Harvest Pointe Christian Church, Milford Ohio is a non-denominational Christian Church (Church of Christ) on the Eastside of Cincinnati OH

People Who Are Sinful | Series: The People We Meet | 05-18-08

People Who Have Uncertainties
Luke 7:36-50

  I. All of Us Have Sinned.

 II. The More We Are Forgiven, the More We Love.

III. All Can Be Forgiven.

Full Text 

Remember, Jesus is in the town of Nain.
Right before this
He healed a Roman Centurion's servant,
raised a young man from the dead, and then
reassured John the Baptist,
who was in prison,
that He really is God's King who was to come
by healing a whole lot of people.

That brings us to Luke 7:36-39.
"36Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. 39When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, 'If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is-that she is a sinner.'"

There are some important things to notice in this passage.

First, notice in Verse 36 that
a Pharisee invited Jesus to his house for dinner.
Remember, the Pharisees were
a powerful Jewish sect that
was officially out to get Jesus.

We are not sure whether this particular Pharisee was
out to get Jesus and
was watching for Jesus to mess up or
if he was a seeker and
wanted to check Jesus out for himself.
But at any rate, Jesus accepts the invitation and goes.

Originally the Jews sat at a table cross-legged,
like an American Indian.

But the Persians, Greeks, and Romans
laid down at the table and
when the Jews returned from being carried off into exile,
they had adopted this custom from their captors,
the Persians.

Now, Jesus is reclining at the table and
leaning on his left elbow because
everyone ate with their right hand.

And He is barefoot.
How do I know Jesus was barefoot?

Let's see the picture.

This is a picture of a class room in Thailand.
Notice the sandals at the door way.

The custom of the East is to
remove your sandals (or shoes)
before entering a house.

So Jesus is lying at the table, barefoot
when in comes a woman.

Notice in Verse 37 that she HAD (PAST tense)
she had lived a sinful life.
But she had stopped living that way.

Somewhere along the way she had met Jesus and
He had changed her life completely.
This woman stands behind Jesus and
she's crying.
Her tears are falling on Jesus' feet.

Applebury suggests, and I believe rightly so,
that these were tears of joy.
Jesus had forgiven her.
Now she shows her appreciation.

Her tears are getting Jesus' feet wet.

So she kneels down and in Verse 38,
uses her long hair as a towel and
wipes her tears off Jesus' feet.

In that culture a woman's hair was her glory.
No respectable woman would
let down her hair in public.
This woman was humbling herself.

Then she starts kissing Jesus' feet and in Verse 38
pours perfume on Jesus' feet.

There is deep symbolism here.

Probably this woman had been a high priced call girl.
The perfume was an important part of her business.

When she poured perfume on Jesus' feet,
it did more than just make Jesus' feet
feel and smell good.

This represented her changed life.
The perfume would never again be used in a sinful way.

This would be like Jeane Palfrey, the D.C. Madam
throwing away her $2 million operation
without even getting caught!

Now, there is something else here that
I don't want you to miss.

Think about this!
In Verse 39 the Pharisee knows who this woman is.
If she was so sinful and he was so holy,
how did he know who and what she was?

Not only that, how did she get in?
Rich people had guards and servants to protect them.

Could it be she had been a frequent visitor
of the Pharisee?
Could it be that she was on the list of
"Comes in at any time?"
Could it be the height of hypocrisy that
this Pharisee often paid for this woman's services?

The Pharisees had made up a rule that
women had to stay 6' away from men.
And if a sinful woman touched you,
you were considered ceremonially unclean
until you went through a ceremony
to become clean again.

So obviously, in the Pharisee's mind,
if Jesus was a prophet of God,
not only would He not have let a woman
get that close to Him,
but he would especially not let
that kind of a woman touch Him.

Though, the Pharisee himself
may have been a lot closer than
6 feet to her many times before.

Rank hypocrisy.

This brings us to our 1st point today.
I. All of Us Have Sinned.

Both the sinful woman and the Pharisee had sinned.

Even though the Pharisee thought of himself as righteous,
in Jesus' eyes, he was just as guilty.

None of us should ever think that
somehow we are not a sinner
or a minor type of a sinner,
while someone with a different set of sins
is a terrible sinner!

We're all in the same boat!

When I first began here we had some fun
studying 10 Commandments in a sermon series.

We found that ALL of us have broken most of them!
We are a sinful crew!

And even though we had some fun
going through the 10 Commandments,
it is a sobering thought to realize
how sinful we all really are.

