TITLES OF CHRIST
FRIEND OF SINNERS
DR. JIM DIXON
MATTHEW 11 :16-19
MAY 7, 1989
“Whenever I see an empty throne, I feel the need to sit on it.” Those, of course, were the words of Napoleon Bonaparte. But the truth was that whenever he saw any throne, empty or occupied, he felt the need to sit on it. The Little General, better known as the Little Corporal, rose from Second Lieutenant to Major, to Colonel, to General, to First Counsel, and then finally on December 2, 1804, at the Notre Dame Cathedral, he was crowned in the presence of the Pope, receiving the title Emperor.
But, you see, Napoleon’s enemies had other titles for him. They called him, above all else, “The Destroyer.” He was called the Destroyer of All Peace, and after his escape from Elba and prior to the Battle of Waterloo, the Duke of Ellington signed a document proclaiming Napoleon to be the “Destroyer of All Peace in the world.”
Well, you see, that’s how it’s been throughout history. Famous people have been given titles, good titles by their admirers and bad titles by their detractors, and that’s how it was for our Lord Jesus Christ. As we examine the titles of Christ, it’s appropriate that we examine one title given to Him by His enemies. That is the title, the “Friend of Sinners.” The Pharisees gave Him that title. They did not mean to compliment Him but they could not possibly have understood the truth and the beauty of the title they gave the “Friend of Sinners” and this morning we will examine the friendship of Jesus Christ; the friendship that He offers to each and every one of you. And just like Carl, I have three teachings this morning and the first teaching is this: His friendship is rooted in unconditional love…unconditional love.
Last night on the Disney Channel the movie “Dumbo ” was on. Dumbo the Flying Elephant. The movie was made almost 50 years ago but it contains a timeless message: that it’s painful to go through life with big ears. Now you see, children understand that at a very early age that love is conditional in this world. Sometimes it’s conditional with respect to beauty. Think, for instance, of the children’s story called The Ugly Duckling. The ugly duckling was rejected, was not accepted, was not loved. Why was that? Because he was ugly. Of course, later he became a beautiful swan, but even children know that if they’re ugly, they’re likely to stay ugly the rest of their lives.
How about the story Sleeping Beauty. Have you ever wondered why it wasn’t called Sleeping Ugly? You see, there’s a reason for that because if she had been Sleeping Ugly, the handsome prince wouldn’t have come and planted that kiss on her lips.
How about Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer? There’s a lot of Rudolphs in this world…maybe kids who don’t look quite the same as other kids and they’re not allowed to play in the other kids’ games.
How about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” And even Cinderella. Have you ever seen the animated version of Cinderella? The wicked stepsisters are ugly but Cinderella is beautiful. You see, children understand from a very early age that love in this world is conditional and sometimes that condition is beauty. Other times it is intelligence. Other times it’s personality. We like people who are winsome and fun to be around. But maybe you can’t compete in those three areas: beauty, intelligence and personality…so you try the field of accomplishments. It may be athletics or maybe the business world or maybe you just try to make a lot of money because you want to be respected and you know love in this world is conditional. But, you see, Jesus Christ wants you to understand He loves you. He loves you just the way you are. He loves you exactly how you are and that’s all the more amazing because He’s the only one who really knows who you are. He’s the only one who sees you inside and outside. He really knows you.
Now in the year 1590, some people believe, Zacharias Janssen invented the microscope. Others believe that it wasn’t until 1610 when Galileo claimed to have discovered the microscope, but this is known. The microscope has been around for a long, long time, and the microscope magnifies small things so we can see them with the naked eye. Advanced optical microscopes are able to magnify two thousand times with ordinary light, three thousand times with ultraviolet light. Then, of course, there are electron microscopes and they are actually able to magnify two hundred thousand times, but today, today we have ion microscopes and they are able to magnify two million times.
To give you some understanding of what that means…if you had a sewing needle, the hole in the top of that sewing needle, if it were magnified two million times, it would be the size of four baseball stadiums. Now these powerful microscopes are used to examine the world of innerspace, the microcosm. They are able to examine atoms and protons and neutrons and electrons and subatomic particles, and in examining this microcosm, scientists have discovered things they didn’t know were there: good things and bad things. They’ve discovered germs and bacteria and viruses, hideous viruses.
Well, you see, scientists, through microscopes, are able to magnify the physical world but Jesus Christ is the only one who is able to magnify the spiritual world. He is able to scrutinize, magnify, and examine your soul. He is the only one who can do that. He can put your soul under the microscope. He can see your innermost person. He can see the germs. He can see the bacteria. He can see the spiritual viruses that we all have. You see, the amazing thing is, knowing all that, seeing all that, seeing what no one else can see; He still loves us. There may be a part of you you don’t want anyone to see. You don’t want your closest friends to see. He can see it and He still loves you. He loves you more than your parents ever loved you or ever will love you. He loves you more than your children are capable to loving you. He loves you more than your husband loves you. He loves you more than your wife loves you. He loves you more than anyone in this world loves you. He loves you so much He died for you. “While we were yet sinners,” the Bible says, “Christ died for us,” His friendship rooted in unconditional love.
