A Shepherds Love for Lost Sheep.

If you have a bible open it up to Matthew 18. I have titled the message this morning. A shepherds Love for Lost Sheep.

Lets read the text together this morning. Matthew 18:10–14 “10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”

A comforting and yet challenging text is it not.

A Shepherds love for lost sheep shows us that every sheep matters to God and should matter to us, and because of that we should pursue lost sheep just as our good shepherd does.

Thats your main idea here

Now before I move on let me talk about verse 11 or a lack of it especially from the esv.. This is a textual variant meaning its not found in alot of the modern transcripts and what people believe happened is they looked at Luke 19:10 “10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”” and inserted that instead of leaving it out like most manuscripts do. ( Side note does not impact the meaning of scripture or this text but you need to know those sort of things especially in a world full of skeptics ..

Now with that said..The first point is this.

God values all people.

Notice that Jesus says See that you do not despise one of these little ones.. Jesus does not want us to look down on those who are vulnerable or different from us. We have a tendency to look down on sheep ( people ) that are different from us. That is not what we are called to do in fact we are to see people as they truly are made in the image of God. Everyone is valued equally when we see that we are made in his Image.

What makes us different from all else in creation is that we are made in the very image of God. Genesis 1 and not only that in chapter 2 of Genesis we see that God himself breathed life into his creation of man. So because of those truths we are valued by God in this unique way and in turn we should value others even those who are quote in quote little ones or vulnerable. In fact we should see others how God sees them, and treat others as such that is an amen or ouch huh?

and Jesus seems to emphasize that truth as he is speaking by saying For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. There is a-lot of thoughts on that part of the verse. And how does it relate to God valuing all his people, well first let me say this.. This part of the verse is where we get the idea of everyone having a guardening angel. And while that is a cool thought the bible never addresses that idea. But you see in scripture in multiple places angels doing the work of God. For example in the book of Acts you see an angel rescue Peter while he is in prison in the book of the Daniel an angel closes the mouth of Lions.

Hebrews 1:14 “14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”

I like what one man said… To use a basketball analogy, we might think of angels as providing "zone coverage" rather than "man-to-man" marking.

You may wonder why the Bible's teaching on angels is important. Consider: if the Father has angelic attendants that He sends out to serve and protect His children, then how much more should we love His children? That is, if God cares enough about His children to command angels to attend to their needs, how can we remain indifferent to our fellow believers?

God values all people so should we. which leads to my next point.

God pursues those who get lost, and rejoices when they are found.

I love that truth. And in verse 12 you see these three characters. The 99 sheep, the 1 sheep, and the man who is the good shepherd which we know or should know that is Jesus.

99 plus 1 is 100 and the 100 here in the text represents what the church saved people. AND in this illustration the 99 are doing well they are not back sliding they are following God they are staying in the fold listening to the shepherd this is the church I hope to be in including myself in this 99 one day. These are Christians who are not like we studied last week they are doing the right things killing sin. Doing the Lords work. But one of those 100 goes away they stray .. They would be known in our circles a backslider or a wayward child. This one sheep along the way though thought to himself or herself I don’t need a shepherd. I dont need the other sheep I can do things myself. So what happens to that sheep it goes missing it falls into sin its in real danger, and so what happens does the Shepherd leave that sheep, and say well I got 99. Pretty good % no he leaves the 99 to search for the one. Moving up and the down the mountains to find that one.

In that area sheep got lost all the time. You look at the landscape over there and you see valley after valley, hill after hill, all kinds of places the sheep could take a wrong step and be done for or get stuck. They would get eaten by other animals, stuck in bushes all kinds of things. And these shepherds learned the area so they could save the lost sheep.

Listen to this.. The people of Jesus’ day understood the relationship between shepherds and sheep, but the significance of a shepherd going in search of one lost sheep is sometimes lost on us. It seems strange that a shepherd would leave his flock to search for one missing sheep. We might consider the shepherd leaving the 99 to find the 1 this way: a father and his five children are asleep in their home when the smoke detectors go off. The father awakens to find his house filled with smoke and the sound of flames and crackling timber coming nearer. Panicked, he races to his children’s bedrooms and begins to rouse them. Calling to some and carrying others, he stumbles down the stairs and out the front door. He deposits the sleepy children on the grass a safe distance away and then turns. Gasping for air, he squints through the smoke to count kids: “Tim, Sally, Angel, Jojo—where’s Lilly!” He is missing his youngest, three-year-old Lilly. Four children are safe, one is not. What will this father do? ( he does not say well 80 percent are here ) God is a Father. He counts His kids. He rejoices that some are safely in Christ, prepared for eternity and nestled near His heart. But some are missing. He says where is lilly? The Father sent Jesus on a rescue mission “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). God does not abandon the 99. They are already safely in His kingdom, attended by His angels, and guided by His Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14; Hebrews 13:5). But His heart aches for those not yet in the fold. So the Good Shepherd pursues the lost sheep, woos them, calls to them, and allows circumstances into their lives designed to make them look up. It is often in the bleakest of circumstances that we finally surrender our demands to have our own way. We finally submit to our Shepherd, who carries us back to the fold (Luke 15:5). In John 10, Jesus refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd, saying, “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd” (verses 16–17). T He also says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” The 99 are still important to Him, but He knows the flock is not complete without the lost sheep. And a good shepherd always goes after the lost sheep.

