You Gave Me No Kiss | Isaac Moreno

A few months ago I was blessed with the opportunity to go to

Africa. And when I went to Africa, I was

kind of like there was Batman and then there's Robin.

You got the main preachers. And I was just kind of like a

little sidekick. My whole job was don't be John

Mark, don't get sent home early. We went to Zimbabwe and I just

didn't want to get in the way. I went with brother Alan Bonifay

and brother Brad Shockley. Brad's from Missouri, and in my

time in Africa, I was able to speak a few times at their they

call it their spring meeting, like our Labor Day meeting, and

when they asked me to speak, we're in a church building.

I'm across the world. We got no lights, I'm preaching

at night time. The only lights we have are the

lights from our phones. It was a surreal moment, and as

I was preparing to preach that night, I thought to myself, what

in the world can I talk about? What am I going to bring up?

I don't even know these people. They don't even.

We don't even live the same way. It's a completely different

world. What?

Where do I even begin? It became a lot more simple when

I realized we've all got the same problem and that is sin,

and we've all got the same solution.

His name is Jesus. That made everything so much

more simple as to where to go and for just a little while this

morning I just want to talk about Jesus and I just want to

preach Christ and Him crucified as Paul would say in First

1 Corinthians 2 · chapter mention

Corinthians chapter 2, verses one and two.

With that being said, you gave me no kiss.

You gave me no kiss. These are actually the words of

Jesus. And did you know he said this to

a man? Did you know that in the 1st

century kissing was not merely reduced to an expression of love

or passion or romance? No, kissing was a sign of

greeting. It was a sign of respect.

So just for a little while this morning we want to answer the

following questions we want to look at in Luke Chapter 7, who

Luke 7 · chapter mention

Jesus said this to, when he said it, and why he said it.

That's the whole goal of our study.

Without further ado, let's turn to Luke Chapter 7 and verse 36.

Luke 7 · chapter mention

There, the Bible says that one of the Pharisees asked him to

eat with him and he went to the Pharisees house and sat down to

eat. Now Jesus, in this occasion for

the setting of our story, he's invited to dinner.

He's invited over for a meal. Well, we eat meals all the time.

What's the big deal here? The Bible says that he's not

just invited to anyone's house, he's invited to a Pharisee's

house. In fact, the Bible says three

times in this chapter. This man is a Pharisee.

Ever. Before we ever learn of this

man's name, Jesus ate with the Pharisee.

Now maybe you're here. Maybe you're new.

This is the first time visiting. Maybe you've been coming to

church all your life. What we need to do is review a

few things. The Pharisees were among the

sects or religious groups of the Jews.

They were among the division or the factions of the Jews.

Now the Pharisees, they were religious, but they were also

political. Then you get the Sadducees.

They were political, but they're also religious.

Then you get the zealots. The zealots are comparable to

modern day ISIS jihad or Al Qaeda.

They were a group of religious extremists.

Once you get past the zealots, there's a group we hear less

about. They're called the Herodians.

By and large. They're known as being a

political group. They were followers of King

Herod, hence the name. Their Herodians.

Then this last little name, it's a name you're not going to find

in the Bible. But this is a group called the

Essens. The Essens were a little known

group. They settled outside of town in

the wilderness. What they're famous for is

preserving the Dead Sea Scrolls. These are a few of the religious

groups during the days of Jesus. Now Jesus comes into contact

with the Pharisee Pharisees. When you think of them, you

automatically think these are the enemies of Jesus.

Almost every time in the scriptures we come across a

Pharisee. Their whole goal is to tempt, to

test and to trick Jesus. They felt threatened by him

because he threatened their position in the religious world

of the Jews in the 1st century. It was a power struggle.

So they always thought to trick him, to accuse him, to destroy

him, to destroy him. Jesus gave one of his sharpest

and most stern rebukes to the Pharisees and Matthew chapter

Matthew 23 · chapter mention

23, where he would tell him, woe you scribes and Pharisees

hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs.

That's pretty blunt. I don't know if I could get away

with saying that today, but Jesus could.

He could read hearts. He could read people's minds.

