Lost Sheep - Lost Coin - Lost Son

Q: What does the Bible say about the lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son?

Luke 15 describes three parables that illustrate God's grace in seeking and saving the lost. In Luke 15, we find the parable of the lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son, illustrating the redemptive grace of God. Together, these stories reveal God's love for sinners and His proactive pursuit of those who are lost. The lost sheep signifies individual redemption, as the shepherd seeks each sheep, while the lost coin represents the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit in revealing our need for salvation. The lost son further exemplifies the father's unconditional love and willingness to embrace repentant sinners. Collectively, these parables emphasize that God joyfully receives sinners who turn to Him in repentance.

Q: How do we know God's grace is sufficient for sinners?

God’s grace is evident in Christ's death for the ungodly and His call for sinners to repent. The sufficiency of God's grace for sinners is rooted in Scripture, particularly seen in Romans 5:6-10, where it states that Christ died for the ungodly while we were still sinners. This unconditional love demonstrates that no one is beyond the reach of God's grace. The parables in Luke 15 illustrate this grace; the shepherd seeks the lost sheep, the woman searches for the lost coin, and the father eagerly awaits the return of his prodigal son. Such actions show God's relentless pursuit and acceptance of all who come to Him with a repentant heart, clearly affirming the sufficiency of grace.

Q: Why is the concept of repentance important for Christians?

Repentance is essential as it signifies turning to God and receiving His forgiveness. Repentance is crucial in the Christian faith as it marks the genuine acknowledgment of sin and the need for salvation. As depicted in the parable of the lost son, true repentance involves recognizing one's lost condition and returning to the Father. This aligns with Jesus' teachings that there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:7). Furthermore, repentance reflects an understanding of God's nature and love, as He welcomes back those who turn from sin. It reinforces the essence of the gospel, where salvation is not by works but a gracious gift for those who recognize their need for a Savior.

Q: What role does the Holy Spirit play in the parable of the lost coin?

The Holy Spirit is represented as the woman who searches for the lost coin, illustrating His work in revealing sinners' need for salvation. In the parable of the lost coin, the woman symbolizes the Holy Spirit's illuminating role in revealing the truth of our sinful condition. Just as the woman uses a light to search for her coin, the Holy Spirit uses the light of the gospel to awaken the hearts of those who are spiritually dead. According to Scripture, it is through the Holy Spirit that individuals come to recognize their sinfulness and their need for a Savior. This aligns with the teaching that without the Spirit's enlightening work, the gospel remains hidden, emphasizing the need for divine intervention in the process of salvation.

Q: What does the parable of the lost son teach us about God’s forgiveness?

The parable of the lost son illustrates God's willingness to forgive and restore repentant sinners. The parable of the lost son powerfully communicates the depth of God's forgiveness. It shows the father's unconditional love and eagerness to welcome back his wayward son, who initially squandered his inheritance. This scenario beautifully represents God's grace, where He not only forgives but celebrates the return of His lost children. The father’s actions underscore the biblical truth that God does not remember our sins but eagerly restores us into His family upon genuine repentance. Through this parable, we see that no one is too far gone to receive God's mercy and love; His grace is always available and waiting for the lost to return.

