Your Sins Are Forgiven
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
I heard the story of a preacher who was at a certain church preaching on the subject of forgiveness.
In the crowd that day there was young woman whose heart was heavy with a load of guilt and shame.
After he had finished preaching, a few moments had passed by and every one had left the auditorium except for this young woman.
So when he’d seen her, he went up to her and thanked her for coming and asked her if she had enjoyed the service.
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Immediately she said she had.
She said however that “I don’t think the message was for me.
You don’t know my past.
And she began to tell her story She told the preacher.
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“When I was a little girl my home life was such a mess.
As a child my father repeatedly told me that I was ugly.
He was an alcoholic and stayed drunk most of the time.
My mother always told me that I was worthless and would never amount to anything.
So when I became a teenager I met a guy that told me I was special.
I had never heard words like that, nor felt that way before.
And so in my ignorance I gave him everything.
A month or two later when he found out I was going to have a baby, he left me and I have never seen him since.
I could not go to my mother or father, so I went to a health clinic and did away with my child.
And now even though it has been many years ago, I still feel so guilty and dirty over what I had done.
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Preacher, can God really forgive me for doing something like that?”
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The preacher then with a tear in his eye and a broken heart began to tell her what Jesus could do for her.
After they prayed she had a smile on her face, and a glow about her.
God had removed all guilt from her heart.
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Beloved, it truly is an amazing weight lifted the moment God forgives us of our sins...
And that is the subject of today’s message.
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 7 and focus on verses 36 through 50.
Our message this morning is titled, “Your Sins Are Forgiven”
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This message today will focus on an event that occured at a home that Jesus was invited to dine at...
On that day we will see how Jesus is treated it two very different ways...
And those ways relate to whether a person has experienced God’s forgiveness.
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So, this morning we will cover three main points:
Tears of Thankfulness...
A Parable of Two Debtors...
And...
Saved By Faith.
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
You are the Ancient of Days and the Most High!
We love you Yahweh for You are all together good!
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Thank You for who You are...
Thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit...
Thank You for the gift of the Scriptures...
Thank You for sending Your Son...
And Thank You for Your mercy and saving grace!
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Guide our feet to walk the narrow path with boldness and confidence...
For our confidence in in the power of Your eternal promises!
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Equip us with every good and faithful tool to use for Your glory and honor...
For we desire to serve You as good and faithful servants!
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Forgive us of our weakness and for disobeying Your perfect reproof and instructions...
For Your ways are so much higher than ours!
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And it is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.
37 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,
38 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.
39 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.”
40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”
41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
44 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.
45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.
46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.
47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”
50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) Tears of Thankfulness
1) Tears of Thankfulness
Verses 36-38: 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.
As our passage opens we learn that our Lord and Savior was invited by a Pharisee to eat with him in his house...
And as we progress through our narrative we can quickly see that it is clear that this Pharisee did not invite Jesus out of a pure intention...
This invite does not seem to originate from any love of Him or because he believed in Him...
But at best it was out of curiosity or even for the purpose of spying upon Christ...
As Luke 6:7 says:
7 And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him.
And let us take into consideration this that is recorded in Luke 14:1 which says:
1 One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully.
So, the invitation given to Jesus likely had ulterior motives...
Yet, Jesus still came for He had a great lesson to teach.
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Next, let us look at the phrase “and reclined at the table” which was a common practice in Jesus’ day...
That they reclined at the meal indicates that it was a banquet or Sabbath meal...
In the latter case, it was quite common to invite a visiting rabbi or teacher to the Sabbath meal after he had taught in the synagogue...
And this gave those present the opportunity to discuss theological, cultural, and social issues with the visiting rabbi or teacher.
In the former case of the banquet meal, Jesus may have been invited because of his growing reputation as a teacher and prophet.
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Another key point we need to look at is the phrase “a woman of the city, who was a sinner” which was possible to have been understood to be calling this woman a prostitute...
We can also see evidence of this by Luke’s choice of the Greek word “hamartōlos” here that he often uses to identify a person who has a reputation for gross immorality...
Additionally, it was the term usually used to describe the most despised people in society...
So, in all likelihood, she was a prostitute and a professional adulteress...
