Luke 15:1-10 ¹Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him. ²But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” ³Then Jesus told them this parable: ⁴“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? ⁵And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders ⁶and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, `Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ <sup>7</sup>I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.  <sup>8</sup>“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? <sup>9</sup>And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, `Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ ¹⁰In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

“Use it or Lose It.” Someone has probably shared that bit of wisdom with you somewhere along your journey through life. And it is accurate. You can lose what you don’t use. I know that to be true in my life. I studied German for four years in High School and College. I made high grades and was conversant in the language. But by the time I had finished Seminary, it was almost completely gone. I had not used it, and I lost it. Because I have a couple of trips to Germany coming up in the not-too-distant future, I’ve started the relearning process using an app on my phone. While I don’t pretend to believe I will have mastered the language, I hope to restore a basic vocabulary, enough to make myself known and let the people there know I made an effort to learn their language.

God gave us His holiness when He created us. We lose our holiness by our sin. When we play follow-the-leader with Adam and Eve rather than God, we lose the holiness He gives us. Every time we sin, we lose something. When we lie we lose honesty. When we steal we  lose integrity. When you misuse sex you lose a two-become-one-flesh relationship. We perpetuate the sins of our ancestors by continuing to live by our own knowledge of good and evil rather than by the holiness of God.

Our God does not want us to be lost, so He seeks us out. Lost sheep do not find their way back to the shepherd. A lost coin flip itself back into the coin purse. And a lost sinner does not go looking for God. When Adam and Eve first sinned, did they recognize their mistake and go looking for God? No, God came looking for them, but they were hiding from Him.

Christianity is different from all other religions because it is not man’s search for God, but God’s search for lost sinners. That is the beauty of what God has told us in His Word. He sent prophets with a message of repentance and forgiveness to His people. He sent angels to give His people direction. His Word was with His people. But still they hid from Him.

od didn’t give up. He did not forget about all who were lost. He sent His Son to give back to us what we had lost. The Son of God became human to bring the rightness of God to us. When He died on the cross to pay for sin, He took away the guilt that made us want to run away from God and hide. He picked us up and carried us back to God when He defeated sin and death by His rising back to life on the third day. Look at the cross to see what Christ has given you. That which we had lost has been found.

Live in the certainty of the forgiveness you have for Jesus’ sakel Hold on to the holiness Jesus earned and gives to those who put their faith in Him. Use it in your life to be assured and to comfort others who need to hear this good news. Don’t lose it or cast it aside. Use that forgiveness Christ has given you to forgive others. Use the goodness Christ has given you to do good to others.