Sin and the Forgiving Savior - 22

At a pastor's retreat, I think two summers ago, I met Dr. Daniel Chamberlain, who pastors Covenant Baptist Church in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and we enjoyed fellowship at that retreat for a couple of days. I learned about his ministry, and when I returned, I checked out his church online, and I was intrigued to find that, not that they have a welcome packet that they give people when they visit the church, which we do, but included in that welcome packet was this piece of information. It says, Covenant Baptist Church is looking for sinners.

Do you qualify? And he goes on to say, what an unwelcome word that is. Our generation has nearly expunged it from the dictionary.

Indeed, men have always disliked this word and sought to remove it from the vocabulary. He says, we don't find many sinners anymore. Very few are willing to seriously label themselves as such. Nowadays, most everyone is just morally challenged, suffering from low self-esteem, victims of someone else's sin, and therefore not responsible for their own sin. We believe that it is high time we re-emphasize this forgotten scriptural word, sinner.

And then there's this definition. A sinner is one who is guilty of sin, and what is sin? It is failing to love God with all your heart.

You do not have to make headlines for a notorious crime to be a sinner. If you simply omit loving God supremely, you are a sinner. Sins of omission, not being or doing what God requires, are just as condemning in God's sight as sins of commission, doing what God forbids. And he says, because we sin against an infinitely holy God, every sin, regardless of its size and shape, deserves eternal punishment. Though we manifest our sin in our own individual ways, we are all sinners before God. So bad is our sin, only the death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, can put it away.

And then there's this section. Why are we looking for sinners? He says, we are looking for people who are sinners because, number one, sinners are the only ones who can be saved.

The Lord Jesus Christ said that those who are whole have no need of the physician, but they who are sick, I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Sinners are the only people for whom Christ died. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. Why are we looking for sinners? Because sinners, unless they repent, will suffer the eternal torment of God's holy wrath. Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish, Luke 13.3. But the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and the murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, Revelation 21.8.

And then there's the section of good news. Good news, if you are a sinner, we have good news for you. It is not that you can save yourself, nor that you can help God save you, it is that God saves sinners and He can save you.

What surprising mercy. Because Christ on the cross suffered the punishment sinners deserve, God forgives sinners. And then He has this clarification.

He says, let me clarify a couple of things. First, we insist on putting no adjective before the word sinners. Some say the good news is for bad sinners, as if to say that good ones need not apply. Others say the good news is for good sinners, and the bad ones need not apply. He says if you are a sinner, you meet the qualification to come to the Savior of sinners.

And then He makes this clarification. He says, secondly, the members of our church are not yet sinlessly perfect. Though Christ has atoned for our sins and paid our legal debt before God, we are yet struggling against sin that indwells believers in this life.

He no longer rules over us, Christ is our master, but only in heaven will we at last be free from all sin in our experience. So when you come to visit our church, we will not look down on you because you are a sinner. Not a sinner? If you are not a sinner, we have no good news for you. The only message we can declare to you is one which will utterly humble you and cause you to see your desperate condition as a sinner. Denying that you are a sinner may be the worst sin of all.

You are invited. Friend, if you are a sinner, we want you to come to our church, but most of all, we want you to come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Coming to church will not save you, but it is a means whereby you will hear the truth of Christ. In Christ, sinners are saved. You qualify. Look to Christ at once. That's a pretty unique welcome packet.

Inclusion? Well, what we have before us here is an account in the life of the Lord Jesus' earthly ministry, early on in his ministry. And it is an encounter with a sinful woman.

A sinful woman. What I'd like to do here at the beginning is just walk you through the passage. I've given some identifications to various parts and we'll just walk through it quickly.

And then I'll take you back and we'll focus on some things and draw out some things and make some applications. So, let's begin with number one in verse 36, what I call the surprising invitation. The surprising invitation. Then one of the Pharisees asked him, that is Jesus, to eat with him. And he, Jesus, went to the Pharisee's house and sat down to eat. Now, most of what is recorded in the scriptures concerning Jesus' interaction with the Pharisees is mostly negative, not positive, with a few exceptions. Nicodemus was a Pharisee. He came to seek Jesus by night to inquire about who he was.

So that was a positive situation. Initially, we do not know the motive of this Pharisee named Simon who invited Jesus to his house. We want to give him the benefit of the doubt on the front end and say, well, he had heard some things about Jesus. He wants to further make inquiry to determine if indeed these things are true.

