Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the podcast that takes
you deeper into the Word of Godthroughout your week With your
hosts, pastors Lee and Jim.
It's time to inspire, upliftand dig deeper.
Beyond Sunday starts now.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Hey, what's going on everybody?
This is Pastor Lee and, asalways, I'm sitting here at the
table with Pastor Jim, and weare the pastors of Christ Family
Outreach Church, located inAmelia, virginia.
If you do not have a church,swing on by on a Sunday or a
Thursday night and tell us hello.
We would love to meet you inperson.
Pastor Jim, how are you feeling?
Speaker 1 (00:42):
today, brother, Feeling good, and I'm excited to
dig into the Word of God.
It's cool because we're goingto be continuing a series that I
don't know that we actuallythought was going to be a series
, but three weeks ago we startedtalking about the prodigal son.
Last week and then the weekbefore that it was the lost
sheep, and then now today we'regoing to be talking about the
lost coin, and all threeparables are pointing really to
(01:03):
the same thing.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
So this is going to be part three of a three-part
series that we didn't evenintend on, Didn't even know it
was going to be a series, butyou know it's just, the Word is
alive and so as you get into theWord of God, you just kind of
you're led sometimes by theSpirit to go from one thing to
another thing, to another thing.
And you're right, we didn'tplan on it kind of being like
this, but we've kind of beencamped out in this particular
(01:26):
area in Scripture.
And so today we're coming fromLuke, chapter 15, verses 8
through 10.
And, as Pastor Jim justmentioned, we are going to study
this topic of the lost coin.
Pastor Jimmy, we'll go aheadand read Yep, let's read it.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
This is what the Word of the Lord says Luke 15, verse
8.
Or what woman, having tensilver coins, if she loses one
coin, does not light a lamp andsweep the house and seek
diligently until she finds it?
And when she has found it, shecalls together her friends and
her neighbors, saying Rejoicewith me, for I have found that
(02:03):
coin that I had lost.
Saying Rejoice with me, for Ihave found that coin that I had
lost.
Just so I tell you, there isjoy before the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Yeah, you know, as I was studying this text and just
reading it, this question justkind of exploded in my head.
You know, I just kind ofchuckled over it and I hope the
listeners will get some humorout of it as well.
But, pastor Jim, I got to askyou a question before we go any
further.
Because here we are, we'retalking about this lost coin and
the first thing that Ipersonally think about when I
hear that is some change lostdown under the couch cushions.
(02:38):
Right, and we've probably allbeen there before, where we're
doing a deep clean, we removethe cushions and we find who
knows what down there.
So most people that know PastorJim, you know that he's got
three sons, and so the thingthat I was curious about, pastor
Jim, is what was the mostinteresting thing that maybe you
have found under the cushionsof your couch?
(03:00):
Oh, man.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Well, you know now that I'm thinking about it.
One time, when we were in NorthCarolina and I was in a
military station down at FortBragg in North Carolina, we had
got back from the beach and atthe beach my son, my littlest
son, abel, had asked for ahermit crab.
And I think you know where I'mgoing with this.
(03:22):
Oh man, that's terrible.
So we brought this hermit crabhome, we had this little shelter
for it and what we did was weput it on top of the
refrigerator.
And one day we came home and welooked on top of the
refrigerator or I should say mykids did and said hey, we can't
find this crab.
And I said, oh no.
And so what happened was manyweeks later go by and we moved
(03:44):
the couch so not necessarily inthe couch cushions, but as we
moved the couch, guess who washanging out underneath one of
our couches?
Oh no, not Hermie the Crab, yep, and I am sad to report that I
don't believe he kept his lifeduring that process, but that
might be the strangest thingI've ever found in around or
under a couch.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
That's pretty good.
I know with me the typicalgoing to find some loose change
right, a remote control thatyou're digging all over the
place and it just kind of getsshoved down back behind that
cushion.
But one of the craziest thingsto me that I have found in couch
cushions, under couch cushions,and I can't understand how is
(04:28):
the amount of food like somebodyhelp me out out there listening
right now like find so manycrumbs.
You know, and I can't explainit because I've got one hole on
my face that the food goes intoright, like and I think that for
my kids, for my wife, like Ijust don't understand how we
have this one place where thefood has to get to and how we
(04:51):
miss that one place being ourmouth and like crumbs, like fall
, hit our person, roll off of us, land on the couch and somehow,
pastor Jim, get down throughthe cracks and under the
cushions.
Like I cannot figure out howfood particles make it under
there.
(05:11):
And man, I'm talking about somuch that at times you know
you're thinking, man, I couldmake a whole meal and I put all
these scraps together right here.
Man, like got bread chips, Imean you name it.
Man, like I just don'tunderstand it.
And thank God ice cream meltsbecause, man, with the amount of
ice cream that goes throughhere sometimes in this household
, like I don't even know, likethe amount of ice cream that we
(05:33):
would find under there if it didnot melt.
But that's just, that's just alittle thought I had.
You know, hopefully some of thelisteners are giggling right
now thinking about some of thecraziest things that maybe, that
maybe they found underneath thecushions of their couch.
But let's get rolling back intothe text Luke 15, 8 through 10.
As Pastor Jim just read, thiswoman, she has lost this coin,
(05:58):
and this is not the equivalentof losing some pocket change in
between the cushions of yourcouch, like I just mentioned,
that I found at times in my ownhome.
But those 10 silver coins wouldhave been valued at 10 days
worth of wages during that time,which means the one lost coin
was a really big deal because,pastor Jim, it was a, as you
know, a full day's worth of wage.
