Faith That Comes Home

Text: Luke 15:1–10 Main Point: Faith that comes home is found in Jesus—who seeks the lost, restores the broken, and invites even the faithful back to joy.

Introduction - The Missing Piece

You've been there — sitting at the table, working on a puzzle. Hours of work. The picture is almost complete… until you realize one piece is missing. You check under the table. You shake out the box. You even look in the couch cushions. It's just one piece — but without it, the whole picture feels wrong.

That's how God sees people. Not as extras. Not as background. But as essential pieces of His masterpiece. And when one goes missing, He doesn't shrug and move on. He searches with the relentless love of a parent who's lost a child.

The religious leaders are watching Jesus eat with tax collectors and sinners, and they're disgusted. Tax collectors were Jews who collected taxes for Rome—seen as traitors and thieves. Sinners were people who openly violated religious law. To the Pharisees, Jesus was contaminating Himself by associating with society's moral failures.

"This man receives sinners and eats with them." (Luke 15:2, ESV)

In their culture, sharing a meal meant acceptance, fellowship, even endorsement. They can't understand why the supposed Messiah would waste His time with people they've written off as spiritually hopeless.

So Jesus tells them two stories that will completely overturn their understanding of God's heart. In Luke 15, verses 1-10, Jesus reveals exactly what His Father's heart looks like when something precious is missing. Faith that comes home is found in Jesus—who seeks the lost, restores the broken, and invites even the faithful back to joy.

Let's read our text together—Luke 15, verses 1 through 10.

[Prayer of illumination]

I. Jesus Seeks with Relentless Love

Jesus responds to the religious leaders' criticism with His first story. Listen to what He says about God's heart for the lost:

"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? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' 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." (Luke 15:4-7, ESV)

The religious leaders are thinking:

"That's bad math, Jesus. You risk ninety-nine for one?"

But Jesus is revealing something revolutionary: God's love doesn't operate by human economics. Every single soul has infinite worth to Him.

Here's what makes this so radical: In ancient Palestine, shepherds were hired hands, not owners. A hired shepherd who lost even one sheep would have to pay the owner back—often a month's wages or more. But Jesus describes a shepherd so committed to each sheep that he's willing to risk everything for one.

Think about it—a sheep doesn't get lost on purpose. It wanders, following its nose, chasing the next patch of grass, until suddenly it looks up and realizes:

"I don't know where I am."

The terrain all looks the same. Night is falling. Predators are prowling. The sheep is completely helpless to save itself.

Sound familiar? That's exactly how sin works in our lives. We don't usually wake up one morning and decide to wreck our lives. We make small compromises, follow small temptations, drift slowly away from what we know is right—until one day we wake up lost, afraid, and unable to find our way back home.

In 2010, thirty-three men were trapped 2,300 feet underground for 69 days in the Chilean mines. The world watched as rescuers drilled through solid rock, working around the clock. When someone asked why they didn't give up, the answer was simple:

"Because they're still down there."

No one said,

"We've saved enough people this year."

That's the heart of Jesus. He doesn't stop until the lost are found. He doesn't get tired of searching. He doesn't say,

"I've already saved enough people."

But here's what's stunning: When He finds you, He doesn't scold you for wandering. He doesn't make you walk back on your own.

"he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing."

The word "rejoicing" here is the Greek "chairōn"—He's celebrating as He carries you home.

This is the gospel in action. Jesus didn't just come to show us God's love—He came to pay the price for our wandering. Every step we took away from God was a step toward death and judgment. But on the cross, Jesus took the punishment we deserved for being lost. He died the death of the spiritually lost so that every wandering soul could be carried home—not as criminals paying a debt, but as beloved children welcomed to the family table. The shepherd doesn't just find the sheep—he carries it home. Jesus doesn't just forgive us—He carries us into the presence of God. We don't have to earn our way back. We don't have to prove we've changed. We simply have to let ourselves be found and carried by the One who never stopped searching.

But Jesus isn't done. He tells a second story to make sure they understand—this isn't just about wandering sheep. This is about the value of every single soul.

II. Jesus Seeks with Determined Purpose

Now Jesus switches from a shepherd in the fields to a woman in her home. Different setting, same heart:

"Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15:8-10, ESV)

She has ten silver coins—each one a drachma, worth about a day's wages. These aren't pocket change—they represent a significant portion of her wealth, possibly even her life savings or dowry.

And one goes missing.

Notice what she does: lights a lamp, sweeps the house, searches carefully. Palestinian homes had small windows and dirt floors. Finding a silver coin would require lighting an oil lamp to illuminate dark corners, then systematically sweeping, listening for the telltale clink of metal against the floor. This isn't casual looking—this is turning the house upside down, moving every piece of furniture, checking every crack and crevice.

Why such intensity? Because she knows exactly what she's lost, and she knows exactly what it's worth. The coin doesn't know it's lost—it has no consciousness, no ability to call out for help. It's completely passive, completely dependent on the woman's determination to find it.

