Extravagant Worship: The Power of Forgiveness and Love
Summary
### Summary
In today's sermon, we delved into the story from Luke 7:36-50, where Jesus is invited to dine at the house of Simon the Pharisee. The narrative centers around a woman known for her sinful life who enters the Pharisee's house uninvited, carrying an alabaster jar of perfume. Despite the judgmental stares and whispers, she approaches Jesus, weeping and washing His feet with her tears, wiping them with her hair, and anointing them with the perfume. This act of extravagant worship and humility stands in stark contrast to Simon's lack of hospitality towards Jesus.
The sermon emphasized the woman's burden to be in the presence of Jesus, driven by a previous encounter where she experienced His teachings on forgiveness and the lifting of heavy burdens. Her actions were a profound display of gratitude and worship, reflecting her deep understanding of Jesus' love and forgiveness. In contrast, Simon's skepticism and judgment revealed his spiritual blindness and lack of understanding of Jesus' true nature.
Jesus uses this moment to teach Simon and the others present about forgiveness and love. He tells a parable of two debtors, one who owed much and one who owed little, both of whom were forgiven. Jesus points out that the one who was forgiven more would love more, highlighting the woman's actions as a demonstration of her great love and gratitude for the forgiveness she received.
The sermon concluded with a call to worship, urging the congregation to reflect on their own lives and the forgiveness they have received. It encouraged an "anyhow" spirit—worshiping God extravagantly and without reservation, regardless of others' opinions. True worship, it was emphasized, is costly and comes from a deep place of gratitude and acknowledgment of God's grace and mercy.
### Key Takeaways
1. Extravagant Worship: The woman's act of washing Jesus' feet with her tears and anointing them with perfume was a profound display of worship. True worship is not just about words or gestures but involves our whole being—our emotions, actions, and heart. It is costly and requires us to give our best to God, just as the woman gave her most precious possession. [28:46]
2. Burden for God's Presence: The woman felt a deep burden to be where Jesus was, driven by her previous encounters with His teachings on forgiveness and lifting burdens. This burden led her to crash the Pharisee's party, showing that a true encounter with Jesus creates an insatiable desire to be in His presence, regardless of societal norms or judgments. [19:05]
3. Forgiveness and Love: Jesus' parable of the two debtors illustrates that those who are forgiven much love much. The woman's actions were a testament to her understanding of the depth of her forgiveness, contrasting with Simon's lack of hospitality and understanding. This teaches us that recognizing the magnitude of our forgiveness should lead to greater love and gratitude towards God. [40:36]
4. Breaking Social Norms for Worship: The woman broke through social norms and judgments to worship Jesus. Her actions teach us that true worship often requires us to step out of our comfort zones and disregard societal expectations. Worshiping God should be our primary focus, and we should not let the fear of others' opinions hold us back. [52:30]
5. Transformation Through Worship: The woman's life was transformed from that moment forward. Jesus acknowledged her faith and forgave her sins, leading to a changed life. This highlights the transformative power of genuine worship and faith in Jesus, encouraging us to seek a similar transformation through our own acts of worship and devotion. [53:31]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[08:08] - Jesus and the Pharisees
[09:43] - Simon's Intentions
[11:02] - Hospitality Customs
[14:46] - Jesus' Humility
[16:22] - The Woman's Burden
[19:05] - Crashing the Party
[20:41] - The Alabaster Box
[22:14] - The Woman's Reputation
[24:06] - An Anyhow Spirit
[25:09] - Washing Jesus' Feet
[27:46] - Letting Down Her Hair
[29:16] - True Worship
[32:31] - The Awkward Silence
[34:27] - Simon's Thoughts
[36:18] - Jesus Reads Simon's Heart
[38:00] - The Parable of the Debtors
[41:09] - Extravagant Worship
[44:11] - The Fragrance of Faith
[47:29] - Worship and Gratitude
[50:07] - A Call to Worship
[53:31] - Transformation Through Worship
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
- Luke 7:36-50
#### Observation Questions
1. What actions did the woman take when she entered Simon the Pharisee's house, and how did these actions contrast with Simon's behavior towards Jesus? [14:46]
2. What was the significance of the alabaster jar of perfume that the woman brought with her? [20:41]
3. How did Jesus use the parable of the two debtors to teach Simon and the others about forgiveness and love? [38:00]
