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Luke 7:36-50, "The Greatest Miracle" · Clifford Baptist

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  Speaker A: Welcome to the July 26 sermon from Clifford Baptist Church, 635 Fletcher's Level Road in Amherst. Today's scripture is Luke, chapter 7, verses 36 through 50. And the sermon is entitled the Greatest Miracle delivered today by Pastor Jeffrey Campbell.
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  Speaker B: And I'm going to ask that you grab your Bibles, go to Luke chapter number seven, Luke chapter number seven. The good news is we're going to close down another chapter of Luke. I don't know that if you've enjoyed this study, but, man, it has personally grown me and I praise the Lord for that and I pray that it has grown you as well. While you are turning to Luke chapter seven in your Bibles, I want to tell you about a man named William Scott. He was born in 1839 in the state of Vermont. Did y' all know that was actually a state? Vermont? It is. It's up north. In his early 20s, he enlisted in the Vermont regiment. This was July of 1861. So July he enlisted into the army. In August of that same year, he was put on guard of the chain bridge in Washington D.C. his lone goal, his lone job was to guard this bridge. A month after enlisting. Right. Well, William Scott fell asleep while on guard duty in September of 1861. He was court martialed, found guilty, and sentenced to death by the firing squad. All because he volunteered to take someone else's shift guarding the bridge. Well, his fellow soldiers petitioned and they ran that petition up the ladder, finally reaching President Abraham Lincoln. And Lincoln issued a pardon for William Scott on the day he was set to be executed. Now you say, Jeffrey, is this a true story? Absolutely, it is a true story. It has been told throughout history. For over 150 years, a presidential pardon was the only thing that saved this man's life. But today want to share with you a providential pardon that has been ongoing for over 2000 years that will save your life and friends. It is the greatest miracle that we can ever read about in scripture. Jesus done some amazing things. But the greatest thing that Jesus can ever do is forgive the sin of a wretched sinner. And as we understand that, that is a story that never gets old. And as we close out this chapter, chapter number seven, we have read of some great miracles in scripture. Somebody was raised back to life. And yet the greatest of the miracle is when Jesus forgives sin. Look at me real quick. At the very end of this message, you're going to be asked a question. That question is simply this. Have you received the pardon from Jesus for your sin? Today only 2 people sit in this sanctuary 2 people watch livestream those that have been pardoned and those that are still guilty. And so today as we look at this great miracle, my prayer is, as you hear it, you will ask yourself, has this happened to me? Have I received the pardon of an almighty God? Let's pray, Father, as we go to your word now, Lord, let your word guide the meditations of our heart and our mind. Holy Spirit, I pray that you will search the hearts and minds of this room. And Lord, that you will extend that forgiveness to those who carry the guilt and the shame of their sin. Show them there is a way. That way is through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Today, God, I pray that you save someone's soul today. In Jesus name, Amen. Luke, chapter number seven, starting with verse number 36, listen to these words. And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house and sat down to meat. And behold a woman in the city which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisees house, brought an alabaster box of ointment and stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with her tears and wipe them with the hairs of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. And when the Pharisee which had bitten him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, this man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him, for she is a sinner. There are three things that I need you to understand today. As we look at the greatest miracle in scripture, the first thing that we need to understand together is I want you to see is the perception. The perception. We learn very quickly that Jesus takes advantage of opportunities, and I'm thankful that he did. Jesus is going into a place that he really did not have to go into. And the religious leaders, they all have questions. They disagree with Jesus and who he claims that he is. Remember in Nazareth, they try to throw him off the cliff. You remember that just a few chapters back in Luke chapter number five, you remember they accused him of eating with tax collectors and sinners. And so as we understand that these religious leaders have questions for Jesus, one of those chief leaders, his name is Simon, says, listen, I'm going to invite Jesus over to my house. Hey boys, y' all come on over. We're going to have a meal and we're going to question Jesus. What does Jesus do? I'M going to ask myself what I would do. I would say, no, I'm not going over there. Right? I don't have to answer you. But what does Jesus do? Jesus goes. Jesus goes and accepts this invitation into Simon's house. And Simon's house is the setting. It is the place where the Pharisees have gathered with their questions, with their accusations, and they have invited Jesus to come in. And Jesus is. Accepts the invitation to go and to sit down and to eat and to be questioned by these leaders. So as we see, there are two guests that show up at this house. One of them is the invited guest and the other is the uninvited guest. Jesus serves as the invited guest. Now remember, it's not 2026, okay? The table's not made with the finest china. And we're not sitting at the long Oak or Mahogan table to carry out dinner. No, dinner in Jesus