A Friend of Sinners - Part 1 — David Wilkerson

My message is something God's been dealing me with to with me about. And I've always believed if you're walking in the Spirit You have a searchable heart. God has to be allowed to keep searching you you never get too old.

You never get too mature in Christ that you don't need the searchlight of the Holy Spirit and allow him to turn on the light and to to Bring righteous holy judgment because of his great love for us. And this is something past few weeks God's been dealing with me about and Seeing this film.

I'd not seen this before and Brought a lot of memories back at my early days and how we started here on the streets of New York Street rallies our vision was for souls. Our focus was on the unsaved and the hurting and the fallen.

Refocusing Ministry on the Lost and Hurting

And I would I think now that in my 75th year the Lord is wanting me to Make sure my focus is right. That we're focused properly what I say what I preached this morning. I couldn't understand it until I looked at that film again and the Lord Just confirmed it to my heart.

And this is something that this church doesn't need reproof. It doesn't need correction. My message has nothing to do with correction reproof or anything else. It has to do with something God's saying to me.

If if it applies to you. Fine and well, but I'm I'm speaking what God is saying to me and others these Messages of all the pastors go out all over the world and through Internet. So It's applied outside especially to ministers conferences where I'll be going.

I want to talk to you a simple message a friend of sinners. And then don't turn the Matthew 11 19 Jesus was given and a name by sinners themselves and by Pharisees. He's called a friend of sinners Republicans and sinners a friend of publicans and sinners.

Now Holy Spirit I Thank you publicly for the probing of my heart. I Thank you Lord Jesus that you have made it possible for me to have an open ear and I pray you give us open hearts and open ears to hear what the Spirit says today.

If any of us here need to be refocused do it Lord by the power of your word the persuasion of your word Sanctify my words and my life and my body so that these words come from Sanctified lips and that we would speak truth Lord that will Be something that helps us on our journey in these last days.

We pray in Christ's name. Amen. There's a story in a Bible About a Pharisee named Simon his Pharisee invites Jesus to his home to eat and He had gathered a number of his friends most likely Pharisees and this had to be some gathering.

Jesus and the Sinful Woman at Simon’s House

You know that these Pharisees went to synagogue every day. They tithe meticulously they were unscrupulous in their religiosity and they they Conceived themselves as being the holy men of his of their generation and They invite Jesus now now Simon has heard that he's a prophet and I really believe when you look at the context that Simon is trying to detect where the he's truly a prophet or Perhaps among his friends to discount him as a prophet which appears most likely from the context also.

And so they invite Jesus. Now it was a custom in those days when you you come to a feast to come to Especially a man of prominence He would give you the he would offer you the customs of the day. You you've heard of this before when you entered they would give you a basin of water and a towel so you could wash your dusty feet because for Shoes they just had.

Sometimes just the poor had some canvas tied around while their feet and their feet would get dusty. There were no paved roads and That that was the custom. Then you would be given a peck or kiss on each cheek on each side.

And then you would give a little bottle of oil based Ointment of some kind to rub through your hair that was windswept or dusty and that was a custom. Then you'd be seated at a table and you would recline.

They would recline around the table Leaning on an arm and their feet sticking out probably at the end of the couch. I'm sure it seems to me like Simon had his friends and his peer group come first and I'm sure he didn't want a Reputation that he was not a gentleman that he did not keep the customs of the day.

So I'm certain they got the basin of water. They got the double kiss. And they got the ointment oil-based ointment. Jesus comes in. Jesus arrives and he He has given nothing but condescension. He has not given water for his feet.

He's he is not kissed and He's not given any ointment for his hair or his head and he's taken to his Place and he is seated promptly among those who've gathered. Now, I don't know what they were discussing at this mill you know, the Pharisees were always trying to ask him trick questions and I know that this had to be a theological time when theology was discussed it doesn't tell us but certainly there was something going on in that meeting of a test and Jesus knew the hearts of these men, especially Simon and In the middle of it somewhere sometime in that mill a woman from the street crashes that feast crashes in.

Makes her way past the servants past any kind of Hindrance and she comes to the table and stands right behind Jesus. Weeping. Now, can you imagine the shock? She is known no doubt when it when it the Bible calls the wicked woman.

It's usually a prostitute in the New Testament. She's notorious. They know her and Do you know the Pharisees would not be touched especially by an unclean person. You were not allowed to be touched not even your garment and this woman is now on her knees and She's cuddling the feet of Jesus in her hands and she's wiping her tears are flowing over his dusty feet and she's wiping her tears, she's just cuddling his feet and the shock of those Pharisees.