But one thing we need to make certain and clear is that not

every Pharisee was evil. Not every Pharisee was out to

get Jesus. There was some sincere seekers

among the Pharisees. One of them is a man by the name

of Nicodemus Nicodemus. He comes to Jesus by night in

John Chapter 3 and he tells them, Rabbi, we know that you

John 3 · chapter mention

are a teacher come from God because no man can do these

signs that you do unless God is with him.

Nicodemus acknowledged what the other Pharisees denied.

Jesus is from God. How else could he do these

miracles? In John Chapter 7, when some

John 7 · chapter mention

other Pharisees and the Sanhedrin wanted to kill Jesus,

Nicodemus, he stood up for Jesus.

He said we don't take anybody to death before giving them a

lawful trial. And then in John chapter 19,

John 19 · chapter mention

Nicodemus is going to help bury the body of Jesus with a man by

the name of Joseph of Arimathea. Nicodemus was a Pharisee.

This man of our story, he is a Pharisee and his name, we learn,

is Simon. The Bible says that three times

after it and introduces him as a Pharisee.

So this is Simon the Pharisee. And the first lesson of our

study is this. Often what we talk about is

Jesus. He would eat with sinners and

tax collectors. He would eat with people like

you and me. He would go out of his way.

He never thought himself to be superior or others to be

inferior, No. But what is often overlooked is

Jesus also made himself available to the religious

officials. He made himself available to

everyone. And here, today, you and I, I

don't care where you come from. I don't care if you're black or

white, if you're a man or you're a woman, if you're rich or

you're poor. You're interested in the gospel.

So are we. We would love to study, study,

and share the good news of Jesus Christ with everybody and

anybody who has ears to hear and who is willing to learn.

We need to follow in Jesus example here.

Just because I don't look like you and you don't look like me

doesn't mean we can dismiss each other.

No, we must follow in the footsteps of Jesus now.

Jesus ate with sinners. He ate with religious official

officials, and on this occasion the story is going to shift its

focus to a Sinner. And Luke, Chapter 7 and verse

Luke 7 · chapter mention

37. The Bible says.

And behold, a woman in the city who was a Sinner when she knew

that Jesus sat at the table on the Pharisees house, brought an

alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood over his feet behind

him, weeping. And she began to wash his feet

with her tears and wipe them with the hair of her head.

And she kissed his feet and anointed them with the fragrant

oil. Our whole focus shifts from

Simon to a Sinner. In the 1st century Pharisees,

when they would invite people to their home, they would have

their windows open. They'd have their doors open,

because every time they did something good, they wanted

everybody outside to look and see I'm doing something good.

This woman, she's a Sinner. She knows about Jesus.

She's heard about Jesus. We don't even get to learn her

name in this story. That doesn't really much matter.

The Bible just tells us she's a Sinner.

That's her reputation. Everybody knows she's a Sinner.

She comes over now. We don't know what kind of sin

she was involved with. All we know is that everybody

knew about it. Some people like to speculate.

Some people like to think this woman's an adulterous woman.

She was caught in adultery. We don't know.

All we know is her reputation was Sinner.

She goes to Jesus. She finds Jesus.

She stands before Jesus. She falls at his feet.

She starts crying. Why?

She starts weeping. Why?

Well, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the

Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for

they shall be comforted. This woman, she's come into

contact with Jesus, and she immediately recognizes who Jesus

is and who she's not. She's confronted with the

overwhelming guilt of her sins, and so she weeps uncontrollably.

The literal Greek word for for weep in this verse speaks of

rain falling down. She's not just getting teary

eyed, she's bawling her eyes out, weeping at Jesus's feet so

much so she's got so many tears. She washes his feet and full

submission empties herself of all pride and she humbles

herself before the master's feet.

She dries his feet with her hair, the glory of a woman, her

precious hair. She anoints him and this is just

a beautiful scene. This is this is worship.

Practically, she is submitting to Jesus, giving Jesus her all.

But then a problem happens. Simon is there and he sees all

this go down in his very house and he's got a thought.

Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he spoke

to himself. So he's not saying this.

