LESSON 1
Luke 7:36-50
“To whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.”
Which character are you? Simon or the prostitute?
*Be careful in your judgement of Simon because he isn’t that different from us. We live in an external or physical world. Had a bad day? Go buy something! Made your wife upset? Buy her jewelry! Jealous of a neighbor? Buy a new car to park in the driveway! All these very real reactions are external. None of them fix the internal issues of the heart.
What is the underlying truth of this story? Simon has asked Jesus to eat with him. However, Simon forgoes the normal treatment of an honored guest because of his concern for his own reputation with other pharisees. Does that remind us of anyone? How often do we allow our concern of those around us dictate the level of passion we display?
The woman already had her sin on display for everyone to see, she had stopped caring what everyone else thought long ago. This freedom from other people’s opinions allowed her to understand the true weight of who she was and therefore what Jesus had done for her.
Are you honest about who you are with yourself? Until we confront the truth about ourselves, we will never be able to embrace the truly incredible love Christ has given to us. What would happen if we started treating our sin like Christ told us to in the Sermon on the Mount?
Matthew 5:18-48
“You think, but I say…”
- I’m imperfect
- I’m only human
- It runs in my family
- I made a mistake
- It wasn’t that big of a deal
We must learn to see sin specifically and intentionally, instead of generally and minimally.
Consider David in Psalm 51
Psalms 51:1-19
“truth in the inward parts…”
David is King, beloved throughout Israel, while his sin with Bathsheba was bad, only rumors exist about the sudden marriage and quick birth of their son. Why bring it to the public eye by putting it in a song book? Why put that song on the album? David understood, that without an acknowledgement of truth, there would be no testimony of grace!
What would happen if your biggest and darkest secret where to come out? What if everyone knew? What if we could stop living under the guilt and shame and insecurity of the hidden truth within, and began living with the confidence and boldness that can only be found in Christ?
If your sin wasn’t really that bad, what was the point of Jesus? Remember what Jesus said three different times, “I came not to call the Righteous, but sinners to repentance.” – Matthew 9:13 / Mark 2:17 / Luke 5:32
What if Jesus life was less about showing us how to live, and more about revealing who we really are?
1Corinthians 6:9-11
“Such were some of you…”
1Corinthians 5:17-21
“He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God IN HIM.
Brock's Thoughts 
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