1. He pursues His lost sheep.
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He gets his book of life out where he keeps the list of all his sheep and when he realizes one that is written down has gotten away in sin, he pursues them.
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Is. 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way.
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I don’t care if you were the kind of person who had nothing but explicits for God before. Or if the only time you talked about God in the past was to follow his name by a four-letter word.
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If Jesus pursued those kind of people how much more ought those who are his followers to pursue those kind of people.
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The evidence that the shepherd pursues sinners is that I am here and you are here today. Look around the room; There are members of this church who have done things that we would not even want to talk about in church. They were lost in sin wandering around aimlessly, but he pursued them and rescued them from their sin.
2. He pursues until he finds you.
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This is his purpose.
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Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
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He does not simply stand and call for the lost sheep to return. Then say, “Well I tried.”
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When my cat gets away I call for it, I don’t go searching for it.
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This Shepherd does not give up, he is relentless. He will stop at nothing until he finds his sheep. He is unstoppable in his efforts, not even death cannot hold him back.
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If you are his sheep, you will find the shepherd of your soul. The Lord Jesus will chase you down until he finds you. He may chase you down with a storm like he did Jonah. He may chase you down with the word of this sermon or another. He uses many different methods, but one thing is certain, if you are his, he will stop at nothing get you.
3. He pursues to unusual places.
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He will follow you in your sin. He will follow you to your house and sit with you.
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The Shepherd goes where people think he should not go.
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He went through the forbidden Samaria to get the Woman at the well.
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He went to Zaccheous’ house to get him.
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In this passage he is going again to tax collectors and sinners.
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The Shepherd goes where he didn’t want to go in order to get the lost sheep.
4. He pursues to bring you back.
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There is no sheep that wanders back into the flock. The shepherd must go get him and bring him back.
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Little Bo peep didn’t even love her sheep enough to go after them herself.
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“Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep And can’t tell where to find them. Leave them alone, And they’ll come home, Wagging their tails behind them”
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A sheep cannot survive on its own that is why the shepherd must go as soon as he realized the sheep is missing to bring him back.
5. His pursuit always ends in rejoicing.
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The Shepherd rejoices
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Heaven rejoices
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The Sheep rejoice
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It always ends in rejoicing because the Shepherd is always successful.
6. He pursues because he wants to show us how good God is.
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Not because he wants lamb chops in the future.
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Because wants to show us the goodness of God.
Conclusion
The shepherd counts his sheep 97,98, 99. There’s one missing. He checks again. He realized that it’s the white one with the black marks on his to back legs. He knows because he knows all his sheep. He immediately goes after the lost sheep. He cannot loose one. He will not loose it to the wolves. The sheep has wandered away. He knows it will not come back on it’s own. He must go get it. He travels far through some places he would rather not go, but he knows the sheep went that way so he must go in order to save it.
Meanwhile the sheep has wandered into the wilderness and it is getting dark. The howling of the wolves is getting closer and they seem to be coming from all directions. The defenseless sheep is in a hopeless situation. A pack of fierce hungry wolves finds the sheep hunkered down in the bushes. It is going to be certain death. He is helpless to the wolves. Just before they attack the shepherd arrives. But these wolves are relentless and hungry. They are wild and deranged and want something to eat. The shepherd cannot fend them off. They turn and attack him. The sheep goes on and while the wolves tear into the shepherd ripping his flesh from his body until he bleeds to death. The shepherd has died, and the sheep lives on. But the sheep is not back with the flock. The shepherd gave his life, but it was not enough. So the shepherd rises from the dead a little later and finds his sheep. The sheep sees the shepherd, his body is still dripping with blood. The sheep strays, but the shepherd paid the price. As they walk back the sheep is captured by his shepherds love for him.