Even in my study I was reminded just how much God pursues what is lost. In Luke’s gospel, two other parables follow the one about the one lost sheep, and both of them reinforce Jesus’ main point, which is the value of individuals. The parable of the lost coin (Luke 15:8–10) and the parable of the lost son, also known as the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32), continue the theme of God as a pursuer of lost people. We were all lost at one time, and the Lord came after us. If He had not taken the initiative, no one could be saved (John 6:44). So, when our Good Shepherd wants to pursue another lost lamb, the 99 who are in the fold can joyfully support the rescue.

What Love God has for us that he would seek out those who are lost to bring them into the fold.

Remember what Matthew 18:14 “14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”

And if its Gods own will that one of his sheep will not perish should it not be our own as well. That the sheep who are in this fold, and have left the fold be brought back to us.

Lets think about how this applies directly to us. Reading this I can relate to as pastor. It says.. Over the years I have seen some of the deepest pain in the eyes of Christian parents whose children have gone astray. They doubt themselves and the reality of their own faith. Why did they not have more influence on their children? They feel guilty about their parenting, wondering whether they should have been stricter, or more lenient. Should they have forced their children into more church participation, or less? Their children may be highly successful in their careers or education, but without any Christian orientation, how different are they than any other pagan?

What of their eternal destiny? What about the influence on the grandchildren? It is this kind of parent who understands the joy and sorrow that the shepherd in the parable evinces over the wayward sheep that is found. These parents do not love less or take less joy in their children who have not gone astray; they grieve the loss, spiritually, of their wayward child.

Such parents illustrate the necessity of mutual accountability within the community of disciples. A parent will almost certainly never give up on a willful child, and we within the community must not give up on other brothers and sisters in Christ. They need to know that we love them and will continue to pursue them. We need to know the limits within which they will allow us to operate, but we must continue to pursue.

In my own family I have seen people I have been close to go down dark paths full of all kinds of sin some to never seek the Lord again and some to return to him.

Even read this story about a pastor whose own brother went astray into the dark path of homosexuality after he had been walking with Jesus for only a year or two. When he left, I couldn’t understand him, and I almost rejected him. But I continued to pray. After nearly fifteen years I learned how best to reach him. I stopped condemning him and said I would love him regardless of his choices. Two years later he died in an AIDS hospice house. I held him and cried during his final tragic moments, but in a broken whisper he thanked me for loving him and never giving up on him. I believe that the loving Lord Jesus reached down and restored him, because my brother displayed a deep sorrow and repentance at the end. I’ll never know for sure in this life, but I do know that he taught me never to give up on those who have gone astray. ( listen to what he said ) I may not get the results that I want, but we are nevertheless responsible for the accountability that we have for each other.

One more point to think about as we continue this message..

Christians are called to pursue those who backslide or wander-away.

This can be hard as a Pastor or a Christian in general and if I am honest without the help of God and seeing that God does the same I think many of us would be satisfied that we had 99 sheep to begin with or 50 or 60 sheep, but the reality is as I read you those stories is we all have atleast one who is out of the 99. Man when you think about you may have more than 1 or 2 or 3 you may have 50 or hundreds of people who for one reason or another have decided I dont want to be in the fold of God I dont want to be his sheep I want to do things my own way, and for one reason or another God has put you in their life.

Church there are no accidents with God, and often times while God does the work in others lives he sends you to be that shepherd who is seeking the Lost. He sends you to be His light.

Sometimes we get to busy doing good Christian things and forget God has sent us here to make disciples after he rescues you from your sin you need to go into the business of seeking out those who need to be rescued. And those who knew God but left the fold. As the days go by I meet more and more people who know who Jesus is yet want nothing to do with his flock, and how can Agape Life fellowship be different we will welcome those who are not apart of the flock to become apart of it by loving and showing who Christ is. I believe God is working to save many more people then we can even Imagine and I believe he has placed us where he has in part so that we can be apart of seeking and saving the lost and helping bringing back those who were once in church back to the body of Christ.

But how do we do that? We devote ourselves to prayer. As the 99 we seek to pray for those who have said I don’t want God who say I dont believe in God orI want to do things my way or I believe in Jesus but not his church…The least we could do is pray for those who do not know Jesus and those who do know but need to come back.

We pursue them as already highlighted. We tell them about the good news of Jesus. Romans 10:9–15 “9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!””

That text alone should cause you to think about your 1 and say I need to tell them about Jesus. Look for gospel opportunities in fact pray for them, and they will find you.

And for those wonderers who do come back what ought we to do restore them. Not condemn them not to say o look who decided to show up finally though if we are honest we joke to much about that with our own sometimes but we will be happy they came why because heaven is rejoicing so should we. And for those who need restoration. Remove your old passions and pursuits and instead replace it with Christ. Renew your thoughts by being in the word and not the world, remember the work of Jesus on cross, and return your life back to him.

For those who are lost sheep today or those who have never become sheep there is good news for you.. News I have already shared but its worth sharing again.

John 10:1–18 ESV

1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

Jesus Christ the good shepherd came so you and I could have eternal life and those who are his sheep hear his voice either return to him or come to him and see that the thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy and i would add cause you to walk away from God but Jesus came so you can have eternal life and if you come to him you can be saved from your sin that makes you want to pursue everything but God but that does not mean you will never wander though but it does mean he in his love for you will always snatch you back up and take you into the fold.

So are you one of his sheep? Our you a wondering sheep or our you the 99. If you are not one of his sheep repent come to him by faith and be saved, if you are lost come back home we will welcome you restore you back so you can be under the shepherds care who is Christ, and 99 are you doing your part to protect the sheep, and pursue those who are lost. Let us pray.