Willow Ridge Sermons

Sunday, May 9th • Beau Bradberry

"Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." — Luke 15:7

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Show Notes

Sunday, May 9th • Beau Bradberry

"Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." — Luke 15:7

–
Podcast: https://pod.link/willowridgechurch
Website: https://willowridgechurch.org
Instagram: https://instagram.com/willowridgechurch
Facebook: https://facebook.com/willowridgechurch
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@willowridgechurch

Creators and Guests

Host

Beau Bradberry

Senior Pastor

What is Willow Ridge Sermons?

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Thanks for listening.

Well, good morning.

Glad that you guys are here with us.

I see some of you brought your mamas with you.

We're glad to have and blessed to have you with us as well.

For all of our guests, if you've got one of these cards sitting there beside you, we'd

love to know that you're here, how we can pray for you.

And so there's three ways.

You can text us, you can email us, you can scan the QR code, and let us know that you're here

today, and we'd be blessed if you would do that.

If you've got your Bibles, open up to Luke chapter 15.

As you turn there, I want to say to all the moms out here, happy Mother's Day.

God has blessed me in my life.

God gave me a wonderful mother who for my whole life has loved the Lord, has modeled that, still

is doing that today, praying for me, and she knows that I desperately need it.

But God knew how difficult it would be to raise me.

So God gave me also a grandmother, gave me aunts, gave me neighbors, gave me my mom friends

to kind of rally around and support her as she nurtured and cared for me.

And then God definitely knew what he was doing when he gave me my wife.

And then I inherited my mother-in-law, who I make fun of and give a hard time to, all to

her face, right?

But I deeply love her as well.

In fact, Erin is with her mama this morning, worshiping with her and going to be able to

have lunch with her.

And then I get to take off down there.

And so I know for all of you that are moms in here this morning, I know the sacrifices

that you've made.

Being a parent now, I'm not a mom, I'm a dad, but I know, I know what it feels like

to cry over your kid.

I know what it feels like to pray for your kid.

I know what it feels like to worry about your kid.

And so to all the moms out there, thank you for what you do.

You're a blessing to all of us.

But I also want to say this before we get into our passage of Scripture.

Today's a good day.

I'll leave here and go spend the afternoon with my mom and we'll eat together.

Friday, we got out of town and went down to Beaufort.

We love Beaufort.

We went down there and we went out to the beach yesterday.

I got a little too sunburnt.

And so be careful on the hugs when we leave, right?

But we had that great time of just kind of getting together and spending time together

with Aaron and the kids and being out at the beach all day yesterday.

But Mother's Day isn't always a great day for everyone.

This is that day I get choked up a little bit.

For my mom, it was always a bittersweet day.

Her mom passed away when she was 15.

Going into marriage, it was a rough time following Aaron's miscarriage

before God blessed us with Emma and Grayson.

And just this past January, my grandmother, my last grandparent passed away.

And so I know that my dad and my aunts woke up this morning

with a little bit more difficult day.

And so today as we celebrate moms, and you deserve to be celebrated

for all that you do, for all that you've done,

for all that you will continue to do, you're a great blessing.

But I also want to take a time and make sure that we're remembering

all the ladies and all the people today,

that today is a day of more of remembrance.

Or maybe even today is a day of mourning.

And so as we dive into God's word this morning,

I want to pray and celebrate moms and God's blessing of them,

but also be mindful that today might be a day of pain

and suffering for some of us as well.

So would you join me in prayer?

God, I come to you this morning, and I just thank you.

Lord, I thank you for the blessing of my mom,

my grandmothers, my aunts, my wife, my mother-in-law,

the moms that are gathered here in this room,

those that seek to care for, to nurture

a generation that desperately needs the gospel.

And Lord, you've equipped these ladies in very specific ways

in order to do that.

Lord, we thank you for them.

We thank you for the blessing that they are.

But Lord, we also lift up, Lord, all of those who are here today

and this morning was maybe met with some tears.

Lord, this morning is maybe met with a longing

or remembering a pain, a hurt, or suffering.

And Lord, may they know that you are with them.

And as we will see from your scripture this morning,

that they are desperately loved by you.

And Lord, we'll celebrate who you are

and all that you've done.

