April 28, 2025 • 25 mins
The Shepherd's relentless pursuit of a single lost sheep reveals a profound truth about God's heart for the wanderer. Pastors Lee Day and Jim Archambault unpack this powerful parable from Matthew 18:12-14, challenging listeners to reconsider what it means to be sought after by God.
Have you ever felt too far gone for redemption? Jesus paints a vivid picture of a shepherd who leaves ninety-nine safely grazing sheep to search tirelessly for just one that has strayed. This isn't merely a story about livestock management—it's a revelation of divine priority. The shepherd's determination mirrors God's unwavering commitment to each person who has wandered away.
What strikes deepest about this parable is the celebration that follows restoration. "He rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray." Heaven throws a bigger party for one returning wanderer than for those who never left. This doesn't diminish the faithful but highlights the extraordinary value God places on restoration. As Pastor Jim notes, "When one soul is saved, it is an absolute reason to celebrate."
The conversation turns personal as both pastors reflect on their own salvation experiences and the transformative moment of encountering Christ. They challenge listeners to remember we were all once "the one" who needed pursuing, and now we're called to extend that same radical pursuit to others. "How many times have I missed the one?" Pastor Lee wonders, prompting us all to consider those we encounter daily who might be one conversation away from finding their way back to God.
Whether you feel like the lost sheep or you're being challenged to leave your comfort zone to seek someone who's wandered, this episode will rekindle your appreciation for God's relentless love. Subscribe now and join the conversation about what it truly means to seek and save the lost.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the podcast that takes
you deeper into the Word of Godthroughout your week with your
hosts, pastors Lee and Jim.
It's time to inspire, upliftand dig deeper.
Beyond Sunday starts now.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Hey, what's going on?
Everybody, this is Pastor LeeDay, and I am alongside Pastor
Jim Archambault and we pastortogether.
The Church Christ FamilyOutreach in Amelia, virginia,
would love to have you comealong and fellowship with us and
receive the Word of God.
So, before we get going intothis brand new episode, just
(00:41):
want to throw something outthere with an up-and-coming idea
that we've got.
We would love for any listenerthat has already listened and
they want to call into the showand share how a particular
episode has impacted your life.
Maybe it was a story that weshared.
Maybe it was a word that Godgave us to give to you some
Bible verses.
(01:01):
Just how did that particularepisode impact your life?
We would love to hear about it.
So what?
We're going to you some Bibleverses.
Just how did that particularepisode impact your life?
We would love to hear about it.
So what we're going to do?
We're going to open up thephone lines.
We're going to allow you tocall in and be a part of the
show, and we are looking forwardto that.
If you would like to do that,if you would like to call in and
share just a quick testimony onone of these Beyond Sunday
(01:23):
episodes, how it has impactedyour life.
We want you to let us know inadvance so we can reach out to
you and set everything up.
So if you want to be a part,all you got to do is email us at
pastorlee at cfochurchorg.
Again, that's pastorlee atcfochurchorg, and we will be
(01:44):
getting in contact with you oncewe receive your email.
All right, so today we're goingto get going in Matthew,
chapter 18, verses 12 through 14.
If you got your Bibles, goahead and turn there.
Pastor Jim, how you feelingtoday?
Speaker 1 (01:57):
brother, I'm feeling great Excited to get into this
Word Matthew 18, 12, and 13.
It's just one of those parablesthat grabs you by the heart.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Yeah, absolutely.
So here we go.
What do you think if a man hasa hundred sheep and one of them
has gone astray, does he notleave the 99 on the mountains
and go in search of the one thatwent away?
And if he finds it, truly, Isay to you he rejoices over it
more than over 99 that neverwent astray.
(02:28):
So it is not the will of myFather, who is in heaven, that
one of these little ones shouldperish.
Pastor Jim, I'd like to begin bysharing some hope with our
listeners today, brother, thatno matter how far they may have
run from God, no matter how lowthey may be finding themselves
right now, how far they may haverun from God, no matter how low
they may be finding themselvesright now, god always wants us
(02:51):
to leave our life of sin andbegin a fresh new walk with him
right now.
So it's not too late, myfriends, for you to turn to
Jesus right now, if you've notalready done so.
How blessed we are.
How blessed we are that JesusChrist accepts us and forgives
us, just where we are right nowin life.
Amen.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Amen.
I love how he says what do youthink?
That's how he starts off.
He says what do you think aboutthis?
And I love that because in theWord, anytime I read it, I want
to know, kind of, what I thinkabout it, because it allows me
to chew it and digest it.
So I should be reading andthinking about it and he's sort
of pushing us into thatdirection here.
But Jesus begins telling usabout a shepherd, and it's not
(03:28):
just any shepherd, he's talkingabout the good shepherd, and
he's talking about the kind thatdoesn't give up on one lost
sheep.
And here's what's superpowerful about it.
It's not just about shepherds,it's about God's heart, his
heart for the lost.
It shows this relentlesspursuit of us you, me and any of
(03:49):
our listeners here for hiscreation, no matter how far
we've wandered, like you werejust saying, it doesn't matter
how far we've gone, he's therefor us.
So he says in verse 12, what doyou think If a man has a
hundred sheep and one of themhas gone astray, does he not
leave the ninety-nine on themountain and go in search of the
one that went astray?
(04:09):
Now, when you look at thatphrase go in search of the one.
What stands out is theintentionality of that.
The shepherd's not saying thathe wants you to just wait for
the sheep to come back.
He's saying that he's goingafter it.
And that speaks to God'sproactive love for us.
His pursuit of us isn't passive, it's very, very active and it
(04:32):
sounds like in this text it'srelentless.
