After 30 years of asking, the Lord has given me a revelational understanding of The Ten Virgins. I can’t wait to share it in this series. Of course, I want to get right to the meat, but the Lord wants us to take the scenic journey. He wants Don’t Be a Lost Sheep to have a life changing impact on our lives, those that we love, and minister to. Stick with me in this series! You’ll see scriptures opened up in a revelational way you’ve never seen before, and be able to minister with greater impact!
After we see what a lost sheep really is, we’ll talk about the plan of God for your life, and then we’ll see where the Holy Spirit leads us because I won’t know until we get there.
Who are the lost sheep in the Bible?
Luke 15:1-7 NKJV
1 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
The Pharisees and scribes complained that Jesus was receiving and eating with sinners. In our modern mind, we think of these “sinners” as unbelievers. That’s not so! Before we dig deeper, let’s see what Jesus said to the Canaanite woman with a demon possessed daughter…
Matthew 15:24 NKJV
But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
These people Jesus was eating with are lost sheep of the house of Israel, or lost sheep of the House of God. The Jewish people were the chosen race, the chosen people, and their righteousness was performance based as opposed to the New Testament righteousness through Jesus. But, they were still lost from The House of God.
What does this mean to us?
What this means to us is that these “sinners” weren’t doing what they were supposed to be doing. They were of The House of God, but doing something else other than what they were called to do. Salvation was in their race. Our salvation is in Christ, BUT we, like these sinners, can still be lost sheep. We’ll see this reflected in Jesus’ teaching and revealing Heavenly judgment in later chapters.
How do those of the House of God, the saved, become lost sheep?
By not following instructions. Let’s take a look at this before we move on. Jesus tells the Lost Sheep story in Matthew 18, we looked at Luke, but then in Matthew 21: 28-32, Jesus makes it clear those of the House of God are required to follow work instructions.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ 29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
This parable still applies to us today. Just because we’re saved and believed Jesus, it doesn’t make us exempt from following our work instructions. Putting these two parables together, Jesus is speaking about “sinners” entering in the Kingdom of God before the people of The House of God. Notice two sons, they both belonged to the father; or for us, two sons of God belonging to the House of God. The one that followed instructions was entering Heaven, and the one who didn’t wasn’t going to Heaven.
Who are the Lost Sheep today?
Today the lost sheep are the saved ones, the ones not following the Good Shepherd, Jesus, The Head of The Church. They’re the saved people that strayed up into the mountains to find their own grass to feed on, or told to work and refused. The church originally called themselves “the followers of the way.” Which indicates they understood there was a journey to walk out. The term Christian, originally meaning Christ-like, carried the idea there was a following or work in progress. If you Google the term now, the definition in some places is dulled down to not mean much:
Oxford – professing Christianity or its teachings; received Christian baptism or is a believer in Christianity
Merriam-Webster – believes in Jesus Christ and follows his teachings; a member of a Christian church
Dictonary.com – a person who believes in and follows Jesus Christ
Dictonary.com did better, but only about half the definitions carried the “following” aspects or some type of action on our behalf, other than the “I believe…”
The lost sheep are people who were once saved and have given their life to the Lord, might even be confessing they’re living for Jesus, but they’re not FOLLOWING Jesus, The Head of the Church, where He told them to go.
Let’s talk about some real people and what this looks like…
A musician called to record Christian albums, faithfully attends church, reads their Bible, works on the sound board for the church. Are they following their instructions? No.
A preacher that’s called to pastor a church, they’re refusing to go to Bible college, but they’re born again, bring people to church regularly, and attend prayer meeting. Are they following their instructions? No.
An evangelist that’s called to the prison ministry, they faithfully attend church, attend Bible study, but went to community college to get a better job at 45 years old. Are they following their instructions? No.
This might be too much for you absorb, because we haven’t been taught this way. It was initially for me, but I had to see the Word is the Word, no matter what I want, what I was taught, or what I think!
Next week, we’ll take a deeper look at following your instructions. You’ll see that going to Heaven depends on it. Does The Head of The Church have a right to require us to produce fruit and do some work? Yes, yes He does! He poured creativity and abilities inside of us, and it’s our job to let them out.
Until we get to next week, let’s quickly look at…
Matthew 25:21 NKJV
His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
We have to ask ourself the question, “Good and faithful to what; our will and our way or His Will and His Way?”
How do we make sure we’re not lost sheep?
The short answer is spending time with the Lord to get your instructions for your assignment here on Earth. We’ll talk more about this in the upcoming studies, and look at how some people in the Bible treated their assignments. You may not have read these stories in the light of assignments, but we will and it will be eye opening.
Thank You, Lord for this eye-opening word. I ask that everyone who reads this study receives a revelation of their instructions. I ask that You stir up an excited passion inside us all to carry out Your Plan for our lives. As we are in our quiet times and spending time with You, please let our instructions become more and more clear. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Christi
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