She was immoral, impure, and living a flagrantly sinful life at a public level.
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Furthermore, the woman’s unbound hair may have been mentioned to further indicate that she was a prostitute.
Unbound hair may not seem like a big deal in our day but we need to put this into perspective to understand the significance of this...
The act of letting down one’s hair in public in the 1st century in Isreal was considered shameful and immodest and was it was even used as a ground for divorce if the woman was married.
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So, it would have been completely shocking to all who were in attendance to see a woman of such low reputation come to a pharisee’s house...
Such dinners as the one described in our passage would see dignitaries in attendance and even be opened up to include the general public as spectators on the condition that they remained along the walls...
Basically, the doors were often left open so that those not invited to the meal could stand around the perimeter of the room and listen in on the dialogue taking place and also have opportunity to get some leftover food.
However, no one would have ever expected a prostitute of all people to attend.
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The fact that she did attend reveals that this was an act of great courage...
This was her opportunity to show her gratitude and love to the one who had graciously forgiven her.
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Beloved, when studying the Koine Greek of this passage it reveals that the forgiveness this women recieved would have been prior to this event...
Later in the message we will come back to the specific point in the passage were that is made clear...
So, although this woman previously lived a sinful life she repented and was forgiven.
Now, she wanted to find Jesus and express her joy and thankfulness...
So, her act here at the home of the pharisee reveals to us the very real sense of the genuine demonstration of penitence and humility that is to be displayed by all who have be forgiven.
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Previously she was in a desperate state in which she sought forgiveness and now she was filled with thankfulness as she has been forgiven by the Lord.
So, her “weeping” was an clear expression of the both the deep repentance she previously had but mostly of joy and thankfulness of being forgiven...
Furthermore, it displays her joy at the chance to honor Jesus and of her realization of forgiveness that Jesus offers.
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The weeping by the woman is so much more than just light whimpering...
The choice of words used in this text is make this obviously clear for the term used to describe her weeping is also the same term used to describe rain showers.
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The ESV Study Bible says it like this:
“Her tears are tears both of thankfulness and also of reverent awe as she senses the presence of God in the person of Jesus.
Her act would have been considered improper, therefore it took great courage to honor Jesus in this way.”
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The term “alabaster” is a translucent soft stone used to make containers for costly perfumes...
It was a costly item and cost about 300 denarii which was about a year’s worth of wages...
So, this indicates that the perfume was also very valuable...
And the woman intended to anoint Jesus with the perfume, instead of the more common and less expensive olive oil normally used for such purposes.
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The Word of God gives us many examples of this common practice of anointing someone with oil as a form of love and respect...
Just look with me at Psalm 23:5 in which David wrote:
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
In another similar but different event from our main passage we see that Mary the sister of Lazarus anointed Jesus’ head with oil as recorded in Matthew 26:6–7:
6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,
7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table.
In fact, Mary acted in a similar manner to the woman in our passage by also anointing Jesus feet and wiping His feet with Her hair as John 12:1-3 says:
1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table.
3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
Mary and the unnamed woman of our passage may have had different backgrounds...
But both revealed their overwhelming joy of being forgiven by great acts of humility and honor to the one who forgave them.
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So, Beloved, I would like you to keep this great difference in mind...
The woman of our passage went to great lengths to honor Jesus and show her thankfulness and love for the Messiah...
She used her own hair to wipe His feet...
She used expensive perfume to anoint His feet...
Yet, Simon the pharisee did not even do the bear minimum of honoring a guest like Jesus by anointing His head with oil...
And although Simon did not have a bad reputation as the woman...
He is a sinner too...
He needs a Savior too...
So, it is not about our past...
It is about weather we will be humble and admit our short comings...
It is about our love and relationship with the only one who can save...
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...
And it is about that very subject we will discuss next in our second point for our lesson today.
2) A Parable of Two Debtors
2) A Parable of Two Debtors
Verses 39-43: 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.”
So, despite the women’s clear remorse, repentance, reverence, and thankfulness for Jesus ...
The pharisee that was hosting this this dinner showed nothing but contempt for her and other such sinners...
Simon was convinced that if only Jesus knew her character He would have sent her away for her touching Him.
Yet, Simon and the religious establishment of that time got it all wrong...
