Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations: Praying Against the Wicked

A Method to Guage Your Love To Christ

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2016-09-18

Synopsis: John Weaver preaches from Luke 7:36-50, using the account of the sinful woman anointing Jesus' feet in the Pharisee's house to teach that a Christian's love for Christ is gauged by their understanding of the depth of their own sin and the greatness of God's forgiveness. He contrasts the woman's extravagant love with Simon the Pharisee's cold neglect, explaining that those who see themselves as greatly forgiven will love much, while those who think little of their sin will love little. Weaver then presents a series of graphic biblical pictures of sin to help believers grasp the horror of their depravity, so that they might appreciate Christ's mercy more deeply and love Him more fervently.

[John Weaver] All right, well, let's open our Bible's day to the book of Luke chapter seven, Luke chapter seven. And I want you to listen very closely today. Some of the messages, some of the scriptures I am going to quote just to save time. I've got a lot that I want you to look at. And the Lord has been gracious lately, as many as busy as I've been and as much teaching as I've been doing. I've got still five or six messages that I'm working on that I think and I hope and pray will be a real blessing and help to each of you. But today, the title of the message is a method to gauge your love to Christ, a method. To gauge your love to Christ, Luke chapter seven and verse thirty six, and one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him.

[John Weaver] And he went into the Pharisee's house and sat down to meet. And behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus said it, meet in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment 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 ointment. 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 them, for she is a sinner. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Simon, I have some what to say unto thee. He saith, Master, say on.

[John Weaver] There was a certain creditor which had two debtors, the one owed five hundred pence and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him the most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman?

[John Weaver] I entered in 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. Thou gavest me no kiss, but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint, for this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore, I say unto thee, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same love of the little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven thee. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgives sins also? And he said unto the woman, Thy faith has saved thee. Go in peace. A method to gauge your love to Christ. Almost everyone has a rain gauge. And the reason we have a rain gauge is simply because we want to know how much rain we receive. We have gauges for almost everything.

[John Weaver] There are gauges for blood pressure, for blood sugar, oxygen levels, tire pressure, even micrometer gauges. In fact, there are gauges for a host of other things as well. But one of the important questions as Christians we should ask is how do we gauge our love for Jesus Christ? Now, in reality, there are a number of gauges in the Bible. One of the most familiar of all the gauges is that of obedience, because our Lord said in John 14 in verse 21, he that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. Then he said in verse 24, he that loveth me not keepeth not my commandments. The same truth is set out in verse John 5 in verse 3. And this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and they're not grievous unto us. So our lesson today, actually involves another gauge. Our love for our Lord Jesus Christ will be influenced and gauged by our understanding of our sin, depravity, ruin, and the forgiveness of our sins. The context of the message today and the setting involves an invitation to Jesus Christ to dine at a Pharisee's house.

[John Weaver] His name is Simon. As our Lord sits at the table, a very notorious sinner comes to Him. Interestingly, even Simon the Pharisee knew this woman. He knew about her, and she is labeled a sinner.

[John Weaver] Now, the interesting thing is, the Greek word is Hermotolos, which literally refers to one as preeminently sinful, especially wicked. and one devoted to sin. The word also refers to men stained with certain devices and crimes.

[John Weaver] Now one can only assume what kind of sinner this woman was because obviously her sins are not enunciated in this particular passage. But she did have an alabaster box of ointment which she broke and began anointing his feet. At the same time She was weeping profusely. She was extremely emotional and she was very moved. Interestingly, the Greek word that is used to describe her weeping is the word kleio, which literally means to mourn, to weep, to lament as one weeping as a sign of grief and pain. So simply put, she was literally heartbroken, she was devastated, and she was weeping profusely.

[John Weaver] Now, the heart of the Pharisee is revealed in verse 39. Look at it. Now, when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he said within himself, this man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that touches them, for she is a sinner. A sinner.

[John Weaver] Now, you know that Pharisees were notoriously self-righteous. They did not wish to contaminate themselves by associating with sinners. Their attitude is actually expressed in Isaiah 65 and verse 5. The first part refers to the Pharisees. The second part is what God says concerning this attitude. In Isaiah 65 and verse 5, they say, stand by thyself. Come not near me, for I am holier than thou. And God says, these are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all day. So God can't stand self-righteousness. Now, the Pharisees always had trouble with the Lord Jesus Christ. They could not understand how he could associate with sinners and even eat with sinners. Let me just give you some verses in Matthew 9, verse 11. The Bible says, and when the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, why is your master with publicans and sinners? When you get to the book of Mark chapter 2 and verse 16, the Bible says, And when the scribes and the Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth with publicans and sinners?

[John Weaver] And then in Luke 15 verse 2, And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them. Now, according to Simon, if our Lord was a prophet. He should have known how wicked this woman really was, and consequently, if he really knew that, he would not have allowed this woman to even touch him. And yet, he looks at our Lord and calls Him Master. But he will not even account Him as a prophet. Because he said, if He had been a prophet, He would have and should have known. So what our Lord does is this. He demonstrates that he not only knows the heart of the woman. He also knows the heart of the Pharisee as well. And by the way, the reason Simon was not willing to acknowledge that our Lord was a prophet. Was because, according to Simon, he did not meet the standard of the Pharisees. And so, therefore, he's not going to account him a profit.

[John Weaver] Now, I find something extremely interesting. You know, since our Lord knows the hearts. Our Lord did not immediately lash out at Simon and say, let me tell you something, you dirty foreflushing hypocrite. He didn't say that. I probably would have, but he didn't. He just simply said, Simon, I have some what to say to you. Basically, he's asking permission to speak. Well, he was in Simon's house. And Simon said, Master, say no.

[John Weaver] Now, the lesson and the illustration that our Lord conveyed was very simple and plain enough even for a Pharisee to understand. Now, I want you to listen to this. If Adam Clarke is correct in his commentary on this passage, then Simon would have had a double reason to comprehend what our Lord said. I want to give you the quote. Just listen to this paragraph of what Adam Clarke said in his commentary. He said, and I'm quoting, A certain creditor, parable our Lord means by the creditor, God, and by the two debtors, Simon and the woman who was present. Simon, who had the light of the law and who, in consequence of his profession as a Pharisee, was obliged to abstain from outward iniquity, might be considered as the debtor who owed 50 pence or 50 denarii. The woman whom I suppose to be a heathen, not having These advantages, having no rule to regulate her actions and no curb on her evil propensities, may be considered to be the debtor who owed 500 pence or denier.

[John Weaver] And when both were compared, Simon's debt to God might be considered, in reference to her, 50 to 500. However, we find, notwithstanding this great disparity, both were insolvent. Simon, the religious Pharisee, could no more pay his 50 to God than this poor heathen, her 500. And if both be not freely forgiven by the divine mercy, both must freely finally perish. Having nothing to pay, he kindly forgave them both.

[John Weaver] Now, listen to what he says. Some think that this very Simon was no inconsiderable debtor to our Lord as having been mercifully cleansed from a leprosy. For he is supposed to be the same Simon the leper. So in Matthew 26 and verse 6, the Bible just says this. Now, when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, And when you get to Mark 14 in verse 3, the Bible says in being in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he said it meet, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard, very precious. And she break the box and poured it on his head. So this could be the second time that our Lord was in this house. And Clark is saying, yes, this Simon could be Simon the leper possibility if it is. He certainly had a double reason to be extremely thankful to our Lord.

[John Weaver] So if you look in verses 41 through 43, our Lord is going to give us this illustration and this lesson. He says there was a certain creditor which had two debtors. The one owed 500 pence and the other 50. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him the most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most And he said of him, Thou hast rightly judged. Now, the scope of this parable is to demonstrate that Simon is wrong in condemning the woman who is acquitted by the heavenly judge. Our Lord proves that she is righteous, not because she pleased God, not because she did those things, but because her sins were forgiven. The argument which our Lord employs right here is not from cause, but from effect. She was not forgiven because she loved much. She loved much because she had already been forgiven. We do not love in order to be forgiven. We love because we have been forgiven.

[John Weaver] And the reason this woman is so filled with love and thankfulness and gratefulness, the reason she's shedding so many tears is she realized the greatness of her sins and the greatness of our Lord's forgiveness. Now, I want you to consider with me before I really get into what I want to share with you today. I want you to consider one debtor owed our Lord 500 pence and the other 50 pence or 50 denarii.

[John Weaver] Both amounts are relatively small. However, neither debtor was able to pay the debt. So let's just right now try to grasp the implications of this little parable. First of all, all sins are debts. There is a penalty for violating the law of God, and the penalty is such as none can pay. For the Bible says, very plainly, in Galatians 3 in verse 10, for as many as are for the works of the law are under the curse as it is written. Cursed is every one that commit, continue it, not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. So, all sin is a debt. And we owe the debt to the violated law, and the law demands the death penalty. We're under the curse, and it's not just physical debt, it's spiritual debt as well. So all sins are considered as debts. The second thing we should see in light of this is that as all sins, so are not all sinners equal in the sight of God.

[John Weaver] Now, wait a minute, let me explain this. All are guilty. But there are degrees in guilt. All are vile, but some are viler than others. All are sinners, but some are more sinful than others. Do you understand there are degrees even in sin? For instance, murder demands the death penalty. That's a grievous sin. Theft demands restitution. Lying is bad. But it's not nearly as bad as adultery. So the point I'm trying to make is all of it is sinful, but there are degrees, not only in sin, there are degrees in sinners as well. OK, some are far worse sinners than others, but all were sinners.

[John Weaver] The third thing is this, it does not matter if you are a big sinner or a little sinner, you're still a sinner. And just one sin makes you liable to God and His law, no matter how great or how small a sinner you really are. And you are still just as much in need of God's divine forgiveness. What does the Bible say in James 2, verses 10 and 11? He said, For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

[John Weaver] For he that said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not kill. Now thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. You could even make that even lighter. He said, Thou shalt not covet. Though you do not kill, but you covet, you're still a transgressor of the law. He said, Thou shalt not steal. You may not steal, but if you profane God, you're still a transgressor of the law. So just one sin makes us guilty and liable to God.

[John Weaver] Fourthly, God is gracious and free in the forgiveness of sins, no matter how great or how small they are. The Bible says in Psalm 113 verse four, but there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be desired. There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared, actually. Notice he said in Psalm 85 in verse two, Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sins. So there is forgiveness from God.

[John Weaver] Now, the fourth thing I want to point out before I really get into this is Christ here speaks of these two debtors as being forgiven. And then he speaks of their loving much. Or loving little, in other words, The comprehension of your sins and the comprehension of the forgiveness of your sins correlates to your love to the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me say this another way, and I'm going to show it to you from the Bible. If you do not think that you are a very bad sinner, if you don't think that you are very, very sinful and very transgressing God's law and are iniquitous, if you don't think that, then you're not going to love much. Our Lord said, if you understand to whom much is given, Much is required, but also of whom much is forgiven. He's going to demonstrate much love.

[John Weaver] So here we have a sharp contrast between this woman. And. The Pharisee, so look in verse 43. Our Lord says Simon verse 43, Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to me forgave the most. And look what our Lord says, and he said to him that was rightly judged. Lord Simon, you're right in this. Whoever comprehends the depth of God's forgiveness, based upon the comprehension of the depth of their sins, he's going to love more than anyone else.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to understand something. And here's what our Lord is going to demonstrate to Simon. This woman came anointed his feet, wept and washed them with her tears, dried them with her hair, kissed his feet. Simon did not even love Christ enough to provide for Him the common courtesies of the day. A common courtesy would be to wash your guest's feet, or you have something there. A common courtesy would be to anoint his head. A common courtesy would be to provide whatever he needs. Look at our Lord, how He explains it. Luke 7, verse 44, And He turned to the woman and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? Now remember, this is the woman that Simon has criticized. Seest thou this woman?

[John Weaver] Now watch what He said. I entered in thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet. But she hath washed my feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss." And by the way, it was a common courtesy in those days when you read in the Bible, greet one another with a holy kiss. The way men greeted men. usually was they would take their beard and kiss the beard. They wouldn't kiss the cheek, they'd kiss the beard. That was a holy kiss.

[John Weaver] And this is what he means. You didn't kiss my beard. You didn't greet me as a brother. You didn't greet me as someone that you loved. Note, he said, He said, Thou gavest me no kiss, but this woman, since the time that I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil, thou didst not anoint, but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.

[John Weaver] Wherefore, I say unto thee, now watch, her sins, which are many, are forgiven. For she loved much to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins be forgiven thee. Now, I want you to note again that our Lord said, Therefore, she loved much. And let me repeat this. Her great love was not the cause of the remission of her sins, but the full and free remission of her many sins was the cause of the manifestation of her great love. Think about this, folks.

[John Weaver] If this woman had not already repented, she would never have sought out Jesus Christ. If she had not already repented, she would not have been willing to do what she did. So obviously, something had already transpired in her life, in her heart.

