You're invited

Intro and Tension

I have a question, Ever felt rejected? Jobs, People, Social Circles, Church? I will argue, most of us, some degree or another, operate out of a rejection headspace because Culture and Society has at some point, rejected us - And because of that rejection, it plaques how we enter into relationships, jobs, church, social circles- because of that rejection, some of us, don’t even really know who we are, only who we want others to think, that we are - We expect, that if we are we are, then it will turn out the same way it did the first time. We operate out of an expectation of being rejeceted and so we never truly feel accepted the way God made us.

Today I want to talk about rejection.

New Message Series; The Body: We are Spiritual Contributors, not Spiritual Consumers | Over the next 5 weeks, we are going to look at what it means to be God’s people together | Whether you should be here; your role ; What we are doing, as a Body, of believers

Title: You’re invited

My Hope: You will know, from the bottom of your heart, that you are invited here. That you’re needed and required here, and that you will BE here, truly BE HERE.

Rejection - Gosh, haven’t we all felt some sort of rejection?

If you have EVER tried out for anything you know what it’s like to feel rejected or uninvited.

Gemma wanting to be a doctor - her friend must of felt rejected | Scrolling through instagram, see all your friends at a party - Didn’t get invited | Maybe going for a job or pomotion you know is for you | Maybe rejected from Church? Weren’t good enough?

You know that sinking feeling, the shame, the hurt, the embarrassemnet of feeling rejected.

Rejection causes us to operate out of a place of expecting, and thus allows pride to cover the areas we don’t feel accepted.

If you have ever felt unworthy, unwanted, uninvited, I want you to hear one of the greatest truths of the gospel about Jesus and that’s this;

Jesus invites the people others reject. Invites others that religion despises, others overlook, or are not good enough. You are invited into the family of God - Jesus invites the people others reject.

Truth

We are going to dive into a story from the Gospels and see what we can learn.

Going to Luke Chapter 7

Pharisees where holding a party | Different to our parties | They would have a meal in the house | Outer room of the house | Edge of the house would always be surrounded by Porch | Meet, recline, and talk | What did they talk about - Well let me tell you | Knowledge, Theology, Smart things | This would be “Jewish Netflix” - but without the channel surfing | What would happen - People would come and sit on the porch, and listen, overhear their convo, in the hope ,they would hear SOMETHING valuable.

Ok so that’s the scene.

Now you have to understand a few things;

Sharing Food showed association - You only shared food with people that where similar level to you

Impure things made the pure unclean - Pharisees where clean, touched something unclean, they became unclean. and not pure.

Jesus however, was pure, and showed that he came ,to make the unclean - Clean - He came, to bring Light - to the darkness - that’s what he does to us - He takes our messes, and he turns them into Miracles | In society where everyone looks at the outside, Jesus said to the pharisees, that you only look at the outside while the inside is disgusting.

So the stage is set right | Perfect Pharisees- Maybe you’ve been here - Maybe you know some of these people | Pharisees invite Jesus for a meal - Association, he is the same let’s pick up text;

Luke 7:36–37 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,

sinful life = Town Prostitute | Think about this | They talking all things knowledge | Clean environment | With Jesus sitting there | The clean, but not worthy are sitting on the porch | then a “Call girl” walks in - Unclean = “We don’t hang around those people” - She was not invited to this party = outcast, rejected.

Pause for a moment - Get into the mind, of this woman, what would it have been like for her.

What has it been like for you? Maybe at a job where your told your not good enough | Fulfulling a calling and the world tells you you can’t do it | Maybe you, are your own worst enemy | Maybe the enemy is screaming at you, trying to take you out of game - Great work can’t come down | In what areas have you been rejected and it is plaquing your entire life | When we get rejected, we do anything, to prevent that from happening again | So we stay away from that, which rejected us - And the enemy keeps us there.

This prostitute | What was her situation | Assumption, I don’t know | but with all my heart - I believe - while made wrong decisisons, never dreamed of being a prostitute | No way | Slumber party | “I want to be a hooker, get my own pimp” - Never.

So what could have lead her to that lifestyle? Distant and uninvolved Dad? Didn’t protect her - Made poor decisison, or worse - dad was abusive, twisted mind, took advantage of her when she was younger so she got confused - Deep sense of shame and guilt even though it wasn’t her fault this became her identity.

Maybe both parents got killed, or arrested, grew up alone or with another family member - sister was starving, had to make money somehow, stayed in that.

