The Forgiven Woman

To know for sure that your site is a growing process with most Christians as they exercise three things. First of all a greater trust in the promises of God is your bedrock of assurance. The second thing is by the inward evidences of grace are the marks of fruits of grace in your life and the third is a direct testimony of the Holy Spirit that he speaks directly to your soul through the word. I am thy salvation or bring some of the promise to play into your life in such a way that you can't deny that he is assuring you you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to you. Take those three things the promises of God, evidences of grace, testimony, the Holy Spirit and then put over them all. God's faithful track record over the years, God's people can have full and infallible assurance of faith. Assurance of faith by Joel B visit Lincoln here.org/teaching series to learn more.

Jesus was at a Pharisee's house for dinner, but an uninvited guest interrupted the meal. There's no way in the world that that Pharisee would invite a notorious sinful lady that is recovery. Remember that the Pharisees embraced the idea of salvation by segregation by keeping themselves from notorious sinners because the come in any kind of contact with them would be to pollute them in their own holiness came and went to Jesus feet, drying her tears with her here.

It was an outrage and embarrassment to the Pharisees, Jesus Lord for what it was tangible expression of gratitude and praise. Welcome to the Sunday edition of Renewing Your Mind and we will, and today we continue Dr. RC Sproul sermon series from the gospel of Luke. Let's pray I got no Lord our God, how glad we are to be at your house this morning how happy we are to have this opportunity to bring before you are sacrifices of praise and we asked now that you would send your spirit that he may just send upon us as we hear your word that the spiritual would cause us to delight in its for we ask it in Jesus name, amen. Last Sunday morning we heard Jesus speak of the hypocrisy of those who criticize John the Baptist.

For one thing in Jesus for just the opposite. In that same that no matter what a prophet of God would do those among the Pharisees were inclined to reject its land and to condemn them and that episode is followed not by a strange invitation and invitation that comes from one of the Pharisees, whose name we learn here in this text was assignment.

This is not Simon the leper, Simon the tanner Simon Magnus. This is not Simon Peter were not sure what Simon it is only that he is indeed a Pharisee and was the Pharisees and their party.

As we've learned already, who were most hostile towards Jesus. So we have to ask the question why the world what a member of this hostile party of the Pharisees invite Jesus to his house for dinner and it's not just Jesus that is invited is obviously a banquet feast that includes many others who were invited as well, but to include Jesus and the Pharisees. A list is a strange thing indeed.

And I five may have the license to speculate this morning I have to wonder what moved this Pharisee to include Jesus in the group.

My guess when it's only a guess, since the Bible doesn't tell us is that he wanted to probe Jesus, who had the reputation of being a prophet, and the Pharisees interested in that and thinking well let's see if he really is a prophet.

I obviously don't think so, but I like to see them up close and personal and see what I can discover about a maybe that or maybe also simply to try to find some way to trap him into condemning himself. But in any case, the man asked Jesus to the party and our Lord acquiesce so sure I'll come to your house for dinner and so he went to the Pharisee's house and sat down to eat, so obviously that meant he reclined on a couch because that's the way they would eat in the banquets of that day on couches where the person would lean on their left elbow and keep the right hand free to eat the food that was presented to them, but were told that behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner doesn't say she's a prostitute. History and tradition assumes that she was one because she was given this designation of being a sinner.

Now there are many others since obviously and that one yet at the same time, that's the designation. The euphemism for prostitute that was frequently used in antiquity.

Again, we don't know for sure, but whatever.

Her sin was.

It was one that was considered agreed she is, for which she was notorious she was not.

Your rank and file run-of-the-mill commonplace center. She was obviously serious center, a possibly professional center.

In any case we know she wasn't invited. There's no way in the world that that Pharisee would invite a notorious sinful lady to his house because we remember that the Pharisees embraced the idea of salvation by segregation that is by keeping themselves at a safe distance from notorious sinners because the come in any kind of contact with them would be to pollute them in their own holiness is with this is one of the common complaints they made about Jesus that he was a wine. Beverly was a glutton and that he associated with tax collectors and other kinds of awful sinners, so we can only suspect here that this woman heard about the party. But what interested her about the news of the party was not that there was a party in town, but the Jesus was going to be there house you ever got in the house.