[John Weaver] Now, our Lord does not leave out the Pharisee, because he states, to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. So this has a very special respect to Simon the Pharisee, debts in his own eyes were either few or none, at least ten times less than the woman's. And consequently, he had no great sense of the depth of his sins and the depth of his depravity. And consequently, he had no great sense of forgiveness and consequently, no great love for Jesus Christ. So our Lord, then, is teaching and instructing Simon on a very important point. And he forces Simon to acknowledge that the greater the sinner and the greater the comprehension of the sin and forgiveness, the greater love is going to be manifested.

[John Weaver] So the truth is simply this, that a man's love to God will be in proportion to the obligations he understands himself to be under to the bounty of his Creator, his Maker, his Lord and his Savior. So here's the question. Have you ever really comprehended? The greatness of your depravity. The exceeding abundance of your sins. The wickedness. Of your own mind. Attitude and actions. And have you ever really comprehended the depth of forgiveness that you received through Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] I want to give you two paragraphs from Ralph Benning's book, The Plague of Plagues. I want you to listen to what he says about all of us by nature. He says, and I quote, The sinfulness of sin not only appears from, but consists in this, that it is contrary to God. Indeed, it is enmity itself. Carnal men or sinners are called by the name of enemies to God, but the carnal mind or sin is called enmity itself. Accordingly, it and its acts were expressed by names of enmity, such as hostility, such as walking contrary to God, rebelling against God, rising up against him as an enemy, striving and contending with God, and despising God. It makes men haters of God, resistors of God, fighters against God, and even blasphemers of God, and in short, very atheists who say there is no God. It goes about to un-God God, and is by some of the ancients called decididum, that is God murder or God killing. Though all these things are not done by every sinful man, yet they are not only in the nature of sin, and that of every sin more or less, but are all of them in the heart of all sinners in their sinning root.

[John Weaver] Now listen, so what is done by any man would be done by every man if God did not restrain some men from it by His power and constrain others to obedience by His love and power. Here then is the depravity and the desperately wicked nature of sin, that it is not only high treason against the majesty of God, but it scorns to confess its crime. It is obstinate and will not that he should reign over it. It is not only not subject, but it will not be subject nor be reconciled to God. Such is its enmity. Wow.

[John Weaver] Now, here's what I want to do. I want to take you through the Bible very quickly. And I want to show you. The greatness. And the wickedness and the filthiness of your sins. By several pictures that are given to us in the Bible. You see, we have never really grasped how God hates sin and how God views sin. We don't understand sometimes why God exclaimed in Jeremiah 44 in verse 4, Oh, do not this abominable thing which I hate. Sin is a stench in his nostrils.

[John Weaver] It is absolutely, totally contrary to him. And if you and I understand or comprehend in any degree The greatness of his forgiveness and the greatness of his love. We have to understand also the greatness of our sins. And when we say. What God has done for us. It should make us love him even more.

[John Weaver] Now, I'm going to give you a brief warning. The pictures that I'm going to show you from the Bible. Are distasteful. Disgusting. and damning. And yet, it is what the Bible records and it is what fallen man is by nature. I cannot give you every picture in the Bible, but I want to give you enough that you can genuinely see the pit from which you were digged and the rock from which you were hewn. And if you really understand these pictures, then you're going to understand to a greater degree the great love and forgiveness that God has exercised towards you. You'll understand. You'll understand what it means when it says that Christ died for the ungodly.

[John Weaver] So let's turn in our Bibles, first of all, to 1 Kings chapter 8. And let me show you verse 38. I'm not going to dwell in detail on all of these pictures, I will some more than others, but I want you to understand. And first Kings chapter eight and verse 38, Solomon is praying. He's dedicating the temple and he makes this prayer request. First Kings eight in verse 38, What prayer and supplications to ever be made by any man or by all the people, all by people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart and spread for this hands toward this house. Now, note which shall know every man the plague of his own heart.

[John Weaver] Now, sin is pictured as the plague of some horrible disease such as leprosy. And I would encourage you to read Leviticus, the book of Leviticus, chapters 13 and 14 and other passages that deal with leprosy. And let me encourage you to do something else. Let me encourage you to go on the Internet and type in pictures of leprosy. Leprosy deforms, destroys, and rots the body. No disease is more contagious and infectious than leprosy. It spreads over the entire body and it causes the flesh to rot off. It is stealthy, putrid, and breaking forth all over your body in a most loathsome disease. And everyone in this room knows that leprosy was so vile.

[John Weaver] That the individuals had to cover their faces or their mouths, particularly in their nose, and if anyone even came close, the leper was obligated to cry out unclean, unclean, unclean. So that you would not come near. So the Bible pictures are very gross. leper, someone who has the plague and is absolutely contaminated. To the point that he's nothing more than rotting and dying alive. I want you to turn over secondly to Isaiah chapter one. Isaiah chapter one. And I want you to look at verses five and six. Isaiah 1, verses 5 and 6. Look at what God says. I want you to think this thing through with me now. The first one was very easy. You can handle number one. Number two might be a little more difficult for you. But look in Isaiah 1, verse 5.

[John Weaver] Why should you be stricken anymore? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick. And the whole heart faint.

[John Weaver] Now watch, verse six, from the sole of the foot even to the head. There is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores that have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. So here's a picture, then, of what fallen man is in the eyes of God. From head to foot, he is nothing but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. And putrefying sores literally means running sores that are oozing with pus and putrefaction. They have not been closed up. David, when he confessed his sins in Psalm 38 verse 5, he said this, my wounds stink.

[John Weaver] and are corrupt because of my foolishness. My wounds stink and are corrupt. If you've ever had a boil or rising. You'll find out wounds stink. David in Psalm 38 verse 7 said it like this again, listen carefully. For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease. There is no soundness in my flesh. So what is he saying? From head to foot, I'm filled with this loathsome disease of sin.

[John Weaver] I was preaching in a little country church in South Carolina. And we had started the song service. and probably been in the song service maybe about 15 minutes. And one man walked in the back door. And he had on a very large pair of overalls. And I thought, well, that's strange. You know, this was a, although it was a little country church, most people did not wear overalls there.

[John Weaver] And the pastor leaned over to me and said, boy, I'm glad to see you here tonight. And I thought to myself, why? What is it about this man that you're just glad to see here tonight? Well, he sat down, we finished the song service, I preached. When the service is over, the pastor walked over to this man. And he said, I told Brother Weaver, I was really glad to see you tonight. And I am I'm so thankful that you made it. I'm so thankful that you're here. He said, would you please show Brother Weaver why you came in a little bit late? And that the man reached down and picked up these legs on the overalls and pulled them up to expose his legs.

[John Weaver] And I will tell you. There was not one spot on his legs that did not have a putrid running sore full of pus. He couldn't bind them up. He couldn't do anything. He could barely walk. And when I saw them, I immediately turned my head away. And then this passage instantly came to my mind. That's what my sins are in the sight of God. This picture does not flatter us at all. And I got news for you, the picture even gets worse.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 64. I want you to see the greatness of your sins. These are just pictures. Alice and I. I've been to Sequoia and Yosemite a number of times. She takes more pictures than you can shake a stick at. Sometimes pictures of the same scene over and over and over and over and over and over. Well, that's fine. I mean, she wants to do that. She likes that.

[John Weaver] But, you know, the amazing thing is this. And we tell people this. You may look at these pictures and you may see a DVD with all that. But we always say this. No picture can really show The reality, you just have to see it. And here it is with sin. No picture can accurately convey the reality of the wickedness and the vileness and the death and depravity of our sins. And yet there are pictures after pictures in the Bible. So look, if you would, at Isaiah 64 and verse 6.

[John Weaver] Here's the passage that you've heard quoted probably all of your life. Notice what he says, I said, 64 and verse six, but we are all as an unclean thing. And all our righteousness is or is filthy rags and we all do fade as a leaf and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Now, I want you to note, first of all, we're called an unclean thing.

[John Weaver] Now, that means we are polluted and defiled. The word used here means properly that which is polluted and defiled in the Levitical sense, that is, that which is regarded as polluted and abominable by the law of Moses. So what he is saying is that we are regarded as wholly, totally and completely polluted and depraved.

[John Weaver] Secondly, he says, But we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. There is. A comment. In the old MS Bible. And here's the comment. I'm quoting. If preachers knew properly the meaning of this word. Would they make such a liberal use of it in their public ministry? And why should any use a word, the meaning of which he does not understand? How many in the congregation blush for the incautious man and his filthy rags?

[John Weaver] Now, you have to ask yourself this question. Why would something like that be in an old Bible? And here's the answer. Because the Hebrew word describes a cloth of separation or a maturity rag or a minstrel's cloth, nauseous and odious, such as a man would be loathe to touch or even to take up.

[John Weaver] Now, listen to me, he said, all of our righteousness is or as such. If that is a picture of our righteousness, What must our sins be like?

[John Weaver] Third, look at Isaiah 64, verse 6. He said, But we are all as an unclean thing, and all of our righteousness are as filthy rags. We do all fade as a leaf. Do you know how leaves fade? They wither away, dry up, and die in autumn. So what is God saying? Our beauty is gone. Our strength is fled. And the only thing left facing man by nature is death and destruction.

[John Weaver] In other words, without him, we're hopeless and helpless. Without divine intervention, we perish. And then he says in verse six, the latter part, fourthly, like the wind, he said, we all do fade as a leaf and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. In other words, The wind blows hither and yon. He said that's what it is like for a fallen man. His sins, his iniquities just blow him hither and yon.

[John Weaver] He doesn't even know what he's doing. So sin here is not a pretty picture. Which means sinners are not a pretty picture. Turn right on over fourthly. To the book of Ezekiel chapter 16. Ezekiel 16. I have a good illustration of this, but it's not a good one, it's just an illustration. Goodness, I'll explain in just a moment. Look in Ezekiel chapter 16. Let's begin there with verse 3. Ezekiel 16 verse 3. God says, and he's talking to Jerusalem. Look in verse two. Let's go to the son of man caused Jerusalem to know her abomination. So we're talking about Jerusalem and say, thus said the Lord God in Jerusalem, thy birth and thy nativity is the land of Canaan. Thy father was an Amorite, thy mother a Hittite. And Lord, you're already sinners.

[John Weaver] And as for thy nativity in the day that thou was born, watch, thy navel was not cut, Neither was thou washed in water to supple thee, thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. None eye pitted thee to do any of these things unto thee, to have compassion upon thee, but thou wast cast out in the open field to the loathing of thy person in the day that thou wast born. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee, when thou wast in thy blood, Live! Yea, I said unto thee, when thou wast in my blood, live.

[John Weaver] Now, keeping up with the simile of a newborn infant that has nothing done to it, but is covered all over with minstrel's blood, denoting the wretched and miserable estate of which we are by nature. Here is a picture of a people, of a child that is unloved, unwanted, unpitted and loathsome and abominable and in danger of being utterly destroyed because it was ready to perish because of lack of mercy and lack of compassion. God said, when I found you, this is what you were. Just this week. I read Or someone gave birth to a child.

[John Weaver] Wrapped it in a blanket. And put it beside the road. Evidently that same person or someone connected with that same person. That drove the car and ran off the road. and purposely kill the baby. My first thoughts were, I know how to take care of people like that. My second thought was, that's what we were when God found us. Unwanted, unloved, unpitied, loathsome, abominable, pitted. And when the Bible speaks here, when God used the word polluted here, it literally signifies trodden underfoot in the mire of the streets. That's what he's saying in Ezekiel 16. Nobody wanted you. Nobody loved you. And when God found you, you were despised and folks would just trod you down in the mud. They could care less about you.

[John Weaver] Sin is not a pretty picture. Sinners are not pretty people. If you look in your Bibles to the Ezekiel chapter 24. Here's another one. Ezekiel 24, notice if you would please verse 6. Ezekiel 24 verse 6. And I'll have to hurry. Ezekiel 24, verse six, God says, Wherefore, thus saith the Lord God, Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein and whose scum is not gone out of it.

[John Weaver] Bring it out piece by piece. Let no lot fall upon it, for her blood is in the midst of her. She set it upon the top of a rock. She poured it not upon the ground to cover it with dust that it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance. I have set her blood upon the top of the rock, that it should not be covered.

[John Weaver] Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, woe to the bloody city. I will even make the pile for fire great heap on wood, kindle of fire, consume the flesh and spice it well and let the bones be burned. Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot and may burn and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed. She has wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her. Her scum shall be in the fire. Here, sin is pictured as a scum of a boiling pot wherein is a detestable carcass. Everyone in this room at one time or another has burned coffee.

[John Weaver] Oh, it stinks to high heaven. And it's melted in the bottom of the pot, and it takes a great deal of washing. And how many have burnt meat? Clones? You're talking about a stench. And yet, God says this is a picture. of what our sins are to God, a stench in his nostrils and the foulest smell that you and I can ever imagine cannot be compared with a stench of sin to a holy God. So he gives us a picture here of sin being the scum of a boiling pot, wherein is a detestable carcass. If you would turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 7, Many of you have read this, and yet you've never seen it. You've never understood it. Let me explain it. Look in Romans chapter 7 and verse 24.

