The Heart Of God Seeks The Lost

In Jesus Holy Name September 14,2025

Text: Luke 15:1-6 Redeemer

“The Heart of God Seeks the Lost”

24 years ago we watched sores of tiny figures moving up and down the rubble, of the Twin Towers, back and forth. It’s hard to see the ground beneath them. They came from all over America. Like an army of ants, they worked and worked and worked as if they could never stop. A slab here, a steel girder there, cranes moving mountains of concrete. All their labors with one purpose driving them, searching, searching, searching. They were searching for the lost.

Last week I was watching 60 minutes. They interviewed several forensic scientist from New York city. For 24 years they have been using DNA to identify bone fragments of victims from the 9/11 attack. They have over 22,000 fragments of victims of which they have identified 1635. Earlier this year a police officer visited the home of a widow and informed her that they had discovered bone fragments of her husband based on DNA samples taken from the cheek of her infant son. She was surprised that this search for identification was still going on after 24 years.

Over 22,000 Fragments of 9/11 remains of victims are primarily stored and cataloged in a specialized repository managed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) of the City of New York. The search to identify victims is ongoing. The search has never stopped.

In today’s bible passage, we read about a God who is on a never-ending search for the lost and missing. God is like a shepherd looking for a lost sheep, a woman searching for a lost coin, It is God’s desire that everyone hear the Gospel, to know their sins are forgiven by the cross of Jesus and they can be assured of eternal life by placing their faith in Jesus and His resurrection. God invites us to rejoice – “rejoice with me, for what was lost has been found”. Gregory Dawson, Luke 15:1-15.

When Jesus visited the home of Zacchaeus in Jericho, Luke records Jesus said: “For the Son of man came to seek and save the lost.” That was his mission. That was his purpose.

When Adam & Eve were lost, God came looking. God came searching. He found them hiding and afraid. In both the O.T. and N.T. we encounter a God who is on a mission to seek the lost and redeem His people. The central act of God in the O.T. is the Exodus, a divine intervention into human history to free His people from slavery. The decisive act of God in the N.T is the divine intervention of God into human history at Bethlehem to free us from slavery and sin and the fear of eternal death I hell . The Present Future, Reggie McNeal, p. 13

Hebrews 2:1-14 He became one of us …”Since we have flesh and blood, he too shared in our humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”

The Hebrew slaves were destined for the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Jesus promises his followers the abundant life. He invites us to “cast our burdens upon him.” He invites us to pray for his intervention into our personal history.

Jesus said “I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name … Ask and you will receive so that your joy may be complete”. John 16:23-24

God was always at work to save his people. One time he sent a little shepherd boy with a few stones and a sling shot to whip a Philistine giant. After the resurrection of Jesus, God sent the Holy Spirit, the promised comforter, Counselor, to serve as the continuing presence of God in the lives of His people. “Much like the pillar of fire and cloud by day given to the ancient wilderness – wanderers in the Exodus to guide them, so the Spirit of God guides the people of God, the followers of Jesus as the move from Jerusalem, to Jude, Samaria, Fresno & Beyond.

God has a purpose for His people. When Moses encountered God in the burning bush, He soon found himself on the way to Egypt. When Moses and the children of Israel reached Mt. Sinai, God again invited Moses to come up onto the mountain. Listen to the words God spoke to Moses – revealing his heart for people.

Read: Exodus 19:3-6 Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you[a] will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”