1 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:03,960 Well, welcome to Redemption Church North Ogden this morning. 2 00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:06,320 Glad to have you here. My name's Eric. 3 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:10,760 I am glad to get to continue walking in this series in the 4 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:14,520 book of Matthew. If so, if you have your Bibles, 5 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:20,400 we're in Matthew Chapter 9, and we will be in verses 9 through 6 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:26,160 13, nine through 13. And I have titled this message 7 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:30,680 Dinner with Your Doctor. Now I was thinking about this. 8 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:35,640 I had a dentist appointment last week and he was a really nice 9 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:39,560 guy. And I was like, wow, normally 10 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:43,480 they're not as nice as this guy was, but wouldn't it be nice if 11 00:00:43,480 --> 00:00:46,760 you had a close relationship with your doctor or your 12 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:49,200 dentist, right? Often times it feels like 13 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:52,120 they're getting you in and getting you out, you know, to 14 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:56,640 keep the keep the thing turning. And some of them are really 15 00:00:56,640 --> 00:01:00,320 caring and some of them are loving and, and knowledgeable 16 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:04,800 and we, we, we need doctors and dentists in this, this world. 17 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:09,680 But it's rare that you actually have a close relationship with 18 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:13,800 them so much to know that you'd have them over for dinner. 19 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:18,200 Maybe there were times like that in the past, but in this day and 20 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:22,240 age, that's probably not a reality anymore. 21 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:29,280 But Jesus is a doctor. The Bible calls him a great 22 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:33,280 physician, and you can have him at your house. 23 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:36,640 You can have him in close relationship with you. 24 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:40,360 In fact, as we take the Lord's Supper communion, that's a 25 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:45,600 picture of us communing with him, with with his people and 26 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:49,360 with him. We are having supper with our 27 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:55,400 great physician. Now in this text I want to read 28 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:59,200 to you where we get to this place that He's the great 29 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:00,920 physician. So I'm going to read this to 30 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:02,280 you. I've got 3 points and we're 31 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:08,320 going to break it down together. So in Matthew 9, starting in 32 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:14,800 verse 9, it says as Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man 33 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:18,120 called Matthew sitting at the tax booth and he said to him, 34 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:20,920 follow me. And he rose and followed him, 35 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:24,280 and Jesus reclined at table in the house. 36 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:28,080 Behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining 37 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,800 with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, 38 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:35,680 they said to his disciples, Why does your teacher eat with tax 39 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:39,400 collectors and sinners? But when he heard it, he said, 40 00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:43,600 Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who 41 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:46,520 are sick. Go and learn what this means. 42 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:51,560 I desire mercy and not sacrifice, for I came not to 43 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:58,760 call the righteous but sinners. Now the first part of this I 44 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:04,880 want to look at is the first verse where Jesus meets Matthew. 45 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:09,200 We're now into the 9th chapter of of the book of Matthew and 46 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,000 Matthew is the author of it. Although the Holy Spirit is 47 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:15,440 working through him to to write it down and dictate in such a 48 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:17,840 way that there are no errors and it's all the Word of God. 49 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:21,440 We've talked about that a lot. I just want to reiterate that. 50 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:27,440 But as we see this call on Matthew's life, Matthew adds it 51 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:32,200 in there, writing about the first time he he meets Jesus. 52 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:39,400 And so I want to start out with a call to a new life. 53 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:44,240 Looking at that verse again, it says as Jesus passed on from 54 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:49,200 there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth 55 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:53,600 and he said to him, follow me and he rose and followed him. 56 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:58,080 A little bit about Matthew. He's a tax collector. 57 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:02,680 He's sitting at a a tax booth. What is a tax collector? 58 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:05,240 Now? It's not the same thing in our 59 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:11,520 Western era of the world, in the modern day where we have the IRS 60 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:15,360 that collects taxes from us and does all the accounting for the 61 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:19,360 government. It's not necessarily like that. 62 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:25,720 What's going on in the 1st century is that Jerusalem and 63 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:29,920 Israel is being occupied by the Roman government. 64 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:32,960 And so they've come in, they're kind of taken over. 65 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:37,640 They're allowing the Jews to still live in this area, but yet 66 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:43,680 they in ruling want to exact taxes from the people. 67 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:47,880 And so they employed some of their own people, some of the 68 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:52,880 the Israelites, the Jewish people to get taxes from the 69 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:56,840 farmers, from the, the merchants, from from different 70 00:04:56,840 --> 00:05:00,120 ways of commerce. And Matthew is one of those 71 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:03,200 guys. It says he was positioned in in, 72 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:08,440 in a booth and in context there, there's an international highway 73 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:13,000 that goes from Syria to Egypt along the Sea of Galilee where 74 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:17,560 they would position these booths in such a way when when goods 75 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:21,400 came in, they would get taxed because the farmers needed 76 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:26,000 certain things and and the farmers would would again have 77 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:27,800 their stuff shipped to other regions. 78 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:33,240 And as it passed through this, this Israelite who was working 79 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:36,960 for the Romans would tax his own people. 80 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:44,480 Now you can imagine how this felt to an Israelite or a Jewish 81 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:49,240 person at the time. They were viewed as sellouts. 