1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,000
You made it back to Southern Hills.

2
00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,000
I know you've been looking forward to this moment

3
00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:07,000
and you're here, so let's celebrate Jesus together.

4
00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:08,000
Amen?

5
00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:09,000
Let's do it!

6
00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:13,000
Luke chapter number 15 in verse number 8 through 10.

7
00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:16,000
It's a very short passage that we're studying today,

8
00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:19,000
but it's a very powerful passage,

9
00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:21,000
and we're going to look at it in a very unique way.

10
00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:23,000
Today's sermon is a little unique,

11
00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:25,000
but before we begin, I want to ask this question.

12
00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:28,000
Are there any ladies in the room today?

13
00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:30,000
Any ladies in the room?

14
00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:36,000
Some of you are like, I'm not sure.

15
00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:41,000
How many ladies in the room today?

16
00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:42,000
Say amen, share.

17
00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:44,000
Yeah, there we go.

18
00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:46,000
I heard one dude shout over here.

19
00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:48,000
Okay.

20
00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:51,000
It's confusing in this society,

21
00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:53,000
but ladies, look, this Sunday,

22
00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:55,000
we have, or this coming up weekend,

23
00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:57,000
we have a ladies' conference right here at the church,

24
00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:58,000
a women's conference.

25
00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:00,000
It's entitled, Remember When,

26
00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,000
and if you haven't registered for it, it's not too late.

27
00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:06,000
You can scan the QR code and come on Friday night and Saturday.

28
00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,000
It's going to be a lot of fun, and sir, you are not welcome.

29
00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:10,000
Thank you very much.

30
00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:12,000
We are going to have a great time.

31
00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:13,000
They are going to have a great time,

32
00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,000
and I hope you can come and be a part of it, ladies.

33
00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:18,000
It's an incredible event focused specifically about remembering

34
00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,000
when God has done great miracles for you in the past

35
00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:25,000
so that you can have faith right now and in the future.

36
00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:27,000
So we want to encourage you to be a part of that.

37
00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:30,000
So much happening right here at Southern Hills,

38
00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:33,000
including tonight, the Ascent Youth Ministry.

39
00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:36,000
Our teenagers come together every Sunday night at 6 p.m.

40
00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:37,000
right here in the room.

41
00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:39,000
So if you have teenagers, bring them.

42
00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:40,000
If you are a teenager, come.

43
00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:42,000
If you don't know teenagers, kidnap them.

44
00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:44,000
Bring them. Don't do that. I was kidding.

45
00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:47,000
You can't make children come unless they're yours,

46
00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:50,000
and then they're going to come and they're going to have a great time.

47
00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:53,000
Luke chapter number 15 and verse number 8,

48
00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:56,000
which is, I could just see you're our church lawyer right now.

49
00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:58,000
What did you say?

50
00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:02,000
You are valued is the name of the sermon today.

51
00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:04,000
You are valued.

52
00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:08,000
And we find ourselves in the middle of a three week sermon series.

53
00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:10,000
You're in middle part number two,

54
00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,000
and so it's a perfect Sunday to be here

55
00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:14,000
because it is a three week sermon series

56
00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,000
that we're walking through Luke chapter number 15.

57
00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:21,000
It's all the teachings of Jesus where he tells three specific stories.

58
00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:24,000
First he tells the story of a lost sheep.

59
00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:26,000
Then he tells the story of a lost coin.

60
00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:27,000
That's today.

61
00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,000
And then next week, the story of a lost son,

62
00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:32,000
or what some have called the story of the prodigal son.

63
00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:35,000
You don't want to miss next week for the grand finale,

64
00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:37,000
but today the lost coin.

65
00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:40,000
And today's message is really summarized with this one word

66
00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:46,000
or this one thought, and that is you are valued.

67
00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:51,000
Let's look at the text.

68
00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:55,000
What woman having 10 silver coins

69
00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:59,000
if she loses one coin does not light a lamp,

70
00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:04,000
sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it.

71
00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,000
And when she has found it,

72
00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:08,000
she calls to her friends and her neighbors together saying,

73
00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:13,000
rejoice with me for I have found the peace which was lost.

74
00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:15,000
Likewise, I say to you,

75
00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:18,000
there is joy in the presence of the angels of God

76
00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:22,000
over one sinner who repents.

77
00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:26,000
Wow.

78
00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:28,000
Let's pray before we talk about it.

79
00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:33,000
God, I'm grateful to be gathered with my friends today

80
00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,000
to study your Bible, to worship your name,

81
00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:38,000
to sing your praises, to pray,

82
00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:41,000
and give you our requests, to give generously

83
00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:44,000
and to spend time together as a family.

84
00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:47,000
But God, in this moment, in this holy moment,

85
00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:49,000
in this holy place with these holy people,

86
00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:53,000
God, you've given us a moment to understand your holy word.

87
00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:56,000
And I need to. We need to.

88
00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:59,000
God, I don't know what burdens are being carried

89
00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:00,000
by my friends here today.

90
00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:02,000
I don't know what problems they're facing.

91
00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:04,000
I don't know what issues they have to overcome.

92
00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:08,000
But I do know that the answers are found in your book.

93
00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:10,000
I know there are some today in this room

94
00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:13,000
who do not understand their true worth.

95
00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:16,000
They do not understand their incredible value.

96
00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:18,000
And as we look at this passage,

97
00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:20,000
I pray that you would awaken them to this truth.

98
00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:23,000
There are lost coins in this room,

99
00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:25,000
and they don't even know they're lost.

100
00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:27,000
There are those who have been lost and are found,

101
00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:29,000
but they forget the great beauty

102
00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:31,000
of what it was like to be found.

