Realize His Forgiveness
to Love Him

How to Learn to Love Christ

Up-Dated - Thursday, July 14, 2011

Luke 7:36 "And one of the Pharisees desired him (Jesus) that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat."
Luke 7:37 "And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,"
Luke 7:38 "And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment."
Luke 7:39 "Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner."
Luke 7:40 "And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on."
Luke 7:41 "There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty."
Luke 7:42 "And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?"
Luke 7:43 "Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged."

The one who loves the most
is the one who is forgiven the most.

Luke 7:44 "And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head."
Luke 7:45 "Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet."
Luke 7:46 "My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment."
Luke 7:47 "Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little."
Luke 7:48 "And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven."

She was already saved
because she had already been forgiven much and had already loved much.

Luke 7:49 "And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?"
Luke 7:50 "And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace."

Luke 7:47 "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little."

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I want to tell us
one of the most beautiful, yet, one of the most simple stories from the Bible.

I want to tell us
of one of the most rich passages in all the Bible, yet, it is about
one of the most destitute people, one of the poorest of all the rest.

I want to tell you
of the most fulfilling words of Jesus Christ, yet, it is about one of the most emptied people.

This is not about
Kings or Princes.

This is not about
great Men of Commerce.

This is not about
Adventurous Explorers.

This is not about
Scientific Discovery.

But it is as important
as the sum of all the above.

This story is not about Romance
but it is filled with love.

This story is not about Spies
but there is great intrigue.

This story is not about Heroes & Villans
but there is at least one woman for whom we all want to cheer.

This tiny story is tucked away in the midst of many other stories,
all just as important
all just as necessary
all need as much to be told
all granting encouragement and exhortation just as well

But, this story stands out
because the the down-trodden wins out, the under-dog ends up on top, the poor and helpless are the winners.

Would you listen to this story
that surpasses all the novels man or woman can dream up?

Would you listen to this story
that exceeds all the machinations and imaginations the human mind can muster?

Now,
as I begin
to unravel this tale would you come with me to the house of one Simon, the Pharisee.

A man of influence.
A man of religion.
A man of money.
A man of learning.

He lives in a house of comfort
with hard floors of some substance, with finished walls, with furniture and dishes, with servants, with family and with friends.

It's my opinion
and I say "opinion" because I don't think I could prove it to anyone’s satisfaction, but, it is my opinion this Pharisee is saved.

Our Pharisee friend
has invited the Lord of Creation to come and dine with him and again in my opinion he had also asked others to come, but, lo and behold as they sat to eat, there came an uninvited woman into the dining area.
She was a sinner.
It was obvious she was a sinner because everyone knew the kind of woman she was.
Also, they knew because she dressed like a sinner.

Incidentally,
it does matter how you dress,
it is true man looks on the outside
and God looks on the inside,
but, God also looks on the outside, as well.

God knows the intents of the heart
and He gives everyone else the observation abilities to look on the outside of people to be warned may be on the inside.

This woman, that dressed like a sinner
had in her possession a box of ointment and she came up behind Jesus as He "sat at meat".

The Bible says,
she broke the box and anointed Him with the contents.

Her tears
washed His feet and she dried them with her hair, as she kissed His feet.

This sinful woman broke the Box of Worship
much like you and I would break the Piggy Bank to get the good stuff out.

She broke the Box of Worship
much like you and I would tear open a wrapped package to get to the gift inside.

She broke the Box of Worship
much like you and I would bust the Hallmark Seal to read those words of love inside.

She broke the Box of Worship
much like you and I would break out our adoration for the One Who has made us His brother, when we deserved to be made His footstool.

Why did she do this?

In the words of Jesus Himself,
which we extract from our text verse, it was because

" ... she loved much ..."

The next question is obvious . . .

Why did she love so much?

Again,
In the words of Jesus it was because she realized that Jesus had forgiven her sins, all her sins.

Luke 7.47 "... she loved much but to whom little is forgiven the same loveth little"

Now don't miss this . . .

