Revelation: Christ and the Churches

A Method To Gauge Your Love To Christ

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2016-10-01

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver expounds Luke 7:36-50 to teach that a believer's love for Christ is gauged by their understanding of their own sinfulness and the greatness of God's forgiveness. Using the parable of the two debtors, he contrasts the sinful woman's extravagant love with the Pharisee's cold neglect, arguing that those who grasp the depth of their depravity and the magnitude of divine mercy will love much. He illustrates the heinous nature of sin through seven biblical pictures, urging self-examination and prayer for deeper revelation of self and Christ to increase love.

[John Weaver] It's to the book of Luke chapter seven. And we're going to read verses 36 through 50, chapter seven, 36 through 50. Luke seven, verse 36. 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 meet. And behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner when she knew that Jesus sat at meeting 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 kiss his feet and anointed him 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 some what to say unto thee. And he said, 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 most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said to him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman?

[John Weaver] 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 saith unto her, thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say with themselves, who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, thy faith has saved thee, go in peace.

[John Weaver] The title of the message today is a method to gauge your love to Christ. A method to gauge your love to Christ. Almost everyone in this room has a rain gauge. And the reason we have that is we desire to know how much it is rain. We have gauges for almost everything imaginable. We have gauges for blood pressure, for blood sugar, for oxygen levels, for tire pressure. We have micrometer gauges. In fact, we have gauges for a host of other things as well. But one important question that we need to ask is this, how do we gauge our love for the Lord Jesus Christ? Now, there are several gauges that are mentioned in Scripture. And one of those gauges happens to be obedience.

[John Weaver] Because our Lord said in John 14 in verse 21, he that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. And he said in verse 24, he that keepeth not my sayings loveth me not. And in 1 John 5 in verse 3, and this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and they're not grievous. So certainly obedience is a gauge as well. But our lesson today shows us another gauge that we may use to gauge our love for the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Bible is teaching us here that our love is going to be gauged by our understanding of our sin, depravity, and ruin as well as our forgiveness.

[John Weaver] So the context of the message is this. Jesus Christ was invited to dine in the house of a Pharisee. The Pharisee's name was Simon. Our Lord sits at the table, and he does so. An absolutely notorious sinner comes to him. Interestingly, even Simon knew this woman, and he knew that she was a sinner. In fact, she is labeled a sinner. And the Greek word is basically Hermatolos, which refers to one that is preeminently sinful, especially one that is wicked and devoted to sin. It also refers specifically to men staying with certain vices and crimes.

[John Weaver] Now, the Bible does not tell us what kind of sins this woman was engaged in. Well, we can only imagine, but they're not specifically named. But she did bring an alabaster box of ointment, and she broke that box and began anointing his feet and weeping. She was washing his feet literally with tears. Her weeping was a very emotional time. In fact, the Greek word that is used to describe her weeping is the word kleio, which literally means to mourn, to weep, and to lament as one that is weeping as a sign of pain and grief.

[John Weaver] So let me put it to you like this. What it means was this woman was devastated. She was actually broken hearted, and she was weeping profusely.

[John Weaver] Now, the heart of a Pharisee is exposed 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 sinner so Pharisees were notoriously Self-righteous they did not wish to contaminate themselves by being around sinners their attitude is Described in Isaiah 65 and verse 5 and the interesting thing is I quote this verse I want you to listen the first part deals with With the attitude of a Pharisee and the second part deals with what God thinks about that attitude So here's Isaiah 65 in verse 5

[John Weaver] which say stand by thyself Come not near to me for I am holier than thou Wow But the rest of the verse says this, God is speaking. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day. In other words, God can't stand that Pharisaical, super pious attitude.

[John Weaver] Now, you have to understand that the Pharisees, since they were self-righteous, could not understand how Jesus Christ could communicate with and associate with sinners. For instance, in Matthew 9 verse 11, the Bible says, And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, Why eateth your master with publicans and sinners? When you get to Mark 2 in verse 16, the Bible says, And the scribes and the Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners. And they said to his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners. And then in Luke 15 in verse 2, and the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them.

[John Weaver] Well, I want you to note Simon's attitude. Although Simon had invited Jesus Christ to his house, whether or not he believed that he was really and truly Lord, God Is really doubtful in one sense of the word Because he does not even accord him the status of a prophet Look in verse 39 again 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 in what manner of woman this is that touches them for she is a sinner well You have to at least say this, the reason Simon would not even accord him in this time the position of a prophet was because he did not meet the standard of the Pharisees. Because the Pharisees were, don't come near me for I'm holier than thou, don't touch me, I don't want to contaminate myself with you, it's just that simple. So our Lord very politely demonstrates that he not only knew the heart of this sinful woman, But he knew the Pharisee's heart as well.

[John Weaver] Now, I find it interesting that our Lord is very unlike us. Had I been around and this man said something like this, my attitude would have been, let me tell you something, you dirty, four-flushing hypocrite, you. I mean, I'd want to chew him up and spit him out. But our Lord did not do that. He just simply said, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. Basically, he asked permission. Well, he was in Simon's house. And Simon said, Master, say on. So the lesson then that our Lord is conveying is very simple, and it's plain enough for even a Pharisee to comprehend and understand. Now, I want to stop just for a moment. I'm going to explain this just momentarily, but I want to give you a quote by Adam Clark. If Adam Clark is correct, and he probably is, then Simon would have really had a double reason to appreciate what our Lord is saying. Let me just give you the quote. Listen to this. Clark states a certain creditor parable, our Lord means, by the creditor, God, and by the two debtors, Simon and the woman who was present.

[John Weaver] Simon, who had the light of the law and who, in the consequence of his profession as a Pharisee, was obliged to abstain from outward iniquity, might be considered the debtor who owed the 50 pence or the 50 denarii. The woman whom I have supposed 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 as the debtor who owed 500 pence or denarii. And when both were compared, Simon's debt to God might be considered in Reverend Starr's 50 to 500.

[John Weaver] However, We find notwithstanding this great disparity, both were insolvent. That is, neither could pay it. 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 finally perish. Having nothing to pay, he kindly forgave them both. Now listen, some think that this very Simon was no inconsiderable debtor to our Lord as having been mercifully cleansed from leprosy. For he is supposed to be the same Simon as Simon the leper. So in Matthew 26 and verse 6 the Bible says now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper And when you get to Mark 14 verse 3 the Bible says in being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper He said it meet there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spiked very precious and she break the box and poured it on his head and Now, the incident in Mark 14 is different from this incident, but it could be the same exact Simon.

[John Weaver] And in that instance, he's called Simon the leper. So obviously, if Simon is the same Simon the leper, he was indeed a debtor as well.

[John Weaver] Now, look in verses 41 through 43, because here is the lesson that our Lord is giving. And 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 most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most.

[John Weaver] And he said of him, thou hast rightly judged. Now, The scope of this parable is to demonstrate that Simon was wrong in condemning the woman who is acquitted by a heavenly judge. So our Lord then proves that she is righteous not because she pleased God but because her sins were forgiven.

[John Weaver] Now listen to me very carefully. The argument which Christ employs was taken not from the cause but from the effect Her actions did not merit forgiveness Her actions were because she had already been forgiven We do not love in order to be forgiven. We love because we have been forgiven. And so the reason this woman was so loving and so grateful and so thankful was because she realized not only the greatness of her sins, but the greatness of the forgiveness that had been extended to her.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to consider just for a moment. Our Lord talks about the creditor who would be God in this parable. One owed him 500 pence and the other owed him 50 pence and These amounts are relatively small But the truth of the matter is Neither of these were able to pay the debt. So let me just take a few moments and try to Explain a few things about this parable before we go further.

[John Weaver] First of all, I I believe the scripture is making clear that all sins are debts. We owe God. We don't only owe God because He's the Creator and we're the creature. We owe God because we are sinners and we have violated His law. And we owe God because in His providence He's been gracious and kind to each one of us. We owe Him period. And we owe Him a debt in reality that we cannot pay.

[John Weaver] The Bible says, in Galatians 3 and verse 10, for as many as are under the works of the law are under the curse of the law, for it is written, cursed is everyone that continueth not in all these things to do them. So, we are debtors and we owe him, but we are under the curse and we can't pay because the law not only demands our death physically, but spiritually as well. We're all debtors to him and we have no ability in and of ourselves to pay Secondly in this we are being taught.

[John Weaver] I believe that as all sins So likewise all sinners are not equal in the sight of God now listen to me all of us are sinners and all of us are guilty, but obviously There are some that are viler than others. Just because we're all sinners does not mean that we're as wicked as everyone else. We are wicked, but there are degrees in guilt, and there are degrees in sinners. For instance, murder demands the death penalty, where theft just simply demands restitution.

[John Weaver] Moreover, when you stop and think, is lying a sin? Well, of course it is. But is adultery worse than lying? Well, of course it is. So there are degrees in sin, and there are degrees in sinners. We may all be sinners, but there are some sinners that are more vile and more wicked and more despicable than others, but yet we're all sinners, okay? Same thing with the sins.

[John Weaver] Thirdly, it does not matter if you are a big sinner or little sinner, you're still sinner and you are still liable to the law of God. And what did James 2 verses 10 and say? 2 verses 10 and 11, for whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit murder or adultery, also said, Do not kill. Now thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

[John Weaver] Well, that's the same thing. He said, Do not covet. If you covet, you're still a transgressor, whether you've murdered or not. He said honor thy father and thy mother if you dishonor your father and mother you're still a transgressor the law whether you murdered whether you've stolen So it doesn't matter if you're a big sinner a little sinner. You are still a sinner and you still transgress God's law fourthly God is absolutely gracious and free in the forgiveness of our sins and Doesn't matter whether our sins are great or small, God forgives them. In Psalm 130 and verse 4, the Bible says, but there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared. And then Psalm 85 and verse 2, thou has forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou has covered all their sins. And then fourthly, Christ here speaks of both of these debtors as being forgiven.

[John Weaver] Then he makes his astounding statement The one who has been forgiven much loves much The one who's been there given little loves little So let me put it to you very plainly the comprehension of our depravity The comprehension of the depths and wickedness of our sins is and our comprehension of the grace and mercy and forgiveness of our sins all correlate to our love for Jesus Christ. Look in verse 43, because our Lord agrees with Simon. When he asked in verse 42, 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 it he, to whom he forgave most.

[John Weaver] And he said unto him, thou hast rightly judged. Now, I want you to consider just for a moment the sharp contrast between the sinful woman the sinful Pharisee the woman who was forgiven whose sins were multitudinous and great loved much the Pharisee who did not think himself a big sinner did not even love our Lord enough to provide him with the common courtesies of the day for instance look in verse 44 look what our Lord says to him And he turned to the woman and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, and thou gavest me no water for my feet. Now it was a standard civil procedure to provide someone a pan of water so that they could wash their feet.

[John Weaver] He said, You didn't do that to me. He said, 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. No towel either, but she took care of that. Thou gavest me no kiss.

[John Weaver] Now, the Bible says that we're to greet one another with a holy kiss. In Bible times, the way a man greeted another man was with a holy kiss. You say, what in the world is that? That means he would catch the man's beard and kiss the beard. He was not to kiss his face. He'd kiss the beard. That was a normal, standard, biblical greeting in those days. That's why Christ said, You gave me no kiss. You didn't recognize me.

[John Weaver] You did not even give me the common courtesy of acknowledging who I am. And then he goes on to say, My head with oil, thou didst not anoint, which was another courtesy. But this woman hath anointed my feet.

[John Weaver] Now watch verse 48, verse 47. He says, Wherefore, I say to thee, her sins, which are many are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. So note, if you would, please, our Lord is saying concerning this woman, therefore, she loved much. Her great love was not the cause for the remission of her sins. But the full and free remission of her many sins Was the cause of her great love now If you're just stop and think a moment This woman had to have already been repentant She had to already have been dealt with by grace and mercy and Because had she not been, she would have never sought the Lord Jesus Christ out. She would have never done these things.

[John Weaver] She would have never recognized the depth of her sin, nor the greatness of His forgiveness. So something had already happened in her life now Our lord does not leave out the pharisee either for he goes on to say but whom little is forgiven the same loveth little So this has a special respect then to simon the pharisee whose debts in his opinion Were very few or very little very small at least ten times less than this notorious sinful woman and therefore he felt no obligation to even provide Christ with the common courtesies and the common civilities of the day so our Lord now is beginning to instruct Simon on a very important point and he forces Simon to acknowledge a simple

[John Weaver] fact that the greater the sinner the The greater the forgiveness once it is realized There will be a greater display of love and affection. So let me make this statement The truth is 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 maker his Creator his Lord and his Savior Now you just stop and think everything we are everything we have is simply because of him now Here's my question in light of this text and I'm going to show you just momentarily But have you ever really paused to think of the greatness of your sins? Have you ever stopped to think of the exceeding sinfulness of your sins Has the just penalty of your sins ever really weighed upon your mind? Have you ever really understood the depth of God's grace and God's mercy and God's forgiveness?

[John Weaver] And saving you and forgiving you. I want to give you just two paragraphs from Ralph Vinning's book, The Plague of Plagues. where he's talking about sin. Listen to what he says. The sinfulness of sin not only appears from but consists in this, that it is contrary to God. Indeed, it is contrary and enmity itself. Carnal men or sinners are called by the name, the name of enemies to God. But the carnal mind itself, or sin, is called enmity itself. Accordingly, it and its acts are expressed by names of enmity, such as acts of hostility, such as walking contrary to God, rebelling against God, rising up against Him as an enemy, striving and contending with God, and and despising God. It makes men haters of God, resistors of God, fighters against God, even blasphemers of God, and in short, very atheist, who say there is no God. It goes about to un-God God, and is by some of the ancients called God murder or God killing. Though all these things are not done by every sinful man listen now 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 seed in root.