(06:20):
It was a full day's worth ofpay and I just imagine going to
work, getting paid for that oneday.
Shortly after getting home youcome, you relax, you kind of let
your hair down a little bit.
Maybe you're cleaning up andyou lost the money you know.
Just like this woman, I believemost of us would be searching
high and low to find that moneythat we had lost.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Yeah, and you bring up a really good point.
Because when you read this itmay be easy to think about man,
we're just talking about somechange, and then nowadays you
know loose change, who's lookingfor that?
You drop a penny, you mightkeep walking, but I think that
once you realize it is a fullday's wage, anybody here
listening who would be lookingfor that amount of money, or
(07:04):
rather lost that amount of money, would absolutely be looking
for that.
But I think, as we kind ofdissect it a little bit further,
what really gets me throughthis whole text and really
what's gotten me through all ofthese parables, is just how much
it shows God's heart.
You know, jesus is telling thisstory right after the parable
of the lost sheep that we talkedabout, right after the prodigal
(07:25):
son, and the three of theseparables are really driving home
the same point God is notgiving up on what belongs to Him
.
That coin is not just money,it's a picture of a person.
It's a picture of you, pastorLee, it's a picture of me, it's
a picture of our listeners andsomeone who is lost or who at
(07:45):
one point was lost, and maybethey're spiritually adrift
because we talk about theprodigal son, but maybe they
don't even know that they'relost.
That coin might not know it'slost and God is like this woman
who's relentless in going afterthis coin.
I mean, come on, the God of theuniverse, this is what I love
about it the God of thisuniverse is out there, searching
(08:08):
, shining a light, refusing tolet anyone slip through the
cracks.
And as we sort of unpack this alittle bit further, I want to
share some insights from otherparts of the scripture that I
found interesting, becauseEzekiel 34 says this God says
I'm going to seek the lost and Iwill bring back the strayed and
(08:29):
I will bind up the injured andI will strengthen the weak.
And that is this picture ofthis relentless pursuit that
reflects his covenant love.
Because it's not like God isjust casually searching through
the couch cushions, right, it'sdeliberate, it's personal, it's
all in, just like this womanwho's sweeping her entire house
(08:53):
right.
In Hosea 2, 19 and 20, godspeaks to Israel and he's saying
I will betroth you to meforever.
Speaks to Israel and he'ssaying I will betroth you to me
forever.
I will betroth you to myrighteousness and injustice and
steadfast love and mercy.
I will betroth you to me infaithfulness and you shall know
the Lord, even when if we canfor a moment just picture this
(09:15):
coin as Israel even when Israelwas straying away, god's love
never quit on Israel.
He's like the woman who willnot stop until the coin is found
.
This parable shows us thatGod's pursuit is not just about
finding this coin.
It's about restoration ofrelationship, and it's a
relationship that is meant tolast forever.
(09:35):
So when we're sharing this, weneed to point out how the coin's
value to the woman reflects howGod treasures each and every
single one of us, no matter howfar we've wandered or how lost
we might feel yeah, yeah, that'sso good.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
I'd like to point something out, and I want
everyone to pay close attentionto what I'm about to say next,
because it really should hithome for a lot of people that
may be listening today.
When you're lost, you're out ofplace.
I mean, think about that.
When you're lost, whensomething is lost, it's out of
(10:18):
place.
A lost coin holds no value aslong as that coin remains lost.
So I could have a $20 bill.
I could lose it.
I'm unable to put my hands onit because I cannot locate it.
That $20 is worthless to me aslong as it's out of my hands.
I cannot use it if I cannot putmy hands on it.
That bill, that $20 bill,cannot serve its purpose until
(10:41):
it gets back into my hands.
So if you're lost today, I justwant to encourage you get back
into the place that yourightfully belong, Get back into
the hands of God so that youcan be fully used in the purpose
that God Almighty has for yourlife.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Amen.
And you know, as we get intothe next part of the text, it's
getting into that rejoicing overthe one who was found right.
And we talked about this,obviously, in the last few
episodes.
But I wanted to go a little bitdeeper because I found some
different scriptures that Ithought I would point everyone
listening to, because what thewoman does not do when she finds
(11:18):
the coin is not say nice, I gotit, let me move on to the next
task.
She's calling up her friends,it says her neighbors, and she's
saying you've got to rejoicewith me.
And that's huge, because whathappens?
Jesus says, when every sinnerwho repents, he says to heavens,
rejoice One person.
(11:40):
He's not talking about astadium full of people turning
to God or you know masssalvations, it's just over the
one.
So this one coin right isspeaking of salvation.
And when that happens, heavenrejoices and David even says you
make known to me the path oflife In your presence.
(12:02):
There is fullness of joy Atyour right.
And David even says Because inZephaniah this is what the Lord
says who will save?
(12:24):
Amen, he will rejoice over youwith gladness, he will quiet you
by his love, he will exalt youwith loud singing.
So what this is telling me isthat God himself is singing over
the redeemed, or you could sayit like this God himself is
singing over the found coin.
This parable is not just aboutthe lost being found.
It's about God's delight infinding us.
It's about the delight that Godhas in pursuit of us.
(12:45):
And really, as you think aboutthis parable, you can use it to
spark conversations throughoutyour day-to-day about how
personally and joyful God'sresponse is when someone turns
to Him.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Yeah, I'd like to point out the fact—I know you
touched on it a little bit, butthis lady in this parable— she
goes to work.
She straight goes to worklooking for this coin, because
she knows the coin has value.
