The Joy of God

​Luke 15:6-7 ~ “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 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.”
 
There are things that delight the heart of God Almighty. Micah 7:18 declares, “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.” What a tremendous truth that God delights in steadfast love, in the merciful grace that pardons our transgressions in Christ Jesus. Let your heart rejoice if you know the LORD Jesus as Savior and King. God also speaks through the prophet, Jeremiah, “but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:24). Shall you not boast in the mighty name of Jesus? God delights to see His children walking in His ways of love, justice and righteousness—bearing forth His name to a dark and troubled world.
 
In our text today we see the great Shepherd finding His lost sheep. Take a moment to read Luke, chapter fifteen, and understand the great delight of God to find that which is lost. Jesus speaks these parables to address the disappointment of the Pharisees. We read in Luke 15:1-2, “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them.’” Who better to draw near the One who will forgive their sins and transform their lives than those who were in sin and wretched before God. The self-satisfied and self-righteous will never seek those who are lost—but Jesus does. And when He finds them, there is an overwhelming sense of joy.
 
Our text today opens with this, “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’” Jesus is the great Shepherd of the sheep, and He has come to seek and to save those that are lost. Ezekiel 34:11 proclaims, “For thus says the LORD God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.” And when He finds even one, He calls upon all those who belong to Him, His friends and neighbors, to rejoice in the lost being found. The angels gather in a great host of celebratory excitement and the saints who have gone before are there in the place of glory participating in the joy.
 
But there is a greater joy happening than any of the angels or saints can express—it is the joy of God Almighty. Our text continues, “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents.” Where is this “more joy” coming from except from the LORD of glory! God Almighty, Himself, rejoices exceedingly. He calls all the hosts of heaven to join in, but it is the joy of the Father that resounds in the halls of eternity. We see this clearer in Luke 15:10, “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” This joy is “before the angels of God” and God is the One enthroned where the angels have gathered. Yet why is God so joyous? Have we not heard that the LORD is stern and gruff, holding sinners in a great grip of fear that they should grovel before Him? Beloved, the fear of the LORD moves us to repent, but when we are before Him in humble sorrow for our sin, we discover a Savior who loves so much that He abundantly forgives and takes delight in us! God rejoices over even “one sinner who repents.” Every day there is somewhere on this planet at least one sinner who repents. Heaven, then, must be a place that is overflowing with the joy of God! When you were born-again, dear one, Christ, Himself, proclaimed your name as one who belongs to Him, “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew10:32).
 
Yet, our text concludes with a simple fact that those who see themselves as already righteous will provide no joy to the LORD for we read, “than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” My friends, this does not mean that there are some who are already righteous and have no judgment pending over them. It is the self-righteous that Jesus warns. Recall, the Pharisees grumbled over the tax collectors and sinners repenting, but God rejoiced. And God will not rejoice over anyone’s self-righteous opinion of themselves. When they see no need for repentance, they remain outside the joy of the LORD.
 
The lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son all have one conclusion when they are found—the God of heaven rejoices! May our lives fill God Almighty with joy.
 
In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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