Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Nybert. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com. Now here's our pastor, Todd Nybert. I've entitled this message, Jesus,
the Friend of Sinners. My text is found in Matthew chapter
11, beginning in verse 16. This is the Lord Jesus speaking.
And he says, but where unto shall I liken this generation? It's
like unto children sitting in the markets and calling upon
their fellows and saying, we've piped unto you, we've sang and
played joyful music unto you and you've not danced. We've
mourned unto you and you've not lamented. For John, he's speaking
of John the Baptist, John came neither eating nor drinking,
and they say he hath a devil. Now that does not mean that John
did not eat or drink to sustain his life. He practiced asceticism. He ate locusts and wild honey. He lived under the stars in the
desert. He was an ascetic. He was a lone
man. And then the Lord says of himself,
the son of man is come eating and drinking. He has come to
be one of the people with the people. He's come eating and
drinking. And they say, behold, a man gluttonous,
a wine bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. Now this was the
criticism laid against the Lord Jesus Christ, the friend of publicans
and sinners, and they didn't mean this as a compliment. They're
saying this man is affirming their sinful lifestyle. He's
putting his stamp of approval upon them by associating with
them. What was this great criticism
of him is his great glory. Jesus Christ is the friend of
sinners, a true friend. One of the greatest
blessings in life is to have a true friend. I love the scripture that says
in the book of Proverbs, a friend loveth at all times. Bad times, good times, the true
friend loveth at all times. The true friend has your back.
The true friend loves you. The true friend is honest with
you. The true friend is behind you. The true friend doesn't hold
you off at arm's length. The true friend confides in you. You can be honest with this true
friend. You don't have to worry about
him judging you or criticizing you or misrepresenting what you
say. A true friend loveth at all times. And what a glorious
statement this is, that Jesus is the friend, the true friend
of sinners. I read this somewhere once and
it immediately resonated with me. And here's what I read. The gospel is essentially fundamentally
a sinner's religion. Let me repeat that. The gospel,
the message of the Bible is essentially and fundamentally a sinner's
religion. There is no other religion like
that. All false religion and there's
a lot of it. all false religion, whether it
goes under the name of Christianity or any of the world's great religions,
all false religion. makes my relationship with God
ultimately dependent upon what I do. It's God responding to
what I do. My relationship with God is ultimately
dependent upon what I do that will cause him to bless and make
himself known to me. Now, the gospel of Jesus Christ,
the friend of sinners, makes the salvation of the sinner completely
dependent, totally predicated on what He has done. It's not God's response to what
I do, it's God's response to what His blessed Son has done. Now there's all the difference
in the world between those two notions. Do or done. Do salvation dependent upon what
you do or done? Salvation dependent upon what
Christ has done, which is so clearly and emphatically stated. from his last words from the
cross, it is finished. It is done. When Christ said it is finished,
the salvation of everybody he represented was accomplished. In Luke 9, verse 31, on the Mount
of Transfiguration, when he was speaking to Moses and Elijah,
we're told the subject of the talk, they spake, the Lord Jesus
and Moses and Elijah, on the Mount of Transfiguration, they
spake of the decease which he should accomplish. Now have you
ever thought of this? The death of the Lord Jesus Christ
was an accomplishment. It's glorious that he died in
the first place. The God-man, how did he die?
I don't know, but he did. And there's something he accomplished
by his death on Calvary Street. The complete salvation of everybody
he represented. What a blessed thought. salvation by what he has done. Oh, truly, he is the friend of
sinners. Now, before we go on, it's critical
for us to understand what is meant by a sinner. When we read,
he's the friend of publicans and sinners, what is a sinner?
Well, to answer that question, I first have to answer the question,
what is sin? There's a lot of definitions
in the scripture of sin, but probably the one that's easiest
for us to grasp, we can't grasp it unless God enables us to,
I realize that, but the one that is easiest to grasp is this,
1 John 3, verse 4, sin is the transgression of the law. Now, You've heard of the Ten
Commandments? I think it's interesting, even
if you've never heard of them, that law is written in your heart.
