Jesus As Worthy of Your Worship

Intro

We’ve been going through every week and seeing what the Holy Spirit chose to reveal through Luke (the author of this gospel) about Jesus.

So far we’ve seen Jesus as the prophesied one…as a man…as worthy of your life…as a preacher…and now…we are back to worthy.

I told you a couple of weeks ago, that we will see a few of these “Jesus as worthy” titles. The first one was Jesus as worthy of your life…and now tonight…we see Luke showing us that Jesus is worthy of your worship.

That’s our title for the message tonight. Jesus is worthy of our worship.

Now, I must confess to you…there was a time in my life where I actively fought this...

And I don’t just mean a time when I wasn’t a Christian and ran from God and lived for myself…I mean there was a time, right after college, when I was already leading worship as a volunteer at a church…that I actively believed that Jesus was not the one we were suppose to worship…but just God the father.

I remember I use to feel so uncomfortable with the thought that we were worshiping Jesus when God was who we were suppose to worship.

It wasn’t until May of 2013 that that all changed, and a preacher revealed to me over and over again in scripture that Jesus is worthy of our worship. That God has exalted him to a place of being adored. That to worship Jesus is to worship God. They are one in the same.

And the passage we are in tonight, is just one passage out of dozens that confirm that thought.

So, like I say every week…get your bible out. And turn to Luke chapter 7 this week. We are going to be spending our time in 7:36-50.

Get your eyes on the text, and as you do…we need to define terms.

The term we need to define here is worship. What is worship?

I’m going to make it super simple tonight, and just give you the answer.

To worship something is to ascribe/give worth to it.

In a general sense, it is the things that you assign value towards.

But we are not just talking in a general sense…we are talking in a biblical sense.

And in a biblical sense, worship specifically is ascribing/giving/assigning - worth and adoration towards.

That’s the definition you need to take a note on. When it comes to a biblical definition of worship…worship is the act of ascribing worth and adoration towards God…or things in place of him.

It’s not just that we need to understand what worship is…but we need to understand that we have been created to be worshipers…

I don’t just mean that we are created to be people that sometimes worship…I mean that we collectively as God’s people, have been made to do one thing…worship the Lord…bring him Glory.

The prophet Isaiah tells us this..

Isaiah 43:7 ESV

everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

and again...

Isaiah 43:21 ESV

the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.

To summarize…we are all Glory Givers.

It is in our very design and nature to give worthy, ascribe glory…it’s intrinsic in us.

And the reason we need to talk about this tonight…is that that are many times in your life, and my life, that we do not give Glory to who it’s due…but rather to ourselves…or something that we think can take the place of God.

Flashlight analogy...

So…we’ve got the term of worship defined…and pray that you’re now to a point of thinking about the things you worship…or the people you worship…and you’re ready to see what Luke says about Jesus being the one that is worthy of your worship. Let’s look at the passage together.

I’m going to read the full thing...

Luke 7:36–50 ESV

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, 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. 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.” 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.” 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. 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.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Okay…so I told you the message title is

Jesus As Worthy of Your Worship

There’s two statements that need to be taken away from tonights passage.

The first one is

Jesus is worthy of your worship no matter the time or place.

So let’s set up the scene a bit here.

This Pharisee named Simon has invited Jesus to dinner.

It’s a formal banquet. (They are reclining)

It’s probably tense (6 times in Luke already the pharisees have been trouble)

And this woman comes into the banquet (which sounds weird but it’s not, uninvited guests were allowed along the walls)

Now imagine the setup…reclining at table literally meant reclining.

Jesus feet would have been away from the table (the only thing the woman can reach)

And what does she do? She worships. Look at the passage again.

Mark and John record a similar incident where an alabaster jar of ointment was poured on Jesus and said it cost 300 denari. ($17,400 iowa minimum wage - Mcdonalds &26,400)

Her earthly wealth was of no concern to her in comparison to worshipping Jesus...

