Tag Archives: sinners

Do you have a notorious sinner as a friend? (Luke 19:5-10) December 23, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Revelations 12-17

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 19:5-10
Jesus: Zaccheus, hurry down from that tree because I need to stay at your house tonight.
Zaccheus scrambles down and joyfully brings Jesus back to his house. Now the crowd sees this, and they’re upset.
Crowd (grumbling): Jesus has become the houseguest of this fellow who is a notorious sinner.
Zaccheus: Lord, I am giving half of my goods to the poor, and whomever I have cheated I will pay back four times what I took.
Jesus: Today liberation has come to this house, since even Zaccheus is living as a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to liberate the lost.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Do you know any notorious sinners? I hope so. It gives you a good opportunity to become friends with them, invite them into your house, eat dinner with them, get to know them, and let them get to know you. It gives you an opportunity to let them see your life in side and out. It lets them see you in the crisis times of life and how you rely on God to get you through those tough times and how you praise Him for the good times. If you get to know a notorious sinner, you might have the opportunity to help him out when he gets in a tough spot and show God’s grace through your actions.

Does that mean you condone what he does that doesn’t conform to God’s law? No. Neither did Jesus. When Jesus went to Zaccheus house for dinner, I’m sure He didn’t go there with the intent of learning how to cheat people on their taxes. That’s what Zaccheus was know for. I’m pretty sure Jesus didn’t intend to get stone drunk at dinner and make a fool of Himself. I’m pretty sure Jesus planned to enjoy Himself at dinner and talk to Zaccheus about what He was doing in His ministry, the people He was meeting along the way, the help He was able to give, the joy God brought to individual’s hearts when they changed their ways and followed His commands.

Jesus didn’t condone sin, but He loved sinners. He demonstrated that fact over and over throughout His ministry. He associated with the notorious sinners. Those labeled as the worst of the worst so those on the fringe and we could know that God will forgive anyone who comes to Him with a repentant heart. And what better way to tell the story of God’s forgiveness than over a meal?

When your eating with someone, you’re eyeball to eyeball with them. It’s hard to just walk away in the middle of a meal. Especially if they invited you to dinner. What are they going to do? Grab you by the collar and throw you out in the street? If they have come to know you as a friend that really cares about them, probably not. They will listen to your stories. They will see the sincerity in your eyes. They will feel your passion and compassion. They will know you believe what you tell them. It will cause them to think about what you say.

Will you win them to Jesus? Maybe. Maybe not. They must make the choice for themselves. But you will at least plant a seed that may have a chance to grow in them. If you are friends with notorious sinners you will have a better chance of reaching them for Jesus than any pastor preaching in a pulpit. Why? Because that notorious sinner won’t show up at that pastor’s services. No matter how great a preacher, no matter how persuasive, no matter how successful he is in sharing God’s word and convincing others to come to Christ, if that notorious sinner never enters those church doors, he will never hear the pastor’s great message. The truth will have to come from a Christian friend.

Jesus showed us by example how best to spread the good news. He went to the homes of those who needed to hear it most. He went to the people who needed Him. He didn’t wait for them to come to Him. He didn’t expect them to approach Him, He traveled the countryside and went to them. The crowds gathered around Him, but those crowds came from the nearby villages, not from half way across the country. The crowds were locals that sought Him out when He came to their town.

We in the church are sometimes afraid, or maybe, like the Pharisees, too proud or pious, to associate with the notorious sinners. But how else will they hear that Jesus loves them just as much as He loved us when He offered us the chance to have our sins forgiven and an opportunity to attain eternal life with Him. How else will they come to know Him as Savior unless friends carry the message to them.

So the questions for us today: Do you know any notorious sinners? Have you made friends with them? Have you share the good news of God’s love with them? If not, what are you waiting for? Jesus showed us how with Zaccheus as a great example for us. You might help win a Zaccheus today if you try. Let’s get at it. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

How will they know? (Luke 7:31-35) October 13, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Proverbs 29-30

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 7:31-35
Jesus: The people of this generation—what are they like? To what can they be compared? I’ll tell you: they’re like spoiled kids sitting in the marketplace playing games, calling out,
We played the pipes for you,
but you didn’t dance to our tune!
We cried like mourners,
but you didn’t cry with us!
You can’t win with this generation. John the Baptist comes along, fasting and abstaining from wine, and you say, “This guy is demon-possessed!” The Son of Man comes along, feasting and drinking wine, and you say, “This guy is a glutton and a drunk, a friend of scoundrels and tax collectors!” Well, wisdom’s true children know wisdom when they hear it.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

People are so fickle when it comes to hearing the truth. We find every excuse under the sun to figure out how to turn away from it and assume the truth doesn’t apply to us, don’t we? That’s what was happening to Jesus and His disciples in this scene.

