See His Love for You
Luke 15:1-10
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Luke 15:10
Perhaps the most tragic word in all human speech is the word lost. When applied to almost anything, it spells trouble. Perhaps you are presently experiencing the acute pain of loss. A loved one has been lost to a disease. A business has been lost to bankruptcy. The pain of loss is real.
As bad as these scenarios are, they pale in comparison to Jesus’s usage of this word in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Here Jesus speaks of a spiritual disease, far deadlier than cancer. Here He speaks of a spiritual bankruptcy, far costlier than financial loss. Here Jesus declares our greatest need and His singular ability to meet this need.
Jesus Receives You Unconditionally
In Luke 15:1-2, Jesus chooses to eat with the “tax collectors and sinners” rather than the elite leaders of his day. He received them without condition, and he does so for you, too. He sees your vices. He knows your secret sins. And yet, He receives you, nonetheless. If you follow Christ, I wonder if you remember the mercy He had on you? Has it been lost on you that you and I are no better than the tax collectors and sinners? Take comfort in the fact that He receives us unconditionally.
Jesus Pursues You Relentlessly
In Luke 15:4 and 8, Jesus tells two parables about a shepherd losing a lamb and a woman losing a coin. In both stories, the shepherd and woman search relentlessly, which serves as a picture of how Jesus pursues we who were once lost. Just think, he pursued us because we, like the sheep and the coin, could not save ourselves. Moreover, he pursued us relentlessly, not giving up until He finds us. What love!
Jesus Restores You Fully
In Luke 15:5, the shepherd in the parable finds the sheep. Upon finding this weak, wayward sheep, the shepherd would carry it back to and restore it to health in the sheepfold. This is what Christ has done for you. He found you in your weakness and is carrying you to this day, restoring you by sanctifying you day by day. Take joy that Jesus is restoring you fully.
Jesus Celebrates You Joyfully
In Luke 15:6 and 9, the shepherd and woman rejoice with great joy upon finding their lost sheep and coin. Jesus relays this emotion to his own and the heavenly hosts’ joy upon the salvation of one lost soul. Just think: God rejoices when a spiritually bankrupt, spiritually dead, lost sinner is found and restored. He celebrates! This should bring us to our knees in thanksgiving.
Brothers and sisters, see Christ’s great love for you. He receives you without condition. So, throw yourself upon His mercy. He pursued you relentlessly in your sin. So, turn from your sin today. He is restoring you fully this very moment. Depend upon Him every day. He celebrates your salvation joyfully. Praise Him for His loving grace towards you.
Kyler Smith is the
Family Discipleship Pastor at
Hickory Grove Baptist Church,
Charlotte, NC
