Introduction
Good morning, Church.
Let me begin by doing what I often do: asking a question.
Have you ever carried with you something from your past—something you wish you could erase?
A choice, a mistake, a word spoken, a betrayal, a moment of weakness—something that still catches you off guard, still brings a pang of regret.
Most of us have.
Maybe you’ve tried to bury it. Maybe you’ve tried to ignore it. Maybe you’ve tried to make up for it. But still, the memory lingers. It’s like a guest that shows up uninvited.
Today we’re going to talk about grace—the kind of grace Jesus offers. The kind of grace that doesn’t pretend the past didn’t happen, but says, “Your sins are forgiven. Go in peace.”
We’ll lean on a story in Luke 7. And I want us to see how powerful grace is, how it transforms shame, and how it calls each of us to respond.
The Dinner Party (Luke 7:36–38)
So here’s the scene: Jesus is invited to dinner at the home of a religious leader named Simon. While they’re eating, in walks a woman everyone in town knew. And not for good reasons. Scripture says she had lived a sinful life.
Now, imagine how awkward that moment was. All eyes turned to her. She’s carrying a jar of perfume worth about a year’s wages. And she kneels down at Jesus’ feet—crying, washing His feet with her tears, pouring out that perfume.
Let me ask you: What do you think people were whispering under their breath?
Some saw only her past. But Jesus saw her heart.
Reading the Story (Luke 7:36-50)
Let’s read together Luke 7:36-50. This is the story of a dinner, a woman known for a sinful life, a Pharisee named Simon, and a moment of lavish love and forgiveness.
Part 1: The Setting and the Woman’s Act (vv. 36-38)
Jesus has been invited to dinner at Simon the Pharisee’s house. Picture the scene: A home that outwardly appears respectable. Religious observances. Rules. Rituals. But inwardly, not always so pure.
Then in walks a woman—someone known in town for her lifestyle. Everyone recognizes her. The whisper starts.
She’s carrying a jar of expensive perfume. Think a year’s wages. And she goes straight to Jesus. She kneels, tears falling, wiping His feet with her hair, pouring out the perfume.
That’s bold. That’s messy. That’s vulnerable.
Let me stop and ask you—what would have been going through her head walking into that house? She knew the stares she’d get. She knew what people thought of her.
But she also knew what Jesus had already given her: forgiveness. Freedom. Hope.
• So she pushed through the shame
• She doesn’t just shake hands.
• She doesn’t just bow.
• She kneels at Jesus’ feet, weeping, washing His feet with her tears, wiping them with her hair, kissing them, anointing them with perfume.
Can you imagine the cost? The audacity? The humility? The shame she must have felt. And yet, she does what she can to love Jesus. She humbled herself. She poured out costly fragrance. She stood exposed.
Pause with me: What would it cost you to do that? To show up, with all your shame and guilt, and lavish love on Jesus anyway?
Part 2: Simon’s Judgment and Jesus’ Story (vv. 39-43)
Simon is watching. Not speaking, but judging, he THINKS to himself. “If this man were a prophet, He’d know who this woman is. She’s a sinner!”
But Jesus knows what Simon’s thinking. He tells a story: Two people owed money. One a large debt. One a small debt. Both debts forgiven. Then: who would love more? Simon answers wisely: the one forgiven more.
Jesus isn’t just teaching about money. He’s teaching about forgiveness. I think it’s often easier for us to think of a cancelled monetary debt than a cancelled spiritual debt.
He’s showing that the greater the debt forgiven, the more love can flow. The more we realize what Jesus has done for us, the more love naturally overflows out of us. And often, the person who perceives themselves as least deserving of forgiveness shows the greatest love.
Part 3: Jesus Flips the Script (vv. 44-50)
Simon’s actions—or lack of them—are contrasted with the woman’s sacrifice.
• Simon didn’t offer water for Jesus’ feet.
• He didn’t greet Him with the customary kiss.
• He didn’t anoint His head with oil. –an action that showed great honor to the guest and had cooling feeling that would help the guest feel refreshed.
Yet the woman did far more than the expected courtesies. She gave what she had. She gave extravagantly.
Then Jesus looks at her and says words that change everything: “Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
Not: “Go in shame.” Not: “You must do more.” But: “You are forgiven. Go. Peace.”
Part 4: Cross-References & Deeper Truths
Let’s bring in some other Scriptures that echo and deepen this:
• Romans 5:8: “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners..”
• Psalm 103:11-12: 11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
• 1 John 1:9: “9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
• Hebrews 4:16: So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
These all point to something incredible: grace is foundational. It is not a reward for not messing up. It’s the promise for those who have messed up.
Part 5: Current-Event Story of Forgiveness & Grace
To help us see this in our own world today, I want to share a couple of current events—real stories—of people showing grace, forgiving when it costs them dearly.
Story 1: The Mother Who Forgave Her Daughter’s Killer
Cara Northington, mother of Xana Kernodle, one of the four University of Idaho students murdered in 2022. After spending time paralyzed by grief, but also going through her own struggle with addiction and incarceration, she made a public statement: “I don’t hate Bryan Kohberger.” Despite everything, she chose forgiveness over hatred. (People.com)
What does that look like? It looks like someone saying: “You do not define me.” It looks like peace being bigger than pain. It’s a courageous act of grace, not easy, but powerful.