Yes, god loves us so much thathe sent his only begotten son
(13:18):
because he knows that in usthere is value that he can work
out for his glory.
And I think that's why it's soimportant that if you're
listening today and you feellike you're lost, that you
understand that you're out ofplace and maybe you feel like,
because you're lost and out ofplace, that you have no value.
But I promise you that when youput your life into the hands of
(13:40):
God, you will begin to writeaway Immediately, you will begin
to experience the value thatyou have as a son or daughter of
the Most High God, amen.
So everyone listening has valuein the eyes of God and we see
this through this parable ofwhat Jesus is teaching by this
(14:02):
woman losing this coin, notwasting time immediately going
to work to try to find thisparticular coin.
So here we see through the texta lamp was lit, okay, there's
floors to be swept clean, andthe words used are seek,
diligently until she finds thecoin.
(14:24):
This woman has gone to work andshe's not letting up until she
gets what she is set out to lookfor.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
You know what's so cool about you saying that is my
very next note has everythingto do with the flip side of that
, because what you're saying isgrace does all the work.
God does all the work.
The woman in this parable isrepresenting God looking for the
lost.
But I want you to look at adifferent angle here.
Notice that the coin didn't doanything to be found.
(14:55):
It's just sitting there.
Just sitting there, probably ina crack, probably in some dust,
probably surrounded in thisdark, shadowy corner.
It's not shouting out, it's notsignaling.
The coin does nothing.
But the woman, like you said,pastor Lee, did all of the work.
She lit the lamp, she swept thehouse, she searched diligently.
(15:16):
Yeah, and that's this picture ofGod's grace Just chasing after
us, bro.
Yes, like Ephesians says, forby grace you have been saved
through faith.
And this is not your own doing,it's the gift of God, it's not
a result of work.
See, the coin did no work.
So that way no one can boast,is what Ephesians says we don't
(15:37):
pull ourselves out of the mess.
God is the one who's searching,god is the one shining the
light, god is the one sweepingaway the junk to reach us.
And also in Titus, the wordsays.
(15:57):
I love this parable becauseit's showing us that salvation
is initiated from God from thestart and through completion.
Start and through completion.
And in a conversation, what wecan do is we can emphasize how
we don't earn God's love, but hecomes for us, even if we're
stuck in a couch cushion, evenif we're stuck in the dark.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Yeah, it reminds me what you just said, reminds me
of a song that's been out quitea few years now actually, but
it's titled Reckless Love.
You remember that Talking aboutGod's reckless love?
And for a long time, pastor Jim, I did not.
Although the song was catchyand sounded great.
For a long time I did not likethat song because I was thinking
(16:43):
man, reckless love, no, no, no.
Everywhere that I read inScripture there's order in God's
love and there's purpose.
But then, as I begin to listento the song more and more, I
begin to understand the angle inwhich the artist was coming
from.
It's that God is willing tochase after you and do whatever
it takes to get you to see thelove that he has for you.
(17:05):
And if that means coming up amountain at the highest height
to where you've climbed to, totry to run away from him or
break down walls or whatever itis, and I begin to kind of
change my thinking on themeaning of that song.
And now it's one of myfavorites because it's so right
In anything that we try to setup or put in between us and God
(17:28):
as we have tried to maybe runaway from his will for us.
He loves us so much that he'swilling to tear down any of
those walls and barriers that weourselves build up.
Think about it he loved us somuch that he gave his only
begotten son.
That's love.
That's a God that's willing toturn the light on and can I just
(17:48):
say that the light is JesusChrist.
Right, so that's a God that iswilling to turn the light on in
the house, to sweep the placeclean, to look under the
cushions, to chase you down.
It's like we said in lastweek's episode God pursues us.
You know, god pursues us, andmaybe that was two weeks ago.
(18:09):
God pursues his people, andwhat an honor it is that he does
.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
And you know, as we kind of wrap things up.
You know I love that you talkedabout this reckless kind of
love, because this parable isnot just a cute bedtime story,
right, even though it's a goodstory to be imparting to our
kids and our youth and all thosethings.
But the truth is is this is awindow into God's relentless
(18:37):
love for the lost.
But in this story, once werealize that, we understand also
that there is a call for us tojoin in this search.
Okay, this parable is going tochallenge us to reflect number
one on God's heart for the lost,which we've done.
The woman's effort makes me askdo I care about the lost the way
(19:01):
she cared about that coin?
Am I willing to shine a light?
Am I willing to get my handsdirty?
Am I willing to keep searchingfor ways to point people to
Jesus?
In Matthew 5, jesus says letyour light shine before others
so that they may see your goodworks and give glory to your
Father who is in heaven.
We are called to be like a lamp.
(19:23):
We are called to illuminate theway of God, and when someone
turns to him, I want to know toilluminate the way of God, and
when someone turns to him.
I want to know do I celebratelike heaven does, or do I just
move on?
Speaker 2 (19:33):
Yeah, when the coin is back in its place, as you
mentioned earlier, when it'sback where it belongs, friends
and neighbors are invited tocome over for a time of
rejoicing.
They're celebrating becauseit's more than just finding the
lost coin.
It's about what was once lostand out of place, now being home
(19:53):
, where it belongs.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Now it's back in its rightful place.
And when we see someone atchurch or we have a family
member or a friend, even ifthey're going to another church,
that's okay if that's wherethey're called to be.
But when we find out thatsomeone that we know has gotten
saved or maybe at your churchsomeone comes forward that you
don't know and they've gottensaved what we need to do is go
(20:18):
fan that flame by encouragingthem, by congratulating them, by
introducing ourselves to them,by getting their name and giving
them our name, so that at thenext service, when the doors are
open to the building, we cansee if they're there and
continue to encourage them, aswe also need to be encouraged.
