Forgiveness Produces Fruit Luke 7:36-8:3

Good morning everyone and welcome to Faith Bible Church and a blessed Father's Day

to those that God has blessed that way.

And we thank you men for what God has placed in your life and the responsibility that comes

with that and we are all products of a father and but thank the Lord we

have him as our supreme example of what is a father.

And so we're just grateful that we can have the Lord as

as our guide and as our example of how we ought to be.

And we all we fall short we know but

God is patient and he endures with us.

So I wanted just a few announcements here

Mike is trying to help me out which is just fine on your bulletins.

Summer Bible study continues Friday June 23rd.

It was a good turnout last Friday and I haven't heard all the report of that but that's June

23rd Friday at 5 30 and going through the book of Hebrews the counseling is

is next course is next on June 24th at 11 o 'clock in the morning and

everyone's welcome.

You can drop in and insert yourself at any time in the middle of that study and trust me you

will walk away with knowing and understanding better God's word and also

things that surround the whole subject of counseling.

Missionary month.

Jim and Joan Hansen.

And continue to pray for them as they wind down their ministry and some of their folks get scattered across the

countryside to different places to live.

Picnic at the Huffington is on July 16th so just mark your calendars for that and come as you are and

just everything will be taken care of.

So it's after the morning service.

And lastly the planned baptismal is on July 23rd and right now it looks like

we have a number of people that are interested in being baptized.

So praise the Lord for that.

And if it God lays it upon your heart if you haven't been baptized and would like to be

pray about it and then talk to pastor Victor or I and we'd love to have that conversation.

I think we're gonna here in the next couple weeks pastor is going to talk just a little bit more in depth about what is that

and just give you some background to that.

Okay and I think that's it for announcements before we

go to the Lord in prayer.

I just wanted to share a verse is Psalm 34 1.

And it's I will bless the Lord at all times.

His praise shall continually be in my mouth and bless oftentimes.

And newer translations is translated praise.

So praise the Lord bless the Lord.

Some oh we normally expect the Lord to bless us.

We say Lord bless us you know.

But we need to bless the Lord.

We need to praise the Lord.

The Hebrew literally means to kneel in worship.

Pretty strong picture of how we should come before God the creator the mighty

God of the universe.

So bless the Lord means to praise him exalt him worship him.

So what's our responsibility.

We are to give God glory.

That's our purpose in life is to glorify God.

And if we're not bringing glory to God then we need to look in the mirror and say why.

Why am I not bringing glory to God.

Because if he created me to do this very thing and I'm failing in that or I'm not

rising to that level.

We need to look and look in the mirror.

And we need to pray to our heavenly father to to help guide us in our worship.

So this morning just have that in mind as we come before him and let us pray together.

Lord God we thank you Lord that you have brought each person here together today that we can

worship you.

We can praise you father that we would bless you with the offerings of our praise God.

We thank you father for for pastor and the teaching ministry here at faith bible church lord you have

allowed him and others to just stay true to your word father that people would

see your word above all that they would see the love of your people lord in this congregation.

And father we just wait on you.

We rest in you father for for all that you have in store for us.

So God bless this morning service.

We pray for those that aren't here this morning that are infirmed or are ill.

Some are traveling father Lord bless their their time.

That they would take a moment to think of you to reflect upon your goodness God.

We thank you that we can acknowledge and celebrate fatherhood and all that it means and

all that's behind it.

Thank you for being our example of what we ought to be father.

As in all things.

So God bless our time this morning.

May our our voices sing and resonate with the glorious love of Jesus.

So God bless it and go before us.

We pray in Jesus name amen.

David.

Good morning and happy father's day.

And Jesus Christ is Lord Jesus Christ is God and I shall call upon the Lord who is worthy

to be praised.

So shall I be saved by my enemies.

And let's stand and.

Sing to our heavenly father

so

if

you

could take your bibles now for this morning scripture reading.

We're going to be reading from psalm 103.

Bless the Lord oh my soul.

And all that is within me.

Bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord oh my soul.

And forget not all his benefits.

Who forgives all your iniquities.

Who heals all your diseases who redeems your life from destruction.

Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies.

Who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.

The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.

He made known his ways to Moses his acts to the children of Israel.

The Lord is merciful and gracious slow to anger and abounding in mercy.

He will not always strive with us nor will he keep his anger forever.

He has not dealt with us according to our sins nor punished us according to our iniquities.

For as the heavens are high above the earth so great is his mercy toward those who fear him.

As far as the east is from the west so far as he removed our transgressions from us

as a father pities his children so the Lord pities those who fear him.

For he knows our frame.

He remembers that we are dust as for man.

His days are like grass as a flower of the field so he flourishes.

For the wind passes over it and it is gone and its place remembers it no more.

But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him and his

righteousness to children's children to such as keep his covenant and to

those who remember his commandments to do them.

The Lord has established his throne in heaven and his kingdom rules over all.

Bless the Lord you his angels who excel in strength who do his word heeding the

work voices of his word.

Bless the Lord all you his hosts you ministers of his who do his pleasure.

Bless the Lord all his works in all places of his dominion.

Bless the Lord oh my soul.

May

God

bless

the

hearing

of

his

word.

Happy

Father's

Day.

And as Debbie read to us Father's Day is hard

for many of us because of the fathers

we've lost or the fathers.

We've never had fathers who were physically there but mentally

not there relationally not there.

And that's just a really reality of living in a fallen sinful world.

But I do want us to be encouraged to know that even

if you never had a proper earthly father

or an outright monstrous earthly father we we have our

heavenly father.

And we we can know what kind of father he is to all of us.

So I'll be reading from an excerpt from a book called Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlin.

It's a great book and he goes over in one

chapter.

God the Father.

It's called Father of Mercies.

Who is God the Father.

Just that our father.

Some of us had great dads growing up.

Others of us were horribly mistreated or abandoned by them.

Whatever the case the good in our earthly father dads is a faint

pointer to the true goodness of our heavenly father.

And the bad in our earthly dads is the photo negative of who our heavenly father is.

He is the father of whom every human father is a shadow.

In John 14 Philip asked Jesus to show the disciples the father.

Jesus responds.

Have I been with you so long and you still do not know me.

Philip whoever has seen me has seen the father.

How can you say show us the father.

Do you not believe that I am in the father and the father is in me.

Whoever has seen me has seen the father.

Elsewhere in the New Testament calls Christ the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of

his nature.

Hebrews 1 3.

Jesus is the embodiment of who God is.

He is the tangible epitomization of God.

Jesus Christ is the visible manifestation of the invisible God in him we see

heaven's eternal heart walking around on two legs in time and space.

When we see the heart of Christ then throughout the four gospels we are seeing the very

compassion and tenderness of who God himself most deeply is

as you consider the father's heart for you remember that he is the father of mercies.

He is not cautious in his tenderness toward you.

He multiplies mercies matched to your very need.

And there is nothing he would rather do.

Remember said the Puritan John Flavel that this God in whose hand are all

creatures is your father and is much more tender of you than you

are or can be of yourself.

Your gentlest treatment of yourself is less gentle than the way your heavenly father handles

you.

His tenderness toward you outstrips what you are even capable of toward

yourself.

Now with that we will be reading from Luke 7 verse 36 to

8 chapter 8 verse 3.

And we have the privilege of seeing what kind of tender

mercy Jesus shows towards sinners.

And that same tender mercy is that of the father in heaven.

Luke chapter 7 verse 36 to Luke chapter 8

verse 3.

Then one of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him.

And he went to the Pharisees house and sat down to eat and behold a woman in the city who was a

sinner.

And when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisees house brought an alabaster

flask of fragrant oil and stood at his feet behind him weeping.

And she began to wash his feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair of her head and

she kissed his feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.

Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he spoke to himself saying this man

if he were a prophet would know who and what manner of woman this is and who is touching him

for she is a sinner.

