No Longer Unwanted

May 24, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Jesus Touches the Untouchable

A leper, exiled and screaming “unclean,” dared approach Jesus. His plea wasn’t about ability but willingness: “If you will…” Jesus didn’t just heal—He touched rotting flesh, defying religious norms. That touch restored more than skin; it gave belonging. Leprosy meant isolation, but Christ’s fingers dissolved barriers. His compassion still reaches those society labels “contaminated,” whether through shame, sin, or stigma. Healing starts when we trust His willingness to draw near. [40:52]

While Jesus was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. (Luke 5:12–13, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you feel “untouchable” today—physically, emotionally, or spiritually? How might Jesus’ deliberate touch redefine your sense of worth?

Day 2: Faith That Tears Through Roofs

Four friends carried a paralyzed man, dismantling a roof to reach Jesus. Their gritty faith—visible in splintered wood and dangling ropes—moved Christ. He didn’t just heal legs; He forgave sins, linking physical and spiritual freedom. True faith acts, even when obstacles seem insurmountable. What roofs need breaking in your life? Whose mat are you called to carry? [48:33]

And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” And he said to the man, “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. (Luke 5:20,24, ESV)

Reflection: Is your faith more private belief or public action? Who in your life needs you to “tear through roofs” to bring them to Jesus?

Day 3: The Party No One Expected

Matthew, a traitor tax collector, left his booth when Jesus said, “Follow me.” He threw a feast—not for the pious, but for sinners like himself. Religious leaders scoffed, but Jesus reclined at the table, declaring outsiders family. Christ still chooses the undesired, turning profit-driven hearts into gospel storytellers. Your past doesn’t disqualify you from His invitation. [54:50]

After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. (Luke 5:27–28, ESV)

Reflection: What parts of your story feel “uninvitable” to God’s kingdom work? How might Jesus repurpose your past for His feast?

Day 4: Tears as Anointing Oil

A known sinner washed Jesus’ feet with tears and hair—a scandalous act of raw repentance. Her lavish love flowed from forgiven debt. Simon the Pharisee saw defilement; Jesus saw devotion. Shame dissolves where grace is received. No sin is too stained for Christ’s redemption. What broken alabaster jars do you clutch, fearing to pour out? [59:32]

Then turning toward 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. Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:44–48, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you withheld worship because of shame? How might your forgiven brokenness become a gift to honor Jesus?

Day 5: From Tombs to Testimony

A demon-possessed man lived naked among graves, chained by darkness. Jesus didn’t flinch at his screams. With a word, He restored sanity and dignity. The townsfolk feared the miracle, but the healed man became an evangelist. Christ still speaks peace to chaotic minds and liberates those trapped in emotional or spiritual tombs. [01:02:21]

Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. (Luke 8:35, ESV)

Reflection: What “tombs” isolate you—fear, addiction, or despair? How might sitting at Jesus’ feet rewrite your story from outcast to ambassador?

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- Luke 5:12-14 (ESV): "While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, 'Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.' And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, 'I will; be clean.' And immediately the leprosy left him."
- Luke 5:17-26 (ESV): "And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed... And when he saw their faith, he said, 'Man, your sins are forgiven you.'... 'But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins'—he said to the man who was paralyzed—'I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.'"
- Luke 7:36-50 (ESV): "And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner... brought an alabaster flask of ointment... Then [Jesus] said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven... Your faith has saved you; go in peace.'"

Observation questions

In Luke 5:12-14, what specific action did Jesus take to heal the leper, and why was this action culturally significant? [41:46]
How did the friends of the paralyzed man demonstrate their faith in Jesus, according to Luke 5:17-26? [49:06]
What two things did Jesus give the paralyzed man that exceeded his physical healing? [51:01]
What did the sinful woman in Luke 7:36-50 use to anoint Jesus’ feet, and how did Jesus respond to her actions? [01:00:43]

Interpretation questions

Why do you think Jesus chose to touch the leper (Luke 5:13) instead of just speaking healing, especially given the social and religious risks? [45:18]
Jesus told the paralyzed man, “Your sins are forgiven” before healing him. How does this order (forgiveness first, healing second) reveal His priorities? [51:28]
The Pharisee criticized the sinful woman’s act of worship, but Jesus defended her. What does this contrast teach about the relationship between forgiveness, love, and cultural expectations? [59:54]

