Arise to Know God

Story

Many years ago there was an annual event in Balboa Park, here in the beautiful City of San Diego, called Christmas at the Prado. It used to be called that, and now it is called December Nights. You have to go back to a time in our lives when the word Christmas didn’t seem to trigger so many people to remember it buy its former name, Christmas at the Prado.

Back when I was about 13 years old my family went to Christmas at the Prado and there are thousands of thousands of people there… It’s got crowds about the size of a busy day at Disneyland. My family was there, the 6 of us, it was my parents and my three brothers, and Jordan, my youngest brother at the time is probably 4 or at most 5 years old.

Well, we we’re walking around Balboa Park my parents noticed that Jordan was no longer with the group. He had walked off, and there was this sudden moment when my parents are looking at me and my brothers and asking, where is Jordan?

Quickly my Dad mobilized me and my older brother and sends us off to look for him. He gives us specific instructions because this is all pre-cell phone, and the last thing he needs is another kid getting lost and he can’t track us down.

So my brother and I are off and running around the park trying to find him, and my parents go off and they try to find him and it’s tense…

Have any of you ever lost a small child in a very crowded place?

So you understand… that feeling is a pit in your stomach and you are trying to do everything you can to get that child back into your arms.

Eventually my Dad was able to find him and we all regrouped together as a family.

Jordan was lost and did a very responsible thing of just standing by a tree in the park that we had passed by as a family, thinking that we would retrace our steps and eventually find him.

But when my Dad found him he was crying, he was scared, and it was a bit of an emotional moment for my brother.

Topic

This morning I want to share with you that this moment, this urgency of finding my brother, is a bit of what it must feel like for our heavenly father.

We here today are gathered together, and celebrating the New Year together, as children who were once lost and are now found.

Come on, is there anyone here who was once lost, but now found?

But now that we are found, do we have a sense of urgency for our loved ones who are far from God. Our neighbor who is far from God. Our barber, hair stylist, the barista you know on a first name basis…

Need

Imagine for a second if on that day, when we discovered that my brother was missing, that my Dad would have looked at me, and my older brother, and my younger brother and thought; well 3 out of 4 ain’t bad…

Of course not!

No parent does that…

If they are missing a child they will move heaven and earth to find that one child.

In the same way, I know that our heavenly father feels that way. And, like my Dad mobilized me and my older brother to help find our lost little brother, I believe God is trying to mobilize us to go and find his other lost sons and daughters.

Preview

And today we’re going to look at God’s heart for his lost children, and also for his found children.

Because if there is one thing that I want to get right in this New Year, is that I am chasing after His heart more than I am chasing after the desires of my heart.

[Transition]

Text

I want us to read the words of Jesus in Luke 15 this morning.

Luke 15:3–7 NIV

Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Arise to Know God

In this passage of scripture Jesus is speaking to a group of Pharisees.

The Pharisees were a group of religious elite who were known for strict adherence to the Jewish law, and also known to add to the law some of their own interpretations of the law.

This group was the group that most often opposed Jesus.

They were gate keeping their religion and you were either a par of their in group, or you were not.

As you read through the Bible you will see that Jesus had his sharpest rebukes for this group of people because though they knew the letter of the law, they often missed the spirit of the law.

So what was the spirit of the law and why does it matter to us today?

Because I believe Jesus shows us that what he wanted then, is what he wants today, and that is for people who are far from God to Know God.

And even though this group was the religious elite, they were way off task.

Parents, Have you ever had a moment when you needed your child to be doing something really important and you give them very clear instructions on what to do, and when you come back to check up on them you find them doing anything but the thing you asked them to do?

There’s been times when I’m telling my sons - you’re going to take your shower, then you’re going to brush your teeth, you’re going to then read in your bed, and then you’re going to sleep.

When I walk into the room I find them only half undressed, reorganizing their Funko Pops while singing the 67 song.

So then I believe you can relate…

So this passage was Jesus’ way of saying to them you are missing the point!

You are so distracted by being the gate keepers of religion that I’ve got children out there who are lost and you aren’t helping me find them.

Let’s look at how Jesus articulates that point to them.

Jesus Leaves the Ninety-Nine

Said differently Jesus will go and search for them.

