Lecture Notes: Leave the 99

Introduction

• Speaker's Appreciation: Honor given to Ms. Brittany Timmons, director of outreach, leading Serve M25 initiative.
• Serve M25: Inspired by Matthew 25, focuses on serving the less fortunate.
• Outreach as a Lifestyle: Encouragement to live a life of outreach, beyond organized efforts.

Welcome

• Open Invitation: Welcomes guests and emphasizes inclusivity.
• Invitation to Non-Believers: Can belong before believing.

Series Context

• Current Series: "Wisdom and Wonder," studying Matthew chapters 12-20.
• Focus Passage: Matthew 18:10-14, titled "Leave the 99."

Biblical Context

• About Matthew: Former tax collector turned disciple; author of the Gospel of Matthew.
• Matthew 18:10-14: Focus on community, accountability, and redemption.
• Verse 11: Not present in ESV due to absence in original manuscripts.

Sermon: Leave the 99

• Main Theme: Addressing feelings of worthlessness and how it relates to divine love and redemption.
• Personal Story: Speaker shares a transformative personal experience of being found during a time of isolation.
• Biblical Community: Importance of living out biblical community values as depicted in Matthew 18.

Teachings from Matthew 18

• Greatness Through Humility: True greatness equates to humility and childlikeness.
• Responsibility Towards Others: Caution against leading others into sin.
• Seriousness of Sin: Urgency in dealing with personal and communal sin.

Encouragement to the Church

• Do Not Despise: Commandment to not devalue other believers, regardless of their struggles.
• Angel Advocacy: Angels plead the case for believers in heaven.
• Value of Believers: Emphasis on inherent value and God’s protection through angelic beings.

Call to Action

• Rescue the Wanderers: Encouragement to seek out and bring back those who have wandered from faith.
• Pastoral Heart: Call for the congregation to adopt a pastoral heart, actively seeking lost members.
• Unity and Togetherness: Importance of keeping the church community intact.

Closing Reflections

• Personal Testimony: Speaker’s testimony of being found by a mentor during a dark period.
• Call for Action: Encourages congregation to take proactive steps to reach out and reclaim those who have strayed.
• Impending Return of Christ: Urgency in reconciliation and community due to the belief in Christ's imminent return.
• Final Prayer: Prayer for unity, love, and salvation for those in darkness.