103
00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:34,000
And there are those in this room who you want to call

104
00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:38,000
to go and search out and find lost people.

105
00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:41,000
I pray that you would prompt them.

106
00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:43,000
You would help them today.

107
00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:45,000
God, you know that I know

108
00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:49,000
that I am powerless to help my friends

109
00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:54,000
unless you come in and help me teach this word.

110
00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:57,000
So I ask it in the name of Jesus Christ, my Savior,

111
00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:00,000
in the power of his Holy Spirit.

112
00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:02,000
Amen.

113
00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:06,000
Have you ever lost something?

114
00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:10,000
Are you the person in the family who loses things?

115
00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:13,000
If you're the person in the family who loses things,

116
00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:15,000
raise your hand.

117
00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:18,000
If that person is sitting beside you,

118
00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,000
point at the person who loses stuff all the time, right?

119
00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:23,000
Point at him, okay.

120
00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:25,000
You know who you are. You know who you are.

121
00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:28,000
Yes, sir, yes, sir. That's okay.

122
00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:31,000
You're welcome in this place.

123
00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:33,000
No judgment.

124
00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:35,000
You and I are very similar.

125
00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:37,000
I'm the person who loses stuff in our family.

126
00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:39,000
What do you lose? What do you lose sometimes, sir?

127
00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:41,000
What do you lose?

128
00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:44,000
Not you, but I'm glad you mentioned it.

129
00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,000
He wants to confess his sins here.

130
00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:50,000
We got to build a booth. He's very traditional.

131
00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:53,000
Tell a guy in a collar about losing your keys.

132
00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:55,000
You lose your keys sometimes?

133
00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:57,000
What do you lose, sir, in the back? What do you lose?

134
00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:59,000
Car keys, too.

135
00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:02,000
So you have a friend you can meet and talk about.

136
00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:05,000
Start a little small group about we lose keys all the time.

137
00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:07,000
What happens?

138
00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,000
What else do you lose? What else do you lose?

139
00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:14,000
You lose your phone.

140
00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:17,000
Have you ever lost your phone while you're holding your phone?

141
00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,000
Has that ever happened to you?

142
00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:23,000
Where's my phone? Where's my phone, kids? Did you take my phone?

143
00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:26,000
Where is my phone?

144
00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:33,000
What else do you lose? Yes, what do you lose?

145
00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:37,000
You lose your mind.

146
00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:43,000
God bless you, my dear sister.

147
00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:46,000
We were wondering if you knew.

148
00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:54,000
Praise God, ladies and gentlemen, the whole purpose of today's sermon is worked.

149
00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:57,000
She knows. Amen.

150
00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:01,000
Hold on. This is becoming fun.

151
00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:04,000
All right. What did you say?

152
00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:07,000
Yeah, she forgets where she's going. That's right.

153
00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:12,000
Have you ever done that? You walk into the kitchen.

154
00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:15,000
I don't even remember the word.

155
00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:19,000
You walk into the kitchen and you forget like what you're hungry.

156
00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:21,000
And you're like, oh, I know those things are in the...

157
00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:24,000
And you open, you're like, what am I here for?

158
00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:27,000
Why did I... Is it my keys? Is it my phone?

159
00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:31,000
I don't... I lost my child one time.

160
00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:37,000
No, it's true. I had one of my Savannah, who's now 17, was in her car seat.

161
00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:42,000
And by the way, for you parents who are still in the car seat phase, it gets better.

162
00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:46,000
Like really, like once you get out of the car seat phase, it's wonderful.

163
00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:48,000
But I had the car seat and I put the car...

164
00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:52,000
And I had my three-year-old and a car seat child.

165
00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:57,000
And my wife was in the dentist's office and I opened the door and I put her in

166
00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:00,000
and I clicked it and I buckled it and she's safe.

167
00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:05,000
And I shut the door and I turned around and my three-year-old was gone.

168
00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:08,000
In the parking lot. And my wife was in the dentist.

169
00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:12,000
And I knew that if she came back and I only had one of them...

170
00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:16,000
You know, it would not go well.

171
00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:19,000
So I was like, well, I got to find the other one.

172
00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:22,000
But I had the other one in the car, you know.

173
00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:24,000
And then I've also heard stories about people in the car and the kid.

174
00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:28,000
And I'm like, I don't... Which one do I like better, you know, at this point?

175
00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:32,000
And it was her. It was the little one.

176
00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:37,000
But I did think to myself, if I like look around a little bit, maybe I'll find her.

177
00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:41,000
Find him. So I left the door open and I started backing out, you know.

178
00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:45,000
And I'm like looking and I start calling his name, Jonathan! Jonathan!

179
00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:50,000
And I started panicking a little bit and I walked down one row after a second row.

180
00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:53,000
And there I saw my son, my three-year-old little boy.

181
00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:57,000
And he was sitting on top of a yellow Corvette.

182
00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:04,000
And I'm like, that kid has good taste, you know.

183
00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:10,000
And I say, get down, get down. And he's like, hey, he's walking on it.

184
00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:15,000
And so I took him off and like a good citizen, I did not leave a note.

185
00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:18,000
I got out of there. I was like, there's no way.

186
00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:23,000
So, you know, like if 15 years ago you had a scratch Corvette, it was not my fault.

187
00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:26,000
It could have been anybody. That's what I'll end with.

188
00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:28,000
Terrifying to lose something.

189
00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:30,000
This story is telling the story of Jesus.

190
00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:33,000
And Jesus is talking about losing three things.

191
00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:35,000
First it was a shepherd who lost a sheep.

192
00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:37,000
Then it was a woman who lost a coin.

193
00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:40,000
And then it was a father who lost two sons.

194
00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:43,000
That's really all about next week and I don't want to spoil it.

