Have You Been Forgiven?

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

What is motivating you each day?

Introduction

Have you all had those days where you just have no motivation at all? I want to tell you guys a story about motivation. Do you know what procrastination means? It means that you have something and you know when it is supposed to be done, and you wait until the very last minute to do it. Why is it that procrastinators exist? Motivation. When a procrastinator sees a task that needs to be done and sees that the date is waaaaaaaaaaaaay out there, the motivation to do said task is at an all-time low.

Then as each day passes, the motivation to do the task gets higher and higher until the amount of time can't possibly get any smaller to do the assignment. I am a procrastinator, but I like to have a day or two of buffer time in between when the assignment is due, that is when my motivation peaks. That is not so for my buddy Skylar. Skylar had a class in college where there was only one assignment that was due. It was literally the only assignment that he has to do in the entire class, and it was 100% of the grade. A 30 page research paper. So this assignment was designed for you to come to class and work on it. Skylar didn't do that. For weeks Skylar would go to class and work on homework for other classes, until the last day of school. I wake up to go to class and see that Skylar just woke up as well. Skylar didn't have an 8 am like I did so I asked him what we was doing. He said he needs to start his paper. I said you mean to finish your paper? Nope, start my paper. The paper was due to be turned in at midnight that night so this dude woke up the day it was due and cranked out a 30 page research paper in 1 day.

Transition

Don't be like Skylar. He is a fun and really great Christian man, but he was a worse procrastinator than I am. However, he found the motivation to finish that paper in 1 day and he passed the class. This leads me to what I want us to talk about today, what is our motivator for living the Christian life? Lets look at Luke 7 today.

Scripture

Luke 7:36–39 ESV

36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”

Interpretation

This is a very powerful scene, but it can be really weird for us in the 21st century because we don't see that. She comes in and is crying so much she is able to wet Jesus' feet with her tears, and she kisses Jesus' feet and anoints his feet. She comes into this situation so distraught, the biggest question we need to be asking is why? Why did this woman barge into a Pharisee's house to get to Jesus and make this big scene?

Transition

Why did this woman barge into a Pharisee's house to get to Jesus and make this big scene? Let's see if we can find out as we continue on:

Scripture

Luke 7:39–40 ESV

39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

Interpretation

We need to understand two things here; the first is that you never question Jesus, even in your own thoughts, because number two, when Jesus says, "I have something to say to you," whatever follows will put you in your place so incredibly fast.

Transition

Let's keep going and figure out

Scripture

Luke 7:40–43 ESV

40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” 41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

Interpretation

What I want to make sure we are honing our attention in on, some people will look into this and see the two numbers, with one being pretty big and one being really big. While that is important to notice, when we think of what a denarii is, it's a day's wage. So one person has about two months' worth of money in debt, and the other is about a year and a half worth of debt. Notice the key phrase, and this makes all of this make sense; neither of them could pay. It doesn't matter how big or ho small the debt is when payment is due, and you don't have it; there are legal repercussions.

Transition

With that being said, lets finish out the passage and talk about it.

Scripture

Luke 7:44–50 ESV

44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Interpretation

Here we see the whole picture. This lady burst into this house, knowing how sinful she truly is, begging for forgiveness at the feet of Jesus. This problem with the Pharisees is that instead of focusing on the fact that payment is due, they focus on how little they owe compared to others. This lady had the opposite perspective, she knew how much she had to pay, and instead of dwelling on it or playing the comparison game with other people, she heard that payment was due and there was an opportunity for forgiveness of that debt at the feet of Jesus.

Transition

Do you have this deep sense of love and affection for Jesus like this woman?

Conclusion

As we reflect on this story when you are thinking about your life in light of Jesus, are you viewing Jesus like the Pharisee or the woman? Are you playing the comparison game, thinking to yourself, I don't have as much sin or struggle in my life as that person? Or that person is significantly worse than I am. Or are you viewing your life as acknowledging your sin is great, so great that you are unable to pay the debt, but Jesus has forgiven your debt, and you now live a life of loving Jesus for lifting this great weight of sin off of you?

Take Away

Ask yourself the question, Have you been forgiven? If the answer to that question is no, then what is holding you back? Is it questions that you are having about Jesus? If that's the case bring those questions to your small group leader or to me, we are here and would love to talk through those questions with you. Do you feel like you have sinned too much for Jesus to forgive you? That is a lie from Satan who wants to keep you entrapped in your sins. You don't have to be sinless, perfect, or whole to come to Jesus. Instead, we come to Jesus knowing He is perfect, sinless and will make us whole.

If you answer that question with a yes, then how is your life reflecting that? Are you living like the woman and loving Jesus with every fiber of your being, bringing everything that you have and putting it at His feet saying "Here Jesus, everything pales in comparison to your love!" Or are you living a life like the pharisee, shrugging off that forgiveness that has been offered to you as though it is not as big of a deal as it should be? If you are in the latter half, then you truly have no idea how great the debt of sin was that you have been forgiven for. Every single person in here was dead in their trespasses and sins on a fast track to hell, and Jesus stepped in and took the full force of that wrath on your behalf. So let me ask you again to reflect on this as we close in prayer, Are you forgiven?