82 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:55,120 They were, they were considered like dogs to the people they 83 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:57,800 were, they were unclean. They were hated by their people 84 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:02,840 and classed as equal to murderers because they were they 85 00:06:02,840 --> 00:06:06,880 were selling out and and they were doing this, making great 86 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:09,320 gain. Not only were they getting a 87 00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:16,640 wage from the Romans, but they were also encouraged to pocket a 88 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:20,200 little bit more money as well. So they would they would up the 89 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:24,120 tax a little bit so that they could pad their own pockets. 90 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:28,360 They were covetous, they were idolatrous, they were dirty, 91 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:32,320 they were shameful. They extorted their fellow Jews. 92 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:38,200 And so they were not tolerated in the synagogue when they they 93 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:42,600 were kicked out of basically worshipping their God. 94 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:46,280 And they had chosen money over God. 95 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:50,720 This is a tax collector in the 1st century. 96 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:55,560 So you can imagine Matthew sitting there and it's 97 00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:59,240 interesting he, this is in context with what we read last 98 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:02,480 week, where Jesus hears heals a paralytic. 99 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:09,000 In all the accounts of the story, Jesus heals the paralytic 100 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:12,960 right before he calls Matthew. And so Matthew would have heard 101 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:15,520 about Jesus and all the commotion that he caused and the 102 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:19,320 miracles that he was doing. And in the teachings he would 103 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:21,920 have heard preaching from Jesus himself. 104 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:28,080 And so here comes Jesus and it says a man called Matthew here. 105 00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:31,720 This is what's interesting about this is because the other two 106 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:39,240 gospels call him Levi. Luke and Mark both call him Levi 107 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:44,680 the son of Alpheus. And James by the way is the son 108 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:46,800 of Alpheus as well. So he must have been a brother 109 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:52,920 to one of the James's of of the Jesus day, Matthew. 110 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:59,120 The the name Matthew must have been a new name that Jesus gave 111 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:06,800 him, kind of like Simon Peter, God, Jesus himself names that 112 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:11,840 give Simon a new name Peter, which has a meaning just like 113 00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:17,400 he, he renames Saul to Paul in the Old Testament, God renames 114 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:20,600 Abraham to Abraham. God renames people that follow 115 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:24,360 him. And, and part of that is, is, is 116 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:29,200 to get us to look at when God calls someone to follow him, 117 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:34,080 he's giving them a new identity. So that's why I've called it a 118 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:38,600 call to a, a new life. Matthew. 119 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:44,039 The the word means gift of God. That seems like a pretty 120 00:08:44,039 --> 00:08:46,520 gracious thing for our Savior to do. 121 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:49,680 When everybody else hates this guy and they see him as a 122 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:56,040 burden, as a curse, Jesus comes along and says you are a gift of 123 00:08:56,040 --> 00:09:00,040 God. Now come and follow me. 124 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:05,480 Now, we may not all be given new names, but I want us to see 125 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:10,720 ourselves in this guy Matthew because we're all sinners. 126 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:12,560 All, all. Often times the Bible will say 127 00:09:12,560 --> 00:09:15,920 tax collectors and sinners. It's just really saying Sinner 128 00:09:15,920 --> 00:09:20,520 and Sinner, you know, a dirty, shameful person and a Sinner, 129 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:25,160 which is the same thing. And the reality is that's all of 130 00:09:25,160 --> 00:09:28,840 us. When Jesus came to us and called 131 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:33,920 us to follow him changed our hearts, we we heard the 132 00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:37,080 teaching, we heard the preaching, and we wanted to to 133 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:43,120 give our lives to the Lord. We were sinners, we were 134 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:48,880 Matthew, we were this tax collector and Jesus is inviting 135 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:53,840 all of us to a new life. To trust in Jesus doesn't just 136 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:57,120 mean this one time thing that you pray a prayer and now you're 137 00:09:57,120 --> 00:09:59,680 good, you've got fire insurance, you're going to heaven. 138 00:09:59,680 --> 00:10:02,480 You keep living the same life you've always lived. 139 00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:08,640 It's a call to a new and and radical life. 140 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:13,360 Now more on that just in just a minute, but I want to point out 141 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:17,920 this part. He saw Matthew in that verse. 142 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:22,240 He saw him. There's a lot in in just those 143 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:24,880 two words. Jesus saw. 144 00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:30,640 Now we know that Jesus is God in the flesh. 145 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:35,720 And so it wasn't just this physical happenstance that Jesus 146 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:39,760 glanced, oh, there's Matthew. I didn't know he was there. 147 00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:42,200 You have to keep these things in mind. 148 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:46,040 We have to understand theology when we are interpreting 149 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:49,120 Scripture and we don't want to miss things. 150 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:52,120 This is why we love to dig deep into the Word and go through it 151 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:57,920 verse by verse because what we see here is God from from from 152 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:02,080 eternity past has always known that Matthew was going to be 153 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:04,000 there. He's always known. 154 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:09,600 He knew Matthew's heart. He knew everything about this 155 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:13,280 guy and still chose him to follow him. 156 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:17,720 Again, that's like you and me. Some of us come to church. 157 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:21,200 You've always heard it before, like some people. 158 00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:24,880 Maybe this was you. I will never darken the doors of 159 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:30,320 a church because I just am not holy enough to go there. 160 00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:34,760 If they only knew about my life. If God only knew, Well, God 161 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:38,400 knows. And we're not surprised when a 162 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:42,920 new person walks in that they may have a past of some kind. 163 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:49,800 We all have that, including your pastors have that as well. 164 00:11:50,560 --> 00:11:57,160 Jesus saw right into this guy's heart, right into his soul, and 165 00:11:57,160 --> 00:12:00,480 he's basically saying you need to follow me. 166 00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:05,960 If you have any hope for any joy in life, any significance, any 167 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:11,360 purpose, you are as good as dead. 168 00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:15,400 You are a dead dog as, as the, the, the Jewish people 169 00:12:15,520 --> 00:12:18,080 rightfully do think that you are a traitor. 