That's what put Jesus on the cross.

So, don't be a Pharisee.
Don't act like you are sinless.
And don't run around condemning
all those who are not as good as you!

Verse 40.  "40Jesus answered him, 'Simon, I have something to tell you.'  'Tell me, teacher,' he said.  41'Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii [that's about 2 years' wages] , and the other fifty [about 2 ½ months' wages].  42Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?'  43Simon replied, 'I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.'  'You have judged correctly,' Jesus said." 

Jesus was so good at getting His adversary
to give the answer that
provided the point He wanted to make.

Obviously the Pharisee thought
he had sinned a LOT less than
this woman.

Why did he need forgiveness?
He was a righteous Pharisee!

But the Pharisee is forced to admit our 2nd point.

II. The More We Are Forgiven, the More We Love.

Jesus is not through with the Pharisee, yet!
Now Jesus drives His point home.

Verse 44.  "44Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, 'Do you see this woman?"
 
Apparently Simon wouldn't even look at the woman.  Maybe she was too sinful for him to look at in public. 
Or maybe it was embarrassment. 
Maybe he was afraid of a knowing look. 
Maybe he couldn't look at her
without thinking of her body. 
Maybe he knew every inch of her body. 

Jesus goes on:  "I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair."

In Jesus' day people walked everywhere they went. 
Since they wore sandals with no socks,
their feet got extremely dirty.

The custom was that whenever someone
stepped in the door way
the host or a servant would meet them with
water and a towel.

The feet would be washed
to keep the place clean and
to bring comfort to those tired, hot dogs!
It was just common courtesy.

Verse 45:  "You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet."

The kiss on the cheek or
the kiss of the hand
was the normal greeting,
like we shake hands.

Verse 46:  "You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet."

Distinguished guests were honored with
oil placed on the head.
Anointing the feet was sheer luxury.

So, here is the picture.

Jesus is invited to the Pharisee's house.
But, whether he despised Jesus or just
did not want to be ostracized by his peers
for having Jesus in,
Simon the Pharisee did not extend to Jesus
even one common courtesy.
This was rudeness to the max!

Guests are arriving.
Servants are washing their feet.
The host is greeting everyone with a kiss on the cheek.
The guests are having oil poured on their head.

All, that is, except Jesus.
He is completely ignored.
A serious insult.

So in Verse 47 Jesus tells Simon, "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.'"

Simon thought he was so good.
Simon had shown only contempt for Jesus.
But the woman had been forgiven much.

Not only had she shown Jesus
all the normal courtesies that had been withheld,
she went beyond and
with an ointment worth far more than oil,
she anointed Jesus' feet -- sheer luxury!

Her tears were tears of joy
because Jesus had forgiven her.

And so often we see a person who
has made a complete turn around in their life
get on fire for Jesus!

They have an enthusiasm and passion that
puts most other Christians to shame.
They are willing to sacrifice readily.

It's because they have been forgiven much.
They love much.

Now, this Pharisee could have been forgiven, too.
But he chose to reject Jesus with his actions.

Which brings us to our 3rd point,
III. All Can Be Forgiven.

Too often it is easier for God to forgive us
than it is for us to forgive ourselves.

Guilt can destroy a person's joy.
Guilt can destroy a person's health.
Guilt can destroy relationships.

Folks, if God has forgiven you,
put it behind you!

Now, there is a healthy kind of guilt.

John Bradshaw writes in Healing the Shame that Binds You, "In itself shame is not bad. Shame tells us our limits. Shame keeps us in our human boundaries letting us know we can and will make mistakes and we need help. Healthy shame," he says, "is the psychological foundation for humility, telling us we're not God. It's the source of spirituality."

When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden,
why did they hide from God?
It was because they felt guilty.

When we mess up, we should feel guilty.
Guilt causes us to want to change.

In modern times there has been a big movement to
get rid of guilt, rather than
help the person change.






Dr. Albert Ellis, the founder of Rational and Emotive Therapy, wrote a booklet in which he said, "There is no place for the concept of sin in psychotherapy." He stated that the goal of psychology is to eradicate the concept of sin. "Because," he says, "most emotional problems stem from toxic, irrational guilt."

At one Church,
a counselor was opening a business in our area. 
She wanted me to send people to her. 

She was specializing in marriage counseling. 
She was on her 4th marriage. 
She said she had learned from her many mistakes. 

I asked how she would handle a person
who was struggling with homosexuality.

