Other Disreputable Sinners

Would Jesus Want To Hang Out With My Friends?

Jesus was a accused of being a friend of sinners. Not just good “Christian” sinners like you and me, but some really bad people by our standards. That accusation was leveled at the Son of God only because it was true—which ought to tell us that if we don’t have any “other disreputable sinners” in our lives, our assignment is simply this: Get some—ASAP!

Enduring Truth // Matthew 9:10-11

Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”

I love that about Jesus, don’t you? He didn’t come to impress the religious elite or hang out with spiritual celebrities. He didn’t set up shop in Jerusalem and buy airtime on JBN (Jerusalem Broadcasting Network). He didn’t write a book about himself or put on a leadership conference or lead a church growth seminar.

He hung out with sinners!

The reason? He explains in the next verse: “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” (Matthew 9:12, NLT) It would have been a complete dereliction of duty and an abject failure in his mission if he would have done anything else. People were lost—they needed to be found. People were in bondage to sin—they needed to be delivered. People were sick and dying—they needed a healer. People were confused and hopeless—they needed a Lord. People were beat down and harassed by a religious system that squeezed the life and joy out of them—they needed a champion. What a champion they got in Jesus—and then some!

What a hero! Jesus was exactly what the poor, outcast, marginalized and hopeless needed. That was the purpose for which he came and he fulfilled his purpose brilliantly. That is why I love this story so much.

Yet that is why this story makes me extremely uncomfortable. You see, if Jesus were to come today, would he feel comfortable in my church? Would he want to hang out with my friends? How would he fit in my social circle?  The very fact that I find this contemporary portrayal of Jesus hanging out with beer swilling gang-bangers offensive—and my guess is that it does you, too—tells me that I would have been right alongside those Pharisees questioning the kind of invitations to dinner Jesus had been accepting. Perhaps Jesus would say to you and me what he said to the Pharisees,

“Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” (Matthew 9:13, NLT)

Ouch! I’ve got to be honest: There are not a whole lot of other disreputable sinners” hanging out in my world. Something tells me that really ought to change if Jesus if going to fit in my circles—or more importantly, if I am going to fit in his.

Thrive: If you don’t have any “other disreputable sinners” in your life, your assignment is simply this: Get some

It Is Finished–Part III

Reflect:
Revelation 21:1-22:21

“It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 21:6)

The Great Finisher—that’s who God is. What he begins, he finishes, and what he finishes he finishes well.

It Is Finished—Part I: In Genesis 2:2 we read that “on the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work.” For six days, God had created the universe, and after he had finished each day’s work, he pronounced, “It is good.”

Especially good was God’s divine artistry with the earth itself. It was the perfect environment for the highest of his creation, man. It was a place so amazing that God himself physically strolled with man and woman every day in the wonder and beauty of the divine creation. But then the human couple messed it up by rebelling against God, choosing to sin instead of trusting their Creator.

It Is Finished—Part II: Fast-forward thousands of years to Christ, when in the fullness of time, God stepped back into his creation to recreate what man had corrupted. The Bible calls Jesus “the second Adam.” The second member of the Holy Trinity, God the Son, became a man, lived a sinless life, and died the perfect sacrifice to redeem what man had lost in Eden—a right relationship with Creator God.

When Jesus hung on the cross, paying the awful price for the sin of the world, he breathed his last breath and said, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) He had fully transacted the work of redemption, and as indescribably painful, physically, emotionally and spiritually as that was, it, too, was good. Isaiah 53:10 describes the goodness of Christ’s death this way:

“But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in his hands.”

It Is Finished—Part III: But that’s not all—fast-forward at least two thousand years into the future to a date not yet set but quickly drawing near.

After Christ’s sacrifice, there was still a world with whom this Good News needed to be shared. Opportunity still had to be given for sinful man to repent, experience redemption and be brought back into that perfect place God had originally intended in the Garden. Sadly, much of the world would stubbornly reject this great redemptive “do-over”. Satan, the god of this world, had blinded the eyes of sinful man.

So after the appropriate time had been given for repentance, God brought judgment upon sin, Satan, and stubborn humanity. Everything that had stood in rebellion against this gracious, patient God was cast into eternal punishment. And the sin-corrupted earth—what was once God’s most perfect creation—was destroyed by God’s holy fire.

