Embracing Lostness: The Joy of Divine Restoration

In Luke 15, Jesus tells the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin to a crowd that includes both “sinners and tax collectors” and the religious elite, the Pharisees. These stories are not just about the lostness of sheep or coins, but about the relentless, joyful pursuit of the shepherd and the woman—images of God’s heart for restoration. The Pharisees, blinded by their pride and certainty, cannot see their own need for grace, while the “sinners” are drawn to Jesus because they sense their brokenness and their need to be found.

It’s easy to spot pride and prejudice in others, but much harder to recognize it in ourselves. Like the characters in “Pride and Prejudice,” we often need to be confronted with our own foolishness before we can change. The first step is to realize our lostness—not just as a one-time event, but as an ongoing posture of humility. Lostness isn’t simply being off course; it’s being unable to save ourselves, like a sheep in danger or a coin that cannot move itself. Even when we think we’re on the right path, we can be unaware of how far we’ve wandered.

Repentance, then, is not about fixing ourselves and returning to God on our own strength. It’s about allowing Jesus, the Good Shepherd, to find us, lift us up, and carry us home. The joy in heaven is not over those who have it all together, but over those who are willing to be found, to be molded, and to be restored. The Pharisees’ inability to repent is rooted in their unwillingness to be changed, to let go of their tightly held convictions and identities.

We are invited to be like the “dirty Play-Doh”—moldable, imperfect, but open to being shaped by God. Our strongest convictions are often tied to our deepest identities, and it feels threatening to loosen our grip on them. Yet, true unity and restoration come when we allow God to mold even these most precious parts of ourselves. The vision is not for a divided flock, but for one unified people, restored and rejoicing together. This week, the challenge is to identify those convictions we hold most tightly, to ask God to help us hold them more loosely, and to invite others to speak into our blind spots. As we do, we trust the Shepherd to carry us, and we join in the rejoicing of heaven as God’s vision of restoration unfolds.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Realizing Our Lostness: True spiritual growth begins with the humility to recognize our own lostness, not just once, but continually. Lostness is not merely a matter of being off track; it is a state of helplessness that requires rescue. Like the sheep and the coin, we cannot save ourselves and must be attentive to the ways we drift, even when we think we’re on the right path. [51:34]
• 2. Repentance as Surrender: Repentance is not about self-improvement or returning to God by our own effort. It is the willingness to be found, to let Jesus lift us up and carry us home, trusting that restoration is His work, not ours. This posture of surrender is what brings joy in heaven and true transformation in our lives. [61:52]
• 3. The Danger of Unyielding Convictions: Our deepest convictions are often intertwined with our identities, making them difficult to surrender. When we grip them too tightly, we become like the Pharisees—unmoldable and unable to repent. Spiritual maturity requires the courage to place even our most cherished beliefs before God, allowing Him to shape and, if necessary, change us. [70:16]
• 4. Moldability Leads to Unity: True unity in the body of Christ is not achieved by everyone being the same, but by each person being moldable in the hands of God. When we are willing to be shaped, even in our differences, we can be brought together into one flock, reflecting God’s vision of restoration and shalom. [78:01]
• 5. Rejoicing in God’s Vision: The heart of these parables is not just about the lost being found, but about the joy of the Shepherd whose vision is for complete restoration. When we align our hearts with God’s desire for wholeness and unity, we naturally rejoice—not just in our own restoration, but in the restoration of others, even those we once saw as outsiders. [72:45]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [45:10] - Reading Luke 15:1-10
• [45:53] - Opening Prayer
• [47:16] - Play-Doh and Pride & Prejudice
• [48:12] - Pride, Prejudice, and the Pharisees
• [50:18] - Realizing Our Lostness
• [51:34] - The Depth of Lostness
• [53:07] - The Need to Hear Jesus
• [55:14] - Hiking Story: Lost and Unaware
• [56:23] - The Limits of Self-Rescue
• [61:52] - Repentance: Letting Jesus Carry Us
• [65:04] - The Joy of Repentance
• [67:58] - Moldability and Play-Doh
• [70:16] - Surrendering Deep Convictions
• [72:45] - Rejoicing in Restoration
• [78:01] - Moldability and Unity
• [80:57] - Reflection and Homework
• [85:32] - Closing Blessing and Sending

Bible Reading

Luke 15:1-10 (ESV) —
> Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
> 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 ninety-nine 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 have 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 ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
> “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, 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.”

Observation Questions

1. Who are the two main groups of people listening to Jesus in this passage, and how do they respond differently to Him? ([45:10])
2. In the parables, what actions do the shepherd and the woman take when something is lost? What do they do when they find what was lost? ([45:10])
3. According to Jesus, what is the response in heaven when a lost person is found? ([45:10])
4. What does the sermon say about the meaning of “lostness” for the sheep and the coin? ([51:34])

Interpretation Questions

1. Why might the “sinners and tax collectors” be drawn to Jesus, while the Pharisees are not? What does this say about their awareness of their own need? ([53:07])
2. The sermon compares the Pharisees to “clean statues” and the sinners to “dirty Play-Doh.” What does this imagery suggest about spiritual growth and openness to God? ([01:07:58])
3. How does the sermon define repentance, and how is it different from simply trying to fix ourselves? ([01:01:52])
4. Why is it so difficult for people to let go of their most deeply held convictions, according to the sermon? ([01:10:16])

Application Questions

1. The sermon challenges us to “realize our lostness”—not just once, but as an ongoing posture. When was the last time you recognized you were spiritually lost or off track? What helped you realize it? ([51:34])
2. Repentance is described as letting Jesus carry us, not fixing ourselves. Is there an area in your life where you are trying to “fix yourself” instead of letting Jesus carry you? What would it look like to surrender that area? ([01:01:52])
3. The Pharisees’ pride kept them from seeing their need for grace. Are there areas in your life where pride or certainty might be blinding you to your own need for God’s help? ([53:07])
4. The sermon uses the image of “dirty Play-Doh” to describe being moldable. What is one conviction or belief you hold tightly that might be hard for you to let God shape or change? ([01:10:16])
5. The sermon suggests asking someone else to point out where you might be “lost” or blind. Who is someone you trust to speak honestly into your life? How could you invite their feedback this week? ([01:20:57])
6. True unity comes from being moldable, not from everyone being the same. Is there a relationship in your life or in the church where differences have caused division? How could being more moldable help bring unity? ([01:18:01])
7. The parables end with rejoicing when the lost are found. How can you celebrate and support the restoration of others, especially those you might have once seen as outsiders? ([01:12:45])