Men are born knowing the difference between good and evil, knowing
murder is wrong, knowing adultery is wrong, knowing lying is wrong,
knowing stealing is wrong. Men are born with the law in
their heart, but God has written in his word what is known as
the Ten Commandments. Now, a sinner is someone who
transgresses the Ten Commandments. I think of the first commandment,
thou shalt have no other god before me. A sinner is somebody
who puts any small g god before the living God. Anytime I sin,
I put something before God. The second commandment has to
do with idolatry. A sinner is someone who creates
a God in his own image that he feels comfortable with because
he doesn't like what is taught with regard to the true and living
God in the scriptures, so he makes another God. A sinner is
someone who takes the name of the Lord, his God, in vain. That's
the third commandment. God is so holy. so transcendent,
so glorious, that to even take His name in your mouth or heart
without the proper reverence is a sin that deserves damnation. That's how holy God is. And then
there's the commandment regarding honoring your father and mother,
respecting authority. A sinner is someone who doesn't
respect authority. Ultimately, he doesn't respect
God's authority. Thou shalt not kill. A sinner
is a murderer. He might not have murdered someone
physically, but he's murdered their character. He's assassinated
their character either by his silence at times or innuendo.
Thou shalt not commit adultery. A sinner is someone who commits
sexual sin. And the Lord said, if you lust
after a woman in your heart, you have committed adultery with
her already. I don't believe there's anybody
would say, well, I've not done that. A sinner is someone guilty
of sexual sin. A sinner is a thief. He's taken
what doesn't belong to him. He's taken credit where credit's
not due. A sinner is a liar. Thou shalt
not bear false witness. A sinner lies. Every time he
speaks, he's giving a slant on something that it's a lie. Even
if he's telling the truth, he's telling it in such a way as is
not real. A sinner is a covetous man. He
covets that which is not his. He's jealous and envious of those
who have what he thinks he should have, and he bears ill will and
resentment toward them. That's a sinner. Now, would that
describe you? A lawbreaker? One who transgresses
the law? Somebody says, no, I wouldn't
go that far. Well, if that's the case, you're
not a sinner. You don't really believe yourself
to be a sinner. A sinner is someone who all they do is transgress
God's holy law. They haven't kept one commandment
one time. And if you believe you've kept
any of the 10 commandments, you prove by that you're really ignorant
of the spirituality and the holiness of God's holy law. And you're
trying to drag it down to a level that you can understand and obey. Paul said in Romans 7, 14, for
we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. Now, if you're not a sinner,
I can't even tell you Christ died for you, because the scripture
says He came into the world to save sinners. If you're not a
sinner, He didn't come to save you. He said, I came not to call
the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Jesus Christ, the
friend of sinners. Now, I would love right now to
be enabled by the grace of God to not try to project some preacher
image, but to be honest and vulnerable. I am a sinner. Not, I used to be a sinner. I am a sinner. I see in me in my flesh what
I am, a lawbreaker, a sinner. I have not kept one of God's
commandments one single time. I know exactly what Paul meant
when he said, when I would do good, evil is present with me. I delight in the law of God after
the inner man, that's the new man. You see, when God saves
you, there's a new man, a new creation. I delight in the law
of God, the Ten Commandments after the inner man, but I see
another law in my members, warring, warring against the law of sin,
which is in my members, bringing me into captivity, Paul said.
to the law of sin, which is in my members, O wretched man, that
I am." Now, I'm no less sinful than I ever was. I still have
my sinful nature. And I have to say with Paul,
O wretched man, that I am, not that I was, but that I am. Now, if you hear this and you
say, what's wrong with that guy? Is he saved? What's he doing?
It's because you don't really believe you are a sinner. But
if you hear this and say, yes, that's the way I am, I understand,
you understand something about what it means to be a sinner,
a sinner before God. But did you know that you can
only hear the gospel as a sinner? Now, what do I mean by that?
In Luke 14, verse 35, the Lord said, he that hath ears to hear,
let him hear. Then drew near unto him all the
publicans and sinners for to hear him." You can't hear the
gospel unless you're hearing as a sinner. If you're hearing
as a good person, as a righteous person, you won't be able to
hear. But oh, if you're a sinner, you will hear with hearing ears.
