I want to start this sermon tonight with a title God has put on my heart. The title explains the sermon, and the teaching you’ll hear and, I hope, respond to. The title of this sermon is:

You’re Only Valuable When You’re Where You’re Supposed To Be

Turn with me in your Bibles to Luke 15. When you study the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), it is helpful to have a Gospel Parallel. You can usually find them online. The Gospel Parallel will show what is in each Gospel compared to the other Gospels. For instance, in Luke 15 my Gospel Parallel shows me that – of the three parables Jesus uses in Luke – only one of these parables is found in the other Gospels. This is the Parable of the Lost Sheep. The Parable of the Lost Sheep is found in Matthew 18:12-14 and in our text of Luke 15:4-7. But Matthew doesn’t tell us WHY Jesus spoke the parable. Luke does. In Matthew Jesus introduces the parable this way:

Matthew 18:11-14 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? 13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

But Luke adds more to this event. Are you at Luke 15 yet? Read with me:

Luke 15:1-2 Then drew near unto {Jesus} all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

Luke tells us that what caused Jesus to give the parable of the lost sheep was the murmuring complaint of the Pharisees and Scribes. Their complaint was simple. They were saying:

“Jesus, You’re not where You’re supposed to be”

This was a problem throughout Christ’s ministry on the earth. When Jesus came into this world, Eternal God become mortal but Perfect Man – as the Angel told Mary:

Luke 1:35 … The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

The Eternal Son of God would step into the creation He made. He would do so because this is where Jesus was suppose to be.

Satan would move King Herod to kill Jesus at the very start by “killing all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men” (Matthew 2:16). Yet Herod would fail in his evil plot. Why? Because an angel would warn Joseph to take his family to Egypt, and stay there until told to return (Matthew 2:13-15).

Joseph moved his family to Egypt just as God said.

Joseph was where he was supposed to be.

Jesus grew up in Nazareth. At one point Mary and Joseph, joining a caravan, took the young Jesus to Jerusalem for a holy feast. At the end of the feast the caravan returned to Nazareth. It was then that Joseph and Mary realized Jesus was not with them. Hurriedly going back to Jerusalem they found Jesus in the Temple, teaching the Biblical Scholars the Law of God. When Mary chastised Jesus, the twelve year old replied:

Luke 2:49 … How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?

Jesus was where He was supposed to be.

When Jesus started His ministry at the age of 30 years old, He went to John the Baptist to be baptized in water. John initially refused to baptize Jesus, saying:

Matthew 3:14 … I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

Jesus replied simply, “{Do it now}: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.”

Jesus was where He was supposed to be.

Now Jesus is ministering, and the publicans and sinners DRAW NEAR to HIM.

Jesus is where He is suppose to be.

The publicans (tax collectors) are where they are suppose to be.

The sinners are where they are suppose to be.

Matthew 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

Jesus came to save the lost. The best place for lost people is to draw near to Jesus. Everyone needs Jesus. We need to draw near to Jesus. The best place to be is near Jesus.

But the Pharisees are murmuring, complaining. The Scribes are murmuring, complaining. Have you ever noticed that those who think themselves something and others as nothing are never where they are suppose to be. The Scribes and Pharisees are in a dangerous place. Self righteousness and a superior self esteem will always lead you AWAY from Christ instead of NEAR Him. The Bible says:

Proverbs 30:12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

The Bible tells us that, in God’s eyes, all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Everyone needs to draw near to Jesus. Yet self righteousness pushes us away, to a place we ought not be. God said of the self righteous:

Isaiah 65:5 These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.

They are not where they are supposed to be. We need Jesus.

The Sheep Apart From The Shepherd Has No Value

Luke 15:3-7 And {Jesus} spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

The place for the sheep to be is near the Shepherd. A sheep has no value if it is in the wrong place. A sheep has no natural defenses. It can only graze, and grow wool. By itself it has no value whatsoever. Yet God made every person with the potential for value. The Bible tells us that God made us all in His image and in His likeness (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 9:6). You all were made in the image of God. You were not made gods, but like God. God made you like Him so that you could draw near to Him, to be with Him. The Publicans and Sinners drew near to Jesus, and listened to what He had to say. The Scribes and Pharisee, though in the same room, pushed Jesus away and would not hear His words.

