This morning, we continue our series on “The Parables of Jesus.” We will seek to glean “Pearls from the Parables.”
Before we get to the parable, let’s look at a scripture we have been looking at all year. This is something I believe the Lord wants us to meditate on.
(Psalm 126:4 TPT)
Now, Lord, do it again! Restore us to our former glory! May streams of your refreshing flow over us until our dry hearts are drenched again.
This is a season of refreshing and restoring for us.
Today we will look at the Parable of the Lost Sheep. This is found in two places in the Bible.
Matthew’s account: (Matthew 18:12-14 ERV)
“If a man has 100 sheep, but one of the sheep is lost, what will he do? He will leave the other 99 sheep on the hill and go look for the lost sheep. Right? And if he finds the lost sheep, he is happier about that one sheep than about the 99 sheep that were never lost. I can assure you, in the same way your Father in heaven does not want any of these little children to be lost.
Luke’s account: (Luke 15:3-7 ERV)
Then Jesus told them this story: “Suppose one of you has 100 sheep, but one of them gets lost. What will you do? You will leave the other 99 sheep there in the field and go out and look for the lost sheep. You will continue to search for it until you find it. And when you find it, you will be very happy. You will carry it home, go to your friends and neighbors, and say to them, ‘Be happy with me because I found my lost sheep!’ In the same way, I tell you, heaven is a happy place when one sinner decides to change. There is more joy for that one sinner than for 99 good people who don’t need to change.
So, what does this mean to you today? To write today’s message, I am going to go back to a message I shared in 2018. There was a song out back then from Cory Asbury entitled “The Reckless Love of God.” It is based on this parable.
I will share with you some of what I shared back then.
David said:
(v.123) As a lovesick lover, I yearn for more of your salvation and for your virtuous promises.
(v.125) I need more revelation from your word to know more about you, for I’m in love with you!
1. God wants our love for Him to be fashioned after His love for us. David called himself a “lovesick lover” who yearned for more of God and more of God’s virtuous promises. Like a lover who is passionately longing for his mate, the believer should long to know God in a truly intimate way.
2. If we want to know how we should love God, all we need to do is look at how He loves us. There is a current song by Cory Asbury entitled “Reckless Love.” In the song, Cory Asbury seeks to capture the unbridled nature of God’s love towards us. One of the verses of the song says:
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
In a live performance, Cory Asbury shared the following about his thought process in writing the song. He said,
“When we use the phrase “The reckless love of God,” we are not saying that God Himself is reckless; He is not crazy. We are, however, saying that the way He loves is, in many regards, quite so. He is utterly unconcerned with the consequences of His actions with regard to His own safety, comfort, and well-being. His love is not crafty or slick. It’s not cunning or shrewd. In fact, all things considered, it is quite childlike. And might I even suggest, sometimes downright ridiculous?
His love bankrupted heaven for you, for me. His love doesn’t consider Himself first. It isn’t selfish or self-serving. He doesn’t wonder what He will gain or lose by putting Himself on the line. He simply puts Himself out there on the oft chance that you and I might look back at Him and give Him that love in return.
His love leaves the 99 to find the one every time. To many practical adults, that’s a foolish concept. “But what if He loses the 99 in finding the 1, right? What if?” Finding that one lost sheep is and will always be supremely important.
His love isn’t cautious. It’s a love that sent His own Son to die a gruesome death on a cross. There’s no “Plan B” with the love of God. He gives His heart so completely, so preposterously, that if refused, we would think it irreparably broken. Yet He gives Himself away again, and again, and again, and again. Time and time again.
Make no mistake, our sins do pain His heart, and 70 times 7 is a lot of times to get your heart broken. And yet He opens up and allows us back in every single time. His love saw you when you hated Him, and logic said, “They’ll reject me,” He said, “No, I don’t care what it costs me. I lay my life on the line as long as I get their hearts.”
3. I agree with Cory Asbury; God’s love for us is reckless. God knows all things, so He could be completely calculated, careful, and reserved. But He isn’t. He could consider our actions before we take them and only offer up His love when He knows we would return it. But He doesn’t. He gives Himself away day after day and way after way, without any regard for His personal protection.
His love for us is unreserved, unconditional, and unlimited. What is our response to this type of love? The only true response is to fall on our knees and fall on our faces in acknowledgment that even our best efforts would come short in returning His love, but try we must.
We love God because He first loved us. We could not even attempt to love Him without His grace having been first poured out in our hearts. This is why David acknowledged that He did not just love God, but He was IN LOVE with Him. It was this blissful love that David had for God that kept drawing him to God’s Word. David lived his life in a tireless pursuit of the God who tirelessly pursued him. This is how we are supposed to live.
4. God’s love changes us in ways nothing else can.
— God’s love empowers us to leave behind our old ways and embrace a new life in Christ.
— It’s not just about being found; it’s about being transformed once we are found.
— This transformation is ongoing, as God’s love continually works within us to shape us into His image.
— As we experience God’s love, we begin to see the world and ourselves through His eyes.
— The more we understand the depth of God’s love, the more we are compelled to share this love with others, becoming agents of change in His name.
5. As recipients of God’s Love, we are called to REFLECT His Love in this world!
— Understanding God’s reckless love for us compels us to reflect this love to others.
— We are called to love others with the same unconditional, relentless love that God shows us.
— This means reaching out to the ‘lost sheep’ in our lives, showing them the same grace and love we have received.
— Reflecting God’s love is not always easy; it requires sacrifice, patience, and a heart that mirrors God’s.
— As we love others, we become living testimonies of God’s love, drawing more people to Him.
— This call to love is not just an individual endeavor but a collective mission of the church.
— In loving others as God loves us, we fulfill the greatest commandment and become true disciples of Christ.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me!
Your love is unreserved, unconditional, and unlimited.
You loved me when I had no regard for You.
You gave Yourself away to me time and time and time and time again.
You tirelessly pursued me. Now, I tirelessly pursue You.
I love You because You first loved me. And it is this love that fuels my faith and my never-ending quest to know You better.
I launch into this day emboldened, empowered, and employed by Your love!
Your love has changed me so much that I am now a conduit of this very same love in the world.
Just as You launched out to find the lost sheep, You now send me out as an emissary of Your love, called to find the lost and bring them into Your presence!
I enter this day as an Ambassador of Love, assigned from heaven to the earth!
Living with this mindset, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
