Seeing Past The Labels Series

1. Overview and Review

a. We have been learning what it means to be turned inside out, both on a personal level and on a church wide level.

b. God finds every one of us inside centered, self-focused, self-absorbed, self-interested, and selfish. But that doesn‟t stop Him does it? He found every one of us, He found me in that condition.

c. He sent His Son to rescue each of us from that self-led, self centered life and to turn us inside out. Leaving us self-focused would result in our self-destruction. So He loves us and fills us with His love.

d. The difficult part for us is after receiving that love, we tend to think that the whole goal is to “get saved.” But God wasn‟t interested in just saving us a future eternity. Jesus came to start a revolution in the here and now! Jesus came to turn the world right side up and inside out. He wants to start with you and I!

2. Today we are going to try to learn to see people the way that Jesus sees people.

a. It is a lot harder than you think.

b. So to get you thinking this morning, I would like to ask a provocative question this morning.

i. Who are the “enemies of God?”

ii. Are they the “infidels” or the “gays” or the “pro-abortion people”?

iii. Are they the “Al Queda Muslims?”

iv. I would like you to think about who God‟s enemies are as I read this passage from Luke.

3. Passage: Luke 7: 36-50 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. When 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, and 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. When 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." Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said. "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said. Then 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. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven - for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

4. Recount the story.

a. Jesus goes to have dinner with a Pharisee and an uninvited guest shows up. Laying at the table (it is a low table, you ate lying down on your side, feet away from the table) the uninvited guest, a harlot or prostitute, stands behind him and gets Jesus feet wet from her tears. (I don‟t know why she is crying).

b. Then, probably embarrassed that she got his feet wet, dries them with her hair because she has no towel. Now that she is near to him, she opens her jar of perfume (that she might have used with her customers) and puts it on HIS feet.

i. I don‟t know how Jesus felt, but He saw through her and didn‟t react to her like you or I might have. I can‟t imagine what I would do if a lady of the night came in to one of our church fellowship dinners and began to do that to me your pastor. I could probably predict my wife‟s reaction. I can imagine most of you would probably have the same reaction.

ii. Simon is no different. He begins to criticize this scene in his mind, probably turning red in the face with anguish and embarrassment and suspicion. Saying to himself, “if he knew what kind of person this woman was he would tell her to stop this behavior in my home!”