What did the one lost lamb know about his situation?
The one lost lamb knew he was lost and in trouble. Unlike the ninety-nine sheep, which were also lost on the desert but did not know it, this lamb recognized his desperate condition. That awareness made him the picture of salvation, because a person must realize how lost he is before he can be saved.
Les explains that in the parable of the ninety-nine sheep, many assume the ninety-nine were safe in the fold, but they were not. They were out on the desert without a shepherd, and sheep are so dumb that on the desert they would be lost in thirty minutes—and they did not know it. The one little lamb, however, was caught in a crevice somewhere, bleeding his little throat dry, and he knew he was lost and in trouble. That is why the Lord saved the one, not the ninety-nine: because the one knew it was lost. Les ties this to Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” and says you can never be saved until you realize how lost you are. Multitudes sit in churches Sunday after Sunday thinking they are all right, and they will never be saved until they realize how lost they are.