The Lost Coins in the House
The Need of the Holy Spirit…
Opening Text: Luke 15:1-7
15:1 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.
Note: The Spirit of God was so strong in Christ that the sinners drew near to hear him…
2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."
3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying:
4 What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?
5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ’Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’
7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
This is a beautiful picture of the Heart of God, who goes after the lost, goes into the wilderness and finds the lost soul. And when finds the soul, he does not make it walk home, but does the walking for him.
In the next parable we see another type of passion for the lost, but not so the lost in the wilderness, but the lost in the HOUSE. God is concerned about the lost in the House, as much He is concerned about the lost in the wilderness.
As I break this down I want you to notice, that the women can surely represent the Holy Spirit, who searches for the LOST COIN. The coin representing us, we are the great value in the eyes of God.
Text: Luke 15:8-10
8 "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?
9 And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ’Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’
10 Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
Reason for my type in this, is that it was something that was in her possession at one time, but for some reason slipped away or fallen.
The only way for us to effective and properly be used in the Kingdom of God is to be FOUND and USED by the Holy Spirit. We desire to be sensitive to feel the Holy Spirit, but let us take it further, let us be sensitive in being USED by the Holy Spirit.
Point One: It was very Precious to Her
To the poor woman whose for worth consisted of ten coins it was a great loss to lose one, it was a loss that was Really felt. When you have little of or there is great worth, you know when you lost it. “ A faithful man who can find.”
The Holy Spirit feels every loss in the House, He knows when a heart grows cold and gets lost in the shuffle of the house. You are a great Value in the eyes of the Holy Spirit.
On the coin that was lost also bore the image of the king, such are the souls of the redeemed by Christ in the estimation of the Holy Spirit We bear the Image of the Holy, God has stamped his name upon us, He has placed his nature within us. When the spiritual realm sees us, they know whom we belong to.
2 Tim 2:19
19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity."
They are precious to him, and fit for circulation in the interest of the Kingdom of God. Every nation in the world developes their own currency, and it is a hassle to exchange currency from among different nations, you never get it’s real value.
And that is the same with us when we are exchanged in the world, we never are considered for our real value. Stay in the Kingdom of God, and the value of your life will be greatly appreciated.
Ps 100:3
Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Heb 13:21
make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Point Two: The capacity of the Lost Coin
It slipped out of her hand, so that now she had no control over it. It is sad, sad thing for any one who has known what it is to be in the hand of the Spirit and then to slip out of touch with Him through pride or unbelief.
Samson ended up blind and humiliated, Gehazi ended up a rotting leper, and Judas was left hanging.
To be out of His hand is to be lost to Him. The fall may have been in a moment, but the grief it created was intense. Greive not the Holy Spirit…
If your are wondering if you are lost in the House, ask yourself, does the Holy Spirit have control over your life every day, Im not just talking about Conviction, but service.
Point Three: Lost In the House
It was not like the sheep that was lost faraway from the house, but it was lost in the House, but it was utterly useless as it was in the depths of the sea. (The coin recovered by Christ was done its worth in the masters hand, but to the fist at the bottom it did no good)
It is possible to be in the house of God in the place of safety and privledge and yet be lost to the management of the Holy Spirit.
It is one thing to be justified by faith before God, it is quite another to be ready for service in the hand of God. We might be in the hole of the spirit but not in the hand of the spirit for service.
Eph 2:10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Don’t lay dormant under the couch, or between the comfy cushions, let your life be found in the house, and let God make you a vessel of honor.
Point Four: Lost to usefulness
Not only can you be lost in the house of God, but lost to your usefulness, lost to your destiny.
As long as this silver coin was not in the hand and at the disposal of this woman it was lost to all the good it might do. If your throw sovereign into the sea, it would not be only so much gold be lost, but all the good that gold might do is lost.
So are we if we are not in the hands of the Holy Spirit, all the good that can be done with our lives if managed by the Spirit of God, all that is lost, lost to usefulness. If our lives are wasted it is only wasted to the glory of God that can be through our lives.
Notice King David’s Prayer after allowing him to be managed by the Holy Spirit…
Ps 51:12-13
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.
Think about all the good we can do in reaching out to those who do not know Christ, If we allow the Holy Spirit to repair our usefulness.
Use your gifts, like Christ with the women at the well, or Phillip with the eunich, the gifts were used outside the building.
Christ seeks to save the lost, the Holy spirit seeks to find that He might use., no one is able to get so much out of our lives but Him. The Holy Spirit is the EXCELLENT EXTRACTOR.
The Book of Acts is known and “The Acts of the Apostles”, But let the title be corrected…”The acts of the Holy Spirit in the Apostles”
The results of a church in the management of the Holy Spirit….
The story goes on as Peter, the same man who just weeks before had been so protective of his own precious hide that he had denied even knowing Jesus. Now, in front of thousands of Jerusalem’s Pentecost pilgrims, he stands and proclaims boldly as the Holy Spirit empowered him. The gospel of the crucified and risen Christ. Pentecost has been called the Birthday of the Church because Peter’s preaching was so powerful that 3,000 joined the fellowship that day. Wow!
As the story continues, we find the Spirit enabling miracles of healing, more bold proclamation in the face of opposition and even arrest. A marvelous heart of sharing began to beat in the church and leaders with gifts of compassion were empowered to oversee ministries of concern and Comfort As time would go on, others would experience spiritual gifts of their own - preaching, teaching, healing, forms of leadership, the much-misunderstood gift of tongues, and especially the gift of love.
Witness? Even in the face of death, the Spirit enabled powerful testimony. The Spirit began to move the faithful and their message beyond Jerusalem...
down on the Jericho Road as Philip shared the word of Jesus with an Ethiopian eunuch; the Damascus Road as Saul of Tarsus, one of the most zealous persecutors of the young church, was marvelously converted;
in Caesarea, as Peter offered the good news of the gospel and broke the racial barrier in the home of the Gentile Cornelius. From that day to this, literally millions of people have heard what is by now, "the old, old story of Jesus and his love." Power. The power we affirm when we say, "I believe in the Holy Ghost."
The Book of Acts is still in print, and we can be a part of the history, if we allow our lives to be managed by the Holy Spirit.
Point Five: How do we get found, when Lost
8 " if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?
In seeking to find, she needed a lantern and a broom to sweep through the dust and the darkness. And that is the same with the Holy Spirit, We might need him to STIR UP, to fan the coals that glows so quietly, let the breath of the Holy Spirit disturb the ambers of our passion, from the comfortable norm.
The dust and darkness of unbelief that God has a use for you, does not allow the Holy Spirit to rejoice over you.
At times there must be a disturbance in the house to find that which is lost.
At crucial times, we seem to use our faith, at hard times we seem to use excersise our faith, but if you don’t want to be lost in the house, let your faith be in constant operation.
Faith puts your life in the hands of God, to circulate the value that He has put in you.
Conclusion: The cause of great joy in finding