And Jesus answered and said to him Simon I have something to say to you.

So he said teacher say it.

There was a certain creditor who had two debtors one owed 500 denarii and the other 50.

And when they had nothing with which to repay he freely forgave them both.

Tell me therefore which of them will love him more.

Simon answered and said I suppose the one who whom he forgave more.

And he said to him you have rightly judged.

Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon do you see this woman I

entered your house.

You gave me no water for my feet but she has washed my feet with tears and wiped them with

her hair of her head.

You gave me no kiss but this woman had not ceased to kiss my feet since the time I came in.

You did not anoint my head with oil but this woman has anointed my feet with fragrant oil.

Therefore I say to you her sins which are many are forgiven for she loved much.

But to whom little is forgiven the same loves little.

Then he said to her your sins are forgiven.

And those who sat at the table with him begin to say to themselves who is this who even forgives sins.

Then he said to the woman your faith has saved you go in peace.

Now it came to pass afterward that he went through every city and village preaching and bringing the glad

tidings of the kingdom of God and the 12 were with him and certain women who had been healed of

evil spirits and infirmities.

Mary called Magdalene out of whom had come seven demons and Joanna the wife of Chusa

Herod's steward and Susanna and many others who provided for him from their substance.

Let us pray father we are thankful that we get to

experience your love and we get to see the tenderness of your compassion by looking at how

Jesus handles the sinners.

Thank you that we can approach him and he will not.

He will not take us away kick us out.

He will not abandon us but he will faithfully and tenderly care for us.

And father we pray that you would renew our minds whatever horrible experience

or even good experience we have of our earthly fathers.

We pray that we would experience the deepest and richest and purest love from our

father in heaven through Jesus Christ in his name.

We pray amen.

Now here we turn from john the baptist to Jesus and there is a new

conflict that is brewing.

And it is that there's a notorious sinner a well -known sinner publicly

known sinner who stands before Jesus

and all the eyes in the house are watching.

Now this text shows us an

important concept here.

It shows us the importance of forgiveness from God.

And this is very relevant to us even today because sin

has no boundary whether male or female

rich or poor powerful or weak young or old.

We have one common enemy and that's sin.

And this is very important because the holy god cannot

associate with sinners.

Sinners cannot stand before the holy god with their sin because

that's how pure and righteous God is.

However the good news today is we get to see a glimpse of how this holy god

interacts with a sinner a well -known sinner

an unnamed sinner a sinner who is so joyfully

grateful for being forgiven by Jesus

whether male or female rich or poor powerful or weak

young or old.

The good news is that we have one common savior and that's Jesus.

And the second important lesson here is that every forgiven person bears

fruit.

You might have met people who call themselves Christians that but they bear no fruit

that even resembles Christ.

And you start to question.

Maybe you've been discouraged and some of you might have been just scarred by those

people.

But what this passage shows us is that those who are forgiven

bear the fruit of salvation.

This by no means means that the type of love you show toward God

saves you.

But it's the opposite.

If you're forgiven if you're saved you naturally bear fruit.

And we see that in this sinful woman who's unnamed.

But we also see that in a greater list of women in chapter 8

when they're forgiven they bear fruit.

They produce fruit.

So the main point of this text is how does Jesus deal with sinners.

How does Jesus deal with sinners.

First when Jesus mercifully forgives sinners

they faithfully respond in love.

When Jesus mercifully forgives sinners they faithfully respond in love.

Now this passage picks up where Luke left off.

How does Jesus the son of man interact with sinners.

Remember in Luke 7 34 what the pharisees said about Jesus.

The son of man came eating and drinking and the pharisees charged him as a friend of sinners and tax

collectors.

Right before our eyes we get to see how Jesus is the friend of sinners.

First verse 36 sets the background context of this encounter.

Then one of the pharisees asked him to eat with him and he went to the pharisees house

and sat down to eat.

Here we cannot assume right now that the pharisees are openly against Jesus to

trap him.

Right that will come.

But not here.

Here they're still trying to figure out who Jesus is.

