Parable of Lost Sheep

11th October, 2009
Written By Rev. Law Hui Seng
Posted By Teresa Han

Matthew 18:11-14
Main Idea: Find the lost sheep.
Ojectives: a. To result in the congregation preaching the gospel to the lost sheep. b. To identify the lost sheep and bring them back to the fold of GMC.

A. Introduction
- Are there lost sheep that belong to GMC or any other churches? Lost sheep refer to those who are baptized and not attending any church or small group anymore. They are out there in the world and being secularized. You may say there are thousands of them out there, right?
- However, in GMC or in any church, there may be so called christians who are phsically in the church but they are lost. Could you be one of them? You may ask me what do you mean.
- This is what I mean. If you do not know why you are coming to church or the purpose of coming to church, you are lost. If you do not why you are on earth, you are lost. If you are not sure if you die tonight whether you go to heaven or not, you are lost. If you continue to sin against God and anybody, you are lost. If you think that by doing all the good works or all the ministry, you are lost. If you believe that without repentance from your sins you are saved for eternity you are lost. If you believe that all believers of religions will eventually cause people to end up in heaven with Jesus, you are lost.
- Why lost? Because the path you take will not lead you to salvation in Christ, eternal life with Christ in heaven. No wonder John Wesley very much emphasize Philippians 2:12, 13 “...continue to work out the salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”
- The parable of lost sheep has very strong motive to teach us to find the lost sheep of the church.

B. The insignificant one sheep/ person.
- Jesus desires to use this parable of lost sheep to emphasize that God pays attention to the insignificant lost sheep in His church. He desires to see the insignificant lost sheep returning to the church.
- He addresses these lost sheep as little ones, in verse 10, He says, “See that you do not look down on one of these littles ones...”
- Those lost sheep out there are the insignificant people because they do not catch our attention but today Jesus exhorts us to pay attention to them today.
- They are on the fence, half in and half out, they are half-hearted in their devotion to Jesus and to the church. Their insignificance is in part becasue of their own spiritual indifference.
- The temptation for those who are spirituallly serious is to look down on these half-hearted christians.
- Jesus really uses this parable to teach us not to look down on these insignificant lost sheep. Jesus now upgrades them.
- He even uses an unusual reason to justify why we must not look down on them, in verse 10, the second part, He says, “...For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” Wah, they had angels constantly looking at the face of God; who are so close to God. So, we are making the wrong enemies when we look down on the insignificant lost sheep.
- To emphasize Jesus’ point and to further elaborate His point, He uses this powerful, simple parable to drive home the point.
- The emphasis is upon “the one,” highligting the importance of that single person, that single soul.
- He likens the owner to be a man who owns the hundred sheep. May be that owner is the shepherd of the hundred sheep. I believe that Jesus Himself or His heavenly Father is that shepherd, the Great Shepherd who will actually leve the ninety-nine to find the insignificant lost sheep. What is challenging is Jesus desires us to be that shepherd.
- The parable does not underplay the importance of the ninety-nine sheep. It is just that the one lost sheep requires the shepherd and care must be shown before the worst can happen.
- Why the one lost sheep is so emphasized? Jesus even go to the extend of saying in verse 13, “And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.” So, you see the one lost sheep wandered off, he has a need that deserves the shepherd’s attention.
- Nromally, the one lost sheep is statistically insignificant. Human pscyhology says, “Let is go, we still have ninety-nine.” Our heavenly Father’s thinking is, “I really care for that one person, one soul.”
- Jesus is trying to convert us to the “mentality of the single person.” To pay attention to the statistically insignificant one. The unimportant one.
- And this person is the weak christian among us; not the lost non-christians.
- This challenges all disciples of Jesus, the church of God, to do an active visitation program. It means we need to re evangelize those who are baptized and lost.
- For Jesus says and really reminds us, “In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.”

C. Actions you can take to visit the lost.
- In view of the significance of the lost sheep in our heavenly Father’s sight, you and I cannot take lightly the reminder of our Lord Jesus.
- What actions can you take to evangelize to the lost sheep? I want to encourage you to take the following actions:
- (1). Come to Jesus in prayer and seek God who are the lost sheep of GMC or any church. Then, pray for the Holy Spirit to touch him or her or the group to come back to church.
- (2). I strongly believe that there are a lot of lost sheep in primary and secondary schools; and colleges here in Miri. You can identify them and reach out to them by inviting them to go to your small group first and the church.
- (3). More concrete action is you give them a call and pay a visit to find out more about their struggles or problems. And continue to do follow up. You may also refer them to me or church leaders, especially the Membership and Evangelism committee.
- (4). If there is someone among us who is lost, then, you should spend time to talk to him or her and counsel them. You may like to refer him or her to me or to any pastor.

4. Conclusion.
- Christians who are lost out there are plenty; countless of them. Just GMC alone, you have a record of about 600 persons in the book of life but those attending the service and Sunday School is only 350. Where are the 250? Many of them are lost. They are in Miri but not committed to Jesus.
- They need Jesus. Will you bring Jesus to them again? Will you evangelize them again?