So what was once out of placehas now gotten into place, what
(20:41):
once was lost has now been found, and it's our job as the body
of Christ to do what we see inthis parable, our job as the
body of Christ to do what we seein this parable and that Pastor
Jim is to celebrate.
That's right.
The 12th verse tells us thatangels in heaven rejoice over
one sinner who repents and turnsto Christ, one lost person
coming home to Christ by way ofsalvation, where they belong in
(21:03):
a personal relationship withJesus is enough to make heaven
be in a celebration, an uproarof praise.
And so how much more should wehere on earth, who have
witnessed it we've witnessed ithow much more should we be in
celebration, rejoicing withpeople that have come over from
the enemy's camp into the campof God?
Speaker 1 (21:25):
Yeah, and you know, like, when I walk into a room
and I see you rejoicing, morethan likely I'm going to ask the
question what you rejoicingabout?
And that's going to be youropportunity for testimony and
that's going to be youropportunity to be an ambassador
for Christ to say, well, lookwhat I just found in my couch.
You know how many times haveyou lost something?
And maybe you told your wifeand I can't find my wallet, I
can't find my keys, I can't find.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
whatever the case, is when is the remote control?
Speaker 1 (21:48):
And then, when you find it, what do you do?
You celebrate yeah, yeah, yeah.
And then someone says well,where'd you find it?
Speaker 2 (21:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
And then that's an opportunity for us, where, in 2
Corinthians, it talks to usabout being ambassadors for
Christ.
God's going to make his appealthrough us, through our
testimony.
That's right, and so that'swhat's really cool about the
rejoicing piece, which is whyit's so important to do so,
(22:15):
because that's going to give usan opportunity to actively seek
other people and telling themthrough sharing the gospel
message through our testimonies.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
Yeah, imagine man and I hope the listeners take this
the way I really want us to comeacross, because this is not to
condemn, but it should be toencourage.
Imagine how sad it must be tobe in a service.
Someone comes forward toreceive salvation, but there's
no celebration.
Yeah, and wouldn't it be likewaking up, it's your birthday
but nobody throws a party?
Yeah, it's your birthday butyou got no gifts.
(22:40):
It's your birthday and no onecalls you to say happy birthday.
You know, like, everybody'sjust living on like, like it's
normal man.
We're blessed to where, almostevery week, people come forward
to get saved at church.
But I don't ever want that tobe taken for granted, to the
point where people just get usedto people coming forward to
receive Christ and it's justlike, yeah, that's what happens
(23:00):
here, like, no, like the onlyway that that can happen is
because there's a movement ofthe Spirit of God, and whenever
there's a movement of the Spiritof God, we need to be
celebrating and we need to letthese people know that they have
now come over to the team thatwins.
God has never lost and he neverwill lose.
They're now part of a winningteam and a new family, a new
(23:21):
bloodline through the blood ofJesus, where curses have to fall
, generational curses have tobreak, they can be set free from
sin.
They've got a brand new life asthey repent and are born again.
There's bondages that have beenloosened and chains broken.
This thing called salvation isworth celebrating.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
Yeah, have we come so complacent with miracles that
the miracle of salvation is justlooked at as oh okay, yeah,
somebody got saved, you know.
Now I want salvation to benormal in our church.
I want that to be a regularoccurrence, absolutely.
But I also want the rejoicingnot only to be normalized, I
want it to be celebrated in away that says yes, lord, I know
(24:04):
that this is a miracle God and Inever want to forget that.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
Yeah, what an amazing opportunity it is that we get
to stand or sit or be in theroom, be present to watch
someone get saved and becomeborn again.
In Christ, amen.
And may we never, ever, gettired of seeing that or never,
ever lose the importance and themagnitude of what is taking
(24:30):
place right before our eyes.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
You know, I know we're running short on time, but
I just had a thought aboutadoption.
How about the family, thehusband and wife who may not be
able to have children, whofinally go through that process
of adoption and that's reallywhat salvation is right Us being
grafted and adopted into thefamily of God?
When you hear about that familywho finally has that adoption
(24:52):
paperwork go through and theyfinally are going to get their
new child coming home, oh, mygoodness, what a celebration,
what a rejoicing.
We're calling, we'recongratulating them.
We need to have that sameenergy when it comes to the
spiritual adoption into thefamily of God.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
You know, as you say that, bro, it's like I just got
hit by a ton of bricks.
Maybe that is our episode fornext week that we are adopted
into the body and we'll studyscripture and see what it is to
be adopted as sons and daughtersinto the family of God.
So that gives you something tothink about until next week and
to look forward to and to prayabout.
(25:31):
And we are thankful that youhave been here listening with us
today and we want to say untilnext time.
Until next time, continue toread your word, continue to pray
, continue to seek the face ofGod Almighty, because he wants
to have conversation with you.
Father, in the name of the bloodof Jesus, I just lift up these
(25:53):
listeners and also Pastor Jimand myself, and, father, we just
want your will to be done inour lives.
So we trust you, we trust you,we want to see you, we want to
hear from you, father, we wantto experience the magnitude of
your love and your goodness inour lives.
We thank you, father, that wecould have met today by way of
(26:14):
this podcast.
We love you, we praise you andwe honor you, and all God's
people said together, in thename and the cleansing blood of
Jesus Christ.
Amen, amen and amen.
Until next time on BeyondSunday.
God bless you.
