When was the last time you lost something of value?
- Your middle schooler comes home from school without their retainer.
- Your car was parked in parts unknown at the airport.
- A favorite piece of jewelry is not on the dresser (where you thought you left it).
- Your child was not at the “pickup spot” after school or practice.
- The remote control was swallowed in the abyss of the couch cushions.
When things THIS valuable go missing, what do you do? You begin to search, right?
- You find yourself sorting through the garbage at the school cafeteria hoping to find the retainer between the half eaten chicken strips.
- You pace up and down the aisles of the parking lot hitting the “unlock” button on your key fob hoping to hear that familiar “click” somewhere close by.
- You get on your hands and knees peering under and behind the furniture to see where that earring or ring may have fallen.
- You call friends to see if your child hitched a ride with them.
- You move heaven and earth on the sofa to locate the control.
What do you do? You spring to action, because there is something valuable to you that is missing, and NEEDS to be found! The way we feel about these “lost” things is a helpful reminder of a tremendous spiritual point.
Spiritually speaking, billions of people who are created in the image of God are “lost.” Choosing to go their own way, their lives have fallen, they are not waiting for the Lord, and have instead choose to go their own way. As a result, the Scripture lets us know that they are headed for eternal judgment. However, God sees them as immensely valuable. Therefore, He went looking for them. Jesus came to seek out the lost. Like a shepherd looking for his lost sheep, Jesus came looking for lost people.
This point is taught by Jesus on a number of occasions with slightly different emphasis. For instance, in Luke 15, Jesus teaches this message to emphasize God’s pursuit of the “unsaved.” In Matthew 18, however, we see Jesus teaching this point connected to the “saved.” In other words, what happens if a Christ follower begins to wander away . . . what is Jesus’ attitude towards him/her? Well, He comes after us, with the same passion He pursues the non-believer.
This Sunday at Wildwood, we will continue our “Relating to” series by looking at how Jesus’ perspective on the “lost” impacts His followers. Join us at 9:45 or 11:00 in our worship services as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper and worship together as we look at Matthew 18:10-14 together, See you Sunday!