FULLY REALIZED FORGIVENESS...The TEST of LOVE/Trust-I—
Luke 7:36-50
Attention:
In chemistry classes, we were sometimes required to grind up & heat a substance in a crucible—a small heat resistant ceramic bowl with a pestle. The substance we were given was unknown to us. We were instructed to place the substance were to Test it in the crucible which suspended via a small tripod, over a bunsen burner(heat source). As the substance was heated we may add certain chemicals to it known to effect things in certain ways, causing chemical reactions which would narrow the results to specific substances. We would then weigh, &/or add to &/or desiccate the substance. Thru these tests, the true identity of the original substance would be conclusive.
Likewise, our grasp of God’s forgiveness is tested for authenticity by many means.
Jesus called Simon the Pharisee to task regarding two demonstrations of love.
A forgiveness that is fully Realized is reflected in a reciprocal/proportional appreciation.
You can know whether God’s forgiveness is fully realized in your life!
?Where/How is that fully realized forgiveness tested?
9 tests of Realized Forgiveness.
1—Realized Forgiveness is tested in the crucible of...
RECOGNITION(:36-37a-b)
Explanation:(:36-37a-b)The One Who supplies your need
:36—“Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, & sat down to eat.”
Jesus had encountered some Pharisees among the multitude who followed Him.
One of the Pharisees extended an invitation for Jesus to dine with him at his house.
Jesus accepted & entered the house & “reclined” at the table.
‘To understand this it is necessary to remark, that the custom among the Jews was not to eat sitting, as we do, but reclining on couches. The table was made by three tables, raised like ours, & placed so as to form a square, with a clear space in the midst, & one end quite open. On the sides; of them were placed cushions, capable of containing three or-more persons, On these the guests reclined, leaning on their left side with their feet extended from the table, & so lying that the head of one naturally reclined on the bosom of another. To recline near to one in this manner denoted intimacy, & was what was meant by lying in the bosom of another, Jn. 13:23 Lk. 16:22,23. As the feet were extended from the table, & as they reclined instead of sitting, it was easy to approach the feet behind, & even unperceived.’—Barnes
“Asked/Requesting/Invited”—erwtaw—1) To question; 2) To ask—2a) To request, entreat, beg, beseech. Erwtaw denotes the form of the request. Erwtaw, is to request a person to do(rarely to give—aitew) something; referring more directly to the person, it is naturally used in exhortation, etc.'' Strong—To interrogate; by implication--To request.
“Eat/Dine”—fagw—1) To eat; 2) To eat(consume) a thing. Strong—a primary verb (used as an alternate of esyiw in certain tenses); to eat (literally or figuratively).
“Went to/Entered”(See :44)—eisercomai—1) To go out or come in: to enter; 2) metaph.—2a) Of entrance into any condition, state of things, society, employment, 2b) Of thoughts that come into the mind. Strong—To enter(literally or figuratively).
“House”—oikia—Noun f.—1) A house—1a) An inhabited edifice, a dwelling, 1b) The inmates of a house, the family, 1c) Property, wealth, goods. Oikia denotes the dwelling itself. Strong—properly--Residence(abstractly), but usually concretely--An abode(literally or figuratively); by implication--A family(especially domestics).
From—oikov—Noun m.—A dwelling(more or less extensive, literal or figurative); by implication--A family(more or less related, literal or figuratively).
“Sat down to eat/Sat down to meat/Reclined at the table”(See :37)—anaklinw[TR/Byz]—1)To lean against, lean upon—1a)To lay down; 1b)To make or bid to recline.’ Strong—To lean back. Used 8X.
From ana—a primary preposition & adverb; properly--Up; but (by extension)used (distributively)--Severally, or locally--At(etc.)—& —klinw—a primary verb; To slant or slope, i.e. Incline or recline(literally or figuratively).
