MFM Mountain Top Life Devotional 13 December 2019 By Dr. D.K Olukoya – Jesus, Friend Of Sinners (III)
TOPIC: Jesus, Friend Of Sinners (III)
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BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Hosea 12-14; Revelation 4
FIRE SCRIPTURE: Matthew 8:1-4
MEMORY VERSE: “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” – Luke 23:43
MESSAGE: Jesus exemplified and demonstrated Agape love throughout His earthly ministry. He received outcasts, the unloved, social misfit and so on. He loved not just in words but also in deed. In Matthew 8:1-4 (our Fire Scripture), a leper went to Jesus, worshipped Him and said, “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will, be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”
In Israel, a leper is an outcast. Lepers lived outside the city or town and they are usually quarantined, not expected to mingle with others who are clean. Therefore, they are treated with disdain, rejected and considered as social misfits. Worse still, the Mosaic Law disfavours them. That is why Mariam had to stay outside the camp for seven days for her leprosy to be removed when she transgressed for speaking wrongly about Moses, the servant of God.
As New Testament believers, we should note that sin does to a Christian what leprosy brings upon anyone who contacts it in the Old Testament. We should therefore avoid sin like a plague. Let us also note, however, that in spite of the scriptural stance on leprosy, Jesus, the most loving and self-sacrificing Saviour touched the leper and the man became clean immediately. He was indeed a friend of the sick and defender of the weak, hope of the hopeless and help of the helpless.
Some Christians drive pass bus stops and even their church highways but they neglect commuters either because those commuters belong to other denominations or they are not of the same faith as theirs. Would Jesus act that way? This is the question we should always ask ourselves. Jesus imitated the Father by always acting in love. Do you?
Besides, Jesus allowed the publicans and the harlots to come to Him and they repented. He commended them in Matthew 21:31 and Luke 7:29. Jesus was also a friend to sinful women in Luke 7:47 and John 8:11. Jesus also received the publicans and sinners. As a result, the Pharisees and Scribes murmured saying, “This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them.” Jesus told His critics that His act was leaving ninety nine sheep and going after one lost sheep. What a wise answer! Do you have a similar passion for lost souls? The Master expects you to.
MFM Mountain Top Life Devotional 13 December 2019 – Jesus, Friend Of Sinners (III)
Jesus, the friend of sinners was the last saving grace for the dying thief who was on His right side on the Cross. The dying thief had rebuked the other for making offensive and unguarded statement against Jesus. He admitted that he and the other thief were being punished for their misdeeds but that Jesus was sinless and guiltless. Then he added, “Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom” (Luke 21:42). To this, the Scriptures says, “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
Finally, Jesus proved that He was a friend of sinners in the case of the man who was blind from birth. Jesus had healed the man and the Pharisees wanted to deny that Jesus had restored his sight because they believed Jesus was a sinner. The man whose eyes Jesus restored said that Jesus could not have done the miracle of restoring his sight if he was a sinner. This infuriated the Pharisees and they cast the man out. Later, Jesus found the excommunicated man and befriended him because the man believed and received Him. Jesus added, “For judgement I am come into this world, that they which see not might see, and that they which see might be made blind” (John 9:39).
MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE:
A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.
PROPHETIC WORD:
JESUS, THE FRIEND OF SINNERS WILL HAVE MERCY ON YOU AND YOUR HOUSEHOLD.
PRAYER POINTS:
MORNING
1 O Lord, fill my heart with Your love, in the name of Jesus.
2 Father, make me a compassionate Christian, in the name of Jesus.
3 Father, use me to change the hearts of men to love and serve you, in the name of Jesus.
EVENING
4 Let my life demonstrate the love of Christ to others, in the name of Jesus.
5 As the Father has loved me before I love Him, I receive the grace to love others unconditionally, in the name of Jesus.
6 I declare that I am a beneficiary of Agape love, in the name of Jesus.
7 Father, make my life a living epistle for others to read and be converted, in the name of Jesus.
MFM Mountain Top Life Devotional 13 December 2019 was written By Dr. D.K Olukoya (General Overseer, Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries, Worldwide)
