[0:00] Let's see God in prayer together, shall we? Let's all pray. Lord our God, we thank you for this time, for this evening, and to be able to come with these words.
[0:18] So often we don't know what to say. We don't know the words to bring. And thankful that the Apostle Paul in Romans 8, the much-loved chapter, talks about the fact that we don't know what to pray for as we should.
[0:36] And so for him, amazingly, he would come before you not knowing what to say or how to say it. And we find ourselves like that so much, so much of the time, so often.
[0:50] But as he went on to explain, we thank you for the fact that despite our inabilities and weaknesses, the Spirit himself makes intercession for us.
[1:03] With groanings that are too deep for words. Groanings that cannot be uttered. And he who knows the mind of the Spirit, who knows what it is that we're trying to say.
[1:17] So Lord our God, if this evening we find ourselves with a heaviness, and where our prayers are no more than groans in your presence, that we would be encouraged.
[1:29] While the circumstances that make us feel like that might not be in themselves positive. But that their effect is leading us to pray, maybe in a way we never prayed before.
[1:44] But we're the other way round. So often, Lord, in your presence, We might think that we have to speak. But maybe tonight, maybe at this time in our lives, you're telling us to be still.
[1:59] And to know that you are God. And we come this evening praying For your presence to be obvious. That as we gather around your word in the name of your Son.
[2:12] And meet for his sake. At this communion weekend, we pray, draw near to each one of us. That we may sense that you are present. And with that awareness and reality, We'd have the appropriate response on our part.
[2:30] We'd come with a worshipful attitude. Another thing we struggle with so often to Maybe come from What in one sense maybe shouldn't be a different mindset.
[2:43] But where we stop And open your word and seek you in prayer. It can be difficult. And so you've told us That we're to have the secret place Where our Father, You are Father's seeing secret.
[3:00] What you described as the closet. Where we close the door and leave the world behind us. And there in secret we meet you. But here in public We pray to meet you just the same.
[3:14] Maybe in ways we've never anticipated or expected. And in asking this, Lord, We are asking that you will reveal yourself through your word. We know Moses prayed to see your glory once.
[3:27] And he was told, Because he was so defined by limitation, There shall no man see me and live. You are truly glorious.
[3:39] Overwhelmingly so. And you are the one who You look down upon the humble And the contrite in spirit And those who tremble at your word.
[3:51] Where there is that loving delight And yet a sacred hesitation. We're like Abraham wrestling with you over His nephew Lot in Sodom.
[4:06] Every stage he prayed with you And every petition, As the number of the people there went down. If there were only down to ten. And so on. And every petition, He seems to have felt his own inadequacy And his lack of worth in asking.
[4:24] But your grace radiates In responding so positively to his requests. And when we would offer ourselves Tonight in prayer, We ask, Lord, to have the same Attitude before you.
[4:41] That we be conscious of nothing, Maybe, And no one but you. That we may sense the truly Heavenly and the divine As we gather for this Time of remembrance.
[4:55] Remember the congregation tonight, Everyone who's here, We thank you for The fact that it's been possible to meet And for the time and the circumstances To all Come together in our favour tonight.
[5:06] There may be others unable to be here, We pray for them. Any who may be sick And struggling And many, Like in all of our villages, Many, Many people all around us, Who have no desire to be in your house.
[5:21] We don't judge anyone. We remember that feeling. Maybe the guilt of seeing people go to church. But all along, Maybe having no desire whatsoever.
[5:32] Or putting it on, Putting it to another day. But we do pray for a great awakening. That you will come, And come into every house Throughout the village here, And the whole district would come alive spiritually.
[5:47] And your servant carrying your word as a, As the means, As the message of life. That you will help him In the loneliness That can be felt.
[5:59] But at the same time, It's not a loneliness at all That where there Are responsibilities And opportunities Where no one can maybe In the moment Accompany him In one sense.
[6:13] You are there. There is a sense In every act of service. You call on us To serve you alone. And at the same time We may discover In seeking to serve you That we find your blessing And strength.
[6:28] And so that you would encourage him And encourage the congregation. That you would give strength And power And vision. And that you will give Your keeping and protection.
[6:40] We know our enemy Goes around as a roaring lion Seeking whom he may devour. Trying to single someone out. And so for that Protection And for the overshadowing Lord God of your presence.
[6:54] So remember us As we meet. And help us In our meditation Preparing tonight To come to your house here And to Have the great privilege Of being at your table tomorrow.
[7:08] If this is your will for us. If we're spared to see it. And so help us Lord As this is the time We seek to remember you. There's so much That we have to thank you for.
[7:20] So much we must Contemplate. Contemplate. And being here at all With a desire heavenward And with our hope Fixed in your son.
