“THE LOST COIN”
“The Priority of Evangelism”
Luke 15:8-10
Fr. Christopher M. Nerreau
One of the lessons I will never forget from my day’s as a Protestant is a passion for Evangelism. Evangelism is not a suggestion but a command.
• Matthew 28:19 - “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”
Illustration: When I was in school as a child, we had a lost and found box. Very often as I would pass by the box I would witness a child finding his lunch box, a book or even a toy. As I think about it now, it is funny to consider how excited they would get over something as simple as a lunch box or book. I realize now that the simple fact that something is lost evokes in us a more active interest in it. This is very similar to our parable (earthly story to tell a heavenly truth) today. This parable is sandwiched between two other parables, each one illustrating the active interest of God in the lost soul. THE VERY CIRCUMSTANCE THAT WE HAVE STRAYED FROM GOD EVOKES IN GOD A MORE ACTIVE INTEREST IN OUR CONDITION.
Proposition: God is infinitely concerned about each and every lost soul and so should we be.
Interrogative sentence: Does your heart for evangelism reflect the heart of God?
Sermon Preview: In our passage today, Jesus (addressing sinner’s see v.1) is going to reveal the heart of God toward lost sinners:
1. THE SUFFERING HEART OF GOD (v.8a)
2. THE SEARCHING HEART OF GOD (v.8b)
3. THE CELEBRATING HEART OF GOD (v.9-10)
Transitional Sentence: Let’s begin by looking at...
I. THE SUFFERING HEART OF GOD (v.8a)
Explanation: THE BIBLE SAYS: Luke 15:8 “Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin…”
It is important to understand that GOD SUFFERS LOSS IN EVERY SINNER THAT DEPARTS FROM HIM.
• Consider the parable of the Prodigal Son and the hurt the Father must have experienced as His son departed. (Luke 15)
• This is the image we find in our parable today:
o “Woman” (v.8) – In that day woman were charged with keeping the home. The man would bring home the money and they would usually hide it somewhere in the house.
o “Ten Silver Coins” (v.8) – The drachma was a Greek coin roughly equivalent in value to the Roman denarius, a day’s wages. It was typical for a woman to wear a crown of 10 coins on her head to signify marriage.
o “Loses One Coin” (v8) – Imagine the fear, heartache of losing a day’s wages and a coin from you crown. This anguish captures the suffering heart of God. The day is nearly over and the coin is lost.
Illustration: I can remember not too long ago my daughter getting off of the school bus and just falling into my arms crying. I held her tightly and asked – “what is wrong.” It seems some girl was picking on her. Her broken heart had a profound effect upon me. But what about the broken heart of God for His Children? Does that affect us? Do we even hear it?
Application: The woman in this parable captures the frustration and broken heartedness of God for the lost soul!
• Today we can no longer be silent to it. This is what must drive our evangelical appetite. Not our desire to score points but God’s desire to save souls.
Transitional Sentence: So we have seen the Suffering Heart of God, but Secondly, let’s look at…
II. THE SEARCHING HEART OF GOD (v.8b)
Explanation: God does not sit on the sidelines sulking but rather searches diligently for the lost soul.
THE BIBLE SAYS (v.8) - “does not LIGHT A LAMP and SWEEP THE HOUSE and SEARCH CAREFULLY until she finds it.”
o “Light a lamp” (v.8) – In those days most houses did not have windows. As such it was very dark inside the house and easy to lose things. The story say’s that she – Lights a lamp to help find the coin.
In a similar way we are called to light up this dark world with the word of God. (Psalm 119:105) – “Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”
o “Sweep the House” (v.8) – To avoid missing anything the woman sweeps through the nooks and crannies of her home. Normally straw would cover the floors.
This illustrates both God’s Holy Spirit working everywhere scouring the entire Earth and our responsibility to cooperate with Him. (Jer. 23:24 Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.
o “Searches Carefully” (v8) – The straw is shaken out carefully, handful by handful. The light is carried to every corner of the house.
In the same way are we to search carefully for the hearts God has prepared.
Illustration: I can remember when I was a teenager; I snuck out of the house with a couple friends at night and was hanging out in the woods. Suddenly, I saw a flashlight from the road scouring the very woods in which I was hiding. It was the father of one of my friends. He had searched all night till he found us!
Application: God’s Holy Spirit searches diligently for a single lost soul and has called us to cooperate with Him. Through the light of the gospel and the Word of God, we are called to sweep the earth and search carefully for the lost soul.
Transitional Sentence: Finally lets turn our attention to…
III. THE CELEBRATING HEART OF GOD (v.9)
Explanation: While God’s suffering and searching heart does give us a taste of His love for lost sinners, it is His celebrating heart that really brings it home to us!
THE BIBLE SAYS – (v. 9) “When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!” In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
• “She calls together her friends” – (v.9) This is an image of the celebration of Heaven, alluded at the end of verse 9. Heaven celebrates together at the repentance of a sinner.
• “Rejoice with me” – (v.9) When God uses us to convert severed souls we should rejoice! In so doing we have helped God find His coin of Great value.
• “Joy in the presence of the angels of God” – (v.9) All of Heaven rejoices together and so should the Church at the salvation of a repentant sinner. In two weeks we will Baptize and Chrismate several people, some having been lost are now found and we should celebrate with the angels in Heaven!
Illustration: have you ever witnessed the celebration of a team having won the World Series? There is exhaustion, there are tears, jumping and screaming, hugging and laughing. It is wonderful to watch but it’s just a baseball game. When a single soul is birthed into the Kingdom of Heaven should we not all the more celebrate?
Application: The celebration of Heaven reveals the heart of God!
• We are called to celebrate the victories with God and to allow that moment of celebration to drive us toward the goal of saving souls.
Transition: As we begin to conclude let us remember what we have seen today…
Restate Proposition: God is infinitely concerned about each and every lost soul and so should we be.
Restate Main Points: The evidence that this is true can be seen in the
1. THE SUFFERING HEART OF GOD (v.8a)
2. THE SEARCHING HEART OF GOD (v.8b)
3. THE CELEBRATING HEART OF GOD (v.9-10)
Final Application:
Jesus has called upon us to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” It is our role to cooperate with the suffering, searching, celebrating heart of God as He scours the Earth for a single lost coin.
I ask you today, which of you if he saw a friend’s child floating face down in a lake would not do all you could to save him? And how would your friend celebrate you for having done so. And yet our own Father watches us walk by so many who are floating face down and we do not lift a single finger to save them.
Call To Action: Oh, that we would repent dear children! Today, seek to know the heart of God in evangelism and scour the earth for the lost, not out of responsibility to God but rather of love for God.
Amen!
