THE LOST SILVER AND THE SEARCHING WOMAN

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“THE LOST SILVER AND THE SEARCHING WOMAN”

READ IN THE BIBLE (LUKE 15:8-10)

In the Bible, the Word of God, in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 19, verse 10, we have a “golden text” that says, “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost”. The truth of these words is fully illustrated in a parable spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ in (Luke 15:1-32). A “parable” is an earthy story with a heavenly meaning. It is a narrative or utterance drawn from nature or human circumstances, the object of which is to set forth a spiritual lesson. The purpose of the Lord’s parable was to set forth the great truth of how lost sinners are found and saved for heaven. This parable is one story that has three distinct parts. The first of this three part parable, concerning the “lost sheep”, is found in, (Luke 15:1-7). We considered that portion of scripture in a previous message titled, “THE LOST SHEEP AND THE SEEKING SHEPHERD”. In this message we will consider the second of this three part parable. This is found in (Luke 15:8-10). This is the parable of, “THE LOST SILVER AND THE SEARCHING WOMAN”. The silver is a picture of a lost sinner. The activities of the woman picture the work of the Holy Spirit in the salvation of a lost sinner. We want to consider this portion of scripture by way of the following outline:

THE LOST SILVER (Verse 8a)

The Image on the Silver
The Utter Helplessness of the Silver
The Value of the Silver

THE SEARCHING WOMAN (Verse 8b)

1. The Lighting of the Lamp

2. The Sweeping of the House

3. The Diligent Search

THE JOY OF DISCOVERY (Verse’s 9, 10)

We mentioned that the silver is a picture of a lost sinner. It is a picture of a lost sinner in at least three ways.

1. The Image on the Silver

This silver coin was called a drachma. It was equivalent in value to the silver denarius that was minted by Rome. It was about the amount paid for a day of labor. This silver coin bore the image of Caesar. We know this because the Pharisees, with the Herodians, ask the Lord Jesus in, (Matthew 22:17-21) “Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not”? The Lord said, “Show me the tribute money” which they brought unto Him. The Lord then asks the question, “Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto Him, Caesar’s. Then saith He unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” By the Lord’s answer we can see that, in contrast to the God of heaven, Caesar and his image on the silver was representative of human rule and what is of this world. Speaking to believers, those who are saved and “born again” by the Spirit of God, it says in, (1 Corinthians 15:49) “As we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly”. The “image of the earthly” is the “image of Adam” and every person born into this world bears this image. It is only those who get saved, who are “born again” through saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that will, in a coming day, “bear the image of the heavenly”. God teaches in His Word, the Bible, that our first parents, Adam and Eve, in their self will and rebellion against the commandment of God fell into sin. This began the entrance of sin into man and therefore into the world through the progeny of Adam. This caused the relationship to be broken with a holy God and the process of death to ensue. Adam became the possessor of a fallen nature. Not only was he a sinner, but each of his descendants inherited the same. We see the confirmation of this each time an innocent baby dies who has never consciously sinned. This is the result of Adam’s sin being imputed to his progeny. It says in, (Romans 5:12) “By one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”. The Bible declares the universality of sin. We read in, (Romans 3:23) “ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God”. Dear reader, this includes YOU. Regardless of your background, education or your status in life you must get saved and be delivered from the wrath to come. Like the silver coin that bore the image of Caesar, YOU bare the “image of the earthly”, the “image of Adam”. Thus, YOU are a sinner before a holy God and you must be saved from the consequence of your sin which is death. It says in, (Romans 6:23) “The wages of sin is death”. It says in, (Ezekiel 18:4) “All souls are mine; the soul that sinneth, it shall die”. God must punish sin; He must put it out of His sight for ever. Sin in essence is wickedness. It is contrary to the holiness of God. God has declared in His Word in, (Hebrew 9:27) “It is appointed unto man once to die, but AFTER THIS the judgment”. There is an after life. At death the physical body of the person is put into the grave or some times cremated. But, the spirit or soul of the person will live forever. The Bible says, “God made man a living soul (Genesis 2:7). Following physical death, the spirit or soul of the saved person goes immediately to heaven. The spirit or soul of the unsaved person goes immediately to hell. We read in, (Luke 16:22, 23) “The rich man died, and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, etc. “ The body of the rich man was buried but he was in hell, in torment, there to await the judgment of God. At that time, the body of the person will be reunited with their spirit. This is called “the resurrection of damnation or judgment’ (John 5:29). They will then stand before Christ at the “Great White Throne” judgment described in (Revelation 20:11-15, 21:8). For the Christ rejecting sinner, this judgment will result in a “second death” in which the sinner is cast out of the presence of God into eternal anguish in the “lake of fire”. (Read Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8).

