For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Luke 19:10 (KJV)

There is no more pressing question today than this: Why did Christ come to earth? In one simple sentence, we have the inspiring statement of the mission of Christ. (Luke 19:10)

First, we have the most magnificent historical fact: The Son of Man came. (Galatians 4:4) God himself entered the human race in the form of a tiny baby. He is the Son of Man because He was first the Son of God. (John 1:14)

Second, we have the most spiritually significant mission: The Son of Man came to seek and to save. Jesus came looking for someone:

  • He came seeking sinners up a tree, at midnight, and by Jacob’s Well.
  • Jesus came seeking those caught in adultery, blind beggars, lepers, and wild men living in the tombs.
  • He even came seeking self-righteous Pharisees who thought they didn’t need him.
  • He came seeking fishermen, politicians, radicals, physicians, tax collectors, rich men at the top of the heap, and poor folks no one else would touch.
  • He sought the prostitutes and drunkards, and they loved him for it. And when he was dying, he came seeking one hanging on a cross beside him.
Disease, poor health and disability were once measured as an unavoidable part of getting older, but generic levitra online the view is no longer true. This saves lazy Senators, who might filibuster, the trouble of actually doing anything. viagra online from canada The drug has been initiated only for curing erectile pfizer viagra australia dysfunction. buy viagra in uk Pistone in Donnie Brasco, “gonzo” journalist Hunter S.

Third, we have the most perfect description of the state of humanity: What Was Lost.

Men are lost without God. What does it mean to be lost? There is an important principle for us to consider:

  • If Christ did not come to us, we would never come to Him.
  • If we say, “Seek the Lord!” let us also recall that by nature no one truly seeks the Lord. (Romans 3:11)

But if Jesus did not come to us first, we would never come to Him at all. That’s what it means to be truly lost!

  • Lost without God.
  • Lost without hope.
  • Lost in a tangled web of sin.
  • Lost and trapped forever.

Here are three for us to consider:

If Christ came, man’s responsibility is increased

If Christ did come, then our responsibility is increased. (Luke12:48) If God did nothing, the whole human race would perish. (Romans 3:23) He left heaven to make his home among us, to reveal God to us, to show us the true nature of the Father:

  • In Him, we see God’s love.
  • In Him, we see God’s mercy.
  • In Him, we see God’s kindness.
  • In Him, we see God’s justice.
  • In Him, we see God’s holiness.

“Condemned already” is the state of the whole human race apart from Jesus Christ. A frightening fact is that the same gospel that saves a man also condemns him.

If Christ came to save, then the sinner is without excuse

What excuse could you give that would satisfy God? How would you explain your rejection of Jesus? What sufficient reason would you have for saying “NO” to God’s own Son?

Think how clearly John 3:16 puts it. That wonderful truth is followed two verses later by this solemn warning in John 3:18.

If Christ came to save the lost, then the worst may be saved

God has more grace in his heart than you have sin in your life. The gospel song To God Be the Glory contains this encouraging line:

The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

To God Be the Glory, Fanny Crosby (1875)

He said so Himself… If that is true, then the worst among us can be saved. And that includes you and me!

Christ has come to seek and save the lost.