In the name of Christ Jesus, dear Christian friends,

"The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost" (Lk 19:10). So, we should not be surprised to find Jesus in the presence of "sinners." And yet, if we are going to properly understand what Jesus was doing, and not doing, we need to make an important distinction. We must distinguish between hardened, unrepentant sinners and humble, repentant sinners. The people Jesus was eating with had come "to hear" Jesus. They were not proudly parading their sins as if it was their right. No, they were there to hear the law and gospel Jesus was preaching. In many cases, these people had been lost and now were found. They were like Zacchaeus and Matthew. They had sinned, that is true. But they repented. As they heard Christ's message of sin and grace, they were drawn to him like iron to a magnet. And Jesus was rejoicing with these repentant sinners. That is clear from the rest of this chapter. Though the Pharisees did not share in the joyful celebration, Jesus did. He was rejoicing as each sinner was repenting, as each lost soul was found. May we also...

1. HOW GREAT IT IS THAT JESUS FOUND AND SAVED US!

Whenever we are talking about sin, it is good to begin with a good look in the mirror. Who are the lost and straying souls? Isaiah 53 says, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way..." We all have sinned. You have gone astray into sin, and so have I! We have not perfectly obeyed God's commands. Each of us has turned to his own way! But Jesus found us and saved us.

That's why the hymn says, "I once was lost, but now am found..." We did not find Jesus. He found us! Many people say that they found Jesus, but he found us! The lost, straying sheep does not find the shepherd. No, the shepherd goes looking for the sheep. {5} "And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders..." He cared about the lost sheep. He looked unto he found it and rescued it. Then he put the sheep on his shoulders and carried it. That's how it was with us. Jesus found us. I have a picture of this hanging on my wall. I am that sheep Jesus is carrying. And so are you. Our Savior found us, rescued us, and carried us. And he's glad about it! The hymn puts it well: "I once was lost, but now am found..." Then, consider the lost coin. The coin doesn't find the woman! The woman looks and looks until she finds the coin. Then she is glad because she found it. But, she found the coin! The coin didn't find her. "I once was lost, but now am found..."

Each one of us was lost in sin, but Jesus found us and rescued us! He saved us from sin nearly 2000 years ago when he entered the fray as our Substitute. He lived perfectly for us. He died on the cross to atone for our sins. He rose from death, because he had won forgiveness for all of our sins. But that's not all! The Bible says that "Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved" in the final judgment. But, how do we obtain that faith? The Bible reveals that God brought us to faith. God gave us faith. From start to finish, God did all the work of saving us! "I once was lost, but now am found..." How great it is to know that! It makes us glad to know that, by faith in Christ, we are going to heaven. But, let's not be selfish.

2. HOW GREAT IT IS THAT JESUS FINDS OTHER LOST SOULS TOO!

The Pharisees did not share in the joyful celebration. Instead, they looked down their noses at the people Jesus was eating with. They thought they were better. They regarded these people as "sinners," as if they themselves had no sin! But, these "tax collectors and sinners" were not hardened, unrepentant sinners. These people were not clinging to their sins and advocating their right to continue doing what they had been doing. These people were not marching in some parade, as if they were proud of their shameful deeds. No, these people were broken and contrite in heart. These people had been lost and now were found. This is the "lost and found" chapter of the Bible. These people wanted "to hear" Jesus. The Pharisees didn't care about these people at all, but Jesus did care. He is the Good Shepherd. He "came to seek and to save what was lost" (Lk 19:10). He had come to save these people from sin and condemnation.

Yet, we must be very clear on this. Jesus did not approve of sins. He did not overlook their sins. He dealt with them. He proclaimed the law and called them to repent. It is his will that we do the same today. The law is preached to make people feel guilty. The law shows us our sins and our deep need for a Savior. God's Law is the hammer to break hard and stony hearts. But, sometimes people fight against the law, because they are not sorry for their sins. Sometimes, they attack the messenger. That happened to Jesus. That happened to his apostles. And, it still happens today. Not everyone repents when confronted with their own sinfulness. But, by God's power, some do genuinely sorrow over their sins. When this happens, the gospel must follow without delay. The gospel declares sinners forgiven, for Jesus' sake. Let's return to that verse from Isaiah 53, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." We sinned, but God placed all of our sins and guilt on Jesus! Scripture says, "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 Jn 2:2). Did you catch that? Jesus did not just come to die for our sins, but for the sins of the whole world! He came to save these "tax collectors and sinners" too. They had done some pretty bad things! But Jesus came to save them from condemnation. He did not come to approve of their sins, he came to take them away. And as one sinner after another was brought to faith, Jesus rejoiced!

Jesus said, {7} "I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." God rejoices over just one sinner who repents! Again, Jesus said {10} "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." God rejoices in the presence of the angels when even one sinner repents! When just one sinner repents - when he sorrows over his sin and is brought to faith in Christ - God rejoices with his holy angels. May we join in that heavenly joy.

3. CONSIDER HOW PRECIOUS EACH INDIVIDUAL SOUL IS!

Sometimes small mission congregations must endure struggles and frustrations. If you think about the small numbers in worship and Bible study, it can drag down morale. One pastor of a small church in the south had a saying: "Always remember the value of the individual soul."

Think about that for a moment. Each soul is eternal! If just one person is reached with God's Word and repents, that makes an eternal difference! That one person is going to spend all eternity in heaven. When we do mission work, we proclaim God's Word, but the results are out of our hands. Each individual soul is going to spend eternity in heaven or in hell. What price tag would you put on one soul? If an outreach effort would cost $500, and one person was brought to faith, wouldn't that be worth it? Without a doubt, it would be worth it to that person for all eternity! And what if that person were you?

Each individual soul is precious to our Savior. Christ cares about each and every soul all around the world. So, Christ has commanded his people to do mission work all around the world! May God help us to do this. Each soul in our area is precious too. May God bless our evangelism efforts! The souls of our members are precious too. When one of our members strays into sin, or strays from our Savior, may we reach out in love. May we follow our Savior's words in Matthew chapter 18, and may those who have strayed repent. The souls of children are definitely precious to our Savior and to us. Parents, make sure that your children are hearing and learning God's Word! Bring them to Sunday School or Teen Bible Class. Each soul is precious and needs to hear God's Word which shows us our sins and shows us our Savior from sin.

Jesus was on a rescue mission, saving souls, one at a time. By his powerful Word, people were renouncing their sinful lives and trusting in him for forgiveness and salvation. And so, our Savior was glad and celebrated! God rejoices in heaven when just one sinner repents. He rejoiced when I was brought to faith, and when you were brought to faith. Today, if even one sinner repents, let's share in our Savior's joy! Amen.