Who's Your One Part 3 God Loves the One

Some probably have said well God knows who my one is; so I don't need to write it down, and that is just you being rebellious. In biblical days in the Jewish culture the first child was always dedicated to the Lord. What if the parent said well God knows that he will be; so whats the use?

It’s not that God doesn't know who the one is, it is that you are taking that one name and you are dedicating that one to bring them to the Lord.

I want to remind each one of us today that this is God’s plan of evangelism as outlined in Holy Scriptures. And you should participate in what the church is doing to reach others for the Gospel.

The first week we talked about that while we can’t do everything, we all can do something to grow the kingdom of God.

But first we must see that God is active in our lives before we can tell others of Him, then we must be ready to go where Jesus sends us.

Maybe it’s a family member, a friend, a neighbor coworker, we don’t have to go far, you don’t have to go across the country or the world. But once we have that one in mind, we then are to be intentional and focused on the one.

Then last week we spoke to that fact that we must be contributors just like those friends who brought the paralyzed man to Jesus. They contributed to their friend's forgiveness and healing. They were on a mission of one, they had obstacles, the took a risk to overcome the obstacles and placed their friend exactly where he needed to be and because of that they witnessed God at work because he was healed.

Having your one means that you are contributing to the Kingdom of God. Your mission is to get them to Jesus. You will have obstacles to overcome, BUT when you get your one to Jesus you will see an incredible miracle of the blind being able to see, death to life, one who was paralyzed by sin now able to walk in the Kingdom of God.

Well that brings us to today, you see God uses us to search out the one because He loves the one, just as He loves us.

If you have your Bible with you today and I hope that you do. If you do, open it to the book of Luke chapter 15.

Remember that Luke is the 3rd book of the New Testament. Matthew, Mark then Luke, Luke chapter 15 and when you get there let me know by saying “I Found it”.

Have you ever lost something that was extremely important to you? Did you search everywhere for it? And when all hope is lost you find it. Remember how happy you were? Maybe you lost your keys, ladies your purse, guys a wallet, a wedding ring, money, or maybe even a pet. I think we all have joy when we find things that have been lost and when we find them, we cannot help to rejoice because they are found.

I remember one time I lost me wife. I was very happy to have her back… I’m just kidding…..

In all seriousness Luke 15 is considered to be the lost and found chapter if you will, because it’s about finding things that are lost. This chapter is also what I like to call the parable chapter because it is all parables.

Now a parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels. And in this chapter, we find three of them. The lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son.

Well if you are there in Luke chapter 15 follow along with me from verse 1, this is the Word of God and it begins like this:

Luke 15:1-8

“Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying:

4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”

Now let’s look at the context of why Jesus is using these parables, Jesus has just spoke of the cost of following Him and in the last few words of chapter 14 He says “Anyone who has ears to hear should listen” then in verses 1-2 we find that “All the tax collectors and sinners were approaching to listen to Him. And the Pharisee and scribes were complaining”

Let me say this; there will always be those who would rather complain to God rather than listen to Him.

Now notice with me that Jesus was quite popular at this time so people from all walks of life would gather around Him as He spoke. He was like a spiritual magnet. Here we find that the people gathered around Jesus. Now notice that Luke puts the people in three categories; tax collectors, other sinners and the religious leaders (the Pharisee and scribes).

Now the tax collectors were Jewish men who worked for the Roman government. According the to Jews they were the worst of the worst sinners. They were despised by their own people because they were friends of the enemy and they were getting paid, some even rich through the unfair tax burdens that was placed on their fellow Jews.

The sinners however were Jews who did not keep the Mosaic Law and were looked down on by the Pharisees and scribes.

Both of these are outcasts in the religious community.

Therefore; the Pharisee and scribes began complaining about Jesus saying “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them”. They were making a fuss because Jesus claimed to be God and how could THE HOLY AND RIGHTEOUS GOD be seen with the likes of those people.

They were upset because Jesus was reaching to the lost, those who have been shut out of religion. It was these people who no one cared about that Jesus came into the world for. Remember Luke 19:10 from last week where Jesus states His mission? “For the Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost”. Now it is important for you to know that in Biblical times that the cultural norm was for people to cultivate relationships by gathering together and sharing a meal with them. And this is what we see that Jesus is doing.

WHICH BRINGS US TO THE TAKE HOME TRUTH.

OUR TAKE HOME TRUTH IS:

EVERY SAINT HAS A PAST, EVERY SINNER HAS A FUTURE, GOD LOVES US ALL.

God doesn’t just love the those saved ans sanctified, not just your one, He loves all the ones. All those who are lost and found.

Remember the three types of people that Jesus is speaking to here.

The tax collectors who everyone hated. Those who were rejected by their one people.

Then the sinners who were outcasts because they were rejected by the religious leaders.

The religious leaders themselves who are outcasts because they are not following God’s law and refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah.