[John Weaver] The Apostle Paul makes a startling statement. Romans 7 verse 24, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Wow. we could easily render Paul's cry, as wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this dead body? The body of this death means the whole mass of sin or all those ingredients which the whole man is composed. And what Paul is referring to here is a dead carcass that's stinking and loathsome. You can always tell when a dead animal is nearby. You can always tell when a dead carcass of anyone or anything is nearby. But let me tell you what Paul is talking about here. When he says, oh, wretched man, that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death.

[John Weaver] Men sent to us and others who were pagans. had a unique punishment to murderers and other vile criminals. If a man murdered another man and the murderer was captured, caught, here's what would happen. They would take the dead body, the murdered man, and tie him Face to face, stomach to stomach, leg to leg, arm to arm to the living man. Until the putrefaction and the worms from the dead man ate the living man alive and killed him.

[John Weaver] That's the picture that is being given right here. Oh, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this dead body? Wow. Pitt wrote. A few lines on this particular. Method of punishment. He said, what tongue can such barbarities record or count the slaughters of his ruthless sword? "'Twas not enough the good the guiltless bled, still worse, he bound the living to the dead. These limb to limb and face to face he joined, O monstrous crime of unexampled kind, till choked with stench the lingering wretches lay, and in the loathsome embraces died away." Paul likens it to a dead and rotting body.

[John Weaver] that was attached to him that he longed to get rid of. And then if you will turn very quickly to second Peter, chapter two, second Peter, chapter two, verse twenty two. Here's another picture. This is number seven. Second Peter, chapter two, verse twenty two. Look what he said, second Peter 2, verse 22, but it has happened unto them, according to the true proverb, the dog is returned to his vomit again and the sow that was washed were wallowing in the mire. So here's a picture of sin as the vomit of a dog and the wallowing of a sow in the mire. This is quoted from Psalm 26, verse 11, as a dog returned to his vomit, so a fool returned to his folly.

[John Weaver] In Isaiah 19, verse 14, the Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst of her. They have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit. Isaiah 28, verse 8, for all their tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean. Jeremiah 48, verse 26, make ye him drunken, for he magnified himself against the Lord. Moab shall wallow in his vomit.

[John Weaver] And he shall also be in derision. None of these are beautiful pictures. I want you to understand Paul's argument in Romans chapter 6. This is why he gives such an exclamation when he says, What? What, he says? What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid! How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? How can you, if you're alive, go back to all of this filthiness and pollution? Look in your Bibles very quickly to Jeremiah chapter 7. Jeremiah chapter 7.

[John Weaver] And notice verses 8 through 10. If you understand these pictures, you will find that your sin is very repulsive In the eyes of God, and it should be very repulsive in your eyes. Look at Jeremiah chapter seven, beginning there with verse eight. Oh, watch Jeremiah seven, verse eight. Look what God says, behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Verse nine, will you steal, murder and commit adultery and swear falsely and burn incense into Baal and walk after other gods whom you know not and come and stand before me in this house that is in the temple, which is called by my name and say we're delivered to do all these abominations. God didn't save you out of your filth so that you can continue in filth. No. Now, let's go back. Let's make the applications.

[John Weaver] This woman came to our Lord, weeping, broken, contrite, annoying His feet, washing His feet with her tears, drying them with her hair. Simon would not even do anything. What did our Lord say? Too much is forgiven. They love much. To whom little is forgiven, they love little. Have you ever stopped to think about this? Undoubtedly, I'm sure that part and parcel of this woman's brokenness. Was the grief and the pain that she had caused her Savior? Have you ever stopped to think?

[John Weaver] About the suffering of Jesus Christ in relationship to your sins. Surely He had borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. And the chastisement of our peace was upon Him. And with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to His own way.

[John Weaver] And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. What did my sins do to Jesus Christ? How did my sins cause Him to suffer? Not just physically, but spiritually, emotionally. Have you ever really contemplated the grief and the pain that your sins caused Jesus Christ?

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you this. You will never, ever recognize the depth of our Lord's grace and mercy and forgiveness until you realize the depth of your sin and wickedness and rebellion. And if you look at me today and say, well, I may be bad, but I'm not that bad. I got news for you. If the Holy Ghost ever convicts you of your sinner, you would fight the Apostle Paul for the place of chief of sinners. The divine creditor has a righteous claim upon all his debtors, but none of us can meet it so that reconciliation can only be brought about by the grace of God. How great of a sinner are you?

[John Weaver] How much do you love Jesus Christ? You can gauge it. By your understanding of your sins. And the understanding of his forgiveness. To much is forgiven, they love much. To little is forgiven, they love little. Father, help us in the name of Jesus Christ to honor thee, to praise thee, to glorify thee, to understand, Lord, the depth of our wickedness. And yet, Lord, the depth of your so great love and mercy. Help us, Father. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

[John Weaver] This program was produced by Dominion Ministries. For more information about Pastor Weaver's sermons, you may contact Dominion Ministries by mail at 7400 Abracorn Street, Suite 705, PMB 175, Savannah, Georgia 31406 or give us a call at 912-925-0995. You can also visit our website at www.dominionministry.com

A Method to Guage Your Love To Christ

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	111516939102
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations: Praying Against the Wicked
Genre	Sermon
Date	2016-09-18
Dictation Name
Book	Book 136: Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations - Volume 1 — Chapter 17
Source Timed Segments	75

Formatted Transcript

Opening

All right, well, let's open our Bibles today to the book of Luke chapter 7, Luke chapter 7. And I want you to listen very closely today. Some of the messages, some of the scriptures I am going to quote just to save time. I've got a lot that I want you to look at. And the Lord has been gracious lately, as busy as I've been and as much teaching as I've been doing. I've got still five or six messages that I'm working on that I think and I hope and pray will be a real blessing and help to each of you. But today, the title of the message is "A Method to Gauge Your Love to Christ," a method to gauge your love to Christ. Luke chapter 7 and verse 36,

Scripture Reading — Luke 7:36-50

"And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him." "And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. 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, 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. 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. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on." "There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. 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. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 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. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace."

A method to gauge your love to Christ. Almost everyone has a rain gauge. And the reason we have a rain gauge is simply because we want to know how much rain we receive. We have gauges for almost everything.

Introduction: The Need for a Gauge of Love

Weaver introduces the concept of gauges and asks how Christians can measure their love for Christ, noting that obedience is one biblical gauge, but the sermon will focus on another: understanding sin and forgiveness.

There are gauges for blood pressure, for blood sugar, oxygen levels, tire pressure, even micrometer gauges. In fact, there are gauges for a host of other things as well. But one of the important questions as Christians we should ask is how do we gauge our love for Jesus Christ? Now, in reality, there are a number of gauges in the Bible. One of the most familiar of all the gauges is that of obedience, because our Lord said in John 14:21,

Scripture Reading — John 14:21, 24

"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me."

Then he said in verse 24,

Scripture Reading — John 14:21, 24

"He that loveth me not keepeth not my commandments."

The same truth is set out in 1 John 5:3, "And this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." So our lesson today actually involves another gauge. Our love for our Lord Jesus Christ will be influenced and gauged by our understanding of our sin, depravity, ruin, and the forgiveness of our sins. The context of the message today and the setting involves an invitation to Jesus Christ to dine at a Pharisee's house.

The Setting: Jesus at Simon the Pharisee's House

The sermon sets the scene from Luke 7:36-39, describing the sinful woman's act of anointing Jesus' feet with tears and ointment, and Simon's critical thoughts about Jesus allowing a sinner to touch Him.

His name is Simon. As our Lord sits at the table, a very notorious sinner comes to Him. Interestingly, even Simon the Pharisee knew this woman. He knew about her, and she is labeled a sinner.

Now, the interesting thing is, the Greek word is hamartōlos, which literally refers to one as preeminently sinful, especially wicked, and one devoted to sin. The word also refers to men stained with certain vices and crimes. Now one can only assume what kind of sinner this woman was because obviously her sins are not enunciated in this particular passage. But she did have an alabaster box of ointment which she broke and began anointing his feet. At the same time she was weeping profusely. She was extremely emotional and she was very moved. Interestingly, the Greek word that is used to describe her weeping is the word klaiō, which literally means to mourn, to weep, to lament as one weeping as a sign of grief and pain. So simply put, she was literally heartbroken, she was devastated, and she was weeping profusely.

Now, the heart of the Pharisee is revealed in verse 39. Look at it. "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." A sinner.

The Parable of the Two Debtors

Jesus tells a parable about a creditor forgiving two debtors with different debts, leading Simon to correctly answer that the one forgiven more will love more, setting up the lesson about love and forgiveness.

Now, the lesson and the illustration that our Lord conveyed was very simple and plain enough even for a Pharisee to understand. Now, I want you to listen to this. If Adam Clarke is correct in his commentary on this passage, then Simon would have had a double reason to comprehend what our Lord said. I want to give you the quote. Just listen to this paragraph of what Adam Clarke said in his commentary. He said, and I'm quoting, "A certain creditor—our Lord means by the creditor, God, and by the two debtors, Simon and the woman who was present. Simon, who had the light of the law and who, in consequence of his profession as a Pharisee, was obliged to abstain from outward iniquity, might be considered as the debtor who owed fifty pence or fifty denarii. The woman, whom I suppose to be a heathen, not having these advantages, having no rule to regulate her actions and no curb on her evil propensities, may be considered to be the debtor who owed five hundred pence or denarii."

"And when both were compared, Simon's debt to God might be considered, in reference to her, fifty to five hundred. However, we find, notwithstanding this great disparity, both were insolvent. Simon, the religious Pharisee, could no more pay his fifty to God than this poor heathen her five hundred. And if both be not freely forgiven by the divine mercy, both must finally perish. Having nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both."

Now, listen to what he says. Some think that this very Simon was no inconsiderable debtor to our Lord as having been mercifully cleansed from a leprosy. For he is supposed to be the same Simon the leper. So in Matthew 26:6, the Bible just says this:

Scripture Reading — Matthew 26:6

"Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper."

And when you get to Mark 14:3, the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 26:6

"And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head."

So this could be the second time that our Lord was in this house. And Clarke is saying, yes, this Simon could be Simon the leper. Possibly, if it is, he certainly had a double reason to be extremely thankful to our Lord.

So if you look in verses 41 through 43, our Lord is going to give us this illustration and this lesson. He says, "There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged." Now, the scope of this parable is to demonstrate that Simon is wrong in condemning the woman who is acquitted by the heavenly judge. Our Lord proves that she is righteous, not because she pleased God, not because she did those things, but because her sins were forgiven. The argument which our Lord employs right here is not from cause, but from effect. She was not forgiven because she loved much. She loved much because she had already been forgiven. We do not love in order to be forgiven. We love because we have been forgiven.

The Principle: Love in Proportion to Perceived Forgiveness

Weaver explains that the woman's great love was not the cause but the effect of her forgiveness; she loved much because she realized the greatness of her sins and the greatness of Christ's forgiveness.

And the reason this woman is so filled with love and thankfulness and gratefulness, the reason she's shedding so many tears is she realized the greatness of her sins and the greatness of our Lord's forgiveness. Now, I want you to consider with me before I really get into what I want to share with you today. I want you to consider one debtor owed our Lord 500 pence and the other 50 pence or 50 denarii. Both amounts are relatively small. However, neither debtor was able to pay the debt. So let's just right now try to grasp the implications of this little parable. First of all, all sins are debts. There is a penalty for violating the law of God, and the penalty is such as none can pay. For the Bible says, very plainly, in Galatians 3:10,

Scripture Reading — Galatians 3:10

"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."

So, all sin is a debt. And we owe the debt to the violated law, and the law demands the death penalty. We're under the curse, and it's not just physical debt, it's spiritual debt as well. So all sins are considered as debts. The second thing we should see in light of this is that as all sins, so are not all sinners equal in the sight of God.

The Contrast: Simon's Lack of Love

Jesus contrasts the woman's lavish acts of devotion with Simon's failure to provide even basic courtesies, concluding that Simon's little love stems from his little sense of being forgiven.

Now, I want you to understand something. And here's what our Lord is going to demonstrate to Simon. This woman came, anointed his feet, wept and washed them with her tears, dried them with her hair, kissed his feet. Simon did not even love Christ enough to provide for Him the common courtesies of the day. A common courtesy would be to wash your guest's feet, or you have something there. A common courtesy would be to anoint his head. A common courtesy would be to provide whatever he needs. Look at our Lord, how He explains it. Luke 7:44, "And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman?" Now remember, this is the woman that Simon has criticized. "Seest thou this woman?"

Now watch what He said. "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. Thou gavest me no kiss." And by the way, it was a common courtesy in those days when you read in the Bible, "Greet one another with an holy kiss." The way men greeted men usually was they would take their beard and kiss the beard. They wouldn't kiss the cheek, they'd kiss the beard. That was a holy kiss. And this is what he means. You didn't kiss my beard. You didn't greet me as a brother. You didn't greet me as someone that you loved. Note, he said, "Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment."

"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. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven." Now, I want you to note again that our Lord said, "Therefore, she loved much." And let me repeat this. Her great love was not the cause of the remission of her sins, but the full and free remission of her many sins was the cause of the manifestation of her great love. Think about this, folks. If this woman had not already repented, she would never have sought out Jesus Christ. If she had not already repented, she would not have been willing to do what she did. So obviously, something had already transpired in her life, in her heart.

