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welcome to everyone we have a few announcements before we begin yeah I was scheduled to be in Vernon this weekend but Pastor Porter's not feeling well so I needed to stay here to preach I believe the Brethren there in Vernon are gonna be live streaming with us today so if I look up there and say something to Vernon then you'll all know why I'm just kidding I'm not going to do that but in terms of some announcements we have another lady we can add to the role of ladies that are pregnant Melissa Kroll is pregnant so we can praise God with Mike and Melissa for that recent addition and then as well the next next Sunday the 22nd on Sunday evening there's going to be a time after the evening service for some coffee and dessert and some fellowship because the butler's and the Kroll's are moving away Josh and Katie are moving to Ontario and then Hantz and Tamara are moving to Vernon so we wanted to just recognize them and have a time to to celebrate with them and for them and then as well next Sunday night Conrad ma beiwei will be preaching here there's a conference a family conference that he's scheduled to preach at that following week so we will have him preach for us next Sunday evening he has been identified as the Spurgeon of Africa I've heard him preach before he is a very very excellent preacher a man seasoned in the gospel ministry so that's next Sunday the 22nd the evening service Conrad my Bayway preaching and then Sunday evening after the service that time of coffee and dessert to send off our brethren well having said those things if you would turn with me now in your Bibles for our call of worship or our call to worship 1st Corinthians chapter 6 first Corinthians chapter 6 as a call to worship I'll read verses 9 to 11 do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God do not be deceived neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor homosexuals nor sodomites nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God and such were some of you but you were washed but you were sanctified but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God amen will please turn with me in your Trinity hymnals to him number 133 him number 133 you can stand as we sing together [Music] well let us pray God Almighty we gather together on this Lord's Day and we acknowledge that you are from everlasting to everlasting you are the God who made the world and all things in it by the word of your power in the space of six days and all very good you are the God who is in the heavens and he does whatever he pleases and you are God Father Son and Holy Spirit and we pray today that you would be glorified in this gathering together that she would be enthroned upon the praises of your people here that you would be well pleased to even ran the heavens and come down and be found amongst this particular lamp stand may you encourage our hearts and may you strengthen us and may we know the nearness of God as our good for you are indeed a great God a God who is worthy to be glorified a God who is worthy to be feared the prophet said who would not fear thee o king of the nations for indeed it is thy due all men everywhere ought to bow before you all men everywhere ought to confess your goodness and your kindness and your majesty and your grace yet we know father by our own experience that we did not we were not those who would would come on the Sabbath day to worship you we were dead in our trespasses and sins we were afar off we were strangers to the covenants of promise we were strangers to all things good in our God but in your timing and in your mercy and in your love you saved us and in this we greatly rejoice and we know that salvation is not because of good that we've done it's not because we have reformed our ways it's not because we have tried better but it's solely and alone because of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ how we thank you that in your time you send him forth born of a woman and born under the law to redeem those under the law we thank you for his life of perfect obedience to the Father every jot and tiddle of his life was obedience to the law of God we thank you for his death at Calvary he didn't go for his own sins or for his own crimes but he went because of our sins as the the Apostle says you made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him we thank you that you laid upon him all of our iniquity in our transgression and that he took the wrath and fury of god almighty for us we thank you for his resurrection the third day we thank you for his current session at your right hand and our God we look forward to that day when he comes again in glory to judge the living in the dead we know that you've dealt mercifully with us because of what Christ has done and in this we greatly rejoice and we are desirous and we are zealous to see others come into contact with our Lord Jesus Christ so we pray for the ministry of the holy spirit this morning is the Word of God is preached we pray that he would show sinners their sin and show them the the glory of Christ that one who is altogether lovely that one who is chief among 10,000 that one who does deliver all of the the sorts of sinners described there in first Corinthians chapter six God we give praise to you for our Lord Jesus and we desire that others would come to know him as Lord and Savior we ask that you would forgive us for our sins now whenever we come into the presence of a thrice holy God we see ourselves hopefully rightly before you and we would say with the prophet Isaiah what was me for I am undone God we know that we have transgressed your law we have locked conformity unto it and so we pray for cleansing in the blood of Jesus Christ your son we thank you that there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared and God may we know that forgiveness it may it promote in us a genuine fear of God and a rejoicing in your presence as we sing and as we pray and as we look to Holy Scripture we ask our Father that you would be gracious to the Saints and Surrey we thank you for that work of ministry there we pray for pastor Kirkpatrick that you'd uphold him that you would use him for your glory and the proclamation of truth we thank you for the gathered assembly in Vernon and we pray for that that worked that it would be blessed of God that you would sustain them that you would keep them that you would watch over them and in your time you would have provide provide a man of your own choosing to labor there in the word and in doctrine we also pray for our dear brother cam that we just asked that you would be merciful and gracious to him that you would sustain him and that you would encourage his heart and and uphold him in the inner man and just cause his body to heal and cause him to be well and we ask also for the new Feld's we pray for them that you would watch over them grant them the grace to no physical health and strength and the ability to bring glory and honor unto you we rejoice that a brother Shane is with us again we rejoice and your goodness and in your kindness and in your answers to prayer and our Father we ask that you would just continue to sustain this congregation that you would give us peace and grant us unity and give us the grace to endeavor in these things to keep these things and to bring glory to you in this local assembly we ask thee to be merciful and gracious to two Christian brothers and sisters and other nations that suffer under oppressive governments under false religious oppression we pray God that you would just bless your people with strength and with perseverance and the ability to even testify to their to their persecutors concerning the glory of Jesus Christ the Lord and our Father we just thank you now that you hear us we thank you for this time for corporate worship it's a blessing to gather with the people of God to sing the praises of God and to call upon you our God and we bless you through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well you may turn with me again in your Trinity hymnal to number 129 hymn number 129 will stand as we sing together [Music] [Music] well you can turn in your Bibles to the Gospel according to Luke for our scripture