? How many people are you praying for who don’t know Christ? If we can’t immediately answer those questions then we need to take the question, “Why bother?” very seriously.

Jesus makes the point very clear in Luke 15. In each parable, he raises the stakes a little higher. In the first parable, he asks, “Which of you would not leave the 99 sheep and go after the lost sheep when you found it?” If Jesus had given them the opportunity to answer, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law would probably have replied, “No, I might look for a little bit, but I wouldn’t put any great effort into it.” Why would they, they have 99 others to look after, what is going to happen to them? Besides, one sheep doesn’t matter than much to them.

In the next parable, Jesus raises the stakes a little more. “Suppose a woman has 10 silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?” The Pharisees and the teachers of the law would probably answer in the same negative fashion. They might look for a little while, but one coin is not going to break them, there is more where that came from. It is not like 10 coins are all that they have, they will make more money.

Finally Jesus goes all in. “There was a man who had two sons.” You can replace sheep and coins, you can’t replace sons. You can recover from losing one percent of your herd, or ten percent of your bank account, but your children, that is another matter altogether.

You know the story, the youngest son took his inheritance and squandered it on wine, women and song. When the money was gone he found a job feeding pigs, there would have been few jobs worse for a Jew than feeding pigs. Then the son, “came to his senses,” and returned, vowing to beg his father to let him be a hired hand. But the father saw him coming and ran to him, restoring him to his full status as his son

But Jesus wont’ let it rest at that, the father wants both sons, he won’t settle for the loss of either. The older son is furious that the father will even speak to the younger son after all he has done. At the same time, he is furious because the younger son has been given everything, and he is afraid there will be nothing left for him. The father absolutely is as steadfast in refusing to let the older son go as he was in searching for the younger son.

So we return to the question, “Why bother?” The most obvious answer to the question is because it matters to God. Each parable illustrates the joy of God over one sinner who repents. All we have to do to answer this question is to look at the lengths to which God has gone to redeem his people. It is the story of the whole Bible, the crux of which is God’s incarnation in Jesus, his life, death and resurrection on our behalf. Why bother? Because our salvation matters enough that God would send his only son to die for us.

The second answer to the question is we bother because people matter. We only put effort into those things that matter, those things that are of nominal importance receive little, if any, of our attention. God has declared we are worth his effort and his love. People matter, regardless of their race, plight or gender.

Each of us has been the son who squandered his inheritance and was eagerly welcomed back into the family. We know the incredible grace God has lavished on us and the absolute joy that comes from that grace. The problem comes when we start to think we have achieved something outside of God’s grace. That is when we become the older brother and would deny God’s grace to those whom we don’t deem worthy. Our salvation and everything that comes from it is purely by the grace of God.

Karl Barth made the statement, “has not the work of this divine messenger and ambassador (Christ) actually ceased in the blind alley of the church as an institution of salvation for those who belong to it?” If the only people to whom we offer salvation are those that we know, then we have ceased doing the work of Christ.

Why bother? Because this is the work of Christ in this world. If we claim the name of Christ as his people then we must be a part of his work in his world else we bring the name into disrepute.