So if you have a Bible with you, which I hope you do, if you open up to the Gospel of Luke, today we are in Luke 7, verses 36, through Luke 8, verse 3. So it’s a little longer passage. So if you don’t have a Bible with you, the pew Bibles are kind of scattered throughout, and it’s on page 504. And we say this often. I’m going to say it again.
So as you open up your Bibles, please do keep them open. And so we do a style of preaching here, if you’re visiting, called expository preaching, where I’m just going to do the best to let Scripture speak for itself. And so that’s what we try to do here. And so Luke 7:36 through Luke 8:3. So please hear the word of our God.
Luke wrote this. One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him. And he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at a table. And behold the woman of the city who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at the 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 a hair on her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.
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’s a sinner. Jesus answered, answering, said to him, simon, I have something to say to you. And he said, say it, Teacher. A certain money lender had two debtors. One owed 500 denarii and the other 50.
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 large a debt. He said to him, you have judged rightly. Then turning to the woman, he said to Simon, do you see this woman?
I entered your house. You gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in, she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.
But he who is forgiven little loves little. And he said, to her, your sins are forgiven. And those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, who is this? Even forgive sinners. And he said to the woman, your faith has saved, you go in peace.
Soon afterwards, he went through the cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the 12 were with him. And also some of the women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities. Mary called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out. Joanna, the son of Cuza, here is household manager.
And Susanna and many others who provided for them out of their means. That’s God’s word for us this morning. Would you please pray with me?
Lord, it’s good to be here. So thank you for just your grace and kindness, just to gather us together yet again this Sunday to hear from your word and to celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. And Lord, I pray that you’d help me to preach this passage. Well, please protect me from stumbling over my words or from speaking that which is not true. Lord, we just pray.
I pray that you would just help the congregation to be good listeners to hear what you are saying to them through your Holy Spirit, through this passage. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. So one of the songs that we sing here that actually we sing right after the sermon is a song His Mercy is More. And it’s a song I love.
So the song is about 10 years old, written by modern day writers Matt Papa and Matt Boswell, who actually would recommend to you and this song, His Mercies is one that they wrote after being inspired by a quote of John Newton, who was a pastor in England in the late 1700s, early 1800s. He’s probably more famous for a hymn that he wrote, the hymn Amazing Grace. So here’s a quote that inspired the song His Mercies More. And if you’re familiar with this song as I read this, this quote’s gonna sound very familiar to you. So Newton wrote this.
Our sins are many, but his mercies are more. The truth of this song that we sing, the truth of this quote that I just read for you is really at the heart of the gospel, the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ, that even though our sins are many, which they are, with just one sin be enough to separate us from a good and holy God, where this one sin is enough to break the entire law. Yet even though we have sinned and sinned much in his love and mercy, God the Father has chosen to pour out his riches of his grace and kindness on us through his great mercy found in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the very One who came for us, for sinners to take on the punishment of our sin, to bear the demand of the law upon Himself by dying for us on a cross. So that through his death and resurrection, through his mercy and grace, which is greater than all of our sin, that by faith we can find forgiveness of our many sins and we can be brought into a relationship with God. So yes, our sins are many.
But the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for his people, his mercy is more that we know that we can be forgiven because of the blood of Christ. And for Jesus, the mercy is always more in him. This brings us back to our study today. Now, because it’s been a couple weeks since we last looked into Luke. So before dividing into the text and let me remind you where we left off.
So as you may remember, the public ministry of Jesus is now in full swing and he’s ministering all over the region of Galilee as he was preaching and teaching about the Kingdom of God. And he’s performing incredible miracles. With the most incredible miracles. Something we look back a few weeks back, how he raised a young man who had recently died, which then Jesus has to raise a man back from the back to life in his mercy. And he gave this young man back to his mom who was a widow.
However, his incredible public ministry of Jesus was in full swing where his popularity among many was increasing. There still was like questions and doubts about Jesus. Questions and doubts if indeed he was the Christ who was promised to come in the Old Testament Scripture in our text. A couple weeks back, you may remember even the great John the Baptist was increasingly becoming confused by Jesus Christ. Or even John was having doubts concerning Jesus in our text.
