Finding Purpose with Peter Rochelle Part #2

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This is the Truth Network. This is part two of a special two-part episode. Do you feel like you're on a religious treadmill. Do you feel like Christianity is just a system of rules and regulations, I can do this but I can't do that. Do you feel like your efforts to reach God. Find God, and please God do you feel like your faith is dead or alone. Today Pastor Russ Andrews will walk us through Scripture to answer these questions join us on finding purpose, glorifying God by helping men find their purpose for living.

For more information and to connect with Russ Andrews and finding purpose could visit us online@findingpurpose.net or connect with us on Facebook.

Now let's listen to Russ and as he teaches us how to be a Christian without being religious. Today's message features Pastor Peter Rochelle go to more John whale is another story of the light, Mary, who would who would live roof and mop the she also called in both stories different story, though, and she raises expensive bottle of perfume do that with an alabaster jar and notice what the text says about this. What woman here again that there are several things.

First of all, don't miss the fact that it says that she led a sinful life. Most commentators would say she led the promiscuous life.

Most commentators would suggest this phrase here means she lived an immoral life that she was a woman of the streets. She was a prostitute prostitute walks in where Jesus is reclining at the table.

That's the second thing about her. She led not only a sinful life, but she did it in that town. In other words, everyone knew her.

Her sin was no secret.

Everyone knew how she was living it was common knowledge for sin with all public display with pastor John MacArthur says it he states it like this. He said in all likelihood she was a prostitute. A professional adulteress immoral and pure in living a flagrantly sinful life in a public level. She was immoral and impure, and unholy every body knew it, I know we did not the only man in the audience here, but imagine this if your sin and not just your senior sexual sin was on display for everybody.

Imagine the shame in that. Imagine the weight. Everyone knew who she was and what she was involved, but look at the next thing the third thing about her. She comes with a repentant heart.

She crashes the party. She's uninvited guest but she brings his alabaster jar of perfume, and I think she that this was intentional. Here publishing came with what with the motive and the desire to support all Chrysler use it for Christ. It really speaks of her heart. Yes, she said she's lived a sinful life. Yes, she's living a moral life. Yes, everybody knows all about her and that town she comes. I believe with the change talk. She brings this alabaster jar of perfume and she standing behind Jesus you all and she's at his feet and she's weepy and she begins to wet his feet with her hair and she wipes his feet with her hair and she kisses the initiate notes and with this perfume is very interesting here in the original Greek language was a bit of a let you know how moving and how emotional this scene was. I don't know if we can quite capture just not in our English translation of the Bible. This is really a moving see you all this is really emotional. This is incredible have the word wet here. Just picture her picture Jesus reclining at the table picture is his legs extended back this way.

Picture this lady just standing there and she begins to we. She begins to weep probably. She maybe had had some contact with Jesus prior to. Maybe she heard him preach maybe spoke to her and and and and and said something specifically to her but but but she had some kind of encounter with Jesus may be private and she called the she just moved as she knows he is the want that to forgive her about her sin.

So she's sitting there standing there, rather she's weepy and she's weeping with tears are landing on Jesus feet as his legs or extend the word wet that she wet his feet with her tears is the Greek word preach show and it literally means terrain.

This woman is weeping, so terribly that the tears are rolling all for trip sheets dropping all Jesus's feet like rain is not a credible that it is incredible because she is bawling. One day my daughter was walking dog we had to get rid of God, a dog with Jesus now. It just didn't work out and job but anyway one day she was walking our doll hot dog would just poop in places we shouldn't put me walking for our he would not poop and then he would get to where he should and he would go. We have a neighbor that just loves his yard and he's a little bit of a grouch and and Harley are daughter name anathema motorcycle Harley-Davidson motorcycle he pooped in Mr. Kevin jar Mr. Cavendish comes out and he's upset my little Kristin who's my heart she's just sitting there and she's got Holly. He's going to nattering and just fussing at her she comes home.

