SERMON - GOD IS LOOKING FOR YOU

God is Looking for YOU

In a past sermon I made a statement that I have said to others for many years.

‘Religion is man seeking God; Christianity is God seeking man.’

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, told us three (3) parables that clearly make my point to any that will listen. It is those, among other Scripture that more than make me believe that statement.  Those are:

Luke 15: 3-7 So, Jesus used this illustration: “If you had one hundred sheep, and one of them strayed away and was lost in the wilderness, wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine others to go and search for the lost one until you found it? And then you would joyfully carry it home on your shoulders. When you arrived, you would call your friends and neighbors to rejoice with you because your lost sheep was found. In the same way heaven will be happier over one lost sinner who returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

Luke 15: 8-10 “Or suppose a woman has ten valuable silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and look in every corner of the house and sweep every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it she will call her friends and neighbors to rejoice with her because she has found her lost coin. In the same way there is joy on the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

Luke 15: 11-32 (Too lengthy to copy, read it, Please)

In each parable Jesus is telling of a lost soul that returns to God. He relates the joy and rejoicing of God’s friends and neighbors (Angels and Saints). Just as God finds happiness in knowing a sinner has returned to His presence we too must rejoice when we see a ‘lost soul’ turn to God and walk His path.

There are all too many that see their misdeeds and sinfulness as their ‘bed in hell.’ Their thought is that they are too far gone to ever be worthy of God’s grace and salvation. It is your Christian duty to be willing to be used by God to ‘find that lost sheep’ and return it to God’s sheepfold. Though you and I know that we can lead a soul to Christ but we cannot make that soul believe. Even with that as a known fact we must be confident in the fact that if we do the ‘sowing’ God will do the ‘watering’ as well as the ‘cultivating.’

If you are that lost sheep, return to Him. He will rejoice!  

Often we run up against an atheist. That person already hates us as he/she totally resents the fact that we are happy. He/she will attribute our happiness as ‘unreal’ or ‘phony’ in an attempt to justify his/her own unhappiness. All too often that person has a closed mind and will not even allow us the chance to voice even one word so as to make our position or anything of Christianity known. This is a sad situation that I have wrestled with for years and sought an answer to. The only thing I can think of doing is to be the best Christian I can be especially in the presence of that person.

The ‘happy fact’ in a situation as dealing with an atheist who will not listen to your words is that the Holy Spirit will keep on His calling of him/her until that person’s life is over and a decision is arrived at. Our duty is to pray for and ask God to assist us in our Christian duties.

Let me tell you about a man that got lost from Christ. I say ‘got lost’ as even though he was raised Christian he ‘fell away’ and became a person that was going door to door telling all that would listen about the faith of Jehovah Witnesses.  He was an elderly man when we first met. He had come to my door with another of his JW members to give me some of the literature he passed out. He would appear every other week with his literature and each time he came I invited his in for a drink of water and read the Book of John to him. As the lay members of the JWs are not allowed to read the New Testament he would listen intently as I read. After the better part of two years had passed he stopped by one day without his friend.

As I knew of the JW faith I told him that he was in violation of the JW faith as he was appearing alone. My next statement to him was, “In my way of thinking you’d make a strong Christian as you are not afraid of going door to door telling of your faith. His reply brought tears to my eyes as he said, “I stopped by to tell you that I am now a Christian and will be moving away.”

You may be able to imagine my happiness upon hearing his words. I had ‘sown’ the Word and God has chosen to ‘water’ and ‘cultivate that which I had sown! My prayer was one of thanks to the Lord and I am forever grateful to God that He used me as His tool to regain a soul. As I told the man, “All glory to God, welcome home.”

Read God’s Word, believe God’s Word and do not be afraid to read God’s Word to any that will listen. Know that those who will not listen are in the reach of the Holy Spirit and like I do, pray for His success. After all, it is He we seek to praise and glorify not ourselves.

(Closing prayer)

Heavenly Father, Abba, we praise Your Holy Name, we lift our hearts to You. You are our strength and our Yahweh Tsidkeanu (Lord of Righteousness, He who forgives us our trespasses). Please forgive us our sins so we may appear in Your awesome presence cloaked in the Whit robes of righteousness.

Father we ask that You allow us to assist You in leading souls to You when we are capable to do so and at times we are unable to be of assistance, You send Your Holy Spirit to find the lost souls amongst us. It is Your will to be done O Lord and make us ever mindful of that fact.

Father we ask that You send Your angels to protect our military, our elected leaders, our fellow Christians throughout the world and us. You are our Salvation and we seek to be with You in Paradise.

All these things we ask in the name of Jesus Christ who is One with You and the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever,

Amen, amen and amen...

Pastor Lee 

God's Word Christian Ministry