Well, I have a second teaching and that teaching is this: His friendship must be appropriated. You see, you can appropriate His friendship only through repentance and forgiveness. He loves you just as you are, but you can’t enter into friendship with Him until you acknowledge who you are, until you acknowledge that indeed you are a sinner, until I acknowledge that indeed I am a sinner. I cannot enter the realm of His friendship until I come to Him acknowledging who I am and in honesty repent, seeking His forgiveness, His grace and His mercy.
Well, you see, the Pharisees, they didn’t want the friendship of Jesus Christ. They called Jesus Christ a glutton and they called Him a drunkard. He ate and drank but He was not a glutton, and He was not a drunkard. They called Him the “Friend of Sinners” and they were right. But, you see, what the Pharisees were really saying; they were saying “Jesus Christ is not our friend. He’s not our friend because He’s the friend of sinners and we are not sinners.” You see, the Pharisees actually believed that they could fulfill all of the law.
Now when some people think of the law, they think of the Ten Commandments. Other people think of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament. Still others think of the entire Bible. But it doesn’t matter how you define the law, the Pharisees believed they had fulfilled it. They had taken the entire Old Testament law and they had converted it into a list of external behaviors, conformity to which made them perfect in their own sight. For instance, they had taken the law concerning the Sabbath, “Thou shalt remember the Sabbath law and keep it holy” …they had determined that there were 39 ways that you could violate the Sabbath law, 39 different ways. One of those ways was to carry a burden on the Sabbath. They had listed hundreds of different ways that you could commit the sin of burden carrying on the Sabbath, one of which was to carry a needle in your robe on the Sabbath.
Now, you see, the Pharisees actually conformed their behavior to these little rules, and they really believed that by doing that they were fulfilling the law. They were not sinners and they didn’t need the friendship of Jesus Christ. He’s the friend of sinners.
Well, you see, Jesus Christ gave the Sermon on the Mount beginning in Matthew, Chapter 5. He spoke to His disciples and He spoke to the multitudes and He warned them not to be like the Pharisees. In the Sermon on the Mount, He really told them that the true law of God, the true standard of perfection in God’s sight, is unattainable. “You’ve heard it said of old ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery.’ I say to you whoever looks upon a woman with lust has already committed adultery in his heart.” You’ve heard it said of old ‘Thou shalt not kill, whoever kills is liable to hellfire.’ I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother is liable to judgement. You’ve heard it said of old, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ I say to you, if anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer him the other as well. From him who takes away your coat, do not withhold even your cloak. Give to everyone who begs of you, and from him who takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.’ You’ve heard it said of old, ‘Love your neighbor. Hate your enemy.’ I say to you love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you.” You see, He wants us to understand that we all fall short. He says “If you really want to fulfill the law, I’ll tell you what it requires. If your right eye offends thee, cut it out. If your right hand offends thee, cut it off.”
Sometimes people say “Well, you know, I just want to live by the Sermon on the Mount.” That’s really humorous when you think about it because none of us are capable of truly living by the Sermon on the Mount and that’s the whole point. We’re all sinners in desperate need of grace and mercy. Until we acknowledge that, we’ll never truly enter into friendship with the Son of God, until we come in repentance and receive His forgiveness.
Well, you know how it is with a friend. You feel kind of comfortable with a friend. You don’t have to weigh your thoughts. You don’t have to measure your words. You just let it flow, the chaff and wheat together, trusting that your friend is going to take what is best, keep that, and in kindness kind of blow the chaff away. That’s called mercy and grace. But, you see, you’ll never find a friend like Jesus. He sees the best in you. He sees potential in you that even you do not see and cannot imagine. He’s the only one, the only one truly, who is able to take the chaff and blow it away…the only one who can take the sin that taints the soul and remove it from you “as far as the east is from the west” and wash you white as snow. The beautiful thing is that when we come to Him in repentance and we embrace Him as Lord and Savior, He enters into friendship with us and that friendship is forever. You see, the friendships of the world come and go, but Jesus Christ wants to be your friend forever.
A few weeks ago I was looking at a picture, an old, old picture. I didn’t even know I had it, of my tenth birthday party at Clifton’s Cafeteria in Los Angeles, California. In that picture I saw four friends that were with me: Bruce Williams, Steve Collins, Ron Fairbanks, Terry Heavens. I hadn’t thought about them in years. They were my best friends. We did everything together, but, you see, by the time I graduated from elementary school, three of them weren’t my friends anymore. Even the other friend ceased to be my friend after high school. It wasn’t that we fought. It was just time and space kind of separated us. We were separated by just a world of different goals and different circumstances and situations. Friendships in the world are so often like that. They come and go. But you see, Jesus Christ offers you a friendship that will never fail. He says “Lo, I am with you always.” He says “I will never fail you or forsake you.” You see, that’s the gospel. That’s the good news that we’ve been entrusted with, that we’ve been charged to take to the nations and to the world.
