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And I will seek that which was lost
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As all men are in Adam, and through his fall, and by their own actual transgressions; and so the elect of God among the rest; who are lost not with respect to God's knowledge of them, love to them, and care for them; but with respect to their knowledge of him, affection for him, and regard to his will, service, and glory; they are lost to themselves, they know not where they are, what is their state and condition, and how to get out of it; they cannot help themselves, nor can any other creature help them; and they see themselves to be in this lost and undone condition, when they are enlightened by the Spirit of God: but they are not irretrievably lost, for they are preserved in Christ Jesus; and he has been sent to seek and to save them; which he has done by redeeming them from sin, Satan, and the law; and, in the effectual calling, he goes after them, he sends his Gospel to them, and his Spirit unto them, and returns them to himself, the Shepherd and Bishop of souls; and whereas after this they go astray like lost sheep, he seeks and looks them up, and restores their souls, (Psalms 119:176) (Psalms 23:3) (Luke 19:10) (Luke 15:3,4) :
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Psalms 119:176
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I have strayed like a lost sheep.
Seek your servant,
for I have not forgotten your commands.
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Psalms 23:3
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he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
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Luke 19:10
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For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
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Luke 15:3,4
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Then Jesus told them this parable:
"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?
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and bring again that which was driven away;
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through the power and prevalence of unbelief, from holding fast to the head Christ, departing at least partially from the living God; from dealing by faith with his precious person, blood, and righteousness; and from the precious promises, as not belonging to them, and refusing to be comforted by them; but the Lord brings back such again, and causes them to believe: Thomas is a notorious instance of this, (John 20:24-28) , such also who are driven away through the force of Satan's temptations from the throne of grace; from the word and ordinances; and from private conversation with the saints, being hypocrites, as he suggests unto them; these the Lord brings back, by rebuking the tempter, and delivering out of his temptations: likewise such as are driven out of the right way of truth, and carried away with the error of the wicked, through the influence of bad pastors or false teachers, (Jeremiah 23:1,2) (Jeremiah 50:6) , these will he restore again; for it is impossible the elect of God should be finally deceived: moreover, such as are driven away by the force of persecution, and scattered abroad, in God's due time have rest, and return to their folds again; see (Jeremiah 50:17) (Acts 8:1,2) (Acts 9:31) :
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John 20:24-28
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Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.
So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"
Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
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Jeremiah 23:1,2
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"Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!" declares the LORD.
Therefore this is what the LORD , the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: "Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done," declares the LORD .
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Jeremiah 50:6
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"My people have been lost sheep;
their shepherds have led them astray
and caused them to roam on the mountains.
They wandered over mountain and hill
and forgot their own resting place.
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Jeremiah 50:17
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"Israel is a scattered flock
that lions have chased away.
The first to devour him
was the king of Assyria;
the last to crush his bones
was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon."
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Acts 8:1,2
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And Saul was there, giving approval to his death.
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.
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Acts 9:31
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Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.
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and will bind up that which was broken;
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such who have broken hearts, broken with a sense of sin; made truly contrite by the Spirit and grace of God, through the word; which is a hammer to them, that breaks the rocky heart in pieces; to these the Lord has respect; their broken hearts are acceptable to him; he dwells with them, to revive them; he speaks and restores comforts to them; pours in oil and wine into their wounds, like the good Samaritan, and binds them up; see (Psalms 147:3) (Psalms 51:17) (Isaiah 61:1) and such who have broken bones, who have fallen into sin to the breaking of their bones, to the destroying of their peace, joy, and comfort, as David, Peter, and others have done; he sets their broken bones, and restores the joys of his salvation; and causes the bones which were broken to rejoice; at the discoveries of his pardoning grace and mercy, (Psalms 51:8,12) :
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Psalms 147:3
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He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
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Psalms 51:17
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The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.
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Isaiah 61:1
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The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
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Psalms 51:8,12
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8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
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and will strengthen that which was sick;
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sick through sin, as all men are; sick of sin, as sensible sinners be; sickly and weak, and ready to die, as fallen professors, backsliders, are; sick of love, through want of the discoveries of it; long after them; cannot be easy without them, as Christ's spouse sometimes is; and sick for want of food, faint and languid for want of spiritual refreshment; as the persons were Christ had compassion on, being as sheep without a shepherd, (Matthew 9:36) (Matthew 9:12) (1 Corinthians 11:30) (Song of Solomon 2:5) (Song of Solomon 5:8) each of these the Lord strengthens with the discoveries and applications of pardoning grace; with the flagons of his love, and apples of his promises; with the food of the Gospel, which strengthens men's hearts; and with grace out of his fulness, whereby they are strengthened against sin, snares, and temptations, and to exercise grace, and do the will of God:
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Matthew 9:36
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When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
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Matthew 9:12
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On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
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1 Corinthians 11:30
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That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.
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Song of Solomon 2:5
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Strengthen me with raisins,
refresh me with apples,
for I am faint with love.
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Song of Solomon 5:8
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O daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you-
if you find my lover,
what will you tell him?
Tell him I am faint with love.
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but I will destroy the fat and the strong;
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that are full of themselves, lifted up with pride, conceited with their riches or righteousness, and despise others, whom they thrust with side and shoulder, and push with their horns, (Ezekiel 34:21) . So the Targum interprets it of wicked men, ``and I will consume the ungodly and sinners;''
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Ezekiel 34:21
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Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns until you have driven them away,
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but the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions, render it, "I will keep the fat and the strong"; in the plight and condition in which they are, and make them still stronger, and more fat and flourishing; so Jerom interprets it of saints and godly persons; and this agrees with the preceding clauses; only the original Hebrew text is against it, which does not admit of a various reading; and this rendering seems to arise in the Septuagint, the others follow, from the mistake of a similar letter: "I will feed them with judgment"; meaning either the whole flock, consisting of fat and lean cattle, making a distinction between them, (Ezekiel 34:17,20) , feeding them with discretion, and judging them according to their deserts; or else the fat and the strong ones, by inflicting righteous vengeance on them, feeding them with wormwood and gall; or his own people and sheep only. So the Targum, "I will govern my people with judgment"; in righteousness, goodness, truth, and faithfulness.
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Ezekiel 34:17,20
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17 " 'As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats.
20 " 'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
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