Henry Mahan. I want you to open
your Bibles to the book of Luke, chapter 15. The passage of Scripture
that I'm going to use for my text goes from verse 1 through
verse 24. And I won't have time to read
all of these verses and comment on each one, but all of you are
familiar with this parable found in Luke 15. It's the parable
of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. Now let me
read a few of these verses, just paraphrase them. You follow in
your Bible, Luke 15, beginning with verse 3. What man of you,
having a hundred sheep, if he lose one, does not leave the
ninety-nine and go out into the wilderness and seek the lost
sheep until he finds it? And finding it, he puts it on
his shoulders and brings it home, calling his neighbors and friends
to rejoice with him. I've lost my sheep, I've found
it. And then the second part of this
parable begins, and what woman, having ten pieces of silver,
if she lose one, doth not light a candle and seek till she finds
it? And when she finds it, she calls
her neighbors and friends and has them rejoice with her, for
the lost coin is found. And then a man having two sons,
one of them stayed home, one of them took his inheritance
and went into a foreign country and wasted it. And he came to
himself and returned to his father and the scripture tells us that
the father ran to welcome him and had them kill the fatted
calf and calls everyone to rejoice with him for this my son which
was lost is found. And then each time the Lord says
likewise I say unto you There is joy in heaven, there is joy
in the presence of the angels over one sinner that comes to
repent us. Now listen carefully, we'll learn
something today if you'll stay with me. This is one parable,
just one. Not three parables, only one
parable in three parts. We have here, Mr. Spurgeon used
to say, we have here three sides of a great pyramid. One pyramid
with three sides. Three sides of gospel truth. But there is a distinct inscription
on each side. Each one of these stories, now
this is important, each one of these stories is needful to the
other. You don't tell one of these stories
without the other. It's one parable. made up of
three parts. And each one of these parts,
the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son, is needful
to the other. And when you combine the three,
as the Savior combined them here in the word of God, it says he
spake to them a parable. Then he told them about the lost
sheep being found by the shepherd, he told them about the lost coin
being found by the woman, he told them about the lost son
returning home to the father the Savior combined these three
stories into one parable. And when you combine them, they
present us with a more complete exposition of the gospel of redeeming
grace than any of the stories could possibly present considered
alone. Now, if you want to understand
a parable, we have to have the Holy Spirit to be our teacher.
I know that. God's word of scripture is interpreted
by scripture. And the Holy Spirit is the teacher. He is the one who teaches us
what God has written. But if you want to understand
a parable, the first thing you always do is find out the occasion
for the parable. In other words, to whom the Lord
is speaking. And what provoked the parable,
what brought it to pass. Now, if you will, look at Luke
15, verse 1 and 2. Now here, if you'll read this,
you'll understand the reason for this parable, and you'll
understand what our Lord was speaking about. In Luke 15, verses
1 and 2, now listen carefully to it. Then drew near unto him
all the publicans and sinners to hear him. And the Pharisees
and the scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and
eateth with them. Then, it was then, that our Lord
spake this parable unto them. Now the sinners, the lost people,
the publicans, had gathered about him. Sinful people gathered about
the Savior. He ate with them. He talked with
them. He loved them. They followed
him about. Where you found sinners, you
found the Savior. Where you found the Savior, you
found sinners, because this is his mission. He said in Luke
19.10, the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which
was lost. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 1.15,
this is a faithful saying, it's a true saying, it's worthy of
acceptation by all men, that Jesus Christ is coming to the
world to save sinners of whom I am chief. So it's not surprising
to find our Lord where sinners are. It's not surprising to find
sinners where our Lord was, any more than it's surprising to
find sick people in a doctor's office. You drive by a doctor's
office and you see a whole crowd of people sitting there in the
waiting room, that doesn't surprise you, does it? The well has no
need of the physician, Christ said. It's sick people that need
a doctor, and it's sinners who need a Savior. So it's not surprising
to find our Lord surrounded by sinners. It's not surprising
to find him where sinners are and to find sinners where he
is. And what's this? It's not surprising either that
the religious leaders, the Pharisees, these self-righteous moral people,
were critical of his congregation. That's not surprising to me either.
It's not surprising to me to find sinners around the Savior.
And it's not surprising to me to find the old Pharisees sitting
off over there criticizing and mocking and sneering at him because
they felt that they were moral and righteous and good, and they
certainly would have nothing to do with this type of people.
They wouldn't be found in the company of the immoral. They
wouldn't be found in the company of the ungodly. They wouldn't
be found in the company of sinners. Listen to them. One of them said,
Now if this man were a prophet He'd know what kind of woman
this is that is touching his feet. If this man were a prophet,
he wouldn't let this woman even be in his company. That's the
idea of the Pharisee. That's the attitude of the Pharisee.
He's moral and clean and self-righteous and pure, and rather than feeling
compassion for the sinner, he feels contempt for the sinner. Listen to him. They said, look
