1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:03,960 A few months ago I was blessed with the opportunity to go to 2 00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:07,000 Africa. And when I went to Africa, I was 3 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:10,440 kind of like there was Batman and then there's Robin. 4 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:13,200 You got the main preachers. And I was just kind of like a 5 00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:16,800 little sidekick. My whole job was don't be John 6 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:20,920 Mark, don't get sent home early. We went to Zimbabwe and I just 7 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:24,360 didn't want to get in the way. I went with brother Alan Bonifay 8 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:29,800 and brother Brad Shockley. Brad's from Missouri, and in my 9 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:34,320 time in Africa, I was able to speak a few times at their they 10 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:38,600 call it their spring meeting, like our Labor Day meeting, and 11 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:41,360 when they asked me to speak, we're in a church building. 12 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:44,480 I'm across the world. We got no lights, I'm preaching 13 00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:48,520 at night time. The only lights we have are the 14 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:55,000 lights from our phones. It was a surreal moment, and as 15 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,280 I was preparing to preach that night, I thought to myself, what 16 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:01,320 in the world can I talk about? What am I going to bring up? 17 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:03,600 I don't even know these people. They don't even. 18 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:07,280 We don't even live the same way. It's a completely different 19 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:09,720 world. What? 20 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:15,840 Where do I even begin? It became a lot more simple when 21 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,800 I realized we've all got the same problem and that is sin, 22 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:21,920 and we've all got the same solution. 23 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:27,400 His name is Jesus. That made everything so much 24 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:31,400 more simple as to where to go and for just a little while this 25 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:35,440 morning I just want to talk about Jesus and I just want to 26 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:39,040 preach Christ and Him crucified as Paul would say in First 27 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:42,520 Corinthians chapter 2, verses one and two. 28 00:01:42,960 --> 00:01:47,080 With that being said, you gave me no kiss. 29 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:53,080 You gave me no kiss. These are actually the words of 30 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:56,440 Jesus. And did you know he said this to 31 00:01:56,440 --> 00:02:02,520 a man? Did you know that in the 1st 32 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:07,760 century kissing was not merely reduced to an expression of love 33 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:13,200 or passion or romance? No, kissing was a sign of 34 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:15,600 greeting. It was a sign of respect. 35 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:19,360 So just for a little while this morning we want to answer the 36 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:23,600 following questions we want to look at in Luke Chapter 7, who 37 00:02:23,640 --> 00:02:27,800 Jesus said this to, when he said it, and why he said it. 38 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:30,080 That's the whole goal of our study. 39 00:02:30,920 --> 00:02:34,680 Without further ado, let's turn to Luke Chapter 7 and verse 36. 40 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:39,360 There, the Bible says that one of the Pharisees asked him to 41 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:44,280 eat with him and he went to the Pharisees house and sat down to 42 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:47,840 eat. Now Jesus, in this occasion for 43 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:50,600 the setting of our story, he's invited to dinner. 44 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:55,360 He's invited over for a meal. Well, we eat meals all the time. 45 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:58,640 What's the big deal here? The Bible says that he's not 46 00:02:58,640 --> 00:03:02,520 just invited to anyone's house, he's invited to a Pharisee's 47 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:05,520 house. In fact, the Bible says three 48 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:08,680 times in this chapter. This man is a Pharisee. 49 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:11,600 Ever. Before we ever learn of this 50 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:16,240 man's name, Jesus ate with the Pharisee. 51 00:03:16,640 --> 00:03:18,560 Now maybe you're here. Maybe you're new. 52 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:21,240 This is the first time visiting. Maybe you've been coming to 53 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:23,680 church all your life. What we need to do is review a 54 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:26,480 few things. The Pharisees were among the 55 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:30,120 sects or religious groups of the Jews. 56 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:34,360 They were among the division or the factions of the Jews. 57 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:41,080 Now the Pharisees, they were religious, but they were also 58 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:44,840 political. Then you get the Sadducees. 59 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:49,280 They were political, but they're also religious. 60 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:53,720 Then you get the zealots. The zealots are comparable to 61 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:57,080 modern day ISIS jihad or Al Qaeda. 62 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:00,320 They were a group of religious extremists. 63 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:05,200 Once you get past the zealots, there's a group we hear less 64 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:07,520 about. They're called the Herodians. 65 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:09,640 By and large. They're known as being a 66 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:13,120 political group. They were followers of King 67 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:15,840 Herod, hence the name. Their Herodians. 68 00:04:16,519 --> 00:04:19,360 Then this last little name, it's a name you're not going to find 69 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:22,000 in the Bible. But this is a group called the 70 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:25,320 Essens. The Essens were a little known 71 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:27,920 group. They settled outside of town in 72 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:30,600 the wilderness. What they're famous for is 73 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:35,960 preserving the Dead Sea Scrolls. These are a few of the religious 74 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:40,920 groups during the days of Jesus. Now Jesus comes into contact 75 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:44,920 with the Pharisee Pharisees. When you think of them, you 76 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:49,480 automatically think these are the enemies of Jesus. 