195
00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:46,000
Today's all about the coin. The woman who lost a coin.

196
00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:49,000
And we read the text a moment ago, but it's fascinating.

197
00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:53,000
She had 10 silver coins, but she only loses one of the 10.

198
00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:56,000
Now, why is this one so significant? We're going to learn.

199
00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:59,000
And then whenever she does lose it, she loses her mind.

200
00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:01,000
She's scared to death and she's like, what am I going to do?

201
00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:04,000
So she lights a lamp and she's searching the entire house carefully.

202
00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:08,000
She finally finds it. When she does find it, she's so filled with joy.

203
00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:10,000
Say joy.

204
00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:14,000
She's so filled with joy that she celebrates by inviting her friends over.

205
00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:17,000
And they have a party over a coin. That's weird, right?

206
00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:20,000
Have you ever had a party over a coin?

207
00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:22,000
But she did.

208
00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:26,000
And then it says, Jesus says, likewise I say to you,

209
00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:33,000
there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

210
00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:37,000
One lost soul who comes back to God.

211
00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:40,000
So what does all this mean?

212
00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:43,000
Well, the big takeaway is that you are valued by God.

213
00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:47,000
It's the same concept that we saw last week and this week and next week,

214
00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:51,000
that you are not only seen by God, but you are valued.

215
00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:54,000
You are valued by God.

216
00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:59,000
But today I want to study this passage because it's very short, only three verses.

217
00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:03,000
I want to study this passage from three different perspectives.

218
00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:06,000
If you're ready for something a little weird, say amen.

219
00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:08,000
All right, then we're going to look at this weird, okay?

220
00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:13,000
Same story from three different points of view.

221
00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:16,000
First we're going to look at the historical context of this story.

222
00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:20,000
Then we're going to look at the theological perspective of this story.

223
00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:23,000
And then we're going to take a personal takeaway from this story.

224
00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:26,000
If you're ready for all three, give me a hearty amen.

225
00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:29,000
That way I know you're still awake. If you're new here, you're like, this guy.

226
00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:31,000
All right, let's move on.

227
00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:35,000
Today let's begin with the historical context.

228
00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:39,000
Because without this historical context, the story doesn't make much sense.

229
00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:42,000
Who cares if somebody has 10 coins, they lose one?

230
00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:45,000
Well, it has to do with what kind of coin it was.

231
00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:51,000
Because Jesus talks about 10 silver coins, in the cultural context of the day,

232
00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:56,000
they would have immediately understood that Jesus was talking about,

233
00:11:56,000 --> 00:11:59,000
well, he's talking about this.

234
00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:03,000
You see, a Jewish girl during this day and age, when she was married,

235
00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:06,000
she was given a collection of 10 coins.

236
00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:10,000
And the 10 coins would have been placed in a necklace of sorts

237
00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:15,000
that would not go around the neck, but would go upon the brow of the individual.

238
00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:19,000
Right at the hairline, where these 10 coins, all interesting,

239
00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:23,000
all significant and all important, symbolized one main truth,

240
00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:28,000
and that was, this woman is no longer single, she is married.

241
00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:35,000
She belongs to another, and she has another.

242
00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:39,000
Well, it's not just in that ancient society that did this.

243
00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:41,000
We see this happens in cultures today.

244
00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:44,000
The coin symbolizing not just as decorative,

245
00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:48,000
but something significant or culturally important in that day.

246
00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:55,000
Can you think of a culture that would wear jewelry just for the sake of identifying somebody as married?

247
00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:58,000
I mean, what kind of culture does that?

248
00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:00,000
And the answer is we do.

249
00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:02,000
How many of you married here today? Would you raise your hand?

250
00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:04,000
All right, some of you are too tired to raise your hand.

251
00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:05,000
Okay.

252
00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:08,000
Married today? Let me see. You got your wedding ring on?

253
00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:09,000
Now, all right, very good.

254
00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:10,000
By the way, how many of you are like me?

255
00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:15,000
I've got, over the years, I've gotten a little laxadaisical about wearing my wedding ring.

256
00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:18,000
Like, sometimes I'll just not wear it.

257
00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:24,000
And, and pastoring in this city, pastoring in Las Vegas, people get very concerned.

258
00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:27,000
Like, I'll get up and I'll preach without my wedding ring and people will be like,

259
00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:30,000
pastor, is everything okay?

260
00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:32,000
Like with you and Heather.

261
00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:33,000
And I'm like, yeah, I forgot my ring.

262
00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:34,000
Anyway, I wore it today.

263
00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:35,000
And here it is.

264
00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:37,000
And what does this ring tell you about me?

265
00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:38,000
What does it tell you?

266
00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:39,000
I'm married.

267
00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:43,000
I'm off the market.

268
00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:45,000
It's a shame.

269
00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:48,000
It's a shock to a lot of people, right?

270
00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:51,000
This tells others that I'm a married man.

271
00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:52,000
I'm taken.

272
00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:53,000
And she has one as well.

273
00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:58,000
It's jewelry, but it's not just some, it's not just for decorative purposes.

274
00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:03,000
This piece of jewelry, it signifies my commitment to her and her commitment to me.

275
00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:09,000
It means that I belong to her and that she belongs to me.

276
00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:15,000
In the same way, these coins in this era represented that this woman was now a married individual.

277
00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:25,000
So there was a, there was a sense of, of value about these coins that went beyond the fact that the coin itself was valuable.

278
00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:30,000
There was more of a sense of sentimental value to this coin.

279
00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:37,000
Historically, for Jesus to say one of the 10 silver coins was lost by a woman would be like saying,

280
00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:44,000
do you remember that moment you lost your engagement ring and the emotion that would be there?

