Now let's read together for you tonight from the Gospel of Luke, turning to Luke's Gospel and chapter 15. Luke's Gospel, chapter 15, and beginning at the verse 1, and we'll read together the first seven verses of this chapter of God's Word. Luke chapter 15, the opening verse. And we read, Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners, for to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninth in nine in the wilderness? and go after that which is lost until he find it. And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth to gather his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth more than over ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance. Amen. God well bless the reading of his own word to all of our hearts. Many years ago there was a famous preacher by the name of Dr. Denny. Dr. Denny was a college principal over in the city of Edinburgh and a great preacher and teacher and theologian of the word of God. One occasion a young student came to him and he said, Dr. Denny, I wonder could you give me a bit of advice please? And he said, I wonder if you could recommend to me a good book on the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. The old preacher looked at the young student and he said, yes son, I recommend the book written by Dr. Luke. And he told him to read Luke's account of the Lord Jesus Christ. and he would find great help and benefit from it. Now, that was certainly good advice. Now, when you come to the Gospel of Luke, you will find that Luke has many wonderful features that make it stand out on its own. But one of the things that characterise the Gospel of Luke is this, that Luke likes to add in what the other Gospel writers leave out. And you will find again and again in the 24 chapters of the gospel of Luke that Luke again and again includes the other things which everyone else seemed to leave out. When you read the story of the Lord's birth, you will find that there was so much concerning the offense of the Lord's birth to be found in Luke's gospel that are not found in any of the other gospels. Again, you'll remember that it is Luke who records the wonderful story of the Lord's visit to the temple at Jerusalem, and how that he was left behind, and how that Mary and Joseph had to return. And when they found the Lord Jesus, the Christ Child, sitting in the temple with the lawyers and the doctors and the rulers of the temple, and how that he said unto them, Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business. And what is true of the beginning of the gospel is also true at the end of this particular gospel. And it's strange that it's only Luke gives to us in detail the wonderful story of the two disciples and their homeward journey from the road to Emmaus. You remember how that they had that wonderful experience and encounter with the risen Christ. And they said, did not our heart burn within us as he talked with us by the way? And that Easter time especially, that is always one of my favorite portions of the Word of God. Now, when you come to the chapter from which we read together this evening, you will find that it is only Luke that includes the wonderful parable of lost things. Now, it's important to understand that this is not three different parables, but rather it is just one parable with three different stories emphasizing the truth of the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And you'll remember at this time, it's a time of popularity concerning the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we read there, Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And of course that upset the Pharisees and the scribes, and they began to murmur, and they gave the message of the gospel in a criticism, when they said, This man receiveth sinners, and he doth with them. And very often you'll find in the word of God and heard that even the very enemies of Christ had to testify to the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you remember on another occasion they said, the officers of the temple when they came to arrest the Lord Jesus Christ, that never man spake like this man. Again they said that behold, that the whole world is gone out after Him. And you know, beloved, you'll find that to be true at the end of this old world, because there'll be a great multitude that no man can number out of every tribe, nation, kindred and tongue will surround the throne and sing, worthy is the Lamb that was slain. Now, when you read this first story, this first part of the parable, we find that it's the first story concerning lost things. We have here, of course, the story of the lost sheep. And the emphasis here, I believe, is upon this shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. And then you'll have here also the story, the shortest of these stories, of the woman who lost one piece of silver out of ten. And I believe the emphasis there is upon the person and the work of the Holy Spirit, because it is the Holy Spirit that brings light into darkened souls. Even as this woman brought the light into her house, and began to search and sweep the house diligently until she found the coin that