And it's in Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Well, if you've got your Bibles open to Luke chapter 15,

we're going to read the first two verses

and then we're going to look at a couple parables this morning, okay?

So let's start Luke 15 verse 1.

It says,

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to him,

him being Jesus.

And the Pharisees and scribes grumbled,

saying this man receives sinners and eats with them.

And so I want us to look at this morning,

this dialogue that is going to happen

as there is a mixture of dichotomy

of a group of people that's going to be found around Jesus.

You're going to see Jesus, his followers.

You're going to see Pharisees.

You're going to see what is known as tax collectors and sinners.

And so let's kind of define this group that's there with Jesus.

You've got the people who are with Jesus,

who are messing it up, getting it right,

living in the grace of God.

So he's going to hand the keys over to

with the power of the Holy Spirit

when he ascends into heaven, all right?

This is the disciples and those closest to him.

But you've got the Pharisees,

the Jewish religious leaders are there as well.

Now, they're the ones who are supposed to be

on lookout for the Messiah.

They're missing it.

And they're so stuck in,

not only just like following the law of God,

which is a good thing,

but following the law that they've decided.

And their salvation that they're working toward,

and that's key,

is not going to be found in the grace of God,

but they're going to miss salvation

because it's going to be found for them

in the works of man.

And so Pharisees are lost.

They don't get it.

They don't understand.

And then in the room,

there's two dynamics of people.

There's the tax collectors, all right?

Now, they are Jewish men

who have betrayed their own people

for wealth as they've partnered with Rome.

And basically, they raise the funds for Rome

so that Rome can oppress the Jewish people.

So they're traitors.

They're not liked.

You wouldn't like them.

You wouldn't want them around you.

They steal from you.

They rob from you.

Because of them,

men and women that you know

have been thrown in jail,

men and women that you know

have been executed.

That's what this looks like.

But there's also sinners

that are in the room.

Now, everybody but Jesus

is a sinner in the room, all right?

But when it says sinners in this context,

we need to know that they're in the room, right,

is a sketchy group of people.

Most of the time when it says sinners,

what we're talking about in Scripture

is prostitutes.

So look at the dynamic of the room.

You see there's the Son of Man, Jesus,

heading to Jerusalem on His way,

heading toward the cross.

And what it will be,

it's His followers,

it's Pharisees,

it's tax collectors,

it's prostitutes.

And there's this wild mixture of what is there.

And what I want you and I,

what we're going to look at this morning,

kind of the takeaway point,

what I hope that God kind of speaks into your heart

as God spoke to me this week,

is this,

what we're going to see defined

for you and me

is what it means to be living sent.

What it means living sent.

To understand that you and I,

as the gospel has saved us,

then the gospel causes us

to look and to live differently.

And there's ways that we can define that,

but I would like to define that

as being sent.

So that you and I,

that we understand

that when we come here,

we'll gather in here,

we'll,

we'll study God's word,

we'll,

we'll sing praises,

but that you can't just check the box

and say,

I'm good,

I'm done.

That when you leave

and,

and go from here,

you're,

you're leaving with a,

with a mission

that comes from God

to,

to live sent for,

for the mission of God.

And this is what Jesus did.

Jesus used a gather

and scatter strategy.

It's what was going to happen

with the early church.

It was what was happening

during the time of Christ.

We even saw this earlier

in Jesus's ministries

as he and the disciples

would,

would go into a village

where,

where Jesus would teach

and then he would scatter

them into the village

to share

and to proclaim.

Jesus's strategy

was gather

and scatter

and so that's what

our strategy,

there's value

of the here.

There's value

of,

of being here.

I don't want us

to ever miss that.

I've had

strong conversations

that,

that look more like

arguments

with individuals

that say

they don't need here.

That they don't need this.

That they don't need

the gathering

of God's people.

They make foolish,

sinful statements

like,

I'm just fine

to be with Jesus

out on my own.

No,

no,

no.

Because you're

missing it.

Because Jesus

gathered

and Jesus

scattered.

There's the value

of the here.

It's what we see

in Acts.

It wasn't just

going scatter

and scatter

but the,

but the point

of what the gospel

would do

is would draw

people in

and I can't

talk about this

long

because we got

to get there

but,

but there's

the value

of the here

and we see

that in the

ministry

of the Jesus

as well

but there's also

the value

of the there

and this

is going

to consume

small amounts

of time.