Now, our Lord does not leave out the Pharisee, because he states, "to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little." So this has a very special respect to Simon the Pharisee. His debts in his own eyes were either few or none, at least ten times less than the woman's. And consequently, he had no great sense of the depth of his sins and the depth of his depravity. And consequently, he had no great sense of forgiveness and consequently, no great love for Jesus Christ. So our Lord, then, is teaching and instructing Simon on a very important point. And he forces Simon to acknowledge that the greater the sinner and the greater the comprehension of the sin and forgiveness, the greater love is going to be manifested.

Biblical Pictures of Sin's Depravity

Weaver presents a series of graphic biblical images of sin—a plague, putrefying sores, filthy rags, a bloody newborn, scum of a pot, a dead body, and vomit—to help believers grasp the horror of their sin and thus appreciate God's forgiveness.

Now, here's what I want to do. I want to take you through the Bible very quickly. And I want to show you the greatness and the wickedness and the filthiness of your sins by several pictures that are given to us in the Bible. You see, we have never really grasped how God hates sin and how God views sin. We don't understand sometimes why God exclaimed in Jeremiah 44:4, "Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate." Sin is a stench in his nostrils. It is absolutely, totally contrary to him. And if you and I understand or comprehend in any degree the greatness of his forgiveness and the greatness of his love, we have to understand also the greatness of our sins. And when we say what God has done for us, it should make us love him even more.

Now, I'm going to give you a brief warning. The pictures that I'm going to show you from the Bible are distasteful, disgusting, and damning. And yet, it is what the Bible records and it is what fallen man is by nature. I cannot give you every picture in the Bible, but I want to give you enough that you can genuinely see the pit from which you were digged and the rock from which you were hewn. And if you really understand these pictures, then you're going to understand to a greater degree the great love and forgiveness that God has exercised towards you. You'll understand. You'll understand what it means when it says that Christ died for the ungodly.

So let's turn in our Bibles, first of all, to 1 Kings chapter 8. And let me show you verse 38. I'm not going to dwell in detail on all of these pictures, I will some more than others, but I want you to understand. In 1 Kings 8:38, Solomon is praying. He's dedicating the temple and he makes this prayer request. 1 Kings 8:38, "What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house." Now note, "which shall know every man the plague of his own heart."

Now, sin is pictured as the plague of some horrible disease such as leprosy. And I would encourage you to read Leviticus, the book of Leviticus, chapters 13 and 14 and other passages that deal with leprosy. And let me encourage you to do something else. Let me encourage you to go on the Internet and type in pictures of leprosy. Leprosy deforms, destroys, and rots the body. No disease is more contagious and infectious than leprosy. It spreads over the entire body and it causes the flesh to rot off. It is stealthy, putrid, and breaking forth all over your body in a most loathsome disease. And everyone in this room knows that leprosy was so vile.

That the individuals had to cover their faces or their mouths, particularly in their nose, and if anyone even came close, the leper was obligated to cry out, "Unclean, unclean, unclean." So that you would not come near. So the Bible pictures are very gross: a leper, someone who has the plague and is absolutely contaminated to the point that he's nothing more than rotting and dying alive. I want you to turn over secondly to Isaiah chapter 1. Isaiah chapter 1. And I want you to look at verses 5 and 6. Isaiah 1:5-6. Look at what God says. I want you to think this thing through with me now. The first one was very easy. You can handle number one. Number two might be a little more difficult for you. But look in Isaiah 1:5.

"Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint." Now watch, verse 6, "From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment." So here's a picture, then, of what fallen man is in the eyes of God. From head to foot, he is nothing but wounds and bruises and putrifying sores. And putrifying sores literally means running sores that are oozing with pus and putrefaction. They have not been closed up. David, when he confessed his sins in Psalm 38:5, he said this, "My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness." "My wounds stink and are corrupt." If you've ever had a boil or rising, you'll find out wounds stink. David in Psalm 38:7 said it like this again, listen carefully. "For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh." So what is he saying? From head to foot, I'm filled with this loathsome disease of sin.

I was preaching in a little country church in South Carolina. And we had started the song service and probably been in the song service maybe about 15 minutes. And one man walked in the back door. And he had on a very large pair of overalls. And I thought, well, that's strange. You know, this was a, although it was a little country church, most people did not wear overalls there. And the pastor leaned over to me and said, "Boy, I'm glad to see you here tonight." And I thought to myself, why? What is it about this man that you're just glad to see here tonight? Well, he sat down, we finished the song service, I preached. When the service is over, the pastor walked over to this man. And he said, "I told Brother Weaver, I was really glad to see you tonight. And I am, I'm so thankful that you made it. I'm so thankful that you're here." He said, "Would you please show Brother Weaver why you came in a little bit late?" And that the man reached down and picked up these legs on the overalls and pulled them up to expose his legs.

And I will tell you, there was not one spot on his legs that did not have a putrid running sore full of pus. He couldn't bind them up. He couldn't do anything. He could barely walk. And when I saw them, I immediately turned my head away. And then this passage instantly came to my mind. That's what my sins are in the sight of God. This picture does not flatter us at all. And I got news for you, the picture even gets worse.

I want you to turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 64. I want you to see the greatness of your sins. These are just pictures. Alice and I, I've been to Sequoia and Yosemite a number of times. She takes more pictures than you can shake a stick at. Sometimes pictures of the same scene over and over and over and over and over and over. Well, that's fine. I mean, she wants to do that. She likes that.

But, you know, the amazing thing is this. And we tell people this. You may look at these pictures and you may see a DVD with all that. But we always say this. No picture can really show the reality, you just have to see it. And here it is with sin. No picture can accurately convey the reality of the wickedness and the vileness and the death and depravity of our sins. And yet there are pictures after pictures in the Bible. So look, if you would, at Isaiah 64:6.

Here's the passage that you've heard quoted probably all of your life. Notice what he says, Isaiah 64:6, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Now, I want you to note, first of all, we're called an unclean thing. Now, that means we are polluted and defiled. The word used here means properly that which is polluted and defiled in the Levitical sense, that is, that which is regarded as polluted and abominable by the law of Moses. So what he is saying is that we are regarded as wholly, totally and completely polluted and depraved. Secondly, he says, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." There is a comment in the old MS Bible. And here's the comment. I'm quoting. "If preachers knew properly the meaning of this word, would they make such a liberal use of it in their public ministry? And why should any use a word, the meaning of which he does not understand? How many in the congregation blush for the incautious man and his filthy rags?"

Now, you have to ask yourself this question. Why would something like that be in an old Bible? And here's the answer. Because the Hebrew word describes a cloth of separation or a menstrual rag or a minstrel's cloth, nauseous and odious, such as a man would be loathe to touch or even to take up.

Now, listen to me, he said, "all of our righteousnesses are as such." If that is a picture of our righteousness, what must our sins be like? Third, look at Isaiah 64:6. He said, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf." Do you know how leaves fade? They wither away, dry up, and die in autumn. So what is God saying? Our beauty is gone. Our strength is fled. And the only thing left facing man by nature is death and destruction.

In other words, without him, we're hopeless and helpless. Without divine intervention, we perish. And then he says in verse 6, the latter part, fourthly, "like the wind, he said, we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." In other words, the wind blows hither and yon. He said that's what it is like for a fallen man. His sins, his iniquities just blow him hither and yon. He doesn't even know what he's doing. So sin here is not a pretty picture. Which means sinners are not a pretty picture. Turn right on over fourthly to the book of Ezekiel chapter 16. Ezekiel 16. I have a good illustration of this, but it's not a good one, it's just an illustration. Goodness, I'll explain in just a moment. Look in Ezekiel chapter 16. Let's begin there with verse 3. Ezekiel 16:3. God says, and he's talking to Jerusalem. Look in verse 2. "Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations." So we're talking about Jerusalem. "And say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite." And Lord, you're already sinners.

"And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live." Now, keeping up with the simile of a newborn infant that has nothing done to it, but is covered all over with menstrual blood, denoting the wretched and miserable estate of which we are by nature. Here is a picture of a people, of a child that is unloved, unwanted, unpitied and loathsome and abominable and in danger of being utterly destroyed because it was ready to perish because of lack of mercy and lack of compassion. God said, when I found you, this is what you were. Just this week, I read or someone gave birth to a child.

Wrapped it in a blanket and put it beside the road. Evidently that same person or someone connected with that same person drove the car and ran off the road and purposely killed the baby. My first thoughts were, I know how to take care of people like that. My second thought was, that's what we were when God found us. Unwanted, unloved, unpitied, loathsome, abominable, unpitied. And when the Bible speaks here, when God used the word polluted here, it literally signifies trodden underfoot in the mire of the streets. That's what he's saying in Ezekiel 16. Nobody wanted you. Nobody loved you. And when God found you, you were despised and folks would just trod you down in the mud. They could care less about you.

Sin is not a pretty picture. Sinners are not pretty people. If you look in your Bibles to Ezekiel chapter 24. Here's another one. Ezekiel 24, notice if you would please verse 6. Ezekiel 24:6. And I'll have to hurry. Ezekiel 24:6, God says, "Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it!"

"Bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall upon it. For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust; that it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance; I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered." "Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great. Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned. Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed. She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire." Here, sin is pictured as the scum of a boiling pot wherein is a detestable carcass. Everyone in this room at one time or another has burned coffee.

Oh, it stinks to high heaven. And it's melted in the bottom of the pot, and it takes a great deal of washing. And how many have burnt meat? Clones? You're talking about a stench. And yet, God says this is a picture of what our sins are to God, a stench in his nostrils and the foulest smell that you and I can ever imagine cannot be compared with the stench of sin to a holy God. So he gives us a picture here of sin being the scum of a boiling pot, wherein is a detestable carcass. If you would turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 7. Many of you have read this, and yet you've never seen it. You've never understood it. Let me explain it. Look in Romans chapter 7 and verse 24.

The Apostle Paul makes a startling statement. Romans 7:24, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Wow. We could easily render Paul's cry as, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this dead body?" The body of this death means the whole mass of sin or all those ingredients which the whole man is composed. And what Paul is referring to here is a dead carcass that's stinking and loathsome. You can always tell when a dead animal is nearby. You can always tell when a dead carcass of anyone or anything is nearby. But let me tell you what Paul is talking about here. When he says, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"

Men sent to us and others who were pagans had a unique punishment for murderers and other vile criminals. If a man murdered another man and the murderer was captured, caught, here's what would happen. They would take the dead body, the murdered man, and tie him face to face, stomach to stomach, leg to leg, arm to arm to the living man. Until the putrefaction and the worms from the dead man ate the living man alive and killed him. That's the picture that is being given right here. "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this dead body?" Wow. Pitt wrote a few lines on this particular method of punishment. He said, "What tongue can such barbarities record, or count the slaughters of his ruthless sword? 'Twas not enough the good, the guiltless bled, still worse, he bound the living to the dead. These limb to limb, and face to face he joined, O monstrous crime of unexampled kind, till choked with stench the lingering wretches lay, and in the loathsome embraces died away." Paul likens it to a dead and rotting body.

that was attached to him that he longed to get rid of. And then if you will turn very quickly to 2 Peter chapter 2, 2 Peter chapter 2, verse 22. Here's another picture. This is number seven. 2 Peter 2:22. Look what he said, 2 Peter 2:22, "But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." So here's a picture of sin as the vomit of a dog and the wallowing of a sow in the mire. This is quoted from Proverbs 26:11, "As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly."

In Isaiah 19:14, "The Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit." Isaiah 28:8, "For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean." Jeremiah 48:26, "Make ye him drunken: for he magnified himself against the Lord: Moab also shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision." None of these are beautiful pictures. I want you to understand Paul's argument in Romans chapter 6. This is why he gives such an exclamation when he says, "What? What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" How can you, if you're alive, go back to all of this filthiness and pollution? Look in your Bibles very quickly to Jeremiah chapter 7. Jeremiah chapter 7.

And notice verses 8 through 10. If you understand these pictures, you will find that your sin is very repulsive in the eyes of God, and it should be very repulsive in your eyes. Look at Jeremiah chapter 7, beginning there with verse 8. Oh, watch Jeremiah 7:8. Look what God says, "Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit." Verse 9, "Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; and come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?" God didn't save you out of your filth so that you can continue in filth. No. Now, let's go back. Let's make the applications.

Application: Gauging Our Love by Our Sense of Sin and Forgiveness

The sermon concludes by urging listeners to contemplate the suffering their sins caused Christ and to gauge their love for Him by how deeply they understand their own wickedness and His forgiveness.

This woman came to our Lord, weeping, broken, contrite, anointing His feet, washing His feet with her tears, drying them with her hair. Simon would not even do anything. What did our Lord say? "To whom much is forgiven, they love much. To whom little is forgiven, they love little." Have you ever stopped to think about this? Undoubtedly, I'm sure that part and parcel of this woman's brokenness was the grief and the pain that she had caused her Savior. Have you ever stopped to think?

About the suffering of Jesus Christ in relationship to your sins. "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." What did my sins do to Jesus Christ? How did my sins cause Him to suffer? Not just physically, but spiritually, emotionally. Have you ever really contemplated the grief and the pain that your sins caused Jesus Christ?