You all and like she is just weeping on the justice picture of the tears are just Edward her shirt was soaked, she can't even talk. This is picture of my little Kristin and she is just she has undergone with emotion and she's just weeping to the point where she can't even speak. I wonder if that's the scene here that were read his feet wet would literally imply she's crying in a slight rain's phone. We see the motion of this and then she kisses his feet were kids here in the Greek is kata for Leo and is a demonstration of great affection and applause.

Love is way up on Leo is is the Greek word for brotherly love and so this woman a sheet she cries and she's weeping as tears are flowing out of her eyes unto Jesus feet. She begins to wipe his feet with her hair and and and she begins the kiss his feet as a demonstration of affection and love for the Savior.

What a moving picture is kissing here discrete work is the same Greek word that the prodigal son's father is is described as do you remember he sees his father, you'll get a loop of 15 later on as you keep going through Luke, but he sees his son.

His son is still away all preseason from the distant was the father did take some of running this picture of the motion is picture of excitement this picture of affection and love for such a textile running towards his son. What is he doing he sees his son. His son has his speech in a like a motel in the center of the law were to be called his son and does make me a servant.

He's got his speech ready. Once his dad's dad just jumps on the Hudson kisses him capture the Leo this this this affection is love my son was wealthy spellbound.

He's home and there's great rejoicing is the same word that is usually described it Ephesian elders in acts chapter 20 Paul is on his way to Jerusalem. There nevertheless the polity and the Holy Spirit already told Paul he. We will never see them again in their move with emotion you all and great love and affection for Paul and they embrace Paul in the kissing The late that's what this moment does you all Jesus feet. Let me ask you a question. Can you identify with this woman. Can you identify when maybe you first became aware of your sin and how awful it was to you identify when you you you had that point in your life or your sandwiches head and weighty, he felt the guilt and maybe the shame I can you remember when you encounter Jesus and your heart have a posture like what we see in this lady in the text where, because of your sin and the conviction of your sin and you realize that you were a great sinner, that your heart mourn and grieve. That really is a proper response. When we understand our sin. We understand that Jesus is the Savior who can forgive our sins, when I came to Christ.

I was I was about 12 years old. I grew up here in Raleigh and most the kids the hung around back then were a little bit younger.

The neighborhood that I grew up in. In the hung out and most of my friends were few years younger than me, so I was the older one, I was more athletic than my younger friends because I was older and stronger and bigger and that kind of thing I was little bit of a bully. I was out in the fights we would do various things. We we we stole things from convenience stores. We look at pornography. I remember they had the that the magazine was Internet and what magazines you going to 7-Eleven it had the comic books.

The Sports Illustrated's and then right next to them.

You have an adult and it was out in the open not remember what my friends would go and we would look if we would steal even magazines yeah and put them in shirt and walked out the convenience store room getting in fights and all sorts of thing I remember you. I got in a fight with a girl who was three years younger than me I did when the fight though I did and I was trying to impress my friends in particular girl that I was interested in. I think I'm being tough on yeah, look at me now and I'm the man. My friends looked to me like a God likes a girl who is three years younger than him, and thinks he did something and not limit God just use that and I was on the publishers like red. I went home and literally what I described my Kristin doing when our neighbor yelled at her for our doll pooping in his yard. That's what I was doing to mama and she? What's the matter Pete was going all this about some happen. What would somebody do something that she try to figure not just read Hunter's ruling because I felt the heavy conviction for my sin and we have been going to church on monovision the gospel with us via my brothers and so there was some sees already planning and I felt this way of guilt and shame on me and I was reading it I knew I needed a Savior and I need to be forgiven. My mother share the gospel with me and I remember her telling me this she said that when we go to church on Sunday are preacher Dr. Mary.

He was 86 year old interim pastor 86 years old still preaching and Dr. Mayer was a shouter so we preach. He shouted his sermon, he was a sweater so he sweated profusely when he preached he was also a spinner, so if you set unlike the first or second road you better watch out because you might get wet merely like dodgeball. You know, to stop the slide, but he loved Jesus you all, he loved Jesus he preached the gospel and not remember Philemon my guilt and my shame in the way to my sin. I really am sick.