This is going

to be our

worship gathering

of the here,

our small group

of the here.

I would even argue

like your personal

quiet time

of the gathering

here,

of times

where,

where believers

are gathered

doing things

even if it's

individually,

right?

we're tucked

into our

prayer closet,

we're down

on our knees

in our

bedroom,

that's all

the here

but there's

the there.

It would be

great for the

introverts in

the room,

right?

If we could

all just live

gathered in

our own

little small

areas but God

says no,

no,

you got

to go

there and

we're

going to

talk a

lot about

the there

today.

That we

have to

go there.

Wherever

your there

is and

your there

is different

than my there

and that's

the beauty

of God

of what God

does.

That God

chose and

ordained

your there

just as God

chose and

ordained my

there.

Get this,

God chose and

ordained your

neighbors,

your co-workers.

God chose

those for you

and God

placed you

there.

That's part

of your

scatter of

what God

has for you.

Jesus modeled

this and he

calls us

this to

go.

Notice this,

read through

scripture.

How much

of Jesus'

ministry

happened in

the temple

and how

much of

Jesus'

ministry

happened in

the streets

and in

the homes.

It's important.

Jesus gathered

in the temple.

As a young

boy he wanted

to be there.

As a young

boy he wanted

to have

teaching and

he wanted

to be taught

and he wanted

to teach

himself.

We see that

as a man

as he grows

and as he

matures.

But so much

of what we

see in the

ministry and

the life of

Jesus is not

found huddling

inside the temple

but it is out

in the streets

and in the

neighborhoods

and in

jobs and

in homes

as Jesus

goes to

people.

And so how

can it be

for us that

we just think

that all we

have to do

is gather

here.

Here is

important but

it's there.

And that's

what I mean

by living

sent.

That you

and I

we understand

that we're

living sent

with the

gospel.

And what

we're going

to see

kind of the

mindset that's

going to be

embraced in

this is a

concept of

open homes

and open

lives.

Open homes

and open

lives.

This is what

it means to

be sent.

That your

home is open

your life is

open to

live with

to rub

elbows with

to encounter

to know the

names to

socially engage

to have your

lives meshed

together with

people for

the gospel.

And this is

what we see

Jesus doing

in these first

two verses.

This is the

issue that the

Pharisees have.

How can he

be a man of

God is what

they're saying

what they're

thinking but

then receive

and eat with

tax collectors

and sinners.

This comes into

conflict with

them.

He should be

so into

his own

righteousness

and his own

holiness that

he should not

associate with

them but he

eats with them

and he receives

them.

And how can

this be?

And this is

what Jesus

is going to

address.

Now we're

good people.

We know what

it means to

eat with

someone.

Right?

But that's

not the two

words I want

us to look

at this

morning.

The two

words that I

want us to

look at for

open homes and

open lives is

that the

accusation of

Jesus that he

receives sinners

and what does

that mean?

In honor of

Mother's Day I

want to tell you a

little bit about

my grandmother.

my grandmother

who just

recently passed

away.

I loved going

over to my

grandmother's

house and I

kid you not

maybe it

explains why I

weigh as much

as I weigh

today but there

was never a

point in time

that you would

walk in my

grandmother's

house and there

wasn't something

home cooked

ready to eat

for you in the

kitchen.

everything around

my grandmother's

house came with

a meal and

everybody knew

that and so

people would

flock to my

grandmother's

house.

It wasn't

uncommon to

just show up

but not to

just show up

to show up

with friends.