So they invite him over for a meal.

Some translations say that Jesus reclined to eat he lay down.

And this is because in ancient Israel lying down to eat was a normal occurrence.

For a feast not a normal meal they sat down to eat but for a feast a special gathering.

Oftentimes they would eat lying down.

They would angle their bodies and feet away from the table in which there was on which there was food and

they would eat lying down.

And this type of meal was actually open to the outsiders.

The door was open.

And this explains why the next verse happened so

naturally.

Now the dramatic change in verse 37 is this.

And behold a woman in the city who was a sinner.

Right.

When it says behold this is a way of Luke highlighting and bolding the

text.

Here behold look look right.

Here pay attention there's a sinner.

A woman in the city who was a sinner.

This woman came from the same city.

She was well known but what she was known for was that she was a sinner.

Now many try to say this woman is Mary Magdalene.

Uh.

But I don't think so because Mary Magdalene does show up in the next passage chapter eight.

But Luke doesn't make the effort to make the connection

now.

Second many also want to speculate what kind of sin she is guilty of.

Maybe prostitution.

Maybe adultery.

Maybe she was in a lot of debt.

It's it's fun to speculate.

But um as Ramiah told us on Friday during Bible study if God wanted us to

know he would have told us.

So we'll leave it at that she's a sinner.

We don't know what sin we don't know.

But God would have told us if that was important.

All we know is that this woman who is known as a sinner came into the Pharisee's house

unannounced.

And what followed became the main focus of the feast.

And Luke in fact describes every single detail like a slow motion movie scene

when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house brought an

alabaster flask flask of fragrant oil.

An alabaster uh alabaster flask of fragrant oil would have been either a stone or a glass jar

to preserve the precious oil and the scent aromatics.

Right.

And it was even more expensive uh than olive oil.

And stood at his feet behind him weeping.

And she began to wash his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.

And she kissed his feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.

Now the word for weeping literally means to rain.

Anywhere else in the Bible this word means to rain.

It does not have to be water rain.

It can be rain of judgment for Sodom and Gomorrah when that's mentioned.

But the point is Luke is illustrating an emotionally deep

experience of this woman.

She did not just shed a few tears here and there.

Right.

Just rolling down her cheeks.

Her tears showered upon Jesus feet.

She um and and and they poured out like

the rain shower.

Out of the gratitude she felt toward him after hearing about what he came

to do and what he is doing.

She couldn't contain herself.

And because her tears were uncontrollably falling on Jesus feet she undoes her

hair to wipe his feet.

Not only that out of her deep reverence and joy she starts kissing Jesus feet as she anoints

them pours out the precious oil that she's collected for however long on

Jesus feet the focus of this meal is not on the food

provided but on this woman's response to Jesus.

Now what's the initial response.

Verse 39.

Now when the pharisee who had invited him saw this he spoke to himself saying this

man if he were a prophet would know who and what manner of woman this is who is

touching him.

For she is a sinner.

Luke shows us a glimpse of the inner thought of the

host.

He is disturbed by the scene.

In fact she is this.

He is disturbed by her by her sheer presence.

Remember in the old testament uh there were laws of purity.

And depending on what kind of woman this was you could be defiled by

her if she touches you.

So therefore the pharisee's thought here is that if Jesus were really a prophet from God

if he were really that holy he would avoid her like the plague.

He's risking himself of being defiled.

Oh it's too late right.

In his mind a true prophet from God would be able to discern this sort of things.

You gotta know from the unclean.

From uh from the unclean and clean you gotta be able to discern that.

Aren't you a prophet.

However Jesus responds with a parable as he addresses the host Simon.

Now Simon is a rather a common name so we cannot assume this is uh Simon the leper.

There's a similar host named Simon the leper.

That's coming now.

Verse 41.

There was a certain creditor who had two debtors.

One owed 500 denarii and the other 50.

Now a denarius was a day's wage for a laborer or a common soldier in

the Roman army.