reading this morning we find ourselves in Luke chapter 16 where we'll pick up reading in verse 19 Luke 16 beginning in verse 19 there was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day but there was a certain beggar named Lazarus full of sores who was laid at his gate desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from from it from the rich man's table moreover the dogs came and licked his sores so it was that the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom the rich man also died and was buried and being in torments in Hades he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom and he cried out and said father Abraham have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame but Abraham said son remember that in your lifetime you received your good things and likewise lazarus evil things but now he is comforted and you are tormented and besides all this between us and you there is a great gulf fixed so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot nor can those from there pass to us then he said I beg you therefore father that you would send him to my father's house for I have five brothers that he may testify to them lest they also come to this place of torment abraham said to him they have Moses and the prophets let them hear them and he said no father Abraham but if one goes to them from the dead they will repent but he said to him if they do not hear Moses and the prophets neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead then he said to the disciples it is impossible that no offences should come but woe to him through whom they do come it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea then he should offend one of these little ones take heed to yourselves if your brother sins against you rebuke him and if he repents forgive him and if he sins against you seven times in a day and seven times in a day returns to you saying I repent he shall forgive him the Apostle said to the Lord increase our faith so the Lord said if you have faith as a mustard seed you can say to this mulberry tree be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea and it would obey you and which of you having a servant plowing or tending sheep will say to him when he has come in come home in from the field come at once and sit down to eat but will he not rather say to him prepare something from my supper and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk and afterward you will eat and drink does he thank the servant because he did the things that were commanded him I think not so likewise when you have done all those things which you are commanded say we're unprofitable servants we have done what was our duty to do amen well in this first part of our reading this last part of Luke chapter 16 we have this parable actually not called a parable about the rich man and Lazarus and I think the teaching is clear in some particulars and one of those particulars is in verse 25 he says or Abraham says son remember that in your lifetime you received your good things and likewise lazarus evil things but now he is comforted and you are tormented and I think that's a particularly scary passage in the Bible I think it's a particularly terrifying passage in the Bible because the emphasis on this or with this is that we will take our memory beyond the grave in other words there is a continuity between our lives here on earth and our lives post grave when we get to the eternal state whether it's heaven or it's Hell there will be the ability to remember now are we going to remember everything crystal-clear probably not but we will remember those times that we had indeed heard the gospel and rejected it and resisted it we will probably remember the times when godly parents or friends our spouse is urged us or pleaded with us to come to Jesus to be reconciled I think this is probably to be identified with that worm that daya thought that continual plague of conscience or remembrance upon the heart or mind of the unbeliever the unrepentant and I think that this is something you ought to consider every time you hear the gospel every time you hear the word of God you may remember this in the age to come when you had rejected it and then notice as well I think a timely message for our generation I'm sure for every generation but we have seen the advent of books and and tapes and well not tape so much anymore but live streaming or you know the the conference is where persons have have died and they've come back and and they have a message for you know the people on earth well the Bible tells us that the Bible is sufficient notice in verse 27 that he said I beg you therefore father that you would send him to my father's house for I have five brothers that he may testify to them lest they also come to this place of torment abraham said to him they have Moses and the prophets let them hear them and he said no father Abraham but if one goes to them from the dead they will repent but he said to him if they do not hear Moses and the prophets neither will they be persuaded though one is risen from the dead it's not these sort of afterlife experiences our these near-death experiences that sinners need to hear they need to hear the gospel the life and the death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and here specifically Jesus indictment is upon his generation they're not going to receive it even though one does come back from the dead Christ he is going to be raised the third day he is going to manifest himself to Israel and they're still going to continue to reject him and resist him we need to remember it's not the experience it's not the sort of extraordinary it is the preaching of God's Word it is the law the prophets the writings and the New Testament that God uses to bring sinners unto himself well let us pray our Father we say you for the sufficiency of Scripture and that it testifies to us concerning Jesus Christ that one in whom every spiritual blessing is and we pray that sinners everywhere would hear this gospel today and that your word would would not return unto you void but it would in fact accomplish the the purpose for which you send it and we rejoice God in your goodness with reference to the crawls and this new baby we rejoice in the other ladies that are pregnant and especially we pray for Lindsay this morning as she gets close to the date we ask God that you would bless these little ones in the womb cause them to be born physically well and one day to be born again by the power of your Holy Spirit we thank you for your mercy and your goodness and your kindness to us we thank you for the little ones the young people that are in this congregation and our hearts desire an earnest plea for them is that they would remember their Creator in their youth that they would know the joy of being found in Jesus Christ knotting up not having a righteousness which is their their own from the law but that which is from you through faith in Jesus Christ and we pray this in his name amen well for our final hymn before we look at God's Word in detail we can turn to number 324 hymn number 324 again I'll ask you to stand as we sing together [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] we can turn back to Luke's Gospel but Luke chapter seven Luke chapter seven our passage this morning will be verses 36 to 50 and I'll read that section now Luke 7 beginning in verse 36 then one of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him and he went to the Pharisees house and sat down to eat and behold a woman in the city who was a sinner when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisees house brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil and stood at his feet behind him weeping and she began to wash his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and she kissed his feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he spoke to himself saying this man if he were a prophet would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching him for she is a sinner and jesus answered and said to him Simon I have something to say to you so he said teachers say it there was a certain creditor who had two debtors one owed five hundred denarii and the other fifty and when they had nothing