WEBVTT 00:00:11.629 --> 00:00:13.750 As they're making their way down, if you have 00:00:13.750 --> 00:00:16.289 a copy of the scriptures before you, you can 00:00:16.289 --> 00:00:19.350 turn to Matthew chapter 9. This morning we will 00:00:19.350 --> 00:00:21.289 return to our study in Matthew, which we've been 00:00:21.289 --> 00:00:23.829 out for about three weeks. Two weeks to the fair, 00:00:23.929 --> 00:00:25.410 and of course we had a missionary, Chris Fry, 00:00:25.510 --> 00:00:29.559 to Peru. So I like it when the church is gathered 00:00:29.559 --> 00:00:31.199 if we're in the study. So we took a little bit 00:00:31.199 --> 00:00:34.179 of a mini break and we will pick up the text 00:00:34.179 --> 00:00:39.960 this morning beginning in verse 9. As Jesus passed 00:00:39.960 --> 00:00:42.119 on from there, this is where he had just healed 00:00:42.119 --> 00:00:44.359 the man that was paralyzed and the four men brought 00:00:44.359 --> 00:00:47.460 him to the Lord. So Jesus passed on from there. 00:00:48.060 --> 00:00:50.560 He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax 00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:54.179 office and said to him, follow me. So he arose 00:00:54.179 --> 00:00:57.920 and followed him. Now it happened as Jesus sat 00:00:57.920 --> 00:01:01.880 at the table in the house, that behold many tax 00:01:01.880 --> 00:01:04.019 collectors and sinners came and sat down with 00:01:04.019 --> 00:01:07.579 him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees 00:01:07.579 --> 00:01:11.299 saw it, they said to his disciples, why does 00:01:11.299 --> 00:01:14.120 your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? 00:01:15.019 --> 00:01:18.159 When Jesus heard that, he said to them, those 00:01:18.159 --> 00:01:21.760 who are well have no need of a physician, but 00:01:21.760 --> 00:01:24.780 those who are sick. But go and learn what this 00:01:24.780 --> 00:01:28.900 means. I desire mercy and not sacrifice, for 00:01:28.900 --> 00:01:32.180 I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners 00:01:32.180 --> 00:01:38.200 to repentance. Would you join me in prayer? Father, 00:01:38.219 --> 00:01:41.099 this morning would we bow before you, Lord. God, 00:01:41.099 --> 00:01:44.319 in this we see great hope. Lord, we see the call 00:01:44.319 --> 00:01:47.519 of a very unlikely disciple. Lord, help us to 00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:50.319 see our own calling there. Father, I would pray 00:01:50.319 --> 00:01:52.400 that you'd give us a deeper understanding of 00:01:52.400 --> 00:01:55.670 our own sin and unworthiness. and a greater sense 00:01:55.670 --> 00:01:58.549 of your grace and mercy this morning, Lord. Father, 00:01:58.549 --> 00:02:01.310 I thank you for your word. It gives light, it 00:02:01.310 --> 00:02:04.069 gives instruction. Would you feed us from this 00:02:04.069 --> 00:02:05.989 manna on high this morning, Lord? We pray this 00:02:05.989 --> 00:02:10.770 in Jesus' name, amen. Let me ask you this question. 00:02:10.889 --> 00:02:14.270 If you were a monarch, if you were a king or 00:02:14.270 --> 00:02:18.389 a queen, and you had sovereign authority over 00:02:18.389 --> 00:02:21.930 those who would be in your kingdom, who would 00:02:21.930 --> 00:02:25.250 you choose? Who would you allow to enter into 00:02:25.250 --> 00:02:28.930 your personal kingdom? I think most of us, if 00:02:28.930 --> 00:02:30.569 we were the ones that were choosing, we were 00:02:30.569 --> 00:02:33.550 able to do this. Certainly we would choose the 00:02:33.550 --> 00:02:36.330 wise ones. That's going to bless our kingdom. 