Transcript
In your Bibles will you turn with me to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 18? Luke chapter 18. We want to begin reading at verse 28 of Luke 18. Luke 18, reading at verse 28.
Then Peter said, “See, we have left all and followed You.” So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come, eternal life.”
The unusual story that I am about to tell you was first reported in 1985 by the Associated Press. Barry Hennessey, who was a real estate broker in northern Virginia, was born in 1936 in Mercy Hospital in Denver, Colorado. When his mother, Wilma Hennessey, brought him home, there was a thought in the back of her mind that said, “I’m not sure this is my baby.” Back when she got home, or on the way, that’s exactly what she said to her husband. She said, “I’m not sure this is my baby.”
Her husband was so shocked by that that she never mentioned it again. But somewhere around 1981 she came into possession of an adult footprint of Barry, whom she had raised. When they compared that footprint with the footprint on his birth certificate, they were not the same. In fact, a fingerprint analyst analyzed the footprints and stated that the two footprints were from different people.
Wilma Hennessey told the media, “The two footprints are night and day. The baby footprint has three H’s in it and the adult footprint doesn’t have any at all.” And then she added, “Any mother would want to know. It doesn’t mean that I love the other one less.”
Wilma began her search by requesting that Mercy Hospital in Denver open its records of babies that were born on the same day as her son Barry. Apparently they refused. And then, speaking of the switching of babies, they said, “Practically speaking, it’s impossible.” But that didn’t stop Wilma Hennessey.
She searched the Mercy Hospital birth announcements in the local newspapers for May of 1936. And she compared the names that she found in those birth announcements with names in old telephone books. And finally she was able to locate a man who was born on the same day as Barry. He was a pastor in Wichita Falls, Texas. And I kid you not, his name was Ralph C. Hodges.
Now Hodges was quoted as saying that he first met Wilma Hennessey when she came up to him after a service and explained her search to him. So Pastor Hodges was very cooperative. I hope you think that’s natural for Pastor Hodges. He was very cooperative. He took off his shoe and his sock and he allowed her to roll ink on the sole of his foot. And then he stepped on a piece of white paper.
When she looked at the footprint, Hodges said, “This is it. I could sense her emptiness. It was not what she was looking for.”
Now I’m sorry to say that I don’t know whether Wilma Hennessey ever found her real son. I didn’t receive any other reports on this story. But I think we can agree on this: that every parent in this audience would agree with me that they sympathize with the feelings of Wilma Hennessey. If you had a child whom you had never seen since they were born in the hospital, wouldn’t you want to be reunited with them? Wouldn’t you want to find your lost child?
And that’s what I would like to talk to you about this morning. Lost children. Lost children. Do you know that there are many, many ways in which parents can lose their children? But if you’re going to lose a child, the very best way to lose a child is to lose that child to God. To lose that child to God.
And therefore, for a few minutes this morning, I would like to discuss with you the subject of children lost yet found. And as you’ve already guessed, that is the subject of my message this morning. That is the title of my message: Children Lost Yet Found.
You understand, I think, that the Apostle Peter had a number of fathers. But he said, yes, of course he did. Everybody had a mother and father. But isn’t it true that we don’t think about them very much? Just out of curiosity, how many of you know the name of Peter’s father, which is actually given in the Bible? Can I see your hands? No hands.
His name was Jonas. In Greek we would say Jonah today, the name of the Old Testament prophet. Now we don’t know the name of his mother, but we do know the name of a brother who was Andrew. And for all we know he may have had other brothers as well. We know that Peter, at least at a later time, was married. And then he had a son named Mark.
And if we put together all the information that we find in the Bible, it would be a very good guess to say this: that Peter probably left home to follow the Lord Jesus Christ in his early twenties. Now if that is correct, he may already have been married. He may already have had some small children. It is not at all unlikely that he was living with his young family under the same roof with his mother and father. And he then had other brothers who were at home.
And don’t you see that when Peter left home to follow the Lord Jesus Christ around on the hot, dusty roads of the land of Palestine, his parents lost their son to God. His parents lost their son to God.
Stop and think for a minute. In the passage that we read just a few moments ago, Peter raises a point with Jesus where he is expecting an answer. And he says to Jesus, “See, we have left all and followed You.” And I think it is very possible that in His response to Peter, Jesus is actually mentioning the things that Peter has left.
For Jesus replies to him, “There is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not be greatly rewarded.”
Now please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying this morning. We’re not talking here about a man who turned his back on his family and never, never, never saw them again. That’s not what we’re talking about. We are talking, however, about a man who was so committed to the Lord Jesus Christ that it meant that at times he was going to be separated from his loved ones.
Now as I said a moment ago, we know that Peter was married. And the evidence of the Bible seems to be that at a later time his wife traveled with him on his preaching tours. And probably even his son Mark joined some of those missions. And even while Jesus was still ministering here around the land of Palestine, whenever they got close to Peter’s home, don’t you think that Peter dropped in on his family? I’m quite sure that he did.
So we’re not talking about abandoning our family once and for all. But we are talking about people who are committed to Jesus Christ. And their commitment sometimes takes them away from home.