#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think the woman felt such a strong burden to be in Jesus' presence, even though she was not invited to the banquet? [19:05]
2. How does the woman's act of washing Jesus' feet with her tears and anointing them with perfume demonstrate her understanding of Jesus' love and forgiveness? [27:46]
3. In what ways did Simon's skepticism and judgment reveal his spiritual blindness and lack of understanding of Jesus' true nature? [34:27]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt a deep burden to be in God's presence. What drove you to seek Him, and how did it impact your faith? [19:05]
2. The woman gave her most precious possession to Jesus as an act of worship. What is something valuable to you that you can offer to God as a sign of your gratitude and worship? [21:13]
3. How can you cultivate an "anyhow" spirit in your worship, where you are willing to worship God extravagantly and without reservation, regardless of others' opinions? [24:06]
4. Think about a time when you experienced God's forgiveness in a profound way. How did that experience change your perspective on worship and gratitude? [40:36]
5. The woman broke through social norms to worship Jesus. Are there any societal expectations or personal fears that are holding you back from fully worshiping God? How can you overcome them? [52:30]
6. Jesus acknowledged the woman's faith and forgave her sins, leading to a transformed life. How can you seek a similar transformation through your own acts of worship and devotion? [53:31]
7. How can you make your worship more costly and heartfelt, ensuring it comes from a deep place of gratitude and acknowledgment of God's grace and mercy? [50:46]
Devotional
Day 1: Extravagant Worship
The woman's act of washing Jesus' feet with her tears and anointing them with perfume was a profound display of worship. True worship is not just about words or gestures but involves our whole being—our emotions, actions, and heart. It is costly and requires us to give our best to God, just as the woman gave her most precious possession. [28:46]
2 Samuel 24:24 (ESV): "But the king said to Araunah, 'No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.' So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver."
Reflection: What is one precious thing in your life that you can offer to God as an act of worship today? How can you give your best to Him in a tangible way?
Day 2: Burden for God's Presence
The woman felt a deep burden to be where Jesus was, driven by her previous encounters with His teachings on forgiveness and lifting burdens. This burden led her to crash the Pharisee's party, showing that a true encounter with Jesus creates an insatiable desire to be in His presence, regardless of societal norms or judgments. [19:05]
Psalm 42:1-2 (ESV): "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?"
Reflection: Reflect on a time when you felt a deep longing to be in God's presence. What steps can you take today to prioritize spending time with Jesus, even if it means breaking away from your usual routine?
Day 3: Forgiveness and Love
Jesus' parable of the two debtors illustrates that those who are forgiven much love much. The woman's actions were a testament to her understanding of the depth of her forgiveness, contrasting with Simon's lack of hospitality and understanding. This teaches us that recognizing the magnitude of our forgiveness should lead to greater love and gratitude towards God. [40:36]
Colossians 3:13 (ESV): "Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."
Reflection: Think of someone in your life you need to forgive. Can you ask God to help you begin to extend His love and forgiveness to them today?
Day 4: Breaking Social Norms for Worship
The woman broke through social norms and judgments to worship Jesus. Her actions teach us that true worship often requires us to step out of our comfort zones and disregard societal expectations. Worshiping God should be our primary focus, and we should not let the fear of others' opinions hold us back. [52:30]
Galatians 1:10 (ESV): "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from worshiping God fully because of fear of others' opinions? How can you take a bold step to worship Him without reservation today?
Day 5: Transformation Through Worship
The woman's life was transformed from that moment forward. Jesus acknowledged her faith and forgave her sins, leading to a changed life. This highlights the transformative power of genuine worship and faith in Jesus, encouraging us to seek a similar transformation through our own acts of worship and devotion. [53:31]
Romans 12:1-2 (ESV): "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
Reflection: What is one area of your life that needs transformation? How can you present this area to God in worship and allow Him to renew and transform you?
