March 7, 2021
Sunday AM
Luke 7:36-47 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. 37 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, 38 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. 39 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.”
40 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
So he said, “Teacher, say it.”
41 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”
And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” 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. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 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.”
48 Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
This woman was well known in the city as an immoral person. It would be easy to be like the pharisee and see all the thoughts of the woman. The woman wasn’t invited but had heard that Jesus was there eating. But evidently what this woman had heard about Jesus had had such an effect on her that she wanted to change her life. A person who becomes born again, all old things have passed away and they become new. Think of an individual like Hitler for example. He is worldwide known as a very evil man. When you think of him you don’t think of anything good, only bad. But, if Hitler repented, Jesus would forgive him and wash him and turn him into a new creature. We take for granted so great a salvation. An individual goes to heaven or hell based on who he is, not what he has done. Jesus paid for it ALL. A person who is forgiven much, loves much. A person who is forgiven little, loves little. Which one are you? We all have been forgiven of much. We’ve been shown great mercy. When you walk knowing that, It causes an expression. Worship is an expression of what’s taking place in your heart. Something was working in that woman and compelling her to do what she did. She was wanting deliverance. Until something similar is taking place in your heart, you will not reach true worship.
Without hooking up to the Holy Spirit you are limited to your own intellect. You can be very smart and have lots of ideas, and you might make a pretty good life, but it will not be the life that He has for you. What He has for you is FAR better than anything you could ever come up with. He leaves it in a mystery on purpose because He knows you will mess it up. The plan has to be prayed out and walked out step by step. You have to grow and mature just like you do in your natural life. You can’t give a child certain responsibility like you can an adult. You have to grow into that. You have to reach understanding and comprehension. When you get involved with the Holy Spirit, He never misses it. He has no questions, all He has is answers. He has no problems, only solutions. He knows everything that is to be known about every human and situation in existence. He knows past and present and future and every plan for your life including the enemies plans for your life. He has all of this, and He is available to you and I. The problem is, we haven’t made ourselves available to Him. We live our lives however we want to live our lives. Live your life for His plan so that you can stand before God and say that you did what you were supposed to do. Just as Jesus was able to do. Apart from the Holy Ghost you cannot do it.
James 1:8 A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.
When you come to church, you subject yourself, spirit, soul, and body to the things of God. When you do this, it creates a desire to chase after the things of God and to know Him more. The problem is, when you leave church you leave the things of God and subject yourself to the things of this world. This is an example of “double-minded.” Because of what is available to us today, it is affecting us in ways we do not realize. You have to bring a discipline into your life and recognize when and what you are subjecting yourself to. It’s a real issue in this day because the world system is set up to distract and divide. Our soul has the ability to transform us into what we subject it to the most. This can be used positively or negatively.
All that will matter at the end of your life is what you were able to do for God. At the end of the day, people are going to do what they want to do. You are right where you are in life because that’s where you want to be. If you keep praying, things cannot stay how they are. You’ve been given a supernatural tool that if used, you can get some supernatural results. Many of us can relate to the woman from the story with many mess ups and regrets in our past. The beauty of our salvation is that our redemption provided a way out of everything and every excuse. You can be a person who don’t care. You can be a person that is mad at everybody. You can be a person that has no hope. You can be a person who is sick and depressed at all times. You can be a person that blames everyone around you. The Holy Ghost sees our weaknesses and says, it does not matter. If you will let me pray for you, all will resolve. If you’ll keep praying, you won’t stay that way. That’s the power that’s in it. People don’t worship because they don’t want to and because they do not realize how much they have been forgiven. God is gracious and full of compassion. Could you use any of that? Of course you could. How do you access it? PRAY. WORSHIP. How much time this week did you spend on your knees, before your God, worshiping Him for what He has already done for you? He’s already done enough for you to worship Him for every day for the rest of your life.
Tongues and Interpretation
“For many in this room right here this morning, there is a day and a time for things to come to an end in each and every one of your lives. And that day has come. I am presenting to you, I myself am compelling you, come unto me. Let me bear those things, let me do those things that you can never do. Let me be the God that I want to be to you. Let me be the Father that I want to be to you. Let me help you as only I can help you. Never forget this, let me love you the way that I want to love you.”
That is the Holy Ghost compelling you and I. That is the Holy Ghost saying that things can change! He is telling us that things can be different if only we will respond to Him.
You cannot have a love for the Father and a love for the world. You cannot serve two masters. Choose today what you will follow after. Stop looking for something you are never going to get from the world! You won’t understand what is available to you, until you experience it for yourself. Get in the presence of God and take up your cross daily! What does this mean? It is different for everyone. Because people are different, the cross is different. There are people who are highly motivated to get with God. So getting in the presence daily no matter the cost, is not a cross for them. But the people who struggle to find that motivation, that is their cross. Find whatever is your obstacle to getting in God’s presence daily and defeat it by taking it to Him. That is your cross. If you’re a person who always has an excuse, take up your cross. It will be very hard for you to do anything for God if you aren’t taking those steps to take up your cross. Just as it takes time to develop a bad habit, it takes time to develop a good habit. When you develop this habit, you look on the things of the world and you have no desire to be a part of any of it. People are depressed and bored and don’t feel good because they need to plug into the socket and let the life, love, peace, and joy flow into them.