00:02:36.889 --> 00:02:42.189 The noble, the strong, the ethical and kind, 00:02:43.090 --> 00:02:47.330 the gracious, the beautiful. We would also want 00:02:47.330 --> 00:02:50.610 the talented to enter our kingdom. Well, who 00:02:50.610 --> 00:02:54.259 would we reject then? No doubt we would reject 00:02:54.259 --> 00:02:59.479 the thief, the traitor, the unskilled who offers 00:02:59.479 --> 00:03:01.840 nothing, because that's how the kingdom of man 00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:04.800 operates. You choose that which is going to bless 00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:06.699 you and enrich your life, and you reject that 00:03:06.699 --> 00:03:10.060 which might be problematic. But that is not the 00:03:10.060 --> 00:03:13.340 way of God's kingdom. It's not how it operates 00:03:13.340 --> 00:03:16.280 at all. In fact, the Apostle Paul told us in 00:03:16.280 --> 00:03:19.819 1 Corinthians chapter 1, he said, for you see, 00:03:19.939 --> 00:03:23.819 your calling, brothers, that not many wise, according 00:03:23.819 --> 00:03:27.000 to the flesh, not many mighty. He doesn't say 00:03:27.000 --> 00:03:29.800 no mighty or no wise, but not many. Not many 00:03:29.800 --> 00:03:32.560 wise, not many mighty, not many noble are called. 00:03:33.680 --> 00:03:37.379 Okay, who does God call? Well, God has chosen 00:03:37.379 --> 00:03:39.919 the foolish things of the world to put to shame 00:03:39.919 --> 00:03:43.080 the wise. And God has chosen the weak things 00:03:43.080 --> 00:03:44.879 of the world to put to shame the things which 00:03:44.879 --> 00:03:47.780 are mighty. And the base things of the world, 00:03:47.879 --> 00:03:50.099 the things which are despised, God has chosen. 00:03:50.509 --> 00:03:52.909 and the things which are not, to bring to nothing 00:03:52.909 --> 00:03:55.490 the things that are." Well, why would God do 00:03:55.490 --> 00:03:58.250 that? Why would He choose a kingdom like that? 00:03:58.889 --> 00:04:04.009 That no flesh should glory in His presence. What 00:04:04.009 --> 00:04:06.370 we're going to see this morning is that God chooses 00:04:06.370 --> 00:04:10.770 the most unlikely to be part of His kingdom so 00:04:10.770 --> 00:04:15.530 that He alone gets the glory. Now we return this 00:04:15.530 --> 00:04:18.779 morning to our study in Matthew chapter 9. And 00:04:18.779 --> 00:04:20.740 we're going to see a disciple, Matthew, who's 00:04:20.740 --> 00:04:22.660 called. And on the surface, it looks like we're 00:04:22.660 --> 00:04:25.259 just an ordinary calling. But as we look at it, 00:04:25.259 --> 00:04:28.019 we're going to see he was very unlikely to be 00:04:28.019 --> 00:04:30.339 called by the Lord. Now, if we're going to understand 00:04:30.339 --> 00:04:32.500 this, we have to remember what the book of Matthew 00:04:32.500 --> 00:04:35.899 is all about. Matthew is written to show that 00:04:35.899 --> 00:04:40.220 Jesus is the Messianic King. He is the one sent 00:04:40.220 --> 00:04:43.040 from heaven, from God, to bring God's kingdom 00:04:43.040 --> 00:04:46.939 to earth. In fact, in chapter 1 verse 1, Matthew 00:04:46.939 --> 00:04:50.079 opens the gospel with these words, the book of 00:04:50.079 --> 00:04:52.939 the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, 00:04:53.240 --> 00:04:56.220 the son of Abraham. Now, there are two very, 00:04:56.220 --> 00:04:59.279 very important titles in that first verse. Son 00:04:59.279 --> 00:05:02.899 of David. The son of David, I should correct 00:05:02.899 --> 00:05:06.839 myself. The son of Abraham. The son of David 00:05:06.839 --> 00:05:10.899 is referring to Jesus' lineage, his royal line 00:05:10.899 --> 00:05:14.730 linking him to King David. and the promise that 00:05:14.730 --> 00:05:17.029 God made with David in what is known as the Davidic 00:05:17.029 --> 00:05:21.430 Covenant. We read about that in 2 Samuel 7. God 00:05:21.430 --> 00:05:23.550 made a covenant with David, the great Israeli 00:05:23.550 --> 00:05:26.509 king, that a future son, a future descendant 00:05:26.509 --> 00:05:29.350 of David's would be born into his family and 00:05:29.350 --> 00:05:32.910 he