Sermon Tone Analysis

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Introduction

Today I believe that one of the biggest hindrances of people coming to Jesus is the judgmental attitudes of many people who are part of the Church.

I remember a guy saying to me he don’t want to come to church because people there watch you from head to foot.

We see someone who is a sinner and we brand them and at times we want nothing to do with them.

We gossip about them and we don’t try to help them.

But Jesus came for the sinners.

He said I came to seek and to save that which was lost.

Today we will be looking at the lives of 2 people.

One named Simon who was a pharisee and the other was an un named woman who was a famous prostitute to many people.

However at this point in the narrative, it would seem that she was a prostitute who had repented of her sins and was now willing to follow Jesus.

Today I want you to know that Jesus came for the prostitutes, he came for the drunkards, he came for the liars, he came for the murderers.

Today I want you to know that Jesus is not just a friend of sinners but he is the Savior of Sinners.

Introduction to Scripture

(1) The scene is the courtyard of the house of Simon the Pharisee.

The houses of well-to-do people were built round an open courtyard in the form of a hollow square.

Often in the courtyard there would be a garden and a fountain; and there in the warm weather meals were eaten.

It was the custom that when a Rabbi was at a meal in such a house, all kinds of people came in—they were quite free to do so—to listen to the pearls of wisdom which fell from his lips.

That explains the presence of the woman,

In the middle east the guests did not sit, but reclined, at table.

They lay on low couches, resting on the left elbow, leaving the right arm free, with the feet stretched out behind; and during the meal the sandals were taken off.

That explains how the woman was standing beside Jesus’ feet.

In this portion of scripture we can see 3 attitudes that Jesus has towards the sinner

Jesus Loves Sinners

lk 7 36-5

One thing I can tell you about Jesus is that he loved sinners.

He had a deep longing and love for sinners.

If you are a prostitute he would love you.

If you a drug addict he would love you.

No matter your sin he still loved you.

The Scribes and Pharisees hated that about him

They said he should not eat with sinners.

Here he was invited by a Pharisee who also was a sinner.

The New Testament depicts the Pharisees as opponents of Jesus or the early Christians.

They always were finding fault with Jesus and they always was looking for faults.

Some people find fault like there is a reward for it.

They didn’t say why this Pharisee invited Jesus.

Normally if I am invited it is a good sign that the person like me.

Most likely it was a bad reason.

It was to test Jesus or see what fault they could find with Jesus.

The Pharisees were a group who were out for him.

The good thing about Jesus is he will still come to you even though you may be out for him.

He loves the sinful as well as the scornful.

This Pharisee should have felt honored that Jesus accepted his invitation.

That showed Jesus’ love for Simon.

The bible says there was another sinner in this story.

It was an un named woman who would appear was a prostitute.

A woman who heard Jesus was there ended up coming to the Pharisees house and she went up to Jesus with an alabaster flask of ointment.

This woman who was a known sinner to everyone went up to Jesus and she had an alabaster flask of ointment and she started to weep and her tears will fall on jesus feet and she will wipe them with her tears and she would kiss his feet and anoint him with the ointment.

This would be a very strange spectacle because it would look like Jesus does not realize she is a sinner.

Jesus does not push her aside, Jesus loves sinners.

IN these Bible times a touch by a sinner like her would render Jesus ceremonially unclean.

So most rabbis would want nothing to do with a woman like her.

Illustration

When humans behave badly, God behaves graciously

This is illustrated throughout the Bible at times

When people mess up God is not quick to judge them but to show Grace towards them

e.g

The Woman caught in adultery.

The Prodigal Son.

Jesus came for sinful people

He loves the sinner

Application

Today you might be saying to yourself that I am a big sinner and God won’t love me

That is not true

It doesn’t matter if you have been committing adultery, or you have been sleeping around, or you have been on drugs I am here to let you know that he still loves you even though you may be doing the wrong things.

Society may be quick to condemn you for your sins, but Jesus loves you

We shouldn't be shocked when people sin.

It never shocked Jesus.

He wasn't shocked when the woman was caught in adultery.

It didn't shock Him that another woman had five husbands.

None of this shocked Jesus!

He knows we sin, and it's why God sent Him to die for our sins.

Jesus is not just a friend of sinners - he is the Savior of Sinners.

Jesus did not come to shame sinners but to save sinners 

Jesus Forgives Sinners

Jesus is not only quick to love the sinner but he is quick to forgive a sinner as well.

Jesus is not only quick to love the sinner but he is quick to forgive a sinner as well.

There was an evangelist of yesteryear who was the counterpart of Billy Graham today, a greatly used and anointed man of God.

And this is what he said.

He said there's one sin that Christian's have more difficulty with than any other and there's one sin that is holding back the power of God more than any other sin in the life of Christians.

Now he was a wise and intelligent man and a man gifted of God.

Would you like to know what that sin is.

He said it is the sin of an unforgiving spirit.

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Sometimes when people do us wrong it can feel hard to forgive them.

Sometimes it just keeps replaying in our head what someone has done for us

It can be hard for us but yet for Jesus he is quick to forgive us of our sins.

Sam Jones, another evangelist of yesteryear said, and I quote, I had a hard time forgiving people until I made up my mind, I wasn't going to fall out with anyone until he treated me worse than I treated Jesus.

We crucified the Lord Jesus Christ.

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When Jesus was dying on the cross he prayed Father forgive them for they know not what they do

There were two thieves on the cross with him and one asked for forgiveness and Jesus was able to forgive him

Jesus is so gracious he is so kind to us that he is more than wiling to forgive us our sins

This woman was a known sinner to everyone there

Most likely she was a prostitute

When we look at how she approached Jesus we can see that she was a repentant person.

The woman’s tears and her anointing of Jesus’ feet demonstrate penitence and humility.

This woman was much different than Simon the Pharisee

Simon saw himself as righteous but she saw herself as unrighteous