Changed for Purpose
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Intro and Tension
Intro and Tension
Our main text today is going to be Luke 7 36-50 - And it’s a story about God’s Love, About transformation, about forgiveness and about the state that we can walk into what ever we are called for , because of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
There is a change in us that happens - Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good - He came to make dead people alive.
Alive for a Purpose
Title: A New Creation for a New Purpose
My Prayer for us today is;
“Jesus, Help me to step, where you direct”
[Context] - Our story in Luke is right in the middle of Jesus’ Ministry. Jesus is inside the house of a Pharisee, or a religious teacher of the day.
Normally, the house would be open - People would come sit on the outside of house and Listen to the teaching inside.
One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. 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,
“Woman of the city” - Means someone that would have sold her body for money. Was her identity. Society would have looked down on her.
She must of heard about Jesus - Maybe heard about His Teaching - Or heard about His Miracle - Maybe His Love. She had to get there.
What would it have taken for her to get to Jesus?
She would have had to walk passed the crowd outside | She walked into the house, where you usually do not go | She walked straight up to Jesus in a place she was not welcomed.
She had to step away from what is familiar to her..and step out in faith…to get to Jesus.
If we want to step where Jesus’ directs, we need to;
Step away from Familiar and step out in Faith.
Ok then what happens in our story?
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.
This ointment that she broke over Jesus’ feet was a Perfume - It was smelly stuff to make her smell good. It was a Years wages - It was a lot of money. It was the only thing that would make her money.
She takes her most important posession - Pours it over Jesus feet. She pours everything out for Jesus.
She gave everything for Jesus - This is what Jesus asks us to do.
Jesus, gave his entire life so that we might be saved. Jesus requires our entire lives so that we might complete what he has asked us to do.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
It means that we would deny ourselves. If we are going to step where He directs, we need to give up our plans.
Here is a prayer;
“Lord, help me plan, with open hands”.
It means, Lord, take away anything that I have, and provide to me what ever you want to provide and I will step for you!!
Ok back to our story;
Ok so far - This woman has stepped away from what she has known and given up everything that she had.
Did the crowd cheer? Where they happy? No. It’s not what happened.
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.”
Here comes critisism.
Netball story - Trying to give advice - but I don’t know the game
People who do not know Jesus yet, may not understand or even dislike when you speak about Jesus to them.
They might not understand what you are doing, or why you are doing it |
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
It means, people who do not know Jesus, can not understand the things of the Spirit.
I want to encourage you that you have been saved by our Lord Jesus Christ for a Kingdom Purpose - This Kingdom is not of this world, this calling is not of this world - but you have been placed in this world to walk it out.
Step where He directs
Let’s keep going. Jesus then addresses the religious Leader. The religious Leader tried to name her by her Sin - By her wrongs - By calling her a Sinner and Jesus responds;
And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
Jesus is asking Simon if He understands the forgiveness he has just given this girl, and then asks
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.
Jesus asks, do you see this woman - Jesus is asking - Do you see her as I see her, or do you just see her mistakes.
Listen - Jesus looks at you, and he sees straight to your heart. If you call Jesus Christ your Lord and Saviour, He sees you as a BELOVED CHILD OF GOD - there is nothing you can do to change that.
Jesus continues
You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
Jesus is making a point here;
Simon the Religious Leader invited Jesus in to his house
The woman, who is a sinner invited Jesus into her heart. And it was her actions which showed how much she loved Jesus. Her actions did not save her. Her mistakes did not condemn her or (Count her out).
She loved Jesus - and it showed.
Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good, he came to make dead people alive.
And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
Jesus turns to her and says “Your sins are are fogiven”. It was her FAITH that no matter what she had done, no matter who she was, no matter her background - She is saved because she BELIEVED WHO HE WAS.
Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”
No one else at the table knew who Jesus is - No one knew that Jesus is the one that forgives, that transforms us, that gives us a new Kingdom Purpose. You are here because you know who Jesus is!
Jesus is the great redeemer, Jesus is the Son of the Living God, Jesus is the Bread of Life, Jesus is the Perfect Lamb, K o K, L o L - Where ever Jesus is - He brings Victory.
When you step where Jesus Directs, you operate from this Victory.
Our girl believed that if she stepped away from Familiar and stepped out in faith that Jesus would meet her there.
She gave up everything for Jesus when she poured out the ointment because she knew that JESUS IS EVERYTHING.
She didn’t care about what everyone thought, she cared about what Jesus thought.
Jesus is everything that you need for you to be able to step where Jesus directs .
Then our story concludes;
And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
This is how we are saved - FAITH. BELIEVING IN JESUS CHRIST!!!
Then He says; Go in peace - It means that she can now walk in Peace whereever she goes. This is a promise of Jesus.
It doesn’t matter what storms come our way - It doesn’t matter how hard it is here- We can have a Peace that goes beyond what ever we can understand.
Let me finish on Psalm 23
A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Rod - Protection
Staff - Direction.
Let me encourage you;
You are not what you have done, or who you where before Jesus Christ;
You are a SON or DAUGHTER of the MOST HIGH. YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR PURPOSE.
Step away from familiar and step out in faith
Give everything to Jesus because He has given everything to you
Plan with open hands
and He will lead you into Peace forevermore.
On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife.