We are not to shun those who are living wicked lives...
We are to minister to them!
God will no turn away from a repentant sinner!
In fact, as Luke 15:7 says:
7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Simon and the leaders of the religious establishment missed the whole point that they too are sinners in need of repenting...
But all of heaven rejoices over the sinner who acknowledges their wickedness and turn away from their past lifestyle.
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Today, in our society it is encouraged and celebrated when one embraces the LGBT lifestyle...
Those who engage in sex outside of the marriage of one man and one woman are defended...
Children are being slaughtered in the name of women’s rights and choice...
Greed, hatred, foul language, lust, violence, and the list goes on, saturate social media and our entertainment...
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As followers of Christ...
Those who embrace a sinful lifestyle should break our hearts...
And we can’t as those walking in the light have fellowship with those who walk in the darkness.
But we are not called to ignore or shun people living a sinful life...
Have we so quickly forgotten that each of us has a past too?!
Each of us who follows the Lord today at some point in the past also lived a rebellious life in opposition to God’s perfect commands...
Have we so quickly forgotten that even as born again believers our flesh is still weak and non of us can claim to be sinless?!
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So, for those who embrace sin...
Love those people...
Minister to them...
Meet them at their level while not compromising the faith and engaging in sin.
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Jesus sat and ate with sinners but He never engaged in sin...
Paul was all things to all people but was not a partaker to sinful activity...
This is what we are to do, Beloved!
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Yet, the pharisees and the self righteous of our day today ignore the ones who need to hear about Jesus!
The look down on those who need hope and need to experience the light!
Often time it is those with such great a wicked past that love the Lord that much more when the horse blinders are finally removed and they can finally see clearly!
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Simon’s blindness to this truth led him to believe that Jesus was no prophet...
For he thought a true prophet would act like him and be repulsed by those living a life of sin...
But Jesus set the record straight, Church!
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You see, Jesus knew Simon’s thoughts and demonstrated to him that He was indeed a Prophet...
And Simon’s worldview on how to treat sinners was all wrong...
As Volume 8 of The Expositor’s Bible Commentary says:
“Luke now directs attention to the Pharisee.
He mulls over the matter and reaches three conclusions:
(1) If Jesus were a prophet he would know what kind of woman was anointing his feet;
(2) If he knew what kind of a woman she was, he would not let her do it; and...
(3) Since he does let her anoint his feet, he is no prophet and should not be acknowledged as such.
But Jesus does let her expend the perfume on him and does not shun her.
He shows that he does have unique insight into the human heart, for he knows what the Pharisee is thinking.”
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So, Jesus made it clear that He in fact did know the kind of sinner this woman was...
But He was concerned with her repentance...
For to be forgiven of much is to love much!
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Note this too, Beloved...
In the parable Jesus says that one debtor owed “five hundred denarii”...
To put that into perspective...
A denarius was worth about one day’s labor...
So, this was a large sum of debt owed and was equivalent to about two years of full wages...
This would have been considered a seemingly insurmountable amount of debt.
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Likewise, the “fifty denarii” owed would have been equivalent to about two months of wages.
So, both amounts make up large debt but clearly one is far greater and significant than the other...
One’s debt is ten times the debt of the other!
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So, those who live a life that is clearly wicked...
Maybe they are prostitutes...
Maybe they are drug addicts...
Maybe they are murders...
Maybe they are terrorist...
You can fill the blank with any vice or sin...
Those sins that are really chains that make one a slave to this world...
And make one a slave to Satan...
They are not unbreakable!
They can be destroyed!
They can be shattered!
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Beloved, Jesus is the sludge hammer that can break anyone free of the chains of sin!
Jesus is the one and only Chain Breaker!
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And the greater the debt that is forgiven...
The greater the love one has for our Lord and Savior!
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Paul, was a terrorist!
He had innocent blood on his hands...
His name brought fear to believers....
And God shattered his chains...
God broke the chains of the one who was the Chief of Sinners!
And now most of the book in the New Testament was authored by the least likely of individuals!
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To be truly forgiven is to truly love...
To be truly forgiven is to truly praise...
To be truly forgiven is to truly give thanks...
To be truly forgiven is to truly have gratitude...
