[0:00] Now as we're gathered around God's Word, let us seek his blessing upon his Word. Let us pray. Eternal and ever-blessed Lord, we give thanks unto thee for the privilege that thou hast given to us today anew, when we can come together in fellowship one with another around thine own Word, when we can come before thee in an act of worship.
[0:31] And so we pray, O Lord, that it may please thee to grant to us of thy Spirit, to enable us to worship thee in a way that would be acceptable to thee, enabling us to worship thee in spirit and in truth.
[0:49] We come before thee, O Lord, confessing our sins, and seeking the grace that would enable us to repent of our sins, and to seek the mercy of God in Jesus Christ.
[1:04] We give thee thanks for the provision that thou hast made for us in thy Son, as the fountain that has been opened for sin and for uncleanness.
[1:16] And that we are invited to come with all boldness and with all confidence into thy presence this day, to our throne of grace, in order to obtain mercy and to find grace to help us in our time of need.
[1:32] We give thanks to thee, O Lord, for all the tokens of thy goodness and kindness, for thy upholding hand upon us, for thy protection in these days.
[1:44] And we seek, O Lord, that it may please thee to continue with us as we come together, that thy Spirit, O Lord, would lead us into thine own Word, would open our hearts to receive it.
[1:59] For we acknowledge that we are at all times dependent upon thine own Spirit. And we pray that thou would come on a day of thy power among us as communities and as a people, as a nation.
[2:17] O Lord, that thou would return us to thyself, to uphold thine own Word and thine own statutes. For we acknowledge that we have gone far astray from thee.
[2:29] But it may it please thee, O Lord, to turn us as a nation to that place of repentance, to that place where we as a nation would acknowledge our sins, and where we would seek that it may please thee to show us mercy.
[2:45] O have compassion upon us. Pity us, O Lord. And we pray that, as thy gospel has been proclaimed this day, that it may go forth in the power and demonstration of thine own Spirit, in convicting and converting, and in the building of thine own church here on earth.
[3:07] Thou knowest, O Lord, our individual needs. Thou knowest our needs better than we know ourselves. And we pray that today that thou would meet with all our needs out of the riches of thy grace, through Jesus Christ.
[3:23] We pray for our community, for our homes, for our families. And we pray, O Lord, that thine everlasting arms would be around us. We pray, O Lord, for those who are careless and indifferent to the claims of thy Word.
[3:37] May thou, O Lord, have compassion upon them, and draw them by thy Spirit, that they may come to see their lostness, that they may come to see their need, and that they may come to see the sufficiency of the provision that thou hast made through thy Son, to meet with that need.
[3:57] We pray, O Lord, for those who are ill, may thy healing hand be upon them, and those who mourn, may thy own comfort be their portion today. Remember our young people and our children.
[4:10] And we pray that thou would raise up a generation that would fear thy no name. Bless thy people, bless their witness in the world. And we pray, O Lord, that we would be faithful unto thee in all things.
[4:24] Remember all nations of the earth. Remember all thy servants who have gone forth with thy Word today. May they go so knowing that thou art the one who can bless their Word, that thou art the one who can open the ears of our people to hear thy Word.
[4:44] And we pray, O Lord, that thou would take the veil from the hearts of our people, that they may open their hearts to receive thy Word, to receive that salvation which thou dost offer to them through thy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
[5:00] We ask that thou would grant wisdom to those who are leaders over us. Bless the Queen and the Royal household. We pray, O Lord, that thou would be mindful of our needs now as we come to wait upon thee.
[5:14] And O Lord, we ask for the forgiveness of our many sins. In Jesus' name and for his sake. Amen. Amen. We shall first of all read from the Old Testament and from the book of Psalms.
[5:28] Psalm 126 When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.
[5:43] Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with singing. Then said they among the heathen, the Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us whereof we are glad.
[5:58] Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
[6:16] And now as we turn to the New Testament and to the Gospel of Luke and chapter 15. Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
[6:33] And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness and go after that which is lost until he find it?
