WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

LUKE 15:7

I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

THE FIRST THING WE MUST RECOGNIZE IS THAT THIS THEME, WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE, PRESUPPOSES THAT WE KNOW WHERE WE ARE. I HAVE A SPRINT CELL PHONE, AND THIS PHONE DOES IT ALL. WHENEVER I'M TRAVELING WHETHER IN NEW YORK OR LOS ANGELES, I NEVER GET LOST BECAUSE MY PHONE ALLOWS ME SERVERAL WAYS TO GET DIRECTIONS TO WHEREVER I WANT TO GO.

" FIRST OF ALL I CAN CALL DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE AND TELL THE OPERATOR THAT I NEED DIRECTIONS TO A CERTAIN ADDRESS AND SHE WILL TELL ME EXACTLY HOW TO GET THERE.

" OR I CAN GO ONLINE WITH MY PHONE AND GO TO MAPQUEST.COM AND GET TO WHEREVER I WANT TO GO

" OR I CAN PLUG IN MY SATELLITE ANTENNA AND LINK UP WITH A GLOBAL POSITIONING SATELLITE THAT IS THOUSANDS OF MILES IN THE SKY AND RIGHT ON MY PHONE IT WILL DRAW A MAP WITH STREET NAMES AND ACTUALLY TALK TO ME AND TELL ME HOW TO GET WHERE I WANT TO GO.

HOWEVER, THERE IS A CATCH TO EACH OF THESE NAVIGATIONAL METHODS. BEFORE THEY CAN GET ME TO WHERE I WANT TO GO, EACH ONE OF THEM HAS TO BE GIVEN A STARTING POINT. IN OTHER WORDS, BEFORE THEY CAN GET ME TO WHERE I WANT TO GO, THEY HAVE TO KNOW WHERE I AM. Y'ALL DON'T HEAR ME TODAY. BEFORE WE CAN ADEQUATELY ASSESS WHERE WE GO FROM HERE, WE MUST BE CLEAR ABOUT WHERE WE ARE. YES, WE KNOW WHERE WE HAVE BEEN BUT DO WE REALLY KNOW WHERE WE ARE. I WANT TO SUGGEST AND SUBMIT TO YOU THAT MANY OF US DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE. A WHOLE LOT OF US ARE WALKING AROUND WITH THE BIG O. YOU DO KNOW WHAT THE BIG O IS DON'T YOU. IT REPRESENTS OBLIVION, STUPOR AND UNCONSCIOUSNESS. A WHOLE LOT OF US, YES EVEN IN THE CHURCH ARE WALKING AROUND WITH THE BIG O, BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE. AND I'VE STOPPED BY TO TELL YOU TODAY THAT IT IS A WASTE OF TIME FOR ME TO TALK ABOUT WHERE WE SHOULD GO WHEN WE DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE. NOW I KNOW SOMEBODY IS LOOKING AT ME AND SAYING WAIT A MINUTE REVEREND, I KNOW WHERE I AM. I AM AT THE PLEASANT HILL BAPTIST CHURCH AT 1210 M. W. HARRISON STREET. WELL IF THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE THINKING, YOU MISSED IT. I'M TALING ABOUT WHERE WE ARE COLLECTIVELY, AS A COMMUNITY AND PARTICULARLY AS A COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS. WHERE ARE WE? WHEN THERE IS MORE LOVE IN THE WORLD THAN THERE IS IN THE CHURCH, I'VE STOPPED BY TO SUGGEST TO YOU THAT WE DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE. WHEN WE HAVE MORE RESPECT FOR SECULAR LEADERSHIP THAN WE DO FOR SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP, WE DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE. WHEN PEOPLE ON THE STREETS ARE KINDER AND MORE FORGIVING THAN CHURCH FOLK, WE DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE. WHEN WE ALLOW A FEW DEGREES THAT ONLY SUBDUE THE LEVEL OF IGNORANCE WE'VE ATTAINED TO GIVE US THE BIG HEAD, WE DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE. WHEN WE GET A PAYCHECK AWAY FROM POVERTY AND FORGET THOSE WHO ARE LESS FORTUNATE THAN US, WE DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. HAD EDUCATION, HE HAD POSTION, FAME AND STATUS, HE HAD WEALTH AND OPPORTUNITY BUT HE NEVER FORGOT THOSE WHO WERE LESS FORTUNATE, LESS EDUCATED OR LESS PRIVILEDGED. AND SO AS I HAVE TRIED TO ASSESS WHERE WE ARE, I CAN ONLY CONCLUDE THAT WE ARE LOST. IT DOESN'T SURPRISE ME THAT MANY OF OUR YOUNG MEN ARE SAGGING, MANY OF OUR YOUNG GIRLS ARE THUGGING, MANY ADULTS ARE HATING BECAUSE WE ARE LOST. WE DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE. AND IF WE DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE THEN I CAN'T TELL YOU WHERE WE SHOULD GO. NOW I SAID I CAN'T TELL YOU. BUT THERE IS SOMEONE WHO CAN.

IN THIS PARABLE IN LUKE CHAPTER 15: 7 WE DISCOVER THREE THINGS THAT ARE LOST: A LOST SHEEP, A LOST COIN AND A LOST SON.

" LOST SHEEP REPRESENTS (LOST RESOURCES) THE SHEEP WAS IMPORTANT TO THIS SHEPERD, IT WAS VALUABLE TO THIS SHEPHERD BECAUSE IT HAD ENTREPRENEURIAL VALUE. THE SHEPHERD COULD SELL THE SHEEPS WOOL OR ITS MEAT AND MAKE A PROFIT. WE HAVE LOST OUR SENSE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP. I ALWAYS LIKED HEARING MY PARENTS TALK ABOUT THE STORES THAT WE OWNED, THE RESTAURANTS THAT WE OWNED AND THE BUSINESSES THAT WE OWNED. BUT SOMEHOW AFTER INTEGRATION, OTHER FOLKS EGGS SEEMED BETTER, OTHER FOLKS MILK SEEMED BETTER WHEN IT ALL CAME FROM THE SAME CHICKENS AND COWS. WE'VE GOT TO REIGNITE OUR SMALL BUSINESS EFFORTS.

" LOST COIN REPRESENTS (LOST REWARDS). THIS COIN WAS MOST LIKELY HIGHLY VALUABLE TO THIS WOMAN BECAUSE IT WAS HER DOWRY. A DOWRY WAS A REWARD GIVEN TO A WOMAN BY HER FIANCE FOR ACCEPTING HIS HAND IN MARRIAGE.