Called to Warn the Lost: Turn Back and Live

Devotional

Day 1: Becoming Small Enough to Enter

Jesus flips the disciples’ hunger for status by placing a child in their midst. True greatness, he insists, isn’t about climbing higher but bending lower—embracing the vulnerability and dependence of a child. Humility here isn’t self-deprecation but a posture of radical trust, uncluttered by self-importance. To enter God’s kingdom, we must shed the armor of ambition and receive grace like a gift we cannot earn. The child becomes both a mirror and a map: who do you see when you look at yourself, and where are you trying to go? [25:38]

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
(Matthew 18:2-4, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you substituted performative humility for childlike surrender? What would it look like to release one claim to “greatness” today?

Day 2: Woe to the One Who Makes Others Stumble

Jesus warns that causing others to sin is worse than drowning with a millstone. Temptation isn’t just a personal battle—it’s a communal responsibility. Every careless word, every unexamined habit, can become a stumbling block for those watching. The call isn’t merely to amputate sin from our lives but to ask: How does my freedom weigh on someone else’s soul? Eternal fire isn’t just a destination—it’s the cost of ignoring our role as guardians. [26:12]

“Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!”
(Matthew 18:7, ESV)

Reflection: Is there a relationship or habit where your “right” to indulge is quietly harming another? How might you dismantle that trap today?

Day 3: The Shepherd’s Relentless Algebra

God’s economy values the one over the ninety-nine. The shepherd leaves safety to chase the wanderer, not because the flock doesn’t matter, but because love refuses to settle for “mostly saved.” This isn’t a parable about efficiency—it’s about divine obsession. When we dismiss the “lost” as too far gone or too costly to pursue, we betray the heart of the One who ran toward the danger of our own rebellion. [28:43]

“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?”
(Matthew 18:12, ESV)

Reflection: Who have you quietly written off as “too far gone”? What step could you take this week to re-engage with compassion?

Day 4: Blood on Your Hands or Grace on Your Tongue

Ezekiel’s warning cuts deep: silence isn’t neutrality—it’s complicity. To withhold truth from those spiraling toward death isn’t kindness; it’s cowardice. Yet this isn’t a guilt trip but a grace invitation. God doesn’t demand eloquence, only obedience. Our trembling “wicked man, turn and live” isn’t a threat—it’s a lifeline thrown with hands still stained by our own rescue. [37:18]

“But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.”
(Ezekiel 33:9, ESV)

Reflection: What fear keeps you silent with someone God has placed on your heart? How might you lean into His strength rather than your own this week?

Day 5: The God Who Runs Toward the Drowning

Jesus’ blood wasn’t spilled only to forgive sin but to fuel our urgency. He didn’t shout “turn back!” from heaven’s safety—He plunged into the flood of our rebellion. When we hesitate to confront the drowning, we forget how He fought the current to reach us. Warning others isn’t about proving their guilt but proclaiming His grip—strong enough to pull them from the debris. [40:25]

“Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?”
(Ezekiel 33:11, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you confused judgment with compassion in your relationships? How can you reflect Jesus’ “running love” to someone this week?

Sermon Summary

Matthew turns the disciples’ self-serving question, “Who is the greatest?” upside down by putting a child in their midst. Christ makes true humility the doorway into the kingdom, and He makes care for little ones a deadly serious matter. Matthew ties the warning about temptation to sin to the danger of causing somebody else to fall. Christ’s hard words about cutting off a hand or tearing out an eye press beyond private struggle and expose the seriousness of bringing sin before another person.

Matthew then places the lost sheep beside the work of confronting a brother. The Father does not want one little one to perish, so going after the wandering person is not mainly about putting somebody in their place. The text makes it about gaining a brother back. Church discipline, done rightly, carries the heart of the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine and goes looking.

Ezekiel gives that same calling a sharper edge. God appoints Ezekiel as a watchman for people who know better, people who remember God’s mercy and still choose wickedness. God tells Ezekiel to warn the wicked plainly, not because God enjoys condemnation, but because God yearns for them to turn back and live. The phrase “blood on your hands” reveals how serious it is to stay silent when somebody is running toward destruction.

God does not place this burden on human courage alone. God gives His Word, grows faith through that Word, and equips His people to handle the Word of truth. Sinfulness does not disqualify believers from warning the wicked. Sinfulness humbles them, reminding them that they stand only by grace while holding out the same grace to another.

Christ makes the watchman’s calling possible because He did what no watchman could do. Christ went to the cross, got His own hands bloody, and became the substitute for sinners. His blood still pleads before the Father for those given to Him. God’s direction is not a command to turn around and go home when the road gets hard. God’s direction calls His people to speak, invite, pray, and keep reaching toward the lost while trusting Him to do the rest.