was lost. Then when you come to the story of the prodigal son, it's not so much the story of the lost son, but the story of the loving father and how that the father, in spite of all that the prodigal had done, the father's heart was full of grace, love, mercy and forgiveness. And we're told how the father ran, how to meet his son, fell on his neck and kissed him, and gave the command that they would kill the fatted calf, and that they would bring forth the best robe and put it on him. And so when you put the three stories together, you get a bit of an insight into the so great salvation that the Word of God speaks about. But I want to, just for a short time, look at the story with you this evening of the lost sheep. And I think that as you look at this story, you'll find very simply that there are three things that the Spirit of God would have us to consider this evening. I want you to notice first of all that the sheep was lost. That's the first thing that the Word of God draws our attention to here. The fact that the sheep was lost. Look there in verse 4, And the Saviour said, What man of you having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost? until he found it. And again you'll notice there in verse 6 that we have the word lost again. When the shepherds cried out, rejoice with me for I have found my sheep which was lost. And so the Lord Jesus Christ is emphasizing the fact, the truth, that man apart from God is lost in sin. And this is something that the sheep and the silver and the sun all had in common. My, the sheep was lost in the mountains, wild and bare. The silver was lost in the house. The sun was lost in the far country. But the thing that they had in common was that they were all lost. The Lord Jesus wanted to emphasize and set before men the fact and the solemn truth that men and women without God are lost in sin and without God and without hope in the world. Now, when you look at the sheep that was lost, there are two things that seem to stand out. And I want you to notice, first of all, that it was separated by distance. There was a great distance between the shepherd and the sheep. Now you can imagine in your mind's eye how that the shepherd had been out that day and leading the sheep to the still waters and the green pastures and perhaps just outside the city of Jerusalem he had taken them through the valley of the shadow of death and he returns home with a flock and he stands at the door of the sheepfold and he's counting the sheep one by one as they make their way through the door Suddenly, to his alarm, he discovers that there is a shape missing. And the shepherd realizes that there's a sheep, and it's lost, and it's separated by distance. It's no longer alongside or with the shepherd. O beloved, is not a picture of men and women in sin? Is not what sin does to the heart and to the life? Is not what sin did to our first parents in the Garden of Eden? Do you remember after Adam and Eve had sinned and took of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in disobedience to God's Word, and they were hiding among the trees of the garden, and the voice of the Lord God was heard, Adam, where art thou? And it was the cry of a father over a lost child, Adam, where are you? Adam, what has happened? Adam is now lost in sin because of his disobedience and rebellion. And he's now separated from his God. And because of sin, every man and woman who was born in sin and shaped in iniquity, My, they're separated from God and there's a great gulf fixed. And the Bible says your sins and iniquities have separated you and your God. You know the true stories told of two little boys in London. They were out and they drifted away from home. And they suddenly realized as it was getting dark that they were lost and they didn't recognize exactly where they were. And the big London policeman came up and he happened to spot them. And the eldest boy, my, he was sobbing and crying his eyes out. And trying to comfort him, the big policeman said, now son, don't be crying. He said, there's nothing to get upset about. You're quite safe. Look at your wee brother. He's not crying. The wee fellow looked up and he says, but sir, he doesn't have the sense to know he's lost. And you know, that's the tragedy of so many men and women today. They don't have the sense to know that they're lost and have no appreciation of the gospel. For the Son of Man is coming to seek and to save that which is lost. And if you don't realize that you're lost on the broad road that leads to a Christ rejecter's hell, my dear friend, you can never be saved. The first step in God's salvation is to realize that you're separated by distance. And if you die in your sin where Christ is, you can never hope to be. But you'll notice this sheep that was lost, it was not only separated by distance, but the Word of God tells me that it was surrounded by danger. Because if you look there again in verse 4, you'll find that the sheep was in the wilderness. And that was a dangerous place for a sheep to be without a shepherd. If you turn over to the Gospel of Mark chapter 1, You'll find that we have the temptation