“Seeking the Lost”
Luke 15:1-32
“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? – Luke 15:4
Years ago, I was a chaperone on a field trip to Magic Mountain and I lost track of one of my kids. I must admit, at the time I was a bit green at working with children. I was more accustomed to the high school ages where you could just let them run and meet up with them at the end of the day. But for fourth and fifth graders it’s a bit different. I wasn’t too concerned, until I met up with our group leader. Boy, did she give me an ear full! Needless to say, I wasn’t chaperoning much longer.
In our passage this morning we are going to see that things are different in the Kingdom. God never ceases seeking the lost. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” [2 Pet 3:9]
God’s desire is to get everyone into the Kingdom and He is continually seeking those who have lost their way. Everyone is precious to God, like a lost sheep that wanders from the fold or a lost coin of great value. And so, the Good Shepherd goes after His sheep, even leaving the ninety-nine to find that one who has strayed. That is the heart of our Heavenly Father.
But we should remember that we are the ones God uses to seek the lost. And how might we do that? Well, we must first open our eyes and look for them. It requires looking outward and not inward, something that doesn’t come naturally. It is a supernatural work. That is why we must keep on asking the Lord to immerse us in His Spirit.
Does seeking the lost only mean on Sundays? Well, it includes Sundays, but also the other days of the week. And that means outside the Church, in places like your workplace and even your home. You see, for some strange reason God has decided to use imperfect [problematic] people like you and I to fulfill the Great Commission, which is to make disciples of all nations. God does the work, and He delights in doing it through earthen vessels like you and I.
Our Heavenly Father desires to find the lost, but the question is “do we desire to be used to find them?” This is where stepping out in faith comes.
May we grow in our longing for the prodigal and unbeliever. God is faithful to use us if we are willing to be used. But it takes looking upward and outward, not inward.