But as the account unfolds, we see that his motives are less than honorable. A surprising invitation extended by Simon the Pharisee to Jesus to come to his house to eat. Number two, I want you to see the uninvited houseguest, verse 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. Now, if you invite someone to your house for a meal, you're not usually expecting uninvited guests.

Sometimes I suppose that can happen depending on the circumstances, but it was not uncommon in this culture. It was an honor for the owner of the home to have this guest in his home, and depending on who it is, may attract other people. And the door would be open and people were welcome to come.

They would stand along the walls, some would sit. They didn't come to eat per se, but they came out of curiosity to hear the conversation, to learn what's going on inside this home. So we have here the report of an uninvited houseguest, and she is a woman from the city who was a sinner. She was a notorious sinner. Most commentators believe she was a prostitute. She was known in the community. She was a sinner, but she came uninvited into the Pharisee's house, and she brought with her an alabaster flask of fragrant oil.

Number three, I want you to see the overwhelming expression of worship and gratitude, beginning at verse 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, and stood at his feet behind him, weeping, as she began to wash his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and she kissed his feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Dining customs in that culture are much different than ours. Tables were very low. People didn't sit on chairs like we do.

Men would recline on their left elbow with their feet away from the table, and would eat with their right hand. And this woman came in behind Jesus and was at his feet, and this woman was overcome with emotion, and she began to weep. And as she wept, her tears fell upon his feet. And it tells us, she stood at his feet behind him weeping, and she began to wash his feet with her tears. Now, a woman's glory, some say, is her hair. This woman took her hair and began to wipe the feet of Jesus.

She kissed his feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. The overwhelming expression of worship and gratitude. Number four, the unspoken critical appraisal, verse 39. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he spoke to himself. He didn't verbalize this. He kept this to himself. Jesus is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

He knew what this man was thinking. He spoke to himself saying, this man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching him, for again, she is a sinner. She is in a particular category that he abhorred. She was a deplorable person. She was a sinner.

The unspoken critical appraisal. Number five, the loving confrontation in verse 40. Jesus answered and said to him, Simon, I have something to say to you. Now there are certain expressions, certain things that Jesus said that are recorded in the scriptures that you would just love to have been there and heard the nuance of the expression, exactly how he said what he said, but let's just stop for a minute and think about husband and wife relationships. A man's been working all day and he comes home and there's a little bit of a silence in the home and the wife says, honey, there's something I want to talk to you about. Now regardless of how she says that, there's something being communicated. Or the husband says, you know, I have something I need to talk to you about.

Usually it's something that's got some emotion attached to it, let's say it that way. What do you think Simon thought? He had drawn the conclusion, his premise was, if this man were a prophet, notice what he said, if this man were a prophet, he would know who and what manner of woman this is. Jesus did know who and what manner of woman she was. He said if he knew, he wouldn't have anything to do with her. That's what he was implying, for she is a sinner. He didn't seem to draw the conclusion that this man must be more than a prophet because he knew what I was thinking.

I didn't even say it. And here he is, Simon, I have something to say to you. So he said, teacher, say it, the loving confrontation. Number six, the illustrative and convicting parable. This is a short parable, this is part of our preaching series on the parables of Jesus.

I chose this, I couldn't justify excluding it even though it's short. There's two verses that make up this parable and it's verses 41 and 42. There was a certain creditor who had two debtors, one owed 500 denarii and the other 50, and when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both.

Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him more. One creditor, two debtors, one owed the equivalent of a year and a half wages, the other owed the equivalent of a month and a half wages. Far more importantly, neither one had resources to pay the debt. When they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. You don't perhaps recognize, but I believe that Jesus is using this parable to illustrate to Simon that he is one of those two debtors and this woman is the other debtor. He didn't see himself as a debtor to God. He saw this woman as a sinner, but he certainly wasn't one. But Jesus is correcting him. There's two purposes, I think, in this parable.

Number one, to expose Simon's heart to himself, and number two, to explain Simon's neglect of Jesus, neglect of the customary treatment that Jesus should have received by coming into this man's house as a guest, the illustrative and convicting parable. Number seven, the probing question, and that's the end of that short parable. Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him more. That's a probing question, and it's obvious.

There's no way of getting around it. If you're paying attention, you know what the answer is. Number eight, the reluctant and accurate answer. Again, I'd like to have been there to hear how he did answer the question.

Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him more. Simon answered and said, I suppose. He didn't want to answer it. He knew there was a catch to it, I think.