Do you see the crowds?

4th October, 2009
Written By Rev. Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

Matthew 9:35-37
Main Idea: Be compassionate like Jesus who can see the needs of the crowds.
Objectives: a. To preach the reason for evangelism is that the needs of our society (crowds) for Jesus. b. To help the congregation to see the needs of our society (crowds) for Jesus.

A. Introduction
- Do you see that people out there need God? They need Jesus. When you see people who are sick; depressed; having extra-marital affairs; threatened by divorce; beggars; rich but proud; full of hatred, ineffectiveness, and bitterness; lazy and not working; worshipping idols; corrupted; the uneducated Penans; lots of indigenous people in Sarawak who are perishing and lost; lots of Chinese out there who do not know where they are heading in life, etc, do you see that they need Jesus to come into their lives and save them?
- For God so loved the world that He gave us His begotten son, Jesus. This son Jesus see the needs of the crowds for God. He sees that the crowds need salvation.
- Do you see as Jesus sees?

B. What does Jesus see?
- I am very encouraged, inspired and challenged by what Jesus had done when He was on earth. Verse 35 says, “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.”
- Are we disciples of Jesus? If we are, then, we must be like Jesus. Paul exhorted the Philippians in 2:5, where it says, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” In verse 7, Paul went on to say in verse 7, that Jesus made him self nothing, taking the very nature of a servant...
- We should like Jesus in every way. If we cannot be like Him 100%, we should have 10%, 5%, or even 1%. If you are not like Him at all, you must at least begin somewhere. Do what Jesus does.
- I am very inspired by the bible says today, that Jesus went through all the towns and villages. What were the purposes? It says, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
- No wander Jesus sees so much. He went to every town and village. Some more, He was in touch with people by preaching and healing. No wonder He sees a lot of things in people.
- What is the big deal about seeing the crowd? What is the big deal about seeing a lot of things in people.
- Brothers and sisters, the answer to these questions is the main point/ the emphasis I desire to put across to you today.
- The answer is found in verse 36, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
- Why we need to do evangelism? Why we need to bring the good news of salvation in Christ to the crowds/ the society? In the name of Jesus Christ, I preach to you that because people out there are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus’ heart feels for these people. Jesus had compassion for these people who are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
- Evangelism and mission are motivated by the simple fact that Jesus has compassion for the lost people.
- As you learn to be like Jesus, as your attitude should be like Jesus, are you like Jesus, you have compassion for the lost people?
- As Jesus says, “The lost are like sheep without a shepherd.”, in the name of Jesus Christ, I preach to you that the first of mission is for disciples of Jesus to go out and compassionately help people out by presenting them with their Shepherd, that is Jesus.
- When Jesus looks out over the world it is the helplessness of people, their depression and suppression, that affects him most deeply.
- They appear to him like sheep who have lost their shepherd.

C. Why we cannot see the crowds like Jesus?
- By what are the people harassed and helpless (oppressed)? By the deceitfulness of worldly life. This is one very important reason why we cannot see the crowds like Jesus?
- What is this worldly life? Materialism, secularism, greed, hatred, pornography, injustice, etc. All that causes us to obey God is worldly life.
- You see how we are deceived? Earn our millions and push the question of salvation to when I get old; some say I have no time for God; I have no need for God; God is not my priority, etc. Unbelievers are deceived in so many ways.
- Ironically, sometimes, we christians, disciples of Jesus are also deceived by the worldly life. We spend so much time pursuing our careers that we become not sensitive to the needs of the lost around us. We lost our focus on Jesus and not preach Him. As a result, we do not develop compassion for the lost.

D. How do you help yourself to see the crowds?
- In my case, my compassion for the lost grows stronger and stronger every year as I am in touch with the harassed and helpless people here locally, in my office, at coffee shop or among the Belaga Penans. I believe my compassion for the lost (both christians and non-christians) will only develop and become stronger if I take the steps to help them in any way I can. I pray that you follow my example.
- I pray that God will send to your life, your house, your small group, and your office the lost, the people who need Jesus, the good shepherd.
- How do you help yourself to see the crowds? You must get personal with people; you must enter the crowds; you must get to know the problems of people; you must humble yourself, and not be proud and relate to people; you must dirty your hand and sit down with people and use John 3:16 to preach to people.
- You must be deliberate in praying for the lost. You must mention their names in your prayers. If you do not even pray for them, how can you give God a chance to speak to you to preach to someone? If you do not even pray for someone who is lost, how can God empower you to preach the gospel?
- If you do not pray for people, you will not feel with them like Jesus feels with them and of course you do see their needs for Jesus.
- For Jesus He is very much with them, pray for them, and He sees their needs, He feels for them and so He has compassion for them. Can we do the same?

E. Conclusion.
- Jesus today ask you: “Can you draw all resources like all the teachings on evangelism, the tools of evangelism, the courage from the holy spirit to overcome fear, the word of God and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and humble yourself to discern the needs of others to do evangelism?”