“Jesus, What a Friend of Sinners!”
I Peter 2:1-7
Pastor Steve N. Wagers
February 26, 2006
Friend Day
Sermon Outline
1. There is No Rival to Jesus!
A. To His Person!
B. To His Power!
2. There is No Redeemer but Jesus!
A. The Redemption God has Designed for Man!
B. The Redemption God has Delivered to Man!
3. There is No Replacement for Jesus!
A. The Grievous Life that Excludes Jesus!
B. The Glorious Life that Includes Jesus!
There was a medical missionary in China. Whenever someone came to him for treatment he would always tell them the story of Jesus. One morning, before the clinic doors were opened, there came to the missionary an old woman stooped with age. He could tell by the dust on her feet and clothing that she had come a long way.
That morning he treated her and as always, told her about Jesus. The medical missionary said, "As the rose opens to receive the rays of the noon day sun, so her heart opened to receive the Savior. Her tears made little rivulets down her dusty cheeks as she opened her heart to Jesus.
Several weeks later, there was a knock at the missionary's door. When he opened the door, he found the same old woman that had come to him several weeks before. She said, "Sir, He has saved me and I know He lives in my heart. He has made my life so happy! But sir, I have forgotten His name. Could you please tell me his name again?" The missionary repeated over and over again the name, "Jesus," and each time the little old lady echoed that name, "Jesus."
Lela Long heard the story and wrote:
Jesus is the sweetest name I know,
And he's just the same, as His lovely name.
And that's the reason why I love Him so,
For Jesus is the sweetest name I know.
It was from that story, as well as Lela Long’s hymn that inspired J. Wilbur Chapman to pen the words of that immortal hymn:
Jesus! What a friend for sinners!
Jesus! Lover of my soul;
Friends may fail me, foes assail me,
He, my Savior, makes me whole.
Jesus! What a strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in Him.
Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing,
He, my strength, my victory wins.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Hallelujah! What a friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.
As you read Peter’s epistle, you discover that there were several things "precious" to Peter:
(I Peter 1:7) Trials are precious
(I Peter 1:18-19) The Blood was precious
(2 Peter 1:1) Our Faith is precious
(2 Peter 1:4) The Promises of God are precious
In text we see that Jesus is precious. In fact, 3 times, Peter speaks of Jesus as being “precious.” It was like Peter was saying, “There have been times that I’ve let Him down; but, there’s never been a time when He has let me down. It was like Peter was saying:
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Hallelujah! What a friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.
Peter said in verse 3, "If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." In other words, if you have been saved, then you, like Peter, have discovered that Jesus is gracious and He is precious.
Peter's words are full of feeling as well as meaning. As I look at Peter’s discussion, and description of Jesus, I am drawn to look at 3 reasons why Jesus was not only such a wonderful friend to Peter, but to those of us who are saved as well. First of all, we can say ‘Jesus, What a Friend of Sinners’ because:
1. There is No RIVAL TO JESUS!
Beginning in verse 4, Peter uses extensive Old Testament imagery to show the New Testament believers that they now possess all the blessings of the Old Testament, but in a far greater measure.
In verse 4, Peter says, [To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious.] When Peter said that Jesus was precious, he was declaring thatthere was no one like Jesus. He was saying that there is no rival to:
A. To His PERSON!
Peter says that Jesus was “chosen of God, and precious.” The word “precious” means, “highly valued, or esteemed.” In other words, He had no equal or rival. Of all he had met, there was no one as good, great, and glorious as the person of Jesus Christ. Charles Wesley wrote:
Jesus, the name high over all,
In hell, in earth, and sky;
Angels and men before it fall,
And devils fear to fly.
A letter was found that had been sent by Publius Lentulus to the Roman Senate during the Roman Empire. It describes the observations of one who was acquainted with Jesus:
"There appeared in these days a man of great virtue, named Jesus Christ, who is yet among us: of the Gentiles accepted for a prophet of truth; but His disciples call him the son of God. He raiseth the dead and cureth all manner of disease...In reproving; He is terrible; in admonishing, courteous and fair-spoken; pleasant in conversation, mixed with gravity. It cannot be remembered that any have seen Him laugh, but many have seen Him weep; in proportion of body most excellent, His hands and arms delectable to behold; in speaking, very temperate, modest and wise; a man of singular beauty, surpassing the children of men."
