Part 1 – The Company We Keep
(from Pastors Sermon on Feb 1st 2026)
“Many dishonest tax collectors and other notorious sinners often gathered around to listen as Jesus taught the people. This raised concerns among the Jewish religious leaders and experts of the law. Indignant, they grumbled and complained, saying, “Look at how this man associates with all these notorious sinners and welcomes them all to come to him!” In response, Jesus gave them this illustration:” (Luke 15:1-3 TPT)
The Preference of a Savior
Jesus preferred the company of tax collectors and notorious sinners.
Tax Collectors:
The first preference of the Savior was crazy indeed, tax collectors. Now, this first Sunday of February, I bet you all have started getting your tax documents either mailed or given to you so you can file your annual income tax. Some of you might wait until the very last day, April 15, others may have already begun the filing process. Either way, I am sure not many of you here are loving to file your income taxes. Taxes are not cool, hype, and is certainly not (for my GenZ) lit, fire, dope, and it does not slap. Taxes aren’t fun and neither are tax collectors, IRS agents ain’t no one’s friend.
In Jesus’ day, tax collectors were the worst of the worst. Look at verse 1, Tax collectors were mentioned before notorious sinners. You have to be really bad to go ahead of notorious sinners on the ‘Worst People’ list.
The tax collectors were men like Matthew (Matthew 9:9-13) and Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-9) who were Jews who cooperated with Rome in its subjugation of Israel. Tax collectors were hated because they were seen as traitors to God and their Jewish heritage. Their collection of taxes for the Roman Empire supported the occupying power of pagan Rome at the literal expense of their Jewish brethren. In addition to their Roman affiliation, tax collectors were widely believed to extort and overcharge the people for their own profit. This general view is supported by the testimony of Zacchaeus, who vowed to pay back anyone whom he had defrauded (Luke 19:8). – The Bible Says Commentary on Luke 15:2
Notorious Sinners:
Sinners, in the eyes of the Pharisees and Scribes were anyone who fell short of the laws and teaching of the Torah and Mishnah. To be notorious meant you were habitually, consistently, continuously falling short. This descriptive was not for those who “just made a mistake”, this was for them that made it a lifestyle to commit shortcomings of the religious law.
To be fair, the Scripture says:
(Romans 3:23 NKJV) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
The NLT says it this way:
(Romans 3:23 NLT) For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
To live up to Gods glorious standard, which is holiness and Christ-like perfection, is a feat only possible through Gods amazing grace. To live up to the standard set by the Pharisee’s and Scribes was virtually impossible to achieve. And the consequence for falling short was spiritually severe.
Sinners and tax collectors were not welcome to participate in the synagogues (gathering places) of Pharisees. The Pharisees refused to have anything to do with these people and they shunned anyone else who did. Their message to the Jews was clear: “Follow this man and you will risk being kicked out of our synagogues and join the sinners.” – The Bible Says Commentary on Luke 15:2
Yet, these were the ones who gathered around and gave their ear to hear Jesus’ teachings. Could it be, What they were missing from the church, they went direct to Jesus for.
(Luke 5:32) I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
NOT EVERY ONE WILL COME TO THE CHURCH FOR THE TRUTH; LIKE JESUS, WE MUST BRING THE TRUTH TO THEM.
WE MUST PREFER THEM OVER OUR OWN COMFORTS.
🚨Jesus did not come for the church, the church became because of Jesus!
Praise be to God Jesus came to save even the worst of the worst and the church of Jesus Christ is the only entity with this life saving message.
If only the church would not get in the way of their own purpose…
What will the church say?
“This raised concerns among the Jewish religious leaders and experts of the law. Indignant, they grumbled and complained, (vs2)
This kind of riffraff around Jesus was a concern for the scribes and Pharisees, just like this type of message might be a concern for some gathered here today.
⁉️If we were to start hanging out with sinners what will others in the church say?
⁉️What if we brought them into our church gatherings?
The church exhibited 3 hindrances to the tax collectors and notorious sinners:
1️⃣ indignation = anger or annoyance provoked by what is perceived as unfair treatment; resentment
The religious leaders resented that Jesus was spending time with and giving credence to these people.