And um instead of trying to calculate right uh the

current equivalence uh with our inflationary currency um let's

think of it this way.

We have two different debtors.

One owes significantly more than the other.

And if we consider a denarius as just a day's wage for

common people right it would have been comparing a

nearly two years of wage and debt versus

maybe two months of wage and debt right.

So in another word uh it's something like while the

other owes two months of his wage in a car loan a car loan right.

And then the other person owes about two years of wage in his housing mortgage

right.

There's a huge difference between the two.

Now the difference being exorbitant makes this

plot twist that's coming even more shocking.

And when they had nothing with which to repay he freely forgave them both.

No questions asked.

He doesn't just calculate.

Okay you could pay this off.

So you're gonna be okay here.

But the one who owes more we have a program for you right.

That didn't happen.

Freely forgave them both because they both couldn't repay no matter how low that car loan

was.

He couldn't repay.

So the creditor says you don't have to pay.

It's forgiven.

Now in this parable it's important to tie

the parable to uh what it's representing.

In reality the two debtors represent two sinners of different categories.

One is extremely more severe than others.

The other one right.

But they're both helpless to pay the debt.

They both can't help themselves.

They both need the grace of the creditor.

And the creditor of course is god in the parable god is prepared

and willing to forgive no matter how much debt is owed

no matter how much it will cost him.

After all that was all his money that he's loaned out.

In fact this is jesus answer to the pharisees internal thought.

Remember what the pharisee said.

This man if he were a prophet would know who and what manner of woman this is.

Who is touching him.

For she is a sinner.

Now jesus.

Now jesus in response to the pharisees inner thought puts the ball

in the pharisees court.

Tell me therefore which of them will love him more.

You tell me why i'm not stopping this woman.

You tell me why this woman is responding this way.

The irony of jesus answer is multi -layered.

First jesus because he is more than a prophet knew precisely

what kind of woman this was despite simon's misperception of jesus.

Second because jesus is more than a prophet he was not disgusted by her.

Nor did he stop her from responding in her flooding gratitude.

Third jesus because he is more than a prophet even

discerned simon's thought which was not even verbalized.

Simon thought that jesus was not a prophet because he couldn't

discern what's publicly well known about this woman.

Ah she's a sinner.

She looks it sure sure he might be a foreign to this unnamed city but

we all can tell.

But precisely why jesus didn't push her away

was because that's was because jesus is more than a prophet.

Now to jesus question simon answers.

I suppose the one whom he forgave more and

jesus answered you have rightly judged.

Finally simon has discerned correctly.

And from verses 44 to 47 jesus goes over every detail of

the woman's action to show the proper application of receiving god's gracious

forgiveness.

Another irony here the pharisee a theologically educated

pure in public size and supposedly god -loving man the host

has to learn a lesson about responding to god in

love from a well -known sinner of the town who came

unannounced uninvited.

What jesus is telling simon is look at her.

Let me tell you how to properly respond to god's gracious forgiveness.

The very person whom simon looked down upon.

The very person simon used as a standard to judge jesus.

Jesus will use that same person to show how much

simon is lacking in love toward god.

Point by point jesus shows how simon

lacked the proper response to jesus.

Yet the woman fulfilled it.

Then he turned to the woman and said to simon do you see this woman

i entered your house.

You gave me no water for my feet.

But she has washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.

Now although washing feet has become very popular in the christian circle it was

not a required action for the host.

So i probably didn't wash your feet when you came over to my house.

It wasn't really a requirement for me now.

In fact foot washing when it was performed it was usually performed by the servant or the slave in the

house.

It was the lowly job it wasn't for the host.

Now it's not that simon was an improper host.

The point is simon could have done much more at the entrance of christ.

Verse 45.

You gave me no kiss.

But this woman has not ceased to kiss my feet since the time i came in.

You did not anoint my head with oil.

But this woman has anointed my feet with fragrant oil.

Again anointing one's head.

Pouring oil on someone's head was not a required action for the host.

But this sinner went above and beyond to pour out

the most precious type of oil not on the head but on his

feet.

