The Father’s Concern for the Wayward Christian
Matthew 18:12-14
June 17, 2007
I think all of us can remember a time when we’ve strayed from God. Maybe it wasn’t as blatant or drastic as it was for others, but we know that at times we’ve said, “No thanks” to Jesus and decided that our way was best.
For some it was something small, for others it might have been a flat-out rejection of Jesus and Christianity, and going into a life of blatant sin.
Some here are pretty convicted about that time you told your folks you were sick on a Sunday, so you could go fishing instead of to church.
And you’re still not sure if God has forgiven you for it…
I don’t know what it is for you.
And I think most of us can relate to the heartache of seeing someone we love and care for making that detour away from Christ, leaving the protection of the fold and the Shepherd.
And it’s all we can do to not go up to the person and grab them and say, “Put your face in there!”
“What do you think you’re doing? Don’t you see the hurt you’re in for and the heartache you’re causing others by going this way?”
Well, whether you are in the midst of this yourself or you know someone who is, my hope is that you will walk out of here with some encouragement that even if things aren’t as they should be, the Great Shepherd is still on the watch, and He cares.
We’re continuing our walk through the gospel of Matthew, and here in Matthew 18 we’ve looked at how we are to humble ourselves and become like little children if we want greatness in terms of the kingdom of God.
Last week we looked at how Jesus condemns actions that lead His followers into sin.
And today, we continue in chapter 18 as we look at the care that Jesus has for those who have wandered away from Him.
Matthew 18:12-14 (p. 695) –
12 "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.”
Once again, it is helpful for us to realize that the term “little ones” is not just about children – it includes all those who have put their humble faith in Christ.
Remember, Jesus was addressing the disciples when He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven,” in verse 3.
Even the closest disciples of Jesus needed to change and become like little children.
So don’t look at this passage and say, “Well, that’s not me – I’m way past that.” If that’s your thought, then you need to humble yourself, just like these disciples needed to.
They actually walked with Jesus on earth, and they still needed to become like little children. Is your relationship with Jesus stronger than theirs? Highly doubtful, my friend!
You’ll notice that the title says that the passage here deals with the wayward Christian.
But don’t we usually associate the parable of the “lost sheep” with someone who is not yet a Christian – a sinner who still needs to come to Jesus?
Yep. But in this context, Jesus is not discussing people who don’t yet know Him, but rather those who have come to Him in humility previously, and have now taken a turn to leave the sheep pen.
How do we know that?
There are a number of distinctions between this situation and the one in Luke 15, which is where we see the parallel.
“Almost every relevant term is not the same as in (Luke).” EBC
The context of Jesus’ words in Luke are the concern He had for the lost sinner, for which He was getting in trouble with the religious big-wigs.
But here in Matthew, Jesus’ concern is for the little ones who have put their faith in Him. He says in verse 14 –
“…your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.”
He’s specifically referencing the people He had just been talking about – His followers.
We looked last week at how serious He is about making sure we don’t cause any follower of Jesus to sin.
He used firm, harsh language that left no room for misinterpretation or mistake. It’s wrong to do, and He will bring judgment on those who do it.
In these verses, He is emphasizing the care of the Father toward even those who choose to walk away from Him for a time.
“His concern for the one wandering sheep is so great that He rejoices more over its restoration than over the ninety-nine that do not stray. With a God like that, how dare anyone cause even one of these sheep to go astray?
“Jesus drives the lesson home: the heavenly Father is unwilling for any of ‘these little ones’ to be lost. If that is His will, it is shocking that anyone else would seek to lead one of ‘these little ones’ astray. His love for the individual sheep is not at the expense of the entire flock, but so that the flock as a whole may not lose a single one of its members.” EBC
Just a bit of historical background, because it’s important in understanding something.
Shepherds often worked with one another as their sheep grazed the hillsides, so leaving the ninety-nine is of no real concern, since other shepherds would keep an eye on them. NIVAC
So the parable here isn’t saying that Jesus abandons the rest of the flock to go hunt down the one who walked away.
But listen to this – I found this when researching this message:
There is an Old English shepherd’s term called a "cast" sheep. This is a sheep that has turned over on its back and can’t get back up again. It happens frequently. And when it happens, all the sheep can do is lie on its back, with its feet flaying frantically in the air. Sometimes it will bleat, but usually it will just kick.
If the shepherd doesn’t arrive within a short time, the sheep will die. That’s one of the reasons why a shepherd is always looking over its flock, counting them to see if they are all on their feet. If one is missing, he thinks, "One of my sheep is cast and I’ve got to find it." This is the thought behind the parable of the 99 sheep and the one that went astray.
SOURCE: Alan Smith in "The Lord is My Shepherd" on www.sermoncentral.com
Folks, can you understand that the reason Jesus goes looking for the lost sheep isn’t because He’s concerned about how it will look if He misses one, or because He’s worried about church attendance records?