77 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:53,000 Almost every time in the scriptures we come across a 78 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:56,040 Pharisee. Their whole goal is to tempt, to 79 00:04:56,080 --> 00:05:01,080 test and to trick Jesus. They felt threatened by him 80 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:04,440 because he threatened their position in the religious world 81 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:08,440 of the Jews in the 1st century. It was a power struggle. 82 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:12,520 So they always thought to trick him, to accuse him, to destroy 83 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:18,920 him, to destroy him. Jesus gave one of his sharpest 84 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:22,200 and most stern rebukes to the Pharisees and Matthew chapter 85 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:25,960 23, where he would tell him, woe you scribes and Pharisees 86 00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:28,920 hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs. 87 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:33,480 That's pretty blunt. I don't know if I could get away 88 00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:37,320 with saying that today, but Jesus could. 89 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:40,280 He could read hearts. He could read people's minds. 90 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:44,760 But one thing we need to make certain and clear is that not 91 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:49,520 every Pharisee was evil. Not every Pharisee was out to 92 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:52,920 get Jesus. There was some sincere seekers 93 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:56,320 among the Pharisees. One of them is a man by the name 94 00:05:56,320 --> 00:06:01,720 of Nicodemus Nicodemus. He comes to Jesus by night in 95 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:05,440 John Chapter 3 and he tells them, Rabbi, we know that you 96 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:08,440 are a teacher come from God because no man can do these 97 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:10,880 signs that you do unless God is with him. 98 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:16,440 Nicodemus acknowledged what the other Pharisees denied. 99 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:20,560 Jesus is from God. How else could he do these 100 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:25,040 miracles? In John Chapter 7, when some 101 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:28,960 other Pharisees and the Sanhedrin wanted to kill Jesus, 102 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:31,280 Nicodemus, he stood up for Jesus. 103 00:06:31,280 --> 00:06:35,480 He said we don't take anybody to death before giving them a 104 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:40,080 lawful trial. And then in John chapter 19, 105 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:43,920 Nicodemus is going to help bury the body of Jesus with a man by 106 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:49,320 the name of Joseph of Arimathea. Nicodemus was a Pharisee. 107 00:06:51,280 --> 00:06:56,160 This man of our story, he is a Pharisee and his name, we learn, 108 00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:59,240 is Simon. The Bible says that three times 109 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:01,760 after it and introduces him as a Pharisee. 110 00:07:02,280 --> 00:07:06,160 So this is Simon the Pharisee. And the first lesson of our 111 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:09,720 study is this. Often what we talk about is 112 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:12,440 Jesus. He would eat with sinners and 113 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:15,560 tax collectors. He would eat with people like 114 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:19,360 you and me. He would go out of his way. 115 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:22,920 He never thought himself to be superior or others to be 116 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:27,680 inferior, No. But what is often overlooked is 117 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:31,600 Jesus also made himself available to the religious 118 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:34,320 officials. He made himself available to 119 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:37,560 everyone. And here, today, you and I, I 120 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:40,960 don't care where you come from. I don't care if you're black or 121 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:43,960 white, if you're a man or you're a woman, if you're rich or 122 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:46,400 you're poor. You're interested in the gospel. 123 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:50,720 So are we. We would love to study, study, 124 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:53,840 and share the good news of Jesus Christ with everybody and 125 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:57,800 anybody who has ears to hear and who is willing to learn. 126 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:01,200 We need to follow in Jesus example here. 127 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:04,200 Just because I don't look like you and you don't look like me 128 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:06,360 doesn't mean we can dismiss each other. 129 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:12,280 No, we must follow in the footsteps of Jesus now. 130 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:15,800 Jesus ate with sinners. He ate with religious official 131 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:19,920 officials, and on this occasion the story is going to shift its 132 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:25,520 focus to a Sinner. And Luke, Chapter 7 and verse 133 00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:26,880 37. The Bible says. 134 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:35,760 And behold, a woman in the city who was a Sinner when she knew 135 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:39,679 that Jesus sat at the table on the Pharisees house, brought an 136 00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:44,280 alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood over his feet behind 137 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:49,280 him, weeping. And she began to wash his feet 138 00:08:49,520 --> 00:08:54,320 with her tears and wipe them with the hair of her head. 139 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:58,760 And she kissed his feet and anointed them with the fragrant 140 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:04,240 oil. Our whole focus shifts from 141 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:08,280 Simon to a Sinner. In the 1st century Pharisees, 142 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:11,320 when they would invite people to their home, they would have 143 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:14,560 their windows open. They'd have their doors open, 144 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:17,440 because every time they did something good, they wanted 145 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:20,920 everybody outside to look and see I'm doing something good. 146 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:26,200 This woman, she's a Sinner. She knows about Jesus. 147 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:28,960 She's heard about Jesus. We don't even get to learn her 148 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:32,720 name in this story. That doesn't really much matter. 149 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:35,880 The Bible just tells us she's a Sinner. 150 00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:39,480 That's her reputation. Everybody knows she's a Sinner. 151 00:09:39,640 --> 00:09:45,800 She comes over now. We don't know what kind of sin 152 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:49,080 she was involved with. All we know is that everybody 153 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:51,480 knew about it. Some people like to speculate. 154 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:55,000 Some people like to think this woman's an adulterous woman. 155 00:09:55,840 --> 00:09:59,440 She was caught in adultery. We don't know. 156 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:03,040 All we know is her reputation was Sinner. 