I remember

just recently

getting my

driver's license

and so I had

my driver's license

and some buddies

of mine on the

weekend would get

enough money up

to put some

gas in the

Honda Accord

and ride around

the big city

of North

Augusta and

there wasn't a

whole lot to

do which was

great because we

didn't have a

whole lot of

money and so

we'd get up

early that

morning and

we'd go out

we'd play

basketball and

we'd go down

to the river

and we'd do

some things and

then all of a

sudden it was

like 12 o'clock

and everybody's

like I'm kind

of hungry are

you hungry yeah

I'm hungry we

don't have any

money what do

y'all want to

do let's go to

grandma's house

we go to

grandma's house

and she'd feed

us here's what

it means here's

what this looks

like at my

grandmother's

house there

was always

enough food

always enough

food I think

I thought about

this morning I

like to call

like that the

theology of

casserole you

know like it's

kind of hard like

you can only cut a

chicken breast up

so many times

before somebody

feels like they're

they're getting

gypped right but

there's always when

it's a big casserole

dish like no honey

there's a little bit

more just get a

smaller spoon right

there's always

enough food there

was always enough

room she didn't

have a huge dining

room table but it

amazed me she could

squeeze like 30

chairs into that

now you might just

like to hold on to

a corner of one

right as you're

sitting there eating

but people would

walk in through the

door we had family

in Abbeville and

they would just

drive down they

were the weird

crazy family and

I'll never forget

they'd come in like

530 on a Sunday

and like oh we

didn't know y'all

were eating how did

y'all not know that

we were eating at

530 right and my

grandma said no no

no there's more

than enough room

we'll slide over and

we'd slide over and

pack people in right

because she cared

about them and she

wanted them there

and when you came

to my grandmother's

house you were made

to feel like this was

your home what's hers

is yours every door to

every bedroom is open

I can't tell you how

many times I showed up

at my grandmother's

house and there's some

strange cousin back in

the back taking a nap

right because that was

their home because when

you knew my grandmother

she received you who she

was was there for you

and her home and her

life was open not to

just give you something

not to make you a ham

sandwich and send you

on your way but to

receive you right and

so in this when they say

what does it that Jesus

received sinners what

does that mean it means

this he's bringing them

into family right

Jesus isn't defining

them by the things they

are instead Jesus is

saying no no no there's

more than enough to eat

no no no there's more

than enough places to

sit no no no what's

mine is yours and come

here and so it doesn't

matter if you're a

Pharisee it doesn't

matter if you're a tax

collector it doesn't

matter if you're a

prostitute there's room

at the table of Christ

for you and he receives

you and for us that's

what it looks like for

open homes and open

lives but the Pharisees

are grumbling grumbling

that this is what Jesus

is doing and so Jesus in

chapter 15 and even

continuing on is going

to start to tell some

some parables and we're

going to look at two of

those parables this

morning the parable of

the lost sheep and the

parable of the lost

coin but before we go

there you know you just

heard there's the common

word there lost man I

ask you question have you

ever lost something of

great value my first time

and in ministry of being

entrusted to lead

something outside of

student ministry was to

lead an adult mission

trip to Bolivia and

about a week before we

were getting ready to go I

went to put my hands on

my passport and I

couldn't find it and

here I am I'm supposed

to lead the trip and I

can't find it and I

turned our house upside

down that's actually our

apartment at the time I

turned that apartment

upside down I went to

the two storage buildings

that we had other stuff

in because we were

looking to move into our

home and turn all those

boxes up and then

finally what I found

tucked away in like an

old book bag that I'd

taken on the last

mission trip stuck

underneath a flap in the

very bottom was my

passport but the panic I

had until I could find

that my first time at

being employed by a

church now before if

you're if you're younger

than me I don't know

that if you know that

these things exist or

not but at one point in

time like we got a

piece of paper called a

paycheck before direct

deposit and that's what

the church that I had

they gave us a paycheck

one every month and I

got that first paycheck

and I put it in my back

pocket and somewhere

between me putting that

in my back pocket and

me getting home I lost

my paycheck and now I'm

panicking because I'm

newly married and now I'm

still broke and now I've

got to go to this church

and say I know you took

a risk on me to be able

to entrust me with all of

your students and I

promise I won't lose any

of them but I just lost my

paycheck right but I found

it it had fallen out of

my pocket in my truck and

it was tucked in my seat

and I found it but the

scariest thing that I can

think through is is losing

something was one point

in time Aaron and I lost

Grayson right bigger deal

than a passport bigger deal

than a paycheck we lost

our son the only one we had

right we were at a park in