would serve as a king and he would rule forever 00:05:32.910 --> 00:05:37.149 over God's people. This future king would have 00:05:37.149 --> 00:05:40.490 an everlasting kingdom. He would sit on the throne 00:05:40.490 --> 00:05:44.759 of his father David forever. Matthew lets us 00:05:44.759 --> 00:05:48.060 know very clearly, in no uncertain terms, that 00:05:48.060 --> 00:05:52.639 Jesus is the son of David. He is the fulfillment 00:05:52.639 --> 00:05:56.600 to that promise. He is that messianic, that messiah 00:05:56.600 --> 00:05:59.439 king who has come to bring the kingdom to us. 00:06:00.699 --> 00:06:03.480 But Matthew also says Jesus is the son of Abraham. 00:06:03.720 --> 00:06:06.439 Not just a son of Abraham, but the son of Abraham. 00:06:06.899 --> 00:06:09.399 Now this title links Jesus with that patriarch 00:06:09.399 --> 00:06:13.720 Abraham. God made a promise to Abraham, known 00:06:13.720 --> 00:06:17.560 as the Abrahamic Covenant, that a future descendant, 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:23.259 someone in Abraham's line, would be born. This 00:06:23.259 --> 00:06:26.720 seed that's going to be born in Abraham's line 00:06:26.720 --> 00:06:30.300 would be a blessing to all the nations of the 00:06:30.300 --> 00:06:34.180 world. The entire earth would be blessed through 00:06:34.180 --> 00:06:38.339 this one singular descendant. And Matthew says, 00:06:38.360 --> 00:06:41.800 Jesus is the fulfillment to that promise. He 00:06:41.800 --> 00:06:45.379 is the son of Abraham. And we read that clearly 00:06:45.379 --> 00:06:48.920 in Galatians 3. Now to Abraham and his seed where 00:06:48.920 --> 00:06:51.740 the promise is made, he does not say, and to 00:06:51.740 --> 00:06:53.500 seed. This is not talking about more than one, 00:06:53.540 --> 00:06:56.660 as of many. There's one particular seed, and 00:06:56.660 --> 00:07:01.160 to your seed who is Christ. The Lord Jesus is 00:07:01.160 --> 00:07:03.639 the son of David, the son of Abraham. He's the 00:07:03.639 --> 00:07:06.660 true Israel who has come to bring light to the 00:07:06.660 --> 00:07:09.620 nations. Now this is important. And it's important 00:07:09.620 --> 00:07:12.180 to our text this morning. So he is both the son 00:07:12.180 --> 00:07:16.060 of David, King, brings the kingdom, and the son 00:07:16.060 --> 00:07:19.680 of Abraham, the Savior who came to bring blessing 00:07:19.680 --> 00:07:23.300 to all the nations of the world. So you have 00:07:23.300 --> 00:07:27.100 two things here. Very clearly, the Lord Jesus 00:07:27.100 --> 00:07:31.399 is God's rightful King, and he is the world's 00:07:31.399 --> 00:07:35.779 unique Savior. All those covenant promises, whether 00:07:35.779 --> 00:07:39.620 to David or to Abraham, find their fulfillment 00:07:39.620 --> 00:07:44.500 in Jesus Christ. Second Corinthians 1, Paul says, 00:07:45.120 --> 00:07:49.639 for all of the promises of God in him are yes 00:07:49.639 --> 00:07:53.279 and in him, amen, to the glory of God through 00:07:53.279 --> 00:07:57.399 us. Jesus is the one we are looking for. So as 00:07:57.399 --> 00:07:59.480 the true King and as the true Savior, we find 00:07:59.480 --> 00:08:03.759 him in the Gospels calling all people, Jew and 00:08:03.759 --> 00:08:07.800 Gentile, to come into his kingdom by way of faith 00:08:07.800 --> 00:08:10.420 and repentance. Now let me give you the context, 00:08:10.620 --> 00:08:13.259 Matthew 9. The last time we looked at Matthew 00:08:13.259 --> 00:08:15.839 is about a month ago now. We did see a paralyzed 00:08:15.839 --> 00:08:19.560 man and he was brought to Jesus by four acquaintances 00:08:19.560 --> 00:08:22.439 and we assumed to be friends. Now there's a large 00:08:22.439 --> 00:08:25.980 crowd gathered in the house where Jesus was so 00:08:25.980 --> 00:08:27.399 when they arrived at the house they couldn't 00:08:27.399 --> 00:08:29.860 get the paralyzed man into the room with Jesus 00:08:29.860 --> 00:08:32.799 so they came up with a novel idea. They take 00:08:32.799 --> 00:08:35.269 the man up under the roof they began to open 00:08:35.269 --> 00:08:38.830 up the roof and they lowered this man down into 00:08:38.830 --> 00:08:42.830 the presence of Jesus. Matthew tells us this, 00:08:43.250 --> 00:08:45.610 upon seeing their faith, talking about the four 00:08:45.610 --> 00:08:48.850 men who was lowering him down, Jesus looked at 00:08:48.850 --> 00:08:51.350 the paralytic and he did not say, be healed. 