She went above and beyond.

Verse 37.

Therefore i say to you her sins which are many are forgiven for she

loved much.

But to whom little is forgiven the same loves little.

The sinful woman's lavishing response to jesus was the confirmation

of the forgiveness of her sin.

It's abundantly clear that jesus knew exactly what kind of woman this was.

It was many.

Her sins were many.

Yet that was the precisely

overflowing love for god which was the natural fruit

of god's forgiveness.

That was the proof that she is no longer a

sinner.

That's why jesus let her do this.

And this is important for us to remember.

Our love for god does not add to god's forgiveness of us.

But when god graciously and freely forgives us the most natural

response is the overflow with the joyous gratitude and love toward

christ.

There's no other way to receive jesus forgiveness

which was purchased on the cross for you.

There is no upcoarseness about it.

Oh yeah.

Of course jesus died for my sin.

It floods one's heart to consider what jesus had to

go through to purchase your pardon.

How we know that this woman was forgiven.

Now the most important connection here is how is this woman's response to jesus

equivalent to showing her love for god.

Yes it makes sense.

God forgives.

God forgives your sin.

But what does it have to do with uh pouring a precious oil onto jesus feet.

The next verse bridges the two parts.

Verse 48.

Then he said to her your sins are forgiven.

All of a sudden it is jesus who forgives her.

In the psalm that we read this morning during sunday school.

But also the psalm that herald read this morning.

Forgiveness of sin is purely god's jurisdiction.

That's his authority.

That's his prerogative.

Only he can do that.

Yet verse 48 clearly says your sins are forgiven.

And that comes out of jesus mouth.

Notice.

He doesn't say well god told me your sins are forgiven.

Go in peace.

No jesus say it.

Jesus says it directly from his own mouth.

And of course this causes a stir among the witnesses.

And those who sat at the table with him begin to say to themselves who is this.

Who even forgives sin.

They know.

This is not a normal response from a human teacher.

Who are you.

Who.

How can you do that.

And remember the right to forgive rests with god.

After all.

After all whenever we do sin the most offended party is god.

The guests at the feast are actually asking the right question who is this.

Who even forgives sins.

How can a mere man offer forgiveness on god's behalf.

A he is either divinely authorized to do so because he is god

or he's committing blasphemy.

If you speak on behalf of god wrongly

that's blasphemy.

Any mischaracterization of god is blasphemy.

So if indeed god did not forgive the sinful woman but jesus says your sins are forgiven

that's blasphemy.

But if this woman is forgiven

because jesus forgives her sins that's

something different.

There's really no middle ground here.

It's either jesus is a blasphemous lunatic or he has the

divine authority to forgive sin as the son of god he's god himself.

Whenever god the father forgives so does the son.

This is important because mere humans cannot forgive nor

even offer forgiveness on behalf of god.

Mother mary cannot offer forgiveness on behalf of the son.

Dead saints do not bestow forgiveness on behalf of god.

Popes and priests cannot offer forgiveness on behalf of god.

Pastors cannot justify your wrongdoing no matter how many tears are shed.

Your spouse cannot justify your past sins.

We want to hear it's all right.

It's okay from someone else.

But if we go to anyone but jesus christ we're going to the wrong person.

That it's all right has no power to forgive your sin if it comes out of

anyone else's mouth.

But jesus the only

possible candidate for this role of offering forgiveness is god himself.

And that's why you must go to christ alone.

He is the one who justifies through his death on the cross.

He's the one who bought your forgiveness so he can give it out

freely now unhindered by the

guest's commotion.

Jesus reassures the woman your faith has saved you go in peace.

The required response to god's forgiveness is faith.

In the end her faith was made visible through her loving

action that caused such a stir in the house of simon because

her relationship with god has been transformed through christ's forgiveness.

So in this jesus reassures her to go in peace.

There are no truer words than that to a forgiven person.

You have true peace with god.

You and god are reconciled.

God has nothing against you go in peace.

Now this passage asks a question.

How do we respond to our own sin.

Is it something you wouldn't touch with a 10 -foot pole or something you would conceal

it within yourself.

Or do you go to jesus.

Maybe sometimes weeping at the gratitude of

the forgiveness that's been bought.

Right.

Heard reason for the tears were out of joy and gratitude.

Not because she was unsure that she's forgiven or not.

Right.

The tears shed because of sin.

When we go to christ is not that.

Oh it's up in the air.

I don't know if jesus will forgive me this time.

The tears shed are actually the reality of your forgiven state that

also to have been paid for.

That's why he's just and faithful to forgive us any

sin.

That you go to jesus that you confess to him honestly

without blame shifting without making any excuses.

Oh i was really having a bad day.

Or it's his fault.

Oh man he was so annoying.

But when we go to him honestly to confess to christ he is righteous and

faithful to forgive us of all our sins and cleanse us from all our unrighteousness.

First john 1 9.

Jesus nature and character are at stake here in how he responds to your sin.

For jesus to hold back any forgiveness to a repentant sinner would make him unrighteous and

unfaithful.

That's what we learned from this woman's response.

She is overwhelmed by this sense of joy at this reality of forgiveness even to

her.

I don't know what her sin was.

Must have been big for everyone else to know it.

But even that even her sin was canceled.

Christ.

This beautiful passage also shows us christ's disposition towards sinners.

You and i may be disgusted by other sin.

You hear on the news.

And it's grotesque.

It's wicked.

You and i might be even disgusted by our own sin.

We can't even look at ourselves.

We stay up all night thinking of what we've done wrong.

How i wish i didn't say that.

We try to drown out the reality of our sin through substance

distractions or even entertainment.

If i don't have to face it maybe it won't go away.

We try to run away as far as possible.

Christ however does the opposite.

When the holy god became man where he can interact

with people physically.

Instead of running away from the sinners he warmly welcomed them.

He remains utterly approachable to sinners.

He's available for you.

You and i cannot stand our old selves.

It's embarrassing to even think about why did i say that.

Why did i do that again.

Christ however offers forgiveness graciously and generously to

whomever and whenever

and for whatever sin.

This is why we can boldly approach the throne of

god after each time.

And christ does not get tired of forgiving.

If your jesus gets annoyed at you for you coming to him for the same sin over and over

again.

You've just portrayed a picture of jesus in your image.

That's not the christ of the bible.

Contrary to what the pharisees thought.

Our access to god does not come from our own accomplishments.

Our access to god comes from his mercy and grace.

We can boldly approach the throne room of god.

And he tenderly receives sinners each and every time because that is who he is.

And how does he offer forgiveness.

God himself died so that he could righteously forgive you.

A forgiveness that costs nothing is unreliable.

And we've all experienced people who've said yeah you're forgiven.

But they bring it up a month later.

That's not forgiveness.

That's just forgiveness by fiat.

You just believe it not this forgiveness.

This forgiveness was purchased at a cost at the highest cost.

God became mad so that he could die to purchase your pardon for your

sin.

There was no other way.

Bulls and goats just weren't cutting it.

And jesus heart for restoring sinners is so deep that he

willingly gave his life on the cross for that so that he could take your sin

and you be pardoned on his behalf.

That's the true forgiveness.

Jesus died so he could forgive you.

Do you think that he would stop forgiving you just because it happened one more time than you expected.

The standard use put up for yourself

when you consider that how can we not fall at jesus feet with tears of joy showering down

the alabaster flask of precious perfume is in fact an inadequate

way of showing our gratitude toward christ.

Nothing in all of this creation is enough to actually

represent the gratitude we ought to feel for the forgiveness that he has

purchased on the cross.

Now how far does jesus ministry of mercy toward

sinners reach.

Jesus merciful ministry extends through all parts of society.

Now after jesus encounter with one sinful woman we see the growth of

his ministry of mercy toward multiple people.

Now it came to pass afterward that he went through every city and village preaching and

bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of god.

