Repent, for you are precious to the Lord.

 

Sermon for Pentecost 14, September 14, 2025

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.  Amen.

Luke 15:1-10  All the tax collectors and sinners were coming to Jesus to hear him.  ²But the Pharisees and the experts in the law were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”  ³He told them this parable: ⁴“Which one of you, if you had one hundred sheep and lost one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that was lost until he finds it?  ⁵And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders ⁶and goes home.  Then he calls together his friends and his neighbors, telling them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!’  ⁷I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who do not need to repent.  ⁸Or what woman who has ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, would not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?  ⁹And when she finds it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found the lost coin.’  ¹⁰In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (EHV)

Repent, for you are precious to the Lord.

Dear beloved and redeemed in Christ,

            This past week, we were reminded again of how little value our supposedly civilized society places on human life.  A young woman, without any provocation, was stabbed to death on a train, and no one made any move to help her.  A few days later, in the midst of a gathering of three thousand people, a young father was shot and killed by an even younger man who decided he didn’t like what his victim had to say.  Much of our nation was horrified, but within hours, or in some cases even minutes, vile remarks came spewing out from a variety of people—especially from some who thought this murder was an appropriate response to whatever grievances they hold.

One would suppose that such tragic events would bring much change among us, but it is likely to recede from the public mind in very little time, because we have steeled ourselves against the deaths of our fellow man.  The same day the young father was murdered, a student in Colorado decided to shoot classmates and then himself.  The week before, there were two school shootings right here in Minnesota in which two students were killed immediately and many were injured.  Most of us might not even have heard of the first shooting if the second had not been so egregious. 

But preserving life doesn’t mean much to many people anymore.  No one even bothers to count the number of babies killed each week through abortion.  Wars rage here, there, and everywhere.  The Geneva Academy reports that there are currently more than one hundred fourteen non-international armed conflicts raging across the world.  Most likely, we haven’t even heard about many of them, but the truth in each case is that some people have decided that others must die because of disagreements, or lust for power or property, or the color of skin, tribal background, or religion.  This list of armed conflicts doesn’t even include the great number of murders and killings that take place during criminal activities or family confrontations.  And it doesn’t include the hatred in our hearts.

As we look around our world, both here at home and abroad, we might find ourselves aghast at the level of hatred and animosity displayed.  We find it very easy to judge others for the evil in their hearts and the wickedness of their actions.  We better be careful, however, because the Lord sees into our hearts and thoughts as well.  How many of us don’t immediately demand retribution for such outrageous crimes?  How often does retribution really mean revenge in our thoughts, and sometimes for much less cruelty and sin?  How often don’t we view those who have differing opinions about political things as though they are the enemy instead of fellow citizens of the United States of America?

If we honestly peer into our own nature, we soon find that God was not deceived when “The Lord saw that the wickedness of mankind was great on the earth, and that all the thoughts and plans they formed in their hearts were only evil every day.” (Genesis 6:5)  Isaiah wrote, “We all have gone astray like sheep.  Each of us has turned to his own way.” (Isaiah 53:6)  Having raised sheep years ago, I observed that sheep can often put their nose down to graze and wander from one bite to the next without any thought to the reality that they are wandering further and further away from home and away from their shepherd’s care.  We might say that this accurately describes the scribes and Pharisees Jesus met in our sermon text.  The caution for us is that we should avoid the same trap.

Luke reported, “All the tax collectors and sinners were coming to Jesus to hear him.  But the Pharisees and the experts in the law were complaining, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’”  We might ask ourselves, how often have we wandered so far from our Savior’s love that we don’t consider someone in our neighborhood of being worthy of our time to share the Good News of all Jesus has done for us?  How often have we failed to be kind and forgiving with others?  Those experts in the law thought themselves so much better at obeying law that God must surely be pleased with them.  If we be honest with ourselves, again, how often don’t we feel a little that way?

Jesus told a parable to explain why He was associating with the dregs of society:

Which one of you, if you had one hundred sheep and lost one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that was lost until he finds it?  And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.  Then he calls together his friends and his neighbors, telling them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!’ 