I say that He surpasses the children of men in every way and in all aspects. He is high over all, above all, for He has no rival to His person. Secondly, Peter was saying that there is no rival to:
B. To His POWER!
Peter describes Jesus, in verse 4, as “a living stone.” In 1: 3, He is described as a “living hope.” In 1: 23, He is described as the “living word.” However, in 2: 4, He is referred to a “living stone.” In other words, Peter was describing the power of the Lord Jesus. Although He was “disallowed of men,” He is still, today, “the living stone.”
The word “disallowed” literally means, “To repudiate.” The idea is of a public spectacle or humiliation of something. The sentence contrasts the world’s estimate of Jesus to God’s estimate of Jesus. Thus, Peter is saying that although men “disallowed” and tried to humiliate Him, He stands forever as the “living stone,” “chosen of God” and “precious.” He has no rival to His person, and He has no rival to His power.
Socrates taught for 40 years, Plato for 50, Aristotle for 40. Yet Jesus only taught for 3 years. Yet the influence of those 3 years infinitely transcend the impact of the combined 130 years of teaching from the men that are considered among the greatest philosophers of all antiquity.
Jesus painted no pictures; yet some of the finest paintings of Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci received their inspiration from Him. Jesus wrote no poetry; but Dante, Milton, and scores of the world's greatest poets were inspired by Him.
Jesus composed no music; still Haydn, Handel, Beethoven, Bach, and Mendelssohn reached their highest perfection of melody in the hymns, symphonies, and oratories they composed in His praise.
He never wrote a book, but hundreds of thousands of volumes have been written about Him. His words have been translated into more than 1000 dialects and languages. He built no sanctuary, but millions of Churches, chapels, and cathedrals have been built to worship Him. He raised no army, but those who would fight for His truth and principles, the world over, can be numbered into millions.
Born of a lowly mother, without an earthly or human father; reared in meekness in a remote town of Nazareth; without credentials from the religious leaders of His time; with no accredited education from the schools of His day; hated by religious leaders, followed by the poor, the illiterate and the downtrodden; called a son of the devil because of His own unorthodox birth; falsely accused of blasphemy by the hierarchy; mocked by the crowds which had pursued Him in the days of His prosperity; His death demanded by the angry mob, the multitude; condemned to die by crucifixion; buried in a borrowed tomb.
It would seem that after that the world would have heard the last of Him, But no! The pages of history are besmirched with the blood of those who died for Him. Wars have been fought; thrones have been abdicated because of Him. Throughout the centuries His name has been above every name. His life, His teachings, and His ethics have been changed, altered and transformed individuals, communities, cities, nations and continents.
Twenty centuries have come and gone, and I am far within the mark when I say, that all the armies that ever marched; all the navies that ever sailed; all the parliaments that ever sat; all the kings that have ever reigned; put together, have not affected the life of man as much as the Lord Jesus Christ. He is without rival to His person and to His power. Although He was “disallowed of men” He was “chosen of God;” and, He is “precious.”
Secondly, I say, with Peter, that Jesus is a friend of sinners because:
2. There is No REDEEMER BUT JESUS!
In verse 6, Peter says, [Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.] Peter was saying not only is there no rival to Jesus, but there is no redeemer but Jesus. It leads us to consider 2 things about the redeeming work of Christ. First, there is:
A. The Redemption God has DESIGNED for Man!
Peter declares in I Peter 1:18-19, "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."
In other words, Peter says that the only way of redemption God has designed for man is through the blood of Christ, “as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
You see God is not first Creator and then, of belated necessity, Redeemer. Rather, He is the Redeemer-Creator, whose Son is “the lamb slain before the foundation of the world.” On the divine side, Calvary is not an act of desperation; it is an act of design. God designed that Jesus would be the means of redemption for the world.
What can wash away my sin,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
O, precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
The story is told of a man that traveled a long way to interview a distinguished scholar. Upon his arrival, he was ushered into the study of the great scholar. When the great scholar came into the room, the visitor asked, "Doctor, I have come a long way to ask you just one question. I observe that the walls of your room are filled with books. This room is literally lined with them from ceiling to the floor. I suppose you have read them all. I know you have written many books.