[John Weaver] So what is done by any man? Would be done by every man and if God did not restrain some men by His power, and constrain others to obedience by His love and power. Here, then, is 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 God 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 now what I want to do is this I Want to take the Bible and Show you just momentarily seven pictures of sin in the Bible. I want you to understand when God said in Jeremiah 44 in verse 4 talking about sin, Oh do not that abominable thing which I hate. I want you to understand how sin is a stench in its nostrils. If you do not understand these pictures, if you do not understand these illustrations, You will never ever grasp the grace and mercy and forgiveness of God in your life.

[John Weaver] Now, I'm going to warn you. The pictures that I'm going to show you are distasteful. They're disgusting. They're damning. But it is a picture of our sin, and it is a picture of what we are by nature. Cannot give you every picture in the Bible But I'm going to give you some that are very very plain and very easily Understood so I want you to turn in your Bibles. First of all, they're first Kings chapter 8 first Kings chapter 8 And we're going to look at verse 38 first Kings 8 and verse 38 this passage Solomon is dedicating the temple and he makes an astounding Prayer request Here he is likening sin to a plague In fact It is compared in the Bible to the plague of leprosy So in first Kings 8 in verse 38, he says this I What prayer and supplications to ever 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, but

[John Weaver] note this phrase and shall know every man the plague of his own heart Now if you would take the time to read Leviticus chapter 13 and 14 You will find that leprosy is indeed a type of sin I Could develop this in great detail. There are other passages as well as well that teach about leprosy But let me encourage you to do something. I would encourage you To go to the internet and just type in pictures of leprosy You'll be absolutely astounded because leprosy deforms and destroys and rots the body Did you know that there is no disease that is more contagious and more infectious than leprosy? It spreads over the entire body and it is it basically causes your flesh to rot off. It is a filthy putrid breaking forth in your flesh and it literally is a loathsome disease in the Bible.

[John Weaver] When a man had leprosy he normally had to be exiled But he had to cover himself and especially his face to contain his breath and if he saw anyone Approaching anywhere near him. He had to scream out and crowd unclean unclean unclean Don't come near me So your leprosy The plague of leprosy is a picture of our sin. Now, like I say, this picture doesn't mean much with me just telling you that it is a picture of our sin. But now, once you go and look at the Internet and look up pictures of leprosy, you're going to understand how loathsome it is. So the very first thing God does is he gives us a picture of the plague of our hearts.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn to Isaiah chapter one. Here's a second one. Isaiah chapter one. Verses five and six in this one. Our sin is likened unto wounds and putrefying sores Which have not been mound bound up nor mollified with ointment. So look at Isaiah 1 verse 5 God asked why should you be stricken anymore? You will revolt more and more the whole head is sick and the whole heart faint now watch from the sole of the foot to Even to the top of 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 then is a picture of our sin and a picture of a sinner before God. So from the top of the head to the bottom of the foot, we are full of nothing but wounds and bruises and sores and putrefying sores. Putrefying sore means a sore that is oozing and running pus and contamination so one big oozing sore from the top of our head to the toe of our Foot or the bottom of our foot.

[John Weaver] So this picture demonstrates listen carefully not only our corruption But our lack of desirability When David was confessing his sin, in Psalm 38, in verse 5, he said, My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness. My wounds stink. I don't know about you, but in my lifetime, I've had boils, I've had risons, I've had sores that stunk. And that's exactly what David said. He said, my wounds stink. He said in Psalm 13 verse seven, for my loins are filled with a loathsome disease and there is no soundness in my flesh.

[John Weaver] And what is he talking about? He's talking about exactly what Isaiah is referring to in Isaiah one and verse six. I was preaching in South Carolina and the service had already started. We had been Oh, I don't know, 15 minutes into the song service, and a man walks in in the back, and he has on a very large and loose pair of overalls. And it was kind of awkward because although it was a little country town, hardly anyone dressed like that, especially in this church.

[John Weaver] And so the pastor leaned over and said, I'm really thankful to see him here tonight. So my curiosity was piqued. And I wondered why the pastor was so thankful to see this one individual. Well, I went ahead and preached after the service was over. The pastor took me down to introduce me to this man. And he said, Brother, he said, I told Pastor Weaver that I'm so thankful to see you tonight and so thankful you were able to come out. Would you be considerate enough to show Brother Weaver why you were late and what you went through to get here? At that point, the man said, yes, and he reached down and he picked up the legs of those overalls.

[John Weaver] And when he pulled them up, He pulled him up to his knees. I don't know how much higher, but all I saw from the knee down was nothing but putrefying sores, oozing pus and corruption. And I immediately turned my head away. I could not look at it. I did not want to look at it after I saw it. And then the next thing that happened, this passage hit my mind. That is exactly what our sins look like to a holy, righteous God. I could not look at a man's legs. I could not look at his legs. And so God says, that's what we are.

[John Weaver] The picture certainly does not flatter us. And it does not flatter our sins. See, we don't think much of sin. We don't think that it's really that bad. But God says, yeah, it's bad. Look in your Bibles to Isaiah 64. Let's continue. Look at Isaiah 64. And to me, it gets actually worse the more you look at these pictures. Isaiah 64 and verse 6. Here is another picture that God gives us. Sin is here pictured as a dirty, Or as dirty filthy rotten claws look in verse 6. He says but we're all as an unclean thing And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags And we all do fate as a leaf in our iniquities like the wind have taken us away now there are four truths in verse 6 God is describing us as So first we are called an unclean thing. We are all as an unclean thing.

[John Weaver] That is we are polluted and defiled. And the word here accurately and properly means that which is polluted and defiled in a Levitical sense. In other words the pollution and abominations as mentioned in the Law of Moses as given by God. So what God is telling us in this simple sense is that we are regarded as holy, that is totally and completely polluted and depraved. We're all as an unclean thing.

[John Weaver] There's nothing clean about us. Nothing clean about our attitude. Nothing clean about our actions. Nothing clean about our persons. We are abominable and filthy. then secondly in verse 4 he says in all our righteousnesses or as filthy rags The old MS Bible had this remark. I want you to listen If preachers knew properly the meaning of this word Would they make such a liberal use of it in their public ministry? 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 So you would have to ask why Would a comment like that be placed in the Bible? beside this verse or below this verse and The answer is very simple Because the Hebrew word for filthy rags here refers literally to a cloth of separation, or a maturity rag, or a minstrel's cloth which is nauseous and odious, such as a man would loathe to touch, much less take up. So let me put it to you like this look at it in verse 4 and all of our righteousnesses That is every good thing about us everything that we could possibly do That we would think would be good in any way.

[John Weaver] They're all as filthy rags now. Here's my question if our best righteousnesses or as these filthy rags What do our sins look like? He goes on in verse 6, because he says, thirdly, and we all do fate as a leaf. What does that mean? It means we are withered away like the leaf of autumn. Our beauty is gone. Our strength is fled. What happens when autumn comes and winter comes? Leaves die. They drop off. They're gone. And so he says, in and of ourselves, we face only death and destruction. We're helpless and hopeless.

[John Weaver] And unless there is divine intervention, we perish. Fourthly, he says in verse six, he says in our iniquities, like the wind have taken us away. That is, we're blown hither and yon by our sins. They rule over us. They take us wherever they want to take us. And ultimately, they destroy us. So here's a picture of our sins. It's not a flattering picture at all. So if you will turn over to Ezekiel chapter 16, let me give you a fourth picture of our sins. And let's begin reading there with verse three. And we'll read through verse six. Ezekiel chapter 16, verse three. In fact, let's read verse two, just so you can see, our Lord is talking about Jerusalem. Verse 2, Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, and say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem, Thy birth and thy nativity is the land of Canaan. Thy father was an Amorite, thy mother a Hittite.

[John Weaver] As for thy nativity in the day that 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. pitted thee to do any of these 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 thy blood, live.

[John Weaver] Now keeping up the simile of a newborn infant that has done nothing or has nothing done to it, but is all covered with minstrel's blood, denoting the wretched and miserable estate of that which we are by nature. Here then is a picture of a child that is born. He's not clean. He's not swaddled. He's not salted. He's just thrown out. Why? Because the child is unloved, unwanted, unpitted, loathsome, abominable, and is in danger of being destroyed and perished.

[John Weaver] Because no one cares for him God says that's how I found you. That's what you were. I Just read this week They're still trying to find the woman But some woman had a baby She wrapped the baby in a blanket and put it beside the road Newborn not washed not salted not supple not just put it a blanket side the road And then probably the same woman I don't know or at least someone with her left the road and purposely ran over the child that killed it. The first thing I thought of was, Lord, I know how to handle people like that if I could just get to them. The second thought that hit me was this passage. That's what we were. Unloved, unwanted, Polluted and the word polluted here literally means to be treaded down and stomped down like the mire in the street Wow So God here gives us another picture of our sin We were nothing more than the blood and the pollution of a newborn child Distress yes Left ourselves ready to die

[John Weaver] and if God in his mercy had not passed by us And said live and picked us up we too would have perished I Want you to turn to Ezekiel 24 because here's another picture of our sin Fifthly sin is pictured as the scum of of a boiling pot wherein is a detestable carcass. In Ezekiel 24, beginning there in verse 6, I wish I had time to read the entire chapter, but 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.

[John Weaver] 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, spice it well, and let the bones be burned.

[John Weaver] Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, watch, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed. She hath wearied herself with her lies, and her great scum Went not forth out of her her scum Shall be in the fire now go back to verse 6 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 So God now likens our sin to the scum of a boiling pot wherein is a detestable carcass Everyone at some point has burned a pot of coffee Now I do like coffee as long as it's fresh But after he gets about an hour old I can't handle it And I will tell you this If you leave that coffee in that pot just a little bit all day long and you don't turn it off And all the moisture cooks out and everything bakes on the bottom.

[John Weaver] It stinks to high heaven. And probably every one of us have burnt meat before. And it stinks. Do you realize you can take the most odious smell imaginable? And it compares nothing to the stench of our sins before a holy God. God says, if you put a detestable carcass in a pot and boil it down to all that scum is right there. That's a good picture of sin. That's a good picture of sin.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Romans, chapter seven. Romans 7 here's another picture. Here's one that I think we can understand very easily Romans 7 And look if you would please at verse 24 at what the Apostle Paul cries Romans 7 and notice verse 24 He says Oh wretched man that I am Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Now we may easily render Paul's cry as wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this dead body Now the body of death or the dead body here refers to the whole mass of sin or those ingredients of which the whole man is composed but when Paul says Wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this dead or from this dead body.

[John Weaver] He's referring to a dead carcass He's referring to that which is stinking and loathsome now Mesentius and some of the other pagans Had an unusual Punishment for murderers and other vile criminals and Now this was not a biblical punishment, but it was done by the pagans If you murdered a man or you committed some vile crime and some man died Then what they would do is they would take the dead man that you murdered and Tie him his face to your face and His chest to your chest, his legs to your legs, his arms to your arms, him on top, your own bottom. And you would lie there until the worms and the putrefaction of the dead man ate the living man and killed him.

[John Weaver] Now, that's what Paul is talking about. Wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from but I'm carrying around a dead body. I'm carrying around this stinking sinful wicked depraved nature That's what he's saying Pitt wrote a little I Want to call it's not a poem per se but he wrote concerning this barbarous practice he says I What tongue can such barbarities record, Or count the slaughters of his ruthless sword? T'was not enough the good the guiltless bled, Still worse he bound the living to the dead.

[John Weaver] 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 embrace died away. So that's what some of them did. And that's the analogy that Paul is using here to show you how wicked and vile our sins are. Oh, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this dead body or the body of this death?

[John Weaver] It's a picture of our sin. And then if you will turn in your Bibles to second Peter, chapter two. Here's the seventh picture. Second Peter, chapter two. Look at verse 22 and I will quote some verses for you and then ask you to turn to a couple In 2nd Peter chapter 2 in verse 22 Here is the seventh picture of our sin and it is the vomit of a dog and the walling of a sow in the mire But it has happened unto them according to the true proverb The dog is returned to his own vomit again and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire Now, when he says it has happened according to the true proverb, he's referring to Proverbs 26 and verse 11 when the Bible says, As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly. So if you can, if you can appreciate the vomit of a dog, then you can appreciate your sin. Or if you can appreciate the willingness to sound the mire.

[John Weaver] Don't know if you've ever been around a pigpen or not, but it stinks And that's exactly what God is likening our sin in Isaiah 19 in verse 14 He says the Lord has mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof and they have caused Egypt to earn every work thereof as a drunken man staggering in his vomit I Remember years ago preaching Not only in New Orleans, Louisiana, but in New York City. I I had to step over drunk men who were passed out Lying in their own vomit Both New Orleans and New York Now Isaiah 28 verse 8 God says for all the tables are full of vomit and filthiness so that there is no place clean Jeremiah 48 verse 28 26. He said make he drunk making him drunken for he magnified himself against the Lord Moab also shall wallow in his vomit and he shall also be in derision Now I want you to stop and think with me just for a moment I've just given you seven pictures of what our sin really is

[John Weaver] in the sight of God There are more pictures in the Bible. I've just given you seven Can you now understand Why Paul cried in What shall we say then? Shall we continuing sin that grace may about God forbid How shall we that are dead to sin living no longer therein? How and why would you want to go back? Do anything like that? Look in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 7 this is absolutely astounding how so many people pervert the scripture and think that somehow we have been delivered that we may sin look in Jeremiah chapter 7 and let's begin reading there Jeremiah 7 with verse 8 watch it Jeremiah 7 verse 8 Behold God says to these people Jeremiah's time behold you trust in lying words that cannot profit Now watch would you steal?