OR
“Recline at the table”[MT--NASB/HCSB/NIV]—kataklinw—1) in the NT in reference to eating--To make to recline; 2) To recline(at a table). Used 3X.
From—kata—1) Down from, through out; 2) According to, toward, along. Strong—a primary particle; prepositionally--Down(in place or time), in varied relations(according to the case [genitive case, dative case or accusative case] with which it is joined);—&—klinw—a primary verb; To slant or slope, i.e. Incline or recline(literally or figuratively).
:37—“And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil,”
A woman of 'some notoriety'(?) in Nain(?-7:11) as a “sinner” heard that Jesus was eating in the Pharisee’s house.
“Behold”—idou—Particle—1) Behold, see, lo. Strong—second person singular imperative middle voice of eidw/oida; used as imperative--Lo!.
“Woman”(See :39)—gunh—1) A woman of any age, whether a virgin, or married, or a widow; 2) A wife—2a) Of a betrothed woman. Strong—probably from the base of ginomai[To cause to be ("gen"-erate), i.e. reflexively--To become(come into being)]; A woman; specially--A wife.
“City”—poliv—1) A city—1a) One's native city, the city in which one lives, 1b) The heavenly Jerusalem, 1c) The inhabitants of a city. Strong—probably from the same as polemov[Warfare], or perhaps from poluv[Much(in any respect) or Many; Largely; Often, mostly, largely]; A town(properly, with walls, of greater or less size).
“Sinner”(See :39; :47, 48, 49—amartia)—amartwlov—Adj.—1) Devoted to sin, a sinner. Strong—Sinful, i.e. A sinner.
“Knew/Learned”—epiginwskw—1) To become thoroughly acquainted with, to know thoroughly—1a) To know accurately, know well; 2) To know—2a) To recognize, 2b) To know i.e. to perceive, 2c) To know i.e. to find out, ascertain, 2d) To know i.e. to understand. Strong—To know upon some mark, i.e. Recognize; by implication--To become fully acquainted with, to acknowledge.
“Sat at the table/Sat down to meat/Reclining/Eating”(See :36)—anakeimai—Present Deponent(active) Indicative—1) To lie at a table, eat together, dine. Strong—To recline(as a corpse or at a meal). Used 14X.
Argumentation:
**Mat. 16:13-19—“When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, & others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered & said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered & said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh & blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, & on this rock I will build My church, & the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, & whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, & whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
‘Recognition’ with teeth—Decisive!
**Heb. 12:1-2—“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, & the sin which so easily ensnares us, & let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author & finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, & has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
2Cor. 10:3-6—“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments & every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, & being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”
2Cor. 13:4, 5—“For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you. Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified.”
Rom. 10:8-11—“But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth & in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus & believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, & with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
Illustration:
?Do you recognize/know God’s Messiah/Anointed/Jesus?
In the ‘Clip n’ Snip’ barber shop there is a terrarium sitting in the west window with a screen cover for free exchange of air/Inside the terrarium is sand, a rock & a hollow molded piece of plastic made to look like a rock/Its a habitat for a lizard, gecko, snake etc./However, on top of the screen, outside of the terrarium sits a 5” long green lizard!/If you watch the lizard long enough you may see it move!/But if you really pay attention, you soon realize that the lizard is fake! And I don’t believe there’s a live one inside!/Brooks(the barber) says he loves to see people studying the fake lizard!/RECOGNITION
No doubt, if I were to, starting with the front row, ask “Who do you say that Jesus is?”, by the time the question made it thru the church, you would have already figured out a patent response that would satisfy everyone!/But the reality is that you do not have certainty or assurance of salvation , much less Jesus Lordship over your life/RECOGNITION
Application:
?Your Forgiveness pass the Test of RECOGNITION?
?Your RECOGNITION reflect God’s Forgiveness?
?Do you Trust Jesus?
?God’s Forgiveness fully Realized in your life?
2—Realized Forgiveness is tested in the crucible of...
