Date: 03-08-25
Preacher: Ps Ruth Moho
Title: Losing One is Too Many

Losing One is Too Many

This morning’s biblical reference was taken from Matt 18:12-14 and Ps Ruth used the content of a movie to illustrate how a Chinese teacher told his relief teacher how important each and every of his student was and that he hoped that none would be missing on his return. 

Ps Ruth also took pains to get the congregation to understand God’s love for the little ones which would not just include children but any small, insignificant and humble souls, both young and old. God loves these so much that He warns of the consequences that would befall any who has the gall to belittle them. 

She also shared that when she first heard the anecdote of the lost sheep from the Bible she thought how stupid the shepherd was to abandon the 99 for that one lost sheep. However over the years she had gradually realised the spiritual truth of that precious lost sheep. 

In the days of old, Ps Ruth remarked that the sheep reared belonged to the entire community and perhaps there could be more than a shepherd tending to the whole flock and so if one was missing, one of the shepherds could go find that lost sheep as there were the other shepherds who could help to tend to the rest. Still it demonstrated how important that sole lost sheep was to the community and how much they would have rejoiced if that sheep were eventually found.

Throughout the message, Ps Ruth took pain to show in no uncertain terms how God’s love for that single person came through. Particularly, there was that boy who had learning difficulties whom she and her fellow church worker were reaching out to for years and when she last met him and was told he had been attending church, her joy overflowed.

Ps Ruth then shared three aspects of God’s love for that one single soul.

The first was ‘The love of our Heavenly Father is unique and personal’, for in the eyes of our Heavenly Father, everyone is important. Ps Ruth also quoted Jeremiah 23:4 to illustrate this. 

The second was ‘The love of Our Heavenly Father seeks’. Why then would the shepherd leave behind the ninety-nine to seek the one which is lost? 

The third was ‘The love of our Heavenly Father rejoices.’  It is the joy of redeeming the lost.

At the end of her message I felt whether I should be looking out for that lost sheep when the Holy Spirit prompted me that I could be that lost sheep too.