157 00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:07,320 She goes to Jesus. She finds Jesus. 158 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:10,680 She stands before Jesus. She falls at his feet. 159 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:13,080 She starts crying. Why? 160 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:15,360 She starts weeping. Why? 161 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:21,160 Well, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the 162 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:25,040 Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for 163 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:28,080 they shall be comforted. This woman, she's come into 164 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:33,120 contact with Jesus, and she immediately recognizes who Jesus 165 00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:38,640 is and who she's not. She's confronted with the 166 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:43,440 overwhelming guilt of her sins, and so she weeps uncontrollably. 167 00:10:43,560 --> 00:10:48,120 The literal Greek word for for weep in this verse speaks of 168 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:51,360 rain falling down. She's not just getting teary 169 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:56,840 eyed, she's bawling her eyes out, weeping at Jesus's feet so 170 00:10:56,840 --> 00:11:01,280 much so she's got so many tears. She washes his feet and full 171 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:07,400 submission empties herself of all pride and she humbles 172 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:10,520 herself before the master's feet. 173 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:18,000 She dries his feet with her hair, the glory of a woman, her 174 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:23,920 precious hair. She anoints him and this is just 175 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:27,080 a beautiful scene. This is this is worship. 176 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:30,760 Practically, she is submitting to Jesus, giving Jesus her all. 177 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:36,080 But then a problem happens. Simon is there and he sees all 178 00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:40,360 this go down in his very house and he's got a thought. 179 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:46,360 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he spoke 180 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:48,400 to himself. So he's not saying this. 181 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:54,400 He's thinking this. He thinks this This man, Jesus, 182 00:11:55,520 --> 00:12:02,200 if he were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman 183 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:06,800 this is who is touching him, for she is a Sinner. 184 00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:11,760 So up to this point, Simon has been very commendable. 185 00:12:11,880 --> 00:12:13,640 He's not like the other Pharisees. 186 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:17,600 He invites Jesus into his home, something Nicodemus did, but we 187 00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:21,320 don't really know his motive. To be fair, we don't know his 188 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:23,040 motive. We don't know why this is even 189 00:12:23,040 --> 00:12:26,720 going on. Here's where we start to see 190 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:32,560 that Simon is a skeptic. He invites Jesus into his home 191 00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:36,640 and he sees something he doesn't like. 192 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:39,760 It doesn't really make sense to him. 193 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:42,280 He goes, this woman's touching Jesus. 194 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:45,520 He can't be a prophet. He can't be who he said he is. 195 00:12:45,680 --> 00:12:47,560 He can't be who others say he is. 196 00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:51,800 If you were a prophet, he'd know this woman's a Sinner. 197 00:12:52,560 --> 00:12:55,800 He could know her heart, he can know her past, He can know her 198 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:58,920 life. And if he really was a prophet, 199 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:04,600 he would not let her come near him or touch him, because 200 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:09,280 prophets are men of holiness. Why would you let a sinful woman 201 00:13:09,280 --> 00:13:13,640 come near you and touch you, let alone touch you, says Simon. 202 00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:19,240 He is a skeptic Now. There are people like Simon 203 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:21,720 today. They will ignore all the 204 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:27,400 evidence that is presented and search for reasons to doubt in 205 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:30,920 an attempt to dismiss Jesus entirely. 206 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:37,520 To dismiss Jesus entirely. What are you like? 207 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:44,040 Does that sound like you today? You know, some people, when we 208 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:47,600 see the skeptic, some people, they're curious. 209 00:13:48,560 --> 00:13:51,200 You know, people like this. I know people like this. 210 00:13:51,440 --> 00:13:56,120 It's good to be curious. Blessed are those who hunger and 211 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:59,440 thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. 212 00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:03,800 It is good to be curious. I've had so many conversations. 213 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:06,840 You know what's the fastest growing sport in this country? 214 00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:12,280 It's pickleball. You know how many conversations 215 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:16,040 I've had with people on the pickleball courts till 12:00 AM? 216 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:18,400 And they're talking, they're asking about the Bible. 217 00:14:18,520 --> 00:14:22,040 We're at the gym, we're at wherever, and they just want to 218 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:23,520 talk. They've got questions. 219 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:27,400 I love it. They're curious. 220 00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:30,480 Maybe you're here this morning and you're curious. 221 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:36,360 You come to the right place. But some people, they're 222 00:14:36,360 --> 00:14:42,000 curious, but they're cautious. They love learning, They love 223 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:43,680 hearing. They love studying. 224 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:48,640 But they don't jump in. They're hesitant, hesitant to 225 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:53,480 dive all in to Christianity, to the church, to get baptized 226 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:56,320 because they recognize something. 227 00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:03,320 And what they recognize is if I do this, I got to change. 228 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:08,440 I can't live the same way I've been living. 229 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:12,080 You're right. Neither did I had to come to 230 00:15:12,080 --> 00:15:16,440 grips with the same truth before I was baptized. 231 00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:20,880 I can't live the way I've been living these 19 years passed in 232 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:23,680 my life. I've got to change. 233 00:15:25,320 --> 00:15:29,760 But some people, they never make the next step because they're 234 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:32,560 too cautious. You know what, though? 235 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:36,480 This isn't Simon. Simon is someone who is curious, 236 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:40,480 but he's contentious. He's contentious. 