The annual NYC Good
Riddance Day took place on Dec. 28, 2017, in New York
City's Times Square Broadway Plaza between 45th and 46th Street
from noon to 1 p.m. EST. This was its 11th year. Participants bring their
funniest, most outlandish or unpleasant items to the event to be shredded.
People could discard
anything distasteful, embarrassing, or downright depressing from the past year.
Participants brought disappointing report cards, pink slips, photos of old
boyfriends or girlfriends, CDs with songs they never wanted to hear again,
clothes that were out of style, and fattening foods they had promised to
renounce.
Unshreddable stuff
could be dropped in a dumpster. Hated, crushable stuff could be pulverized with
a sledgehammer. One year Alissa
Yakelevits claimed the $250 Grand
Prize for the Most Creative entry for saying “good riddance” to her camp
leader, who appeared on “America’s Most Wanted.” Others said “good riddance”
to cellulite, an SSAT book, the New York Giants’ football season, or just “bad
stuff in general.”
Then it was all
hauled away. Imagine the resulting freedom and celebration!
All shredded
material generated on Good Riddance Day was then baled and sent to nearby
recycling plants to be turned into something usable like everyday paper
products. For every ton of paper shredded and recycled, 17 trees, 4,100
kilowatts of energy and 3.5 cubic yards of landfill space will be saved. New
Yorkers and visitors to the city are invited to this free event where Shred-it
will park a mobile shredding truck in Times Square.
What if you could shred, pulverize, haul away, and even
recycle everything you’d like to be rid of – every mistake, every failure, and
every sin – and be free of it? That is the gospel!
Why be a hoarder,
keeping old junk and clutter, that takes up space in your heart and life, that
serves as a constant reminder of the baggage you have collected?
Here is a link to the video of this sermon presentation:
https://www.facebook.com/bellevuechurchlife/videos/1819918131391924/?q=bellevue%20church%20of%20christ
Read Luke 7:36-50.
Let's consider Jesus as "A Savior Who Touches Sinners."
No matter who you are or what you have done, you can
come to Jesus in obedient faith and be forgiven.
You can come to
Jesus,
regardless of past sin, reputation, gender, social circle, or economic level.
Background
The context in Luke 7 sets the
stage: Healing the Roman centurion’s slave, raising the widow’s son from Nain,
answering John’s question from prison, responding to criticism about His
friendship with “sinners.” John the Baptist’s question, Jesus regarding John,
Jews like children; Jesus charged as glutton, drunkard.
Story unique to Luke. This gospel especially highlights Jesus' interaction with and love for the poor, disadvantaged, disconnected, discouraged, desperate, and disapproved.
An Unlikely Invitation
Lk 7:36 Now one of the
Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s
house and reclined at the table.
7:36 The setting: A Pharisee’s house for a meal. Jesus
willing to eat with anyone. Other guests present. Courtyard and open access to
the house. Pharisee impolite, judgmental, critical.
Why invite Jesus but not greet Him?
Simon: nine men
with this name in NT. All are named after Simeon, one of the 12 sons of Jacob.
They are distinguished by descriptive terms. Bar-jonah. The tanner. The leper.
The Zealot or the Canaanite. The magician or sorcerer. Of Cyrene. We will call
this man “Simon the Pharisee.”
We will not identify
him with “Simon the Leper,” in whose home the devout Mary anointed Jesus a
short time before His crucifixion. (Matt. 26:6-13)
An Unwelcome Guest
37a And there was a
woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining
at the table in the Pharisee’s house …
7:37 Woman enters. A “sinner” whose reputation is known.
Luke 5:27-32 Levi
Jesus will describe
her as having “many sins” (7:47) and a massive “debt” that she cannot repay. We
don’t know her name, only her character.
On paper, or in your
mind, write down the sins that this woman may have committed.
Now write the sins
that you have committed.
How do they compare?
Do you see her as a “bigger” sinner than yourself?
How many sins does
it take to qualify a person as a “sinner?”
Is it a relative
term? Do we think we have no sin? Or fewer sins than others?
Her motivation: Matt
11:28-29; Jesus’ reputation. Watched Him with others; waited; followed Him.
What obstacles might
have stood in her way? Her fear of facing the Pharisees; her overwhelming
sense of guilt ... but she had no doubt that Jesus would receive her! She was
so determined to meet Jesus, it did not matter who else was present!