at him. He collects about him the riffraff
of our city. Look at him. He's going to be
the guest of a man who's a sinner. Look at him! He's the friend
of sinners. And these words were spoken with
sarcasm. They were spoken with scorn.
They were spoken with, I think, surprise. They were really surprised
that he should associate with such people. These religious,
self-righteous men could not comprehend the mission of the
Master. They didn't feel that they were sinners, they didn't
feel that they needed a savior, and therefore they could not
comprehend his mission into this world. And therefore they looked
upon him with reproach, and with contempt, and with sarcasm. But
their words of sarcasm and scorn defined his mission. This man
is the friend of sinners. Aren't you glad? Can't every
one of you say, thank God he is the friend of sinners? If
Christ did not receive sinners, then I couldn't come. If Christ
did not love sinners, there'd be no hope for me. If Christ
did not die for sinners, then I would have no hope. I'd be
without hope, without help, and without God. He came to save
sinners. So that's the occasion of the
parable. These publicans and And sinners gathered about him,
and standing off there to the side were the self-righteous,
moral, religious leaders. They were criticizing and scoffing
and sneering at him. Look at him! Look at him! He's
the friend of sinners. He doesn't have anything to do
with us godly people, but he finds his company in the place
with sinners. Now, my friend, listen to me.
And I want to be as gentle as I can, and yet as plain as I
can. If you do not see the mercy of
God reaching out to the miserable. If you do not see the mercy of
God reaching out to the miserable in the person of Christ, you
don't understand the gospel. You don't understand why Christ
came. You don't understand why he died. If you do not see the
grace of God reaching out to the guilty, if you do not see
in Christ the love of God reaching out to the lost, then you don't
understand the gospel. You haven't comprehended the
true mission of the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to this scripture.
Turn over there in your Bible. Romans chapter 5, beginning with
verse 6. Listen carefully. For when we
were yet without strength in due time, in God's time, Christ
died for the ungodly. For whom did Christ die? For
the ungodly. Look at verse 8, if you will.
God commended his love toward us in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us, for sinners, for the ungodly,
for sinners. Look at verse 10. When we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son. Christ came down here and died
on that cross, not as an example, but as a substitute, not as an
attempt at reforming the world, but reconciling sinners to God. And when he died on that cross,
he died for the ungodly, he died for sinners, he died for enemies. How many Pharisees do we encounter
today? Are you a Pharisee? We need to
examine ourselves. Am I a Pharisee? These people
who think themselves righteous and think themselves holier than
thou and think themselves to be objects of God's wrath or
God's love are really objects of God's wrath. Our Lord's hardest
words were for the Pharisees. He called them a generation of
vipers, snakes. Our Lord Jesus Christ's kindest
words were for sinners because salvation is not of merit but
of mercy. Salvation is not of good works,
but of grace. Now that's the occasion for this
parable. Gathered about him were sinners, publicans, lost people,
ungodly, enemies of God. Gathered about Christ, listening
to Him, listening to Him, learning from Him. Over there were these
Pharisees, and they were critical, and they were mocking, and scoffing,
and saying these sarcastic things, look at him, he's the friend
of sinners, the friend of sinners. Now verse 3 says, and Christ
spake unto them this parable, this parable, not these parables,
not three parables, this parable. Which of you, having a hundred
sheep, a man has a hundred sheep, if he lose one, doth not leave
the ninety and nine and go out into the wilderness and find
the lost sheep? And when he finds it, he puts
it on his shoulder and brings it home and says, Rejoice with
me, This, my sheep, was lost, but is found. There is joy in
the presence of the angels over one sinner that comes to repentance,
more than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."
And then he told about the lost coin and the lost son. Now let
me show you something. I'm saying that this is one parable
in three parts. The parable of the lost sheep.
Who is the chief character in that parable? Now look at it.
It's not the sheep. It's not the sheep. The chief character,
the leading character in this part of the parable, the lost
sheep, is the shepherd. That's right. It's the shepherd
upon which our attention is focused. It is his sheep, this loss. It
is the shepherd who loved the sheep. It is the shepherd who
went out to find it. It is the shepherd who searched
for the sheep. It is the shepherd who found it. It is the shepherd
who put it on his shoulders. It is the shepherd who brought
it home. It is the shepherd who said to the people, come and
rejoice with me, I have found my sheep. Now Christ presents
himself in the scriptures as the good shepherd. Our Lord Jesus
Christ calls himself the good shepherd. I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. He calls
himself the great shepherd. He calls himself the chief shepherd.
And the good shepherd who loves his sheep, one of them is lost.
One of them is lost. It's his sheep. He knows this
sheep by name. He loves this sheep. He has loved
this sheep. The scripture says, I've drawn
thee with an everlasting love, having loved his own, having
loved them, always loved them. He loved them to the end. Listen
to this scripture, John 10, 14. I am the good shepherd, I know
my sheep, am known of mine, I lay down my life for the sheep. The
other sheep I have which are not of this foal, them I must
bring. Look at John 10, 26. You believe
not, because you are not of my sheep. My sheep hear my voice,