[6:53] And when he hath found it, he layeth in his shoulders rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.
[7:06] I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repented more than over ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance.
[7:18] Either what woman, having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle and sweep the house and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the peace which I had lost.
[7:37] Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. May the Lord bless unto us the reading of these portions of his word.
[7:50] And seeking his help and blessing, let us again read from Luke 15 and at verse 8. Either what woman, having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle and sweep the house and seek diligently till she find it?
[8:11] And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the peace which I had lost. Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
[8:31] Now as we noted, what we have here in Luke chapter 15 is a three-part parable. We have spent the last two weeks looking at the first part where we have a shepherd who goes out and finds a lost sheep and brings it home rejoicing.
[8:52] And the second part, which is our focus today, is the story of a woman who lost but found her missing coin.
[9:04] Either what woman, having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle and sweep the house and seek diligently till she find it?
[9:16] The church fathers compared the three stories that we have here to the work of the three persons of the Godhead in our salvation. The shepherd is God the son and the father who finds his lost son in the third part of the story is God the father.
[9:36] Therefore, it would make sense for the second part to show us the Holy Spirit. Now, if we compare these stories in that way, then the woman who finds her lost son must also represent God.
[9:54] Now, whether we accept that kind of interpretation or not, there is no doubt that the woman in our story, just like the shepherd in the first story, has something to say to us about God.
[10:07] God, this woman has a concern for the lost coin. We are not told the value of the coin, but it was a coin that was precious to her.
[10:25] And what left this coin so precious to her? Well, was it not the relationship that existed between the woman and the coin?
[10:35] The coin was one, the relationship was one of ownership. The Bible makes it quite clear that every person is precious to God.
[10:50] And the reason is that we belong to him by virtue of creation. Peter, in his second letter in chapter 3, tells us that God is long-suffering to us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
[11:14] You may recall the incident as he came near to Jerusalem and he looked upon the city and that incident recorded for us by Luke in these words, and when he was come near, he beheld the city and wept over it.
[11:32] He was concerned for the city of Jerusalem, that city that was going to despise and reject him and eventually have him crucified.
[11:46] So whatever your situation is today, there is nobody so concerned for you as God.
[11:57] He sent his beloved son into the world and regarding his mission, Jesus said that he was come to seek and to save the lost.
[12:10] Now, over several weeks we have spoken of what that meant for the son. As we see him dying on the cross of Golgotha, it was to save the lost.
[12:23] as we see him risen from the dead and as we behold the empty tomb, it was to save the lost. The Lord's concern over lost sinners is embedded in the great commission as he sends his gospel into the world.
[12:42] God go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.
[12:59] He has ascended and sent his spirit out into the world to convince people that they are lost in sin and to invite them to come for salvation in Jesus Christ.
[13:14] He has sent his church out into the world to proclaim the gospel by the power of the Holy Spirit to all people of the globe.
[13:26] He will continue searching and searching until he finds all the coins that belongs to his collection. at the time of Christ, coins generally bore the image of the Caesar of Rome just like our own coins which bears the image of the monarchy.
[13:50] And we like this coin were fashioned by God in his own image. That is what gives dignity to mankind that surpasses all other creatures.
[14:05] The image of God is not in knowledge and in righteousness and in righteousness and holiness.
[14:20] Nevertheless, as it is true, that silver is a metal that remains precious even after it is tarnished. So we remain precious although we are tarnished by sin, we are marred with ignorance, with guilt and without bondage to sin.
[14:43] Although silver darkens with time, it still remains its value. And the sinner, although he has marred God's image, still he remains valuable and he remains precious to God and God is concerned.
[15:08] Now one thing about the coin was that it was ignorant of its lostness. The sheep in the first part and the son in the third part of the story knew that they were lost.
[15:21] but the coin was totally ignorant of its lostness. The coin was content to lie in the dust.
[15:34] This coin was like sinners who go on each day not aware that they are lost. The coin was not a living thing like the sheep in the sun.
