MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
A. During the next few weeks I want to speak on subjects that we, as a congregation, need to consider again, messages that deal with our purpose, why we are a church, & why God has called us to do the things that we are to do.
Now, I don’t want you to be confused & think that this is a "What we believe" series, because it is not that. Yes, it’s true that because of what we believe we do the things we do. But what have we really been called to do?
Jesus answered that by saying, "Go & make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, & teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20). That’s the great commission, our marching orders, if you please!
So the first part of our purpose as a church is to go, seek the lost, tell them about Jesus, & try to bring them to Him.
And I’m convinced that when we recognize that the reason we exist is to reach the lost with the message of Christ, then as a congregation we will grow.
B. Now in the 15th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, there are 3 parables that illustrate the importance of spreading the good news about Jesus. You know these parables, so I’m not going to read them to you this morning, but just remind you of them again & summarize some of the things these parables teach us.
But first, realize that Jesus told them in response to a criticism. The Jewish rulers were criticizing Him about the kind of friends He had. They said, "If you are who you claim to be then you wouldn’t be spending your time with these dregs of society. You would be spending your time with quality folks like us, instead."
1. In response to that, Jesus tells them 3 parables. He begins by saying, "If you were a shepherd & had a hundred sheep, but when you came home at night & counted them & discovered that you had only 99, what would you do?"
"If you were a good shepherd, let me tell you what you would do. You would go out & search for that lost sheep. You would search the rocks & ledges until you found it. And when you found it, you would put it on your shoulders & come home rejoicing."
2. Next He says, "Suppose you’re a woman who loses a valuable coin, what would you do? I’ll tell you what you’d do. You’d light a lamp & move the furniture. You’d go through every nook & cranny in the house until you found it. And when you found it there would be a celebration. You’d call your neighbors & say, ‘Rejoice with me. I have found that which was lost.’"
3. Then Jesus goes on, "Suppose you’re a father & you have a rebellious son who demands his inheritance. Reluctantly, you give it to him & he goes into the far country where he wastes it all.”
“Finally, he finds himself in a hog lot eating the slop that has been put out for the hogs. Then he comes to himself & says, ‘I would be better off as one of my father’s hired servants than to be here.’ And he goes back home again."
As I said, you’re familiar with the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, & the Prodigal Son. But I want you to realize that Jesus told those 3 stories to teach people that He had come for one primary purpose - to seek & to save those who are lost.
PROP. So let’s draw some lessons from them. First, let’s understand why we seek the lost. Secondly, let’s look at how we seek the lost. Thirdly, let’s see the reward of searching.
I. WHY DO WE SEEK THE LOST?
A. Why do we seek the lost? You see, it is possible for us to do the right things for the wrong reasons.
If our reason for wanting to reach out to the lost is simply to build a big church, or to stroke our ego, or so we can brag about what a great church we have, then that’s the wrong reason & we need to reexamine our motives.
B. Why do we seek the lost? Because they’re lost & still in their sins, just as we once were. So the love of Christ compels us to reach out & share with them the good news of God’s love, & of Christ’s offer to forgive them of their sins & make them a part of the family of God.
ILL. Have you ever lost something valuable & searched hard for it? A preacher friend told of a gut-wrenching time when he couldn’t find one of his twin grandsons.
Their names are Christopher & Michael, & they were 8 months old. Christopher seemed to be a contented-type child & would play quietly by himself for hours. You might not even realize that he is anywhere near.
But on the other hand, Michael is very vocal & quick to express his feelings. If he is unhappy, he lets you know about it. If he doesn’t like the food, or if things are not just right, he is very vocal & loud. So you almost always know where Michael is.
Well anyway, one day the house got strangely quiet, & whenever the house is quiet & Michael is in it, something must be wrong. So my friend started looking for Michael. He wasn’t too concerned at first. He just walked through the house saying, "Michael, where are you?" But there wasn’t a sound.
There was Christopher playing quietly by himself, but no Michael. So he continued looking through the house calling, "Michael, Michael." But still, there wasn’t a sound.
Suddenly all kinds of horrible thoughts began swirling through his mind. "What if he stuck his finger in an electrical outlet? Or what if he has fallen into the toilet?"
Then he remembered taking the garbage out, & he thought, "Maybe Michael got out the door & is crawling around outside." He quickly went outside & searched all around. But no Michael.
Finally, he came back into the house & got down on his hands & knees & started crawling around on Michael’s level, looking behind doors, in the closets, behind furniture, calling constantly, "Michael, where are you?" But there was not a sound.
Then he crawled into the dining room, & discovered Michael under the table, eating something that had fallen off the table. It was crunchy & Michael must have thought it was a whole lot better than the cereal he had been offered earlier. And as my frantic friend looked at him, Michael just grinned.