Is the church today like the religious leaders then? If we spend more time with a sinner than with a saint, would the church leaders resent you for it? Leaving the unchurched to remain unchurched.
2️⃣ grumbling = exhibiting a bad temper while complaining
They also grumbled, the making of a grunt sound while complaining. Putting up a display and show so that everyone around them could tell what the issue was.
Does your church grumble when a notorious sinner walks in? Is there a visual look on Christians faces when “that one” comes walking in?
3️⃣ complaining = expressing dissatisfaction or annoyance
Are we afraid our church friends would be annoyed with us if we preferred sitting with the church outcast, the sinner, the traitor at potlucks? Leaving the lost to find their own way.
WHAT WOULD THE CHURCH SAY IF THE CHURCH BECAME MORE LIKE JESUS?
Who is Your One?
“saying, “Look at how this man associates with all these notorious sinners and welcomes them all to come to him!” In response, Jesus gave them this illustration:” (vs3)
Jesus welcomed them all…that was what the religious leaders were most concerned about, yet, it wasn’t them all that Jesus was after. ‼️ Not every single one of these tax collectors and sinners followed Jesus, in fact, this chapter does not indicate that even one of them followed Jesus after this. ‼️ How hard is evangelism if not even Jesus could get 100% participation?
WHEN NOT ALL WILL FOLLOW HIM
😢 A sad statement but true…”Not everyone will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ”.
There will be many who will leave this earthly life and never experience the everlasting life promised to them. I hope there are none here today that fall into this category. I pray that everyone here knows the absolute wonder of being in relationship with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. To know the:
✝️ JOY – He brings in life’s sorrow
✝️ HOPE – He gives in times of doubt
✝️ VICTORY – He provides from life’s battles
✝️ PEACE – He shares in tough times
✝️ GRACE – He supplies in every moment
✝️ PROMISE – He presents upon which we can stand
✝️ MERCY – He shows when we mess up
✝️ LOVE – He conveys to us everyday
And so much more.
In the same chapter where we find that God so loved the world He gave his only begotten son that whosoever believe on him shall not perish but have everlasting life, we also find this verse saying:
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36 NLT)
What an indictment. If you do not believe and have faith in Christ Jesus, the wrath of God is upon you. The apostle Paul takes the indictment further by saying:
“Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth”. (2 Thessalonians 2:12 NLT)
Not all will follow, but maybe ONE will
AFTER THE ONE
In response to this, Jesus shared 3 parables/illustration. In each of the parables Jesus speaks to whom He was after: THE ONE! He was not after them all, because not all will follow, but He was after ONE.
✔️For the shepherd, the ONE was the lost lamb
✔️For the woman, the ONE was the lost coin
✔️For the Father, the ONE was the lost son
In each illustration we see the lost lamb, the lost coin, the lost son, as the ONE whom Christ is seeking to save. And in each illustration, Jesus empowers ONE to reach ONE. The shepherd left for, the woman searched for, and the father looked for, their ONE.
JESUS CAME TO SAVE THE ONE AND COMMISSIONED YOU TO BE HIS AMBASSADOR
(Mark 16:15-16 NKJV) And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
Notice:
👉Christ did not say for the church to hope and pray they come to the church.
👉He did not say for the church to wait and see if they come to the church
👉He did not say prepare for the possibility of them coming to church
He said “Go to them, where they are, out in the world, and preach the Gospel to ONE” [creature is singular in Gr]. He said go to each ONE, not a mass setting, not a large assembly; preach the gospel to each and every ONE!
In order to reach ‘every creature’ would require ‘every believer’ preaching the Gospel
❓SO, Let me ask, who is your ONE?
❓Who is the ONE that you would go to the ends of the world for?
Altar Call
Isaiah 59:16 (NKJV)
16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: …
We are called to go after the ONE for Jesus
Bring your ONE to the altar this morning
If you don’t know you your ONE is, then I want to ask you to come to this altar today and begin to pray and ask God to reveal who the one is for you.
Grand Haven Pentecostals 