“One of Us Abstained:” a Powerful Message About Morality

1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God …

The following article, written by the father of a 13-year-old boy, speaks directly to the moral issues of our day. His response to a program offered in the local school, though he was ridiculed by others, spoke truth in a way that all could understand.

“One of Us Abstained,” by Robert Layton

I received a notice from my 13-year-old son’s school announcing a meeting to preview a new course in sexuality. Parents could examine the curriculum and take part in an actual lesson presented exactly as it would be given to the students.

When I arrived at the school, I was surprised to discover only about a dozen parents there. As we waited for the presentation, I thumbed through page after page of instructions in the prevention of pregnancy or disease. I found abstinence mentioned only in passing. When the teacher arrived with the school nurse, she asked if there were any questions.

I asked why abstinence did not play a noticeable part in the educational material.

What happened next was shocking. There was a great deal of laughter, and someone suggested that if I thought abstinence had any merit, I should go back to burying my head in the sand. The teacher and the nurse said nothing as I drowned in a sea of embarrassment. My mind had gone blank, and I could think of nothing to say. The teacher explained to me that the job of the school was to teach “facts” and that the home was responsible for moral training.

I sat in silence for the next 20 minutes as the sexuality course was explained. The other parents seemed to give their unqualified support to the materials.

At the break time, the teacher announced that there were donuts in the back of the room and requested that everyone put on a name tag and mingle with each other. Everyone moved to the back of the room. As I watched them affixing their name tags and shaking hands, I sat deep in thought. I was ashamed that I had not been able to convince them to include a serious discussion of abstinence in the educational materials.  I uttered a silent prayer for guidance.

My thoughts were interrupted by the teacher’s hand on my shoulder.

“Won’t you join the others, Mr. Layton?” The nurse smiled sweetly at me.  “The donuts are good.”

“Thank you, no,” I replied.

“Well, then, how about a name tag? I’m sure the others would like to meet you.”

“Somehow I doubt that,” I replied.

“Won’t you please join them?” she coaxed.

Something inside me said, “Don’t go!” “I’ll just wait here,” I said.

When the class was called back to order, the teacher looked around the long table and thanked everyone for putting on name tags. She ignored me.  Then she said, “Now we’re going to give you the same lesson we’ll be giving your children. Everyone please remove your name tags and look at the back of the tag.”

I watched in silence as the tags came off. The teacher said, “Now then, I put a picture of a flower on the back of one of the tags. Who has it, please?”

The gentleman across from me held it up. “Here it is!”

“All right,” she said. “The flower represents disease. Do you recall with whom you shook hands?” He pointed to a couple of people. “Very good,” she replied. “The handshake in this case represents intimacy. So the two people you had contact with now have the disease.” There was laughter and joking among the parents.

The teacher continued, “And whom did the two of you shake hands with?”   The point was well taken, and she explained how this lesson would show students how quickly disease is spread.

She concluded by saying, “Since we all shook hands, we all have the disease.”

Once again, something inside me said, “Speak now, but be humble.”  I rose from my chair. I apologized for any upset I might have caused earlier. I congratulated the teacher on an excellent lesson that would impress the youth.

I concluded by saying I had only one point I wished to make. “Not all of us were infected with the disease,” I said.  “One of us …  abstained.”

 

What King David DIDN’T See from His Roof

Among the most familiar sins recorded in the Scriptures is King David’s adultery with Bathsheba. Why did he do it? How can we learn from his experience and avoid repeating it? The text describes this incident in 2 Samuel 11, and it begins by telling us what and whom David saw.

2 Sa 11:1 Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. 2 Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance.

Here’s a start at least. David did not go out to battle, as kings would typically do. Whatever the reason may be, whether his laziness, his selfishness, or simply his age, a simple fact remains. If David had gone to battle, what happened next would not have happened. Think about how one decision opens the door to multiple consequences. I have often heard and said, “Decisions determine destiny.”

While our choices do cause consequences, our choices are also often caused by previous factors. One of my mentors used to say, “Before something happens, it’s about to happen.” In other words, before one commits sin with his heart, his eyes, or his hands, one must recognize and address the things that could precede sin and increase his temptation to sin.

Romans 13:13-14 tells us, “Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

“Make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” implies that we should exercise foresight or forethought in advance. In a very real sense, David sinned because he had not predetermined that he would not sin. Likewise, if each Christian man prays and chooses at the beginning of each day, “Today with God’s help I will not look lustfully at a woman,” he is making provision (anticipating ahead of time) not to take advantage of opportunities to sin.

The Christian man says, along with Job, “I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin” (Job 31:1)? If David had made such a covenant, think of what would have followed instead when he first saw what he saw.

David saw a very beautiful woman bathing while he was walking on the roof of his house. It is true to say that David sinned because, when he saw Bathsheba, he chose to lust after her, and he failed to curb his sinful desires.

