TEXT: The anointing of Jesus’ Feet - Luke 7:36-50
TITLE: Fresh Start: With God - a Message on Repentance
SERIES: Fresh Start
TOPIC: Repentance
OCCASION: Burnside Christian Church, January 11, 2009
PROP.: When we feel like failures, a fresh start with God is right around the corner!
INTRODUCTION: Who DOESN’T love FRESH things? Subway has made a killing on emphasizing the ‘freshness’ of their ingredients as all of their sandwiches are made right before your eyes! And we all know that produce that is picked right out of the garden tastes so much better than produce that has been sitting on the shelf for who knows how long. I must be getting old. Because I LOVE a brand new pair of socks! Socks that have never known a foot. I love Sheets that have never been slept in. I think that is why a hotel is so much fun to stay at. I just wish they wouldn’t tuck the sheets in so hard. Think back to when you were in school…you loved a fresh pencil! I don’t know about you, but for me, it’s easier to start the day after I’ve had a shower! Why? Because I’ve washed away the grime and grit to become FRESH!
Today we begin a series of sermons I’ve entitled: FRESH START!
During the course of this series, we are going to look at getting a Fresh Start. A “DO-OVER” if you will. An opportunity to start again in some areas of our life!
Today, I want to encourage you to get a FRESH START with God. How do you get a fresh start with God?
The text I’ve selected for today’s message is Luke 7:36-50.
Today’s scripture tells us that a fresh start with God happens when we repent. How do you repent? What does it look like? Luke records this story to show us what repentance looks like.
Luke is the only Gospel author to record the events we are going to read.
Luke 7:36-50
36Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him (let‘s stop right there. Aren‘t the Pharisees the guys that Jesus is constantly doing battle with? What is he doing being invited to eat dinner there? This Pharisee, was curious about who Jesus was and whether he was a prophet so he invites Jesus to a dinner party) so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table (This phrase tells us much about Simon the Pharisee. I had time this week to study a little bit about the manners and customs of food in Bible times. I don’t have the time this morning to tell you everything I’ve learned! But I will tell you, that in a simple home, there was merely a pot placed on a rug or a small table on the floor. Guests would sit around the pot cross-legged. No untensils. They would eat with their hands that would be washed before eating. Each guest would use their bread as a dipping utensil to dip out the contents of what was in the pot. For meals of those who were well off, they would have tables and “chairs” or couches as we would understand them. For formal meals such as this one, there would be three tables placed in a square with one open side to the square. The center of the square would remain open allowing the servants to come and bring in food and to take away food. Couches would be placed around the outside of the square (around the three tables) close to one another, so that the guest could recline to eat. The guest was given a cushion nad lay on his left arm with his head towards the table, leaving his right arm free to take what was served. This made it possible for servants to rinse the feet while the guests continued the banquet. And so this simple phrase tells us that Simon was well off and here he was having a dinner party! Let’s continue reading our scripture) . 37When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, (alabaster was marble used in ancient days to make jars that held ointment and perfume. Generally, alabaster jars were white in color and quite costly.)) 38and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."
40Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."
"Tell me, teacher," he said.
41"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[d] and the other fifty. 42Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
43Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
44Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
48Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
49The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
50Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
T.S.: Today, I want to encourage you to get a FRESH START with God! I believe we all need it. I believe we all desire it - whether you believe so or not. I believe we all to some extent feel much like this sinful woman. We don’t feel worthy to be in God’s presence. We feel inadequate. The first thing you need to do is to add a third point to your sermon outline.
A fresh start comes with repentance…
And repentance requires:
I. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT (vs. 37)
There are two things you must acknowledge for repentance to take place:
First…you must
A. Acknowledge what you’ve done!
--The Sinful woman
We don’t even know the name of this woman except to say that she was a woman who had a life summarized as sinful! It’s not even clear what her sinful life entailed. It is assumed that perhaps she is a prostitute. It would explain how this woman might have afforded an expensive bottle of perfume.
What we do know of her…is that she needed a fresh start - and she knew it! She was tired of the weight of her sinful life. She was tired of being an outcast. She was tired of all the gossip. Sick of the stares. She was DESPERATE for a fresh start!
