Edit — Lost.

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Content type: Sermon Poem / Prayer Service / Tribute Incomplete Biography

Body: One of my final courses in my college career was “Backpacking and Hiking” or “Hiking and Backpacking”. But anyway, for our final exam in the fall semester of 1987, in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina, we (a group of about 20 students along with our “fearless” leader (wonderful woman)) were to set out for an overnight adventure implementing what we had learned through the classes to explore, navigate and abide with nature. As it turned out, as the departure date drew nearer the weather forecast became, let’s just say “not to good”. As a group it was decided not to do the overnighter. With wind putting the feel like temperature below zero, and a pretty good chance of precipitation, it was pretty much unanimously decided just to do a day of hiking. Although our packs would be packed and ready with the necessities for an overnight stay expecting the worst. We meet the morning of the trip, equipped and ready for adventure. After roll call and some words of wisdom from the instructor we all loaded on the bus and headed up the mountain, leaving our packs and gear behind. Low and behold, it was a beautiful morning. Almost no wind, the sun shining brightly, and spirits running high. Upon reaching our destination and deciding that the weather forecasters must have missed this one, a vote was taken and it was decided we would do the overnighter after all. We split into two groups. One getting back on the bus to go back to the school and retrieve our gear, the other staying, locating the camping site and doing the necessary preparations. I ended up in the group that returned for our equipment. By the time we got back the sun was quickly approaching the western horizon. And yes, it was cold. The wind was picking up and spirits, to say the least were no longer “high”. I have said all of this to get to this point. When we got off the bus we were met by the others, and I wish you could have seen there faces. I recall seeing fear, seeing fatigue, seeing doubt, and confusion. But mostly what I remember was seeing relief, seeing gratefulness, to have a rested group of peers with the much needed equipment, and the willingness to help search for the lost. Yes, I said lost. Two young men out of the group had wandered off, and after hours of searching had not been found. With cold setting in and daylight fading those of us with fresh legs, split in to two separate groups and set out to find these two men (boys). To shorten this long story; with the proper equipment and procedures in place the two were found. It was miserable. One had assumed that his friend knew the way to go. He didn’t. He had followed him all over those woods not knowing he didn’t know the way. I remember thinking later that I wished that they had had a compass. Compasses come in all shapes and sizes. They can be purchased or they can be made out of simple items found in most households. But they all do basically the same thing. That is point the way North. Once you know which way north is you can go anywhere without getting lost. He made a crucial mistake that day. He followed someone who he thought knew the way. And that brings me to the passage of scripture I want to share with you today. 1st Timothy Chapter 4 verses 11- 16 says. 11. Command and teach these things. 12. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 13. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. 15. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. Let us Pray. Paul was telling Timothy to be an example for other believers. He was telling him to be a compass, if you will, to his followers that pointed the way to Jesus. He is telling us the very same thing. How do we do that? We are to set an example in the 5 areas listed in verse 12. 1st we are to set an example in the way we speak. As Christians we should ask ourselves 3 questions before we open our mouth. Is it True? Is it Necessary? And is it Kind? If what you are about to say can’t pass that test don’t say it. You will find that you don’t say nearly as much as you used to. We need to remember that the tongue is referred to in the book of James as a restless evil that spews deadly poison. Sometimes we Christians forget that one day we will all be held accountable for every idle word. Next we are told to set an example in the way we live. Don’t tell the people around you what you believe let them see what you believe. They will see your beliefs in the way that you live your life. We need to practice what Jesus preached. Do as I do works a whole lot better than do as I say. I promise you one thing. You do not ever want to here the words..... "And you call yourself a Christian". Or maybe "And you say you are an Elder" Or even "Aren’t you supposed to be a preacher." Statements like these cut to the quick. We need to remember what someone once said "Be careful how you live your life. You may be the only Bible some people ever read" 3rd we are to set an example in how we love one another. The way we love should be a mirror of how Jesus loved us. Jesus said this when he gave us the great commandment to love one another as He loved us and He loved us enough to deny himself and take up the cross. We should deny ourselves for the ones we love. The Bible says we will be known for our love for one another. If we don’t show our love for one another we won’t be known as Christians. In first Corinthians Chapter 13 Paul lists several characteristics of Love you need to check your love for others against this list. The one