" Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, " What man of you, having an 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 when he bath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, 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.
" Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, cloth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth."
How often we repeat the words, " The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with us."
In the above precious Scripture we have the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in seeking the lost sheep, the lost sinner " UNTIL HE FIND "; and in the figure of the woman sweeping the house until she find; but there is one word most striking, she seeks it " diligently " until she find it. Then the joy in each case: the joy of God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, and God the Father, filling the courts of heaven with joy over one sinner that repenteth.
Beloved fellow Christians, what fellowship have we with all this? Are we not rather more like a man in the wilderness who diligently seeks a nice green tree, with soft grass beneath, where he may sit in selfish comfort beneath the shade? A few nice friends will make it all the more comfortable.
Now whilst no one can hold divine sovereignty more strongly than I do, yet have we not sat beneath the green tree of selfish comfort, and said, " If the lost sheep in the wilderness are to be found, they will come just here "? Is that fellowship with the Holy Ghost or with the Shepherd-Son of God in seeking diligently? Surely it is blessed to sit beneath His shadow with great delight; but He says " My Father worketh hitherto and I work." If we know what it is to lie down in the green pastures by His peaceful side, yet what about that poor wanderer, His lost sheep, far away from the flock? What about the lost ones yet amongst the millions that have never heard the name of Jesus?
Did you in all your life ever seek the lost one diligently until you have found it? And when you hear of the conversion of a sinner, the deep repentance of a prodigal, does it give you any joy? Would you not far rather go and hear a lecture from some noted servant of Christ (and not always that) than go with Jesus to seek the lost sheep until you find it? Do you pray much for the Sunday school? Do you go there and seek diligently for a lamb, and have you much joy in bringing that dear lamb to the Shepherd's bosom? And in the infirmaries, the workhouses, the streets, the lanes? The Holy Spirit has touched the hearts of a band, chiefly of poor men, in going through the remote villages, yes, and towns too, with tracts. How gladly these receive a parcel of tracts, and how diligently they lend, or give them. Many a lost one is thus found, and many a sheep of Christ gets fed who finds no other food; and aroused by the tracts to the value of the Word of God, in many a lonely spot they learn to lie down in the green pastures. Oh think of the Shepherd coming to seek the lost sinner! And has He not given us the Spirit, who seeks diligently till He find the lost, to do this very work during His absence? And honestly, are we not asleep instead of seeking diligently?
And He says, " I come quickly." Oh, what a change if the saints of God were to awake, and seek diligently the lost ones, and seek until we found them! The Holy Ghost has given us this precious parable of the Lord, and He can guide us where to use the truth. The floor of Christendom itself is covered with dust and rubbish: never mind, do not be weary, sweep, sweep until you find the lost one.
Awake, my brethren, awake, let us have more of the joy of heaven. Rub your eyes, and say, Is it nothing to me that a sinner has been brought to repentance! Is the love of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost to the poor lost, degraded, guilty sinner, and the joy of his being saved-is this nothing to me?
If you look the world over you will find wherever a true follower of Christ is in the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, with the Father and the Son, in seeking the lost sheep diligently, until he find it, that there is blessing. And on the other hand, can we wonder if we are utter strangers to this joy of the Lord, that there is, and must be, utter barrenness and fruitless occupiers of the ground?
The Lord speak by His own word to our souls.