The Pharisees and the religious leaders of His day didn’t like the crowds Jesus gathered around Him as He talked about the scriptures in the market places and on the hillsides. These discussions were supposed to be taking place in the temple and synagogues under their tutelage and with their interpretations. Not as some unknown carpenter thought the scriptures should be applied. Who did He think He was? But the crowds kept coming. They liked what they heard. They listened with great intensity because what Jesus said made sense and He had such authority in His voice. More so that any of the scribes and Pharisees and priests they heard, anyway.

So once again the Pharisees confront Jesus and try to calm Him down and get Him to stop preaching. They try to get Him to stop these proclamations He keeps making about who He thinks God is and what religions is supposed to be about. So Jesus upends their arguments once again. Did you like John and His message? No, he obeyed your commands too much. He took vows of poverty and ritual cleansing and fasting that you thought went too far. He made your rituals look like movie trailers compared to his practice of real righteousness and you didn’t accept him as authentic in his worship.

You said he needed to dress better, eat more, get around people and behave like they did. Don’t be such a hermit. Don’t spend so much time praying and fasting and preaching. People will think you’ve gone off the deep end on this righteousness stuff. You can’t look too holy or no one will like you. They’ll think you’re better than them or something. Or they’ll think you’re crazy. No one will believe your story if you look and act too much like John.

Then Jesus comes along. Jesus ate with the tax collectors and thieves and rabble of the cities because they needed to hear God’s message of forgiveness. They knew they were far from God and they couldn’t go into the temple and the synagogues because they weren’t accepted there. How were they to find God if they couldn’t get to the altar and hear His message? The religious leaders would have nothing to do with them because they were sinners. They were obviously lost and they were without help from the holy people. So they were without hope…until Jesus came along.

Jesus ate with them. Drank with them. Sang with them. And Jesus gave them a message of hope and forgiveness. One the Pharisees and religious leaders knew was contained in the pages of the scrolls they memorized, but they would never dirty their hands to share it with ‘those people’. But Jesus did. He shared the message God sent to the world. The message of atonement, forgiveness, cleansing from the guilt of sin. These sinners soaked up the message the Pharisees and religious leaders hoarded within the walls of their sanctuaries and refused to share outside the confines of their collective pious gathering.

Is it any wonder Jesus was welcomed by the crowd from the other side of the tracks so often? Is it any wonder He feasted with the tax collectors and prostitutes and obvious sinners? They longed to hear the message the priests refused to share outside the confines of their ‘club of the uber pious’. They needed to hear that they could be freed from the guilt that weighed heavily on their souls. They needed to hear they could be forgiven of the wrongs they committed and weren’t doomed forever with no way to make restitution to man or God. They needed to find a way back into God’s kingdom.

But they couldn’t find a way…until Jesus became their friend and shared the joy of knowing sins can be forgiven for the asking. The chains of sin can be broken for the asking. The slavery to Satan can be redeemed by the blood of the spotless One when we accept His atonement for our sins. We can be made free once again when we live for Him instead of living for ourselves. We can find freedom in Him.

But how will those who don’t darken the door of our churches and synagogues and temples knows that message unless we befriend them and tell them?

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Where do you share the message? (Luke 5:31-32) September 27, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 Chronicles 6-10

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 5:31-32
Jesus (answering for the disciples): Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I haven’t come for the pure and upstanding; I’ve come to call notorious sinners to rethink their lives and turn to God.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We have done something as Christians I’m not sure Jesus would be too happy about. What is it? We cling together in little conclaves and hide ourselves away from the world when it comes to exploring God’s word. We get together with other Christians in our churches and cathedrals and we teach each other if we learn anything about scriptures at all. We build these beautiful and sometimes not so beautiful buildings, but then we put up a cross on the roof or on the side of the building or on a sign outside and expect people to come inside and find God.

But Jesus didn’t work that way when He was with us. He attended the synagogues on the Sabbath wherever He happened to be at the time. He went to the Temple whenever He was in Jerusalem. But to share the message His Father intended Him to share with the world, He went to the places people gathered and that was not the synagogues and temple. He taught in the markets and on the seashore. He picked hillsides and the homes of prominent and not so prominent people. He taught whenever and wherever people gathered to hear Him.

He went to the people because He knew people needed to hear the message and knew those who needed to hear the message most would not come to the temple or synagogue to hear it. Like Adam, they would hide from God rather than come into His presence for cleansing. If Jesus was going to help them, He would have to go to them. And unlike most physicians today, Jesus made house calls.

So we find Jesus visiting the tax collectors and prostitutes and thieves and liars and all those other savory characters that you’d never expect to find in the temple because they would be afraid others would point out their sin instead of welcoming them into God’s presence for forgiveness – just like the Pharisees did.