[7:33] It's a wonderful thing That we can't We can't begin to understand Never mind explain. But we want to praise And worship you tonight. And so help us We ask As we sing And as we read And as we meditate Unite our hearts In your presence And may we have That focus that we need To not be distracted Preoccupied or anything But through your presence The power of the Holy Spirit We may be concentrating And receiving your word As your message for us tonight.
[8:05] So hear us we pray And grant your blessing As we confess our sins In your presence And seek to lay aside Every weight Every barrier Every hindrance So that we may Be able to come freely Into your presence With that sense Of pardon and forgiveness We ask in Jesus name And all for his sake Amen Let's continue singing We turn to Psalm 40 4-0 This is Sing Psalms 40 We can begin Verse 11 Page 51 If you're using the Yes The Psalm books Sing Psalms 51 Sorry Page 51 It's Psalm 40 4-0 We're going to begin At verse 11 We can sing to the end Of the Psalm The 40th Psalm Do not withhold Your mercy Lord Surround your servant
[9:05] Constantly With your great love And faithfulness For many troubles Threaten me My sins have overtaken me They're more than Hairs upon my head My heart within me Fails for grief I cannot see The way ahead Let's sing to the end Of the Psalm Psalm 40 Sing Psalms From verse 11 Do not withhold Your mercy Lord Surround your servant Constantly With your big love And faithfulness What many troubles Becken me My sins have overtaken me
[10:11] There for the years Upon my head Thy heart within me Fails for grief I cannot see The way ahead Be pleased Be pleased O Lord To rescue me O Lord Come quickly To my aid May all who seek To take my life With him With him And turmoil Be repaid May all who bought
[11:16] My own And hope Turn back his face The way they came May those who mocked me May those who mocked me To my face May come upon the dead Or shame May those who mocked me That let all those who seek Be pure grace, be joyful in you all their days.
[12:05] Let those who have salvation say, exalted be the Lord always.
[12:22] Yet I am pure and in great need.
[12:33] Lord, think on me I humbly pray. You are my Savior and my help.
[12:49] And I will my God do not give. Amen. Amen.
[13:02] Let's turn together to read from Luke's Gospel, Luke chapter 7. Luke 7 verse 1.
[13:22] Verse 1.
[13:53] Verse 2. Verse 2. And Jesus went with them. Verse 2. Verse 3. Verse 3.
[14:30] Verse 3. Verse 4. Verse 4. Verse 4. Verse 5. Verse 5. Verse 5. Verse 5. Verse 5. Verse 5.
[14:52] Verse 5. Behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her.
[15:03] And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, Do not weep. Then he came up and touched the bear, and the bearer stood still, and he said, Young man, I say to you, Arise.
[15:16] And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, A great prophet has risen among us, and God has visited his people.
[15:30] And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country. The disciples of John reported all these things to him, and John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?
[15:49] And when the men had come to him, they said, John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another? In that hour he healed many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight.
[16:06] And he answered them, Go and tell John what you have seen and heard. The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear. The dead are raised up, The poor have good news preached to them, And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.
[16:24] When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John. What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see?
[16:36] A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in king's courts. What then did you go out to see? A prophet?
[16:48] Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you. I tell you, among those born of women, none is greater than John.
[17:03] Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John.
[17:16] But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him. To what then shall I compare the people of this generation?
[17:27] And what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, We played the flute for you and you did not dance. We sang a dirge and you did not weep.
[17:38] For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, He has a demon. The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, Look at him, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.
[17:54] Yet wisdom is justified by all her children. One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table.
[18:04] 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.
[18:28] 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.
[18:40] And Jesus answering said to him, Simon, I have something to say to you. He answered, Say it, teacher. A certain moneylender had two debtors, one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
[18:51] 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.
[19:03] And he said to him, You have judged rightly. Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, Do you see this woman? I entered your house. You gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair.
[19:18] You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in, she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You do 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.
[19:34] 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?
[19:50] And he said to the woman, Your faith has saved you. Go in peace. And so on. May God bless his word to us. Let's continue singing, shall we?
[20:00] Psalm 51 this time. Scottish Psalter. Psalm 51. This is page 281. So we begin at verse 6. Psalm 51 at verse 6.
[20:13] Down to verse 13. Behold thou in the inward parts, with truth, delighted art and wisdom, thou shalt make me know within the hidden part.
[20:24] Do thou with hyssop sprinkle me, I shall be cleansed so. Yea, wash thou me, and then I shall be whiter than the snow. Psalm 51. Let's sing together verses 6 to 13.
[20:37] Behold thou in the inward parts. Christ. Portああ. Oh, Let's sing together in ll grads.