170 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:21,320 You are. And so the only way out of this, 171 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:25,240 out of your sin, out of the choices that you have made, out 172 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:30,120 of the the greediness and the idolatry is for you to come and 173 00:12:30,120 --> 00:12:33,600 follow me. I've got a new life for you, a 174 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:36,480 new purpose for you and a new identity. 175 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:42,560 It kind of, it reminds me of, you know, when a criminal, you 176 00:12:42,560 --> 00:12:45,400 know, some kind of great criminal, you know, gets, gets 177 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:49,240 in a lot of trouble, a lot of charges, but but they have to go 178 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:52,680 into hiding and they get a new name. 179 00:12:52,680 --> 00:12:56,320 What's that called? What's it called? 180 00:12:56,920 --> 00:13:00,480 Witness protection, right? Like witness protection. 181 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:02,880 He's got some information that might be valuable. 182 00:13:03,080 --> 00:13:05,440 That part doesn't really matter at all. 183 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:12,080 But but it's like Jesus is offering this guy a new life, a 184 00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:14,520 new lease on life. After all the mistakes you've 185 00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:18,280 made, there's still a chance for you to have life. 186 00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:22,600 But not just any life, not a life in hiding, not a life where 187 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:26,000 you can't go out and do anything, but a life abundantly, 188 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:28,040 as Jesus tells us in the book of John. 189 00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:31,760 Now, what is he doing when he says follow me? 190 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:33,760 There's so much in that statement as well. 191 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:38,080 He's saying, you're going to be one of my disciples. 192 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:45,360 What's a disciple is, is, is someone who submits to the 193 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:52,120 teaching of another, someone who wants to give up their old life 194 00:13:52,200 --> 00:13:55,920 to follow Jesus and his way and not their own way anymore. 195 00:13:55,920 --> 00:14:00,360 That's what a disciple is. And this disciple is, is, is his 196 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:03,240 new identity. Now, Matthew, the disciple of 197 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:07,560 Jesus, he's no longer labeled Sinner, traitor, tax collector. 198 00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:13,320 That's you and me as well. The command here is a present 199 00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:16,280 tense, demanding, continuous action. 200 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:19,080 As I said, it's not just a one time thing that we do. 201 00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:24,360 It's a thing that that our whole life points to, that we were on 202 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:29,560 this trajectory of life that was headed to hell and all the 203 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:32,840 sudden there's a change in our direction. 204 00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:35,000 That's what repentance means is to turn around. 205 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:36,640 By the way, there was a change. God. 206 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:39,880 Does that change though? Don't worry, often times you 207 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:42,200 hear this, repent and believe, call and you might not 208 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:43,640 understand. Like what does that mean? 209 00:14:43,640 --> 00:14:45,400 Do I have to clean myself up to come to God? 210 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:49,440 No, He does the work. He does the work in your heart, 211 00:14:49,440 --> 00:14:53,760 in your mind, and He draws you and he brings you along this 212 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:56,440 path and He teaches you. And that's what it being a 213 00:14:56,440 --> 00:15:00,120 disciple is, is we're learning the whole way. 214 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:05,480 We never arrive at all the right knowledge, but we continue to 215 00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:08,760 follow Jesus. We continue to hear his words, 216 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:10,920 we continue to gather with his people. 217 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:13,440 And so the church is the greatest place where 218 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:17,840 discipleship happens, by the way, with God's people. 219 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:22,080 And this is where we get to follow his teachings and hear 220 00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:24,600 them and break them down and talk about them and understand 221 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:26,840 them. But another thing is then he 222 00:15:26,840 --> 00:15:31,720 forsook his old way of life in the Luke's version, Here's what 223 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:36,640 it says and leaving everything, he rose and followed him. 224 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:41,520 He didn't, he didn't covet his old life anymore. 225 00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:49,200 He said this is worth giving up. He saw the glory of Christ. 226 00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:53,400 He saw the value of Jesus and he weighed him in the balances and 227 00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:57,880 he said, we've got this, which is basically hopeless. 228 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:03,000 There's maybe some fleeting pleasure in being this tax 229 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:06,920 collector or Sinner where I think I have control over my own 230 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:09,280 life. But really it's just led to 231 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:14,360 shame and bondage. And he sees but Christ on the 232 00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:20,160 other side, he's glorious and gracious and loving and 233 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:22,640 powerful. And yeah, there might be some 234 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:27,440 sacrifice to this, to following him, but it is worth it. 235 00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:31,280 That was what happened in Matthew's life. 236 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:36,160 Now, he didn't become perfect, right? 237 00:16:37,280 --> 00:16:42,520 I love what John Newton, the guy who wrote Amazing Grace, the 238 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:48,560 hymn Amazing Grace explains this so well, what the Christian life 239 00:16:48,560 --> 00:16:53,440 is as a follower of Jesus, remembering that we're not who 240 00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:56,840 we once were, but we're not quite where we want to be yet, 241 00:16:57,320 --> 00:17:01,560 but God's grace is there sufficiently for us. 242 00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:03,200 I love this quote. I'm going to read it to you. 243 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:05,520 It says I am not what I ought to be. 244 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:10,480 I am not what I want to be. I am not what I hope to be in 245 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:15,319 another world, but still I am not what I once used to be. 246 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:18,680 And by the grace of God, I am what I am. 247 00:17:19,079 --> 00:17:21,599 This Is Us. We can be honest about it, 248 00:17:21,599 --> 00:17:23,839 right? We, we're not where we want to 249 00:17:23,839 --> 00:17:31,520 be, but praise God, I'm not where I used to be and God's 250 00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:36,640 going to do the work in me to get me to be that glorified 251 00:17:36,640 --> 00:17:42,800 person in another world one day so I can see him face to face in 252 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:45,360 heaven. By the grace of God. 253 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:50,880 We see that in Matthew's life now. 254 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:54,600 Being a tax collector though, means that he did have some 255 00:17:54,600 --> 00:18:01,160 skills in his old life. He didn't get rid of everything 256 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:05,360 about himself. OK, he was good at recording 257 00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:07,600 data. This was something he was good 258 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:11,160 at. And so praise God that he left 259 00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:16,280 his booth and the sin with it. But he kept his paper and pen to 260 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:19,000 write for us the things that he heard and saw from Jesus. 