If you want to know Jesus as a closure you know about your head.

Raise your hand like nobody is looking. He's like if you want to know Jesus. Get up right now and meet me down from not remember just just need to know Jesus not to be forgiven of my sin not remember getting up out of my seat and it was just I was weeping and I was crying Mohawk was great and I went up to him he share the gospel with me. I came to Christ as my Savior. That's the response that I think we have.

We like this woman realize RC and she comes probably with a repentant heart with a repentant heart.

Notice second or third, we see the self-righteous Pharisee we see Jesus indiscriminately hangs out with whoever because he understands all people are sinners. What is a Pharisee or a tax collector or center whether the person is pious or promiscuous. Jesus hangs out. We see this this woman who simple but she's repentant. But then we see the self righteous Pharisee when we hurry along and listen what what what the Texas beginning in verse that there are 39 when the Pharisee who invited him saw this. What you see this woman that we just described. He sees this and he says something to himself. This man were a prophet, me, the word on the street is Jesus a prophet right December 16 they said he was a prophet right in the word on the street is either probably so if he really was a prophet he would nose touching him what kind of woman she is and that she is a sinner assignment is not wrong in his assessment of the woman that she's a sinner.

He's right about that, Detective cleared said over and over that she is a sinner. Jesus will forgive her for her sins's assessment that she's a sinner is not wrong. Here's what's wrong with sign. His posture is in the attitude of his heart disease.

Self-righteous and he's judgmental. He does not realize that he too is a sinner and stands in need of forgiveness. Sinus problem is this is a wide open to her sin, but blind to his own and you know what if there's a danger that you and face tonight, I think, is this we might identify and be more like Simon the Pharisee and we are like the sinful woman was easy like point out and judge the sin in others lives while fat, failing to see the sin in our own life on the worse, sometimes I can quickly see the sin in my life. Sometimes I can quickly see the sin in my children. Sometimes I quickly see the sin in my church members. My neighbors then I said, I fail to see my own brokenness in my own scene is also so easy to compare our sales to others. This may have been what Simon was doing particular others that we deem to be like really really sinful, like the sinful woman and we can be pious, we can be like Simon the Pharisee and think because we kept the rules we gone the church we attend Bible study on Tuesday nights we give money to the needy and we we do good things that that that what we are not that bad compared to the really really bad people and the danger is if were not careful, we would relate and be more like Simon than we would be like the sinful woman. I like the way someone said it said we must be careful that we are not like the Pharisee he goes on to say, to be a great sinner like the woman is not the worst thing to realize that you are a sinner in need of forgiveness is when we read that one more time, I did do a very good job reading it. Would it be careful that we do not that we are not like the Pharisee to be a great sinner like the woman is not the worst day to not realize that you are sinner in need of forgiveness. And Jesus knows what Simon is thinking you all. So what is a safe & I have some to tell you.

Okay, tell me, teacher Simon says verse 41 and Jesus tells them a parable about two people who were in debt and two men owed money to a certain moneylender 10 to 500 and there are the other 50. Neither of them had money to pay them back so he canceled the debts of both know which of them will love him more. Simon answered grudgingly, I think, but rightly and he says I suppose the one who had the bigger dad and here's the message that Jesus really is getting at that Simon and the woman were the two debtors that the woman had the great debt of 500 and there are an Simon had smaller dad the 50 Dinero. Both of them had debt at both of them couldn't pay their debt and Simon for all of his self-righteousness was just as hopelessly in CNs dad as the sinful woman always like to think about it like this. If we were if we were on a boat fishing in the middle of the ocean and we went out fishing, deep sea fishing and that was to something terrible to happen.

The boat sank. There were no life jackets, no life rafts and there was no way to call the Coast Guard and then if we were all in the boat and maybe there were some that couldn't swim with those folks. Unfortunately probably die right away.

They would just die right away they would drown. Maybe there some in the that was on the trip that they were mediocre swimmers. There were mediocre swimmers. They may swim along way.

