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Lost Sheep

by Greg Robbins  
11/23/2016 / Bible Studies

Luke 15:4-7 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, does not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find 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 neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 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".

What man of you? Jesus goes straight to the heart. He asks these people to look inwardly and to see if they would act in the very same way that God does. Imagine that! Jesus asks us to compare ourselves with God! He didn't say these words to his disciples either. He said this to the Pharisees and scribes. In another place Jesus told these same people, "You are of your father the devil and the works of your father you will do". The Bible boldly declares in Genesis that Adam and Eve were made in the image and the likeness of God. All of their progeny, mainly the entire human race therefore, is made in God's very own image and likeness. The good and the bad, the evil and the righteous, are all made in his image and likeness.

This doesn't at all lower God to the level of a man, but rather elevates man to God's level. We are in little all that God is in big, our sins excepted. We are not made in the image and likeness of the devil, demons, or angels. We are made in the image and the likeness of God. Jesus came to die for the sins of the entire human race in order to restore mankind to it's rightful condition. For this Jesus commanded his disciples to call God "Father", and themselves the sons and daughters of God. I bring all of this up to begin to show a little of how God esteems men and women, and the value that he places upon them. Jesus shed his precious blood and was crucified in order to redeem mankind, whom God loves.

Have you earnestly thought of yourself as being God's son or his daughter? Have you given deep thought to the fact that God is your Father? He has not only made us, but he has adopted us into his very own family. This is the beauty and the wonder that is God. He doesn't look at us as slaves but as his very own children. We are adopted into God's own family, that is if you are truly converted and born again.

Jesus declares that when a man is a sinner he is lost. A sinner becomes a lost sheep. The saved ones are saints and found. The lost are sinners and they are separated from God. I don't try to rationalize over this, I simply accept it by faith. Our human rationalizations ruin things for us. Jesus told a parable about a sheep, not a goat, who became lost because of sin. The lost sheep was not in the sheepfold any longer, but was lost out in the wilderness. The sheep was separated from Jesus, and from his family, and from his eternal home.

Jesus left the other ninety and nine sheep and went out to look for his lost sheep. Why would Jesus do this? For several reasons, among which is the fact that the sheep belongs to Jesus, it is his property. He loves the sheep for it is his own. He has compassion on the sheep because the wolves, lions, and bears would love to kill and eat it. He enjoys the company and fellowship he once enjoyed with this sheep. And he misses this sheep and feels its absence.

I know very little about sheep, but I recently lost my kitten. He escaped from an open window and disappeared for the better part of a day. I know that I felt concern for my kitten and I missed him. I looked all around and called his name. I wasn't happy until he reappeared and I felt great joy and thanksgiving for his return. I searched anxiously for this kitten because he belongs to me and I wanted him back. I was concerned for his safety and well being. Remember that Jesus said, "What man among you?" Well, I am one of these men. I understand the love and the concern that Jesus has for his sheep because I felt the same for my kitten.

When Jesus found his lost sheep he felt great joy in his heart. This only happens to someone who truly loves, misses, and cares for the well being of his sheep. A hired hand would not feel any of these things if he found the lost sheep. His joy was so great that when he got home, he invited his friends and family to a party so that they could rejoice with him.

You see, Jesus truly loves and cherishes his sheep. Wouldn't it be wonderful to belong to Jesus and to experience his great love for you? Many erroneously think that they belong to Jesus because they were baptized or prayed the sinners prayer. Churches are filled with people who are not truly Jesus' sheep, although they claim to be.

A true sheep of Jesus has authentically been converted and born again. They have the very nature of God in them. They have repented of their sins in deed and not just in word or theory. Salvation is not metaphysical with little or no outward proof or evidence. Salvation is obvious to everyone because a tree is known by its fruit.

1 John 3:7-10 "Little children, let no man deceive you: he that does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sins from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin: for his seed remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever does not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loves not his brother".

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