God gave you those ears to hear. And I can only preach the gospel
as a sinner. Like Peter in Luke chapter five,
when he finally saw who the Lord was. He said, depart from me,
I'm a sinful man, O Lord. And that's when the Lord said,
fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men. Now he's ready
to preach the gospel as a sinner to other sinners. If I'm not
preaching as a sinner to other sinners, I'm really not preaching
the gospel. If I'm preaching down as Jew,
I'm really not preaching the gospel. Now what a glorious thing
concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, the friend. of publicans and
sinners. My dear friend, if you're a sinner,
he is your friend. Now let me talk some about him
being the friend of publican sinners. He has always been the
friend of publicans and sinners. He was the friend of sinners
before the foundation of the world, because he's called in
Revelation 13, 8, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Now, why was he slain from the
foundation of the world? There's one reason, because of
sin. You say, but sin had not yet been committed. God is eternal. Everything is in the present
with God. And before there was ever a sinner, there was a Savior. Christ, the sinner's friend,
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, before time began,
He took full responsibility for the salvation of every sinner
His Father gave Him. He came into the world as the
Savior of sinners. 1 Timothy 1.15 says this is a
faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners. Not good people, not righteous
people, not moral people. Not sanctimonious people. He
came to save sinners, Paul said, of whom I am the chief. On the very opening page of the
New Testament, we read, thou shalt call his name Jesus, for
he shall save his people from their sins. Paul said in Romans
chapter eight, verses three and four, what the law could not
do, in that it was weak through the flesh. Problem with the law,
problem with me and you, our sinful flesh. What the law could
not do and that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his son
in the likeness of sinful flesh. Now he never sinned, but he sent
his son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin. condemned
sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled
in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.
The only way I honor God's law is by looking to Christ as the
end of the law for righteousness. And God sent him in the likeness
of sinful flesh and for sin as a sin sacrifice to condemn, to
put away sin in the flesh. When he lived, He lived his life
for sinners. When he came up to John the Baptist
and said he wanted to be baptized, John said, I have need to be
baptized to be, comest thou to me? John realized he was a sinful
man and the Lord Jesus Christ was without sin. He said, I don't
need to be baptizing you, you need to be baptizing me. And
the Lord said, suffer to be so now, for thus it becometh us
to fulfill All righteousness. Now let me tell you something.
If you're a sinner, you fulfilled all righteousness when He fulfilled
it for you. He is your righteousness before
God. Oh, what a friend of sinners.
He was a friend of sinners by association with Him. That criticism
they made, He's a friend of public and sinners, it was true. I think
of John chapter 4 when he must need to go through Samaria. Why?
Because there is a sinner there that he was going to save. He told her of living water. This woman had been married five
times. She was presently cohabiting with someone that was not her
husband. And the Lord says to her with
regarding to himself being the Messiah, I that speak unto thee
am he. What about the woman taken in
adultery in the very act? What a sinful woman who had ruined
her life and the lives of many others. And what does the Lord
say to her? Woman, where are those thine
accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? Neither
do I condemn thee. You see, he made a way to be
just and justify her and put away her sins. What about Zacchaeus? The chief of the publicans, a
man who was rich, who would take advantage of many people and
enrich themselves. Everybody hated him. What's the
Lord say to this man? Zacchaeus, make haste and come
down for today. I must abide at thy house. And he made haste and came down
and received him joyfully. What about the last sinner he
saved while he walked upon this earth, the thief on the cross,
a wicked man who was getting exactly what he deserved. And
yet the Lord says to this man, after he says, Lord, remember
me when you come into your kingdom today, thou shalt be with me
in paradise. Now, when he was accused of this
man, Luke 15 verse two, and the Pharisees and scribes murmured
saying, this man receiveth sinners and eats with them. He doesn't
care, he's justifying their ungodly ways. He receives them. He doesn't
hold them off and stay away from them. He receives them and even
eats with them. He goes to their house and eats with them. And
then he gave that parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin,
and the lost son. That's a message to sinners.