Desperate people are dangerous people. They will let nothing stop them from achieving what their minds set out to do! And this certainly includes interrupting important dinner parties.
But she didn’t care. She was desperate! Her whole life in that town she was reminded of who she was. What she’s done. Her whole life has been spent wrestling with guilt…with shame…and now. She wanted to be rid of it…all of it!
And so when she learns that Jesus is having supper at Simon‘s house…NOW is HER chance to come.
--What about you?
Is the weight of your sin too much to bear? Are you being crushed with guilt? With shame? If so, a fresh start can be yours! And it starts with acknowledging what you’ve done.
It’s time for God’s people to call sin, sin! To recognize there is a right way to live and a wrong way to live.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to acknowledge what I’ve done! It’s no fun! It admits imperfection. It admits that I am weak. It admits that I’m a sinner. It admits that I’m a failure. But acknowledging what I’ve done is necessary!
And once you acknowledged specific areas of your life that you fall short of God’s glory, you need to acknowledge…
B. Acknowledge who God is & what he has done!
--This sinful woman didn’t go to just anyone with tears and perfume. She came to Jesus.
She knew that Jesus was special.
Perhaps this woman was among the crowd when Jesus was in Galilee earlier in his ministry…when Jesus spoke to the crowd and offers the invitation by saying:
Matthew 11:28-30:
28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
And it’s her belief that there is something different about Jesus that leads her to this PRIVATE dinner party.
--You
I hope you recognize who Jesus is and what He has done. I hope that is why you’re here today. Because you know there is something different about Him!
You’re here today not because of who’s preaching…or what songs we are singing…or because the building is nice…or your parents forced you to come…I HOPE YOU’RE HERE TODAY BECAUSE YOU ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT YOU’VE DONE IN YOUR LIFE…BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, YOU’RE HERE BECAUSE YOU’VE ACKNOWLEDGED WHAT CHRIST HAS DONE!
ILLUSTRATION: Comparison of hands.
I want you to think a little this morning.
What have your hands done this past week?
*Brought your food to your mouth
*Helped you get ready in the morning
*opened doors
*dialed numbers
*typed email
*
Our hands are pretty self serving.
Now, think about what Christ’s hands have done.
*He healed the blind, lame, and demon possessed
*He held children
*He washed feet
*He broke bread
*Pulled Peter from the water when he attempted to walk on water
*Christ’s hands were nailed to a cross…so he could be the sacrifice for you and
for me.
I hope this has been a Helpful exercise that helps you acknowledge what you’ve done vs. what Christ has done for us: Your hands have served yourself. Christ’s hands have served others!
Repentance also comes with
II. ACTION (vs. 39)
Here is the hard part. I believe that acknowledging is really the easiest part of repentance. Listen, if anyone knows that I’m a sinner…it’s me! It’s not fun to admit it…but I recognize it as truth. But there’s more to repentance than just acknowledging that I’m a sinner gone wrong. Repentance requires action…and there’s two actions that aren’t going to be easy.
Action #1:
A. A changed Attitude (about sin)
--This sinful woman has lived a life of doing the same sin over and over and over and over. And on this particular day that Luke records, she is in tears over her sin. What’s changed? Her attitude towards her life of sin.
She now has recognized that the way she’s been living her life is selfish. She has thought about NO one other than herself. She hasn’t thought about how her choices have affected her parents or their reputation.
She has loved the money she has received from selling her body, more than anything. Until her encounter with Jesus.
Her attitude about her sin is different. She wants to change because her attitude towards her sin has changed!
--Are you bothered by your sin? I think some of us are bothered by the way we live our life…but we are not bothered enough to make a change. And that’s because our attitude toward sin is lackadaisical.
WAKE UP! Realize what sin is. What sin is doing to you! It’s like a disease! It’s like a sickness!