Now, let me tell you this. You will never, ever recognize the depth of our Lord's grace and mercy and forgiveness until you realize the depth of your sin and wickedness and rebellion. And if you look at me today and say, "Well, I may be bad, but I'm not that bad." I got news for you. If the Holy Ghost ever convicts you of your sin, you would fight the Apostle Paul for the place of chief of sinners. The divine creditor has a righteous claim upon all his debtors, but none of us can meet it so that reconciliation can only be brought about by the grace of God. How great of a sinner are you? How much do you love Jesus Christ? You can gauge it by your understanding of your sins and the understanding of his forgiveness. To whom much is forgiven, they love much. To whom little is forgiven, they love little. Father, help us in the name of Jesus Christ to honor thee, to praise thee, to glorify thee, to understand, Lord, the depth of our wickedness. And yet, Lord, the depth of your so great love and mercy. Help us, Father. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Love for Christ is proportional to perceived forgiveness

Summary: The central thesis: a person's love for Jesus is directly related to how much they understand they have been forgiven; those who see their sin as great will love much, while those who minimize their sin will love little.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'the comprehension of your sins and the comprehension of the forgiveness of your sins correlates to your love to the Lord Jesus Christ' and quotes Jesus: 'to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.'

The depravity and offensiveness of sin

Summary: Weaver emphasizes that sin is utterly repulsive to God, using vivid biblical metaphors to help believers see the true horror of their fallen condition.

Evidence: He says, 'Sin is a stench in his nostrils' and walks through images like leprosy, putrefying sores, filthy rags, and a dead carcass to illustrate sin's vileness.

Self-righteousness blinds one to their need for forgiveness

Summary: Simon the Pharisee exemplifies how a self-righteous attitude leads to a diminished sense of sin and consequently little love for Christ.

Evidence: Weaver notes, 'His debts in his own eyes were either few or none... consequently, he had no great sense of the depth of his sins... and consequently, no great love for Jesus Christ.'

Forgiveness is the cause, not the result, of love

Summary: Weaver clarifies that the woman's love did not earn her forgiveness; rather, her forgiveness produced her love. This guards against works-righteousness.

Evidence: He says, 'She was not forgiven because she loved much. She loved much because she had already been forgiven.'

The suffering of Christ for our sins

Summary: Weaver points to Isaiah 53 to remind believers that their sins caused Christ immense suffering, and meditating on this should deepen love and gratitude.

Evidence: He asks, 'Have you ever really contemplated the grief and the pain that your sins caused Jesus Christ?' and quotes Isaiah 53:4-6.

Key Arguments

All sin is a debt that no one can pay

Summary: Weaver argues that every sin incurs a debt to God's law that demands the death penalty, and no person can satisfy this debt on their own.

Evidence: He says, 'All sins are debts. There is a penalty for violating the law of God, and the penalty is such as none can pay,' citing Galatians 3:10.

There are degrees of sin, but all are guilty

Summary: While some sins are more heinous than others, even one sin makes a person guilty before God and in need of forgiveness.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'All are guilty. But there are degrees in guilt... just one sin makes you liable to God and His law,' referencing James 2:10-11.

God freely forgives all sin, great or small

Summary: God's grace extends to forgive any sin, no matter how great, as seen in the parable where both debtors are freely forgiven.

Evidence: He states, 'God is gracious and free in the forgiveness of sins, no matter how great or how small they are,' quoting Psalm 130:4.

The woman's actions demonstrate the effect of forgiveness

Summary: The woman's weeping, kissing, and anointing were outward expressions of an inward reality: she had already been forgiven and therefore loved much.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'If this woman had not already repented, she would never have sought out Jesus Christ... something had already transpired in her life.'

Simon's neglect reveals his lack of love

Summary: By failing to offer Jesus basic hospitality, Simon demonstrated that he did not love Christ, which stemmed from his failure to see himself as a sinner in need of forgiveness.

Evidence: Weaver points out, 'Simon did not even love Christ enough to provide for Him the common courtesies of the day,' and Jesus' rebuke in Luke 7:44-46.

Biblical pictures of sin are meant to produce humility and love

Summary: The graphic images of sin in Scripture are not to condemn believers but to help them grasp the magnitude of God's mercy, leading to greater love.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'If you really understand these pictures, then you're going to understand to a greater degree the great love and forgiveness that God has exercised towards you.'

Scripture References

Luke 7:36-50

Context: The primary text of the sermon, recounting the sinful woman anointing Jesus' feet and the parable of the two debtors.

John 14:21, 24

Context: Cited as a gauge of love: keeping Christ's commandments demonstrates love for Him.

1 John 5:3

Context: Reinforces that love for God is shown by keeping His commandments, which are not burdensome.

Isaiah 65:5

Context: Illustrates the self-righteous attitude of the Pharisees, which God finds abominable.

Matthew 9:11

Context: Shows the Pharisees' criticism of Jesus eating with sinners.

Mark 2:16

Context: Another instance of Pharisees questioning Jesus' association with sinners.

Luke 15:2

Context: Pharisees murmur that Jesus receives and eats with sinners.

Matthew 26:6

Context: Mentioned in connection with Simon the leper, possibly the same Simon as in Luke 7.

Mark 14:3

Context: Parallel account of a woman anointing Jesus in the house of Simon the leper.

Galatians 3:10

Context: Quoted to show that all who rely on works of the law are under a curse, emphasizing the debt of sin.

James 2:10-11

Context: Used to argue that breaking one commandment makes a person guilty of all, highlighting the seriousness of any sin.

Psalm 130:4

Context: Affirms that there is forgiveness with God.

Psalm 85:2

Context: Declares that God has forgiven the iniquity of His people and covered their sin.

1 Kings 8:38

Context: Solomon's prayer referencing the 'plague of his own heart,' used as a picture of sin as a disease.

Isaiah 1:5-6

Context: Describes the sinful condition as wounds, bruises, and putrefying sores from head to foot.

Psalm 38:5, 7

Context: David's confession that his wounds stink and are corrupt, and his loins are filled with a loathsome disease, picturing sin's effects.

Isaiah 64:6

Context: All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; we are all as an unclean thing, picturing the pollution of sin.

Ezekiel 16:3-6

Context: Jerusalem pictured as an unwanted, bloody newborn, illustrating the wretched state of sinners.

Ezekiel 24:6-12

Context: Sin pictured as the scum of a boiling pot with a detestable carcass, a stench to God.

Romans 7:24

Context: Paul's cry, 'O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?' likened to being bound to a rotting corpse.

Historical References

Adam Clarke's commentary on Luke 7:41

Context: Weaver quotes Clarke's suggestion that Simon may have been a debtor owing fifty pence, representing a religious person with outward morality, while the woman owed five hundred as a heathen without moral restraints.

Simon the leper (Matthew 26:6; Mark 14:3)

Context: Weaver mentions the possibility that Simon the Pharisee in Luke 7 is the same as Simon the leper, who may have been cleansed by Jesus, giving him double reason for gratitude.

Ralph Venning, 'The Plague of Plagues'

Context: Weaver reads two paragraphs from Venning's work describing the enmity of sin against God, calling it 'deicidium' or God-murder.

Ancient punishment of binding a living person to a dead body

Context: Weaver explains that Paul's 'body of this death' in Romans 7:24 alludes to a pagan punishment where a murderer was tied face-to-face with the victim's corpse until the decay killed the living.

Pitt's poem on the punishment of binding living to dead

Context: Weaver quotes lines from a poem by Pitt describing the horror of being bound to a dead body, illustrating the Romans 7:24 imagery.

Important Quotes

She was not forgiven because she loved much. She loved much because she had already been forgiven.

Significance: This clarifies the theological point that love is the effect, not the cause, of forgiveness, guarding against works-righteousness.

The comprehension of your sins and the comprehension of the forgiveness of your sins correlates to your love to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Significance: This is the central thesis of the sermon, linking understanding of sin and forgiveness to the measure of love for Christ.

If you do not think that you are a very bad sinner, if you don't think that you are very, very sinful and very transgressing God's law and are iniquitous, if you don't think that, then you're not going to love much.

Significance: Weaver directly applies the principle, warning that a low view of one's sinfulness results in little love for Christ.

Sin is a stench in his nostrils.

Significance: A vivid summary of how repulsive sin is to God, setting up the graphic biblical pictures that follow.

If you really understand these pictures, then you're going to understand to a greater degree the great love and forgiveness that God has exercised towards you.

Significance: Explains the purpose of the disturbing biblical imagery: to deepen appreciation of God's mercy and thus increase love.

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Significance: Paul's exclamation in Romans 7:24, which Weaver uses to illustrate the horror of being bound to a dead, rotting body as a picture of indwelling sin.

You will never, ever recognize the depth of our Lord's grace and mercy and forgiveness until you realize the depth of your sin and wickedness and rebellion.

Significance: A concluding application that ties the entire sermon together: knowledge of grace depends on knowledge of sin.

To whom much is forgiven, they love much. To whom little is forgiven, they love little.

Significance: Weaver repeats Jesus' words from Luke 7:47 as the key gauge for measuring love for Christ.

Discussion Questions

How does your view of your own sinfulness affect the way you love and worship Christ?

Context: Weaver argues that love is proportional to perceived forgiveness; this question helps apply that principle personally.

In what ways might self-righteousness, like Simon's, creep into our hearts and diminish our love for Jesus?

Context: Simon's attitude is contrasted with the woman's; this question probes for similar blind spots in believers.

Which of the biblical pictures of sin (leprosy, sores, filthy rags, etc.) most strikes you, and why?

Context: Weaver presents multiple graphic images to convey sin's horror; this question encourages personal reflection on their impact.

How can meditating on Christ's suffering for your sins (Isaiah 53) deepen your love and gratitude?

Context: Weaver points to the suffering of Christ as a motivation for love; this question explores practical application.

What are some practical ways we can cultivate a greater sense of the forgiveness we have received?

Context: The sermon implies that understanding forgiveness is key to love; this question seeks actionable steps.

Why is it dangerous to think of ourselves as 'not that bad' of a sinner?

Context: Weaver warns against minimizing sin; this question addresses the spiritual peril of a low view of sin.

How does the truth that 'we do not love in order to be forgiven, but love because we have been forgiven' change the way you approach obedience and good works?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that forgiveness precedes and produces love; this question explores the implications for Christian living.

Applications

Examine your sense of sin and forgiveness

Summary: Weaver calls believers to honestly assess how deeply they understand their own depravity and the magnitude of God's forgiveness, as this directly affects their love for Christ.

Evidence: He asks, 'Have you ever really comprehended the greatness of your depravity? The exceeding abundance of your sins? ... And have you ever really comprehended the depth of forgiveness that you received through Jesus Christ?'

Meditate on the biblical pictures of sin

Summary: Weaver urges listeners to reflect on the graphic images of sin in Scripture (leprosy, sores, filthy rags, etc.) to gain a more realistic view of their fallen condition and thus appreciate God's mercy more.

Evidence: He says, 'If you really understand these pictures, then you're going to understand to a greater degree the great love and forgiveness that God has exercised towards you.'

Contemplate Christ's suffering for your sins

Summary: Weaver encourages believers to think deeply about how their sins caused Jesus to suffer, using Isaiah 53, to foster greater love and gratitude.

Evidence: He asks, 'Have you ever really contemplated the grief and the pain that your sins caused Jesus Christ?' and quotes Isaiah 53:4-6.

Avoid self-righteousness and minimizing sin

Summary: Weaver warns against the Pharisee's attitude of thinking one's sins are small, which leads to little love; instead, believers should see themselves as great sinners who have been greatly forgiven.

Evidence: He states, 'If you look at me today and say, "Well, I may be bad, but I'm not that bad." I got news for you. If the Holy Ghost ever convicts you of your sin, you would fight the Apostle Paul for the place of chief of sinners.'

Gauge your love by your obedience and devotion

Summary: While the sermon focuses on the sin-forgiveness gauge, Weaver also references obedience as a measure of love, implying that genuine love will manifest in keeping Christ's commandments.

Evidence: He cites John 14:21 and 1 John 5:3 as gauges of love, and contrasts the woman's extravagant devotion with Simon's neglect.

