God’s Heart for the Lost

Bible Passage: Luke 15:1-7

For Christians, sharing our faith is central to the mission that we have been given by Jesus, and the reason flows from the very heart of God. God sent his son into the world to seek and to save the lost. He cares deeply about those who are far from him, and he knows that if the lost are not found they will perish. During the earthly ministry of Jesus, he was often challenged by religious leaders about the company that he kept. Jesus spent a lot of time with people whose lifestyles showed that they were far from God. As part of his response, Jesus told a series of three parables in Luke 15, beginning with the one we are looking at in this sermon, that show the perils of lostness, the priority of seeking and the joy in heaven when the lost are found. These parables are Jesus’ direct response to the religious leaders’ grumbling in verses 1–2, and they reveal that God’s heart runs counter to the self-righteousness of those leaders.

The Perils of Lostness: The story that Jesus told was to a mixed audience. Some people (the tax collectors and sinners) already knew they were lost. Others (the Pharisees and teachers of the law) didn’t see themselves in this way and questioned why Jesus would spend time with people who were evidently far from God. In the story, Jesus speaks of a person who owns a hundred sheep, most of whom are safe in the open country, but one of whom is lost. As that moment in time, the heart of the shepherd goes to the lost sheep and his focus is on bringing it home. Until the sheep is found it is vulnerable to predators, cut off from the care of the shepherd and isolated. In a similar way, people are not made to do life away from the kind provision and protection of God, and rejecting Jesus means missing out on both blessings in this life and eternal life in his presence. God’s heart to those who are lost is not one of indifference or hostility but one of compassion, so much so that he sent his son to seek and to save them. We too were once like that lost sheep, wandering, vulnerable, unable to find our way home, until Jesus came after us. Remembering how we were found helps shape our heart to seek others.

The Priority of Seeking: The shepherd’s compassion for the lost sheep in Jesus’ story turns him to action. It is not difficult to speak about caring for the lost on a theoretical level, but real care leads this shepherd to leave behind his other sheep and go in search of the one who is lost. The power of this story lies in the fact that going after the lost is costly to the shepherd, but he does it anyway. Many of us are busy people with lots of things going on in life, and our churches can be busy too. It is easy to justify a lifestyle where we focus on maintaining what we are already doing. The shepherd could easily have justified staying with the ninety-nine, but love compelled him to go. In a similar way, Jesus wanted his hearers to see that going after the lost is such a priority in God’s heart that it is worth laying down other important things for. For us, it may mean interrupting our routines, befriending those who make us uncomfortable, or risking awkwardness in conversation, but as we share God’s love for the lost, we see it as worth it.

The Joy of Finding: Seeking the lost is not a mere duty, but something that brings God joy. Jesus speaks of the shepherd rejoicing with his friends and neighbours once his sheep is found, and then tells us that God does likewise whenever a sinner repents. In fact, the rejoicing in heaven is greater over one lost person being found than over ninety-nine who are already righteous. Jesus is not saying that caring for those who are already in the faith doesn’t matter, but he is saying we must never be so inward focussed that we lose God’s heart. Just like God we should see mission as something that brings us joy, and seeing people brought into God’s kingdom is both a cause for celebration and a motive to keep going in God’s mission.

Potential Applications:

• The sermon challenges our priorities as individuals and churches. How much is our focus currently on the ‘ninety-nine’, or to what extent are we going after the lost sheep?
• There may be some in the room who are currently lost. Do not miss the opportunity to share the gospel and invite people to put their trust in Jesus.
• You could share testimonies of those who have recently been saved, and let the whole congregation together share in heaven’s joy at these salvations.