She said she would help them to
accept themselves as they were.
She wanted to rid them of guilt.
---------------------------
Folks, if a person has no guilt,
they have no reason to change.
And changing people is what Jesus is all about,
just like this sinful woman.

But on the other hand
Jesus does not want you to feel guilty when
you shouldn't feel guilty.






Luke 7:48-50:  "48Then Jesus said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven.'  49The other guests began to say among themselves, 'Who is this who even forgives sins?'
50Jesus said to the woman, 'Your faith has saved you; go in peace.'"

I believe that guilt over something that
God has forgiven you for
is one of Satan's powerful tools.

Years later some forgiven sin
will still haunt a Christian.

It can rob them of their joy.
It can ruin relationships.
It can destroy their peace of mind and
people even question their salvation!
----------------------------------------------------------
Folks, do you think Jesus would lie to you?

Then if He says your sins are forgiven,
then believe Him.
They are forgiven.
Put them behind you.

The Apostle Paul had done some powerful sinning.
He had even murdered Christians!

But He wrote in Philippians 3:13,
"13...But one thing I do:  Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."



Paul had been forgiven.
He had to put those gross sins behind him and
press on, in a changed life,
Heaven bound!

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is
Jeremiah 31:31.

About 600 years before the Church begins
God is telling the world about
the New Covenant that we enjoy today.

Remember, under the Old Testament,
sacrifices were made for sin.
Each year there was a time of remembering your sins.

But God promises in Jeremiah 31:31-34, "'31 The time is coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. ... 33 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,' declares the LORD. 'I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. ... 34 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.'"
Isn't that beautiful!
God will remember our sins no more!

And if God doesn't remember them,
why should we keep bringing them up and
going through the guilt process again?

Like this sinful woman,
shed some tears of joy because
you are forgiven!!

Romans 4:7-8 quotes Psalm 32:1-2.
"7Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."

You have been forgiven and you are blessed!

We have all acted selfishly and
disobeyed, and
offended Jesus Christ.

And when we come to Him asking for forgiveness
He says, "That's okay. I understand.
I'll never bring it up again.
I'll remember your sins no more."

King David who did some gross sinning himself
wrote in Psalm 103:12
"As far as the east is from the west, so far has he
removed our transgressions from us."

The Apostle Peter acted selfishly
on the night that Jesus was arrested.
Under pressure, he cowardly denied that
he even knew who Jesus was.

Then he turned and saw Jesus being escorted by, and
Jesus looked at him.
I believe it was a look of sadness and disappointment.

That look was all it took to make him feel guilty.
The Bible says he went out and wept bitterly.

But his guilt led to godly sorrow, to repentance, to change,and he came back to Christ.

Less than two months later,
Peter is the primary spokesman
at the beginning of the Church.
God's forgiveness is so amazing.

That forgiveness did not come cheaply;
it cost Jesus his life.

Later Peter would write in 1 Peter 1:18-19
"18For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect."

With Jesus' forgiveness
you can have inner peace.

I don't know if this sinful woman felt any different or not.
But she knew she was forgiven.

How did she know?
Because Jesus had promised it.
It didn't matter how she felt.
It was a matter of trust.

Jesus told her to go in peace.

How do you know your sins are forgiven?
We don't have Jesus physically here
to make the pronouncement.

Let's go back to the beginning of the Church.



On the Day of Pentecost, the day the Church began,
Peter preached to thousands of people.

At the end of the sermon
Peter declared in Acts 2:36,
 "'Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.'"

Peter told the people they were guilty of
crucifying the Christ!

How did they respond?

Acts 2:37.  "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?'"

These people were "cut to the heart!"
They felt guilty!

How would they ever get their peace of mind back again?
How could they ever be forgiven?

Peter gave them the simple answer in Acts 2:38.
"Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'"

Peter didn't have to tell them to believe.
Obviously they already believed.
But their belief needed to produce action.

Peter told them to repent, to turn their lives around and
be baptized.

3,000 sinners were baptized that day.
They were promised forgiveness of all their sin and
the gift of the Holy Spirit
to help them in their new walk with Jesus.

So the invitation that we sing today
is for sinners only.

Maybe you're not a murderer like the Apostle Paul,
Maybe you're not you're not a prostitute like
this sinful woman in Luke 7.

But the Bible says in Romans 3:23
that there's really no difference.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Jesus wants to wash away your sin with His blood and
remember those sins no more.

The choice is yours.

When we stand and sing,
come forward and we'll help you every step of the way.
Or if forgiveness is already yours and
you would like to place your membership with us,
come forward as we stand and sing.