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the podcast that takes
you deeper into the Word of Godthroughout your week With your
hosts, pastors Lee and Jim.
It's time to inspire, upliftand dig deeper.
Beyond Sunday starts now.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Hey, what's going on everybody?
This is Pastor Lee and, asalways, I'm sitting here at the
table with Pastor Jim, and weare the pastors of Christ Family
Outreach Church, located inAmelia, virginia.
If you do not have a church,swing on by on a Sunday or a
Thursday night and tell us hello.
We would love to meet you inperson.
Pastor Jim, how are you feeling?
Speaker 1 (00:42):
today, brother, Feeling good, and I'm excited to
dig into the Word of God.
It's cool because we're goingto be continuing a series that I
don't know that we actuallythought was going to be a series
, but three weeks ago we startedtalking about the prodigal son.
Last week and then the weekbefore that it was the lost
sheep, and then now today we'regoing to be talking about the
lost coin, and all threeparables are pointing really to
(01:03):
the same thing.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
So this is going to be part three of a three-part
series that we didn't evenintend on, Didn't even know it
was going to be a series, butyou know it's just, the Word is
alive and so as you get into theWord of God, you just kind of
you're led sometimes by theSpirit to go from one thing to
another thing, to another thing.
And you're right, we didn'tplan on it kind of being like
this, but we've kind of beencamped out in this particular
(01:26):
area in Scripture.
And so today we're coming fromLuke, chapter 15, verses 8
through 10.
And, as Pastor Jim justmentioned, we are going to study
this topic of the lost coin.
Pastor Jimmy, we'll go aheadand read Yep, let's read it.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
This is what the Word of the Lord says Luke 15, verse
8.
Or what woman, having tensilver coins, if she loses one
coin, does not light a lamp andsweep the house and seek
diligently until she finds it?
And when she has found it, shecalls together her friends and
her neighbors, saying Rejoicewith me, for I have found that
(02:03):
coin that I had lost.
Saying Rejoice with me, for Ihave found that coin that I had
lost.
Just so I tell you, there isjoy before the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Yeah, you know, as I was studying this text and just
reading it, this question justkind of exploded in my head.
You know, I just kind ofchuckled over it and I hope the
listeners will get some humorout of it as well.
But, pastor Jim, I got to askyou a question before we go any
further.
Because here we are, we'retalking about this lost coin and
the first thing that Ipersonally think about when I
hear that is some change lostdown under the couch cushions.
(02:38):
Right, and we've probably allbeen there before, where we're
doing a deep clean, we removethe cushions and we find who
knows what down there.
So most people that know PastorJim, you know that he's got
three sons, and so the thingthat I was curious about, pastor
Jim, is what was the mostinteresting thing that maybe you
have found under the cushionsof your couch?
(03:00):
Oh, man.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Well, you know now that I'm thinking about it.
One time, when we were in NorthCarolina and I was in a
military station down at FortBragg in North Carolina, we had
got back from the beach and atthe beach my son, my littlest
son, abel, had asked for ahermit crab.
And I think you know where I'mgoing with this.
(03:22):
Oh man, that's terrible.
So we brought this hermit crabhome, we had this little shelter
for it and what we did was weput it on top of the
refrigerator.
And one day we came home and welooked on top of the
refrigerator or I should say mykids did and said hey, we can't
find this crab.
And I said, oh no.
And so what happened was manyweeks later go by and we moved
(03:44):
the couch so not necessarily inthe couch cushions, but as we
moved the couch, guess who washanging out underneath one of
our couches?
Oh no, not Hermie the Crab, yep, and I am sad to report that I
don't believe he kept his lifeduring that process, but that
might be the strangest thingI've ever found in around or
under a couch.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
That's pretty good.
I know with me the typicalgoing to find some loose change
right, a remote control thatyou're digging all over the
place and it just kind of getsshoved down back behind that
cushion.
But one of the craziest thingsto me that I have found in couch
cushions, under couch cushions,and I can't understand how is
(04:28):
the amount of food like somebodyhelp me out out there listening
right now like find so manycrumbs.
You know, and I can't explainit because I've got one hole on
my face that the food goes intoright, like and I think that for
my kids, for my wife, like Ijust don't understand how we
have this one place where thefood has to get to and how we
(04:51):
miss that one place being ourmouth and like crumbs, like fall
, hit our person, roll off of us, land on the couch and somehow,
pastor Jim, get down throughthe cracks and under the
cushions.
Like I cannot figure out howfood particles make it under
there.
(05:11):
And man, I'm talking about somuch that at times you know
you're thinking, man, I couldmake a whole meal and I put all
these scraps together right here.
Man, like got bread chips, Imean you name it.
Man, like I just don'tunderstand it.
And thank God ice cream meltsbecause, man, with the amount of
ice cream that goes throughhere sometimes in this household
, like I don't even know, likethe amount of ice cream that we
(05:33):
would find under there if it didnot melt.
But that's just, that's just alittle thought I had.
You know, hopefully some of thelisteners are giggling right
now thinking about some of thecraziest things that maybe, that
maybe they found underneath thecushions of their couch.
But let's get rolling back intothe text Luke 15, 8 through 10.
As Pastor Jim just read, thiswoman, she has lost this coin,
(05:58):
and this is not the equivalentof losing some pocket change in
between the cushions of yourcouch, like I just mentioned,
that I found at times in my ownhome.
But those 10 silver coins wouldhave been valued at 10 days
worth of wages during that time,which means the one lost coin
was a really big deal because,pastor Jim, it was a, as you
know, a full day's worth of wage.