Application questions

The leper asked Jesus, “If you will…” (Luke 5:12). Are there areas in your life where you’ve hesitated to ask God for help because you doubted His willingness? How can you approach Him differently? [46:36]
The paralytic’s friends took bold, visible steps to bring him to Jesus. Who in your life might need you to “dismantle a roof” (figuratively) to help them encounter Christ? What practical step could you take this week? [49:30]
Jesus told the forgiven woman, “Go in peace” (Luke 7:50). How might experiencing deep forgiveness free you to love others more openly or worship God more boldly? [01:01:03]
The demon-possessed man was restored to “clarity” and purpose. Are there areas of emotional, spiritual, or relational “chaos” in your life where you need to ask Jesus for deliverance or steady sanity? [01:03:29]
Matthew left everything to follow Jesus immediately. What habits, relationships, or priorities might God be asking you to leave behind to fully embrace His call? [54:50]

Sermon Summary

“No longer unwanted” names what Jesus does to outsiders in Luke. The leper full of sores falls on his face and appeals not to power but to willingness, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” Jesus stretches out his hand and touches him, and immediately the disease leaves. The touch is the point. Compassion crosses the six-foot cordon and the 150-foot wind rule. The Holy One risks being counted unclean so an untouchable can be counted clean. Even the worst outcast finds access to God’s blessing.

The paralytic arrives on a mat because four friends refuse to let a crowded doorway define the day. Faith can be seen. Roof tiles come off, ropes go down, and Jesus gives more than they asked for, forgiveness and then healing, so that all may know the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. Paralysis is not only physical. Emotional, spiritual, and relational stuck-ness bows to Christ’s word.

Matthew the tax collector sits in his booth, still sinning, when Jesus says, “Follow me.” No entrance exam. No cleanup first. Jesus wanted Matthew when no one wanted Matthew. A feast follows, because new allegiance must be named. “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” Grace seats traitors at the family table and calls them to a new purpose.

A woman known only as “a sinner” slips into a Pharisee’s house with an alabaster flask. Tears wet his feet, hair wipes, kisses bless, ointment pours. Jesus tells a debt story to expose the math of mercy. Forgiven much, she loves much, and he names her future, “Your sins are forgiven… your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” Shame gives way to dignity.

A man among tombs, naked and bleeding, meets Jesus on the shore. Legion begs. Pigs rush. Silence falls. The once-tormented sits clothed and in his right mind at Jesus’ feet. Any oppression that keeps a life disordered, addicted, or unproductive meets a higher authority in Christ.

Jesus knows unwantedness firsthand. Nazareth tries to throw him out. Synagogues conspire against him. Townsmen ask him to leave. The crowd prefers Barabbas. So his arms stay open to the unwanted because he has been unwanted. The call is simple and specific: come and ask Jesus for healing, for breakthrough, for new purpose, for forgiveness, for deliverance. Try God. In Christ, no one is beyond the reach of grace.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus is willing to touch outcasts His touch is not a stunt but a sign that presence precedes power. The leper asks about willingness because rejection had trained him to expect a no. Jesus answers with a hand on infected skin and a clean verdict. Any who feel invisible are invited to come with confidence through the cross. [46:36]
2. Faith takes visible, costly steps The friends do not admire Jesus from the street; they dismantle a roof. Such faith lays reputation, convenience, and effort on the line to bring another to Christ. When faith is seen, forgiveness surprises and healing follows, revealing authority that words alone could hide. [49:06]
3. Grace calls the hated to purpose Matthew is chosen mid-shift, mid-sin, and he leaves everything because he has been wanted by Someone better. The table becomes a pulpit where new allegiance is announced, not to wealth or status but to Jesus. Discipleship starts at “Follow me,” long before a résumé looks worthy. [54:50]
4. Forgiven much, love much, live in peace Tears, hair, and perfume preach repentance louder than arguments about defilement. Jesus names her pardon and hands her back her dignity, sending her out in peace. Deep release from guilt becomes deep affection for Christ and makes public love feel natural, not forced. [60:43]
5. Christ restores tormented lives to clarity The man among tombs becomes the man at Jesus’ feet, clothed, calm, and clear-eyed. Demonic chaos yields to the voice that orders storms and souls alike. Deliverance is not only spectacular; it is steady sanity that opens space for vocation, community, and worship. [63:29]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[37:28] - Series wrap and New Testament focus
[38:17] - Title and prayer: No longer unwanted
[40:30] - A leper asks, “If you will”
[41:46] - Jesus touches the unclean
[48:33] - Friends lower the paralytic
[51:01] - Authority to forgive and heal
[54:28] - Jesus calls Levi the tax collector
[57:00] - Physician for the sick
[58:38] - A sinful woman anoints Jesus
[60:43] - “Your sins are forgiven”
[62:21] - Legion at Gerasenes
[64:44] - Jesus knows rejection
[67:02] - Next steps and invitations
[71:49] - Closing prayer