00:08:52.190 --> 00:08:54.129 He looked at that paralyzed man and says, your 00:08:54.129 --> 00:08:58.090 sins are forgiven. Now the Pharisees and scribes 00:08:58.090 --> 00:09:01.190 were gathered in that room and they were outraged. 00:09:01.519 --> 00:09:03.919 They were outraged because they said, this man's 00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:05.860 guilty of blasphemy because who does he think 00:09:05.860 --> 00:09:09.379 he is? Only God can forgive sin. That's a true 00:09:09.379 --> 00:09:12.039 statement, by the way. So the Lord Jesus, he 00:09:12.039 --> 00:09:14.700 knows what they're thinking. So in order to prove 00:09:14.700 --> 00:09:17.620 to them that he had the authority on earth to 00:09:17.620 --> 00:09:20.159 forgive sins, he then looked at the paralyzed 00:09:20.159 --> 00:09:23.559 man and he said to him, rise up, basically get 00:09:23.559 --> 00:09:26.779 up, pick up the mat, pick up your bed, and go 00:09:26.779 --> 00:09:30.730 home. What happened? Verse 7. He arose and departed 00:09:30.730 --> 00:09:35.009 to his house. Jesus healed that man on that day 00:09:35.009 --> 00:09:38.070 to prove to the religious officials and all who 00:09:38.070 --> 00:09:41.629 were gathered that he indeed possessed the authority 00:09:41.629 --> 00:09:44.669 to forgive sin. Now that's winging in the air. 00:09:44.690 --> 00:09:47.450 That's the context. Jesus has the ability to 00:09:47.450 --> 00:09:51.129 forgive sin. Now we come to our passage. Look 00:09:51.129 --> 00:09:53.769 at verse 9. As he passed on from there, what 00:09:53.769 --> 00:09:58.759 I just said, he sees another man, Matthew. sitting 00:09:58.759 --> 00:10:01.259 at the tax office or tax booth, your verse may 00:10:01.259 --> 00:10:05.279 say, and he said to him, follow me. Guess what? 00:10:05.779 --> 00:10:09.340 He got up and he followed him. There's another 00:10:09.340 --> 00:10:14.480 man, not paralyzed, but equally in need of forgiveness. 00:10:15.799 --> 00:10:18.440 So Jesus had just left that house. He's walking 00:10:18.440 --> 00:10:21.700 down a road and he sees another man, Matthew. 00:10:21.960 --> 00:10:24.919 Now Luke calls him Levi. It's the same man. And 00:10:24.919 --> 00:10:26.899 a lot of Bible characters had two names, by the 00:10:26.899 --> 00:10:29.620 way. Simon Peter, then you also have Matthew 00:10:29.620 --> 00:10:33.320 and Levi, Thomas Didymus, also called Didymus. 00:10:33.500 --> 00:10:35.679 So you find this quite often. So you have Matthew, 00:10:35.679 --> 00:10:38.620 Levi, same man here, and Jesus looks at him and 00:10:38.620 --> 00:10:42.120 says, hey, come and follow me. This man here, 00:10:42.659 --> 00:10:45.620 Matthew, Matthew 9, he would become one of the 00:10:45.620 --> 00:10:48.879 12 apostles, and he is the one who wrote this 00:10:48.879 --> 00:10:52.110 gospel. But we're told that he's sitting at a 00:10:52.110 --> 00:10:54.169 tax booth when Jesus called him, and that's an 00:10:54.169 --> 00:10:57.250 incredibly important detail. For the very first 00:10:57.250 --> 00:10:58.730 thing that you're going to learn about this man 00:10:58.730 --> 00:11:02.009 is that he was a tax collector. Now when we think 00:11:02.009 --> 00:11:05.129 of tax collectors, we're thinking like IRS. Now, 00:11:05.149 --> 00:11:07.250 we don't love paying taxes, but we don't hate 00:11:07.250 --> 00:11:10.429 IRS agents. But that's not what this is about. 