I mean, if you really thinkabout it, the fact that Jesus
tells us this story in the firstplace is the reminder that
we're never too far gone for Godto come after us.
And maybe you're listening heretoday and you felt distant from
God.
This verse is telling you thathe's not waiting for you to take
(04:53):
the first step.
He's already pursuing you.
God's love has no limit.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Amen, brother.
See, that's the thing aboutsheep, right, they stray.
You just mentioned it.
The Scripture talks about it.
They wander off, especiallywhen not cared for, right.
So, jesus Christ, he is ourShepherd.
Capital S, he is our Shepherd.
When we read the Word of God,when we do what it says, it's
His Word, it's His Holy Spiritliving and working on the inside
(05:21):
of us that ultimately keeps uswhere we need to be.
We've got to be obedient towhat the shepherd is telling us
to do.
We've got to follow thedirection from the shepherd.
It keeps us that direction fromthe shepherd.
It keeps us from going back toour foolish ways.
And the truth is is that we'veall sinned and fall short of the
glory of God, so we've alllived in those foolish ways,
right?
So we do not want to beChristians who continue to stray
(05:45):
and go backwards.
When we receive Jesus Christ asour Lord and Savior, this
relationship should becomepersonal.
It's not just a head knowledge,right?
This walk should be personal.
We are supposed to follow himas sheep are supposed to follow
the shepherd.
And in the parable, theshepherd leaving the 99 to go
(06:05):
after the one doesn't mean thatthe 99 are not as important as
the one, but it does show justhow important the one is to God.
So we cannot ever let the enemymake any of us feel as though
we have no worth.
Don't ever let the enemyconvince you that no one cares
about you, because the truth isJesus Christ does.
(06:27):
God wants every single one ofhis people living in victory
through the good shepherd, hisson.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Jesus Christ, amen.
And that's why we see himhanging out with the sinners In
Luke's account.
In the Gospel of Luke, inchapter 15, we're going to hear
the exact same story, and thething about Luke's version is it
adds a little bit more context,and what you see is Jesus is
going to be responding to thePharisees who are complaining,
who are grumbling, who have aproblem with the fact that Jesus
(06:56):
is hanging out with sinners.
So if we look at what Jesussays in Luke 15, 4, he says what
man of you, having a hundredsheep, if he has lost one of
them, does not leave theninety-nine in the open country
and go after the one that islost until he finds it?
Amen, and you'll notice thedifference here.
Matthew focuses on the why.
(07:17):
Behind Jesus' or the shepherd'sactions, jesus is asking what
do you think he's prompting usto understand the heart of God?
But in Luke, jesus gives usthis image of a shepherd who's
searching until he finds it.
It's not just about going outto look, it's about staying the
course, it's about not giving upand it's about being willing to
(07:39):
go the distance.
God's commitment to finding us,it really doesn't have an
expiration date.
So here's the first applicationthat I want to point out for us
today, in our own lives.
We should ask this question arewe willing to go after the one?
Because we live in a worldwhere it's easy to focus on the
99 that are safe, right, theones that show up on Sunday, the
ones that are already walkingit out with God.
(08:01):
But this passage challenges usto ask am I willing to leave the
99 and go after the one who'slost?
It's not about numbers, but itis about individuals.
It's about seeing value in theone.
It's about seeing the worth inthe person who might have
wandered away or maybe hasn'teven been reached yet.
I'll tell you this when you goafter the one, that's where
(08:27):
you're going to seetransformation.
That's where you see heartsrestored.
And here's something that Iwant to leave you with Every
single person is worth thepursuit.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Yeah, the shepherd found the lost sheep.
You know you bring up thistopic about the pursuit.
In order to find it, you'reright, he had to go out in
pursuit of it.
How many of you peoplelistening know that God has
pursued you and maybe he'scurrently in the process of
(08:56):
pursuing you?
But the truth is, if you'retaking notes, you can write this
down God pursues his people.
Some of you listening todaycould testify that had it not
been for God pursuing you in aparticular moment, that moment
would have overtaken you.
But because God was there,reaching out to you, calling out
to you, his pursuit of you keptyou away from foolishness.
(09:21):
So if you're taking notes, youcould write that down God
pursues me.
It's the pursuit, it's thepursuit.
God pursuing me is what keepsme out of the foolishness as he
draws me into his righteousness.
When it's decision time, whenI've got to make a choice,
either I'm going to go forwardsor backwards.
(09:41):
Either I'm going to mess up orI'm not.
Either I'm going to go forwardsor backwards.
Either I'm going to mess up orI'm not.
Either I'm going to stay inlight or I'm going to slip in
dark.
God is pursuing us, friends, tomake the right decision to make
the right choices.
So notice what else the shepherddid when he found the lost
sheep.
He didn't just stay with itthere, he didn't just like camp
out, right there, in that momenthe finds the lost sheep and he
(10:04):
took it back home to safety.
He put it up on his shoulders,he took it home to safety.
So he's taking it with him, hetakes it back home where it
belongs.
So maybe you're listening todayand you needed to hear that
point that Jesus Christ wants totake you back home and all of
(10:24):
your sinful actions and all ofyour running away and all of
your folly and all of yourmisbehaviors.
Yet Jesus has been pursuing youthis entire time and maybe you
knew it, maybe you've known itthe entire time that you have
just felt his presence, nomatter how far or how hard or
how fast you run.
You know that he's been therewith you the whole time and
maybe today is the day that youfinally just not just know that,
but you surrender to that andyou let Jesus Christ take you
(10:47):
back home.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Amen.
Verse 13 gets super powerful.
Right, jesus starts to talkabout what the shepherd does
when he finds the lost sheep,like you just said.
But he says in verse 13, herejoices.
