Jesus, Friend Of Sinners

Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers.

Video: Casting Crowns - Jesus, Friend of Sinners

Jesus, friend of sinners, we have strayed so far away

We cut down people in your name but the sword was never ours to swing

Jesus, friend of sinners, the truth's become so hard to see

The world is on their way to You but they're tripping over me

Always looking around but never looking up I'm so double minded

A plank eyed saint with dirty hands and a heart divided

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners

Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers

Let our hearts be led by mercy

Help us reach with open hearts and open doors

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours

Jesus, friend of sinners, the one who's writing in the sand

Make the righteous turn away and the stones fall from their hands

Help us to remember we are all the least of thieves

Let the memory of Your mercy bring Your people to their knees

No one knows what we're for only against when we judge the wounded

What if we put down our signs crossed over the lines and loved like You did

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners

Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers

Let our hearts be led by mercy

Help us reach with open hearts and open doors

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours

You love every lost cause; you reach for the outcast

For the leper and the lame; they're the reason that You came

Lord I was that lost cause and I was the outcast

But you died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet

'Cause You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever

You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever

You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever

You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners

Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers

Let our hearts be led by mercy

Help us reach with open hearts and open doors

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks Yours

And I was the lost 'cause and I was the outcast

You died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet

Best Friend Ever
Luke 15:7  In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

Reacting To My Savior

Seeing the glorified Jesus will be overwhelming but I do not need to be afraid.

Revelation 1:17-18 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave."

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When we think of seeing Jesus in heaven we usually think about the human Jesus that walked among the people and looked just like any other guy but if you study the book of Revelation you will realize that the Jesus that we look forward to seeing isn't going to look the same.

When John saw Jesus in the vision he didn't see a humble carpenter, he didn't look upon a familiar face and have an out burst of joy as we would when we see an old friend, John saw someone that was much different from the man that he knew.

Jesus is now in full glory, the glory that he has always shared with God, the Jesus that John saw in the vision struck him with fear and dread. John is overwhelmed by the holiness of God. John was instantly aware of his sinfulness and his depraved condition and was totally devastated. His immediate reaction is to fall down to the ground like a dead man. (Philippians 2:6-11)

John's reaction was fear but then Jesus reacted to John's fear with assurance. 

It was proper for John to react the way that he did but Jesus didn't want John to continue forever in fear, Jesus touched John and told him to "fear not!" This is similar to what Jesus said in Matthew 17:5-7 when the disciples witnessed the transfiguration.

John receives a touch from Jesus and an assurance that he doesn't need to be afraid. Jesus loves him and went to great lengths so that John could stand before Jesus without fear. Since Jesus is on our side and he will never die we don't have any reason to be afraid.

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord--who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.

When we see God's glory contrasted with our sinfulness it will cause us to live differently. If we get close to God through studying his word and we see who he is then we will come to understand our situation without Jesus work on the cross. We will allow God to work in our lives and change us "into His glorious image."

A true Christ follower should be repulsed by their sinfulness, we should desire sin less and less as we get to know and see Jesus more, sin will look a lost less appealing to us and that will cause us to be a better reflection of God's glory.

Revelation 6:15-17 Then everyone--the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person--all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?"

We will all see what John saw and we will probably all fall down like a dead man! If you have a relationship with Jesus then you will not have to fear the appointment that we will all be forced to keep.

How Is Your Serve?

Jesus condescended the most because he loves us the most.

 

John 13:3-6  Jesus knew that the Father had given Him authority over everything and that He had come from God and would return to God.  4  So He got up from the table, took off His robe, wrapped a towel around His waist,  5  and poured water into a basin. Then He began to wash the disciples' feet, drying them with the towel He had around Him.  6  When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to Him, "Lord, are You going to wash my feet?"

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This is Jesus last Passover celebration, his Last Supper with his disciples, Jesus knew God's timetable and that his final hour was drawing near. You and I would be very self-centered in this situation, just like the disciples were as they sat at the table with Jesus but instead of worrying about himself he is concerned with the men that he would leave behind and the strength of their faith.

On many occasions Jesus was asked who he is, where he came from and why he thought that he had the authority to scold the Pharisees. John tells us that Jesus knew that he came from God, he would return to God and he knew that God had given him the authority to do God stuff. Yet he did things that we wouldn't expect God to do.