A weeks back as John the Baptist was in prison for proclaiming the truth of God’s word. With his growing confusion and doubts which seemed to center on what Jesus was not doing in his ministry, which is not raising up some type of insurrection to overthrow the Roman government who was ruling over Israel at the time. Remember that John sent two disciples to Jesus for Jesus to tell them plainly if he was the long awaited Christ or if there was another who was to come to which Jesus responded back by performing more miracles, doing so in ways that Jesus is proving to John, to his disciples, to us that he is the one who came to fill the scriptures concerning the Christ. So they us were not to doubt in him, but we are to believe in Jesus, believe in him in ways that were not looking for them to save from like the Roman military or the Roman government, but in his mercy that they by faith looked at Jesus to save them from their sins, which, I’ll say it again, are many. This brings us back to our text this morning.
As the saving work of Jesus Christ is on display, we see it in his mercy that this mercy was more than even the many known sins of a woman who came to him by faith. Okay, so that is an intro. If you could look back with me Starting at verse 36, we’re just going to walk back through the text. So verse 36, we see that there was a Pharisee. Pharisee was a religious leader who by and large, Pharisees stood against Jesus in his ministry, which he did for many reasons.
One of the bigger reasons is he’s the type of people that Jesus cared for, which were types of people that society by large judged and rejected, people that society deemed one should not show mercy towards. In the text, the Pharisee invited Jesus over to his house to eat with him. Whereas Jesus was welcomed into the house in ways that he was allowed to recline at the table. The text tells us, which here not only is a picture of hospitality, but also this reclining table indicated that at this dinner party, Jesus was like the honored guest. Now we don’t know why the Pharisee invited Jesus in and why he was showing honor to Jesus in this way.
You know, perhaps this Pharisee is becoming more and more interested in the ministry of Jesus. So perhaps in very like real heartfelt ways, like he invited Jesus in, which in scriptures, some of the Pharisees did do that to Jesus. They did come to him by faith. Or perhaps this Pharisee invited Jesus over in ways maybe to try reason with Jesus. So he decided, you know, I’m going to be nice to Jesus, I’m going to invite him in, and then I’m going to talk sensibly to him to help him understand, you know, what he’s doing.
No respected religious leaders should do, particularly when it comes to ministering to, like social outcasts. Not sure of the motives, but we’ve seen the text. I don’t think it was heartfelt. I don’t think it was heartfelt. Motives of the Pharisee.
We’ll get to that more in just a bit or in the text that Jesus invited in. Our Lord accepted the invite. Well, verse 37, as this meal was taking place, we see that a woman of the city who was a sinner, our text tells us, learned about this meal and that Jesus was over at the House of the Pharisee, reciting at the table, and she heard about this, she decides to make her way over. Now, we don’t know what type of sinner this woman was, but because of how this is worded, many throughout church history assume that she was actually a prostitute, one that throughout the city probably was known for that, where she had a reputation all over the city for that sin. Now, for me, not sure if that’s indeed true, that she wasn’t a prostitute, although I do tend to agree with this assumption of Church history.
But what we can know for sure based on text, is that this woman, she was a social outcast, one that any respected religious leader, like, would avoid, or if unable to avoid, would have, like, harshly judged. And in the text, as this woman came to the house, you see that she got inside, which culturally had been something that did take place when meals of honor like this. And as she came in, she did so by carrying an alabaster flask of ointment, perfume. Now, just a couple things here on this. So this perfume and this type of jar, this would have been something of great value, something very expensive, something that the average person could not afford to have, which maybe speaks the type of income that she was able to acquire as a known sinner.
Second, just note, there are two different times Jesus was anointed by a woman in the New Testament. So the other is in John 12. It speaks of Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, how she anointed Jesus. A few days before Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem where he’s going to be betrayed by a friend and crucified on the cross with the anointing of Jesus. That anointing was to prepare for his crucifixion that was soon to take place.
So just note, this is. There’s two different anointings here. John 12 and then Luke 7 back to the text, says, this woman, this sinner, entered into the home with the perfume and the fancy expensive flask. She didn’t do so in ways to try to, like, pridefully show off her wealth, you know, to maybe be like a prideful brag towards others what she could afford, but they couldn’t. Rather, we see she brought this flask as a means by which he would worship the Lord Jesus Christ with a heart of repentance.
Verse 38. As she stood behind Jesus at his feet, we see that she wept like, seemingly like broken over sin and all that came with it. And as she wept, this known sinner began to wipe the feet of Jesus with her tears and the hair on her head, for us, this is like the exact opposite end of pride. This is brokenness over sin. This is real, genuine, heartfelt humility.
You know, particularly in this culture where a woman would not let down her hair in public. That would have been a real cultural shame. Yet here in the story, in this text, for this woman, at this scene, she didn’t care what others thought about her. She didn’t care what others thought. What she was doing was maybe wrong.
