To be Used with Session #4: Stewarding Forgiveness & Reconciliation
Scripture: Matthew 14:22-33
Connection with Unit Theme: To complement the Bible study “Stewarding Forgiveness & Reconciliation,” this sermon will outline biblical truths about our sins and the forgiveness that Jesus offers to each of us.
Introduction: We learned in our groups today that we are called to steward forgiveness and reconciliation. In order to be successful, we must first experience the forgiveness of our own sins and understand that only Jesus can offer us this forgiveness. If we are honest, we are ashamed of our sins and do not want anyone to know. As we will see in today’s message, not only is Jesus aware of our sins, but He also still loves us, knows of our longing for Him, and is willing to meet our need for forgiveness.
- Jesus is aware of our situation. (vv. 36-43)
As we enter into this story, we must first acknowledge two facts. First, Jesus was in the house of a Pharisee. The Pharisees were considered to be the religious elite of their times. They interpreted the law, while adding to it, and made sure everyone followed it. Second, while in the Pharisee’s house, a woman who is classified as a sinner, approached Jesus, and anointed Him with perfume. The fact that she had an alabaster jar of perfume can allude to the fact that this was needed for her profession. If this is the case, then she was giving more than perfume, she was pouring out her means to greater income.
As the woman anoints Jesus, the Pharisee began to question Jesus in his own mind. Jesus, being aware of the Pharisee’s thoughts, engaged the Pharisee in dialog. One truth that we can instantly learn from this is that Jesus even knows our thoughts. Before we get too frightened by this, we need to quickly discern that even though He is aware, He still loves us enough to talk with us. If knowing our thoughts removed us from His love, then He would not have started a dialog with the Pharisee.
A second truth for us is that He is also aware of our sinful condition. As Jesus engaged the Pharisee, He told a story about one being forgiven much and another being forgiven little. This story was in the context of the woman, classified as a sinner, anointing Him. Jesus’ story points back to the actions of the woman who needed forgiveness of much. Once again, we should be encouraged by the fact that Jesus knows our past and still offers forgiveness.
- Jesus acknowledges our actions. (vv. 44-47)
Most of us may look back on our middle school days and rejoice that those days are behind us. One of the hardest things about those days was when we felt like we were on the outside of the cool group, and we had no means of joining it. We knew that the secret that we told someone had been told to someone else and we were absolutely ruined for the rest of our lives. As we learned in our first point, Jesus is aware of our struggles and secret sins. The amazing thing is that we see in these verses that He still acknowledges our presence.
As Jesus concludes His short story with the Pharisee, He pointed out the actions of the woman. He acknowledged that she washed and kissed His feet and anointed His head with oil. These actions were actions taken by someone who saw themselves as lowly towards one they viewed to be their master. The woman knew that Jesus would be able to offer her something she desperately needed, forgiveness.
We must acknowledge at this point that Jesus acknowledged the actions of the woman in that she washed His feet and anointed His head. This, however, does not mean that He accepted her sinful lifestyle. If we were to study John 8, we would see Jesus in another encounter with a woman caught in the act of adultery. He did not stone her, but He did tell her to go and sin no more (v. 11). Jesus loves us beyond our sin, and He calls us to leave our lives of sin.
- Jesus meets our true needs. (vv. 48-50)
It has long been said that our greatest needs are food, clothing, and shelter. If someone does not have these three things for an extended period of time, they may not be with us too much longer. If, however, someone has these three things and does not know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, all of the food, clothing, and shelter will not help them for eternity. Our ultimate need is to be forgiven for our sins and to place our faith in Jesus. He is aware of this, and this is what He offers us when we come to Him.
The story takes an interesting turn in that Jesus now addresses the woman. He told her, “Your sins are forgiven.” When we look at this sentence in the original language, we will see that it is written as a statement of fact. Furthermore, if we look at Titus 1:2, we learn that God cannot lie. If God were to lie, then He would stop being God. Therefore, we can trust in the fact that this woman was forgiven. If Jesus can forgive her, then He can forgive us too. Finally, we see that He told her that her faith had saved her. It was not someone else’s faith but rather her faith and her faith alone.
Conclusion: As we come to the end of this sermon, we have at least two points of application. If we know Jesus as Lord and Savior, then we have been forgiven and this cannot be undone. This, however, does not mean that we should stop approaching Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we can still find ourselves engaging in sins that we know to be wrong. We need not wrongly conclude that Jesus will reject us. He is aware of our sins and still invites us to approach Him. He will tell us to leave our sin behind, but we can still approach Him.
If, however, you do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior, then can you see the compassion He showed this woman and know that He will show the same compassion to you? Yes, He is aware of your sin and yes, He still loves you. He is offering you forgiveness. You have to be willing to humbly admit that He is Lord, and you are not. When we acknowledge Him as Lord, He offers us the salvation that thereby meets our greatest need.
Lordship Generosity 