of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the Lord Jesus is in the wilderness. And Mark here, when he's dealing with the temptation of Christ in the wilderness, he adds something which the other Gospel writers omit. And it says in verse 13 of chapter 1 of Mark, And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan, and was with the wild beasts, and the angels ministered unto him." Notice the phrase, "...and was with the wild beasts." My, the wilderness was the habitation or the dwelling place of the wild beasts. And here is a sheep And it's lost, it's separated by distance, and it's now surrounded by danger. It's in hostile country. It's surrounded by enemies. It's in the place where the wild beasts are. And oh, my dear friend, you need to realize tonight that the devil is on your track. And the Bible compares the devil to a wild, ferocious beast. And Peter says, your adversary, your enemy, the devil, he goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. And it's the intention of the devil to swallow you up, and to defy you, and to stop you from getting saved. I wonder, do you ever realize you're surrounded by danger tonight? Danger of being lost and danger of being devoured by the devil as he seeks to hinder you from coming to Christ. You know, I think of a lovely young girl. Her father was an atheist, didn't believe the Bible. Brought his young girl up with the same foolish notions as he had. The Bible is not true. There's no God. There's no heaven. There's no hell. But you know, his lovely young daughter was cut down in health and strength. She became terminally ill. She hadn't long to live. And she was lying on her deathbed. And her father was sitting beside her. And he loved that girl more than anything else in this world. My, she was the apple of his eye. And as the girl was lying there, being eaten up with the disease that she had and drifting out towards God's eternity, she turned to her father in distress and she said, Daddy, Daddy, why did you lie to me, Daddy? Daddy, Daddy, why did you lie to me, Daddy? And Daddy was really upset and with tears. He looked at his daughter and he says, Pat, he said, I love you. I've never lied to you in my life. Oh, but she says, Daddy, you're dead. Daddy, you're dead. You told me, Daddy, there was no hell. And Daddy, I'm dying and I'm going down to hell. And Daddy, I'm lost. Daddy, I'm not saved. Oh, the wild beast was there, seeking whom he may devour. I wonder what lie the devil is driving home to your heart as a very dark tonight to prevent you from getting saved. You know, the old devil's the thief who has come to kill and to destroy. Christ has come that you might have life and you might have eternal life. But the devil wants to swallow you up and prevent you from getting saved and having eternal life and an abundant entrance into the kingdom of God. Tell me, is that you tonight? You're lost, separated by distance. You're surrounded by danger. But then I want you to see quickly, the sheep was not only lost, but thank God the sheep was loved. Look there in verse 4 as Luke puts pen to paper and he draws a wonderful story of the gospel in words before us. And he says, What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And I want you to notice this shepherd here. And you know, the shepherd loves this one sheep out of a hundred. It's still precious to him. Even though it is lost, he loves it individually. And you know, does that remind us of God's wonderful love for sinners? Wasn't it Augustine who said that God loves each one of us as if there is only one to love? Remember, some years ago over in the city of Glasgow in the Gorbals, when I was in the White Missionary Training College, we used to go down and there was these big tenements and blocks of flats. It's all wiped away now. Some beautiful homes built there, but it was the rough part of Glasgow in those days. and said of a census inspector was going round the doors and trying to find out how many people lived in each particular apartment. He came to one door and he knocked on the door and the lady came out and he said to her, I want to know how many live in your house. And the woman looked at him and she said, well, you know, she says, there's Jock and there's Jamie and there's Elizabeth and there's Bertha. And he said, oh, please stop. He says, I'm not interested in names. I just want numbers. And the wee woman looked at him and she said, sir, there's no numbers in this house. We've all names. And you know, that's the kind of world we live in today. You're only a number. You go to the doctor, you're only a number. A few taps on the computer. And before you sat down, he's giving you a volume and telling you it's the woman you're married to, you know, and just take them and you'll be all right. And there's no real time. I hardly talk to you today. You're just a number, the place where you work. You're just a number. I think of a fellow, he had a tremendous job, very high paying job. And he walked in, boss sent for him, sat him down. He told him, he said, we're sorry, you're made redundant. And he said, hand over your keys. We'll give you a month's pay. And that was that. The fellow