with which to pay he freely forgave them both tell me therefore which of them will love him more Simon answered and said I I suppose the one whom he forgave more and he said to him you have rightly judged then he turned to the woman and said to Simon do you see this woman I entered your house you gave me no water for my feet but she has washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head he gave me no kiss but this woman has not ceased to kiss my feet since the time I came in you did not anoint my head with oil but this woman has anointed my feet with fragrant oil therefore I say to you her sins which are many are forgiven for she loved much but to whom little is forgiven the same loves little then he said to her your sins are forgiven and those who sat at the table with him began to say to themselves who is this who even forgives sins then he said to the woman your faith has saved you go in peace amen well let us pray father thank you for the written word of God and thank you for the blessed Savior that the Bible shows us and we ask now that the Spirit would shine the light upon the glorious Savior for sinners and that as believers our love for Christ would be drawn out even more that our love for Christ would not grow cold that our love for Christ would burn hot and that we would reflect upon our justification by grace through faith and that this would indeed provoke in us a love for the Saviour King we also pray for unbelievers that this morning they would see the accessibility of our Christ the largeness of our Christ the mercy the goodness the kindness of our Christ and the reality of 1st Corinthians chapter 6 that Christ is a real Savior for real sinners fill us now with your Holy Spirit and we pray in Jesus name Amen well this particular account is unique to Luke's Gospel some see a parallel between this in Jesus anointing and Bethany and certainly a parallel conceptually but they are different accounts the differences are significant in terms of that I want to look at the three parties involved in this particular section we'll note first the woman who was a sinner secondly the Pharisee who was judgmental and third the Savior who is altogether lovely so as I said we'll look at the three parties and then seek by the grace of God to draw out some practical applications but it's always helpful when we jump into a passage of Scripture to understand our context and we see the immediate context is there in verse 36 then one of the Pharisees asked him that's Jesus to eat with him so the immediate contact is there's a man by the name of Simon he's a Pharisee he's one of the religious class he's a leader in Israel he is one with some degree of prestige he is one that's part of a party that for the most part is opposed to Jesus so we ought to appreciate at this particular juncture that this Pharisee at least gives Jesus a chance I don't know if that's actually what he's doing but but he has Jesus over for a meal so that's the immediate context but it's also helpful to understand a bit of the broader context if you notice in Luke chapter 7 at verse 34 Christ is speaking about the generation to whom he ministers and he says to them that they are sort of fickle John came and he didn't eat or drink and you said that he had a demon Jesus comes the Son of Man and eats and drinks and you call him a a wine-bibber and a glutton and you call him a friend of sinners well as we move into this particular passage that's precisely what we see Jesus is he is a friend for sinners and in this we should greatly rejoice now notice in terms of this particular woman her identity it says in verse 37 and behold a woman in the city who was a sinner now this probably indicates that she was a notorious sinner all of us are sinners to be sure and we ought never to minimize that but we also ought to recognize that there are notorious sinners there are really bad sinners if I can use that sort of language the fact that Luke highlights that and the fact that several places in the Gospel sinners is related to other types of persons we see that they were notorious tax collectors for instance heathens in fact in Matthew 18 if a man doesn't listen to the church then then he ought to be to you like a heathen and a tax collector now most commentators who set a suspect or suppose that this particular woman was a harlot she was a prostitute she had relations with men for money and when we look at the particular section I think there's a lot to indicate that that's probably the case when notorious groups are mentioned such as tax collectors their link with sinners Gentiles harlots extortioners unjust and adulterous men but I also want you to notice something else in verse 37 it says and behold a woman in the city who was a sinner now there was there doesn't mean that now she's perfectly innocent she was a notorious sinner its idea that we see in first Corinthians chapter 6 9 through 11 don't be deceived these kinds of people are not going to enter the kingdom of God and such were some of you I will argue that it's a gross miss reading of this passage to see Luke 7 36 to 50 as this woman's conversion account she's already converted she's already saved she was a sinner she finds out now that Jesus is in a Pharisees house and she goes to him not for salvation but to express the salvation she has already experienced she was a sinner now she's a saved Saint and she acts consistently with what a saved Saint looks like notice the boldness of this woman the woman again was probably converted I want to show you this look back at Luke chapter 7 in verse 31 Luke chapter 7 verse 31 and the Lord said to whom then shall I liken the men of this generation what are they like they're like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another saying we played the flute for you and you did not dance we mourn to you and you did not weep for John the Baptist came neither neither eating bread nor drinking wine and you say he has a demon the Son of man has come eating and drinking you know and you say look a glutton and a wine-bibber a friend of tax collectors and sinners but wisdom is justified by all her children now turn to a parallel passage in Matthew chapter 11 Matthew chapter 11 just to show you that natthew 11 in Luke 7 are dealing with the same timeframe and we know that they're dealing with the same timeframe by reference to what we just read notice in Matthew 1116 but to what shall I liken this generation it is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions and saying we played the flute for you you did not dance we mourn to you and you did not like see I don't need to keep reading it because you just saw it in Luke chapter 7 now Luke doesn't record what continues in this particular section so drop down to verse 25 where Jesus answers and says I thank you Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes even so father for so it seemed good in your all things have been delivered to me by my father no one knows the son except the father nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and the one to whom the son wills to reveal him now note verse 28 this woman that was a sinner this harlot that was present probably heard the language of our Lord Jesus she was in fact one of these weary and heavy-laden ones that had by grace in fact come to him notice in verse 28 come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light so if I argue that this is not a conversion account but this is the response of a converted center or a redeemed center to her Savior when she gets saved she probably heard Jesus ministry she might have heard that come to me all you who are weary and are heavy-laden this is not her conversion this is an expression of her love devotion worship and adoration and then we notice something concerning the boldness of faith the next time you're at Tim Hortons or you're right you know your favorite coffee shop your favorite restaurant you feel a tinge of embarrassment about praying in public this woman which was a harlot is coming into the house of a Pharisee now this is as much to mix oil and water as any combination you might have conceived she doesn't care what the pharisees going to say she doesn't care what the rest of them are going to say she