Jesus is
approachable. “Just As I Am.”
An Unusual Outpouring
37b … she brought an
alabaster vial of perfume, 38 and standing behind Him at His feet,
weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with
the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume.
7:38 Her gift: her tears, her burdens, her agony,
her kisses, her humble devotion; an alabaster vial of perfume. Wealthy,
high-class Roman ladies.
“Take My Life and
Let it Be” # 501
alabaster: compact, translucent gypsum often carved
into vases. It is very soft and therefore excellent for carving. The color is
usually white; but it may be gray, yellow, or red. In the NT a globular perfume
flask carved from alabaster is mentioned. Made without handles, it had a long
neck that was broken to pour out the perfume. Many articles were fashioned from
this stone, including vases, jars, saucers, bowls, lamps, and statues. A harder
form of alabaster, found only in Egypt, was used to sculpture a Sphinx.
Perfumes: were made from many different herbs and
plants. These plants were imported from such places as Arabia, India, Persia,
Ceylon, and Egypt. Perfumes were used especially, but not exclusively, by the
rich to cover the unpleasant body odors that resulted from the hot temperatures
of Palestine and surrounding regions. Thus, they were applied to the feet (Luke
7:38), the freshly washed body (Ruth 3:3), clothing (Ps. 45:8), couches or beds
(Prov. 7:17), the priest’s head (so he would be presentable to God; Ps. 133:2),
and even dead bodies (2 Chr. 16:14; John 19:39–40).
An Unfair Assumption
39 Now when the
Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a
prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching
Him, that she is a sinner.”
Common belief: A
prophet (representing God) would not allow a sinner in his presence. “If the
Lord just knew what so-and-so is really like ...” Judging others is easy. Makes
us look good. Religious people begin to think they deserve a relationship with
God.
Outwardly religious
people (Pharisees) can be the greatest obstacle between sinners and Jesus. The
woman had no trouble touching Jesus; it was the Pharisee who rejected her!
Church: the broken,
the hurting, the poor, the naked, the penitent alcoholic or homosexual.
Narcotics Anonymous:
“I’m an addict.”
An Unequal Comparison
40 And Jesus answered
him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it,
Teacher.” 41 “A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred
denarii, and the other fifty. 42 “When they were unable to repay, he
graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?” 43
Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said
to him, “You have judged correctly.” 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. 45 “You gave Me no kiss;
but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. 46
“You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.
Jesus set the stage,
preparing Simon for what He was about to tell him.
Jesus very
effectively used “third-personing.” He would tell about other people, describe
their actionsf, and then ask the listener to finish the story.
Jesus’ story; “My
broker is E.F. Hutton ...” Money ... forgiveness. Down-to-earth. Inductive.
Indirect. Elicits response from the hearer. “What do you think?”
To what degree do we
identify with people who are like this woman? Are they comfortable in our
midst? To what extent do we relate more to the Pharisee?
Jesus’ stories leave
you in a spot! We don’t want to be the woman or the Pharisee! That’s good!
Maybe we can be like Jesus, pure ourselves but offering grace to the lost.
Just like the
Prodigal Son. Simon is the older brother. The woman is the younger.
Guilt - Grace - Godliness.
Grace motivates. The
greater the sense of forgiveness, the greater the love.
Parents toward
children. Which child will love his parents more? Prodigal Son.
When your child does
wrong, regrets it, and weeps over it, forgive! Embrace! Result? Love.
How can you tell
that a person has experienced true forgiveness from God? I am not talking about
how to obtain forgiveness, but about how to demonstrate that forgiveness has
been given and received. The answer? LOVE.
The more a person
loves Jesus, the more obvious it is that that person has been forgiven.
The Christian life is the outward fruit of the
experience of forgiveness. Guilt drives us to Grace. Grace drives us to
Godliness. I cannot stay “Just As I Am.”
When I approach
Jesus, I must bring to Him what this woman brought.
A Willing Confession
of Sin
An Obvious Sorrow
for Sin
A Yearning for
Forgiveness
A No-Matter-What
Determination to Meet Jesus
A Gift of Myself and
My Best
An Eagerness to
Place Myself at His Feet and Anoint Him
I cannot embrace
Jesus if I have the traits of Simon the Pharisee.