[15:48] But the sinner is also spiritually dead. There is no spiritual life there. The sinner is spiritually dead.
[16:01] No spiritual life is to be found in them. Paul says regarding the sinner that we are dead in trespasses and sins.
[16:12] He goes on and he says wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience among whom also we all had our conversation in time past in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind and with by nature the children of wrath even us others.
[16:40] That is where we are living in the dust of our own depravity unaware that we are lost.
[16:53] When this woman in our story discovered that one of her precious coins was lost she began to search for it. You may think well one coin missing what is that she still has nine other coins just like the shepherd what was one sheep among a hundred but the missing coin left the collection of coins incomplete and so the seeking of the lost coin became the chief concern of this woman.
[17:30] She was given a collection of coins she was given ten coins and one coin missing meant that her collection was not complete and Jesus has been given a collection of people and one person missing means that the collection is not complete hence in the story we can understand the concern and the searching and the effort on the part of the woman to find the missing coin the coin itself was dead and aware of been ignorant that it was sought after just content to be in the dust but although it was lost it was not forgotten the coin did not do the seeking the coin had to be sought and in those days most homes were small and very dark and with only a fuselage to let in the light floors were made of dirt sometimes covered with straw so it was extremely easy for the woman's coin to get covered with straw or to be concealed by the dust or to fall into a crack between two stones and if this woman were to find her lost coin there were certain things that was to be done so we read here that she doth light a candle she sweep the house and she seeks diligently till she finds the coin there was a work that the woman had to do in order to find the coin this was a work that the woman could not do on her own to find the coin so she had to light a candle she had to sweep the house she had to seek the coin diligently and in his search for his lost coin the
[19:56] Lord uses means as well as we see this woman using means she used the candle she used the brush and so the Lord uses means chiefly the Holy Spirit to enlighten Paul writes to the church at Corinth and he says but if our gospel be hid it is said to them that are lost in whom the God of this wall hath blinded the minds of them which believe not lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them but we preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves your servants for Jesus sake for God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness have shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ the woman lighted a candle which represents the enlightenment of the
[21:03] Holy Spirit but we are also told that she swept the house along with the candle light she used a brush she used a broom and subjected the floor to the most careful scrutiny examining every square inch of the house it was not a pleasant task there would be plenty of dust flying in the air but the Lord also uses a brush as he looks for his lost coin and the brush that he uses is his law and the gospel today I can ask you if the Holy Spirit has come to shed light and through the law subjected you to the most careful scrutiny even into the very secret corners of your life that today through the light of the
[22:13] Holy Spirit through the light of the law you may feel totally exposed the psalmist felt the searching scrutiny of God in Psalm 139 he says O Lord thou hast searched me and knowed me thou knowest my down sitting and my uprising thou understandest my thoughts are far off thou compasses my path and my line down and art acquainted with all my ways the writer to the Hebrews says for the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two etched sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and the joints and marrow and as a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart neither is there any creature that does not manifest in his sight but all things are naked and opened into the eyes of him with whom we have to do in the book by
[23:26] John Bunyan called Pilgrim's Progress the pilgrim is directed to the house of the interpreter and there is one scene that he is confronted with among others where the pilgrim was taken by the hand and led into an exceptional large room that was full of dust having never been swept, and then the interpreter called for a man to commence sweeping and as a result the dust began to fly about so overwhelming that the pilgrim was nearly choked to death that room represents the heart of man and the dust represents his sins and when the law began to sweep the dust so swirled about the room that the pilgrim was almost choked now we can relate that to the scene before us as the woman begins to sweep the room no doubt much does swirled the air and that is what happens when the Holy Spirit enlightens the mind and uses the law to expose your sinful heart now in a recent study in the book of Romans we saw that the law both uncovers and condemns sin but that is all that the law can do the Holy Spirit uses the brush of the law to sweep up the dust so that our sins are exposed in the scene of the interpreter's house something else took place a gracious lady sprinkled the room with water and it was very easily cleaned the lady represents the gospel with its sweet and precious influence and in our story the woman sweeps the house and seeks diligently till she finds the coin the brush represents the law as it sweeps the dust but also it represents the gospel as it finds the coin without the work of the brush the coin would remain lost but by its work the dust is swept and the coin is found the sweeping was necessary for the lost coin to be found