He's thinking this. He thinks this This man, Jesus,

if he were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman

this is who is touching him, for she is a Sinner.

So up to this point, Simon has been very commendable.

He's not like the other Pharisees.

He invites Jesus into his home, something Nicodemus did, but we

don't really know his motive. To be fair, we don't know his

motive. We don't know why this is even

going on. Here's where we start to see

that Simon is a skeptic. He invites Jesus into his home

and he sees something he doesn't like.

It doesn't really make sense to him.

He goes, this woman's touching Jesus.

He can't be a prophet. He can't be who he said he is.

He can't be who others say he is.

If you were a prophet, he'd know this woman's a Sinner.

He could know her heart, he can know her past, He can know her

life. And if he really was a prophet,

he would not let her come near him or touch him, because

prophets are men of holiness. Why would you let a sinful woman

come near you and touch you, let alone touch you, says Simon.

He is a skeptic Now. There are people like Simon

today. They will ignore all the

evidence that is presented and search for reasons to doubt in

an attempt to dismiss Jesus entirely.

To dismiss Jesus entirely. What are you like?

Does that sound like you today? You know, some people, when we

see the skeptic, some people, they're curious.

You know, people like this. I know people like this.

It's good to be curious. Blessed are those who hunger and

thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

It is good to be curious. I've had so many conversations.

You know what's the fastest growing sport in this country?

It's pickleball. You know how many conversations

I've had with people on the pickleball courts till 12:00 AM?

And they're talking, they're asking about the Bible.

We're at the gym, we're at wherever, and they just want to

talk. They've got questions.

I love it. They're curious.

Maybe you're here this morning and you're curious.

You come to the right place. But some people, they're

curious, but they're cautious. They love learning, They love

hearing. They love studying.

But they don't jump in. They're hesitant, hesitant to

dive all in to Christianity, to the church, to get baptized

because they recognize something.

And what they recognize is if I do this, I got to change.

I can't live the same way I've been living.

You're right. Neither did I had to come to

grips with the same truth before I was baptized.

I can't live the way I've been living these 19 years passed in

my life. I've got to change.

But some people, they never make the next step because they're

too cautious. You know what, though?

This isn't Simon. Simon is someone who is curious,

but he's contentious. He's contentious.

He wants to learn, but he's waiting to learn till he can

find something to dismiss. And he goes, I got him.

I don't need to listen to this man.

There's a flaw in him. I don't like what he says.

I'm going to go live my life the way I want to live.

I want to tell you a quick story in my short one year, seven

months and 30 days, who's counting of being a preacher,

I've had some studies with people from the community.

I want to tell you about one study in particular.

I had to study with the man and his wife, just to kind of give

you some info. He got a Purple Heart in the

Vietnam War. That kind of tells you how old

he was or is he got a Purple Heart.

This is a manly man. Not only was he manly, he was

intellectual. See, he was a psychologist.

So me, this man and his wife, we studied every week, twice a

week, an hour minimum. We did this for 10 months now.

At first he was curious. They both were.

They had been church hopping, church shopping, whatever way

you want to put it. They were visiting churches now.

He would just eat it up. Him and his wife, they loved it

until he found something he didn't like.

You know what he didn't like? Oh, you of little faith.

When Jesus would tell the apostles, oh, you of little

faith. He hated that.

You know what? He tell me?

Jesus is mean. When are we going to get to that

love and compassion? And I'd say, friend, we've

studied miracle after miracle, leopard cleanse, blind, cleanse

deaf cleanse, dead, raised to life.

And you're telling me, where are we going to see?

When are we going to see some love?

And I had to do my best. In case you didn't know, I'm 25

and I'm not married. I don't have any kids, so I

ought to do my best to try and teach this man.

Well, when you have kids. The father, he corrects his son

as a father loves and he disciplines.

It's a weird, yeah, I know, crazy.

So I would go to verses and I'd tell him, Look, in Revelation

Revelation 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3 and verse 19, Jesus said as many as I love, I rebuke

and chasten and I. We'd go on and on and we'd have

the same discussion 30 times over these ten months.

