Following Jesus Today

Worship in Heaven – Part 5, Shekinah

David W Palmer

God’s House Filled with Smoky Cloud

(Isaiah 6:1–4 NKJV) “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. {2} Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. {3} And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!’ {4} And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.”

When the Seraph declared the revelation he received at God’s throne, not only did it shake the doorposts, but it also led to the “house” being filled with “smoke.” What is this smoke? Why did it come? And what is so significant about it?

First, we see that the manifestation of smoke is not limited to the heavenly temple. In truth, the same thing happened in the earthly one:

(2 Chronicles 5:13–14 NKJV) “Indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever,” that the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, {14} so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.”

Note again that this happened in the presence of praise, praise music, thanksgiving, and dare I say, worshipping hearts. This passage says that the cloud was in manifestation because God’s glory had filled his [earthly] house/temple. We receive great encouragement from this; if the cloud of God’s glory was so manifested in the Old Testament praise, imagine what is possible in our New Testament praise when, unlike them, we are all born again and filled with the Holy Spirit.

This was not the first time the smoky cloud was seen. Previously, both Abraham and Moses saw it:

(Exodus 19:18 NKJV) “Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.” (See also: Gen. 15:17)

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire! The Lord descended in fire on Mount Sinai—speaking of his glory and power. As a result, the whole mountain was completely enveloped in smoke, and it shook greatly. Wow! God is big, overwhelming, and powerful. What’s more, his glory is magnificent, unassailable, and all encompassing; everything shakes in his presence. This same glory is potentially available to the church today. What is our part?

For us in the New Testament, everything centers around and in Jesus—the living word of God.

(John 1:14 KJV) “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Jesus is full of glory, but did it ever come into manifestation?

(Matthew 17:5–8 NKJV) “… behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” {6} And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. {7} But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” {8} When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.”

Jesus and his three closest disciples were having a mountaintop encounter with God. The cloud of God’s glory “overshadowed” them, and they heard God’s voice together. This was so awe-inspiring that the disciples were “greatly afraid.” Jesus assured them: “do not be afraid.” This is comforting for us too; we have a hunger for God and his glory, but also a fleshly dread that we will be exposed and unacceptable to God. But thanks to Jesus, we are accepted in him (Eph. 1:6). Now we can look forwar

Worship in Heaven – Part 4, Shaking

David W Palmer

Heaven-Shaking Prophetic Voice

(Isaiah 6:1–4 NKJV) “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. {2} Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. {3} And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!’ {4} And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.”

One of the seraphim “cried to another … ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!’” When he declared the awe-inspiring revelation received at God’s throne, heaven was shaken. The psalmist confirms that the words spoken from God not only shake heaven, but have earth-shaking power as well:

(Psalm 29:8 NKJV) “The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; The LORD shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.”

No doubt when we press into God’s throne room in worship, when we receive from there overwhelming revelation, and when we declare it on earth—even in our wilderness places—everything shakes. This means that nothing is so solidly fixed in opposition to us in our wilderness that it couldn’t be shaken loose and swept away. Outside of God’s word, nothing is so absolute or permanent that it cannot change. We just need to speak revelation received in worship at God’s throne.

The Holy Spirit confirmed this in the New Testament when he said:

(Hebrews 12:26 NKJV) “Whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.’”

God’s voice is majestic and infinitely powerful. When he speaks, nothing is immune from the shaking—including the earth and heaven. And in the days in which we live, God has promised to shake everything. We have already seen this begin in politics, sport, international monetary systems, stock markets, wars, and religion, etc. Everything created is subject to shaking, and it will be shaken; God has said he will shake it.

In 1985, God spoke to me warning me that this was coming. He said that the only way to survive the shaking is to shake up your own life in a pre-emptive strike. Go to God in worship at his throne, and begin to declare the overwhelming revelation that you receive there. His word, voiced in the anointed power of his Holy Spirit, will bring the shake-up you need. Then, all the dross in your life can be burned (and it sure happened to me). Until everything in your life is founded 100% on God’s word, created by his word, or done in obedience to his word, you are not immune from the shaking. Why is this? Because the only thing that won’t shake is God’s [un-created] Word. It is the shaker, not the shake-ee.