This Woman was a sinner
and it was revealed by the way she appeared so she was probably a big sinner.

The Pharisee was also a sinner
now, you couldn't look at him and know how big a sinner he was but, I suspect he was as big a sinner as you and I and even this poor woman.

He was a big enough sinner
to send the blessed Saviour to the cross.

The Pharisee
was just about the same size sinner as the woman, even though he didn't look it, even though his sin wasn't known by the general public.

But, wait a minute

Jesus says the woman was forgiven more than the Pharisee,
and because she was forgiven more, she loved more.

This does not mean that she sinned more than the Pharisee
or else, only the really big sinners could love Jesus the most.

No, the situation is this
they both were as big a sinner as the other, but, the woman realized

she was
wicked
spiteful
hateful
and had led others to do the same.

And having seen herself as she actually was
and knowing that she was forgiven of what she was
loved the Saviour more, out of realization.

If the Pharisee
had realized how big a sinner he was, then he too, would have loved the Savior a great deal, even just as much!!!!

There is much love
waiting to well up in the breasts of all of us.

Or

There is much apathy
damed up behind a wall of satisfaction in the heart of all of us.

We all have the same capacity for both.

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So, What is the Difference?
How is it, that both people can have the same capacity to Love or be Apathetic and one person excells in one and the other person in the other?

How is it
that a brother in a family will love the Lord and the sister will be so-so?

How is it
that a wife will love the Lord and the Husband could give a flip?

How is it
that 11 men could follow Jesus, Love him with all their hearts and one, who heard and saw exactly the same things, betray Him?

How is it
that two people can be raised in the same family by the same parents and one love the Lord and the other love the world?

How is it
that two people sit and hear the same sermon and one love the Lord and the other love himself? Be pitiless, thankless, selfish and without patience for the rest?

How is it
that two people meet the same Jesus at the foot of the cross and one of them love Him and the other love the things of the devil?

Listen very carefully!!!

Luke 12.48 “…For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

To whom much is given
there is much thankfulness or there is much ruining.

Sometimes when we give our children too much
instead of becoming thankful they become spoiled.

What is the difference
between the two?

To whom much time is given
there is much maturity or there is much more time demanded.

Sometimes when someone is doted over
they get to where they expect to be doted over.

What is the difference
between the two people?

To whom much money is given
There is much generosity installed or there is much more money desired.

Sometimes when a person is given a lot of money
either suddenly or over a period of time, they just seem to want more, rather than become generous.

What is the difference
between the two people?

To whom much grace is given
there is much power used or there is much power wasted.

Sometimes when a person is given much spiritually
they just coast on through and fail to use what they have.

What is the difference
between the two people?

What IS the difference?

Listen closely
to how this story about the Sinful Woman and the Pharisee plays out.

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The woman realized she was forgiven of very much
and loved much more.

The Pharisee did not realize he was forgiven very much
and he loved little. Yet, the whole time, he was really forgiven all.
He was forgiven just as much as the woman

He loved little
even very little, as a matter of fact he still loved the world a little, too.

Both were forgiven
every sin in their past, every sin in their future, but only one loved the Lord more for it.

Why? Because only the woman had come to realize
how bad she was,
from what pit she had come,
the extent of her wickedness,

When given much
we are apt to be more grateful.
But not all, the Pharisee was given just as much forgiveness as the woman, but had less gratefulness.

The Pharisee still thought
he had some merit of his own.

The woman realized
how destitute of merit she was.

The Pharisee still thought
he could make his own way for some of this life.

The woman realized
she had lost her way completely.

The Pharisee still thought
he had not fallen very far.

The woman realized
how far she had sunk..

The Pharisee still thought
his mercies and kindnesses had some value.

The woman realized
how caloused she had been all along.

The Pharisee still thought
the unfortunate somehow deservered it.

The woman realized
how she had used others and increased their misfortune.

The Pharisee still thought
he had some humility left.

The woman
realized how selfish and prideful she had been.

The Pharisee still thought
that somehow he deserved what he had.

The woman realized
she deserved what she was.