I suppose the one whom he forgave more. The reluctant and accurate answer, Jesus said, you have rightly judged. And then number nine, the convicting exposure of neglect.

The convicting exposure of neglect, verse 44. Then he turned to the woman and he said to Simon, do you see this woman? Now, more is implied in that question than do you see her with your physical eyes.

That should be obvious to us. Do you see what I see? Do you see her heart? Do you see beyond the external? Do you see beyond the fact that she fits into this category of notorious sinner that you have identified for her?

The convicting exposure and neglect. Do you see this woman? And then Jesus goes on to say, I entered your house and you gave me no water for my feet, but she has washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss my feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint my head with oil, but this woman has anointed my feet with fragrant oil. The convicting exposure of neglect. These are the things that was customarily given to a guest, to honor that guest, which is why I said at the front end, we didn't know what his motives were, but we're beginning to see that he didn't have respect for Jesus.

He didn't want to honor him publicly. Then this explanation of cause and effect, verse 47, Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little. An explanation of cause and effect. The only explanation for this extravagant expression of worship and gratitude is that this woman had a sense that she'd been forgiven of her many sins.

That's the cause and effect. Number 11, a gracious, forgiving declaration in verse 48. Then he said to her, your sins are forgiven.

Number 12, a provoked contemplation. There are people there who heard Jesus say, your sins are forgiven, and it provoked this contemplation, verse 49. And those who sat at the table with him began to say to themselves, who is this?

Who is this who even forgives sins? And then, finally, the reward of faith. Then he said to the woman, your faith has saved you.

Go in peace. I thought of the hymn that we often sing. My heart is filled with thankfulness to him who bore my pain, who plumbed the depths of my disgrace and gave me life again, who crushed my curse of sinfulness and clothed me in his light and wrote his law of righteousness with power upon my heart.

This woman's heart was filled with thanksgiving for what Jesus had done for her. Well, let's now consider what I believe Simon saw and what he failed to see in relationship to this woman, when Jesus said, do you see this woman? What did Simon see and what did he fail to see in relationship to this woman? Well, number one, Simon saw a woman who fit into a category, a notorious sinner, a prostitute. That's what he saw. And he really didn't see beyond that. He failed to see himself in the same category, despite the fact that he, too, was a sinner. And because he failed to see himself as a sinner, he had no appreciation for the Savior because he did not believe he had need of one. I'm starting to understand why some preachers take Monday off. Saturday's my day off and Saturday's my day to work around my house.

And when you're outside and there's weeds and all this, it can affect your voice. But I think the Lord will give grace. He failed to see his need. What did he see in relationship to Jesus? He saw a religious man, but not even a prophet, because Jesus didn't pass his test, because Jesus didn't respond to the sinful woman in a way that he thought a prophet should act. So, he's blind. That's the nature of a Pharisee. He is blind. He's self-deceived.

He is self-righteous. The Pharisees were categorically blind. And because of that, Jesus had no help for them or for this man in particular.

What did the woman see? Well, the woman, unnamed by the way, not to be confused with another occasion later on in Jesus' ministry, pretty close to the crucifixion, the woman named Mary who came into another Pharisee's house named Simon. Judas Iscariot was present there. Remember, why wasn't this vase of oil sold for money to be given to the poor?

Remember that? So, these are two completely different accounts. This is early on in the ministry of Jesus. What did Jesus see? Well, I'm asking right now, what did this woman see? Number one, she saw her sin. She knew herself to be a sinner. And although we don't really have a full explanation, we don't really know completely what the explanation was for her tears, I think she was overwhelmed, number one, out of gratitude for the forgiveness that had been extended to her. She was a forgiven, changed, transformed woman before she ever came to Simon's house.

We don't know when, we don't know how, we don't have a record of the account, but this woman had had an encounter with Jesus prior to this meeting in this house and her life had been changed forever. She came as a worshiper. Perhaps she was overcome with tears because of her sin. She was grieved over her sin.

Perhaps that's the explanation. Jesus said, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. She saw Jesus Christ as her redeemer. She saw Jesus Christ as her savior. She saw Jesus Christ as her new reason for living. You have something special in that water? Thank you friend. Yeah, ice.

Maybe that's what I need. Listen, she wasn't there at Simon's house for any other reason than to see Jesus. That's the only reason she was there.

