Lost People Series

Several years ago, 44-year-old Gary Matthews petitioned the court in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania to have his name legally changed to “Boomer the Dog.” In his petition, Mr. Matthews stated, “I've been known as Boomer the Dog by friends in the community for more than 20 years. I want to bring my legal name in line with that.”

Judge Ronald Folilno denied Mr. Matthew's name-change request, arguing that it would cause too much confusion. Judge Folino's decision included the following example:

Petitioner witnesses a serious automobile accident and [calls 911]. The dispatcher queries as to the caller's identity, and the caller responds, “This is Boomer the Dog.” It is not a stretch to imagine the telephone dispatcher concluding that the call is a prank and refusing therefore to send an emergency medical response. I am denying the petitioner's request.

The judge concluded his order by observing, “Although the petitioner apparently wishes it were otherwise, the simple fact remains that he is not a dog” (“Furry Logic,” Harper's Magazine, December, 2010, p. 27; www.PreachingToday.com).

People the world over are lost, not realizing their true value. They see themselves as less than human, some even as “trash” in the eyes of God. But nothing could be further from the truth.

If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Luke 15, Luke 15, where Jesus tells three stories to illustrate your value to God and to all of heaven.

Luke 15:1-2 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them” (ESV).

There are two kinds of people in Jesus’ audience—the religious and the rebellious, the Pharisees and the sinners, those whom the culture respected and those whom the culture despised. In Jesus’ day, yes, and even in our day, respectable people stay away from liars and cheats (like the tax collectors back then).

After all, Psalm 1 says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers” (Psalm 1:1). So it horrified the religious people that Jesus would welcome such “sinners” into His circle of friends and even eat with them.

Luke 15:3-7 So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance (ESV).

To the religious people, Jesus is saying, “You should rejoice like all of heaven when I seek out and save those who are lost.” To the sinner, Jesus is saying…

REALIZE YOUR VALUE TO GOD.

Recognize that all of heaven treasures you and celebrates when you turn from your sin and let Jesus bring you home. Please, grasp in your own heart how much God prizes you, so much so that He throws a party with the angels in heaven when Jesus finds and rescues you!

Now, a full-grown sheep in Jesus’ day weighed 150 to 200 pounds! So the shepherd in Jesus’ story was carrying an animal equal to or greater than his own weight! It was not an easy task. In addition, the sheep was probably sticky with lanolin (a fat found in the sheep’s wool). It was smelly and loaded with dirt. But the shepherd is glad to bring his lost sheep home! (Victor Yap, The Shepherd and Overseer of Our Souls, Dec 26, 2007, www.Sermon Central.com).

Maybe, like this sheep, you’ve wandered far away from God. Now, you find your life smelly and loaded with dirt. Even so, Jesus is looking for you to bring you home with Him. He loves you, no matter how bad your life has become, and He is glad to carry you on His shoulders.

In the 4th century there was a holy man who lived in the desert. His name was Abba Abraham, and he was known for his great devotion to God, his simple life, and mostly for his love. When his married brother in the city died, he left a seven year old daughter with no one to care for her. Abba Abraham took her into his own home.

Her name was Mary, and through the years Mary grew into a beautiful and very devout girl, just like her uncle. Then one day a very bad man traveled by their place in the desert and was captivated by her beauty. He grabbed her, raped her, and then left her all alone in the desert in great despair.