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T06:17:53Z

Clean Transcript

A Method to Guage Your Love To Christ

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

All right, well, let's open our Bibles today to the book of Luke chapter 7, Luke chapter 7. And I want you to listen very closely today. Some of the messages, some of the scriptures I am going to quote just to save time. I've got a lot that I want you to look at. And the Lord has been gracious lately, as busy as I've been and as much teaching as I've been doing. I've got still five or six messages that I'm working on that I think and I hope and pray will be a real blessing and help to each of you. But today, the title of the message is "A Method to Gauge Your Love to Christ," a method to gauge your love to Christ. Luke chapter 7 and verse 36, "And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him."
#1 | 0:01 to 1:00 | cleaned
"And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. 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, 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. 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. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on."
#2 | 1:01 to 1:42 | cleaned
"There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman?"
#3 | 1:42 to 2:03 | cleaned
"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. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 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. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace." A method to gauge your love to Christ. Almost everyone has a rain gauge. And the reason we have a rain gauge is simply because we want to know how much rain we receive. We have gauges for almost everything.
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There are gauges for blood pressure, for blood sugar, oxygen levels, tire pressure, even micrometer gauges. In fact, there are gauges for a host of other things as well. But one of the important questions as Christians we should ask is how do we gauge our love for Jesus Christ? Now, in reality, there are a number of gauges in the Bible. One of the most familiar of all the gauges is that of obedience, because our Lord said in John 14:21, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me." Then he said in verse 24, "He that loveth me not keepeth not my commandments." The same truth is set out in 1 John 5:3, "And this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." So our lesson today actually involves another gauge. Our love for our Lord Jesus Christ will be influenced and gauged by our understanding of our sin, depravity, ruin, and the forgiveness of our sins. The context of the message today and the setting involves an invitation to Jesus Christ to dine at a Pharisee's house.
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His name is Simon. As our Lord sits at the table, a very notorious sinner comes to Him. Interestingly, even Simon the Pharisee knew this woman. He knew about her, and she is labeled a sinner.
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Now, the interesting thing is, the Greek word is hamartōlos, which literally refers to one as preeminently sinful, especially wicked, and one devoted to sin. The word also refers to men stained with certain vices and crimes.
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Now one can only assume what kind of sinner this woman was because obviously her sins are not enunciated in this particular passage. But she did have an alabaster box of ointment which she broke and began anointing his feet. At the same time she was weeping profusely. She was extremely emotional and she was very moved. Interestingly, the Greek word that is used to describe her weeping is the word klaiō, which literally means to mourn, to weep, to lament as one weeping as a sign of grief and pain. So simply put, she was literally heartbroken, she was devastated, and she was weeping profusely.
#8 | 5:03 to 5:55 | cleaned
Now, the heart of the Pharisee is revealed in verse 39. Look at it. "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." A sinner.
#9 | 5:56 to 6:16 | cleaned
Now, you know that Pharisees were notoriously self-righteous. They did not wish to contaminate themselves by associating with sinners. Their attitude is actually expressed in Isaiah 65:5. The first part refers to the Pharisees. The second part is what God says concerning this attitude. In Isaiah 65:5, they say, "Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou." And God says, "These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day." So God can't stand self-righteousness. Now, the Pharisees always had trouble with the Lord Jesus Christ. They could not understand how he could associate with sinners and even eat with sinners. Let me just give you some verses. In Matthew 9:11, the Bible says, "And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?" When you get to the book of Mark chapter 2 and verse 16, the Bible says, "And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?"
#10 | 6:16 to 7:45 | cleaned
And then in Luke 15:2, "And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them." Now, according to Simon, if our Lord was a prophet, He should have known how wicked this woman really was, and consequently, if he really knew that, he would not have allowed this woman to even touch him. And yet, he looks at our Lord and calls Him Master. But he will not even account Him as a prophet. Because he said, if He had been a prophet, He would have and should have known. So what our Lord does is this. He demonstrates that he not only knows the heart of the woman, He also knows the heart of the Pharisee as well. And by the way, the reason Simon was not willing to acknowledge that our Lord was a prophet was because, according to Simon, he did not meet the standard of the Pharisees. And so, therefore, he's not going to account him a prophet.
#11 | 7:46 to 9:04 | cleaned
Now, I find something extremely interesting. You know, since our Lord knows the hearts, our Lord did not immediately lash out at Simon and say, "Let me tell you something, you dirty fore-flushing hypocrite." He didn't say that. I probably would have, but he didn't. He just simply said, "Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee." Basically, he's asking permission to speak. Well, he was in Simon's house. And Simon said, "Master, say on."
#12 | 9:04 to 9:48 | cleaned
Now, the lesson and the illustration that our Lord conveyed was very simple and plain enough even for a Pharisee to understand. Now, I want you to listen to this. If Adam Clarke is correct in his commentary on this passage, then Simon would have had a double reason to comprehend what our Lord said. I want to give you the quote. Just listen to this paragraph of what Adam Clarke said in his commentary. He said, and I'm quoting, "A certain creditor—our Lord means by the creditor, God, and by the two debtors, Simon and the woman who was present. Simon, who had the light of the law and who, in consequence of his profession as a Pharisee, was obliged to abstain from outward iniquity, might be considered as the debtor who owed fifty pence or fifty denarii. The woman, whom I suppose to be a heathen, not having these advantages, having no rule to regulate her actions and no curb on her evil propensities, may be considered to be the debtor who owed five hundred pence or denarii."
#13 | 9:49 to 11:09 | cleaned
"And when both were compared, Simon's debt to God might be considered, in reference to her, fifty to five hundred. However, we find, notwithstanding this great disparity, both were insolvent. Simon, the religious Pharisee, could no more pay his fifty to God than this poor heathen her five hundred. And if both be not freely forgiven by the divine mercy, both must finally perish. Having nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both."
#14 | 11:10 to 11:45 | cleaned
Now, listen to what he says. Some think that this very Simon was no inconsiderable debtor to our Lord as having been mercifully cleansed from a leprosy. For he is supposed to be the same Simon the leper. So in Matthew 26:6, the Bible just says this: "Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper." And when you get to Mark 14:3, the Bible says, "And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head." So this could be the second time that our Lord was in this house. And Clarke is saying, yes, this Simon could be Simon the leper. Possibly, if it is, he certainly had a double reason to be extremely thankful to our Lord.
#15 | 11:46 to 12:48 | cleaned
So if you look in verses 41 through 43, our Lord is going to give us this illustration and this lesson. He says, "There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged." Now, the scope of this parable is to demonstrate that Simon is wrong in condemning the woman who is acquitted by the heavenly judge. Our Lord proves that she is righteous, not because she pleased God, not because she did those things, but because her sins were forgiven. The argument which our Lord employs right here is not from cause, but from effect. She was not forgiven because she loved much. She loved much because she had already been forgiven. We do not love in order to be forgiven. We love because we have been forgiven.
#16 | 12:49 to 14:00 | cleaned
And the reason this woman is so filled with love and thankfulness and gratefulness, the reason she's shedding so many tears is she realized the greatness of her sins and the greatness of our Lord's forgiveness. Now, I want you to consider with me before I really get into what I want to share with you today. I want you to consider one debtor owed our Lord 500 pence and the other 50 pence or 50 denarii.
#17 | 14:00 to 14:31 | cleaned
Both amounts are relatively small. However, neither debtor was able to pay the debt. So let's just right now try to grasp the implications of this little parable. First of all, all sins are debts. There is a penalty for violating the law of God, and the penalty is such as none can pay. For the Bible says, very plainly, in Galatians 3:10, "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." So, all sin is a debt. And we owe the debt to the violated law, and the law demands the death penalty. We're under the curse, and it's not just physical debt, it's spiritual debt as well. So all sins are considered as debts. The second thing we should see in light of this is that as all sins, so are not all sinners equal in the sight of God.
#18 | 14:33 to 15:50 | cleaned
Now, wait a minute, let me explain this. All are guilty. But there are degrees in guilt. All are vile, but some are viler than others. All are sinners, but some are more sinful than others. Do you understand there are degrees even in sin? For instance, murder demands the death penalty. That's a grievous sin. Theft demands restitution. Lying is bad. But it's not nearly as bad as adultery. So the point I'm trying to make is all of it is sinful, but there are degrees, not only in sin, there are degrees in sinners as well. OK, some are far worse sinners than others, but all were sinners.
#19 | 15:51 to 16:55 | cleaned
The third thing is this, it does not matter if you are a big sinner or a little sinner, you're still a sinner. And just one sin makes you liable to God and His law, no matter how great or how small a sinner you really are. And you are still just as much in need of God's divine forgiveness. What does the Bible say in James 2:10-11? He said, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."
#20 | 16:57 to 17:33 | cleaned
"For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law." You could even make that even lighter. He said, "Thou shalt not covet." Though you do not kill, but you covet, you're still a transgressor of the law. He said, "Thou shalt not steal." You may not steal, but if you profane God, you're still a transgressor of the law. So just one sin makes us guilty and liable to God.
#21 | 17:34 to 18:05 | cleaned
Fourthly, God is gracious and free in the forgiveness of sins, no matter how great or how small they are. The Bible says in Psalm 130:4, "But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared." Actually, notice he said in Psalm 85:2, "Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin." So there is forgiveness from God.
#22 | 18:05 to 18:37 | cleaned
Now, the fourth thing I want to point out before I really get into this is Christ here speaks of these two debtors as being forgiven. And then he speaks of their loving much. Or loving little, in other words, the comprehension of your sins and the comprehension of the forgiveness of your sins correlates to your love to the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me say this another way, and I'm going to show it to you from the Bible. If you do not think that you are a very bad sinner, if you don't think that you are very, very sinful and very transgressing God's law and are iniquitous, if you don't think that, then you're not going to love much. Our Lord said, if you understand to whom much is given, much is required, but also of whom much is forgiven, he's going to demonstrate much love.
#23 | 18:38 to 19:58 | cleaned
So here we have a sharp contrast between this woman and the Pharisee. So look in verse 43. Our Lord says, "Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged." Lord Simon, you're right in this. Whoever comprehends the depth of God's forgiveness, based upon the comprehension of the depth of their sins, he's going to love more than anyone else.
#24 | 19:59 to 20:37 | cleaned
Now, I want you to understand something. And here's what our Lord is going to demonstrate to Simon. This woman came, anointed his feet, wept and washed them with her tears, dried them with her hair, kissed his feet. Simon did not even love Christ enough to provide for Him the common courtesies of the day. A common courtesy would be to wash your guest's feet, or you have something there. A common courtesy would be to anoint his head. A common courtesy would be to provide whatever he needs. Look at our Lord, how He explains it. Luke 7:44, "And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman?" Now remember, this is the woman that Simon has criticized. "Seest thou this woman?"
#25 | 20:38 to 21:41 | cleaned
Now watch what He said. "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. Thou gavest me no kiss." And by the way, it was a common courtesy in those days when you read in the Bible, "Greet one another with an holy kiss." The way men greeted men usually was they would take their beard and kiss the beard. They wouldn't kiss the cheek, they'd kiss the beard. That was a holy kiss.
#26 | 21:41 to 22:16 | cleaned
And this is what he means. You didn't kiss my beard. You didn't greet me as a brother. You didn't greet me as someone that you loved. Note, he said, "Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment."
#27 | 22:17 to 22:38 | cleaned
"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. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven." Now, I want you to note again that our Lord said, "Therefore, she loved much." And let me repeat this. Her great love was not the cause of the remission of her sins, but the full and free remission of her many sins was the cause of the manifestation of her great love. Think about this, folks.
#28 | 22:39 to 23:14 | cleaned
If this woman had not already repented, she would never have sought out Jesus Christ. If she had not already repented, she would not have been willing to do what she did. So obviously, something had already transpired in her life, in her heart.
#29 | 23:15 to 23:36 | cleaned
Now, our Lord does not leave out the Pharisee, because he states, "to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little." So this has a very special respect to Simon the Pharisee. His debts in his own eyes were either few or none, at least ten times less than the woman's. And consequently, he had no great sense of the depth of his sins and the depth of his depravity. And consequently, he had no great sense of forgiveness and consequently, no great love for Jesus Christ. So our Lord, then, is teaching and instructing Simon on a very important point. And he forces Simon to acknowledge that the greater the sinner and the greater the comprehension of the sin and forgiveness, the greater love is going to be manifested.
#30 | 23:36 to 24:29 | cleaned
So the truth is simply this, that a man's love to God will be in proportion to the obligations he understands himself to be under to the bounty of his Creator, his Maker, his Lord and his Savior. So here's the question. Have you ever really comprehended the greatness of your depravity? The exceeding abundance of your sins? The wickedness of your own mind, attitude and actions? And have you ever really comprehended the depth of forgiveness that you received through Jesus Christ?
#31 | 24:30 to 25:22 | cleaned
I want to give you two paragraphs from Ralph Venning's book, "The Plague of Plagues." I want you to listen to what he says about all of us by nature. He says, and I quote, "The sinfulness of sin not only appears from, but consists in this, that it is contrary to God. Indeed, it is enmity itself. Carnal men or sinners are called by the name of enemies to God, but the carnal mind or sin is called enmity itself. Accordingly, it and its acts were expressed by names of enmity, such as hostility, such as walking contrary to God, rebelling against God, rising up against him as an enemy, striving and contending with God, and despising God. It makes men haters of God, resistors of God, fighters against God, and even blasphemers of God, and in short, very atheists who say there is no God. It goes about to un-God God, and is by some of the ancients called deicidium, that is God-murder or God-killing. Though all these things are not done by every sinful man, yet they are not only in the nature of sin, and that of every sin more or less, but are all of them in the heart of all sinners in their sinning root."
#32 | 25:25 to 26:52 | cleaned
Now listen, "So what is done by any man would be done by every man if God did not restrain some men from it by His power and constrain others to obedience by His love and power. Here then is the depravity and the desperately wicked nature of sin, that it is not only high treason against the majesty of God, but it scorns to confess its crime. It is obstinate and will not that he should reign over it. It is not only not subject, but it will not be subject nor be reconciled to God. Such is its enmity." Wow.
#33 | 26:52 to 27:34 | cleaned
Now, here's what I want to do. I want to take you through the Bible very quickly. And I want to show you the greatness and the wickedness and the filthiness of your sins by several pictures that are given to us in the Bible. You see, we have never really grasped how God hates sin and how God views sin. We don't understand sometimes why God exclaimed in Jeremiah 44:4, "Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate." Sin is a stench in his nostrils.
