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Jesus and the Lost - Sandy
Sermon Summary
Sandy starts us off with a brand new series, Jesus and the Lost, sharing about the prodigal son.
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A new series titled "Jesus and the Lost" opens by drawing a sharp line between two kinds of being lost: mere disorientation and true separation that needs finding. Everyday examples—getting turned around in a shopping centre or arriving in an unfamiliar country without directions—illustrate a temporary need for reorientation, while the hopelessness of being stranded without resources shows the more serious threat of real loss. Luke 15 provides the context: cultural leaders resent a ministry that welcomes outsiders, and three parables respond to that complaint by exposing different costs of loss and the relief of recovery.
The parable of the lost sheep emphasises the shepherd’s burden and the joy at avoiding the expense of a lost animal; the parable of the lost coin highlights the sharp value of what goes missing and the communal celebration that follows recovery. Both stories underline relief, reorientation, and joyful restoration. The third story pushes further: the prodigal son introduces cultural shock and moral collapse. In first-century Middle Eastern terms, a son asking for his inheritance equates to wishing his father dead—a request that would usually bring violent shame, exile, and permanent loss of family standing.
That impossibility makes the younger son’s journey darker: he claims autonomy, squanders wealth, and descends into hunger and dehumanising work among an alien people. The turning point arrives when he "comes to his senses," rehearses a humble plea to return as a servant, and sets out with no hope of regaining sonship. The father’s response overturns expectations. From a distance, the father runs, embraces, and kisses the returning child; servants outfit the son with a robe, ring, sandals, and a feast follows. The homecoming restores identity, not merely status: the son receives a full welcome as family, not a hired hand.
The series frames grace as active, costly, and scandalously generous—aimed not at mere moral correction but at restoring belonging. The distinction between being momentarily off-course and being truly lost matters: some need reorientation; others need to be found. The narrative closes with an open invitation to come home to a compassionate, relentless father who restores identity, offers mercy, and celebrates the return of those who recognise their need.
Key Takeaways
1. The father relentlessly seeks home:
The father pursues the lost with urgency that breaks cultural norms and expectations. Running, embracing, and public restoration show a love that chooses risk over reputation. This seeking aims to restore belonging, not to punish.
2. Being lost has degrees:
Loss can mean temporary disorientation or total separation from life’s sources of meaning. Recognising which kind of lostness one faces shapes the path home—reorientation or rescue. Honest self-awareness starts the journey back.
3. Returning as a servant isn't full repentance:
The younger son plans to bargain for survival, rehearsing a servant’s plea rather than embracing vulnerability before the father. True repentance requires relinquishing control and accepting mercy, not only arranging a safer status. The son’s rehearsal masks hope; the father’s welcome changes destiny.
4. Home restores identity, not just status:
The robe, ring, and sandals declare restored identity and belonging, not a restored job or favour. Celebration marks the reversal from exile to adopted sonship, where grace rewrites social shame into family honour. Identity in the father’s house precedes earned worth.
Daily Hope Devotionals
Day 1: The shocking cost of wanting our own way and autonomy
Scripture:
Luke 15:11-13
'Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. '
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/LUK.15.11-13.NIV
Devotional:
The desire for complete autonomy is an ancient human story, a dream of living life on our own terms without constraint. This desire can lead us to treat God as if He were an obstacle to our freedom, wishing He were not present in our lives. Such a heart posture is a profound rejection of His love and authority, incurring a cost we cannot fully comprehend. It severs our intimate connection and places us outside the security of His family.
Reflection:
Where might a desire for control and autonomy be causing you to functionally wish God was not involved in a specific part of your life or decision-making?
Prayer:
Lord God, please show me where I’m not following You and am instead seeking my own path. Help me to release my control and trust in You. AmenDay 2: The devastating reality of being lost and knowing it
Scripture:
Luke 15:14-16
'After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 'https://www.bible.com/bible/111/LUK.15.14-16.NIV
There is a place of profound lostness where one is acutely aware of what has been forfeited. It is characterised by a deep hunger, isolation, and a complete loss of status, security, and belonging. In this place, hope shrinks to a mere desire for basic survival, with no expectation of restoring the former relationship or privilege. This is the painful knowledge that one cannot redeem what has been lost.
Reflection:
If you identify with this sense of lostness and hunger for belonging, how could you seek God through prayer, scripture, and/or community today?
In your current circumstances, how could you seek God's perspective, knowing that He deeply loves and cares for you?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me even in my lowest state. I pray for Your love to fill and envelope me right now. May I know that You are near an You care, even when my life seems unstable. Praise You for You are in control and You are faithful! Amen.
