The Parable of the Lost Sheep

3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

{TITLE: “THE PARABLE OF THE LOST SHEEP”}

The Shepherd’s Love

Jesus begins teaching by asking a question:

Luke 15:4 KJV 1900

4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

Jesus knew the people he was talking to. He knew that the relevance of this story would resonate with them. They were aware of a shepherd’s relationship with his flock. And Jesus knew that this was the perfect way to show how big God’s love is.

Jesus’ Audience

Jesus didn’t only have followers present for His teaching. Some were sinners and unbelievers. A diverse audience. Even self-righteous religious leaders.

You know, you never know who is going to show up at church. And the gospel is for all people, regardless of their past.

I’ve always found it pretty amazing how that many different people can hear a sermon and each take away a little different message. We feel we have been spoken to personally, several of us, at once! God’s Word is able to reach many needs in a crowd from just one message!

This crowd included acknowledged sinners. And these self-righteous people who were flaunting how religious they were. But something I notice… Jesus never turned any of them away.

The Shepherd Loves Every Sheep

This parable tells us that the Good Shepherd loves every person.

There are lots of things that will prevent us from loving people:

Their history

Personality clashes

Cultural and lifestyle differences

I could go on and on… but as long as that list gets, there’s not a one of those things that will cause God to stop loving a person. It’s unwavering!

Doesn’t matter how deep into sin a person has fallen - God reaches into the lowest depths to lift them up, if they’ll let Him.

Doesn’t matter how hateful someone is toward God or how many times they have raised an angry fist toward heaven and said He doesn’t exist.

He still loves and draws each person to Himself.

And He loves everyone with the same passion.

I’ve heard this quote (I don’t know where exactly it came from). It’s been popping up a lot lately. I like it a lot: “God love you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to leave you that way.”

Acts 2:37–40 KJV 1900

37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

In verse 38, it took Peter 29 words to tell them the plan of salvation… but it’s very clear in verse 40 that it took “many other words” in order to become saved from this untoward generation!

Sometimes people get to thinking that the one experience they had in the presence of God is enough to sail them through into glory. The problem with that is 2 Corinthians 5:17:

2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV 1900

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

It’s speaking of a process: on the potter’s wheel, being molded into the ideal YOU in the eyes of God. A process that lasts far beyond that first moment in the altar!

Let me tell you… the Lord has matured me in the Spirit greatly even in the last couple of years. Things I thought were so important 10 years ago have become far less important as the Lord has given me better spiritual sight!

How about this one:

Ephesians 4:22–24 KJV 1900

22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

The “new man” is “created” - he’s not just snapped into existence!

With God, it’s a process!

He’s not interested in a one-time date with you (your date of salvation)! He’s not interested in a “fling!” What He wants to do is spend a lifetime CHANGING YOU!!!

1 Corinthians 3:1–3 KJV 1900

1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

Hebrews 5:12–14 ESV

12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

How have you been changed by God in the last month? You should be able to answer that question!

Lookee here: When a baby is born, it can’t get up and walk on its own. Can’t do anything at all. So if it’s going to go anywhere, you’re going to have to help. I stand to testify: the baby fills up the diaper… and the baby WILL NOT change its own diaper.

But with all of that inability, we don’t look at the baby and say, “There’s something wrong with it!” ...All of this is natural! It’s expected! It’s part of starting out!

BUT… if the child is 15… and you’re still changing the diaper… WE’VE GOT A PROBLEM. Something IS wrong!

And I just wonder if sometimes God looks on people and says, “Something is wrong!”

I’m telling you this morning… there is a danger out there… you can check out of your growth and check into your spiritual easychair. God help us! You got to shake yourself into realization today.

What do we have to do? Hear this scripture:

2 Corinthians 3:18 KJV 1900

18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Step into the process of growth! It’s line upon line - precept upon precept! Prayer upon prayer, praise upon praise… and He changes us into something new!

He extends grace to change us. He loves us enough to change us!

Jesus Loves Me

The message within this parable is that Jesus is assuring us of just how much He loves us.

He knows our intentions and our passionate desires (whether they’re good desires or bad ones). Yet, nothing separates us from His love for us.

I may have moments when I question God, fight against Him… I might even turn away from Him… but He isn’t going anywhere! As soon as we reach for Him, He’s there!

Romans 8:38–39 KJV 1900

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Some Sheep Are Lost

Sheep Who Wander

So… about this sheep. Let’s sort of just transport ourselves out on the plain for a moment.

Here’s this flock of sheep. The shepherd is leading them where they are to go. He knows the way. And as a body, they follow Him. But there’s one sheep who we notice has something odd going on. It could be that he was spooked and started running from some imagined danger or maybe he was just feeding on this patch of grass that started leading away.

Nonetheless, without even realizing it, this sheep has separated from the rest of the flock. And before long, it has travelled quite a distance from the group before it’s found out that he’s gone.

I don’t know how it makes you feel, but it grieves my heart when people walk away from God. Temptations of this world take ahold, and they walk right away. And it hurts.

And when that happens, and someone has walked away, we need to pray for them.

Now, I don’t know why people sometimes have a tribal mentality about things like this. It’s not that we in the Church are the good guys and those who are lost or backslid are the bad guys. I’m not going to sit here and talk them down and act self-righteous and avoid them - NO. That’s an incorrect perspective.

The right perspective is the eternal one. And that’s that: they aren’t on the other team because they’re lost… they’re going to go to hell if they’re lost. And that type of perspective should change my actions:

I’m not going to talk them down behind their back - I’m gonna reach out to them and encourage them!

I’m not going to be self-righteous - that’s my brother and sister!

