Church notes - 24th July 2016
24th July
Eating with the Enemy
Luke 7:36 - 50
'...Become all that he was created capable of being...' - Thomas Carlyie.
Whoever you are, whatever you are - you can become what you can be through God's Grace.
Jesus at a Pharisee's house.
The woman was shunned.
It took courage for her to come to the Pharisee's house.
She was a victim of circumstances and her society.
She was wounded spiritually as well as mentally and emotionally.
But she had heard about Jesus!
vs 37, 38
The focus was on Jesus. The woman was behind Him. When she had opened the jar of perfume, she became the focus of attention.
vs39
The Pharisee's body language may have been betraying his thoughts about Jesus - that He was a fraud! He was condemning Him.
vs40 - 43
Jesus doesn't let this go unchallenged.
Simon's problem - Spiritual Blindness
- He didn't see his own sin.
- Are you like him?
- Jesus proved that He was a prophet
In the parable both were bankrupt
The woman was spiritually bankrupt - This was obvious
Simon was also
- His sin wasn't obvious
- He was prideful
Proverbs 16:18
vs 44 - 46
Jesus compared Simon's sins with those of the woman
Simon hadn't been hospitable
vs 47
Forgiveness - of the woman
Simon's reaction: Anger
- Makes himself look like an ungratious host
vs 48 - 50
The woman's sins are forgiven
The other guests were wondering who Jesus was.
Errors to avoid
She was saved by her faith
- Not by her works
- Not by her kive
- These were evidence of faith
Grace - paid for by Jesus' death on the Cross
Galatians 5:6
She knew that Jesus had forgiven her sins
1 John 1:9
We have peace with God
Our sins are forgiven
We can go in peace
The woman now had a sense of self respected
The gift of forgiveness needs to be accepted.
E.g. the case of George Wilson: http://www.cbmcint.com/the-man-who-refused-a-pardon/, http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/a2_2_1s29.html