[20:54] And board that wind above me, shall we appear to do so. God bless you.
[21:32] God bless you.
[22:02] God bless you. God bless you.
[22:34] God bless you. God bless you. God bless you.
[23:08] God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you.
[23:20] God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you.
[23:32] Lord die of myaponal but yesterday thee and lost that sinner star april kỳ her during ap 정부 glad Shall we turn back for a short time to reading there in Luke's Gospel, Luke chapter 7.
[24:11] You can maybe read again the words in verse 37. Luke 7, 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, and so on.
[24:41] There's a great contrast in the section we've just read. The concluding section, verse 36, and following a massive contrast between two different people and their respective reaction to Jesus.
[24:57] One thought that they should be there in his company, in his presence, and the other wanted to be in his presence. But arguably, you might say, naturally speaking, wouldn't want to be present on that occasion.
[25:16] And when you come to communion time, I don't know if you remember the first time you professed your faith, or like we do in our own situation, you come and meet the elders and share your reasons why it is you want to be part of this communion and why you want to be part of this fellowship.
[25:37] And in taking these steps, you might have had a whole series of mixed feelings, means possibly feeling you didn't want to be there. Not that you didn't want to be there, but that you didn't deserve to be there.
[25:50] There's a difference, isn't there, between wanting to be with the Lord's people and feeling that we belong among the Lord's people. I think the woman, we read off there, she's someone who can't stay away from the Lord.
[26:05] And when we try and assess or quantify what it is that she did to get to be with him on this occasion, she took a series of steps that really were going against the grain.
[26:18] If she was a proud person, if she was concerned about what people thought about her, it would have been a problem. But I think Simon's more like that.
[26:29] This Simon, we're told that he's a Pharisee. So maybe we can get mixed up sometimes with two accounts of our Lord being anointed, but it's different circumstances.
[26:42] The Simon here is Simon who's described as being a Pharisee. Now it is his house, of course, but he thinks, you can tell the way the Lord speaks to him, and we'll see in just a minute, he thinks that he deserves the Lord's company.
[26:58] Unlike the centurion earlier on in the chapter, these amazing, humbling words, challenging words. When a man who wasn't professing to be anyone, or professing maybe to have faith, is giving profession to that faith.
[27:13] Not by saying, I believe Jesus can heal or restore, but by saying, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof. He had a profound insight to authority.
[27:27] He knew what it was to be under authority to someone, and to have others under authority to him. He knew what it was to tell people, and command people to do this and to do that.
[27:38] But more than that, that would be, you might think, his faith. When he has a faith, or a measure of understanding, that the Lord can help him. But anyone can say that, can't they?
[27:52] Anyone can be in a position where they'll say, well, I know he is my only hope. But the difference is, do we have the humility that goes with it? You know, we're asking, and we're looking, and we're seeking, and hoping for blessing, day by day, and at times like this.
[28:14] And at the Lord's table, what a privilege to be there, but we're asking ourselves, do we feel a sense of belonging? Yes, we should. It's his table. But do we feel a sense of worth and deserving?
[28:29] Absolutely not. I think that's the difference. You see, Simon welcomes the Lord into his house. We'll look first of all, and it's Simon saying things.
[28:41] He doesn't say very much at first. He says a lot in his mind. The Lord reads his mind and brings the situation before him. We ought to hopefully not see ourselves, in one sense, in Simon, but at the same time, on the other hand, it's good to see some of the traits of Simon.
[28:59] So on the one hand, we can be blind to our faults, can't we? And at the same time, we can see and hate them. It's one of the, I can't remember which one of the ministers in Lewis it was, but there was something passed on.
[29:17] I don't know what you think of it, but when, as usually, or sometimes anyway, we read Galatians 5, around the time of fencing the table, there's the work of the flesh, all the sinful powers and qualities to specific sins that's still in us, the works of the flesh, and then there's the fruit of the Spirit.
[29:33] And we often, rightly, are challenged about the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, gentleness, self-control, meekness, all of these and many other amazing things.
[29:46] But what this man said is, when you read through what's called the works of the flesh, and there's all these different sins, and even involving attitudes, and so on. And he was saying, if you don't find the works of the flesh in your own heart, you shouldn't be here.
[30:03] Now, he isn't saying, unless you're living a certain way. It's a big difference, isn't there? John, in his first letter, I think, makes that difference, talking about sin as something that is continued in.
[30:17] It's not someone falling into sin is one thing. John the Baptist had a massive lapse. Just what we read there, verse 18 and following, a massive lapse of faith. He was doubting the ultimate.