In fact, he rejoices over theone that was found, more than
the 99 who didn't even go astray.
Now what's Jesus really sayingthere?
(11:09):
Is he minimizing the value ofthe 99?
Absolutely not.
No, he's not.
But he's making a point aboutGod's heart.
Yeah, god rejoices when oneperson is brought back, and I
think the key word here isrejoice.
It's not just a celebration,it's this deep, heartfelt
rejoicing, this celebration ofrestoration.
(11:30):
We've got to think about thatin our own lives.
Right, how often do wecelebrate someone who comes back
to the faith?
And when someone was lost andnow they're found, do we
celebrate that?
Are we excited about it?
Because heaven is Oftentimeswhen, at the end of church, you
know we give the salvationmessage and anybody who would
(11:53):
receive salvation in that moment.
It's said constantly because wewant to remind churches of the
angels rejoicing over all whowould be saved.
There's a celebration in heaven.
But what I want to do is I wantto get back to Luke 15 just for
a moment, because in verse 7,it says this just so I tell you
there will be more joy in heavenover one sinner who repents
(12:14):
than over 99 righteous personswho need no repentance.
More joy, that's what Jesus istelling us and that is the heart
of God.
It's not that the 99 don'tmatter, because Jesus is showing
us that His priorities or God'spriorities aren't lying.
He's showing us that God's eyesare always on the lost.
And when one soul is saved, itis an absolute reason to
(12:38):
celebrate.
And here's one more takeaway Iwant to share with the listeners
today to celebrate and here'sone more takeaway I want to
share with the listeners todaywe should celebrate every soul
that comes to Christ.
Our joy should overflow at therestoration of just even one.
So when you see someone turntheir life around, when someone
comes back to God, don't justnod and move on.
That is an opportunity that weshould be taking as Christians,
(13:00):
to rejoice and fellowship withthat believer, because that's
what the Father does.
And if we're called to be likethe Father, then count me in.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
I'm rejoicing over everyone that would be saved,
and when we rejoice with God,our hearts are beginning to
align with His yeah you know,not every Sunday, but almost
every Sunday, pastor, jim peopleare getting saved at church, at
CFO, and the Spirit of God ismoving and people are coming
(13:29):
forward.
People are receiving JesusChrist as Lord and Savior, and
one thing that I love is seeingthe people that are dedicated.
They're devoted to walking upto these people that just gave
their life to Jesus and they'rehugging them Amen.
They're congratulating them.
They say, hey, my name is,what's your name?
They're showing them the loveof Jesus right there in the
moment, right there in the room.
And that's our job is to getaround these people right there
(13:53):
and welcome them into the familyof God.
And really it should beeveryone's responsibility into
the room to come do that.
We don't have a particular groupthat's assigned to do that.
These people just come do it,and that's what I love about it.
It's natural, it's real.
It's not that they've been toldto do it, it's not that they've
been asked to do it.
They just want to gocongratulate people that have
(14:15):
just been pulled out of thegutter.
Right, they've just beensnatched off of Satan's team and
now they are team Jesus.
Amen, they are in the family ofGod.
They just got up inside of abrand new bloodline, the
bloodline of Christ, where we'vegot opportunities, where
generational curses are broken,you know.
So I love it when we see peoplecome to Jesus and the body, as
(14:42):
you just mentioned, gathersaround them and congratulates
them, because I think one of theworst things Christians could
do is forget what it felt likewhen we got saved, forget what
it felt like when we wereredeemed.
And I don't know, do youremember the time when you got
saved?
What it felt like, you knowjust like?
Was it a relief?
Was it victory?
(15:03):
Was it just thankfulness?
You know, what was it that youexperienced in that moment or
moments after when you got?
Speaker 1 (15:10):
saved.
So for me and it's interestingthat you asked me that question,
because I was literally havinga conversation with someone
about this a couple of weeks ago, talking about new life and for
me it was this idea that thereexisted something else.
So when I was very young I sayvery young, I was 13 when I got
(15:31):
saved and up until the point Iwas 13 years old I knew one
thing I knew a life withoutChrist.
I didn't know anything aboutchurch outside of Catholicism,
and so one thing, if you'relistening and you know about
Catholicism is it's a lot lessabout relationship in the
Catholic Church, as it is aboutthe religion and the traditions
(15:52):
and the things of that nature,and we don't have time on this
podcast to get into all of thatand try to dissect that, so I
won't do it.
But what I will tell you isgoing up in church was routine
In the Catholic Church.
It was a routine and it wasjust something that we did.
We got there and we did thesame things.
They said the same prayers, wedid the same.
It was just very religious.
And so when I thought ofChristianity, I thought
(16:13):
Catholicism.
It wasn't until I met Jesus thatI realized there was something
new, there was somethingdifferent.
That's powerful, and while allof the hope that we not just
myself, everybody is born into ahope of something better,
greater and beyond what theyalready know, that's what
happens when you're born and youhave your knowledge base of
(16:35):
what you've experienced andyou're growing and you're
growing and you're growing wherethe hope is that you're going
to continue to grow.
Well, for me, when I got saved,it was this new life that was
just set before me and I wantedto experience all of it.
And I didn't know how toexperience all of it in one day,
so I just started reading theWord, and it was reading the
Word where I started to learnwhat Christianity was and how
(16:58):
this relationship with the Kinggave me an opportunity to fall
under grace every single day, tosanctify myself from the things
of what I thought I knew wasgood for me, which I realized is
not.
You know what I mean.
So it was this idea of do life.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
Yeah, that's so good, man, because you just like this
lost sheep and you kind ofspoke on it earlier in this
episode.
You were the one.
It's all about the one.
The message of the one cannotbe forgotten in the lives of the
church, in the lives ofChristians.