Listen to me here: God loves all three of these types of people. And the truth is we have these three classes of people today and that is why Jesus is speaking to us in the same way today.

You can be can be saved and be just as lost as the religious leaders here in the scripture, denying that Jesus is the messiah.

If you are a believer and have ever looked down on someone because of their circumstances in life, or their because their economic situation or even because they don’t look like you, Jesus is speaking to you, if you are lost and without Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He is speaking to you as well. For those lost the initial relationship that brings salvation and for those of us who have salvation, He wants us to get closer to Him.

But here Jesus makes a stern point to the religious leaders that God loves all people lost or righteous.

And His focus is to find those lost sheep by leaving the 99 behind.

For us today we can equate that to leaving the safety net of the four walls of the church, using your everyday lives to find the one lost sheep.

Speaking of that today I want to share with you what I call the three lessons of the Sheppard.

The definition of a Shepard is: a person who tends, guides and guards flocks of sheep. Today pastors are referred to as a shepherd tending, guiding, protecting God’s flock.

But I want you to know today that you have your group of people and within that group is your one, who you are to tend, to protect and lead them the pasture of heaven.

So what are the three lessons of shepherd?

THE FIRST LESSON IS, THE SHEPHERD RISKS EVERYTHING TO FIND THE LOST ONE.

Look back with me at verse 4. “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?”

Jesus told this story, this parable so that each person could understand.

Everyone knew the fathers of the Old Testament were shepherds, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

God is commonly referred and called Himself; the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. There were also shepherds like Moses who lead Israel out of Egypt and David a shepherd boy who took down Goliath. They all knew who these shepherds were.

In biblical days shepherding sheep was a common job. Sheep provided wool, meat, milk, clothing and other essentials. They were also used as sacrifices for sin offerings, guilt offerings and peace offerings to God.

The Bible depicts the Shepherd as one who leads the sheep to pastures, protects them from wild animals, they guarded the flock at night, they also counted the sheep. They took care of the sheep and would often carry the weak sheep on their shoulders. So, Jesus asked this simple question- if you were a shepherd and you have 100 sheep, but when you counted there were only 99, would leave the 99 to go after the one?

Jesus shows us that this shepherd is motivated by his love, compassion and the concern over the one sheep’s life.

He knows that a lost sheep in the Judean wilderness was doomed. It had no protection and it would be only a short time before the coyotes or other predators would attack and kill it. A lost dog might eventually find its way home, but a lost sheep is unable to do so.

The shepherd takes action and he took a risk that he might leave the 99 gathered together in an open field in an attempt to find the lost one. To the shepherd that one sheep is just as important as the 99 that he left. The funny thing about sheep is they are as dumb as a box of rocks, but they are smart enough to know the shepherds voice. The shepherd would do whatever it took to find the lost sheep, He would leave the others behind, he would spend whatever time it took in whatever danger there was to find that sheep. He would seek the help of other shepherds in the area, he would search high and low and he would even risk his own life.

Folks listen to me the shepherd Jesus is referring to is Himself. The Bible records the words of Jesus in John 10 saying “I am the good Shepherd. I know My own sheep and they know Me, as the Father knows Me and I know the Father”

Jesus left heaven, He left His deity of being God to become born of a woman, to grow into a man and in that manhood would begin His incredible ministry using others we call disciples to find the lost sheep. He would even risk His own life. In John 10:16 Jesus goes on to say “I have other sheep that are not of this fold, I must bring them also and they will listen to My voice”

Remember what Jesus said in Luke 19 “I have come to seek and save the lost” The Good Shepherds plan from eternity past was to do whatever it took, to risk it all to find those sheep who were not in His fold. Can I tell you that I was one of those lost sheep, I remember when Jesus was pursuing us? He worked through a friend to invite us to church, He used the church and circumstances in my life and others so that I would be found. This is the significance of the one.

You have been found and now God, Jesus the Holy Spirit wants you to go out find your one.

We have to get out there and tell others of the great news of the kingdom God. Jesus said that the SHEPHERD RISKS EVERYTHING TO FIND THE ONE.

THE SECOND LESSON OF THE SHEPHERD IS: HE RESCUES THE LOST ONE.

Look back at verse 5 with me “And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”

This is a beautiful picture of salvation. You see the shepherd knows that lost sheep cannot make their way back to the fold safely to the shepherd’s care. He knows that sheep that are lost often just lay down, they become tired and weak and the only way for the sheep to return to the flock is for the shepherd to go and rescue it.

Can I tell you that there is nothing more dangerous to a sheep than to be lost? Unless they are rescued, they will certainly be destroyed.

If you haven’t figured it out yet Jesus is speaking is such a way that He is the Shepherd and people are the sheep. Do you know that we were all like that lost sheep? We went our way. We got trapped. We couldn’t save ourselves. The Bible says in the Old Testament book of Isaiah 53:6 “We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way.”