237 00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:44,760 He wants to learn, but he's waiting to learn till he can 238 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:48,640 find something to dismiss. And he goes, I got him. 239 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:50,520 I don't need to listen to this man. 240 00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:53,640 There's a flaw in him. I don't like what he says. 241 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:56,640 I'm going to go live my life the way I want to live. 242 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:03,400 I want to tell you a quick story in my short one year, seven 243 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:06,760 months and 30 days, who's counting of being a preacher, 244 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:10,600 I've had some studies with people from the community. 245 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:14,400 I want to tell you about one study in particular. 246 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:19,520 I had to study with the man and his wife, just to kind of give 247 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:22,960 you some info. He got a Purple Heart in the 248 00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:26,680 Vietnam War. That kind of tells you how old 249 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:30,200 he was or is he got a Purple Heart. 250 00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:34,960 This is a manly man. Not only was he manly, he was 251 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:38,320 intellectual. See, he was a psychologist. 252 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:45,000 So me, this man and his wife, we studied every week, twice a 253 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:51,640 week, an hour minimum. We did this for 10 months now. 254 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:55,160 At first he was curious. They both were. 255 00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:58,880 They had been church hopping, church shopping, whatever way 256 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:03,520 you want to put it. They were visiting churches now. 257 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:08,280 He would just eat it up. Him and his wife, they loved it 258 00:17:08,640 --> 00:17:10,960 until he found something he didn't like. 259 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:15,880 You know what he didn't like? Oh, you of little faith. 260 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:21,640 When Jesus would tell the apostles, oh, you of little 261 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:23,319 faith. He hated that. 262 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:25,800 You know what? He tell me? 263 00:17:26,079 --> 00:17:29,160 Jesus is mean. When are we going to get to that 264 00:17:29,160 --> 00:17:34,240 love and compassion? And I'd say, friend, we've 265 00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:39,920 studied miracle after miracle, leopard cleanse, blind, cleanse 266 00:17:40,120 --> 00:17:42,560 deaf cleanse, dead, raised to life. 267 00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:45,840 And you're telling me, where are we going to see? 268 00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:47,600 When are we going to see some love? 269 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:54,240 And I had to do my best. In case you didn't know, I'm 25 270 00:17:54,680 --> 00:17:57,560 and I'm not married. I don't have any kids, so I 271 00:17:57,560 --> 00:17:59,960 ought to do my best to try and teach this man. 272 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:04,600 Well, when you have kids. The father, he corrects his son 273 00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:07,440 as a father loves and he disciplines. 274 00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:11,440 It's a weird, yeah, I know, crazy. 275 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:16,520 So I would go to verses and I'd tell him, Look, in Revelation 276 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:22,040 chapter 3 and verse 19, Jesus said as many as I love, I rebuke 277 00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:26,520 and chasten and I. We'd go on and on and we'd have 278 00:18:26,520 --> 00:18:29,800 the same discussion 30 times over these ten months. 279 00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:33,240 It got so bad. The church leader who would sit 280 00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:37,280 in, elderly man Ken Stark, he would sit in and he'd pull me 281 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:38,840 aside. One Pollock, he goes, Isaac, 282 00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:44,400 we're wasting our time. He's just, he's just rejecting 283 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:46,560 this at all costs. You're answering his questions. 284 00:18:46,960 --> 00:18:49,360 He goes, this isn't even profitable anymore. 285 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:53,920 And I said you're wrong. I'm learning patience. 286 00:18:55,960 --> 00:18:57,400 I was getting something out of it. 287 00:18:57,440 --> 00:18:58,800 They were getting something out of it. 288 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:03,360 We were all happy and I told him I don't want to stop studying 289 00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:07,160 because I we might lose his wife if we stop. 290 00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:15,960 After 10 months my patients ran out, I think understandably so. 291 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:20,080 The boiling point was this. I asked this man. 292 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:23,600 I said, You get mad that Jesus hates people and whatnot. 293 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:28,240 Let me ask you a question. Who knows more about love, you 294 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:35,120 or God? I don't know, Isaac, I said. 295 00:19:35,120 --> 00:19:37,880 The fact that you don't know and can't answer that question says 296 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:39,440 more than what you're willing to say. 297 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:45,000 Wasn't long before that was the end of the studies. 298 00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:48,400 Now we ask the question. Today we say all that to say 299 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:50,960 this. Some are curious, some are 300 00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:54,200 curious and cautious. Others are curious but 301 00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:56,200 contentious. Which are you? 302 00:19:57,720 --> 00:20:00,440 Which are we? This morning I'm going to give 303 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:02,520 you a question, a very simple question. 304 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:08,640 You will know which one you are. If Christianity were true, would 305 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:11,160 you believe it and would you obey it? 306 00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:15,680 If the answer is yes. You got a head problem. 307 00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:21,040 Sounds strange, but what I mean is you just don't know enough. 308 00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:24,800 You want to learn, You want to grow, You want to know. 309 00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:27,760 You want to believe. You just don't know what you 310 00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:30,280 need to know. That's easy. 311 00:20:31,320 --> 00:20:34,840 Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. 312 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:39,600 Romans 10/17. But if I ask you if Christianity 313 00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:43,240 were true and you say no, you would not believe it even if it 314 00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:45,480 were true, you got a heart problem. 315 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:48,720 Heart problems. I can't fix them. 316 00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:53,160 No one can, except yourself. It won't matter how much 317 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:56,440 evidence, how much proof is presented. 