[John Weaver] 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 Wow The pictures are real and We were sinners and the Lord had mercy upon us and saved us So here's my question Shall we not love him and serve him more than ever? Can we not appreciate? That from which he delivered us Now I want to go back just for a moment to Luke chapter 7. You remember what our Lord said our Lord said Too much is forgiven, the same loveth much.

[John Weaver] Undoubtedly, this woman realized the greatness of her sins and the grief and pain that it caused a holy God. So here's my question. Have you ever thought upon this? What did my sins do to Jesus Christ? How did they affect Him? Everyone in this room can quote the Scriptures. Surely He had borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

[John Weaver] 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 were healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Stop and think. Every sin that we ever committed was laid upon Jesus Christ. Think of the grief and the pain, not just physical, but spiritual and emotional, that we caused him. So have you ever contemplated?

[John Weaver] Oh, God, I was so rebellious. I was so wicked. I was so vile. I was so selfish. Lord, I was everything contrary to you. And yet, Lord, you saved me. Have you ever thought about your disobediences and your sins? So that leads me to this. You will never, ever, never, ever recognize the depth of God's forgiveness and the greatness of His love and mercy until you realize the exceeding sinfulness of your sins and the corruption and depravity of your nature.

[John Weaver] You see, the Creator has a righteous claim upon all of His debtors. And none of us can meet it. So that reconciliation can only be brought about by His grace, His mercy, His love, and His forgiveness. So the method then to gauge our love for Christ would be this. How deeply do you understand your depravity and your sins and your rebellion? and how deeply do you appreciate the mercy and grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] To whom much is forgiven, the same loveth much. To whom little is forgiven, you don't think you're so bad, the same loveth little. You have no appreciation for what Jesus Christ has done for you. If we want to love him more, there are two prayer requests that we should make. Number one, Lord, show me myself. And if he ever shows you yourself without the second request, you will despair immensely after you prayed Lord show me myself then you pray Lord show me thyself thyself and if we ever see who we are and what we are and who Jesus Christ is and what he is and what he's done for us It should make us love Him immensely. But our Lord says there is a correlation between our love and the understanding of these two things. So to love Him more, we need to understand more. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before Thee. We thank You for Your love and Your grace and Your mercy. Lord, we do acknowledge that we are sinners exceedingly.

[John Weaver] And every one of these pictures are true. We were those things apart from thee. We are those things apart from thee. And even worse. But we glory in thy divine forgiveness. And we revel in thy love and mercy and grace. Help us, Lord, to love Thee more, to praise Thee more, to serve Thee more, to honor Thee more, to recognize more for that which You've done for us.

[John Weaver] In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

[John Weaver] ♪ ♪

A Method To Gauge Your Love To Christ

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	cCCj1WqkddU
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation: Christ and the Churches
Genre	Sermon
Date	2016-10-01
Dictation Name
Book	Book 139: Revelation: Christ and the Churches — Chapter 16
Source Timed Segments	72

Formatted Transcript

Opening

It's to the book of Luke chapter seven. And we're going to read verses 36 through 50, chapter seven, 36 through 50. Luke seven, 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 him 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 said, 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 to 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 saith unto her, thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say with themselves, who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, thy faith has saved thee, go in peace.

Introduction: The Need for a Gauge of Love

Weaver introduces the concept of gauges in daily life and poses the question of how to measure one's love for Christ, noting that Scripture provides several gauges, including obedience.

The title of the message today is a method to gauge your love to Christ. A method to gauge your love to Christ. Almost everyone in this room has a rain gauge. And the reason we have that is we desire to know how much it is rain. We have gauges for almost everything imaginable. We have gauges for blood pressure, for blood sugar, for oxygen levels, for tire pressure. We have micrometer gauges. In fact, we have gauges for a host of other things as well. But one important question that we need to ask is this, how do we gauge our love for the Lord Jesus Christ? Now, there are several gauges that are mentioned in Scripture. And one of those gauges happens to be 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. And he said in verse 24, he that keepeth not my sayings loveth me not. And in 1 John 5 in verse 3, and this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and they're not grievous. So certainly obedience is a gauge as well. But our lesson today shows us another gauge that we may use to gauge our love for the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Bible is teaching us here that our love is going to be gauged by our understanding of our sin, depravity, and ruin as well as our forgiveness.

The Context: Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman

The sermon sets the scene in Luke 7, where a notorious sinful woman anoints Jesus' feet with tears and ointment in the house of Simon the Pharisee, exposing Simon's self-righteous judgment.

So the context of the message is this. Jesus Christ was invited to dine in the house of a Pharisee. The Pharisee's name was Simon. Our Lord sits at the table, and he does so. An absolutely notorious sinner comes to him. Interestingly, even Simon knew this woman, and he knew that she was a sinner. In fact, she is labeled a sinner. And the Greek word is basically hamartolos, which refers to one that is preeminently sinful, especially one that is wicked and devoted to sin. It also refers specifically to men staying with certain vices and crimes.

Now, the Bible does not tell us what kind of sins this woman was engaged in. Well, we can only imagine, but they're not specifically named. But she did bring an alabaster box of ointment, and she broke that box and began anointing his feet and weeping. She was washing his feet literally with tears. Her weeping was a very emotional time. In fact, the Greek word that is used to describe her weeping is the word klaio, which literally means to mourn, to weep, and to lament as one that is weeping as a sign of pain and grief.

So let me put it to you like this. What it means was this woman was devastated. She was actually broken hearted, and she was weeping profusely. Now, the heart of a Pharisee is exposed 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. So Pharisees were notoriously self-righteous. They did not wish to contaminate themselves by being around sinners. Their attitude is described in Isaiah 65 and verse 5, and the interesting thing is, I quote this verse, I want you to listen. The first part deals with the attitude of a Pharisee and the second part deals with what God thinks about that attitude. So here's Isaiah 65 in verse 5.

Which say, stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. Wow. But the rest of the verse says this, God is speaking. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day. In other words, God can't stand that Pharisaical, super pious attitude.

The Pharisee's Heart and Christ's Response

Simon's internal criticism reveals his lack of love and failure to recognize Jesus' prophetic knowledge. Jesus gently corrects him with a parable, demonstrating His knowledge of both hearts.

Now, the heart of a Pharisee is exposed 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. So Pharisees were notoriously self-righteous. They did not wish to contaminate themselves by being around sinners. Their attitude is described in Isaiah 65 and verse 5, and the interesting thing is, I quote this verse, I want you to listen. The first part deals with the attitude of a Pharisee and the second part deals with what God thinks about that attitude. So here's Isaiah 65 in verse 5.

Now, you have to understand that the Pharisees, since they were self-righteous, could not understand how Jesus Christ could communicate with and associate with sinners. For instance, in Matthew 9 verse 11, the Bible says, And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, Why eateth your master with publicans and sinners? When you get to Mark 2 in verse 16, the Bible says, And the scribes and the Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners. And they said to his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners. And then in Luke 15 in verse 2, and the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them. Well, I want you to note Simon's attitude. Although Simon had invited Jesus Christ to his house, whether or not he believed that he was really and truly Lord, God, is really doubtful in one sense of the word. Because he does not even accord him the status of a prophet. Look in verse 39 again. 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. Well, you have to at least say this, the reason Simon would not even accord him in this time the position of a prophet was because he did not meet the standard of the Pharisees. Because the Pharisees were, don't come near me for I'm holier than thou, don't touch me, I don't want to contaminate myself with you, it's just that simple. So our Lord very politely demonstrates that he not only knew the heart of this sinful woman, but he knew the Pharisee's heart as well.

Now, I find it interesting that our Lord is very unlike us. Had I been around and this man said something like this, my attitude would have been, let me tell you something, you dirty, four-flushing hypocrite, you. I mean, I'd want to chew him up and spit him out. But our Lord did not do that. He just simply said, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. Basically, he asked permission. Well, he was in Simon's house. And Simon said, Master, say on. So the lesson then that our Lord is conveying is very simple, and it's plain enough for even a Pharisee to comprehend and understand. Now, I want to stop just for a moment. I'm going to explain this just momentarily, but I want to give you a quote by Adam Clark. If Adam Clark is correct, and he probably is, then Simon would have really had a double reason to appreciate what our Lord is saying. Let me just give you the quote. Listen to this. Clark states a certain creditor parable, our Lord means, by the creditor, God, and by the two debtors, Simon and the woman who was present.

The Parable of the Two Debtors Explained

Weaver explains the parable: both debtors are insolvent and freely forgiven, but the one forgiven more loves more. He notes that love is the effect, not the cause, of forgiveness.

Now, look in verses 41 through 43, because here is the lesson that our Lord is giving. And 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 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 was wrong in condemning the woman who is acquitted by a heavenly judge. So our Lord then proves that she is righteous not because she pleased God but because her sins were forgiven.

Now listen to me very carefully. The argument which Christ employs was taken not from the cause but from the effect. Her actions did not merit forgiveness. Her actions were because she had already been forgiven. We do not love in order to be forgiven. We love because we have been forgiven. And so the reason this woman was so loving and so grateful and so thankful was because she realized not only the greatness of her sins, but the greatness of the forgiveness that had been extended to her.

Now, I want you to consider just for a moment. Our Lord talks about the creditor who would be God in this parable. One owed him 500 pence and the other owed him 50 pence. These amounts are relatively small. But the truth of the matter is, neither of these were able to pay the debt. So let me just take a few moments and try to explain a few things about this parable before we go further. First of all, I believe the scripture is making clear that all sins are debts. We owe God. We don't only owe God because He's the Creator and we're the creature. We owe God because we are sinners and we have violated His law. And we owe God because in His providence He's been gracious and kind to each one of us. We owe Him period. And we owe Him a debt in reality that we cannot pay.

Theological Lessons from the Parable

Key points include: all sins are debts we cannot pay; sinners have varying degrees of guilt; all are liable to God's law; and God freely forgives both great and small sins.

First of all, I believe the scripture is making clear that all sins are debts. We owe God. We don't only owe God because He's the Creator and we're the creature. We owe God because we are sinners and we have violated His law. And we owe God because in His providence He's been gracious and kind to each one of us. We owe Him period. And we owe Him a debt in reality that we cannot pay.

The Bible says, in Galatians 3 and verse 10, for as many as are under the works of the law are under the curse of the law, for it is written, cursed is everyone that continueth not in all these things to do them. So, we are debtors and we owe him, but we are under the curse and we can't pay because the law not only demands our death physically, but spiritually as well. We're all debtors to him and we have no ability in and of ourselves to pay. Secondly in this we are being taught. I believe that as all sins, so likewise all sinners are not equal in the sight of God. Now listen to me, all of us are sinners and all of us are guilty, but obviously there are some that are viler than others. Just because we're all sinners does not mean that we're as wicked as everyone else. We are wicked, but there are degrees in guilt, and there are degrees in sinners. For instance, murder demands the death penalty, where theft just simply demands restitution.

Moreover, when you stop and think, is lying a sin? Well, of course it is. But is adultery worse than lying? Well, of course it is. So there are degrees in sin, and there are degrees in sinners. We may all be sinners, but there are some sinners that are more vile and more wicked and more despicable than others, but yet we're all sinners, okay? Same thing with the sins.

Thirdly, it does not matter if you are a big sinner or little sinner, you're still a sinner and you are still liable to the law of God. And what did James 2 verses 10 and 11 say? For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit murder or adultery, also said, Do not kill. Now thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. Well, that's the same thing. He said, Do not covet. If you covet, you're still a transgressor, whether you've murdered or not. He said honor thy father and thy mother, if you dishonor your father and mother you're still a transgressor of the law, whether you murdered, whether you've stolen. So it doesn't matter if you're a big sinner, a little sinner. You are still a sinner and you still transgress God's law. Fourthly, God is absolutely gracious and free in the forgiveness of our sins. Doesn't matter whether our sins are great or small, God forgives them. In Psalm 130 and verse 4, the Bible says, but there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared. And then Psalm 85 and verse 2, thou has forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou has covered all their sins. And then fourthly, Christ here speaks of both of these debtors as being forgiven.

The Contrast Between the Woman and the Pharisee

Jesus highlights Simon's failure to provide basic courtesies (water, kiss, oil) while the woman lavishly ministers to Him, proving that her great love stems from her awareness of great forgiveness.

He said, You didn't do that to me. He said, 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. No towel either, but she took care of that. Thou gavest me no kiss.

Now, the Bible says that we're to greet one another with a holy kiss. In Bible times, the way a man greeted another man was with a holy kiss. You say, what in the world is that? That means he would catch the man's beard and kiss the beard. He was not to kiss his face. He'd kiss the beard. That was a normal, standard, biblical greeting in those days. That's why Christ said, You gave me no kiss. You didn't recognize me.