[30:28] He was doubting some people because it's such a shock. Don't take it literally and think, John sent messengers for the messenger's sake. It was for John's sake. We know that for sure, because when John's messengers leave, the Lord turns to the crowd and commends John in the most glowing possible terms.
[30:45] If the question was being asked for the sake of the messengers, then everything Jesus has just said would mean nothing in the context. Because in the context, he's bolstering and he's elevating people's view of John.
[30:58] Which I think comes as a result of the messengers of John's question possibly going to make people think, what is John thinking about? But John is having a difficult, difficult time.
[31:12] And the circumstances that he's going through contribute towards that. But how deep it is, how far it is he's gone to actually be asking that. Simon, Simon the Pharisee, he does a good thing.
[31:28] He invites Jesus to his house. He does it for his own reasons. He's very inquisitive, but he's inquisitive, Simon is, in a very judgmental way, which rises out of his pride and being judgmental and critical.
[31:45] When we're like that, it's because we think we have a better standard. Which is right, we do, the Bible. But when we think it's our standard or our interpretation, when that interpretation is possible, but then when we apply it and expect others to do as we do or to be as we are.
[32:03] The Pharisee is someone who invites Jesus into his house but shows him no respect. Because he thinks, if not being on equal terms with him, that he's on a higher level than him.
[32:15] Doesn't he say that about the Lord when he sees this woman actually touching our Lord's feet? that he says in verse 39, the Pharisee invited him, said to himself, if this man were a prophet.
[32:29] He doesn't know who's in front of him. And so he's invited him in, very curious, wanting to learn, wanting to understand a bit more, maybe to find something to criticize. Being the Pharisee that he was, he was a very judgmental person.
[32:43] The first thing we see about Simon, but see, is that going to stop the Lord from going into his house and spending time with him? No. Are we seeing Simon in ourselves?
[32:59] You know, the twistedness of our own hearts. It's not saying we're Simon. See, Simon didn't see Simon's heart. He didn't understand his own problems. He didn't have any sense of personal sin and so no real appreciation of what this amazing miracle worker was to do in his house or in his city.
[33:19] But knowing our sin and looking at Simon and saying, you know what, that's me. That's the best place to start. That's where we can move on from. He invites the Lord in.
[33:33] He's keeping an eagle eye on him, watching everything, keeping an eye on everything that everyone's doing. and in a kind of religious way because he doesn't open his mouth. He just watches.
[33:45] He's watching what everyone's doing. He's watching this woman come in and he does really tut-tut about what she does around Jesus. We'll come to the woman in just a second.
[33:56] But Simon, we say, poor Simon, what a situation to be in. To think that this woman is a sinner says everything about Simon.
[34:08] Well, we know something about the woman that she was renowned in the sense that the Pharisee knew about her. So reputation preceded her, as it were. And in that sense, Simon has the sense of, in his own way, a sense of superiority.
[34:25] Well, this is what he's saying at the end of verse 39. Well, if this, the sentence reads, if this man were a prophet, meaning he can't be if he allows this, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who's touching him, for she is a sinner.
[34:42] His heart should have been filled with compassion, shouldn't it? It should have been filled with an awareness of his own personal sin. Maybe not walking the walk she walked, but that doesn't make him any less sinful or any less responsible of sin that might have governed her life.
[35:00] Sin being something we do in our hearts before in our speech or actions. The Sermon on the Mount, doesn't the Lord make that very clear? That murder, and we can be both hands up, maybe.
[35:12] Moses couldn't, do you remember, in that instance with the Hebrew, but to put both your hands up and say, I've never murdered anyone, to read the Sermon on the Mount, realize we actually maybe have in our hearts.
[35:24] Same with all the sin that may have defined this woman. We may say, well, like Simon, that wasn't my life, but every one of these sins is present, isn't it? And sometimes they can break out in a Christian's life when they never broke out in their unconverted lives.
[35:40] It's a thought, isn't it? So we need to be on our guard. We need to be watching. But Simon isn't watching himself. He's got nothing to watch except other people. But this is the thing.
[35:51] This is the crux of it. When he sees this woman come into his house and show what he doesn't realize is utter devotion to Jesus and offering everything she's got, he misunderstands what she's doing.
[36:06] He doesn't even realize what she's doing. He clearly thinks there's something very wrong and unbecoming taking place. Allowing this woman to touch him.
[36:20] The first thing, we need to see ourselves, don't we? And how do you see yourself tonight? I hope, friends, none of us are feeling ready. And at the same time, if you're waiting to come forward and profess your faith, don't wait until you feel that well, that's the wrong way to say it.
[36:39] You will, maybe, some may feel their time has come. But what I'm trying to say is don't wait for what might not actually come your way.