It got so bad. The church leader who would sit

in, elderly man Ken Stark, he would sit in and he'd pull me

aside. One Pollock, he goes, Isaac,

we're wasting our time. He's just, he's just rejecting

this at all costs. You're answering his questions.

He goes, this isn't even profitable anymore.

And I said you're wrong. I'm learning patience.

I was getting something out of it.

They were getting something out of it.

We were all happy and I told him I don't want to stop studying

because I we might lose his wife if we stop.

After 10 months my patients ran out, I think understandably so.

The boiling point was this. I asked this man.

I said, You get mad that Jesus hates people and whatnot.

Let me ask you a question. Who knows more about love, you

or God? I don't know, Isaac, I said.

The fact that you don't know and can't answer that question says

more than what you're willing to say.

Wasn't long before that was the end of the studies.

Now we ask the question. Today we say all that to say

this. Some are curious, some are

curious and cautious. Others are curious but

contentious. Which are you?

Which are we? This morning I'm going to give

you a question, a very simple question.

You will know which one you are. If Christianity were true, would

you believe it and would you obey it?

If the answer is yes. You got a head problem.

Sounds strange, but what I mean is you just don't know enough.

You want to learn, You want to grow, You want to know.

You want to believe. You just don't know what you

need to know. That's easy.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10/17. But if I ask you if Christianity

were true and you say no, you would not believe it even if it

were true, you got a heart problem.

Heart problems. I can't fix them.

No one can, except yourself. It won't matter how much

evidence, how much proof is presented.

You won't change. I won't change.

Which are you this morning is the question.

Simon was contentious. He had a heart problem and the

story picks up here. But before we do we want to look

at two things Very quickly Simon in this thought that he has in

his head Jesus can't be a prophet.

The reason why he came to this conclusion was this.

He had two misunderstandings about Jesus #1 Jesus purpose.

You see the word Pharisee by which this sect is called it

literally means a separatist. They got their name Separatist

because they would, they would view themselves holier than

thou. They tried to separate

themselves from the world and all uncleanness commendable.

That's what we're trying to do. But here's what they went wrong.

They started to say, I can't hang out with him.

He's sinned, he's a Sinner, he's dirty, he's below me.

That's where they went wrong. So when this woman comes to

Jesus and he sees Jesus allow her to touch him, can't be a

prophet. He misunderstood why Jesus came

and we find this coming up in Mark chapter 2 and verse 15.

Mark 2 · chapter mention

Now it happened as he was dining in Levi's house that many tax

collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and his

disciples, for there were many and they followed him.

And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eating with

the tax collectors and sinners, they said to his disciples how

easy that he eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners.

When Jesus heard it, he said to them those who are well have no

need of a physician, but those who are sick.

I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to

repentance. This woman was exactly who Jesus

was looking for. What they misunderstood, what

they didn't understand, was that the Messiah did not come down to

keep men at arms reach away. He didn't come here to

spiritually socially distance. He came here so that we could go

up, so he could extend a helping hand to sinners and take us up

with him. They didn't understand that.

The second thing Simon didn't understand.

He misunderstood Jesus's power. Jesus's power, he goes, this man

can't be a prophet. He's got.

He's supposed to know the past of this woman.

She's a Sinner, wouldn't let her touch him.

Jesus is going to prove. And the rest of this story, he

is a prophet. But he's much more.

He is much more. He is God.

And here's where the story picks up.

In verse 40, Simon in verse 39 he has the thought in his heart

and Jesus. In verse 40 says, Simon, I have

something to say to you. So he said Teachers say it.

There was a certain creditor who had two debtors, one O 500

denarii and the other 50, 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. And he said to him, You have

rightly judged Simon just had this whole scenario.

He just thought it out. The Bible says, interestingly

enough, Jesus answered him. You know why that isn't

interesting? Simon didn't ask a question.

Simon's doubting Jesus is a prophet, that he can read hearts

and little does he know, Jesus just read his heart and he's

about to turn the tables. He's about to take control of

the situation and show Simon who's boss.

