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Mathew 18:12-14
12: How do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety and nine and go into the mountains and seek that which has gone astray?
13 And if so be that he finds it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep than of the ninety and nine that went not astray.
14 Even so, it is not the will of your Father, who is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
When that shepherd finds that one sheep, he rejoices. He isn’t upset because it went astray; he’s not mad because it was a waste of time; he rejoices over that sheep.
This is how God is the ultimate shepherd: he has so many sheep, but he’s still looking for the lost one.
You know he has so many Prophets,
Preachers, Evangelists, Prayer Warriors, Worship Leaders, pastors, etc.
He has billions of sheep, but what’s amazing is that he is still searching for one. More and more, he’s looking for you.
1 Timothy 2:4
Who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
If you’re lost, he’s searching for you.
He wants your name to be in his book.
Notice how in the twelfth verse it says, “And one of them be gone astray.”
You would think it’s rare for a shepherd to lose a sheep, simply because whenever you have a lot of sheep, it’s hard to notice.
But he does notice when one goes stray.
What is strange is that the shepherd would leave the 99% to find the 1% that’s lost.
God’s going to look for you, no matter how far you think you are.
Nothing, and I mean nothing, is impossible for God.
And I know why he would leave the ninety and nine for the one. What if he loses his flock?
The shepherd will always leave the sheep in a safe place.
When you, as a sheep, are in the shepherd’s flock, you will always be in a safe place.
You may have problems, trials, and temptations, but you’re in a safe place.
Notice also that in the twelfth verse it says, Goeth into the mountains.
Trust me when I say this: no mountain is too tall for my God.
- Maybe I need to remind you who my God is.
- He’s the promise keeper.
- He is the waymaker when there isn’t a way.
- My God delivers the sick.
- My God gives sight to the blind.
- My God delivers from addiction.
- He raises the dead.
- He parted still waters.
- And saves us from hell for eternity.
There is no obstacle impossible for God.
So however far you are, no matter what’s in your way, my God can find you.
That’s how great our God is.
Can I get an amen?
You know, talking about shepherds brings me to the story of David and Goliath.
Well, before David was a giant killer, he was a shepherd.
David watched his father’s sheep and protected them.
Because these bears, lions, and wolves would try to eat his sheep.
Well, David killed the predators that tried to eat his sheep and protected them.
Isn’t that How God is with us? He protects us so much.
He protects us from the lies of the enemy, from our doubts, and from our anxiety. God protects us.
You know, we Christians need to be like David.
We need to watch our father’s sheep.
We need to keep searching for the lost sheep. Oh, God, let me find just one more sheep.
Luke 15:3-5/7
3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness and go after that which is lost until he finds it?
And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
Drop down to the 7th verse.
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repents, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
God is always looking for another sheep, as it says, and he rejoices over those lost sinners that are found.
We, as Christians, can help look for these lost souls.
The Bible says in
MATHEW 5:16
“16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, which is in heaven.”
Let your light shine before men.
Oh, how we should love sinners, you know, kind of like Jesus loved us.
How he loved us so much that he died for us (quote John 3:16: for God so loved the world).
That’s the love we need to show the lost.
- The Sinners
- The murderers
- The cussers
- The smokers
- The drunks
Love them like Jesus loved you.
I want to share a dream my grandfather had about my older cousin, Hannah.
Some of you may know her, while others may not. In the dream, my grandfather was on a boat with Hannah and my other grandparents.
The waters they were in were filled with snakes and alligators, but Hannah wasn’t afraid and found everything beautiful.
Suddenly, she jumped out of the boat, thinking she saw land, but instead slipped into the dangerous water.
My grandparents turned the boat around to save her, but an alligator pulled her under.
In the dream, my grandfather fought the alligator for her life, while Hannah kept saying, “You came back for me, Papaw.”
Eventually, my grandfather was able to free Hannah, but there was blood everywhere.
Despite her being a total mess, my grandfather’s message was that he went back for her, just as God does for us.
That’s kind of how it is with us. God is going to fight for you, and he will always come back for you.
When God found us, we were bloody and wounded, but over time, he will heal those scars. That’s how much he loves us. You’re worth fighting for.
ALTER CALL