[36:50] In the sense that you might be looking for something you've already got. And a massive part is desire, isn't it? Possession of God and the desire for God.
[37:02] It's an unnatural desire that the believer has. It only comes as a result of the new birth. Psalm 63, Psalm 42, hungering and thirsting for the living God.
[37:16] Wonderfully. Thirsting. And we know these feelings, these experiences. The Lord is present.
[37:28] He's in control of the situation. He goes into Simon's house. He eats. But the thing we want to look at is this woman's weeping.
[37:38] How does she feel? Does she feel ready for what she's going to do? She's going to show the Lord how much she loves him. And the amazing thing about it is she doesn't care what anyone thinks about her.
[37:52] Listen, that's one thing to say. You know that attitude that maybe defines so much of what's going on just now in our own lifetime and generation. wasn't it through the time of the end of the judges?
[38:05] But every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Meaning everything's relative. There's no moral absolute. There's no standard. There's no Bible anymore.
[38:16] There's no set of governing principles or rules to follow and to pattern our lives by or our culture by or politics by or anything like that. That isn't happening. And so what everyone says is law.
[38:31] You've got no right to tell me what to think or believe. You've come across it, haven't you? You may be part of it at one point without realising it but you're offending everyone and you're branded as having a phobia of one sort or the next when you say something or are thought to say something that is in disagreement and accused of being a bigot for example which is nothing but being intolerant of another person's view.
[38:58] You think about that? Who's actually intolerant? Everyone is intolerant of the word of God when you think about it. Intolerant of what God is saying.
[39:09] We don't want it. Psalm 2 makes it very clear. We don't want anything to do with this and later we don't want this man to rule over us. And at the cross didn't they say away with him?
[39:20] Crucify him. But this woman hears about Jesus that he's around and she hears about where he is and instantly instantaneously with a desperation it would almost seem she gets this ointment and she gets herself to this fantasy size.
[39:42] Now think about how much how much it could have been for someone to do this. She had a reputation she was well known and you know you hear about the village this or the village that whatever it is you know it doesn't need to be called anything it's the fact that people knew about her and if you've ever been in that position let's say which of us haven't maybe in our lives done things doesn't need to be on a broad scale but when you realise people think less because of what you've done whether it's right or wrong meaning in your unconverted lives and my unconverted life and you think about the kind of the impression the stamp as it were that your life makes and then what people make of you as a person and that kind of sticks think in the New Testament how often is Rahab called Rahab the harlot you know it sticks doesn't it people associate you with certain things it's just life and that can be difficult some people move away from where their life was maybe spent to get away from life as it was to get away from the pool of that life or people or it might be the case of just memories recollection so on and so forth can be very powerful that's what we're just trying to notice with a view to this woman who everyone knew about even the
[41:02] Pharisees knew about her and what's she going to do she's going to come to a Pharisee's house where Jesus is and the reason she's going to come to this Pharisee's house and do what she's going to do to the Lord in this house is because of him and what he's done in her life this I don't think is a woman coming to seek forgiveness this is a woman who's already found it and received it but is so overwhelmed it would seem with a sense of her own sin and needing that reassurance of forgiveness that's the whole point of the parable the Lord brings to Simon that she loves so much because she's been forgiven so much and so the expression of love she's showing is testifying to the love she's got the greatness of this expression is indicative of the greatness of the amount of sins that she knows she's been forgiven she comes to him but you know what's that saying to us that in another manner of speak as the
[42:09] Proverbs say the fear of man brings a snare it's a massive statement every statement the Bible is of course but you think of it how it applies in this instance how many people don't give themselves publicly to the Lord in case so and so says or such and such says one of the most positive things and somebody mentioned at the beginning and didn't kind of expand on it but when we talk about not caring what people think about us that can be misunderstood and it can create a hardness of attitude and a harshness to people say well I don't care and that can slip in that can slip in you know I'm free I'm a Christian I can do what I want I can say what I want I don't care what people think we can have that that's wrong that attitude's wrong it's dangerous because at the centre of it is me you and I and we're listening to God where we're wanting to spend our lives asking what does the
[43:16] Lord think remember what Paul said his striving aim was to have a conscience void of offence before God and before men so it's not the sense of doing something wrong and saying well I don't care or is it not right to think about waiting for someone to ask for forgiveness in the sense of well I am not going to do this or that until such and such forgives whereas forgiveness is an attitude on our part on our heart isn't it and the Lord is saying as on one occasion Peter was asking how many times should I forgive my brother even give a number seven times and the Lord give a calculation back and said many more times it's a constant thing isn't it so our attitude can be I don't care say what you want which is wrong for a Christian because we're not in submission to each other then with that loving submission that family submission but the kind of not in a sense caring is the wrong word not being preoccupied or too troubled by what people think of you is where before God your heart is sincere extreme example what do you think would have happened if