Dear friends, this is what Jesus did for you and me.  Jesus left behind His flock in heaven to walk in this wilderness world to rescue us from the darkness of our hearts.  Jesus came down from heaven to live as a Man who had no hatred in His heart and held no animosity to any who were evil.  Jesus entered our world so that He who is holy could live holiness and righteousness for those of us who had none of that on our own.  Therefore, Repent, for you are precious to the Lord.

A fuller quote of the Isaiah passage I shared a few moments ago reveals the extent of what Jesus did for us.  The prophet wrote,

Surely he was taking up our weaknesses, and he was carrying our sufferings.  We thought it was because of God that he was stricken, smitten, and afflicted, but it was because of our rebellion that he was pierced.  He was crushed for the guilt our sins deserved.  The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.  We all have gone astray like sheep.  Each of us has turned to his own way, but the Lord has charged all our guilt to him. (Isaiah 53:4-6)

Jesus surely lived perfect holiness on our behalf, but He also bore the punishment that the law demands for every sin and for every sinner.  For all the times we have wandered from God’s love, for all the times our hearts were filled with Satan’s black temptations, for all the times our thoughts were clouded with hatred, selfishness, greed, or lust, Jesus paid.  Jesus paid for you and me with the whip marks bleeding from His back.  He paid with the nail holes in His hands and feet.  He paid as the Father turned His face away from Jesus, His own beloved Son, who hung bleeding, suffering, and dying on the cross.  Yes, Jesus paid it all for you and me. 

Jesus told those gathered around Him, “I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who do not need to repent.”  Remember the sheep left alone in Jesus’ parable while the shepherd searched for the lost one?  We might compare those sheep to the believers who are already safely in heaven for believing in the promised Messiah.  The only people who do not need to repent of sin are those who have already been cleansed and received into glory through their faith in God’s Son.  Therefore, they, along with the angel hosts and the Triune God Himself rejoice for every person on earth who hears the Gospel and believes it.  Whenever another child is welcomed into God’s kingdom of grace through Baptism and the parents continue to teach that child about Jesus and His love, there is rejoicing in God’s kingdom, and I would say that applies both here in our midst and in the heavenly realm.

Now, there are people who might not like to be called sheep.  They might consider it embarrassing to be compared to an animal that has the reputation of being not too smart and if you check the markets in our world, not worth all that much.  However, remember that to the Shepherd, the sheep in His flock are His wealth and treasure.  That’s why Jesus continued with a second parable.  Describing the kingdom of heaven, Jesus said, “Or what woman who has ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, would not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she finds it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found the lost coin.’”  Those ten coins were the full total of her accumulated wealth.  How many of us wouldn’t turn over the contents of our houses to find a tenth of our savings?

This shows the value our God places on you and me.  To the world, and even in our own eyes, we might not seem worth all that much.  In fact, the truly repentant person realizes he has nothing good to offer in exchange for his soul.  King David was ready to carry out capital punishment on the sinner when the prophet, Nathan, confronted him, and David could only plead, “I have sinned against the Lord.” (2 Samuel 12:13)  In that moment, David understood that like the tax collector in the temple, he could only beg, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13)  It is in this thought that we must Repent, for you are precious to the Lord.

We must repent means that we must turn away from our sinful ways and plead for God’s mercy.  To repent means that we turn away from trusting in any imagined goodness on our part and trust in Christ’s holiness to cover us and protect us from God’s rightful wrath for our wickedness.

At the same time, we must repent, not imagining that our repentance earns forgiveness, but we repent because of the great love God has shown us.  We could never make ourselves treasure for God.  Yet, God valued you enough to send His Son to live and die on your behalf.  The Lord considered you so precious that He was willing to bear the punishment and death our sins deserved.

Therefore, when the Bible compares you to a sheep in the Good Shepherd’s flock, rejoice along with your repentance, because your Good Shepherd placed saving your life above preserving His own.  Recognizing the love Jesus displayed for you as He gave His life willingly and unselfishly in your place on the cross, turn away from the wickedness that infects your heart.  Turn away from imagined self-righteousness and through Baptism, confession, and the hearing of the Gospel turn to Jesus alone for forgiveness, righteousness, and the sure comfort of knowing that in the repentance the Holy Spirit has worked in your heart, you are precious to the Lord.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.  Amen.