Quotes
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "Have you ever had a burden? I'm talking about you. That was a heavy burden. Something that was so heavy that you felt that you had to do something. Is there anyone that's ever had a burden on them to do something, to move, to accomplish something and you just felt that it was so important for you to, I've to do this one thing. I've got to be in something. I've got to be in service. I've got to be at work. I've got to do this one thing. It's important to me. I can't miss it." [16:22] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Somewhere along the line she had heard the Lord speaking about forgiveness. She had heard the Lord speaking about you can come before God with the darkest of sin and the darkest of a past but God is greater than your past. God is greater than your sin. God is a turn around God. God is a wake up kind of God. I'll wake you to a new life. I'll wake you to a new destiny. God is the kind of God that will bring you out." [18:01] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "When you think, on the goodness of God, when you think, that means you need to meditate on it. When you think on the goodness of God, there ought to be something that rises up that becomes a fragrance to the Lord. There ought to be something that begins to move. Jesus said, to those that have been forgiven much, Hallelujah, there's going to be much fragrance. There's going to be much praise. There's going to be much love." [48:29] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "Worship is an outflow of your gratitude. Worship is an acknowledgement of what God has done for you. Worship is true worship. It's costly. It's costly. You can't have a stingy spirit with God. Don't think that you can worship God on a budget. Don't think you can worship God stingily. Don't think you can worship God while you hold back. Worship is going to cost you something. It should cost you something. She gave her all." [50:46] (57 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "She was a changed woman from that moment forward. She didn't carry sin from that moment forward. She was no longer a woman of the streets, but she was a woman of God. She was going to live a life that was changed from that moment forward. She was going to walk in the peace of Jesus from that moment forward. She was not going to be the same. I'm praying right now as I call you to worship that this will be the moment of your change. That this will be the moment that you change forever." [53:00] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
### Quotes for Members
1. "When Jesus came to the house, none of the servants had him sit on the stool. None of the servants offered to wash his feet. The main man of the feast, the Pharisee, we know his name as Simon, he would have greeted Jesus because he had to escort him to his place at the table. But he didn't anoint him with oil. He didn't refresh him. He didn't give him a kiss to acknowledge that he was notable and important and deserved a blessing." [14:46] (58 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "She said I'm going to I have not been invited to the banquet but I'm going to crash this party. I'm crashing the party. I'm going to be where he is. We know that this was a planned thing on her part. We understand it because she had with her this alabaster box. We don't know how long she had planned it. It may have been in the moment it may have been over the course of days it may have been over the course of his ministry but somewhere along the line this thing burst in her." [20:11] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "She began to kiss his feet. Some of y'all might say Lord I ain't kissing nobody's feet. I ain't touching nobody's feet. I ain't kissing nobody's feet. But hallelujah there's something powerful in the fact that she kissed his feet. And the Bible says it wasn't a peck. It wasn't a one time thing. It wasn't mmm I'm going to turn my nose up. I'm going to close my nose and I'm going to kiss him on the feet one time symbolically. But the Bible lets us know that there was an outrush of love that came from her." [28:16] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "True worship ain't just what you say. True worship ain't just a cup of your hands. But true worship is all of you. Hallelujah. It was her emotion. It was her heart. It was her action. When it's time to worship the Lord it's not just a clap. It's not just a shout. The Lord says they will worship me with their lips but their heart is far from me. When we worship the Lord it has to come from some place deep inside of us." [29:16] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "When I came into your house, your servants ignored the King of Glory. When I came into the house, when I came into the house, when God walked in your house, when I came into your abode, you ignored me. You sent your servants to set me aside. You set me on the shelf. You set me beside. Oh, you did nothing. When I came in, hallelujah, you set me aside. You wouldn't wash my feet. But this woman, somebody ought to say, that woman, somebody ought to say, that's got to be me." [41:09] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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