In 1980, master violinist Roman Totenberg finished a concert in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He left his most prized possession—a 1734 Stradivarius violin worth millions—in his office while he greeted well-wishers. When he returned, it was gone. For 35 years, this priceless instrument sat silent, hidden away while Totenberg searched desperately for it until his death. When the FBI finally recovered the violin in 2015, Totenberg's daughters didn't lock it away in a vault for safekeeping. They immediately gave it to master violinists around the world. Why? Because a Stradivarius wasn't created to sit silent in darkness—it was crafted by a master to make the most beautiful music possible.

That's what Jesus does with lost souls. He doesn't just find us and put us on a shelf. He restores us to the purpose we were created for. The cross paid for our lostness—every moment of separation from God, every consequence of our wandering. The empty tomb proves we're found forever—death itself cannot steal us from His hands. You're not damaged goods. You're a masterpiece that was redeemed by His blood and empowered by His Spirit to reflect His glory. Like that Stradivarius, you weren't created to sit silent in the darkness of shame or regret. You were created to make beautiful music with your life—to worship God and serve others from a heart overflowing with gratitude for grace.

Here's the progression Jesus wants them to see: The sheep was lost by wandering, so Jesus seeks those who've walked away from God. The coin was lost without knowing it, so Jesus seeks those who don't even realize they're spiritually lost. Both required relentless searching because God's pursuit of us never stops. Both ended in joyful celebration because Heaven throws a party every time someone is found.

So let me ask you directly: Who's your "one"? Someone came to mind just now, didn't they? That person at work who seems isolated. The family member who's pulled away. The neighbor you wave to but never really talk to. The friend who's walking through a hard season alone.

This week, take one simple step toward them. Not to fix them or convert them, but because grace compels you to seek them the way Jesus sought you. Send a text. Make a phone call. Show up with coffee or a meal. Ask a real question and then actually listen to the answer.

Here's the key: You can do this because grace has already found you. You're not earning God's love by seeking others—you're sharing the love you've already received. The same grace that found you now flows through you to seek others.

But here's what the religious leaders missed—and what we sometimes miss too. The seeking is just the beginning. When Jesus finds us, He doesn't just forgive us. He transforms the entire story by inviting everyone into something beautiful.

III. Jesus Invites Everyone to the Celebration

Look again at both endings. The shepherd:

"calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.'" (Luke 15:6, ESV)

The woman:

"calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.'" (Luke 15:9, ESV)

Jesus is painting a picture of community celebration. When someone comes home to God, it's not a private moment—it's a party that involves everyone. But here's the challenge for the Pharisees and for us: Will you join the party, or will you stand outside criticizing the guest list?

The Heart Check: When someone else experiences God's grace, what's your first reaction? Joy or judgment? Celebration or comparison? The religious leaders saw tax collectors and sinners getting close to Jesus, and they grumbled. They missed the celebration because they were focused on who "deserved" to be there.

Think about the 1999 Women's World Cup when the U.S. team won in dramatic fashion on penalty kicks. The stadium erupted in celebration. But imagine if one player refused to join the victory lap because she didn't score the winning goal. She'd miss the joy of the team's victory because she was too focused on herself.

Some of us are that player. We've been faithful, but we've forgotten how to celebrate when others find their way home. We've been serving, but we've lost sight of the joy. Jesus says:

"there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15:10, ESV)

Heaven doesn't grumble about grace—heaven celebrates it.

Here's the challenge: When someone else experiences God's breakthrough, will you celebrate or compare? When God blesses them, will you rejoice or resent? The same grace that saved you is at work in others. Let that grace flow through you into genuine celebration.

The gospel truth: This is only possible when you're secure in His grace toward you. Grace received becomes grace extended. You can celebrate others because your identity isn't threatened—it's anchored in Christ's finished work.

Conclusion - The Invitation for Everyone

Two stories, one heart. Jesus is showing us that our God is a seeking God. He's not waiting in heaven, tapping His foot, wondering when we'll finally get our act together. He's actively pursuing, searching, seeking.

To the wanderer who feels too far gone: You're the sheep Jesus left heaven to find. He didn't just risk the ninety-nine—He gave His life so you could come home. You're not too lost, too broken, too far away. The cross proves how far He'll go to bring you back.

To the lost who don't even know it: You're the coin that's precious enough that God gave His Son to redeem you. Jesus knows exactly where you are and paid the ultimate price to restore your value.

To the faithful who've forgotten how to celebrate: Stop standing outside the party. The same grace that saved you is saving others. Come inside and join the joy—not because you've earned it, but because grace enables it.

Faith that comes home is found in Jesus—who seeks the lost, restores the broken, and invites even the faithful back to joy.

Here's our call as a church: Let's be people who search relentlessly, celebrate wildly, and invite everyone to the party—not because we're good enough, but because grace has made us searchers, grace enables us to celebrate, and grace compels us to invite. We love because He first loved us. We seek because He first sought us.

The question isn't whether God loves you. The question is: Will you let yourself be found? (pause for effect)

Think back to that puzzle at the beginning. When the missing piece is finally found and put in place, the whole picture becomes complete and beautiful. That's what happens when someone comes home to God—not just for them, but for all of us. We're all part of God's masterpiece, and every person who comes home makes the whole picture more beautiful.

Amen.