[26:10] Paul says Paul says that the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by faith so the brush here represents not only the law but it also represents the gospel we find the law and the gospel that is always the way that we should present the gospel that is always the way that we should present the word of God there has got to be law and gospel not law alone not gospel alone there has to be the law and the gospel we must know why we need the gospel and the law tells us why we need the gospel we must preach the whole counsel of God we must preach the law but we must also preach the gospel the law and the gospel and in the brush here we have that brought before us the law and the gospel this coin did not cry out to the woman this coin did not move towards the light but the woman and the light had to come to where the coin was this reminds us that man does not see God in fact sinful man hides from God mankind has not changed from the trait or mannerism of Adam and the woman in the garden of Eden they tried to hide from God and mankind still does that it was God that came to seek them the coin was quite content to lie in the dust and be hidden from its owner and today you may be quite content in your sinful ways and make your attempt to hide from God by your own worldly wisdom and intelligence if the coin could speak it might say leave me where I am
[28:43] I am quite content I am quite comfortable do not disturb me of course the coin could not speak but perhaps we have drawn a picture of yourself today who in your own wisdom and intelligence is saying in the recesses of your sinful heart leave me where I am I am content to lie in the dust of my heart I am content to lie in the sins of my heart I am content to lie with my own particular sins and passions do not disturb me but you know this coin was not hopelessly lost there was one advantage that belonged to this coin and that is that the coin was not lost in the street it was not lost in the sea but it was lost in the home the home in this instance can represent the church of God where there is gospel preaching the coin had been lost in the home brought some encouragement and it is a consolation to us that lost sinners are still in the home they are found under the influence of the word of God still living in an age of grace under the influence of the truth and under the influence of the church under the influence of gospel preaching
[30:27] Paul says faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God maybe today the brush is beginning its work in your heart as someone began to sweep and cast her brush the coin was getting disturbed are you getting disturbed today is the law of God leaving you disturbed is the law of God leaving you as guilty before God is your secret sins and sinful passions being exposed perhaps not to other people they may still be hidden but within your own conscience there is a small still voice which for you today are like the embers of fire burning away leaving you disturbed and uneasy and even full perhaps of slavish fear may be afraid that your husband or wife or family or others may find out the secret sin that you have done or that sinful lust and passion that you entertain in your heart in your mind and in your imagination the brush is getting so close to you more dust flying in the air more exposure of your sinful heart and maybe you are crying out woe is me for I am undone well you are in good company you are in the company of another man who said woe is me for I am undone because
[32:22] I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips you might be saying to yourself today well I was afraid this would happen if I was somewhere else if I was in the street or in the sea if I had stayed away from gospel preach but here I feel so much exposed because the brush is coming so close to me maybe today your fear is not your husband or wife or others finding out about your sins and sinful passions but you have that witness within your own inner being there is that small still voice in your conscience saying God knows God knows maybe your husband or wife or friends or family doesn't know but you know today that God knows
[33:35] David committed adultery and murder but the spirit made him cry out as in Psalm 51 have mercy upon me O God according to thy loving kindnesses according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgression wash me throughly for mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin for I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me and listen to his words against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and be clear when thou judgest he knew that God knew and maybe today this whole matter is between yourself and God in another
[34:40] Psalm the Psalm has said if thou Lord shouldst mark iniquities O Lord who shall stand but there is forgiveness with thee my friend if you are feeling the spikes of the broom brushing against your conscience today disturbing you leaving you restless you may not quite understand it now but that is a great blessing do not wish it away for the spirit can be easily grieved but seek to know more about the other side of the brush as we noted there is another side to the brush as it sweeps the coin is found can you say today the words of the famous hymn amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me