Aiken it's a new park the

park had just opened up and

we're there and and being

parents of twins like what

we just do is one parent

keeps their eyes on one one

parent keeps their eyes on

the other and Aaron and I

usually go into these things

with with battle plan you

know who you got I know who

I got go because at three

and four years old they

don't just stay right where

you want them to they they

they understand the gospel

they scatter right and that's

what they did and so we're

standing there and we're at

this park and we didn't

really communicate

effectively of what we

needed to do and and our

kids are at this park and

and this park had just

opened in Aiken and

everybody in Aiken it felt

like was at this park and

there's kids all over the

place there's people over

the place and it's in the

heart of downtown Aiken and

all of a sudden we're

standing there and I

looked at at Aaron and I

said I'll look at Emma

climbing on the monkey

bars and she says yeah and

I know I've been watching

Emma and I said well I've

been watching Emma too and

it was that moment of

then who's watching

Grayson and we start

calling and we start

yelling and we start

running around this park

that's not big but it's

filled and it's not big

but it's surrounded by

major roads and it's not

big but there's a lot of

traffic and we can't find

Grayson and then all the

sudden around a big old

tree there comes his

head he was having the

best game of hide and go

seek right that we could

ever possibly have but he

didn't tell us we were

playing that game right and

we could not find him we

lost him and so there's

three things here that when

we lost when we found

there's great value but in

the panic and the

desperation of something

that's lost and as we read

these parables I want you

to think through when

you've lost something of

importance when you've

lost something of value and

you desperately want it to

be returned and that's the

urgency when Jesus tells

these so let's read

starting verse three so he

told them this parable

what man of you having a

hundred sheep if he has

lost one of them does not

leave the 99 in the open

country and go after the

one that is lost until he

finds it and when he has

found it he lays it on his

shoulders rejoicing and when

he comes home he calls

together his friends and

his neighbors saying to

them rejoice with me for I

found my sheep that was

lost just so I tell you

there will be more joy in

heaven over one sinner who

repents than over 99

righteous persons who need

no repentance verse eight

or what woman having ten

silver coins if she loses

one coin which by the way

was about a tenth of a

year's wages is what we

think Jesus is getting to

a significant amount of

money does not light a

lamp and sweep the house

and seek diligently until

she finds it and when she

has found it she calls

together her friends and

neighbors saying rejoice with

me for I have found the

coin that I had lost just

so I tell you there is joy

before the angels of God

over one sinner who

repents two people lost

one thing and they do all

that it takes to see it be

found one of the things I

want us to look at and

understand is what make God

what makes God happy it's

really clear here in this

passage of scripture if you

want to live your life in a

way that that brings joy and

happiness to God these two

parables lay it out pretty

quickly to us remember

repetition matters was what

we've been talking about

the last several weeks as

Jesus repeats himself look

back at verse seven just so

I tell you there will be

more joy in heaven over one

sinner who repents than

over ninety nine righteous

persons who need no

repentance again in verse 10

just so I tell you there is

joy before the angels of God

over one sinner who repents so

if if you and I with the

weight of the gospel want to

live our life in such a way

that heaven erupts in joy

think about that that heaven

this is Jesus is not lying to

us Jesus isn't is it trying to

convince us of something by

telling a story that's not

true what Jesus saying if we

want to see heaven erupt in

gladness what that means is

when someone is lost they're

dead in their trespasses and

sins and they're found and

they're a part of the family of

God what causes heaven to

erupt in gladness and enjoy and

in celebration is when unbelief

moves to faith this is what we

see and so for you and I if we

want to be aligned with what

brings joy in heaven it's lost

people being found it's on faith

moving to faith it's death

moving to life when I found the

passport when I found the

paycheck when I found my son I

was happy Aaron was happy it

relieved something from us but

when sinners move from death to

life all of heaven celebrates

and that's it and that's the

burden and that's for you and I

and so what we see the desire of

what God wants for for you and

for me is is to share Jesus and

and to live sent Jesus describes

as a shepherd who leaves the

99 behind and who uses the

staff when it's found to bring it

around the sheep to to bring him

back to the flock the lost is

found Jesus talks about a woman who

loses a coin and shines the the

light and who gets the broom and who

sweeps it back until she searched

under every piece of furniture in

every corner where she's eliminated

the darkness so that what was lost

could be found and in those

individual celebration happens but

for all of eternity this is the weight

of what's there right and so he

receives sinners he welcomes them

