{"id":497,"date":"2013-06-17T08:51:06","date_gmt":"2013-06-17T13:51:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/?p=497"},"modified":"2014-11-25T10:17:58","modified_gmt":"2014-11-25T16:17:58","slug":"do-you-know-how-much-you-need-jesus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2013\/06\/17\/do-you-know-how-much-you-need-jesus\/","title":{"rendered":"Do you know how much you need Jesus?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Audio version of sermon<\/a><\/p>\n

Luke 7:36-8:3<\/p>\n

I was speaking with a friend of mine this last week and he was telling me about a book that he had read that looks at the difference between sin and evil.\u00a0 The book is \u201cPeople of the Lie\u201d.\u00a0 The author is Dr. M. Scott Peck, a psychiatrist and dedicated Christian who also wrote the book \u201cThe road less traveled\u201d.<\/p>\n

In the book of the \u201cPeople of the Lie\u201d, Dr. Peck does not say that sin in its self is what separates those that are evil and those that are not.\u00a0 If it was sin as being the separator, then we would all be evil.\u00a0 As it says in 1 John, \u201cIf we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves\u2026\u201d\u00a0 It is the evil person that fails to acknowledge any fault in their own character.\u00a0 They also take this a step further and blame others for their own issues.<\/p>\n

This week I also received an email with a quote defining narcissism, it said \u201cSelf-absorption in all its forms kills empathy, let alone compassion. When we focus on ourselves, our world contracts as our problems and preoccupations loom large. But when we focus on others, our world expands. Our own problems drift to the periphery of the mind and so seem smaller, and we increase our capacity for connection–or compassionate action.” ~Daniel Goleman<\/p>\n

When Hitler blamed the Jews for the German\u2019s poor economy and numerous other things, he looked towards other\u2019s to put blame on them vs. looking at himself or the larger picture for answers.\u00a0 When the Taliban and its leaders lay blame on western countries and their allies for the reason that they must attack, it amounts to the someone saying that they got angry because another person made them that way.\u00a0[1]<\/a> Really?\u00a0 Never knew that we had strings actually attached to us and there were other people controlling us\u2026\u2026did ya?!\u00a0 How about the abusive spouse who hits their wife or husband and lays blame not on himself or herself but on the other person?\u00a0 Yea, someone really deserves to be beat up because they did not make dinner, looked at someone wrong or whatever excuse you want to attach!<\/p>\n

We have choices of how to act towards ourselves, others and towards God. \u201cDr. Peck says 99% of the evil done in the world is carried out by those who are convinced they are absolutely right most if not all the time. Make every attempt to delude themselves to believe that they are right all of the time. No thought about what they did wrong, because they are right.\u201d[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

The examples I gave are to the extreme but they are also examples of what happens when these people are left unchecked.\u00a0 It can start with narcissism and end up solely focused upon what others are and do in relationship to how the other person acts.\u00a0 If I were to never look inward I would never see the reason why some bad things happen to me. It is not to say that all are the issues are within my control but always how I react to the situation is.\u00a0 Sometimes things are out of our control but often what happens is because of something that we have done or failed to do.\u00a0 Not as punishment from God but the natural consequences of our actions.<\/p>\n

The text today is told in all four gospels.\u00a0 In Luke\u2019s telling, he expands much beyond the issue of the oil and its expense.\u00a0 There is another expense that is brought out beyond the obvious.\u00a0 We do not know the reasons that the Pharisee Simon asked Jesus to eat with him.\u00a0 However, we can infer that Simon did not see Jesus as the Christ.\u00a0 In no way shape or form does he see Jesus as God.\u00a0 Think about for a minute, if you had God at your table, would you even begin to think that God could not read your thoughts? \u00a0Don\u2019t you think you might be just a bit more careful about insulting God, even in your thoughts? \u00a0\u00a0But not Simon, he seems a bit narcissistic if you ask me.\u00a0 He insults Jesus in his thoughts, like Jesus would not ever know what Simon was thinking.\u00a0 Not only does he NOT see Jesus as God but not even as a prophet of God.\u00a0 If this was not bad enough, he is comparing himself against in all reality, with the woman that anoints Jesus, \u201c\u2026for she is a sinner.\u201d\u00a0 Like he is NOT?!\u00a0 But then of course it is easier to look at the faults of others then take a look at yourself. \u00a0Find others that are \u201cworse\u201d than you to build yourself up.\u00a0 Simon has not taken just a couple of steps down the road to evil, but as a Pharisee, who are more concerned about the strict adherence to the law, he has gone further away from God rather than get closer.\u00a0 It is about the law now and this woman, this sinner, is a law breaker, a sinner and why would anyone want to be touched by her, be in her presence let alone let her anoint you and wipe your feet with her hair!\u00a0 Simon cannot see past another\u2019s sin to examine his own character, his own sin and therefore is blind to what is happening not only right in front of him but to himself.<\/p>\n

Jesus tells a parable to Simon.\u00a0 Although this parable centers around money, we can see it really has nothing to do with money but everything to do with sin, how God looks at sin and what God does for the sinner.\u00a0 This woman, a sinner can see Jesus for who Jesus is.<\/p>\n