Day 3: The profound difference between being disoriented and being lost
Scriptures:
Luke 15:16-18
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. '
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/LUK.15.17-18.NIVDevotional:
Sometimes we feel a sense of being lost, but it is merely a temporary disorientation. We know the language and have the tools to find our way back to a place of security and familiarity. True lostness, however, is a state of complete helplessness where no amount of personal planning or effort can provide a solution. It is a frightening place of isolation that requires not reorientation, but a complete rescue. We need to be found.
Reflection:
In what area of your life have you been trying to reorient yourself through your own plans and strength, only to realise you might be completely lost and in need of being found by God's grace?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You that I can come into Your loving arms even when I have completely strayed away from You. I surrender to You again and give You my all. Amen.
Day 4: The Father’s unexpected, compassionate response to our return
Scripture:
Luke 15:20
'So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. '
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/LUK.15.20.NIVDevotional:
The love of the Father is not bound by human expectations of punishment or rejection. He is actively looking for our return, and His response is one of immediate, overwhelming compassion and grace. He runs to welcome us, interrupting our rehearsed speeches of earning back a place. His embrace is not one of a master to a servant, but of a father to a beloved child who was lost and is now found
Reflection:
What rehearsed speech or plan to earn God's favour do you need to let go of in order to simply receive His compassionate embrace today?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You that You are always looking for my return when I have strayed from You. Thank You that You are compassionate and love me beyond measure! I let go of my rituals and surrender to You and Your love. Amen.
Day 5: The complete restoration of identity, status, and welcome
Scripture:
Luke 15:22-24
' “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. '
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/LUK.15.22-24.NIVDevotional:
God’s welcome is not a partial reinstatement but a full restoration to sonship and daughtership. He does not meet us with minimal requirements but with extravagant gifts that signify our true identity: a robe of honour, a ring of authority, and a celebration of our homecoming. We are welcomed not as hired helpers, but as beloved children who were dead and are now alive again, who were lost and are now found.
Reflection:
In what way do you still see yourself as a servant trying to earn a place at God's table, rather than as a fully accepted child who is already celebrated and welcomed home?
Prayer:
Praise You Heavenly Father that I am Your child! That I don't have to earn a place with You - I have it through acceptance of Your Son as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You that I can dwell and abide with You without striving, that I am celebrated and loved. Amen
Day 6: Welcoming and loving the Outcast
Scripture:
Luke 15:1-2
'Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” '
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/LUK.15.1-2.NIV
Devotional:
In Luke 15, we see a powerful tension between Jesus and the religious leaders of His day. These leaders were jealous because Jesus welcomed the outcasts—tax collectors, sinners, and those considered "not inside" their religious story. They grumbled because Jesus was gaining followers by showing compassion and acceptance to people they had rejected.
Jesus’ reputation was one of radical welcome. He didn’t just tolerate the outcasts; He ate with them, shared life with them, and showed them love. This was shocking to the religious leaders who valued tradition and status over mercy. Jesus’ heart was full of compassion for those who were lost, those who felt excluded and rejected by society.
Jesus invites us to join Him in this radical welcome. To see beyond labels and status, and to celebrate when the lost are found and brought home. Remember, God’s love is not limited by our human boundaries. It reaches out to everyone, especially those who feel lost and alone.
Reflection:
How could you be more loving and welcoming of those around you who our current culture considers outcasts, someone with a different lifestyle to you?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me to be more like You. To be welcoming to those who are not like me and to love them as You love them. I thank You that You called me to know You and to be part of Your family, help me to love others without human boundaries. Amen.
Day 7: The Joy of Finding What Was Lost
Scripture:
Luke 15:4-6
'”Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ '
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/LUK.15.4-6.NIV
Devotional:
The story isn’t just about losing things or people; it’s about the deep relief and joy when what was lost is found again. The shepherd, who was poor and already struggling, would have had to bear the cost of losing a sheep. So when he finds it, he rejoices because he no longer has to carry that loss.
Jesus tells these stories to show us the heart of God—a heart that rejoices when even one who is lost is found. It’s not just about being lost or found; it’s about the celebration that follows. God’s love is relentless and full of compassion. When we are found, God throws a party of grace and welcome.
Reflection:
How does it make you feel to know that God would leave the 99 to find you?
What could you do today to help someone else know that God is seeking them and wants to celebrate them coming home to Him?
Prayer:
Thank You God that You have saved me - that You sought and found me when I was lost. Help me to comprehend just how happy that made You and to understand how much You celebrate to see a life saved. Show me who needs to know this in their lives today. Amen.
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