I know them, and they follow me. The Good Shepherd is Christ.
The lost sheep, that's you, and that's me. We wandered away,
we've fallen, we've departed from God. We've gone astray from
the foal, and the Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ who loves us,
He comes into this world and seeks us. He came to seek and
to save the lost sheep. And His search is a personal
search. He came into the world. He walked the world in the flesh.
He who made the world was in the world, and the world knew
Him not. We beheld His glory, the glory of the Only Begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. The Word was made
flesh and dwelt among us. He was numbered with the transgressors.
It was a personal search. The shepherd didn't send somebody
else after the sheep, he went after it. The shepherd didn't
delegate some authority to a representative, he went after it. God was in
Christ reconciling the world to himself. It was his sheep,
and he went out personally to search for it. And that search
was not only personal, but it was a costly search. It cost
him his blood. It cost him his life. Jesus Christ
our Lord gave himself. It cost him suffering and agony. It cost him mocking and humiliation. It cost him the death of the
cross. It was a costly search. But it
was a successful search. It was a persevering search.
Look at it. It says, He searched till he
found it. He searched till he found it. John 6.37. Turn there in your
Bible. Our Lord said, All that my Father giveth me shall come
to me. and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out.
For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but
the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will
which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I lose
nothing, but raise it up at the last day. He that seeth the Son,
and believeth on him, hath everlasting life." So when you look at this
first side of the pyramid, this first part of the pyramid, This
first part of the story, you see the work of Christ. You see
his love for the sheep. You see his compassion for the
lost sheep. You see his willingness to come
and die for the sheep. You see his sacrifice in seeking,
searching, finding, bringing the sheep home, and rejoicing
with his friends. Now then, who are the ninety-nine?
It said a man had a hundred sheep, and one of them was lost. Doth
he not leave the ninety-nine and go out and hunt the lost
sheep? Now, notice this. At the end of this part of the
story, it says, there's joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth
more than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. Now, another lesson. If you're
studying the Bible and you come across a passage of scripture
like that, the first thing you do in order to help you to understand
it is try to determine what it doesn't mean. Now this says there's
joy in heaven over one sinner that repented more than over
ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. Well now,
it can't mean truly just and righteous people because the
scripture says there's not a just man upon the earth. That sin
is not. It can't mean that these people
are actually just and righteous because the scripture says there's
none righteous, no not one. It can't mean that there are
people on this earth who do not need to repent because God commanded
all men everywhere to repent. And it can't mean sinners who
are already saved because even they daily repent. We don't stop
repenting. Repentance is a continual thing.
So what does it mean? Here's what our Lord is saying.
The ninety and nine here are people, the people to whom he
spake this parable. the so-called just people and
righteous people who don't think they are sinners. That's who
he's talking about. That's exactly who he's talking
about. He's talking about those people who think they're not
sinners, who think they need no repentance, who think they're
righteous, the very ones to whom he spoke the parable. That's
right. There's more joy in heaven over
one fallen sinner that really truly repents. than over 99 religious,
self-righteous, church-going, moral Pharisees who think they
need no repentance. There's no joy in heaven over
999 billion of them, let alone 999 or 99. There's joy over a
sinner that truly repents. Now, you look at that. That's
exactly right. The lost sheep, searched far,
found, brought home by the shepherd. Now the second part of this story
is the lost coin. He said there's a woman who had
ten coins, she lost one, and she got a light, a candle, and
she began, she swept the house, she began to search for that
coin. Now who's the chief character in this story, in this part of
the story? The woman with the candle. Not the coin, the woman
with the candle. She lost her coin, she got a
light, she got a broom, she searched for it, she found it, she called
her friends in. This is the Holy Spirit. That's
right. It represents the work of the
Holy Spirit in salvation. The illuminating work of the
Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit uses a light
to find the dead sinner. What is the light? The scripture. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
and a light unto my path. The scripture talks about the
light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The light of the gospel
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. God, who commanded
the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in these hearts of
ours with the light of the gospel." That's right, this is the Holy
Spirit. The coin is lifeless, it's dead, totally dead. When we describe the work of
Christ the shepherd, we describe the sheep as being a defenseless,
nearsighted, helpless animal that's wandered away from the
foal, and the shepherd goes out there and finds it and brings
it home. Now when you describe the work of the Holy Spirit,
he works upon dead objects, dead objects. They are dead in trespasses
and sin. In fact, the coin not only is
lifeless and dead, representing dead sinners, you, Hethy, Quicken,
who were dead, dead to God, dead to Scripture, dead to life, but
