In Luke 15 Jesus told three stories to illustrate our worth to God, three stories that reveal how much we matter to Him. In all three stories, something is lost or gets lost and winds up being found in the end. These three stories highlight how much we matter to God. How do we know we matter to God? What conclusions can we draw about our worth from these three stories?
- You are worth searching for. While many shepherds would conclude that keeping 99 out of a 100 sheep is a great percentage, a wonderful record, and more than an acceptable success rate, Jesus desires that not one person be lost. Jesus doesn’t want one person to wander off and be subject to danger out on their own. To Jesus, you aren’t one of millions or one of many or one of a bunch, you are one of one.
The lady who misplaced a coin wasn’t going to be satisfied to have nine of the ten. It was important to her to find the missing coin. She wasn’t going to stop searching until the coin was found. The Bible tells us in Luke 19:10 that Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. He isn’t satisfied with one being lost, even if He has the 99. He will light up every dark alley, swim through every river, climb every mountain, and tunnel through every barrier you and I put up to try to shut Him out. Why? Because you are worth it!
We have a human inclination to depend on ourselves, to be the masters of our own destiny. That is not why God created us. He created us to be in a relationship with Him so that we can truly learn about and understand how valuable we are. We can’t know our value apart from this relationship with Him.
2. The second thing I would suggest these stories communicate is that: You are worth pursuing no matter how long it takes. God isn’t put off by your apathy toward Him, your attitude toward Him or your anger toward Him. I know it took ten years for God to get my husband’s attention as he had a decade of prodigal living. You know when you hear that song on the radio that reminds you of something you learned about the Bible? That is God chasing you.
- You are worth forgiving. The lost son had done the unthinkable. He had offended his dad in the worst possible way. He had demanded from him and then discarded him and then disgraced him by the life he chose to live. Here is what you need to hear. None of that mattered to the father in the story. What mattered was that the son came home. Forgiveness was already in the heart of the father before the son came home. Listen, it doesn’t matter what disgraceful thing you have done. It doesn’t matter if you knew better. It didn’t matter if you told God to get lost or worse. God is waiting to forgive you.
- You are worth celebrating. You could make these three stories all about what was lost if you wanted to. But that really isn’t the climax of any of them. That isn’t really the central theme. The theme is that the lost became found and when they did, there was great rejoicing. The lost son went from pig food to a steak dinner (apologies to all of the vegetarians out there) just because he came home. I am telling you the truth when I say that Being in a relationship with you gives God His greatest reason to celebrate.
It is clear from these stories that you matter to God. Why God should matter to you? What do people miss out on who are not in a relationship with Him? I have five things to suggest to you that lost people lose out on.
Without God, you will lose your path.
Sheep need a shepherd. Sheep aren’t very smart or swift. Sheep will walk right off a cliff. They will move off the beaten path, into dangerous territory and be food for another animal in a hurry. I can’t tell you about God without telling you about Satan, the devil. He is real. He wants your life. He wants your soul. He wants to take you down a road of destruction. You see:
Without God, you will lose your protection.
God is the only One who can keep you safe, body, mind, and spirit. He is the only One whose power is greater than your enemy. He is the covering for your life that you need. Without Him you are vulnerable. Without Him you are prey for the devil. With Him you can face anything!
Without God, you will lose your potential.
That lost coin was just a coin, but when it was in the woman’s possession, it had potential. Something could come from it. The lost coin in the story had potential to do something for that woman. She needed to find it so that it could be used to its potential.
Without God you will lose your peace.
The lost son lost peace in his relationships. Not only did he not have his family to help him when he needed it, but the story tells us no one would help him. The life he thought sounded so good, the life he was sure he could create for himself, wasn’t what he thought it would be. It cost everything he had and left him broken.
Without God, you will lose paradise in heaven.
There is a heaven and there is a hell. Heaven belongs to those who choose the love and forgiveness and path and protection of the father. The Bible tells us that God has prepared a place for those who love Him, for those whose sins have been covered by the shed blood of Jesus on the cross. It is an incredible place without any drama or difficulty. There will be no tears, no conflict, no pain and no goodbyes. It will be peace forevermore in the most beautiful of existences.
You don’t have to be in a relationship with God. He doesn’t have to matter to you. You don’t have to love Him. You might not think it matters if you do. Perhaps life is going pretty well for you. Maybe you have become rich in the things of this world. Maybe your five-year plan is working out. Maybe you feel like you are at the top of your game and on top of the world. Maybe your earthly success will stretch out and last a while. But what happens when you take your last breath? Will anything you have been striving for matter?
Luke 9:25 tells us, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very soul?”
You could choose today to give up your sin, to give up control of your life and to embrace the value and worth God has placed on your life. You matter to God. You will never cease to matter to God. You never lose your value. In fact, that is why Jesus came. He came because you are so valuable to Him. He has come looking for you. He can get you on the right path. He can protect and preserve your life. He can enable you to fulfill your potential. He can give you perfect peace. He can take you to Paradise with Him.