So in typical Jesus fashion, he doesn't go straight into

rebuking. He doesn't go straight into his

sermon. He goes into an illustration.

I got a little story for you. There's one creditor.

He lends out money. There's two debtors, one OS 500,

an area, another 50. And an area is just one day's

worth of working wages. So one man owes 500 days of

work, The other man owes 50 days of work.

One's more, one's less. But neither could pay this

creditor. He's going to forgive them both.

Who's going to be more thankful? Who's going to love the creditor

more? Simon.

He's not the smartest guy, but he's a smart guy.

Well, the one who's forgiven of more.

Jesus says you've rightly judged.

You've rightly judged means you're right.

Good job. What's interesting is that

Jesus, when people were asked questions, when he'd say when

they were right, he'd say you're right, and when they were wrong,

he'd say you're wrong. And when he tells Simon here,

you're right. That implies not all answers are

right. There are sometimes wrong

answers. But Simon, he's got it.

And Jesus has got him exactly where he wants him, because now

it's application time and verse 44.

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. You gave me no kiss.

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 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. You know that story Jesus just

said. You know who's the creditor?

God, you know who were the debtors?

Simon, You know who was the other debtor?

The sinful woman. You know what they owed.

They had a sin debt they could not pay.

As the song goes, neither one could pay.

The woman owed more. Jesus has just turned us around.

And he goes, Simon, I'm in your house.

The customs of the day, you were supposed to greet me with a

kiss. You gave me no kiss.

I came into your home. You did not wash my feet back.

Then they got dirty feet. They got like Birkenstocks on,

and they're walking around and they're in like donkey dung and

all the mud and all that good stuff.

And so they need their feet cleaned.

And so that was a hot commodity if you were having guests over.

They did that for you, he says. You didn't even do that.

The common courtesy of a guest. You didn't even do that.

And then he says you gave me no oil.

You see, when you'd have a guest of festivity, you would anoint

them with oil. This woman, she went far above

and beyond what Simon was supposed to do and what he was

expected to do. She wouldn't stop kissing him,

but she was kissing his feet. She wouldn't stop giving him

water to wash his feet. But it wasn't just water.

It was her tears. She dried them with their hair.

She didn't just give him oil, she gave him costly oil.

Everything he was supposed to do, she did.

And she did it better than he was, what he was expected to do.

And he says her sins, which are many, they're forgiven for She

loved much. Ouch.

He has just been caught in his own game.

What was the difference between Simon and the sinful woman?

As we seek to understand lessons for us to learn in this story,

what was the difference between the both of them?

It was this how they view Jesus #1 and #2, How they view

themselves. What do we mean by that?

How you view Jesus effects how you treat Jesus.

If I just think Jesus is just a man, I can ignore him like any

other man. If he's a prophet, he's from

God. He knows what he's talking

about. That is enough for me to listen.

But Jesus is much more than a man.

He's much more than a prophet. He is Messiah.

He is the Christ. He is the Anointed One.

He is Savior. He is God, the Son of God.

And when we understand who Jesus is, it'll change everything.

It'll change how we live. It'll change the way we think.

It'll change how long we stay, how often we come here, how long

we stay, how early we leave the lives we live #2 How you view

yourself effects. How you view and treat Jesus.

I'm not the smartest guy. I ain't even a psychologist.

I know this, though. Can't help arrogant people can't

help a proud man or woman. Proud people, number one.

They don't even think they need help.

And #2 if they think they need help, they ain't going to listen

to you because they got all the answers.

It takes a very humble person to submit to Jesus to recognize who

he is and who they're not. And #3 how you view yourself is

based off of how you view sin, especially your own sins.

Now for the last five or 10 minutes of our lesson together,

I want to further explore this Third Point.

Jesus makes a connection in verse 47.

He says this. Whoever is forgiven of more,

they love more. If you don't get anything from

this sermon, this is it. This is what I want us to take

away from this study. Whoever is forgiven of more

loves, more. Love in the Bible is not some

ooey gooey romantic. It's not a feeling.

Yes, true love does have feelings.

Don't get me wrong. But Jesus defined love in the

scriptures. If you love me, keep my

commandments. Love is obedience.

