Forgiving Our Debt
Notes
Transcript
Forgiveness is hard. Two types of people: 1.) People who struggle to let go of the sins of others. 2.) People who struggle to let go of their own sins.
Need: We struggle to forget sins. We don’t live like Jesus forgave us. We live like he showed us mercy once, and we’ve used up all our money.
Main Idea: Jesus can forgive anyone forever
After Jesus sends John’s disciples back and announces to the Pharisees they aren’t God’s children, he will be invited to a Pharisee’s house.
Luke 7:36-50
Truth #1: Forgiveness leads to hospitality (36-38)
Exp. After Jesus drops the mic on them, one of the Pharisees invites him over. Many people came as well. Then a woman comes in. Kneels at Jesus feet. This was common. Houses had open areas where people could walk around. It was her action that caught the Pharisee off guard. Verse 37-38. She does three things that the host should have done.
Washed his feet. Common action for the host. The Pharisee didn’t do.
Kissed his feet. Not common to kiss feet except for the king. You would kiss his hand if you were his disciple, and his face if you were his equal.
Anointed his feet with oil. Oil was worth nearly a years wage. Should have anointed his head.
Exp. Why are these things common? Hospitality in their culture was not for entertainment, but to make strangers into guests.
Ill. Today, we have become entertainers. Let’s put on our best face. Make sure everyone has a good time. No dull moments of boredom. We want them to leave with the experience of a lifetime. Biblical hospitality is not entertainment. It’s bringing someone close who was far off.
Christ - Hospitality models Jesus. Jesus didn’t make strangers into guests but made strangers into children. Not only strangers, enemies. The scandal of the gospel is that those outside the family were brought into the family.
Arg. Paul writes about this.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
App. What do we do? Show the hospitality of Christ.
Invite people into your life. It’s good to have the same friends, but look outward, too.
Stop entertaining. People want authenticity.
Display the grace of God by sharing the gospel.
Truth #2: Forgiveness erases debt (39-47)
Exp. The Pharisee doesn’t like what this woman is doing. Verse 39. Says it to himself. Doubts Jesus is a prophet since they could sniff out sin. Verse 40. This is the teacher voice. Goes into a parable. Verse 41-43. Debt was common phrasing for sin. Two debtors. “Love him more” means “grateful.” The one with the greater debt shows more gratitude. Then he explains. Verse 44-46. Your house, but you did none of these things. Simon and the woman are the debtors. Jesus didn’t wait for Simon to make the connection.
Ill. Failure of communication in our house. Bethany said she started the dishes and laundry. I didn’t get the hint. Jesus doesn’t wait for Simon to get it. He gets the finish line quickly.
Exp. Verse 47. She is a sinner, but so is he. The parable states neither debtors couldn’t pay. She responds just like Simon answered. The greater debt erased caused a greater response!
Christ - Jesus erases our debt no matter how much it is. Whether you grew up in the church doing the right things or you lived a life immersed in sin denying God. If you come to Jesus, he will erase it. Not because did right, but because he did. Not because your penance bought it for you, but because his blood did.
App. How should we respond? Seek and understand the forgiveness of Christ.
Seek his forgiveness. Your sin is not too much!
Believe in his forgiveness. Not like human forgiveness. Fully forgiven.
Truth #3: Forgiveness comes through faith (48-50)
Exp. Finally, Jesus acknowledges the woman. Verse 48. She has already been forgiven, notice her actions. Jesus is affirming that she is forgiven. The people at the table don’t like it. Verse 49. They asked this in chapter 5. Finishes with a firm statement. Verse 50. Her faith did not forgive her. Her faith in Jesus brought about his forgiveness.
Ill. When you sat in the chair, your faith in the chair is not what stopped you from hitting the floor. The nature of the chair stopped you. Same here. Her faith didn’t save her. The nature and the purpose of Jesus saved her. Her faith in Jesus brought about that forgiveness.
Arg. College students argued Jesus forgives without repentance. That’s nowhere in Scripture. Argument is Psalm 130 that God doesn’t keep a record for sins. However, Exodus makes the character of God clear.
6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
Christ - God doesn’t clear the guilty. But he does clear the repentant. He poured his wrath for the guilty on Jesus. When Jesus forgives, he forgives forever. It is faith in him that he responds to. When Jesus forgives you, the record is gone. The only one keeping the record is you.
App. How do we respond? Live in forever forgiveness.
Go in peace. Shalom. Experience the fullness of God.
Rest in his forgiveness. Not your forgiveness.
Conclusion
The most marvelous ingredient in the forgiveness of God is that he also forgets, the one thing a human being can never do. Forgetting with God is a divine attribute; God’s forgiveness forgets.
Oswald Chambers