doesn't care what the prevailing opinions are concerning her her new religious faith she cares to express love devotion and worship to the Savior who had conquered her to the Savior that had received her to the Savior that had cleansed her from her sins while these Pharisees and these these these religious leaders look down on such a lot she knew Christ was altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand this is a great boldness she goes into the house of a Pharisee again you just probably you don't think a whole lot about that if you were a prostitute or had been and you were known through you probably wouldn't go to Pharisees houses I'm just guessing that wasn't the protocol now notre action she takes the tools of her trade and sacrifices them to the Lord Christ her perfume in her hair many of the older commentators recognize this very seat that the significance of that the perfume and the hair what is she doing things that at one time she utilized in terms of her trade are now sacrificed at the feet of the master John bill understands it this way when he writes that which was her ornament and pride and which she took great care of to nourish and put in proper form to render her desirable she uses instead of as a towel to wipe her Lords feet and her tears off of them you see that you see well at one time was precious and near and dear to her heart because it was part of her livelihood now she sacrifices it to the Lord Jesus Christ now it's it's nothing now it's something that she utilizes as a means by which to express that devotion notice her humility she didn't stand right up in front of Jesus and say Here I am Jesus I I came to you in that that preaching meeting recently and I I just want to fellowship know she comes humbly before the master again all these things are indicative of Grace in the heart all these things are true those who have been converted there is this desire to part with the past there is this desire to approach God with humility now they're against not with frivolity not some entertainment sort of way but we approach the God of heaven and earth is holy holy holy and it demands that we do so with humility and that is precisely what she does she began to wash his feet with her tears wiped them with the hair of her head she kissed his feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil again that washing kissing and northing his feet it's evidence of her devotion and a worship so that's the woman that was a sinner now notice secondly the Pharisee who was judgmental verse 39 I think will grant him at least a surface level courtesy the word surface level wise he's okay he's alright he invites Jesus and as I said his party for the most opposes Jesus but he has Jesus over for a meal as well he doesn't immediately demand the exclusion of the woman he sees her there he knows she's there he knows her reputation he knows what she was but he doesn't say away with her get her out of my holy dig see there's a surface level courtesy that this man manifests or this man demonstrates but notice the text specifically there is a heart level judge mentalism that infects him a heart level judgmentalism that affects him and this is where we ought to observe surface level curtain surface level courtesy ought never to be interpreted as grace in the heart I mean just somebody just because somebody's friendly to a Christian or somebody's friendly on a surface level to the Savior doesn't mean they're saved doesn't mean they're in a state of grace we can't judge you know good morals as the means by which or the reason by which somebody saved there's some pretty moral atheists out there and some pretty terrible Christians out there so we need to be careful and cautious when it comes to this particular thing this man on the surface is nice he has Jesus over he doesn't have the woman thrown out but notice that the the heart level sort of judgmentalism he's just like that Pharisee in Luke 18 that we considered several weeks ago why did Jesus tell the parable about the publican and the pharisee he told it because there were those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others you see self-righteousness is always accompanied by judgmentalism of others this is why it's so bad and dangerous and wicked we ought not to be a self-righteous people we ought not to be the sorts of people that that thank God that we're not like other men thank you God that we're not the charismatic thank you God that we're not the Pentecostals thank you God that we're not the heathen thank you God no we ought not to be that way because it's an offense to God and it always provokes that looking down on others and that is precisely what this man does notice he judges the woman for she is a sinner and I think whenever we see that sort of thing and we saw this in Luke 18 it is to minimize sin it is to see one person sin is more bad than my set now I know I gave some credence to that earlier when I said real bad sinners or notorious sinners let me be very clear all sin is bad the language of the Westminster Shorter Catechism I think is very accurate what does every sin deserve every sin deserves God's wrath and Kurt's both in this life and that which is to come terms of the woman that was a sinner again there's this category that that in Israel tax collectors publicans harlots they were the the sinners this man when he identifies her as a sinner he's saying something about himself as well well I'm not that bad as well I think it's a dig upon the grace of God Almighty this is where I think we need to be careful also what what's sort of implicit in this for she is a a sinner I think implied as she'sshe's beyond hope she's she's too far gone I mean after all she she's a harlot she she can't she can't be in the presence of God she can't be on on a good footing with our Lord brethren is that what we think that somehow there's a sinner out there too bad for Jesus to save do we actually think for a moment well well they're beyond hope when there's breath in the lungs there's hope for sinners until that day when they cross that threshold into hell there is hope for sinners you say well what about apostasy Hebrews six Hebrews 10 we don't know whose apostate they don't come with an a on their foreheads we don't know that so we continue to preach the gospel to them until they take their dying breath brethren the reality of the Christian gospel is simply this Christ Jesus came into the world sinners to save there is nobody beyond the scope there is nobody beyond hope there's nobody out there that it's too sinful for God to save and yet this man seems to be implying this when he says for she is a sinner we need to be very careful that we don't imbibe the ethic of this particular Pharisee but as well notice he judges Christ he judges Jesus in this statement also notice verse thirty verse 39 this man if he were a prophet would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching him for for she is a sinner now this was obvious and this was pretty common knowledge that prophets could discern the art prophets knew what was sort of on the inside of a man and so you see the man's logic if this man were a prophet he he he would know what kind of man woman this is he would know who she is and what's the implication having known that he would have nothing to do with her this again just to miss read their old old teto own Old Testaments I think about God's mercy displayed in the Old Testament remember that that fellow by the name of Hosea what's God tell Hosea to do he tells him to marry a prostitute now people don't like that so they adopt a figurative or a metaphorical or what God told Hosea to marry a prostitute now there's something going on in terms of that relationship not only procreation and you know trying to live happily ever after but it is in fact a picture of God's love for Israel you see Hosea represents God and Israel represents Gomer and so God is telling Israel that this is what's what and this is what you need to do in terms of repentance this man says if if if he were a prophet he would know who and what manner of woman who this is who is touching him for she is a sinner the denial that Christ was a prophet is based on his reception of the woman's devotion