They may be able to tread water for a long time but they'll belt bell… A bit better than the ones that can't swim but but failed to then there may be 1/3 category on the boat, but where you have expert swimmers swim team in college you know lifeguard certified scuba divers I made you got you got expert swimmers there.

The short, so to speak with a make tread water and swim along the way but in the middle of the ocean.

They'll eventually drown as well. There really no better off right than the person that can't swim again.

Sometimes I think we we look at what you know better than that person having done what he's done or she's done but you know what if were in the middle of the ocean and there's no life jackets or lifeboats or any way means to be saved really no better off than the one that my drown right away. I think this is the point Jesus is making his, hook Simon with this this parable and now he begins to apply letting her because autonomous is running. He he he he commands the woman now and he criticizes Simon, he honors the woman, and he can assent shames Simon the Pharisee, he turned to the woman in verse 44 he says to Simon you see this woman I Kaylee or how you not give me water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman from the time I entered has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put all my habit. She is poor perfume on my feet.

Simon, another words didn't do the most basic and normal acts of courtesy and hospitality. When Jesus in his own. This would've been expected that he would've done what this woman did. He didn't even show the just the common courtesies of the day, but on the other hand, the sinful woman did washing his feet, kissing him and not just anointing him with just all that would've been a lot less expensive. She takes this expensive perfume and anoints Jesus feet and knows what Jesus's for he forgives sinners he declares in verse 47 that this woman's sins have been forgiven. This literally means her since it already been forgiven. They've already been forgiven. Jesus assuring her that her sins have been taking care of and that she is perfectly and completely forgiven.

And here's the great thing about Jesus when he forgives us of our sins.

The cross is so powerful it would. Jesus was on the cross he hung on the cross and what he say is it toast tell us that it is done it is finished and it literally is if it is finished. Everything that that was needed to bring forgiveness for our sins, was done in Christ on the cross and he forgives her completely. This is good news.

This is good news. Look at what happens next and will close. They ask in verse 49, wait a minute timeout. Who is this who even forgives see us. The Pharisees were right in understanding this theological truth. Only God can forgive sins they were spot on. Right. Only God can forgive sins but it was a fail, they fail to realize Jesus is God. Jesus is God and notice what he says. This woman, your faith has saved you go in peace. She put her faith and trust in Christ as God as the Messiah as the one who forgives sins. She's commanded to go in peace.

This reminds us that that we are saved by grace through faith pulsated like this in Ephesians 240 is by grace you have been saved through faith is not of yourselves is not of work so no one can boast is through faith God's grace to us in Christ, and we put our faith and trust in Christ. He says this in Romans 51 therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

This woman is saved of all of her sins and she now has the peace of God in our life. Can you imagine what she must've felt. Luke is a detailed, but I wish you would've maybe given us some details but it wasn't meant to be. The Holy Spirit would put in that we needed to know, but I just wonder what her life must've been like when she laughed that she certainly left with the peace of God in our heart. Let me ask your question for you most identify with the sinful woman of the Pharisee. Have you ever acknowledge your sanity. Your need for Savior and he fled to Jesus and Jesus alone for forgiveness that you need credit. If you have it that you would us pray together. Father, we thank you father, we thank you that even though were great sinners. You are great Savior, we thank you that is in Christ that our sins have been forgiven. So, God help us to never think like the Pharisee that we don't send that we don't have sin that we don't need forgiveness that we don't need salvation help us to be like the woman that we recognize our sin and we recognize you Jesus to be our Savior from our sins and help us to share this message with others who have broken this sin and shame their life.

Even those who don't even think they did a position with them, they might come to know Christ print pricing being a Christian is not about being religious but about having a dynamic alive relationship with Jesus Christ you been listening to finding purpose with pastor Russ Sanders glorifying God by helping men and their purpose for living, and discover more about finding your purpose in life by checking out the resources@findingpurpose.net will connect to finding purpose on Facebook pastor Russ would also like to extend a special invitation for you to join him in over 300 other local men to study God's word together every Tuesday night at 7 PM in downtown Raleigh.

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