A Sinful Woman, a hard heart, and Jesus’s Love!
Luke 7:36-50
(6 Parts)
I want you to use your imagination for a moment.
For the last 6 weeks, we have seen how radically different Jesus was from the established religious of the day, we have seen His passion for hurting and lost people, His resolve to cut a new path for reaching those same lost people.
We have seen how His methods were radically different and that they went against the grain and that Jesus's approach reached across racial, economical, social, and ethnic lines. He transformed the world and His simple approach is still cutting through all the noise and clutter and issues that religion still causes today.
What would happen if God's people put aside religion and started to truly follow Jesus and His example?? How radical would it be if God's children started to love people right where they were? Looking past race, and all the other issues of today, and truly went out of their way to show the world, our community Jesus? What kind of impact could one small body of believers make??
If we used Jesus as an example, it could be, would be, unimaginable, mind-blowing. So why is it not happening?? Because God's people won't get out of their own way!
As we unpack our last lesson from the A Sinful Woman, all of us need to take a hard look in the mirror and ask ourselves, what is holding me back from being on fire for Jesus!
RECAP!
Do You Even See Her?
Luke 7:44–46 (ESV)
44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.
46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.
· I need you to see this, and I need you to love this Woman, and I need you to feel her pain.
· This is the question: do you even see her? ‘Cause when you look at people through religious eyes, you don’t see them at all. All you see is someone who is condemnable, and damnable, and shamed.
· You don’t see anyone made in the image and likeness of God.
o You don’t see anyone who needs to learn about the love and the grace of God.
o You don’t see someone whose debt can be canceled, whose life can be transformed.
Jesus sees her in a way that Simon doesn’t, ‘cause Jesus looks at her through the lens of love, and Simon looks at her through the reality of religion. Jesus says, “Simon, do you not even see her?
· How do you see her?!?
o When she walks in this church?!?
o When you pass her on the street?!?
o When you talk about her at work?!?
o
· She doesn’t need another lecture on sin. She’s devastated.
· The Holy Spirit has broken her resistance, She can’t stop crying.
· She needs help and a savior. She needs to See Jesus! Can you see her??
· Too often the church has made the mistake of being very tolerant and accommodating of religious people, and very cruel, and mean, and unloving toward those who know they’re sinners, and come into the church trying to meet Jesus and get some help!
o WE WANT TO BE LIKE JESUS!
This is a Mind-Bending Example
This is what Jesus is saying,
· “Simon, she’s a worshiper, you’re not.
· She repents, you don’t.
· She serves, you won’t.
· She gives generously, and you don’t give at all.
I love this. Jesus is saying, “She’s a generous, humble, repentant worshiper, you’re not, Simon.”
· How about you individually?
o Have you ever shed a tear over your sin?
o Have you ever literally got down on your knees, and put your face on the ground, and shed tears, and envisioned yourself at the feet of Jesus, like this woman, repenting of who you are, and what you’ve done?
o Are you generous? This is a very generous gift of ointment.
o Do you serve? What have you done in response to what Jesus has done for you?
The reason this woman is responding so passionately is because she’s loved. She’s loved by Jesus. She’s loved in a way that no man has ever loved her. She’s touched a lot of men, but not like this. She’s had a lot of men who speak of her, but not like this. She’s loved, and so she is passionate, and broken, and free, and generous, and serves.
Her Many Sins Are Forgiven
Luke 7:47–50 (ESV)
47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
· Let me hammer this point, Jesus deals with her sin. He doesn’t excuse her sin, or neglect her sin, or shift the blame for her sin.
· There is no excuse for it, sin will kill you dead quicker than Covid-19 can
· And She’s got a lot of sin.
o The question is: what are we going to do about it?”
o How are we going to deal with it?
o JESUS! That’s how!
o They are forgiven—for she loved much
o That’s it, no more shame, no more guilt
o Jesus Said, “IT IS FINISHED”!
· I can see Jesus smiling. I can see the love in His eyes. “You’re forgiven.” That’s amazing. That’s absolutely amazing. “You’re forgiven.”
· He didn’t tell her to do anything. He’s gonna do all the work at the cross. “You’re forgiven.” That’s it?
· And the same is true for you, and it is for me.
They have no faith in Jesus!
49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”
· Then they sit back and criticize Him
· They miss the point, they miss seeing God Himself because they wear religious colored glasses!!
· The problem with religion is religion!
· It gets in its own way
· It impedes Jesus for entering into the equation!
· Religion has to be right at all cost
· And Jesus can’t live there, He needs control, He needs to be at the center
· She gave Jesus control, they didn’t, it’s that simple!
· Forgiveness has never been about you, it’s always been about Jesus!
Everything Changed that day for her and it can for you too!
50And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
When you meet Jesus, That’s when life changes. When you know how much Jesus loves you, and you love Him back, that’s the beginning of a passionate, worshipful, generous relationship, that’s when everything changes.
I’m concerned about some of you because you would theologically agree that you’re loved and forgiven, but there’s no passion for Jesus and no generosity, no worship, no service. And I have to ask you, have you really met Him? ‘Cause when you meet Him, you change.
Jesus says to this woman, “Your faith has saved you.” We’re still saved by faith. You see, grace comes from God through Jesus’s death, burial, resurrection. Salvation is a gift that we receive through Jesus, and we receive it by personal faith.
Who’s her faith in, It’s in Jesus! She looks at Jesus and she’s consumed with Jesus. She comes to Jesus. She acknowledges her sin to Jesus. She pours herself out passionately to Jesus, and she hears from Jesus, “I forgive you.” That’s it. The object of her faith is Jesus, so her faith saves her because it is the receiving of Jesus and His forgiveness. I want that for all of you—to receive by faith the forgiveness of sin through Jesus.
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