Sermon Tone Analysis

The last stanza of the hymn, ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus reads: “I’m so glad I learned to trust him, Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend; And I know that he is with me, Will be with me to the end.”

Jesus is our friend.

He’s the best friend we could ever have.

In John’s gospel, Jesus told his disciples, /“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 Ye are my friends . .

.”/ (John 15:13-14) KJV

This morning’s message is the second part of one message that I began preaching last Sunday.

It is based on three parables that Jesus told about things that get lost—a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost boy.

They are parables that illustrate to what lengths a loving heavenly Father will go to in order to seek and to save lost people.

After all, Jesus told his disciples that was the reason for his coming.

In Luke 19:10 /“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”/

KJV

If you remember, the Jewish religious leaders are agitated about the company that Jesus has been keeping.

Luke 15:1-2 /"Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him.

2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”/

NIV

In answer to their criticism, our Lord tells a parable.

It's a parable with three stories that reveal just how great friend to sinners and outcasts Jesus is.

Why do we need a friend like Jesus?

!

I. WE NEED A FRIEND LIKE JESUS BECAUSE WE ARE ALL LIKE LOST COINS

#. the second story of this parable reminds us that we are worthless without Christ

* Luke 15:8-10 /"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 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."/

#. what are coins made to do?

#. coins are created with a purpose – they are made to be spent

#. they are not made to be lost

#. if a coin is lost, it is out of circulation

#. if it is lost, it is not doing the thing it was minted to do – it has become worthless

* By September of 1857, the Central America had completed 43 round trips and had once again set sail from Panama for New York City.

According to the stories reported in the newspapers of that day, there were 476 passengers and 102 crewmen aboard the ship.

The ship also carried approximately three tons of gold bound for New York banks and businesses – gold bars and freshly minted gold dollars.

In addition to the gold bound for New York, there were many individual prospectors on board carrying the gold they had found.

Off the coast of North Carolina, the ship was battered by a hurricane.

She ultimately sank in over 8,000 feet of ocean with all of her gold and most of her passengers.

Just think of it, all that gold just sitting on the bottom of the ocean.

In the depths of the sea it's worthless – just yellow metal sitting in the mud.

In 1988 a team of treasure hunters from Columbus, Ohio, located the wreck and in 1998 they began bringing the gold to the surface using a remote controlled robot named `Nemo.’

For an investment of about $4 million dollars a billion dollars worth of gold was recovered.

But as long as all that gold was lost in the blackness of the ocean it was worthless.

Only after is was recovered was it worth anything once more.

!! A. MAN IS WORTHLESS UNLESS HE IS DOING WHAT HE WAS CREATED FOR

#. just as a coin was created for a purpose so were you

#. what is that purpose you ask?

#. you were created to bring glory and honor to God with your life

* /"he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— "to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves."/

(Ephesians 1:5-6,NIV)

* /"In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, "in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory."/

(Ephesians 1:11-12,NIV)

* /"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.

Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, "who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory."/

(Ephesians 1:13-14,NIV)

* /"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, "so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, "filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God."/ (Philippians 1:9-11,NIV)

* /"for you were bought with a price.

So glorify God in your body."/

(1 Corinthians 6:20,ESV)

* /"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."/ (1 Corinthians 10:31,ESV)

* /"Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation."/

(1 Peter 2:12,ESV)

#. understanding why God created you is the most important thing in life

#.

knowing your purpose /gives meaning to your life/ – because without purpose your life has no meaning

#. knowing your purpose /simplifies your life/ – it defines what you do and what you don’t do

#.

knowing your purpose /focuses your life/ – it helps concentrate your effort and energy on what’s truly important

#.

knowing your purpose /motivates your life/ – purpose always produces passion, and energizes us

#. knowing your purpose /prepares you for eternity/ – what ultimately matters most will not be what others say about your life but what God says

#. in your sinful and lost condition, however, you can never bring praise and glory to God

#. in this second story, Jesus speaks of the worthlessness of man without Christ

#. the Bible describes the unsaved person in these words, /"All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”/

(Romans 3:12,NIV)

#. but God treasures all those who belong to Him

#. we know this because of God’s diligent searching for us

#. like a Shepherd seeking one lost sheep, God searches for us

#. like a woman searching for one lost coin, God combs the house for us

#. like a father searching for one lost son, God throws His arms around us when we repent and come home

#. that is why God sent His Son into the world

* Luke 19:10 /"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."/

!! B. THE CONDITION OF THE LOST COIN REPRESENTS THE CONDITION OF THE LOST MAN

#. it was lost in darkness

* v. 8 /"Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle ... “/

#. the sinner is also lost in darkness

* John 3:19 /"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."/

#. it was lost in dirtiness

* v. 8 /". . .

and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?"/

#. the lost coin is somewhere down in the dirt on the floor

#. in Ephesians 4:22 Paul writes that our old nature is /corrupt/ and full of /deceitful lusts/

#. the word /corrupt/ means /rotten/ or /worthless/

#. it is sin that makes the sinner rotten and worthless and dirty in God’s sight

* In a Dennis the Menace cartoon, Dennis has come in from play outside.

He is filthy dirty and has traipsed mud into the house.

His mother is furious, and demands that he march himself upstairs and take a bath.

Dennis replies, /“Aw, mom.

Can’t you just dust me off a little?”/

#. the lost sinner never quite sees his dirtiness as God see it

* ILLUS.

Man calls it an accident; God calls it an abomination.

Man calls it a blunder; God calls it blindness.

Man calls it a defect; God calls it a disease.

Man calls it a chance; God calls it a choice.

Man calls it an error; God calls it an enmity.