Christ Receiveth Sinners

~Christ Receiveth Sinners ~

Luke 15:1- 10

1Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

3And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

7I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

· 8Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?

9And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.

10Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

First of all let me say a few things about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. They were the most religious people of their day, they were devoted keepers of the Mosaic Law and yet they were the worst of the enemies of Jesus.

Instead of rejoicing in that they were in the presence of the Son of God they looked for some way to kill him. Rather than rejoice that God would love and save all men from their sins, these self-righteous, spiritually proud hypocrites wanted to exclude all but their own kind from the grace of God.

When Jesus preached and taught, He attracted vast crowds of the kind of people the Pharisees considered undesirable.

They murmured, “This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them.” Well I am certainly glad that Jesus did & still does receive sinners! Not only does He receive sinners, but also then He joins in sweet fellowship with them!

· The story is told of a little girl whose parents never went to church. However, they insisted that she went, and not only that but she had to be able to recite the preacher’s text for the day. One morning she rushed home excited: “Oh mama, my name is in the Bible.” “That’s not likely,” responded her parents. “But it is! The pastor read it this morning. ’This man receiveth sinners, and Edith with them.”

Well this is more than just a mispronunciation. There is a beautiful truth here. Can you put your name there? “This man receiveth sinners, and __________ with them.”

.JUST WHAT IS A SINNER?

A. The Bible says a sinner is one who transgresses the Law of God.

1. (I Jn. 3:4) - “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”

2. Webster’s dictionary defines a transgressor as “one who exceeds the boundaries of the law.”

3. Just think for a minute about the sinners of the world, Is not the action of sinners the very acts of lawlessness?*** Murder, riot, rape, war or even any of the so-called lesser sins such as stealing, gossip, or lying.

These are all acts which indicate lawlessness.

B. But being a transgressor of the Laws of God is a characteristic applicable to all men, not just those who get caught in their lawless deeds.

1. Some, like the Pharisees would have the world believe they have always been inside the bounds set by the Laws of God.

The Bible calls such people liars. (I Jn. 1:8) - “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

2. The Bible says we are all born sinners.

a. Romans 3:23 23For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

b. Romans 5:12 12Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Some of you listening may be like the woman who was saved oneSunday morning and asked to address the church; then she said, “All my life I have been saying I am not a sinner. This morning I realized that if I am not a sinner then Jesus couldn’t save me,

“For this man receiveth sinners.”

C. Jesus will receive sinners of all ages.

1. He said He would receive those who would seek Him in their youth and that we are to permit little children to come to Him.