261 00:18:19,680 --> 00:18:21,920 Now, this is a good thing for us to consider. 262 00:18:22,320 --> 00:18:24,880 We're always thinking about the gifts of God, right? 263 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:26,640 Like the spiritual gifts. You know, if you've been a 264 00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:28,760 Christian for a while, you've probably done a study on the 265 00:18:28,760 --> 00:18:30,280 spiritual gifts. Which one do you have? 266 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:33,240 Which one do you have, you know, maybe taking a test about it, 267 00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:37,000 right? But there's also these natural 268 00:18:37,120 --> 00:18:41,880 talents and abilities that aren't listed in the spiritual 269 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:45,280 gift lists that are still gifts from God. 270 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:53,240 Matthew was able to use his person and his personality for 271 00:18:53,240 --> 00:18:55,880 the glory of God. God didn't eradicate that. 272 00:18:56,720 --> 00:19:01,280 Now he can use his ability to write things down and to be 273 00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:06,560 accurate with his his recording along with the power of the Holy 274 00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:10,320 Spirit. Yes, but he used Matthew. 275 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:13,240 And I want to maybe ask you the same thing. 276 00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:16,600 What are your natural talents that you can use for the glory 277 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:21,440 of God like Matthew now he's a peculiar guy too. 278 00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:25,520 I don't know if you knew this, but Matthew is never actually 279 00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:29,120 recorded of saying anything in the Bible. 280 00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:34,080 None of them quote Matthew said this Now they they say it a lot 281 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:36,600 about Peter. We learned last week at Easter, 282 00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:42,160 John was sure made sure that we knew he was faster to the to the 283 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:45,200 tomb and that he was the one in whom Jesus loved. 284 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:47,800 And there were the other disciples who were like, we want 285 00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:49,680 to be on your right hand and your left hand. 286 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:52,840 Their mother was speaking for them, you know, but but Matthew, 287 00:19:53,560 --> 00:20:00,160 he's a man of few words. Maybe he was humble, maybe more 288 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:03,200 humble than John was. At least there's it's just a a 289 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:05,720 nice little nugget of information there. 290 00:20:06,960 --> 00:20:11,640 To get into the mind and life of Matthew, even if I know, I don't 291 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:14,840 think he was mute, by the way, you know, I'm sure he talked, 292 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:18,880 but but maybe he was a little bit peculiar. 293 00:20:18,880 --> 00:20:21,880 He didn't try to make a name for himself or stand out. 294 00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:26,520 He doesn't bring this up until Chapter 9 of his book. 295 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:31,000 There was a man named Matthew. He says that about himself. 296 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:34,600 Even so, there's some humility in him, and there must be 297 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:37,280 humility in us as we follow Jesus. 298 00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:41,720 But if you are a peculiar man or woman, just know I'm sure 299 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:45,240 there's still gifts in you that God wants to use as well. 300 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:52,480 Matthew also seemed to pay attention very well to Jesus's 301 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:54,400 confrontations with the Pharisees. 302 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:57,560 And so he takes some time in this story. 303 00:20:57,560 --> 00:21:00,000 We see we're going to see a Pharisees questioning him. 304 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:04,640 And actually in this chapter we see several challenges of the 305 00:21:04,640 --> 00:21:08,440 religious leaders to Jesus. And Matthew loves to record this 306 00:21:08,520 --> 00:21:13,720 specifically, maybe because he was so sick of the religious 307 00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:17,320 people making him an outcast that he was like, let's get him 308 00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:19,840 right. Maybe you feel like that I, 309 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:22,400 maybe you, maybe you sense that in me a little bit. 310 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:24,800 You know, I, I grew up in, in, in Utah. 311 00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:30,000 And so when it comes time to debate theology and faith and 312 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:33,400 religion, I love it. Like, let's get this, you know 313 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:36,720 what I mean? Because I was an outcast in my 314 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:38,760 growing up in Utah my whole life. 315 00:21:39,720 --> 00:21:44,200 And now since the the Lord has called me to be his disciple, 316 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:47,040 I'm like, I don't care what they think about me anymore. 317 00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:52,000 The Lord Jesus, the the God of the universe has called me to 318 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:57,040 follow him and do his will. Shouldn't we be like that? 319 00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:00,120 Who cares what they think out there? 320 00:22:00,120 --> 00:22:02,360 The people who believe other things, the non believers are 321 00:22:02,360 --> 00:22:05,680 the people who have this religious systems that we know 322 00:22:05,680 --> 00:22:08,800 are foolish and made-up. Who cares what they think about 323 00:22:08,800 --> 00:22:12,520 us? In fact, we should correct their 324 00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:16,920 their theology and Matthew takes time to to point out these 325 00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:21,160 debates where Jesus corrects their bad theology with the 326 00:22:21,160 --> 00:22:23,000 prophecies fulfilled in Scripture. 327 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:27,080 Matthew's big on these fulfilled prophecies in the Old Testament. 328 00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:33,480 And I want to move then to my next point, which is this 329 00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:36,480 hospitality for the sake of mission. 330 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:41,320 Now let me let me get there because maybe you're like, what 331 00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:44,400 does that mean that that that, that that kind of comes up 332 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:46,760 abruptly here? Well, let's go to the next 333 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:50,640 verses. It says and Jesus reclined at 334 00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:54,440 table in the house. Behold, many tax collectors and 335 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:59,640 sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 336 00:23:00,720 --> 00:23:06,440 So this new life that Matthew had called, that been called to 337 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:10,280 was not him just becoming a disciple and follower of Jesus, 338 00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:16,080 but to also help others become followers of Jesus or become 339 00:23:16,240 --> 00:23:18,920 disciples through his gospel narrative. 340 00:23:18,920 --> 00:23:22,240 Yes, through the the gifts that he had writing this all down, 341 00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:27,320 but also his personal efforts after he was saved. 