Avoiding the Greater Condemnation - part two

Jesus spent much more time speaking against self righteousness and hypocrisy than He spent speaking against sexual sin or drunkenness.  Why don’t we Christian preachers copy our Lord?  Jesus was much harder on the self righteous church folk of His day than He was on the worldly sinners!  What does that tell us?  We had better be on guard against the leaven of the Pharisees!  I had better examine my motives for self righteousness and pride!  And cry out to God to put those things to death whenever they raise their ugly heads in my life!

In my Bible College days my two closest friends and I formed the “Union of Conservative Christians”!   We were appalled that some of our fellow students were wearing mini-skirts, fishnet stockings, flared pants and playing rock n roll music!   We also were angry that some professors spent so much time teaching about Grace and Christian liberty when these worldly kids around us needed to hear about holiness and godly standards.   Now holiness and Godly standards are good things, the problem was  we thought we should be the ones who decided what was holy and godly!

We went to the Dean of students and complained he was too lax with our fellow students.  He had the audacity to suggest we needed to be more concerned about the sin in our own lives than how our fellow students were dressing!  It probably took me 15 to 20 years to figure out he was absolutely right!  Oh what a little Pharisee I was!  And I was proud of it!

But step by step God has brought me more awareness of the greatness of His grace and the greatness of my sin and sinfulness.  I need to take care of the two by four in my own eye before I try to remove the splinter from your eye!

Consider the Gospel of Luke, chapter 5 and verses 27-32  Luke 5:27-32.  ESV.  ²⁷ After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, "Follow me."   ²⁸ And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.  ²⁹ And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them.  ³⁰ And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"   ³¹ And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.   ³² I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."

There is much to learn from this passage –

To continue the mission of the Messiah we need to reach out to all kinds of people!

The Pharisees were outraged that Jesus had table fellowship with tax collectors and sinners.   Luke 5:30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"

Years ago I knew a Pentecostal preacher who made many people in his church angry because one day a week he would go to a bar, drink Coke and make friends and witness!  I believe he was following the example of our Master!  It took courage to do this.  He received criticism.  But he was doing the right thing!  Now, not everyone should necessarily do the same thing.  Especially if you are a recovering alcoholic and being in that bar would be a major temptation to relapse.  But we need to fish where the fish are!

And we need to reach out to all kind of sinners just as Jesus did.  We should witness to gays and straight, bikers and bankers, lawyers and ex-cons, the middle class and the homeless, Republicans and Democrats, drinkers and non-drinkers.

And not just hammer them with the Gospel, first build friendships – get to know them!  Get involved in their lives!  Earn the right to be heard!  Jesus did!  We need to do the same!  If we are committed to continuing the ministry of Jesus in this world, we will seek to do the same!