He picked Michael up & he says that he was nearly in tears as he said, "Michael, don’t you ever do that to me again."
APPL. Later, when he reflected on that incident he thought, "When was the last time I searched that diligently for someone who is lost from God?"
SUM. You know, Jesus looked at the crowds & felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, wandering aimlessly in the world. So He came to be their shepherd & to lead them safely into the fold. And that’s what we have been commissioned to do, too.
II. HOW DO WE SEEK THE LOST?
Now the second thing I would like you to see from these parables are the ways of finding the lost. What ways are presented in these parables?
A. First, there is searching. When the shepherd lost his sheep, he went searching for it. He went out & looked & looked until he found it. And when the woman realized that she had lost her coin she went looking for the coin. So searching is the very first method. We need to search for the lost.
By the way, I don’t know whether you noticed or not but there is a difference between these parables. In the first parable the sheep was lost out there. But the coin was lost in here - in the house.
There are people out there for whom we need to be searching because they are lost. We need to do whatever is possible to find & bring them in.
That is the reason Jesus took time to talk to the woman at the well. That is the reason He called Zachaeus down from the tree. That is the reason He spent most of the night talking to Niccodemus, & that is the reason one of His final acts on earth was to speak to the thief beside Him on the cross & say, "Today you shall be with me in paradise."
ILL. Terry Bradds was 25 years old. He lived in middle America & was pretty much caught up in the life style of middle America. His 5-year-old son was invited by the woman who lived next door to go to VBS with her, & he went.
At the end of VBS the little boy invited his father, Terry, who was not a Christian, to come to the closing program & Terry went. As he watched the program, the Holy Spirit began to work on him. It took a while, but gradually there was a change in his life & Terry became a Christian.
Not long afterwards, Terry Bradds enrolled in a seminary & today he is a preacher. His son, Craig, who was 5 years old when he was invited to VBS grew up to become a minister, also. And his youngest son studied for the ministry, too. All because one lady took time to invite a 5-year-old boy to attend VBS.
We need to be searching. We need to be looking.
B. But there is a second method presented here. You see the shepherd went out searching & the woman went searching, but the father stayed home. He didn’t go to the far country.
It may not have done any good to go into the far country & find the prodigal & drag him home. He needed to come home on his own. So what did the father do? The father made home so appealing that the son wanted to come back.
SUM. So in one respect we search, but in another respect we attract. We need to make the church so warm & appealing that people want to come.
APPL. Whenever there are prodigals out there in the far country, they need to know that the church is a place of love & acceptance, where there’ll be warmth, where there are people who will understand & reach out & minister to them.
III. THE REWARD OF SEEKING THE LOST
A. Finally, there’s the reward. And the reward is rejoicing.
When the prodigal son came back home, the father said, "’Quick! Bring the best robe & put it on him. Put a ring on his finger & sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf & kill it. Let’s have a feast & celebrate. For this son of mine was dead & is alive again; he was lost & is found.’ So they began to celebrate" (Luke 15:22-24).
When the shepherd found his sheep he told his friends & neighbors, "Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep." And Jesus adds, "I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who do not need to repent" (Luke 15:7).
And when the woman found her coin she called her friends & neighbors & said, "Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin." Again Jesus adds, "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10).
Now listen people, if it is that important to the angels, how much more important it should be to us as we think about our friends & our loved ones who are outside of Christ.
ILL. Larry Bryant heard a sermon about how the angels rejoiced in heaven when one sinner came to Christ, & he wrote these words:
"At the completion of the golden gate,
No, the angels did not celebrate.
And when the Wright boys flew their bird,
No angelic shouts were heard.
There is only one thing that we are sure about,
That can make those angels jump & shout.
It’s when a sinner makes the Lord his choice,
That’s when the angels rejoice.
When the light bulb first lit up the town,
No, the angels did not dance around.
And when the Model "T" first hit the street,
It didn’t bring all heaven to its feet.
When the first man stepped on the moon,
They didn’t sing a victory tune.
And when the first computer was born,
They didn’t blow old Gabriel’s horn.
There is only one thing that we’re sure about,
That can make those angels jump & shout.
It’s when a sinner heeds the Savior’s voice,
That’s when the angels rejoice.
B. If that’s true of angels, it should also be true of the church. I think that is the reason the time of invitation is important because the decision you make could affect you for all eternity.
You see, as Christians, we can search & we can attract, but finally it all comes down to your own decision. The doors are open, & we’re ready to rejoice with you & with the angels in heaven. But it is up to you. You’re the one who has to decide. Will you come as we stand & sing?