Her focus was just simply on the Lord Jesus Christ. And as she wiped the feet of Jesus with her tears and her hair, we see she also kissed the feet of our Lord, a further sign of humility. In the text, we see why it was she brought the expensive perfume, but she wanted to anoint the feet of Jesus with it. I think for us, we need to see this as a real act of worship. Humble worship, where this woman has mentioned is like solely focused on Jesus.
It’s like she’s literally laying the best of what she had on his feet. Like she’s holding nothing back. Here this known sinner is proclaiming that Jesus is now her treasure who is far above, far greater than any earthly treasure. Verse 39. Frantic guys there.
As all this is happening, the Pharisee who invited Jesus into the house saw all this take place. And as this is all happening, he’s not impressed by the woman in her worship of Jesus. And I think even more so, he’s not impressed by Jesus to let this happen. After all, he should have been like shaming, judging her, not allowing her to do this act. Which goes back to what I mentioned earlier.
I don’t think this Pharisee invited the Lord over with a genuine heartfelt motives. So as you watch this take place, this Pharisee was so offended, he felt this act was so scandalous. He said to himself, you know, if Jesus really were a prophet, none of this would have been happening. Because Jesus would know who and what sort of woman she was. This one who he was letting touch him.
Jesus, if he was a prophet, would have known that she was an awful sinner. I don’t know this, I’m just guessing. As the Pharisee was muttering to himself, he probably is like tearing his clothes in disgust, maybe spitting in anger. He was just so angry that the mercy of Jesus allowed this woman to come to him. By faith, I mean he’s like outraged here on the text.
You see, Jesus did know who she was. And he could see the disgust on the Pharisee’s face as he was pridefully Muttering to himself in ways I’m sure the rest of the house could see and hear. So in verse 40, Jesus responds back to him, saying, simon, which was the name of the Pharisee, I want to respond to your thoughts by saying something to you only for this Simon, this Pharisee, to respond, I’m sure in jest, with eyes rolled, with a tone of sarcasm. Okay, then say a teacher. All right, Simon, let me tell you a story, a parable.
Verse 41. So there’s a certain money lender who had two debtors who owed him two different amounts. One of the debtors owed 500 denarii, and this is like an incredibly large sum. So a denarii is about a day’s wage. So 500, this is like a year and a half’s worth of work.
This is a large debt. Then the second debtor owed 50 denarii, still significant amount, but a month and a half or so worth of work. Verse 42, Simon, as time came for the debtors to pay the debt that they owed, neither was able to pay up, neither had the funds. The debt was far more than they could ever repay. And by the way, then, like today, not paying your debts, this comes with consequences, especially a massive debt like 500 denarii, not paying one debt, that’s like breaking the law that could result in prison.
On this story, from Jesus to this Pharisee, rather than the money lender pressing charges against the debtors, he decided that he wanted to show that his mercy was more, it was greater than even their large debts, which in the story, this was actually the only hope for the debtors, that indeed the moneylender would show mercy, which in the story, with great grace, great kindness, great mercy, the money lender, who you know, represents the Lord in this story, did the only thing that he could do to save the debtors from the penalty of the law, and he canceled the debt for both of them forgiven. Which, by the way, this also would have probably been a scandalous thing in this culture for this moneylender to do to show this type of mercy. In this culture, this is a time for the debtors not to or the debt money lender not to show mercy, but to show judgment. This active moneylender probably would have been viewed as like cultural foolishness, not wisdom in our text. After telling the short parable, Jesus then asked Simon, okay, in the story, which one of the two debtors do you think would love the money lender more?
You know? In response to this incredible mercy for Simon correctly answered, verse 43, the one I suppose, you know, probably more eye rolling, more sarcasm. The one I suppose from whom had the larger debt, which makes sense to us as well, right? This is a pretty clear and easy answer to Jesus question. And as Simon gave the right answer, Jesus simply told Simon, yeah, you judged rightly here.
And after Jesus told Simon that he judged rightly in the story, he then pointed out how incorrectly he understood all that just took place with this woman who anointed the feet of Jesus. And even more so how incorrectly he judged Jesus for being so kind and merciful. So verse 44, if you want to take your eyes there, we read. Then Jesus turned towards the woman, said to Simon, hey, do you see this woman? How about this?
Let’s replay some of what took place tonight, okay? Remember when I went into your house, remember how you gave me no water for my feet? Which culturally would have been part of hospitality and honor, particularly for the assumed guest of honor. As he entered the house, the host would greet the guest of honor with water to wash his feet. By the way, this is also why I strongly doubt that Simon invited Jesus over genuine interest to hear more from him and his ministry.