We cannot forget about the one,that one who walks through the
(17:34):
door this Sunday or thisThursday, who may look a little
different than everybody else,that one that may have a
reputation that goes before them, and maybe they earn that
reputation, but can I just sayit doesn't matter.
What matters is that JesusChrist is willing to go after
that one, and the fact thatthey're there may be just proof
(17:55):
that Jesus is pursuing them.
So we've got to remember, asChristians, the message of the
one.
We should never be too busy, weshould never be too tired, we
should never be toouncomfortable in life that we
forget about anyone.
You know, we should never feeltoo high or too mighty or too
religious that we don't stop tohelp one another.
(18:18):
So remember, we used to be thatone, I used to be that one, you
used to be that one.
Every person listening that issaved in Christ and walking with
the Lord.
You used to be that one too.
Thank God, almighty hallelujah,that someone took the time to
look at the one and share Jesus.
Thank God that someone let usknow that Jesus was in pursuit
(18:44):
of us.
So our prayer should be thatGod would open our eyes as
Christians and pierce our heartsevery time we are in the
presence of the one, the one whoneeds to feel the love of Jesus
.
Because you never know exactlywhat they're dealing with.
You never know exactly whatthey're going through, what
(19:04):
they're fighting in life in thatparticular moment.
You may have never known whatthey just walked away from, what
they're walking out of.
You may never know how lonelythey really feel.
So how far are you willing togo to get that one into the
flock of God?
How far was Jesus willing to go?
He left the 99.
He left the comfort of theflock.
(19:26):
He's willing to go as far as ittakes.
So the answer is this We've gotto do whatever God calls us to
do.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Yeah, and you know that there's another perspective
in this that I'll touch on andI hadn't planned on doing it,
but I think it's importantbecause you speak about the
flock and being safe, and theflock is safe and the flock is
protected and we do want to goafter the unsaved.
But it's also important, as wespeak, to how our circle matters
and how it is important that weknow the shepherd's voice and
(19:59):
the shepherd knows us.
As we look to our left andright in the congregation, we
got to be sure that we see whowe see on a regular basis and
when we don't see them, weunderstand okay, that means
they're not within the safety ofthe flock and we need to go get
them because the safety is inthe 99 and the numbers and the
(20:20):
circles matter.
And, like you lift me up, Ilift you up.
We do it in the name of theLord, but we strengthen one
another.
If I don't show up to churchfor four days or four weeks,
somebody should probably startcalling me because I'm more
vulnerable being the one awayfrom the flock than if I was in
church every single week.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's a great point.
So, whether you go to CFO ornot, maybe you go to another
church.
Can we just encourage you offof what Pastor Jim just said,
because that is a fantasticpoint.
Most people they sit in thesame section.
Most people do, right.
I would rather people get upand kind of move around every
week and get to know differentpeople within the family, but
(20:58):
the truth is most people sit intheir section, right where
they're comfortable being.
So I want to charge you guys.
Begin to look around thosewithin your section.
Begin to get to know people atyour church that sit near you,
that sit around you.
Begin to get to know peoplethat when you're walking to your
(21:20):
row, to get to your seat, beginto make conversation and
welcome people and greet people.
Begin to make going to yourchair more than just about going
to your chair right Like.
Begin to greet people not justin passing but look them in the
eyes, you know, and if it takesa moment to just sit there and
(21:41):
actually have a smallconversation before church
starts, then so be it.
But get to know folks so thatwhen they're not there you can
reach out, and when you're notthere they can reach out.
That's a're not there.
They can reach out.
That's a whole piece ofaccountability within the family
of God.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
Yeah you know, god is the shepherd and he's going to
go through great lengths to seekand save the lost, like that's
what he wants to do.
He has a heart for it and, asHis followers, we're called to
do the same thing.
We're called to pursue the one.
We're called to celebraterestoration and never
underestimate the value of asingle soul.
(22:20):
God's love knows no boundaries,so, whether it's the 99 who are
safe or the one that haswandered, he's all about
restoration and, as his peoplewere invited into that mission
field.
So we need to be his agents ofhis grace.
Right, we need to beambassadors of Christ by being
(22:40):
agents of his grace, bringingback the lost and rejoicing over
their return.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
Yeah, yeah, like Lord , teach us to look for the one.
When we go to the grocery store, I want to find the one.
When we go to school, help usto for the one.
When we go to the grocery store, I want to find the one.
When we go to school, help usto find the one.
When we go to work, help us tofind the one.
When we're out in the community, help us to find the one.
Whether we're working or justhaving a good time, whether
we're at the gas pumps, help usto see the one.
(23:08):
Going to the bank, wherever itbe, the restaurant, help us to
see the one.
I wonder how many times I'vemissed the one.
How many times have I had awaiter or a waitress?
That was the one.
They were the one that was inneed, but I was so interested in
who I was with at the time,fellowshipping across the table,
what I was looking at on mymenu, hungry, ready to please my
(23:31):
physical hunger and desire,just not seeing what really
matters.
How many times have I missedthe one, bro?
Speaker 1 (23:40):
I just thought of an amazing t-shirt.
Give it to me.
Are you the one?
Speaker 2 (23:46):
That's good bro.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
And then when they come up and say, what does that
mean?
Oh, did we just open a can ofworms to talk about the 99 for
the one?
Yeah, the one for.
About the 99 for the one?
Yeah, yeah, the one.
For what Are you the one?
Yeah, listen, I hope that todayhas resonated with you, you
know.
I hope that you take a momentto think about the ones in your
life and ask God how he might becalling you to go after them.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Absolutely, father.
God, we thank you so much.