(06:20):
It was a full day's worth ofpay and I just imagine going to
work, getting paid for that oneday.
Shortly after getting home youcome, you relax, you kind of let
your hair down a little bit.
Maybe you're cleaning up andyou lost the money you know.
Just like this woman, I believemost of us would be searching
high and low to find that moneythat we had lost.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Yeah, and you bring up a really good point.
Because when you read this itmay be easy to think about man,
we're just talking about somechange, and then nowadays you
know loose change, who's lookingfor that?
You drop a penny, you mightkeep walking, but I think that
once you realize it is a fullday's wage, anybody here
listening who would be lookingfor that amount of money, or
(07:04):
rather lost that amount of money, would absolutely be looking
for that.
But I think, as we kind ofdissect it a little bit further,
what really gets me throughthis whole text and really
what's gotten me through all ofthese parables, is just how much
it shows God's heart.
You know, jesus is telling thisstory right after the parable
of the lost sheep that we talkedabout, right after the prodigal
(07:25):
son, and the three of theseparables are really driving home
the same point God is notgiving up on what belongs to Him
.
That coin is not just money,it's a picture of a person.
It's a picture of you, pastorLee, it's a picture of me, it's
a picture of our listeners andsomeone who is lost or who at
(07:45):
one point was lost, and maybethey're spiritually adrift
because we talk about theprodigal son, but maybe they
don't even know that they'relost.
That coin might not know it'slost and God is like this woman
who's relentless in going afterthis coin.
I mean, come on, the God of theuniverse, this is what I love
about it the God of thisuniverse is out there, searching
(08:08):
, shining a light, refusing tolet anyone slip through the
cracks.
And as we sort of unpack this alittle bit further, I want to
share some insights from otherparts of the scripture that I
found interesting, becauseEzekiel 34 says this God says
I'm going to seek the lost and Iwill bring back the strayed and
(08:29):
I will bind up the injured andI will strengthen the weak.
And that is this picture ofthis relentless pursuit that
reflects his covenant love.
Because it's not like God isjust casually searching through
the couch cushions, right, it'sdeliberate, it's personal, it's
all in, just like this womanwho's sweeping her entire house
(08:53):
right.
In Hosea 2, 19 and 20, godspeaks to Israel and he's saying
I will betroth you to meforever.
Speaks to Israel and he'ssaying I will betroth you to me
forever.
I will betroth you to myrighteousness and injustice and
steadfast love and mercy.
I will betroth you to me infaithfulness and you shall know
the Lord, even when if we canfor a moment just picture this
(09:15):
coin as Israel even when Israelwas straying away, god's love
never quit on Israel.
He's like the woman who willnot stop until the coin is found
.
This parable shows us thatGod's pursuit is not just about
finding this coin.
It's about restoration ofrelationship, and it's a
relationship that is meant tolast forever.
(09:35):
So when we're sharing this, weneed to point out how the coin's
value to the woman reflects howGod treasures each and every
single one of us, no matter howfar we've wandered or how lost
we might feel yeah, yeah, that'sso good.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
I'd like to point something out, and I want
everyone to pay close attentionto what I'm about to say next,
because it really should hithome for a lot of people that
may be listening today.
When you're lost, you're out ofplace.
I mean, think about that.
When you're lost, whensomething is lost, it's out of
(10:18):
place.
A lost coin holds no value aslong as that coin remains lost.
So I could have a $20 bill.
I could lose it.
I'm unable to put my hands onit because I cannot locate it.
That $20 is worthless to me aslong as it's out of my hands.
I cannot use it if I cannot putmy hands on it.
That bill, that $20 bill,cannot serve its purpose until
(10:41):
it gets back into my hands.
So if you're lost today, I justwant to encourage you get back
into the place that yourightfully belong, Get back into
the hands of God so that youcan be fully used in the purpose
that God Almighty has for yourlife.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Amen.
And you know, as we get intothe next part of the text, it's
getting into that rejoicing overthe one who was found right.
And we talked about this,obviously, in the last few
episodes.
But I wanted to go a little bitdeeper because I found some
different scriptures that Ithought I would point everyone
listening to, because what thewoman does not do when she finds
(11:18):
the coin is not say nice, I gotit, let me move on to the next
task.
She's calling up her friends,it says her neighbors, and she's
saying you've got to rejoicewith me.
And that's huge, because whathappens?
Jesus says, when every sinnerwho repents, he says to heavens,
rejoice One person.
(11:40):
He's not talking about astadium full of people turning
to God or you know masssalvations, it's just over the
one.
So this one coin right isspeaking of salvation.
And when that happens, heavenrejoices and David even says you
make known to me the path oflife In your presence.
(12:02):
There is fullness of joy Atyour right.
And David even says Because inZephaniah this is what the Lord
says who will save?
(12:24):
Amen, he will rejoice over youwith gladness, he will quiet you
by his love, he will exalt youwith loud singing.
So what this is telling me isthat God himself is singing over
the redeemed, or you could sayit like this God himself is
singing over the found coin.
This parable is not just aboutthe lost being found.
It's about God's delight infinding us.
It's about the delight that Godhas in pursuit of us.
(12:45):
And really, as you think aboutthis parable, you can use it to
spark conversations throughoutyour day-to-day about how
personally and joyful God'sresponse is when someone turns
to Him.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Yeah, I'd like to point out the fact—I know you
touched on it a little bit, butthis lady in this parable— she
goes to work.
She straight goes to worklooking for this coin, because
she knows the coin has value.
