Until He Finds It
The printed guide is laid out to teach from: a run sheet, a page per section with room for notes, and a one-sheet handout with a kids’ page on the back.
God’s goodness and mercy pursue us, like a shepherd after one lost sheep.
Open with it, bring it back after every section, close with it. By the end they should be able to finish the sentence for you.
Mark 16:1-8, He Is Going Ahead of You — Because the tomb is empty, the house of the LORD is home forever.
Revelation 7:9-17, He Will Wipe Away Every Tear — Every line of Psalm 23 comes true when the Lamb shepherds his people home.
Open
Recall last time (Mark 16:1-8): the tomb is empty, and the Shepherd has gone ahead. Today: “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.” Ask: What has ever chased you? Read Luke 15:4. Big idea: God’s goodness and mercy pursue us, like a shepherd after one lost sheep. Ask one person what stuck from last time.
The run sheet
Chased by Goodness
Psalm 23:6
God’s goodness and mercy do not trail behind his people; they chase them down.
- “Follow” is radaph: pursue, chase, hunt.
- David was hunted by Saul for years (1 Samuel 26:20), yet he says goodness and mercy are what pursue him.
- “Goodness and mercy” are tov and chesed, God’s goodness and covenant love.
Psalm 23:6: goodness and mercy pursue. Luke 15:4: the shepherd goes after the one that is lost.
“Until he finds it.” The pursuit does not stop.
Discuss: What difference does it make that the verb is “pursue,” not just “follow along behind”?
- Psalm 23:6: “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.”
- 1 Samuel 26:20: “like one who hunts a partridge,” the same verb.
- Proverbs 13:21: “Disaster pursues sinners.” Psalm 23 says what pursues God’s people is goodness.
Illustration idea: A parent running after a child who has wandered off in a crowded store.
Listen for:
- Pursued by kindness.
- Every day of my life.
If it drifts: If the talk turns to whether God’s goodness means an easy life, return to “all the days”: the valley days are included.
Goodness and mercy chase God’s people every day of their lives.
Short on time? Drop Proverbs 13:21. Keep 1 Samuel 26:20.
Bridge → Jesus tells a story that gives that pursuit a face.
The Grumblers
Luke 15:1-3
The grumblers saw bad company; Jesus was the Shepherd out looking for lost sheep.
- Tax collectors and sinners gather to listen to Jesus.
- Pharisees and scribes grumble: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
- Jesus answers with a parable.
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
“Then Jesus told them this parable.”
Discuss: Why did eating with someone matter so much in that world?
- v1-2: sharing a table meant accepting someone.
- v3: the parable is told to the grumblers.
- Tax collectors were seen as collaborators with Rome who enriched themselves.
Illustration idea: Neighbors complaining that a doctor spends all her time with sick people.
Listen for:
- He welcomes sinners.
- The meals were the search.
If it drifts: If people start criticizing the Pharisees at length, ask where the same grumbling shows up in us.
At those tables, the Shepherd was looking for his lost sheep.
Short on time? Drop the tax collector background. Keep v2.
Bridge → Then Jesus asks, “What man among you?”
The Lost Sheep
Luke 15:4-7
The Shepherd pursues the lost until he finds them, and brings them home rejoicing.
- The shepherd leaves the ninety-nine and goes after the one.
- He searches until he finds it, and carries it home on his shoulders.
- Heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents.
“He joyfully puts it on his shoulders, comes home.”
“Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep!”
Discuss: The sheep does nothing except get found. What does that say about repentance?
- v4: “until he finds it”: no deadline but finding.
- v7: repentance is what being found looks like; Psalm 23:3 “He restores my soul” uses shuv, to bring back.
- Ezekiel 34:16: “I will seek the lost, bring back the strays.”
- Luke 19:10: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Illustration idea: A search party that finds a lost child and walks her home on someone’s shoulders, everyone cheering.
Listen for:
- He never gave up.
- Joy, not a lecture.
If it drifts: If someone asks who looked after the ninety-nine, admit the story does not say; it keeps its eyes on the one.
God’s goodness and mercy pursue us, like a shepherd after one lost sheep.
Short on time? Drop Ezekiel 34:16. Keep v4-5 and v7.
Bridge → So hear the psalm line again beside the parable.
Close — never cut it
Read Luke 15:4-5, then Psalm 23:6. The Shepherd goes after the lost until he finds them. Say together: “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.”