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She humbles herself, in her acts of contrition, she acknowledges who Jesus is and her repentance of weeping, she kisses the feet of the living God incarnate and wipes them with her own hair.\u00a0 She is humble, she is sinful and although we do not know what is in her heart, Jesus does and forgives her of her sins, tells her that her faith has healed her and that she could leave in peace.\u00a0 WOW!!!<\/p>\n

Simon, now that is another story altogether.\u00a0 Jesus tells a parable to Simon but one that requires Simon to answer a question.\u00a0 The question you see is not about money but about sin and who is more grateful of the forgiven sins.\u00a0 Someone who knows they have sin or someone who thinks they have not sinned?\u00a0 Now comes the harsh reality that Jesus dishes out for Simon.\u00a0 Simon, you gave no water for my feet yet this woman wets them with her own tears and wipes them with her hair.\u00a0 Can you just feel that cut deep inside?\u00a0 You gave me no kiss but she has not ceased in kissing my feet.\u00a0 Boy oh boy, Jesus is really letting Simon know where he stands.\u00a0 Not a kiss to my head, my hand, nothing, yet the woman, someone you say is a sinner kisses my feet.\u00a0 You did not anoint my head with oil but she has anointed my feet!\u00a0 If it were not enough to point out the self righteousness of Simon, the narcissistic\u00a0treatment by Simon towards Jesus, Jesus then tells the woman, that sinner the breaker of the law, that her sins are forgiven, her faith has healed her and then the Son of God, the Christ Himself, sends her off in peace, yes, the peace of God!<\/p>\n

Simon the Pharisee did not need Jesus or at least he did not believe he needed Jesus.\u00a0 Why should he, he followed the law down to the strictest detail.\u00a0 He was better than others and could do this on his own.\u00a0 Come on now, he was a sinner too.\u00a0 Just he would not dare acknowledge that.\u00a0 Will we acknowledge our sinfulness?\u00a0 It would make him like the woman, a sinner.\u00a0 It would make us like the woman.\u00a0\u00a0 He dare not acknowledge that, he needs help from God.\u00a0 He dare not acknowledge that, he dare not look deep inside himself and realize that he cannot be anything but be a sinner and needs Jesus to forgive his sins. Do you need Jesus? Do I need Jesus?\u00a0 Does humanity need Jesus?<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t know if the woman did more than acknowledge her sins in how she treated Jesus.\u00a0 We cannot know if she was repentant.\u00a0 We can see that Jesus tells her that she is saved.\u00a0 Repentance, true repentance will acknowledge the sin, lead away from evil, will look to God for help.\u00a0 Acknowledging our weakness and the need for Jesus, will keep us from being evil.\u00a0 We cannot and should not be apart of cheap grace, where we accept the forgiveness but we are not truly repentant.\u00a0 We cannot do this on our own\u2026\u2026.ever.\u00a0 God is not for us when it is convenient for us.\u00a0 God is not for us when our spouse needs God and then we will.\u00a0 God is not for when my son or daughter needs God and then I will need God.\u00a0 We all need Jesus all the time.\u00a0 Going to church, being in community, acknowledging God in the presence of others, worshiping God in the presence of others, acknowledging our sin and the need for Christ Jesus, all of these things are not for later but for now, \u2026\u2026..now before it is to late.\u00a0 To late to turn from the little evils that turn into bigger evils and lead us down, not a path of forgiveness and salvation but one that rejects Jesus, rejects what the Holy Spirit does daily and rejects God the almighty creator.<\/p>\n


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[1]<\/b><\/a> Bergren, Benjamin The Subtlety of Evil<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>Trinity Lutheran Church, Rolling Meadows IL, 09 June 2013.<\/address>\n

\u00a0[2]<\/b><\/a>\u00a0Bergren, Benjamin\u00a0The Subtlety of Evil<\/i><\/a>,\u00a0<\/i>Trinity Lutheran Church, Rolling Meadows IL, 09 June 2013.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Audio version of sermon Luke 7:36-8:3 I was speaking with a friend of mine this last week and he was telling me about a book that he had read that looks at the difference between sin and evil.\u00a0 The book is \u201cPeople of the Lie\u201d.\u00a0 The author is Dr. M. Scott Peck, a psychiatrist and … [Read more…]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[38,3,10,5,83,39,4,6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-admin","4":"post-497","6":"format-standard","7":"category-evil","8":"category-grace","9":"category-jesus","10":"category-law","11":"category-sermon","12":"category-sin-2","13":"category-spirit","14":"category-works"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2m6h5-81","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2619,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2021\/06\/07\/a-house-divided\/","url_meta":{"origin":497,"position":0},"title":"A House Divided","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"June 7, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"6-6-2021 Genesis 3:8-15 (NIV)2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 (NIV)Mark 3:20-35 (NIV) https:\/\/vimeo.com\/560215260","rel":"","context":"In "Christ"","block_context":{"text":"Christ","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/christ\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3097,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2023\/05\/31\/sin-defeated-nowwhat\/","url_meta":{"origin":497,"position":1},"title":"Sin Defeated, NowWhat?","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"May 31, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"May 21, 2023\u00a0 Seventh Sunday of Easter Matthew 6:24 (NIV)Romans 6:1-14 (NIV)","rel":"","context":"In "Change"","block_context":{"text":"Change","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/change\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1641,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2016\/11\/28\/christ-the-king-over-all\/","url_meta":{"origin":497,"position":2},"title":"Christ, The King over All","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"November 28, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Below is the video version of the sermon. 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