It is difficult to imagine that Jesus had authority over absolutely everything, we can't even comprehend what that means, when we say that somebody has authority over something we know in our heads that the authority covers certain boundaries. A school teacher has authority in certain areas that we can clearly define but Jesus rules over things that we don't even know about.

Should the ruler over absolutely everything be my servant?

"No," Peter protested, "You will never ever wash my feet!"

Jesus stepped down from the highest position and humbled himself, he made the greatest leap in condescension, we will probably never understand why he loves us so much that he would make this giant step from greatness to the lowliest servant.

Only humble people love, and your capacity to love is directly related to your capacity to humble yourself. The less interested you are in yourself, the greater your capacity to invest yourself in somebody else. The lower you go in self-concern, the higher you go in concern for others. -John MacArthur

I have never considered the connection between loving and being humble. Jesus willingness to be so humble and come down so low from his superior position in heaven is incredible. That level of selflessness is far superior to the love that we have that is self serving and seeks to gain something in return.

Shouldn't Jesus announce that I am his greatest follower?

Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank. 

These guys were so busy arguing about their rank and how well they were doing at following the Rabbi that they missed one of the most important qualities of a Christ follower. Think about this, the hands that control the universe, including all the angelic host, humbly washed the dirty feet of twelve undeserving apostles! And that includes the feet of the betrayer!

Unworthy Servants

Luke 17:7-10  "When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, 'Come in and eat with me'? No, he says, 'Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.' And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey Me you should say, 'We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.'"

I am an unworthy servant that has a hard time thinking of myself as I should, my level of gratitude for what God has done for me is severely lacking because of my perception of who I am and what level of despair I was in without my Savior doesn't really sink into my head. Pride gets in the way of seeing myself the way that God sees me.

If I could wrap my head around the idea of how depraved I am then my level of gratitude would be increased along with my ability to love and serve the hurting world around me the way that Jesus did.

Help me Lord to see myself through your eyes for who I really am so I can fully appreciate what you have done for me.

Palm Sunday - Our Fickle Hearts

"Blessed is he" will soon become "crucify him!"

Luke 19:37-41  When He reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of His followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.

38  "Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the LORD! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!"

39  But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, "Teacher, rebuke Your followers for saying things like that!"

40  He replied, "If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!"  41  But as He came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, He began to weep.

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The crowd that ran out to the city gates to welcome Jesus were praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen. The crowds heard the news and they knew what has been going on recently.

It hasn't been very long since Jesus brought Lazarus back to life, just recently Jesus healed ten lepers and on another occasion there was a huge uproar when blind Bartimaeus was healed. There was even some talk that Jesus changed that tax collector Zacchaeus and now he was passing out the first ever tax refunds.

Jesus decision to go to Jerusalem was not a great idea in the minds of the disciples but surely their minds were put at ease with all of this positive attention that Jesus was getting. Did Judas think that the power that he was waiting for was finally going to happen? Did James and John start to think about their moms request to sit next to Jesus on his throne?

They were probably all confused since Jesus has been talking about dying in Jerusalem and now everything seems to be good. That is until the religious leaders showed up and demanded that Jesus reprimand his fan club.

Jesus told them that these people were not wrong to sing praises to him but at the same time he isn't letting this moment of popularity go to his head. It's just like the beginning of Jesus ministry when the crowds were starting to come around but Jesus already knew that the crowds were not sincere. (John 2:23-25)

Psalms 91:4  He will cover you with His feathers. He will shelter you with His wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

Just like many of the generations before, these people saw many signs and miracles, they got to experience God close up but they would still reject him. They would taste of God's goodness and delight in him for a season and then they would push him aside.

The people of Israel, on the heels of unthinkable miracles, with their pockets full of Egyptian jewelry, grumble at their less-than-five-star accommodations in the desert. This wasn't just headache-induced grumbling or low-blood-sugar complaining. This was faithlessness.

-John Piper

Just like many of us today. Our pockets are full, we have homes that are more accommodating than most of the world has and our stomachs are full, and just like the Israelites we grumble about the Lord's goodness.

