“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the 
ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 
Luke 15:4

Recurrent Thought
The heart of the Father who seeks to find the lost, is supposed to be demonstrated by His followers

The Lost usually don’t realize that they are lost. Due to their situation the lost are neither clean nor presentable. But they are drawn to the Lord when shown the direction because they know he fulfils them.  Many religious people stumble on the fact that Jesus entertains the broken and the rejects of society. 

Chapter 15 is famously called the Chapter of three Lost things stressing the Sheep, Coin and Son. However, there are many other lost things in this chapter. We see Jesus shows the lost tax collectors and sinners but who had a sense of knowing where to go, to Jesus (Luke 15:1), He shows the religious lost, the Pharisees who rejected and loathed others they perceived lower than their ethical rating. We also see the older son of the Father to the Prodigal Son, who was lost while in the father’s house.  

In the stories of the Lost Things we see the heart of God that longs for the return of the Lost. It is the father who diligently searches for the one that is lost

Remember the Lost are the ones that are not yet in the kingdom of God. They have wandered aware and many ways do not know they are lost. Some terms used for this situation include: those living in darkness, non-believers in Jesus. 

In this message, we deal with the First Two Parables: The Lost Sheep & Lost Coin. They have few similarities 

• Both reveals how the owner loses one out of many
• Both reveal how the owner takes time to search for the one
• Both reveal how they are excited when they find the lost one

Three Truths about that the Joy that erupts in from time to time Heaven, in the presence of God

1.    We must Do All We can to Find the Lost
   • God made the first giant step in seeking the Lost
   • Rom 5:7  For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 
   • Rom 5:8  but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
   • In many ways God sets roadblocks on the road to hell with the hope that people may return home
   • Until the Spirit of God woos and convicts us, we can’t open our eyes to the possibility of his salvation
   • As given in this parables the Good Shepherd leaves the 99 to seek the one that is lost.
   • When Jesus speaks of the Parable, he implies that the Pharisees (and You) should actually be the Good Shepherd, that Good woman who seeks the coin,
   • Jesus in answering the Pharisees in way he says “You really don’t understand it! How can you remain quite when you have lost a precious thing from your collection? Do you just keep quite? You do all you can to find the lost one
   • Until He Finds it:  Notice the emphasis. He does not stop to search until he finds. The Good Shepherd searched for the sheep until it was found; the Woman who lost the coin searched until she found it (Luke 15:4, 8)
2. Repentance is the Essence of Being Found
   • In both the two parables the turning point is shown as repentance
   • When referring to the Lost Sheep in Luke 15: 7 states 
   • Luk 15:7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance
   • When referring to the Lost Coin in Luke
   • Luk 15:10  Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” 
   • Therefore, a Faith that does not have Repentance and acceptance of what Jesus did in our stead, is devoid of the true meaning of being found by Jesus
   • The Search light of Jesus causes the lost to accept their lostness, sinfulness and cry out to God for mercy
   • As we preach the message of Jesus ensure that the message of repentance is at the center of the Gospel
3. Finding the Lost is Exciting 
   • In all three parables there is expressed Joy when the lost is found.
   • The first two parables reveal that there is Joy in heaven when one person comes to repentance
   • Could it be we don’t understand the depth of the father’s love for us that we are never excited about new people coming to know him.
   • If the salvation of Souls brings Joy to heaven, why don’t we do all we can that many come to know our Father.
   •  The joy of heaven is shared Joy. You tell others about the Found. Herein lies the power of sharing the testimonies of our found joy in the Lord

Altar Time
     Count me Worth of being part of the Seekers of the Lost