“Good people only; sinners not welcome.”
The Bible teaches that Jesus did not come into the world to condemn anyone; but rather, to save sinners. What a precious truth! Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith.
I certainly don't condemn anyone, for the Bible condemns all of us as guilty, dirty, rotten, hell-deserving sinners. Mine, your salvation, heck er’body’s salvation solely rests in Christ's righteousness, because of the precious blood that He gave for our sins. I have no goodness of my own to satisfy the demands of a holy God. Sin must be paid for. Since I am a sinful man, I could never meet God's holy demands for justice. This is why God in unconditional love sent His only begotten Son into the world, the sinless Lamb of God, Who was perfectly acceptable to the Father as a sacrifice for the sins of all humanity, every single person, throughout the ages. Even the sinners of sinners!
Think about it...
Who would have thought that this greedy, hardhearted tax collector would become a disciple and write the Gospel of Matthew? Imagine what the other disciples must have thought when Jesus called Levi! Or what the early church thought when the Lord called the murderer Paul! But the Lord is in the business of calling those whom the world thinks to be unlikely candidates for salvation. We need to be careful never to despair of anyone’s salvation, no matter how entrenched in sin the person may be. It is to God’s glory to save the most desperately wicked.
Can you imagine a doctor's office with a sign on the door: “We do not treat the sick”? As a church, we dare not imply, “Good people only; sinners not welcome.” Jesus did not come to call good people, but to call sinners to repentance. If you think of yourself as a good person, you may be, but you are a sinner no doubt. And Christ, yes He saves sinners, Hallelujah! I encourage you to profess, “I am a sinner,” because doing so truthfully grants you the promise of Scripture that “Christ died for the ungodly.” If you will repent and believe in Jesus Christ, you will know the joy of having Him dine at your table and of seeing Him use you to share His good news with other such sinners.
Let us pray -
Lord Jesus, for too long I’ve kept you out of my life. I know that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. No longer will I close the door when I hear you knocking. By faith I gratefully receive your gift of salvation. I am ready to trust you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth. I believe you are the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Thank you for bearing my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. I believe your words are true. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and be my Savior.
Amen Jesus! I Love You! Amen!
Scripture --
Luke 5:31-32
Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
I certainly don't condemn anyone, for the Bible condemns all of us as guilty, dirty, rotten, hell-deserving sinners. Mine, your salvation, heck er’body’s salvation solely rests in Christ's righteousness, because of the precious blood that He gave for our sins. I have no goodness of my own to satisfy the demands of a holy God. Sin must be paid for. Since I am a sinful man, I could never meet God's holy demands for justice. This is why God in unconditional love sent His only begotten Son into the world, the sinless Lamb of God, Who was perfectly acceptable to the Father as a sacrifice for the sins of all humanity, every single person, throughout the ages. Even the sinners of sinners!
Think about it...
Who would have thought that this greedy, hardhearted tax collector would become a disciple and write the Gospel of Matthew? Imagine what the other disciples must have thought when Jesus called Levi! Or what the early church thought when the Lord called the murderer Paul! But the Lord is in the business of calling those whom the world thinks to be unlikely candidates for salvation. We need to be careful never to despair of anyone’s salvation, no matter how entrenched in sin the person may be. It is to God’s glory to save the most desperately wicked.
Can you imagine a doctor's office with a sign on the door: “We do not treat the sick”? As a church, we dare not imply, “Good people only; sinners not welcome.” Jesus did not come to call good people, but to call sinners to repentance. If you think of yourself as a good person, you may be, but you are a sinner no doubt. And Christ, yes He saves sinners, Hallelujah! I encourage you to profess, “I am a sinner,” because doing so truthfully grants you the promise of Scripture that “Christ died for the ungodly.” If you will repent and believe in Jesus Christ, you will know the joy of having Him dine at your table and of seeing Him use you to share His good news with other such sinners.
Let us pray -
Lord Jesus, for too long I’ve kept you out of my life. I know that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. No longer will I close the door when I hear you knocking. By faith I gratefully receive your gift of salvation. I am ready to trust you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth. I believe you are the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Thank you for bearing my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. I believe your words are true. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and be my Savior.
Amen Jesus! I Love You! Amen!
Scripture --
Luke 5:31-32
Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
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