[44:47] Abraham tried to converse with Sarah about Isaac what kind of conversation could have happened or what God had told Abraham to do would you imagine being in that home and in that situation so there is a sense where we need to be very concerned about what some people think about our actions or what we're thinking about but the other side of it like with Abraham the Lord had told him to do this and he was going to go through with it by God's grace and he did people weren't involved in that sense and said it's just an extreme example of where God's telling you to do it act on it and don't wait and as John Gresham mentioned one of John Murray's colleagues had said on one occasion that believers Christians they're not considerers or consequences now that can be misunderstood an open ended statement where you say well where's wisdom and foresight and so on speaking about Hebrews 11 and the call of faith he went out not knowing where he was going he didn't he counted the cost but he gave it all to the Lord he wasn't a considerer of consequences and in this instance what we're trying to say remind ourselves this isn't just for coming to the table the first time it can happen so often that we're afraid of what people think about us what do we do about that well this woman had nothing wrong but she was coming into a room we know from the end of the chapter that this let's read verse 49 those who were at table with him so there's
[46:25] Simon and all the rest then there's the Lord and this woman those who were at table with him began to say among themselves so they're starting to whisper who is this who even forgives sins so it's a situation where here is a woman who knows her sin and she's not saying a word we don't know her name but we know she is in a very special situation needing the Lord's care and she's being criticized you hear people whispering under their breath you've been in that room and maybe as a Christian even you go into a situation maybe it's not that people start to talk to you they go quiet but here she comes and she doesn't even seem to think or allow the thought to cross her mind of what are people going to say to me what are they going to say about me going into a fantasy house it doesn't cross her mind getting past that is what we're trying to say getting past worrying about what people think if you're doing the right thing if you're trying to follow the word and let's remember in saying that it's not I don't care what you think there's always a willingness to be corrected there has to be a teachableness a humility but where you're trying to follow the Lord serving him it doesn't matter what people think or might say they might misunderstand in the instance of professing faith it might very well be the case that people will misunderstand what you're doing or why you're doing it but he knows your motives he knows your thoughts we were thinking just the other week about the other anointing in
[48:05] Bethany where Mary anointed her Lord and how the disciples turned on her see they didn't have a clue what she was doing her Lord said leave her alone she has done this with a view to my burial she had insight Lazarus sister Mary had profound I think that's what it's saying what the word is saying to us that she was able to see ahead to his burial and so with a view to that she was anointing his body it was an expression of faith it was an expression of her love and the disciples turned on that so it can happen in the church people can of course Judas was part of it though he wasn't the ring leader it wasn't him who had all of the issue or the problem we read in the account that they were all turning on Mary could have sold this and given it to the poor so you know how it can be you can be at home I don't know your situations but there are homes or there are not going home from church can be difficult going to church can be difficult what do you say going to work you know how it is and bumping into people who are of a completely different persuasion how much of fear of other people and their ideas keeps us back it's a snare now we're not meaning being hesitant if we don't know something but if you let's say and I we're
[49:28] Christian people and our hope is we'll see this woman's in a second completely in Jesus it doesn't matter what all that baggage is it doesn't matter it matters to other people doesn't it and it matters to us because we're critics and we're judges we find fault too often too quickly maybe we're more and more ashamed of it the attitudes we've had but it stays with us that deep down on all these expressions of negativity and we long for the day when we will be freed forever freed from our sin from its presence not only from its power but its presence too so we can look at this woman and maybe see her and look and think I wish it was like her when she comes in to the middle of this company by the midst we're meeting she became the focal point and she stood behind
[50:31] Jesus and started crying it's amazing what has she got to give what is she offering well she's offering this amazing ointment but she's really giving her heart to him like pouring her heart out pouring the expression of her heart out she's a broken woman in the presence of Jesus why because she knows that he loves her and has forgiven her you say well why is she crying then she can't forgive herself you know that feeling even when as at the end of the chapter the Lord is saying says to Simon first she's showing how much she loves me by by doing this and she loves me so much and is aware of it because I've forgiven her so much the depth of gratitude is in proportion to the awareness of sin forgiven and so the forgiveness is something that she needs I think reassurance about and the