Simon immediately says, uh-huh. If he were truly a prophet he would know she's a wicked woman. If he was truly a man sent from God he would not be allowing this woman to touch him. Any woman let alone this woman a wicked sinner a prostitute and He's allowing her to touch him.

The shock that went through that room. What they were thinking this is how can they interrupt who let her in this wicked sinner? Why should she come into a Jesus meeting? This is about theology we don't need a sinner in here interrupting our theological discussion and then she takes a Alabaster box breaks the seal and starts pouring that perfume on his feet.

It waves through that room and those. She does the unthinkable Absolutely unthinkable no decent Jewish woman would do it and it's known that this is behind closed doors. And this is what a prostitute would do.

She took down her hair she released her hair and Poured this perfume and they're thinking they're thinking eroticism. They're thinking all kinds of thoughts and looking at Christ looking at Jesus as though he he had nothing of God in him.

Jesus knowing Simon's thoughts. It said stopped he said Simon I have something to talk to you about. I have something to say to you. Now when I came to that I read this account over and over again. And I read it and the Holy Spirit stopped me here said don't go any further David I have something for you to say to you.

He he turns to Simon said Simon. I want to talk to you. And folks I want to stop here just a minute because the Holy Spirit was showing me. There are two things going on in this room. There are two spirits being manifested here's a spirit of Pharisee ism here's a Spirit that says I am better than this woman.

These men are thinking we are holy. We are righteous. This woman is wicked and It's a judgmental spirit. They're judging her. They're judging Christ. There's nothing but judgment in the room. That there's another spirit that's the spirit of forgiveness and restoration and That's what Jesus is manifesting here.

Forgiveness Versus Pharisaical Judgment

And when he says Simon, I something to say to you. He gave a parable. He said there were two men that owed a debt one owed 500 pence. Another owed 50 and they had nothing to pay. So he frankly forgave them both.

Simon which one would love the most and Simon said well, I I would imagine I perceive that it would be the one forgiven the most and What Jesus is really saying and Simon I think got the message. Simon you think you're the one that needs just a little forgiveness.

You're the ones been forgiven so little and this woman over here is the one who's been given so much forgiven so much but Simon gets the message. It's the other way around. Simon is the one in his self-righteousness his unforgiving spirit this this judgmental spirit Jesus is trying to convey to him.

You're the one because you don't know your heart. This woman knows her heart she knows her the wickedness and depravity that she's been delivered from that she's been in and She comes here. She detects Your wrath she She knows she's unwelcome here, but she's not judging you because she's come under this spirit this forgiveness.

She's been restored and You can't see it. You're not into restoration. You're not into forgiveness. Jesus had denounced this Pharisee is nothing he hated more than the Pharisee ism of his day. The best description I have read of The description of a Pharisee is one who monitors the sins of another while justifying himself.

One who monitors the sins of others while justifying himself and Jesus was trying to say something. He said in what he's what I believe is being said here without words as Jesus said I came here. Yes, because I I love Pharisees.

I love everyone, but you he's I'm. Jesus had made his statement about Pharisee ism he had turned to these men who were robbing houses the robbing widows houses. Can you imagine they were taking away the houses of widows and saying this is for a righteous cause?

Set themselves up as judges before the whole world and were taking these Things that didn't know their own heart they did not know what was in their own spirit. But they knew could judge what was in everybody else's heart taking trying to take the speck out of brother's eye while having a beam in their own you see they're two spirits and so I Put myself into that story.

Because the Bible said we're to examine our hearts and Examined by the word and by what we read. Folks if you read the Bible without trying to put yourself in the picture you're missing the point. So I put myself and of course, you know what I judged myself to be.

What spirit of I am am I off? Of course? I'm the Spirit of Christ. No effect. I could say that you saw the picture didn't you here I am. I did there's no Pharisee is in me. My goodness, I'd give my life to this thing.

Yeah, that's what I thought. You see we would all most of us sitting here would think that about ourselves. I'm not a judge. I'm not that way. I'm not the Pharisee. I'm not a Simon that spirits not in me.

Now folks, I'm not trying to dig up something. I'm not trying to put you under condemnation or guilt. I Know where I stand in Christ, but I also know what's in my heart at times. I Know that there are times that I I have a lot envy.

I have allowed jealousy. I have allowed things in my life that were unlike Christ. And those were the times I was most judgmental of others. When I was in my own not Recognizing these things that were in my own heart this parable.