318 00:20:56,720 --> 00:21:00,240 You won't change. I won't change. 319 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:05,360 Which are you this morning is the question. 320 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:10,920 Simon was contentious. He had a heart problem and the 321 00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:14,800 story picks up here. But before we do we want to look 322 00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:18,680 at two things Very quickly Simon in this thought that he has in 323 00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:20,440 his head Jesus can't be a prophet. 324 00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:23,280 The reason why he came to this conclusion was this. 325 00:21:24,080 --> 00:21:29,120 He had two misunderstandings about Jesus #1 Jesus purpose. 326 00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:34,680 You see the word Pharisee by which this sect is called it 327 00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:38,600 literally means a separatist. They got their name Separatist 328 00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:41,480 because they would, they would view themselves holier than 329 00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:43,720 thou. They tried to separate 330 00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:47,880 themselves from the world and all uncleanness commendable. 331 00:21:47,960 --> 00:21:51,760 That's what we're trying to do. But here's what they went wrong. 332 00:21:52,360 --> 00:21:54,520 They started to say, I can't hang out with him. 333 00:21:55,880 --> 00:22:00,240 He's sinned, he's a Sinner, he's dirty, he's below me. 334 00:22:01,120 --> 00:22:05,200 That's where they went wrong. So when this woman comes to 335 00:22:05,360 --> 00:22:08,960 Jesus and he sees Jesus allow her to touch him, can't be a 336 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:12,800 prophet. He misunderstood why Jesus came 337 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:17,080 and we find this coming up in Mark chapter 2 and verse 15. 338 00:22:18,120 --> 00:22:21,840 Now it happened as he was dining in Levi's house that many tax 339 00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:26,160 collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and his 340 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:30,000 disciples, for there were many and they followed him. 341 00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:32,800 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eating with 342 00:22:32,800 --> 00:22:38,040 the tax collectors and sinners, they said to his disciples how 343 00:22:38,120 --> 00:22:42,000 easy that he eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners. 344 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:47,360 When Jesus heard it, he said to them those who are well have no 345 00:22:47,360 --> 00:22:50,520 need of a physician, but those who are sick. 346 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:54,680 I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to 347 00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:58,720 repentance. This woman was exactly who Jesus 348 00:22:58,720 --> 00:23:02,480 was looking for. What they misunderstood, what 349 00:23:02,480 --> 00:23:06,120 they didn't understand, was that the Messiah did not come down to 350 00:23:06,120 --> 00:23:10,920 keep men at arms reach away. He didn't come here to 351 00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:15,440 spiritually socially distance. He came here so that we could go 352 00:23:15,440 --> 00:23:19,720 up, so he could extend a helping hand to sinners and take us up 353 00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:23,200 with him. They didn't understand that. 354 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:27,520 The second thing Simon didn't understand. 355 00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:34,520 He misunderstood Jesus's power. Jesus's power, he goes, this man 356 00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:36,280 can't be a prophet. He's got. 357 00:23:36,360 --> 00:23:38,640 He's supposed to know the past of this woman. 358 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:41,080 She's a Sinner, wouldn't let her touch him. 359 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:46,400 Jesus is going to prove. And the rest of this story, he 360 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:49,040 is a prophet. But he's much more. 361 00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:52,840 He is much more. He is God. 362 00:23:54,640 --> 00:23:56,160 And here's where the story picks up. 363 00:23:56,160 --> 00:24:02,640 In verse 40, Simon in verse 39 he has the thought in his heart 364 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:07,600 and Jesus. In verse 40 says, Simon, I have 365 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:12,480 something to say to you. So he said Teachers say it. 366 00:24:13,720 --> 00:24:19,000 There was a certain creditor who had two debtors, one O 500 367 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:23,600 denarii and the other 50, and when they had nothing with which 368 00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:26,160 to repay, he freely forgave them both. 369 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:29,960 Tell me therefore, which of them will love him more. 370 00:24:31,640 --> 00:24:35,320 Simon answered and said, I suppose the one whom he forgave 371 00:24:35,320 --> 00:24:39,240 more. And he said to him, You have 372 00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:45,520 rightly judged Simon just had this whole scenario. 373 00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:48,840 He just thought it out. The Bible says, interestingly 374 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:52,120 enough, Jesus answered him. You know why that isn't 375 00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:54,640 interesting? Simon didn't ask a question. 376 00:24:56,840 --> 00:25:00,000 Simon's doubting Jesus is a prophet, that he can read hearts 377 00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:04,960 and little does he know, Jesus just read his heart and he's 378 00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:09,520 about to turn the tables. He's about to take control of 379 00:25:09,520 --> 00:25:13,320 the situation and show Simon who's boss. 380 00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:18,760 So in typical Jesus fashion, he doesn't go straight into 381 00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:20,560 rebuking. He doesn't go straight into his 382 00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:23,040 sermon. He goes into an illustration. 383 00:25:24,680 --> 00:25:28,920 I got a little story for you. There's one creditor. 384 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:34,880 He lends out money. There's two debtors, one OS 500, 385 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:39,480 an area, another 50. And an area is just one day's 386 00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:44,640 worth of working wages. So one man owes 500 days of 387 00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:47,520 work, The other man owes 50 days of work. 388 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:54,360 One's more, one's less. But neither could pay this 389 00:25:54,360 --> 00:25:56,920 creditor. He's going to forgive them both. 390 00:25:58,280 --> 00:26:01,400 Who's going to be more thankful? Who's going to love the creditor 391 00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:02,880 more? Simon. 392 00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:06,240 He's not the smartest guy, but he's a smart guy. 393 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:09,480 Well, the one who's forgiven of more. 394 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:12,880 Jesus says you've rightly judged. 395 00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:18,800 You've rightly judged means you're right. 