Sermon Clips

44s

#JesusWantedMatthew

“Although deeply despised and unwanted by everyone, everyone else, guess what? Jesus wanted Matthew. Hear what I said? Jesus. No one wanted Matthew, but Jesus wanted Matthew. This sin sinner of all sinners. What is interesting here is that a student or or a disciple of a rabbi, Jesus was a rabbi, a disciple had to go through a rigorous sort of process or application to become a follower. In other words, only the smartest and the best the best are picked and asked to come follow me by a rabbi.”

31s

#GraceForEveryone

“Here's the thing. I hope and pray that the series has helped you to see that that no one, and I mean no one, is beyond the reach of God's grace. When you feel abandoned, rejected, and even unwanted by the world, by your friends, and maybe even your own family, Know that there is god who will never leave you or forsake you. That's a promise that we we have in the scripture, in the bible.”

37s

#TryJesus

“here's what I'll what I say to to all of you. Try him. My my daughter has a T shirt that says, try god. How about that? Try god. Because if you try everything else and nothing is going right for you, try god. Try Jesus. What what am I trying to say? You can be the outers, most fringe of the society, and Jesus and guess what? He will still accept you when you confess and commit. He's not gonna turn you away.”

39s

#JesusCallsSinners

“By the way, Matthew probably had his friends over because he was trying to show them to whom his new allegiance belonged to. Not his wealth, not his power, not his position, not his money, but not none of that. But his new allegiance belongs to Jesus Christ. And when the religious leaders complain to Jesus, what what does Jesus say? The way he responds, those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick, I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. He knows how to put people in in their place, doesn't he?”

33s

#TouchOfCompassion

“I say this is remarkable because Jesus did not have to touch the man. He could've just spoken a word or thought a thought. K? That would have been sufficient, but he did reach out and touch the man, breaking the social and the religious norm of the day of staying away from lepers. You're not supposed to go near one. But here Jesus reaches out and touches him. And you know what? He did it out of compassion. He did it out of kindness.”

49s

#TaxCollectorTurnedDisciple

“But Matthew was still a tax collector, still working in his tax booth, still sinning when Jesus called him. And the rest is history. When called, Matthew immediately stops everything he does, whatever he was doing, and went with Jesus. What's happening here? Well, I think Jesus saw in Matthew that which no one else saw and picked him or picked him up, so to speak. So then Matthew throws Jesus a big feast, a great banquet with many other tax collectors. And when when the religious leaders see this, they scoff at Jesus for attending a sinner's party.”

34s

#FaithOnDisplay

“Or is it tucked away in in closet somewhere that nobody knows that we're even Christians? Or do people actually see that we are of Christ that that that they see faith in us? Is it visible to the world? Anyway, you know, that was more than what he came seeking for, more than what he anticipated or hoped for, but praise god, all because his friends, before their own needs, considered the need of this man who could not walk.”

41s

#FamilyInChrist

“But more than that, he consider Matthew part of his family. Yeah. Family. Well, usually, how do I know this? Usually, this kind of party celebration with meals involve people that you're close with, like like family. So by Jesus attending this, he's saying, yes. I am part of the family. You're part of the family. We're together now. Look. The the hope that brings brings us is that anyone can come to Jesus no matter the past, no matter your background, no matter your messed up life.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Flow Vineyard Church This sermon · AI assistant

Does Jesus prioritize willingness over ability to heal?

How does visible faith produce physical and spiritual breakthrough?

What marks the transition from unwanted to wanted?

No Longer Unwanted

Devotional

Day 1: When Jesus Touches the Untouchable

Day 2: Faith That Tears Through Roofs

Day 3: The Party No One Expected

Day 4: Tears as Anointing Oil

Day 5: From Tombs to Testimony

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Sermon Clips

No Longer Unwanted

Share