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The sermon presents Jesus as the Savior who specifically receives sinners rather than the self-righteous. Genuine repentance involves acknowledging personal guilt, helplessness, and need for mercy, while faith rests on Christ’s promise and completed sacrifice rather than personal worthiness or complete theological understanding. Christ’s death is portrayed as willing and sufficient to cleanse, justify, sanctify, and finally bring sinners to glory. The sermon is strongly evangelistic, extending a free and urgent invitation to the worst sinner who will come to Christ.
Theological center: Salvation is by Christ’s gracious atoning sacrifice for sinners who renounce self-righteousness and receive Him by faith.
Applications: Come to Christ · Believe in Jesus · Confess Your Sinfulness · Consider Christ’s Welcome
Primary texts: Luke 15:2 · Luke 5:32 · 1 Timothy 1:15
“This man receives sinners.” Luke 15:2 [DEARLY BELOVED, It has pleased the Lord by a painful illness to interrupt, for a little while my usual labors. As I was unable to preach last Lord’s day, accept this week the issue of an old sermon. Though it has been buried in my publishers’ warehouse for two years, I pray God it may bud afresh and bring forth fruit, even as old corn after having been entombed in Egyptian sepulchres for centuries will often germinate again and yield an abundant crop. You have prayed for me. The Lord has visited me in the chamber of affliction. I am recovering. And God knows “I long to see you, and impart unto you some spiritual gift.” And I trust that ere long “through your prayers I shall be given unto you.” Yours in much affection, C. H. S.] IT was a singular group which had gathered round our Savior, when these words were uttered, for we are told by the evangelist—“Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.” The publicans—the very lowest grade—the public oppressors, scorned and hated by the Jew—these, together with the worst of characters, the scum of the streets and the very riff-raff of the society of Jerusalem, came around this mighty preacher, Jesus Christ, in order to listen to His words. On the outside of the throng there stood a few respectable people, who in those days were called Pharisees and Scribes—men who were highly esteemed in the synagogues as rulers, and governors, and teachers. These looked with scorn upon the Preacher and watched Him with invidious eyes to find some fault. If they could find none in Him personally, yet they could easily find it in His congregation. His deportment towards them shocked their false notion of propriety, and when they observed that He was affable with the very worst of characters, that He spoke loving words to the most fallen of mankind, they said of Him what they intended for a disgrace, albeit it was highly to His honor—“This man receiveth sinners.” I believe that our Savior could not have wished to have had a sentence uttered concerning Him more evidently true or more thoroughly consistent with His sacred commission. It is the exact portrait of His character—the hand of a master seems to have limned Him to the very life. He is the man who “receiveth sinners.” Many a true word has been spoken in jest and many a true word has been spoken in slander. Men have said sometimes in jest, “There goes a saint.” But it has been true. They have said, “There goes one of your chosen ones, one of your elect.” They meant it as a slander, but the doctrine they scand…