• Subscribe
  • Apple Podcasts
  • Spotify
  • Google Podcasts
June 24, 2019

Ep.1079: Does God Really Love Humanity? (Part I)

How the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin stories teach us God’s character

If you do not have a password, please subscribe to our FREE Premium Content for the Full Edition version of CQ Rewind. The welcome message will contain your password, and a reminder will be sent each week when the CQ Rewind is available online for you to read, print, or download.

Play Part II

CHAPTERS

[00:11:27]
What or who does the lost sheep represent?


[00:26:10]
How do we understand the prophetic direction of the Lost Sheep parable?


[00:38:48]
What is the Parable of the Lost Coin about?


[00:56:06]
How do these two parables prove God's love for humanity?


Theme Scripture: Luke 15:4

One of the most famous Scripture says, “God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten son” for it. For many, the obvious follow-up response is, "Great! Then why is the world more messed up now than ever before?"  In truth, God does love humanity.  His love is expressed in a profound and eternal plan.  While understanding this plan may be challenging, it certainly is not impossible.  On many occasions Jesus showed us the magnitude of God’s love and plan.  But he showed us in story form.  We will look at a series of parables.  These are stories Jesus used in Luke 15 and 16 to trace the power and grandeur of God’s love for all of us.  By carefully following the symbols in the parables, we can clearly reveal their meaning!

Continue Reading

In Part I we uncover the Parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin.  These are both found in Luke 15. The Lost Sheep story is almost universally interpreted that Jesus as the shepherd leaves his 99 sheep behind in the pasture  He goes to find the one sheep who strayed away. We love the feeling we get when we see a picture of Jesus accounting for every last one of his flock. The parable goes on to describe a celebration in heaven over the finding of a lost sinner. While such an interpretation provides a wonderful picture, we think it's really missing the big picture of God’s love for humanity.

In the parable, the 99 sheep are described as not needing repentance. Think about the human family.  Can we honestly think of 99 individuals in all of history who did not need repentance? There was in fact only one, the man Christ Jesus. That being the case, we realize that the parable's convenient interpretation does not match the words of Jesus in that parable. To find the true meaning of the story we need to be sure we put all of the clearly-stated pieces of it in order.

When we assemble those pieces appropriately.  We find a powerful picture of God and His love for the entire human race. Rather than focusing on just one sinner, the parable is actually focusing on an entire race of sinners. It shows us that God not only loves us, but He through the obedience and sacrifice of Jesus holds all of humanity as sacred. What could be better than that?

Check out our June 24, 2019 podcast, “Does God Really Love Humanity? (Part I)” for more. (Then check out Part II!) See how the details of this Lost Sheep story fit together into a powerful narrative of God’s care for us. Further, see how the parable of the Lost Coin follows suit with the same general message but from a whole different perspective. Jesus taught in parables to purposely be mysterious. He also said his true followers would be privileged to understand things others could not. The clear message? God’s love for humanity is genuine, pre-planned and eternal!

 

Watch Our Episode Preview


0 replies

Leave your comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Episodes

new wine in an old wineskin

Am I Putting New Wine in an Old Wineskin?

/
Three parables to help us stretch with the Christian development required of us

Will I Survive God’s Final Judgment?

/
Learning the application and meaning of the Parable of the Sheep and Goats
talents

What Am I Doing with What God Has Given Me?

/
Examining the responsibilities God gives us and how well we do them
humility, success

Can Humility Keep Me From Success?

/
Jesus uses competing for status to teach us about true success
What does Jesus expect from us

What Does Jesus Expect From Us?

/
Uncovering the age-lasting meaning of The Wise and Foolish Virgins
Do I treat you as my neighbor

Do I Treat You as My Neighbor?

/
Learning the life-changing meaning of being a good neighbor
how merciful am I

How Merciful Am I?

/
How mercy should work as told in the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
prodigal son - return to God

Does God Really Love Humanity? (Part II)

/
Prodigal Son/Unjust Steward – teach us what NOT to do with God’s favor
what does following Jesus mean

What Does Discipleship Cost?

/
Three parables that teach us what it takes to be Jesus' followers
flag on fire signifying corrupted Christianity

Has the Gospel Been Corrupted? (Part II)

/
The Mustard Tree and Leaven parables as warnings for us today

Has the Gospel Been Corrupted? (Part I)

/
The present day lessons from the Wheat and Tares Parable

How Do You Know God Can Trust You?

/
The story of the Landowner: Trustworthiness learned by examining the Pharisees' failure