Lost and Found

John 1: ⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, ‘Follow me.’

⁴⁴ Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. ⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and told him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’

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“Have you seen my mitten?” I inquired to the teacher. “Have you tried the lost and found?” she replied. “What’s that?” I asked. “Go to the office and ask for what you lost” she directed. They showed me the lost and found room. It was a treasure of hats, gloves, shoes, combs and my mitten. “There it is!” I said with excitement.

• It is exciting to find something that I lost.
• It is a relief to find something I lost.
• I can’t rest unless I find something that is lost.

JESUS found Philip and told him to become HIS follower. Philip’s immediate response was “Yes!” Now that Philip was found by JESUS, Philip went to find his brother, probably looking in his usual places. When he found Nathaniel he said “We have found the ONE Moses and the prophets wrote about!”

• JESUS was looking for me when I found HIM.
• JESUS was waiting for my return from being lost.
• JESUS was searching for me, even when I wasn’t looking for HIM.

“You will fill your life with something” someone told me. I tried friends, sin and fun, but none of those quite filled the hole that was in my heart. When I found JESUS, who had been looking for me, my heart was finally filled. I was finally content. I am grateful GOD wants me as much as I need HIM.

• Are you searching for something?
• Are you looking for something to fill the void in your heart, but nothing is working?
• Will you stop drowning out the voice of GOD that is calling you to serve HIM with all your heart today?

Where was I when HE found me?

1 Timothy 1: ¹² I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. ¹³ Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. ¹⁴ The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

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As I sat at the bar on another Saturday night with “friends” I thought to myself “what am I doing here?” I mean this is definitely not fulfilling! After being popular it seemed like I was living out a sentence of reclusion in a “Podunk” town. I was in the middle of a crowd feeling lonely but this time not lonely for people.

What was missing? People invited me out so that wasn’t it. We had laughter so that wasn’t it. We had shallow meaningless conversations so that wasn’t it. What could fill my emptiness?

• When I try to fill my life with sensuous pleasure I may be running away from something.
• When I try to surround myself with frolicking I may need to face something.
• When I go to the extreme to make myself happy I may need to deal with something.

What was I missing?  I was “the man” on campus then I wasn’t “the man” in this small town. Was it the town that was the problem? Nah! GOD had a different path that HE wanted me on.

• No matter what my past was GOD wants to pour out HIS love on me.
• No matter what I’ve done GOD wants to show HIS faithfulness to me.
• No matter where I’ve wandered to GOD wants to give me grace in abundance.

Somehow GOD saw right through my sinful façade. HE dug to the core and considered me trustworthy to carry HIS message. HE appointed me to HIS service in the middle of my ignorance and unbelief. HE found me when I wasn’t looking for HIM.

• Is your heart empty?
• Are you unfulfilled?
• Is your life out of control?
• Can you look to CHRIST to fill the hole in your heart?
• Won’t you give up that lifestyle for one that is fulfilling and full of GOD?

Aren't you glad you "found it."

The Parable of the Lost Sheep
Luke 15: 1Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'

7I 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.

The Parable of the Lost Coin
8"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.'

10In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

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I like to receive thank you's and pats on the back. At work I won a ton of awards and received recognition for doing some spectacular thing. In the community I received praise, plaques and prizes. None of what I received compares to the cheering and praise a person receives when the stop rejecting JESUS.

I sometimes get side tracked into thinking my existence is for work or school or whatever I'm doing at the moment. I pour myself into "that thing" for a while and I come home exhausted. I do this over and over until I need a vacation because I am burnt out.

While I am going on with my life, I don't notice the people around me who are dying. I'm not talking about physical death, I'm speaking about eternal death. People who reject JESUS as their savior are pursuing an eternal destiny of separation from HIM.

GOD wrote HIS laws in every humans' heart and I believe it is the rejection of what we already know that causes mankind to go to Hell. GOD does not take chances on losing HIS humans. HE took measures that would ensure "every" human could be saved.

It's amazing what HE did. HE gave me free will and saw that I would not choose HIM. HE then came to earth as a human and died in my place. HE saw every sin that I would ever commit and HE accepted me anyway.

• GOD accepted me when I lied.
• GOD accepted me when I stole.
• GOD accepted me when I lusted.
• GOD accepted me when I was lazy.
• GOD accepted me when I doubted HIM.
• GOD accepted me when I demanded that HE do something outside of HIS will.

My sins are forgiven because I no longer reject who JESUS is and what HE has done. Unfortunately there are a lot of humans who know this concept and reject it. "How can they know it?", you say. Again, GOD took precautions and wrote HIS law on every heart. My purpose is to be an example and a testimony to GOD showing humans HE accepted me in the middle of my sins.

I now have to tell people that HE accepted me without being cleaned up. People around the world have heard me tell them to accept not reject CHRIST. This is the most important thing I can do in life.

This purpose is for all Christians. All of us are to tell our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and acquaintances about GOD's great acceptance. We should all be looking for the lost because we were found.

• What is your purpose in life?
• Do you think your work or school is more important than keeping someone from rejecting CHRIST?
• Is your relationship more important than keeping that person from rejecting CHRIST?
• Would you rather keep a friend on earth and watch them reject CHRIST and go to Hell?
• Is there someone you can seek to "find" today?