I know that there are times that people will say, “When I found Jesus…” but the truth is you didn’t find Jesus, Jesus found you.

He maneuvered things in your life so that you would get to a place so that you would meet him.

I know it seems illogical for a shepherd to leave the ninety-nine, and maybe there is some hyperbole to what he is saying, but you need to see His heart for those who are far from him.

I think that what can happen is that when we come to faith, we tighten our circles so that eventually we run out of people in our lives who are far from God.

We have to be intentional to not only see who God has already placed in our lives, but we have to be more intentional about reaching them.

Even as we begin our fast this evening, let me remind you that we have these Impact Cards. Grab one of these on your way out and put the name of one person, or maybe even a few more, and pray for them.

Because here is a har question I want you to sit with… Are you actively praying for someone who is far from God right now?

Or, have you made all of your prayers only about you?

Don’t stop praying for them. Don’t stop showing up for them. Don’t stop inviting them.

Jesus Carries the Lost Back Home

Jesus describes what it is like to bring the lost back home and he describes it as carrying them back home.

There is a “lift” involved. There is care involved. There is the imagery that this lost one has been wounded and it’s not simply just walking with them, but carrying them when necessary.

Whether we care to admit it or not, we’ve all had to be carried at some point in our life.

I think this is why the critique towards the Pharisees was so heavy. They forgot about where they came from. they forgot about their low place. They forgot what it was like to not just be far from God, but to be wounded.

Have you heard the saying, “Hurt People, Hurt People”?

Well, I also believe that, “Found people find people.”

We’re not just going to be intentional about praying for people, but when God starts opening that door we’re going to be there to minister to them.

We’re going to be there to care for them.

We’re going to open our hearts, our stories, our homes and allow these things to be used by God to help someone who is hurting and trying to find their way back home.

A tension I’m going to ask you to sit with… Resist the urge to make everything about us.

The more time we are in our Father’s House we start to develop our likes, and our wants, and in that process, we make all of this about us.

All of this is for Him!

And we need a heart that looks like His.

Jesus Celebrates Their Return

At the end of Jesus’ story he lets us into how he feels, and it is a party.

Jesus celebrates the return of his lost children, and then once more uses imagery to say that he is over the top for the one who repents, than the 99 who just stand around wanting everything to be about them…

Within this story, not only do I see a clear call for all of us to be more intentional about bringing people who are far from God into relationship with him, but I also see a warning to not become like the 99 self-righteous.

Conclusion Develop your Closeness With God

We are all on a spiritual journey. Some of us are a little further than the others, but please hear what I am about to say next… None of us have arrived at our destination.

We are all together on this side of heaven trying to become more like Jesus one day at a time.

I want each of you to set these three goals for your life in 2026:

Spend More Time With God

Have a place - there should be an intentional space in your home that is ‘your space’. It is where you go to be with God and it’s intentional.

Have a time - you make time for the people you care about; the same with God. Devotion is not when you get around to it, but you make an appointment on your calendar to meet with God.

Have a plan - the Bible app has so may plans for you to follow, but if you need a daily Bible reading plan head over to Pastor Manny Arango’s daily Bible reading plan and his YouTube page for daily devotionals. It’s called the Bible Department.

Read Your Bible Daily

This is just a tag back to what I just said, but here’s why this matters so much.:

Studies, particularly from the Center for Bible Engagement (CBE) and , show that people engaging with the Bible four or more times a week experience , including less loneliness and pornography use, more faith-sharing and discipleship, lower anger, and reduced feelings of spiritual stagnation, with the impact becoming much more pronounced at this frequency compared to less frequent engagement.

Grow in Your Prayer Life

In your quiet time, set a timer for prayer… start with something achievable, like 5 mins, and then grow from there.

We have prayer guides that we can point you to that you can literally just read through in your prayer time.

Give yourself the grace and the space to grow in prayer. Reading prayer is OK!

You will eventually grow into a prayer life that is like air to your lungs.

Call

As we head into our fast, I want to open up these altars to anyone who is beginning their fast to come and have a moment of surrender and commitment. This is a way to begin your fast, and make this a sacred season in your life to know God deeper and grow into his plans for you.