00:11:11.509 --> 00:11:14.889 Tax collectors were despised and hated by the 00:11:14.889 --> 00:11:17.870 Jews because they were traitors to their own 00:11:17.870 --> 00:11:22.019 nation. They betrayed their own people for personal 00:11:22.019 --> 00:11:26.000 gain. So here's the situation. Matthew is a Jewish 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:29.539 man. He is working for the Roman government, 00:11:30.220 --> 00:11:33.000 which meant he then would take money from his 00:11:33.000 --> 00:11:36.559 Jewish brothers and send it to Rome, and Rome 00:11:36.559 --> 00:11:40.240 then would subsidize their army with Jewish money. 00:11:41.299 --> 00:11:43.799 So in essence, you have Jewish money is helping 00:11:43.799 --> 00:11:46.820 to pay for Roman occupation of Israel, and the 00:11:46.820 --> 00:11:50.200 Jews hated that. They hated that Rome was in 00:11:50.200 --> 00:11:54.039 their land. Moreover, these tax collectors had 00:11:54.039 --> 00:11:58.080 a great or sordid reputation. They were infamous. 00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:01.480 Why? Because they were greedy and very corrupt. 00:12:01.740 --> 00:12:04.159 What they would do, they would exploit and take 00:12:04.159 --> 00:12:07.700 advantage of poor countrymen, if you will. Now, 00:12:07.700 --> 00:12:09.919 Rome, how did they do this? Rome levied many 00:12:09.919 --> 00:12:12.879 taxes on Israel. There were taxes on crops. There 00:12:12.879 --> 00:12:16.139 were taxes on imports and exports. You had taxes 00:12:16.139 --> 00:12:19.620 on infrastructure like roads and bridges. In 00:12:19.620 --> 00:12:21.620 certain places, there was a tax if you were going 00:12:21.620 --> 00:12:24.860 to go to a market town. And for certain Jewish 00:12:24.860 --> 00:12:27.679 men, there was a tax on the head of Jewish males. 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:31.419 Now, Daniel Doriani in his commentary says this, 00:12:32.419 --> 00:12:35.159 tax collectors often had the right to assess 00:12:35.159 --> 00:12:38.799 the value of the good they taxed. So they grew 00:12:38.799 --> 00:12:40.799 rich by taking the wealth of their own people, 00:12:41.259 --> 00:12:44.340 sending most of it to Rome, and then pocketing 00:12:44.340 --> 00:12:47.460 the rest for themselves. So basically what you 00:12:47.460 --> 00:12:52.879 find here is these men got very rich by overtaxing 00:12:52.879 --> 00:12:56.500 their own countrymen. They were corrupt. Now 00:12:56.500 --> 00:12:59.120 you see this very clearly with what we know as 00:12:59.120 --> 00:13:01.100 the wee little man named Zacchaeus who climbed 00:13:01.100 --> 00:13:05.519 up into a sycamore tree, Luke 19. Now behold, 00:13:05.539 --> 00:13:08.299 there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief 00:13:08.299 --> 00:13:11.799 tax collector. Now notice this little appendage 00:13:11.799 --> 00:13:15.600 here. and he was rich. How do you suppose Zacchaeus 00:13:15.600 --> 00:13:19.419 made his money? By exploiting his own people. 00:13:19.919 --> 00:13:22.220 Now in verse 8, we don't have to turn to Luke 00:13:22.220 --> 00:13:24.860 19 verse 8, he even admitted to such because 00:13:24.860 --> 00:13:27.320 when Jesus called Zacchaeus down, here's what 00:13:27.320 --> 00:13:29.580 Zacchaeus said in verse 8, he stood and said 00:13:29.580 --> 00:13:32.700 to the Lord, Lord, Lord, I give half of my goods 00:13:32.700 --> 00:13:35.120 to the poor, and if I've taken anything from 00:13:35.120 --> 00:13:37.960 anyone by false accusation, I'm going to restore 00:13:37.960 --> 00:13:40.980 fourfold. He knew he had taken stuff by false 00:13:40.980 --> 00:13:44.120 accusation. See, tax collectors, Matthew being 00:13:44.120 --> 00:13:46.559 one of them, they were seen as the scourge of 00:13:46.559 --> 00:13:48.940 society. They were not welcome in the synagogue 00:13:48.940 --> 00:13:52.740 because they were unclean. Their testimony was 00:13:52.740 --> 00:13:57.000 not admissible in court. They were social outcasts. 