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Sermon Transcript

Introduction: Good morning, let’s pray. A couple of years ago, one of my pastors in Philadelphia told us a story about an older lady that use to go to his church. He said that there was an older member who’s mental filter had begun to disappear and that through Sunday services, she would yell things like “Jesus” or “Praise Jesus”, she would talk about loving Jesus. And he said it went from being cute, to annoying, then to amazing. Because the truth is, that as we get older, the filter begins to go and people get to see what our hearts are filled with; what they love. And as the lady’s filter went, all people could see was that she was filled with love for Jesus. Our text shows us a similar situation. Jesus is at a dinner party and two people have an encounter with Him. Simon the Pharisee encounters Jesus and when we see his social filter disappear, he is just filled with self-righteousness. But a sinful woman encounters Jesus, and as her filter disappears, all we see is that this woman is filled with love for Jesus. And Jesus tells us why: “Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much…” Disciples of Jesus spend their lives following and loving Jesus because He has forgiven their sins!

Let me explain this idea from our text. Our text this morning records Jesus attending a dinner party hosted by a popular religious leader/Pharisee named Simon. And as all these people attend, a “sinful” woman, who was not welcomed at the party because what she was known for, interrupts the party and falls at the feet of Jesus. And as these woman and Simon respond to Jesus, the text presents the question: “Who is Jesus?” The host sees Jesus as a teacher, controversial figure, and probably a threat to his influence. But the actions of this woman show that she believes what Luke 5:31-32 says, “Jesus replied to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a doctor, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” She saw Jesus as the one who loves and forgives sinners. Family, if your understanding of Jesus lacks the good news that He forgives sin; your version of Him is underwhelming. Our text wants to show you an accurate picture of Jesus so you can see why He is worthy of following. It wants to show you that loving Jesus is the only proper response to the good news that He forgives sin! So our big idea this morning is: “Love the Savior who forgives sin.” And our text will show us how:

  • Draw near to Jesus
  • Avoid self-righteousness
  • Remember your sins are forgiven

Body:

