Please open your Bibles to the Gospel, the Good News, according to the Apostle Luke who personally witnessed the ministry of Jesus Christ. We continue our study of Luke chapter 15….
Jesus, the Son of God, walked the earth about 2000 years ago and many followed Him because of His teachings and miracles. However, some accused Jesus of being too close to sinners. Jesus told 3 parables to explain His reasons for hanging out with sinners.
Last week we noted from the beginning of Luke 15; Like a shepherd with a lost sheep, Jesus seeks out sinners to save them; the lost sheep had to trust the shepherd to be carried safely home and so a person who desires heaven must totally trust Jesus.
Jesus tells two more parables in Luke 15. Let us pray our commitment to God’s Word before reading the next story….
Read along with me now Luke 15:8-10…
Let us summarize the story.
v8a: a woman had ten coins but lost one.
v8b: she carefully searches for the lost coin
Some Bible translations states that she diligently searches for the lost coin. What does carefully and diligently indicate? She will work hard looking! It is like that saying “she will not leave any stones unturned!”
In other words, she will look for it until she finds the lost coin! – There was effort on her part!
v9: She celebrated with her friends when the coin was found.
Let’s make a note of this thought: Do you think she spent money when she gave the celebration for all her friends and neighbors??
And so, she looked for the lost coin but when she found it she spent money for a party for all her friends! What does this indicate? Was it all about the money? The lost coin was precious to her not for what it could buy but just because it was special! We can say that she loved that coin!
And in v10, Jesus explains what the parable was about.
- Lost coin is like a person who have sinned and separated from God.
And like that woman, God will carefully and diligently look for the lost sinner!
- There is celebration in heaven when a person turns back to God!
And who do you think the woman who worked diligently to find the lost coin represents??
Remember that Jesus hung out with sinners in order to bring them back to God!
But not only that, like a Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ took all of man’s sins on a cross and died carrying all those sins. Jesus Christ did all the diligent work to bring back sinners to God!
What are the Biblical Principles for us from this passage?
1. People are precious to God. God loves people!
How precious are people to God?
How many of you have ever lost something really important or special to you? What do you do? Finding what you’ve lost becomes your prioirity, right?
For me, I would retrace my steps, relive the day, ask everyone if they have seen what I’ve lost. The last thing I lost was our IPass for the Illinois tollway; I couldn’t sleep thinking about what I did with it and what I was going to do through the tolls; then I noticed Elsa woke up; so I asked her; she immediately answered, “is it with Manika’s GPS?” And I said, “of course!” I was relieved and I think I fell asleep before Elsa could say another word!
God will be restless and will seek people until they are found.
Jesus has done all the work!
People are found by God through Jesus Christ! People are precious to God but cannot return to God unless they have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. How is your relationship with Jesus Christ? How are we responding to God’s love on a daily basis?
And the other Biblical Principle for us is associated with our calling as Disciples of Jesus Christ. Remember that Jesus is looking for true disciples not just followers. Christians are to be Disciples of Jesus who will be allegiant to Christ and imitate Him.
2. As our Lord Jesus Christ worked diligently to bring back sinners to God, we too should work diligently to help others go back to God.
How do we help other people go back to God???
Quietly pray: Ask God the Father what you need to work on; ask the lord Jesus for help, yield to the Holy Spirit; make a commitment to love Jesus back and to diligently do your best to bring those around you back to God!