396 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:21,920 Good job. What's interesting is that 397 00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:25,760 Jesus, when people were asked questions, when he'd say when 398 00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:28,880 they were right, he'd say you're right, and when they were wrong, 399 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:31,760 he'd say you're wrong. And when he tells Simon here, 400 00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:34,800 you're right. That implies not all answers are 401 00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:37,560 right. There are sometimes wrong 402 00:26:37,560 --> 00:26:40,000 answers. But Simon, he's got it. 403 00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:44,960 And Jesus has got him exactly where he wants him, because now 404 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:49,760 it's application time and verse 44. 405 00:26:49,760 --> 00:26:53,040 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, Do you see this 406 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:56,400 woman? I entered your house. 407 00:26:56,560 --> 00:26:59,160 You gave me no water for my feet. 408 00:27:00,560 --> 00:27:06,000 But she has washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with 409 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:10,800 the hair of her head. You gave me no kiss. 410 00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:18,320 You gave me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss my 411 00:27:18,320 --> 00:27:22,680 feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint my head with 412 00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:27,360 oil, but this woman has anointed my feet with fragrant oil. 413 00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:32,040 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are 414 00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:37,240 forgiven, for she loved much, but to whom little is forgiven 415 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:41,280 the same loves little. You know that story Jesus just 416 00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:44,600 said. You know who's the creditor? 417 00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:47,680 God, you know who were the debtors? 418 00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:51,360 Simon, You know who was the other debtor? 419 00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:54,440 The sinful woman. You know what they owed. 420 00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:56,720 They had a sin debt they could not pay. 421 00:27:57,280 --> 00:28:02,000 As the song goes, neither one could pay. 422 00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:11,320 The woman owed more. Jesus has just turned us around. 423 00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:15,080 And he goes, Simon, I'm in your house. 424 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:19,680 The customs of the day, you were supposed to greet me with a 425 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:22,280 kiss. You gave me no kiss. 426 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:27,240 I came into your home. You did not wash my feet back. 427 00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:29,560 Then they got dirty feet. They got like Birkenstocks on, 428 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:33,160 and they're walking around and they're in like donkey dung and 429 00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:35,760 all the mud and all that good stuff. 430 00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:37,800 And so they need their feet cleaned. 431 00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:42,840 And so that was a hot commodity if you were having guests over. 432 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:45,480 They did that for you, he says. You didn't even do that. 433 00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:50,240 The common courtesy of a guest. You didn't even do that. 434 00:28:52,440 --> 00:28:55,840 And then he says you gave me no oil. 435 00:28:56,680 --> 00:28:59,720 You see, when you'd have a guest of festivity, you would anoint 436 00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:02,640 them with oil. This woman, she went far above 437 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:06,360 and beyond what Simon was supposed to do and what he was 438 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:09,080 expected to do. She wouldn't stop kissing him, 439 00:29:09,200 --> 00:29:11,960 but she was kissing his feet. She wouldn't stop giving him 440 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:14,400 water to wash his feet. But it wasn't just water. 441 00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:17,960 It was her tears. She dried them with their hair. 442 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:21,080 She didn't just give him oil, she gave him costly oil. 443 00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:25,160 Everything he was supposed to do, she did. 444 00:29:25,280 --> 00:29:28,920 And she did it better than he was, what he was expected to do. 445 00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:36,480 And he says her sins, which are many, they're forgiven for She 446 00:29:36,480 --> 00:29:39,480 loved much. Ouch. 447 00:29:41,320 --> 00:29:43,760 He has just been caught in his own game. 448 00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:49,080 What was the difference between Simon and the sinful woman? 449 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:52,880 As we seek to understand lessons for us to learn in this story, 450 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:56,240 what was the difference between the both of them? 451 00:29:57,000 --> 00:30:04,120 It was this how they view Jesus #1 and #2, How they view 452 00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:08,000 themselves. What do we mean by that? 453 00:30:09,880 --> 00:30:13,120 How you view Jesus effects how you treat Jesus. 454 00:30:14,560 --> 00:30:18,880 If I just think Jesus is just a man, I can ignore him like any 455 00:30:18,880 --> 00:30:23,360 other man. If he's a prophet, he's from 456 00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:24,640 God. He knows what he's talking 457 00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:26,880 about. That is enough for me to listen. 458 00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:30,760 But Jesus is much more than a man. 459 00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:33,720 He's much more than a prophet. He is Messiah. 460 00:30:34,200 --> 00:30:37,080 He is the Christ. He is the Anointed One. 461 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:40,840 He is Savior. He is God, the Son of God. 462 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:45,840 And when we understand who Jesus is, it'll change everything. 463 00:30:46,760 --> 00:30:50,280 It'll change how we live. It'll change the way we think. 464 00:30:50,840 --> 00:30:54,680 It'll change how long we stay, how often we come here, how long 465 00:30:54,680 --> 00:31:02,760 we stay, how early we leave the lives we live #2 How you view 466 00:31:02,760 --> 00:31:06,920 yourself effects. How you view and treat Jesus. 467 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:11,080 I'm not the smartest guy. I ain't even a psychologist. 468 00:31:11,160 --> 00:31:15,880 I know this, though. Can't help arrogant people can't 469 00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:20,720 help a proud man or woman. Proud people, number one. 470 00:31:20,720 --> 00:31:22,040 They don't even think they need help. 471 00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:26,200 And #2 if they think they need help, they ain't going to listen 472 00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:28,000 to you because they got all the answers. 473 00:31:28,840 --> 00:31:33,800 It takes a very humble person to submit to Jesus to recognize who 474 00:31:33,800 --> 00:31:40,400 he is and who they're not. And #3 how you view yourself is 475 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:45,560 based off of how you view sin, especially your own sins. 476 00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:51,480 Now for the last five or 10 minutes of our lesson together, 477 00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:54,840 I want to further explore this Third Point. 478 00:31:56,280 --> 00:31:58,800 Jesus makes a connection in verse 47. 479 00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:03,920 He says this. Whoever is forgiven of more, 480 00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:07,600 they love more. If you don't get anything from 481 00:32:07,600 --> 00:32:12,680 this sermon, this is it. This is what I want us to take 482 00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:16,760 away from this study. Whoever is forgiven of more 483 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:19,600 loves, more. Love in the Bible is not some 484 00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:22,920 ooey gooey romantic. It's not a feeling. 