342 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:32,440 We know when it says in the house in Matthew, you've got to 343 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:37,480 go to Luke to find out whose house it was, Luke 529, it says. 344 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:41,520 And Levi made him a great feast in his house. 345 00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:44,320 And there was a large company of tax collectors and others 346 00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:51,240 reclining at table with him. So he threw a banquet at his 347 00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:52,560 house. He got saved. 348 00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:54,520 And he was like, I got, you know what? 349 00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:59,920 This is so amazing that I have other people like me that I want 350 00:23:59,920 --> 00:24:03,320 to meet Jesus. So I'm going to throw a party at 351 00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:05,640 my house. I'm going to have all kinds of 352 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:09,840 food and it's going to be welcoming and warm and fun and 353 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:16,640 Jesus is going to do his thing. I just want to get them around 354 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:20,840 Jesus. Now the word isn't in there, but 355 00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:23,760 the word hospitality. I said hospitality for the sake 356 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:27,520 of mission. Hospitality, the word means 357 00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:32,560 being willing to open up your home or or being welcomed, 358 00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:38,320 welcoming to strangers. We had for a long time and still 359 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:41,960 have a hospitality team at the church and that includes like 360 00:24:41,960 --> 00:24:45,800 providing coffee and the welcome table and we had food for a long 361 00:24:45,800 --> 00:24:49,880 time. Food is is a big part of 362 00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:53,880 hospitality. Now we've decided that as we 363 00:24:53,880 --> 00:24:56,600 grow, we can't continue to provide a whole meal at the 364 00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:59,840 church for everyone. But this is a good opportunity 365 00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:04,480 for me to tell you how it's biblical that we should be 366 00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:10,600 willing to now open up our homes for people to get to know them, 367 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:15,720 invite them over for food, a meal, a drink, a coffee, 368 00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:18,480 whatever it is, and start to have some discipleship, 369 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:20,360 fellowship. And the Bible says where two or 370 00:25:20,360 --> 00:25:24,120 three are gathered in, in a sense, when believers are 371 00:25:24,120 --> 00:25:28,400 gathered in a room and you've got other people there, Jesus is 372 00:25:28,400 --> 00:25:32,080 right there with you. And you have Jesus's words right 373 00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:35,080 there with you on the coffee table or the dinner table. 374 00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:41,960 And you can have this wonderful experience of telling them how 375 00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:46,440 Jesus has changed your life and how you think that he could do 376 00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:52,520 that for them as well. And really this is the mission. 377 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:56,680 And we see in Scripture all over the place that this is what they 378 00:25:56,680 --> 00:26:00,400 did in the 1st century church. They gathered in each other's 379 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:03,080 homes and broke bread all the time. 380 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:07,120 There's something that happens when you have a meal with 381 00:26:07,120 --> 00:26:11,600 someone that it becomes more relational, more of an intimate 382 00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:15,360 thing. And so that's us loving on 383 00:26:15,360 --> 00:26:21,600 people and sharing people, sharing Jesus with people. 384 00:26:21,600 --> 00:26:24,960 In fact, the Bible says first Timothy and Titus says that's 385 00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:28,760 one of the qualifications for a pastor is that he would be 386 00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:32,640 hospitable. It says willing to open up his 387 00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:36,680 home for other people to do counseling for meals, to get to 388 00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:38,640 know people, invite the new people over. 389 00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:42,440 That's one of the things that if and so a pastor and all the 390 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:44,320 qualifications of pastor and Scripture. 391 00:26:44,320 --> 00:26:46,320 It's not like well, all that's just for them. 392 00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:49,440 I don't these are all things that everybody, all Christians 393 00:26:49,440 --> 00:26:53,080 should aspire to, to be like Christ. 394 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:56,240 You know, the pastors are the under shepherds. 395 00:26:57,240 --> 00:26:59,640 Pastor means shepherds, the same word. 396 00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:06,920 But all Christians are supposed to be like their shepherd, to 397 00:27:06,920 --> 00:27:09,920 become like him. The Bible says that that's God's 398 00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:14,280 will for our lives and so we should seek to be hospitable. 399 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:18,760 Romans 12/13 by the way. And I could bring all kinds of 400 00:27:18,760 --> 00:27:21,960 verses to contribute to the needs of the Saints and seek to 401 00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:26,840 show hospitality. The book of Romans is a 402 00:27:26,840 --> 00:27:29,880 wonderful book. It's all this just wonderful 403 00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:32,760 theology. One of the greatest books to 404 00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:36,320 take somebody through the gospel and to to understand, you know, 405 00:27:36,320 --> 00:27:39,480 justification by faith alone and all of these things. 406 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:43,040 And then all the way to Chapter 11, it's just deep rich 407 00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:46,360 theology. And then like a lot of his 408 00:27:46,360 --> 00:27:49,520 letters, it'll go theology and then hits the chapter and now 409 00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:52,440 it's practicality or how to put it into practice. 410 00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:54,720 Here's what you're supposed to go do now with all this 411 00:27:54,720 --> 00:27:58,240 knowledge that you have, go do this. 412 00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:03,160 In chapter 12 is the chapter where Romans shifts and he tells 413 00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:06,960 us how to be good Christians, how to live out our faith and 414 00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:10,680 one verse says contribute to the needs of the Saints, the 415 00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:15,080 believers and seek to show hospitality. 416 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:21,760 So do you have a crowd of people that are kind of like you that 417 00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:25,920 share commonalities with you that you could think about 418 00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:30,000 inviting over to your home for the sake of the mission? 419 00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:35,520 Now I don't want to go too far with this hobby horse that I 420 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:40,840 have and I'll admit that, but our mission as a church isn't 421 00:28:40,880 --> 00:28:46,600 necessarily to be the the place where if I can just get you to 422 00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:50,720 invite all the non believers into this room, hopefully I can 423 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:54,960 entertain them enough and and they'll like they'll like Jesus 424 00:28:54,960 --> 00:29:02,280 because we're super, you know, relaxed and very simple and all 425 00:29:02,280 --> 00:29:08,160 of that, like being seekersome. Learn to get discipled, to be 426 00:29:08,160 --> 00:29:13,120 filled up spiritually so that they can now go out and make 427 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:17,280 disciples, right? So you'll see that sometimes 428 00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:19,840 they get it backwards. And why is it though, And I've 429 00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:22,560 heard from many of my pastors friends, it's because they'll 430 00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:26,800 say because the people won't do what they're supposed to do to 431 00:29:26,800 --> 00:29:29,400 go share the gospel and make disciples. 