Who loves the most and Jesus is saying this woman? She's not angry at you she has the capacity to love now because she has understood forgiveness. She's understood what God has done for her and even though she knows she's not welcome here.

This woman will not judge you but you sit here judging her. Simon was told I'm sure we was reminded what Jesus said to the Pharisees including himself in that group. That which comes out of a man does not defile a man.

For from within at the heart out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts adulteries fornication murder theft covetousness wickedness deceit lasciviousness an evil eye blasphemy pride. Foolishness all these comes from within the heart of man.

And these are the things that defile the man. You see that that that says to Simon you're the sinner. You're the one who needs the forgiveness. Now Jesus loved Pharisees because one of the first many was going to call to evangelize the New Testament Church was a Pharisee named Saul.

He would have the honor of having Christ visit him personally. So the Lord truly showed his love for Pharisee though. He hated Pharisee ism. In my 50 year 50 some years of ministry I have seen such foolishness in the church.

I've seen such false seen and heard such false doctrine and I've taken a stand just like Jesus did. I've taken my stand Pastor this church have taken their stand and that's what God's told us to do. He he named these Pharisees he called them a time Vipers and he said The they're blind and Jesus denounced Pharisee ism though.

He loved the Pharisee. He denounced it. Those things have to be exposed. Shepherds are called to protect the sheep. From the wolves and there there are so many wolves in the world today. Especially in ministry and they they come against the body of Christ.

They come against the true church of Jesus Christ and they have to be exposed and Jesus did that he made his statement. Clearly about Pharisee ism, but you see here's where we're at. I just read a Whether they take survey this was research that's just been released in the United States there are 3 ,700 Pentecostal denominations 3 ,700 Various Pentecostal nominate in the world.

There are 27 ,000 Pentecostal denominations in Nigeria alone. There are hundreds of denominations of Pentecostal Denomination, I'm not talking churches. I'm talking denominations the Assemblies of God being the largest.

And now most of these churches are Sound preaching sound doctrine many many of preaching sound doctrine great preaching. Folks, I've heard recently on the radio some some various pastors Baptist Methodist.

I've heard some powerful powerful preaching and you know, they were men of God and they they were preaching Christ with such majesty and power and Great soul winners winning souls or churches are filled with people have been saved under their their own ministry.

Guarding the Church Against False Doctrine

But here's what we're facing. Such there is coming we have seen just the beginning but what is coming to the Church of Jesus Christ in the days ahead and It's going to it's going to multiply such we are going to hear such foolishness.

We're going to see such wickedness. We're going to have the Bible said men who come as angels of light. That means they're going to be attractive. It means that they're going to be glib. It means that they're going to be they're going to be educated.

In other words, they're going to speak. Well, they're going to look good there. They're going to preach a measure of the gospel. They're going to have enough gospel that unless you know where you stand in Christ unless you're founded on the Word of God.

You'll be carried away with the wind and it is going to get so incredibly maddening. I Was in a place recently where I they had the television was on it was a fundraising program television fundraising program and I Was so stunned.

I was so shocked by what I was hearing. It was you just Like with like glued to us. I can't believe this and I finally was sitting on the other the chair just burning and then a Evangelist handsome well-spoken Powerful got up.

And he took the biblical inheritance, which is Christ. And he promised the people If you give so much. You're going. I'm promising you somebody gonna leave you an inheritance. And he told a wild story.

He said some woman gave $100 some widow some and she got an $830 ,000 inheritance in the next few weeks. I am so angry I Stood up and I said I'm gonna name him. I'm gonna nail him. You're said no, you're not Leave him alone.

Leave him alone. The blind lead the blind they're going to the ditch and close their ears that close their eyes. He said go to the ditch and wait. Be there to restore. Because these men will not listen they will not hear.

You see I was in my flesh. I Was in my flesh. Yes, their spirit and yes, I want to defend the gospel. But you see Jesus made his statement. He made it clear what he stood he denounced the Pharisee ism and then the disciples came to him one day and This is later in the ministry of Christ.

And they said don't you know the Pharisees are offended by what you say what you're preaching. Jesus said leave him alone. Just leave him alone. Then he said he gave those words when the blind lead the blind they're headed for the ditch.

And he said that in love. He said and what Jesus is saying and is born out in this story when Jesus turns away from Simon Bible says and he turned away he turned to the woman as if to say look I've got kingdom work to do.

I can't I can't stop here with you Pharisees. I can't stand here with your false doctrine and get so involved because I have something to do here. And I came here to show you what the focus is. It's on this wicked woman being delivered.