This last Wednesday at lunch I listened to Frank Peretti who wrote This Present Darkness. He said, “One of the problems with Christians today is they just love to get together and swap bad news. They like to know about all the bad news that’s out there in the world. Most Christians know exactly what’s wrong with the world today.” He says, “You know we really need to focus more on the good news. We need to focus more on the gospel. We need to focus more on this friendship with Jesus Christ, a friendship that will never fail.” You see, the gospel is undefeatable. It will never be defeated. Kingdoms have risen and fallen around the cross of Jesus Christ and the cross still stands. That’s the message we have to take to the nations; that is we will repent, we enter into friendship with the Son of God, a friendship that will never fail, a friendship that will last forever.
Well, in conclusion, thirdly and finally, I want to add a kind of addendum to all of this. I want to say that Jesus Christ is more than a friend and He wants us to remember that. In John, Chapter 15, Jesus makes an amazing statement to His disciples. He says “A new commandment I give unto you. Do you love one another even as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing, but I call you friends.”
Well, you see, the amazing thing is that the disciples and the apostles, in the years that followed, continued to call themselves servants of Jesus Christ. Jesus said “No longer do I call you servants. I call you friends.” But if you look at the New Testament letters and you see the writings of the Apostle Paul and the Apostle Peter and Jude and James and even John at the beginning of the Book of Revelation, they do not introduce themselves as friends of Jesus Christ. They introduce themselves as the servants of Jesus Christ. Why is that? Because they never wanted to forget that He is more than a friend. You see, He is Lord, King of Kings, as we saw last week. He reigns and He is very God. No one ever offered you a friendship like this. This is a very unique, special friendship with a very unique, special person. Jesus Christ, Lord of Lord and King of Kings.
You know, many years ago I went to a father/son banquet with my dad. I was in college but my dad wanted me to go and I wanted to go very much. This was at Glendale Presbyterian Church in Glendale, California. There were two speakers at this banquet that night. One was a man whose name was Mike Garrett. He had been a running back for USC, an All-American running back. Mike Garrett had, of course, won the Heisman Trophy and he went on to play football for the Kansas City Chiefs. He got up and he spoke to us at that father/son banquet. He said, “Dads…”He said, “You know it’s hard growing up in this world. Kids today are really struggling with self-esteem and trying to love themselves and be loved by others. They’re just so desperately in need of friends. Dads, why don’t you think about being a friend to your son.” I remember he concluded his talk by saying “Dads, be a buddy.”
When he was done, the second man, who was really the featured speaker, stood up to speak. His name was Paul Anderson. He was called the “Strongest Man in the World” and he was. Indeed, even today the Guinness Book of World Records lists Paul Anderson as the man who has lifted more weight than any other man. He lifted more than 6,240 pounds in a single lift. In 1956, he won the Olympic Gold Medal in the Super Heavyweight Division of Power Lifting. Now he was big. He weighed 367 pounds. When he came into the father/son banquet hall, he literally had to turn sideways to go through the door, his shoulders were so broad.
Well I remember…When he got up to speak, he grabbed the microphone and he looked angry. That bothered us. I don’t remember exactly what he said but I know that when he got up there…the first word he kind of muttered was the word “buddy.” Then he said, “Dads, your son doesn’t need a buddy. Your son needs a leader.” Then he pounded the podium. He said “He needs a leader. He needs a leader. He needs a leader.” It was an awkward moment. I remember looking up at Mike Garrett. His head was down. Nobody was going to say anything. Then Paul Anderson went on to describe how the children of the world today are in desperate need of leadership. In a sense, it’s a shame that that was so awkward because, you see, both Mike Garrett and Paul Anderson were right. Children growing up in the world today need friends and they need leaders. As parents, we’re called to be both. But sometimes that’s difficult isn’t it? It seems that one kind of gets in the way of the other. Well, God wants us to understand that as the children of God, we also need both a friend and a leader and Jesus Christ is the only one who can truly offer you both. The greatest friend you’ve ever had. The only leader you’ll ever need.
It’s important when we understand and when we view our friendship with Him that we do not forget that He is also our leader and He is also our Lord.
You know, a good friend of mine once said “Well I can’t wait to get to heaven. When I get to heaven and see Jesus Christ, the first thing I’m going to do is go up and give Him a big bear hug.” I don’t know. Maybe he will, but I kind of think that when I see Jesus Christ, my reaction is going to be more like the Apostle John, who when he saw the resurrected Christ on the island of Patmos, fell on his face, because I never want to forget the awe and majesty of Jesus Christ. He is our friend. He doesn’t want us to presume upon that. He doesn’t want us to pervert grace to licentiousness and freedom to license. Really, it’s only when we understand who we are and when we see who He truly is that we can comprehend the miracle of our friendship with Him and we can begin to see the glory of everything He wants for us to be. Let’s close today with a word of prayer.