David’s actions parallel those of Achan in the days of Joshua that cost Israel the battle at Ai. Achan admitted, “I saw the forbidden items … I coveted them … I took them … and I hid them” (Josh 7:20-21). Likewise, we read in James 1:14-15, “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”

However, to say that David sinned only because of what he saw – a beautiful woman bathing – is only partly correct. Actually, David’s sin also resulted from some things he failed to see from the top of his palace. In fact, if he had paid attention to some undeniable realities, he might have turned his eyes away from Bathsheba.

David had some major blind spots. So do we, whenever we choose to disobey God. By noting his blind spots, we will be much more able to deal with our own.

1. First, David did not see the people’s need for his leadership in the war. As stated above, it was at “the time when kings go out to battle” (2 Samuel 11:1) that David sent others to war but stayed home himself. Israel’s army may have won against the Ammonites, but her king lost his war, because he did not lead. The same is true today. Before you sin, ask: “How will this action affect my ability to lead and influence others for the Lord?” “Is my devotion to showing others the way serious enough that it helps prevent me from losing my way?”

2. David also blinded himself to the past experiences, failures, and consequences in the lives of others. Since the beginning of time, David must have known what had become of others, perhaps many others, each of whom had sinned immorally by committing adultery with someone else’s wife. They were caught. The woman became pregnant. They were unable to cover it up. A marriage died. A lifetime of guilt and shame ensued. David didn’t see, or refused to see, that his experience would be no different. He failed to learn from those who preceded him. Before you sin, ask: “Who do I know that took a similar action or made a similar decision, and how did that work out for them?”

3. In addition, David didn’t recognize the corrupting, corrosive effect that absolute power can have on a man. He can begin to think that he is above the law, that he wrote the law, or that he can ignore the law. David’s authority could have swollen his ego to such an extent that he was unaware of how far he had fallen already. Before you sin, ask: “Am I so proud, so narcissistic and self-absorbed, that I believe than I can disobey God’s rules and treat other people as objects?”

4. David overlooked his good friend, Uriah the Hittite, who was Bathsheba’s husband. This man was one of David’s “mighty men,” his most loyal followers (2 Samuel 23:39). When David saw Bathsheba, he did not see himself deceiving her husband Uriah, getting him drunk, and having him killed. If he had, he might have denied his own lust and temporary pleasure. Before you sin, ask: “How will this decision affect my friends and those who have put their trust in me?” “How will this action destroy rather than protect the purity and sanctity of my friends’ marriages?”

5. This mighty king failed to see an innocent baby. The child conceived by David and Bathsheba would die as a part of David’s punishment (2 Samuel 12:14). If the king had foreseen the baby suffering with an illness for seven days, the sorrow that David himself would experience, and the lifetime of guilt that he would carry, he might have avoided his adulterous encounter. How many sinless babies have been aborted, their precious lives thrown away, as the result of sexual misconduct? Before you sin, ask: “How will this choice affect my children and other innocent people?” “Would I be willing for my young daughter, niece, or granddaughter to know that I did this?” “Would my son, nephew, or grandson respect me if this action became known?”

6. David became blind to his loyal wife, Abigail. This good woman provided for David and kept him from sin, in spite of her foolish husband Nabal. She became David’s wife after Nabal died. See 1 Samuel 25. How would David’s choice of another woman affect Abigail? Apparently he never asked. Before you sin, ask: “How will this conduct affect my dedicated, God-fearing spouse and my covenant before God to be faithful to him or her until one of us dies?”

7. King David lost sight of His children – Tamar, Amnon, and Absalom. Turmoil would characterize David’s household from this point forward. The sword would never depart from his house (2 Sam 12:10). David’s son Amnon would assault and violate his own half-sister, Tamar. Her full-brother Absalom would murder Amnon, become a fugitive, and take over the throne for a time. These sons carried out the very things recorded in David’s playbook. David would hear of Absalom’s death and mourn, saying, “Would that I had died instead!” Before you sin, ask: “How will this behavior affect the way my children turn out and the long-term direction of future generations?”

8. David lost sight of his God-given throne. If David had realized that, because of his immorality, he would forfeit his anointed position as king and run from his own son, would he have sent for Bathsheba? Likely not. Before you sin, ask: “How will this deed affect my calling to serve the Lord in my current position?”

9. At the heart of it all, David did not see God when he was on the palace roof. He became blind to God’s authority in his life, God’s righteous wrath toward sin, God’s broken heart when one rejects His will, and God’s grace, which had blessed and sustained him from the beginning. Before you sin, ask: “How will this decision affect my relationship with the Lord? My prayer life? My spiritual peace and confidence? My eternal salvation?”

What happened to David can happen to us. Peter wrote by inspiration: “For he who lacks these qualities [of spiritual growth just mentioned] is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins” (2 Peter 1:9).

It is when one sees what he wants to see rather than what he ought to see that he either runs into a wall or falls off of a cliff.

Do you want to be strong and prepared when temptation arises? Then take some time, go up on your palace roof, and see the things that David didn’t see from his roof. When you see what you ought, God will help you to do – and not do – what you ought.