All of us are prone to be like Peter and forget everything that we have experienced. Peter had walked on water, he picked up the leftovers when Jesus fed the crowds and he helped unwrap Lazarus when he walked out of the tomb. He said "I won't deny you!" and yet he turned just as quickly as the rest of the crowd.

Do you realize how unbelieveable that is to those that haven't tasted God's goodness? To those that do not have the hope of future glory that will last for eternity? We are so fickle, we turn on Him so quickly, join in with the crowds and mock him like he hasn't done anything.

How deep the Father's love for us, How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son, To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss, The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One, Bring many sons to glory
Behold the Man upon a cross, My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice, Call out among the scoffers

Forgive me Lord for choosing to do it my way, help me to be loyal to you instead of giving in to my sin nature, I need your help to stop the rebellion against you in my own life. I want to crown you Lord of my life and allow you to stay in control. I want to be faithful to you and never doubt your goodness.

Living Water

Jesus will refresh better than anything else you may try.

John 4:7-14  Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Please give Me a drink."  8  He was alone at the time because His disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.

9  The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, "You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are You asking me for a drink?"

10  Jesus replied, "If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask Me, and I would give you living water."

11  "But sir, You don't have a rope or a bucket," she said, "and this well is very deep. Where would You get this living water?  12  And besides, do You think You're greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can You offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?"

13  Jesus replied, "Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again.  14  But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It

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What is Jesus doing in Samaria? The good news of the Messiah wasn't accepted in Jerusalem, the religious leaders were already upset because Jesus cleaned house at the Passover, Jesus ministry is just beginning and he is already being rejected by the Jews.

There was a man in our previous study of the gospel of John, a seeker named Nicodemus came to Jesus, he was a religious man, moral, rich and powerful man, he came to Jesus to learn more. Jesus taught Nicodemus and explained the concept of spiritual birth. The next person to have an encounter with Jesus is a woman that is quite a contrast to Nicodemus.

Psalms 63:1-3 A psalm of David, regarding a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; I earnestly search for You. My soul thirsts for You; my whole body longs for You in this parched and weary land where there is no water.

How could he talk to a woman? How could Jesus talk to a Samaritan woman? And to make it worse a woman that is an outcast among her own people! It was bad enough to be rejected by the Jews but she was rejected by her own people as well. She had a divine appointment with Jesus, he is there at the right time and he is alone because he sent his disciples away to shop for food.

I have to wonder about these guys. How uncomfortable were they with traveling through Samaria? Did they leave Samaria to get food from a better neighborhood? It seems odd to me that none of them stayed behind with Jesus but Jesus was very intentional about being alone for this encounter.

Unlike Nicodemus, she didn't seek out an opportunity to talk to Jesus, she didn't have any idea who he was and he was so hot and tired that he didn't look like he could have anything to offer to the Samaritan woman. The only thing she had in common with Nicodemus was that they both took Jesus teaching literally. He couldn't understand how to be born again and she couldn't understand how she could have water that would satisfy her thirst forever.

We are all like the Samaritan woman... don't be offended, we are all thirsty and we are looking for a way to get relief. Having a dry mouth is the least of your worries, as our physical thirst gets worse it can cause weakness, dizziness, confusion and fainting. Imagine your spiritual thirst causing all of those same symptoms.

Finally she has met a man that could meet her ultimate need, a man that could satisfy, Jesus saw beyond her sin to the root of the problem. Her ultimate need wasn't found in short term physical pleasure, the ultimate need wasn't to clean up her life, Jesus saw that she had a longing that wasn't being met by the men in her life.

Never Thirst Again
Revelation 21:6  And He also said, "It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega--the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.

The offer is an eternal one, this refreshing gift from God will never run dry. Jesus told the woman at the well "It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life." All of our solutions to stop our thirst are just a cheap temporary substitute that will leave you feeling like an addict that needs another hit.

Satan wants us to miss the living water, he wants us to look through our box of idols and try a different one, he wants us to talk back at God and doubt his goodness. We look at our circumstances and put our trust in ourselves to bring short term satisfaction when God has a much better solution that will last for eternity. (Exodus 17:1-7, Numbers 20:1-11).

"The only one who can quench that thirst is the one who said, “I thirst.” -Rick Warren

Jesus thirsted on the cross so you don’t have to thirst. He paid for what you don’t have to pay for. He became thirsty so you never have to be thirsty again."