was devastated. Do you know what he discovered? You're only a number. But when it comes to God, the sinner's not a number. He's a soul, an individual person for whom Christ died. And maybe there's someone here tonight, and you're loneliness and sin, and you don't know what way to turn to, and as far as the world is concerned, you're only a number. I want to tell you that Jesus died for you on the cross. And as an individual, you're precious to Him. He loved His sheep individually. But then you'll notice that He loved His sheep sacrificially. He loved his sheep sacrificially. What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost until he findeth? Now remember this, that a man's wealth in Bible days was measured by the sheep, by the flocks, and by the herds that he possessed. If you turn over to the book of Job, chapter 1, We read about Job who was the greatest of all the men of the east. And the Bible says in Job 1 and verse 3 concerning Job's wealth, his substance also was 7,000 sheep and 3,000 camels and 500 yoke of oxen and 5 she-asses and a very great household. And you'll notice how Job's wealth is estimated. It's estimated by the flocks, by the herds, by the cattle he possessed. And here's a man and he has a hundred sheep, and by Bible standards in the days of Christ, my, that's a wealthy man. And his fortune is wrapped up in those ninety and nines sheep that he has. And yet he's willing to turn his back upon all that he has. And he's going out to find the sheep that is lost. Oh, what a lovely description of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, Paul tells us, does he not? For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor. that ye might be made rich." How was Christ rich? Let me tell you, friend, He was rich in the worship of angels. He was a blessed second person of the Trinity, co-eternal with God the Father. He was part of the Trinity, the ever-blessed God, the ever-happy God, and God the Father, and God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost in unity and eternal happiness. He was rich in His Father's love and blessing. And yet the Lord Jesus Christ was willing to turn His back upon it all. And He was willing to go to the middle cross of Calvary. And He was willing to shed His blood. And He was willing to pay the price for your salvation and mine. Oh, He loved His sheep sacrificially. Paul says, the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. I want to tell you tonight, friend, if nobody else loves you, if nobody else cares, Jesus cares and Jesus loves you. Do you remember David on one occasion? He was in the cave of Adullon. He realized there's only a step between me and death and the armies of Saul are pressing in. And David begins to despair. And he said, I looked on my right hand and refuge failed me. And I looked on my left hand and no man would know me. And then David cried out, no man careth for my soul. He thought nobody cared. And yet it was a lie from the pit of hell. Because I read in this book that Jonathan, the king's son, Saul's son, loved David even as his own soul. And maybe there's one tonight and you feel there's nobody loves you, nobody cares. I want to tell you Christ cares. The king's son cares. And he cared so much that he went to the cross. And he says, behold my hands and my feet. as reminders and evidence of His wonderful love for you. Oh, this sheep, it was loved, thank God, it was loved individually. It was loved sacrificially. But then you'll notice here, thirdly, that the sheep was not only lost and it was not only loved, For thank God it was lifted. Notice what it says there in verse 5. And here we're taking a step further and the shepherd has gone after the sheep and he's found it. And it says this, And when he hath found it, he laith it on his shoulders rejoicing. Oh, can you see the picture? The shepherd has found his sheep. He's been looking, he's been listening for its cry. And there's this sheep, and it's frightened, and it's weary, and it's exhausted. And the shepherd reaches into his shepherd's bag, and he takes out two long strips of leather. And he takes the first piece, and he ties the four legs together. And he takes the other strip of leather, And he ties the back legs together. And then with the strong arms of the shepherd, he lays it on his shoulders. And he places this weary, tired, frightened, battered sheep on his shoulders. And he carries the sheep home the rest of the journey. You know, there's a lovely verse in the book of Isaiah, chapter 9 and 6, dealing with the birth of the Christ child. And one of the lovely things it says is this, the government shall be upon his shoulder. Singular. And the thought is this, that the one who was Emmanuel, God with us, just has the world on one shoulder, holds the world by his strength on one shoulder. But when it comes to the sheep that is lost, it's plural. He layeth it on his shoulder. And the message is this, that the sheep that is laid on the shoulders of the shepherd is more secure than the very universe that we live in. You know, there's coming a day when heaven and earth will pass away, when the element says, Peter shall melt with