And this extraordinary expression of devotion and gratitude is not to earn merit. It's because she had already been forgiven and she was there to express her gratitude to Jesus. Now, what did Jesus see? Well, he saw a self-righteous Pharisee. Jesus saw a man blind by his sin. Jesus saw a man deceived by his sinful, proudful heart. And Jesus saw a sinful woman. He saw a pardoned, forgiven, sinful woman. Now, Jesus didn't minimize her sin.

You remember what he said to Simon? He said to Simon, verse 47, I say to you, her sins, which are many... Jesus didn't minimize her sins. Her sins, which are many, are forgiven. And she's the one in the parable who had been forgiven much, had had a debt forgiven, and because of that, she loved much. She knew the degree of her sinfulness. And she had an appreciation for the forgiveness that had been extended to her.

A.W. Tozer said this, The subject of sin is vital knowledge. To say that our first need in life is to learn about sin may sound strange, but in the sense intended, it is profoundly true. If you have not learned about sin, you cannot understand yourself, or your fellow man, or the world you live in, or the Christian faith. And you will not be able to make head nor tail of the Bible, the Bible, he says, is an exposition of God's answer to the problem of human sin. And by the way, sin is not failing to do your best, okay?

It just felt like I had to say that. Some who say we're never going to speak about sin, well, they've redefined sin. Sin is failing to live up to your best, so we're going to instruct you on how to know and enjoy your best life now.

No, that's not sin. Simon the Pharisee, his pride had blinded him to the reality of his sin. And think about it, here he is in the presence of the great physician of the soul, and because he doesn't know he has a need, he doesn't apply himself to the remedy. I mean, how close can you come to help than to be beside Jesus? He's in your home.

And because of your blindness, you're cut off from any pardoning help. In fact, his pride allows him to stand in judgment, first of this woman, and secondly, of Jesus himself. I love the way Al Martin brings an awareness of our sin and a deepening appreciation of the grace of God together. I want you to listen to what he says. He says, quote, A God-centered gospel produces a man who has seen God and who, having seen God, and is brought face to face with this holy and just God, and having seen God in this way, is filled with, on the one hand, a sense of his own unworthiness to stand in God's presence as a sinner, and on the other hand, with adorning wonder that nevertheless this God receives sinners.

It's amazing. I'm not looking at an invisible person. There's a clock there that I'm keeping an eye on.

It's better than looking at my wristwatch. John, in his first epistle, gives us insight into the characteristic and nature of sin. Listen to what he says. Verse 6 of chapter 1, If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we are in fellowship with one another in the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Let me give you three characteristics of those who deny their sin. Three characteristics of those who deny their sin. Number one, they walk in darkness. He says if we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

They walk in darkness. Number two, they are self-deceived and this is Simon. Verse 8, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Self-deception. Number three, they defame God.

What do I mean by that? They defame God by making him out to be a liar by denying what His word affirms. Verse 8, If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Verse 7, If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another in the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanses us from all sin. And if we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and His word is not in us. That's a perfect description of Simon the Pharisee.

Blind, deceived, defaming of God, that's who he was. Well, let me summarize and bring things to a conclusion here. And that doesn't mean I'll be done in two minutes either. Dr. Richard Belcher was my homiletic professor and he would sit on the front row in Shortus Chapel and he'd have us preacher boys in this chapel that seated 1200 people because he wanted us to get a sense of the seriousness of preaching. And we'd be there preaching and we would have 20 minutes sometimes to preach, 30 minutes sometimes to preach. And he was sitting down there with an eye on his watch. And if he got a sense that you weren't getting toward the end, he would say, better land the airplane.

And then he would kid with some of us, he says, I thought I heard the wheels come down and you saw the runway and you... I have great affection for him for what he taught me. Think with me here. We see here in this story, this encounter, this parable, the failure that needs forgiveness. Number one, the failure that needs forgiveness.

And what failure am I talking about? It is the failure to acknowledge oneself as a sinner. The failure to acknowledge oneself as a condemned sinner, as one who is standing under the just wrath of God. And Jesus, I believe, told this parable to show that we are all in God's debt. We're all in God's debt. We are responsible for our debt. We are personally responsible before God for our debt. Now, we have incurred various degrees of debt. This woman had sinned much, Jesus said. Her sins, which are many.

There are various degrees of debt, but we're all in debt and regardless of what degree our debt is, we are unable to pay our debt. That's the point of the parable. When they had nothing with which to repay, verse 42, He freely forgave them both. You see, sin is the nature of our debt.