More shaking is coming—much more—so get ready for it. Remember, everything that can shake will shake. That’s why Jesus said that when you hear and do his word, it is like building your house on a solid rock foundation (Mat. 7:24).

God’s true worshippers are instrumental in releasing God’s prophetic voice on the earth. Quoting God’s word is good—and we should do it; confessing what the Holy Spirit shows you leads to salvation in its broadest definition. But when we take up God’s invitation to come boldly to his throne with truthful, open, surrendered hearts, and with his word in our mouth; like the seraphim, we will receive revelation from God. This revelation will be so awe-inspiring that, like them, we will be compelled to declare it—even if it’s what we have all heard before, and think we know—it will begin to shake everything like never before. The apostle Paul said:

(2 Cor. 4:13 NKJV) “We also believe and therefore speak.”

When we proclaim what God reveals to us at his throne, it will literally be the voice of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, roaring:

(Joel 3:16 NKJV)

"I Will Praise the Lord" - David W Palmer

Worship in Heaven – Part 3, Glory

David W Palmer

(Isaiah 6:1–4 NKJV) “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. {2} Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. {3} And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!’ {4} And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.”

In their worship, not only did the seraphim focus on God’s holiness, but they also declared his glory: “The whole earth is full of His glory!”

When they said “glory,” what were they expressing? Were they talking about God’s ingenuity and artistic originality in creation (the signature left by a master artist on his work for all to identify him … if they search for it)? Was it because the irresistible weight of his magnificent presence was overwhelming them? Perhaps what took their breath away was a more complete revelation of his inexhaustible love, his unbreakable commitment to help, and his unstoppable plan. Or maybe it was simply the absolute awesomeness of his unlimited, invincible person that caused their spontaneous—albeit repetitive—outbursts of prophetic expression and praise. Whatever eye-opening disclosure overflowed in their powerful declarations, we see from it that God’s glory fills the earth. What’s more, we also see that we too can receive increasing revelation of what this means, and that we can see it in our worship.

Both Moses and the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk had a similar revelation in their close, personal encounters with God:

(Numbers 14:21 NKJV) “But truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.”

(Habakkuk 2:14 NKJV) “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”

What is God’s glory like?

(Exodus 24:17 NKJV) “The sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.”

(Ezekiel 1:26–28 NKJV) “… a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. {27} Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. {28} Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord …”

From these and other Scripture passages, we see that the appearance of God’s glory was described as cloud, fire, brightness, rainbow, rain, amber flames, lightning, and the thunder of voices.

Isaiah was prophesying of our time when he declared his revelation about God’s glory:

“Behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.” (Isaiah 60:2 NKJV)

Upon whom? Who is the “you” that God’s glory will be seen on? Answer: His true worshippers who hunger for intimate knowledge of their loving Father—our glorious creator God. Is that you?

This whole realm of revelation, heavenly vistas, insight, and disclosure awaits you in your own place of worship. Worship opens us to heaven, and heaven to us—to God’s throne, and to all of his splendor. It unlocks for us all of the majesty, unveiling, fulfillment, and joy that is accessible to us right now. All we need is a soft worshipping heart, a deep hunger for God, and the time to put it all together in personal and corporate worship. Why not worship Him now? Heaven’s waiting. Can you hear the Holy Spirit’s whisper, “Come up hither (here)”?

(Revelation 4:1–3, 5–6, 8 NKJV)

Worship in Heaven – Part 2, Holiness

David W Palmer

(Isaiah 6:1–4 NKJV) “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. {2} Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. {3} And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!’ {4} And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.”

We read here that the seraphim in their worship focused on God’s holiness and his glory. Today, we will look at their remarkable response to God’s holiness every time they glimpse it.

A friend of mine travelled to a major international revival. When he returned, I asked him what it was like. He said, “I saw God in his holiness, and I want to be just like him.” I believe that what he said sums up what worship does for us.

According to the Holy Spirit, holiness is not an option; it is essential for us if we want to see the Lord:

(1 Peter 1:15–16 NKJV) “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, {16} because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’”

(Hebrews 12:14 NKJV) “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.”

