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Thursday, September 5, 2019

What Does Heaven Celebrate? (Luke 15)



Who doesn’t love a happy event worth celebrating? We can all relate to such festive occasions. The decorations, bright colors, music, and delicious food become part of our most treasured memories. Throughout the Bible, God encourages His people to have celebrations and often these celebrations are to honor and remember Him. But did you know that heaven has grand celebrations too? In fact, if you have accepted Christ as your Savior, then such a grand celebration took place in heaven in honor of you. And what God wants us to realize is that every heart, no matter how sin stained it may be, belongs to Him. Each lost soul that returns to Him is worth celebrating!

As Christians, our most important task is to share the love of Christ. We certainly need to love, encourage and support other Christians but more importantly, we need to share the love of Christ with those who have yet to reconcile to Him. In Luke 15, the religious leaders questioned why Jesus was spending time among sinners. He responded with 3 examples of just how valuable the lost are to God. 

1.     The Lost Sheep: “What shepherd, Jesus asks, wouldn’t leave 99 in his flock to seek after 1 sheep that had gone astray.”(v5)  “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.” (v7)
2.     The Lost Coin: “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?” (v8). “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (v10)
3.     The Prodigal Son:  in this story, the youngest of 2 sons asks for an early inheritance, leaves home and squanders what he has been given. Then he comes to his senses and decides to return with a humble heart to ask to serve in his father’s home. “And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate.” (v 20-24)

What beautiful examples we can all relate to of just how precious each and every sin stained soul is to our Heavenly Father.  We are not supposed to ostracize ourselves from the lost. We are supposed to have a burden to see the lost be found. We are supposed to share the same burden for their salvation that Jesus had. When a lost soul is restored to the Father, heaven has a grand celebration and so should we. That’s what “this life” is all about.