Your sins are forgiven for what?

Frankie Kim

Yorkton Alliance Church / Luke 7:36–8:3

Luke 7:36-8:3

1.  When I read news stories, one question often comes to mind: 'What is the purpose of people's lives?' The news stories we come across provide us with a wealth of information. They inform us about ongoing sales at stores, offer guidance on healthy eating habits, and introduce us to new car models. Additionally, they shed light on the efforts politicians are making to enhance our overall prosperity." Living our lives based on the information we gather from news stories is a widespread practice. It's something we all engage in, irrespective of our beliefs, including those who don't believe in Jesus. But how does this apply to us, as believers? I firmly believe that our lives have meaning and purpose because of Jesus—His calling, the salvation He has bestowed upon us, and the teachings He has imparted to us. Now, before we listen, let's take a moment to close our eyes and focus our thoughts on Jesus. Our primary purpose is not to improve our lives, amass wealth, or strive to be better person—those are secondary considerations. Our true purpose is to worship Jesus Christ and God the Father, who has saved us with His love. Let us invite the love of Jesus to permeate every aspect of our lives and serve as a testimony to His name. Let us surrender our hearts and personal desires, allowing Jesus to guide our thoughts.

2. Whenever I read the Bible, it reminds me of the first time I met Jesus. I had been attending church for over ten years, but I didn't believe in Jesus and went to church without faith. Then one day, I ended up going to a prayer meeting with a friend. After that, I wanted to know Jesus, so I read the Bible three times for six months and received Jesus into my life. Through the Bible, I encountered Jesus and realized why He came to this world and what He did for me. That's why every time, when I read the Bible, I can recall the moment when I met Jesus. In terms of our faith, the most important thing is to believe in Jesus Christ and to encounter Him in our lives. Without knowing Jesus Christ and having faith in Him, our faith cannot grow naturally and spiritually. Furthermore, if Jesus is absent from Christianity, if worshiping Him is no longer considered important, then our faith and Christianity itself become meaningless. 

3. My planned sermon schedule was to resume the letter of 1 Peter, but before I got to that, I thought it would be good to cover our faith and what it means to live by faith, so I prepared a different Bible verse than I had planned. Today's Bible verse which I picked illustrates the story of a woman who encountered Jesus and highlights the significance of meeting Him. In summary, a Pharisee invited Jesus to his home and during the dinner, a woman came and poured expensive perfume on Jesus' feet, then wiped them with her hair. It was her way of honoring and showing reverence to Jesus. Afterwards, the Pharisee questioned how Jesus could allow a sinner to touch His feet. In response, Jesus discussed the concept of forgiveness and told a story about who received greater forgiveness. Now, let us read Luke 7:36-50.

Luke 7:36–39 NKJV

Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”

Luke 7:40–43 (NKJV)

And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.” “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.”

Luke 7:44–47 NKJV

Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

Luke 7:48–50 (NKJV)

Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

3. In today's passage, the part I want to emphasize is not the perfume brought by the woman but rather the response Jesus gave to Peter. Jesus focuses on the concept of forgiveness through the story of two debtors—one owing like $10,000 and the other owing like $1,000—who were unable to repay their debts. The master in the story forgave both of their debts completely and they no more repaid their debt. Jesus now uses this story to speak about the topic of forgiveness.

4. Jesus' ministry involved many significant aspects, but one of the most important was His forgiveness of sinners. This holds great meaning because, during Jesus' ministry in the first century, sinners were not allowed to enter the assembly of the Israelites in Jerusalem. The concept of illness and sin carried similar implications at that time. Once someone became an illness which meant sinner, they had to be isolated from worship and the Israelite community following Torah. It was as if the entire nation was operating under a kind of COVID-19 quarantine protocol. As a result, surrounding areas of Jerusalem, not in Jerusalem, were filled with sinners and the sick, particularly in the region of Samaria where there were numerous afflicted individuals. Therefore, the region where Jesus primarily healed the sick was the area of Samaria. However, after Jesus healed the sick, He often used the expression, "Your sins are forgiven," to them.

Luke 7:48 NLT

Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Matthew 9:1–2 NIV

Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”

5. Why did Jesus connect the healing of the sick with the proclamation of their sins being forgiven? There are several reasons for this. As mentioned earlier, in Israel, individuals afflicted with diseases were strictly prohibited from participating in the Israelite assembly or engaging in any form of worship. If they became sick and were labeled as sinners, they were unable to worship, which meant they had no way of encountering God. However, after their healing, if the priests were to declare that their sins were forgiven because they were no longer afflicted, they would be able to participate in worship again. This signified their restoration to the community and their ability to approach God without the barrier of sin and illness. It was a declaration of both their spiritual and physical healing, allowing them to rejoin the worshiping community. However, for various reasons, the priests stopped proclaiming forgiveness of sins without a special gift being provided to them in the first century. They seemed to avoid examining people's diseases or addressing the matter of sin, resulting in a lack of forgiveness declaration unless a specific offering was presented to the priest.