We thank you for every personthat is listening to this, but
most importantly, father, wethank you for Jesus, the only
begotten Son, and because youdefeated death, lord, you live.
And because you live, we live.
And I pray that our eyes wouldbe open to see the one that
(24:34):
sometimes stands right before usand we can miss it.
May our ears be open to hearthe cry and the pleas for help
from the one.
May our spirit be in step andin tune with the Holy Spirit of
God living inside of us, so that, as he unctions us and prompts
us to go, spend time interactingwith the one who needs Jesus,
(24:59):
we would be willing to do that,and we ask all this in the
mighty name and the blood ofJesus, and I'm just excited to
hear testimony from people thatwere willing to surrender to the
hand and the work of God and gohave impact on the one.
God bless you all in the mightyname of Jesus, amen, amen.
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the podcast that takes
you deeper into the Word of Godthroughout your week with your
hosts, pastors Lee and Jim.
It's time to inspire, upliftand dig deeper.
Beyond Sunday starts now.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Hey, what's going on?
Everybody, this is Pastor LeeDay, and I am alongside Pastor
Jim Archambault and we pastortogether.
The Church Christ FamilyOutreach in Amelia, virginia,
would love to have you comealong and fellowship with us and
receive the Word of God.
So, before we get going intothis brand new episode, just
(00:41):
want to throw something outthere with an up-and-coming idea
that we've got.
We would love for any listenerthat has already listened and
they want to call into the showand share how a particular
episode has impacted your life.
Maybe it was a story that weshared.
Maybe it was a word that Godgave us to give to you some
Bible verses.
(01:01):
Just how did that particularepisode impact your life?
We would love to hear about it.
So what?
We're going to you some Bibleverses.
Just how did that particularepisode impact your life?
We would love to hear about it.
So what we're going to do?
We're going to open up thephone lines.
We're going to allow you tocall in and be a part of the
show, and we are looking forwardto that.
If you would like to do that,if you would like to call in and
share just a quick testimony onone of these Beyond Sunday
(01:23):
episodes, how it has impactedyour life.
We want you to let us know inadvance so we can reach out to
you and set everything up.
So if you want to be a part,all you got to do is email us at
pastorlee at cfochurchorg.
Again, that's pastorlee atcfochurchorg, and we will be
(01:44):
getting in contact with you oncewe receive your email.
All right, so today we're goingto get going in Matthew,
chapter 18, verses 12 through 14.
If you got your Bibles, goahead and turn there.
Pastor Jim, how you feelingtoday?
Speaker 1 (01:57):
brother, I'm feeling great Excited to get into this
Word Matthew 18, 12, and 13.
It's just one of those parablesthat grabs you by the heart.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Yeah, absolutely.
So here we go.
What do you think if a man hasa hundred sheep and one of them
has gone astray, does he notleave the 99 on the mountains
and go in search of the one thatwent away?
And if he finds it, truly, Isay to you he rejoices over it
more than over 99 that neverwent astray.
(02:28):
So it is not the will of myFather, who is in heaven, that
one of these little ones shouldperish.
Pastor Jim, I'd like to begin bysharing some hope with our
listeners today, brother, thatno matter how far they may have
run from God, no matter how lowthey may be finding themselves
right now, how far they may haverun from God, no matter how low
they may be finding themselvesright now, god always wants us
(02:51):
to leave our life of sin andbegin a fresh new walk with him
right now.
So it's not too late, myfriends, for you to turn to
Jesus right now, if you've notalready done so.
How blessed we are.
How blessed we are that JesusChrist accepts us and forgives
us, just where we are right nowin life.
Amen.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Amen.
I love how he says what do youthink?
That's how he starts off.
He says what do you think aboutthis?
And I love that because in theWord, anytime I read it, I want
to know, kind of, what I thinkabout it, because it allows me
to chew it and digest it.
So I should be reading andthinking about it and he's sort
of pushing us into thatdirection here.
But Jesus begins telling usabout a shepherd, and it's not
(03:28):
just any shepherd, he's talkingabout the good shepherd, and
he's talking about the kind thatdoesn't give up on one lost
sheep.
And here's what's superpowerful about it.
It's not just about shepherds,it's about God's heart, his
heart for the lost.
It shows this relentlesspursuit of us you, me and any of
(03:49):
our listeners here for hiscreation, no matter how far
we've wandered, like you werejust saying, it doesn't matter
how far we've gone, he's therefor us.
So he says in verse 12, what doyou think If a man has a
hundred sheep and one of themhas gone astray, does he not
leave the ninety-nine on themountain and go in search of the
one that went astray?
(04:09):
Now, when you look at thatphrase go in search of the one.
What stands out is theintentionality of that.
The shepherd's not saying thathe wants you to just wait for
the sheep to come back.
He's saying that he's goingafter it.
And that speaks to God'sproactive love for us.
His pursuit of us isn't passive, it's very, very active and it
(04:32):
sounds like in this text it'srelentless.
I mean, if you really thinkabout it, the fact that Jesus
tells us this story in the firstplace is the reminder that
we're never too far gone for Godto come after us.
And maybe you're listening heretoday and you felt distant from
God.
This verse is telling you thathe's not waiting for you to take
(04:53):
the first step.
He's already pursuing you.
God's love has no limit.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Amen, brother.
See, that's the thing aboutsheep, right, they stray.
You just mentioned it.
The Scripture talks about it.
They wander off, especiallywhen not cared for, right.
So, jesus Christ, he is ourShepherd.
Capital S, he is our Shepherd.
When we read the Word of God,when we do what it says, it's
His Word, it's His Holy Spiritliving and working on the inside
(05:21):
of us that ultimately keeps uswhere we need to be.
We've got to be obedient towhat the shepherd is telling us
to do.