You did not even give me the common courtesy of acknowledging who I am. And then he goes on to say, My head with oil, thou didst not anoint, which was another courtesy. But this woman hath anointed my feet. Now watch verse 48, verse 47. He says, Wherefore, I say to thee, her sins, which are many are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. So note, if you would, please, our Lord is saying concerning this woman, therefore, she loved much. Her great love was not the cause for the remission of her sins. But the full and free remission of her many sins was the cause of her great love. Now if you just stop and think a moment, this woman had to have already been repentant. She had to already have been dealt with by grace and mercy. Because had she not been, she would have never sought the Lord Jesus Christ out. She would have never done these things.

The Principle: Love Corresponds to Perceived Forgiveness

Weaver states that love for God is proportional to one's sense of obligation to His mercy. He challenges listeners to consider the greatness of their sin and the depth of God's grace.

She would have never recognized the depth of her sin, nor the greatness of His forgiveness. So something had already happened in her life. Now our Lord does not leave out the Pharisee either, for he goes on to say, but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. So this has a special respect then to Simon the Pharisee, whose debts in his opinion were very few or very little, very small, at least ten times less than this notorious sinful woman, and therefore he felt no obligation to even provide Christ with the common courtesies and the common civilities of the day. So our Lord now is beginning to instruct Simon on a very important point, and he forces Simon to acknowledge a simple fact that the greater the sinner, the greater the forgiveness once it is realized, there will be a greater display of love and affection. So let me make this statement. The truth is 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 maker, his Creator, his Lord, and his Savior. Now you just stop and think, everything we are, everything we have is simply because of him. Now here's my question in light of this text, and I'm going to show you just momentarily. But have you ever really paused to think of the greatness of your sins? Have you ever stopped to think of the exceeding sinfulness of your sins? Has the just penalty of your sins ever really weighed upon your mind? Have you ever really understood the depth of God's grace and God's mercy and God's forgiveness?

And saving you and forgiving you. I want to give you just two paragraphs from Ralph Vinning's book, The Plague of Plagues, where he's talking about sin. Listen to what he says. The sinfulness of sin not only appears from but consists in this, that it is contrary to God. Indeed, it is contrary and enmity itself. Carnal men or sinners are called by the name, the name of enemies to God. But the carnal mind itself, or sin, is called enmity itself. Accordingly, it and its acts are expressed by names of enmity, such as acts of 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, even blasphemers of God, and in short, very atheist, who say there is no God. It goes about to un-God God, and is by some of the ancients called God murder or God killing. Though all these things are not done by every sinful man, listen now, 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 seed, in root.

Seven Biblical Pictures of Sin

To deepen understanding of sin's vileness, Weaver presents seven graphic biblical metaphors: leprosy, putrefying sores, filthy rags, an abandoned infant, scum of a boiling pot, a dead body bound to the living, and dog's vomit/sow's mire.

Now, I'm going to warn you. The pictures that I'm going to show you are distasteful. They're disgusting. They're damning. But it is a picture of our sin, and it is a picture of what we are by nature. Cannot give you every picture in the Bible, but I'm going to give you some that are very, very plain and very easily understood. So I want you to turn in your Bibles. First of all, to First Kings chapter 8. First Kings chapter 8. And we're going to look at verse 38. First Kings 8 and verse 38. In this passage Solomon is dedicating the temple and he makes an astounding prayer request. Here he is likening sin to a plague. In fact, it is compared in the Bible to the plague of leprosy. So in First Kings 8 in verse 38, he says this: What prayer and supplications 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.

But note this phrase: and shall know every man the plague of his own heart. Now if you would take the time to read Leviticus chapter 13 and 14, you will find that leprosy is indeed a type of sin. I could develop this in great detail. There are other passages as well that teach about leprosy. But let me encourage you to do something. I would encourage you to go to the internet and just type in pictures of leprosy. You'll be absolutely astounded because leprosy deforms and destroys and rots the body. Did you know that there is no disease that is more contagious and more infectious than leprosy? It spreads over the entire body and it basically causes your flesh to rot off. It is a filthy putrid breaking forth in your flesh and it literally is a loathsome disease in the Bible.

When a man had leprosy he normally had to be exiled. But he had to cover himself and especially his face to contain his breath and if he saw anyone approaching anywhere near him, he had to scream out and cry, Unclean, unclean, unclean! Don't come near me. So your leprosy, the plague of leprosy, is a picture of our sin. Now, like I say, this picture doesn't mean much with me just telling you that it is a picture of our sin. But now, once you go and look at the Internet and look up pictures of leprosy, you're going to understand how loathsome it is. So the very first thing God does is he gives us a picture of the plague of our hearts.

Now, I want you to turn to Isaiah chapter one. Here's a second one. Isaiah chapter one. Verses five and six in this one. Our sin is likened unto wounds and putrefying sores which have not been bound up nor mollified with ointment. So look at Isaiah 1 verse 5. God asked, Why should you be stricken anymore? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick and the whole heart faint. Now watch, from the sole of the foot even to the top of 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 then is a picture of our sin and a picture of a sinner before God. So from the top of the head to the bottom of the foot, we are full of nothing but wounds and bruises and sores and putrefying sores. Putrefying sore means a sore that is oozing and running pus and contamination, so one big oozing sore from the top of our head to the toe of our foot or the bottom of our foot.

So this picture demonstrates, listen carefully, not only our corruption but our lack of desirability. When David was confessing his sin, in Psalm 38, in verse 5, he said, My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness. My wounds stink. I don't know about you, but in my lifetime, I've had boils, I've had risons, I've had sores that stunk. And that's exactly what David said. He said, my wounds stink. He said in Psalm 13 verse seven, for my loins are filled with a loathsome disease and there is no soundness in my flesh.

And what is he talking about? He's talking about exactly what Isaiah is referring to in Isaiah one and verse six. I was preaching in South Carolina and the service had already started. We had been, oh, I don't know, 15 minutes into the song service, and a man walks in in the back, and he has on a very large and loose pair of overalls. And it was kind of awkward because although it was a little country town, hardly anyone dressed like that, especially in this church. And so the pastor leaned over and said, I'm really thankful to see him here tonight. So my curiosity was piqued. And I wondered why the pastor was so thankful to see this one individual. Well, I went ahead and preached after the service was over. The pastor took me down to introduce me to this man. And he said, Brother, he said, I told Pastor Weaver that I'm so thankful to see you tonight and so thankful you were able to come out. Would you be considerate enough to show Brother Weaver why you were late and what you went through to get here? At that point, the man said, yes, and he reached down and he picked up the legs of those overalls.

And when he pulled them up, he pulled him up to his knees. I don't know how much higher, but all I saw from the knee down was nothing but putrefying sores, oozing pus and corruption. And I immediately turned my head away. I could not look at it. I did not want to look at it after I saw it. And then the next thing that happened, this passage hit my mind. That is exactly what our sins look like to a holy, righteous God. I could not look at a man's legs. I could not look at his legs. And so God says, that's what we are.

The picture certainly does not flatter us. And it does not flatter our sins. See, we don't think much of sin. We don't think that it's really that bad. But God says, yeah, it's bad. Look in your Bibles to Isaiah 64. Let's continue. Look at Isaiah 64. And to me, it gets actually worse the more you look at these pictures. Isaiah 64 and verse 6. Here is another picture that God gives us. Sin is here pictured as dirty, filthy, rotten cloths. Look in verse 6. He says, But we're all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf in our iniquities, like the wind have taken us away. Now there are four truths in verse 6. God is describing us as so. First we are called an unclean thing. We are all as an unclean thing.

That is we are polluted and defiled. And the word here accurately and properly means that which is polluted and defiled in a Levitical sense. In other words the pollution and abominations as mentioned in the Law of Moses as given by God. So what God is telling us in this simple sense is that we are regarded as holy, that is totally and completely polluted and depraved. We're all as an unclean thing. There's nothing clean about us. Nothing clean about our attitude. Nothing clean about our actions. Nothing clean about our persons. We are abominable and filthy. Then secondly in verse 4 he says, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. The old MS Bible had this remark. I want you to listen. If preachers knew properly the meaning of this word, would they make such a liberal use of it in their public ministry? 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. So you would have to ask, why would a comment like that be placed in the Bible beside this verse or below this verse? And the answer is very simple. Because the Hebrew word for filthy rags here refers literally to a cloth of separation, or a maturity rag, or a minstrel's cloth which is nauseous and odious, such as a man would loathe to touch, much less take up. So let me put it to you like this, look at it in verse 4, and all of our righteousnesses, that is every good thing about us, everything that we could possibly do that we would think would be good in any way.

They're all as filthy rags. Now here's my question, if our best righteousnesses are as these filthy rags, what do our sins look like? He goes on in verse 6, because he says, thirdly, and we all do fade as a leaf. What does that mean? It means we are withered away like the leaf of autumn. Our beauty is gone. Our strength is fled. What happens when autumn comes and winter comes? Leaves die. They drop off. They're gone. And so he says, in and of ourselves, we face only death and destruction. We're helpless and hopeless.

And unless there is divine intervention, we perish. Fourthly, he says in verse six, he says in our iniquities, like the wind have taken us away. That is, we're blown hither and yon by our sins. They rule over us. They take us wherever they want to take us. And ultimately, they destroy us. So here's a picture of our sins. It's not a flattering picture at all. So if you will turn over to Ezekiel chapter 16, let me give you a fourth picture of our sins. And let's begin reading there with verse three. And we'll read through verse six. Ezekiel chapter 16, verse three. In fact, let's read verse two, just so you can see, our Lord is talking about Jerusalem. Verse 2, Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, and say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem, Thy birth and thy nativity is the land of Canaan. Thy father was an Amorite, thy mother a Hittite.

As for thy nativity in the day that 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 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 thy blood, live.

Now keeping up the simile of a newborn infant that has done nothing or has nothing done to it, but is all covered with minstrel's blood, denoting the wretched and miserable estate of that which we are by nature. Here then is a picture of a child that is born. He's not clean. He's not swaddled. He's not salted. He's just thrown out. Why? Because the child is unloved, unwanted, unpitied, loathsome, abominable, and is in danger of being destroyed and perished.

Because no one cares for him. God says that's how I found you. That's what you were. I just read this week, they're still trying to find the woman, but some woman had a baby. She wrapped the baby in a blanket and put it beside the road. Newborn, not washed, not salted, not supple, not just put it a blanket side the road. And then probably the same woman, I don't know, or at least someone with her left the road and purposely ran over the child that killed it. The first thing I thought of was, Lord, I know how to handle people like that if I could just get to them. The second thought that hit me was this passage. That's what we were. Unloved, unwanted, polluted, and the word polluted here literally means to be treaded down and stomped down like the mire in the street. Wow. So God here gives us another picture of our sin. We were nothing more than the blood and the pollution of a newborn child. Distress, yes. Left ourselves ready to die.

And if God in his mercy had not passed by us and said live and picked us up, we too would have perished. I want you to turn to Ezekiel 24 because here's another picture of our sin. Fifthly, sin is pictured as the scum of a boiling pot wherein is a detestable carcass. In Ezekiel 24, beginning there in verse 6, I wish I had time to read the entire chapter, but 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, 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, watch, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed. She hath wearied herself with her lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her, her scum shall be in the fire. Now go back to verse 6. 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. So God now likens our sin to the scum of a boiling pot wherein is a detestable carcass. Everyone at some point has burned a pot of coffee. Now I do like coffee as long as it's fresh. But after it gets about an hour old I can't handle it. And I will tell you this, if you leave that coffee in that pot just a little bit all day long and you don't turn it off, and all the moisture cooks out and everything bakes on the bottom.

It stinks to high heaven. And probably every one of us have burnt meat before. And it stinks. Do you realize you can take the most odious smell imaginable? And it compares nothing to the stench of our sins before a holy God. God says, if you put a detestable carcass in a pot and boil it down to all that scum is right there. That's a good picture of sin. That's a good picture of sin.

I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Romans, chapter seven. Romans 7, here's another picture. Here's one that I think we can understand very easily. Romans 7, and look if you would please at verse 24 at what the Apostle Paul cries. Romans 7 and notice verse 24. He says, O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Now we may easily render Paul's cry as wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this dead body. Now the body of death or the dead body here refers to the whole mass of sin or those ingredients of which the whole man is composed. But when Paul says, Wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death or from this dead body.

He's referring to a dead carcass. He's referring to that which is stinking and loathsome. Now Mesentius and some of the other pagans had an unusual punishment for murderers and other vile criminals. Now this was not a biblical punishment, but it was done by the pagans. If you murdered a man or you committed some vile crime and some man died, then what they would do is they would take the dead man that you murdered and tie him, his face to your face, and his chest to your chest, his legs to your legs, his arms to your arms, him on top, your own bottom. And you would lie there until the worms and the putrefaction of the dead man ate the living man and killed him.

Now, that's what Paul is talking about. Wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this dead body? I'm carrying around a dead body. I'm carrying around this stinking sinful wicked depraved nature. That's what he's saying. Pitt wrote a little, I want to call it's not a poem per se, but he wrote concerning this barbarous practice, he says: 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 embrace died away. So that's what some of them did. And that's the analogy that Paul is using here to show you how wicked and vile our sins are. Oh, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this dead body or the body of this death? It's a picture of our sin. And then if you will turn in your Bibles to Second Peter, chapter two. Here's the seventh picture. Second Peter, chapter two. Look at verse 22 and I will quote some verses for you and then ask you to turn to a couple. In 2nd Peter chapter 2 in verse 22, here is the seventh picture of our sin and it is the vomit of a dog and the wallowing of a sow in the mire. But it has happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is returned to his own vomit again, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. Now, when he says it has happened according to the true proverb, he's referring to Proverbs 26 and verse 11 when the Bible says, As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly. So if you can appreciate the vomit of a dog, then you can appreciate your sin. Or if you can appreciate the willingness to sound the mire.