432 00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:32,200 So they've just given up. They're just like, instead of 433 00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:36,920 leading them, I'm just going to get them to just bring me more 434 00:29:36,920 --> 00:29:39,920 people then and, and I'll do all the work the pastor does, all 435 00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:42,120 the work of the teaching and the sharing. 436 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:45,560 And that's how churches get to where they are like that, where 437 00:29:45,560 --> 00:29:50,120 they become more watered down and worldly to try to to get 438 00:29:50,120 --> 00:29:53,680 more people. But this is one of the greatest 439 00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:58,480 ways that I see in Scripture all over the place is that at church 440 00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:05,520 you learn we meet with Jesus at the table and then we go out the 441 00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:08,720 rest of the days of the week and we go meet with people and we 442 00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:12,320 tell them how wonderful he is. And then when they come to 443 00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:16,520 faith, it's like Kay, join the family, come to the dinner, you 444 00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:23,440 know. So moving on the next verse, it 445 00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:26,200 says, when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his 446 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:30,360 disciples, why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 447 00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:35,480 sinners? The weak Pharisees decide to 448 00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:38,600 question the disciples rather than Jesus to his face. 449 00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:44,560 Rarely, by the way, will they, they be disrespectful or 450 00:30:44,640 --> 00:30:47,720 completely direct to Jesus. It's always kind of indirect or, 451 00:30:47,920 --> 00:30:52,360 or they're trying to, to get the disciples kind of away from him, 452 00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:55,600 you know, isolated from him and ask these questions and plant 453 00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:59,240 doubts in their head. And, and, and, and in this you 454 00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:02,400 can kind of see trying to get them to be shamed. 455 00:31:03,160 --> 00:31:08,640 Your rabbi, your teacher hangs out with such filth and you 456 00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:11,280 follow him. What's wrong with you? 457 00:31:11,480 --> 00:31:12,760 That's what they're trying to do. 458 00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:22,440 And you know, in scripture, there are cases where when you, 459 00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:25,400 as I said, when you eat with a person, there's an intimacy 460 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:26,880 there, there's a closeness there. 461 00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:30,440 And eating with a person is basically saying that you are in 462 00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:34,920 close fellowship with them. And so there are there are cases 463 00:31:34,920 --> 00:31:38,560 in Scripture where in First Corinthians there was this huge 464 00:31:39,880 --> 00:31:42,760 thing going on with a guy that was sinful in the church doing 465 00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:45,960 some terrible things. And and he says, now I, I write 466 00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:48,960 to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name 467 00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:53,520 brother if he's guilty of sexual immorality or greed or is an 468 00:31:53,520 --> 00:31:57,880 idolatry reviler, drunkard or swindler, not to even eat with 469 00:31:57,880 --> 00:32:00,480 such a one. And this is the New Testament. 470 00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:03,040 That's not the Old Testament. This is Paul saying there are 471 00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:08,320 times when you shouldn't be communing or fellowshipping with 472 00:32:08,320 --> 00:32:12,320 someone. But in this passage, he goes on 473 00:32:12,320 --> 00:32:18,720 to say, it's not those. He says, what do I have to do 474 00:32:18,720 --> 00:32:21,920 with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the 475 00:32:21,920 --> 00:32:23,960 church room? You're to judge God judges the 476 00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:26,880 outsiders, he's saying. And he, he also says in this 477 00:32:26,880 --> 00:32:31,080 passage, I'm not talking about unbelievers, since then you 478 00:32:31,080 --> 00:32:34,600 would need to go out of the world to not have any contact 479 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:38,280 with them. In evangelistic purposes, you 480 00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:43,920 can have have close contact and relationships to try to help 481 00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:46,360 people understand the love of Jesus. 482 00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:51,600 But yes, there are times in in discipline or, or if a person 483 00:32:51,600 --> 00:32:53,920 says they're a believer, but they're living in such sin and 484 00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:56,520 they won't come back. There's a time for where you're 485 00:32:56,520 --> 00:32:58,680 supposed to just say, OK, I'm going to leave you to sin. 486 00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:02,320 Then you know, I can't keep enabling you to do this. 487 00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:12,600 But in our purposes, Jesus is eating with the tax collectors 488 00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:16,360 and sinners because of his humble character and his 489 00:33:16,360 --> 00:33:20,080 merciful heart. These are outsiders, outcasts. 490 00:33:20,080 --> 00:33:22,480 These are the lost. These are the people who he's, 491 00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:26,760 he's come to save. And and we all are given this, 492 00:33:26,920 --> 00:33:31,760 this Commission to go and do likewise to try to seek and save 493 00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:35,040 the lost. We're not supposed to become 494 00:33:35,040 --> 00:33:39,000 like them, though. We don't try to act like them 495 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:43,080 and do the things that they do to try to get them to Jesus. 496 00:33:43,080 --> 00:33:46,240 No, we reveal the truth to them and the Holy Spirit does the 497 00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:52,360 work, but Jesus here is loving and merciful. 498 00:33:52,360 --> 00:33:56,960 He's not like the Pharisees who who doesn't want to be around 499 00:33:56,960 --> 00:33:59,600 any sinners, otherwise He would have never been able to come to 500 00:33:59,600 --> 00:34:01,720 the earth because even the Pharisees are disgusting 501 00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:03,240 sinners. They just don't know it. 502 00:34:04,160 --> 00:34:08,480 The thing about us or sinners is that we at least know that we're 503 00:34:08,480 --> 00:34:11,639 sinners. We see here He reclines at table 504 00:34:11,639 --> 00:34:16,600 with them. By the way, back then when they 505 00:34:16,600 --> 00:34:19,239 were eating dinner, they were laying down. 506 00:34:19,920 --> 00:34:23,040 So it was like at the table, their feet would be extended out 507 00:34:23,040 --> 00:34:26,960 this way and, and they would have one hand on their, their, 508 00:34:26,960 --> 00:34:29,480 their elbow on the ground and one hand on their face. 509 00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:31,880 And with the other hand, they're, they're eating kind of 510 00:34:31,880 --> 00:34:33,679 shoveling in the food. You know, they're all laying 511 00:34:33,679 --> 00:34:37,560 down in kind of a circle. So the painting of the the Last 512 00:34:37,560 --> 00:34:40,120 Supper, I don't really think that that's what it looked like 513 00:34:40,120 --> 00:34:42,280 with a table. I don't think we all had, they 514 00:34:42,280 --> 00:34:46,320 all had tables like we have in the Western world back then with 515 00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:53,080 chairs and everything. This is very close quarters. 516 00:34:53,920 --> 00:34:59,440 And this is when, this is the picture of when Jesus, this was 517 00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:04,320 how Jesus was able to with his disciples get up and go around 518 00:35:04,320 --> 00:35:07,080 the table and wash all their feet because they were laying 519 00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:10,240 sideways. And so he was able to come down 520 00:35:10,240 --> 00:35:14,080 to them and and wash all their feet and go around the table. 