[51:32] Lord's table is like that church is like that opening the Bible is to be like that it's a constant it's a constant reminder to us the Lord said did he not do this in remembrance of me there's that possibility no less than the great Calvin argued that one of the reasons behind saying remember is we're so ready to forget the most important thing ever done the whole of human history and for us the reason for our gathering doesn't it seem so far away the cross and its accomplishment may God help us in our daily lives so these things become more and more real and central and powerful she comes into the midst and she weeps behind him dries her tears with her hair and anoints his feet with the ointment it's a picture of giving isn't it I mean tomorrow and every time we come to church there is the sense we're all guilty of it if guilty is the word of being imbalanced maybe and coming to get something and thinking that you know
[52:43] I didn't get anything there we've said it haven't we I didn't get anything there did you give anything there that's the question what are we offered worship is to be a sacrifice even our singing is sacrificial offering the calves of our lips the new testament talks about presenting our bodies as living sacrifices and so that giving to God it's a two way thing isn't it where the Lord sends his word his blessing and we want to respond in worship and in obedience and service and that's why among many other reasons we pray for the Lord's blessing upon the minister upon the word upon the singing upon the prayers every part that the Lord will be present that he'll be real and that we'll be able to worship him and to respond to him we want this woman's heart don't we eyes for nobody in the sense of seeing nobody but Jesus it's said in one of the accounts of the
[53:43] Mount of Transfiguration that when Moses and Elijah had passed returned to heaven they saw no man but Jesus only the stillness of that moment Peter James and John and the awe that must have filled their hearts and yet the account is giving us the centrality of Jesus he is there maybe you don't want to come tomorrow it's not a bad thing to feel unworthy it's a good thing actually to be unworthy is a different matter if we're unworthy it's because we're not recognizing the Lord's body 1 Corinthians 11 highlights that doesn't it maybe we think of it too often in the general maybe think about that a bit tomorrow but whoever eats and drinks the body in an unworthy manner we're told eat and drinks judgment or the way he says damnation to themselves the reason or the explanation given for eating and drinking unworthily is not that we are unworthy because we are but it means not recognizing the Lord's body there was a specific sin in
[54:59] Corinth taking place many sins but at the Lord's table there was a specific sin and you'll read it please do if you're not familiar with this 1 Corinthians 11 part of it is read and quoted as the warrant for the Lord's supper but the problems in Corinth that were being addressed by these correctives Paul was given included a desecration of the bread and the wine which led to overindulgence in both and others coming along and ending up going hungry they weren't recognizing the bread spoke of his broken body and the poured out wine was speaking of his poured out blood they were just consuming it and so they weren't recognizing the Lord's body and so they were eating and drinking judgment it's not that they were unworthy of this or that or the next thing and therefore you know because we can be held in terror by that we can be held in fear and shackles thinking that I haven't confessed of this enough I haven't repented enough and that's not good anything to do with it the enough part see so much of it is about you and about me in our own way of thinking we haven't done this we haven't done that I'll come forward when this or that or the next thing it never comes though it never comes the amazing thing for us we just finished is see
[56:30] Christ's compassion you see it with the two men sorry with the two people the man Simon the Pharisee he knows why he's been invited by Simon and Simon thinks he's been very subtle about things have you ever been in that position we think you've been very subtle stories just crossed my mind about someone who ended in ministry but was a very stubborn listener to the gospel by their own admission and would sit there listening with a hardness and a determination saying in themselves you'll never convert me and then they were converted but afterwards the man was thinking I can't wait to tell the minister and he went and told the minister and the minister said I saw it happening to you you can see it coming in the sense see what when someone's you know when a child's and a half you've got children you remember children you know when they fold their arms and sit in a corner or put a face on you know they're putting this front on to tell you how they feel but when someone melts under the gospel sometimes you can see someone without them realising and you see everything and you're not judging you're not looking it's not that in the sense of are people listening listening no it's wondering where's the word going is it going anywhere and sometimes though it can be wrong of course times like that can be so special and it became very very clear
[58:04] Simon thought I can say these things out loud in my own head and no one will know I'm judging this man who's come in he can't be a prophet and so on and so on and the Lord says Simon I've got something to say to you what would you say to Simon what would I say to Simon if we knew his attitude how would we feel something might rise up through misunderstanding this woman's love and devotion we think well Simon you know give her a break just like the Lord would say to the disciples leave her alone she's done a good thing to me but the Lord's compassion is so amazing dealing so patiently with Simon and rather than saying Simon do you know who I am you know that approach he never he was never like that he's the one who wouldn't lift up his voice in the streets and thinking of who he was being in the very form of God he took that most humble of places and came in the likeness of men as Romans 8 describes he was made in the likeness of sinful flesh to all appearance he was a sinner like everyone else outwardly meaning you'd look at him in a crowd and no one would see him stand out of course the difference was moral and the sinlessness was obvious although people would find fault with everything he did he was a sabbath breaker he said himself the son of man came unlike
