LOST BUT FOUND
Text: Luke 15: 1 – 36 (KJV)
By
Pastor Zacch Olorunnipa
Introduction
Losing and finding things is a life long phenomenon even form the Biblical times. For example, in Leviticus 6: 1-4 God spoke to Moses and said anyone who finds a lost item and lie about it has committed sin. In Deuteronomy 22: 1-3 it is instructed that a person who finds any of his brother’s lost possessions must restore them. When Saul was sent to find the lost asses of his father Kish, he did not only get the news that the asses had been found, he also got anointed (by Prophet Samuel) as the first king of Israel (1 kings 9:1 to 10:1). Do you know there could be a miracle tied to that which you have lost? Keep the search on. As the Bible says “…we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28).
A loss occurs when an item is missing. The missing item may take various forms and values. It could be tangible or intangible like missed opportunity. Tangible losses may be in form of money, house, car, bicycles, food, clothing, pen, animal, human beings, etc. I remember when my daughter was about 4 years old and got missing in a departmental store where she went shopping with her mother. While her mom was busy looking for her all over the store, my little smart girl went to the customer service section crying and screamed “my mom is missing”. Thank God for the lost and found unit, my wife and daughter were reunited. That brought great joy to my wife and the rest of the family when later we had the episode. Whatever you have lost in life, I pray that you will recover and your joy will increase in Jesus name.
There could be no loss greater than that of a person’s soul. The primary reason Jesus came into the world was to find lost souls. He declared “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24). His efforts to reach out to sinners drew a lot of accusations and criticisms from his stark enemies, particularly the Sadducees and Pharisees. The focus of this sermon is on one of those wrongful indictments and how Jesus handled it with a parable. The parable has three dimensions - the lost sheep, the lost silver and the lost son (Lk. 15: 1-32). Jesus Christ used this parable (or these parables) to counter the accusation of his enemies and to shut their mouths. In this season, God will give you words of wisdom to conquer your accusers and to shut up their mouths in Jesus name.
The Parables
Let us examine these parables in terms of the following outline:
(1) The Missing Possessions of the Parables
(2) The Mathematical Progression in the Parables
(3) The Marvelous Parties of the Parables
(4) The Main Messages of the Parables.
I pay that the Holy Spirit will enlighten our wisdom as we proceed in Jesus name.
1. The Missing Possessions
When Jesus was accused of receiving and eating with sinners he answered with three parables each of which involved the loss of something precious. The first 2 parables each came in form of a question. The first question goes like this, “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it” (Lk. 15: 4). The second question posed goes thus “Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?” (Lk. 15:8). Jesus Christ provided the right answers to these questions indicating that in each case the owner of the lost property (sheep or silver coin) would rejoice and celebrate after finding that which was lost. Educating his audience further, Jesus Christ pointed out that, as the sheep owner and the coin owner rejoiced and celebrated on finding the lost items, so will there be celebration in heaven in the presence of angels over one sinner that repents.
The third parable, as told by Jesus, is what is typically called the parable of the prodigal son in which a father lost the younger of his two sons (Lk. 15: 11 – 32). Perhaps signifying that human beings are more important than animals and money, Jesus Christ devoted approximately three times more space (7 verses as opposed to 22 verses) to discussing this third dimension than the first two combined. As the parable goes, it was the younger son who came to the father and demanded to be given his portion of inheritance. A few days after the father consented, the prodigal son packed his things and left home (for a far country) where he wasted his resources with riotous living. After he has wasted all his sources and due to a great famine that ensued, survival became a big problem for the young man. He took a job feeding pigs and went so low as to be competing with the pigs in eating the husks fed to them. Though the prodigal son knew it was abominable for a Jew to be in contact with pigs, he has gotten himself so messed up that he had no other choice than to tend and share pigs’ feed.
After a while he came to his senses, weighed his options and figured out that he would be much better off returning home, acknowledging his folly, seek his father’s forgiveness and pleading to be a servant than continuing to live in abject poverty as a lost son. As he approached home, the father who had presumed his son dead was so overwhelmed with joy to see him that he ran to meet him with a kiss. At the father’s command the estranged son was decorated and celebrated. I mean he was promoted from rags to royalty. Promotion is coming your way in Jesus name. Are you facing situations (spiritual, financial, marital, health-wise, children related, educational, debt-wise, etc) that have brought you down or appear to be bringing you down? Summon up courage. God is with you (Is. 43: 2-4). The Almighty God will pull you up in Jesus name.
With feelings of receiving unfair treatment, being neglected, envy, jealousy and anger, the elder son refused to go in to participate in the celebrations of his brother’s return. The father made efforts to persuade him by assuring him that all he (the father) owns belongs to the elder son. We are not told if the elder son was convinced by the father’s persuasion.