now let's look finally thirdly at the Savior who is altogether lovely we've seen the woman who was a sinner we see the Pharisee who was judgmental let's see the Savior who is altogether lovely note first in terms of the illustration that he uses verses 40 to 43 what's Jesus do he doesn't say to Simon the Pharisee yea I am a prophet let me show you my you know my prophet card let me show you my credentials but the fact that he speaks directly to the Pharisees concern evidences that he not only knows who woman is but he also knows who the Pharisee is does everybody see that ready with me I know it's a warm ish day and it's you know getting cool in here but but I think that this passage affords a great deal for sooner and Saint alike to find great comfort and encouragement from the master but notice that he speaks specifically to what this man says he is in fact a prophet notice as well the illustration and it highlights the grace of God so jesus answered and said to him Simon I have something to say to you so he said teacher say it there was a certain creditor who had two debtors one owed five hundred denarii I and the other 50 now Denarius was a common Roman coin roughly equal in purchasing power to an agricultural workers daily wage okay that's kind of what we're dealing with in terms of this Denarius ordinary I one owed five hundred denarii I and the other fifty and when they had nothing with which to repay he freely forgave them both tell me therefore which of them will love him more Simon answered and said I suppose the one whom he forgave more so the illustration here highlights the grace of God and again the illustration serves as the backdrop to the theology of the passage and the theology of the passage develops along the lines of the illustration they were graciously forgiven of the debt and as a response or as a consequence sale of the creditor to come to this passage and say well it's the woman's devotion it's the woman's love it's the woman's admiration it's the woman's expression of these things that gains or Garner's the forgiveness of sins no that's the consequence of her having been forgiven the illustration couldn't be clearer this creditor has two debtors one owes 500 another 50 and he freely forgives them both and then he asks the Pharisee I love this notice he asks him tell me therefore which of them will love him more Simon answered and said I suppose this sounds tentative doesn't it maybe he somehow conscious now of what's happening maybe he just walked into that trap and the thing has shot and he knows he's there his foot just got you know lassoed and and and he's hanging from the tree I suppose we didn't you suppose this is obvious isn't it if I forgive you five hundred and REI you're gonna love me a whole lot more than somebody I forgive fifty Dan area five Denari I for dinero you see the logic so there's a tentativeness about the Pharisee at this particular juncture because perhaps he knows what he's getting into I suppose the one whom he forgave more of course it's the one who forgave more of course that's just logic isn't it that's just consistency if you go to the bank and your bank says you know somebody came in and paid your debt so that you no longer owe if you owed you know fifty bucks you'd go home and say honey guess what happened to me it was really cool somebody paid my debt and I don't know fifty bucks in the bank anymore but if it was five hundred thousand bucks yeah you're going home would be a little bit different wasn't you yeah you had to run through the door you shoot me up the stairs you grab your wife you dance around the kitchen you'd say somebody paid five hundred thousand dollars well it's a no-brainer brethren the Pharisee knows it's a no brainer brethren but the Pharisee doesn't want to step into the trap so he says I I suppose the one who's been forgiven more of course now notice Jesus application of this simple illustration he says verse 44 he turns to the woman and said to Simon do you see this woman I entered your house you gave me no water for my feet but she has washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with wit with the hair of her head this was common courtesy if you come over to somebody's house today this should be common courtesy right you go to somebody's house and they say would you like a coffee would you like some water would you like you know something refreshing to drink on a on a hot day we won't say that wow I I went were there and they offered me a glass of water they are extraordinary beings but that's not the response is it it's pretty commonplace you go to somebody's house it's not a lot to hope for to get a glass of water this isn't the Sahara this isn't you know the Mojave we have water and we like to extend that benefit to people as a common expression of kindness the pharisee doesn't even extend the common expression of kindness to Jesus and yet the woman the one that woman that the Pharisees looking down on the woman that the Pharisee doesn't like the woman that the Pharisee is judgmental off you gave me no water for my feet but she has washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head he goes on to say you gave me no kiss but this woman has not ceased to kiss my feet since the time I came in you did not anoint my feet with oil with oil but this woman has anointed my feet with fragrant oil you see what he is saying to this particular man who is looking down in judgment upon this woman that was a sinner and upon the master who is in fact a Savior he is saying this is all wrong this isn't right the fact is if he was a prophet he would shoe this woman away Jesus says no listen to the parable listen to the illustration the creditor is owed money by two parties and he forgives them both who's gonna love him more it's the one who has given the bra forgiven of the bigger debt and this is how he underscores it and this is how he highlights it now notice the specific point theologically in verse 47 he says therefore I say to you her sins which are many are forgiven for she loved much but to whom little is forgiven the same loves little now this therefore I say to you her sins which are many are forgiven for she loved much that's a good translation but we could also translate it as therefore and if we read it that way if it's not translated that way that's theologically how it's supposed to be understood therefore I say to you her sins which are many are forgiven therefore she loved much he is not saying that her sins were forgiven because she loved much he is saying that she loves much because her sins have been forgiven the theology of Luke 736 250 is the theology of the Protestant Reformation it is justification by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone now the chief manifestation or evidence of a true justifying faith is what is love for the master and brethren believer confessing Saint those who have been conquered by Sovereign Grace take your cue from this woman this is what we ought to be not cold-hearted toward our master not standoffish from the master not resistant to the master but in love with the master we don't have the ability the equivalency to anoint his feet and to kiss him physically but we certainly have the wherewithal and the ability to spend time within in the private place we have the ability and the wherewithal to spend time within in the public place we can manifest that love for Jesus in terms of devotion worship adoration and praise maybe not in the same concrete sort of manner this woman was able to but those who have been saved by grace through faith this is the reflex action left to Christ it's easy to forget that as people isn't it or as the people of God isn't it so no not me brother I always remember the love of Christ well you're better than most of us because Jesus indictment to the church at Ephesus his problem with them is that you have lost your first love now the fact that he doesn't close the church down indicates that it wasn't a lost your first love altogether it wasn't a lost your first love and have become apostate no because Jesus commends the church and Ephesus for having done good things they tested those who said they were apostles and were not so Christ commends the church but he says