The sheep without the Shepherd has no value.

The sheep cannot shear itself.

The sheep cannot protect itself.

The sheep needs the Shepherd. When it cries, the Shepherd comes to it.

The Shepherd brings the sheep into the fold where there is blessing & safety.

As Jesus speaks this parable, He notices that the Pharisees and Scribes just don’t get it. They are busy comparing themselves against the “sinners” and “publicans”. They are wondering why Jesus would spend time with those people rather than be with them. God cannot help those who refuse to draw near to Christ. Oh, how God loves you and I! The Scripture commends us:

Hebrews 10:18-23 Now where {God’s} remission of {sins} is, there is no more offering for sin. 19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest {place} by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 and having an high priest over the house of God; 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised😉

Oh, that every person would realize you’re only valuable when you’re where you’re supposed to be. You, dear lamb, belong in the arms of Jesus! But the Pharisees and Scribes would not hear, so Jesus told another parable – one only found in Luke:

The Coin Apart From The Consumer Has No Value

Luke 15:8-10 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? 9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

A woman has ten pieces of silver. Each piece has value, but only when it is in the hand of the woman. A lost coin is worth absolutely nothing of itself. When the woman loses the coin, she begins to seek for it. God seeks for us. When Adam and Eve fell away from God in the Garden of Eden the Bible says:

Genesis 3:7-9 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

Adam was given a command and a commission, but wandered away from both. Bringing sin into their lives I find it interesting that …

God did not hide Himself from Adam and his wife. Adam and his wife hid themselves from God.

They were not where they were supposed to be. Adam was made to walk with God. Eve was made to walk with God. They were made in God’s image. But now – like the coin – they hide themselves from where they are suppose to be. They try to fix themselves with fig leaves. Beloved, we cannot fix ourselves. The place we belong is in the Master’s hand!

Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost coin, the lost soul (Luke 19:10). God does not want any to perish, but wants all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). He wants us to draw near to Jesus. Yet so many hide themselves from God. They believe themselves to be perfectly fine without God or His Church. So they draw away from God, just like the Pharisees and Scribes did. And they never find their value.

The Son Apart From The Father Has No Value

Still the Pharisees and Scribes do not get it. So now Jesus tells a final parable, a parable in two parts. Let’s look at part 1:

Luke 15:11-24 And he said, A certain man had two sons: 12 and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23 and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24 for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

The first part of the parable deals with the younger son. The younger son comes to the Father and says:

Luke 15:12 and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me..

What the younger son is asking for is his inheritance. Now an inheritance is not usually given until the parents die. What the young man is doing is telling his Father, “I wish you were dead”. He didn’t want to wait for his blessing. But I want you to notice that the Father does not argue with His son. Without a harsh word or the slightest rebuke we read:

Luke 15:12 {the Father} divided unto THEM his living.

The Father did not just give the younger son his inheritance, but also gave the older son his inheritance. In the ancient world the firstborn child was given a double portion (see Deuteronomy 21:17). The younger son was given a third of the estate, whereas the older was given the double portion.

This is so much like God our Father. The Bible speaks of God’s Grace in two ways: His SAVING grace, and His COMMON grace. Common grace is what the Father gives to everyone, regardless as to whether they honor Him or not. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:45 … your Father which is in heaven … maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

God our Father gives good and blessings to all on this earth – even if He is not acknowledged, and even if He is cursed. This is because God has made a covenant with the earth:

Genesis 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

God gives blessing to all, because He wants all to be where they are supposed to be – near Jesus.

In the Ligonier Ministries Devotional entitled “Providence and Common Grace”, we read:

“{Common} grace is what leaves all people without an excuse. No one can stand before the Lord on the last day and claim that they do not owe Him thanks, for God has given even the basest sinner the gift of life. That human beings made in His image ignore and reject Him even after being shown common grace shows us just how desperate our condition is apart from His special grace.”

The Father gives the younger a single portion, but the older a double portion. Why? Because when we stay close to Jesus, we are where we are suppose to be. We are doubly blessed!

The younger son takes his inheritance, and begins to squander all that he has.