And to me, I did wonder. This week the Pharisees as a whole decided to try a different strategy of Jesus of reasoning with him. No one wanted to do it. So Simon either begrudgingly offered up his house or was like voluntold by others. This is what he’s going to do.
It’s again impossible to know. But in the text, what we do know is that while Simon didn’t offer Jesus water for his feet, the woman did with water coming from her own tears that she used to wipe the feet of Jesus. Likewise, verse 45, Jesus, Simon, hey, remember when I entered in, remember how you gave me no kiss? It’s also expected practice that the host would do for the guests of honor. Well, in contrast, remember that this woman, this sinner, remember from the time I came in, she has not ceased to kiss my feet.
And I actually want to keep going here. Simon, I’m going to keep pressing this point. When I walked in, you didn’t anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with expensive ointment. So Simon, do you see the contrast here between you and her? And can you connect the dots?
The story I just told you, therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven. For she loved much. Which is the response that we are to have to the grace and mercy of God in her life, is that as we receive his love and his mercy in turn, we now love much where we love God and we love others in ways that we are merciful towards others. However, in the text, but he who is forgiven little loves little. Which is specifically condemning Simon here, who’s sure, maybe he invited Jesus into home, although maybe begrudgingly or yeah, in some ways he’s going through the motions, doing the right things.
But at this point it’s clear he has not invited Christ into his life in ways that Simon wanted to, like worship the Lord because he was still in his pride, still resisting the mercy of God, founding Jesus Christ, and in turn he now had no mercy towards others, no love towards others. So you may remember from our past few weeks back how it ended with Jesus saying that wisdom is justified by our children and the children of the woman. The one who received the mercy of Christ was that of great and generous worship by the children, or the fruit of Simon, who resisted Christ, resisted his mercy. His children were of judgment, condemnation, isolating and shaming others who he deemed less than him. And by the way, this actually should be a sober warning to us as well when it comes to the Lord Jesus Christ, where we too can be like Simon, go through the motions in places where Jesus is through His Spirit, but our hearts are not there, where we don’t worship him in ways that reflect his love and his grace and his forgiveness.
In our life as a children, the fruit of our life proves something so much different, no matter how hard we try to cover them up, like the Lord sees through it. Friends, when we know and understand how much we’ve been loved by Jesus, how much mercy he has shown to us through our many sins, when we remember what had to happen for our debts to be forgiven, Christ dying for us, when we understand, when we know these things, now in turn we do the same towards others, where we show love and mercy and grace towards others. Like the text Ephra Kadebi and Simon, Jesus turned his attention back to the woman, this known sinner, and said to the woman, to all who come to him by faith, woman, your sins are forgiven, as great as your sins may be. Take heart, My mercy is more. It’s always more.
No? As Jesus did this for this woman, what should have happened for Simon and the rest of people who were present at this scene? This should have like, softened their hearts in ways that they marveled at the love and grace and kindness and mercy of Jesus who invites sinners to himself. But we see instead what happened is they began to question Jesus. And because Jesus gives no response to them in the Text, I think this was like, not legitimate, heartfelt questions, which we can do.
The Lord does invite heartfelt, legitimate questions, but here in this text, this feels more like sinful, smug, accusatory questioning as they question among themselves, like, who is this Jesus? Who does he think he is that he even forgives sins? They didn’t want Jesus to love this woman. They wanted him to shame and shun her. Now, a couple things here.
First, this question of who can forgive sins? If this sounds familiar to you, in our study of Luke, it was actually the same question that a Pharisee asked when Jesus forgave a paralytic in Luke 5 right before he healed him, which is a question in that text that also was not asked in a heartfelt manner, but also in a more of a sinful, accusatory way. So the second thing I do want to mention here is while the Pharisee in chapter five and those around the table in our text today were wrong in how they sinfully questioned Jesus, they were right and they rightly understood that only God can forgive sins, but they just didn’t understand or believe that indeed Jesus is God in the flesh. Immanuel God was with us. The text the group asked their questions among themselves mentioned Jesus gave them no attention.
This attention continued to be on this woman who he was showing mercy to. And he says to her in verse 50, Woman, your faith has saved you. Go in peace. And it was through faith was where forgiveness for her was found, which me not sure when this woman came to faith. You know, perhaps she was one who was in the crowd who followed Jesus around his earthly ministries and went throughout the area.