also the coin is altogether ignorant of its dead state, of its lost
state. It's totally ignorant of its
condition. It's totally ignorant of its lost state. You see that?
So is the sinner. These Pharisees were totally
ignorant of their guilt before God, of their lost condition.
They were blind. They were deaf. They were dead.
Also, the lost coin. Now watch this. Whose coin was
it? It was the woman's coin. It was
the woman's coin when she had it. It was the woman's coin when
she lost it. It was the woman's coin lying there in the dust.
It was her coin when she found it. And even so, those to whom
the Holy Spirit comes with the light of the glorious gospel
of Christ belong to the Lord. They're His. They're His. They
always have been His. I know my sheep, Christ said,
and have known of mine. Other sheep I have which are
not of this folk. Them I must bring. And the woman used the
candle. She used light. And that's what
the Holy Spirit uses to bring sinners to Christ. He uses the
light of the gospel. No sinner is going to come to
the knowledge of his sins. until he sees his sin, not only
by conscience, but in the word of God, in the law of God. The
law is the schoolmaster that brings us to Christ. The law
is the mirror in which we see our sin. But you can't see anything
in a mirror if you don't have any light. You can't see anything. You can stand in a dark room
and look at a mirror all night long and you won't see anything.
But let somebody turn on a light and then you see it. And a dead,
blind sinner can look at the Bible all his life And he won't
see anything but what he wants to see. He won't see anything
but what his natural mind enables him to see. But when the Holy
Spirit puts some light on that law, and puts some light on that
word, and puts some light on those types, and puts some light
on those promises and prophecies, they live. But without his light,
there's nothing there. It's just words on paper. This
whole part of the parable, this whole story revolves around the
woman with the light looking for the dead coin. And this part
of the story pictures the Holy Spirit as he comes with the light
of the gospel, the foolishness of preaching, the light of the
gospel. The gospel is a seed that quickens
the dead sinner. How can they call on him in whom
they haven't believed, and how shall they believe in him of
whom they haven't heard, and how shall they hear without a
preacher? And the Holy Spirit comes with the word, which I'm
preaching now. and illuminates it. Some people sitting out there
know what I'm talking about. You've experienced it. You say,
now that's right. The Holy Spirit bears witness
with my spirit that that's the truth of God. I believe that.
You've been taught of God. The natural man doesn't understand
it. Even so, the Holy Spirit takes the light of the gospel
and reveals our sin and our inability and the beauty and glory of Christ.
Now, the third part of the story. The son is lost. He comes home
and there's a father. who sees him a great way off
and runs to meet him and welcomes him. Who is the chief character
in that third part? It's not the prodigal son. This
is not a parable of the prodigal son. It's a story of a compassionate,
gracious father. We've already talked about Christ
seeking his sheep. We've already talked about the
Holy Spirit with the coen, lost coen, with the light looking
for the sinner. Now, here's the prodigal coming
home and the father stands there and waits for him and welcomes
him and says, enter my son, put a ring on his finger and shoes
on his feet and robe on his back and a crown on his head and kill
the fatted calf. Now this story would not be understood
without the other two. For example, there's no mention
here, the prodigal down there in the foreign country coming
home, there's no mention of God's love and God's compassion and
the sacrifice of Christ and the suffering and agony of the shepherd
coming down to find the sheep. There's nothing said here about
the light of the gospel or the work of the Holy Spirit. It would
appear that that boy just reasoned his condition and decided he'd
come home all by himself, you know, without the work of the
Holy Spirit, without the work of the Son, and he just decided
he'd come back and get back in the good graces of his Father.
But it's not that way. Sinners have got to be redeemed.
Sinners have got to be reconciled. Sinners have got to be awakened.
They've got to be regenerated. But this is a picture of the
Father. And he stands there with open arms and says, I'll remember
your sins no more. Come on, my son. Enter into the
joys of your Lord. So it's a beautiful parable.
Our Lord Jesus Christ pictures his work as the suffering sacrifice,
the shepherd who finds his sheep, and the Holy Spirit who, with
the light of the gospel, illuminates, enlightens the darkened heart,
and then the Father who welcomes him home. I hope you'll join
us next week for this broadcast at the same time over this station.
If you'd like to have these messages on cassette tape, write to me. The address will be shown on
your screen in just a moment. Until then, this is Henry Mahan
bidding you a very pleasant good day.

Lost Sheep - Lost Coin - Lost Son

What does the Bible say about the lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son?

How do we know God's grace is sufficient for sinners?

Why is the concept of repentance important for Christians?

What role does the Holy Spirit play in the parable of the lost coin?

What does the parable of the lost son teach us about God’s forgiveness?

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Lost Sheep - Lost Coin - Lost Son

What does the Bible say about the lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son?

How do we know God's grace is sufficient for sinners?

Why is the concept of repentance important for Christians?

What role does the Holy Spirit play in the parable of the lost coin?

What does the parable of the lost son teach us about God’s forgiveness?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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