We've got to follow thedirection from the shepherd.
It keeps us that direction fromthe shepherd.
It keeps us from going back toour foolish ways.
And the truth is is that we'veall sinned and fall short of the
glory of God, so we've alllived in those foolish ways,
right?
So we do not want to beChristians who continue to stray
(05:45):
and go backwards.
When we receive Jesus Christ asour Lord and Savior, this
relationship should becomepersonal.
It's not just a head knowledge,right?
This walk should be personal.
We are supposed to follow himas sheep are supposed to follow
the shepherd.
And in the parable, theshepherd leaving the 99 to go
(06:05):
after the one doesn't mean thatthe 99 are not as important as
the one, but it does show justhow important the one is to God.
So we cannot ever let the enemymake any of us feel as though
we have no worth.
Don't ever let the enemyconvince you that no one cares
about you, because the truth isJesus Christ does.
(06:27):
God wants every single one ofhis people living in victory
through the good shepherd, hisson.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Jesus Christ, amen.
And that's why we see himhanging out with the sinners In
Luke's account.
In the Gospel of Luke, inchapter 15, we're going to hear
the exact same story, and thething about Luke's version is it
adds a little bit more context,and what you see is Jesus is
going to be responding to thePharisees who are complaining,
who are grumbling, who have aproblem with the fact that Jesus
(06:56):
is hanging out with sinners.
So if we look at what Jesussays in Luke 15, 4, he says what
man of you, having a hundredsheep, if he has lost one of
them, does not leave theninety-nine in the open country
and go after the one that islost until he finds it?
Amen, and you'll notice thedifference here.
Matthew focuses on the why.
(07:17):
Behind Jesus' or the shepherd'sactions, jesus is asking what
do you think he's prompting usto understand the heart of God?
But in Luke, jesus gives usthis image of a shepherd who's
searching until he finds it.
It's not just about going outto look, it's about staying the
course, it's about not giving upand it's about being willing to
(07:39):
go the distance.
God's commitment to finding us,it really doesn't have an
expiration date.
So here's the first applicationthat I want to point out for us
today, in our own lives.
We should ask this question arewe willing to go after the one?
Because we live in a worldwhere it's easy to focus on the
99 that are safe, right, theones that show up on Sunday, the
ones that are already walkingit out with God.
(08:01):
But this passage challenges usto ask am I willing to leave the
99 and go after the one who'slost?
It's not about numbers, but itis about individuals.
It's about seeing value in theone.
It's about seeing the worth inthe person who might have
wandered away or maybe hasn'teven been reached yet.
I'll tell you this when you goafter the one, that's where
(08:27):
you're going to seetransformation.
That's where you see heartsrestored.
And here's something that Iwant to leave you with Every
single person is worth thepursuit.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Yeah, the shepherd found the lost sheep.
You know you bring up thistopic about the pursuit.
In order to find it, you'reright, he had to go out in
pursuit of it.
How many of you peoplelistening know that God has
pursued you and maybe he'scurrently in the process of
(08:56):
pursuing you?
But the truth is, if you'retaking notes, you can write this
down God pursues his people.
Some of you listening todaycould testify that had it not
been for God pursuing you in aparticular moment, that moment
would have overtaken you.
But because God was there,reaching out to you, calling out
to you, his pursuit of you keptyou away from foolishness.
(09:21):
So if you're taking notes, youcould write that down God
pursues me.
It's the pursuit, it's thepursuit.
God pursuing me is what keepsme out of the foolishness as he
draws me into his righteousness.
When it's decision time, whenI've got to make a choice,
either I'm going to go forwardsor backwards.
(09:41):
Either I'm going to mess up orI'm not.
Either I'm going to go forwardsor backwards.
Either I'm going to mess up orI'm not.
Either I'm going to stay inlight or I'm going to slip in
dark.
God is pursuing us, friends, tomake the right decision to make
the right choices.
So notice what else the shepherddid when he found the lost
sheep.
He didn't just stay with itthere, he didn't just like camp
out, right there, in that momenthe finds the lost sheep and he
(10:04):
took it back home to safety.
He put it up on his shoulders,he took it home to safety.
So he's taking it with him, hetakes it back home where it
belongs.
So maybe you're listening todayand you needed to hear that
point that Jesus Christ wants totake you back home and all of
(10:24):
your sinful actions and all ofyour running away and all of
your folly and all of yourmisbehaviors.
Yet Jesus has been pursuing youthis entire time and maybe you
knew it, maybe you've known itthe entire time that you have
just felt his presence, nomatter how far or how hard or
how fast you run.
You know that he's been therewith you the whole time and
maybe today is the day that youfinally just not just know that,
but you surrender to that andyou let Jesus Christ take you
(10:47):
back home.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Amen.
Verse 13 gets super powerful.
Right, jesus starts to talkabout what the shepherd does
when he finds the lost sheep,like you just said.
But he says in verse 13, herejoices.
In fact, he rejoices over theone that was found, more than
the 99 who didn't even go astray.
Now what's Jesus really sayingthere?
(11:09):
Is he minimizing the value ofthe 99?
Absolutely not.
No, he's not.
But he's making a point aboutGod's heart.
Yeah, god rejoices when oneperson is brought back, and I
think the key word here isrejoice.
It's not just a celebration,it's this deep, heartfelt
rejoicing, this celebration ofrestoration.
(11:30):
We've got to think about thatin our own lives.
Right, how often do wecelebrate someone who comes back
to the faith?
And when someone was lost andnow they're found, do we
celebrate that?
Are we excited about it?
Because heaven is Oftentimeswhen, at the end of church, you
know we give the salvationmessage and anybody who would
(11:53):
receive salvation in that moment.
