A Sweet Gospel Assurance (Lk. 7:36-50)

Introduction: The Sweetest Words

0:00 Now, may I encourage you to turn in your own Bibles to the Gospel according to Luke, the Gospel according to Luke, and the seventh chapter, and I shall read in your hearing Luke chapter 7, verses 36 to the end of the chapter, and in terms of the particular translation you may have in your hand, whenever I come to the reference to the Lord Jesus in a position of eating in this particular setting, I will render the original with the words, reclined at table, so that you will begin to conjure up an accurate mental image, and I do that not for the sake of being technically accurate so much as trying to have the picture embedded on the screen of your mind, so that when we come to examine more closely this unnamed, sinful woman, that we may see her as she takes her place behind the feet of the Lord Jesus, reclining at table in the house of Simon the Pharisee, Luke 7 and verse 36, and one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him.

1:25 And he entered into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table, and behold, a woman who was in the city, a sinner, and when she knew that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster cruise of ointment or perfume, and standing behind at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wipe them with her tears. And when the Pharisee who had bidden him saw it, he spoke within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have perceived who and what manner of woman this is that touches him, that she is a sinner. And Jesus, answering, said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he said, Teacher, say on.' And then the Lord Jesus speaking, A certain lender had two debtors, the one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

2:42 When they had not wherewith to pay, he forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him most? Simon answered and said, He, I suppose, to whom heTSprings? whom he forgave the most. And he said unto him, You have rightly judged. And turning to the woman, he said unto Simon, Do you see this woman? I entered into your house, and you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wetted my feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil you did not anoint, but she has anointed my feet with perfume. Wherefore, I say unto you, her sins which are many are forgiven. For she loved

3:46 much, but to whom little is forgiven. The same loves little. And he said unto her, Your sins are forgiven. And they that reclined at table with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that even forgives sins? And he said unto the woman, Your faith has saved you. Go in peace. Now, as we begin our meditation upon this portion of the word of God, tonight, I want to ask you a very pointed, and at first, it may seem like a very strange question. But I want you to imagine a specific setting in which I ask you the question. I

Illustrations of Desired Words

4:39 want you to imagine with me that I've been invited into your home, and you and I, each one of you individually, there's just you and me, sitting in the living room or perhaps out in the backyard, sitting across from the kitchen table. And I look you straight in the eyes, and I say, I want you to think for a moment upon this question, and then answer the question, not in terms of what you think I might want you to say in your answer, but I want you to answer the question with absolute, transparent honesty. And the question is this. For all of you, children, young people, adults, I hope you can understand the question. I've tried to frame it very clearly. I hope you can understand it very simply. And the question is this. What do you believe are the sweetest,

5:33 most welcome words you could ever hear in this life? Of all the words that your ears could possibly hear, what do you think are the sweetest, most welcome, most desired words your ears could ever hear? As I've been reflecting on that question, I've been asking myself, what do you think are the sweetest, most welcome, most desired words your ears could ever hear? As I've been asking myself, what do you think are the sweetest, most welcome, most desired words your ears could ever hear? And the question is this. What do you think are the sweetest, most welcome, most desired words your ears could ever hear? I think of two boys in our congregation, one with spina bifida and the other with cerebral palsy. Their wheelchairs welcome them every morning and their wheelchairs give them up every night. And I'm sure if I were to ask little Chris and I were to ask David, Chris and David, what are the most welcome words your ears could ever hear in this life? It wouldn't surprise me if Chris and David would

6:34 say, Pastor, the most welcome words would be if someone who had the right to say them would say to us, you're never going to have to be strapped in your wheelchair again. Wouldn't those be wonderful words to little Chris and to David? They would be wonderful words. Who can imagine the joy that would go right through them from head to toe if they knew that those words were going to be backed up by some either miraculous drug or someone used to do it?

7:05 Or by an unusual advanced surgery or by God sending a prophet and directly announcing that the Lord was going to heal them? They would be very welcome words. Or I think of the godly single women in our church who have tried to think about who they are in terms of biblical categories, and they have a wholesome, godly yearning that they may know the blessing of marriage and motherhood. And for them, perhaps they are a message from Christ to Perhaps they might answer and say, well, the most wonderful words I could hear in this life would be the words of a noble, upright, godly, proven young man who has respected my parents' input to my life and who is a proven commodity in a solid church. And I've seen him from afar and admired him, and lo and behold, he's shown an interest in me. And respecting those God-ordained channels to approach her, the moment comes when he looks straight into her eyes and says, I love you. Will you marry me?