I like the best says that Love never Fails. Don’t let your love fail. And next we are to set an example in our faith. The ones following us do not need to see fear in our eyes. They need to see our faith in Christ. I was never more scared in those woods than when I looked into my friends eyes and saw fear. I thought then the situation was hopeless. The faith we have in Jesus and His awesome power needs to be in our eyes so that when someone around us has doubts they do not think the situation is hopeless. Faith needs to be noticeable. The final area we need to set an example in is purity. We need to have pure hearts, pure minds and pure bodies. We are defiled or made impure by our feelings, our thoughts and our actions. Our heart is pure when we do the right things for the right reasons. People know when your just doing something because you feel obligated. It shows. Those around us should not hear us grumbling about having to tithe or serve the church. They need to see us as being obedient to God out of Love. Not out of a sense of duty. We exercise pure thoughts when we don’t always think the worst of people. We need to give other people the benefit of the doubt especially Christians. This life is not easy and when we assume other people are not living right we may hinder there walk. We need to check our eyes for logs before we go looking in others for splinters. Finally we exercise purity of body by eliminating the sin we do to it or commit with it. So many of today’s social ills such as STD’s, Abortion, Alcoholism and Drug Abuse would be eliminated or at least reduced if we just practiced physical purity. Paul told Timothy the reasons why he needed to do these things. The 1st was so that others could see his progress. The 2nd was so that he could save himself and The 3rd was, and I thinks the most important, so that he could save others. We need to do all these things because there are people following us who assume we know the way. Our wives, our sons, our daughters, our brothers and sisters, our friends, our grandkids, and even our enemies sometimes look to us for guidance. We need to make sure every aspect of our lives point the way to Jesus. Because once you know the way to Him you can go anywhere in life without getting lost. I have been very blessed to have had some compasses in my life that always point the way to Jesus. Cheryl is one example. As long as I have known her she has always pointed the way to Jesus. In her speech, in her life, in her love for others, in the faith she displays and in the purity she practices. When I lose my way I can look to her and see Christ in her. I can always look to her for guidance. We need to realize that we are going to have an impact on the people God has put in our path. What kind of impact is entirely up to us. Earlier I said that a compass could be made with simple items found in almost every household. The one thing I didn’t mention is that once you make your compass you have to check it against one that you already know works. Some New Testament Bibles are referred to, as the pilots compass. If you want to find out if your compass is pointing the way to the Truth. Continuously compare it to the one that you already know works. Because from cover to cover this book always points the way to Jesus. Paul challenged Timothy to be an example or a compass and I am challenging you today to do the same thing. Resolve to be a compass to those around you. Be diligent, give yourself wholly and persevere. As Paul said do not neglect the gift that was given you. We have all been lost at one time or another. In chapter 15 Luke gives us examples of being lost: 1) lost sheep, 2) lost coin. Ch. 15 vs. 4 – 5 Sheep – wondered off – lost itself – little by little, step by step. Have you ever lost a child in a store or mall? They were there one moment and the next they were gone. Wondered off. This is how some people get lost from God. God hasn’t lost them; they lost themselves. It is the little things that can move us further and further from God and one day we awaken and we are FAR AWAY from God. Ch. 15 vs. 8 Coin – lost through neglect or carelessness. At the time of Jesus, married women often wore a headdress of 10 silver coins on a silver chain. Perhaps one of the coins fell off and she did not discover it was missing. Have you ever taken off a precious piece of jewelry, put it down somewhere and then can’t remember where you put it? Some people get separated from God when they move to a new community or leave their regular church. The first Sunday you miss you tell yourself, “It’s OK; I’ll go next week.” One week turns into 2 and then a month. Suddenly you find yourself lost and too embarrassed to return. These two stories have one thing in common: both involve a diligent search by the owner. VS. 4 “he leaves the 99 and goes after the lost sheep” / VS. 8 “lights a lamp, sweeps the house and searches carefully.” Did you not do the same when a child wondered off or you misplaced something valuable? The owner in both parables represents God. Jesus uses these two parables to explain to the Pharisees and teachers of the law why he “welcomes sinners and eats with them.” (VS. 2) Both parables have a happy ending: “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.” Rejoice with me, I have found my lost coin.” The example Jesus gives in these two parables reveals to us that nothing lost can be found without the effort of a “diligent search.” That, my friends, is our responsibility: To search for the lost, doing whatever it takes to bring to God those who are lost. Let us Pray.

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