  1. Draw near to Jesus (7:36-38)
  2. First, draw near to Jesus. As we mentioned earlier, the text opens with Jesus at a block party hosted by Simon the Pharisee, and a woman walks over to Jesus falls to her knees crying, drying his feet with her hair, and kissing his feet. Did you notice that the text repeats 3x that she is a sinner. Many scholars believe that she was most likely a prostitute. So according to the OT law and the eyes of the community, she was shameful and religiously unclean. They defined her by her mistakes. And even though everyone rejected her, this woman didn’t care and drew near to Jesus; why? Well, one of theological truths we learn throughout Luke is this: Jesus is a friend of sinners. In his book, Gentle and Lowly, Dane Ortlund says: “The cumulative testimony of the four Gospels is that when Jesus Christ sees a sinner, he does not feel a recoil of horror. He feels a pull of compassion. He does not see a project; he sees a person. He is the only friend who knows exactly how bad you are and yet loves you more than anyone else does.” Family, it is true that when you see the perfection and holiness of Jesus, you realize how guilty, messed up, and sinful you truly are. But at the same time, you realize how much Jesus loves you. You don’t have to hide your sin around Him, He already knows the deepest and darkest mistakes you have made. And He invites anyone who admits their need for Him to draw near to Him. That is amazing!
  3. But did you notice that she doesn’t say to Jesus saying, “Please forgive me” or “Let me explain?”; she doesn’t say anything. It is very likely that she already heard Jesus’s preaching. She heard how He forgives sin and already put her trust in Him. She is drawing near to Jesus to say, “Thank you!” Look at the details in vs. 38: 1. Cried. Pastor Kent Hughes says, “Her tears were tears of both ongoing repentance and ongoing joy.” She wasn’t drawing near, trying to be forgiven, but because she was accepted and forgiven by Jesus. 2. Wiped his feet with perfume and her hair. In the Bible times, a woman letting her hair down wasn’t proper, and cleaning feet was a servant’s job. And that perfume would have been worth 1 year salary. But this woman didn’t care, she laid down her resources at Jesus’s feet to show that He was her King. 3. She kissed his feet. This was a sign of worship. Jesus doing what no one else could do, forgiving sin, made the woman realize that He is the only one worthy of our devotion, affection, and commitment; He became her priority. What is unique about Christianity is that we don’t draw near to Jesus to earn anything, but to say thank you for loving us.
  4. Implication: I wonder how many of us look at Jesus as a great teacher or person, but not the one who takes our guilt and forgives us? How many see Jesus as boring because we avoid talking about our sin? Or how many of us don’t know the freedom of pouring our lives out for Jesus, not because you are earning his love but because you are saying thank you for his forgiveness! Do you draw near to Jesus to say thank you for forgiving your sins? Family, the Bible says because of all our ignoring, disobeying, and loving everything above God, we are separated from him and placed under judgment. But those who trust that Jesus came to absorb God’s wrath on the cross and resurrect, they can draw near to God in gratitude not in fear. If that is not you, draw near to Jesus for the first time by confessing how you have failed God and believe that Jesus can forgive you through his work on the cross. If that is you, we would love to pray with you today.
  5. Avoid self-righteousness (7:39-46)
  6. Next, avoid self-righteousness. In this section, we see the response of Simon. And even though he was curious about Jesus, ultimately, he rejects Jesus because he has fallen into the trap of self-righteousness or thinking that he was good enough on his own. Now, self-righteousness can manifest as false moralism. Simon says Jesus doesn’t understand what type of sinner this woman was, he was an expert in her sin. Also, he criticizes Jesus saying he must not be a true prophet. False moralism is being overly (inaccurate as well) critical of and an expert in everyone else’s sin, but not in your own. But Jesus illustrates forgiveness by saying its like a credit-lender forgiving someone who owed 500 denarii (2 years salary) and someone who owed 50 denarii (2 months salary); both had debts they couldn’t pay. But the lender didn’t say, “Well, the other guy owes more money so you are forgiven. No, each person needed their debt forgiven. Family, because of sin, we all owe God a debt. Simon still had a debt before God that he couldn’t pay. And when we stand before Him, He is not going to say, “There are worse people than you, I’ll let you go free.” Each of us will be held accountable! False moralism will blind you to your need to Jesus and how forgiving Jesus has been to you!
  7. But self-righteousness can look like spiritual indifference. In vs. 44-46, Jesus points out even though Simon invited Jesus to the party, he wasn’t welcoming to Jesus. Even though it wasn’t required, to make a guest feel welcomed and loved, the host would usually provide: water to wash their feet after the walk, a kiss/welcome, or anointing oil (sign you were important to the host). Simon had invited Jesus into his house, but didn’t treat Him like the King/Savior. But the woman made Jesus the center of her focus at the party. Pastor Phillip Ryken points out, “She did not bring water; she wet Jesus’ feet with her tears. She did not kiss him on the cheek; she kept on kissing and kissing his feet, like a servant. She did not anoint his head with oil; she anointed his feet, and wiped them with her long, beautiful hair.” Family, there is a danger that you can treat Jesus like a guest instead of king. There is a danger that you can spend your life ignoring the specific sins that He has forgiven and helped you with. To be spiritually indifferent is to be near Jesus, but cold towards Him. There is a danger of wanting Jesus in your life, knowing about Him, and even liking what He says. But you ignore Him or indifferent to him! When you are spiritual indifferent to Jesus, you are blind to your need to Jesus and how forgiving Jesus has been to you.
