A Simple Love for Jesus is Our Salvation

Luke 7:36-50

Click here for a description of the mark of the beast.

• We should gush over Jesus when we are invited to dinner by the Christless.
• Jesus knows about our sin and allows us to touch the Holy Spirit.
• The debt we owe has been paid by Jesus Christ.
• Come to Jesus with adoration and love and your sins are forgiven.
• Jesus says, “Your sins are forgiven,” to those who love Him.

We should gush over Jesus when we are invited to dinner by the Christless. People will invite us to go out to dinner with them or ask us to their house for dinner. Many of those experiences are with people who are not friendly to the teachings of the Bible and have no friendship with the followers of Jesus Christ. The broad way consists of those living by the mark of the beast, in the name of humanism. That happened to Jesus, “Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house and sat down to eat.” Luke 7:36 The thing the Christless host detest is when a sinner approaches Jesus with a heart full of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit draws us to Jesus. We are sinners clothed in the Holy Spirit, not wolves in sheep clothing. The flask of fragrant oil represents having the Holy Spirit, “And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil…” Luke 7:37 The self-righteous Pharisees could never imagine a sinner with the Holy Spirit. As a dinner guest, we should be the one to stand by Jesus while gushing over Him, and to have a weeping heart knowing the dark intent against the Spirit of Jesus Christ. The woman with the flask of fragrant oil represents that, “…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.” Luke 7:38

Jesus knows about our sin and allows us to touch the Holy Spirit. Part of our sanctification comes by touching the Spirit of Jesus Christ and realizing how far we come from His Holiness. That is also part of the Salvation process as sinners come to the Cross of Christ for the remission of sin. Through Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit, and our sin begins touching Him like dirt touching a cleaning agent. Those who live by the mark of the beast have no sense of sin, nor of the Holy Spirit, nor of the process of sanctification. Nowadays, the society who lives by the mark of the beast act as if they are contaminated by those who reject their governing system. Maybe it’s because the Holy Spirit is a stark contrast to their way of life. It’s like the Pharisees who did not have a clue about the forgiveness of sin through Jesus, nor of the process of sanctification, as stated here, “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.” Luke 7:39

The debt we owe has been paid by Jesus Christ. Jesus knows the thoughts of those who judge and condemn Him, and He has something to say to them, “And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.” Luke 7:40 As followers of Jesus Christ, we have a lot to say about His love for sinners, the forgiveness of sin, and the cleansing process that comes through the Holy Spirit. This world is founded on money and possessions, so I’m sure that what Jesus said to the Pharisee also applies today, “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.” Luke 7:41 Spiritually, God is our creditor and the debt we owe to Him is too much for us to pay. That debt is our sin, but Jesus Christ died on the Cross to forgive that debt. What we owe God is a life of Holiness, whether we were the worst sinners or the nice sinners, we owe Him our mind and heart. I think we all know how good it feels to be relieved of a debt owed, and it’s easy to give our gratitude to the one who said to forget about the bill. Of course, being forgiven of $5.00 doesn’t provoke a whole lot of gratitude but being forgiven of a $1000.00 debt provokes a lot of gratitude. Jesus is referring to that, “And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” Luke 7:42 The Pharisee was thinking in financial terms, not spiritual, but he got the answer right, “Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more. And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” Luke 7:43

In today’s world, we never ever want to be in debt to those who govern by the mark of the beast. The only way they will forgive an impossible debt is to coerce a person into submitting themselves into service to their society. If a person refuses to be coerced into service, then their life will be ruined by earthly standards. Even so, it’s best to lose the whole world and to gain Jesus Christ.

Come to Jesus with adoration and love and your sins are forgiven. When we come to Jesus Christ our sins are forgiven and we begin to walk in His Spirit. We want to be like Jesus and that is the hope that possesses us,

“To be like Jesus! This hope possesses me,
In every thought and deed, this is my aim, my creed;
To be like Jesus! This hope possesses me,
His Spirit helping me, like him I’ll be.”
(Church Hymn)

All Jesus requires is for us to come to Him in a way that glorifies His name, to adore Him, and to give our service to Him. Jesus compares the self-righteous actions of the Pharisee to the heartfelt actions of a sinner driven to Jesus by the Holy Spirit, “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, 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.” Luke 7:44-46 That is all there is to it, come to Jesus and serve Him with adoration and love. “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.” Luke 7:47

Jesus says, “Your sins are forgiven,” to those who love Him. The adoration we have for Jesus Christ brings the forgiveness of sins. The Holy Spirit draws us to Jesus Christ with love, and the faith that flows from that love will cause Jesus to forgive our sins, “Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Luke 7:48 Those who live for the mark of the beast does not believe in the forgiveness of sin, and they even oppose that forgiveness. They want to make the person the seat of government for the mark of the beast, but the forgiveness of sins makes us the home of the Holy Spirit. The Pharisees constantly scrutinized, mocked, ridiculed, and belittled Christ for forgiving sins, others were astonished, “And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Luke 7:49 Jesus Christ continues on with His ministry to forgive sins regardless of what others say or think, “Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” Luke 7:50

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11