Jesus a Friend of Sinners

Verse 1

What A Friend we have in Jesus All our sins and griefs to bear What a privilege to carry Ev'rything to God in prayer O what peace we often forfeit O what needless pain we bear All because we do not carry Ev'rything to God in prayer.

Verse 2

Have we trials and temptations Is there trouble anywhere We should never be discouraged Take it to the Lord in prayer Can we find a friend so faithful Who will all our sorrows share Jesus know our ev'ry weakness Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Verse 3

Are we weak and heavy laden Cumbered with a load of care Precious Savior still our refuge Take it to the Lord in prayer Do thy friends despise forsake thee Take it to the Lord in prayer In His arms He'll take and shield thee Thou wilt find a solace there.

Luke 15:1-2 “Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” – Jesus, A Friend of Sinners

God is awesome, God is wonderful, God is good, God is loving, God is worthy, God is protector, God is provider, God is shelter, God is giver, God is faithful, God is truth, God is with us, God is helper, God is doctor, God is medicine, God is food, God is water, God is strength, God is lifter, God is miracle-worker.

The text says that Jesus is a “friend of sinners,” and this is precisely the thing that the Pharisees and teachers were so upset about. This phrase referring to Jesus, friend of sinners, is suggested in numerous passages.

· Matthew 11:19 “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!”

· Luke 5:20 NIV. Seeing their faith, Jesus responded, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you”

· Luke 7:34. The Pharisees and Sadducees were offended by Jesus because of His association with sinful people. They accused Him, saying, “Behold, a gluttonous man and a heavy drinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!”

· Luke 12:4. Jesus said to His disciples, “Now I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.”

· John 11:11. When Jesus heard that His friend Lazarus was sick, He told His disciples, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going so that I may awaken him from sleep.”

· Matthew 26:50. (to Judas when he betrayed Jesus) - “Jesus said to Judas, ‘Friend, do what you have come for.’ Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested Him.”

In fact, Jesus was spending so much time at dinner parties with people whom the religious leaders called sinners that I believe that’s why Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Jesus is a Friend of Sinners! But let's be careful how we use that phrase. You may hear people say “Jesus prefers to be around sinners or maybe you hear Christians say I'd rather hang out with lost people.” You want to be careful walking that line because Jesus is the Friend of Sinners, but Jesus never condones sin but Sin he crucified and for sin He was crucified.

He accepts us as we are but doesn’t leave us that way.

If you are taking notes: Jesus know these people needed a friend!

The truth is you share meals with people you like. You invite your friends to dinner parties, and so it makes sense that the Jewish leaders would have called Jesus a friend of sinners, because that’s exactly what He was, and is.

Jesus welcomed them. Jesus invited himself over to their homes for dinner.

Jesus spent time with those that the Jewish leaders wouldn’t even want to be seen talking to.

Jesus knew that they needed a friend, and so He spent time with them, because that’s what you do with your friends. John 15:15 “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”

But not only did Jesus know these people needed a friend; second, Jesus knew they needed a savior. He knew that they were sick in their sin.

He loved them enough to seek them out and share the good news of the kingdom with them.

And He spends the rest of this chapter, telling the Jewish leaders stories of people who lost valuable things and the lengths they’d go to in order to find them again.

Who needs a savior? Sinners. Those who are lost and on their way the hell.

Jesus is going to those who know they need Him and to those that reject Him.

I told you before, Jesus did not die for an absolute, but for a just in case.

Jesus will always respond to a repentant heart, regardless of their sin.

Jesus is hanging around with sinners, because He is the Savior.

But there are those who don’t see their need for a savior. They are the pharisees in this story.

They look at Jesus as if the sin of the sinners were a contagious disease.

It might rub off of them and onto Jesus making him sinful, just by being in their presence.

I imagine them looking in the window of someone’s house and shaking their heads in criticism of Jesus.

However, Jesus did not join the religious attitude of the system. His heart was to save the lost. Luke 19:10 “the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Jesus’ heart beat the Gospel, that is why He came. And as our Friend:

· He has time for us and is never too busy.

· He talks to us through His Word.

· He listens to us when we pray.

· He forgives us when we ask.

· He understands us in our struggles and weaknesses.

· He walks with us through our trials.

· He’s available to meet our needs in every circumstance.

· He’s never hidden from us.

· He’s patient and longsuffering with us.

· He guides us in our spiritual growth.

· He’s a giver of what we need.

· He touches us in the right places.

· He’s always truthful and will never deceive us.

· He’s always faithful.

Those didn’t get ya’ll

· He’s Abrahams faith in a foreign land

· He’s Moses Staff to part the red sea

· He’s Joseph’s dream of coming deliverance

· He’s Isaiah’s Suffering Servant

· He’s Jeremiah’s fire shut up in his bones

· He’s Ezekiel’s Wheel in the middle of the wheel

· He’s Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s fire fighter

· He’s David’s shield and buckler

Ya’ll still don’t have it!

· He’s water when I’m thirsty; bread when I’m hungry; clothes when I’m naked; shelter when I’m homeless; transportation when I’m walking; medicine when I’m sick; money when I’m broke; employment when I’m jobless.

I don’t know about you but that sounds like “A Friend of Sinners!”

If it wasn’t for Jesus, I wouldn’t have no friends

If I couldn’t say one word, I’ll just wave my hand

What you know about Jesus, I know the man is alright

There’s a man over the river, giving sight to the blind

If you talking about Jesus, He is a friend of mine

One thang I know, I sho nuff been born again