281
00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:50,000
Well, historically, we not only see that this was a culturally significant symbol,

282
00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:59,000
we also see that silver itself had and still has an intrinsic value to it.

283
00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:03,000
You say, what do you mean an intrinsic value?

284
00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:07,000
I collect coins.

285
00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:11,000
I started this probably when I was eight or nine years old, maybe younger.

286
00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:13,000
I started, how many collect coins here?

287
00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:14,000
Anybody collect coins?

288
00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:17,000
Good, there's three nerds in the room.

289
00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:18,000
Good.

290
00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:19,000
We should start a club, right?

291
00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:21,000
You know, they'll talk about lost keys.

292
00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:22,000
We'll talk about coins.

293
00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:23,000
All right.

294
00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:27,000
I have, I have a, like a, like a case of coins from all over the world.

295
00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,000
Most of them are just not even worth the metal that they're printed on.

296
00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:32,000
I just like them and I look at them.

297
00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:36,000
But years ago, I started collecting silver dollar coins.

298
00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:41,000
And over the years, I had heard a story about somebody who had had a certain amount of silver dollar coins

299
00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:44,000
and they were able to pay for something for their house early on in their life.

300
00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:49,000
And I thought, oh man, that's great because silver never, you know, you know, is worth nothing.

301
00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:55,000
So maybe I'll just, so over the last 20 years, every time I've had an extra 20 bucks or 25 bucks or 15 bucks,

302
00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:58,000
depending on where the market was, I would go and I'd just buy another silver coin.

303
00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:00,000
And so I've collected them over the years.

304
00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:03,000
And this is one of those. This is a 2023.

305
00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:15,000
Now, what's interesting about this coin is to me, it has absolute zero value related to my care.

306
00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:23,000
Meaning there is no sentimental value to this coin, but it does have intrinsic value.

307
00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:25,000
This silver is worth something.

308
00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:29,000
And not simply because we as a society decided it was worth something.

309
00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:31,000
That's what we do with paper money.

310
00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:33,000
We agree this piece of paper is worth something.

311
00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:35,000
And so then we barter with it.

312
00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:37,000
But silver has value beyond that.

313
00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:44,000
What silver does is it has intrinsic value because of what it can be worth in that which we create

314
00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:46,000
in technology and all sorts of other uses.

315
00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:50,000
But it also has value historically throughout the centuries.

316
00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:53,000
We're literally talking about a story for 2000 years ago,

317
00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:55,000
they were talking about a coin that was worth money.

318
00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:57,000
It was called a silver coin.

319
00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:04,000
Now, what can we learn about God and ourselves from this historical context?

320
00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:05,000
Well, a few things.

321
00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:16,000
The first thing you can learn about God's value of you is that he values you sentimentally and intrinsically.

322
00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:22,000
When Jesus uses this metaphor, he does so very intentionally by saying,

323
00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:27,000
I want you to understand how God sees you.

324
00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:30,000
God sees you as incredibly valuable.

325
00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:34,000
You have sentimental value to him and intrinsic value to him.

326
00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:35,000
You say, what does that mean?

327
00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:48,000
It means friend, when God thinks of you, he thinks of you the same way a woman who thinks of her wedding ring thinks of her ring.

328
00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:55,000
He likes you, he loves you, and he thinks about you.

329
00:17:55,000 --> 00:18:03,000
And when you're lost, he's worried for you.

330
00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:07,000
Some of you are carrying some worries and burdens right now.

331
00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:11,000
You're concerned and worried about what's going to happen.

332
00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:14,000
Or you're concerned and worried about how they view you.

333
00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:20,000
Or you're concerned and worried about what took place a month ago or six months ago.

334
00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:23,000
And these concerns and worries are stressing you out.

335
00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:27,000
And sometimes you think nobody knows and nobody cares.

336
00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:31,000
And what I'm trying to tell you, according to what the scripture says,

337
00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:37,000
the scripture shows us this truth that God values you sentimentally.

338
00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:40,000
He cares about what you care about.

339
00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:42,000
He thinks about what you think about.

340
00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:49,000
There is a sentimental value that he has toward you, but not just sentimental, intrinsic.

341
00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:54,000
See, you can have a sentimental value about something that is worth nothing.

342
00:18:54,000 --> 00:19:00,000
How many of you have received art from your children?

343
00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:02,000
You say, but it's beautiful.

344
00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:04,000
It's worth something sentimentally. Yes.

345
00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:08,000
You say, but maybe one day, no.

346
00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:11,000
No, like no, nobody cares.

347
00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:13,000
It's junk.

348
00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:15,000
It's worth nothing on the open market.

349
00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:17,000
You say, I think it might put it on eBay. Let's see.

350
00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:19,000
Let's see. Let the market decide.

351
00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:22,000
Because that which is normally sentimental is not intrinsic.

352
00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:24,000
That which is intrinsic may not be sentimental.

353
00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:30,000
And Jesus is saying, you are both sentimentally valuable to me and also intrinsically value to me.

354
00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:35,000
That means you are valuable to God at your very created being.

355
00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:41,000
We're going to get to more on that in the second point in a moment.

356
00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:50,000
I can remember my mother one time she lost her diamond in her wedding ring.

357
00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:56,000
We were probably about eight years old at the time I was, and I was in the foyer of the church.

358
00:19:56,000 --> 00:20:00,000
My dad's a pastor, and as a pastor, he was closing down the church.

359
00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:02,000
It was a small church on a late Sunday night.

360
00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:05,000
And as they were closing down, my mother was in the auditorium.

361
00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:07,000
My father was in the foyer with the children.

362
00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:10,000
And all of a sudden we heard my mother scream.