Maybe she was one who was present when Jesus preached his great sermon on the plain that we looked at a few weeks back. Maybe she was there when John baptized Jesus as a spirit, descended on the Lord like a dove, and the voice of the Father spoke from heaven. Or perhaps this woman, she was the one actually who Jesus would eat and drink with, that Luke 7:34 spoke about as Jesus was a friend to tax collectors and sinners. He’s a friend to all who by faith come to him where he gives them his peace. Which by the way, in this text, for this woman, I mean, this is an incredible gift that Jesus gave her, not only to be affirmed by Jesus that she was forgiven, that her sins were like scarlet, but now through forgiveness, she’s white as snow.
But also this affirmation that through the forgiveness of Jesus, through his love, through his mercy, she can now live with peace. Friends, there’s no Condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, fully forgiven, fully living under his peace, fully and always under his mercy, which is always more. And finally, we’re going to end this morning to start at verse 8 or chapter 8. See this in verse 1. That soon after this incredible scene took place, we see that Jesus is now back on the move.
And he’s going through cities and villages where he proclaimed through preaching and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God, which is the good news found in his mercy, his forgiveness, his grace, his love. And as Jesus preached His gospel, we see that he was not alone as he did this, but he had others with him, others who also received his mercy, who are now living with peace, who are now living in community with him and with each other. In the text, he had his 12 disciples with him.
For Jesus was so merciful, he called them to Himself, as well as some women who in his mercy, Jesus also called Himself. By the way, I do think it’s important to see that as Jesus is calling, inviting men and women into fellowship with him, with each other, this actually would have been somewhat scandalous for Jesus to do, to particularly invite women into the group. Yet that’s what Jesus did. He welcomed men and women also mentioned in scripture. He also invites children to come to him to receive his mercy and love in the sex.
These women who Jesus called himself women, who on the receiving end of Jesus healing hand, as they were previously healed of evil spirits and infirmities, which in the text included Mary, called Magdalene, from whom Jesus cast out seven demons, and Joanna, the wife of Cuza, who is Herod’s household manager, perhaps the very man that Jesus healed in John 4, and then Susanna and many others who provided for them out of their means. Now, just a few things here. So just take note that this group that’s here, that’s listed, that was with Jesus. This is more like culturally unacceptable people. So we already learned in the study of Luke, some disciples were like lowly fishermen.
We also learned there was like a despised and hated tax collector who in this culture would have been viewed as a traitor. These women listed also culturally unacceptable women as they had evil spirits and infirmities with Mary Magdalene’s seven demons herself. I mean, even Johanna, the wife of Cuza. So he probably worked a pretty important role in Herod’s house, and that’s what had made him her. This couple despised by the rest of Israel.
Here he is, he’s working for the enemy. They’ve been viewed as traitors in much the same way tax collectors were. So this group here, this is not from like the societal elite. This group here would not receive votes for the yearbook for being like most popular, most well liked. I’m going to say again, this group with Jesus, who received mercy from Him.
These are people who are despised by society, yet loved by our Lord, as mentioned again, had mercy on them, even though they probably received no mercy from others. Secondly, just mention the text this providing for them under the means our text ends this indicates that women helped provide for this ministry as they responded to Jesus to His mercy, by being financially generous, much like the woman in our story in chapter seven who generously poured out the expensive perfume on Jesus as an active woman worship. Now the women here in chapter eight, in their generosity out of their own means, help the support of the ministry of Jesus and those who are involved in it. Which by the way, further stresses those who have been loved much by Jesus, who know his mercy in real ways. They’re generous with love and mercy towards others.
His generosity is also a child or a fruit of wisdom found in trusting in Christ and walking in his peace for us. That’s where we’re going to end our text today. But before I end the sermon, I just want to leave you just a few things just to kind of summarize this passage in terms of our own application. So first thing, by faith, receive the mercy of Christ, which really is the most important thing for us to see in this text. Really, the whole scripture teaches us to simply by faith, receive the mercy of Christ, which I say it again, is a mercy that is indeed greater than our sin, no matter how deep and how dark our sin might be.
The mercy of Christ, it always runs deeper. Not when it comes to the mercy of Christ. The temptation is actually to resist it. I think on two, maybe like, opposite ends. The one is like to resist the mercy of Christ because we feel so unworthy of it, where we feel like we have to try to do some type of penance to try to earn mercy, which we can’t do.
