A man was driving down an old country road trying to make his way home. He began driving during the day but, then as life goes, it got dark. So, he turns on his head-lights the only light he knew to see his way in the darkness. But unknown to him but not to God the road had changed. The turn he thought was supposed to be there was not there. The man being too arrogant to humble himself and use his GPS. He said to his wife, “I got this!” He drove until he was more lost than he has ever been before. Now he was unsure of what to do at this point. His wife recognized his need to find the way said, “Let down your pride and humble yourself.” He just hardened his heart and kept driving. But his loving wife wanting to go home with him shared her GPS from her phone. 

She shared with him the GPS that guided them to the correct street. She shared with him how to no longer be lost, because the GPS that she had was God’s plan for salvation. She was seeking and saving him from his own self because he was lost, she shared with him Jesus. It was the good news he needed to hear because he was lost. Thanks be to God that they can now rejoice because they arrived home no longer lost. Brethren, make it your goal as the Savior made it His goal seek and save the lost. 

For the believer in the one true God there is still a goal. That is, to reach out in the name of Jesus to seek those who are lost. Those who cannot see their way in the darkness because they are darkened in their mind because of their own understanding and their ignorance of God (Ephesians 4:17-19.)  They have lost their way because they do not have the light (John 3:19-21.) 

Jesus’ goal was and is to seek and save the lost and that needs to be our goal too. Why did He do this, because He loved us, the sinners. The sinners, the sick, the dead, and the lost who needed to be saved. Did you know that Jesus’ name means Yahweh saves or Yahweh is salvation. It is His character, it is who He is and it is His name.  In His ministry He saved in different forms – saving of sinners, healing of the sick and finding that which was lost.

Today, we have a place called the lost and found. Sometimes it’s in a box, sometimes it’s a bag or thrown in a pile in the corner. One thing that the lost and found items have in common, it is that they were once lost. Moreover, someone out of the kindness of their heart recognized that the thing belongs to someone and is out of place, it’s not where it should be, it’s needs to be back to its rightful owner, so that it can be found by them. 

We all know what it’s like to have lost something and to search persistently for it. Perhaps you remember the parable of the man who has 100 sheep and one goes astray and then he goes off to find the one he had lost. Or the woman who had the coin and she searched and swept carefully to find that coin then she finds it and rejoices, (Luke 15:4-10.) 

 Today, you may lose your keys and search for them diligently by looking underneath things.  You may look under our couch cushions, behind the bed, in the bathroom, maybe in the refrigerator because you were too tired to recognize that you just put your keys in the refrigerator. Or maybe it’s your wallet that you sat down somewhere in haste or it slipped out of your pocket. Or a ring that you sit down because you went to the gym and you were trying to change into your gym clothes and then you come back and it’s not in the same place you thought you had it.

 In each case we lose something, and we want to find it because it is missing from your life. There is a hole, you feel exposed, you are very concerned, and you cannot stop thinking about it. 

Now, how do you feel when someone brings you the thing for which you were looking? You’re happy about it and relieved because that which was lost was found. Or even better if you seek it and you go somewhere where someone out kindness and compassion has placed your lost item somewhere that you may find it, how do you feel?  

That person helped you even though they didn’t know, they didn’t know your character they didn’t know if you were kind or mean. They didn’t know if you had bad breath or know how you look and they didn’t care about your past.  They just knew something is lost that needed to be found. Thank God for love and kindness, for someone to seek that which is lost so that it may be found.  

 Even though He sees us, in spirit we have been lost, we have been misplaced, and He wants us to find that which is lost. The Father sent His Son down to walk on this earth to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10.)

You could, and mostly likely will, get seriously hurt by seeking and saving the lost. It is risky and dangerous to seek and save the lost the way Jesus dedicated Himself to working on the hearts and character of men. Look at Ecclesiastes 10:9

“He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them.“

Jesus was working in the hearts and lives of men, quarrying the stony hearts and character, and splitting  the logs of those hearts. Those evil, lost men Jesus strove to “seek and save” them by the preaching of the Kingdom of God.  Well, just like you can be hurt by quarrying stones and splitting logs these men tried to hurt Jesus.

People become hostile toward him (Luke 11:53-54.) They scoffed at Him, (Luke 16:14) they were trying to destroy and kill Him. (Luke 19:47, 22:2)  They questioned Him aggressively. (Luke 20:1, 20) They tried to lay hands on Jesus (Luke 20:19) and you know what, they eventually did, they killed Him.

Jesus struggled against grumblers, the hostile, the confrontational, and those seeking to kill Him while He was seeking to save the lost. Jesus on the day He was betrayed faced tremendous hostility. He faced mocking, beating, blaspheming (Luke 22:65) and His crucifixion. (Luke 23:23-24) It may seem that Jesus was defeated and it may make no sense to you but here is the twist, by His death and resurrection Jesus has saved us all.  John 3:14-17, “The world is saved through our belief in Him when He was lifted on the cross.” God won by bringing about salvation for all people who believe.