If you live to be 70 it is estimated that you're going to spend over twenty years asleep; about ten years watching TV; and five years in some form of transportation. That’s half your life just doing those three things.

Now, some of you have heard statistics like that before. But did you know that it is also estimated that the average person will spend about six months looking for stuff they have lost? We lose keys, phones, passwords, passports, umbrellas, earrings, earbuds, your car (where you parked it) – you name it!

If six months is the average, some of you are way beyond that. How many of you would say that you are driving that number up – you feel like you are often looking for something that you have lost?

Now, if Jesus were here in the flesh, he would have his hand raised right there with you. He would tell us that he is always looking, not for somethings, but for someones that are lost. He would tell us that this is the very reason why he came – …to seek and to save the lost. (Luke 19:10)

And this goes way back. Do you realize that the first question that God ever asks in the Bible is …Where are you? (Genesis 3:9) It’s the question he asks Adam and Eve while they were hiding in the Garden of Eden. This is right after they ate from the tree that he told them not to eat from. And despite their disobedience, he’s still looking for them.

And you best believe that he’s still asking that question today: Where are you? He’s still searching. Why? Because he will not rest until all who are lost are found.

So if God has been asking "Where are you?" since the Garden, this is core to who He is. And so we need to understand his heart for the lost; and what that might mean for us – wherever we find ourselves today. And nowhere in Scripture does Jesus paint a more vivid and powerful picture of that than in Luke 15.

Luke 15:1-24

1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 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.

8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

The question I want to ask, and that I have on my heart to try to answer today is, "How does Jesus really see the lost?" I’ve alluded to this a bit already; but I want to double-click on it for a moment for several reasons. For starters, for some the word ‘lost' has this negative ring or connotation to it. It carries with it – especially for those with a church background – this moral judgment or condemnation. And to be honest, that’s why as church leaders this word has not been a part of our regular vernacular. Because to call someone ‘lost', what is heard by many is that they are a ‘lost cause’. But that’s the opposite of how Jesus sees it.

Then what gets in the way? If Jesus has a different view of the lost, what distorts that? Well, we need to remember why Jesus is even telling these parables. In verses 1 and 2, we see that as the sinners and tax collectors – the outcasts of society – are crowding around Jesus to hear him teach, the Pharisees and religious leaders are also there criticizing Jesus for welcoming and eating with them. In their mind, if Jesus was truly a holy man he would never associate with ‘those types of people’.  

Hear me: People who don’t have a heart like Jesus keep a list of who's too far gone. For the Pharisees, on their list were the sinners and tax collectors. On some people’s list today, it’s the addict, the ex-con, the immigrant, the person whose lifestyle offends them, the person who votes differently from them, and on and on we can go. People with a list are not hopeful. They’re not helpful. And they could be just downright mean. And not only to those who are on their list, but they are critical of anyone that wants to bring the outsider in; just like the Pharisees were with Jesus. Don't let the cynic's vision shape yours. Their list and Jesus' heart are not even in the same conversation.

But here’s another thing that causes us to see the ‘lost’ differently from Jesus – and this is personal – our own guilt and shame. Our sin can cause us to believe that there is no way that Jesus could see us any different than the Pharisees do. Let me show you this in the parable of the prodigal son.

When the prodigal son was down and out (vv.14-16) – at the lowest place imaginable – penniless, working for a pig farmer (which was considered an unclean animal), and even desiring the food the pigs were eating, verses 17-19 tell us that he devised a plan to go back to his father. He’s like, "There’s enough food to eat at my father’s house – even the servants eat well. But there’s no way that my father will take me back as a son after what I’ve done. So I’m going to tell him: Father, 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’

I wonder how many of you feel that – "I’m not worthy to be loved by God as a son or daughter." Can I just gently ask you: "Who said?" Again, this is like Adam and Eve in the Garden. After God asked, "Where are you?", they told him that they hid because they were naked. What did God say after that? "Who told you that you were naked?" Who told you that you are not worthy to be God’s child? There’s a Dominican priest who comments on this passage. He says, "Sin doesn't change God's view of us. Sin changes our view of God's view of us. Sin distorts what is real and projects that God is a judge and harsh taskmaster."

For the person that is drowning in guilt and shame because of their sin, that person needs to know that God sees them as nothing less than a child that needs to be found. If you are a parent, you’ve likely had the terrifying experience of losing a child – even for just a moment. It might have been at a park or department store, you took your eyes off for just one second. And then that panic set in when you realized that your child was not where you thought they would be. Let me ask you, did you blame them in that moment? Did you give up on them? Did you wait for them to figure it out on their own? No way. You didn’t stop until they were found. Neither does God.

By the way, funny enough, the Bible tells us that Jesus got lost once as a boy; and not for a moment, but for three days. And his parents did exactly what any of us would do — they searched frantically until they found him. So, again, if we respond that way, and Jesus’ parents responded in that way, what makes us think God would respond or feel any differently when it's us who have wandered?