And the 12 were with him as the last passage made abundantly clear.

Jesus approachability has no boundaries.

He takes the gospel of the kingdom of god everywhere he goes he is

indiscriminately gracious.

There's no geographical boundaries to where the gospel will go.

He'll take it anywhere.

And the glad tidings or the gospel of the kingdom of god is the very announcement that

god's past promises are being fulfilled in jesus.

That's the gospel.

The promises of the past are fulfilled in jesus.

Jesus is the very agent of fulfillment and he's the one proclaiming the news.

And of course the biggest fulfillment of god's promise is that he deals with

sin once and for all.

Sin which has been plaguing the world since genesis 3.

God deals with it through jesus.

Not only that not only the 12 disciples in the various cities.

Verses 2 and 3 show us that jesus is indiscriminate when it comes to picking his

followers and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities.

Mary called magdalene out of whom had seven demons and joanna the wife of

herod stewart and susanna and many others who provided for him from their substance.

Luke is uh one of the gospel authors who actually shows

the importance of women in jesus ministry.

And that's been the case since luke one uh elizabeth john the baptist mom

mary jesus mom anna a prophetess.

So on.

And in fact more women will show up in the gospel.

According to luke now in ancient israel it was

normal for women to support a rabbi a teacher.

They gave food or money.

However what was unheard of was that women journeyed with

the rabbi until now.

It tells us that along with the 12 apostles these women went with jesus.

And who made up the crew.

The noble women the famous women the well -known women who are

virtuous.

No from a formerly demon -possessed woman to the wife of the manager of king

herod's palace.

Jesus accepted them all.

Both mary magdalene and joanna will indeed follow jesus until the very end to witness the

empty tomb.

They're faithful women.

Neither gender nor socio -economic background nor one's history prevented them from

following christ.

And in fact as they followed christ they faithfully contributed to his ministry.

They supported his ministry.

They had the privilege of helping out the ministry of the

gospel during christ's time.

And this morning if you are hesitant about following christ

the text tells us the letter of disqualification does not come from christ himself.

Christ accepts anyone to follow him.

And in fact everyone has something to contribute to his ministry.

You may say to yourself i don't know enough of the bible.

I have a wicked past that no one knows about.

I'm not too intelligent i'm not too pure

i'm not gifted.

Those disqualifying words don't come from christ's mouth frankly

but yours.

But as you have seen before jesus compassion overflows to those.

Anyone who comes to him in faith he does not turn away

any who come to him with humility and in need of forgiveness.

And only after that god's people are called to serve.

As the women did.

They were excited to serve.

In fact the early church in the book of acts they were excited to give whatever they could whether teaching gifts

or land whatever.

They were just excited to be part of this to be part of christ's ministry

to be part of this history in which jesus restored

his world.

It's also important to note that they these women did not give to be saved.

This was not an entrance ticket to heaven.

They gave because they were saved.

And when we do serve after receiving forgiveness from christ

service and gifts are our most natural response.

How could we hold anything back to someone who gave it all for you for you to be forgiven.

I'm not saying to give everything to the church.

That's what.

And that's not what i'm saying at all.

It's that those who are saved they naturally give.

They don't want to hold it back.

The first and fourth verses of when i surveyed the wondrous cross depict this weather.

Uh rather really.

Well right.

These old hymns are very deep.

When i surveyed the wondrous cross on which the prince of glory died my

richest gain i count but loss and poor contempt on

all my pride were the whole realm of nature mine

that were a present far too small love so amazing.

So divine demands my soul my life my all.

That's the natural response of someone who's received forgiveness from christ

which cost his life.

Let us pray father we're thankful that

your forgiveness through christ is unending

and overflowing.

Thank you that we can come to christ and know that he

desires to forgive us delight in forgiving us.

He's excited about restoring us back to you and god i pray that you would remove every obstacle

that's preventing us from correctly viewing christ as scripture.

Scripture shows us and help us to

respond in love as this woman did

joyfully gratefully in jesus name.