00:13:57.000 --> 00:13:59.960 They were considered ritually unclean. And whenever 00:13:59.960 --> 00:14:02.460 we read of tax collectors, we often find their 00:14:02.460 --> 00:14:06.019 association with sinners and prostitutes. That's 00:14:06.019 --> 00:14:08.259 how the Bible would say it. So what you have 00:14:08.259 --> 00:14:11.659 here, you have no good self -respecting Jew would 00:14:11.639 --> 00:14:15.440 ever want to associate or be close with a tax 00:14:15.440 --> 00:14:20.600 collector. That is no one except Jesus. Jesus 00:14:20.600 --> 00:14:25.000 called one of these despised men to be his disciples, 00:14:26.500 --> 00:14:29.220 forever showing church that no one is beyond 00:14:29.220 --> 00:14:32.899 the reach of God's mercy and forgiveness. Notice 00:14:32.899 --> 00:14:36.779 when Jesus called Matthew to himself as he was 00:14:36.779 --> 00:14:40.240 sitting at the tax office. He was there doing 00:14:40.240 --> 00:14:44.320 his corrupt job. He was being a traitor to his 00:14:44.320 --> 00:14:47.139 own people, and that's when Jesus called him. 00:14:48.100 --> 00:14:50.679 What we find here, Jesus did not wait for Matthew 00:14:50.679 --> 00:14:54.000 to ask to follow Jesus. Jesus did not wait for 00:14:54.000 --> 00:14:56.539 Matthew to leave his corrupt job. Jesus did not 00:14:56.539 --> 00:14:58.820 wait for Matthew to get his act together or clean 00:14:58.820 --> 00:15:03.860 up his life. Jesus came to him. Salvation has 00:15:03.860 --> 00:15:07.659 always been by divine initiative. No one on their 00:15:07.659 --> 00:15:10.769 own ever seeks for God. no one ever is looking 00:15:10.769 --> 00:15:13.929 for God. God is the one actively seeking and 00:15:13.929 --> 00:15:17.269 saving sinners. Now Jesus had just healed that 00:15:17.269 --> 00:15:19.710 paralytic where? In Capernaum. That's northern 00:15:19.710 --> 00:15:23.149 Israel. That's Galilee. Capernaum is where Jesus 00:15:23.149 --> 00:15:25.809 would have his home base, if you will. It's not 00:15:25.809 --> 00:15:27.990 his hometown. That was Nazareth. But Capernaum 00:15:27.990 --> 00:15:30.889 was his home base. Now where is Matthew? He's 00:15:30.889 --> 00:15:33.970 on a road outside of Capernaum. So what does 00:15:33.970 --> 00:15:37.149 that mean? This means Matthew had heard of Jesus. 00:15:37.850 --> 00:15:42.539 It's a small area. Jesus is wildly popular, massively 00:15:42.539 --> 00:15:45.480 popular, all over Israel, because even those 00:15:45.480 --> 00:15:47.899 in Jerusalem had heard of him, but particularly 00:15:47.899 --> 00:15:50.620 in Galilee. So Matthew would have known of Jesus. 00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:52.879 He's heard the stories. This man has the ability 00:15:52.879 --> 00:15:55.419 to do miracles. This man's doing the impossible. 00:15:56.620 --> 00:15:59.480 And then when Jesus tells Matthew to come and 00:15:59.480 --> 00:16:05.019 follow me, he arose and followed. I am sure that 00:16:05.019 --> 00:16:08.600 Matthew was shocked. when he heard Jesus summon 00:16:08.600 --> 00:16:13.740 him. No one of Jesus's caliber or of Jesus's 00:16:13.740 --> 00:16:17.039 reputation ever wanted to be his friend. He was 00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:21.039 shunned that he was about to meet Jesus, the 00:16:21.039 --> 00:16:24.580 friend of sinners. Now what did Jesus mean when 00:16:24.580 --> 00:16:28.779 he said, follow me? It was a summons. Matthew, 00:16:29.659 --> 00:16:33.440 leave behind your old way of life and embrace 00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:36.620 the life of discipleship. And friends, Matthew 00:16:36.620 --> 00:16:40.519 embraced Jesus' call, which was evidence of the 00:16:40.519 --> 00:16:43.340 work of this God's Spirit at work within him. 00:16:44.019 --> 00:16:48.620 We're told in Luke, Matthew left all to follow 00:16:48.620 --> 00:16:54.299 Jesus, which meant leaving behind a life of financial 00:16:54.299 --> 00:16:58.759 security, a life of wealth. So the days of his 00:16:58.759 --> 00:17:01.159 getting rich off the backs of his own countrymen, 00:17:01.179 --> 00:17:05.900 well, they were over. Luke 528. It says Matthew 00:17:05.900 --> 00:17:10.799 left all, rose up, and followed him. He left 00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:16.059 it all behind. Why? Because he believed Jesus. 00:17:17.319 --> 00:17:19.799 He believed Jesus when he said, what shall profit 00:17:19.799 --> 00:17:24.559 a man if he shall gain the whole world, yet lose 00:17:24.559 --> 00:17:28.829 his own soul? What shall profit a man? There's 00:17:28.829 --> 00:17:31.930 no profit in that whatsoever. To gain this world 00:17:31.930 --> 00:17:36.950 and lose your soul is the worst trade ever. And 00:17:36.950 --> 00:17:40.670 Matthew saw that. Now Luke tells us that Matthew 00:17:40.670 --> 00:17:44.869 then threw a big, great party after Jesus had 00:17:44.869 --> 00:17:47.309 called him. Luke 5 .29. Notice what he said. 00:17:47.349 --> 00:17:50.910 Then Levi, same person, gave him a great feast, 00:17:51.589 --> 00:17:54.549 big party, in his own house. The fact that he 00:17:54.549 --> 00:17:56.069 could hold a big party in his own house tells 00:17:56.069 --> 00:17:58.380 you he was rich. And there were a great number 00:17:58.380 --> 00:18:00.440 of tax collectors and others who sat down with 00:18:00.440 --> 00:18:04.000 him. Matthew says it this way, now it happened 00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:06.779 as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that 00:18:06.779 --> 00:18:11.119 behold many tax collectors and sinners came and 00:18:11.119 --> 00:18:14.359 sat down with him and his disciples. What do 00:18:14.359 --> 00:18:17.480 we find here? Matthew had just invited his friends 00:18:17.480 --> 00:18:21.059 to this big party. It's one big feast. Well, 00:18:21.059 --> 00:18:24.930 who's Matthew's friends? other tax collectors 00:18:24.930 --> 00:18:26.450 and sinners because no one else wanted to be 00:18:26.450 --> 00:18:30.329 his friend. So Matthew then, and his friends, 00:18:30.609 --> 00:18:33.829 all these social outcasts of the day, they stood 00:18:33.829 --> 00:18:39.390 by Jesus, and Jesus stood to lose much, a whole 00:18:39.390 --> 00:18:43.150 lot, by having dinner with this group. Jesus's 00:18:43.150 --> 00:18:46.309 reputation was on the line now. Because all polite 00:18:46.309 --> 00:18:49.150 society would have avoided Matthew and his friends, 00:18:49.430 --> 00:18:51.750 no one's going to that party. Remember, they're 00:18:51.750 --> 00:18:54.789 ritually unclean. But why do you think Matthew 00:18:54.789 --> 00:18:58.769 invited his friends? He wanted them to meet Jesus, 00:18:59.190 --> 00:19:02.230 too. I suspect that he knew Jesus could do for 00:19:02.230 --> 00:19:07.309 them what he had done for him. But why did Jesus 00:19:07.309 --> 00:19:10.450 then accept that invitation to a party where 00:19:10.450 --> 00:19:14.750 notorious sinners are going to be present? Why 00:19:14.750 --> 00:19:18.690 did he do it? We don't have to guess. For the 00:19:18.690 --> 00:19:21.109 Son of Man has come to seek and save that which 00:19:21.109 --> 00:19:25.230 was lost. That is a wonderful verse. The Son 00:19:25.230 --> 00:19:28.589 of Man, what's his purpose? He's coming to seek 00:19:28.589 --> 00:19:31.190 and save the lost. You have to understand though, 00:19:31.410 --> 00:19:33.849 all Jesus is doing is sharing a meal. You're 00:19:33.849 --> 00:19:36.369 like, what's the big deal? In that day, sharing 00:19:36.369 --> 00:19:39.930 a meal meant acceptance and fellowship. There 