8:16 I'm not going to ask for show of hands, but I'm sure there are some young women here who would say, I don't know if they would be the most welcomed words, the sweetest words I could hear in this life. But I've seen him from afar and admired him, and lo and behold, he's shown an interest in me, and respecting those god-ordained channels to approach her, the moment comes when he looks straight into her eyes and says, I love you. Will you marry me? sure would put him in the top five. But perhaps there's a woman here who's known the heartbreaking pain of lengthy barrenness. And you know what it is to feel the ache of your weeping womb month after month after month after month. And lo and behold, your womb has ceased to weep and you've gone to your OBGYN. And after every modern test to validate what you are and where you are, with a twinkle in his eye, he says to you, every indication is you're three months pregnant. And as far as I can discern, you have a healthy little one there

9:19 in the cooker. Those would be sweet words. Can you imagine? Some of you perhaps have known that. And you can relive the moment.

9:28 And you can relive the moment. And you can relive the moment. And you can relive the moment. When the doctor spoke those words to you. And no doubt we could let our imaginations run on and think of many combinations of words from the youngest to the oldest that would indeed be sweet and welcomed words. And most of the sweetness and the welcome would be conditioned by some peculiar aspect of our own personal disappointments or yearnings or our own griefs and sorrows. Those that would be alleviated by the news conveyed by those words. In this world where sin and the devil and grief and pain are part and parcel of life, there are many combinations

The Sweetest Gospel Assurance

10:15 of words that would be indeed exceedingly sweet and most heartily welcomed by all of us. But I want to say that if we are in touch with the things that really matter to us, we are in touch with the things that truly count. That count not only in this life, but in the life to come. I believe that the sweetest words that we can hear are found in the passage that we've read tonight. Words spoken by one who had the right to speak them. Words spoken by one who had the knowledge to speak them and know that they were valid. And they are the words which the Lord has spoken to us. And they are the words which the Lord has actually chosen by His own mouth and the Holy Spirit to speak to us. And His name, namely the Book of Revelation, is written in a sweet voice which is unspoken, and this is not anything that we're largely aware of. Which is not something that certainty is,

11:21 which is something that because of the earthly position of God Jesus spoke all day, this we have begun to motorcycle one another. The rest of this is also right. message from Isaiah 53, 6, a succinct gospel proclamation. And last night, the simple gospel promise from this passage and in particular these words of Jesus to this woman, I want us to consider together a sweet gospel assurance. And that sweet gospel assurance spoken by the Lord Jesus to this woman, your sins are forgiven you. May God grant that in the way of repentance and faith, we shall know them spoken to our hearts by the Spirit through the word and know the benediction of Christ upon us as he pronounced it upon this woman. Go in peace. If you've come into this auditorium tonight and these words have not been spoken to you by the Lord Jesus to this woman, I want you to consider together a sweet gospel promise from this passage and in particular these words of Jesus to this woman, your sins are forgiven you. May God grant that in the way of repentance and faith,

12:30 you shall know them spoken to us by the Lord Jesus to this woman, your sins are forgiven you. If you've come into this auditorium tonight and these words have not been spoken to you, you have not come in peace. You have come under the wrath of Almighty God. You've come into this auditorium again in that frightening condition described so vividly from the scriptures in this place this morning. A dupe and a lackey of the devil himself in bondage to the prince of this world, destined with him for the place of outer darkness where there is no peace. Now, as we attempt to open up some of the lines of truth in the passage, I want you to

The Fact of Her Forgiveness Asserted

13:30 consider the fact of this woman's forgiveness asserted. And then we're going to look at the way of this woman's forgiveness identified. The fact of her forgiveness asserted. In verse 47, Jesus said, concerning her, her sins, which are many, are forgiven. And then in verse 48, he says directly to her, and he said unto her, your sins are forgiven. Here, as it were, is a double absolution by the Lord Jesus. One spoken to those within the house about her, her sins are forgiven.