If the last section starts late, read v4-7 and go to the close.
“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life” Psalm 23:6
With one friend, over coffee
About 30 minutes · for a friend who is curious, or not sure
- Start with a chase. Ask: What has ever chased you?
- Read the psalm. Read Psalm 23:6. “Follow” means pursue.
- Read Luke. Read Luke 15:1-7 together.
- The pursuit. The shepherd goes after the one lost sheep until he finds it, and carries it home rejoicing.
- Leave the question. Ask: Jesus said, “What man among you?” Where do you see yourself in the story? Leave it with them.
“What does “follow” mean in Psalm 23:6?”
The Hebrew radaph means pursue or chase. God’s goodness and covenant love chase his people.
“Who looked after the ninety-nine?”
The parable does not say. It keeps its eyes on the one lost sheep.
“What does repentance mean here?”
Turning back to God. In the story it is what being found looks like.
“What does this mean for me?”
No one is too far for the Shepherd to pursue, and heaven rejoices when the lost are found.
Evergreen principles
Four standards every week. The rest rotate: each lesson brings the few that fit its passage best.
Make it concrete
Jesus uses ordinary shepherd life.
If you’re new: Count out a hundred small objects and take one away. Ask who would notice.
If you’ve taught for years: Then read v4.
Let the Bible do the talking
Jesus’ own story carries the passage.
If you’re new: Read v4-6 aloud without comment.
If you’ve taught for years: Then read Psalm 23:6.
Let the passage land the way it lands
It ends in a party.
If you’re new: End on joy, not on a task.
If you’ve taught for years: Read v7 last.
Pray before you prepare
Teaching the Bible is spiritual work first (John 15:5).
If you’re new: Pray for your class by name during the week.
If you’ve taught for years: Pray for the one person you find hardest to reach.
Study the text first
Understand the passage yourself before any help.
If you’re new: Read it in two translations; write your own questions first.
If you’ve taught for years: Don’t lean on old notes. What did you miss last time?
Teach one big idea
People remember one sentence, not four points.
If you’re new: Write it in 12 words or fewer before anything else.
If you’ve taught for years: Test every story against it. If it doesn’t serve it, cut it.
Point to Christ
All of Scripture points to him (Luke 24:27).
If you’re new: Ask: what does this show about Jesus?
If you’ve taught for years: Show grace as the reason for obedience, not just the rule.
Openings & closings
Pick one opening and one close; rotate so class doesn’t get predictable.
ask a real-life question
What has ever chased you?
use an object
Hide a toy sheep in the room before the class starts, and let the group find it.
raise a problem
Is it reckless to leave ninety-nine sheep to look for one?
restate the big idea
God’s goodness and mercy pursue us, like a shepherd after one lost sheep.
call back to the opening
Return to what chased people, and read Psalm 23:6 beside it.
pray the text
Pray for those who are lost, and thank God for pursuing each of us.
When class gets hard
Someone has a family member who has wandered from faith.
Point to v4: the Shepherd goes after the lost until he finds them. Encourage them to keep praying and keep the door open.
Someone feels they are too far gone.
The sheep in the story did nothing to earn being found. The Shepherd went after it. That is how far his pursuit reaches.
Silence after a question
Wait. Then rephrase simpler, or ask them to talk to a neighbor first.
One person dominates
“Thanks. Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t spoken yet.” Talk privately if it continues.
A question you can’t answer
Say so, write it down, bring an answer next week.
A tangent takes over
“Great question. Let’s catch it after class so we can finish the passage.”
Read this week
- Luke 15:8-32
- Ezekiel 34:11-16
- Psalm 119:169-176
For kids
The printable guide puts this on the back of the handout, with a word search and a secret code.
Jesus looks for us until he finds us.
- A shepherd has a hundred sheep.
- One sheep gets lost.
- He looks until he finds it.
- He carries it home on his shoulders.
- He has a party with his friends.
- The lost sheep: worried
- The shepherd looking: sad
- The shepherd finding it: happy
- The friends at the party: happy
Memory verse: “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me” Psalm 23:6
Act it out: One child is the lost sheep and hides. Another is the shepherd and searches until he finds the sheep. Then everyone cheers and says, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep!”
Draw it: Draw a shepherd carrying a sheep on his shoulders, smiling.
Finish the sentence: Jesus looks for me until ______.