nevertheless I have this against you that you've left your first love again it doesn't mean apostasy it doesn't mean atheism doesn't mean they all collectively woke up on a Monday morning and said let's go join the you know Diana cult let's go bow before it known on no no there are those times in the life of the Christian isn't there being honest you have to nod you don't raise your hand don't need one of those every a head bowed every eye closed moments the Brethren there's times when we struggle with this particular isn't it isn't this what Jesus says to Peter after the resurrection and the epilogue in John chapter 21 Peter do you love me Oh Lord you know that I love you Peter do you love me Lord you know that I love you Peter do you love me Peter says you know all things you know that I love you why does Jesus ask him that why doesn't he say do you know the 1689 London confession thing have you read birkoff have you been to the Saturday morning meetings what's your attendance like on Wednesday night no he asks him do you love me you see it's not salvation through love but its salvation unto love what's the tooth for most commandments summarizing the the entirety of the Torah love to God love to man love to God is what this woman expresses here by these concrete activities in Jesus presence so don't say well I can't do this because Jesus isn't physically present Christ is present by his Spirit through his word and we most certainly can't express love and devotion and worship and honor and praise and glory given unto him and it's very easy brethren to blame everything else well you don't know my situation you don't know what I've got to go through you don't know the kind of people that I dwell amongst don't blame shift don't be the victim just confess your sins to God Almighty and say Lord I haven't loved you as I thought please fire up my heart to do so may it be that I'm the bride in the book of Song of Solomon and I described the master the way that she does he is altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand I am My Beloved's and my beloved is mine that's what ultimately we're about isn't it why does Jesus save us yes to forgive us of our sins yes to bring us unto heaven to enter relationship with Almighty God what's that relationship based on God is love love to Christ as the chief expression of having had faith in Christ and that's the emphasis in the passage therefore I say to you her sins which are many are forgiven therefore she loved much but to whom little is forgiven the same loves little the theology here if here reflects the theology of the illustration in verses 41 and 43 41 to 43 he doesn't say that they paid back and then he forgave them he he forgave them freely and then they respond in love it's the same with this woman she was forgiven freely and she has responded in love JC royal says her love was the effect of her forgiveness not the causes does everybody follow what I'm saying here there are some who teach that we need to bring this to the table in order to be saved I'm going to tell you you can't bring it to the table in order to be saved because that love that obedience to God that you must bring to the table is perpetual it's exact it's entire and it's personal you don't have it to do if you think that my approach to God for salvation I don't mean my Jim yours.you your approach to salvation with God is he does a little and you do a little he meets you halfway and you bring love and you bring devotion and you bring worship and you bring out a ratio and when you bring that and he sees the legitimacy of it well then he will convey upon you forgiveness of sins if that's your understanding of the gospel may I gently say to you today you're absolutely positively 100% wrong you see we would never come to the table we would never come to the table unless God draws us and when we get to that table there's nothing in our hand are that we bring we simply cling to the cross of Jesus Christ we don't bring something to the table say okay God hears this and hears that and if I do this and if I do that then you will reward me with salvation Luther was on the right path he said the only thing we bring to our salvation is the sin we need to be saved from that's what we bring to the table we don't bring love we don't bring devotion we don't bring affection we don't bring 80 percent of it and then God meets us and gives us the right that's not the theology of the Bible that is not the great doctrine of justification by faith justification by faith is by faith alone not by faith plus works so listen to roil in that context her love was the effect of her forgiveness not the concept of the cause the consequence of her forgiveness not the condition the result of her forgiveness not the reason the fruit of her forgiveness not the root I don't know how many more ways he could say that to basically say the emphasis throughout the church in its best expression on justification by faith alone is certainly not challenged by this this woman was saved this woman comes as a conquered sinner this woman comes as one who was not in the sense that she no longer sins this is in a Wesleyan passage which she's no longer this notorious sinner she's no longer a prostitute she no longer has relations with men for money now she worships the master who saved her that's what's happening in this particular passage and that's what Christ is underscoring now notice in verse 48 then he said to her your sins are forgiven now some will say well there it is that's the justification that's the conversion no why isn't it the case that that he can't pronounce your sins are forgiven to her for her comfort and her encouragement if she's heard his preaching from afar and hasn't met him up and in person this is perfectly consistent but I suggest he's not only saying it for her benefit he's saying it for the Pharisees benefit and everybody in the house because in verse 49 it just rocks everybody there say who does this man think he is to forgive sins that's one of the emphases of our Lord and his earthly ministry was to demonstrate that the son of man has power on earth to forgive sins so he looks to the woman and he says to her your sins are forgiven the declaration is for the benefit of the Pharisee and those in the house and the declaration is for the benefit of the woman again John Gill says and partly on the woman's account that she might have a fresh discovery of the forgiveness her sins for her comfort under the severe censure of the Pharisee and that her faith and it might be strengthened we see the logic in the rationale the Pharisee has all but put her in hell the Pharisee is all but said that Jesus come on board this woman you know weep over your feet use those feet to kick her away from you that woman needed a fresh dose of Psalm 133 and 4 she needed a fresh dose of Psalm 25 11 she needed a fresh dose of first John 1:9 she needed a fresh dose of that forgiveness that God most high gives to needy sinners and that's why Jesus does it he says your sins are forgiven not for the first time this is not justification this isn't this isn't conversion just like us some of us were converted what 10 20 30 years ago do we need to hear your sins are forgiven to you to us today oh yeah we do you say well no I don't need to hear it sometimes I just say to my wife do you love me I know she does I just like to hear it it just makes me happy to hear her say it not that she's even shy and saying it she says it a lot I just like it a lot lot extremely insecure and I need that for my encouragement what believer who is converted 30 years ago doesn't need to hear today your sins are forgiven none of us would conclude well today was the day they were saying no we were saved 30 years ago we have sins today we need forgiveness today and when we're with a bunch of self-righteous proud judgmental Pharisees that are looking down their noses at us and asking how in the world could this man think he's a prophet when he's standing in her presence of course I need a better reinsure reassurance and this is precisely what Jesus does your your sins are forgiven you there are no sweeter words on the face of the earth or there go back to the bank analogy somebody paid your $500,000 debt