Hello Everyone,

How much sin must a person commit to be a sinner? Simon and the woman were both sinners. Simon was guilty of hidden sins of the spirit, especially pride, while the woman was guilty of sins of the flesh. Her sins were known, while Simon’s sins were hidden from everyone...except God.

THE POINT IS THAT BOTH OF THEM WERE SPIRITUALLY BANKRUPT & COULD NOT PAY THEIR DEBT TO GOD!

There we are! All sinners…All spiritually bankrupt…All unable to pay our debt to God…All in desperate need…And all in the presence of the One who can forgive our sin and set us free.

What an incredible moment when Jesus said those 4 life-changing words – “Your sins are forgiven” – v. 48. Listen to those words again. Say them with me. Take the statement apart:

“Your” –indicating the person being addressed.

In other words, He’s talking to YOU. He’s addressing YOU. He’s addressing ME. He’s addressing US. This is not some cold, impersonal, or flippant comment. He’s not talking about someone else’s sins. He’s talking to YOU. You can’t do anything about anyone else’s sin, so quit worrying about them, and start dealing with your own. Jesus is addressing YOU today.

“sins” – Those times in your life when you have missed the mark; erred; offended someone; wronged someone; made a mistake; had sinful desires; not believed; had no faith; did not trust God; were lewd in words or actions; habitually messed up; deviated from God’s plan for your life; failed in the performance of your duties; broken an OT commandment; broken a NT commandment; fallen short.

[a friend of mine use to always say, 'God forgive us for our falling shorts!']

The Bible says we all have sinned and fall short, no matter who we are.

-- A little boy had just gotten saved and sat on a bench next to an old man who looked upset. The little boy said to the man, "Sir, do you need to get saved?"
The man, startled, said abruptly, "I’ll have you know I’ve been a Deacon in this church for over 30 years and Chairman of Deacons for 15 years."
The little boy responded, "Sir, it don’t matter what you’ve done, Jesus can still save you!"

“are” – a simple verb declaring this truth right now. “Your sins are _____________” what? Fill in the blank...
- Obvious? Hidden? Fun?
- Heavy? Weighing you down?
- Killing you? Destroying you? Destroying others?
- Waking you up at night?

So it is with people who dwell too long on their sin and refuse to release it to God.

“forgiven” – What a word! It means that you have been pardoned; your sins have been canceled. You have been loosed, and set free. Your sins have been released from you. You have been freed from the slavery to sin to become a servant of God your Creator.

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Pastor Phil