363
00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:14,000
And we ran inside and she was down by the front, like right in this area.

364
00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:16,000
It was a very small building though.

365
00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:19,000
And she was on the ground and she was searching and looking and we're like, what's going on?

366
00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:22,000
And she looked up at my father with tears coming down her eyes.

367
00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:24,000
And she rarely ever cried.

368
00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:28,000
And she said, it's gone. It's gone. It happened again.

369
00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:37,000
My father had bought her a, just years before, an engagement ring, but a very poor quality engagement.

370
00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:42,000
A picture, an engagement ring that a poor college student seminary could afford.

371
00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:46,000
That's what the diamond was very small.

372
00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:49,000
And the prongs that held the diamond were very weak.

373
00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:52,000
This was the third time that she had lost her diamond.

374
00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,000
And she's weeping.

375
00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:59,000
Now think about this. She's weeping because of a stone that was lost.

376
00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:03,000
You say, why was she weeping? It was a stone. It's a rock.

377
00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:07,000
And the answer, because it was of its intrinsic value.

378
00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:12,000
See, it was valuable and we did not have tons of money to go out and buy a new diamond.

379
00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:15,000
But it was also sentimental.

380
00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:22,000
She didn't want another rock. She wanted that rock because that was the rock that he gave her when they fell in love.

381
00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:25,000
You see?

382
00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:28,000
Don't you understand that's exactly how God sees you?

383
00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:34,000
He sees you in your intrinsic value because you are a human soul.

384
00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:40,000
You say, well, he's got lots of other human souls, but he knows you specifically.

385
00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:45,000
He doesn't want them above you. He wants you.

386
00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:49,000
He has walked with you and talked with you since you were a child.

387
00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:53,000
He's known every hurt and every harm. He knows every joy and every celebration.

388
00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:56,000
He loves you and he knows you.

389
00:21:56,000 --> 00:22:01,000
And the reality is if you are lost, he grieves for you and he's looking for you.

390
00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:04,000
He's not just wanting you because he wants one more soul in heaven.

391
00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:11,000
He wants you because he wants you. He likes you. He's searching for you.

392
00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:15,000
The same way a woman would search for her diamond or her coin.

393
00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:21,000
And so the first perspective that I want us to see to truly understand the story is that of the historical context.

394
00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:25,000
But second, what I want us to see is the theological perspective.

395
00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:33,000
See, same story, different perspective, and the theological perspective tells us even more about God and tells us more about you.

396
00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:36,000
Say, what is the theological perspective, Pastor Josh?

397
00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:42,000
That your value is based upon your creation and your purpose.

398
00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:52,000
I'll say it again. The theological perspective is that your value is based upon your creation and upon your purpose.

399
00:22:52,000 --> 00:23:00,000
You're valuable because you were created in the image of God and because you have purpose in that creation.

400
00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:03,000
Say, what do you mean I was created in the image of God?

401
00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:06,000
Okay, think about the analogy Jesus gives. There's so much here.

402
00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:13,000
It was a coin and on a coin is typically the image of who?

403
00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:18,000
Typically the image of whoever's in charge of that nation, state or government.

404
00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:24,000
At this time, it would have been the king or the Caesar or whatever ruler was in that region.

405
00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:30,000
It had the image upon the person showing who the coin ultimately belonged to.

406
00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:33,000
Okay, so you say, how does that have anything to do with me?

407
00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:37,000
Well, theologically speaking, in a similar way, you as a human being.

408
00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:40,000
How many human beings here, if you are, say a man?

409
00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:43,000
I'm not just checking, all right? We're very close to Area 51.

410
00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:45,000
I don't want to, I don't know.

411
00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:53,000
As a human being, you are created in the image of God. Theologically speaking, we call it Amal Goday.

412
00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:58,000
Amal Goday means that mankind is different than the rest of creation.

413
00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:05,000
You are not simply just another animal. You are unique among all of God's creation.

414
00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:09,000
There are many creatures. There's only one mankind.

415
00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:14,000
And the theology that we understand is that you and I are created in the image of God.

416
00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:20,000
Now, this Amal Goday is not just a theological concept that's been demonstrated in art throughout human history.

417
00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:23,000
Does anybody know who painted these hands?

418
00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:30,000
Anybody know? It's Michelangelo, and he did so in the ceiling of the 16th, Sistine Chapel.

419
00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:34,000
I would say 16. It's not 16. The Sistine Chapel there in the Vatican.

420
00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:41,000
In fact, if you want to see the broader image of what is literally referred to by artists as the Amal Goday, here it is.

421
00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:43,000
Now, notice, I put a fig leaf.

422
00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:52,000
You say, pastor, that's not necessary. And I say to you, you don't know all the people I pastor. Amen?

423
00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:55,000
I'll get emails. Emails.

424
00:24:55,000 --> 00:25:00,000
What? That kind of painting doesn't belong in a church.

425
00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:06,000
And they're like, it's actually from a church. So, you know, you know, a big church. It's a big church.

426
00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:11,000
Oh, that's a stupid joke. All right. Anyway, you can take off the leaf.

427
00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:14,000
I'm just kidding. No, no, don't do it. All right.

428
00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:28,000
This painting is very famous. It's called the Amal Goday. It's part of a grand scope of murals painted by Michelangelo in the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican in Rome.

429
00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:31,000
But this centerpiece is referred to as Amal Goday.

430
00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:39,000
Now, what's fascinating about this piece is you're going to notice the reflective imagery. That's what you're supposed to see.

431
00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:52,000
The divine, the singular one God of the universe creates one creation uniquely, differently than the rest of creation around him.

432
00:25:52,000 --> 00:26:02,000
And when he does, Adam representing all mankind, when he does, he is reflecting the image of the Creator.