ILLUSTRATION: My mom’s dad…we called him Poppy…lived a hard life. He loved to drink. It’s what he lived for. My mom remembers her dad drinking all the time when she was growing up and in her adult life. It was when I was in the 3rd grade, Poppy entered Alcoholics Anonymous. I talked to my mom this past week and I asked her what made Poppy decide to enter A.A. This is what she said:
“I believe it was a mixture of a lot of things. But mainly I believed he stopped drinking because it was hurting him. It was hurting his stomach. He felt awful. It was hurting his kids. It was hurting his marriage. And so he hit rock bottom and decided it was time for a change.” (My mom also went on to say that she believed he changed because a lot of people were praying for him to make a change.)
But here’s the point I want to emphasize: My Poppy’s attitude about Alcohol changed…and so his life changed!
And I believe that it’s only when how you view your sin changes, that your life will change!
And once your attitude about sin changes…that will lead to
Action #2:
B. A changed life
When we become as disgusted by our sin as God is…it’s going to result in a changed lifestyle! We are going to do everything within us to change our actions!!!
Perhaps that is why this sinful woman is in tears. She knew that her life was going to change and that it was not going to be an easy change.
But it didn’t matter that her road would be difficult. She so appreciated what Jesus had done for her that she was willing to make a change in lifestyle!
I think there’s a lesson to be learned:
A LIFE WELL LIVED IS THE ULTIMATE APPRECIATION FOR WHAT HE’S DONE
ILLUSTRATION: We just got done singing about… “You’re my Prince of Peace, and I will live my life for you”
What does that even mean? It means that I know who Christ is…I‘ve acknowledged Jesus Christ as my personal Prince of Peace…and because of who is, that’s going to make a difference in my life! I will now choose to live my life not to gratify myself…but for God! For his purposes. His plans!
And the last part of repentance is:
III. ACCEPTANCE (vs. 48, 50)
A. Accept God’s forgiveness
--The sinful woman was so relieved to hear the words spoken of Jesus in verse 48:
"Your sins are forgiven."
It’s what she came to receive! It’s what she needed! And now…it’s what she had been given.
You see, Jesus tells a story to Simon about two who owed a debt they couldn’t afford. What were they to do? And graciously, both debts were erased. Jesus makes the story personal for Simon and this woman when he points out that Simon and this woman are much like those two who owed a debt they couldn’t pay. And graciously…both of their debts were erased.
--Perhaps you are here today and you’re thinking my debt of sin is too much for me to be forgiven of! Allow me to make this sermon person for you today by pointing out that you and I are much like those two who owed a debt they couldn’t pay. And graciously…both of our debts have been erased!
Allow God’s word to encourage you this morning and ACCEPT GOD’S FORGIVENESS!
Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
Psalm 103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our
transgressions from us.
1st John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and
purify us from all unrighteousness.
1st John 2:12 I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on
account of his name.
Once you accept God’s forgiveness…you can
B. Accept God’s peace
--Jesus ends his conversation with this woman in an interesting way. In verse 50, Jesus says, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
You see, she had God’s forgiveness. And with His forgiveness comes His peace.
No longer were guilt and shame going to haunt this woman. She now received peace. Peace within herself. She wasn’t going to beat herself up over the sin that she’s been forgiven of. Jesus has cast her sin into the depths of the ocean and then posted a “No Fishing” sign. This sin was a done deal!
--Too many people live in the past. They mull over their sin. They replay their sin over and over in their minds. They are burdened with guilt and shame! Here is the good news: God forgives and forgets. No longer let guilt and shame haunt you. Once you’ve asked God for His forgiveness, you have A FRESH START!
CONCLUSION: I hope this morning that you understand a fresh start with God is NOT out of your reach. You can have a fresh start with God anytime you want it through Acknowledgement. Through action. Through acceptance!
I want to give you four take home action points to end this morning’s sermon. Write these down. Practice these four things. Repent of your sins and get a fresh start with God!
TAKE HOME ACTION POINTS:
I WILL:
1. Ask for God’s forgiveness when I pray
2. Be comforted knowing that I can’t exhaust God’s forgiveness
3. Always learn and grow from my mistakes
4. Take delight knowing that God’s forgiveness is unending and permanent
A FRESH START WITH GOD THROUGH REPENTANCE! A new start with God in a new year! We come now to our time of decision…