Then the God, who always finishes what he begins, said once again, “it is finished.” (Revelation 21:6) And what is revealed next is so good that it defies description: a new earth. Read John’s description slowly, and as best you can, picture in your mind what God has in store for his redeemed—which includes you and me:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.’” (Revelation 21:1-3)

Best of all, once again, you and I will walk personally and physically with God himself. As Adam and Eve once enjoyed unhindered, uninterrupted fellowship with their Father Creator, so shall we. And if you have any doubts about the truth of this promise, hear the words of the Great Finisher himself,

“And the one sitting on the throne said, ‘Look, I am making everything new!’ And then he said to me, ‘Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.’” (Revelation 21:5)

Blessed is the one who hears God say, “it is finished” for the third time, for it too, will be ‘good!’”

“If our Creator has so bountifully provided for our existence here, which is but momentary, and for our temporal wants, which will soon be forgotten, how much more must He have done for our enjoyment in the everlasting world!” ~Hosea Ballou

Reflect and Apply: Henry Ward Beecher wrote, “One should go to sleep as homesick passengers do, saying, ‘Perhaps in the morning we shall see the shore.’” As you lay your head on the pillow tonight, say along with the Apostle John, “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 21:20)

Choosing The Good Part

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Luke 10
Meditation:
Luke 10:41-42

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Shift Your Focus… Jesus was a real champion of women’s rights—perhaps the first. The religious rules of that day prohibited a woman from being a disciple to a rabbi. But Jesus not only allowed Mary to “sit at his feet”, he praised her for it

Allowing her to “sit at his feet” was accepting Mary, a woman, as his, a rabbi’s, disciple. Jesus was giving her the same right as men to be schooled in his theology, to do his work and minister in his name. He was breaking with the long-held customs of the time, something akin to the emancipation of slaves to full rights of citizenship in the deep South in the 1800’s.

By welcoming Mary as his disciple, Jesus sent a clear signal that all the barriers preventing intimacy with God had been removed. Everyone in Jesus’ community of disciples now had equal freedom, equal dignity and equal access to God. Gender, ethnicity, background, or any other man-made qualifications aside, to “sit at Jesus’ feet” was to accept his invitation to a life of purpose and significance in his kingdom.

Not only did Jesus accept Mary as his disciple, he went out of his way to praise her: “Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her.” Literally, the text says that Mary chose “the good”.

Jesus praised Mary’s openness. She was demonstrating total receptivity to Jesus. While her sister Martha had received Jesus into her house, Mary had received Jesus into her heart.

Moreover, Jesus praised Mary’s daring devotion. She did what only men were allowed to do—sit at his feet to learn. Verse 39 says, “Mary…sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.” This wasn’t the only time Mary had done this. It was a pattern in her relationship with Jesus. In John 11:32 we see that Mary fell at his feet in prayer when her brother had died. In John 12:3 she fell at his feet in worship—an act, by the way, which cost her a keepsake worth a year’s salary as well as the criticism of the other disciples.

If you read those passages, you will notice that each time Mary fell at Jesus’ feet there was an associated fragrance: In Luke, the meal brought the fragrance of hospitality. When her brother died, it was the smell of death—and with her grief, the fragrance of unmitigated supplication to the One who claimed to be the resurrection and the life. When she fell at his feet and anointed them with outrageously expensive perfume, it was the fragrance of sacrificial worship. Each time she fell at his feet, Mary was demonstrating that she was a fully devoted follower of Jesus.

Along with Mary’s total receptivity and daring devotion, Jesus praised her for her outstanding courage. Her willingness to sit at his feet was a costly choice! In a Jewish writing called the Mishnah, a commentary on the Law of Moses that had been elevated to equal status with the Law, it was written, “Let thy house be a meeting house for the Sages and sit amid the dust of their feet, drink in their words with thirst, but talk not much with womankind.”

This was something a woman just didn’t do. Making Jesus a priority was sacrificial. It cost Mary not only Martha’s anger and the disciples’ criticism, but also the religious establishment’s ire.

Mary made the better choice, however. She chose the good, and her story was recorded not only as an eternal acknowledgment of her devotion to Christ, but also as a perpetual challenge to followers like you and me.

You see, at the end of the day, this story is about the daily choices we face to either carry on with our regular, and in most cases, justifiable routines, or to make following Christ our highest priority—to sit at his feet in total receptivity, daring devotion and courageous worship.

Your highest priority today will be to make the time to sit at Jesus’ feet. If you do, you will have chosen the good!

“Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it.” ~Corrie Ten Boom

Prayer… Lord, throughout my day, keep me constantly aware of and fully connected to you. Help me to make you and keep you as my highest priority—because that is what you are!