John 14 and verse 15. Now what we learn in the Bible

is that grace or forgiveness motivates people to serve God.

Grace and forgiveness motivates people to serve God.

Take it from the Apostle Paul and 1st Corinthians chapter 15

and verse 9. The English standard version

says this for I am the least of the apostles unworthy to be

called an apostle because I persecuted the Church of God.

But by the grace of God, by the forgiveness of God, I am what I

am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.

On the contrary, I worked harder than the other apostles.

Why? It was not me, it was not I, but

the grace of God that was within me, Paul said.

The reason why I taught so much, the reason why I suffered so

much, the reason why I travelled and I served so much, is because

I was a bad Sinner. The least I could do is live my

life for the one who died. For me, it wasn't a competition

to him. He was just trying to repay in

some way what will never be repayable.

The forgiveness of our sins. Why do you do what you do?

Why do I do what I do? What is our motivating factor?

This right here is the eternal source of motivation.

I don't even like motivation. I like determination.

Motivation is based off of a feeling.

If you feel right, you'll do right.

If you're determined, it doesn't matter how you feel.

If you're disciplined, it don't matter how you feel.

You're going to do it because that's what's necessary.

I'm going to get the job done, 'cause God says so.

Even when I don't like it or I don't feel like it, I'm going to

do it so much until I like it, until I view this the way God

wants me to. Why do you serve God?

Why are we even here today? Because we've been forgiven and

we love the one who first loved us.

Here's the question we're going to end with and dissect these

last five minutes. Should I sin more so I can love

God more? Because then I will be forgiven

of more. Let me say it like this.

Well, if whoever's forgiven of more loves more, does that mean

I should go sin more? God will forgive me of more than

I can obey God better and love him more?

No. The Bible answers this question.

And Romans 6-1 and two What shall we Christians say then?

Shall we continue in sin? Shall we continue sinning that

grace may abound? Certainly not.

Certainly not. How shall we, who died to sin,

live any longer in it? Paul says we cannot manipulate

grace, We cannot cheat grace. We can't just sin intentionally

knowing and abusing the forgiveness of God to get some

outcome. That's not how the child of God,

a mature child of God, lives. We ought not do that.

So what are we going to do? We got a better understand the

sins we've already committed. We got to focus on the past, not

sin more in the future. To love God more.

You know what's what prevents us from loving Jesus more?

It's one of my biggest pet peeves.

Some people believe there are big sins and then there's little

sins. Here's what I mean.

I'm not a big Sinner. I've never murdered anybody.

I'm not committed adultery. I've never molested anybody.

Those are the big sins. But I curse and I gossip and I

lie those. That's little stuff, though.

Yeah, according to who you see a lot of Christians.

Some Christians, I should say, have a subconscious list in

their hearts of big sins and little sins.

And this list varies from person to person.

You know, what are the little sins in our lives?

It's the ones you do, and it's the ones I do.

Those are the ones we talk ourselves out of.

Well, it's OK, 'cause you know, like there's these seven reasons

that justify this sin. So some people think and we

classify sins. The question then is, is all sin

the same? The answer is yes, #1.

The devil tempts us to every sin.

Matthew chapter 4 and verse 3 #2.

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

All sin is a violation of God's law.

First John three and four. If the Bible doesn't that says

not to do it and you do it. It's sin.

It doesn't matter if it's cursing or killing.

All sin separates us from God. Isaiah 59 and verse 2.

Jesus died for all sins, Ephesians one and seven.

That right there is the only reason you, you and I need.

If Jesus died for every sin then lying is not a little sin, it's

that big of a deal. Lastly, all sin will be punished

if not repented. Of Romans 6 and 23 says all sin

the same yes and no and no. The scriptures do in fact use

language of greater sins. And John 1911 Jesus answered you

could have no power at all. He's on trial against me, unless

it had been given you from above.

Therefore, the one who delivered me to you has the greater sin.

A lot of people, they just shut the Bible.

It says it. There's worse sins.

The question is, what does that mean?

That's the question. What does that mean?