I’m not going to avoid them at all costs - they’re lost, and I want them to return!

THEY’RE NOT THE BLACK SHEEP - THEY’RE THE LOST SHEEP!

2 Peter 3:9 KJV 1900

9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God’s not willing that anyone should perish. Neither should we be! I need a healthy desire to see someone’s restoration!

Let me tell you something: if you see them come in the doors on a Sunday morning and they haven’t showed up in a month - I don’t care if it’s been a year - don’t go giving them a guilt trip about it. Talkin’ about, “Where’ve you been?!” And “Look at this stranger!”

I repeat: THEY ARE NOT THE BLACK SHEEP! THEY’RE THE LOST SHEEP!

Make them feel loved and like they belong. They know they haven’t been here without us reminding them. You just encourage and do what you can to help them come into the flock.

And the closer you are to the flock, the harder it is to get lost. Remember that. I know I’ve mostly talked about backsliders today, but I want to talk about our own situation as well…

That sheep became ISOLATED. So hear this: you can’t be “in the Church” and be isolated. That’s a contradiction. Don’t get isolated. Be present. Gain strength from the flock!

And if they’re isolated, we want to un-isolate them! ISOLATION is a symptom of someone being lost. We can’t let it also be a symptom of when they return!

Don’t let them be isolated! Go help them grow!

And I know it can be grieving to see lost people. But God is always going to go to great lengths to bring them back!

Irreplaceable Sheep

Luke 15:4 KJV 1900

4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

So now we have a Shepherd who notices the sheep isn’t present, and he starts a search.

Let me toss you a little hypothetical… it would be ridiculous and goofy, if after realizing he had a missing sheep, the Shepherd went and purchased a replacement sheep for the one that was lost.

A new sheep doesn’t have the history with the Shepherd like the one that wandered away.

The relationship between the sheep and the Shepherd enhances the value of that one lost sheep.

That sheep is part of a community.

The sheep’s time with the Shepherd is invaluable.

To the Shepherd, that one sheep is valued as much as all the other sheep.

The one lost sheep is IRREPLACEABLE to the shepherd and worth the time and effort put into the search. Which is why you see such a dramatic search happening. What kind of search? He leaves the rest, and he doesn’t stop looking until the lost sheep is found.

The seriousness of the search is determined by how much the Shepherd values the sheep. And I’m going to tell you: GOD VALUES THE LOST! AND WE SHOULD TOO!

The sheep is irreplaceable. I’m thankful that God doesn’t just replace me with another when I make a bad decision or get distracted. His love for me compels Him to work hard to pull me back!

Jesus Loved Me, Even When I Was Lost

Before I ever knew Him, He loved me.

Before I even was, He loved me.

When I was lost, He loved me.

As I’m saved, He loves me.

It’s really all a love story: manifesting Himself in flesh, dying on a cross, being raised up, giving me power, returning for me one day, being with me in eternity… it’s a story of His love!

It can be hard to comprehend the depth of that love sometimes.

Ephesians 3:16–21 KJV 1900

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

The Shepherd’s Search

The Shepherd Rejoices

So, when this Shepherd finds this lost sheep, what happens?

Luke 15:5–6 KJV 1900

5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

There is a rejoicing that happens!

Now, he knew that the 99 were safe, so he had no need to celebrate them. But this one that was now coming back in - that’s a cause for celebration! It could have been lost forever, or something could have happened to its life!

Celebration was in order!

I Will Rejoice When Any Lost Sheep Are Found

Now, when someone comes back to God, it’s a beautiful thing.

But, it’s human nature that we sometimes observe situations with skepticism. We start analyzing everything. And analyzing is not always a bad thing. God gave you that ability.

But there’s this thing called “analysis paralysis.” And there are some people who are stuck in it. I had to be delivered from it.

And I’ll tell you emphatically that if you’re going to stay in your mind about things and analyze and skepticize and mull over your thoughts and opinions about things - you’re never going to be able to operate in the spiritual realm - because the things God does can’t be explained!

We have to put on the mind of Christ! How does He think? I’ll tell you: no matter how many times people come to the altar, ask for forgiveness, and walk away into their old lives, God will meet them there and forgive them!!!

They may only live in the moment, and when they leave, those same temptations trip them up again. But if God doesn’t give up no them, neither should we! We should hope every time is the time that they allow God to permanently take hold of them!

Luke 15:7 KJV 1900

7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

We may as well join the response of all of heaven! If I’m over here sour and skeptical, I’m swimming against the tide of all of heaven! And frankly, I NEED TO REPENT, MYSELF!

We should be filled with joy, no matter what! And maybe our love and celebration will one day be the encouragement that person needs to move into a better life. Maybe what moves them will be our authenticity, our trustworthiness, and our love. And the lost sheep decides it’s never going to be lost again!

Conclusion

The Ethiopian Eunuch

Philip was preaching to masses of people and seeing awesome results.

All of the sudden, an angel tells him to go to the desert. One lost man was there, in the desert. An Ethiopian eunuch.

He was sitting in a chariot, and in his lap was the book of Isaiah. The Bible says that the Spirit told Philip: “Go to him, get in the chariot.” And Philip ran! When he got there, the man was reading the scriptures and Philip asked him if he understood it. He said he needed someone’s help to understand. He needed a Bible study!

Acts 8:32–35 KJV 1900

32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. 34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

Here was a real lost sheep. And God set this whole moment up to bring him into the flock.

Bro. Parmley preached to us about the spiritual lepers in our path.

Addicted

Chained

Without hope

I want to tack on today that there are also some spiritual eunuchs out there.

Humiliated

Cast aside

Past is dark

Broken

And they need someone to guide them.

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