There is another way in which the silver is a picture of a lost sinner;

2. The Utter helplessness of the Silver

Being an inanimate object, the silver could not find or save itself. With out the external activity of the woman the silver would remain lost in the dark. This is a picture of the truth, THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO SAVE YOURSELF. As you read this message, ask yourself these questions, “In what or in whom do I trust to get me to heaven? What am I depending upon, to escape hell and be saved for heaven? At the end of this brief life where will I be when I die? Most people think that salvation can be earned by good works, by doing the best they can, by living a good life, or by good intentions. This is what most religions teach and most people in the world believe. This is why God says in His Word, (Proverbs 16:25) “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death”. Earning your salvation by your so-called “good works” may seem right to you but it is not supported by God’s Word. You can not earn or merit salvation by your so called moral or righteous life. You can not be saved by baptism, church membership, putting money into the collection plate, or any other religious ceremony or ritual. Salvation does not come by mans so called “good works”. It says in, (Titus 3:5) “Not by works of righteousness which we have done”. It says in, (Isaiah 64:6) “WE are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteous nesses are as filthy rags; and we do all fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away”. God declares in His Word in, (Ephesians 2:8, 9)”For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast”. Scripture is very clear, like the silver in our parable, YOU ARE UTTERLY HELPLESS TO SAVE YOURSELF. Without the intervention of God, and His provision of salvation, our destiny would be death, hell, judgment and eternity in the “lake of fire”. But, thank God, He did intervene and provide salvation for us through the death of His beloved Son. This leads us to;

3. The Value of the Silver

In the parable we can see that the silver piece was of great value to the woman by all that she did to find it. It reminds us that one sinner is valuable to God. God hates sin but He loves the sinner. The value of one soul is seen in, (Matthew 16:26) “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” There are many in this world that has ambition to be rich. As a result they spend their life time in pursuit of wealth. If they achieve a good measure of success, what profit is it, if in the end they die in their sins and lose their own soul in hell? It is not likely that you will gain the whole world, but it is certain that you will lose your own soul if you do not get saved by the grace of God. One soul, YOUR SOUL, is of more value than all the riches in the world. Finally, having lost your own soul, what will you give in exchange for it? How can you regain your own soul? In desperation you might seek to pay God a ransom for it, but the world you might possess would not be enough. It says in, (Psalm 49:6-8) “They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: For the redemption of their soul is precious (more than man can give)”. Only God can redeem your soul and it cost Him the giving of His beloved Son to provide this redemption.

The value of a man’s soul is also revealed when we consider what God was willing to give to provide salvation for sinful man. It says in, (John 3:16, 17) “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved”. Our creator God, the God of the Bible, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, loved us and proved His love by sending His well beloved Son to save us from our sins. The eternal Son of the eternal God left the glory of heaven and, in condescending grace, came into this world to save sinners. (1 Timothy 1:15) “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”. The Divine commandment in the Word of God is, “without the shedding of blood is no remission, no forgiveness of sins.” Thus, the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world, as the Lamb of God, to be sacrificed for our sins. (Hebrews 9:26) “Once in the end of the ages hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself”. The Savior was taken from the garden of Gethsemane. He suffered at the hands of wicked and sinful men. He was reviled, reproached and rejected. He was blindfolded, buffeted and beaten. He “gave His back to the smiters and His cheeks to them that plucked off the hair”. “He hid not His face from shame and spitting”. A Roman scourge laid open His back as a plowed field. They platted a crown of thorns and put it on His head and gave Him a purple robe to mock His kingship. His sufferings were so great that it says of Him, (Isaiah 52:14) “His visage (face and body) were so marred more than any man (beyond recognition as a man)”. When they had done all these things unto Him they led Him out to the place called Calvary and there they crucified Him. They laid Him on a wooden cross and drove nails into His hands and feet and lifted Him up between the heavens and the earth. After three daylight hours of suffering at the hand of men, the scene was covered in darkness. We read in, (Matthew 27:45, 46) “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me”? It was at that time the Savior was bearing our heavy burden of sins upon Himself. It was at that time, (Isaiah 53:6) “The Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all”. It was at that time when, (Isaiah 53:4) “He was stricken, smitten of God and afflicted”. (Isaiah 53:10) “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: When thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin”. Dear reader, think how valuable your soul must be that God was willing to do all this. He was willing to give “the darling of His bosom” to save YOU from YOUR SINS. Has your heart become so hard and callas that you can remain unmoved by these most wonderful truths from God’s Word? Will YOU believe in Him and receive Him to be YOUR Lord and Savior? (Acts 16:30, 31) “What must I do to be saved”? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved”.

Let’s consider next “THE SEARCHING WOMAN” which pictures for us the activity of God and the Spirit of God in the salvation of the lost sinner.