Whenever the seraphim lift their wings from over their eyes to glimpse God, they receive a fresh revelation; again and again they cry the same thing: “Holy, holy, holy is the lord of hosts …” This gives us the impression that God’s holiness is an inexhaustible source of overwhelming revelation. As my friend found, God’s holiness is so attractive and desirable that when we glimpse it—even fleetingly in our worship—we too will want to be just like him.

This reminds me of a family I knew. The mum was tireless in trying to train her son to be clean, well dressed, and well mannered: “Have you showered?” “No!” “Go now and clean yourself. Those clothes are filthy! Go and change them! You smell terrible; you know better than that; go take a bath, and don’t come back until you are clean, have clean clothes, and smell good.” Day after day she kept up the training without any perceptible change. Then, out of the blue, one day her teenaged son came in looking right, all cleaned up, and smelling wonderful. What happened? You probably guessed it; he met a girl.

The young man’s mother was like the Old Testament law: to train us, it laid down the law of what to do, but didn’t have the power to make us change from the inside. Like a schoolteacher, it did however; train us in what is right and wrong:

(Galatians 3:24–25 WEB) “Wherefore the law was our school-master to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. {25} But after faith is come, we are no longer under a school-master.”

Love, romance, and the potential for relational intimacy changed the young man in my illustration; and the same power can change each of us—empowering us to live the holy life we see in Jesus and want. This is called grace. When we worship like the seraphim, we too will begin to see God in his holiness. Each time we glimpse him—although from earth it may be like looking through smoky glass—we will receive fresh revelation that will continually have us hungering for his holiness. The pull of potential closeness and intimacy with him will draw us deeper and deeper into worship and into holy living in a way that no law ever could—no matter how well intentioned.

Today, I encourage you; press on in worship. Overcome the flesh’s resistance; join the 24-7 heavenly worship that is in progress right now. Come right into that holy place to look upon his face. When you do, his grace will do a miraculous work in your heart; sin will lose its allurement, and holiness will dominate your appetites, desires, and focus. We truly do become like what or whom we worship:

(2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV) “But we all, with unveile

Worship in Heaven – Part 1, Majesty

David W Palmer 

Worship is eternal. Heaven is filled with worship. In truth, only those who are God’s true worshippers will enjoy the eternal privilege of being with him where he is forever. We know worship is taking place in heaven right now; both the book of Revelation and the Old Testament prophet Isaiah describe it:

(Revelation 4:10–11 NKJV) The twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: {11} “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”

This passage describes the outward actions and words of God’s true worshippers. They had received crowns—presumably from their faithfulness while on earth:

(Revelation 2:10 NKJV) “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

When these crown recipients behold God, they realize that he alone is worthy of the honour and the rewards earned by their faithfulness and their life of true worship. After all, it was all his work in and through them that made it possible. Their falling down and giving him all the glory and honour is reflective of the true heart of worship. Let’s follow their example.

Isaiah also describes the worship of heaven:

(Isaiah 6:1–4 NKJV) “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. {2} Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. {3} And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!’ {4} And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.”

Isaiah had a great vision and revelation, not only of heaven’s worship, but also of the majesty, holiness, and absolute authority of God.

I find it interesting that this happened “in the year that King Uzziah died.” Perhaps prior to this, Isaiah had his eyes on the earthly king for his identity, provision, protection, and life’s hub, etc. But when Uzziah was taken away, Isaiah’s true king came into focus: God.

Isaiah saw the Lord “high and lifted up.” Again, this brought to his attention the truth that God is higher in majesty, honour, authority, and ability than anyone else in existence. He is the ultimate in wisdom, love, holiness, and power. What’s more, in his vision of God in heaven, Isaiah realized that the “train of His robe filled the temple.” This speaks of God’s absolute, unlimited authority. Apart from what God has delegated to man on earth, he has the right to rule supreme over the universe.

What can we learn from this today, and how do we apply it?

Worship is eternal. Despite how unnatural it may seem to begin with, if we want to live with God eternally, we will need to be worshippers. So let’s begin now; let’s show God our true heart for him through our constant praise and worship of him.