Yes, to be truly forgiven is to truly give glory to God...
As the New American Commentary on Luke says this regarding the phrase “Now which of them will love him more?”:
“Since there is no specific word for to show gratitude or to thank in Hebrew or Aramaic, such words as love, praise, bless, glorify were used to express thanks or gratitude.
Thus ‘love him more’ probably means was more grateful/thankful.
Jesus sought to further disarm Simon by having him answer the parable.”
Next, Jesus will make it clear that it was not the woman’s actions that saved her...
But that her actions are the result of the forgiveness she recieved...
And this takes us to our third and final point.
3) Saved By Faith
3) Saved By Faith
Verses 44-50: 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.”
When Jesus says to Simon “you gave me no water for my feet” He was calling out a glaring oversight and slit by the Pharisee...
And he shows that Simon is neglectful as a host.
In our Western 21st century eyes we may not see the significance of this but we need to understand the Middle East of the 1st century...
The washing of a guest’s feet was an essential formality...
To not offer a guest water for the washing of feet was tantamount to an insult...
In our day today it would be equivalent to someone not offering to take a guest’s coat.
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Additionally, it was also a kind gesture to anoint the head of one’s guest with olive oil as we previously discussed...
And it was customary to greet someone with a kiss on the check (as many cultures still do today in parts of Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East)...
So, it is evident that Simon in no way expressed any affection toward Jesus when he came to his home.
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Yet, on the other hand, the woman did all three of these acts that the pharisee neglected...
Simon’s action are in stark contrast to the woman and it is very revealing...
Specifically, which of the two is truly forgiven and who is still in sin...
That is why Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much.
But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
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You see Beloved, the perfect tense verb that is being used here is describing an action completed in the past with continuing results in the present...
So, as we also discussed earlier, this indicated that the woman has been forgiven in the past already before she came there that day...
That is why she is filled with so much gratitude and has uncontrollable tears of joy.
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Jesus reaffirmed that she had already been forgiven (again the verb is in the perfect tense), saying to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
Therefore, her outpouring of love for the Savior was the mark of her transformed life.
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As the Reformation Study Bible says:
“In light of the parable, the contrast in their behavior shows that Simon is unaware of needing or receiving forgiveness from Jesus, whereas the woman’s outpouring of love reveals how great a debt He has lifted from her.
[Additionally,] her expression of love shows that she understands how great a forgiveness God has granted her through Jesus.”
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Likewise, New Testament theologian Walter L. Liefeld says:
“Jesus can declare that her sins (which he does not hesitate to say were ‘many’) have been forgiven.
He can affirm this because her act of love shows her realization of forgiveness.
Her love is not the basis of forgiveness; her faith is.
As in the event itself, the forgiveness was unearned; and it is this fact that elicits her love.
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As the episode ends, attention rapidly shifts from one person to the other.
Simon obviously knows little of either forgiveness or love.
Jesus pronounces the woman forgiven.
Then he becomes the object of another discussion because he presumes to absolve her from her sins.
The woman receives his pronouncement of salvation—’saved’ is in the perfect tense, expressing an accomplished fact—and his benediction ‘go in peace,’ traditional and common words that have true meaning only for those who have been saved by faith”
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So, the love that this woman displays in her actions toward Jesus are not the reason for forgiveness...
The reason for her forgiveness is her faith.
Therefore, love is not the cause of forgiveness but it is the byproduct of someone who is forgiven.
In other words, imagine this...
The statement “it is raining because the windows are wet” does not mean that the water on the windows is the cause of the rain.
Rather, the water on the windows evidences the presence of rain.
Love evidences an awareness, reception, and response to a previous act of genuine forgiveness.
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Church, it is impossible to keep all the commandment of God!
Only Jesus was perfect and that is why only He can can take our place and pay for our sins.
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Additionally, the smallest of sins carry the same death penalty...
Yes, some sins are greater than others...
But all lead to death...
As James 2:10 clearly states:
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
One white lie...
One slip of the tongue...
One rouge thought...
One act of disobedience...
One small sin commited is to be guilty of all the law!
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God demands perfect!
As Galatians 3:10 says:
10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”
Yet, none of use can be perfect and sinless!
We are all in a helpless estate...
We are all doomed to Hell...