It's said constantly because wewant to remind churches of the
angels rejoicing over all whowould be saved.
There's a celebration in heaven.
But what I want to do is I wantto get back to Luke 15 just for
a moment, because in verse 7,it says this just so I tell you
there will be more joy in heavenover one sinner who repents
(12:14):
than over 99 righteous personswho need no repentance.
More joy, that's what Jesus istelling us and that is the heart
of God.
It's not that the 99 don'tmatter, because Jesus is showing
us that His priorities or God'spriorities aren't lying.
He's showing us that God's eyesare always on the lost.
And when one soul is saved, itis an absolute reason to
(12:38):
celebrate.
And here's one more takeaway Iwant to share with the listeners
today to celebrate and here'sone more takeaway I want to
share with the listeners todaywe should celebrate every soul
that comes to Christ.
Our joy should overflow at therestoration of just even one.
So when you see someone turntheir life around, when someone
comes back to God, don't justnod and move on.
That is an opportunity that weshould be taking as Christians,
(13:00):
to rejoice and fellowship withthat believer, because that's
what the Father does.
And if we're called to be likethe Father, then count me in.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
I'm rejoicing over everyone that would be saved,
and when we rejoice with God,our hearts are beginning to
align with His yeah you know,not every Sunday, but almost
every Sunday, pastor, jim peopleare getting saved at church, at
CFO, and the Spirit of God ismoving and people are coming
(13:29):
forward.
People are receiving JesusChrist as Lord and Savior, and
one thing that I love is seeingthe people that are dedicated.
They're devoted to walking upto these people that just gave
their life to Jesus and they'rehugging them Amen.
They're congratulating them.
They say, hey, my name is,what's your name?
They're showing them the loveof Jesus right there in the
moment, right there in the room.
And that's our job is to getaround these people right there
(13:53):
and welcome them into the familyof God.
And really it should beeveryone's responsibility into
the room to come do that.
We don't have a particular groupthat's assigned to do that.
These people just come do it,and that's what I love about it.
It's natural, it's real.
It's not that they've been toldto do it, it's not that they've
been asked to do it.
They just want to gocongratulate people that have
(14:15):
just been pulled out of thegutter.
Right, they've just beensnatched off of Satan's team and
now they are team Jesus.
Amen, they are in the family ofGod.
They just got up inside of abrand new bloodline, the
bloodline of Christ, where we'vegot opportunities, where
generational curses are broken,you know.
So I love it when we see peoplecome to Jesus and the body, as
(14:42):
you just mentioned, gathersaround them and congratulates
them, because I think one of theworst things Christians could
do is forget what it felt likewhen we got saved, forget what
it felt like when we wereredeemed.
And I don't know, do youremember the time when you got
saved?
What it felt like, you knowjust like?
Was it a relief?
Was it victory?
(15:03):
Was it just thankfulness?
You know, what was it that youexperienced in that moment or
moments after when you got?
Speaker 1 (15:10):
saved.
So for me and it's interestingthat you asked me that question,
because I was literally havinga conversation with someone
about this a couple of weeks ago, talking about new life and for
me it was this idea that thereexisted something else.
So when I was very young I sayvery young, I was 13 when I got
(15:31):
saved and up until the point Iwas 13 years old I knew one
thing I knew a life withoutChrist.
I didn't know anything aboutchurch outside of Catholicism,
and so one thing, if you'relistening and you know about
Catholicism is it's a lot lessabout relationship in the
Catholic Church, as it is aboutthe religion and the traditions
(15:52):
and the things of that nature,and we don't have time on this
podcast to get into all of thatand try to dissect that, so I
won't do it.
But what I will tell you isgoing up in church was routine
In the Catholic Church.
It was a routine and it wasjust something that we did.
We got there and we did thesame things.
They said the same prayers, wedid the same.
It was just very religious.
And so when I thought ofChristianity, I thought
(16:13):
Catholicism.
It wasn't until I met Jesus thatI realized there was something
new, there was somethingdifferent.
That's powerful, and while allof the hope that we not just
myself, everybody is born into ahope of something better,
greater and beyond what theyalready know, that's what
happens when you're born and youhave your knowledge base of
(16:35):
what you've experienced andyou're growing and you're
growing and you're growing wherethe hope is that you're going
to continue to grow.
Well, for me, when I got saved,it was this new life that was
just set before me and I wantedto experience all of it.
And I didn't know how toexperience all of it in one day,
so I just started reading theWord, and it was reading the
Word where I started to learnwhat Christianity was and how
(16:58):
this relationship with the Kinggave me an opportunity to fall
under grace every single day, tosanctify myself from the things
of what I thought I knew wasgood for me, which I realized is
not.
You know what I mean.
So it was this idea of do life.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
Yeah, that's so good, man, because you just like this
lost sheep and you kind ofspoke on it earlier in this
episode.
You were the one.
It's all about the one.
The message of the one cannotbe forgotten in the lives of the
church, in the lives ofChristians.
We cannot forget about the one,that one who walks through the
(17:34):
door this Sunday or thisThursday, who may look a little
different than everybody else,that one that may have a
reputation that goes before them, and maybe they earn that
reputation, but can I just sayit doesn't matter.
What matters is that JesusChrist is willing to go after
that one, and the fact thatthey're there may be just proof
(17:55):
that Jesus is pursuing them.
So we've got to remember, asChristians, the message of the
one.
We should never be too busy, weshould never be too tired, we
should never be toouncomfortable in life that we
forget about anyone.
You know, we should never feeltoo high or too mighty or too
religious that we don't stop tohelp one another.
(18:18):
So remember, we used to be thatone, I used to be that one, you
used to be that one.