Don't know if you've ever been around a pigpen or not, but it stinks. And that's exactly what God is likening our sin. In Isaiah 19 in verse 14, he says, The Lord has mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof, and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggering in his vomit. I remember years ago preaching not only in New Orleans, Louisiana, but in New York City. I had to step over drunk men who were passed out lying in their own vomit. Both New Orleans and New York. Now Isaiah 28 verse 8, God says, For all the tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean. Jeremiah 48 verse 26, He said, Make ye him drunken, for he magnified himself against the Lord. Moab also shall wallow in his vomit, and he shall also be in derision. Now I want you to stop and think with me just for a moment. I've just given you seven pictures of what our sin really is

in the sight of God. There are more pictures in the Bible. I've just given you seven. Can you now understand why Paul cried in , 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 and why would you want to go back to anything like that? Look in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 7. This is absolutely astounding how so many people pervert the scripture and think that somehow we have been delivered that we may sin. Look in Jeremiah chapter 7 and let's begin reading there. Jeremiah 7 with verse 8, watch it. Jeremiah 7 verse 8, Behold, God says to these people in Jeremiah's time, behold you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Now watch, would you steal?

Application: Praying for Deeper Revelation

Weaver concludes that to love Christ more, believers must pray for God to show them their own sinfulness and then to show them Christ, leading to greater appreciation and love.

You see, the Creator has a righteous claim upon all of His debtors. And none of us can meet it. So that reconciliation can only be brought about by His grace, His mercy, His love, and His forgiveness. So the method then to gauge our love for Christ would be this. How deeply do you understand your depravity and your sins and your rebellion? And how deeply do you appreciate the mercy and grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. To whom much is forgiven, the same loveth much. To whom little is forgiven, you don't think you're so bad, the same loveth little. You have no appreciation for what Jesus Christ has done for you. If we want to love him more, there are two prayer requests that we should make. Number one, Lord, show me myself. And if he ever shows you yourself without the second request, you will despair immensely. After you prayed Lord show me myself, then you pray Lord show me thyself. And if we ever see who we are and what we are and who Jesus Christ is and what he is and what he's done for us, it should make us love Him immensely. But our Lord says there is a correlation between our love and the understanding of these two things. So to love Him more, we need to understand more. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before Thee. We thank You for Your love and Your grace and Your mercy. Lord, we do acknowledge that we are sinners exceedingly.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Love as a Gauge of Forgiveness

Summary: The depth of one's love for Christ directly reflects the depth of one's understanding of personal sin and the magnitude of divine forgiveness received.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'the comprehension of our depravity, the comprehension of the depths and wickedness of our sins, and our comprehension of the grace and mercy and forgiveness of our sins all correlate to our love for Jesus Christ.'

The Vileness of Sin

Summary: Sin is exceedingly offensive to God, depicted in Scripture through repulsive images to help believers grasp its true nature and their own corruption.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'I want you to understand how sin is a stench in its nostrils. If you do not understand these pictures, if you do not understand these illustrations, you will never ever grasp the grace and mercy and forgiveness of God in your life.'

Self-Righteousness vs. Humble Gratitude

Summary: The Pharisee's self-righteousness led to little love and neglect of Christ, while the sinful woman's humble awareness of her debt produced extravagant love and devotion.

Evidence: Weaver contrasts Simon's failure to provide water, a kiss, or oil with the woman's tears, kisses, and ointment, showing that 'to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.'

The Nature of True Forgiveness

Summary: Forgiveness is a free act of God's grace, not earned by love; rather, love is the grateful response to having been forgiven.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'We do not love in order to be forgiven. We love because we have been forgiven.'

Degrees of Sin and Guilt

Summary: While all are sinners, there are degrees of guilt and vileness, yet all are equally unable to pay their debt and equally in need of God's forgiveness.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'all of us are sinners and all of us are guilty, but obviously there are some that are viler than others... It does not matter if you are a big sinner or little sinner, you're still a sinner and you are still liable to the law of God.'

The Necessity of Self-Examination

Summary: Believers must honestly assess their understanding of personal sin and God's mercy to gauge and increase their love for Christ.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'Have you ever really paused to think of the greatness of your sins? Have you ever stopped to think of the exceeding sinfulness of your sins?'

Key Arguments

Love is proportional to perceived forgiveness

Summary: Jesus' parable teaches that the one who is forgiven more will love more, establishing a direct correlation between the awareness of sin's magnitude and the intensity of love for God.

Evidence: Weaver cites Luke 7:47, 'Wherefore I say unto thee, her sins which are many are forgiven, for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.'

Love is the effect, not the cause, of forgiveness

Summary: The woman's actions did not earn her forgiveness; they were the result of having already been forgiven, demonstrating that grace precedes and produces love.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Her actions did not merit forgiveness. Her actions were because she had already been forgiven.'

All are insolvent debtors before God

Summary: Both the 'big' sinner and the 'little' sinner are equally unable to pay their moral debt to God, highlighting universal human helplessness and the necessity of divine grace.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'Simon, the religious Pharisee, could no more pay his 50 to God than this poor heathen, her 500.'

Sin is exceedingly sinful and repulsive to God

Summary: Using seven graphic biblical metaphors, Weaver argues that sin is far more vile than humans typically acknowledge, and recognizing this is essential to appreciating forgiveness.

Evidence: Weaver describes sin as 'a stench in its nostrils' and illustrates with leprosy, putrefying sores, filthy rags, etc.

Self-righteousness blinds one to their need and limits love

Summary: Simon the Pharisee's low view of his own sin led to minimal love and failure to honor Christ, illustrating the danger of spiritual pride.

Evidence: Weaver notes Simon 'did not even love our Lord enough to provide him with the common courtesies of the day' because he thought his debt was small.

Understanding sin's impact on Christ deepens love

Summary: Contemplating that Christ bore the penalty for every sin should produce grief over sin and greater love for the Savior.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'What did my sins do to Jesus Christ? How did they affect Him?' and references Isaiah 53.

Prayer for revelation is key to increased love

Summary: To love Christ more, believers must pray for God to reveal their own sinfulness and then to reveal Christ's person and work.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'If we want to love him more, there are two prayer requests that we should make. Number one, Lord, show me myself... then you pray Lord show me thyself.'

Scripture References

Luke 7:36-50

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

John 14:21

Context: Cited as a gauge of love: 'He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me.'

John 14:24

Context: Cited as a gauge of love: 'He that keepeth not my sayings loveth me not.'

1 John 5:3

Context: Cited as a gauge of love: 'This is the love of God that we keep his commandments.'

Isaiah 65:5

Context: Describes the self-righteous attitude of the Pharisees: 'Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou,' and God's response.

Matthew 9:11

Context: Pharisees question why Jesus eats with publicans and sinners.

Mark 2:16

Context: Scribes and Pharisees question Jesus' association with sinners.

Luke 15:2

Context: Pharisees and scribes murmur that Jesus receives sinners.

Matthew 26:6

Context: Mentioned as possibly referring to the same Simon, called Simon the leper, in Bethany.

Mark 14:3

Context: Another anointing of Jesus by a woman in Simon the leper's house, possibly the same Simon.

Galatians 3:10

Context: Cited to show that all are under the curse of the law and cannot pay their debt.

James 2:10-11

Context: Used to argue that breaking one point of the law makes one guilty of all, so all are sinners regardless of degree.

Psalm 130:4

Context: Cited to show there is forgiveness with God.

Psalm 85:2

Context: Cited to show God forgives iniquity and covers sin.

Jeremiah 44:4

Context: God calls sin 'that abominable thing which I hate.'

1 Kings 8:38

Context: Solomon's prayer refers to 'the plague of his own heart,' likening sin to leprosy.

Isaiah 1:5-6

Context: Sin pictured as wounds, bruises, and putrefying sores from head to foot.

Psalm 38:5

Context: David says, 'My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.'

Psalm 13:7

Context: David says, 'My loins are filled with a loathsome disease.' (Note: likely Psalm 38:7, but Weaver says Psalm 13:7.)

Isaiah 64:6

Context: All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; we are all as an unclean thing.

Historical References

Adam Clarke's commentary on the parable

Context: Weaver quotes Adam Clarke's interpretation that the creditor is God, and the two debtors are Simon and the woman, with Simon possibly being Simon the leper.

Mesentius and pagan punishment of binding a murderer to a corpse

Context: Weaver describes a pagan practice where a murderer was bound face-to-face with the victim's corpse until the decay killed the living, illustrating Paul's 'body of this death.'

Pitt's poem on the barbarous practice

Context: Weaver quotes a poem by 'Pitt' describing the horror of binding the living to the dead.

Important Quotes

We do not love in order to be forgiven. We love because we have been forgiven.

Significance: This quote encapsulates the central theological point that love is the effect, not the cause, of forgiveness, correcting any notion of works-righteousness.

The comprehension of our depravity, the comprehension of the depths and wickedness of our sins, and our comprehension of the grace and mercy and forgiveness of our sins all correlate to our love for Jesus Christ.

Significance: This statement summarizes the sermon's main thesis: love for Christ is directly tied to understanding sin and forgiveness.

To whom much is forgiven, the same loveth much. To whom little is forgiven, you don't think you're so bad, the same loveth little.

Significance: Weaver's paraphrase of Luke 7:47 drives home the practical application: a low view of one's sin leads to a low love for Christ.

The sinfulness of sin not only appears from but consists in this, that it is contrary to God. Indeed, it is contrary and enmity itself.

Significance: Quoting Ralph Venning, Weaver emphasizes the fundamental nature of sin as opposition to God, deepening the hearer's understanding of its evil.

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

Significance: Paul's cry in Romans 7:24 is used as a key picture of sin's loathsomeness, likened to being bound to a decaying corpse.

Her great love was not the cause for the remission of her sins. But the full and free remission of her many sins was the cause of her great love.

Significance: This clarifies the order of salvation: forgiveness precedes and produces love, not the reverse.

I could not look at a man's legs. I could not look at his legs. And so God says, that's what we are.

Significance: Weaver's personal illustration of seeing putrefying sores makes the biblical picture of sin visceral and convicting.

Discussion Questions

How does the parable of the two debtors illustrate the relationship between forgiveness and love?

Context: Weaver explains that both debtors were forgiven, but the one who owed more loved more, teaching that love corresponds to perceived forgiveness.

In what ways did Simon the Pharisee fail to show love to Jesus, and what does this reveal about his heart?

Context: Jesus points out Simon's lack of water, kiss, and oil, contrasting with the woman's lavish devotion, exposing Simon's self-righteousness and little love.

Why is it important to understand that love is the effect, not the cause, of forgiveness?

Context: Weaver stresses that we do not love to be forgiven but love because we are forgiven, guarding against works-based salvation.

Which of the seven biblical pictures of sin was most striking to you, and how does it change your view of sin?

Context: Weaver presents leprosy, sores, filthy rags, abandoned infant, scum, dead body, and vomit/mire as images to help believers grasp sin's vileness.

How can meditating on Christ's suffering for our sins increase our love for Him?

Context: Weaver urges contemplation of Isaiah 53 and what our sins did to Jesus, suggesting this deepens gratitude and love.

What are the two prayer requests Weaver recommends, and why are both necessary?

Context: He advises praying 'Lord, show me myself' and 'Lord, show me thyself,' warning that seeing self without seeing Christ leads to despair.

How does a low view of one's own sinfulness hinder love for Christ?

Context: Weaver argues that those who think they are forgiven little will love little, as seen in Simon's neglect of Jesus.

What practical steps can you take to deepen your understanding of your sin and God's forgiveness?

Context: The sermon implies self-examination, Scripture meditation on sin's nature, and prayer for revelation as means to grow in love.

Applications

Examine your perception of your own sinfulness

Summary: Honestly assess how deeply you understand the vileness of your sin; a shallow view leads to shallow love for Christ.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'Have you ever really paused to think of the greatness of your sins?' and warns that 'to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.'

Meditate on the biblical pictures of sin

Summary: Study the seven images (leprosy, sores, rags, etc.) to grasp how repulsive sin is to God, fostering humility and gratitude.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'If you do not understand these pictures... you will never ever grasp the grace and mercy and forgiveness of God.'

Pray for God to reveal your sin and Himself

Summary: Make it a regular prayer to ask God to show you the depth of your depravity and the glory of Christ, leading to increased love.

Evidence: Weaver instructs, 'If we want to love him more, there are two prayer requests... Lord, show me myself... Lord show me thyself.'

Reflect on Christ's suffering for your sins

Summary: Contemplate what your sins cost Jesus on the cross, allowing that realization to produce grief over sin and deeper love for the Savior.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'What did my sins do to Jesus Christ? How did they affect Him?' and references Isaiah 53.

Avoid self-righteousness by remembering your debt

Summary: Guard against the Pharisee's attitude by recalling that you were an insolvent debtor, saved only by grace, which should produce humble love.

Evidence: Weaver notes Simon 'did not even love our Lord enough to provide him with the common courtesies' because he thought his debt small.

Express love through tangible devotion to Christ

Summary: Like the woman, demonstrate love through acts of worship, service, and sacrifice, motivated by gratitude for forgiveness.

