Wednesday, August 21, 2024

The Parables of Jesus Series

Tonight’s Study – Session 30: The Parable of The Lost Coin

Introduction: In the Parable of The Lost Coin, Jesus tells a story of a woman who had ten coins but lost one in the house. In her desperation to find this coin, she lights a lamp, sweeps the house and searches carefully until she finds it. Once she does, she calls all her friends and neighbors together saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!” Jesus is using this parable about the lost coin being found and the joy that its finding brought as a comparison to the joy of one sinner being found by Christ, repenting of their sin, and being saved.

The Parable of the Lost Coin is only found in the Gospel of Luke.

Let’s take a Look at Our Passage Where this Parable is Found

 “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? 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!’ Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:8-10)

Some other titles that could be given to this parable are Lost and Found, Joyful Find, The Careful Search, True Repentance, and The Precious Coin.

Some other parables that have similar characteristics or theme are:

The Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44)

The Dragnet (Matthew 13:47-50)

The Lost Sheep (Matthew 18:12-14; Luke 15:3-7)

The Two Sons (Matthew 21:28-32)

The Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32)

The Pharisee and Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14)

When Jesus was teaching this parable, He was speaking to tax collectors, Pharisees, Scribes, and of course to His own disciples. In Jesus’ teaching about the lost coin, His key kingdom truth was that God seeks out sinners that are lost and when He finds them, there is much rejoicing. The fact that this parable teaching included His disciples being present, reiterates the point that even the redeemed need the constant reminder of God’s amazing grace in seeking out and finding sinners.

The Gospel is good news to the lost and found alike. To the former, a call to repentance, and to the latter, a reminder of the repentance that has already taken place and the grace that has saved them. The main point which Jesus wants us to get is that we are the ones who were lost and had to be found, and when we were found, there was much rejoicing in heaven in the presence of the angels of God!

The context for this parable was Jesus speaking to the large crowds about the need for repentance and true discipleship. Jesus never shied away from calling for these two key elements when teaching about the kingdom of God. Both are necessary in order to follow Jesus faithfully and consistently.

What spiritual principles does this parable teach?

1. All believers were once lost sinners in need of salvation (Romans 3:10,23) – As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
2. Everyone of the “yet to believe elect” is precious to God and have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God (1 Peter 1:1-2) – Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
3. Repentance is a key element in salvation (Luke 13:3) – I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.
4. Lost sinners don’t conduct a search for God, He searches for the lost sinner (John 6:44; Romans 3:11) – No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.
5. All the elect (chosen) of God will be found (John 6:37) – All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
6. God never gives up the search (Luke 19:10) – for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
7. All God’s people should rejoice at the conversion of a lost sinner (Luke 15:7) – 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.
8. People’s souls, much more than silver, have intrinsic value (Mark 8:36-37) – For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
9. God demonstrates how much He values a human being’s soul by the price He requires to redeem the soul (John 3:16; Romans 5:8) – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Conclusion: In the parable of the Lost Coin, the woman who had lost one of her silver coins was passionate and persistent about finding it. The silver coin represented a lost person. Are we as Christians as passionate and persistent about reaching a lost soul for Christ? We need to remember it is Christ that sought us out as an individual and saved us. The soul of a person is of great value and a great price has been paid for it to be redeemed. God gave His all when He gave Jesus on Calvary’s cross for the sin of the world. In the least, we can give God a grateful heart of obedience and share the good news of Jesus Christ and let Him find lost souls and save them. And when Christ finds and saves a lost soul, there should be much rejoicing in the midst of the family of God here on earth as there is in heaven!

Next Week, Session 31: The Parable of The Lost Son