The wages of sin is death and judgment is the result of our debt. And forgiveness is our only hope. Forgiveness is our only hope. He freely forgave them both, the parable says. So number one, the failure that needs forgiveness. Number two, the faith that receives forgiveness. You see, God has a market on forgiveness. You can't secure it any other place. If you are in need of forgiveness, there's only one place to go.

There's only one place to apply. God has a market on it and if you won't receive it from Him on His terms, you will be in a state of unforgiveness and the consequences of that. You see, it's only the forgiver who can assume the debt.

When we read, He freely forgave them both. We need to understand that in order for God to forgive sinners, it comes at great cost to Him. Only the forgiver can assume the debt and that's the basis of God's forgiveness.

That's why Jesus Himself had to come to this earth and take the place of a substitute, to die in a place of sinners, to assume our debt and pay for our sin debt in full. We sing, Jesus paid it what? He paid it all. And if He didn't pay it all, then we're still under judgment and condemnation. Only the debtor can acknowledge the debt.

Only the debtor can acknowledge the debt. It is for you. It is for me to acknowledge the debt that we owe to God and to demonstrate that we understand that by our acts of worship, by our acts of obedience, by our surrender of our life to His authority.

Too many people in our day have a view of Jesus that He is kind of like your spare tire in your car. It's good to have one. You may need it someday.

You may not need it someday. But if you do need it in case of an emergency, it's good to have Jesus on board. Some people think of salvation that way. Jesus is there in case of an emergency. Or Jesus is my fire insurance policy.

He's going to keep me out of hell. Well, if that's your understanding of salvation, then you are in a desperate condition. You don't understand salvation. Salvation is not an insurance policy. Jesus is not a spare tire.

He's not there just for an emergency. That's not what salvation is. Only faith can accept the cancellation of debt. Only faith can accept the cancellation of debt. Notice what Jesus said to her. Jesus said, verse 50, your faith has saved you. Your sins are forgiven. You see, faith is the vehicle that receives the merit of God. Faith is the vehicle that receives the forgiveness of God, the remedy of our sin. You say, well, that sounds pretty important. Where do I get that? It's a gift from God.

What? Yes, it's a gift from God. For by grace are you saved through faith, and this not of yourself. It is the gift of God.

Why? Lest any man should boast. You see, salvation is of the Lord from A to Z.

We're dependent on Him for everything. Notice with me the freedom that follows forgiveness. The freedom that follows forgiveness. He said to the woman, your faith has saved you.

Go in peace. You see, her life was no longer racked with guilt and shame and turmoil. No longer was she a person that was used and abused by men. There was freedom that she knew to love unreservedly. And the question is, where did she learn? When did she learn to worship like she worshiped here in Simon's house?

I don't think it's something she learned. It's the natural response of a forgiven sinner. Charles Spurgeon said, too many people think lightly of sin and therefore think lightly of the Savior.

And then he says in very colorful language, he who has stood before his God convicted and condemned with the rope around his neck is the man to weep for joy when he is pardoned, to hate the evil that has been forgiven him and to live to the honor of the Redeemer by whose blood he has been pardoned. Let's be men and women who have a serious view of sin, have a deep appreciation for the forgiveness that has been extended to us, and let that fuel our worship, not just here on Sunday, but fuel our worship the way we live the rest of our lives. I wish you had the ability to see what I see when we come together and worship and sing. I know, I know you because I've been with you for these 25 years, but to look out and see people wiping tears from their face as we're singing these wonderful hymns of praise to God, it's a reflection of what we saw in this woman. If you know you have been forgiven, that grace has been extended to you, you have been pardoned of your sin, it can't help but move you. So we're going to sing here.

Chosen has his children. Let me offer a prayer, we'll sing and then we'll be dismissed. Father, thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ, thank you that he is indeed a friend of sinners. Father, thank you for this incredible account of Christ and his encounter with this sinful woman. Father, we pray that you would deliver any here who are deceived and blind to their true condition before you. Lord, no man comes to an awareness, a conviction that he's a sinner by logic. Your word tells us that the Spirit of God is sent to convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. Holy Spirit of God, do that work in the life of any who are here blind and deceived like Simon the Pharisee. And for those of us who have tasted and known the Lord to be good, that he has forgiven us and cleansed us and washed us and made us part of his family, cause our hearts to erupt in worship as we express our gratitude to him. In Jesus' name, Amen.