Luke 15: 1-10 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
We all have lost something during some point in our lives. We’ve misplaced keys. We’ve forgot our watches and wallets. We may even have lost a pet dog or cat once. What did we do when we noticed that these things were missing? Did we search for them? Often it depends on the need or the urgency at the time. If it’s something we need, we start searching right away.
What about people that are lost? What do we do when a person turns up missing? We need to,
Look for those Lost:
Illustration: How many of you have seen the movie Forrest Gump? It’s one of my all-time favorites and I have realized that a person can gain many biblical messages from it. There is a scene in which Forrest is deployed to Vietnam and he’s stuck in the middle of an ambush. Bullets are flying and bombs are bursting all around Forrest but he only has one thought in mind, “To find his best friend Bubba”!
VIDEO: “I Gotta Find Bubba”
This clip has so many applications that we can draw from. And looking at it we see evangelism at its purest form. We live in a world that is full of danger, danger that is so very real, danger that can take us out at any moment. Spiritually speaking, we are in a battle each and every moment of our lives. True, we can stay still and stay in our bunkers so to speak and stay safe and avoid all the fears of being taken out by the enemy but what good is a soldier if he isn’t involved in the battle?
Forrest could have easily stayed out of the jungle and saved himself but his compassion overcame his fears and he went back in to save Bubba.
The truth is that each one of us can play it safe and stay out of the battle and show up each week here in a safe environment and then go out throughout the week never really focused much on the lost. Sure, we know they ‘re out there but for the most part we do nothing about it. We avoid them like the plague and we only associate with those that have already been found because it’s safe and comfortable.
Remember this: If you’re sick, you need a doctor. If you’re healthy you don’t. If your car is broken, you need a mechanic, if it’s running well you don’t. If you’re in the dark, you need light, if you’re in the light, you don’t.
But what about the lost? What about those that are in danger? What about those that need a spiritually healthy person that is able to pick them up and or drag them out of harm’s way?
Illustration: I see most of you each week here in our services and that’s a great thing because I know that you are being fed the Word of God and I know that His Word will sustain you and keep you healthy. Sometimes I see some of you more than just Sunday mornings because you need something more. Health reasons, emotional needs, difficulties in life, or whatever is going on, you need me and I’m there for you.
It is those that are not here on Sundays, those that aren’t going to a church, Bible studies or anything associated with God, those that are lost and don’t know Jesus that I am reaching outside of our regular Sunday worship times. Those are the ones that need to be reached and each one of us here need to be doing our part. Evangelism!!
Let me ask you a question this morning. What if your son, daughter, husband or wife mysteriously disappeared? Would you search for them? Of course you would. Our family is near and dear to our hearts and minds. They are not something that can be replaced. They are important parts of our lives. We would spend as much time and money as necessary to find our loved ones and return them to their homes.
We should search for the lost, no matter how difficult we think it is or how lost we think some people are.
Illustration: The kidnapping of Jaycee Lee Dugard occurred on June 10, 1991, in South Lake Tahoe, California. Dugard was 11 years old at the time and was abducted from a street while she was walking from home to a school bus stop. Searches began immediately after the kidnapping, but no reliable leads were generated. She remained missing for more than 18 years.
On August 24 and 25, 2009, convicted sex offender Phillip Craig Garrido visited the campus of UC Berkeley accompanied by two girls. Their unusual behavior sparked an investigation that led to his bringing the girls to a parole office on August 26, accompanied by a young woman who was then identified as Dugard.
Phillip Garrido and his wife Nancy Garrido, of Antioch, California, were arrested for kidnapping and other charges.
I can remember when Jaycee was abducted and how it seemed the entire country came together and went on a large level massive search for her but sadly over the years it ceased. People seemed to just stop looking, stopped search and gave up hope of ever finding little Jaycee ever again.
Maybe many of us are like this in our evangelism efforts? Have we simply given up searching for the lost? Have we tried in the past but gave up on certain people because we feel they are just too lost, too far gone?
How many times do we fail to search for those who we believe are lost? Do we know everyone around us has been found and saved? Often, we call off the search before the lost have even been looked for.
In Matthew 15:24 Jesus says that he “was sent only to the lost sheep.” He wasn’t here for those who were already saved, but for those who were lost. But, who did Jesus focus his attention on? Did he spend all His time in the temples to convert the Jews? No, He spent His time talking to tax collectors, prostitutes, thieves and other people considered to be the bottom of society.
Jesus spoke to those who lacked moral and ethical values. He spoke to sinners and those who had lost their way. In Luke 19 Jesus talked to Zacchaeus, a tax collector, and rejoiced when Zachaeus found the way. Jesus spent most of his life searching for the lost and rejoicing when He found them.
We have a lot of lost souls to search for, But too we often choose to look the other way. We feel that is only the job of the pastor to evangelize. After all, he gets a paycheck to do it so it’s his job not mine and we feel we are doing our part by paying him. We abandon the search before even starting. And that runs much deeper than just evangelism. Hospital visits, checking on people that are sick, and calling on people that haven’t been in church for a while. Where’s the compassion? Where’s our focus?
Illustration: One thing I have noticed over the past 23 years as a parent is that when the children were young and they lost something, they always expected us as parents to find it for them. Sure they complained and whined a good amount about whatever it was that they lost but they were not ever willing to get up and find it their selves. We would try and find whatever it was but they just couldn’t bring themselves to help. They relied on Mom and Dad to do all the work.
I thank God through time and maturity; our children have out grown this and have matured enough to realize the responsibility isn’t just ours but theirs.
I wonder how many immature Christians feel the same way about lost souls. Do many expect just for the leaders of the church to do this while they sit back and complain and never are willing to help?
We must talk to those around us to ensure they understand that Jesus died for their sins. Once we find someone who has not heard of Jesus, it is our duty to bring this message to them. Jesus tells each of us to evangelize in the Great Commission.
Matthew 28: 18-20 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