It's on restoration. It's on forgiveness. I thank God for this church. This church has become a center of restoration and forgiveness. They're over. There are pastors that come here once a month. Meet with pastor Carter and the staff and they know that they're welcome.

They know that they will not be judged because there's a spirit of love. There's a spirit of Restoration to restore pastors that can pray together and and minister to one another and that is growing. But you see for me at 75 years of age God is saying to me David you've made a statement.

There may be times I will have you make strong statements. And I'm not. I'm not. I'm not backing away from anything that the Lord has has told me in the past. Otherwise, I would be Pushing. I would be saying that the Holy Ghost didn't know what he was doing in or through me.

There are times I have spoken in the flesh. Sometimes my zeal has been misguided. Sometimes one or two times I've named names that I should have never named. But you see at 75 I feel something of that spirit that was in that room with Simon.

Where he turns away from all of that. He turns to the woman and said this is what it's all about. Woman, your sins are forgiven. Your faith has made you whole 3 ,700 Pentecostal churches in America not including the charismatics and Others and folks what I've seen and heard in the last month it's so overwhelming and if we if I Know what the enemy wants me to do.

I don't know what he wants any other anyone else to do here in America. But I know what he wants me to do. He wants me to focus now on winning souls and going to the fallen and to the lost. To restore those those that are in the body who have fallen that need to be restored and You'll find you'll find that in Galatians 6 1 could you go to Galatians, please go to Galatians the 6th chapter the first few verses.

Restoring Those Caught in Sin

Can before we go into this can I? Preface this it's going to get so bad. We we would spend our whole time putting out fires. Is it going to get so bad it has to come to this that every member everyone who calls this Church your home and I say this to any church anywhere or people who've been under the precious Word of God.

The word the word has been pure the word has been straight. Every one of us should have discernment where you don't need constantly. Or you don't need to have someone discern for you. What is of God and what is the flesh?

You should be able to if anybody invites you to any meeting and you see what is flesh. You should you should not be attracted. Otherwise there was there's blindness there and the purpose and you could sit here and hear everything From the Word of God you could hear every preacher you could hear me get a better car.

You could hear all the pastors, but if you don't have by now discernment if you if you can't tell. You should be able to to be able to tell your children and your neighbors that are getting into air. You should have the knowledge of God you should be so strong in the Holy Spirit so strong in the Word of God.

That you don't need to profit to tell you though God has prophets, and I believe in this with all of my heart. And Before a holy God my heart is open to stand in for this congregation or any congregation and expose sin expose false prophets.

But you see God's showing me right now my own heart. First of all I have to judge my own heart. I can't stand and Talk to you about the faults of another minister or ministry if I know in my heart and Before God this is for me.

This is not rape proof for this church. I Would never ever Do that? But God is speaking to me, and I don't know who else he's speaking to you see I know my sins are under the blood but I have felt. When I've looked at some of this stuff, that's coming and I Get so spiritually angry inside and then some of the flesh and crops in.

And I so God I didn't know it, but there's some jealousy in my heart. And you see until I deal in the light of the Holy Spirit with that. Those little seeds of jealousy or envy. Now I'm getting very down and practical and you may think I'm too vulnerable and It's it my age.

It doesn't matter to me much anymore. Because you see I used to have those crowds and I used to have that and there was just some time just some little things of envy and then I began to See I set in in my study last week preparing this message.

And God was showing me my heart In the times that I preached the loudest and the hardest of evils. Creeping into the church and the Lord began to show me what was in my heart, and I wept like a baby. Because there were things in my heart those those Thoughts.

That were so in Christ's lake and that's what's going on in this room there there there's another spirit. There's another manifestation of the spirit of forgiveness and restoration. Possible Paul the Apostle in chapter 6 of Galatians and beginning to one he's talking about the focus now Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness.

Disconsidering yourself lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something when he is nothing he deceives himself. That every man prove his own work.

And then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another for every man shall bear his own burden. See what says every man's going to bear his own burden at that point. He's saying every man is going to stand before Christ and answer for his own actions.

He is not going to answer for your brother for anyone else. But you're going to answer for yourself, and that's said in great love from a weeping apostle. But he says bear one another's burden in verse 2 and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Folks now that I'm 75. In a short time how do I finish my course. I Want to come to this place? You see what's it and so fulfill the law of Christ. What is the law of Christ? What is the commandment he's talking about the law of Christ?

He said that it the law is completely fulfilled if you love God and love your neighbor as yourself. It's love. It is love. Bear you one another's burdens and by this or so you are fulfilling the law of Christ.