[35:47] I once was lost but now I'm found was blind but now I see it was grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears revealed how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed the lost coin is found and here is where the grace of this woman is to be seen she never gave up until she found the lost coin she endured until she found the coin now here as we noted again last week we can have a vision of or a view of the cross you know at the cross Jesus found the lost coin just as he found the lost sheep he who endured the cross despising the shame but we are applying this today in another way we are applying it in the manner of the work of the cross and the sinner's experience and the spirit endures until it finds the coin the woman does not light a candle and sweep the house and gives up but she continues she endures until she found the coin the great effort put forward by this woman for we are told that she sought diligently until she finds the coin she sought diligently until she finds the coin this is not a half-hearted such of the house or a half-hearted seeking of the coin like the story of the shepherd there is no room here for if she finds it or the thought that she may get weary and tired and give up the struggle this woman is like the shepherd she perseveres she keeps searching she keeps seeking until she finds her lost coin
[38:26] Jesus says of them whom thou gavest me I lost none that collection of coins that you gave me I have lost none I have searched diligently and kept seeking until I found the lost coin of them whom thou gavest me I lost none the collection is complete there will be ten coins in the collection of coins is that not an encouragement for us today that the spirit of God worketh if it were left to man the effort might have become too much and we would let the coin lie lost in the dust I remember speaking to another minister some years ago about how little spiritual movement we saw how few conversions we labor and see so little fruit and we came to the we both came to the same conclusion that if it were left to ourselves we would have given up long ago but the holy spirit worked and does work and shall work until the whole collection of coins are together we are dependent upon the holy spirit to work to sweep the dust away and to reveal the coin the holy spirit working through the church with the law and the gospel lighting a candle sweeping the floor until the lost coin is found and we are told and when she hath found it she calleth her friends and her neighbors together saying rejoice with me for I have found the peace which
[40:31] I had lost she calleth together her friends and neighbors to rejoice with her the church of Jesus Christ cannot but rejoice when sinners repent of their sin and come to Jesus for their salvation I've always found great consolation in the psalm that we read earlier psalm 126 although it is in a different context I think the sentiments are the same they that sow in tears shall reap in joy he that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing his sheaves with him it is always a joy to find something that is missing likewise I say unto you that there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth on this point I think we covered it last week remember how we said that the church militant that is the church on earth rejoices as sinners repent and the church triumphant that is the church in heaven rejoices us and so in this joy heaven and earth is united here we are told that there is joy before the angels
[41:54] I think that is reference there to the triumphant church as we said but I think it is also in reference to God the prophet Isaiah said speaking of Jesus as the Lord servant he shall see his seed he shall prolong his days and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand he shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied I think that an ingredient in the joy is the fact that each sinner that repents brings that final glorified state closer it brings the complete collection closer and Jesus has a longing for that day Jesus in heaven today has a longing for the day when the whole collection of coins will be complete when the last lost coin is found father
[43:05] I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world well today Jesus is looking he is searching he is seeking for lost sinners can you say today I was lost but now I'm found are you today feeling the one side of the brush the side of the law or are you finding both sides of the law of the brush in your experience the law and the gospel and can you say today I was lost but now I'm found may the lord bless our thoughts let us pray eternal and ever blessed lord we give thanks to thee for the work of thy spirit in the hearts of sinners such as we are we give thee thanks for the brush of the gospel and for the brush of the law we give thanks oh lord that thou art the one that can do that work that shall bring rejoicing on earth and rejoicing in heaven rejoicing among the militant church and rejoicing among the triumphant church and even before the angels of god the lord himself rejoicing as the coins have been found and as the collection has been completed oh lord we pray that we may indeed know that through our own personal experience that whereas we were lost but now that we are found we ask oh lord thy blessing upon thy word and thy blessing to be with us during the coming days and now may the grace of our lord jesus christ and the love of god and the fellowship of the holy spirit be with you all now and forever more amen