WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE LOST
Text: Luke 19:10
"For The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."
What do you think about when you think about the word, Lost? Maybe you think of being lost yourself. Have you ever been lost? I remember one time when I was a little boy my mother had taken me to Eagles Department Store in Elizabethton Tenn. She had told me not to wander off, but I did and the terror of thinking I was lost. But mom had hid behind a big post just to teach me a lesson. She was there all the time but I sure thought I was a goner! I remember when Travis got lost in K-mart in Rocky Mtn. NC.. but thank God a man found him and brought him to the front… He had wandered off into the toy department. Boy it scared us to death the thought of him being lost! --- Maybe you thought about loosing something that is valuable to you. Here is a man standing in front of his burned home, It has burned to the ground. He cries I have lost all my valuables, all my keepsakes, things I can never replace! --- Do you know that one day you will give up all your earthly possessions! You will leave everything behind! --- Why should you make your priority in life, the things of this world? Here is a person lying in the hospital eaten up with cancer. They cry, I’ve lost my health! Do you know that no matter how much you exercise, eat right…etc…. one day you will loose your health and eventually you will die. --- The Bible says exercise is Ok but Godliness is the best!
Here is someone who has an accident as cries I have lost my sight… another cries I have lost my Leg or arm… How Sad! --- How sad to hear… they have lost their speech or lost their mind! Or they have lost complete control of their body! --- Here is a Mom and Dad a tragedy has occurred, a accident or sickness has taken their little boy or girl and they cry… I Lost My Son or Daughter!
But the saddest thing in all the world is what Jesus is talking about in this verse - to be a lost soul.
The Bible talks about the terrible darkness and tragedy of being lost! It may be the darkest word in the human language. It may be the most distressing word. It is a word that is used several times in the Bible.
To be lost means to "perish" - Jn. 3:16 - "For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish - but have everlasting life! To be lost means to be outside of Jesus! It means to be separated from the Lord Jesus Christ! To be lost means you have never received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior! --- If a person dies without Jesus as their Savior, then according to the Bible they "Perish" - They are eternally lost!
In Luke 15 - Jesus talked about being lost! It is what I call the Lost and Found Department of the Bible. It tells us how important lost people are to God! --- Did you know that there are only two kinds of people in this world.--- There are those who are saved and those who are lost!
When you die, you do not die wealthy or poor. You die saved or lost! --- When you die, you do not die educated or illiterate. You die saved or lost! --- When you die, you do not die famous or a nobody.
You die saved or lost! That’s why the lost things are so important to Jesus!
Note V.2 - "This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them. Aren’t you glad that’s true? Aren’t you glad that Jesus Christ did come to seek those who are lost and to associate himself with sinners.
In Luke 15:4-7 - The parable of the lost sheep: The lost sheep is in danger. The lost sheep has gone astray. It is a sheep that is alone. It is a sheep that is afraid. --- Some have described this generation in which we live a lost generation! --- It is true. We are living in a time when people indeed are lost!
They have lost their morals. They don’t have any standards. They don’t know right from wrong or either they are calling right, wrong and wrong, right! We know that people are lost spiritually too!
You can engage people in a conversation about a number of subjects and they immediately turn on. You can talk about the Weather, Politics, Sports, TV, Movies, and they will talk for hours with you. But when you get to talking about Jesus and about Spiritual matters and how you can go to heaven when you die, they look at you with a blank stare and they want to get away from that conversation! It is because they are lost spiritually! --- What a terrible thing to be lost spiritually. They have lost their way. They have gone astray. --- Sheep don’t intend to get lost and people don’t intend to get lost either, do they?
You know how sheep go astray? They just start nibbling grass and they nibble a little bit here and a little bit there. They get their eyes off of the Shepherd and the rest of the flock…And the next thing you know they are lost. They are astray. --- Sometimes sheep get lost by following other sheep. They begin to be influenced by the wrong crowd and they begin to follow the wrong crowd. They hear the wrong voice. They are suppose to listen to the Shepherds voice. And the next thing they know they are lost. They are astray! --- They are in danger. --- They are wandering near the cliffs and crumbling edges and one false step and they could fall over the cliff and be lost forever! --- Also wolves are all around waiting for us to leave the flock to devour us!
In Luke 15: 8-10 - The Parable of the Lost Coin
She lit a candle to hunt for the coin. It tells us to be lost means to be in darkness. (If a person dies lost they will live in eternal darkness, the saved will live in a bright lighted city where Jesus is the light.)
To be lost means something very, very valuable is missing. The coin had been minted for a purpose. There was a purpose, a value to it. --- God has a purpose for each of us. God has a plan for your life. You are valuable to God. --- Note, The coin was lost in the house.
Some of you are all around the church house. May have been raised in the church house. May attend services, You may have your name on the roll of our Church House. Yet the fact of the matter is you have never been saved or you are drifting to far from the shore!
People don’t want to admit their lost! --- Have you noticed it is hard to find an old fashion sinner these days. --- It’s like the pilot who radioed in to the passengers, and said, Folks we have lost all our instrument panels… we don’t know exactly which way we are going, we don’t know
exactly where we are, We are running short on fuel, but we are making excellent progress!
Have you ever been on a trip with Dad and he gets lost… Mom says, Honey I believe you took the wrong turn back there… I’m driving this car, I know what I am doing! --- Latter the kids start saying Dad are you sure this is the right way…. Listen you be quite and tend to the back seat, I’ll take care of the front seat. I know what I am a doing. --- About 100 miles out of the way, he finally pulls over and ask someone how to get to so and so… and they say well you missed your road about 100 miles back… We don’t like to admit we are lost!
D.L Moody once tells the story about going into prison… the men would say I was framed, I didn’t do it, they lied on me, it is a case of mistaken identity…etc… and finally coming to one old man, with his elbows on his knees, and his head in his hands and two streams of tears falling off his face…He said preacher, I am a low down sinner, I deserve to be here, I am lost and no a count and headed for hell. Can you help me. D.L. Moody won that man to Jesus!
Friend, You can’t get saved until you admit you are lost! --- What must I do to be lost? Nothing! ---What must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved (Acts 16:31
