Gabe Zepeda - August 16, 2020
August 16, 2020 "Forgiven To Worship" By Gabe Zepeda
As fallen humans, we often struggle with whether or not we are loved and that we belong. Our past and present sin, guilt, and shame often make us wonder, "Does God really love me?" This is especially true for the Christian life. But when we truly surrender ourselves at the feet of Jesus, something amazing happens: we see that even though we are great sinners, Christ is a great Savior. We see that although our sins are many, he forgives us of all of our sins. Forgiveness creates worship. We are forgiven to worship God. This is what a sinful woman learned when she came to Jesus to offer him worship with her alabaster box of perfume. Through her radical act of worship, Jesus teaches that people like her "Love [God] much, because they know they've been forgiven of so much" (Luke 7:47). This is good news indeed! But this isn't good news to everyone. God's forgiving love is offensive to people who think that "bad" people should get what they deserve. This is the attitude of the Pharisees toward this sinful woman. As the experts of God's Law, they were the "good" guys. They looked righteous on the outside, but deep down they had no true love for God. Why? They didn't get God's forgiveness. They didn't think they were in need of forgiveness. That is why Jesus said of them, "You love [God] so little because you know so little of God's forgiveness" (Luke 7:47). We fluctuate between two poles: on the one hand, we tend to doubt God's love for us because we think we are too far gone. On the other hand, we tend to be nice Minnesotans who think "Me and God are okay," because are not as "bad" as the next person. But the gospel shatters our categories. Join us this Sunday as we dig into Luke 7:36–50, and ask the Holy Spirit to show you God's amazing love for you in a way you won't ever forget.
From Series: "Guest Speaker"
Guest Speaker