6. Through this, we can understand the concept of righteousness. The concept of Justification implies more than just being psychologically justified. It signifies that we, who were afflicted by our own illnesses and were unable to be with God or stand before Him due to our sins, have now been healed by Jesus Christ. Through His healing, He proclaims that our sins are forgiven, another meaning is our guilty are cleared or removed, and we are made righteous, which means we now are able to stand before God once again. It signifies our restoration as beings who can be in the presence of God. Therefore, being justified in Christ does not mean that our existence has become morally flawless and perfect. Instead, it signifies that our sins have been forgiven, and we should no longer return to the realm of sin. It means living according to the will of God, following the guidance of the Holy Spirit sent by Jesus. It implies a life no longer lived in sin but lived in communion with God.

Matthew 9:4–7 NKJV

But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” And he arose and departed to his house.

7. Therefore, those who have experienced the forgiveness of Jesus have become new people. Just like the paralyzed man who, after being healed, got up, carried his mat, and went home, we are able to walk in the power that Jesus has given us. Our existence has been completely transformed because of Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:17 AMP

Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!

8. Therefore, as believers who have been justified by faith and have become new creations, we are individuals who uplift and honor God, living in accordance with the new way of life that He has bestowed upon us. We no longer adhere to the ways of the past but strive for what is heavenly, demonstrating God's holiness through our actions. The individuals who have received forgiveness and justification are Christians, followers of Jesus who acknowledge Him as their Savior and endeavor to emulate Him as His disciples. Those who have been justified and forgiven by Jesus experience a transformed way of life, a new sense of purpose and direction, and a renewed perspective that reflects the holiness of God.

1 Peter 1:13–16 NKJV

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

9. My father didn't pay much attention to our family, and he didn't know how to raise me properly. I lived with a constant burden of guilt because I could not know how to live my life and which direction or teaching I should follow when I was young. Because I lost my way, I had live with a constant burden of guilt. It pressed on my life everyday. “My guilty told me that your life is failure. That is why your parents have neglected you since you were born.” It was not a sin problem. It was the problem from the inside in me. However, when I met Jesus at the age of 22, His words, "Your sins are forgiven," became the strength that enabled me to rise again before God. He removed my burden of guilt, and I was able to find the way in Jesus Christ, and Jesus has started leading me to a completely different life. Jesus became the guiding light and direction for my life, and I chose to live a life following Him.

I was a wretch I remember who I was / I was lost I was blind I was running out of time / Sin separated the breach was far too wide / But from the far side of the chasm / You had me in Your sight

So You made a way across the great divide / Left behind Heaven's throne to build it here inside / There at the cross You paid the debt I owed/ Broke my chains freed my soul / For the first time I had hope

Thank You Jesus for the blood applied / Thank You Jesus it has washed me white / Thank You Jesus You have saved my life / Brought me from the darkness into glorious light

10. In the Bible, when people encountered Jesus, they were restored, overcome their guilt, and healed by the power of Jesus. They realized who they were and what they had lost. They couldn't see their lives with their eyes, but in Jesus Christ they began to see their lives with new eyes. Likewise, Jesus healed me, removed my guilt, and called me out of darkness into His marvelous light. Therefore, I believe and confirm that Jesus is the one who will heal us, guide us, along His path because Jesus is everything to us. He is our hope, our Savior, and our everlasting God who remains with us.

Communion (Lord’s Supper)

Today, we have the Lord’s Supper, also known as communion. It is a memorial supper that allows us to remember Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, and his work and love. In our church, anyone, including children, who share the same faith and mindset are welcome to participate in this Supper, regardless of whether they have been baptized. It is "same faith and mindset," which we share a belief in Jesus Christ and His teachings:

1. Jesus is my Lord and Savior.

2. He died on the cross and was resurrected from the dead after three days.

3. Following Jesus as a disciple is important to me because He is a perfect example for how I should live my life. I strive to follow in His footsteps and live a life that honors Him.

If we accept and follow this statement, we can join this Communion which is the Lord’s Supper.

“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat, this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” “In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

We are now able to approach the table and partake of a piece of bread and a cup. Please come forward and have the bread and the cup. And, please meditate on God’s love, which is Jesus Christ, Our Lord until the whole congregants have them.

Dear Lord, Heavenly Father,

We come before you today in remembrance of your sacrifice through the communion. Your grace, greatness, and majesty are beyond measure. Through your sacrifice, we are able to come into your presence and be with you. Your Resurrection has given us a new beginning, where old things have passed away, and new things have come. Heavenly Father, we desire to live a life that glorifies you. We ask that you guide us through our faith and life, so that we may live according to your will and not our own. We pray that the Holy Spirit will empower us to do your work and lead us in the right direction. In your great name, we pray, Amen.

Benediction

Hebrews 13:20–21 NKJV

Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.