is chump change to the reality that your sins are forgiven you having the bestest person on the face of the earth say I due to you it's great I won't call it chump change but when God Most High says your sins are forgiven you there's nothing better can any of you in your lives ever think of anything that trumps the reality that your sins are forgiven I can that's like the most blessed excellent wonderful thing on the face of the earth this is why when we sing 580 God willing tonight I think it's on the roster yep we'll sing my sin oh the Bliss of this glorious thought my sin not in part but the whole is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more praise the Lord praise the Lord it's that the best words you've ever heard your sins are forgiven you or your sins are forgiven yes isn't it you don't have to look puzzled you don't have to be afraid of being a charismatic or pentagons you can shake it yeah yeah it's great to be forgiven great to know my my sins have been dealt with it's great to know they didn't covered they've been blotted out they've been put away it's great to know the prophet Micah that that God takes my sins and he and he cast them into the depths of the sea he's not a fly fisherman he's a deep-sea fishermen and he cast those sins to the depths of the sea our God is a God of forgiveness our God is a God of mercy and a God of grace our God is a God of kindness and and and love the God of the the father of the prodigal who runs from the porch and falls on that young man smelling a pig smelling of sin and wretchedness and evil and and godlessness and he and he puts a ring on his finger he puts a robe on his back he slays the fatted calf and he rejoices because this son of mine who is dead is now alive there's a problem with our theology proper if we see God as it's grudgingly going about his task of saving people oh he does it but he's not happy about it that is not the case with reference to our God much better to see him in the language of the prodigal much better to see him like Luke 15 to see that that older man don't visualize God to be sure but in terms of the prodigal parable this man is running down in to the field to pick up his son that's our God that's why this Pharisees like if he knew what manner of woman this was he knew what she was he knew who she was he wouldn't have any dealings with her this is where you're wrong see this is where you're always wrong Pharisee because this is precisely the type of people that Jesus has dealings with he didn't come to call the righteous but he came to call sinners to repentance and these guys could ruin everything couldn't they they ruin everything God Most High is saving a woman that was a sinner this woman that was a harlot she's no longer walking the streets for money she's now bowing to the Messiah and he's upset I mean what kind of logic is that what kind of a mindset is that it's just like the crowd and look 19 when Zacchaeus may taste and comes down from the tree and Jesus says I got to eat dinner at your house tonight what does the crowd do they mumble they grumble they complain it's because God's grace is offensive to the carnal man because God's grace doesn't make sense we reasoned that she's a nasty woman she's a terrible woman she doesn't deserve heaven well I've got news for you no one deserves having every single one of us have fallen short of the glory of God every single one of us like sheep have gone astray every single one of us deserve God's wrath and curse both in this life and that which is to come every single one of us has done this with every commandment of God none of us deserve heaven that's the glory of the Christian gospel that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself that's the emphasis in this passage it's not on the goodness of the woman it's not on the the the beauty of this Pharisee and his self-righteousness it's on the glory of the Son of Man who is able to forgive sins and then notice the confirmation of all of this then he said to the woman in verse 50 your love has saved you the way you've shown expressions of devotion and kindness and anointed me that that's what said your faith has saved you just in case we haven't blasted the theory that persons are are saved by faith plus works or just by works he makes it clear your faith has saved you and now the rest of the Bible indicates for us that that's not a meritorious work she didn't bring the faith to the table and therefore she has been saved the faith that she has is a gift of God the faith that she has has been planted in her heart by the Holy Spirit the faith that she has is the empty hand that receives the blessings of salvation by grace faith is the instrument that brings us into living can contact with our Lord Jesus Christ the instrument that brings a sinner into saving union with Christ is faith not love the woman by the grace of God had believed the gospel and love to Christ remember was the consequence at the cause she's not saved because of her love she's saved by grace through faith unto love the woman as well having been justified by faith was now able to have peace with God look at that statement verse 15 if verse 48 is the best thing we can ever hear the best thing we can ever know and I should say when you hear this it's not audibly it's not gonna be the case that you believe the gospel today you believe this Christ this morning or this evening or whenever God willing you subsequently do believe and you know haven't elope in and you'll hear an audible sound your sins are forgiven how does God communicate your sins are forgiven he communicates it in psalm 130 verses 3 and 4 where the psalmist said if thou Lord should smark iniquities O Lord who could stand but there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared he communicates the forgiveness of sins in the prophet Isaiah look to me all the ends of the earth for I am God and there is no other prophet Isaiah and God says I will blot out your transgressions he communicates it in first John chapter 1 if we confess our sins he's faithful and just to forgive us he communicates it in proverbs 28 whoever covers his transgression will not prosper but whoever confesses and forsakes it will find what they'll find mercy he communicates it in that passage that we read in Luke 17 Jesus is asked if my brother comes and sins against me seven times in a day do I do I forgive him those seven times and Jesus says no you forgive him seven times seventy you see that's how God communicates to us that our are forgiven it's not audibly it's not you know mystically it's through the written word of God that's what faith is it's to believe the Bible faith is to believe all that the Bible teaches but it has principle reference or the principle acts of saving faith have relationship to who Jesus is that's it some magic it's not brain surgery it's not I can't ever be saved because this faith thing is so complicated believe what scripture says that's faith believe what scripture says concerning the doing and the dying and the rising of the Lord Jesus Christ but if these are the best words we will ever hear notice the result in verse 50 your faith has saved you go in peace it's in peace great peace is you know on a human scale when you're empty nesters you know when you're not empty nesters and you have five little kids you don't know a lot of peace in the home it's great it's wonderful but peaceful typically isn't the way brothers are looking at me thinking have ten and think about how peaceful it is peace is wonderful we love peace don't you love peace in your marriage relationship there's something out of whack what do you do do you whine grumble complain or do you fix it to restore the peace you fix it to restore the peace we've got a problem at work what do you do whine grumble mumble but I know you fix the problem so you can have peace whatever it is you do you want to bring glory to God you need that peace in that environment in order to do that peace is a wonderful thing look at the world today what does everybody want they want peace we want peace in the Middle East want peace with Russia well on peace with North Korea these are all good legitimate things we shouldn't want chaos we shouldn't want disorder we