How did these people have a greater sin?

They knew he was innocent and they still killed him.

They had knowledge and they did not act on it.

Accordingly, we're just going to look at one more verse and two

examples. Jesus teaches this point in Luke

Luke 12:47

chapter 12, verses 47 and 48. The Scriptures do in fact use

language of greater sins, but sins are only greater in regards

to the knowledge one possesses when they commit sin.

Jesus would say in Luke 1247, And that servant who knew his

master's will and did not prepare himself or do according

to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

But he who did not know that committed things deserving of

stripes, shall be beaten with few.

For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be

required, and to whom much has been committed of him, they will

ask them more. This servant, he knew what God's

will was. He sins.

This servant, he doesn't know God's will and he sins.

They're both punished. Even if you don't know, it

doesn't justify sinning. Now the one who knew and did not

do better, he's punished, but he's punished worse 'cause he

knew better. He had more knowledge at his

disposal. So that's how his sin was worse.

So if you lie as a Christian and you know lying is bad, that's a

big sin, It's still a sin. If you didn't know it was a sin,

Jesus would teach this. He would say woe to you cores in

Bethsaida and Capernaum. Why it will be more tolerable in

the Day of Judgement for Tire, Sodom and Sodom.

All I'm going to talk about is Sodom.

Sodom was bad. Sodom was bad God.

So bad God zapped away my own intents and purposes.

They got zapped away. How could Corazon but Satan and

Capernaum be worse off than tired, Silent and Sodom?

Because Jesus did his mightiest works there, his best miracles,

and the people still rejected him.

At least Sodom. They didn't get God coming to

them. They had more greater

opportunity. That means greater condemnation.

When we reject, that's how he could say in Second Peter Two if

someone they come to the knowledge of the truth, they

leave the truth. It's worse if they know the

truth and leave then to have never known it at all.

They're like dogs who eat their own vomit.

They're like pigs who they're clean and then they wash in the

mud. It's gross stuff over and over.

Sins are clearly taught to be worse if you know better.

And we don't do better. So all it takes is 1 sin to

condemn an individual to hell Who was the worst Sinner?

Doesn't matter Simon or the Sinner, the sinful woman.

All you got to focus on is they could not pay.

Neither could pay. And if you can't pay a debt, it

don't really matter how much you do owe.

How do we view our sin? The story ends and Jesus

forgives her sins and they think to themselves, who is this that

he forgives sins? You see, the story started out.

The story started out. They go, He can't be a prophet,

but he is a prophet. He proves the Simon.

I read his heart. I read his mind.

Here's this illustration to prove it.

And he forgives sins. Who can forgive sins but God

alone? Luke 520 and 21 Jesus is a man,

but he's a prophet and he's much more than a prophet.

He's God. The last thing we're going to

look at is why is the Sinner unnamed in this story?

That's because that's Sinner. It's you and me.

The question for us is will you and I love much or love little?

How will we respond to Jesus and our sins?

Will we be like Simon, curious but contentious?

Are you curious and cautious or are you curious with an open

heart? Thank you for your kind

attention and your kind listening.

Maybe you're here today and you would like to get the sins in

your life removed and be forgiven.

The Bible just says we got to hear God's word.

We got to believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

We got to repent and change the way we live.

We got to confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is who

he is. He's the Son of God.

We've got to be baptized and have our sins washed away.

We're getting the baptistry ready.

Praise be to God that someone has already decided today that

they want to be baptized. You could be baptized too.

What will it be for you? Maybe you're here and you're

already a Christian. Sin is trickled back in your

life. You know better, but you don't

do better at times. But you want to get rid of the

problem. The effectual, fervent prayer of

a righteous man availeth much We can pray for you and with you.

We thank you for listening to our podcast put on by the Church

of Christ at 2215 Plans Rd. in Bakersfield.

If you would like any additional information or you would like to

receive a free Bible correspondence course by mail,

please e-mail us at [email protected].

Our service times are Sundays at 10:30 AM and 5:00 PM.

And Wednesdays at 7:30 PM Please make plans to join us.

We would love for you to be our honored guest.