Tell me, Christian parents, would you be willing to lose your child to God like that? You know, some parents kind of secretly hope that their children will grow up and get married and settle down real close to home so that they can see them whenever they want to see them. But sometimes the will of God for your children may take them a long, long distance away. What are you prepared to accept that for your son or your daughter?
I shall never forget one time. My wife and I were at a convention one day when Lewis had sent out the food for a brief break. A man and his wife came into the booth. It turned out that they owned a bookstore in Atlanta, Georgia. They sat down on the little chairs for our customers and they bought some books to sell in their store. And then we started to talk.
And the mother informed me that her daughter was married to a student at Dallas Seminary who was trying to become a missionary in Japan. And I think I said something about the fact that Japan was a long way from Atlanta, Georgia. And I will never forget the response that this mother gave to me.
She says, “Yes, Japan is a long way from Atlanta, Georgia. But,” she said, “I always remember something that a woman said to me one time. She said to me, ‘I would much rather have my children living a long way away serving the Lord than near me and living for themselves.’” Then she added this. She says, “Yes, my husband and I realized that if our daughter goes overseas we will not see her or her family as often as we would like to see. But we are pleased that she will be serving the Lord in Japan.”
Wow. What a marvelous Christian way for a Christian parent to feel about their children. To be happy no matter where their children are, if their children are living for God. Is that how you as a Christian parent think about your sons and your daughters? Is that what you want for them? Is that how you feel about them?
Well, know this. You’ll never be able to feel that way about your children unless you yourself are committed to God. May I repeat that? Did you hear that? Tremendously important. That’s a wonderful way to feel about your children. But you won’t be able to feel that way unless you are firmly committed to Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.
Had Peter made a good move? Had he made a wise decision? That was one of the best decisions he ever made. You see, just a few moments before, Peter had been listening to an interview between Jesus and a young ruler who was very, very rich. And he had heard Jesus challenge this ruler to sell what he had, to distribute to the poor, and he had said, “You will have treasure in heaven and come, follow Me.”
Well, of course the rich young ruler wasn’t even saved. He had never believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior. And so there was no way he would be willing to do that if he wasn’t even saved. But Peter was saved. And all of the disciples were saved except Judas. We know that from the Gospel of John.
And sometime after they got saved they made a decision to become the disciples of Jesus Christ. And I’m sure that when Peter heard about treasure in heaven he wanted to know, “What’s in it for us?” And he said, “See, we have left all and followed You.” In the Gospel of Matthew it says he also said, “Therefore what shall we have? What shall we have?”
And Jesus’ response to him is very impressive and very, very inspiring. Jesus says, “There is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more, many times more in this present time.”
Do you know what Jesus means? Very simple. He is saying that the one who follows Him sacrificially will have wonderful rewards for that even in the present time. Or to put it another way, my friends, Jesus is telling His disciples that a life committed to Him is the most rewarding and satisfying life that anyone can live.
Do you know that? Is that what you desire for your children? Is it?
John Broadus eventually became a famous biblical scholar. But in his younger years in the town where he was living, God said the very next day he went to a schoolmate of his, a red-headed, freckled, awkward young boy named Sandy Jones. And John wrote a sentence: “Sandy Jones, I wish you would become a Christian, won’t you?”
And Sandy Jones replied, “Well, I don’t know. Perhaps I will.” But not very long after that, in the little meeting place where both of them attended church, Sandy Jones believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for the free gift of everlasting life. And almost immediately he walked straight across the meeting place and he stuck out his hand to John Broadus and he said, “Thank you, John. Thank you, John.”
Broadus grew up. He became a great biblical scholar. He even served as the president of a Baptist theological seminary. But almost every summer he would go home. And every time he did he was always likely to encounter Sandy Jones.
Now Sandy Jones was an old farmer wearing plain clothes as always, after wearing overalls with red suspenders. But every time he would encounter Sandy Jones, Sandy would stick out his big, burly hand and he would say, “Howdy, John. I never forgot you, John.”
And the story is that when John Broadus lay on his deathbed, surrounded by his friends, he said to his family something like this. He says, “You know, I think one of the sweetest sounds that I will hear in heaven, outside of the greeting and welcome of Him, the next sweetest sound will be the sound of the welcome of Sandy Jones who will stick out his hand to me and say, ‘Howdy, John. Thank you, John.’”
Do I need to tell you that John Broadus had already tasted it? Besides some of the rich joy of heaven, there is hardly any privilege and joy greater than leading someone else to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and knowing that we will be reunited with them on the shores of the kingdom of God. That’s one of the great rewards for following Jesus Christ.
Many years ago a small fishing fleet went out to sea from a small harbor on the eastern coast of Newfoundland. During the day a terrific storm came up. And by nightfall none of the ships had returned safely. Before all night long wives, mothers, sisters, sweethearts were pacing up and down the beach, wringing their hands and calling from God to save their loved ones.
To add to the horror of the night, one of the cottages caught on fire. They couldn’t save it because all of them were gone. The fire raged, blazed brightly, and then it burned completely to the ground.
The next morning the crowd joyfully saw all of the fishing vessels returning to the port. But there was one face in that crowd that was covered with sadness and despair. It was the face of the wife of the fisherman whose cottage had burned down.