A Sense of Personal
Worthiness Before God
Little or No Sense
of Sin or a Need for Forgiveness
A Judgmental
Attitude Toward Others
An Unwillingness to
Receive Jesus Humbly
It was not the holy
Savior who rejected the woman, but a fellow sinner!
To be like Jesus, I
must be both close to God and open to sinners.
Jesus touches
sinners, not to endorse their sin, but to remove it.
An Undeniable Connection
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.”
Which comes first?
Our love, then forgiveness? No. His forgiveness, then our love.
Love for Jesus is
the outward fruit of one’s experience of forgiveness.
The greater one’s
sense of personal Guilt
...
And the deeper one’s
appreciation for the Savior’s Grace
...
The more intense
will be one’s commitment to Godliness.
Conviction. Conversion. Consecration.
An Unimaginable Relief
48 Then He said to
her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” 49 Those who were reclining at the
table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives
sins?” 50 And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in
peace.”
The woman, rather
than Simon, went home justified.
Like Luke 18:9-14 - Pharisee, tax collector.
Reversal. Surprise.
Jesus can say to you
today, if you are like that woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” Do you believe
Him? He cannot say that to a Pharisee, who has no sense of need for
forgiveness.
Result: guests at
table say: “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
Simon’s response:
not recorded! What do you think?
Faith is the key. “Go
in peace.” She had not come that way. She had approached Jesus with guilt,
sorrow, shame, unworthiness. She left Him with peace, purpose, promise.
Are you a sinner?
Have you thrown yourself at Jesus’ feet? Have you come to look at others as
fellow sinners, no more worthy or unworthy than you to come to Jesus?
Can be same for you
today! Be determined like that woman! Let nothing stop you!
Admit It … For Your
Sake!
If we say that we
have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9
Marilyn Manning
writes about attending a communications course in which the instructor asked
the participants to list anything in their past about which they felt ashamed,
guilty, regretful, or incomplete. As
people in the class read their lists, hers grew longer. After three weeks, she had 101 items on her
list! The instructor then suggested that
they find ways to make amends, apologize to people, or right any
wrongdoing. She had visions of
alienating just about everyone from her life.
The next week, the
man beside her spoke. He had grown up in a small town in
Iowa. One night, he and two buddies took
a can of red paint, climbed the water tank in the middle of town, and wrote on
it, in bright red letters, some insulting words about Sheriff Brown, whom they
disliked. The next day, the whole town
saw their sign. When confronted, the two
others confessed, but this boy lied, denying the truth.
After carrying this for nearly 20 years, the boy, now grown,
attended this communications course. He
didn’t even know if Sheriff Brown was still alive, but he knew he had to try to
reach him. He dialed information in his hometown back in Iowa. Sure enough, there was a Roger Brown still
listed. He dialed his number. After
a few rings, he heard: “Hello?” He
said: “Sheriff Brown?” Pause.
“Yup.” “Well, this is Jimmy Calkins.
And I want you to know that I did it.”
Pause. “I knew it!” he yelled
back. The two had a good laugh and a
lively discussion. His closing words
were: “Jimmy, I always felt bad for you because your buddies got it off their
chest, and I knew you were carrying it around all these years. I want to thank
you for calling me ... for your sake.’”
Jimmy’s story
inspired Marilyn Manning to clear up all 101 items on her list. It took her almost two years, but it brought
her true peace and led to a new career as a conflict mediator. It’s never too late. Begin resolution today, both with God and
with others. You’ll be glad you did.
All is Forgiven 800 Pacos
In his short story “The
Capital of the World,” Ernest Hemingway tells the story of a Spanish father and
his teenage son. The relationship between this father and son became strained
and eventually shattered. When the rebellious son--whose name was Paco, a
common Spanish name--ran away from home, his father began a long and arduous
search to find him. As a last resort the exhausted father placed an ad in a
Madrid newspaper, hoping that his son would see the ad and respond to it. The
ad read,
Dear Paco, Please
meet me in front of the newspaper office at noon. All is forgiven. Love, Father
As Hemingway tells
the story, the next day at noon, in front of the newspaper office, there were
800 Pacos, all seeking forgiveness from their fathers.
The forgiven becomes the forgiver.
Tit 3:1-7; 2 Peter 1:5-11
“Out of My Bondage,”
# 689; “I Stand Amazed,”
Sinners Jesus Will
Receive
Bring Christ Your
Broken Life
T.O. Chisolm (1866-1960) lyrics; L. O. Sanderson
music