Yes, god loves us so much thathe sent his only begotten son
(13:18):
because he knows that in usthere is value that he can work
out for his glory.
And I think that's why it's soimportant that if you're
listening today and you feellike you're lost, that you
understand that you're out ofplace and maybe you feel like,
because you're lost and out ofplace, that you have no value.
But I promise you that when youput your life into the hands of
(13:40):
God, you will begin to writeaway Immediately, you will begin
to experience the value thatyou have as a son or daughter of
the Most High God, amen.
So everyone listening has valuein the eyes of God and we see
this through this parable ofwhat Jesus is teaching by this
(14:02):
woman losing this coin, notwasting time immediately going
to work to try to find thisparticular coin.
So here we see through the texta lamp was lit, okay, there's
floors to be swept clean, andthe words used are seek,
diligently until she finds thecoin.
(14:24):
This woman has gone to work andshe's not letting up until she
gets what she is set out to lookfor.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
You know what's so cool about you saying that is my
very next note has everythingto do with the flip side of that
, because what you're saying isgrace does all the work.
God does all the work.
The woman in this parable isrepresenting God looking for the
lost.
But I want you to look at adifferent angle here.
Notice that the coin didn't doanything to be found.
(14:55):
It's just sitting there.
Just sitting there, probably ina crack, probably in some dust,
probably surrounded in thisdark, shadowy corner.
It's not shouting out, it's notsignaling.
The coin does nothing.
But the woman, like you said,pastor Lee, did all of the work.
She lit the lamp, she swept thehouse, she searched diligently.
(15:16):
Yeah, and that's this picture ofGod's grace Just chasing after
us, bro.
Yes, like Ephesians says, forby grace you have been saved
through faith.
And this is not your own doing,it's the gift of God, it's not
a result of work.
See, the coin did no work.
So that way no one can boast,is what Ephesians says we don't
(15:37):
pull ourselves out of the mess.
God is the one who's searching,god is the one shining the
light, god is the one sweepingaway the junk to reach us.
And also in Titus, the wordsays.
(15:57):
I love this parable becauseit's showing us that salvation
is initiated from God from thestart and through completion.
Start and through completion.
And in a conversation, what wecan do is we can emphasize how
we don't earn God's love, but hecomes for us, even if we're
stuck in a couch cushion, evenif we're stuck in the dark.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Yeah, it reminds me what you just said, reminds me
of a song that's been out quitea few years now actually, but
it's titled Reckless Love.
You remember that Talking aboutGod's reckless love?
And for a long time, pastor Jim, I did not.
Although the song was catchyand sounded great.
For a long time I did not likethat song because I was thinking
(16:43):
man, reckless love, no, no, no.
Everywhere that I read inScripture there's order in God's
love and there's purpose.
But then, as I begin to listento the song more and more, I
begin to understand the angle inwhich the artist was coming
from.
It's that God is willing tochase after you and do whatever
it takes to get you to see thelove that he has for you.
(17:05):
And if that means coming up amountain at the highest height
to where you've climbed to, totry to run away from him or
break down walls or whatever itis, and I begin to kind of
change my thinking on themeaning of that song.
And now it's one of myfavorites because it's so right
In anything that we try to setup or put in between us and God
(17:28):
as we have tried to maybe runaway from his will for us.
He loves us so much that he'swilling to tear down any of
those walls and barriers that weourselves build up.
Think about it he loved us somuch that he gave his only
begotten son.
That's love.
That's a God that's willing toturn the light on and can I just
(17:48):
say that the light is JesusChrist.
Right, so that's a God that iswilling to turn the light on in
the house, to sweep the placeclean, to look under the
cushions, to chase you down.
It's like we said in lastweek's episode God pursues us.
You know, god pursues us, andmaybe that was two weeks ago.
(18:09):
God pursues his people, andwhat an honor it is that he does
.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
And you know, as we kind of wrap things up.
You know I love that you talkedabout this reckless kind of
love, because this parable isnot just a cute bedtime story,
right, even though it's a goodstory to be imparting to our
kids and our youth and all thosethings.
But the truth is is this is awindow into God's relentless
(18:37):
love for the lost.
But in this story, once werealize that, we understand also
that there is a call for us tojoin in this search.
Okay, this parable is going tochallenge us to reflect number
one on God's heart for the lost,which we've done.
The woman's effort makes me askdo I care about the lost the way
(19:01):
she cared about that coin?
Am I willing to shine a light?
Am I willing to get my handsdirty?
Am I willing to keep searchingfor ways to point people to
Jesus?
In Matthew 5, jesus says letyour light shine before others
so that they may see your goodworks and give glory to your
Father who is in heaven.
We are called to be like a lamp.
(19:23):
We are called to illuminate theway of God, and when someone
turns to him, I want to know toilluminate the way of God, and
when someone turns to him.
I want to know do I celebratelike heaven does, or do I just
move on?
Speaker 2 (19:33):
Yeah, when the coin is back in its place, as you
mentioned earlier, when it'sback where it belongs, friends
and neighbors are invited tocome over for a time of
rejoicing.
They're celebrating becauseit's more than just finding the
lost coin.
It's about what was once lostand out of place, now being home
(19:53):
, where it belongs.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Now it's back in its rightful place.
And when we see someone atchurch or we have a family
member or a friend, even ifthey're going to another church,
that's okay if that's wherethey're called to be.
But when we find out thatsomeone that we know has gotten
saved or maybe at your churchsomeone comes forward that you
don't know and they've gottensaved what we need to do is go
(20:18):
fan that flame by encouragingthem, by congratulating them, by
introducing ourselves to them,by getting their name and giving
them our name, so that at thenext service, when the doors are
open to the building, we cansee if they're there and
continue to encourage them, aswe also need to be encouraged.
