Introduction: Did you know there are only two (2) kinds of people in this world?

1.  Sinners who “know” they are sinners and need forgiveness.
2. Sinners who “don’t know” they are sinners and need forgiveness.

1. First, let’s see a SINNER who KNEW he was a sinner and needed forgiveness! (Luke 5:27)

“And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. 28And he left all, rose up, and followed him.”

Matthew, the tax collector, otherwise know as Levi, recognized Jesus was the real deal. Deep down inside, he knew he should TURN from his present lifestyle of pursuing money and greed, and TURN to following Jesus Christ who had a better way of life.

Have you discovered that?

Have you made that life long decision?

2. Secondly, let’s see SINNERS who did not recognize they were sinners and needed forgiveness! (Luke 5:30)

“29And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. 30But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?”

Only self-righteous people like the Pharisees and scribes cannot see their own sin, but can see everybody else’s sin.

Jesus saw through their hypocrisy.

“13But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 14Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

15Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

16Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! 17Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? 18And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 19Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

23Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 

24Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

25Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

27Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. 28Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

29Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 30And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 32Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?”dgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.  (Matt 23:13-33)

3. Thirdly, let’s see A SINLESS Savior, Jesus Christ who came to call sinners to repentance and to experience forgiveness! (Luke 5:31,32)

“1And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 32I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Conclusion: Jesus made it clear. Only people who are physically sick need to go to the doctor for a cure. Likewise, people (everyone) who are spiritually sin-sick need a cure from the disease called sin. The remedy given by our Lord Jesus Christ was repentance from sin and faith in the sacrificial death and resurrection of the Lamb of God. This would be demonstrated by a godly sorrow for sin, which results in a change of direction. In other words, this involves a U TURN ….from sin and to Jesus. Consequently, when this occurs, good fruit will be evident. Where’s the fruit?