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This is the audio from the October 29, 2023 sermon, “Good News: HOPE When We’re LOST”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Luke 15

Today I continued a series from the gospel of Luke as we gaze deeply into God’s Word to find the good news of Jesus shared with us by Luke the physician.  As Jesus is teaching about the kingdom of God, we find Him being criticized for because “tax collectors and sinners” were coming to hear Him and He would eat with them.  Knowing what the religious leaders were muttering about, Jesus tells three stories of lost things being found with much emphasis on the final story of a lost son, or two.  What does it look like to be lost?  Many times we use that term, and rightly so, to distinguish between those who are saved and those who are not.  But as we look into Luke 15, I believe there are times when those of us who belong to Christ still manage to wander into places of being lost in different ways.  Even when we know we belong to Christ, we can feel lost when we feel:

Lonely — Loneliness and isolation can make us feel lost.  The lost son found himself all alone as his friends abandoned him.

Objectified — Not being seen as a person can make us feel lost.  The lost son felt no value once his money ran out.

Sinful — Sin is the great separator and will make us feel lost.  The lost son recognized his sin against God and his father.

or just plain
Tired —  Our weariness can affect us at every level of our being, bringing about a feeling of being lost.  The lost son was weary beyond belief just trying to survive.

While I spent much of the week focused on the above points of what it looks like to be lost, late in the week God shifted my focus to the real point of the message — finding hope when we’re lost.  Whether we’re lost in a state separated from God or simply lost in the overwhelming nature of life, It is God’s desire to use His Word, His Spirit, and one another to bring us to a place of . . .

• Healing: — (Luke 15:17)

  • It is often said that the first step in receiving help is our need to admit we need help.  For the lost son in our text, the journey of healing began when he “came to his senses”.  Regardless of the reason we feel lost, coming to our senses in regard to God’s desire and ability to heal us will set us on a journey of being found.  Not in finding our self, but in finding who we are in Christ.  We carry a message of hope to the lost around us when we carry a message of healing.

• Observation: — (Luke 15:18)

  • Once the lost son in our text came to his senses, he was able to look around and observe accurately where he had been, where he was, and where he could be.  Finding hope when we are lost is possible when we willingly gaze into God’s Word to discover the truth about our self and the truth about God.  We take note of what is separating us from Him and we respond in faith to all we see in the life example of Jesus.  We carry a message of hope to the lost around us when we carry a message of observation.

• Position: — (Luke 15:19)

  • Our natural tendency is one that seeks to elevate self to a position of importance and/or value.  When we are lost, it becomes difficult to think or believe we have value to anyone, let alone to God.  It is from that position of humility that we realize with the Psalmist that even being a doorkeeper in the house of God is better than anywhere away from God.  After coming to his senses and observing his current condition, the lost son knew that any position with his father was better than the continued separation.  We carry a message of hope to the lost around us when we carry a message of a place, or position, for them within God’s kingdom.

• Embrace: — (Luke 15:20)

  • There is nothing like a good and honest embrace to overcome the feelings and experience of being lost.  Even as the son returned in humility with a willingness to accept whatever fate awaited him, the father was waiting with open arms to welcome him home.  God’s call to everyone of us when we are lost is that we would repent and return home.  His desire is to embrace us and keep on embracing us as we find true hope in being cleansed by the blood of Jesus.  We carry a message of hope to the lost around us when we carry a message, and action, of embrace.

Today, will you experience and share HOPE when you are LOST?