14:30 The other spoken directly to her, as though there are only two beings in the universe of her concern at that moment, the incarnate deity, the eventual and rightful judge of the world, as it were, brings forward the day of judgment and absolves her personally. Your sins are forgiven you. Now, let's ask three questions with respect to this assertion of her forgiveness. forgiveness by the Lord Jesus. Question number one, who made these assertions? Well, we already know from a reading of the passage that it was none other than Jesus of Nazareth. It was the one who is the focal point of the entirety of Luke's record. When he begins his second record of the doings of Jesus, in the book of Acts chapter 1, he says the former treatise, O Theophilus, I have made concerning all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was received up. That's his own summary of his gospel record. It is a declaration of that which Jesus began to do

15:47 and to teach. And this Jesus, Son of God, Son of Man, the great, focal point of Luke's entire gospel record was either, as the people in the house perceived, either one who had the authority to speak these words or he was a blasphemer. You will notice in verse 49, and they that reclined at table with him began to say within themselves, who is this that even forgives sin? Yes, we have heard that he heals the sick, he opens the eyes of the blind, he unstops the ears of the deaf. Those are works reserved for mighty prophets, but one who even forgives sin? Earlier in his record, chapter 5, Luke gives us what is found in two of the other gospel records, that in another setting, when Jesus pronounces absolution, he gives us what is found in two of the other gospel records, the one that is called the law of the heavens. The one that is called the law of the heavens.

16:57 He is charged by the religious leaders with blasphemy. Who in the world do you think you are? Forgiving sin? And you remember Jesus said that you may know that I have the right and authority to forgive sin.

17:10 I will now perform a miracle. I will validate my unique identity by a work you can see. And so the one who makes this assertion is the only one qualified to make it. And at the end of the day, He is the only one qualified to make it. And at the end of the day, he is the only one qualified to make it. And at the end of the day, He is the only one qualified to make it. And at the end of the day, he is the only one qualified to make it. And at the end of the day, if he makes it, no one can overturn his verdict. It is Jesus who says to this notorious sinner, your sins are forgiven you, so that for the rest of her days, no matter how the ripples of her past life would splash upon the shores of other lives, and people would say, well, aren't you that notorious woman, sinner from the sea?

17:55 She would be able to look them in the eye and say, yes, I'm the woman. But the one who has the right and authority to forgive sin spoke in my ears and said, my sins were remitted. They were forgiven. They will never be held against me.

To Whom Was Forgiveness Asserted?

18:17 When we asked the question who made the assertions, it was none other than the Lord Jesus, Son of God, Son of man, who has authority to forgive sin. And then we asked the second question, to whom and of whom was this assertion made? I said earlier that the only way this woman is identified is by the description, a sinner. Look at verse 37a, behold, a woman, unnamed, who was in the city, and we're not sure what city it was.

18:54 She was a city woman. And all we were told about her was that she was a sinner, a hamartalos, a notorious sinner, one whose sinful patterns were well known and well entrenched. To use the imagery of Pastor Fisher from this morning, the devil had sculptured her into a notorious sinner. Later on, the same terminology is used of her in verse 39.

19:27 When the Pharisee that had bidden him saw it, he spoke within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have perceived who and what manner of woman this is that touches him, that she is a sinner. That's her identification. And Jesus validates that she wasn't getting a bad rap through gossip. She wasn't accumulating a bad reputation unjustly, for Jesus himself says of her in verse 47, I say unto you, her sins, which are many.

20:02 She was indeed, not by accumulated reputation alone, but by the pronouncement of Jesus himself, she was one who had many sins. Now some speculate and say that she was a woman of the street, that she may well have been a notorious prostitute. It may be for that purpose that she is known as a prostitute. It may be for that purpose that she is described as a woman who was in the city.

20:32 But of that we cannot be certain, but this much we do know. There was common knowledge in that setting when you saw this woman, you just didn't identify her as, I think that's Mrs. Smith who lives on 3rd Street and the corner of Edwards Avenue. When you saw her, you said, there's the sinner.

20:54 That's the woman with the reputation. If you want your own reputation to be unstained, whoever you meet and walk out with in the supermarket, never with her. Suddenly, remember, you've got to leave your basket and get a few more items in aisle 6. Don't be found with her.

21:19 Her reputation is so extensive, she is the sinner, and surely, they say in the house of Simon the Pharisee, if this man were a prophet, even though he had no previous association, surely he would know who and what she is. So we've asked the question, who made this assertion of her forgiveness? It was Jesus. Of whom was it made?

