Worship Call 0670 Sinners and sinners

Be careful of the walls that are established to separated the Christian and those who are in need of the Gospel. Be careful of the us and them mentality to the point where we make the decision who are and are not deserving to hear the life saving message that Christ gives eternal life for all who beleive in Him.

It’s sad that religion has stood between a close relationship between God and those whom God calls. It is also called Legalism.

To many Christians, Christianity is nothing more than believing that Christ died on the cross for our sins and make sure you do this and that to stay in good standings with God. And if you need Him just pray.

From the time in the garden, man began to lay out his own set standards in how to approach God, that is to establish religious systems.

Sure, there is a protocol to approach the Sovereignty of the universe. Sure, there are commands that we must obey. But what God gives in love that we might demonstrate our love for Him, Man tends to add on top of it ruining the delicate and simple word of God.

The woman said to Serpent, “we shall not eat from the tree nor touch it.” adding to command not to eat from the tree.

The Woman at the well asked

John 4:19–20 (NASB95) — 19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”

Jesus responded

John 4:23 (NASB95) — 23 “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.

After many years in the religion of Judaism with so much added to the pure milk of God’s word the people were alienated from God’s word and was left with nothing but rules and regulations.

So not only would Jesus free us from the consequences of sin and among other things the Lord would free us from the chains of religion.

Jesus would fulfill the Law without having to follow the dogma of the days religion and this would bend the religious leaders out of shape.

You see religion not only created a barrier between the Love of God and his people it also created a barrier between the religious and the world and left out the ability to share God’s love with the world.

Tax Collecting was a profession.

John the Baptist did not say don’t do it but do it fairly. But it came with a stigma because of the Political and religious ideas placed upon it.

The Common folk who did not dedicate themselves to the ways of the religious system were not intrinsically bad people, but because the did not subscribe to the religion of the Pharisees they also had a sigma, they were called sinners, and any association with them would make a jew unclean.

So, Jesus was not in a bar getting drunk and hugging on prostitutes. He was having a meal with common unreligious folks and even with those whose profession others looked down upon.

Mark 2:16–17 (NASB95) — 16 When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, “Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus identifies two types of people

The Righteous dikaios those that are healthy.

The problem is under the arrogant skills of

1. Self-deception

2. Self-absorption

3. And self-Justification

The legalist used the law as a gage and deceived themselves in such a way that they saw themselves as being righteous.

Romans 3:10–18 (NASB95) — 10 as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; 11 There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; 12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave, With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “The poison of asps is under their lips”; 14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”; 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood, 16 Destruction and misery are in their paths, 17 And the path of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Isaiah 64:6 (NASB95) — 6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

The very same religious leaders that Jesus is addressing he will say them.

Matthew 23:27–28 (NASB95) — 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 “So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

I could go on, and so could Jesus about the Hypocrisy of these men.

How many die seeking of to cure the symptoms of disease and never knowing that they were dying from some unseen enemy within their bodies.

Mark 2:17 (NASB95) — 17 And hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The Sick are those who know that they are naked before a righteous God. they are as that poor wretched sinner in the temple praying

Luke 18:9–14 (NASB95) — 9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

As it was with a man who was lowered down from the ceiling for Jesus to heal, sickness and disease in the world is a consequence of the fall of man. The physical disease and sickness in this world is a physical manifestation of a greater issue which is spiritual sickness which if not treated by the physician, Christ, we would all be left in our sins and trespasses dying and spending eternity in Gahanna.

Mark 2:18–20 (NASB95) — 18 John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they came and said to Him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”

Again another attempt to drive a wedge away from the issue which is salvation of those who are without.

You people need not be eating and drinking, you need to be fasting and mourning! Like John’s disciples.

First of all…

You think the Pharisees and the scribes had any love for John?

Wasn’t he the one who called them a brood of vipers and warned them that the axe is at the foot of the tree that they should repent?

No, they had no love for John, whom they thought was crazy, but they had no problem with evoking his name when it comes to driving a wedge between Jesus’ disciples and John’s disciples.

Fasting is a personal choice between the individual believer and his Lord. Do I believe that there is a place for fasting in the Church age?

Yes, I do.

What is fasting?

It is for a period of time that the believer elevates the need of the spirit over the needs of the flesh. It is associated with intense meditation and prayer.

It is not a mandated practice nor one that is to mark one more pious than another but a private matter between the believer and God.

Matthew 6:16–18 (NASB95) — 16 “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17 “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face 18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

As far as the Law was concerned there were but one mandate time that the people were to fast and that was on the day of atonement. Yom Kippur (Leviticus 23:26-33)

19 And Jesus said to them, “While the bridegroom is with them, the attendants of the bridegroom cannot fast, can they? So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 “But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.

Ecclesiastes 3:4 (NASB95) — 4 A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NASB95) — 1 There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—

To mourn at a wedding feast that lasted for seven days. Fasting and mourning in sack cloths and ashes would cast guilt and shame on those in the celebration and marriage was a time of celebration.

Nor would feasting be appropriate in a time and place for fasting and mourning.

The two events would be mutually exclusive. The bridegroom in is the house, it is time of celebration.

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