shouldn't want disruption we shouldn't want the sorts of things that oftentimes manifest themselves in our families and in our nation peace is a most blessed thing it's the means by which we acquire peace Romans 5:1 therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with God we have lots of disruptions in our home we may have disruptions at work we may have problems in society there may be a lot of things that want to almost push us over the edge but in this we do have peace we have peace with God and that's what this woman has she has no peace with Pharisees she has peace with God now I want to bring this to a conclusion by highlighting three quick things first the theology that is wonderfully consistent the woman heard the gospel the one didn't believe the gospel and the woman was justified that's the clear reading of the passage as well the woman then manifests the saving power of God in her life by acts of devotion and worship for Jesus this is why Psalm 122 David says I was glad when they said unto me let us go to the house of the Lord glad hearts want to come to church now I know their struggles and I know there's remaining corruption and I know there are seasons and times and the alarm clock goes off and you kind of just want to go back to sleep I get that there's remaining corruption but the consistent refrain of the redeemed heart is I love the gates of Zion - God loves them more than all the blowing places of Jacob I want to be like God and love them - I understand there might be a remaining corruption there might be some remaining challenges but for the most part we want to express devotion and worship to the Lord the woman illustrates what is said by Paul in Galatians 5:6 I'll read it you can turn there if you'd like because I think it does shed light on this passage or I'll just read it it says for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but faith working through love again Roman Catholicism approaches Galatians 5:6 compare you know according to their theology oh it's faith working through love and it's that which then receives justification from God that's not what Paul saying Paul saying what Jesus is saying here faith working through love in other words faith in Christ is the means by which we we have justification justification by faith but what's the primary manifestation the primary evidence the primary demonstration is is love it's love that's what we see machen says love according to the New Testament is not the means of salvation but it is the finest fruit of it a man is saved by faith not by love but he is saved by faith in order that he may love you know I think we can forget that you know we why am I saved why am i here what am i doing do you ever get those big metaphysical quandary in your life you ask those questions you are saved to love Jesus I want to do more we always want to do more we just need to do the last and do it well not that there's less and loving Jesus you get young people they want to go sir they want to go on a mission feel they want to do this they want to do that that's great young people you should want to do that but do you sit at the feet of Jesus I would never send anybody to the mission field that hadn't shown a pattern and a habit of sitting at the feet of Jesus that's just bottom line basic what sinners saved by grace do they love Jesus you're not doing that you really shouldn't try to do other stuff notice the pattern as well that is graciously reproduced in all of the elect to believers like this woman are going to hear the gospel they're gonna believe the gospel they are going to be justified freely by His grace and the manifestation of that will be love love for Jesus love for others as well true believers are granted faith which is the alone instrument of justification but they need to remember in the language of our confession of faith that faith is not alone in the person justified but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces and is no dead faith but worketh by love it's beautiful isn't it we're not saved by love we're saved by grace through faith but the manifestation of that is love it worketh through love Ryle again makes this observation and this is beautiful because I think that you know as I sort of live and move and have my being here among the people of God and sure why not all the people of God but my close affinities here I think people want to be holy you know unless everybody's just lying no I don't want to be ratch and I want to continue there's an internal logic there that's refreshing but for the most part everybody wants to do what's right you're a blood bot you've been conquered by Sovereign Grace the desire is to be good husbands be good father be good worker be good churchmen that's the gym we should want those things women say by grace when we get wise good mothers good all that stuff you're a worker I want to do my job to the glory of God listen to what Ryan says he says there will never be more done for Christ till there is more hearty love to Christ himself the fear of punishment the desire of reward the sense of duty are all useful arguments in their way to persuade men to holiness but they are all weak and powerless until a man loves Christ once let that mighty principle get hold of a man and you will see his whole life changed beautiful very beautiful and then true believers ought to appreciate the movement in this passage the woman was a sinner just like the first Corinthians 6:9 2:11 and such were some of you you see brethren by the grace of God what identified us before or what characterized us before what was descriptive of us before is dealt with you know today they're modifying Christian with a whole host of other sorts of things i'ma this Christian i'ma that Christian i'ma this Christian and sometimes sins I'm a murdering Christian I'm a an adulterer ating Christian I'm a homosexual Christian no if we're Christians we have been forgiven of those things we are saved by His grace and the thing that describes us now the things that characterizes us now the thing that is the orientation of us now is that were washed in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and in that we can rejoice and if you're not a believer here this morning I would just like to direct you to this passage is a great invitation to you to come to the Savior because if a woman who was a harlot finds forgiveness with God through our Lord Jesus Christ that indicates there is in fact forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared never let your sinfulness keep you away from the Savior he came for that particular reason Newton was right I am a great sinner but he is a great Savior come to him in faith hear those blessed words your sins are forgiven and know the peace that does surpass all understanding even that right relationship with God through Jesus Christ our Lord well let us pray our Father we thank you for this your word we thank you for the consistent testimony of all of Scripture concerning the way of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord we ask God that you would help us as your people to respond to you with love with adoration with worship with devotion and for unbelievers here we pray that by grace they would look to Jesus Christ in faith we know God that you are able to save to the uttermost all who draw nigh unto you through Jesus Christ your son and may this be clearly communicated and may the holy spirit apply it to hearts and we pray this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord amen well let's close by singing the doxology it's Roman numeral 16 in your Trinity hymnal if you're not familiar if you are familiar please stand and we'll sing the doxology the praise unto our great triune God [Music] [Music] the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all amen father go with us now help us to enjoy the Sabbath may we find our rest in you may we delight ourselves in the Lord Jesus Christ and may you bring us together tonight that we may worship you in spirit and in truth and give us a love and a fondness for the house of God and the day of God and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord amen may close for a brief time emetic or be seated for a brief time of meditation