521 00:35:17,320 --> 00:35:23,200 This is close quarters with sinners for the sake of the 522 00:35:23,200 --> 00:35:28,520 mission. Now he didn't become a comrade 523 00:35:28,520 --> 00:35:33,480 of their evil, nor is he he phased by the saying, birds of a 524 00:35:33,480 --> 00:35:37,400 feather flock together because that's what the Pharisees were 525 00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:40,080 trying to imply. Like if he's going to be eating 526 00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:42,480 with them, he's going to become like one of them. 527 00:35:42,480 --> 00:35:47,640 But what they don't get is that He is their physician come to 528 00:35:47,920 --> 00:35:52,440 operate on them, and He can do so because He's holy God who 529 00:35:52,440 --> 00:35:54,480 will not get contaminated by their sin. 530 00:35:54,720 --> 00:35:58,160 Like the healing of the leopard. He's the great physician and 531 00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:00,040 only He could heal their disease. 532 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:04,200 It was only Him that could satisfy what they suffered from. 533 00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:09,680 Only Jesus could take away their sin, and He broke the religious 534 00:36:09,680 --> 00:36:17,000 barriers and did so by touching the leper or coming to eat with 535 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:20,200 the sinners. Because He was a compassionate, 536 00:36:20,800 --> 00:36:26,760 gracious God, He was getting intimately close with the ones 537 00:36:26,760 --> 00:36:32,040 who needed saving. What an honor for these hated 538 00:36:32,040 --> 00:36:37,800 outcasts to be graced with the presence of the Most High God. 539 00:36:40,360 --> 00:36:42,800 He's not. He had not just come to be with 540 00:36:42,800 --> 00:36:47,400 the the prim and proper, but the sinners, poor and needy, weak 541 00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:53,480 and wounded, sick and sore. This is who he came for. 542 00:36:55,640 --> 00:37:00,880 And it just makes logical sense that in order for a doctor to 543 00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:04,600 operate on his patients, he's got to get pretty close, right? 544 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:12,680 Close enough to touch. My last point is Jesus came for 545 00:37:12,680 --> 00:37:18,800 sinners only. Is that a statement that some 546 00:37:18,800 --> 00:37:24,800 people could have trouble with? He only came for sinners. 547 00:37:25,240 --> 00:37:30,880 Let's look at this. When he heard it he said those 548 00:37:30,880 --> 00:37:33,600 who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are 549 00:37:33,760 --> 00:37:35,920 sick go and learn what this means. 550 00:37:35,920 --> 00:37:37,600 I desire mercy and not sacrifice. 551 00:37:37,600 --> 00:37:42,000 For I came not to call the righteous but sinners. 552 00:37:43,880 --> 00:37:46,480 He didn't come to call the righteous. 553 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:49,440 The people who are well don't need a doctor. 554 00:37:49,440 --> 00:37:52,280 Doesn't it just doesn't make sense right? 555 00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:57,720 If you are well, why would you go waste the money? 556 00:37:57,720 --> 00:38:00,600 Now I know all of us have insurance or some of us do, and 557 00:38:00,600 --> 00:38:03,000 you get a couple check UPS a year, but we even hate doing 558 00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:10,800 that, right? It's those who know that they 559 00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:15,920 need the power and the loving touch, the grace and mercy of 560 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:23,040 Jesus Christ that He came for. Those who know they need him. 561 00:38:25,480 --> 00:38:28,400 Those, those literal words where He says those who are well 562 00:38:30,360 --> 00:38:35,600 literally means those who are strong or or I didn't come to 563 00:38:35,600 --> 00:38:40,080 call the righteous those who are holy, those who are strong in 564 00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:44,880 the original Greek or those who are holy in their own eyes. 565 00:38:44,880 --> 00:38:49,040 Because we know because of theology, we know because of 566 00:38:49,040 --> 00:38:51,120 doctrine, we know because we have to interpret all of 567 00:38:51,120 --> 00:38:53,920 scripture with Scripture that no one is righteous. 568 00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:59,120 No, not one. Romans 310 As it is written, no 569 00:38:59,120 --> 00:39:03,000 one is righteous, no, not one. No one understands, No one seeks 570 00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:04,920 after God. All have turned aside together, 571 00:39:04,920 --> 00:39:08,240 they've become worthless. No one does good, not even one. 572 00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:11,200 Verse 23. All have sinned and fall short 573 00:39:11,200 --> 00:39:16,480 of the glory of God. So what's he saying here? 574 00:39:17,080 --> 00:39:21,560 The reason I can say Jesus came for sinners only #1 because 575 00:39:21,560 --> 00:39:29,760 everybody's a Sinner, right? If you are not a Sinner, then 576 00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:32,360 you're not welcome at this church. 577 00:39:33,960 --> 00:39:36,680 There are no perfect people allowed because you'll mess the 578 00:39:36,680 --> 00:39:40,640 rest of us up. I know that sounds bold. 579 00:39:40,720 --> 00:39:42,840 I know it sounds harsh. Maybe you're sitting here and 580 00:39:42,840 --> 00:39:44,240 you're like, I have no clue what he's saying. 581 00:39:44,240 --> 00:39:48,240 And that felt really harsh. But the reality is, is you are a 582 00:39:48,240 --> 00:39:49,760 Sinner. If you're listening and you're 583 00:39:49,760 --> 00:39:54,000 confused, you're a Sinner. You've broken the law of God. 584 00:39:54,000 --> 00:39:57,080 You've gone your own way. You've made yourself the God of 585 00:39:57,080 --> 00:39:59,040 your own life. You've put yourself on the 586 00:39:59,040 --> 00:40:01,600 throne of your heart in your mind. 587 00:40:01,760 --> 00:40:06,800 We have broken all of his laws. We've we are like that list that 588 00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:10,000 the Pharisee read. Thank you God, that I'm not one 589 00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:15,520 of these murderer, extortioner, adulterer, tax collectors. 590 00:40:17,640 --> 00:40:21,440 And he was wrong. Because He trusted in his own 591 00:40:21,640 --> 00:40:25,120 righteousness, and none of us have our own righteousness. 592 00:40:25,800 --> 00:40:28,480 That's the the doctrine of total depravity. 593 00:40:28,600 --> 00:40:32,560 Like Ephesians 21 says that all humanity and we were dead. 594 00:40:32,560 --> 00:40:35,400 In your trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following 595 00:40:35,400 --> 00:40:37,160 the course of this world, following the Prince of the 596 00:40:37,160 --> 00:40:39,440 power of the air, the spirit that is now at work. 597 00:40:39,440 --> 00:40:42,920 In the sons of disobedience among whom we all once lived. 598 00:40:42,920 --> 00:40:46,120 In the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the 599 00:40:46,120 --> 00:40:49,640 flesh and the mind. And we're by nature children, 600 00:40:49,720 --> 00:40:53,080 children of wrath like the rest of mankind. 601 00:40:53,080 --> 00:40:55,920 What does that mean? It means that all people from 602 00:40:55,920 --> 00:41:00,160 all time who've ever been born after Adam and Eve and them 603 00:41:00,160 --> 00:41:05,600 included, are dead in their trespasses and sins, not only 604 00:41:05,600 --> 00:41:08,320 sinning against God. But that passage says we've been 605 00:41:08,320 --> 00:41:12,880 following Satan. And how many times does Jesus 606 00:41:12,880 --> 00:41:17,040 tell the Pharisees you are the sons of your Father the devil? 607 00:41:18,400 --> 00:41:22,200 So just know the most religious people that you know that aren't 608 00:41:22,200 --> 00:41:25,080 Christian, that don't follow justification by faith alone, 609 00:41:25,080 --> 00:41:27,880 they are following after their father the devil as well. 610 00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:31,520 And they hate to hear it. But before you get too prideful, 611 00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:33,120 you were following the devil as well. 612 00:41:33,120 --> 00:41:42,040 That's what this says. Jesus will operate on those who 613 00:41:42,040 --> 00:41:44,720 know that they need a heart transplant. 614 00:41:46,920 --> 00:41:49,440 The hearts of the Pharisees were prideful and arrogant. 615 00:41:49,480 --> 00:41:53,360 They thought salvation was in themselves following the law, 616 00:41:54,120 --> 00:41:58,680 not understanding that no one could ever measure up because 617 00:41:58,680 --> 00:42:04,480 the heart is deceitfully wicked. Now why is it that Christian 618 00:42:04,480 --> 00:42:07,000 churches are filled with all kinds of messed up people, 619 00:42:08,960 --> 00:42:13,920 Liars, cheaters, criminals, addicts, Alcoholics, thieves, 620 00:42:13,920 --> 00:42:19,960 gluttons, lazy, insecure, prideful, selfish, obsessed, 621 00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:23,880 greedy, frauds, betrayers, backstabbers, rebellious, I 622 00:42:23,880 --> 00:42:27,200 could go on and on. You're saying calm down 623 00:42:27,200 --> 00:42:32,720 preacher. Why is the church filled with so 624 00:42:32,720 --> 00:42:36,960 many of these type of people like this picture of Jesus 625 00:42:36,960 --> 00:42:39,560 eating and dining with these sinners? 