Dear Christian friends:

About two weeks ago President Clinton stood before many pastors at a prayer breakfast in the White House and confessed his sin and said he will change his wrong ways and do right with God's help. The President seemed to be sorry and repent.

But some people were not happy about his repentance. They suspect he made a false confession, and was not honest in his heart. I don't know if President Clinton's confession was honest or not but he knows and God knows.

However, God is happy when a sinner repents. Jesus shows that here in our text which is the Gospel Lesson I just read to you from Luke 15:1-10. Jesus tells two parables: the first "The Lost Sheep" and the second "The Lost Coin." These two parables show us that God is happy when a sinner repents.

Therefore, this morning, I want to preach about that idea, the topic:


Who is happy when a sinner repents? When a sinner repents all in heaven rejoice. (verse 7 read it!)

God in heaven rejoices! God is eager and pleased to show kindness and mercy to sinners. Before any sinner is sorry and confesses his sin God has already shown mercy and kindness. The Bible says, "God commends His love to us in that while we were still sinners He let Christ die for us." (Romans 5:8)

And again, "Christ died for the ungodly." (Romans 5:6) "While we were enemies God made peace with us." Through Jesus' suffering, death and resurrection God announces the whole world forgiven.

Therefore when any sinner hears this good news about Jesus Christ and repents God is very happy. He sees that as some profit for what it cost Him to save the world. God is happy that His dear Son's suffering and death is not wasted, but successful in some people, even in one!

God rejoices when a whole city or nation repents, but He also rejoices when one sinner repents. God sees each person's soul as very valuable because Jesus bought that soul with His blood. God doesn't want any person to stay lost and go to hell.

Before we baptize a baby God in heaven rejoices about it. Through baptism the Holy Spirit gives faith to babies; gives them forgiveness of sins, new birth and new life. Through baptism any baby is "converted". Changed from the devil's kingdom and becomes a member of God's kingdom!

God rejoices when any baby or anyone else receives Holy Baptism! And we also should rejoice and praise God!

Not only does God in heaven rejoice when a sinner repents, but also the angels in heaven rejoice! The angels in heaven rejoice when a sinner repents! (verse 10 read it!)

The bad angels under Satan do not rejoice when a sinner repents. The devil and the bad angels don't want that to happen. They want to keep sinners enslaved in sin, darkness and spiritual death.

But the good angels in heaven rejoice when a sinner repents. They are happy when God works faith in a rebel sinner and frees him from Satan's rule and gives a sinner new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. The angels wait for that person later on to join with them in heaven's glory.

The angels not only wait for the converted ones to come home, but they eagerly and with joy serve the believers on earth who have changed from Satan to God. The Bible asks this question: "Are not angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14)

The Bible says, "He (God) will command His angels for you to guard you in all your ways." (Psalm 91:11) The good angels are very much involved in God's kind and merciful work. When Jesus was born the angels sang: "Glory to God in the highest!" (Luke 2:14) When Jesus arose from the grave on Easter morning two angels announced His resurrection. (Luke 24:4-7)

When Jesus ascended into heaven two angels said to the believers: "Jesus will come again same as you have seen Him go up." (Acts 1:10-11) And on the Last Day all the holy angels will come with Jesus to judge the world and witness the resurrection of all! (Matthew 25:31-32)

And therefore, when a sinner repents the angels in heaven rejoice with God.

All in heaven rejoice when a sinner repents, but what about the people here on earth? Should the church on earth rejoice when a sinner repents? Yes! The church on earth should rejoice when a sinner repents, the same as God and the angels in heaven rejoice about that.

But surprise! Often church members do not rejoice when a sinner repents. That is the reason why Jesus explained these two parables about "The Lost Sheep" and "The Lost Coin." We read in our text, "Now all the tax collectors and sinners came near Jesus. They wanted to hear Him." (verse 1) These were the worst sinners in the city. Many fine and respectable people looked down on them and hated them. But Jesus had mercy on them and visited them and taught them about God and offered forgiveness. Some of them believed in Jesus and began to follow Jesus.

When the fine, respectable Scribes and Pharisees saw that they complained and criticized Jesus. They said, "This man accepts sinners and eats with them." (verses 2-3)

These Scribes and Pharisees were leaders in the Jewish Church. They were not happy to see sinners repent. They thought that Jesus and God should be more happy about them and associate with them than with these notorious sinners.

But Jesus did not agree with them. He said to them, "I tell you the truth more joy is in heaven about one sinner that repents than about ninety-nine righteous people that don't need to repent." (verse 7) He implied that they ought to rejoice!

The church leaders in Jesus' time did not rejoice when a sinner repented. They were proud and self-righteous and thought they did not need to repent. They did not believe in Jesus to become righteous. They trusted in their own good works and deeds of the law, Moses law. Outwardly they seemed fine and respectable, but in their heart and mind they were sinners the same as the tax-collectors and prostitutes. They acted like they loved God and their neighbor, but really in their heart they loved only themselves. They were hypocrites.

Our church today should rejoice when notorious sinners repent. Do we? Do you? Do you warn sinners and invite them to repent and accept Jesus for their Savior? Do you search for the "lost sheep?" Do you look for the "lost coin?" Do you worry about the lost sheep and pray for them?

If you do, that is good! It shows that you rejoice when sinners repent, the same as God, the same as angels!

Maybe you don't care about the lost sheep. Maybe you, the same as these Scribes and Pharisees are, self-righteous and think you are better than others. Maybe you think, "If they sin and do wrong, that's their problem, not mine. If they don't want to come to church, I won't warn them. I don't want any trouble. I'm hands-off!" If you are like that, you are not the same as Jesus or the angels. You don't have the true faith and the true spirit.

May God forgive us when we don't care about the lost sheep! May God give us His Holy Spirit so that we care and feel responsible. May God help us to rejoice when sinners repent.

Amen.