Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

Do We Have Any?

MATTHEW 9:1-13 – And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men. As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.  And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

 

 

THEME OF THE DAY:  DO WE HAVE ANY?. It might take a little bit of thought, but not really.  Go back and identify the people Jesus is dealing with in today’s scripture.  Actually, go back and identify the types of people Jesus ministers to and calls to be His disciples. They are like us.  They are sinners. All of them. Just two chapters later in Matthew’s gospel we read a title Jesus is given by the religious crowd because He identified and helped sinners – For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds” (Matthew 11:18-19).  Friend of sinners!  The sweetest music we will ever hear of the Lord Jesus.  But now comes the question . . . are we?  Do we have friends that are sinners?  Now don’t be fast and say, “Of course, my neighbors, co-workers.  Yes, I do.”  They might be more acquaintances we know little about than true friends.  If we are indeed “friends of sinners” like Jesus, do we serve them, love them, and identify with them like Him? That will be the test of whether we are like Jesus in our relationships with sinners.  And we are left on this earth with that mission – to be a friend of sinners modeling before them and taking them to the truest Friend of Sinners, the Lord Jesus.

 

We must be extremely careful of two things if we are going to be obedient to go into all the world and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).  First, God’s call to us as His people is separation from the world, not isolation from the world.  If our lives are either being lived in fearful isolation because of what is happening in our world or our sphere of relationships is only with Christians, please help me understand how we can obey the Great Commission?  We cannot.  So, guard against isolation from sinners.  Be separate from them in their sins, but not isolated from them in loving them and showing them Christ.  The other thing to be careful of is not to treat sinners like “targets” or “projects” we simply drop “Gospel bombs” on and the retreat in our own worlds.  Remember, sinners are people, image bearers needing to be restored to the One whose image they bear, though flawed.  Love them as such.

 

Back to the question defining the nugget’s theme – “Do we have any?” meaning friends who are sinners.  I hope so.  Jesus did and so must we and that must be by intentional love to them so they might indeed label us “A friend of sinners” just like our Lord.   

 

PRAYER: “Father, help me to model Your Son as a ‘Friend of Sinners’ and be intentional in those relationships.”
QUOTE: “Do you have sinners in your life, that if asked, would call you ‘A real friend’? If not, why not? Jesus did.”

 

Because of Him,
Pastor Jim