And so with that in mind, let me give you a new definition for ‘lost.’ To be lost is to be living disconnected from the relationship with God you and I were made for. You and I were made to be in relationship with God. And when that’s not the case, it doesn’t only hurt us, it hurts him too – it hurts his heart.

So how do we stop the pain and go from being lost to being found? Jesus answers that question in each parable with one word: repentance. ‘Repentance’ doesn’t actually show up in the parable of the prodigal son, but it is depicted with this line: ‘he came to his senses’. (v.17) Repentance is the moment you come to your senses — when you stop, turn around, and head back to the father. It's not just feeling bad about where you've been. It's deciding that where you've been isn't where you're going anymore.

But you might be wondering, "If I turn, will he actually want me back?" Look at verse 20 again: …while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Don't miss what's happening here. In the ancient Middle East, a man of the father's standing simply did not run. Running meant lifting your robe, exposing your legs — it was considered undignified, even shameful for a patriarch. But this father saw his son from far off and he didn't just wait for him to reach the door to make his case. No. He pulled up his robe and ran towards him. He was willing to look foolish in front of his whole community just to get to his son faster. That is the picture Jesus is painting of God. He is not standing at the door with arms crossed, waiting to hear your explanation. He is already running toward you. The moment you come to your senses and turn around — he's already moving.

But here's where it gets uncomfortable — repentance isn't just for the obvious prodigals. The younger son wasn’t the only son that was lost. You see, there's another kind of ‘lost’ that doesn't look like feeding pigs in a foreign country. It doesn't look like rock bottom at all. In fact, it looks a lot like faithfulness. It looks like years of showing up, doing the right thing, never leaving — and somehow still missing the whole point. And that's the older brother.

While all of this celebrating was going on inside, the older brother was out in the field — where he always was, doing what he always did. When he came near the house and heard the music and dancing, he had to ask a servant what was going on. And when he found out that his father had thrown a party for the brother who ran off and wasted everything — he was furious. He refused to go in. So the father — the same father who ran to the younger son — went outside and pleaded with him, too. Don't miss that. The father pursues both sons.

And what was the father celebrating? The same thing the shepherd celebrated when he found his sheep, and the woman celebrated when she found her coin — that what was lost is now found. Jesus repeats that theme three times in this chapter because he wants it to land: heaven throws a party every time someone comes home. In fact, I love this line in verse 10: "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." This got me thinking: Is God the one celebrating? What a sight! That's not a small thing. That's the heartbeat of God.

But the older brother wasn't having it with all the celebration. He said to his father, …"Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!" (vv.29-30) Notice he doesn't say "my brother". He says "this son of yours". The distance in that phrase tells you everything about where his heart really was.

And the father's response is heartbreaking in the gentlest way: 31 “'My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” (vv.31-32)

Our goodness can become a barrier in our relationship with God. The older son was just as lost as the younger son. He thought that through his goodness he had earned something. The older son wasn’t good because he loved the father; he was good because he wanted something from him. Here’s the key: even though he was “good” he was distant. Jesus’ aim is not to make good people out of bad people; it’s to make self-centered people into new people that are in relationship with him. Now don’t get me wrong, good and moral behavior is important. But good behavior wasn’t the reason Jesus went to the cross; relationship was.

One commentator writes that there are two types of churches; and we have to decide: Will we be the church of the elder brother or the church of the loving father? Elder brother churches are suspicious, distant, and keep lists; loving father churches run toward the lost and celebrate when they are found. Let’s be that church; and we have an opportunity to do that this Easter. God is already actively searching for your neighbor, coworker, and friend. Your invite might just be what they need to help them come to their senses.

Now, let me speak directly to where many of us are right now. Hear me, some of you feel that you have lost all hope from receiving the love of God because you're just not good enough. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Your Father loves you more than you can imagine. Just to be in relationship with you he sent his Son to die for you so that the penalty you deserved would be placed on him, and so that there would be no barrier standing between you and Him. If you have been weighed down by guilt and shame, God wants you to break free and receive his unconditional love and mercy. Like the prodigal son, I’m going to encourage you to get out of your comfort zone, come up to the altar or to one of our prayer leaders, and receive the tangible embrace of God.

For others of you, you’re upset at God. You can’t believe that despite how good you’ve been, God hasn’t given you what you’ve needed. You need to repent of your pride and self-centeredness. God loves you just as much. But as long as you believe you are deserving, that is a wall that will keep you from the genuine love and grace of God. The older brother stayed outside – he didn’t go in to be with his father and brother. Take the steps to come back to your father.

Whatever has kept you from him — shame, pride, distance — the father is not waiting at the door. He's already running. Let him reach you today.