Tag: gospel

  • He Left the 99 Behind — and He Was Looking for You 

    Night time urbam scene with man with flashlight - text He left the 99 to find me

    There’s a familiar story in both Luke and Matthew’s gospels. If you have been churched any length of time, you’ve heard sermons on it. Even non-Christians have often heard the story. It’s about a shepherd who has 100 sheep, but he left the 99 behind to go and find one lost sheep.

    So He told them this parable, saying, “What man among you, if he has one hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which 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 which was lost!’7 I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:3-7

    For most of us, it’s become so familiar that we think, “Of course he left the 99 behind, that’s what Jesus does.” We might not ever think of it at all.

    It’s actually quite amazing to have the shepherd care that much for the one lost sheep.

    What we fail to truly personalize is the fact that he left 99 behind to find me and you. Think about that for a moment. The LORD loves you and me so much that He came searching for us while we were still lost sinners and His enemies. I mean. Who does that? Apart from Jesus, no one!

    Luke goes on to record Jesus’ parables of the widow searching for her lost coin and the lost (prodigal) son. Jesus is making a point: He cares for lost people.

    It’s more than something we can infer. Jesus said it directly.

    For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:10

    That is incredible love. It is an astonishing mercy. You and I both know we have no merit on our own to deserve salvation. We know we can never earn it by our works.  We would be forever lost if it weren’t for the fact that he left behind the 99 to find me and you.

    When we truly grasp that truth, not just with our minds, but deeply into the fiber of our souls, it fills our hearts with joy. Ever struggle, every temporary inconvenience ought to fade into nothingness with the joy that He saw we were lost and came to find us.

    Joyfully praise His holy name. Give thanks for His perseverance and love.

    Be blessed 

    Kevin 

    SUMMARY

    Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep reveals a God who doesn’t wait for the lost to find their way home — He leaves the 99 to search for the one. That one is you, and grasping that truth personally transforms every struggle into joy.

    KEY POINTS

    The shepherd leaving 99 to find one lost sheep pictures the extraordinary, personal love God has for every individual sinner. 

    Jesus didn’t just illustrate this love in a parable — He declared it outright: “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” 

    When we move this truth from head knowledge to soul-deep conviction, it produces a joy that puts every trial in its proper place.

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  • The Call You Can’t Ignore

    A bugling Elk - The call you can't ignore

    There are some distinctive sounds. In an urban area, it might be a smoke detector, a police or ambulance siren. In the wilderness, it might be the bugle of an elk, the howl of a timber wolf or the laugh of a loon. There is a call that we must not ignore, the call to repent.

    All of us are sinners in need of God’s grace. None of us can redeem ourselves in God’s eyes. That’s only made possible by accepting the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on our behalf. We recognize our sins and inability to remedy the situation. Then we repent and accept Jesus’ sacrifice by faith.

    It sounds easy. Salvation is free for the asking, but in truth, the vast majority of people will reject the call. Everyone hears it, but most are willing to walk away. We are without excuse.

    For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, both His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:18-20

    Despite the call to repent.The people of Jesus’ day even rejected Him directly.

    There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to what was His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. John 1:9-11

    That might discourage us from calling people to repent and accept Jesus. Yet the very next line in John’s gospel makes it worthwhile.

    But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13

    For those who will repent and turn, the rewards are both incredible and eternal. We must continue to proclaim the truth even though most will reject it.

    The Holy Spirit transforms hearts, but God has called His church to be beacons of light, evangelists, and proclaimers of truth. He alone is responsible for the results, but you and I are blessed to share in bringing people rewards beyond measure.

    We testify to the truth in word and deed. We testify through our love for those in and out of the church. We proclaim the call to repent and accept Jesus

    We pray for those we love, but we also pray for and forgive our enemies.

    The work the LORD has done in our lives and continues to do calls out to a dark and hurting world. Do not despair, my dear friends, some will hear the call and open their hearts.

    Hallelu Yah (Praise God) 

    Be blessed 

    Kevin 

    Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone) 

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    SUMMARY

    God makes Himself known to every person through creation and conscience, leaving no one without excuse — yet most will still reject the call to repent. For those who do respond, the reward is becoming children of God, making the proclamation always worth it.

    KEY POINTS

    Every person hears God’s call to repent, but most will suppress the truth and walk away 

    Salvation is free by faith in Christ’s sacrifice, yet rejection — even of Jesus Himself — is the more common response 

    The few who receive Him make continued proclamation of the gospel eternally worthwhile

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