21:49 It was made of this woman who was a notorious sinner. And the third question we ask is, what do the words themselves mean? When Jesus said, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, and when he turned to the woman and spoke these sweet words of gospel assurance, Your sins are forgiven, what was Jesus saying? Well, that word, and in the particular tense in which it is found in both of these assertions, means that all of the sins that up to this time, were justly, legally charged to her account in the court of heaven, sins for which she would be judged and given account out of the books in which they were written, in the courtroom of heaven, there in the house of Simon the Pharisee, those sins were cancelled. Those sins were remitted. Those sins were pardoned. Those sins stood in the place of being blotted out, and that blotting out, that remitting, that cancelling, remained and would continue to remain,

23:13 and stand for her vindication in the day of judgment. Your sins, her sins, which are many, are and remain forgiven, remitted, cancelled, cancelled, never to be charged against her. And when he turns and speaks to her, she has the sweet gospel assurance from the word of Christ himself, Your sins are forgiven. And remember, she was not a woman ignorant of her sinnerhood, as we shall see.

The Way of Her Forgiveness Identified

23:50 In her own eyes, she knew she had much sin to be forgiven, and all that we could somehow put ourselves within that woman's psyche and under her skin, and imagine what it must have meant to hear him say to her, Your sins, the cumulative weight and the high and ugly mountain of them, your sins are remitted, they are cancelled, they are forgiven, and they remain in that very state before the eye and the court, and the court of Almighty God. As we then come to consider these sweet words of gospel assurance, let's remember who speaks them, to whom they are spoken, and what they mean. But now then, consider secondly, the way of this woman's forgiveness identified. On what basis did Jesus say of her, Your sins, which are many, are forgiven? On what basis did he say directly to her, Your sins are forgiven?

25:05 What transpired, what was going on in her that was not going on in the Pharisee? And in those who reclined at table with the Lord Jesus, who in two instances in this brief passage, see and hear things that make them carp and criticize and become cynical about who Jesus is and what he is doing, while all the while she's wrapped up in the wonder of what he is doing. No new thing under the sun, is there? Some of you sat here tonight and sang with a sense of enraptured wonder those words of Wesley.

25:44 And can it be that I should gain an interest in my Savior's blood? Died he for me who caused his pain? Or me who him to death pursued? Were you one of those?

26:04 Or were you like these who reclined at table with the Lord Jesus? Not outwardly but inwardly, the squint of skepticism. Is there anything real? Is what's going on here reality?

26:18 If it is, is it any reality that impinges on me? Well in that setting, the Lord Jesus opens up the way of her forgiveness and identifies it very specifically. Look at verse 50. And he said unto the woman, Your faith has saved you.

The Woman's Actions and Feelings

26:40 Go in peace. Now in this narrative, the Spirit of God has recorded a number of things that this woman did and felt in relationship to herself, in relationship to her sin, in relationship to Jesus. We read that she was a woman, a broken woman, ashamed of her past. She comes up behind the Lord Jesus.

27:08 Perhaps some of you have seen pictures and artists rendering of scenes like this where in the oriental fashion there was a low table and couches around it, often in a U shape. And one would not sit upright to eat but recline in a semi-prone position and the head on the elbow and the food would be eaten in that posture. And the picture is that this woman approaches him from behind and comes near his feet. And when Luke gives us the picture, he says that she is found standing at his feet weeping.

27:45 And she began to wet his feet with her tears. Have you ever seen anyone crying so profusely that there was enough moisture to wash hands or feet? This woman was not just shedding a tear or two. She was in a paroxysm of weeping.

28:06 Something had broken her heart and was tearing her and opened up her tear ducts and brought out the convulsions of weeping. And she began to wet his feet with her tears and wipe them with the hair of her head and profusely kissed his feet. There was passion in this. She wasn't going through some perfunctory shedding of a little tear and a little dibble-dabble here and then just no, no.

28:33 The whole picture is of a woman utterly taken up with the things that are now the issues of utmost reality to her. They are wringing her heart. They are opening her tear ducts. They are bringing these profuse expressions of affection to the Lord Jesus, kissing his feet, wiping his feet with her hair.

Faith, Not Tears or Love, as the Basis of Salvation

28:56 These are the things the woman did. But when it comes time to say, why is it that I can say of her her sins are forgiven? And why is it that I can say to her your sins are forgiven? No reference is made to her tears.

29:18 He doesn't say your tears have saved you. The grief of the penitence that has produced the tears has saved you. He goes on to say that what she was doing she was doing because she loved him. I say unto you her sins which are many are forgiven for she loved much.

29:40 She was expressing her love to Christ. Christ himself read her heart and saw that it was throbbing with love for him. So she's grieved over her sins and her past. She is attached to Jesus in love.

29:57 And yet he doesn't say your love has saved you. Not your grief has saved you. Your penitence has saved you. Your expressions of love to me or the love that has produced them has saved you.

30:10 He focuses in upon one thing only and he says your faith has saved you.