The Sinful Woman
Luke 7:36-50
Objective Sentence: Everyone can experience a change of heart by following the steps taken by the Sinful Woman on the road she traveled in receiving forgiveness of sin and new life through faith in God.

Opening Statement: Story of Bible in the trash…

Initial Invitation

#1. Respond to Conviction (Luke 7:37 brought an alabaster flask)

A. Oswald Chambers: Very few of us know anything about conviction of sin. We know the experience of being disturbed because we have done wrong things. But conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit blots out every relationship on earth and makes us aware of only one—Against You God, Against You Only have I sinned (Psalm 51:4)

1. Conviction is a gift of God’s mercy a warning indicator that is sounding off before impact (2 Corinthians 7:10)
a. Oswald Chambers: Christ’s death was not something that happened to Him—something that might have been prevented. His death was the very reason He came. God forgives sin only because of the death of Christ. Jesus became a curse for us by divine decree. Our part in realizing the tremendous meaning of His curse is the conviction of sin. Conviction is given to us as a gift of shame and repentance; it is the great mercy of God.
b. John Tauler: Those who have never felt anxiety on account of their sins are in the most dangerous condition of all.
c. Ted Roberts; Pure Desire: One of the devil’s favorite tactics is to let us acknowledge God’s conviction, to allow us to acknowledge we have a problem. But nothing ever changes, because we think the conviction itself means we’ve changed. Instead the acknowledgement is simply the warning indicators being set off on the instrument panel of our souls just prior to impact.
d. Psalms 51:10-12
c. Zondervan Bible Dictionary: Although the word conviction is never used in the KJV, both Testaments give many illustrations of the experience. In the NT the central passage bearing on this theme is John 16:7-11, where Jesus sa7s that when the Holy Spirit comes “He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness and judgment. Here the word “reprove” means “convince” or “prove guilty.” The thought is that the Holy Spirit addresses the heart of the guilty and shows how inadequate ordinary standards of righteousness are. The purpose of conviction is to lead to godly repentance.
d. Vines: Greek—Elencho: to convict, confute, refute, usually with the suggestion of putting the convicted person to shame.

#2. Change Direction (Luke 7:37 …sinner…in Pharisees house)
Acts 2:38 Repent—be baptized—receive the Holy Spirit

A. Gordon MacDonald: Repentance is not basically a religious word. It comes from a culture where people were essentially nomadic and lived in a world with no maps or street signs. It's easy to get lost walking through the desert. You become aware that the countryside is strange. You finally say to yourself, I'm going in the wrong direction. That's the first act of repentance. The second act of repentance is to go in an alternate direction. It implies that you not only do this but you admit it to your companions. We all do this whether or not we realize it.

1. Turn around and go the other way (Acts 3:19)
a. C. S. Lewis; 1898-1963: Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement; he is a rebel who must lay down his arms ... This process of surrender—this movement full speed astern-is called repentance. Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for … years. It means killing part of yourself, undergoing a kind of death (Galatians 2:20).
b. Acts 2:38 Repent and be baptized…
c. Repentance: A feeling of regret, a changing of the mind, or a turning from sin to God
d. John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:23; Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:2-
e. Vines—Greek “Metanoeo”: to change one’s mind or purpose…involving a change for the better.
f. Benny Hinn: Repentance is the first step toward receiving the anointing, no matter what the level at which you stand.
g. 2 Corinthians 7:9-10

Middle Invitation

#3. Make Confession (Luke 7:38 stood at his feet…weeping)

A. King Solomon; Proverbs 28:12 He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

1. Confessed her sin
a. 1 John 1:9
b. Leviticus 26:40-42 (If they confess…I will remember my covenant) Spirit Filled Life Bible: The theme that God remembers His promise and never goes back on His word is emphasized in the covenant relationship. The community of the covenant is never without hope. God is always ready to receive His people in repentance even after they have failed and abandoned Him.
c. Jeremiah 3:12-13 Confession of sin is a prerequisite for the mercy of God.
d. Psalms 32:1-5 When I kept silent my bones grew old (hard brittle) I acknowledged my sin
e. Psalm 107: 6, 9, 13, 19-20, 28 They cried out to the Lord in their troubles and He saved them…

2. Confessed Christ
a. Romans 10:9-10 Spirit Filled Life Bible: Here is the most foundational lesson in the importance and power of faith’s confession found anywhere in the Bible. The principle is established at the very beginning of our life in Christ. Just as salvation (God’s righteous working in our behalf) is appropriated by heart belief and spoken confession, so His continuing working in our lives is advanced by the same means. The word “confess” (Greek—homologeo) has the connotation of a binding public declaration by which a legal relation is contractually established”.
b. Matthew 10:32-33 Jesus leaves no room for secret discipleship

#4. Express Affection (Luke 7:38 washed, wiped, wept, kissed)

A. Brother Lawrence: We should dedicate ourselves to becoming the most perfect worshippers of God we can possibly be, as we hope to be through all eternity.

Worship is the expression of our affection to God

1. Gave Gifts
a. David Garcia: You can’t get close to God without giving something very valuable to Him.
b. Eerdman: Pliny mentions alabaster as the best material for pots or vessels intended for these precious ointments. It was softer than marble, and easily scooped into pots or bottles. These costly [oils or creams] unguents and cosmetics were much used by the wealthy Roman ladies. The precious ointment poured over the Redeemer’s feet had probably been originally procured for a very different purpose.box

2. Gave honor, respect and reverence
a. John 4:20-22 God is a Spirit and they that worship Him ….
b. C. S. Lewis: The perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of; our attention would have been on God.
c. Thomas Merton: The great thing, and the only thing, is to adore and praise God.
d. Kelly Sparks: God is not moved or impressed with our worship until our hearts are moved and impressed by Him.
e. William Temple: To worship to quicken [give life to] the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.

Closing: You have been guilty of discarding God by throwing your faith in a garbage can. You have run away from your relationship with God, some of you have buried your faith in work, activity or recreation, others are so involved in entertainment that you do have a spiritual life, and some have lost the touch of God on your life because of sin. The only way to recover your walk with God is to retrieve it from the place you have discarded it.

Invitation