Soon, she was well dressed and she was carrying an alabaster container filled with precious ointment perfume may be the gatekeepers saw this attractive woman coming bearing an attractive gift and didn't ask any questions and so a market turn this lady away. Obviously, the master of the house is invited her and will be pleased with the gifts that she brings again at the guess the Bible doesn't tell us how she got in the house, but it does say that she came and she started his feet behind weeping. This was a festive occasion before their have a good time. The basic mood of the evening was one of joy but this woman comes in and when she comes in she starts to cry and she's not simply whimpering, she's sobbing at her eyes are pouring out so many tears that these tears fall down and saturate the feet of Chiefs's and again it doesn't tell us why.

Perhaps he was embarrassed but she leaned over, saying that her tears were soaking the fate of Jesus and her intent when she came here was not to dishonor him in any way. So she blames herself over and takes the strands of her hair and tenderly wipes away her tears from our Lord's feet depiction with the associate. Can you imagine the shock that ripples through the house. The rest of the guests the Pharisees there watching the spectacle unfold before them. There saying this notorious woman coming in tears and dripping her tears all over the teachers feet and then bending over and drying the tears with her own hair, which is not finished, she kissed his feet, feeling him and kissed him on the cheek from the four head. See humiliated herself to kiss his faith. How can you not think of Psalm two world questions worldwide of the kings of the earth's conspire against the Lord and against his anointed site.

Let us cast their bonds from office and let us break their chains. This Declaration of Independence and we read installed to that he who sits in the heavens shall live and they will hold the rulers of this world in derision. They mocked him, just as the leaders of our nation mock him every day and God looks at that. Who are you kidding, and then were told the end of that Psalm. Kiss the son, lest he be angry and you perish in the way of dearly beloved, how this land mage people today who will kiss the son, instead of despise him of this woman kisses Jesus feet and then anointed his feet with this fragrant oil expensive oil that when the Pharisee got invited and saw this, spoke to himself. He didn't speak the Jesus. He didn't speak to the woman then spake to them as friends. This was a soliloquy in his own mind. He's speaking silently to his own conscience, saying, now I know if this man were a prophet he would know who and what manner of woman.

This is just touching him. So yes, lady. I know the answer to my original question. This guy can't possibly be a prophet because it was a prophet he would meld the wickedness of this woman and he certainly wouldn't allow her to touch them. Jesus annuity say to himself. Jesus said to him, Simon something to say to you that God had saved and what Jesus had to say to this Pharisee was a parable, none more simple in the teachings of Jesus. He said there was a certain creditor who had two debtors, one own 500 denarii and the other 50 denarius was the unit of pay. That was the average days pay for a common worker in the country so they better load 50 to Marriott owed 50 days worth of wages, not counting the Sabbath day. The other man owed 510 Anaya, which would be obviously about two years worth of his income. That's a lot of indebtedness for a common person in the land in Israel to be carrying Jesus Rhonda saying when they had nothing with which to repay the creditor for gave the Taft he free for gave the debt. There weren't any strings attached to this mercy, he simply canceled the no payment method and they could do to earn it. Nothing they could do to Marriott at the freely the man who was owed all this money so you don't have to pay. So now comes the punctual Jesus says to Simon the Pharisee tell me something. Therefore which of them will love him more. I love the servant Simon the Pharisee gives authorities in this. I suppose the one whom he forgave more so I'll start one for gave more. This is just some kind of supposition on your part, you moron isn't as obvious as it could be that the one who had been forgiven 10 times more than the other one.

Obviously, with 10 times more thankful 10 times more laughing, but as hard as it was to admit Simon at least allowed it as a supposition that one of them would love more than the other. So Jesus said to him, you've rightly judged one of the few times this Pharisee made a judgment that was right. Then he turned to the woman he's looking at the woman, but he still speaking the Simon and Asus assignment.

Do you see this woman. When I came in your house.