Story 2: The Abdallah Family & i4Give Day (Australia)
Danny and Leila Abdallah lost three children and a niece in a terrible accident caused by a drunk and drugged driver. In the aftermath, instead of being swallowed by bitterness, they launched “i4Give Day.” They introduced a four-step forgiveness strategy, in memory of the children: Acknowledge, Accept, Surrender, Voice Forgiveness. They’ve turned their grief into a platform for grace and healing. Families, communities, and even government leaders have joined in. (Daily Telegraph)
These are not vague, abstract ideas. These are real people in real pain, choosing grace.
We’ve already looked at a couple of modern examples, but there’s one more that just happened recently and it’s deeply relevant.
Story 3: Erika Kirk’s Response to Charlie Kirk’s Tragic Death
As many of you may have heard, Charlie Kirk was tragically murdered. His wife, Erika Kirk, spoke publicly just this past Friday. Now, she didn’t explicitly use the word “forgiveness,” but she did talk about God’s merciful love and a bigger purpose even in the face of such evil. She essentially framed it as a call to continue living out faith and grace, rather than succumbing to hatred or bitterness.
This is a powerful reminder that grace isn’t just a concept from biblical times. It’s something that people today—people facing unimaginable pain—are choosing to live out. It fits right here in our message to show that receiving grace also transforms how we respond to the worst situations.
Part 6: Application — What Does Grace Mean for You?
Now, how does this story in Luke 7 + these modern stories bear down on us?
I want to walk you through several ways this grace asks for a response.
1) Admit Your Debt
• Just like the two in Jesus’ parable, we all owe something. Maybe not financially, but in guilt, shame, broken relationships.
• God’s grace begins with honest self-awareness. “Lord, I have missed the mark.”
• Romans 3:23 (NLT) — “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
• Ecclesiastes 7:20 (NLT) — “Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.”
👉 Without recognizing the need, there can be no forgiveness.
2) Receive Grace with Humility
• The woman didn’t try to justify herself. She didn’t hide. She came at Jesus’ feet.
• We must come without pretense. Maybe past good works, religious performance, reputation—if we rely on them, we miss the grace.
• James 4:6-7 (NLT) — “And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’”
• Luke 18:13–14 (NLT) — “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
👉 Grace flows where there’s humility, not pride.
3) Respond in Love
• Her response was lavish. Tears. Perfume. Worship.
• Genuine forgiveness leads to something outward. Not to earn the grace—but because the grace has already changed you.
• 1 John 4:19 (NLT) — “We love each other because he loved us first.”
• 2 Corinthians 5:14–15 (NLT) — “Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.”
👉 Love is the natural overflow of forgiveness.
4) Let Go of Shame & Move Forward in Peace
• Jesus’ word: “Go in peace.”
• Shame has a way of faking humility but keeping us locked in guilt. Grace says: you are forgiven. You are free.
• Romans 8:1 (NLT) — “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”
• Isaiah 43:25 (NLT) — “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.”
👉 Shame chains us to the past, but grace sends us out in peace.
Part 7: Application
Let me challenge you with a few concrete things this week.
1. Share your story of grace
Find one person—maybe someone you trust—and tell them of something in your past, how Jesus met you, how forgiveness changed you.
2. Write a letter
It might be to someone who hurt you (you don’t necessarily have to send it—but writing helps). Or to God, laying down your shame, asking for His peace.
3. Offer forgiveness
If there’s someone you’ve been holding against, or you’ve let bitterness root, pray for grace to forgive. Not for them, but for your own freedom.
4. Live in peace
Daily meditate on verses like Psalm 103:12, Romans 5:8, 1 John 1:9. Let those truths sink in. Let grace rearrange how you see yourself.
Part 8: Closing & Appeal
Church, grace is scandalous. Grace is more than we deserve. Grace is about a God who meets us at our lowest, sees our worst, forgives, restores, and frees us.
Maybe today you feel unworthy. Maybe you feel trapped by what you’ve done. Or what’s been done to you. Hear Jesus say: “Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
If you’ve never accepted Jesus’ grace, or if you’ve been trying to earn it by doing good works, or by hiding your shame—Jesus invites you now. Come as you are. He welcomes the broken. He forgives the guilty. He restores the lost.
Part 9: Altar
As we close this morning I want you:
• Think about something in your life that you’ve carried with you. Maybe you feel it every time you meet someone, or every Sunday, or at nighttime. What is it?
(Pause)
• What would it look like to bring that before Jesus today, to say: “Here, all of this. I lay it at Your feet.”
• Maybe come forward and write it down and then crumple the paper and leave it on the altar, a symbolic what of laying it at the feet of Jesus and then don’t pick it back up again
Sing
• Is there someone you need to forgive? Someone who wronged you, someone you still cling bitterness toward?
• And is there someone you need to tell about the grace you’ve received?
Prayer
“Lord God, thank You that Your grace is greater than our mistakes. Thank You for meeting us at our lowest points. Thank You for the gift of forgiveness, and the freedom that comes with it. Help us to lay down shame, to receive Your grace with humility, and to respond with love. Help us this week to live forgiven—not walking in condemnation, but walking in peace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Final Blessing / Benediction
May God give you the grace to forgive, the peace to believe, and the courage to live free. May His love surround you, His mercy cover you, and His truth guide you.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
25 May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
26 May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.
Go in peace. Go in grace.
Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49492462