485 00:32:23,240 --> 00:32:25,600 Yes, true love does have feelings. 486 00:32:25,840 --> 00:32:29,760 Don't get me wrong. But Jesus defined love in the 487 00:32:29,760 --> 00:32:34,640 scriptures. If you love me, keep my 488 00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:36,880 commandments. Love is obedience. 489 00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:43,480 John 14 and verse 15. Now what we learn in the Bible 490 00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:51,000 is that grace or forgiveness motivates people to serve God. 491 00:32:51,840 --> 00:32:56,000 Grace and forgiveness motivates people to serve God. 492 00:32:56,400 --> 00:33:00,240 Take it from the Apostle Paul and 1st Corinthians chapter 15 493 00:33:00,240 --> 00:33:03,040 and verse 9. The English standard version 494 00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:08,840 says this for I am the least of the apostles unworthy to be 495 00:33:08,840 --> 00:33:12,560 called an apostle because I persecuted the Church of God. 496 00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:18,440 But by the grace of God, by the forgiveness of God, I am what I 497 00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:22,920 am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. 498 00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:26,960 On the contrary, I worked harder than the other apostles. 499 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:32,240 Why? It was not me, it was not I, but 500 00:33:32,240 --> 00:33:35,720 the grace of God that was within me, Paul said. 501 00:33:35,880 --> 00:33:39,560 The reason why I taught so much, the reason why I suffered so 502 00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:44,120 much, the reason why I travelled and I served so much, is because 503 00:33:44,120 --> 00:33:50,800 I was a bad Sinner. The least I could do is live my 504 00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:55,840 life for the one who died. For me, it wasn't a competition 505 00:33:55,840 --> 00:33:58,400 to him. He was just trying to repay in 506 00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:02,240 some way what will never be repayable. 507 00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:08,639 The forgiveness of our sins. Why do you do what you do? 508 00:34:09,679 --> 00:34:13,719 Why do I do what I do? What is our motivating factor? 509 00:34:14,120 --> 00:34:19,120 This right here is the eternal source of motivation. 510 00:34:19,440 --> 00:34:22,520 I don't even like motivation. I like determination. 511 00:34:22,679 --> 00:34:25,199 Motivation is based off of a feeling. 512 00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:27,639 If you feel right, you'll do right. 513 00:34:27,800 --> 00:34:30,800 If you're determined, it doesn't matter how you feel. 514 00:34:32,159 --> 00:34:34,480 If you're disciplined, it don't matter how you feel. 515 00:34:34,639 --> 00:34:37,199 You're going to do it because that's what's necessary. 516 00:34:37,199 --> 00:34:39,600 I'm going to get the job done, 'cause God says so. 517 00:34:39,800 --> 00:34:42,800 Even when I don't like it or I don't feel like it, I'm going to 518 00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:46,719 do it so much until I like it, until I view this the way God 519 00:34:46,719 --> 00:34:50,840 wants me to. Why do you serve God? 520 00:34:51,040 --> 00:34:58,080 Why are we even here today? Because we've been forgiven and 521 00:34:58,080 --> 00:35:00,560 we love the one who first loved us. 522 00:35:02,480 --> 00:35:05,680 Here's the question we're going to end with and dissect these 523 00:35:05,680 --> 00:35:11,080 last five minutes. Should I sin more so I can love 524 00:35:11,080 --> 00:35:13,640 God more? Because then I will be forgiven 525 00:35:13,640 --> 00:35:15,560 of more. Let me say it like this. 526 00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:20,280 Well, if whoever's forgiven of more loves more, does that mean 527 00:35:20,280 --> 00:35:23,720 I should go sin more? God will forgive me of more than 528 00:35:23,720 --> 00:35:26,280 I can obey God better and love him more? 529 00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:30,200 No. The Bible answers this question. 530 00:35:30,200 --> 00:35:35,280 And Romans 6-1 and two What shall we Christians say then? 531 00:35:36,080 --> 00:35:40,400 Shall we continue in sin? Shall we continue sinning that 532 00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:43,880 grace may abound? Certainly not. 533 00:35:45,480 --> 00:35:49,160 Certainly not. How shall we, who died to sin, 534 00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:54,400 live any longer in it? Paul says we cannot manipulate 535 00:35:54,400 --> 00:35:59,640 grace, We cannot cheat grace. We can't just sin intentionally 536 00:35:59,640 --> 00:36:04,440 knowing and abusing the forgiveness of God to get some 537 00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:08,080 outcome. That's not how the child of God, 538 00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:11,800 a mature child of God, lives. We ought not do that. 539 00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:16,080 So what are we going to do? We got a better understand the 540 00:36:16,080 --> 00:36:21,280 sins we've already committed. We got to focus on the past, not 541 00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:23,480 sin more in the future. To love God more. 542 00:36:24,200 --> 00:36:28,280 You know what's what prevents us from loving Jesus more? 543 00:36:29,760 --> 00:36:31,280 It's one of my biggest pet peeves. 544 00:36:32,120 --> 00:36:36,000 Some people believe there are big sins and then there's little 545 00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:39,080 sins. Here's what I mean. 546 00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:43,640 I'm not a big Sinner. I've never murdered anybody. 547 00:36:44,200 --> 00:36:49,040 I'm not committed adultery. I've never molested anybody. 548 00:36:49,440 --> 00:36:55,240 Those are the big sins. But I curse and I gossip and I 549 00:36:55,240 --> 00:36:58,080 lie those. That's little stuff, though. 550 00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:06,320 Yeah, according to who you see a lot of Christians. 551 00:37:06,320 --> 00:37:10,760 Some Christians, I should say, have a subconscious list in 552 00:37:10,760 --> 00:37:13,960 their hearts of big sins and little sins. 553 00:37:14,120 --> 00:37:17,200 And this list varies from person to person. 554 00:37:17,880 --> 00:37:20,720 You know, what are the little sins in our lives? 555 00:37:21,160 --> 00:37:25,200 It's the ones you do, and it's the ones I do. 556 00:37:26,040 --> 00:37:28,120 Those are the ones we talk ourselves out of. 557 00:37:28,600 --> 00:37:31,400 Well, it's OK, 'cause you know, like there's these seven reasons 558 00:37:31,400 --> 00:37:37,440 that justify this sin. So some people think and we 559 00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:43,760 classify sins. The question then is, is all sin 560 00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:50,720 the same? The answer is yes, #1. 561 00:37:50,720 --> 00:37:53,040 The devil tempts us to every sin. 562 00:37:53,240 --> 00:37:56,080 Matthew chapter 4 and verse 3 #2. 563 00:37:56,280 --> 00:37:58,560 All sin is a violation of God's law. 564 00:37:58,920 --> 00:38:01,920 First John three and four. If the Bible doesn't that says 565 00:38:01,920 --> 00:38:04,160 not to do it and you do it. It's sin. 566 00:38:05,200 --> 00:38:07,040 It doesn't matter if it's cursing or killing. 567 00:38:08,760 --> 00:38:13,040 All sin separates us from God. Isaiah 59 and verse 2. 568 00:38:13,880 --> 00:38:16,840 Jesus died for all sins, Ephesians one and seven. 569 00:38:17,600 --> 00:38:20,160 That right there is the only reason you, you and I need. 570 00:38:20,880 --> 00:38:24,960 If Jesus died for every sin then lying is not a little sin, it's 571 00:38:24,960 --> 00:38:29,600 that big of a deal. Lastly, all sin will be punished 572 00:38:29,600 --> 00:38:34,120 if not repented. Of Romans 6 and 23 says all sin 573 00:38:34,120 --> 00:38:46,720 the same yes and no and no. The scriptures do in fact use 574 00:38:46,720 --> 00:38:51,560 language of greater sins. And John 1911 Jesus answered you 575 00:38:51,560 --> 00:38:55,880 could have no power at all. He's on trial against me, unless 576 00:38:55,880 --> 00:38:57,720 it had been given you from above. 