Glory of God for the Contrite Heart 1977 Bieber

To consider as our jumping off point this morning, the first verses of the gospel lesson that Larry read to us, from Luke 7, starting at verse 36. One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and sat at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was sitting at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wipe them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

Now when the Pharisee, who had invited him, saw it, he said to himself, If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is, who is touching him, for she is a sinner. In order for us to be able to live the kind of life just about everybody in this room really wants to live, not to make anybody a hero for coming out on a hot Sunday, you know, that's not the point, but I truly believe that there's a reason why we gather here, you know, and we're serious. We really want to be living a life that we haven't perhaps been living up to now.

And in order to do that, there's only one thing needful. All we really need to have is God burning inside our hearts. If we have God walking with us, living, dwelling inside us, we're going to do His will, and we are going to fulfill the purpose for which we were put on this earth.

But if we don't have God dwelling within, we can fast seven days a week, study scriptures until our eyes fall out, give our bodies to be burned, give away everything we have, and we will still convey to those around us nothing but death. We won't be able to bring one good thing to anybody else, much less ourselves. Surely the reason for our gathering like this week by week, certainly the purpose for our turning aside from our frenzied activities every single day to seek the face of God in prayer, certainly the reason for our pursuit of God as we study those scriptures is so that we can have God in us, enabling us to go out there and do His will.

And yet, who of us can say that it's really happening? How can we deny that so much of the time we don't have that indwelling? We don't seem to have that assurance that God is really here inside our bodies. Now, we're trying hard enough. Why isn't it happening? For the same reason that Simon the Pharisee could be sitting right next to Jesus at the table and feel absolutely nothing of God, really, while this woman who had spent her life as a prostitute is being absolutely overwhelmed with the glory of God as she weeps at Jesus' feet.

From Isaiah 57-15, For thus says the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy, I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite. Jesus of Nazareth is the literal fulfillment of this prophetic word from Isaiah. In Him, the high and holy one who inhabits eternity and dwells in the high and lofty place also comes down and dwells with those who are of a humble contrite spirit to revive the heart of the contrite, to revive the spirit of the humble.

Wherever Jesus' word is present, wherever His spirit is really moving, if there is a contrite heart, life immediately finds that heart and fills it with God's glory. At the same time, while Jesus' word may really be present, if the heart is not contrite, nothing happens. It rolls right by, there is no change, no life, no glory.

Hence, this woman who had made a living, and probably a good one, as a prostitute, when she finds that Jesus is having dinner at the house of Simon the Pharisee, takes this alabaster flask of ointment worth a lot of money and goes to that house and really, weeping at Jesus' feet is pouring out her life in that alabaster flask of ointment on Jesus' feet. This is not some little token act, this is everything for her. On the other hand, here's Simon the Pharisee, who is, in many respects, a good man.

He never committed adultery, and that's commendable. And he was tithing probably from the time he was 13 years old. And he had done lots of good deeds, and he was really drawn to Jesus.

And he was also giving something to Jesus that day, he was giving Jesus a dinner. And it was probably a sumptuous meeting. Yet, by comparison, Simon the Pharisee was not really giving his life, he wasn't pouring himself out, and because, by comparison, Simon was really giving so little of himself, he was also getting very little out of this dinner.

And he was unable to discern with his eyes who this man was who was his guest, and he was unable to appreciate the miracle taking place in his very dining room as this woman is being flooded with the very glory of God, transformed, cleansed. He doesn't see any of that. And the one essential thing, the woman is light years ahead of Jesus, ahead of this man who's having dinner with Jesus, and the one essential thing, this woman, the tears flowing out of her eyes are coming really from a contrite heart.

And this is the one thing Simon the Pharisee lacked. And because that was missing, he missed everything. You and I, even though most of us are pretty well aware of how messed up our lives really are underneath the surface, even those of us who may look like we're pretty much together, we know the screwy thoughts that go through our heads and the stupid, foolish things we do, we know.

Yet, even though we're aware of that, we are very much like Simon the Pharisee, and not nearly enough like that woman, in that while we feel drawn to Jesus and we appreciate having dinner with him, we still don't seem to be able to get down to business and take from his hands the gift he bought for us at such a price. Lord, it's so good to be around you. I get such a blessing having dinner with you.

