About the Author

Thomas Ray Floyd was born in 1953 in Simpson County, Mississippi, the son of Roy Thomas Floyd and Lina Sue Shows Floyd. Thomas Ray's mother was a member of a Primitive Baptist church, and he cut his teeth on the doctrines of distinguishing grace.

When he was a small boy, his father was converted to Christ and became a member of a Missionary Baptist Church. Thomas Ray joined the church of his father when he was 13 years old, and thought of himself as a Christian. The doctrines of grace that he had heard as a child continued to be precious to him and when he became an adult, he joined a Primitive Baptist Church. When he was 27, Thomas Ray made his first effort to preach the gospel in public and was ordained to the full functions of the ministry in 1985. In 1986 he was convinced under the preaching of Rolfe Barnard (by tapes from Mt. Olive Tape Library), the written sermons of Spurgeon, and the ministry of Elder Zack Guess that he had been a false professor and cried out in agony of soul to the Lord Jesus Christ to have mercy and truly save him. And He did! Floyd then began to preach the gospel as he had been taught of the Lord.

Floyd has pastored churches in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee and until recently was pastor of a church plant known as "Particular Baptist Fellowship." He and his wife Brenda presently attend Zion Baptist Church at Polkville, Mississippi, pastored by Elder Glen Hopkins. The pulpit ministry of Zion Baptist Church can be heard at Sermonaudio.com.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

The Lost Coin

(Article originally published the week of 10-1-2008 AD)

“Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it.”( Luke 15:8).

In Luke chapter 15 the Lord Jesus Christ gives us a parable to illustrate the truth of repentance. It is the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. Each of these illustrate something very significant about repentance. Today we turn our attention to the lost coin.

Our Lord says that a lost sinner is something like a lost coin. A woman had ten coins and lost one and she sought diligently till she found it. Lost sinners are like a coin, lifeless and cold. Our Lord is illustrating for us the doctrine of total depravity by the lost coin. The Bible says that by nature we are all dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). The dead can do absolutely nothing. The only way a lifeless coin will ever be found is if someone searches diligently until it is found. Like the woman in the parable, the Lord Jesus Christ searches diligently until He finds His people that are lost. Our Lord is illustrating the truth that repentance begins with God taking the initiative in our salvation. When a sinner repents it is because God has granted repentance to that sinner (Acts 11:18). Sinners can no more come to God by their own power than a lost coin can return to a woman’s purse by its own power.

As the woman sought diligently till she found her coin, so the Lord seeks diligently until He finds His own. Repentance flows from the diligent work of the Saviour. Christ left heaven to come to this low ground of sin and sorrow on a mission to save His own and bring them to repentance. Like the woman in our parable, the Saviour never gives up until He finds the object of his search. The diligence of Christ is shown by His sufferings on the cross to make an atonement for all His elect family. Christ sends His ministers to call men to repentance by the preaching of the word. And he sends His Spirit from above into the hearts of those for whom He died granting them repentance and drawing them unto Himself.

Now here is the joy of heaven. The three part parable of Luke 15 illustrates for us the rejoicing in heaven at the repentance of a sinner. Heaven rejoices when a sinner repents because of the great success of Christ in finding lost sinners. The Father , Son and Holy Spirit rejoice as the purpose of God in salvation is worked out in the calling out of all those the Father chose, for whom the Son died, and whom the Holy Spirit calls. Angels in heaven rejoice and worship God because salvation is all of Him. Saints in heaven and on earth as the work of salvation is accomplished in the granting of repentance to all those the Saviour seeks. There is joy in heaven when a sinner is saved because all the glory of salvation belongs to God. “Salvation is of the Lord”!

No comments: