The Sermon A Season Of Forgiveness by Fred Monk
Apr 09, 2014
A Season Of Forgiveness (23:43)
Referenced Scriptures: Luke 7:36-48; Luke 23:34; Matthew 6:12
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The scriptures below are from the WEB Bible.
Luke 7:36-48
36) One of the Pharisees invited him to eat with him. He entered into the Pharisee‘s house, and sat at the table.
37) Behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that he was reclining in the Pharisee‘s house, she brought an alabaster jar of ointment.
38) Standing behind at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
39) Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, "This man, if he were a prophet, would have perceived who and what kind of woman this is who touches him, that she is a sinner."
40) Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." He said, "Teacher, say on."
41) "A certain lender had two debtors. The one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
42) When they couldn‘t pay, he forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him most?"
43) Simon answered, "He, I suppose, to whom he forgave the most." He said to him, "You have judged correctly."
44) Turning to the woman, he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered into your house, and you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head.
45) You gave me no kiss, but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet.
46) You didn‘t anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.
47) Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."
48) He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
Luke 23:34
34) Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they don‘t know what they are doing." Dividing his garments among them, they cast lots.
Matthew 6:12
12) Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.
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User join privilege to be here to share with you and God 's word. So let us turn to God 's word on my reading from the Gospel according to Luke the seventh chapter. Versus thirty six to forty seven. I'm reading from the new American Standard version, now one of the Pharisees was requesting him to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee 's house, and reclined at the table and behold, there was a woman in the city who was a sinner, and when she learned that he was reclining at the table within the Pharisee 's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. They kept wiping them with the hair of her head, a kissing his feet and anointing them with perfume, Ellen, the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself. If this man or a prophet, he would know who and what sort of person. This woman is who is touching him that she is a sinner and Jesus answered and said to him, Simon, I have something to say to you, and he replied, saying, teacher, a certain man versus urban moneylender had two debtors one owed five hundred and area of the other fifty. When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him more. Simon answered and said, I suppose the one whom he forgave more. And he said to him, you have judged correctly. The 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 here's an white film with her feet. You gave me note has achieved since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with perfume. For this reason, I say to you, her sins which are many have been forgiven for she loved much, but he who is forgiven, loves little and he said to her, your sins have been forgiven at extroverts was a bonus. Let's pray for Jesus. We thank you and we praise you for your words. Lord I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts would be acceptable to the Lord our rock and our Redeemer, this Lenten series. This year we are like taking our cue from the book of forgiveness. He led the study, which is written by Marjorie Thompson enters accord in the introduction I want to share with you. She writes there is also no Christianity without forgiveness. It is impossible to conceive of any expression of Christian discipleship that ignores or excludes a virtue so central to the good news, so we are doing this series as you're probably most of you aware on forgiveness that brings me to this passage. This evening that I shared with you the setting is in the dining room of the Pharisee was a problem for me because I always thought that Jesus had an issue with you self-righteous Pharisees. What is he doing in the dining room of the Pharisee, so right off the bat I have to deal with the fact that God loves the entire world so, only son for the world. God so loved the world he gave his only son, and that includes those self-righteous Pharisees at Simon 's request, they are reclined at table and enjoying what I'm sure was a fine evening meal served on the finest of China. The best available and probably a silver pitcher for the water and nice goblets for drinking from your appearances are important, and I'm sure to the Pharisee appearances were so important, so the surroundings were rather nice show. We say, and incomes. This woman, this woman of ill repute, a lady of the evening. She appears with an alabaster vial and expensive perfume and begins to fly profusely of the cheers sheriff arrives onto Jesus feet and she begins to wipe his feet with her tears with her hair and anointed his feet with this violent alabaster oil or perfume on this perfume was expensive, who is probably a year 's worth of some of wages spent on this perfume and she gives generously to Jesus. Well of course this is Mike's escape Simons notice, and he thinks himself if he was really a profit if it was really everything that everybody said he would know what kind of woman. This was what her background was that he would have nothing to do with her nose and actually strengthens Jesus could see it in his eye 's. Probably she can to in the judge metal. I choose fiery darts, but her and it lasts. Jesus decides that this is a teachable moment to Simon, I have somehow want to tell you what, tell me, teacher, and he tells this parable, of course, the whole point of the parable is he if you are forgiven and just a little, it's no big deal if you're forgiven of a tremendous amount you are tremendously grateful. This is the truth. In our experience that those who have been rescued from a life of drugs or alcohol abuse or crying when they come to the Lord. They are really on fire for the Lord they cannot do enough for their Lord and Savior. There is usually no task too menial or too great for them to do for their Lord, because he first loved them, they respond out of tremendous love to him for the forgiveness that he has given them that they knew that they did not deserve a new, what's they didn't deserve the slot. Simon 's diversity saw little need for forgiveness. Everybody respects the Pharisee being slow particulars keeping error-free piece of the law. He had every reason to be proud of how righteous he was at he even had Jesus over for dinner and kind of icing on the cake. The woman she needed lots of help. Just ask Simon, he'll tell you how much help sheet. She maybe be on help. I think in a sense, we can if we admitted it on hearts, we can relate to the Pharisee watch. We think of the Pharisee in a look down at those people are pushing drugs and abusing the drugs don't we try to look down on those people to turn to a life of crime to those who choose not to do what they can for themselves would rely on other people to supply their needs for them. Still, we can determine I had say I'm glad I'm not like that is not sound a bit like the Pharisee who says I don't really need the help. I don't need the forgiveness you know what even today we hear as you mentioned the incident Franklin regional and we think of that person along with a whole parade of others who displayed violent our schools on military bases, not to mention the streets which I'm glad I'm not like that. I thank God that we heart you see, that's the point. We need to thank God for the grace that he's given us that he is seeing to it that we are not in that position. We need to see also the tremendous need that we have because like it or not, we all are sinners for all extended fall short of the glory of God, and there's not one of us. They can stand on our own righteousness before the mighty throne of God. None of us has a pure white art. We have a nice cool dog names gracing she's West Street, West Highland white terrier. She is very very white until you put her in the snow and then you see that even though she looks so white. She has, and that's kind of the way it is with us. We may look pretty white appeared a lot of the rest of landscape, but we've all fallen short, and none of us could stand before the mighty throne of God. They give an account of ourselves standing on our own righteousness and stand, we cannot do it. We all stand in need of God 's forgiveness and a point that Jesus would be making to this Pharisee. This Simon was something that we need all understand we all need forgiveness of everything that is preparing this passage on with its counterparts in Matthew and Mark, we find out that Simon didn't someone was really quite as good as he's painted this picture you see in the other Gospels. He's referred to as Simon the leper reminds me of Jesus saying before you remove the log from the speck from your neighbors are you really need to remove the log from your own. The point of this passage is not so much whether we need to be forgiven or not, but rather how much we need to be forgiven. The goal of forgiveness is the restoration of fellowship restoration of relationship has anybody ever done something that really got you angry and you decided you want have anything to do with them ever again happen to me and a number of times being a Methodist, I could think of a couple district superintendents upon that category. And so how does that Fellowship get restored when you've been hurt to be really nice if the district super deck came up and said you know what that was a really foolish move I made. I am really sorry. I'd like to make amends the unasked and I happen John's really laughing. He's these he knows very well what I'm talking about if the what you do in those instances when God said because I have forgiven you, you need to forgive others. What happens without prayer. And the Lord 's prayer when we say forgive us our trespasses in the same way that we forgive those who trespass against us. Do we really mean those words right. They just things that kind of flow out of our mouth because were accustomed to saying them. Do we really want to forgive. Do we really want that relationship restored, but that's a question we have to seriously ask ourselves because there is going to be our motivation for giving that forgiveness is wanting that relationship restored wanting to love in the same way that God loves are reminded of Jesus on the cross, saying these words, father, forgive them for they know not what they do. They were in the process of crucifying him. He was up for the cost suffering immediately the pain of what they'd inflicted upon his body, but he knew had no idea what was that they were doing just following orders just do us all to do and everybody can have an excuse in a process that takes a man of God say, forgive them, and brothers and sisters. When you are hurt you have been offended by this seems so difficult to muster up the will to deal with that forgiveness especially if they're not even sorry about it, especially when they're not sorry about that help only he could come from the one who led the way and said from the cross, forgive them for they know not what they do is only by strength of the Holy Spirit that we could forgive him. That same way as not to say that every wish your relationships can be restored. You may want that restored but it takes two people to have that relationship, and you may have to accept that it's just good to be the way it is, but you can not carry that burden. You cannot carry dead bird that bitterness and anger in your heart very low. I'm reminded of a guy who was a member of the church I served a number of years back and it was back in the nineties back in the late fifties I believe it was his wife had made a clerical error in the checkbook of their business and ended up in a costly mistake. She said I'm sorry but he would not accept. He still had not accepted it, and the bitterness is hard in the negativity and absolute. The he was not a nice person is no because of that bitterness and anger and unforgiveness in his heart, and I hold him. You have to forgive her. I will not forgive her. I think when you pray the Lord 's prayer you say forgive us in the same way as we forgive others. You're saying that you don't want to forgive you. He said I would rather burn in hell than to forgive her parents bedroom house more spare us. Here was the grace to offer forgiveness, even if it's not deserved because grace is not deserved forgiveness because it is the right thing to do. It is the godly thing to do and is better for you as a person to be a forgiving person intellect at work go to leave at the costs where it belongs, with all the rest of the social world we put behind getting rid of the excess baggage you have in your life and give it to the Lord, his guilt is easy to assess the later burned down and take up his yoke of love, forgiveness, I talked about how we need to forgive. That's appropriate. But there's also a response, the Jesus talks about to that forgiveness face, pointing to that woman of ill repute whose sins have been forgiven. She comes in a response to realizing that Jesus is going to forgive her. He is going to say it's okay, I give you a new life you don't have to live the life that you have been living that life brings shame to you the disgraces you again means you, you don't have to do that anymore. I give you a new life of a life of love. I will look oddly life, love and joy a life of peace. A life of hope for the future. A future eternity of the presence of God Almighty something she knew she didn't deserve and when she realized the greatest psychiatric response was to take a year 's worth of wages to put it on his feet to try. Cheers of repentance. Enjoy it. Peace and wash his feet with her hair. When we realize that we are forgiven and forgiven of March. Many things were not even aware of, may I say that if some of us live, live relatively moral lives at no point in my life, was I given to a lot of cussing I didn't drink excessively. I never smoked, I didn't sleep around. I didn't do any of those bad things that the Christians would never dream of doing, but still I stand in need of God 's forgiveness, and when I realized the choice that he made to come and I am across from my sense when I realize what he has done for me. How could I but not respond in love. That's why Paul would write in Romans twelve, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable which is your reasonable service, worship, Tom Petri conformed to this world between S4 by the renewing of your mind in order to feel pretty. Ruth experience that good. The perfect and acceptable will of God, brothers and sisters, I invite you if you are not having your bodies over to the Lord in forgiveness. In gratitude for the forgiveness that he is given for what he did on the cross for you this evening I ask you to invite a major way to forgive your sins. And in response to give your heart and your very lives. Jesus which he so desperately wants enough that he could go to the cross for you just love him and let him love you aspiring orgies as we truly do love you were so thankful that you of rescued us from the fiery pits of hell and instead placed in us your Holy Spirit will guide us into the ways of truth and one day we will see you face-to-face, and the glory of heaven, we give you the honor of the presa glory. Do your name, the Lord, we give ourselves to you. We pray this in Jesus, precious name in all God 's children said amenUser join privilege to be here to share with you and God 's word. So let us turn to God 's word on my reading from the Gospel according to Luke the seventh chapter. Versus thirty six to forty seven. I'm reading from the new American Standard version, now one of the Pharisees was requesting him to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee 's house, and reclined at the table and behold, there was a woman in the city who was a sinner, and when she learned that he was reclining at the table within the Pharisee 's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. They kept wiping them with the hair of her head, a kissing his feet and anointing them with perfume, Ellen, the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself. If this man or a prophet, he would know who and what sort of person. This woman is who is touching him that she is a sinner and Jesus answered and said to him, Simon, I have something to say to you, and he replied, saying, teacher, a certain man versus urban moneylender had two debtors one owed five hundred and area of the other fifty. When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him more. Simon answered and said, I suppose the one whom he forgave more. And he said to him, you have judged correctly. The 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 here's an white film with her feet. You gave me note has achieved since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with perfume. For this reason, I say to you, her sins which are many have been forgiven for she loved much, but he who is forgiven, loves little and he said to her, your sins have been forgiven at extroverts was a bonus. Let's pray for Jesus. We thank you and we praise you for your words. Lord I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts would be acceptable to the Lord our rock and our Redeemer, this Lenten series. This year we are like taking our cue from the book of forgiveness. He led the study, which is written by Marjorie Thompson enters accord in the introduction I want to share with you. She writes there is also no Christianity without forgiveness. It is impossible to conceive of any expression of Christian discipleship that ignores or excludes a virtue so central to the good news, so we are doing this series as you're probably most of you aware on forgiveness that brings me to this passage. This evening that I shared with you the setting is in the dining room of the Pharisee was a problem for me because I always thought that Jesus had an issue with you self-righteous Pharisees. What is he doing in the dining room of the Pharisee, so right off the bat I have to deal with the fact that God loves the entire world so, only son for the world. God so loved the world he gave his only son, and that includes those self-righteous Pharisees at Simon 's request, they are reclined at table and enjoying what I'm sure was a fine evening meal served on the finest of China. The best available and probably a silver pitcher for the water and nice goblets for drinking from your appearances are important, and I'm sure to the Pharisee appearances were so important, so the surroundings were rather nice show. We say, and incomes. This woman, this woman of ill repute, a lady of the evening. She appears with an alabaster vial and expensive perfume and begins to fly profusely of the cheers sheriff arrives onto Jesus feet and she begins to wipe his feet with her tears with her hair and anointed his feet with this violent alabaster oil or perfume on this perfume was expensive, who is probably a year 's worth of some of wages spent on this perfume and she gives generously to Jesus. Well of course this is Mike's escape Simons notice, and he thinks himself if he was really a profit if it was really everything that everybody said he would know what kind of woman. This was what her background was that he would have nothing to do with her nose and actually strengthens Jesus could see it in his eye 's. Probably she can to in the judge metal. I choose fiery darts, but her and it lasts. Jesus decides that this is a teachable moment to Simon, I have somehow want to tell you what, tell me, teacher, and he tells this parable, of course, the whole point of the parable is he if you are forgiven and just a little, it's no big deal if you're forgiven of a tremendous amount you are tremendously grateful. This is the truth. In our experience that those who have been rescued from a life of drugs or alcohol abuse or crying when they come to the Lord. They are really on fire for the Lord they cannot do enough for their Lord and Savior. There is usually no task too menial or too great for them to do for their Lord, because he first loved them, they respond out of tremendous love to him for the forgiveness that he has given them that they knew that they did not deserve a new, what's they didn't deserve the slot. Simon 's diversity saw little need for forgiveness. Everybody respects the Pharisee being slow particulars keeping error-free piece of the law. He had every reason to be proud of how righteous he was at he even had Jesus over for dinner and kind of icing on the cake. The woman she needed lots of help. Just ask Simon, he'll tell you how much help sheet. She maybe be on help. I think in a sense, we can if we admitted it on hearts, we can relate to the Pharisee watch. We think of the Pharisee in a look down at those people are pushing drugs and abusing the drugs don't we try to look down on those people to turn to a life of crime to those who choose not to do what they can for themselves would rely on other people to supply their needs for them. Still, we can determine I had say I'm glad I'm not like that is not sound a bit like the Pharisee who says I don't really need the help. I don't need the forgiveness you know what even today we hear as you mentioned the incident Franklin regional and we think of that person along with a whole parade of others who displayed violent our schools on military bases, not to mention the streets which I'm glad I'm not like that. I thank God that we heart you see, that's the point. We need to thank God for the grace that he's given us that he is seeing to it that we are not in that position. We need to see also the tremendous need that we have because like it or not, we all are sinners for all extended fall short of the glory of God, and there's not one of us. They can stand on our own righteousness before the mighty throne of God. None of us has a pure white art. We have a nice cool dog names gracing she's West Street, West Highland white terrier. She is very very white until you put her in the snow and then you see that even though she looks so white. She has, and that's kind of the way it is with us. We may look pretty white appeared a lot of the rest of landscape, but we've all fallen short, and none of us could stand before the mighty throne of God. They give an account of ourselves standing on our own righteousness and stand, we cannot do it. We all stand in need of God 's forgiveness and a point that Jesus would be making to this Pharisee. This Simon was something that we need all understand we all need forgiveness of everything that is preparing this passage on with its counterparts in Matthew and Mark, we find out that Simon didn't someone was really quite as good as he's painted this picture you see in the other Gospels. He's referred to as Simon the leper reminds me of Jesus saying before you remove the log from the speck from your neighbors are you really need to remove the log from your own. The point of this passage is not so much whether we need to be forgiven or not, but rather how much we need to be forgiven. The goal of forgiveness is the restoration of fellowship restoration of relationship has anybody ever done something that really got you angry and you decided you want have anything to do with them ever again happen to me and a number of times being a Methodist, I could think of a couple district superintendents upon that category. And so how does that Fellowship get restored when you've been hurt to be really nice if the district