1.The Lighting of the Lamp

In order to find the lost silver that was in the darkness, a light was needed. The Bible declares that the lost sinner is in darkness. God says in His Word, (John 3:19, 20) “This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved”. God says the unsaved sinner naturally loves darkness and the deeds of darkness and thus hates the light. It is because the light exposes them and condemns them. The lost sinner needs to be delivered from their darkness. The Lord Jesus said to the apostle Paul that He would, (Acts 26:17, 18) “Deliver him from the people (the Jews), and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me”. God says in His Word that YOU are by nature in darkness and you need to be delivered from this condition. You are “spiritually blind” from birth. You are in a moral darkness under the power of sin and of Satan. Jesus Christ is a light. He said in, (John 8:12) “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life”. The Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, came into this world as a light in a dark place. He said in, (John 12:46) “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness”. It is when the sinner believes in Him that he will be brought spiritually from darkness to light. The Word of God, the gospel is also a light. It says in, (2 Corinthians 4: 3, 4) “If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost; in whom the god of this world 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”. This verse tells us, the unsaved are “lost”, like the silver coin in our parable. The god of this world, Satan, has blinded their minds because they will not believe the gospel message. Dear reader, does this describe YOU? Man in his natural state, because of sin, is in a condition of blindness and darkness which can only be overcome by believing the gospel message and turning in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. All who remain in this darkened condition, by stubborn unbelief, will perish and be in outer darkness for ever. We read in, (Proverbs 4:18, 19) “The path of the just is as shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble”. Dear reader, which path are YOU following through life? Let’s consider next;

2. The Sweeping of the House

The lost silver coin was not only in the dark, it was in the dirt as well. This is why it was necessary for the woman to, (Luke 15:8) “sweep the house”. It reminds us, the lost sinner is not only in spiritual and moral darkness but is also spiritually and morally dirty as well. Dear reader, if you’re unsaved, you need to be cleansed from your sins. We read in, (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (one who is passive or takes the place of the woman in a homosexual act), nor abusers of themselves with mankind (homosexuality), Nor thieves, nor covetous (sin of greed), nor drunkards, nor revilers (one who is a vicious talker, an evil speaker, one who uses abusive and violent language), nor extortioners (one who takes more than he is due), shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God”. Dear reader, is one or more of your sins on this list? If so, God says, “you shall not inherit the kingdom of God”. YOU will have no part in the Lord’s coming kingdom. But, notice the words describing the Corinthian believers, “such were some of you”. They heard and believed the gospel message. Do YOU? Notice the power of the gospel, to save and change the very worst of sinners. THEY WERE WASHED (cleansed from their sins). THEY WERE SANCTIFIED (set apart to and for God by a divine act). THEY WERE JUSTIFIED (cleared of every charge and declared righteousness by God). Notice how all this was done, how this great change was made, “In the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God”. This is why we said the activity of the woman in our parable was a picture of the activity of God and the Spirit of God in the salvation of a lost sinner. Dear reader, have YOU been cleansed from YOUR sins? If not, you need “the washing of regeneration” (Titus 3:5) which is the cleansing bath of the “new birth” by the Spirit of God through the Word of God. Let’s consider next;

3. The Diligent Search

The silver was lost. It was necessary that a search be made so that it could be found. This reminds us of, (Luke 19:10) “The Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost”. The title, “Son of man” was frequently used by the Lord Jesus Christ when referring to Himself. He “came”. He came in condescending grace from the glory of heaven. He came to provide salvation for fallen sinful man by the sacrifice of Himself on Calvary’s cross. He came to seek. Where ever there is a lost sinner, there is a seeking Savior, to seek that lost one. He came to save. It says in, (1 Timothy 1:15) “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”. YOU CAN NOT SAVE YOURSELF. HE CAN DO WHAT YOU CAN NOT DO. All you need to do is repent of your sins and come to Him in simple faith and He will save YOU. Will you confess like the Psalmist in, (Psalm 119:176) “I have gone astray like a lost sheep”? That which is lost. What is lost is the collective whole of mankind. All men are lost. YOU, dear reader, according to the Word of God, are lost and need to be saved. When the lost are found and saved there is joy in heaven. This leads us to;

The Joy of Discovery

It says in, (Luke 15:9, 10) “And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbors together, saying, rejoice with me; for I have found the piece 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”. The silver coin that was lost and then found was a cause of joy for the searching woman. The silver coin could now be used for its original purpose. In the same way, there is joy in heaven when a lost sinner repents of their sins and calls upon the Lord for salvation. When a person gets saved they become a child of God and thus find the purpose of their existence. Have YOU repented of your sins? Repentance is absolutely necessary before a person can be saved. Repentance involves turning from what you are and from what you have done. There must be, as it says in, (Acts 20:21) “Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ”. Repentance is due to God and faith is due to the Lord Jesus Christ. Scripture affirms that salvation is bestowed on the grounds of faith alone. Faith alone saves, without works, and the object of saving faith is in a person, the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In closing, let me remind you dear reader, if YOU remain unsaved it will not be because God does not love YOU, or because God’s Son did not die for YOU, but it will be because YOU have not believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Which will it be for you? Will it be reception or rejection of the Savior? YOU are traveling the “highway of life”. Now that you have read this message you have come to “the crossroads”. The “crossroads” are a place where a decision has to be made. Which way will you go? Will you continue to reject the Savior and God’s free gift of salvation which is the “broad way” that leads to destruction? Or, will you believe in Him and receive Him as YOUR Lord and Savior? It is your decision and your responsibility.

Please give this matter your most serious attention. Your eternal destiny depends on your decision.

Christian Messenger