2. The Mathematical Progression
Although the three illustrations used in these parables involve losses, the proportion of loss varies significantly amongst the three property owners. The sheep owner lost only 1 out of 100 sheep (or 1 percent) of his sheep, the woman lost 1 out of 10 silver pieces (or 10 percent) and the father lost 1 out 2 sons (50 percent). How did each of these people react to the loss? The reactions are basically the same despite the difference in the magnitude of loss. Each one missed that which was lost and displayed considerable efforts (covertly or overtly) to recover that which was lost. The shepherd abandoned the 99 sheep to look for the one that was missing. The coin owner lit a candle and swept the house diligently to look for the coin. The Father missed his son so much that he considered him lost and dead since he waited desperately to hear from him but to no avail.
The implication of these similar reactions is that every lost soul is equally important to Jesus. You may be rich or poor, tall or short, black or white, young or old; no matter your status, if you don’t know Jesus you are lost. His death on the cross is of equal value in saving any one that will, by faith, accept Him as his/her Lord and Savior.
3. The Marvelous Parties
Although the three parable illustrations each started on a sad note due to loss of something, they all ended up with joy in that the lost items were found. Right from the time the lost sheep was found; the owner carried her shoulder-high and began to rejoice. On arriving home he organized a party and invited his friends and neighbors to celebrate with him. The woman with pieces of silver also organized “a neighborhood block party”, using today’s parlance, to celebrate the recovery of the one piece she lost.
The coming home of the prodigal son received the most grandiose of all the celebrations. It began when the compassionate father, on seeing his son afar off, ran to meet him, fell on his neck and kissed him – a display of joy akin to the shepherd that carried his sheep on his shoulder. Celebrations for the prodigal son reached the climax when the father’s command to the servants was carried out. He declared “Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry (Lk. 15: 22 -23). How shocked and undeserving the prodigal son must have felt to receive such a royal treatment!
Have you considered how important you are to Jesus Christ? He was sent to find lost sinners like you. If you hearken to his call and receive Him as your LORD, He will not only forgive you and save you, a party of celebrations will take place in heaven on your behalf (Lk 15:7).
4. The Messages of the Parables
I believe there are several important messages (or lessons) Jesus Chris intended us to learn by narrating the parables discussed above. These include:
(a) It is not wrong to reach out to sinners. Jesus Christ defeated his accusers by telling these parables to prove that He could not isolate Himself from the same people He came (as the Son of Man) to save from their lost status. Christians must borrow a leave from Jesus’ lifestyle by relating to sinners and loving them with the main objective of winning them to Jesus. Too often Christians distant themselves from unbelievers to the extent that the opportunities to dialogue and share the gospel with them are blocked. Remember God has given unto us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 15:18).
(b) If you win souls for Jesus you will share in the ensuing joy. Any time a soul is won for Christ rejoicing takes place in heaven. This joy has multiplier effect that spreads to all people involved in winning lost souls. In the parables above, when the lost sheep and lost sons were found, the owners rejoiced, the sheep and the prodigal son were joyful to be reunited with their individual “family”, and there was joy in heaven in the presence of angels. It is this multiplied joy that will make soul winners shine like stars for ever and ever (Dan. 12: 3). Furthermore, we can infer that crown of rejoicing awaits every soul winner according to what Apostle Paul said in 1 Thes. 2:19: “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?”
(c) Believers must be aggressive and diligent in soul winning just like the owners of the lost items did in each of the three parables. As the scriptures puts it, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;” (Ecl. 9:10a).
(d) Any time we suffer a loss, we must immediately put effort in place to find the lost item believing that it shall be found. Note that Matt. 7: 7 says “---- seek, and ye shall find -- “Let’s quit procrastinating. If God lays something in your heart do it right away. As David said, “---the kings business required haste” (1 Sam 21: 8).
(e) If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, what are you waiting for? The more you delay the more you are a prodigal child who will wander aimlessly in the wildness of loss where the devil will subject you to greater spiritual (and possibly physical) poverty. Come to your senses today and return home to Jesus who is waiting to receive you.
(f) Are you a backslider? Retrace your steps as did the prodigal son and come back to Jesus. He is still holding your spot, but He alone knows for how much longer you’ll have the opportunity.
(g) The parable of the lost son has an important message regarding forgiveness. We must be ready to forgive (like the father of the prodigal son) those that have wronged us especially when they demonstrate evidence of genuine repentance.
(h) We must eschew anger, envy, jealousy and selfishness, the kind that plagued the elder son and (probably) robbed him of the blessings of shared joy of restoration.
Conclusion
Any one that has not accepted Jesus Christ as his/her Savior is lost. You are one of the people Jesus Christ is looking for. He is right now knocking at the door of your heart (Rev. 3:20). Open your heart to Him by receiving Him as your Lord and Savior today. If you do, a party of celebration will begin in heaven on your behalf. The party will continue until one day you will join the party during the marriage Super of the Lamb (Rev. 19: 7 - 9). If you refuse to open to him, you will remain lost for ever and end up in hell. May that not be your portion in Jesus name. For those of us who have been found by Jesus congratulations. Stay continuously under the watch of the Good Shepherd, rejoicing and singing the “Amazing Grace” song until we join the party in heaven. See you there in Jesus name.