We have also seen that God is supreme and that his authority is absolute. Like Isaiah, let’s take our eyes off the fleeting, flimsy things of this world—be it politicians, our abilities, our heroes, or our jobs, etc.—and center them on God and only him. He alone has the power over life, death, and hell; he decides our eternity, and he gives out the rewards.

(Revelation 1:18 DKJV) “I am he who lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and I have the keys of hell and of death.”

Let’s invite him to move in our lives through our prayers and faith; let’s hand over the reins of our lives, confessing continually that Jesus is Lord. Allow him into all your circumstances today

Sing with the Spirit and with the Understanding

David W Palmer

Jesus showed us the heart of true worship, and taught us about relating to God in the spirit. He then sent the Holy Spirit to expand, explain, and help us to apply this. Today, we look at some more of the Holy Spirit’s instructions to us; through Paul the apostle, he said:

(1 Corinthians 14:15 NKJV) “What is the conclusion then? … I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.”

In this verse, we see that God wants us to “sing with the understanding.” I’m sure we all know what this means, and it would include: songs that are written, like the ones we read the words for on Sundays; or songs that we memorize and sing from online, the radio, recordings, or meetings, etc. However, the apostle Paul also says, “I will sing with the spirit.” This instruction is very interesting; what does he mean by this?

Earlier in the same chapter, Paul said:

(1 Corinthians 14:2, 14 NKJV) “For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. ... {14} For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.”

From this, we see that our spirit man can talk and pray: “in the spirit he speaks … my spirit prays.” Because this is referring to exercising the God-given gift of “tongues,” it shows that our spirit man can make articulate speech that our mind doesn’t understand (unless the Holy Spirit gives an interpretation). So, when speaking or praying in tongues, although my intellect doesn’t initiate the words nor understand them, my spirit clearly does. Tongues is a supernatural miracle—a God-given ability to speak directly from my spirit man to God in languages known to him but are not known to my intellect.

If my spirit can talk and pray like this, it’s not a huge leap to understand that he can also sing in these languages. Hence, the directive to “sing with the spirit.”

If you have received the powerful, wonderful, miraculous gift of speaking in tongues (1 Cor. 12:4–11), you know you can choose to exercise it at will; you can control when to start speaking in tongues and when to stop—but you cannot directly choose the words you say. Similarly, you can choose to use this gift of supernatural, spiritual language as the words you sing. This would be intellectually initiated singing, with your spirit providing the words.

Added to this would then be the ability to sing with melodies coming from the spirit. It simply means to allow your spirit to guide your pitch and timing as well as the words you articulate while singing.

Today, I encourage you to practice this. Try it if you have never done it before. However, like all things you do for the first time (remember when you first rode a bicycle or drove a manual car), you may feel awkward and clumsy. But if you persist, you will soon learn how to readily let go and trust the Holy Spirit to guide you in this. The freedom you experience is amazing.

As you become more confident with—and dare I say captivated by—this, you will long to use it in praise and worship with others in a corporate setting. You will find yourself also spontaneously bursting out into worshipful singing in the spirit when you are enjoying some alone time with God.

Simply remember to do all things for “edification.” This gift is mostly for private use, but it has a corporate application as the Holy Spirit wills (as and when directed and led by the leader). However, we must not express this amazing gift to show off, or to force it on someone else. It must be expressed to edify, encourage, and to build up yourself and others:

(1 Corinthians 14:26 NKJV) “How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.”

P.S. If you haven’t yet received the gift of speaking in tongues, I encourage you to study all th

Worship that God Remembers 

David W Palmer

God openly says that he seeks worshippers—true worshippers who will worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:20–24). This is illustrated nowhere better than through the meeting of his closest followers in the house at Bethany. In this story, we see the worship leader—a woman willing to share her very costly anointing oil. We see Jesus receiving her worship, and then pledging to remember it eternally. We also see the “indignant” observers who “criticized her sharply”; but where was their heart? Let’s read the story for the exact detail to see what we can learn about our worship today:

(Mark 14:3–9 NKJV) And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. {4} But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? {5} For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply. {6} But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. {7} For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. {8} She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. {9} Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

Here, we see Jesus in a meeting of believers. This represents church. And like all churches, it has a variety of responses to true worship.

Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for me.” He received and cherished the love lavished on him extravagantly through this woman’s worship. When we remember what our worship means to him, let’s never be stingy about worship budgets in church, nor about how much we invest into attending great worship events.

When we look at the woman’s worship, and when we remember that it is “the” true worship that God remembers, we see several things that will help us to worship God in a way he remembers too:

1. Worship that God remembers is sacrificial

Financially, the alabaster flask of fragrant oil was very expensive—possibly representing her life’s savings. She poured it all out in worship to Jesus. Very challenging.

Emotionally. Not only did it cost her the emotional output of sacrifice and tears, she had to endure the sharp criticism of those who had no idea what was of value to God here.

2. Worship that God remembers can be misunderstood by others

Even in meetings of believers today—despite having this very clear example of extravagant worship in God’s word—we still have very mixed responses to true worship. Some still sharply criticize others who are openly demonstrative in their expressions of worship: tears, falling at Jesus’s feet, uncool body language of love, un-cultural behavior, etc.

What’s more, people still critique those who want to invest financially into worship, worship experiences, and into setting up a place for worship—investing in auditoriums, music, and décor. They try to camouflage their own lack of passionate worship by giving bogus reasons for stopping others investing into worship—saying, “It could have been given to the poor,” etc.

3. Worship that God remembers is appreciated by Jesus

We see that Jesus received the worship and pure love of his devoted follower, despite risking his own reputation. He values the person who is opening their heart to him so deeply that he would not do anything to reject them or to crush their innocent expression of love.

4. Eternally remembered by God

God put this story in his book so that it can be in eternal remembrance. It stands for all time as a worship moment that God remembers, and one that endures as the perfect illustration of the type of worship that God seeks.

Access to Father for Answered Prayer

Ex-sinners Make Wonderful Worshippers – Part 2

David W Palmer

(Luke 7:36–37 NKJV) “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 …”

We are looking at this scene in Jesus’s life to help us grow in our understanding of worship. We see that ex-sinners—those who admit and forsake their sin—make better worshippers than those who think they need no repentance.

Next, we notice that the Pharisee seemed to have already “boxed” the woman from her past behavior; he [wrongly] relegated her to a place lower than himself—as a “sinner.” His understanding and dogmatic belief refused to budge from holding her down to the level of her past reputation—thus assessing himself as superior to her. 

However, because Jesus could perceive this man’s thoughts, he knew instantly that he understood neither Jesus nor the first thing about godly repentance. If he did, he too would have shown evidence of his own love, appreciation, devotion, and worship. But because he had no worshipful relationship with Jesus, nor first hand experience of true repentance and forgiveness, he could not see the tremendous transformation Jesus had made to the ex-sinner; nor could he see just how deeply she loved Jesus, and was devoted to him with all of her heart. So he judged the situation harshly and completely wrongly. How did Jesus respond?

(Luke 7:40–43 NKJV) 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.”

Wow! Did you see that? Jesus said that a person who is forgiven more loves him more than a person who is forgiven less or not forgiven at all. (Note: Jesus will always forgive the repentant sinner who repents, confesses, renounces his sin, and who asks for forgiveness. The person who is not forgiven at all, is the one who would not own or repent of his sin.) This is amazing, and yet absolutely fundamental to Christianity.

What’s more, he is not talking in absolute terms when using the words “less” and “more.” Jesus is saying that if you have renounced, confessed, and repented of a larger portion of your sins, you will love him more. But if you hold on to some of it, you will love him less. This will show in the way you express your love for him—your devotion and passion in worship, intimacy, serving, and ignoring the crowd, etc. Let’s read on to hear Jesus explain this:

(Luke 7:44–47 NKJV) 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.”

This is amazing! By her behavior alone—by her extravagant worship—we can see her heart. Even if Jesus didn’t have supernatural insight from the Holy Spirit, he could easily have rightly assessed this situation. He didn’t so much forgive her there and then: she had already received forgiveness; he merely verbalized it in confirmation:

(Luke 7:48–50 NKJV) Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” {49} And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” {50} Then He said to the woman