Why Did the Sinner Leave Justified?

Greg Laurie

C. S. Lewis said, "The real test of being in the presence of God is that you either forget about yourself altogether or see yourself as a small, dirty object." We don't often hear statements like that coming from pulpits today. We hear how we can all be champions. We hear how we can all be successful. But it is unpopular to speak of being spiritually destitute, to teach that we are to be poor in spirit. Yet the Bible says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3).

Jesus told a story about a Pharisee and a sinner who went into the temple to pray. The Pharisee, a religious man, prayed, "God, I thank You that I am not like other men . . ." (Luke 18:11). 

The sinner, on the other hand, wouldn't even lift up his eyes. He beat on his chest and said, "God, be merciful to me a sinner!" (verse 13), or more literally, "the sinner." Apparently he did not think of himself as one sinner among many; he acted as though he were the only one. He was so overwhelmed with the sense of his sin, his moral bankruptcy, and his spiritual destitution that, as far as he was concerned, everyone else's sin paled in comparison.

WHAT IF I FALL? (How To Face Failure And Recover From It)

Randy Bataanon

WHAT IF I FALL?
How To Face Failure And Recover From It
Matthew 26:31-35

INTRODUCTION:

First of all, I want to make it clear that this message is not for perfect people. If you are already perfect in your Christian life then you can stop reading this sermon. Because this message is for anyone who can say honestly that they experience struggles and even fall sometimes. This message is for ordinary person who knows the feelings of failures therefore admits that he cannot manage his life apart from God.

The gospel of Jesus is not for the saints but for the sinners. The Great Physician came to the world for the sick and not for those whose life needs not healing.

THIS MESSAGE IS FOR THOSE WHO DID THEIR BEST SHOTS BUT STILL MISSED THE TARGET

• For the parent who did their best but it seems that they are losing the battle for their kids

Just Love Them

Lynda Hanna

“On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17)

While watching animal rescue videos on YouTube recently, I was touched by a non-profit organization that travels through the country to rescue abandoned and abused dogs throughout the U.S. I have a soft spot for dogs, so I cried when I saw the animal rescuers reach out to these poor dogs. Some of them were so tiny it’s hard to believe that someone could abandon them.

The rescuers brought food – usually a cheeseburger – with them to feed the dog and gain its trust. Little by little, the dog would respond, some would shake with fear and anxiety and others would cower away. In the end, after the patient attempts of the rescuers, all the dogs, whether big or small would end up in the arms of the rescuer as if they’d been friends for life. All they needed was love.

How Father God Feels About You

by Jack Hayford

The story of the prodigal son, recorded in Luke 15, is often called the parable of the Father's heart. Jesus tells it, along with two other stories, not only in response to the seemingly "heart-less" religionists of His day, but also for you and me to know what is the Father's heart toward us.

Jesus tells of a man with two sons, one of whom asked for his inheritance in advance. The father gave it to him, and the son went out and squandered it, ending up in a pig sty. Finally, Scripture says, the young man "came to himself." He recognized the insensibility of the pathway he'd walked and how foolish he'd been to leave home. He returned, humbled, thinking he would ask to be just a servant at his father's place.

The Church is for Sinners, not Saints

Written by Darren Hewer

Do you struggle with guilt and want to talk to someone about it? Contact an online mentor today.

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:10-13)

When I first became a Christian at age 22, I thought church was only for perfect people. Or at least people who could act perfectly on Sunday mornings. I didn’t understand that the purpose of the church is to give a hand to the sick, not pat the healthy on the back.

Jesus often ate at the same table with “sinners”, and when he did, the Pharisees questioned why He did so. Jesus responded by saying “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” (Matthew 9:12) Author Brennan Manning puts it this way: “The church is not a museum for saints but a hospital for sinners”. That’s encouraging, because I often don’t feel much like a saint. Do saints lose patience with their brothers and sisters in Christ? Lose their temper? Sometimes even lose that passionate fire for the gospel?