Greater the Debt Greater the Love

Introduction

Visual Representation:

Get 2 Volunteers

Each Volunteer will stand up in the front of the room, one on each side of me.

I am the money lender, they are the ones whom I loan the money to.

One of them I gave 500$, the other I gave 50$

They both went out and spent the money I gave them.

Then they both lost their jobs and were not able to pay me back.

I forgave the debt of both of them.

Which one will be more grateful?

Why will the one who was forgiven more be more grateful?

The one who owed more money will be more grateful because the depth of the forgiveness was greater.

It took more Grace to forgive the one who owed more.

Luke 7:36-50

Luke 7:36–50 ESV

36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” 41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

From this story we learn 4 things:

We each have a huge debt.

We cannot pay our debt.

Christ payed for that debt.

We should be grateful for our forgiveness.

1. Our Debt

Romans 3:23 ESV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

We are all sinners.

Romans 6:23 ESV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The only reward for sin is death.

If we compared ourselves to the guys in the story, we are the guy who owed 500$, and we can’t pay it back.

Therefore we have 2 options:

Remain in our sin and therefore remain in debt when we die. Which equates to us going to hell.

Hell is seperation from God forever.

Why would God make us go into Heaven where there is no ounce of sin if we lived in it our whole life here?

If we loved it so much that we choose to stay in it, why would he force us to be without it?

2. Turn to Christ and recieve his forgivness.

Salvation is a free gift, but it requires on us a decision to turn away from our former life of sin and pursue Christs new life for us.

When we do that Christ promises us salvation from sin and hell, because he puts the debt of sin we owed on himself.

Things to remember:

People do not go to hell because they are sinners, they go to hell because they choose to. Because in reality God has done everything for everyone to be forgiven and never go there.

2. Being Grateful

Knowing then that we have been forgiven of such a great debt how grateful should we be?

The woman in the story was described as being a sinner.

In the time that this was taking place, sinners did not associate with the righteous, it was just not right in the society at the time.

However this woman knew her debt of sin, and she knew that Jesus was the only one who could forgive her.

She was probably scared, depressed, and felt condemned much of her life, and yet she finds herself right here at the feet of Jesus.

Maybe some of you here tonight feel this way?

Your scared. Uncertain. Ashamed. Depressed.

Have you come to the feet of Jesus?

This woman found forgiveness and newness of life when she came to the feet of Jesus, and news flash, you can too!

On another note:

Jesus disciples didn’t do any of the acts of worship that the woman was doing.

It’s not that they didn’t love Jesus, but rather they were not on the same level of gratefulness that the woman was at the time.

Sometimes after we have been following Christ for awhile we tend to forget about the great debt of sin that we once had and Jesus paid for.

And we lose some of our gratefulness.