#34 | 27:38 to 28:26 | cleaned
It is absolutely, totally contrary to him. And if you and I understand or comprehend in any degree the greatness of his forgiveness and the greatness of his love, we have to understand also the greatness of our sins. And when we say what God has done for us, it should make us love him even more.
#35 | 28:27 to 28:53 | cleaned
Now, I'm going to give you a brief warning. The pictures that I'm going to show you from the Bible are distasteful, disgusting, and damning. And yet, it is what the Bible records and it is what fallen man is by nature. I cannot give you every picture in the Bible, but I want to give you enough that you can genuinely see the pit from which you were digged and the rock from which you were hewn. And if you really understand these pictures, then you're going to understand to a greater degree the great love and forgiveness that God has exercised towards you. You'll understand. You'll understand what it means when it says that Christ died for the ungodly.
#36 | 28:54 to 30:01 | cleaned
So let's turn in our Bibles, first of all, to 1 Kings chapter 8. And let me show you verse 38. I'm not going to dwell in detail on all of these pictures, I will some more than others, but I want you to understand. In 1 Kings 8:38, Solomon is praying. He's dedicating the temple and he makes this prayer request. 1 Kings 8:38, "What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house." Now note, "which shall know every man the plague of his own heart."
#37 | 30:01 to 30:56 | cleaned
Now, sin is pictured as the plague of some horrible disease such as leprosy. And I would encourage you to read Leviticus, the book of Leviticus, chapters 13 and 14 and other passages that deal with leprosy. And let me encourage you to do something else. Let me encourage you to go on the Internet and type in pictures of leprosy. Leprosy deforms, destroys, and rots the body. No disease is more contagious and infectious than leprosy. It spreads over the entire body and it causes the flesh to rot off. It is stealthy, putrid, and breaking forth all over your body in a most loathsome disease. And everyone in this room knows that leprosy was so vile.
#38 | 30:57 to 32:09 | cleaned
That the individuals had to cover their faces or their mouths, particularly in their nose, and if anyone even came close, the leper was obligated to cry out, "Unclean, unclean, unclean." So that you would not come near. So the Bible pictures are very gross: a leper, someone who has the plague and is absolutely contaminated to the point that he's nothing more than rotting and dying alive. I want you to turn over secondly to Isaiah chapter 1. Isaiah chapter 1. And I want you to look at verses 5 and 6. Isaiah 1:5-6. Look at what God says. I want you to think this thing through with me now. The first one was very easy. You can handle number one. Number two might be a little more difficult for you. But look in Isaiah 1:5.
#39 | 32:11 to 33:30 | cleaned
"Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint."
#40 | 33:30 to 33:36 | cleaned
Now watch, verse 6, "From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment." So here's a picture, then, of what fallen man is in the eyes of God. From head to foot, he is nothing but wounds and bruises and putrifying sores. And putrifying sores literally means running sores that are oozing with pus and putrefaction. They have not been closed up. David, when he confessed his sins in Psalm 38:5, he said this, "My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness."
#41 | 33:36 to 34:28 | cleaned
"My wounds stink and are corrupt." If you've ever had a boil or rising, you'll find out wounds stink. David in Psalm 38:7 said it like this again, listen carefully. "For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh." So what is he saying? From head to foot, I'm filled with this loathsome disease of sin.
#42 | 34:29 to 35:11 | cleaned
I was preaching in a little country church in South Carolina. And we had started the song service and probably been in the song service maybe about 15 minutes. And one man walked in the back door. And he had on a very large pair of overalls. And I thought, well, that's strange. You know, this was a, although it was a little country church, most people did not wear overalls there.
#43 | 35:12 to 35:43 | cleaned
And the pastor leaned over to me and said, "Boy, I'm glad to see you here tonight." And I thought to myself, why? What is it about this man that you're just glad to see here tonight? Well, he sat down, we finished the song service, I preached. When the service is over, the pastor walked over to this man. And he said, "I told Brother Weaver, I was really glad to see you tonight. And I am, I'm so thankful that you made it. I'm so thankful that you're here." He said, "Would you please show Brother Weaver why you came in a little bit late?" And that the man reached down and picked up these legs on the overalls and pulled them up to expose his legs.
#44 | 35:44 to 36:39 | cleaned
And I will tell you, there was not one spot on his legs that did not have a putrid running sore full of pus. He couldn't bind them up. He couldn't do anything. He could barely walk. And when I saw them, I immediately turned my head away. And then this passage instantly came to my mind. That's what my sins are in the sight of God. This picture does not flatter us at all. And I got news for you, the picture even gets worse.
#45 | 36:39 to 37:20 | cleaned
I want you to turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 64. I want you to see the greatness of your sins. These are just pictures. Alice and I, I've been to Sequoia and Yosemite a number of times. She takes more pictures than you can shake a stick at. Sometimes pictures of the same scene over and over and over and over and over and over. Well, that's fine. I mean, she wants to do that. She likes that.
#46 | 37:22 to 37:53 | cleaned
But, you know, the amazing thing is this. And we tell people this. You may look at these pictures and you may see a DVD with all that. But we always say this. No picture can really show the reality, you just have to see it. And here it is with sin. No picture can accurately convey the reality of the wickedness and the vileness and the death and depravity of our sins. And yet there are pictures after pictures in the Bible. So look, if you would, at Isaiah 64:6.
#47 | 37:54 to 38:31 | cleaned
Here's the passage that you've heard quoted probably all of your life. Notice what he says, Isaiah 64:6, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Now, I want you to note, first of all, we're called an unclean thing.
#48 | 38:31 to 38:59 | cleaned
Now, that means we are polluted and defiled. The word used here means properly that which is polluted and defiled in the Levitical sense, that is, that which is regarded as polluted and abominable by the law of Moses. So what he is saying is that we are regarded as wholly, totally and completely polluted and depraved.
#49 | 39:01 to 39:32 | cleaned
Secondly, he says, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." There is a comment in the old MS Bible. And here's the comment. I'm quoting. "If preachers knew properly the meaning of this word, would they make such a liberal use of it in their public ministry? And why should any use a word, the meaning of which he does not understand? How many in the congregation blush for the incautious man and his filthy rags?"
#50 | 39:33 to 40:20 | cleaned
Now, you have to ask yourself this question. Why would something like that be in an old Bible? And here's the answer. Because the Hebrew word describes a cloth of separation or a menstrual rag or a minstrel's cloth, nauseous and odious, such as a man would be loathe to touch or even to take up.
#51 | 40:23 to 40:50 | cleaned
Now, listen to me, he said, "all of our righteousnesses are as such." If that is a picture of our righteousness, what must our sins be like?
#52 | 40:53 to 41:06 | cleaned
Third, look at Isaiah 64:6. He said, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf." Do you know how leaves fade? They wither away, dry up, and die in autumn. So what is God saying? Our beauty is gone. Our strength is fled. And the only thing left facing man by nature is death and destruction.
#53 | 41:13 to 41:40 | cleaned
In other words, without him, we're hopeless and helpless. Without divine intervention, we perish. And then he says in verse 6, the latter part, fourthly, "like the wind, he said, we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." In other words, the wind blows hither and yon. He said that's what it is like for a fallen man. His sins, his iniquities just blow him hither and yon.
#54 | 41:40 to 42:08 | cleaned
He doesn't even know what he's doing. So sin here is not a pretty picture. Which means sinners are not a pretty picture. Turn right on over fourthly to the book of Ezekiel chapter 16. Ezekiel 16. I have a good illustration of this, but it's not a good one, it's just an illustration. Goodness, I'll explain in just a moment. Look in Ezekiel chapter 16. Let's begin there with verse 3. Ezekiel 16:3. God says, and he's talking to Jerusalem. Look in verse 2. "Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations." So we're talking about Jerusalem. "And say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite." And Lord, you're already sinners.
#55 | 42:08 to 43:21 | cleaned
"And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live."
#56 | 43:22 to 43:59 | cleaned
Now, keeping up with the simile of a newborn infant that has nothing done to it, but is covered all over with menstrual blood, denoting the wretched and miserable estate of which we are by nature. Here is a picture of a people, of a child that is unloved, unwanted, unpitied and loathsome and abominable and in danger of being utterly destroyed because it was ready to perish because of lack of mercy and lack of compassion. God said, when I found you, this is what you were. Just this week, I read or someone gave birth to a child.
#57 | 44:00 to 45:02 | cleaned
Wrapped it in a blanket and put it beside the road. Evidently that same person or someone connected with that same person drove the car and ran off the road and purposely killed the baby. My first thoughts were, I know how to take care of people like that. My second thought was, that's what we were when God found us. Unwanted, unloved, unpitied, loathsome, abominable, unpitied. And when the Bible speaks here, when God used the word polluted here, it literally signifies trodden underfoot in the mire of the streets. That's what he's saying in Ezekiel 16. Nobody wanted you. Nobody loved you. And when God found you, you were despised and folks would just trod you down in the mud. They could care less about you.
#58 | 45:05 to 46:26 | cleaned
Sin is not a pretty picture. Sinners are not pretty people. If you look in your Bibles to Ezekiel chapter 24. Here's another one. Ezekiel 24, notice if you would please verse 6. Ezekiel 24:6. And I'll have to hurry. Ezekiel 24:6, God says, "Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it!"
#59 | 46:29 to 47:09 | cleaned
"Bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall upon it. For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust; that it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance; I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered."
#60 | 47:09 to 47:26 | cleaned
"Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great. Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned. Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed. She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire." Here, sin is pictured as the scum of a boiling pot wherein is a detestable carcass. Everyone in this room at one time or another has burned coffee.
#61 | 47:27 to 48:19 | cleaned
Oh, it stinks to high heaven. And it's melted in the bottom of the pot, and it takes a great deal of washing. And how many have burnt meat? Clones? You're talking about a stench. And yet, God says this is a picture of what our sins are to God, a stench in his nostrils and the foulest smell that you and I can ever imagine cannot be compared with the stench of sin to a holy God. So he gives us a picture here of sin being the scum of a boiling pot, wherein is a detestable carcass. If you would turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 7. Many of you have read this, and yet you've never seen it. You've never understood it. Let me explain it. Look in Romans chapter 7 and verse 24.
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The Apostle Paul makes a startling statement. Romans 7:24, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Wow. We could easily render Paul's cry as, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this dead body?" The body of this death means the whole mass of sin or all those ingredients which the whole man is composed. And what Paul is referring to here is a dead carcass that's stinking and loathsome. You can always tell when a dead animal is nearby. You can always tell when a dead carcass of anyone or anything is nearby. But let me tell you what Paul is talking about here. When he says, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"
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Men sent to us and others who were pagans had a unique punishment for murderers and other vile criminals. If a man murdered another man and the murderer was captured, caught, here's what would happen. They would take the dead body, the murdered man, and tie him face to face, stomach to stomach, leg to leg, arm to arm to the living man. Until the putrefaction and the worms from the dead man ate the living man alive and killed him.
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That's the picture that is being given right here. "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this dead body?" Wow. Pitt wrote a few lines on this particular method of punishment. He said, "What tongue can such barbarities record, or count the slaughters of his ruthless sword? 'Twas not enough the good, the guiltless bled, still worse, he bound the living to the dead. These limb to limb, and face to face he joined, O monstrous crime of unexampled kind, till choked with stench the lingering wretches lay, and in the loathsome embraces died away." Paul likens it to a dead and rotting body.
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that was attached to him that he longed to get rid of. And then if you will turn very quickly to 2 Peter chapter 2, 2 Peter chapter 2, verse 22. Here's another picture. This is number seven. 2 Peter 2:22. Look what he said, 2 Peter 2:22, "But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." So here's a picture of sin as the vomit of a dog and the wallowing of a sow in the mire. This is quoted from Proverbs 26:11, "As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly."
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In Isaiah 19:14, "The Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit." Isaiah 28:8, "For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean." Jeremiah 48:26, "Make ye him drunken: for he magnified himself against the Lord: Moab also shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision."
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None of these are beautiful pictures. I want you to understand Paul's argument in Romans chapter 6. This is why he gives such an exclamation when he says, "What? What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" How can you, if you're alive, go back to all of this filthiness and pollution? Look in your Bibles very quickly to Jeremiah chapter 7. Jeremiah chapter 7.
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And notice verses 8 through 10. If you understand these pictures, you will find that your sin is very repulsive in the eyes of God, and it should be very repulsive in your eyes. Look at Jeremiah chapter 7, beginning there with verse 8. Oh, watch Jeremiah 7:8. Look what God says, "Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit." Verse 9, "Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; and come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?" God didn't save you out of your filth so that you can continue in filth. No. Now, let's go back. Let's make the applications.
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This woman came to our Lord, weeping, broken, contrite, anointing His feet, washing His feet with her tears, drying them with her hair. Simon would not even do anything. What did our Lord say? "To whom much is forgiven, they love much. To whom little is forgiven, they love little." Have you ever stopped to think about this? Undoubtedly, I'm sure that part and parcel of this woman's brokenness was the grief and the pain that she had caused her Savior. Have you ever stopped to think?
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About the suffering of Jesus Christ in relationship to your sins. "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."
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What did my sins do to Jesus Christ? How did my sins cause Him to suffer? Not just physically, but spiritually, emotionally. Have you ever really contemplated the grief and the pain that your sins caused Jesus Christ?
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Now, let me tell you this. You will never, ever recognize the depth of our Lord's grace and mercy and forgiveness until you realize the depth of your sin and wickedness and rebellion. And if you look at me today and say, "Well, I may be bad, but I'm not that bad." I got news for you. If the Holy Ghost ever convicts you of your sin, you would fight the Apostle Paul for the place of chief of sinners. The divine creditor has a righteous claim upon all his debtors, but none of us can meet it so that reconciliation can only be brought about by the grace of God. How great of a sinner are you?
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How much do you love Jesus Christ? You can gauge it by your understanding of your sins and the understanding of his forgiveness. To whom much is forgiven, they love much. To whom little is forgiven, they love little. Father, help us in the name of Jesus Christ to honor thee, to praise thee, to glorify thee, to understand, Lord, the depth of our wickedness. And yet, Lord, the depth of your so great love and mercy. Help us, Father. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
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This program was produced by Dominion Ministries. For more information about Pastor Weaver's sermons, you may contact Dominion Ministries by mail at 7400 Abercorn Street, Suite 705, PMB 175, Savannah, Georgia 31406 or give us a call at 912-925-0995. You can also visit our website at www.dominionministry.com
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T16:01:39Z

