Bible Text: Luke 7:36-50 | Preacher: Rev. Dr. Lou Saldiveri | Series: Sunday Morning Worship | Intro: I would like to ask you’re a question this morning. Who are “those” people? Have you ever used that term? In your heart of hearts, have you ever looked at or known someone and thought how can God possibly forgive them? Look how bad they are or have been. If any of those questions have ever crossed your mind as a Christ follower, then that is a good indicator that we have lost the reality of God’s grace in Jesus Christ. If you are here today and have not come to a personal relationship with Jesus by faith, please listen carefully.
In this passage, Jesus reminds us of how needy we really are of His love and grace. This passage calls us to understand 4 key aspects of God’s grace in Christ.
1. Jesus Is Attractive to the Needy People
i) Our sin produces a major debt
(1) Illus. The national debt
ii) Everyone of us is in major debt without Christ
(1) The payment for sin is separation from Christ for all eternity
(2) Sin brings death and darkness and no hope
2. Jesus Is Always Counter Cultural
a. Women were not valued in Jesus’ culture
b. A man was not to have any interaction with women in public
c. Holy love and grace make no distinctions
3. Jesus Is Always Opposed to Religious Self-Righteous
a. The self-righteous don’t think they are needy
b. If they don’t believe they have a need, there is no need for love and grace
c. Therefore, self-righteousness leads to spiritual blindness
4. Jesus Paid Our Debt from Sin Once for All
a. To have this payment applied to our enormous debt, we can’t earn it, we don’t deserve it, we appropriate it by repentance and faith alone
b. We all are morally bankrupt!
c. We have a major problem
d. Jesus is the only answer

Closing: Have we grown too familiar with God’s holy grace and Holy love that we have forgotten that at one time, we stood before God in our moral bankruptcy? Have we grown too familiar with the magnitude of the debt from which we have been forgiven?
And, what about “those” people? God’s holy love and grace does not discriminate. Why do we discriminate? After all, at one time, many of us were “those” people.