She began weeping…the present company was of no concern to her in comparison to worshipping Jesus

She wiped his feet with her (let down) hair. To let your hair down not only disgraced her if she was a married woman (and grounds for divorce), but even if she was single it showed a lack of social grace, elegance, pride, beauty…meaning…in a formal banquet like this…it’d be like showing up to the prom in sweatpants and a hoodie…but what should we take from this? the social culture was of no concern to her in comparison to worshipping Jesus.

Let me drive home those three points one more time.

When it came to worshipping Jesus: her earthly wealth was of no concern, the present company was of no concern, and the social culture around her was of no concern.

Why were all of these things of no concern to her??? Because Jesus was Worthy of her worship. And when you see that Jesus alone is worthy of your worship…the worth of everything else does not matter.

Your financial issues or desires do not matter…the people around you and what they might think or say about you does not matter…and what this society and culture tells you you should value does not matter.

All that matters…is that you have an opportunity to worship Jesus Christ, the son of God…and you’re going to take that opportunity.

You’re going to take the opportunity, even if you have to skirt along the walls, and beg at his feet…even if you only get a few minutes…or a small glimpse of him…he is of such great value to you that you are going to worship him anyways.

I want you to ask yourself…when I come to worship here on Thursday nights or Sunday mornings…what are the things I’m allowing to have worth? The things that are preventing me from worshipping Jesus the way that his worth demands?

Are you letting the people in the room with you dictate your worship? Are you letting the worries of your life, or the desires of your life, get in the way of finding him worthy of your worship?

Okay…I know we’ve talked about how this woman showed that Jesus was worthy of her worship…but there is something we haven’t talked about...

Why is Jesus worthy of our worship? Well, luckily, Jesus answers that question to. And he answers it with a parable…a story.

Look back at the text…what does the story talk about?

Back in verse 41.

**Explain Story

Two men, one owed $29,000 ($44,000) and the other $2,900 ($4,400).

When they couldn’t pay it…so when they were beyond their own means to save themselves…the person they owed the debt to decided to forgive it...

Sound familiar? This is the gospel!

What is the reason that Jesus explains as to why it’s okay for her to have worshipped him the way that she is? No matter the time, or the place?

It’s the Gospel!!

So Jesus asks…out of these men..which one do you think will love the one who forgave them more…the one 2,900 (Mcdonalds $4,400) in debt? Or the one 29,000 (McDonalds $44,000) in debt?

All that to ask…which one do you think would love more. The one who did not come to a true understanding of what they owed? Or the one who did?

And Simon the Pharisee rightly answers…the one who owed more.

And then Jesus goes into this comparison.

The comparison of what Simon the Pharisee did, and what this woman of many sins did.

Go Through Passage

Jesus clearly says here…the reason why she is worshipping so passionately…is because of what I’ve done for her.

The reason why she loves much, is because she’s been forgiven much.

The reason she finds me worthy to worship me no matter the time or the place…is because I have proven my worthiness to her by forgiving her sins.

The reason Jesus is worthy to be worshiped in your life, no matter the time, place, hardships, emotions, awkwardness, tiredness....the reason he’s worthy to be worshiped despite all of those things…is because of what he has done for you. Because Jesus died. for. you.

That’s the second major point of tonight.

Jesus is worthy of your worship because he saved your life.

And that’s not the only statement…no. Jesus actually drops a truth bomb right here at the end of this story. Look back at verse 47 again.

Luke 7:47 ESV

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

Jesus isn’t saying that because she loved much, her sins are forgiven.

He saying that he knows her sins to be forgiven…aka, he knows her to be saved, because she loves much.

Meaning…and this is what you should walk away with tonight in this verse...

Her love for Jesus, her desire worship him, is directly related to the sincerity of her salvation.

Let me make it even more clear.

She worships and loves Jesus no matter the time and place, because she’s actually saved. Because, just like the man who owed $29,000, she understands the depth of her debt to God.

Let’s apply this to us.

Your desire to worship Jesus no matter the situation, is directly related to the sincerity of your salvation.

Those that truly desire to worship Christ, have within them a true understanding of what he did for them.

That he hung, naked, beaten, humiliated on a cross to pay for something that he did not do yet we keep on adding to.

They understand the pain and humiliation he endured to save them.

And so they can’t help but care less about humiliation when it comes to worshipping and thanking him.