To Hurt You, I’ll Hurt Me. So There!

To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Rom 12:20-21

How strange it was to learn in January, 2012, that Terry Thompson, the owner of the Muskingum County Animal Farm in Zanesville, Ohio, had released 56 exotic, wild beasts from their cages, and that he had then taken his own life. Sheriff's deputies, armed with high-powered rifles, shot nearly 50 of them — including 18 rare Bengal tigers and 17 lions — in a big-game hunt across the state's countryside, as homeowners nervously hid indoors.

After an all-night effort that extended into Wednesday afternoon, 48 animals were killed. Six others — three leopards, a grizzly bear and two monkeys — were captured and taken to the Columbus Zoo. A wolf was later found dead, leaving a monkey as the only animal still on the loose. Those destroyed included six black bears, two grizzlies, a wolf, a baboon and three mountain lions. Dead animals were being buried on Thompson's farm.

The 62-year-old Thompson had reportedly had repeated run-ins with neighbors and with the police. In fact, just three weeks earlier, he had been freed from jail for possessing unregistered guns. Apparently he thought he had a score to settle. The Associated Press report said that Thompson threw the cages open and shot himself to death “in what may have been one last act of spite against his neighbors and police.”

Spite is defined as, “A desire to hurt, annoy, or offend someone; malicious ill will prompting an urge to hurt or humiliate.” Like the word “despite,” It is derived from the Old French despit, from the Latin dēspectus for contempt. Whoever Thompson thought he was spiting, whether the authorities or his neighbors, it was he who suffered most. He’s dead.

When I decide that I will strike back at someone who has wronged me by feeding myself anger, hatred, and vengeance, I am the one who suffers. I’m doing it to myself. He or she may be happy, peaceful, and even unaware of the pain I am trying to inflict.

When I cut back my church involvement, worship, or giving, because of what someone said or did to me, I am cheating myself of opportunities to grow and serve. I’m hurting my own faith. I’m depriving myself of joy. The only one who is truly happy as a result is the devil.

I can hurt my boss by complaining, gossiping, and wasting time on the job. I can hurt my spouse by bickering, leaving a mess on the floor, or yelling at the kids. I can hurt people that do not like me by being rude, arrogant, and mean. I can hurt drivers who cut me off by honking, screaming, and tailgating. When I do I inflict scars and wounds on my own soul.

The flip side is just as true. When I help others, I actually help myself. I’ll try it! Why don’t you, too?

You’ve Got to Stand! - by Chris Moran

My friend and fellow preacher Chris Moran has posted …

“Eleven Stances Worth Taking”

There is an old country music song that was released in the early 90’s recorded by Aaron Tippin. The title of the song is “You’ve Got to Stand For Something.” Although this song was never one of my favorites, I always liked and appreciated the message it sent. In the chorus, Tippin sings, “You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything. You've got to be your own man, not a puppet on a string. Never compromise what's right and uphold your family name. You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.”

In the times in which we now live, this message still holds true. But the problem we are facing is that many people are standing for the wrong things: abortion, homosexuality, racism, hatred, self-indulgence, and a host of other immoral and wicked atrocities that are in contradiction of the Word and Will of God.

If we are going to take a stand, may I suggest 11 stances that are worth taking? These 11 are “nothing new under the sun,” but perhaps worth reviewing and remembering.

• Stand Up For Those Too Weak To Stand Themselves (James 1:27).

• Stand For Right When Others Stand For Wrong (Romans 12:2).

• Stand In The Gap To Defend The Lord’s Church (Ezekiel 22:30).

• Stand Watch Over Someone Who Hurts (Job 2:11-13).

• Stand Between Enemies To Bring Peace (Matthew 5:9).

• Stand With Christ When Christ Is Being Attacked (Hebrews 13:13).

• Stand In To Serve Those Less Fortunate Than You (Matthew 20:28).

• Stand In For Christ To Seek And Save The Lost (Luke 19:10).

• Stand In Your Convictions When It Costs Something To Do (Acts 5:29).

• Stand In Heaven After A Life Well-Lived (Matthew 25:34-40).

• Stand In The Traditions Which You Were Taught, Whether By Word Or Epistle (2 Thessalonians 2:15).

~Chris

A Savior Who Touches Sinners

What if you could unload, smash, or incinerate every bit of your guilt, every sin, every wrong deed, every poor decision, and every painful experience from your past?

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

Bring Christ your broken life,

So marred by sin.
He will create anew,
Make whole again.
Your empty wasted years
He will restore,
And your iniquities,
Remember no more

Bring Him your every care
if great or small
whatever troubles you
oh, bring it all
Bring him the haunting fears
the nameless dread
thy heart he will relieve
and lift up thy head

Bring Him your weariness
receive his rest
Weep out your blinding tears
upon his breast
His love is wonderful
his power is great
and none that trust in him shall be desolate

Blest Saviour of us all
almighty friend!
His presence shall be ours
unto the end
without him life would be
how dark how drear
but with him morning breaks
and Heaven is near!