433
00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:04,000
This is essential to understand.

434
00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:09,000
This is what the Bible's talking about in Genesis chapter one of verse 27 when it says,

435
00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:14,000
God, at the very beginning of the Bible says God created man in his own image.

436
00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:21,000
The word man there means humankind. It's not male or female. In this word, it just means mankind.

437
00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:27,000
God created mankind. When I say, who created mankind, you say God. Who created mankind?

438
00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:29,000
Okay. Now, how did God create man?

439
00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:34,000
Well, out of the dust of the ground, he breathed into his nostrils a breath of life. Man became a living soul.

440
00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:44,000
And according to this verse, he created man in his image. Amal Goday. In the image of the deity.

441
00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:50,000
In the image of God created him. Now, to be very clear, the author wanted to be very clear.

442
00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:54,000
It's not just men who are created in the image of God.

443
00:26:54,000 --> 00:27:01,000
Both male and female are created in the image of God. He created both of them in the image of God.

444
00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:08,000
Why is that important to understand? Because from the Christian's worldview, humans have value

445
00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:14,000
because they bear the image of God. All of them do.

446
00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:20,000
You say, I agree. All humans just like me have value. That is not a Christian thought.

447
00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:26,000
A Christian thought is all humans throughout history, throughout time and into the future.

448
00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:37,000
All of us are image bearers of God. Therefore, we have value because we are created by the God who wants us to reflect his image.

449
00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:41,000
It's not just an Old Testament principle. It's also a New Testament principle.

450
00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:46,000
And it's spoken of by the apostle Paul in the book of the Colossians, chapter number three.

451
00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:51,000
When Christians were stopped, didn't want to walk with God. When people start running from God,

452
00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:55,000
they were not reflecting the image of God. And so the apostle Paul says,

453
00:27:55,000 --> 00:28:02,000
put on the new man, that is the new you created in Christ, the one who was baptized and buried in Rhodes again.

454
00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:08,000
Put on the new life that is renewed in knowledge according to the image of him who created him.

455
00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:12,000
That is, some humans don't live as if they're living in the image of God.

456
00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:16,000
But Jesus reminds us we need to live as if we reflect his image.

457
00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:22,000
You are valuable because human beings are valuable.

458
00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:29,000
Now this goes absolutely counter to the modern philosophy of materialism.

459
00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:35,000
That you, there is no soul, there's nothing unique about you.

460
00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:40,000
You're just a bag of meat and bones. And so you have no value.

461
00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:48,000
Christian theology is taught forever. There is intrinsic value in created value in you.

462
00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:55,000
But notice this, notice this, theologically, there's not just value in you because you're created in the image of God.

463
00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:59,000
There is value in you because of your purpose.

464
00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:11,000
When the coin was lost, it had no purpose.

465
00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:18,000
Only does the coin have purpose when it is found and placed back in the correct spot.

466
00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:22,000
Now notice I did not say the coin has no value lost.

467
00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:31,000
Yes, a lost coin still has value, but it's not going to be valuable until it can really fit within the purpose of what God created it to be.

468
00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:40,000
So the moment a lost coin in this woman's story is found, it now, its purpose is restored, it's placed right in the right spot,

469
00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:46,000
and now it has incredible extreme value because it's doing exactly what it was created to do.

470
00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:51,000
Let me ask you a question. Are you doing exactly what you were created to do?

471
00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:59,000
One of my jobs as one of your pastors, our job here is to equip you to figure out what you were created to do.

472
00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:05,000
Now generally, all of you are created in the image of God, which means all of us should represent God,

473
00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:10,000
but you individually have a unique purpose. You fit in the coin somewhere.

474
00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:13,000
My question is, have you figured that out?

475
00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:17,000
Are you pursuing that purpose? Are you accomplishing your calling?

476
00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:21,000
Because when you are found and placed in that place, boy, I'll tell you everything changes.

477
00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:25,000
The reason I say this is because I see it all the time.

478
00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:34,000
One of the best parts of my job is that I have an opportunity of finding lost coins.

479
00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:42,000
You know those guys that are out on the beach and they're beep?

480
00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:44,000
Beep, you know what I mean?

481
00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:48,000
So as a Christian, I don't just mean as a pastor, one of my jobs is being a Christian.

482
00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:51,000
As a Christian, I'm looking for lost coins all the time.

483
00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:54,000
I'm trying to find them for Jesus.

484
00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:59,000
And whenever they are found and they restored to their understanding of their image of God,

485
00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:08,000
that they are an image bearer of God, and they're bringing back into their purpose, their whole life changes.

486
00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:16,000
Like, okay, Ches here at this service. All right. So Ches over here.

487
00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:18,000
Ches, how old are you?

488
00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:19,000
Twenty.

489
00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:21,000
Twenty years old.

490
00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:24,000
How many of you remember being twenty years old?

491
00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:29,000
You remember being twenty? You hurt less.

492
00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:34,000
I'm forty-two. I hurt a lot more now, like always.

493
00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:38,000
I hurt myself falling asleep and waking up, you know?

494
00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:40,000
Like, what did you do? Play football?

495
00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:44,000
No, I slept yesterday and when I...

496
00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:49,000
And don't you hate it, by the way, those of you in your forties, whenever somebody in their twenties complains about pain?

497
00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:52,000
Don't you hate that? You're like, don't...

498
00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:56,000
You don't even... shut it, shut, shut your mouth.

499
00:31:56,000 --> 00:31:57,000
And you give them a look.

500
00:31:57,000 --> 00:31:59,000
By the way, I'm in my forties and I complain about pain.

501
00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:06,000
I have friends here that are in their seventies and they look at me the same way I look at the twenty-year-old.