a vermin heat, and Christ is going to fold up this old world, even as a festure, as a garment, and the world's going to pass away. But he says, I give on to my sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish. This old world is going to perish. But thank God the sheep lay it on the shoulders of the shepherd. Jesus says, I give on to my sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish. I want you to notice here that it's the shepherd who's carrying this sheep. It's the shepherd who's keeping this sheep. You know, Dr. Schofield, who was the author of the Schofield Bible, when he was a young man he had terrible doubts about his salvation. Am I really saved or not? And one day he was passing his shop and there was an oil painting and he stopped to look at it. And the artist, in a wonderful way, had captivated in oils the scene of Daniel in the den of lions. And as he looked at it, he saw how that the mouths of the lions were shut and Daniel was standing there and the Lord had sent his angel to shut the lion's mouth. And standing there, it suddenly dawned on him that the God who preserved Daniel, surrounded by the lions and shut their mouths, was the God who was preserving him and keeping him. And this book, beloved, says that we're kept by the power of God through faith. on to salvation. Thank God Stanley Barnes is not teeping the shepherd, it's his shepherd that teeps Stanley Barnes. I'm on his shoulders tonight. Remember after I got saved, went back into the Co-Bakery, United Cooperative Bakery Society, UCBS, we used to call it uncles, cousins, brothers and sisters, everybody was related. And I remember getting saved and going back into the bakery, and the big fellas coming over and they said, I will give you to tomorrow, and you'll be back with us. We'll give you to the end of the week. We'll give you to the end of the month. And thank God, eventually, they gave me up altogether. Do you know why? Because Christ had saved me, and Christ had kept me." You know what the message of this book is tonight, beloved? He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him. You know, some years ago there was a young lassie. She was fed up with home, wanted to get away, wanted to head for the bright lights in the city of London. She left her good home and everything that she had, turned her back on her mother's love and her father's care. She headed for the bright lights. The mother and father were brokenhearted and tried to find her and get into contact with her, but they couldn't find her. Eventually, out of desperation, they went to the Missing Persons Bureau of the Salvation Army, and they got in touch with them. The officer came out to their home to find out all the details and have a chat about their daughter. And so they got all the information. And just as the officer was about to go, he looked in the cabinet and there was a beautiful photograph of the girl. And he said, is that your daughter? He said, it is. He said, I wonder, would you do something? He said, I wonder, would you give me that picture? Suppose I'll have it in my mind if I come across her in London. And I want you to write on it, all is forgiven, please come home, love mum and dad. I want you to write those words on it. And eventually the officer, along with the others, and they do a tremendous work in this field, and they began to look and to search out within all the hovels of sin that the devil has. And eventually they came across this wee lassie who discovered that the bright lights were not just as bright as she thought they were. And she had sold her body into sin to survive. And they came across her and they spoke to her by name, a wee so-and-so. They said, yes, how do you know? They told her mum and dad had been in touch with them and they wanted her to come home. And they wanted her to give up her old way of life and come back into the family. And the wee girl sobbed her heart out, and she says, but sir, look at me. I'm deep down in sin. I never thought I would come to this. Mum and Dad would never forgive me. And the officer put his hand into the briefcase, and he took out her photograph. He said, is that you? Oh, she says it is. He says, read the message. All is forgiven. Come home, Mum and Dad. And the girl looked at him with tears in her eyes as she looked at her own picture. She responded to her mother and her father's love. And she made her way home. And she started out in life afresh. And you know, friend, in the story that we read together tonight, that's God's picture of you tonight. And what God is saying to you tonight is this, that there's mercy, there's grace, there's forgiveness at the cross. And He's not offering you a new start in life. He's offering you a new life to start with. For He says, Behold, I make all things new. And if any man be in Christ Jesus, He's a new creation. Old things are passed away. Listen and behold, all things are become new. This man receiveth sinners. I wonder, will you let him receive you tonight? And thank God there's room at the cross in the Father's house for you. May the Lord help you to come. May you come in the Lord's name. We're going to turn together