He’s concerned because He knows the dangers that are out there. When a sheep goes out on its own, it becomes fair game for the wolves and can get lost and hurt in the wilderness.
When a follower of Jesus goes astray, that person becomes easy prey for the one the Bible says is looking for people to destroy and devour.
When we leave the protection of the Shepherd, we run the risk of getting hurt.
But it’s also important to understand something else. While a shepherd can and would force a sheep to come back to the fold, Scripture is quite clear that He won’t force anybody to repent and rejoin the fold.
God looks and uses His Holy Spirit to show the person his error and encourage him to repent and come back into fellowship, but He won’t force anyone to do that.
Unlike animals, humans are given a free will, able to reject the God who loves and cares for them at the expense of His Son.
I think it’s safe to say that just about everyone in here falls into one of two camps:
You are either one of the sheep Jesus is talking about here in need of being brought back by God, or you know someone who is.
BIG DISCLAIMER MEANT TO SAVE ANYONE FROM ASSUMING I’M SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT THEM:
I don’t know your situation. I might have an idea of where you are in your relationship with God and the flock, and I might be totally wrong.
So don’t think I’m picking on anybody here, okay?
I’m not up here thinking, “Boy, I hope so-and-so is paying attention, because they really need to get with the program here.”
I’m preaching through the book of Matthew for two main reasons. First, to show that the Gospels are living and active, and relevant to our everyday living; and second, so that when we get to the tough stuff, I deal with it without worrying about someone saying, “He picked this message because he knew I’d be here.”
If you’re here and you’re convicted about something, then you need to chock that up to God’s sovereignty. I’m not that good, folks. I don’t know who’s going to be here from Sunday to Sunday. God knows, but I don’t.
Okay? Back to the message.
If you are part of the first camp, my words to you are simply this:
Come back to the Shepherd. Turn from your straying and come back to the protection of the Shepherd, who laid down His life for you.
Let Him guide you, feed you, protect you, and direct you in every area of your life.
He will never lead you astray, and He will never lead you to harm. He has only your best interests at heart.
I have found that when I choose to lead my own life, I get in the most trouble. But Jesus only leads to good – the best for us.
Remember, I can’t force you and God won’t. It’s up to you to respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. But understand that Jesus finds great joy in having a sheep return to Him.
If you are of the second camp, then I can only urge you to pray for those you know who have rejected Christ and gone their own way.
Find comfort and encouragement in the fact that Jesus wants them “found” and that He is diligent in the search. He hasn’t forgotten, and He hasn’t abandoned the search.
And if you find yourself in a position to help someone, then offer to do so, praying that they will accept your help.
I’m grateful to God for the fact that since becoming a follower of Jesus I have not walked off the path very far.
Not that I’m perfect by any means, but by the grace of God I haven’t rejected Christ or gone too far astray.
I think that one of the reasons, and probably the biggest reason, is that there were always those around me who walked with God and were willing to confront me if they saw something that wasn’t right.
They did it gently, but firmly when necessary, and I knew that their care for me was genuine.
And I didn’t want to give them any cause to get in my face in a real big way.
The flock – the Body of Christ is a community. And even if we don’t like to admit it, we need each other. That’s the way God designed humans – He created us for community.
What does that have to do with what we’re talking about today?
We have a responsibility as the Body of Christ to do all we can to help those who have stepped away.
Not in beating people down, throwing their sins in their face, or anything like that.
[But rather in coming alongside those who are willing to allow us to do that, and show them love and acceptance into our community of faith so they can be strengthened by our unity and faithfulness.
The Body of Christ is accountable to the Shepherd to give unreserved commitment to restoring those who have fallen.] NIVAC.
And the focus here is in “restoring.”
Lots of Christians are good at pointing out other people’s faults. Not nearly enough are good at helping people overcome them.
Even those times when I’ve had to confront someone about sin, my goal isn’t to show how wrong someone is, it’s to help them see that they are doing something that displeases God and is hurting themselves and maybe others.
The goal is to bring them back into a right relationship with God.
Scripture is adamant about our responsibility to come alongside and restore those who have fallen.
And this can only happen in the context of a loving community that doesn’t wink at sin but also doesn’t spend all its time condemning others.
Next week we’re going to talk about church discipline a bit, and just how that’s supposed to work, according to Jesus.
But even that is to be tempered with mercy and grace for those who submit themselves to Christ’s rule in their lives.
So let’s be a church where all feel welcome. Where a person can come in the midst of their struggles and know that the other sheep are aware of their own shortcomings, but are constantly looking to the Shepherd for help and guidance.
A church where we may not have everything figured out in our own lives, but we know that the best place to be is in the protection of the Shepherd.
Let’s pray.