502
00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:09,000
They're like, you're forty, shut your mouth, shut it.

503
00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:11,000
It doesn't get better. You understand?

504
00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:13,000
It's twenty years old.

505
00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:27,000
And Ches is in my young men's mentorship group, which is a Sunday afternoon group that I teach eighteen to twenty-eight year olds on principles of the Bible on how to live a godly life and be a leader in community.

506
00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:34,000
And Ches has been part of that group and he said something in last week's session that just blew my mind and I asked him, can I share that with the church?

507
00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:36,000
And he said, yes, you can.

508
00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:41,000
He opened up by saying, guys, you have no idea about my full story.

509
00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:51,000
But he said, when I was lost, I was absolutely miserable and life was meaningless.

510
00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:55,000
Now you think it yourself, twenty years old, how much trouble could you get into?

511
00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:59,000
And I'll let Ches tell his own story someday, but a lot of trouble.

512
00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:08,000
He said out loud in that group, he said, let me tell you what I tried and he listed all sorts of things.

513
00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:14,000
He said, that didn't satisfy me and this didn't satisfy and this problem and it just made me sicker and worse.

514
00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:19,000
And I was just depressed and I had an emptiness and meaninglessness.

515
00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:21,000
Listen to me, listen.

516
00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:25,000
Meaninglessness.

517
00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:33,000
See, some of you think you're very unique because sometimes you sit around and you're like, does it mean anything?

518
00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:41,000
I feel like it just doesn't mean anything and I'm telling you, when you're lost, that's what you feel.

519
00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:43,000
You say, but I'm not lost.

520
00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:46,000
The coin didn't know it wasn't lost either.

521
00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:50,000
The coin just was lost, had no awareness of it.

522
00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:57,000
And there are people in this room today who feel the meaninglessness of life, the anxiety of not moving forward,

523
00:33:57,000 --> 00:34:03,000
and you're lost, you just don't know that you're lost, and what Christ is doing is he's searching for you.

524
00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:08,000
In fact, this very moment is part of his finding you.

525
00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:13,000
So Ches went on to talk about when everything changed for him, when everything changed for him,

526
00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:17,000
was when his family started bringing him to Jesus Christ.

527
00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:25,000
Let me just stop and ask this. Do you have family right now that you think are hopelessly lost and they'll never come to Jesus Christ?

528
00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:28,000
See, that's the way Ches was.

529
00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:32,000
Hopelessly lost. His words, meaningless.

530
00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:35,000
And his sister, his older sister, Nydia.

531
00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:38,000
Nydia is the young woman who was up here giving announcements earlier.

532
00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:41,000
She works on our staff.

533
00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:45,000
And Nydia started inviting Ches to church.

534
00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:47,000
You got to come, you got to come, you got to come.

535
00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:55,000
Now, she's seven years older than him, and they were both raised in a family that I would just say is not a good family.

536
00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:57,000
According to their own story.

537
00:34:57,000 --> 00:35:01,000
I mean, if I told you the story, by the time you were done, you would be crying.

538
00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:04,000
I know I was when I first heard.

539
00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:14,000
And so she married a wonderful man named Jeffrey, their leader in our church, and Jeffrey and Nydia decided two years ago when Ches was just 17, almost 18.

540
00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:17,000
Ches, we want to adopt you into our family.

541
00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:21,000
But you got to go to church. You got to start understanding more about Jesus.

542
00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:35,000
And over the last two years, Ches has been born again, baptized, changed his life, given his life over to Christ, has meaning and hope and purpose and a future and a future.

543
00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:40,000
Don't you understand what the metaphor of the coin is saying?

544
00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:55,000
Ches has the image of God on him, and he has great purpose, but he has to be in the right place and understand his purpose and his identity before he can be valuable to the rest of the world.

545
00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:59,000
Before he can find meaning in his own life.

546
00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:06,000
And any of you who know Ches, you'll sit with him for 30 minutes, look him in the eye and talk to him, and you're going to walk away saying, this kid could take over the world.

547
00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:10,000
He's incredible, but only if he's fulfilling his purpose with Christ.

548
00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:12,000
Does this make sense? If it does, say amen.

549
00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:14,000
So what is this story telling us?

550
00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:17,000
Number one, we see a historical context.

551
00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:19,000
Number two, we see a theological takeaway.

552
00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:20,000
And then lastly, and we'll leave.

553
00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:23,000
Number three, there's a theological perspective.

554
00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:25,000
Lastly, there's a personal takeaway.

555
00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:26,000
What is the personal takeaway?

556
00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:27,000
Here it is.

557
00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:29,000
It's summarized.

558
00:36:29,000 --> 00:36:37,000
When you see your value, you'll finally be able to help others find their value.

559
00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:42,000
Here's the personal takeaway that I want you to see.

560
00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:51,000
When you finally discover your value to God and your value to the world and your value to yourself and your value to others.

561
00:36:51,000 --> 00:37:01,000
When you finally understand it, that's when you can finally help others see their value and then comes the joy.

562
00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:10,000
There are two questions I want you to wrestle with and then we're going to leave.

563
00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:12,000
Here's question number one.

564
00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:17,000
Question number one is, where would I be if I was still lost?

565
00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:20,000
Think about it.

566
00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:31,000
Some of you, you were a lost coin, but you were lost so long ago, you forget the damnable situation you found yourself in.

567
00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:32,000
Here's my question.

568
00:37:32,000 --> 00:37:34,000
Go back 10 years when you got saved.

569
00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:38,000
Five years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago, when you got saved, here's the question.

570
00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:41,000
Where would you be if you were still lost and Jesus never found you?

571
00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:50,000
And maybe for you today's sermon just ends right there and you're able to go home and just reflect on the fact, God, thank you for saving me.