in because this understand this

receiving awakens repentance

if you're saved right if you're

saved

Jesus is the shepherd that put the

staff out and pulled you in if

you're saved Jesus is the light by

which the gospel was illuminated if

you're saved Jesus is the bristles

of the broom that as you decided to

tuck yourself away in a corner of

your own world in your own life that

that brought you out so that you

could be found right receiving

awakens repentance the these

parables are not told because

Jesus just simply goes and finds

sinners it's not hard these

parables are told because Jesus

receives these sinners receiving

awakens repentance when a sheep is

lost when a coin is lost they can't

return themselves and what they need

are the grace and love are the one who

cares understand this when when we

understand receiving when when we

when we look at that of what that

means of what Jesus is doing Jesus

is showing kindness and compassion

but it also places worth it's kind

that someone brings you into their

house it's compassionate that

someone receives you into their home

but ultimately what it shows is this

you are worthy to be received by the

person who brings you in and this is

what Jesus does it's Jesus and

Zacchaeus Zacchaeus the tax collector

that climbs up the tree because he

wants to see Jesus and what does

Jesus say hey I'm coming to your

house today and in the flip of the

reversal that Jesus brings himself

invites himself receive Zacchaeus into

his own home and what he is doing is

establishing the worth of Zacchaeus that

is gonna be found in Christ in Christ

alone that when you were received by

God here's what the gospel communicates

to you not because of who you are

and what you've done but because of

who Jesus is you're worth saving

you're worth saving you and I are

worth saving and that's why Jesus

came and he died not because we've

earned it not because we deserve it

but because of who he is and when he

receives it awakens repentance which

comes to life and then lastly what I want

us to see is Jesus loves individually

in all of this Jesus loves individually

go back and look back at verse 7

it says just so I tell you there will

be more joy in heaven over one sinner

who repents than over 99 righteous

persons who need no repentance understand

this people have argued a lot about what

this verse means and here's what I want

us to kind of understand don't miss the

beauty of the one don't miss the

importance of the one like oh what about

the 99 there's not rejoicing here there

with the flock what what's the point

Jesus no no no you're missing it it's the

beauty of the one because before you and

I became a part of the many before you and

I became a part of the family before you

and I were were bought and saved and

redeemed by the blood of Christ we were

the one we were the one and Jesus the

shepherd brought us back into the

flock Jesus is the light in the broom that

searched until we found it's the

personal nature of the gospel

having twins especially a boy-winded

girl there's a lot of comparison

sometimes there's a lot of well you do

this for him you didn't do this for uh

for me and we have to walk through that

and navigate through that you know when

I look back on that day when when

Grayson was lost and we couldn't find

him we knew where Emma was the whole

time and in fact when we went to go

search for Grayson we scooped up Emma

and took her with us and when we found

Grayson and when we celebrated the fact

that he was now safe and he was with us

it never at once minimized the fact that

Emma had been with us all along it never

once lessened her value or her her

importance in that moment and instead

there was celebration because she had

been with us all along but he who was

lost has now been found and it's so

importantly that we understand this

that Jesus loves individually and I

think what Jesus is painting us the

picture of is the one and the value of

the one and the importance of the one

Jesus could have said five sheep were

lost and the shepherd left the 95 to go

and return to five Jesus could have said

three coins were lost and she searched

everywhere until she found them but

Jesus instead chose for a group of

people that needed to understand of what

it meant to receive sinners to say this

as he's individually focused on you

oh he wants you to focus on the one

and he wants me to focus on the one

and so I want to ask you a question this

morning as we close

who is your one

sometimes we look at lostness and we

talk about the fact which is true that

right now in Lexington County one third of

the population identifies as Christians

which means two-thirds don't and that

number scary and it's big and how do we

begin to tackle the thousands upon

thousands of people who were lost we look

at countries that are less than one

percent Christian and so we understand

that greater than 99 percent of them are

lost and how do we solve that how do we

fix that how do we take all of those

millions upon billions of people and go

seek them and find them and I think what

that allows us to do is what's

impossible we walk away from and I think

if Jesus would have said there was a

shepherd who had a hundred sheep and

99 of them got lost but one stayed behind

they would have missed it so instead he

said there's just the one and so for you

this morning it's easy for us to get lost

in the masses but I want to ask you

this I want you to think of where you

live in the relationships and people

that God have placed in your home and