And in that passage of scripture, he talks about there's joy in
heaven over one sinner. that repents. He talked about
that sheep that has gone astray, that the shepherd, the Lord Jesus,
went and got him and brought him back. That silver coin represents
a dead sinner, can't respond in the dirt, can't shout out,
here I am, find me. No, the woman sweeps till she
finds it. That represents God the Holy
Spirit coming after that dead sinner. and giving them life.
And then we have the prodigal that leaves his father and goes
and wastes his substance with riotous living after he took
the inheritance coming to him and then when he came to himself.
He said, how many hired servants at my father's house have bread
enough to spare, and I perish with hunger. I'll go to my father
and say, father, I've sinned against heaven in thy sight,
and I'm not worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy
hired servants. And when he comes, what does
the father do? Send forth the best robe and put it on him. And put a ring on his hand and
shoes on his feet. For this my son was dead and
now is alive, was lost and is found. That robe representing
the righteousness of Christ. The ring representing the eternal
covenant love of God the Father. The shoes represents the Holy
Spirit giving him grace to walk by faith in the gospel. Oh, the
message of the gospel when he preached was for sinners. He prayed for sinners. Father,
forgive them. They know not what they do and
how he proved himself the friend of sinners in his death. Paul
said, you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though
he was rich, Yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through
his poverty might be rich. Now this is what he did for sinners.
Every sinner, everybody that sees themselves as nothing but
sinful, listen to this, the Lord Jesus Christ took your sin in
his own body on the tree. Now he didn't do that for everybody.
He didn't do that for good people. He didn't do that for righteous
people. He did it for his elect. That's who he died for. But all
of his elect see this about themselves by his grace. They see they are
sinners. When we were yet without strength,
Paul said, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. Scarcely
for a righteous man will one die. A religious, sanctimonious
man, he's really an arrogant, self-righteous jerk. Nobody's
gonna die for him. and scarcely for a good man,
a merciful man. Some would even dare to die,
but God commended His love toward us in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us. If you are a sinner, Christ died
for you. He took your sins in His own
body on the tree and He put them away. They are no more. You now
stand before God without sin because of His death. Oh, what
a friend of sinners, the Lord Jesus Christ. in his death was
he was raised from the dead for sinners. Romans 4 25 says he
was delivered for our offenses and he was raised again for our
justification. And as he is in heaven right
now, what's he doing? He's interceding for sinners.
Wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come
to God by him. And that's the way every sinner
comes to God, only by him. They don't come in their own
works. They come only by him. Seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for them. John said, Brethren, these things
I write unto you that you sin not. But if any man sins, we
have an advocate with the Father. Now he's an advocate with the
Father for who? Sinners. It doesn't say if any
man be good, we have an advocate with the Father. If any man be
righteous, we have an advocate with the Father. If any man be
sincere, we have an advocate with the Father. If any man has
this change of life that proves he's different, we have an advocate
at Father. No, it says if any man sin, we
have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. And beloved, as the sinner's
friend, He's returning. There will be some people who
will be horrified at His return, but I'll tell you who won't be,
every sinner. And here's why, Hebrews 9, verse
24 says, but now once in the end of the world hath He appeared
to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. That's what He did,
He put away sin. And as it's appointed, To men,
once to die and after that the judgment. So Christ was once
offered to bear the sins of many and to them that look for Him.
And I'm looking for Him. I'm looking for Him to be my
Savior. I'm looking for Him to stand as my representative before
God. I'm looking for Him to return.
To them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without
sin. unto salvation." Now, do you
hear that, sinner? When He comes back, your sin
will have all been put away, and He's going to come without
sin. Jesus, what a friend of sinners.
Jesus, lover of my soul. Friends may fail me, foes assail
me. He, my Savior, makes me whole. Hallelujah, what a Savior. Hallelujah,
what a friend. Saving, helping, keeping, loving. He is with me unto the end. Now what a precious title of
the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, the Son of God, God
manifest in the flesh, the friend of sinners. To receive a copy
of the sermon you have just heard, send your request to todd.neibert
at gmail.com or you may write or call the church at the information
provided on the screen.