But we don't seem to be able to get to the point where we really pour out our lives to him. And when somebody like this woman comes along, pours out her everything at Jesus' feet, and finds peace, we become disturbed. And if we're honest with ourselves, we admit that we become jealous.

How come, Lord, this woman seems to be able to get so close to you so fast? Lord, I know when she walks out of this house today, her life is going to be changed, and she's not going to be falling back into her old ways, whereas we, Lord, we still go on and on and on with our defeats. We can't seem to come out of it. Why? And the Lord answers us, because this woman brings to me one thing that you have never brought me, or at least are not bringing me now.

She's bringing to me a contrite heart. When you bring me a contrite heart, I will be able to do for you as I did for her. I will send you out filled with peace, anointed with glory.

For thus says the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy, I dwell in the high and holy place, heaven, and also with him on earth, who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite. God grant that we may bring to the table of the Lord this day, today, each of us, a contrite heart. A contrite heart, first of all, is willing to take responsibility for its own sin and to quit shifting the blame.

Our tendency is always to come up with an excuse. Every vile thing we do is somebody else's fault. It's my mate who has driven me to become the hard person I am.

My mother neglected me when I was a child. My father rejected me. I never had a chance.

I'm a victim of circumstances. Every person I ever got close to has let me down. And so we go on and on, every one of us, with things like that.

When the day comes that we are willing to accept full responsibility for what we are, what we've been, what we've done, what we're like, and not pass the buck, how different everything begins to look to us. Now granted, we have been sinned against, every one of us, from the time we were children. People have wronged us, and they're still wronging us, but these wrongs inflicted against us have not been the thing that made us what we are.

We made those choices. We passed by those opportunities. We wronged those people.

We told those lies. We inflicted that pain. For I acknowledge my transgression, and my sin is ever before me.

My sin! Against thee, thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight, O Lord. A contrite heart sees the greatest need of its life as forgiveness from God, the greatest need, whereas we are inclined to think of forgiveness, really, as the last thing we need. All I need is a break.

Give me some better circumstances. If only I had somebody around me who tried to understand me. If only I had a little more money.

And if you had all that and much more, your heart would still be empty. What each one of us needs, God help us to see this, daily is God's forgiveness. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, according to thy lovingkindness, according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.

Blot out my transgression. Wash me thoroughly from my sins. Cleanse me from my iniquities.

The day we begin to pray that prayer, Psalm 51, the day we begin to see that that's not just something for David to do after he sinned with Bathsheba, but something we need to pray every day is the day we begin to see God. A contrite heart earnestly desires to change from its old ways. All of us want to have peace inside.

Lord, let me have your peace. What happens with us is we get that peace, taste it, but then we go right out and waddle in the mud again. And for many of us, our way of life is get cleaned up, go out and get dirty, get cleaned up, go out and get dirty, and accept it if that's the way it is.

At the same time, justified and sinner, I can't help it, everybody's a sinner, and we satisfy ourselves with that. And this is always a sign that while our hearts may be troubled, they are not contrite. Create in me a clean heart, O God.

Renew a right spirit within me. Let me live a new life, walk a new road. God, help me to break out of this old life of mine and enter into your mercy, your glory, your purity, your joy.

Lord, enable me to walk a new road. Help me to change. And finally, a contrite heart isn't just satisfied with wishing.

Desiring its desires, sitting in a chair, the contrite heart gets up and pursues that new life, looks for it, goes to any lengths to make whatever changes necessary to receive God's peace. And so this woman, when she hears where Jesus is, immediately grabs this precious flask of ointment and goes to Simon the Pharisee's house and defies the contempt of those righteous men sitting at that table. Doesn't care.

One thing she wants, she wants the peace that that holy man can give to her. That's all. Not one word does she speak.

Just tears. Drowns his feet with tears. And then covers them with the most pure kisses of pure love this woman's lips have ever given anyone.

And they gave plenty of kisses. Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you.

Go in peace. How far are we willing to go to receive that peace? Thus says the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy, I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him, with her, who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite. Today the Lord invites us to his table.

He provides the food, broken body, shed blood, the very food of Calvary that brings life to those who are dead. He brings us everything that we need. One thing he wants us to bring to him.

One thing. And we can bring it if we will. A contrite heart.

May God help us to bring a contrite heart to the Lord this day, whatever the cost, that he may revive our spirit and that he may revive our hearts. Let's pray.