day would be much like on what we would consider a coffee table. It would be settled on the floor of the room and they would be reclining back or leaning back, partaking and eating, relaxing and doing so. That sounds fun, doesn't it? I think we need to get back to that a little bit, right? But that's. That's what we see here. We see Jesus reclining as the invited guest. And he is having dinner with those that really do not like him or agree with him. And as he takes this meal, the Pharisees, their motives and their questions linger. But before they could get to their questions that we are told about, the uninvited guest shows up. That uninvited guest, as Luke defines her, as Simon defines her, twice as a sinner. Now, I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings today, but I'm just going to tell you the truth. There's not a perfect person in this room. We're all sinners. And as we understand that relation and that correlation to this woman, this woman comes into this house of Simon and she really crashes the dinner party. She has an alabaster box of precious ointment. And now I know some of you say, no, this is a little creepy, but this is exactly what she does. She stoops to his feet and lets down her hair. Can you imagine this woman that is so full of sin, recognizing who Jesus is? She is weeping because of her sin. She is weeping because she understands who Jesus is. She lets down her hair and begins to wash his feet with her tears and with her hair and with her hands. She takes that ointment and anoints Jesus feet. Here's what you can't do. Don't confuse this woman with Mary of Bethany that we read about in John 12. We also read about another similar situation in Matthew 26 and Mark 14 of an unnamed woman. But this is a different woman, a different place altogether. Time in Jesus ministry. So don't confuse those. This woman in Luke 7 is described not as a friend of Jesus, but as a sinner. The Pharisees know it, Simon knows it. And you can bet, and rest assured that Jesus knows it, that this woman is a sinner. I'm going to try to be delicate here. This label means that this woman was probably a woman of the night. She carries that stigma, that label, that reputation. And here's what you need to know. Everybody knows it. Everybody knows who she is and what she's been doing. And she is the uninvited guest to the table. I like verse number 39. Look there. It says now when the Pharisee which had bitten him saw it, that's Simon. He speaks within himself. Look at me, Church. You ever thought something about somebody here and it didn't come out here? That's what's going on right here. He's thinking to himself. He's not saying out loud, but look at verse 39. He thinks within himself. He's talking to himself. And he says this. If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what manner of woman this is that touches him. For she is a sinner. If Jesus only knew, he can't be who he says he is. And so we understand that if Jesus only knew, he wouldn't have allowed this woman to darken the door of this house. House. Much less touch him. Let me ask you this. What is Simon's perception? Can I share that with you? Simon's perception is this. Is this woman is too wicked to be touching Jesus. Simon's perception is also this, that Jesus isn't who he has claimed to be. Because if he knew who this woman was, he would not let her anywhere near him. And the third thing about Simon's perception is this. I'm a lot better than she is. She's a sinner. When we understand that, perception can quickly turn to judgment to see somebody unworthy or undeserving of God's grace. We must be careful, Church, not to be Simons. But what we must understand as well is this, that this was not a form of work for this woman. This was a form of worship. Because this woman knows who Jesus is and Simon does not. If we look at her perception. She knows that Jesus can forgive her, and she trusts and approaches him in ways culturally she should not have. She has crossed boundaries, approaching men, letting down her hair in their presence and beginning to touch them. And in process, she is weeping, she is washing, she is wiping. But the most important thing she is. She is worshiping Jesus. Don't you dare listen to anybody that tells you it's something more than that, because it is not. And so when we understand perception, we need to understand this from Simon's point of view. Jesus doesn't know this woman. And this woman is too bad to to approach Jesus. She is undeserving of Jesus. How many of you believe Simon's wrong? Oh, yeah. I look around the room of people I dearly love, and we either approach Jesus the way the woman does or the way that Simon does. Every Sunday morning we get dressed up really nice, but we can enter the place to worship God with the attitude that this I've come to worship my Lord, or I'm good enough. I'm good enough. There's people in this room that have done worse things than I have. And if you approach the place of God with that attitude, friends, it's better not to approach it at all. I've got enough stuff on my plate to worry about, Jeffrey, much less your plate. So when you come in here, don't you think that the preacher's looking down his nose at you? I'm not. I may know some things, but here's what I also know. I know Jesus can forgive anything and everything if you will bring it to him and lay it at his feet. And so today, if you're Simon or you relate to this woman, here's what you need to hear. Lay it at the feet of Jesus. Today, your perception not of others, but of yourself matters most. Look at verse 40 through 43. And Jesus answering, said unto him, simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, master, say on. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors. The one ought 500 pence and the other 50. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, thou hast rightly judged. When looking at the greatest miracle, the second thing that you need to see is the price. There's a price that has been paid for forgiveness. And when we understand debt, we understand forgiveness. I've always operated with a mindset. I don't like owing anybody anything. I don't know if that's financial advice, I don't know if that's friendship advice. I just don't like to owe anybody anything. But what we see here in this parable is a creditor and two debtors. And those two debtors owed an enormous amount. One owed 500 pence, the other owed 50. How many of you sitting here today say I feel bad for that guy that owes 500. Can I translate that to you? Let's think about a year and a half wages. So you factor that in, that's your debt, that's one of them's debt. 500 pence, a year and a half wages. Can you imagine $100,000 debt. And you have to wake up every day knowing that you owe somebody that. But there's another debt, there's a 50 pence, there's a two months salary of debt. We sit there and say, oh that's not that bad. We've got to be careful here because the amount is not the issue. Okay? Don't get caught up in the amount. Here's what you need to understand. Both are debtors, both owe somebody something. And so when we understand that both of these are debtors and both of these at the very moment, here's what you need to realize. They cannot pay their debt because they owe. Which one will love the most when they are forgiven? That's Jesus question and I picture a response that is somewhat delayed but correct. The one that is forgiven most is most appreciative or thankful as Jesus says. Can I ask you this? How big is sin debt? Here's what the Bible says. It demands your life. One little measly sin. It doesn't matter what it is. One sin separates you from a holy God. And when you understand that, you understand this, that that sin separates. But God and only God is the one that can forgive a debt of sin. So today I'm not asking you how bad you have been. I'm not asking you what you have done or the things in the past that would separate you from God. Here's what I need you to understand. No matter what the debt is or what it looks like or what it is called, it can be forgiven. Amen. I remember singing a song. He paid a debt he did not owe and I owe a debt that I cannot pay. I needed someone to wash my sins away. Now I sing a brand new song Amazing grace All day long Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay. When we understand the words of that song and when we understand the words of Jesus here, there are debts that can be forgiven. And when we understand what the price is, we seek that for the forgiveness of our sin. What is the price? The price for the forgiveness of your sin is Jesus dying a perfect death on an old rugged cross to shed his blood for your sin and for my sin. No matter what it is. That's the price. Maybe today there's someone here that needs to be forgiven. But before you can be forgiven, you've got to understand you can't pay the price. You can't be good enough. You can't do enough. You can't come to church enough. You can't pray enough. You can't read your Bible. You cannot do those things enough to get yourself in good standing with God. The only thing that will bring you in right standing with God is by faith trusting Jesus Christ as your payment for sin. Now you may say, jeffrey, you're preaching to the choir. No, no, no. Listen, listen, listen. I'm preaching to women who relate to the woman here. I'm preaching to people who relate to the woman here who know Jesus has forgiven me. But I'm also preaching to people like Simon that come and say, no, I'm good enough. I don't need that. The price. There's nothing you can do to earn your way to heaven. Only by the grace and the blood of Jesus. Only by faith in trusting him. And today, look at me, Church. Some of you need to do that. There's perception. There's price. And there's a pardon. What does that pardon look like? Look at verses 44 through 50. I want you to notice this. I'm going to come back to it, okay? Remember, this conversation is happening between Jesus and Simon. In verse 44, he turns to the woman and says to Simon, seest thou this woman? I entered into your house and you gave me no water for my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head. You gave me no kiss. But this woman, since the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil, thou didst not anoint. But this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, her sins, which are many, are forgiven. For she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, thy Faith hath saved thee. Go in peace. The third thing you need to see is the pardon where I wanted to come back to. I want you to see that Jesus and Simon are talking amongst themselves. But notice that their attention is drawn to look at the woman. And here's what you need to understand. Jesus wants Simon to see this woman's love and devotion. And he asked him a very simple question. Did you see the woman? I don't know if you've ever been somewhere and maybe somebody's asked you, did you see such and such. Yeah, I seen them there. But maybe you didn't notice something that was going on in their life. What Jesus is trying to say, Simon, did you really see this woman? And as he asked that pointed question, he raises the things that Simon did not do in courtesy. When Jesus entered his house, he said, simon, I came to your house. I came in and I didn't get a kiss of greeting from you. Equate that to a handshake. If you come into my house, I'm going to shake your hand. I'm going to welcome you into my house. I'm not going to kiss you on the cheek, okay? Unless your name's Terry Campbell. Okay? But you're gonna be welcomed into my home. Jesus says, you didn't give me that. You didn't welcome me into my home. You just gave me an invitation. I showed up. You didn't welcome me here. You know what else you didn't do, Simon? You didn't anoint my head with oil when I came in. Yet she used her expensive ointment on my feet. You didn't do what was