[59:30] John the Baptist he came eating and drinking wine John had unusual died because of his unusual ministry they called John one thing they called the Lord another a wine beaver a drunkard a friend of tax collectors and sinners but it's his compassion he'll meet with anyone he doesn't turn anyone away Simon asks him into his house the Lord knows Simon's mind he knows Simon's heart you say I'll come what's your attitude to him you know what I mean in terms of maybe a bit more like the centurion and you feel I'm not worthy he knows he knows what you mean and remember that he knows what you mean and he knows what you think and he knows that you feel unworthy see the way he deals with this woman he deals with Simon so amazingly gives the parable something Simon would have been able to tune into because it involved equations and it involved calculations and it would involve taking this and taking this and taking this so rather than the
[60:42] Lord crushing him or even imposing his will on him you think of that he says Simon I've got something to say to you say on teacher Simon doesn't know that the Lord knows but his compassion as well to this woman he doesn't say anything to her at first it's a conversation with Simon while she's there talk about feeling like you stand out the Lord is going to speak to her at the right time and he's going to speak to her at the end and there she is what a sight she must have been the Lord saw her heart you wonder what Simon thought of the outcome of everything the Lord said but the Lord saw her heart and he knew that every single thing she was doing was testifying and crying out her love for him and he knew that see in the subtlety of the moment you've got
[61:43] Simon thinking this the rest thinking that and there are these two in this amazing meeting and the Lord knows her heart he knows your heart he knows my heart if we're the Pharisee hardened judgmental don't let that keep you from coming like Simon asking Jesus to come into his house come for a meal he went at that very first step don't ever think that you've been bad too bad or that your your life is or whatever it is religious in this man's case irreligious in the woman's case never think that there's anything that you are or could have been and even let's remember there's nothing you could ever do there's nothing you and I could ever do that would actually shock him you know the sense of shock when you realise something you didn't know the shock imagine it was the case that God would find out about you and me as our lives went on and that he'd say and won't imagine if I'd known this about you back there see the thing with again we're finishing justification justification it involves us reminded in that amazing statement part of the catechism says this one thing about all of our sins all of our sins are pardoned all of them and there is the three dimensions of it there's past present future it has to be and they're forgiven because he's paid the price for them by his stripes we are healed he knows everything about you remember he said to
[63:35] Jeremiah before I formed you in the womb I knew you and I ordained you that's for you and for me to think of ourselves where we are far from adequate even towards our own standards or expectations of ourselves never mind anyone else you know it's not thinking about anyone else just thinking I know myself enough and thinking about the Lord thinking well but let's remind ourselves the way he dealt with this Pharisee the way he dealt with this woman he knew everything about them he knows everything about you and he'll take you on his terms don't let anything keep you back I mean by that we're meaning of course if we're living in sin and making a habit and a practice of something specifically wrong we'll know about it ourselves we'll know that it's something we need to you know if it's as the Lord said if it's one eye pluck it out and so on deal with the thing but when it's a sense of unworthiness a sense of shame and you can't think of any reason like you're not rebelling against him not fighting against not on the run from him but feeling so unworthy is a good thing it's a reason to come like one of the old
[64:50] I can't remember the instance but like one of the old accounts we have the communion time a woman who was so so well not unwilling to take the cup as it was being passed round because she was so upset because of her own sin and feeling so unworthy and actually the minister came and took the cup and he said take it woman it's for sinners which is what it's all about no one is perfect no one is good enough in their own eyes never mind anyone else's and so when we can get past being caught up with and being bothered by human expectations whether of ourselves or of others and be asking what does the Lord expect what does he want he sees my heart he sees my motives then the other rest will work out don't let anything keep you from coming find that compassion in him and his willingness his willingness to take you he said to the woman your faith has saved you go in peace what peace may we know it let's pray just now shall we we'll pray
[66:00] Lord our God we are in such need of these heavenly blessings to take such in many ways straightforward and simple truths but to bring them home and alive to us lead us into your word may it live in our hearts grant rest tonight and the ability to come to your house to come to your table to meet with you in a very real sense in Jesus name we're praying amen one more singing friends our final singing psalm 130 130 sing psalms 130 this is page 173 psalm 130 sing psalms lord from the depths i call to you lord hear me from on high and give attention to my voice when i for mercy cry let's sing the whole psalm 130 lord from lord from the depths i call to you lord hear he or lord do you oh as you can i can
[67:44] Lord, in your presence you can stand, in your sins record, and yet forgiveness is with you that we may fear you, Lord.
[68:15] I wish my soul is far the o'er, my hope is in this word, Lord, and that all shall wait for dawn, my soul is far the o'er.
[68:47] O Israel, give your hope in God, for mercy is within, and full redemption from their sins and the people you redeemed.
[69:23] Let's conclude. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.