Or on the other end, we might try to, like, resist the mercy of Christ because we feel like we don’t need it. We’re in our pride. We don’t see ourselves as a sinner in need of mercy. We don’t feel like we need Jesus. It’s also not true.
So the truth that is there with the mercy of Christ is that we all need it. There is no hope that we have without it. But the good news and the wisdom of God found on the cross of Christ is that mercy is available to us, no matter how sinful we may be or how sinful we may feel. And we are to simply humbly receive it by faith in ways that we want to sin no more. So we can live with peace.
Peace with God, peace with each other. So today, do not resist the mercy of Christ, but by faith receive it.
Trusting in Jesus in ways that his mercy is always more.
Receive the mercy of Christ. Understand, it’s not like a one time mercy that he gives us or like this mercy comes with like a punch card where we only get like so many times. You can appeal to the mercy of Christ. No, it’s always more. It’s new every morning.
The mercy of Christ is always present in our time of need. So just be humble and by faith receive. Don’t resist, but receive the mercy of Christ. Just again, it’s a mercy we all need. Second, by faith, generously pour out your life in worship.
This is what happens when we receive the mercy of Christ is we end up worshiping him for being so kind and loving and merciful to us.
So worship Christ in ways that you like. Care less and less what others may think of you because your focus is so much on Christ where you’re seeking to worship him with more and more humility, with more and more types of generosity, including the generosity in our text of financial generosity as both the woman in chapter seven as well as the women listed in chapter eight. We’re incredibly generous with possessions, with finances, as we worship the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s not just with financial generosity. We should worship the Lord Jesus Christ as we respond to his mercy and love.
Also be generous with your love in response to this mercy. We love Christ and we love others where we’re loving and merciful towards others as well, which by the way, starts with others in this room. As God has knit us together to be his church. We’re to live in community with love and mercy towards one another. Which actually leads the final thing I want to leave us with, which is actually just that by faith, live in community, by being loving, merciful towards one another.
This is the result. This is what happens when the mercy of Christ is on us. We live in community with Christ and community with others, with others always starting in the local church setting. We’re in the local church setting like we’re loving and we’re kind and we’re generous towards one another, like we’re generous with our finances to ensure that the ministry of this church does move forward. By the way, this is part of the church covenant for our members this is something we’ve committed to do.
But it’s not just our generous with our money towards one another, we’re also generous with our love and our mercy towards one another, which is also something we’ve covenanted to do. And let’s just be honest, this is not always an easy thing to do as we live in community to be loving and kind and merciful towards one another. But friends, this is something we must do because if not, if we stop loving each other, stop being merciful towards one another in our community, we’re in danger of actually being like Simon in the text.
Sure. Religious, sure. In some ways around Jesus, with a lack of love and mercy towards one another, it could be a real indicator that we actually don’t have faith in Christ, where we have actually not received his love and mercy in our life. If indeed the children of our faith are more along the lines of division and judgment towards one another, Church, may that not ever be true of us. Rather may we live in community with each other.
Indeed we are loving another generously loving one another, where indeed we are being merciful towards one another, generously merciful towards one another, we strive to have mercy for one another every morning, remembering always how much Christ has done for us, how loving and merciful he has been and continues to be towards us, so that by our love and mercy towards one another, we can stay focused on our collective worship of Christ, the one who is worthy of our worship, and so that we can stay committed to our mission that Christ has given to us, which is a mission, as we see in the text, to take the Gospel throughout cities and villages, throughout all the area and all the ways to the ends of the earth itself. So, yes, Church, I really do love that song that we’re about to sing, His Mercy is More, because that song declares the heart of the gospel found in the wooden cross and the empty tomb of the Lord Jesus Christ, which really ought to mean everything to us in ways that it affects every aspect of our life, that we may live with peace, peace with God, peace with one another. Let’s pray.
Lord, we declare that your mercy is indeed more, And that the blood of Jesus does indeed cover all of our sins, no matter how many they may be.
And Lord, I pray this morning that none of us here would resist this mercy, this love of Christ, but all here would by faith humbly receive it.
Lord, I pray that your love and your mercy for us through Jesus Christ would just compel us to worship Jesus in spirit and in truth. It would compel us to love you well and would compel us to love and be merciful towards one another.
Lord, thank you that you are so generous and so kind and so. Lord, please bless Red Village Church.
And Lord, I do pray that you would help us to stay focused on the worship of you and that you would fan the flame in our hearts to fulfill the mission that you’ve set forth before us. To proclaim the gospel, proclaim the mercy of Christ to the world around us all of our days. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.