Evidence: The woman's washing, kissing, and anointing Jesus' feet are held up as the model of love flowing from forgiveness.

Use obedience as a gauge of love

Summary: Evaluate your love for Christ by your willingness to keep His commandments, as taught in John 14 and 1 John 5.

Evidence: Weaver cites John 14:21, 24 and 1 John 5:3 as other scriptural gauges of love.

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Clean Transcript

A Method To Gauge Your Love To Christ

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

It's to the book of Luke chapter seven. And we're going to read verses 36 through 50, chapter seven, 36 through 50. Luke seven, verse 36. 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 him 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 said, Master, say on.
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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 to him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman?
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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 saith unto her, thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say with themselves, who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, thy faith has saved thee, go in peace.
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The title of the message today is a method to gauge your love to Christ. A method to gauge your love to Christ. Almost everyone in this room has a rain gauge. And the reason we have that is we desire to know how much it is rain. We have gauges for almost everything imaginable. We have gauges for blood pressure, for blood sugar, for oxygen levels, for tire pressure. We have micrometer gauges. In fact, we have gauges for a host of other things as well. But one important question that we need to ask is this, how do we gauge our love for the Lord Jesus Christ? Now, there are several gauges that are mentioned in Scripture. And one of those gauges happens to be obedience.
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Because our Lord said in John 14 in verse 21, he that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. And he said in verse 24, he that keepeth not my sayings loveth me not. And in 1 John 5 in verse 3, and this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and they're not grievous. So certainly obedience is a gauge as well. But our lesson today shows us another gauge that we may use to gauge our love for the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Bible is teaching us here that our love is going to be gauged by our understanding of our sin, depravity, and ruin as well as our forgiveness.
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So the context of the message is this. Jesus Christ was invited to dine in the house of a Pharisee. The Pharisee's name was Simon. Our Lord sits at the table, and he does so. An absolutely notorious sinner comes to him. Interestingly, even Simon knew this woman, and he knew that she was a sinner. In fact, she is labeled a sinner. And the Greek word is basically hamartolos, which refers to one that is preeminently sinful, especially one that is wicked and devoted to sin. It also refers specifically to men staying with certain vices and crimes.
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Now, the Bible does not tell us what kind of sins this woman was engaged in. Well, we can only imagine, but they're not specifically named. But she did bring an alabaster box of ointment, and she broke that box and began anointing his feet and weeping. She was washing his feet literally with tears. Her weeping was a very emotional time. In fact, the Greek word that is used to describe her weeping is the word klaio, which literally means to mourn, to weep, and to lament as one that is weeping as a sign of pain and grief.
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So let me put it to you like this. What it means was this woman was devastated. She was actually broken hearted, and she was weeping profusely.
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Now, the heart of a Pharisee is exposed 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. So Pharisees were notoriously self-righteous. They did not wish to contaminate themselves by being around sinners. Their attitude is described in Isaiah 65 and verse 5, and the interesting thing is, I quote this verse, I want you to listen. The first part deals with the attitude of a Pharisee and the second part deals with what God thinks about that attitude. So here's Isaiah 65 in verse 5.
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Which say, stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. Wow. But the rest of the verse says this, God is speaking. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day. In other words, God can't stand that Pharisaical, super pious attitude.
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Now, you have to understand that the Pharisees, since they were self-righteous, could not understand how Jesus Christ could communicate with and associate with sinners. For instance, in Matthew 9 verse 11, the Bible says, And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, Why eateth your master with publicans and sinners? When you get to Mark 2 in verse 16, the Bible says, And the scribes and the Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners. And they said to his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners. And then in Luke 15 in verse 2, and the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them.
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Well, I want you to note Simon's attitude. Although Simon had invited Jesus Christ to his house, whether or not he believed that he was really and truly Lord, God, is really doubtful in one sense of the word. Because he does not even accord him the status of a prophet. Look in verse 39 again. 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. Well, you have to at least say this, the reason Simon would not even accord him in this time the position of a prophet was because he did not meet the standard of the Pharisees. Because the Pharisees were, don't come near me for I'm holier than thou, don't touch me, I don't want to contaminate myself with you, it's just that simple. So our Lord very politely demonstrates that he not only knew the heart of this sinful woman, but he knew the Pharisee's heart as well.
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Now, I find it interesting that our Lord is very unlike us. Had I been around and this man said something like this, my attitude would have been, let me tell you something, you dirty, four-flushing hypocrite, you. I mean, I'd want to chew him up and spit him out. But our Lord did not do that. He just simply said, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. Basically, he asked permission. Well, he was in Simon's house. And Simon said, Master, say on. So the lesson then that our Lord is conveying is very simple, and it's plain enough for even a Pharisee to comprehend and understand. Now, I want to stop just for a moment. I'm going to explain this just momentarily, but I want to give you a quote by Adam Clark. If Adam Clark is correct, and he probably is, then Simon would have really had a double reason to appreciate what our Lord is saying. Let me just give you the quote. Listen to this. Clark states a certain creditor parable, our Lord means, by the creditor, God, and by the two debtors, Simon and the woman who was present.
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Simon, who had the light of the law and who, in the consequence of his profession as a Pharisee, was obliged to abstain from outward iniquity, might be considered the debtor who owed the 50 pence or the 50 denarii. The woman whom I have supposed 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 as the debtor who owed 500 pence or denarii. And when both were compared, Simon's debt to God might be considered in Reverend Starr's 50 to 500.
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However, we find notwithstanding this great disparity, both were insolvent. That is, neither could pay it. 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 finally perish. Having nothing to pay, he kindly forgave them both. Now listen, some think that this very Simon was no inconsiderable debtor to our Lord as having been mercifully cleansed from leprosy. For he is supposed to be the same Simon as Simon the leper. So in Matthew 26 and verse 6 the Bible says now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper. And when you get to Mark 14 verse 3 the Bible says in being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, he sat at meat, 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. Now, the incident in Mark 14 is different from this incident, but it could be the same exact Simon.
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And in that instance, he's called Simon the leper. So obviously, if Simon is the same Simon the leper, he was indeed a debtor as well.
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Now, look in verses 41 through 43, because here is the lesson that our Lord is giving. And 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 most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most.
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And he said of him, thou hast rightly judged. Now, the scope of this parable is to demonstrate that Simon was wrong in condemning the woman who is acquitted by a heavenly judge. So our Lord then proves that she is righteous not because she pleased God but because her sins were forgiven.
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Now listen to me very carefully. The argument which Christ employs was taken not from the cause but from the effect. Her actions did not merit forgiveness. Her actions were because she had already been forgiven. We do not love in order to be forgiven. We love because we have been forgiven. And so the reason this woman was so loving and so grateful and so thankful was because she realized not only the greatness of her sins, but the greatness of the forgiveness that had been extended to her.
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Now, I want you to consider just for a moment. Our Lord talks about the creditor who would be God in this parable. One owed him 500 pence and the other owed him 50 pence. These amounts are relatively small. But the truth of the matter is, neither of these were able to pay the debt. So let me just take a few moments and try to explain a few things about this parable before we go further.
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First of all, I believe the scripture is making clear that all sins are debts. We owe God. We don't only owe God because He's the Creator and we're the creature. We owe God because we are sinners and we have violated His law. And we owe God because in His providence He's been gracious and kind to each one of us. We owe Him period. And we owe Him a debt in reality that we cannot pay.
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The Bible says, in Galatians 3 and verse 10, for as many as are under the works of the law are under the curse of the law, for it is written, cursed is everyone that continueth not in all these things to do them. So, we are debtors and we owe him, but we are under the curse and we can't pay because the law not only demands our death physically, but spiritually as well. We're all debtors to him and we have no ability in and of ourselves to pay. Secondly in this we are being taught.
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I believe that as all sins, so likewise all sinners are not equal in the sight of God. Now listen to me, all of us are sinners and all of us are guilty, but obviously there are some that are viler than others. Just because we're all sinners does not mean that we're as wicked as everyone else. We are wicked, but there are degrees in guilt, and there are degrees in sinners. For instance, murder demands the death penalty, where theft just simply demands restitution.
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Moreover, when you stop and think, is lying a sin? Well, of course it is. But is adultery worse than lying? Well, of course it is. So there are degrees in sin, and there are degrees in sinners. We may all be sinners, but there are some sinners that are more vile and more wicked and more despicable than others, but yet we're all sinners, okay? Same thing with the sins.
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Thirdly, it does not matter if you are a big sinner or little sinner, you're still a sinner and you are still liable to the law of God. And what did James 2 verses 10 and 11 say? For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit murder or adultery, also said, Do not kill. Now thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
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Well, that's the same thing. He said, Do not covet. If you covet, you're still a transgressor, whether you've murdered or not. He said honor thy father and thy mother, if you dishonor your father and mother you're still a transgressor of the law, whether you murdered, whether you've stolen. So it doesn't matter if you're a big sinner, a little sinner. You are still a sinner and you still transgress God's law. Fourthly, God is absolutely gracious and free in the forgiveness of our sins. Doesn't matter whether our sins are great or small, God forgives them. In Psalm 130 and verse 4, the Bible says, but there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared. And then Psalm 85 and verse 2, thou has forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou has covered all their sins. And then fourthly, Christ here speaks of both of these debtors as being forgiven.
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Then he makes his astounding statement. The one who has been forgiven much loves much. The one who's been forgiven little loves little. So let me put it to you very plainly, the comprehension of our depravity, the comprehension of the depths and wickedness of our sins, and our comprehension of the grace and mercy and forgiveness of our sins all correlate to our love for Jesus Christ. Look in verse 43, because our Lord agrees with Simon. When he asked in verse 42, 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 it he, to whom he forgave most.
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And he said unto him, thou hast rightly judged. Now, I want you to consider just for a moment the sharp contrast between the sinful woman and the sinful Pharisee. The woman who was forgiven, whose sins were multitudinous and great, loved much. The Pharisee who did not think himself a big sinner did not even love our Lord enough to provide him with the common courtesies of the day. For instance, look in verse 44, look what our Lord says to him. And he turned to the woman and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, and thou gavest me no water for my feet. Now it was a standard civil procedure to provide someone a pan of water so that they could wash their feet.
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He said, You didn't do that to me. He said, 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. No towel either, but she took care of that. Thou gavest me no kiss.
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Now, the Bible says that we're to greet one another with a holy kiss. In Bible times, the way a man greeted another man was with a holy kiss. You say, what in the world is that? That means he would catch the man's beard and kiss the beard. He was not to kiss his face. He'd kiss the beard. That was a normal, standard, biblical greeting in those days. That's why Christ said, You gave me no kiss. You didn't recognize me.
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You did not even give me the common courtesy of acknowledging who I am. And then he goes on to say, My head with oil, thou didst not anoint, which was another courtesy. But this woman hath anointed my feet.
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Now watch verse 48, verse 47. He says, Wherefore, I say to thee, her sins, which are many are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. So note, if you would, please, our Lord is saying concerning this woman, therefore, she loved much. Her great love was not the cause for the remission of her sins. But the full and free remission of her many sins was the cause of her great love. Now if you just stop and think a moment, this woman had to have already been repentant. She had to already have been dealt with by grace and mercy. Because had she not been, she would have never sought the Lord Jesus Christ out. She would have never done these things.
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She would have never recognized the depth of her sin, nor the greatness of His forgiveness. So something had already happened in her life. Now our Lord does not leave out the Pharisee either, for he goes on to say, but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. So this has a special respect then to Simon the Pharisee, whose debts in his opinion were very few or very little, very small, at least ten times less than this notorious sinful woman, and therefore he felt no obligation to even provide Christ with the common courtesies and the common civilities of the day. So our Lord now is beginning to instruct Simon on a very important point, and he forces Simon to acknowledge a simple
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fact that the greater the sinner, the greater the forgiveness once it is realized, there will be a greater display of love and affection. So let me make this statement. The truth is 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 maker, his Creator, his Lord, and his Savior. Now you just stop and think, everything we are, everything we have is simply because of him. Now here's my question in light of this text, and I'm going to show you just momentarily. But have you ever really paused to think of the greatness of your sins? Have you ever stopped to think of the exceeding sinfulness of your sins? Has the just penalty of your sins ever really weighed upon your mind? Have you ever really understood the depth of God's grace and God's mercy and God's forgiveness?
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And saving you and forgiving you. I want to give you just two paragraphs from Ralph Vinning's book, The Plague of Plagues, where he's talking about sin. Listen to what he says. The sinfulness of sin not only appears from but consists in this, that it is contrary to God. Indeed, it is contrary and enmity itself. Carnal men or sinners are called by the name, the name of enemies to God. But the carnal mind itself, or sin, is called enmity itself. Accordingly, it and its acts are expressed by names of enmity, such as acts of 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, even blasphemers of God, and in short, very atheist, who say there is no God. It goes about to un-God God, and is by some of the ancients called God murder or God killing. Though all these things are not done by every sinful man, listen now, 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 seed, in root.
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So what is done by any man would be done by every man if God did not restrain some men by His power, and constrain others to obedience by His love and power. Here, then, is 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 God 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. Now what I want to do is this. I want to take the Bible and show you just momentarily seven pictures of sin in the Bible. I want you to understand when God said in Jeremiah 44 in verse 4 talking about sin, Oh do not that abominable thing which I hate. I want you to understand how sin is a stench in its nostrils. If you do not understand these pictures, if you do not understand these illustrations, you will never ever grasp the grace and mercy and forgiveness of God in your life.
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Now, I'm going to warn you. The pictures that I'm going to show you are distasteful. They're disgusting. They're damning. But it is a picture of our sin, and it is a picture of what we are by nature. Cannot give you every picture in the Bible, but I'm going to give you some that are very, very plain and very easily understood. So I want you to turn in your Bibles. First of all, to First Kings chapter 8. First Kings chapter 8. And we're going to look at verse 38. First Kings 8 and verse 38. In this passage Solomon is dedicating the temple and he makes an astounding prayer request. Here he is likening sin to a plague. In fact, it is compared in the Bible to the plague of leprosy. So in First Kings 8 in verse 38, he says this: What prayer and supplications 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.
