One Lost Soul

Articles

Derek Long
01/12/20 - Teaching

One Lost Soul
By Derek Long
It is good for us to remember the value God places on the soul of an individual. We need to place an equal value upon our own soul and the souls of other individuals. God is willing to go to great lengths to save one lost soul. We need to imitate God’s desire to save even one lost soul (Ephesians 5:1).
In Luke 15, we read of a series of parables which emphasizes the value God places on saving one lost soul. The chapter begins by saying, “Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, ‘This Man receives sinners and eats with them’” (Luke 15:1-2). Jesus is interacting with people who were considered and even known to be sinners by others. People did not like the fact Jesus would be around such individuals on multiple occasions throughout His ministry. Jesus seeks to help these individuals understand His behavior by giving them a series of parables speaking of the value of one lost soul (Luke 15:3).
The first parable in this series of parables deals with a man who has 100 sheep who loses one of them. Luke 15:4-7 says, “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And
when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be ore joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” If you have 100 sheep and lose one, you have only lost 1% of your flock. It might be easy to think there is no reason to be too concerned. A good shepherd though will do what is needed to go out and
seek the one lost sheep. Jesus reminds us of the great joy there is when one lost sheep is found. In a similar manner, it is a cause for great rejoicing when one sinner repents. Do we get excited about one person repenting? Do we rejoice when one who is lost in sin is brought back to the Lord?
The second parable deals with a woman who has ten coins and loses one of them. Luke 15:8-10 says, “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Again, the woman might could reason she still has 90% of her coins but instead she searches diligently for the one lost piece. It is easy for us maybe to relate to losing something which is very valuable to us. When a person sins, do we treat it as losing something which is very valuable to us? If you have found
something valuable which had been lost, you probably have felt great joy at the discovery. Does our joy when one sinner repents exceed the joy we would find over the recovery of a prized possession.
The third parable deals with a son who goes and leaves his father and wastes his possessions with prodigal living (Luke 15:11-32). Eventually the son comes to his senses, returns to his father’s house, and acknowledges his sin. The father is joyful and welcomes the son back home. It should be encouraging for us to know we have a Father in heaven who longs for us to return to Him when we go off into sin. An older son comes in and sees the rejoicing over the return of his younger brother and is upset. Those Jesus was being challenged by were acting like the older son in this parable. It is important for us to examine our attitude and make sure it does not mirror the attitude found in this older son. Can we rejoice when someone comes back to the Lord? Can we be happy to see a soul saved even if the person has wronged us in the past, etc.? The parable does not tell us how the older son responded to his father’s pleadings. In some ways, the question is left for us: How will I respond when one lost soul returns. Will I share the feelings my heavenly Father has toward one lost soul?
Jesus asks, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). Our soul and the souls of others are worth more than the world and all its possessions. Will we treat the salvation of our soul and the souls of others as seriously as God does?