And when her husband came ashore she rushed up to him and she said, “Oh husband, we’re ruined. Our home and all that is in it was destroyed by fire.” And her husband replied, “Thank God for the fire. It was the light of our burning cottage that guided all the ships in.”
And one of the marvelous joys of living in dedication to Jesus Christ is to find that God can take apparent tragedies, deep disappointment, horrible frustrations, and He can turn them into great victories. And these victories bring joy to our hearts.
Do your children understand that? Do they? Do your children understand that the most rewarding kind of life they can possibly lead is a life dedicated to Jesus Christ? But know this. Your children cannot understand this. Don’t expect them to understand it unless you as a Christian parent understand it yourself.
But that’s not the end of it. That’s not the end of the goal. Jesus says, “There is no one who has left all these things for God’s sake who shall not receive many times more in this present time and in the age to come, eternal life.”
Now let’s be frank, shall we? There are lots of churches in this country where these words would be seriously misunderstood. And some people would say that Jesus is teaching that unless we live a sacrificial life of discipleship to Him we’ll never get into the kingdom of God, have eternal life.
And I hope that here at Victor Street we know that that’s the wrong way to understand this. We understand, do we not, that Jesus said,
Assuredly, I say to you, he that hears My word and believes on Him that sent Me has everlasting life and shall not come into judgment, but is passed out of death into life.
And the moment that you believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior from hell, on the authority of God’s Word you can know that you have, right then and there, eternal life. That you’ll never come into the judgment of hell. That you’ve already passed out of death into life.
And if there’s anybody in the audience this morning who has never understood that for themselves, I have to tell you, you’re not saved. No matter how good you think you are, you are headed for the judgment. And what you need to do this morning, what you need to do right this moment as I speak to you, is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for the absolutely free gift of everlasting life.
Jesus said,
Most assuredly, I say to you, he that believes on Me has life.
But remember that Jesus also said,
I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.
And may I point out to you that those of us who receive the free gift of eternal life can also have that wonderful, eternal, vitamin-rich abundance as a reward. Can I use an illustration?
Let’s suppose that I told you this morning that my pockets were filled with balloons. They’re not. Well, let’s pretend for a moment. And let’s suppose that I said to you, “I’m going to give everybody a free gift of a balloon.” So I reached into my pocket and I started tossing balloons out all directions of this auditorium. As soon as you caught a balloon, would you have a balloon? Yeah. And it would be a free gift from me.
But what are you supposed to do with the balloon? Blow it up. Blow it up. You know what? I hate all games in which the competitors have to blow up balloons. But I do. And the most I can usually get is a tangled, blown-up balloon. Then I look to everybody else with great big balloons and I want to wipe them first.
And that’s kind of the way it is with eternal life. When you get eternal life it’s kind of like a skinny balloon. And God expects you to go out, expects you to breathe into His gift the breath of life and then fellowship with God. And the more you do that, the bigger your balloon becomes.
And you know something? When we get to the shores of the kingdom of God there are going to be some Christians who have only the same little old balloon, or maybe no bigger blown-up than I have. But there will be other Christians for whom eternal life is an abundant experience of everlasting life.
You want to talk about compound interest? This is compound interest, folks. Our lack of dedication to Jesus Christ pays off big here on earth. But it pays off even bigger, even bigger, in the age to come.
Be truthful with yourself for a minute. Is that the kind of experience you want for your children? Is it? Well, don’t expect it to happen. Don’t expect it to happen if you do not want that very same experience for yourself.
I understand that in the city of Rochester, New York, there is a river that runs through the city named the Genesee River. It flows between steep and crooked banks on either side of them. Many years ago the man who lived in Rochester returned from a journey by train. When he got off the train the only thing that was in his mind was going home and greeting his wife and children.
And so as he hurried through the streets he had a bright vision of his home in his car. But suddenly he was distracted by a group of excited men who were standing by the banks of the river. And he said to them, “What’s the matter?” Well, they shouted back to him, “The boy’s in the water.”
And he shouted out, “Why don’t you say that?” But a moment later he was taking off his coat, throwing it to the ground. He leaped into the water. He grabbed the child who was frantic. And though it struggled, he managed to get that child ashore.
When he brought the child to land he wiped the water out of his face and he brushed back the hair from the boy’s face. And then he made an amazing discovery. He said, “Heaven, he’s my boy. He’s my boy.” He had leaped into the water to save somebody else’s child. It was his own.
And did you know that when Christian parents leap into the waters of self-sacrifice and dedication to God, that they are able to save people from wasted lives of sin that can lead rapidly to death? And it very often happens, Christian parents. It very often happens.
Listen to me. If you lose your children to a life of sin, that is a horrible and tragic loss. But if you lose them to God, then you really find them. For you find them as a wonderful joy both in the present time and in the age to come.
Believe if this becomes a reality for your sons and daughters. Obviously, obviously they have become children lost yet found.
We have a lot of parents in this audience this morning, all of them have children. We pray that you will inspire them first to be dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ through and through and then to desire this deeply for each of their children. We ask this in Christ’s name, amen.