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Key Takeaways

1. Warning the lost is love. God’s warning is never meant to crush people for the sake of being right. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but desires that the wicked turn and live. Love does not watch somebody run toward destruction and call silence kindness. [38:21]
2. Humility strengthens faithful witness. Believers do not warn others from a place of moral superiority. Personal sin should humble the heart, deepen dependence on Christ, and keep the words honest. God’s grace makes a person both truthful about sin and tender toward sinners. [31:11]
3. God’s Word supplies needed courage. Fear often grows when courage depends on personality, confidence, or the right words. God equips His people through Scripture, faith, prayer, and the living Word. Faithful witness begins with holding God’s Word rather than trying to manufacture boldness. [31:26]
4. Christ’s blood secures the wandering. Christ does not merely tell sinners to come back. Christ goes to the cross as their substitute and pleads His own sacrifice before the Father. His costly grace gives real hope that no wandering life is beyond His reach. [40:25]
5. Seek the one who wandered away. The lost sheep matters deeply to the Father. A person who has drifted from faith is not a number, an inconvenience, or a lost cause. Christ calls His people to pursue the wandering with prayerful patience and a clear invitation to turn back and live.

## [44:29]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[20:24] - Matthew 18 and True Humility
[26:12] - Causing Others to Fall
[27:46] - The Shepherd Seeks the Lost Sheep
[28:43] - Gaining a Wandering Brother
[30:28] - Warning as an Act of Love
[31:11] - God Equips His Watchmen
[33:00] - Silence With Family and Friends
[35:03] - Ezekiel’s Blunt Warning
[36:54] - Blood on the Watchman’s Hands
[38:21] - God Desires the Wicked to Turn
[40:25] - Christ’s Blood Pleads for Sinners
[42:28] - Turning People From Destruction
[44:29] - Turn Back and Live
[46:05] - Reach Out and Let God Work

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Ezekiel 33:7–9
“So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. [35:08]
If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. [36:54]
But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.” [37:20]

Matthew 18:12–14
“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.” [27:51]
“So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” [28:16]

Matthew 18:15
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” [28:52]

Observation questions

In Ezekiel 33:7–9, what is Ezekiel called to do when he hears a word from God, and what two possible responses can come from the wicked person?
In Matthew 18:12–14, what does the shepherd do when one sheep wanders, and what does his joy reveal about the value of that one sheep? [28:16]
Matthew 18 moves from warnings about causing others to stumble to the shepherd seeking a lost sheep. What connection is being made between taking sin seriously and caring for people who wander? [27:09]
According to Matthew 18:15, what is the hoped-for result of going privately to a brother or sister who has sinned? [30:28]

Interpretation questions

Ezekiel was sent to people who knew God’s past mercy and still chose wickedness. Why might warning someone who “knows better” be especially difficult, yet still necessary? [36:14]
How does the phrase “you have gained your brother” shape the purpose of confronting sin? How is this different from trying to win an argument or expose someone’s failure? [30:28]
God says that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but desires that they turn and live. How should that truth shape the tone, words, and goal of a hard conversation? [38:34]
Christ gave Himself as the substitute for sinners, and His blood pleads for His people. How does Christ’s grace keep a believer from confronting another person with pride or harshness? [40:25]

Application questions

Is there someone in your family, workplace, neighborhood, or church life who seems to be drifting from Christ? What has made it hard for you to speak honestly with that person? [34:09]
Sometimes silence can feel kinder because it avoids awkwardness or conflict. When have you been tempted to stay quiet rather than offer a loving warning or invitation to turn back to God? [35:00]
Believers warn others as fellow sinners who stand only by grace. What would humility sound like in a conversation with someone whose choices concern you? [32:48]
God’s Word, rather than personal confidence, equips His people for faithful witness. What Scripture, promise, or truth about Christ would help you speak with greater courage this week? [31:53]
Jesus seeks the one who has wandered, rather than treating that person as an inconvenience or a lost cause. What is one practical way you could pursue someone gently—through a call, a meal, a note, an invitation, or prayer?
“Turn back and live” is a message of real hope because Christ died for sinners. How can you clearly communicate both the seriousness of sin and the open invitation of Christ’s mercy to someone who needs it? [44:29]
Faithful care does not mean controlling another person’s response; it means speaking, inviting, praying, and trusting God with the outcome. What would it look like for you to take one faithful step while leaving the results in God’s hands? [46:05]

Sermon Clips

50s

“As surely as I live, this is what I wanna see, God says. This is what I live for, we might say, that God lives for. He's consumed with pursuing so much so that he came and died on the cross to attain that, to make sure that would happen. Specifically, to live the ultimate human life as our substitute. He went to the cross. He got his own hands bloody, his own blood on his hands to seek it to save us. Astounding news, miraculous news, a wondrous news.”

58s

“Now the crux of our story isn't wicked man, you're going to die. Turn back and live is good message. Turn back and live. A life that maybe they can imagine, but barely take up taste of the Lord Jesus Christ, but they really don't know. Many people could be brought back from that drink. Lazarus was brought back to life. The centurion's servant, Jairus' daughter. People can turn from despair like Peter, Paul from unbelief and anger to faith and love. You don't have to die because Christ died for you full of life. This is the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, who's not the God of the dead, but God of the living.”

42s

“Though some might assume that the chief purpose is church discipline, as I alluded to earlier, it's actually to win them back. It's out of love and compassion that we want them to come back. The Lord reminds us that this is an act of love. While the idea might be out of step with the world, especially in our times of tolerance, without judgment, if our Lord loves us enough to save us, then we're to call, we're called to do nothing other or no less.”

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StPeters Lutheran Church East Peoria Il This sermon · AI assistant

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