Matthew 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

Continuing on with some supplemental notes made during my Walk to Emmaus 1807, I want to deal with this issue from two perspectives. The first is so simple, it is found here in Matthew 18:11 in that the words of salvation, the simple gospel truth, were meant for the lost. They are meant to bring lost sinners to a saving grace knowledge of Jesus Christ and all that He did to achieve that end.

“He is not talking about me.”

Most refuse to listen, they are so caught up in themselves that they blow off the gospel that they have heard. It is not that they have not heard the Word but failed to listen. In the parable of the sower that is the seed that is quickly snatched away. That is what it is but more seed gets thrown, we never run out of seed.

The harder truth is heard here in this verse.

Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

During the Justifying Grace talk it was pointed out that God said yes and what He asks of us is to say yes. We are asked to say yes to the free offer of salvation. Just for arguments sake, let us say that you have said yes to that offer and that you are justified, your sins are forgiven and now you are a member of the body of Christ.

Are you thru saying yes?

Somewhere along this Pharisee’s life he stopped saying yes to God. It comes in many forms and whatever form it takes the source of that failure to answer yes is the same.

“He’s not talking about me.”

It might come in the form of an attitude that I have done enough, let someone else do that. It might come in the form of I am not gifted enough to do that. It might be in the form of I don’t hear the Holy Spirit speaking to me. It might be that I stopped listening because all he ever talks about is my sin.

We said I am sorry, I need help and thank you at the moment of our salvation, in those early years when we were born again and became a new creation. At what point in my walk with Jesus did I stop saying I am sorry, help and thank you?

You don’t have to be a Pharisee to have the attitude of one.

Isaiah 11:10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

During the talk on discipleship on walk 1807 there was much said which described us, the branches and our connection to the vine. The Lord said look deeper, look to the root. The image was from a documentary I saw a few months ago.

In Ethiopia there was a discovery in a deep cave of a root that made its way down from the surface thousands of feet to feed off a water source deep within the earth. It was traced back to a fig tree that was growing out of solid rock. At the surface the root could not be seen, only the tree, the fruit and the rock.

A closer examination of the root demonstrates the power of the root to overcome every obstacle to bring fruit to fruition. It is patiently persistent, it never gives up its nature in favor of its environment. The root is the ultimate overcomer. The branch does not even appear if the root has not been established in the first place. No root, no branch, no fruit.

Ephesians 3:16-19 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

No matter how deep the love, the root will bring it to the surface.