Every person listening that issaved in Christ and walking with
the Lord.
You used to be that one too.
Thank God, almighty hallelujah,that someone took the time to
look at the one and share Jesus.
Thank God that someone let usknow that Jesus was in pursuit
(18:44):
of us.
So our prayer should be thatGod would open our eyes as
Christians and pierce our heartsevery time we are in the
presence of the one, the one whoneeds to feel the love of Jesus
.
Because you never know exactlywhat they're dealing with.
You never know exactly whatthey're going through, what
(19:04):
they're fighting in life in thatparticular moment.
You may have never known whatthey just walked away from, what
they're walking out of.
You may never know how lonelythey really feel.
So how far are you willing togo to get that one into the
flock of God?
How far was Jesus willing to go?
He left the 99.
He left the comfort of theflock.
(19:26):
He's willing to go as far as ittakes.
So the answer is this We've gotto do whatever God calls us to
do.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Yeah, and you know that there's another perspective
in this that I'll touch on andI hadn't planned on doing it,
but I think it's importantbecause you speak about the
flock and being safe, and theflock is safe and the flock is
protected and we do want to goafter the unsaved.
But it's also important, as wespeak, to how our circle matters
and how it is important that weknow the shepherd's voice and
(19:59):
the shepherd knows us.
As we look to our left andright in the congregation, we
got to be sure that we see whowe see on a regular basis and
when we don't see them, weunderstand okay, that means
they're not within the safety ofthe flock and we need to go get
them because the safety is inthe 99 and the numbers and the
(20:20):
circles matter.
And, like you lift me up, Ilift you up.
We do it in the name of theLord, but we strengthen one
another.
If I don't show up to churchfor four days or four weeks,
somebody should probably startcalling me because I'm more
vulnerable being the one awayfrom the flock than if I was in
church every single week.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's a great point.
So, whether you go to CFO ornot, maybe you go to another
church.
Can we just encourage you offof what Pastor Jim just said,
because that is a fantasticpoint.
Most people they sit in thesame section.
Most people do, right.
I would rather people get upand kind of move around every
week and get to know differentpeople within the family, but
(20:58):
the truth is most people sit intheir section, right where
they're comfortable being.
So I want to charge you guys.
Begin to look around thosewithin your section.
Begin to get to know people atyour church that sit near you,
that sit around you.
Begin to get to know peoplethat when you're walking to your
(21:20):
row, to get to your seat, beginto make conversation and
welcome people and greet people.
Begin to make going to yourchair more than just about going
to your chair right Like.
Begin to greet people not justin passing but look them in the
eyes, you know, and if it takesa moment to just sit there and
(21:41):
actually have a smallconversation before church
starts, then so be it.
But get to know folks so thatwhen they're not there you can
reach out, and when you're notthere they can reach out.
That's a're not there.
They can reach out.
That's a whole piece ofaccountability within the family
of God.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
Yeah you know, god is the shepherd and he's going to
go through great lengths to seekand save the lost, like that's
what he wants to do.
He has a heart for it and, asHis followers, we're called to
do the same thing.
We're called to pursue the one.
We're called to celebraterestoration and never
underestimate the value of asingle soul.
(22:20):
God's love knows no boundaries,so, whether it's the 99 who are
safe or the one that haswandered, he's all about
restoration and, as his peoplewere invited into that mission
field.
So we need to be his agents ofhis grace.
Right, we need to beambassadors of Christ by being
(22:40):
agents of his grace, bringingback the lost and rejoicing over
their return.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
Yeah, yeah, like Lord , teach us to look for the one.
When we go to the grocery store, I want to find the one.
When we go to school, help usto for the one.
When we go to the grocery store, I want to find the one.
When we go to school, help usto find the one.
When we go to work, help us tofind the one.
When we're out in the community, help us to find the one.
Whether we're working or justhaving a good time, whether
we're at the gas pumps, help usto see the one.
(23:08):
Going to the bank, wherever itbe, the restaurant, help us to
see the one.
I wonder how many times I'vemissed the one.
How many times have I had awaiter or a waitress?
That was the one.
They were the one that was inneed, but I was so interested in
who I was with at the time,fellowshipping across the table,
what I was looking at on mymenu, hungry, ready to please my
(23:31):
physical hunger and desire,just not seeing what really
matters.
How many times have I missedthe one, bro?
Speaker 1 (23:40):
I just thought of an amazing t-shirt.
Give it to me.
Are you the one?
Speaker 2 (23:46):
That's good bro.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
And then when they come up and say, what does that
mean?
Oh, did we just open a can ofworms to talk about the 99 for
the one?
Yeah, the one for.
About the 99 for the one?
Yeah, yeah, the one.
For what Are you the one?
Yeah, listen, I hope that todayhas resonated with you, you
know.
I hope that you take a momentto think about the ones in your
life and ask God how he might becalling you to go after them.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Absolutely, father.
God, we thank you so much.
We thank you for every personthat is listening to this, but
most importantly, father, wethank you for Jesus, the only
begotten Son, and because youdefeated death, lord, you live.
And because you live, we live.
And I pray that our eyes wouldbe open to see the one that
(24:34):
sometimes stands right before usand we can miss it.
May our ears be open to hearthe cry and the pleas for help
from the one.
May our spirit be in step andin tune with the Holy Spirit of
God living inside of us, so that, as he unctions us and prompts
us to go, spend time interactingwith the one who needs Jesus,
(24:59):
we would be willing to do that,and we ask all this in the
mighty name and the blood ofJesus, and I'm just excited to
hear testimony from people thatwere willing to surrender to the
hand and the work of God and gohave impact on the one.
God bless you all in the mightyname of Jesus, amen, amen.
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