The Ultimate Search and Rescue Mission

Please be seated.

But don't panic.

This is a conclusion, not a sermon, okay?

The coming of God's Son into this world

is the greatest search and rescue mission of all time.

You're familiar with what that is.

We've read stories of how the military

or a law enforcement agency

or other first responders have gone out

to search for lost people,

maybe lost in the mountains

or in the rubble from an earthquake

or even at sea.

Their mission is to search for and rescue

the person or the people who are lost.

Their purpose is to seek and save lives.

That's why Jesus said He came into the world.

He came to carry out, truly,

a search and rescue mission

that He describes in Luke 19, verse 10 like this.

Luke 19:10

For the Son of Man came to seek

and to save the lost.

Jesus uses that word lost

to describe someone who is spiritually separated from God.

He's really talking about someone who is spiritually dead.

And a great example of that's how He's using the word

is found in His story of the prodigal son.

In that story, the father,

whose son rebelled and went away,

but finally came back,

the father describes the son's condition like this.

For this my son was dead and is alive again.

He was lost and is found.

And that gave them reason to celebrate.

The Bible says that all of us are separated from God by our sin.

That's what it means to say that a person is lost.

It means that we're without hope

because we cannot save ourselves.

We cannot rescue ourselves from this spiritually dead condition.

If Jesus had not been born,

if there was no Christmas,

we would all stand condemned

because as the Bible says,

all have sinned and come short of the glory of God

and the penalty or the wages of sin is death.

But the good news this morning

that we have heard about

through the songs, through the music,

through the narration

is that Jesus did come.

He came to seek and to save the lost.

If you're not a Christian

and you'll admit to God

that you are lost,

separated from Him,

and you want to be rescued

by Jesus Christ,

then the way to respond is like this.

Turn from your sin.

Change your mind about living life your way

instead of God's way.

Grieve over the fact that you have dishonored God.

Repent of your sins, what I'm saying.

And then put your faith in Jesus

that when He died on the cross,

He died as your substitute.

Think in terms of when He died on the cross,

God placed your sin on Him.

And He suffered the pain,

the punishment

of being separated from God.

That's why He cried out,

My God, my God,

why have you forsaken me?

Because God had turned away from Him

as He bore our sin.

Put your faith in Jesus

as your Savior.

Call upon Him to save you.

Surrender your life

to Him as your Lord,

as your ultimate leader.

The Scripture says

that whoever will call upon the name of the Lord

will be saved.

Now, if you are a Christian,

and I know that most in this room are,

thank God for demonstrating His grace

and His love

by sending Jesus into this world

on this seek and saving mission.

What we all need to do as Christians this morning

as we leave here

is to join with our Lord,

join with Him on this search and rescue mission

by sharing the good news

of why Jesus came

and how anyone who will

can know Him as Savior and Lord.

Would you pray with me?

Father,

Father, help us in this room

as your people

to understand

that it is our responsibility

to share this good news

and be a part of

your

search

and rescue

mission.

And Father,

if there is anyone in this room

who is not a Christian,

work in their mind,

their heart right now

to cause them to see

their need,

their lost condition.

so work in them

to cause them

to put their faith

and trust in Jesus,

to call upon Him

for salvation.

Help that man

or woman

or young person

to know

that a service

that celebrates

the coming of Jesus

into this world

to seek and save

the lost.

This is the best service

for them

to be saved in.

So work right now

to call that person

to trust Jesus

and we come

to you, Father,

in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.