You have traveled the world over; you have held intimate converse with the world's wisest men, its leaders of thought, its creator of opinion. Tell me, if you will, after the years you have spent in study, out of all the things you have learned, what is the one thing best worth knowing?"
The great scholar's face flushed with emotion. He placed, with gentleness, both hands over the hands of his visitor and then said, "My dear sir, out of all the things I have learned, there are only two lessons best worth knowing. The first is, I am a great sinner. The second is, Jesus is a greater Savior.
Peter found, as I have, and many of you have, that no one could find us in our sin, forgive us of our sin, and free us from our sin, but Jesus. If you go to Heaven, it will be because the blood of Jesus is the redemption God has designed for man.
Secondly, there is also:
B. The Redemption God has DELIVERED to Man!
Peter says that it is the act of believing which results in discovering the preciousness of Jesus. Peter is saying, "I believed and because of the result of believing, He is precious to me." Peter was declaring that Jesus was his redeemer.
Jesus is precious because He is a gracious, glorious, and greater Savior.
The story is told of a poor couple that got saved through the ministry of the Salvation Army. Neither one could read or write. But both were so happy that they had been saved. A revival meeting was going on and when the husband came home he seemed so depressed. His wife asked him what was wrong. He said, "Everyone at the meeting has a coat with nice letters on it. I wish I had a coat like that."
His wife said, "I believe I can do something about that. I will put you some letters on your coat." Since she couldn't read or write, she wondered what she would do. She looked out the window and saw a sign in the store across the street. She copied the letters on that sign and sewed them on her husband's coat.
The next night her husband came home so happy. She asked, "How did everyone like the letters on your coat?" He said, "They all said I had the best coat of them all." The wife had sewed the letters on his coat that read: "Under new management."
Jesus is precious because He redeemed us from our sin and made us new creatures in Christ Jesus. We are now “Under New Management!” We are ‘Under New Management’ because there is no redeemer but Jesus.
I ask you:
What shall it profit a man if he be a great artist and know not Jesus, the One altogether lovely?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great architect, and know Jesus the Chief Cornerstone?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great baker and know not Jesus, the Living Bread?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great banker and know not Jesus, the Priceless Possession?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great biologist and know not Jesus, the Life?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great builder and know not Jesus, the Sure Foundation?
What shall it profit it man if he a great carpenter and know not Jesus, the Door?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great doctor and know not Jesus, the Great Physician?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great educator and know not Jesus, the Teacher?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great farmer and know not Jesus, the Lord of the Harvest?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great florist and know not Jesus, the Rose of Sharon?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great geologist and know not Jesus, the Rock of Ages?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great astronomer and know not Jesus, the Bright and Morning Star?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great jeweler and know not Jesus, the Pearl of Great Price?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great lawyer and know not Jesus, the Advocate?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great sculptor and know not Jesus the Living Stone?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great student and know not Jesus, the Incarnate Truth?
What shall it profit a man if he a great philanthropist and know not Jesus, the Unspeakable Gift?
Oh yes, I say again, “Jesus, What a Friend of Sinners.” There is no rival to Jesus; there is no redeemer but Jesus, because:
3. There is No REPLACEMENT FOR JESUS!
The legendary Southern Baptist orator, R. G. Lee describes the Old and New Testament Christ. He comments:
The Old Testament conceals Christ;
The New Testament reveals Christ.
The Old Testament enfolds Christ;
The New Testament unfolds Christ.
The Old Testament promises Christ;
The New Testament presents Christ.
The Old Testament pictures Christ;
The New Testament produces Christ.
The Old Testament prophesies Christ;
The New Testament proclaims Christ.
The Old Testament symbolizes Christ;
The New Testament sacrifices Christ.
The Old Testament is law which Christ fulfilled;
The New Testament is love which Christ exhibits.
In other words, R. G. Lee is echoing Peter’s theme in his epistle that there is no rival to Jesus, no redeemer but Jesus, because there is no replacement for Jesus. Think with me first about:
A) The GREVIOUS Life that EXCLUDES Jesus!
Peter said, again, 3 times that Jesus was "precious." The word appears as a noun, but in actuality is an adjective. We could read the verse, "Unto you therefore which believe He is preciousness."
The word carries the meaning of exceptional distinction, to the extent, that if removed, replacement is an absolute impossibility. He is so precious that He is irreplaceable. In other words, the life that excludes Jesus will be a grievous life.