And we in the Christian faith, too often do the same thing the Pharisees did. We cloister ourselves in our fine buildings and sing our songs, listen to sermons, attend our classes, and if anyone comes into our churches that don’t look or act like us, we send signals that help them understand they really aren’t as welcome as we say they are. Those visitors come in and sit in the back or maybe are even ushered to a middle seat somewhere, but they never return because we treat them like lepers. They are tax collectors, prostitutes, thieves, liars, sinners. God forbid that we let them into our Christian clubhouse.

Isn’t it time that we take up the mantle as Jesus taught us? He went to the places where the people that needed Him lived and worked and gathered for mutual comfort. He went to the sick at heart. He went to those that needed cleansing from the sickness in their spirit. He found Himself in those places filled with people who would never darken the door of the temple or the synagogue. But He gave the same message to those they He gave to the people in the synagogue.

Do you understand why? Because all of us are sinners. And in God’s eyes there is really no difference between the tax collector and the gossip, the prostitute and those who would cause dissension in the church. All have sinned and come short of the God’s glory they seek. We are not worthy to stand in His presence, and yet He calls us to follow Him. He calls us to come to Him for healing, cleansing, a right relationship with our heavenly Father.

Jesus showed us what we should do, then He did something none of us would probably do if we were God. He entrusted His message to us. He told us to go share His message throughout the world. Can you believe that? God put the message of salvation into the hands of sinners who have felt the touch of His redemptive grace. We were His enemies, but He still gave us the mission of sharing the message that will give people hope and a future.

So who do we take that message to? Do we hold it in our churches and cathedrals? Jesus didn’t. We are to take it to work with us. We’re to take it to school and the grocery. We’re to take it to our neighbors. We’re to take it to the gas station and our mechanic. We’re to take it everywhere we go and we’re to take the message of God’s grace and forgiveness to those who need it most.

Do you remember who needs it most? Everyone. We’re all sinners. Some of us are saved by His grace, if we have asked for His forgiveness. But we all need His message. So share the hope and grace He gives to someone you meet today. Don’t invite them to church to hear the message, share it with them where you find them. It will make such a difference in how they hear it from you. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

We are all betrayers (Mark 14:13-21) September 10, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – John 16-18

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 14:18-21
Jesus: I tell you in absolute sincerity, one of you eating with Me tonight is going to betray Me.
The twelve were upset. They looked around at each other.
Disciples (one by one): Lord, it’s not I, is it?
Jesus: It is one of you, the twelve—one of you who is dipping your bread in the same dish that I am.
The Son of Man goes to His fate. That has already been predicted in the Scriptures. But still, it will be terrible for the one who betrays Him. It would have been better for him if he had never been born.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

How would you like to be sitting at the table when Jesus said those words? “One of you will betray Me.” Wow! Here they were just finishing the Seder and Jesus makes this announcement. He knew it a long time before this, but kept it to Himself. Of course, if the disciples understood scripture the way He did, they would know He would be betrayed, but they didn’t. No one put it together until after the fact. But here was the bombshell.

These guys had traveled with Him for over three years. They heard every message. They sat with Him for every lesson. They ate with Him. Slept where He slept. Went where He went. They were His constant companions throughout His ministry. How could one of them possibly fall away and betray Him after sitting under His teaching for three years?

But listen to the question from each of the disciples. Every one of them asked Him, “Is it me? Am I the one who will betray you? I’m not the one, am I?” Did you get that? Every one of the disciples had enough doubt in their mind about their individual loyalty that they asked Jesus if they were the one that would turn Him in to the authorities. Each of them had these hidden thoughts and secret spots in their heart they thought were deep enough that no one could see. But when Jesus made His announcement about His betrayal, every one of them felt those dark spots rise to the surface and questioned their own loyalty to Christ.

Of course, Judas already knew he was the one and asked the question in a way only the guilty can, but every single disciple felt in his heart that he might have the capacity to turn against his master. That’s an important point for all of us to see in the events that unfolded around the table that night. It’s an important point for all of us to realize as we listen to the words Jesus spoke and we should take them to heart.

Every one of us have the capacity to betray Him. No matter how solid we think we are in our faith, we have the capacity to turn against Him and betray Him. No matter how good we think we are or how long we have been following Him, we have the ability to go to His enemies and plot against Him for a few pieces of silver.

You might think you’d never do that to Jesus. He’s done so much for you. He may have healed you in the past. He might have healed your children or saved you lost loved ones. He might have salvaged your marriage or rescued you from financial ruin. Jesus may have intervened in broken relationships with family or friends. He may have worked incredible miracles on your behalf and you think you could never betray Him. But listen again to the question from the lips of every one of His closest disciples, even John, His most beloved. “Lord, is it me? Am I the one who will betray you?”

