The Value of a Lost Coin
Pastor Tan Thai · Mar 6, 2016
This sermon explores the three parables in Luke 15 to reveal God's perspective on sin and human worth, in contrast to the Pharisees' viewpoint. Jesus teaches that all people are lost sinners, yet each holds infinite value before God, who actively seeks to save them.
The sermon opens with the context of Luke 15:1-10, where tax collectors and sinners drew near to hear Jesus teach, while Pharisees and scribes grumbled because He welcomed and ate with them. The pastor explains that this very grumbling prompted Jesus to tell three parables, aiming to correct the self-righteous misconceptions of those who considered themselves morally superior regarding the nature of sin and salvation.
The first major section presents God's definition of sin, which goes far beyond the common understanding of merely breaking outward laws. Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount that sin includes the deepest hidden thoughts such as anger and lust (Matthew 5:21-28). More fundamentally, sin is the rejection of God's lordship over one's life, illustrated by the straying sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son who deliberately left his father, as confirmed by Romans 3:10-12 and Isaiah 53:6.
The second major section focuses on the lesson of human worth according to God's perspective. The pastor uses vivid real-world examples — a $141 million sculpture, a $142 million painting, and a Patek Philippe watch worth over a million dollars — to illustrate that people willingly pay enormous prices for inanimate objects. By contrast, every human soul holds infinite eternal value before God because each person is created in His image, and Jesus Christ came down to earth to actively seek and save every lost soul.
The sermon highlights three common elements shared by all three parables: something is lost, a search is undertaken, and there is great rejoicing when the lost is found. Jesus twice declares that heaven rejoices more over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance (Luke 15:7, 10). This completely overturns the popular belief that heaven is reserved only for good people.
The pastor concludes with a practical challenge directed at two groups: those who consider themselves righteous like the Pharisees, and those who feel they have sinned too much to ever be saved. Both groups need to recognize that they are lost and in need of God's seeking love. The congregation is also challenged to examine their own attitudes toward sinners who come to church, asking whether they genuinely and wholeheartedly welcome them.