[gentle music]

We continue in our series in Luke's gospel, chapter 15 verse 1.

"Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Him.

But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, 'This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.' Then Jesus told them this parable: 'Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them.

Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.

Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, "Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep." I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.'" So at the front here, these are the questions that I ask when I read through a little passage like this, and I start saying, okay, well, tax collectors and sinners at, at the beginning here, they, they're important, right? So I, I wanna know more about who are the tax collectors and who are the sinners.

What does he mean by this? In the Jewish community, the tax collector was seen as a collaborator with the occupying Romans.

Amen.

Discipleship.

This word is used quite frequently in the church, but what is it? What is discipleship? Discipleship for the Christian is bringing one's life into conformity with Christ.

It's sitting at his feet through the studying of his word.

It's growing in knowledge.

It's growing in love.

It is daily recognizing that our flesh, our default nature, is to move out of conformity with Christ and to pursue anything but Christ.

Or what king going

out to encounter another king in war will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with 10,000 to meet him who comes against him with 20,000? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.

[upbeat music] Lean in and let's all carefully listen as Jonathan teaches today's powerful message on Leading the Way.

Well, we're continuing our series on Enduring Wisdom from Luke's gospel.

The Pharisees were devout and extremely zealous for the law of Moses, the Mosaic Law, and for their own extra-biblical laws.

Now, their theology, in many ways, was biblically correct.

They believed in the resurrection, they believed in angels, they believed in demons, they believed in predestination, they believed in human responsibility, and they believed in the Messiah's earthly kingdom.

But while having good theology, they failed to live up to their own standards themselves, which is why Jesus calls them hypocrites.

They wanted the respect of people, and they wanted the respect of God, and Jesus was revealing their hypocrisy because they were refusing the very message of the gospel.

[laughs]

So lean in now, and let's all carefully listen as Jonathan teaches today's powerful message on Leading the Way.

Well, we're continuing our series on enduring wisdom from Luke's Gospel.

The Pharisees were devout and extremely zealous for the law of Moses, the Mosaic Law, and for their own extra-biblical laws.

Now, their theology in many ways was biblically correct.

They believed in the resurrection.

They believed in angels.

They believed in demons.

[laughing]

So lean in now, and let's all carefully listen as Jonathan teaches today's powerful message on Leading the Way.

Well, we're continuing our series on enduring wisdom from Luke's Gospel.

The Pharisees were devout and extremely zealous for the law of Moses, the Mosaic Law, and for their own extra-biblical laws.

Now, their theology in many ways was biblically correct.

They believed in the resurrection.

They believed in angels.

They believed in demons.

Amen.