customary, Simon. Yet this woman, outwardly, very outwardly, showed her love for me. Verse number 47. Listen to this. Wherefore I say unto thee, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much her sins, which were many. Listen, that's the only thing Simon could see. Go back to the beginning. What did Simon see? He saw a sinner. He saw a sinner. The only thing that Simon could see that entered his home was the sins of this woman. And she was not worthy to touch Jesus. But what does Jesus see? Oh, Jesus sees a woman who is forgiven and shows her love and affection to her Lord by anointing him over and over and over. What? This doesn't say. This doesn't say if you do good, if you do right, if you do the anointing, if you do the ritualistic things, everything's going to be okay. No, no, it doesn't say that. What? This parable teaches is because this woman's sin debt was so much and her sins were so many. Jesus was the one and the only one that could forgive that debt of sin. And then her response of that forgiveness is love, devotion and worship of her Lord. Why do you worship on Sunday morning church? Do we worship out of ritualistic things or do we do it because we love Him? Do you see the difference? I look over this room and more importantly, I look behind his pulpit and I can say this. God has forgiven so much right here. And because of that, I want to serve him and I want to live my life in devotion to the Lord that changed my life, that forgave me, that pulled me out of the debt of sin and put my feet on the rock and gave me a new life as I live for him now. I know you don't have to be a bouncing ball like me, okay? But I pray the excitement inside as you worship Jesus because you have been forgiven is the same. So today, how much do you love Jesus? Those that have been forgiven much will love much. Those have not, will not love. So what do we see? We see this woman whose sins have been forgiven and she knows that her life is now changed. And we see Simon who thinks he is okay, who has yet to see himself as a sinner and is just going to carry on and, and the religious work of the day. We know nothing else about Simon. We close the chapter. We know nothing about Simon. Did his life change? I don't know. Did his perception, his perspective change? I don't know. But here's what I can tell you as I close chapter number seven today. The greatest miracle scripture, and even today is when Jesus forgives the sin of a full blown sinner, which we all are. I'm going to ask you today as I close, what is your perception? What is your perception of sin? Is it some little thing that you do that you just have to push away, don't pack up yet, pay attention. Most important part of the day right now, your perception of sin matters. If you're like Simon says, oh, oh, I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay, I don't need that. You're going to go through life carrying guilt, shame, and a weight that you do not have to. If your perception of sin is, yes, I'm guilty, I'm one of the many, yes, I need Jesus, I need his forgiveness. I want to fall down and worship him. I want to come before him every day and I want to be more like Jesus. Your sin can be forgiven. Will you Trust him by faith. Look at the last verse, verse number 50. And he said to the woman, thy faith has saved thee. Go in peace. There's only one thing that can save you. That is your faith and your trust in Jesus Christ. His payment for your sin. The price of sin, you can't pay it. But here's what you need to understand today. If you have never, ever accepted it, it's already been paid. The debt of sin has been paid by Jesus Christ on the cross. All you need to do is by faith, come to him, ask for his forgiveness, receive that gift and turn and follow him for the rest of your life. Worshiping, living for Jesus today. Will you do that? Those of us that are saved, may this lesson be a reminder of how we are to come to Jesus in worship each and every day, each and every moment that we gather together collectively. My prayer today is that you know, you know you are either a Simon or you are just like this woman. You know you are forgiven, you know you are redeemed, you know you were saved and you will worship or you still question. If you have those questions, I would encourage you just to lay it down at the feet of Jesus, accept his gift today and walk in the newness of life that he offers. Let's pray. Father, thank you. Thank you. As we come before you today, we do so knowing, Lord, that you will continue to search and know our hearts, God, that you will root out any form of evil and sin in our lives as believers, and we will become more like you today than we were yesterday. God, I pray for believers all over this room that we don't get so caught up in how good we are that we forget what God has done. Lord, there's good news to share. And I pray, Lord, that Christians will share the good news of Jesus this week. And maybe there's somebody in this room, somebody watching livestream that's carrying a weight, that's carrying their sin, that's never accepted the grace of Jesus. Oh, God, thank you, thank you that you made a way of forgiveness through Jesus on an old rugged cross, through his burial and through his resurrection. You give us victory today. God, if somebody in this room needs you today, I pray that they will just come bow before you and receive you. God, I pray that you challenge our hearts in this moment as believers as well. Give us that good news that the world needs, that we can take to this world this week. I pray, Lord, thank you for amazing grace. Thank you for paying our debt, paying that price. Thank you, Lord, for your forgiveness. We trust you to lead us now in Jesus name.
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  Speaker A: Clifford Baptist Church invites you to join us for worship every Sunday morning at 11am for more information about our church, please call our church office at 434-946-0555.