572
00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:56,000
I've been so freaking out about this problem or that problem or this situation or that problem.

573
00:37:56,000 --> 00:38:00,000
Thank you for saving me because if I was still lost, who knows where I would be?

574
00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:09,000
Now again, some of you might say, if I was still lost, I don't ever remember being lost.

575
00:38:09,000 --> 00:38:11,000
Okay, let me be very clear with you.

576
00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:15,000
If you don't remember being lost, it's because you've never been found.

577
00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:20,000
Say that's insulting.

578
00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:21,000
I don't mean to be insulting.

579
00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:26,000
The coin itself had no clue it was lost.

580
00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:35,000
If there's not a time in your life you can look at and say, oh, I remember when Jesus found me and he saved me and I've been born again.

581
00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:43,000
I had a repented and receiving Christ, then the likelihood is you're a lost coin who's hearing about being found and lost, but you've never been found.

582
00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:45,000
You've never been saved.

583
00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:46,000
You've never been born again.

584
00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:49,000
You don't get saved because you go to church.

585
00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:51,000
You don't get saved because grandma likes you.

586
00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:54,000
You're saved when Jesus Christ finds you.

587
00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:58,000
You repent and receive Jesus Christ as your savior and you're born again.

588
00:38:58,000 --> 00:39:02,000
So if you're here today and you're like, oh, I didn't even know I was lost.

589
00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:03,000
Don't be surprised.

590
00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:05,000
Well, some people just don't know.

591
00:39:06,000 --> 00:39:07,000
And you've never been born again.

592
00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:08,000
You need to be saved.

593
00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:10,000
Say, well, how does that happen?

594
00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:15,000
Well, you can come and talk with me after the service, practically.

595
00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:22,000
After the service, when everybody else leaves, come forward and say, look, I need to make sure of my own salvation.

596
00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:29,000
Josh, can we schedule a time to go to coffee and talk about the moment I need, when was I saved?

597
00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:30,000
I need to be saved.

598
00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:32,000
And if you schedule that, we'll talk about it.

599
00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:35,000
So the first question that I want you to wrestle with is reflective.

600
00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:38,000
What if, where would I be if I was lost?

601
00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:39,000
The second question, then we got to go.

602
00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:41,000
Here it is.

603
00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:48,000
Who does he want you to find?

604
00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:52,000
This one's for the Christian.

605
00:39:52,000 --> 00:39:55,000
How many Christians are in the room if you are, say amen.

606
00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:56,000
All right.

607
00:39:56,000 --> 00:39:57,000
So who does he want you to find?

608
00:39:58,000 --> 00:39:59,000
So what do you mean?

609
00:39:59,000 --> 00:40:04,000
Who in your life right now is lost and God is using you to find them?

610
00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:06,000
You say, well, well, Josh, you're misunderstanding the story.

611
00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:11,000
In the story itself, doesn't the story say that God is this woman who is looking for the lost coin?

612
00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:18,000
The lost coin is lost, but the God is the, yeah, but she uses all things at her disposal to find the lost coin.

613
00:40:18,000 --> 00:40:22,000
She uses a lamp and she uses, she gets on her knees and she uses a broom.

614
00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:28,000
My question is, is it possible that God is trying to use you to find a lost coin that is right there?

615
00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:29,000
The lost coin that is right near you.

616
00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:34,000
You say, why would, why would I do that for two reasons?

617
00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:36,000
Number one, the lost coin needs to be found.

618
00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:40,000
But number two, because of the joy that comes when you find a lost coin.

619
00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:48,000
The greatest gift I could bring to you today is this.

620
00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:50,000
Some of you lack joy.

621
00:40:50,000 --> 00:40:51,000
You do.

622
00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:57,000
There's no daily joy, weekly joy in your life, and it's just like a drudgery to get through.

623
00:40:57,000 --> 00:40:58,000
And you're a follower of Jesus Christ.

624
00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:00,000
You're like, where's the joy?

625
00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:05,000
And in this passage, it tells you three stories of people who are filled with joy.

626
00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:10,000
The first one is a man who lost a sheep and he found the sheep and he had joy.

627
00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:13,000
A woman who lost a coin found the coin and she had joy.

628
00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:17,000
And then next week, a man who lost a son and when he found his son had joy.

629
00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:22,000
And I'm telling you as somebody who you know me, you know me, I have joy.

630
00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:24,000
And you say, boy, that must be a personality trait.

631
00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:29,000
No, I have joy because I'm constantly finding lost coins.

632
00:41:29,000 --> 00:41:32,000
And it is so awesome.

633
00:41:32,000 --> 00:41:40,000
It makes all of the problems that I face insignificant because it's so exciting when somebody comes to church and gets saved.

634
00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:46,000
So could it be that you downgrade all the people who are filled with joy?

635
00:41:46,000 --> 00:41:54,000
You downgrade all of these other issues and say, okay, Jesus, who is lost around me that I need to bring to Jesus?

636
00:41:54,000 --> 00:42:02,000
For their soul and for your own joy.

637
00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:04,000
Who is it?

638
00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:15,000
I'm asking the Holy Spirit of God before we leave right now to speak to your heart and tell you who is the person you're supposed to bring to church.

639
00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:19,000
So that they can be found like Chávez.

640
00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:20,000
Let's pray.

641
00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:24,000
Father, I thank you for your word.

642
00:42:24,000 --> 00:42:31,000
This story seen from three different perspectives is so massively big and beautiful.

643
00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:34,000
I pray that we would learn from it deep in our hearts.

644
00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:36,000
In Jesus' name we pray.

645
00:42:36,000 --> 00:42:49,000
Amen.