Maybe she got knocked up, left, had to support her kid - Women that where alone where not allowed to do anything but that if they where alone - I don’t know what happened.

What I do know

She never wnated that lifestyle

Men used and abused

Women scorned her, sneering at her

Felt ashamed, unloved, and never invited to anywhere safe, or important

She might feel like we feel;

Not good enough | Guilty for where we are | “I never thought i’d be where I am…in this job, in this situation, thought I would have “made it” but now

What does this woman do?

Luke 7:38 ESV

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.

Something you need to know - Perfume was rare - Business card + Nest Egg, this was her entire future.

In one act = Remakably worshipping Jesus and at the same time repenting of her old lifestyle by giving that which would buy her more customers | Offering all to Jesus = This is all I have | Couldn’t stop emotion |

Wiped feet with hair = Significance = Jewish girls couldn’t release their hair. She does this cause she is just worshipping him.

Luke 7:39 ESV

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.”

“He said to himself” - Thought it in his mind - Jesus shows off.

Luke 7:40 ESV

And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

Luke 7:44–48 ESV

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.”

Here is a question, i’d like to try and answer - Why did this woman risk so much, to be at the feet of Jesus -

THink about this - Why? why does she apparently rush across town | Walked passed men who proposition her | through the porch who would have whispered about her | Why would she had gone into the house of a pharisee |

she had EVERY REASON NOT TO GET THERE. Here is what I believe.

She must have somewhere, somehow experienced his Love and Grace - Heard him, or saw a miracle, or sensed his devine nature. If you have been there you know.

This is what I THINK happened. Jesus was in her town preaching that week, we know that - She heard him Preach - Probably that day, because of the urgency of her nature.

But what message?

So Jesus, was in her town earlier that day, and this was the message that He preached

Matthew 11:28–29 ESV

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

A woman, who has given her body, her entire life.

Jesus said “COME TO ME” This was His Message - It sparked something in her | A conviction | A feeling | A feeling that she ACTED ON. She would have felt Broken | Alone | Unworthy | Not accepted - But in that moment, she felt something else, and she decided to change it.

Bible says “don’t be anxious for anything...” - We Don’t be formed by feelings - Your emotions are an indicator but never the verdict, rather an indication or invitation for action. Its there to tell you to do something about it. It’s not your identity

| They are the consultant, and never the CEO. Alone? Get to community | Unaccepted? Get into the word | Fear? trust God |

*Check engine light* - If you don’t act on it, you will stop -Keep going.

Emotions / feelings are invitation to do something

She felt, unnaccepted and acted on something she felt in that message.

Notice

Pointing out this woman’s sins, did not lead her out of sin

Judging her lifestyle, didn’t change her lifestyle

Shaming her for what she did, did not free her from her past

What changed her?

An invitation, to experience the Son of GOD (Bang on about this)

We need to accept people, before we expect from people.

Accept people, not behaviour. - Same when parenting

He didn’t come for the healthy, he came for the sick!!!

We cover our shortcomings in Pride, because we don’t ACCEPT our identity in CHRIST, and so we have to find our identity in something ELSE.

Inspo and Close

If you ever feel unwanted. I want to say that you are welcome here, you are invited here.

Homeless man in church over East

No, you come as you are!

We are all equal at the foot of the cross!!

Come now, come quickly, and when you come, don’t come alone - invite others to know His grace ,His goodness and to experience His Mercies from Heaven.

John 6:35 ESV

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Jesus told another story, of a wedding banquet, and he told the guy to invite people, no one came - had excuses - Just had kids | Just got married | Big game on this weekend | don’t have time

Jesus said: If they’re not interested, you COMPEL them to come. Describe the party, my life - Help them SEE.

Then he said;

Compel the blind, lame and cripple to come - Why does this matter - in the time when Jesus was, it was said, that they were not invited, they were sick because of their sin - They deserved it.

Jesus said, no, you compel the blind, compel them.

No, all those that others reject, are invited.

We will create a community that compels people to want to be a part of it, but I can’t do it alone.

Prostitute was rejected by society and loved by jesus. Everyone is invited to the body.

She gave up everything because of the feeling - She got an indicator and acted.

If your getting an indicator from the spirit are you acting on that? Or is it becoming your identity? It’s time to act.

I want you to feel his life, sense his grace, let it wash you - There is room here, who are we?

Spirit-lead, Faith Filled truth seeking, warriors of God and you are invited.

You are invited here.

**Pray**

**Altar Call**