626 00:42:39,560 --> 00:42:42,640 Why? Because we are who He came for. 627 00:42:44,560 --> 00:42:48,120 And if you don't think you fit in that category, then just 628 00:42:48,120 --> 00:42:53,400 spend some time in the Word and learning God's Word because He 629 00:42:53,400 --> 00:42:58,560 includes you. You are included in the sin list 630 00:42:58,560 --> 00:43:01,160 of the Bible. And if you have a problem 631 00:43:01,160 --> 00:43:03,680 finding out that you're a Sinner, please come and talk to 632 00:43:03,680 --> 00:43:13,260 one of us and we will tell you. But praise God that we don't 633 00:43:13,260 --> 00:43:17,920 stay that way, right? As John Newton said, I'm not 634 00:43:17,920 --> 00:43:23,640 what I want was we don't stay that way as Matthew. 635 00:43:23,920 --> 00:43:27,760 He left everything and he's, his life changed dramatically. 636 00:43:29,200 --> 00:43:32,760 For the people that he's healed so far in chapters 8 and 9, he 637 00:43:32,760 --> 00:43:39,080 heals them and changes them. Praise God that we can see our 638 00:43:39,080 --> 00:43:43,640 sin and our need for him. That's a gift of God too, 639 00:43:43,760 --> 00:43:45,720 because we must be humble about that. 640 00:43:46,520 --> 00:43:50,440 We can't just say this person next to me, they're so prideful. 641 00:43:50,440 --> 00:43:54,840 But I, I got it. I don't know what it was. 642 00:43:54,840 --> 00:43:57,480 It must have been a gene inherited from me or my 643 00:43:57,480 --> 00:44:00,760 education, my background, whatever it was made the 644 00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:05,480 difference for me to come to. Does that sound, does that sound 645 00:44:05,480 --> 00:44:08,520 humble to you? Do we really think that that's 646 00:44:08,520 --> 00:44:13,760 how salvation works? Be careful because then you 647 00:44:13,760 --> 00:44:16,280 start to become like the Pharisee. 648 00:44:17,280 --> 00:44:22,000 Thank God that I why don't we thank God that I just know and I 649 00:44:22,000 --> 00:44:23,600 don't know how I know, but I know. 650 00:44:23,600 --> 00:44:28,560 But it's a gift from God because the Bible says it praise God 651 00:44:29,800 --> 00:44:33,560 again that passage in Luke about the prayer of the tax collector 652 00:44:33,560 --> 00:44:36,440 and the Sinner and or in the Pharisee it says forever, it 653 00:44:36,440 --> 00:44:39,320 ended forever. Who exalts himself will be 654 00:44:39,320 --> 00:44:42,960 humbled, but one who humbles himself will be exalted. 655 00:44:43,120 --> 00:44:47,440 I am very comfortable with the theology that says, OK, God, you 656 00:44:47,440 --> 00:44:50,160 get all the glory. I did nothing. 657 00:44:51,440 --> 00:44:57,920 I don't know how I was in my booth of sin and you came along 658 00:44:58,920 --> 00:45:04,040 and I don't know what caused me to get up and follow you, but 659 00:45:04,520 --> 00:45:08,880 praise God that it happened. Praise God that I got to hear 660 00:45:09,080 --> 00:45:14,840 the teaching, that somebody invited me, somebody had the was 661 00:45:14,840 --> 00:45:17,880 willing to have the conversation, to take the time 662 00:45:17,880 --> 00:45:23,480 out of their busy life to meet me for coffee, to do 663 00:45:23,480 --> 00:45:35,450 discipleship in my own life. Praise God, He says I require 664 00:45:36,130 --> 00:45:42,090 murder, mercy and not sacrifice. I desire mercy and not 665 00:45:42,090 --> 00:45:44,370 sacrifice. That's a Old Testament quote 666 00:45:44,370 --> 00:45:49,120 from Isaiah 66. I desire steadfast love and not 667 00:45:49,120 --> 00:45:52,480 sacrifice the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. 668 00:45:53,240 --> 00:45:56,400 Don't you get what he's what he's saying here is it wasn't 669 00:45:56,400 --> 00:46:01,160 about this religious system. It was all pointing to me, and I 670 00:46:01,160 --> 00:46:06,040 desire to show mercy. Two sinners I want. 671 00:46:06,040 --> 00:46:09,160 And what that word means is to withhold what you deserve. 672 00:46:09,160 --> 00:46:13,000 We all, as Ephesians 2, says that we deserve wrath like the 673 00:46:13,000 --> 00:46:16,880 rest of mankind. But He desires to withhold that 674 00:46:16,880 --> 00:46:21,640 wrath for you and for me, so that we can have eternal life 675 00:46:23,320 --> 00:46:28,760 and only He can save us. And He started the mission of 676 00:46:28,760 --> 00:46:35,960 salvation by coming to us and dining with us. 677 00:46:38,320 --> 00:46:40,640 It's a beautiful thing. As I think about how we took the 678 00:46:40,640 --> 00:46:44,800 Lord's Supper today, don't forget where he says I came to 679 00:46:44,800 --> 00:46:50,120 call sinners. You cannot have salvation 680 00:46:50,120 --> 00:46:53,720 without understanding. It's not just about knowing who 681 00:46:53,800 --> 00:46:58,440 Jesus is. It's about understanding that he 682 00:46:58,440 --> 00:47:04,520 came to die for sins. That's why it's always said 683 00:47:04,520 --> 00:47:07,560 repent of your sins and believe. Know of your sins. 684 00:47:07,840 --> 00:47:12,200 You don't know you need Jesus until you accept the fact that 685 00:47:12,200 --> 00:47:15,480 you are a Sinner. And the beautiful thing about 686 00:47:15,480 --> 00:47:20,080 the Lord's table, the communion with Jesus Christ as it reminds 687 00:47:20,080 --> 00:47:26,480 us why says for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured 688 00:47:26,480 --> 00:47:29,520 out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 689 00:47:29,520 --> 00:47:36,880 His blood was poured out for our sins in the last verse. 690 00:47:36,880 --> 00:47:40,520 And I'm closing, I promise, the righteousness of God going back 691 00:47:40,520 --> 00:47:43,680 to Romans 3 that I quoted. And I want to tell you the good 692 00:47:43,680 --> 00:47:46,120 news about it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus 693 00:47:46,120 --> 00:47:49,760 Christ for all who believe. There's no distinction, not, not 694 00:47:49,760 --> 00:47:54,680 just for Jews but Gentiles also, for all have sinned and fall 695 00:47:54,680 --> 00:47:56,880 short of the glory of God. I wish the Pharisees would have 696 00:47:56,880 --> 00:48:00,120 got this. And all are justified by his 697 00:48:00,120 --> 00:48:03,000 grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ 698 00:48:03,000 --> 00:48:08,200 Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be 699 00:48:08,200 --> 00:48:11,840 received by faith. That word propitiation. 700 00:48:12,120 --> 00:48:15,760 We can't remember what we got saved from and and what we got 701 00:48:15,760 --> 00:48:17,360 forgiven of. It's our sins. 702 00:48:18,360 --> 00:48:22,400 That word propitiation means a turning away of anger. 703 00:48:22,400 --> 00:48:28,960 By the offering of a gift, you're appeasing the wrath, and 704 00:48:28,960 --> 00:48:33,720 in this sense God's wrath was on all of mankind. 705 00:48:33,880 --> 00:48:39,480 But God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son as 706 00:48:39,520 --> 00:48:46,360 a gift on the cross. Blood spilt, sacrifice of all 707 00:48:46,360 --> 00:48:52,760 sacrifices so that we could be made right with God. 708 00:48:53,800 --> 00:48:59,200 I'll leave you with this. You must know you're a Sinner to 709 00:48:59,200 --> 00:49:04,160 need the great Physician and I plead you to do so because He is 710 00:49:04,160 --> 00:49:08,920 merciful and gracious and He's willing to come to the worst of 711 00:49:08,920 --> 00:49:12,640 the worst. For the Christians today, I 712 00:49:12,640 --> 00:49:15,720 would say continue to remember what He has done in your life, 713 00:49:16,480 --> 00:49:21,320 but go now and do likewise with other people. 714 00:49:21,320 --> 00:49:25,760 Be like your Savior, Invite sinners into conversations, be 715 00:49:25,760 --> 00:49:30,840 hospitable. And one more little nugget, if 716 00:49:30,840 --> 00:49:35,400 you want your relationships to be better in life, just in 717 00:49:35,400 --> 00:49:42,400 general, we could all use a little bit more humility, not be 718 00:49:42,400 --> 00:49:48,360 like the Pharisees. Let's pray, Father, Thank you, 719 00:49:48,360 --> 00:49:56,200 Lord, that You have given us the gift of Jesus Christ and the 720 00:49:56,200 --> 00:49:59,400 ability to know that we need Him. 721 00:50:00,600 --> 00:50:04,040 So many times in Scripture and so many times in our lives, we 722 00:50:04,040 --> 00:50:07,600 see people that we're blind or are blind and they can't see it 723 00:50:07,600 --> 00:50:10,600 and we don't know why. Maybe we've had several 724 00:50:10,600 --> 00:50:13,040 conversations. Maybe we've tried everything, 725 00:50:16,240 --> 00:50:19,160 but Lord, we know that it's only you that can go in and do that 726 00:50:19,160 --> 00:50:22,560 heart change that you did in us. So we pray you do that right now 727 00:50:22,560 --> 00:50:25,040 to all of our loved ones and our family members, our friends, the 728 00:50:25,040 --> 00:50:26,640 people that we have in our minds right now. 729 00:50:27,520 --> 00:50:31,200 Those names, Father, do the heart change, the surgery that 730 00:50:31,360 --> 00:50:33,320 only the great Physician Jesus can do. 731 00:50:34,560 --> 00:50:38,480 Lord help us God to use our natural talents and gifts and 732 00:50:38,480 --> 00:50:42,480 abilities to bring you glory in Jesus name, Amen.