The Pharisee still thought
his cup was only a little dingy, and being that the dinginess was on the inside it was not so bad.

The woman realized
how filthy the inside and outside of her cup was.

The Pharisee still thought
a white lie was all right.

The woman realized
how unclean her lips were.

The woman realized
much more than the Pharisee and therefore Loved the Savior much more.

Is there a soul in the audience of this sermon
that does not want to love the Saviour more?
I do not think so, what must be done?

Realize what The Saviour has done for you!
Don't cover up.

Pro 28.13 "He that coverth up his sins, shall not prosper."

The Coverer will not prosper.
Neither will he love.

Realize what Jesus has done for you
Don't blame others.

Gal 2.11 " ... I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed."

Paul got in Peter's face at Antioch and rightly blamed him for what he was doing,
but Peter did not in turn blame others, but took the blame.

Don't wait for others to blame you
take the blame.

The blamer will never realize the extent of his sin.
Neither will he love.

Realize what Jesus has done for you
Don't excuse yourself.

Luke 14.18 "And they all with one consent began to make excuse."

And it says further down,
that the master was angry.

The excuser will never realize the breadth of his sins.
Niether will he love.

Do not
cover up,
blame,
excuse,
or attempt to push aside your sins in some other manner.

This will be the beginning
of a great starvation of love,
of a great depletion of love.

Realize what Jesus has done for you
so you can love Him more.

Don't miss it

One Realizes what they were forgiven of
not to be saved but to love the Lord even more

The other passes it off
as not necessary.

One Realizes the pit from which they came
Not to be saved but to love the Lord more.

The other was never fully convinced
of the depths to which he had fallen.

One Realizes the wickedness that had born itself in the crevices of their vengeful, hateful heart,
Not to be saved but to love the Lord more after Salvation.

The other was saved without much ado
and was never sure he was all that bad anyway.

One Realizes the filth they had waded around in and even wallowed in,
Not to be saved but to love the Lord more after Salvation.

The other does not see the problem of an impure life
Nor the need to lead a pure life now.

One Realizes the commotion that they started in their own life and the lives of others,
not to be saved but to love the Lord more after Salvation.

The other does not know
what all the uproar is about.

I am NOT wanting
to enter into the controversy over Repentance.

I AM wanting
to enter into an urging to love the Lord after Repentance.

I AM wanting
to enter into the command of the Bible that says,

"Love God with all your heart, soul, might, spirit."

and the second is like unto it

"Love thy neighbor as thyself."

Oh, God
I want to love you more.

So I believe
I'll just think on what you have done for me.

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Preacher, is that really the way it works?

I proved it to myself
when I think back on what I was before I was saved and how my wife of close to 40 years has put up with me and has endured with me and has forgiven me, I always ending up loving her more.

I proved it to myself
I could take or leave the Govenrnent for many years, but then I went to a home for the aged and saw all those people who would be out in the street if Medicare was not available I loved the Government a little more.

I know, I know
You are not to love entities like that, but the Lord who is behind it all.

But I still have a little warmer spot in my heart
for all those Bureaucrates.

I proved it to myself
I could take or leave my boss, then I realized that his hard work and investment made abundant my home and table and I loved the boss a little more.

I proved it to myself
I used to complain about the high cost of medicene then this past year my second oldest grandson was in the hospital with pneumonia and now I love medicine at any price.

I proved it to myself
after reading this story from the Scriptures I love even more the way the Lord works.

That sinful woman didn't have to change
her personallity to love more,
her IQ to love more,
her past to love more,
her wicked looking clothes to love more,
(although I am sure she eventually did)
her mind, but to just realize what the Lord had done, to love him more.

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Matt 6.21 “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Treasure the Lord’s love
and your heart will be there to love Him more.

Treasure the Lord’s mercy
and your heart will be there to love Him more.

Treasure the Lord’s forgiveness
and your heart will be there to love Him more.

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and you will quickly notice
that you have become His servant
without any more effort on your part.

You see
Christianity is simple
not easy
but simple

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"Oh, God
I love you more already."

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