Finding Forgiveness

Intro: in Luke 7:36-50 there is an amazing story about religion, sinners and a Saviour. Jesus forgives a prostitute but doesn’t pardon a religious crowd. Jesus tells a story of someone who is forgiven a little and someone who is forgiven a lot, and asks who will love the most. Today, let’s look at how someone who is forgiven acts.

Finding Forgiveness

Who is this that forgives sin also--v.48

*Before we preach this message, I would like to point out three sad facts about religion.

a. It was shocking that Jesus was invited to a religious social. Isn’t it sad that today, that Jesus really isn’t invited to many church meetings.

b. It was shocking to the religious leaders when he showed up. I can hear someone say, I can’t believe he actually came.

c. It is shocking that a sinner showing up ruined the party. A group that should have been in the sinner business was in the all ready saved business.

1. Religion won’t meet him at the door, but the one who finds forgiveness is the one looking for Jesus. When you need forgiveness you go looking for Jesus. It doesn’t matter what others are doing, it doesn’t matter what others are saying, forgiveness is the most important thing in your life, and Jesus is the only one who can pardon your sins. v.44

2. Religion won’t humble itself–Jesus said to Simon, no one washed my feet. But the one who is forgiven has humbled herself before everyone, and has washed my feet with her tears, and dried my feet with her hair. Religion offers salvation without humility, but to find forgiveness you must humble yourself before the Lord. v.44b

3. Religion didn’t even give a customary kiss, but the one who is forgiven constantly was kissing his feet. Religion is loveless, and hard, but one who is forgiven much is one who loves much, someone who loves constantly. Religion doesn’t celebrate Jesus being in the house, but for the one forgiven, Jesus being in the house is all that matters. v.45

4. Religion sat and condemned, but the one who was forgiven continually cried. Mourning, sackcloth and ashes have been done away with in religion. If you aren’t sorry for your sins you probably won’t be able to release them to Jesus, but true Godly sorrow produces real repentance. v.39

5. You didn’t anoint me–Simon you didn’t offer me anything when I came in that costs. You sat there to see what I could do for you, but this one seeking forgiveness has come to see what she can do for me. So many times religion becomes a life of self gratification, what can I get out of this? But when you find forgiveness, you spend your life seeing what you can offer up to the Lord. v.46

6. Simon, there is one here that had her sins forgiven, and her faith has set her free. But only one. They had gotten so hard that a Saviour could come into the house, but not into the heart. It is a sad religion that only allows Jesus in the house but not in the heart. To find true forgiveness it is an offering of the heart, and soul and mind, and strength. v.48

Close: the moral of the story is that the one who is forgiven much loves much. The one who realizes how awful and terrible sin is in the eyes of God, and what it cost Jesus to offer forgiveness to the world. You could never give too much, the cost could never be too high, because of all he has done for us.