super deck came up and said you know what that was a really foolish move I made. I am really sorry. I'd like to make amends the unasked and I happen John's really laughing. He's these he knows very well what I'm talking about if the what you do in those instances when God said because I have forgiven you, you need to forgive others. What happens without prayer. And the Lord 's prayer when we say forgive us our trespasses in the same way that we forgive those who trespass against us. Do we really mean those words right. They just things that kind of flow out of our mouth because were accustomed to saying them. Do we really want to forgive. Do we really want that relationship restored, but that's a question we have to seriously ask ourselves because there is going to be our motivation for giving that forgiveness is wanting that relationship restored wanting to love in the same way that God loves are reminded of Jesus on the cross, saying these words, father, forgive them for they know not what they do. They were in the process of crucifying him. He was up for the cost suffering immediately the pain of what they'd inflicted upon his body, but he knew had no idea what was that they were doing just following orders just do us all to do and everybody can have an excuse in a process that takes a man of God say, forgive them, and brothers and sisters. When you are hurt you have been offended by this seems so difficult to muster up the will to deal with that forgiveness especially if they're not even sorry about it, especially when they're not sorry about that help only he could come from the one who led the way and said from the cross, forgive them for they know not what they do is only by strength of the Holy Spirit that we could forgive him. That same way as not to say that every wish your relationships can be restored. You may want that restored but it takes two people to have that relationship, and you may have to accept that it's just good to be the way it is, but you can not carry that burden. You cannot carry dead bird that bitterness and anger in your heart very low. I'm reminded of a guy who was a member of the church I served a number of years back and it was back in the nineties back in the late fifties I believe it was his wife had made a clerical error in the checkbook of their business and ended up in a costly mistake. She said I'm sorry but he would not accept. He still had not accepted it, and the bitterness is hard in the negativity and absolute. The he was not a nice person is no because of that bitterness and anger and unforgiveness in his heart, and I hold him. You have to forgive her. I will not forgive her. I think when you pray the Lord 's prayer you say forgive us in the same way as we forgive others. You're saying that you don't want to forgive you. He said I would rather burn in hell than to forgive her parents bedroom house more spare us. Here was the grace to offer forgiveness, even if it's not deserved because grace is not deserved forgiveness because it is the right thing to do. It is the godly thing to do and is better for you as a person to be a forgiving person intellect at work go to leave at the costs where it belongs, with all the rest of the social world we put behind getting rid of the excess baggage you have in your life and give it to the Lord, his guilt is easy to assess the later burned down and take up his yoke of love, forgiveness, I talked about how we need to forgive. That's appropriate. But there's also a response, the Jesus talks about to that forgiveness face, pointing to that woman of ill repute whose sins have been forgiven. She comes in a response to realizing that Jesus is going to forgive her. He is going to say it's okay, I give you a new life you don't have to live the life that you have been living that life brings shame to you the disgraces you again means you, you don't have to do that anymore. I give you a new life of a life of love. I will look oddly life, love and joy a life of peace. A life of hope for the future. A future eternity of the presence of God Almighty something she knew she didn't deserve and when she realized the greatest psychiatric response was to take a year 's worth of wages to put it on his feet to try. Cheers of repentance. Enjoy it. Peace and wash his feet with her hair. When we realize that we are forgiven and forgiven of March. Many things were not even aware of, may I say that if some of us live, live relatively moral lives at no point in my life, was I given to a lot of cussing I didn't drink excessively. I never smoked, I didn't sleep around. I didn't do any of those bad things that the Christians would never dream of doing, but still I stand in need of God 's forgiveness, and when I realized the choice that he made to come and I am across from my sense when I realize what he has done for me. How could I but not respond in love. That's why Paul would write in Romans twelve, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable which is your reasonable service, worship, Tom Petri conformed to this world between S4 by the renewing of your mind in order to feel pretty. Ruth experience that good. The perfect and acceptable will of God, brothers and sisters, I invite you if you are not having your bodies over to the Lord in forgiveness. In gratitude for the forgiveness that he is given for what he did on the cross for you this evening I ask you to invite a major way to forgive your sins. And in response to give your heart and your very lives. Jesus which he so desperately wants enough that he could go to the cross for you just love him and let him love you aspiring orgies as we truly do love you were so thankful that you of rescued us from the fiery pits of hell and instead placed in us your Holy Spirit will guide us into the ways of truth and one day we will see you face-to-face, and the glory of heaven, we give you the honor of the presa glory. Do your name, the Lord, we give ourselves to you. We pray this in Jesus, precious name in all God 's children said amen