But our wonderful Shepherd, Jesus, didn’t just let us be. He didn’t say that He would just take care of the good sheep, the ones who didn’t wander, who didn’t get lost or who didn’t get trapped. He left all He had so that He could come look for us. On the way to crucifixion Jesus carried the weight of cross on His shoulders. He died a horrible death on the cross just so that He could save us from sin and give us new life.

Jesus came to rescue the lost from our own nature, the sin nature that exists in each person. Back to John 10 Jesus said “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief only comes to kill and to destroy I have come so that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”

Jesus’ very existence, His mission here on this earth was to rescue mankind from the spiritual death that was brought by sin, to resurrect mankind to spend eternity with God. How did Jesus rescue us? He laid down His life. His life wasn’t taken from us, it was given to us by Him freely so that we could be rescued by His blood. John 10:18 “No one takes it from me (his life) but I lay it down on My own.”

You see the Bible is a constant reminder of what Christ did for all the sheep to include you, me and all those one’s out there. In 1st Thess 1:10 Paul said that people are waiting for God’s Son, “whom He raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” Jesus’ death and resurrection rescues those who are lost, cleans our wounds, and lays us on His shoulders to bring us home.

But here is the thing it is up to us to accept the rescue. Just like it is up to your one to make that decision.

Let me illustrate that for you; It’s like person who falls off a cruise ship into the ocean. The ship’s captain and crew will do everything they can to bring that person back on board. But it is up to the person who is drowning to grab the lifesaver or put on the life vest. The captain can do everything to save the person except make the person save themselves.

Jesus has done everything to rescue people from drowning in the sea of sin, but it is up to them to make the decision to be rescued. This means repentance of sin and turning from it to make Christ their Lord.

Our job is to get them to Him and when that happens Jesus will be there to carry the load their sin and burdens. The Bible says in Romans 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

I want you to know that it’s your one’s choice; to be rescued, but we are the ones that are throwing the life preserver to them.

Remember THE SHEPHERD RISKS EVERYTHING TO FIND THE LOST, ONCE FOUND HE DOES EVERYTHING HE CAN TO RESCUE THE LOST.

And then look what happens:

THIRD, HE REJOICES WHEN THE ONE IS RETURNED TO THE FLOCK.

Draw your attention to verse 6 with me “coming home, he calls his friends and neighbors together, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found sheep which was lost!”

When lost things are found it’s a time to be happy and celebrate. Here, the shepherd calls his friends and neighbors to celebrate with him as he has brought the sheep home. In today’s world we celebrate when a pet or something of value or something that we have been looking for has been found.

But Jesus notice what Jesus says in the next verse, verse 7 He goes one step further so that we understand that He is speaking about us by saying: “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”

Other versions say it this way “I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who don’t need repentance.”

THAT’S THE BONUS: NOT ONLY DO WE REJOICE, BUT THE HEAVENS REJOICE OVER THE ONE FINDING JESUS!

Notice with me that Jesus is not speaking about an item that is found, He is really not speaking about an animal called a sheep. He is talking about the ones who are spiritually lost. Remember in verses 1-2 There were the tax collectors, the sinners and the religious leaders. Those rejected by religion, those rejected by their own kind and those religious leaders of that day who set themselves apart from the so-called sinners and by that causing them to be sinners themselves.

Here is the thing about the people Jesus is speaking to, they all thought they were doing the right thing in their own minds. Isn’t that the world we live in today, people justifying within themselves that they are doing what is right.

What Jesus is saying that once a person realizes that they are lost, and they decide to let Jesus rescue them and they accept Jesus by faith. Not just mankind will celebrate its much bigger than that; the whole heaven rejoices just over the one that is found.

This verse tells me that God’s heart is filled with joy when lost people are found. When they confess, repent and turn from their ways, God rejoices!

Jesus says we’re like sheep. We tend to wander and stray. If a sheep strays away from the flock and the shepherd, it is in grave danger. Jesus is the good shepherd who came down looking for His lost sheep to bring them back into the fold.

Every lost sheep needs a good shepherd and a good flock to belong to. (x2)

That means that we have work to do for that one lost sheep to be saved. Maybe that is you today, maybe you are the tax collector, the sinner or maybe you are the religious one who has made some mistakes also. No matter who you are, Jesus is seeking you today.

The question is; will you be found?

Will heaven rejoice over you today?

My concern this morning is that we that we cannot lose focus of our own relationship with The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit while going after our one. So, this invitation today is really twofold. It for us to first understand that we still need a shepherd to rescue us and it is also a time where we understand that we have a mission as co-shepherds to find the one and bring it to the Good Shepherd. Because the truth is everyone saint has a past and every sinner has a future and God loves us all even your one, so much so He sent THE Shepherd to find all the ones, so that He could rescue the ones, and when even one of the ones are found and are brought back to the fold, He and all heaven rejoices over the one.