It Is Finished—Part III

Essential 100—Read:
Revelation 21:1-22:21

“It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 21:6)

The Great Finisher—that’s who God is. What he begins, he finishes, and what he finishes he finishes well.

It Is Finished—Part I: In Genesis 2:2 we read that “on the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work.” For six days, God had created the universe, and after he had finished each day’s work, he pronounced, “It is good.”

Especially good was God’s divine artistry with the earth itself. It was the perfect environment for the highest of his creation, man. It was a place so amazing that God himself physically strolled with man and woman every day in the wonder and beauty of the divine creation. But then the human couple messed it up by rebelling against God, choosing to sin instead of trusting their Creator.

It Is Finished—Part II: Fast-forward thousands of years to Christ, when in the fullness of time, God stepped back into his creation to recreate what man had corrupted. The Bible calls Jesus “the second Adam.” The second member of the Holy Trinity, God the Son, became a man, lived a sinless life, and died the perfect sacrifice to redeem what man had lost in Eden—a right relationship with Creator God.

When Jesus hung on the cross, paying the awful price for the sin of the world, he breathed his last breath and said, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) He had fully transacted the work of redemption, and as indescribably painful, physically, emotionally and spiritually as that was, it, too, was good. Isaiah 53:10 describes the goodness of Christ’s death this way:

“But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in his hands.”

It Is Finished—Part III: But that’s not all—fast-forward at least two thousand years into the future to a date not yet set but quickly drawing near.

After Christ’s sacrifice, there was still a world with whom this Good News needed to be shared. Opportunity still had to be given for sinful man to repent, experience redemption and be brought back into that perfect place God had originally intended in the Garden. Sadly, much of the world would stubbornly reject this great redemptive “do-over”. Satan, the god of this world, had blinded the eyes of sinful man.

So after the appropriate time had been given for repentance, God brought judgment upon sin, Satan, and stubborn humanity. Everything that had stood in rebellion against this gracious, patient God was cast into eternal punishment. And the sin-corrupted earth—what was once God’s most perfect creation—was destroyed by God’s holy fire.

Then the God, who always finishes what he begins, said once again, “it is finished.” (Revelation 21:6) And what is revealed next is so good that it defies description: a new earth. Read John’s description slowly, and as best you can, picture in your mind what God has in store for his redeemed—which includes you and me:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.’” (Revelation 21:1-3)

Best of all, once again, you and I will walk personally and physically with God himself. As Adam and Eve once enjoyed unhindered, uninterrupted fellowship with their Father Creator, so shall we. And if you have any doubts about the truth of this promise, hear the words of the Great Finisher himself,

“And the one sitting on the throne said, ‘Look, I am making everything new!’ And then he said to me, ‘Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.’” (Revelation 21:5)

Blessed is the one who hears God say, “it is finished” for the third time, for it too, will be ‘good!’”

“If our Creator has so bountifully provided for our existence here, which is but momentary, and for our temporal wants, which will soon be forgotten, how much more must He have done for our enjoyment in the everlasting world!” ~Hosea Ballou

Reflect and Apply: Henry Ward Beecher wrote, “One should go to sleep as homesick passengers do, saying, ‘Perhaps in the morning we shall see the shore.’” As you lay your head on the pillow tonight, say along with the Apostle John, “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 21:20)

Messiah, King and Priest

Read Psalm 110

Featured Verse: Psalm 110:1

“The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”

Psalm 110 is arguably the most thoroughly messianic of all the psalms.  The Holy Spirit inspired King David to write of a time in the future when the Messiah, his Lord—he who was superior to David and to whom the king was submissive—would rule the earth as both king and priest (Psalm 110:4), and would rule in wrath and judgment over those who refused his authority (Psalm 110:5-6).

That is what the future holds—for Jesus, for you and me who have willingly submitted to his righteous rule, and for a world that has grown tone deaf to his loving invitation to submit to his rightful authority.  In this present moment, God is preparing Christ’s enemies for destruction (Psalm 110:1), Christ is representing the needs and concerns of believers in heaven before the Father as our high priest (Psalm 110:4, Hebrews 7:24-26), and the Holy Spirit is calling the world to God through Christ by the witness of the church (II Corinthians 5:18-22).

But the day is coming when God will call a halt to this time of gentle persuasion and Jesus will literally and physically return to earth to rule over it in power and glory, and to those who have refused his rule, he will crush them as with a rod of iron.  This time of rule is what we refer to as the millennial reign of Christ—the thousand year period between the Second Coming and the Great White Throne judgment where the Kingdom of God will thoroughly cover the earth from one end to the other.

