Looking The Lost In All The Wrong Places

LOOKING FOR THE LOST IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES

Text: Luke 15:3-10

Intro: There was a song some time ago entitled "looking for love in all the wrong places" People do need love, but are often looking in the wrong place for it. The bible says "God is Love" we know the most loving one in all creation is the Lord. The unsaved are looking in the wrong place for REAL love. It is our mission to help them find the Love of God.

And just as the unsaved are looking for love in all the wrong places, sometimes we Christians are looking for the unsaved in all the wrong places.

For example, you might expect the lost to come to church and be saved. If so, you maybe looking in the wrong place.

It so happens, that I was saved in Church, but I didn’t come to hear the Gospel. I came for a chicken dinner at a men’s fellowship.

Maybe you expect the lost to listen to the preacher on the radio, or the television - again this is probably the wrong place.

When I was lost and I was tuning the radio as soon as I recognized the station to be broadcasting the gospel, I tuned it to another station.

So where should we look? First ask Where did Jesus look?

I/ WHERE JESUS LOOKED

1st JESUS HAD TO LEAVE HOME TO FIND THE LOST

Jesus left His home in heaven, looking for the lost! Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Why did He come? Not to bring Comfort, or Happiness, or contentment, or wealth, or power. But "To seek & to save what was lost" Evangelism was His purpose in coming!

LESSON: Some times WE have to leave the comfort of our Church and our Home to find the lost!

2nd JESUS ALSO LEFT ESTABLISHED RELIGION

He drove the money changers from the temple, then He went to Samaria and spoke with a woman at the well, He healed an impotent man at the pool of Bethesda, He fed 5,000 hungry people and so on.

Basically, Jesus taught us we should leave the ninety and nine to bring in the one lost sheep.

LESSON: We should be praying to the Lord to help us focus our energies on harvesting rather than simply preserving the already existing fruit.

Speaking of the harvest Jesus said in: Mat 9:37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;

Jesus was saying we need laborers to look for the lost. The lost have to know that you care and are willing to put yourself out to seek them. But the question comes; who exactly are we looking for?

In His high priestly prayer Jesus gave us this insight:

John 17:6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

John 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

We are treasure hunting! We are looking for those that belong to God.

LESSON: Keep pointing people to Jesus and those that belong to God will listen.

3rd JESUS LOOKED AROUND HIM

Do you remember when Jesus called Zacchaeus down from the tree? Did you notice that Jesus befriended Zacchaeus before He taught him the way to eternal life. Why?

Jesus knew that most people, do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care!

LESSON: Friendship costs you something, but develops trust in what you say.

FINALLY, JESUS LOOKED AT THE WORLD

Jesus sent out workers into God’s harvest fields!

In (Matt. 9:38) Jesus said, "Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest fields."

In Jesus high priestly prayer in John 17 Jesus says: John 17:18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

II/ WHERE THEN, SHOULD WE LOOK.

A. NORMALLY, NOT IN CHURCH.

Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

It took me a long time to learn that I was looking in the wrong places!

My first short term mission in 1999 to the Ukraine, with 30 people from America, in 10 days, 5,000 were saved. In 2002 in 5 days in Moldova, I personally prayed with 45 adult people who received Christ as Lord and Savior. This year 30 Americans & 68 local workers in Malawi, Africa saw 13,945 people pray to receive Christ.