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When Jesus was teaching, large crowds would gather to hear Him speak, and in Luke 15, it says that all the tax gatherers and sinners were coming near to listen to Him.

When the Jewish leaders saw that sinners were drawing near to Him, however, they grumbled, saying, “Can you believe this? Look, this man receives sinners and even eats with them.” They thought they were accusing Him, but Jesus wanted sinners to draw near to Him. Even today, Jesus wants sinners to draw near. Jesus is often called ‘the friend of sinners.’

The Jewish leaders were wrong. A lot of people are wrong when it comes to what Jesus thinks about them. Which reminds me of a funny story… A burglar broke into a house and as he was tiptoeing through the dark he heard a voice, “Jesus is watching you…”

Many people have the wrong view of God. Some think He’s always cranky because they’re convinced He’s angry with sinners. Other people think He’s out to ruin their lives to get back at them for all the ways they’ve messed up their lives.

But all of that’s wrong. Do you know why Jesus is called the friend of sinners? Because “God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him would not perish, but would have everlasting life.”

Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost, He came to give hope to those who have no hope.

Many in the community know that our daughter was murdered several years ago. When it finally came to trial, both my wife and I had the opportunity to speak directly to the man who killed our daughter. When we spoke to him, each of us offered our forgiveness. I then added, “If you want to do anything to help us, then take this forgiveness as an opportunity to start your life over. One day you will stand before the judge of all the earth and give an account of your life, but it’s not too late, this is an opportunity to redeem your life.”

God is a Redeemer; he gives hope to the hopeless; He gives meaning and purpose to those who are lost.

A few years ago, I visited a prison in Texas where there is a program that takes inmates and trains them with the good news of the bible and makes them chaplains and pastors. They are then sent out to all the other prisons in Texas to redeem lives and transform other inmates by the power of God.

We now have that same program here in Oregon, by the way. When I was in Texas, I had the opportunity to meet with some of the inmates that were being trained to be chaplains and I asked, “What has this meant to you personally?” They responded, “It means everything to us. We have hope, we have meaning and purpose in our lives.”

One of them told us his story, “My mother always blamed herself for the mess I made of my life,” he said, “when I graduated, they let my mom attend the ceremony. Afterward, I folded my cap and my gown and gave them to her. I then said, “Happy Mother’s Day…”

In Luke 15 there’s a story of a young man who messed up his life. That part of the story we can all relate to; but there’s much more; it’s not just a story about a young man who messed up his life, it’s a story about a father who sees his broken son walking toward home. He runs down the road toward his son. And with tears of joy welcomes him home.

Here’s the thing; it’s never too late to come home. It’s never too late to change your life. You’re not too young, you’re not too old. You’re going to have the opportunity today to change your life.

My dad was an alcoholic. He abused my mother, then later divorced her, and by his own admission he was just an old wretched cuss. But at 75 years old he realized he had wasted most of his life. He accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at a service just like this. He came forward and gave his life to Christ and I baptized him with my own hands.

I. God Pursues You with His Love

Pastor Rich Jones
Pastor Matthew Dodd
Rich Jones Calvary Chapel
Calvary Chapel Worship Center
Calvary Chapel Hillsboro
Calvary Chapel Oregon
Calvary Chapel Beaverton
Calvary Chapel Portland

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