OPPORTUNITY(:36-37)
Explanation:(:36-37)Intention
:36—“Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, & sat down to eat.
:37—“And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil,”
Upon hearing of Jesus’ being there, she herself came to the house bringing with her an “alabaster vial of fragrant oil.”
Her ‘perfume’ had possibly been a vital part of her ‘trade’(former?). Perfume can be used as a lure. To provide a different perspective of one’s situation. To bring a semblance of pleasantness to an otherwise unpleasant scenario. It can interject temptation into an otherwise avoidable circumstance.
However it can also be used for noble purposes!...As follows(:38).
How/why was this “sinner” allowed entrance to the Pharisee’s house in the first place? It can only be assumed that Jesus was allowed along with any who followed Him.
OPPORTUNITY can be used for either good or bad, & is always qualified as such thru our decision.
“Brought”—komizw—1) To care for, take care of, provide for; 2) To take up or carry away in order to care for & preserve; 3) To carry away, bear off; 4) To carry, bear, bring to, to carry away for one's self, to carry off what is one's own, to bring back. Strong—from a primary komew(to tend, i.e. take care of); properly--To provide for, i.e. by implication--To carry off(as if from harm); genitive case--Obtain. Used 11X.
“Alabaster flask/Alabaster box/Alabaster vial/Alabaster jar”—alabastron—1) A box made of alabaster in which unguents are preserved. The ancients considered alabaster to be the best material in which to preserve their ointments. Breaking the box, probably means breaking the seal of the box. Strong—The name of a stone; properly--An "alabaster" box, i.e. by extension--A perfume vase(of any material). Used 4X.
“Fragrant oil/Perfume”(See :38, 46)—muron—1) Ointment. Strong—probably of foreign origin [compare rm mowr, smurna]; “Myrrh”, i.e. by implication--Perfumed oil. Used 14X.
Argumentation:
Mat. 5:3-12—“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger & thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile & persecute you, & say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice & be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Heb. 11:13-16—“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them & confessed that they were strangers & pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”
Eph. 5:13-17—“But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Rom. 13:11-14—“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, & let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry & drunkenness, not in lewdness & lust, not in strife & envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, & make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
This is a call to take hold of Opportunity! To ‘strike while the iron is hot!’
Heb. 3:12-15—“Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
Illustration:
?You Expecting & Looking for opportunities to honor God?
Events examples:
Today’s Easter service(s)
Riverfront Festival
Camp Gordon Johnston Days Parade
Vacation Bible School
Youth Fishing Tournament
Kingfish Shootout
Festival of Lights
Shirts & shoes ministry to public school
Birthday In A Bag to food pantry
Sunday School(small groups)
Committees
Food supplier to fellowships
Ushers
Teachers
Deacons
Choir
?Will Jesus’ representatives be at any of these?—Prayerfully...Any & everywhere we are compelled to carry Him!!
Some of you live as if Jesus had not been resurrected, while claiming He is your Savior & Lord, but that is absolutely Hypocritical!/If your forgiveness is really experienced then your life will show it & you will be wooed back into God’s presence in Christ/However if you are a ‘Christian’ who ‘proudly’‘follows the ten commandments’, saying, ’I’ve never murdered anyone,’ yet you neglect the first commandment—“You shall have no other gods before Me.”/Now is your OPPORTUNITY to serve Him!
Application:
?Your Forgiveness pass the Test of OPPORTUNITY?
?Your approach to OPPORTUNITY reflect God’s Forgiveness?
?Do you Trust Jesus?
?God’s Forgiveness fully Realized in your life?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
My college chemistry experiments—Authenticated in a crucible!
Action:
Realized Forgiveness is tested in the crucible of...
1. RECOGNITION(:36-37a-b)
2. OPPORTUNITY(:36-37)
Pts. 1-2 Presented 04/05/2015pm,
Easter Sunday to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE.(A Ave.)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