around your house I want you to think

about where you work the place that you

go to every single day the office place

that you go to the school that you go

to I want you to think about where you

play right what gym you go to what

fishing club you're a part of what

softball field you go and sit at

bleachers at while you watch your

grandkids play I want you to think

about all of the different places where

you are sent where men women and

children gather and in their

conversations they reveal who they are

and you can begin to see and figure out

who's lost and we could leave here and

say this week go share the gospel with

all of them every single one of them

and if God lays that on your heart man

man do it but but here's the question

that I think strategically Jesus would

ask us who's your one one picture

their face what's their name what do

they mean to you but more importantly

heaven would erupt with gladness when

they step from death to life who's your

one who's your one I want to challenge

you with something these are four simple

things they're not going to come up on

the screen but if you want to jot them

down if not they're easy to remember

when it comes to the strategy for you to

seek after this person for the hope of

the gospel I want to invite you to join

me in doing four things this week

four things in doing this month and

doing this year for that one individual

first thing I want to encourage you to

do I want to challenge you to do is to

pray for him pray for him and not just

like like let's pray for the things

that that we were good at praying for

right like when they have a surgery that

they know is coming up or they've got a

sickness that's going on like like we're

not going to minimize that we want to

pray for those things but but there's

greater things for us to pray for and

what I want you to pray for is for their

salvation but they will come to know

Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior so

number one I want you to pray for him

number two would you join me in your one

of seeking for opportunities to serve

them and what I mean by serving is to

serve them without any expectation that

what you do for them that they will

return back to you that you serve them

sacrificially the way that Jesus did

that you serve them in a way that is

going to reflect the gospel that you

serve them sacrificially to the point

where it hurts so that you'll pray for

them that you will serve them that you

will invite them invite them into a

moment and environment where they can

taste and see the body of Christ maybe

that's at our VBS this summer maybe it's

the family next door maybe that's at your

small group that you go to maybe that's

to a dinner at your home where another

family that who are believers are going

to come and be a part of you see what

I'm leaving out here this is easy not

that I don't want your lost friends here

I do but I want you to receive them to

invite them to come along beside them so

you're gonna pray you're gonna serve

you're gonna invite but then here's what

you gotta do the fourth thing you gotta

share you gotta share that you're gonna

look for an opportunity to share the

gospel to share your testimony to share

who Jesus is and how he has impacted your

life who's your one who's your one let's

pray Lord thank you thank you that you

send us to live sent that you send us to

carry the gospel in the hope of Jesus

Jesus Christ Jesus I thank you for that as

you model that for us that your word

doesn't say that you just simply taught

sinners that you're around sinners that

you prayed for sinners but Lord that you

received sinners and so Lord I pray that

in our lives that we would model that

that Jesus that we would receive those who the

religious have outcast but Lord that we

receive them so that they may know you

Lord I pray for everyone in here

Lord would you burn on our hearts the face in

name of our one Lord would you consume us with

the pursuit of their soul because they're

lost they're headed toward eternal death and the

only thing that's going to save them is

you and that has to matter to us if we're

going to say that we're a follower of Jesus

Lord may we pray for them in means that are eternal

Lord may we serve them in ways that are

sacrificial

Lord may we invite them to engagements that

that are a relational reflection of the body

of Christ and may we share with them out of

the overflow of the hope that we have in

Christ and Christ alone may we share based off

of how you've saved us may we share with them

based off of who you are and Lord we ask you in

these moments or to the power of who you are the

power of who you how you work Lord that men and

women and children would be saved or that

darkness would be impacted by light or that hope

would be found and that our one might come to know

Jesus and in that Lord we thank you that all of

heaven will erupt it's in Jesus name we pray amen

we're gonna sing a couple songs and you're gonna go

from here and you're gonna go to lunches hopefully

ladies that y'all aren't cooking right that's what I

get an amen now so I'm talking about but you're

gonna go from here you're gonna go and live sent

reflecting Jesus but who's the one who's the one

thanks again for listening to the Willow Ridge Church weekly podcast we hope that you enjoyed listening to this week's message if you'd like to learn more about who we are or explore additional resources visit us online at www.willow Ridge Church

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