That time is coming, my friend, and it is coming soon!  I urge you then, in light of God’s unbreakable promise, to lovingly and willingly submit to his thorough rule as Messiah, King and High Priest of your body, mind, and heart today.

Christ’s full and complete rule over you is only right and fitting!

“Jesus must be Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all.”

Other Disreputable Sinners

Read: Matthew 9

Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”  (Matthew 9:10-11)

I love that about Jesus, don’t you?  He didn’t come to impress the religious elite or hang out with spiritual celebrities. He didn’t set up shop in Jerusalem and buy airtime on JBN (Jerusalem Broadcasting Network).  He didn’t write a book about himself or put on a leadership conference or lead a church growth seminar.

He hung out with sinners!

The reason?  He explains in the next verse: “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” (Matthew 9:12, NLT) It would have been a complete dereliction of duty and an abject failure in his mission if he would have done anything else.  People were lost—they needed to be found. People were in bondage to sin—they needed to be delivered.  People were sick and dying—they needed a healer. People were confused and hopeless—they needed a Lord. People were beat down and harassed by a religious system that squeezed the life and joy out of them—they needed a champion.  What a champion they got in Jesus—and then some!

What a hero!  Jesus was exactly what the poor, outcast, marginalized and hopeless needed.  That was the purpose for which he came and he fulfilled his purpose brilliantly. That is why I love this story so much.

Yet that is why this story makes me extremely uncomfortable.  You see, if Jesus were to come today, would he feel comfortable in my church?  Would he want to hang out with my friends?  How would he fit in my social circle?  The very fact that I find this contemporary portrayal of Jesus hanging out with beer swilling gang-bangers offensive–and my guess is that it does you, too–tells me that I would have been right alongside those Pharisees questioning the kind of invitations to dinner Jesus had been accepting.  Perhaps Jesus would say to you and me what he said to the Pharisees,

“Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” (Matthew 9:13, NLT)

Ouch!  I’ve got to be honest: There are not a whole lot of other disreputable sinners” hanging out in my world.  Something tells me that really ought to change if Jesus if going to fit in my world—or more importantly, if I am going to fit in Jesus’ world.

“When Jesus came to earth, demons recognized him, the sick flocked to him, and sinners doused his feet and head with perfume. Meanwhile he offended pious Jews with their strict preconceptions of what God should be like. Their rejection makes me wonder, could religious types be doing just the reverse now? Could we be perpetuating an image of Jesus that fits our pious expectations but does not match the person portrayed so vividly in the Gospels?” ~Phillip Yancey

What If God Took Over?

 

If you don’t have any “other disreputable sinners” in your life, your assignment is simply this:  Get some!

Psalm 110: Messiah, King and Priest

One Year Bible: I Samuel 15:1-16:23; John 8:1-20; Psalm 110:1-7; Proverbs 15:8-10

Messiah, King and Priest

The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”
(Psalm 110:1)

Psalm 110 is arguably the most thoroughly messianic of all the psalms.  The Holy Spirit inspired King David to write of a time in the future when the Messiah, his Lord—he who was superior to David and to whom the king was submissive—would rule the earth as both king and priest (Psalm 110:4), and would rule in wrath and judgment over those who refused his authority (Psalm 110:5-6).

That is what the future holds—for Jesus, for you and me who have willingly submitted to his righteous rule, and for a world that has grown tone deaf to his loving invitation to submit to his rightful authority.  In this present moment, God is preparing Christ’s enemies for destruction (Psalm 110:1), Christ is representing the needs and concerns of believers in heaven before the Father as our high priest (Psalm 110:4, Hebrews 7:24-26), and the Holy Spirit is calling the world to God through Christ by the witness of the church (II Corinthians 5:18-22).

But the day is coming when God will call a halt to this time of gentle persuasion and Jesus will literally and physically return to earth to rule over it in power and glory, and to those who have refused his rule, he will crush them as with a rod of iron.  This time of rule is what we refer to as the millennial reign of Christ—the thousand year period between the Second Coming and the Great White Throne judgment where the Kingdom of God will thoroughly cover the earth from one end to the other.

That time is coming, my friend, and it is coming soon!  I urge you then, in light of God’s unbreakable promise, to lovingly and willingly submit to his thorough rule as Messiah, King and High Priest of your body, mind, and heart today.

Christ’s full and complete rule over you is only right and fitting!

“Jesus must be Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all.”