A Method to Guage Your Love To Christ

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver preaches from Luke 7:36-50, using the account of the sinful woman anointing Jesus' feet in the Pharisee's house to teach that a Christian's love for Christ is gauged by their understanding of the depth of their own sin and the greatness of God's forgiveness. He contrasts the woman's extravagant love with Simon the Pharisee's cold neglect, explaining that those who see themselves as greatly forgiven will love much, while those who think little of their sin will love little. Weaver then presents a series of graphic biblical pictures of sin to help believers grasp the horror of their depravity, so that they might appreciate Christ's mercy more deeply and love Him more fervently.

Opening

Scripture Reading — Luke 7:36-50

"And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him." "And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. 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, 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. 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. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on." "There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. 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. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 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. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace."

Introduction: The Need for a Gauge of Love

Scripture Reading — John 14:21, 24

"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me."

Then he said in verse 24,

Scripture Reading — John 14:21, 24

"He that loveth me not keepeth not my commandments."

The Setting: Jesus at Simon the Pharisee's House

His name is Simon. As our Lord sits at the table, a very notorious sinner comes to Him. Interestingly, even Simon the Pharisee knew this woman. He knew about her, and she is labeled a sinner.

The Parable of the Two Debtors

Scripture Reading — Matthew 26:6

"Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper."

And when you get to Mark 14:3, the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 26:6

"And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head."

The Principle: Love in Proportion to Perceived Forgiveness

Scripture Reading — Galatians 3:10

"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."

The Contrast: Simon's Lack of Love

Jesus contrasts the woman's lavish acts of devotion with Simon's failure to provide even basic courtesies, concluding that Simon's little love stems from his little sense of being forgiven.

Biblical Pictures of Sin's Depravity

Application: Gauging Our Love by Our Sense of Sin and Forgiveness

The sermon concludes by urging listeners to contemplate the suffering their sins caused Christ and to gauge their love for Him by how deeply they understand their own wickedness and His forgiveness.

A Method to Guage Your Love To Christ

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	111516939102
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations: Praying Against the Wicked
Genre	Sermon
Date	2016-09-18
Dictation Name
Book	Book 136: Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations - Volume 1 — Chapter 17
Source Timed Segments	75

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Need for a Gauge of Love: Weaver introduces the concept of gauges and asks how Christians can measure their love for Christ, noting that obedience is one biblical gauge, but the sermon will focus on another: understanding sin and forgiveness.
The Setting: Jesus at Simon the Pharisee's House: The sermon sets the scene from Luke 7:36-39, describing the sinful woman's act of anointing Jesus' feet with tears and ointment, and Simon's critical thoughts about Jesus allowing a sinner to touch Him.
The Parable of the Two Debtors: Jesus tells a parable about a creditor forgiving two debtors with different debts, leading Simon to correctly answer that the one forgiven more will love more, setting up the lesson about love and forgiveness.
The Principle: Love in Proportion to Perceived Forgiveness: Weaver explains that the woman's great love was not the cause but the effect of her forgiveness; she loved much because she realized the greatness of her sins and the greatness of Christ's forgiveness.
The Contrast: Simon's Lack of Love: Jesus contrasts the woman's lavish acts of devotion with Simon's failure to provide even basic courtesies, concluding that Simon's little love stems from his little sense of being forgiven.
Biblical Pictures of Sin's Depravity: Weaver presents a series of graphic biblical images of sin—a plague, putrefying sores, filthy rags, a bloody newborn, scum of a pot, a dead body, and vomit—to help believers grasp the horror of their sin and thus appreciate God's forgiveness.
Application: Gauging Our Love by Our Sense of Sin and Forgiveness: The sermon concludes by urging listeners to contemplate the suffering their sins caused Christ and to gauge their love for Him by how deeply they understand their own wickedness and His forgiveness.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

All sin is a debt that no one can pay

Weaver argues that every sin incurs a debt to God's law that demands the death penalty, and no person can satisfy this debt on their own.

He says, 'All sins are debts. There is a penalty for violating the law of God, and the penalty is such as none can pay,' citing Galatians 3:10.

There are degrees of sin, but all are guilty

While some sins are more heinous than others, even one sin makes a person guilty before God and in need of forgiveness.

Weaver explains, 'All are guilty. But there are degrees in guilt... just one sin makes you liable to God and His law,' referencing James 2:10-11.

God freely forgives all sin, great or small

God's grace extends to forgive any sin, no matter how great, as seen in the parable where both debtors are freely forgiven.

He states, 'God is gracious and free in the forgiveness of sins, no matter how great or how small they are,' quoting Psalm 130:4.

The woman's actions demonstrate the effect of forgiveness

The woman's weeping, kissing, and anointing were outward expressions of an inward reality: she had already been forgiven and therefore loved much.

Weaver says, 'If this woman had not already repented, she would never have sought out Jesus Christ... something had already transpired in her life.'

Simon's neglect reveals his lack of love

By failing to offer Jesus basic hospitality, Simon demonstrated that he did not love Christ, which stemmed from his failure to see himself as a sinner in need of forgiveness.

Weaver points out, 'Simon did not even love Christ enough to provide for Him the common courtesies of the day,' and Jesus' rebuke in Luke 7:44-46.

Biblical pictures of sin are meant to produce humility and love

The graphic images of sin in Scripture are not to condemn believers but to help them grasp the magnitude of God's mercy, leading to greater love.

Weaver says, 'If you really understand these pictures, then you're going to understand to a greater degree the great love and forgiveness that God has exercised towards you.'

Scripture References

Luke 7:36-50: The primary text of the sermon, recounting the sinful woman anointing Jesus' feet and the parable of the two debtors.
John 14:21, 24: Cited as a gauge of love: keeping Christ's commandments demonstrates love for Him.
1 John 5:3: Reinforces that love for God is shown by keeping His commandments, which are not burdensome.
Isaiah 65:5: Illustrates the self-righteous attitude of the Pharisees, which God finds abominable.
Matthew 9:11: Shows the Pharisees' criticism of Jesus eating with sinners.
Mark 2:16: Another instance of Pharisees questioning Jesus' association with sinners.
Luke 15:2: Pharisees murmur that Jesus receives and eats with sinners.
Matthew 26:6: Mentioned in connection with Simon the leper, possibly the same Simon as in Luke 7.
Mark 14:3: Parallel account of a woman anointing Jesus in the house of Simon the leper.
Galatians 3:10: Quoted to show that all who rely on works of the law are under a curse, emphasizing the debt of sin.
James 2:10-11: Used to argue that breaking one commandment makes a person guilty of all, highlighting the seriousness of any sin.
Psalm 130:4: Affirms that there is forgiveness with God.
Psalm 85:2: Declares that God has forgiven the iniquity of His people and covered their sin.
1 Kings 8:38: Solomon's prayer referencing the 'plague of his own heart,' used as a picture of sin as a disease.
Isaiah 1:5-6: Describes the sinful condition as wounds, bruises, and putrefying sores from head to foot.
Psalm 38:5, 7: David's confession that his wounds stink and are corrupt, and his loins are filled with a loathsome disease, picturing sin's effects.
Isaiah 64:6: All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; we are all as an unclean thing, picturing the pollution of sin.
Ezekiel 16:3-6: Jerusalem pictured as an unwanted, bloody newborn, illustrating the wretched state of sinners.
Ezekiel 24:6-12: Sin pictured as the scum of a boiling pot with a detestable carcass, a stench to God.
Romans 7:24: Paul's cry, 'O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?' likened to being bound to a rotting corpse.

Historical References

Adam Clarke's commentary on Luke 7:41: Weaver quotes Clarke's suggestion that Simon may have been a debtor owing fifty pence, representing a religious person with outward morality, while the woman owed five hundred as a heathen without moral restraints.
Simon the leper (Matthew 26:6; Mark 14:3): Weaver mentions the possibility that Simon the Pharisee in Luke 7 is the same as Simon the leper, who may have been cleansed by Jesus, giving him double reason for gratitude.
Ralph Venning, 'The Plague of Plagues': Weaver reads two paragraphs from Venning's work describing the enmity of sin against God, calling it 'deicidium' or God-murder.
Ancient punishment of binding a living person to a dead body: Weaver explains that Paul's 'body of this death' in Romans 7:24 alludes to a pagan punishment where a murderer was tied face-to-face with the victim's corpse until the decay killed the living.
Pitt's poem on the punishment of binding living to dead: Weaver quotes lines from a poem by Pitt describing the horror of being bound to a dead body, illustrating the Romans 7:24 imagery.

Important Quotes

She was not forgiven because she loved much. She loved much because she had already been forgiven.

This clarifies the theological point that love is the effect, not the cause, of forgiveness, guarding against works-righteousness.

The comprehension of your sins and the comprehension of the forgiveness of your sins correlates to your love to the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the central thesis of the sermon, linking understanding of sin and forgiveness to the measure of love for Christ.

If you do not think that you are a very bad sinner, if you don't think that you are very, very sinful and very transgressing God's law and are iniquitous, if you don't think that, then you're not going to love much.

Weaver directly applies the principle, warning that a low view of one's sinfulness results in little love for Christ.

Sin is a stench in his nostrils.

A vivid summary of how repulsive sin is to God, setting up the graphic biblical pictures that follow.

If you really understand these pictures, then you're going to understand to a greater degree the great love and forgiveness that God has exercised towards you.

Explains the purpose of the disturbing biblical imagery: to deepen appreciation of God's mercy and thus increase love.

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Paul's exclamation in Romans 7:24, which Weaver uses to illustrate the horror of being bound to a dead, rotting body as a picture of indwelling sin.

You will never, ever recognize the depth of our Lord's grace and mercy and forgiveness until you realize the depth of your sin and wickedness and rebellion.

A concluding application that ties the entire sermon together: knowledge of grace depends on knowledge of sin.

To whom much is forgiven, they love much. To whom little is forgiven, they love little.

Weaver repeats Jesus' words from Luke 7:47 as the key gauge for measuring love for Christ.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does your view of your own sinfulness affect the way you love and worship Christ?

[Context]

Weaver argues that love is proportional to perceived forgiveness; this question helps apply that principle personally.

[Question]

In what ways might self-righteousness, like Simon's, creep into our hearts and diminish our love for Jesus?

[Context]

Simon's attitude is contrasted with the woman's; this question probes for similar blind spots in believers.

[Question]

Which of the biblical pictures of sin (leprosy, sores, filthy rags, etc.) most strikes you, and why?

[Context]

Weaver presents multiple graphic images to convey sin's horror; this question encourages personal reflection on their impact.

[Question]

How can meditating on Christ's suffering for your sins (Isaiah 53) deepen your love and gratitude?

[Context]

Weaver points to the suffering of Christ as a motivation for love; this question explores practical application.

[Question]

What are some practical ways we can cultivate a greater sense of the forgiveness we have received?

[Context]

The sermon implies that understanding forgiveness is key to love; this question seeks actionable steps.

[Question]

Why is it dangerous to think of ourselves as 'not that bad' of a sinner?

[Context]

Weaver warns against minimizing sin; this question addresses the spiritual peril of a low view of sin.

[Question]

How does the truth that 'we do not love in order to be forgiven, but love because we have been forgiven' change the way you approach obedience and good works?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that forgiveness precedes and produces love; this question explores the implications for Christian living.

Applications

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