  8. So, how do we fight against self-righteousness? We can draw two basic steps from the text. First, go to Jesus. Basically, practice repentance or turning from your sin and going to Jesus. Please hear me, we need to take sin seriously and lovingly hold each other accountable when we see concerning/sinful behavior. But those warnings are empty if they are not built upon a life that is constantly at Jesus’ feet asking for help to fight sin. Dr. Miguel Nunez says, “The church is not a museum for saints, but a hospital for those who are constantly repenting. We must be a people who are quick to confess and slow to judge…” Repent/run to Jesus to fight self-righteous. Also, be spiritually self-aware. Simon was aware of the woman’s sin but not his own, that is why he didn’t show any love to Jesus. I remember meeting pastor Selso Torres at a pastor gathering. They asked us to share how God has been good to us. And genuinely and with tears he shared, “I thank God for saving me when I didn’t deserve it.” He had been a Christian for over 15 years, but you would think he had become one yesterday. Family, if you are more aware of how much Jesus has forgiven you, you will love much; love Jesus.
  9. Implication: So, “How is God calling you to fight self-righteousness?” Maybe, God is calling you today to embrace rhythms of repentance by finding trusted church family and giving them the authority to be honest with you. Or maybe you need to make your Citygroup or GG a place where you ask for prayer with the areas you struggle with? Maybe you need to grow in spiritual self-awareness. Maybe this week, take moment and write this down: Where would your life be if Jesus hadn’t saved you? It could even be as simple as sticking around for our baptism after service! Family, when you fight self-righteousness, the spirit will grow your love for Jesus. The spirit will make 1 John 4:10 become meaningful to you in every season: “Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice[c]for our sins.” Love Jesus by avoiding self-righteousness.
  • Remember your sins are forgiven (7:47-50)
  1. Lastly, remember your sins are forgiven. As we talk about the idea of loving Jesus and Jesus being a friend of sinners. I think that most logical question that pops in our mind is: “Will Jesus ever stop being a friend to sinners? Will He ever stop loving me?” Because in a real sense, that is what we experience in our human relationships. With human relationships, we are always walking on eggshells wondering if we have finally messed up enough for our family, friends, or relationships to stop loving us! We exhaust ourselves trying to maintain our worthiness before people. Dane Ortlund describes this tension like this, “Our hearts are programmed to think that Jesus is looking for a reason to kick us out. We feel like we are on probation.”
  2. But look at vs. 47, “Then he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’” And vs. 50, “And he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you. God in peace.’” As mentioned earlier, the woman didn’t come to ask Jesus to forgive her, she came to thank Jesus for forgiving her. So why would Jesus need to say this and record these verses in the Bible? Think of it this way. I remember that weeks leading up to the wedding, my pastor said “If you want to have a good marriage, never stop reminding your wife that you love her.” And as I guy, I thought it was obvious. We are getting married. But for you to thrive in any relationship (family, marriage, friendships), you must be certain that the other person loves you. Family, Jesus knows our hearts and how often we doubt His grace. This is why the through the Spirit, the authors of Scripture record Jesus coming to earth, living and preaching the gospel, the crucifixion, resurrection and His ascension. So that we can hear repeatedly that Jesus loves and forgives sinners; that He never stops being the friend of sinners.
  3. And when we reflect on these assurances, it has a way of diving you deeper into Jesus’s love for us. One of my favorite examples is John 6:37: “Everyone the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never cast out.” Do you notice in the text Jesus doesn’t say, “I will never cast out people who get their lives together before them come to me? Or those who don’t fail ____ amount of times?” Or He doesn’t say, “Those who don’t bother me too much about helping them, I will not cast out.” It is a matter of fact, “the one who comes to me I will never cast out.” Once again, Ortlund says, “When Jesus says, ‘I will never cast out,’ he is using a double negative in the Greek. It is the strongest way to say, ‘Never, ever, under any circumstances, no matter what.’ He is saying there is no ‘point of no return’ for the person who comes to him.” Family, these are the assurances that press how deep Jesus love is for us.
  4. Implication: And before we finish, as your pastor, I want to grow our love for God this morning by reminding you of his promise of forgiveness: 34:6-7a, “The LORD passed in front of him and proclaimed: ‘The LORD—the LORD is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin.” Mic. 7:18, “Who is a God like you, forgiving iniquity and passing over rebellion for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not hold on to his anger forever because he delights in faithful love.” Is. 43:25, “I am the one, I am the one who sweeps away your transgressions for my own sake and remembers your sins no more.” 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Family, love Jesus by reminding your sins are forgiven.

Conclusion:

To finish, let me again, who do you think Jesus is? Is He a teacher? Is He a religious figure? Is He a co-pilot who you like but is only a guest in your life? Or is He the King who loves and forgives sinners? Is He the Son of God who welcomes sinners? Family, I pray you see today as an invitation to embrace a powerful and accurate picture of Jesus; you don’t have to settle for less. I pray you see that Jesus is worthy of your love because He has dealt with your sin and guilt and calls you friend. Let’s be a church that celebrates the gospel. Lets be a church that loves the savior who has forgiven us!