You didn't even give me a water basin to wash my feet. Customarily there is not only a basin 4 foot washing but there was a towel to dry the Simon unit even give me water to wash my feet which is common courtesy. The water motel. This woman supplied the water in the she washed my feet with her tears wipe them with the hair of her head. When I came Simon did you kiss me, don't we greet one another with a holy kiss is not the custom in the Mideast to kiss our friends leaving the mountain on the street, kiss me. She kissed me on the feet. In fact, she's not ceased to kiss my feet since I came in, Simon. You anoint my head with oil, but she's anointed my feet with fragrant oil therefore this indicates a conclusion a rational conclusion that's coming. 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.

I want to say something.

Everybody in that place, including Jesus came to Simon the Pharisee's house for a party but this woman came to go to church.

She came because Jesus was there and she came to worship him.

She came to adore him she can't appraise them. She kind of thanked him. She came to honor him.

She came to glorify and she came to serve him. Why are we here this morning are we here with tears flowing out of our shame and out of our gratitude are we here to give extravagance praise and thanksgiving to Jesus. This was not a token offering of praise and thanksgiving.

This was an extravagance act of worship. Coming from a woman who had experience extravagant grace for the forgiveness of her sentence, and finally Jesus was finished talking to Simon about the woman, then obviously the woman heard everything that Jesus said to Simon, but now he turns his attention to her and he said to her nuisance are forgiven.

There are two kinds of people in the world people whose sins have been forgiven and those who sins have not been forgiven are two kinds of people in this world. Those who repent of their sins, and those who remain steadfast in their and penitence are two kinds of people in this world. Those who hate the lavished praise and adoration upon Jesus and those who refuse to submit to him.

It's very simple to categories not endowed with omniscience. I can't read people's thoughts and minds like Jesus. Good. Again, the odds would indicate that there just wanted to put many possibly hundreds of people in this room right now who sins are not forgiven because I've never repented of them who have never given authentic worship to Jesus, who have never wept tears of gratitude because there that has been erased by the free mercy of God. I don't know which group you're in those who weep tears of joy for Jesus and those whose hearts are sealed against them. I don't know how many of you are like the woman know how many of you are like Simon but certainly the Lord knows and you know where your heart is. Can you ever hear anything in your old life you could have somebody come at the door from Reader's Digest to say congratulations, you've won a million you can have your boss committed say congratulations new been promoted to vice president of the company or you had a tremendous raise your salary. What is that impaired hearing, the Lord Jesus Christ safe you your sins are forgiven and on September 13, 1957 in my heart I heard the Lord Jesus say that and that was the defining moment of my life because there is no greater gifts that the Lord God can give any of us that the canceler debt to erase the ledger and to forgive us for every sin that we've ever committed, and the more we understand that the greater the love we have for him because beloved. He who is forgiven much love, so say to you this morning Jesus said to her, if indeed you have faith, faith, the same when you can go. I hope that is true of you.

You have placed your faith solely in the finished work of Christ for your salvation. I'm glad you joined us today for another sermon by Dr. RC Sproul.

This is from a series in the Gospel of Luke. We returned to it each Sunday here and Renewing Your Mind and to help you in your own study, we recommend our resource offer for today when you contact us and give a donation of any amount will provide you with a digital download of RC's nearly 600 page commentary on Luke entity traces the record of Jesus life as told by Luke Miller that this gospel is for believers and skeptics alike written so that you may have certainty about the Son of Man who came to seek and save the lost or offices are close in the sports day, but you can give your gift to make a request for this resource@renewingyourmind.org last year. Look at her ministries had the privilege of reaching more than 56 million people with trusted Bible teaching and were being presented with new opportunities to expand this outreach to serve more people in more places that I have the privilege of spending many hours in the studio with Dr. scroll and I know that he would be telling us that this is no time to pause or slow down were grateful for your support.

As we help people around the world find encouragement and strength through the truth of God's word next Sunday.

Dr. scroll turned to one of the best-known stories in the Bible, the parable of the sower. I hope you make plans to join his back next week here on Renewing Your Mind