Freely Connect

Introduction - Me

Personal Story:

*Stand next to the Bible proped on table*

If you didn’t know, I love dancing and when is was your guys’ age I did ballet like a lot. My life revolved around ballet. And over summer breaks we had to go to a summer intensive, which is like a camp where you take a bunch of different dance class for like 6-8 hours a day 6 days a week for 2-3 weeks.

One summer I went to an audition for an intensive in San Francisco for a big name ballet company. During the audition I felt so out of place. Everyone there was much more talented, more flexible, and more advanced then I was. Plus I was one of the only ones not in pointe shoes. I didn’t feel like I belonged there at all.

Transition:

I’m sure you’ve all felt like that before.

Tension - We

Tension - Us

Body:

*Stand next to the Bible*

Maybe you felt the same when trying out for a sports team, dance team, or the school play. Maybe you felt that way in a class where everyone seemed to know the answers but you were super confused.

Maybe you felt that way in a class where everyone seemed to know the answers but you were super confused.

*Hold the Bible*

What about with your faith. Do you ever felt like you didn’t belong when you come to church?

*Move away from the Bible as you talk*

Have you ever wanted to be close to God, but felt like you couldn’t connect with Him?

Maybe the way everyone talks about God makes you feel like you should understand, when really you have a lot of doubts and questions.

Maybe you feel like you don’t belong because you know the way you act and talk at school.

Maybe everyone sings during worship and raises their hands, but you feel awkward and disconnected.

*Stop walking away from the Bible*

Sometimes even when we want to be close to God, we don’t feel worthy of connecting with and worshipping Him. Maybe it’s because of the choices we’ve made or the behaviors we’ve engaged in. We feel like we don’t deserve to connect with God the same way everyone else does. We allow our actions to become distractions to our worship. We allow them to put space between us and God.

*Motion to the space between you and the Bible*

Instead of feeling forgiven and free, we walk into church feeling shame, guilt, and like we don’t belong.

Transition:

The good news is that our actions, thoughts, and choices don’t have to keep us from connecting with God. Our fears of not measuring up or not being good enough don’t have to keep us from showing up to church and worshiping God.

Truth - God

Body:

We can see this truth in .

Jesus was at a dinner with a Pharisee named Simon. A Pharisee was someone who followed the Jewish laws strictly and taught the law to the people. They were seen by the Jewish people as perfect. But while Jesus is at Simon’s house eating dinner with him a woman joins.

So while Jesus is at Simon’s house eating dinner with him a woman joins.

In verse 37 it says, “ A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.”

Okay so here is some background on this story. The woman was a prostitute and she was unwanted in the house but she had to see Jesus. She didn’t care where He was or who would be there.

After see this go down Simon had some things to say. Like if Jesus was really a prophet, He would know that this woman who was touching Him was a sinner and should be looked down on.

Jesus responded to Simon with this story in verse 41, “‘Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?’

42 “When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?”

Simon replied, ‘I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.’

43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.”

‘You have judged correctly,’ Jesus said.

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.’

44 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.

Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’”

45 “You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet.

Simon didn’t show Jesus the common manners like water to wash His feet or oil on His head. But this woman came thirsty for Jesus’ love and worshiped Him. She washed His feet with her tears and wiped His feet with her hair. She poured perfume on His feet and this was not cheap perfume. This was perfume that probably took a whole years salary to buy.

46 “You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.

It was obvious that the woman didn’t have her life together. Yet she came to Jesus. She worshiped. She connected with Him. And Jesus didn’t turn her away. He accepted her. In fact, Jesus never turned any sinful person away who came to Him with a humble heart.

47 “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.”

It’s not about having your life together; it’s about coming to Jesus. Jesus loves us no matter the mistakes, or bad choices, or wrongdoings we might carry into church with us every week. He set us free from the weight of the guilt, shame, frustration, and even separation we feel because of our sin.

Because of that, we don’t have to worry about whether or not we’re good enough or deserving enough to connect with Him. We don’t have to earn the right to worship God through our good behavior. We don’t have to fear that He’ll turn us away or not want to connect with us because of who we are or what we’ve done.

We can all freely connect with God because of who Jesus is. It’s not our actions that give us access to God; it’s Jesus. It’s not our behavior that connects us to God; it’s Jesus. And worship isn’t about you or what you’ve done; it’s about Jesus and what He did for you.

We can all freely connect with God.

Transition:

We can all freely connect with God.

So what does that mean for you?

Application - We

Body:

It means we don’t have to walk in here feeling the weight of our choices this week. We don’t have to worry that we don’t measure up in God’s eyes.

It means that because of Jesus, we can love God with all our Hearts.

However, just because Jesus offers us freedom and forgiveness for our sins, this doesn’t mean we get to do whatever we want and avoid the consequences. But it does mean that we can connect with God every single day. We can worship in response to what He’s done for us. And we can let that motivate us to keep moving our lives in the right direction.

We can all freely connect with God. And this week, I think we can all take a first step in doing just that.

For some of you, that is believing in your heart that what Jesus did for you is enough. Jesus died on the cross to make a way for us to connect with God no matter what.

For others, that is changing the way you respond to our mistakes. Instead of beating yourself up you’ll turn to God and reconnect with Him. You’ll get you heart close to Him again and remember what Jesus did for you.

Landing - You

Question:

So this week ask yourself what is that one thing keeping you from connecting with God?