All of them, without exception, after walking with Jesus for three years and listening to His voice, knew that deep within every person, we have the capacity to choose to betray Him. Adam and Eve were sinless when they chose to turn against God, remember? But we are born with the seed of sin embedded in us. God’s word says it is passed down to us through Adam’s race. We cannot escape it. We have all sinned. And so we all carry within us the capacity to betray Him.

Judas is the one who sold the plan to identify Jesus to the guards in the garden. Peter took one swipe and a guard and then fled. The rest of the disciples just fled in terror. No one stood by His side when those horrible events of that night began to unfold. All of His disciples had the capacity to betray Him and they did. They left Him to endure His fate alone. We think of Judas as the betrayer, the one who sold Jesus to His enemies, but didn’t they all betray His friendship that night? Didn’t they all desert Him and leave Him to face His pain alone in the garden? Didn’t every one of them forget their promise to stand by Him to the end?

The difference between the rest of the disciples and Judas? Eleven repented. Judas hung himself. When you think about it, we have each betrayed Jesus, too? Which path will you take? I hope it’s the path to repentance.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Spiritual hospitals (Matthew 9:12-13) February 16, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Judges 7-11

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 9:12-13
Jesus (overhearing this): Look, who needs a doctor—healthy people or sick people? I am not here to attend to people who are already right with God; I am here to attend to sinners. In the book of the prophet Hosea, we read, “It is not sacrifice I want, but mercy.” Go and meditate on that for a while—maybe you’ll come to understand it.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I like these words from Jesus. In fact, I use them whenever I hear anyone talk about the church. You might think that’s a little crazy, but let me explain a little. Let’s look at the story.

Jesus goes to the home of one of His disciples to have a meal with them. And this disciple, maybe it was Matthew, since it talks about the character of the others who came, invited a host of his friends to join with them to meet Jesus. This turned out to be a pretty good sized dinner party. First, we need to consider that this disciple must have been fairly wealthy, so that might fit Matthew at the time of his calling. He was a tax collector, hated by the rest of the Jews because he worked for the Roman government. His pay came from the excess he collected above what the Romans required as their part from each citizen.

So Matthew fills his house with his friends.

Needless to say, his friends were not church goers. They didn’t frequent the temple regularly. They were fellow tax collectors and prostitutes. They were the dregs of society. They were the outcasts. They were the people the religious leaders called the scum of the earth. But they were Matthew’s friends. So he invited them to meet the Man who called him away from his life of sin and showed him a new life. He invited them to meet the One who could forgive and bring new life to the downtrodden.

But the pious leaders saw the crowd and were appalled that Jesus would associate with such vile people. “How can you be in the same room with such trash!”

And then we have Jesus’ words. “Look, who needs a doctor—healthy people or sick people? I am not here to attend to people who are already right with God; I am here to attend to sinners.”

So what does that have to do with talking about church? Usually, normally, most of the time, whenever someone talks about the church, they talk about the hypocrisy in the church. Sister so-and-so does this, Brother so-and-so does that. How can the church put up with such hypocrisy? Do you know what Pastor whats-his-name did? The gossip is alive and active and sharp. It cuts deep.

But I usually address the person with Jesus’ thoughts. You know, it’s great there are hypocrites in the church. I’m glad they are there. I’m glad the church has tax collectors and prostitutes and thieves and liars and all sorts of outcasts in it. I’m glad to see the pews filled with unrighteous people. I’m happy to see crowds come in that don’t fit the mold of the solid Christian character. Why?

Because for at least that thirty minutes or so that the gospel is preached from the pulpit, they will hear the message of Christ. At least for those few minutes, the world’s message will be shut out and they will know they will be in the presence of at least a few saints of God and hear from His holy word and maybe, just maybe their hearts will be softened enough to open the door for Jesus to come into their heart. For those few minutes, there is an opportunity to introduce them to the One who can change their life forever and pick them up out of their world of sin and make them a new creation in Christ, the Creator of the universe.

We come together in the church building to worship, but if we ever begin to shut out the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the drug addicts, the thieves, the liars, the name the sinner you might think of, we have missed the boat. Our churches must be spiritual hospitals for the sin sick of our world. And you know what else, sometimes the staff in hospitals need help, too. Sometimes, doctors and nurses get the flu. Sometimes, those in leadership positions need prayer and support.

Maybe instead of going home and having the pastor for lunch, we ought to take the pastor to lunch. Lift him up, pray for him, support him, tell him how much you love him, let him know how much you care, do something to lighten his load, volunteer to assist in carrying the burdens of the church, pray, pray, pray! You’ll be amazed at what a note of kindness will do for your pastor. They don’t get many of those. They get a lot of the other kind.

Do our churches have sin sick people in them? I hope so. God, may it always be so. How else can we help them see Jesus! How else can we teach them to find and grow in Christ? May we always be a spiritual hospital where people can find grace and mercy and hope in Christ through our love for all people. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.