I Can't tell you how many ways I've tried to please Christ. Lord I've prayed prostrate me before the throne give me a weeping broken spirit. God give me a greater love for your word in so many ways I've tried to please God over the years when I came into covenant I laid that that down.

But you see if you really want to see what God wants out of us how to fulfill the law of Christ. It's bearing one another's burdens and that poses the question. That's fine. I'm told that I should bear other burdens, but how.

How do you find the need. How do you take another's burden if you don't know what it is? How do I bear you a burden? Of course. The greatest burden upon any Christian would be sin or sinner. The burden of sin.

I can't take on that burden. That's the burden of Christ you and I cannot take on the burden of another person's sins. We cannot condone another sin, but we can pray for that spirit. That was being manifested in Simon's house, and that was restoration and a spirit of forgiveness.

Enlarged Hearts and Bearing One Another’s Burdens

The story. I read the story of two great preachers George Whitfield and John Wesley these were two of the greatest preacher preachers contemporaries of their time. Great preachers, but they had a doctrinal difference on sanctification.

And their followers were quite vicious against the others one believed in total sanctification instantaneous the other in Sanctification in growth and the contention got pretty strong. George Whitfield a Mighty preacher they both preached the outdoors to thousands of people many many thousands were saved.

John Wesley founded the Methodist Church. George Whitfield was one of those powerful preachers of any generation yet there there was. They contested One another on this doctrine and one day one of George Whitfield's Followers came up to me said Is there any possibility that we'll see?

John Wesley in heaven, you know what he's saying is how can he get to heaven with this false doctrine? George Whitfield answer he says no we won't see him in heaven. He's gonna be so high and so close to Jesus.

We can't see him. Paul called that Enlargement of heart. He wrote to the Corinthians who sneered at him. He wrote to the Corinthians who who accused him in false doctrine and misrepresented who he was and he wrote a letter to me said my mouth is still open to you and The Lord has enlarged my heart toward you.

And that's that's what I'm trying to say. God take the narrowness the exclusivity out of my heart. So that I can see Jesus in others that I can that I can and Here's how the Lord dealt with me about how I can Take on the burden.

Take on another bird the burden of the fallen. It's it's restoration if you and I Go to the Holy Spirit and with this I'm going to close. If we go to the Holy Spirit say Holy Spirit and folks I don't believe in living in in Self-examination all the time not at all.

But there comes a time when you say Lord, I'm going to live by this word and then the word comes to with a sword and goes right to the Cancer it goes right to the heart where you say dig it Lord get to it.

I'm ready. I'm open because I I don't want it. I don't want to have any of this Pharisee ISM in and when you Allow the Holy Spirit to do that. And then you pray Holy Spirit. I want the spirit of compassion.

I Want the enlarged heart? Lord, I want that spirit of restoration where I see somebody that's fallen. I want to take away the reproach of their sin. I don't want to go to them judgmentally. Somebody in the church that has fallen to the sin somebody that's headed for divorce.

They they don't need somebody to tell him what's wrong. If you do it, it has to be in what Paul talks about the gentle spirit. He talked about those that were caught in a snare and he says in meekness restore them.

I don't have that gentle heart yet, but it's I'm asking God. I'm asking the Holy Spirit for that gentleness. I'm asking the Lord for that kind of spirit. That I could once again see the needs of hurting people.

That should be. I don't know if there's getting through to you at all, but I I know one thing. That when God begins to give you this spirit and enlarges your heart. You take off so many limits you don't see through this these narrow lenses anymore and you say Oh God Give me that.

Then I believe that's a magnetic pull just as the sinners were met. Nick medic. Magnetically pulled to Christ. I believe that when you have that spirit you will attract need. The Holy Spirit does that Holy Spirit is the one who woos?

He's the one who calls then I love being around a gentle spirit. I Love to be around these pastors. That's one thing I miss when I'm overseas or gone more than anything else is to be around these men of gentle spirit.

And you can preach with power and authority. But I want more of that and I would pray that be your prayer here today also Lord. I want To be a forgiving person all who have hurt me or done me wrong or grieved me.

Lord I want a forgiving spirit and I want that forgiving spirit to be the river of life that flows out of me and brings healing to others. That water that springs up of the Holy Spirit is Grace, it is mercy.

It is restoration he said do this and Consider yourself. That's what he Paul the Apostle said. I read it to you good brother if a man be overtaken at fault you would her spiritual. Restore, and he makes spirituality to the he makes the rule of spirituality.

This spirit of restoration in a spirit of meekness considering your.