That is...
Unless someone who is perfect...
And someone who is sinless...
And someone who can actually keep all the Law comes and takes the curse meant for us!
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That someone is Jesus Christ!
He lived is the spotless lamb who did what we never could!
And if we repent and believe in Him...
If we surrender our lives and turn from a life of sin...
We will be cleansed by His blood that He shed at Calvary on the cross!
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As 1 Corinthians 6:20 declares:
20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
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As the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament on Luke says:
“The point is clear:
God offers great forgiveness to all to deal with their sin, and those who grasp and receive it realize how much God has done and respond in acts of love.
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Thus, in this final remark to Simon, Jesus expresses the contrast somewhat rhetorically, not to say that the Pharisee was saved, but to show that he had not yet responded sufficiently to God.
His ‘little sin’ still needed treatment”
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Only Jesus has the authority to forgive sins...
No priest or pastor or minister has that power or authority...
No pope or religious leader of any kind has that power or authority...
Only Jesus!
For Jesus is God and the only one who can forgive sins is God alone!
We covered this in great detail earlier in our study of passage Luke 5:20–24 which says:
20 And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”
21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22 When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts?
23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.”
As we see with this passage and our main passage that we are studying today Jesus often recognizes faith as the catalyst for healing and salvation.
As scholar Darrel L. Bock says:
“Finally, there is the question of Jesus.
His discernment of the woman’s condition and the Pharisee’s thoughts indicates that he is clearly a prophet.
But he also takes upon himself the right to declare directly that a person’s sins are forgiven.
This is the authority of God exercised in divine judgment.
The fundamental theological and christological question of the passage is asked by the Pharisees:
‘Who is this who even forgives sins?’
Of course, the reader is aware that as far as Luke is concerned Jesus possesses such absolute authority.
If the resolution of one’s sin lies in Jesus’ hands, then one should be responsive to him.
It is a wise thing to be responsive to the one who wields the gavel.”
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That fact that Jesus took it upon Himself to forgive her sins, instead of saying God had forgiven her, was not lost on all in attendance...
Jesus was making it clear that He was not just a prophet by truly God in the flesh for only God can directly forgive sins.
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In fact, all the prophets bear witness to the fact that there is forgiveness of sins through no other name than Jesus Christ!
All the Old Testament points to Christ!
He is the only one who can cancel our debt as Acts 10:43 says:
43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
And the reason we can receive forgiveness of sins through His name is that Christ died for us...
And He did not die for us while we were righteous...
He did not die for us while we ere in right standing with Him...
But He dies for us while we were His enemies...
He dies for us while we were ungodly...
As Paul recorded in his epistle to the Romans in Romans 5:6:
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like to share this that I came across in my study this week:
I once read a marvelous story about a country doctor in Scotland who had a very poor practice.
Although his patients would pay him in eggs, chickens, vegetables at harvest, and meat at slaughtering time, his huge ledger book would contain many names, symptoms, treatments, and prescriptions, but a lot of empty boxes or columns where nothing was paid.
Once per year, the doctor would go through his book and write “Forgiven” wherever he knew the patients would never be able to pay.
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When the doctor died and his heirs received all of his material possessions, they brooded over the ledger book and all of the “Forgiven” debts.
Eventually, they tried to take some of the patients to court.
But according to the story, the old Scottish judge said that there was no way that any court in Scotland could possibly find for the heirs when the physical evidence of the ledger was so eloquent with its message of “Forgiven, Forgiven, Forgiven” on every page.
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What a great illustration of the finality of the forgiveness that God gifts us with...
Once a person is forgiven they are forever forgiven no matter the past they have!
As 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 says:
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Are you today living a life of sexual immorality?
Are you an idolater?
Are you an adulterer?
Are you practicing homosexuality?
Are you a thief?
Are you greedy?
Are you a drunkard?
Are you a reliever or swindler?
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If you are living that life then it is proof you never knew God is a saving way!
But it is not too late!
There is still hope!
For every believer today has a past!
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If one repents and believes...
If one surrenders and trust...
They will be washed with the blood of Christ!
As 1 Timothy 1:15 says:
15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
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To God be all the glory.
Amen.
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Please join us for one more song from the Praise Band.