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But note this phrase: and shall know every man the plague of his own heart. Now if you would take the time to read Leviticus chapter 13 and 14, you will find that leprosy is indeed a type of sin. I could develop this in great detail. There are other passages as well that teach about leprosy. But let me encourage you to do something. I would encourage you to go to the internet and just type in pictures of leprosy. You'll be absolutely astounded because leprosy deforms and destroys and rots the body. Did you know that there is no disease that is more contagious and more infectious than leprosy? It spreads over the entire body and it basically causes your flesh to rot off. It is a filthy putrid breaking forth in your flesh and it literally is a loathsome disease in the Bible.
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When a man had leprosy he normally had to be exiled. But he had to cover himself and especially his face to contain his breath and if he saw anyone approaching anywhere near him, he had to scream out and cry, Unclean, unclean, unclean! Don't come near me. So your leprosy, the plague of leprosy, is a picture of our sin. Now, like I say, this picture doesn't mean much with me just telling you that it is a picture of our sin. But now, once you go and look at the Internet and look up pictures of leprosy, you're going to understand how loathsome it is. So the very first thing God does is he gives us a picture of the plague of our hearts.
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Now, I want you to turn to Isaiah chapter one. Here's a second one. Isaiah chapter one. Verses five and six in this one. Our sin is likened unto wounds and putrefying sores which have not been bound up nor mollified with ointment. So look at Isaiah 1 verse 5. God asked, Why should you be stricken anymore? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick and the whole heart faint. Now watch, from the sole of the foot even to the top of 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 then is a picture of our sin and a picture of a sinner before God. So from the top of the head to the bottom of the foot, we are full of nothing but wounds and bruises and sores and putrefying sores. Putrefying sore means a sore that is oozing and running pus and contamination, so one big oozing sore from the top of our head to the toe of our foot or the bottom of our foot.
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So this picture demonstrates, listen carefully, not only our corruption but our lack of desirability. When David was confessing his sin, in Psalm 38, in verse 5, he said, My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness. My wounds stink. I don't know about you, but in my lifetime, I've had boils, I've had risons, I've had sores that stunk. And that's exactly what David said. He said, my wounds stink. He said in Psalm 13 verse seven, for my loins are filled with a loathsome disease and there is no soundness in my flesh.
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And what is he talking about? He's talking about exactly what Isaiah is referring to in Isaiah one and verse six. I was preaching in South Carolina and the service had already started. We had been, oh, I don't know, 15 minutes into the song service, and a man walks in in the back, and he has on a very large and loose pair of overalls. And it was kind of awkward because although it was a little country town, hardly anyone dressed like that, especially in this church.
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And so the pastor leaned over and said, I'm really thankful to see him here tonight. So my curiosity was piqued. And I wondered why the pastor was so thankful to see this one individual. Well, I went ahead and preached after the service was over. The pastor took me down to introduce me to this man. And he said, Brother, he said, I told Pastor Weaver that I'm so thankful to see you tonight and so thankful you were able to come out. Would you be considerate enough to show Brother Weaver why you were late and what you went through to get here? At that point, the man said, yes, and he reached down and he picked up the legs of those overalls.
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And when he pulled them up, he pulled him up to his knees. I don't know how much higher, but all I saw from the knee down was nothing but putrefying sores, oozing pus and corruption. And I immediately turned my head away. I could not look at it. I did not want to look at it after I saw it. And then the next thing that happened, this passage hit my mind. That is exactly what our sins look like to a holy, righteous God. I could not look at a man's legs. I could not look at his legs. And so God says, that's what we are.
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The picture certainly does not flatter us. And it does not flatter our sins. See, we don't think much of sin. We don't think that it's really that bad. But God says, yeah, it's bad. Look in your Bibles to Isaiah 64. Let's continue. Look at Isaiah 64. And to me, it gets actually worse the more you look at these pictures. Isaiah 64 and verse 6. Here is another picture that God gives us. Sin is here pictured as dirty, filthy, rotten cloths. Look in verse 6. He says, But we're all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf in our iniquities, like the wind have taken us away. Now there are four truths in verse 6. God is describing us as so. First we are called an unclean thing. We are all as an unclean thing.
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That is we are polluted and defiled. And the word here accurately and properly means that which is polluted and defiled in a Levitical sense. In other words the pollution and abominations as mentioned in the Law of Moses as given by God. So what God is telling us in this simple sense is that we are regarded as holy, that is totally and completely polluted and depraved. We're all as an unclean thing.
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There's nothing clean about us. Nothing clean about our attitude. Nothing clean about our actions. Nothing clean about our persons. We are abominable and filthy. Then secondly in verse 4 he says, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. The old MS Bible had this remark. I want you to listen. If preachers knew properly the meaning of this word, would they make such a liberal use of it in their public ministry? 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. So you would have to ask, why would a comment like that be placed in the Bible beside this verse or below this verse? And the answer is very simple. Because the Hebrew word for filthy rags here refers literally to a cloth of separation, or a maturity rag, or a minstrel's cloth which is nauseous and odious, such as a man would loathe to touch, much less take up. So let me put it to you like this, look at it in verse 4, and all of our righteousnesses, that is every good thing about us, everything that we could possibly do that we would think would be good in any way.
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They're all as filthy rags. Now here's my question, if our best righteousnesses are as these filthy rags, what do our sins look like? He goes on in verse 6, because he says, thirdly, and we all do fade as a leaf. What does that mean? It means we are withered away like the leaf of autumn. Our beauty is gone. Our strength is fled. What happens when autumn comes and winter comes? Leaves die. They drop off. They're gone. And so he says, in and of ourselves, we face only death and destruction. We're helpless and hopeless.
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And unless there is divine intervention, we perish. Fourthly, he says in verse six, he says in our iniquities, like the wind have taken us away. That is, we're blown hither and yon by our sins. They rule over us. They take us wherever they want to take us. And ultimately, they destroy us. So here's a picture of our sins. It's not a flattering picture at all. So if you will turn over to Ezekiel chapter 16, let me give you a fourth picture of our sins. And let's begin reading there with verse three. And we'll read through verse six. Ezekiel chapter 16, verse three. In fact, let's read verse two, just so you can see, our Lord is talking about Jerusalem. Verse 2, Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, and say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem, Thy birth and thy nativity is the land of Canaan. Thy father was an Amorite, thy mother a Hittite.
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As for thy nativity in the day that 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 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 thy blood, live.
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Now keeping up the simile of a newborn infant that has done nothing or has nothing done to it, but is all covered with minstrel's blood, denoting the wretched and miserable estate of that which we are by nature. Here then is a picture of a child that is born. He's not clean. He's not swaddled. He's not salted. He's just thrown out. Why? Because the child is unloved, unwanted, unpitied, loathsome, abominable, and is in danger of being destroyed and perished.
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Because no one cares for him. God says that's how I found you. That's what you were. I just read this week, they're still trying to find the woman, but some woman had a baby. She wrapped the baby in a blanket and put it beside the road. Newborn, not washed, not salted, not supple, not just put it a blanket side the road. And then probably the same woman, I don't know, or at least someone with her left the road and purposely ran over the child that killed it. The first thing I thought of was, Lord, I know how to handle people like that if I could just get to them. The second thought that hit me was this passage. That's what we were. Unloved, unwanted, polluted, and the word polluted here literally means to be treaded down and stomped down like the mire in the street. Wow. So God here gives us another picture of our sin. We were nothing more than the blood and the pollution of a newborn child. Distress, yes. Left ourselves ready to die.
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And if God in his mercy had not passed by us and said live and picked us up, we too would have perished. I want you to turn to Ezekiel 24 because here's another picture of our sin. Fifthly, sin is pictured as the scum of a boiling pot wherein is a detestable carcass. In Ezekiel 24, beginning there in verse 6, I wish I had time to read the entire chapter, but 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.
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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, spice it well, and let the bones be burned.
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Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, watch, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed. She hath wearied herself with her lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her, her scum shall be in the fire. Now go back to verse 6. 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. So God now likens our sin to the scum of a boiling pot wherein is a detestable carcass. Everyone at some point has burned a pot of coffee. Now I do like coffee as long as it's fresh. But after it gets about an hour old I can't handle it. And I will tell you this, if you leave that coffee in that pot just a little bit all day long and you don't turn it off, and all the moisture cooks out and everything bakes on the bottom.
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It stinks to high heaven. And probably every one of us have burnt meat before. And it stinks. Do you realize you can take the most odious smell imaginable? And it compares nothing to the stench of our sins before a holy God. God says, if you put a detestable carcass in a pot and boil it down to all that scum is right there. That's a good picture of sin. That's a good picture of sin.
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I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Romans, chapter seven. Romans 7, here's another picture. Here's one that I think we can understand very easily. Romans 7, and look if you would please at verse 24 at what the Apostle Paul cries. Romans 7 and notice verse 24. He says, O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Now we may easily render Paul's cry as wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this dead body. Now the body of death or the dead body here refers to the whole mass of sin or those ingredients of which the whole man is composed. But when Paul says, Wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death or from this dead body.
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He's referring to a dead carcass. He's referring to that which is stinking and loathsome. Now Mesentius and some of the other pagans had an unusual punishment for murderers and other vile criminals. Now this was not a biblical punishment, but it was done by the pagans. If you murdered a man or you committed some vile crime and some man died, then what they would do is they would take the dead man that you murdered and tie him, his face to your face, and his chest to your chest, his legs to your legs, his arms to your arms, him on top, your own bottom. And you would lie there until the worms and the putrefaction of the dead man ate the living man and killed him.
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Now, that's what Paul is talking about. Wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this dead body? I'm carrying around a dead body. I'm carrying around this stinking sinful wicked depraved nature. That's what he's saying. Pitt wrote a little, I want to call it's not a poem per se, but he wrote concerning this barbarous practice, he says: 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.
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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 embrace died away. So that's what some of them did. And that's the analogy that Paul is using here to show you how wicked and vile our sins are. Oh, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this dead body or the body of this death?
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It's a picture of our sin. And then if you will turn in your Bibles to Second Peter, chapter two. Here's the seventh picture. Second Peter, chapter two. Look at verse 22 and I will quote some verses for you and then ask you to turn to a couple. In 2nd Peter chapter 2 in verse 22, here is the seventh picture of our sin and it is the vomit of a dog and the wallowing of a sow in the mire. But it has happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is returned to his own vomit again, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. Now, when he says it has happened according to the true proverb, he's referring to Proverbs 26 and verse 11 when the Bible says, As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly. So if you can appreciate the vomit of a dog, then you can appreciate your sin. Or if you can appreciate the willingness to sound the mire.
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Don't know if you've ever been around a pigpen or not, but it stinks. And that's exactly what God is likening our sin. In Isaiah 19 in verse 14, he says, The Lord has mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof, and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggering in his vomit. I remember years ago preaching not only in New Orleans, Louisiana, but in New York City. I had to step over drunk men who were passed out lying in their own vomit. Both New Orleans and New York. Now Isaiah 28 verse 8, God says, For all the tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean. Jeremiah 48 verse 26, He said, Make ye him drunken, for he magnified himself against the Lord. Moab also shall wallow in his vomit, and he shall also be in derision. Now I want you to stop and think with me just for a moment. I've just given you seven pictures of what our sin really is
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in the sight of God. There are more pictures in the Bible. I've just given you seven. Can you now understand why Paul cried in , 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 and why would you want to go back to anything like that? Look in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 7. This is absolutely astounding how so many people pervert the scripture and think that somehow we have been delivered that we may sin. Look in Jeremiah chapter 7 and let's begin reading there. Jeremiah 7 with verse 8, watch it. Jeremiah 7 verse 8, Behold, God says to these people in Jeremiah's time, behold you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Now watch, would you steal?
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Murder and commit adultery and swear falsely and burn incense unto 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 are delivered to do all these abominations. Wow. The pictures are real and we were sinners and the Lord had mercy upon us and saved us. So here's my question. Shall we not love him and serve him more than ever? Can we not appreciate that from which he delivered us? Now I want to go back just for a moment to Luke chapter 7. You remember what our Lord said. Our Lord said, To whom much is forgiven, the same loveth much.
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Undoubtedly, this woman realized the greatness of her sins and the grief and pain that it caused a holy God. So here's my question. Have you ever thought upon this? What did my sins do to Jesus Christ? How did they affect Him? Everyone in this room can quote the Scriptures. Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
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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 were healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Stop and think. Every sin that we ever committed was laid upon Jesus Christ. Think of the grief and the pain, not just physical, but spiritual and emotional, that we caused him. So have you ever contemplated?
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Oh, God, I was so rebellious. I was so wicked. I was so vile. I was so selfish. Lord, I was everything contrary to you. And yet, Lord, you saved me. Have you ever thought about your disobediences and your sins? So that leads me to this. You will never, ever, never, ever recognize the depth of God's forgiveness and the greatness of His love and mercy until you realize the exceeding sinfulness of your sins and the corruption and depravity of your nature.
#67 | 58:15 to 59:03 | cleaned
You see, the Creator has a righteous claim upon all of His debtors. And none of us can meet it. So that reconciliation can only be brought about by His grace, His mercy, His love, and His forgiveness. So the method then to gauge our love for Christ would be this. How deeply do you understand your depravity and your sins and your rebellion? And how deeply do you appreciate the mercy and grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
#68 | 59:05 to 59:56 | cleaned
To whom much is forgiven, the same loveth much. To whom little is forgiven, you don't think you're so bad, the same loveth little. You have no appreciation for what Jesus Christ has done for you. If we want to love him more, there are two prayer requests that we should make. Number one, Lord, show me myself. And if he ever shows you yourself without the second request, you will despair immensely. After you prayed Lord show me myself, then you pray Lord show me thyself. And if we ever see who we are and what we are and who Jesus Christ is and what he is and what he's done for us, it should make us love Him immensely. But our Lord says there is a correlation between our love and the understanding of these two things. So to love Him more, we need to understand more. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before Thee. We thank You for Your love and Your grace and Your mercy. Lord, we do acknowledge that we are sinners exceedingly.
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And every one of these pictures are true. We were those things apart from thee. We are those things apart from thee. And even worse. But we glory in thy divine forgiveness. And we revel in thy love and mercy and grace. Help us, Lord, to love Thee more, to praise Thee more, to serve Thee more, to honor Thee more, to recognize more for that which You've done for us.
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In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
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♪ ♪
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T20:41:29Z