So what was once out of placehas now gotten into place, what
(20:41):
once was lost has now been found, and it's our job as the body
of Christ to do what we see inthis parable, our job as the
body of Christ to do what we seein this parable and that Pastor
Jim is to celebrate.
That's right.
The 12th verse tells us thatangels in heaven rejoice over
one sinner who repents and turnsto Christ, one lost person
coming home to Christ by way ofsalvation, where they belong in
(21:03):
a personal relationship withJesus is enough to make heaven
be in a celebration, an uproarof praise.
And so how much more should wehere on earth, who have
witnessed it we've witnessed ithow much more should we be in
celebration, rejoicing withpeople that have come over from
the enemy's camp into the campof God?
Speaker 1 (21:25):
Yeah, and you know, like, when I walk into a room
and I see you rejoicing, morethan likely I'm going to ask the
question what you rejoicingabout?
And that's going to be youropportunity for testimony and
that's going to be youropportunity to be an ambassador
for Christ to say, well, lookwhat I just found in my couch.
You know how many times haveyou lost something?
And maybe you told your wifeand I can't find my wallet, I
can't find my keys, I can't find.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
whatever the case, is when is the remote control?
Speaker 1 (21:48):
And then, when you find it, what do you do?
You celebrate yeah, yeah, yeah.
And then someone says well,where'd you find it?
Speaker 2 (21:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
And then that's an opportunity for us, where, in 2
Corinthians, it talks to usabout being ambassadors for
Christ.
God's going to make his appealthrough us, through our
testimony.
That's right, and so that'swhat's really cool about the
rejoicing piece, which is whyit's so important to do so,
(22:15):
because that's going to give usan opportunity to actively seek
other people and telling themthrough sharing the gospel
message through our testimonies.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
Yeah, imagine man and I hope the listeners take this
the way I really want us to comeacross, because this is not to
condemn, but it should be toencourage.
Imagine how sad it must be tobe in a service.
Someone comes forward toreceive salvation, but there's
no celebration.
Yeah, and wouldn't it be likewaking up, it's your birthday
but nobody throws a party?
Yeah, it's your birthday butyou got no gifts.
(22:40):
It's your birthday and no onecalls you to say happy birthday.
You know, like, everybody'sjust living on like, like it's
normal man.
We're blessed to where, almostevery week, people come forward
to get saved at church.
But I don't ever want that tobe taken for granted, to the
point where people just get usedto people coming forward to
receive Christ and it's justlike, yeah, that's what happens
(23:00):
here, like, no, like the onlyway that that can happen is
because there's a movement ofthe Spirit of God, and whenever
there's a movement of the Spiritof God, we need to be
celebrating and we need to letthese people know that they have
now come over to the team thatwins.
God has never lost and he neverwill lose.
They're now part of a winningteam and a new family, a new
(23:21):
bloodline through the blood ofJesus, where curses have to fall
, generational curses have tobreak, they can be set free from
sin.
They've got a brand new life asthey repent and are born again.
There's bondages that have beenloosened and chains broken.
This thing called salvation isworth celebrating.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
Yeah, have we come so complacent with miracles that
the miracle of salvation is justlooked at as oh okay, yeah,
somebody got saved, you know.
Now I want salvation to benormal in our church.
I want that to be a regularoccurrence, absolutely.
But I also want the rejoicingnot only to be normalized, I
want it to be celebrated in away that says yes, lord, I know
(24:04):
that this is a miracle God and Inever want to forget that.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
Yeah, what an amazing opportunity it is that we get
to stand or sit or be in theroom, be present to watch
someone get saved and becomeborn again.
In Christ, amen.
And may we never, ever, gettired of seeing that or never,
ever lose the importance and themagnitude of what is taking
(24:30):
place right before our eyes.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
You know, I know we're running short on time, but
I just had a thought aboutadoption.
How about the family, thehusband and wife who may not be
able to have children, whofinally go through that process
of adoption and that's reallywhat salvation is right Us being
grafted and adopted into thefamily of God?
When you hear about that familywho finally has that adoption
(24:52):
paperwork go through and theyfinally are going to get their
new child coming home, oh, mygoodness, what a celebration,
what a rejoicing.
We're calling, we'recongratulating them.
We need to have that sameenergy when it comes to the
spiritual adoption into thefamily of God.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
You know, as you say that, bro, it's like I just got
hit by a ton of bricks.
Maybe that is our episode fornext week that we are adopted
into the body and we'll studyscripture and see what it is to
be adopted as sons and daughtersinto the family of God.
So that gives you something tothink about until next week and
to look forward to and to prayabout.
(25:31):
And we are thankful that youhave been here listening with us
today and we want to say untilnext time.
Until next time, continue toread your word, continue to pray
, continue to seek the face ofGod Almighty, because he wants
to have conversation with you.
Father, in the name of the bloodof Jesus, I just lift up these
(25:53):
listeners and also Pastor Jimand myself, and, father, we just
want your will to be done inour lives.
So we trust you, we trust you,we want to see you, we want to
hear from you, father, we wantto experience the magnitude of
your love and your goodness inour lives.
We thank you, father, that wecould have met today by way of
(26:14):
this podcast.
We love you, we praise you andwe honor you, and all God's
people said together, in thename and the cleansing blood of
Jesus Christ.
Amen, amen and amen.
Until next time on BeyondSunday.
God bless you.
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