Luke 15:13-16 … the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

When we are not where we need to be, our lives fall into ruin. So many people have drifted away from God, squandering the talents and the blessings that God gave them. When I think of people like the late Michael Jackson, Robin Williams, Whitney Houston, Elvis Presley … I could name many more … who wandered far away from where they were suppose to be. Given great talent and abilities by God our Father they squandered what they had. Sadly, unlike the younger son in this story, they ended their journey on this earth in a bad place. It breaks my heart, but it more importantly, breaks the heart of God.

The young son, suffering in famine, and slaving in a miserable job that paid very little, finally came to himself.

Luke 15:17-19 … when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

Do you see what is different in this parable compared to the other two?

The Shepherd went to find the lost sheep.
The woman went to find the lost coin.

But the son must return to where he is supposed to be.

The child must go home.

The child realized his error. “I am no more worthy to be called Your son”. He has no value apart from his Father. He has lost everything – but is now in the best place he could be.

If God allows you to get into a desperate place, then praise God for it! If you realize that you’re only valuable when you are where you are supposed to be, then you will live life to the fullest. So many of you are in the wrong place. Like King David with Bathsheba, you are on a crash course. You must repent, and run to the arms of the Father.

Part 1 of the story has a happy ending. We read:

Luke 15:20-24 {The younger son} arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23 and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24 for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

What a beautiful ending! Had the story ended here, we would be greatly blessed. The younger son came back to his Father, and the Father decreed a celebration. As Jesus said earlier,

Luke 15:7 … joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth …

The younger son repented. He has value once more, for he is where he is suppose to be. But the story doesn’t end at this point. Jesus looks up, and sees that the Pharisees and Scribes still do not get it. It is because of the hardness of their hearts that Jesus does not pronounce “the end” at this point. Jesus now addresses the older son, the one who stayed with His Father.

Luke 15:25-28 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. 28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him.

The elder son was given the double portion of the inheritance. He came home, and heard music and dancing. Now, if you came home to your house and heard “music and dancing”, wouldn’t you go where the noise was and find out what was going on? But the older son didn’t do this. Why? Because he thought what made him valuable was HIMSELF. The older son is like the Pharisees and the Scribes. He stayed home with his Father. He kept working in the fields, maintaining His Father’s estate, because it ultimately would be HIS estate.

How DARE THEY have a party without ME?
Doesn’t the Father know HOW VALUABLE I AM?

Beloved, when we are where we are supposed to be, we will not be what the scripture calls “high minded”. The Kingdom of God does not stand because of me. The Kingdom of God stands because of God my Father. I have worth, and you have worth, but only when we draw both physically and spiritually close to Jesus. The Apostle warns:

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

What we have, we have of God. The mind we have, we have of God. The Bible warns us:

Proverbs 16:18-19 Pride goeth before destruction, and an {lifted up} spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

The sheep is only valuable under the eye of the Shepherd. The coin is only valuable in the hand of the Master. The son is only valuable under the embrace of the Father. When we walk apart from God through licentious liberality or self righteous conservatism, we are in the wrong place.

You only have value when you are where you are supposed to be!

Luke 15:29-32 {the older son} said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: 30 but as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. 31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. 32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

The older son robbed himself of the blessings of the fatted calf. If you are where you are supposed to be – in the presence of God in Christ – every day should be a celebration of life! No matter what valley we may go through, if we stay where we are supposed to be, then life is good. For the Christian who is indeed a Christian, each day is not a day spent of life. No! Each day is another step toward glory. Each day is another opportunity to walk alongside Jesus Christ, to be empowered in life through the Holy Spirit. As Jesus would later tell the Pharisees:

Luke 17:20-21 … The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

The Pharisees and Scribes are, like the older son, living in the home of the Father, but their hearts are far from Him. Though they stayed in the Temple, they were just as far away from God as was the younger son before he came home.

Beloved, where is your heart? Are you where you are suppose to be? If not, today would be a great day to get there. Little sheep, cry out to God until the Great Shepherd comes. Little coin, if you feel the Master’s hand, go with Him. Your value is in His hand, not hidden. Lost son, the Father awaits you to return to His side. There is joy only in the Family of God. The Psalmist rightly said:

Psalm 16:7-11 I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: … 8 I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth:

my flesh also shall rest in hope. … 11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life:

in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Do not be like the Scribes and Pharisees. Draw near to Jesus. You’re only valuable when you’re where you are supposed to be. Amen and Amen!