A Method To Gauge Your Love To Christ

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver expounds Luke 7:36-50 to teach that a believer's love for Christ is gauged by their understanding of their own sinfulness and the greatness of God's forgiveness. Using the parable of the two debtors, he contrasts the sinful woman's extravagant love with the Pharisee's cold neglect, arguing that those who grasp the depth of their depravity and the magnitude of divine mercy will love much. He illustrates the heinous nature of sin through seven biblical pictures, urging self-examination and prayer for deeper revelation of self and Christ to increase love.

Opening

It's to the book of Luke chapter seven. And we're going to read verses 36 through 50, chapter seven, 36 through 50. Luke seven, 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 him 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 said, 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 to 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 saith unto her, thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say with themselves, who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, thy faith has saved thee, go in peace.

Introduction: The Need for a Gauge of Love

Weaver introduces the concept of gauges in daily life and poses the question of how to measure one's love for Christ, noting that Scripture provides several gauges, including obedience.

The Context: Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman

The sermon sets the scene in Luke 7, where a notorious sinful woman anoints Jesus' feet with tears and ointment in the house of Simon the Pharisee, exposing Simon's self-righteous judgment.

The Pharisee's Heart and Christ's Response

Simon's internal criticism reveals his lack of love and failure to recognize Jesus' prophetic knowledge. Jesus gently corrects him with a parable, demonstrating His knowledge of both hearts.

The Parable of the Two Debtors Explained

Weaver explains the parable: both debtors are insolvent and freely forgiven, but the one forgiven more loves more. He notes that love is the effect, not the cause, of forgiveness.

Theological Lessons from the Parable

Key points include: all sins are debts we cannot pay; sinners have varying degrees of guilt; all are liable to God's law; and God freely forgives both great and small sins.

The Contrast Between the Woman and the Pharisee

Jesus highlights Simon's failure to provide basic courtesies (water, kiss, oil) while the woman lavishly ministers to Him, proving that her great love stems from her awareness of great forgiveness.

The Principle: Love Corresponds to Perceived Forgiveness

Weaver states that love for God is proportional to one's sense of obligation to His mercy. He challenges listeners to consider the greatness of their sin and the depth of God's grace.

Seven Biblical Pictures of Sin

Application: Praying for Deeper Revelation

Weaver concludes that to love Christ more, believers must pray for God to show them their own sinfulness and then to show them Christ, leading to greater appreciation and love.

A Method To Gauge Your Love To Christ

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	cCCj1WqkddU
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation: Christ and the Churches
Genre	Sermon
Date	2016-10-01
Dictation Name
Book	Book 139: Revelation: Christ and the Churches — Chapter 16
Source Timed Segments	72

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Need for a Gauge of Love: Weaver introduces the concept of gauges in daily life and poses the question of how to measure one's love for Christ, noting that Scripture provides several gauges, including obedience.
The Context: Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman: The sermon sets the scene in Luke 7, where a notorious sinful woman anoints Jesus' feet with tears and ointment in the house of Simon the Pharisee, exposing Simon's self-righteous judgment.
The Pharisee's Heart and Christ's Response: Simon's internal criticism reveals his lack of love and failure to recognize Jesus' prophetic knowledge. Jesus gently corrects him with a parable, demonstrating His knowledge of both hearts.
The Parable of the Two Debtors Explained: Weaver explains the parable: both debtors are insolvent and freely forgiven, but the one forgiven more loves more. He notes that love is the effect, not the cause, of forgiveness.
Theological Lessons from the Parable: Key points include: all sins are debts we cannot pay; sinners have varying degrees of guilt; all are liable to God's law; and God freely forgives both great and small sins.
The Contrast Between the Woman and the Pharisee: Jesus highlights Simon's failure to provide basic courtesies (water, kiss, oil) while the woman lavishly ministers to Him, proving that her great love stems from her awareness of great forgiveness.
The Principle: Love Corresponds to Perceived Forgiveness: Weaver states that love for God is proportional to one's sense of obligation to His mercy. He challenges listeners to consider the greatness of their sin and the depth of God's grace.
Seven Biblical Pictures of Sin: To deepen understanding of sin's vileness, Weaver presents seven graphic biblical metaphors: leprosy, putrefying sores, filthy rags, an abandoned infant, scum of a boiling pot, a dead body bound to the living, and dog's vomit/sow's mire.
Application: Praying for Deeper Revelation: Weaver concludes that to love Christ more, believers must pray for God to show them their own sinfulness and then to show them Christ, leading to greater appreciation and love.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Love is proportional to perceived forgiveness

Jesus' parable teaches that the one who is forgiven more will love more, establishing a direct correlation between the awareness of sin's magnitude and the intensity of love for God.

Weaver cites Luke 7:47, 'Wherefore I say unto thee, her sins which are many are forgiven, for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.'

Love is the effect, not the cause, of forgiveness

The woman's actions did not earn her forgiveness; they were the result of having already been forgiven, demonstrating that grace precedes and produces love.

Weaver states, 'Her actions did not merit forgiveness. Her actions were because she had already been forgiven.'

All are insolvent debtors before God

Both the 'big' sinner and the 'little' sinner are equally unable to pay their moral debt to God, highlighting universal human helplessness and the necessity of divine grace.

Weaver explains, 'Simon, the religious Pharisee, could no more pay his 50 to God than this poor heathen, her 500.'

Sin is exceedingly sinful and repulsive to God

Using seven graphic biblical metaphors, Weaver argues that sin is far more vile than humans typically acknowledge, and recognizing this is essential to appreciating forgiveness.

Weaver describes sin as 'a stench in its nostrils' and illustrates with leprosy, putrefying sores, filthy rags, etc.

Self-righteousness blinds one to their need and limits love

Simon the Pharisee's low view of his own sin led to minimal love and failure to honor Christ, illustrating the danger of spiritual pride.

Weaver notes Simon 'did not even love our Lord enough to provide him with the common courtesies of the day' because he thought his debt was small.

Understanding sin's impact on Christ deepens love

Contemplating that Christ bore the penalty for every sin should produce grief over sin and greater love for the Savior.

Weaver asks, 'What did my sins do to Jesus Christ? How did they affect Him?' and references Isaiah 53.

Prayer for revelation is key to increased love

To love Christ more, believers must pray for God to reveal their own sinfulness and then to reveal Christ's person and work.

Weaver says, 'If we want to love him more, there are two prayer requests that we should make. Number one, Lord, show me myself... then you pray Lord show me thyself.'

Scripture References

Luke 7:36-50: The primary text of the sermon, recounting the sinful woman anointing Jesus' feet in Simon the Pharisee's house and the parable of the two debtors.
John 14:21: Cited as a gauge of love: 'He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me.'
John 14:24: Cited as a gauge of love: 'He that keepeth not my sayings loveth me not.'
1 John 5:3: Cited as a gauge of love: 'This is the love of God that we keep his commandments.'
Isaiah 65:5: Describes the self-righteous attitude of the Pharisees: 'Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou,' and God's response.
Matthew 9:11: Pharisees question why Jesus eats with publicans and sinners.
Mark 2:16: Scribes and Pharisees question Jesus' association with sinners.
Luke 15:2: Pharisees and scribes murmur that Jesus receives sinners.
Matthew 26:6: Mentioned as possibly referring to the same Simon, called Simon the leper, in Bethany.
Mark 14:3: Another anointing of Jesus by a woman in Simon the leper's house, possibly the same Simon.
Galatians 3:10: Cited to show that all are under the curse of the law and cannot pay their debt.
James 2:10-11: Used to argue that breaking one point of the law makes one guilty of all, so all are sinners regardless of degree.
Psalm 130:4: Cited to show there is forgiveness with God.
Psalm 85:2: Cited to show God forgives iniquity and covers sin.
Jeremiah 44:4: God calls sin 'that abominable thing which I hate.'
1 Kings 8:38: Solomon's prayer refers to 'the plague of his own heart,' likening sin to leprosy.
Isaiah 1:5-6: Sin pictured as wounds, bruises, and putrefying sores from head to foot.
Psalm 38:5: David says, 'My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.'
Psalm 13:7: David says, 'My loins are filled with a loathsome disease.' (Note: likely Psalm 38:7, but Weaver says Psalm 13:7.)
Isaiah 64:6: All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; we are all as an unclean thing.

Historical References

Adam Clarke's commentary on the parable: Weaver quotes Adam Clarke's interpretation that the creditor is God, and the two debtors are Simon and the woman, with Simon possibly being Simon the leper.
Mesentius and pagan punishment of binding a murderer to a corpse: Weaver describes a pagan practice where a murderer was bound face-to-face with the victim's corpse until the decay killed the living, illustrating Paul's 'body of this death.'
Pitt's poem on the barbarous practice: Weaver quotes a poem by 'Pitt' describing the horror of binding the living to the dead.

Important Quotes

We do not love in order to be forgiven. We love because we have been forgiven.

This quote encapsulates the central theological point that love is the effect, not the cause, of forgiveness, correcting any notion of works-righteousness.

The comprehension of our depravity, the comprehension of the depths and wickedness of our sins, and our comprehension of the grace and mercy and forgiveness of our sins all correlate to our love for Jesus Christ.

This statement summarizes the sermon's main thesis: love for Christ is directly tied to understanding sin and forgiveness.

To whom much is forgiven, the same loveth much. To whom little is forgiven, you don't think you're so bad, the same loveth little.

Weaver's paraphrase of Luke 7:47 drives home the practical application: a low view of one's sin leads to a low love for Christ.

The sinfulness of sin not only appears from but consists in this, that it is contrary to God. Indeed, it is contrary and enmity itself.

Quoting Ralph Venning, Weaver emphasizes the fundamental nature of sin as opposition to God, deepening the hearer's understanding of its evil.

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

Paul's cry in Romans 7:24 is used as a key picture of sin's loathsomeness, likened to being bound to a decaying corpse.

Her great love was not the cause for the remission of her sins. But the full and free remission of her many sins was the cause of her great love.

This clarifies the order of salvation: forgiveness precedes and produces love, not the reverse.

I could not look at a man's legs. I could not look at his legs. And so God says, that's what we are.

Weaver's personal illustration of seeing putrefying sores makes the biblical picture of sin visceral and convicting.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the parable of the two debtors illustrate the relationship between forgiveness and love?

[Context]

Weaver explains that both debtors were forgiven, but the one who owed more loved more, teaching that love corresponds to perceived forgiveness.

[Question]

In what ways did Simon the Pharisee fail to show love to Jesus, and what does this reveal about his heart?

[Context]

Jesus points out Simon's lack of water, kiss, and oil, contrasting with the woman's lavish devotion, exposing Simon's self-righteousness and little love.

[Question]

Why is it important to understand that love is the effect, not the cause, of forgiveness?

[Context]

Weaver stresses that we do not love to be forgiven but love because we are forgiven, guarding against works-based salvation.

[Question]

Which of the seven biblical pictures of sin was most striking to you, and how does it change your view of sin?

[Context]

Weaver presents leprosy, sores, filthy rags, abandoned infant, scum, dead body, and vomit/mire as images to help believers grasp sin's vileness.

[Question]

How can meditating on Christ's suffering for our sins increase our love for Him?

[Context]

Weaver urges contemplation of Isaiah 53 and what our sins did to Jesus, suggesting this deepens gratitude and love.

[Question]

What are the two prayer requests Weaver recommends, and why are both necessary?

[Context]

He advises praying 'Lord, show me myself' and 'Lord, show me thyself,' warning that seeing self without seeing Christ leads to despair.

[Question]

How does a low view of one's own sinfulness hinder love for Christ?

[Context]

Weaver argues that those who think they are forgiven little will love little, as seen in Simon's neglect of Jesus.

[Question]

What practical steps can you take to deepen your understanding of your sin and God's forgiveness?

[Context]

The sermon implies self-examination, Scripture meditation on sin's nature, and prayer for revelation as means to grow in love.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T13:03:19Z