577 00:38:58,600 --> 00:39:02,680 Therefore, the one who delivered me to you has the greater sin. 578 00:39:02,880 --> 00:39:04,600 A lot of people, they just shut the Bible. 579 00:39:04,960 --> 00:39:07,960 It says it. There's worse sins. 580 00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:10,360 The question is, what does that mean? 581 00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:14,040 That's the question. What does that mean? 582 00:39:14,680 --> 00:39:16,720 How did these people have a greater sin? 583 00:39:18,560 --> 00:39:22,080 They knew he was innocent and they still killed him. 584 00:39:23,160 --> 00:39:27,000 They had knowledge and they did not act on it. 585 00:39:27,080 --> 00:39:33,320 Accordingly, we're just going to look at one more verse and two 586 00:39:33,320 --> 00:39:37,560 examples. Jesus teaches this point in Luke 587 00:39:37,560 --> 00:39:42,760 chapter 12, verses 47 and 48. The Scriptures do in fact use 588 00:39:42,760 --> 00:39:47,120 language of greater sins, but sins are only greater in regards 589 00:39:47,120 --> 00:39:50,320 to the knowledge one possesses when they commit sin. 590 00:39:52,360 --> 00:39:55,800 Jesus would say in Luke 1247, And that servant who knew his 591 00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:59,120 master's will and did not prepare himself or do according 592 00:39:59,120 --> 00:40:02,480 to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 593 00:40:02,840 --> 00:40:05,760 But he who did not know that committed things deserving of 594 00:40:05,760 --> 00:40:08,040 stripes, shall be beaten with few. 595 00:40:08,680 --> 00:40:11,600 For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be 596 00:40:11,600 --> 00:40:14,800 required, and to whom much has been committed of him, they will 597 00:40:14,800 --> 00:40:18,560 ask them more. This servant, he knew what God's 598 00:40:18,560 --> 00:40:19,840 will was. He sins. 599 00:40:20,080 --> 00:40:23,000 This servant, he doesn't know God's will and he sins. 600 00:40:23,120 --> 00:40:26,000 They're both punished. Even if you don't know, it 601 00:40:26,000 --> 00:40:29,920 doesn't justify sinning. Now the one who knew and did not 602 00:40:29,920 --> 00:40:35,720 do better, he's punished, but he's punished worse 'cause he 603 00:40:35,720 --> 00:40:38,120 knew better. He had more knowledge at his 604 00:40:38,120 --> 00:40:41,120 disposal. So that's how his sin was worse. 605 00:40:43,600 --> 00:40:47,680 So if you lie as a Christian and you know lying is bad, that's a 606 00:40:47,680 --> 00:40:53,800 big sin, It's still a sin. If you didn't know it was a sin, 607 00:40:55,960 --> 00:40:59,160 Jesus would teach this. He would say woe to you cores in 608 00:40:59,160 --> 00:41:03,200 Bethsaida and Capernaum. Why it will be more tolerable in 609 00:41:03,200 --> 00:41:06,120 the Day of Judgement for Tire, Sodom and Sodom. 610 00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:07,960 All I'm going to talk about is Sodom. 611 00:41:08,120 --> 00:41:12,160 Sodom was bad. Sodom was bad God. 612 00:41:12,160 --> 00:41:15,760 So bad God zapped away my own intents and purposes. 613 00:41:15,760 --> 00:41:22,600 They got zapped away. How could Corazon but Satan and 614 00:41:22,600 --> 00:41:26,880 Capernaum be worse off than tired, Silent and Sodom? 615 00:41:27,400 --> 00:41:31,680 Because Jesus did his mightiest works there, his best miracles, 616 00:41:31,680 --> 00:41:33,360 and the people still rejected him. 617 00:41:33,680 --> 00:41:36,200 At least Sodom. They didn't get God coming to 618 00:41:36,200 --> 00:41:39,480 them. They had more greater 619 00:41:39,480 --> 00:41:42,560 opportunity. That means greater condemnation. 620 00:41:42,680 --> 00:41:47,800 When we reject, that's how he could say in Second Peter Two if 621 00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:50,160 someone they come to the knowledge of the truth, they 622 00:41:50,160 --> 00:41:53,760 leave the truth. It's worse if they know the 623 00:41:53,760 --> 00:41:56,760 truth and leave then to have never known it at all. 624 00:41:56,760 --> 00:41:58,920 They're like dogs who eat their own vomit. 625 00:41:59,120 --> 00:42:02,760 They're like pigs who they're clean and then they wash in the 626 00:42:02,760 --> 00:42:07,520 mud. It's gross stuff over and over. 627 00:42:07,640 --> 00:42:11,600 Sins are clearly taught to be worse if you know better. 628 00:42:12,320 --> 00:42:19,600 And we don't do better. So all it takes is 1 sin to 629 00:42:19,600 --> 00:42:23,320 condemn an individual to hell Who was the worst Sinner? 630 00:42:24,800 --> 00:42:28,760 Doesn't matter Simon or the Sinner, the sinful woman. 631 00:42:29,120 --> 00:42:32,800 All you got to focus on is they could not pay. 632 00:42:34,720 --> 00:42:37,280 Neither could pay. And if you can't pay a debt, it 633 00:42:37,280 --> 00:42:39,080 don't really matter how much you do owe. 634 00:42:43,840 --> 00:42:49,480 How do we view our sin? The story ends and Jesus 635 00:42:49,480 --> 00:42:54,640 forgives her sins and they think to themselves, who is this that 636 00:42:54,640 --> 00:42:57,520 he forgives sins? You see, the story started out. 637 00:42:58,520 --> 00:43:01,840 The story started out. They go, He can't be a prophet, 638 00:43:03,080 --> 00:43:05,080 but he is a prophet. He proves the Simon. 639 00:43:05,160 --> 00:43:07,000 I read his heart. I read his mind. 640 00:43:07,120 --> 00:43:08,760 Here's this illustration to prove it. 641 00:43:09,440 --> 00:43:12,360 And he forgives sins. Who can forgive sins but God 642 00:43:12,360 --> 00:43:17,640 alone? Luke 520 and 21 Jesus is a man, 643 00:43:18,160 --> 00:43:20,400 but he's a prophet and he's much more than a prophet. 644 00:43:20,400 --> 00:43:24,440 He's God. The last thing we're going to 645 00:43:24,440 --> 00:43:27,520 look at is why is the Sinner unnamed in this story? 646 00:43:28,520 --> 00:43:32,360 That's because that's Sinner. It's you and me. 647 00:43:36,320 --> 00:43:41,840 The question for us is will you and I love much or love little? 648 00:43:42,520 --> 00:43:46,360 How will we respond to Jesus and our sins? 649 00:43:46,800 --> 00:43:50,720 Will we be like Simon, curious but contentious? 650 00:43:51,800 --> 00:43:56,760 Are you curious and cautious or are you curious with an open 651 00:43:56,760 --> 00:43:59,800 heart? Thank you for your kind 652 00:43:59,800 --> 00:44:01,720 attention and your kind listening. 653 00:44:02,240 --> 00:44:07,080 Maybe you're here today and you would like to get the sins in 654 00:44:07,080 --> 00:44:10,000 your life removed and be forgiven. 655 00:44:10,520 --> 00:44:13,120 The Bible just says we got to hear God's word. 656 00:44:13,360 --> 00:44:15,880 We got to believe that Jesus is the Son of God. 657 00:44:16,080 --> 00:44:18,400 We got to repent and change the way we live. 658 00:44:18,680 --> 00:44:22,200 We got to confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is who 659 00:44:22,200 --> 00:44:25,080 he is. He's the Son of God. 660 00:44:26,400 --> 00:44:29,440 We've got to be baptized and have our sins washed away. 661 00:44:29,680 --> 00:44:31,240 We're getting the baptistry ready. 662 00:44:32,720 --> 00:44:36,000 Praise be to God that someone has already decided today that 663 00:44:36,000 --> 00:44:39,600 they want to be baptized. You could be baptized too. 664 00:44:43,480 --> 00:44:46,320 What will it be for you? Maybe you're here and you're 665 00:44:46,320 --> 00:44:49,160 already a Christian. Sin is trickled back in your 666 00:44:49,160 --> 00:44:51,560 life. You know better, but you don't 667 00:44:51,560 --> 00:44:54,600 do better at times. But you want to get rid of the 668 00:44:54,600 --> 00:44:58,680 problem. The effectual, fervent prayer of 669 00:44:58,680 --> 00:45:02,480 a righteous man availeth much We can pray for you and with you. 670 00:45:03,920 --> 00:45:06,920 We thank you for listening to our podcast put on by the Church 671 00:45:06,920 --> 00:45:11,360 of Christ at 2215 Plans Rd. in Bakersfield. 672 00:45:12,080 --> 00:45:15,520 If you would like any additional information or you would like to 673 00:45:15,520 --> 00:45:18,520 receive a free Bible correspondence course by mail, 674 00:45:19,240 --> 00:45:24,560 please e-mail us at info@churchofchristbakersfield.com. 675 00:45:25,320 --> 00:45:29,600 Our service times are Sundays at 10:30 AM and 5:00 PM. 676 00:45:30,440 --> 00:45:35,000 And Wednesdays at 7:30 PM Please make plans to join us. 677 00:45:35,480 --> 00:45:37,640 We would love for you to be our honored guest.