00:19:39.930 --> 00:19:43.509 was a united purpose to dying with someone. That's 00:19:43.509 --> 00:19:45.509 why you find devout Jews, they had very strict 00:19:45.509 --> 00:19:47.650 table regulations about who could come to eat 00:19:47.650 --> 00:19:49.809 at their table and who couldn't. Gentiles could 00:19:49.809 --> 00:19:53.000 not come. But if you were to eat with those who 00:19:53.000 --> 00:19:55.299 were considered unclean, well that was viewed 00:19:55.299 --> 00:19:58.259 as a religious compromise, and that's what Jesus 00:19:58.259 --> 00:20:00.799 accepting this invitation meant and made it even 00:20:00.799 --> 00:20:03.160 more shocking. That's why the Pharisees are over 00:20:03.160 --> 00:20:04.460 here and they can't believe what they're seeing. 00:20:04.839 --> 00:20:06.779 This man claims to be from God and he's eating 00:20:06.779 --> 00:20:10.039 with these people? They were watching Jesus's 00:20:10.039 --> 00:20:12.880 every move. Now they would have been absolutely 00:20:12.880 --> 00:20:16.500 fine had Jesus gone to Matthew's house to rebuke 00:20:16.500 --> 00:20:19.690 those filthy sinners. had he gone to instruct 00:20:19.690 --> 00:20:23.269 them or rebuke them, but he had gone to eat with 00:20:23.269 --> 00:20:26.609 them. And that outraged the religious leaders. 00:20:27.609 --> 00:20:29.349 Here's what they're wondering. How can he claim 00:20:29.349 --> 00:20:32.930 to be a legitimate teacher when he eats in fellowship 00:20:32.930 --> 00:20:35.309 with such people like this? These are sinners. 00:20:36.250 --> 00:20:39.529 Verse 11. And when the Pharisees saw it, they 00:20:39.529 --> 00:20:42.490 said to his disciples, why does your teacher 00:20:42.490 --> 00:20:44.910 eat with these people? Tax collector sinners. 00:20:45.710 --> 00:20:49.269 I mean, Jesus just claimed to forgive sin. He 00:20:49.269 --> 00:20:52.150 claimed to be the teacher sent from God. He claims 00:20:52.150 --> 00:20:56.170 to be the Holy One. So tell me, how can a holy 00:20:56.170 --> 00:20:59.349 man of God, if he's the real deal, fellowship 00:20:59.349 --> 00:21:04.710 with such unclean people? Basically, the Jews 00:21:04.710 --> 00:21:07.589 saw them, you are so dirty and so corrupt that 00:21:07.589 --> 00:21:10.890 if I'm in your presence, you make me dirty. That's 00:21:10.890 --> 00:21:12.779 how they saw it. Now you have to understand, 00:21:12.940 --> 00:21:15.140 the Jews knew that all people in general were 00:21:15.140 --> 00:21:18.640 sinners. They knew that in their theology. But 00:21:18.640 --> 00:21:21.240 when they were referring to people as tax collectors 00:21:21.240 --> 00:21:24.019 and sinners in this sense, they're referring 00:21:24.019 --> 00:21:27.400 to a certain class of people who were so immoral, 00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:31.279 so polluted, that to fellowship with them or 00:21:31.279 --> 00:21:35.720 have close contact with them would make you ceremonially 00:21:35.720 --> 00:21:40.130 defiled. I become dirty by your dirt. So what 00:21:40.130 --> 00:21:43.250 they were saying is Jesus, by eating with them, 00:21:43.849 --> 00:21:47.710 is now unclean, ceremonially speaking. And this 00:21:47.710 --> 00:21:49.349 was just further proof to the religious leaders 00:21:49.349 --> 00:21:52.910 that Jesus is a charlatan. He's a fake. Because 00:21:52.910 --> 00:21:54.970 they can't reconcile in their mind how could 00:21:54.970 --> 00:21:58.069 God, if he sent him, how could this man fellowship 00:21:58.069 --> 00:22:00.049 with these people because they are so notoriously 00:22:00.049 --> 00:22:03.470 corrupt. But they don't go to Jesus because they're 00:22:03.470 --> 00:22:06.640 cowards. They go to Jesus' disciples and they 00:22:06.640 --> 00:22:09.299 ask them this question. But Jesus overheard the 00:22:09.299 --> 00:22:12.259 question, verse 12. When Jesus heard that, he 00:22:12.259 --> 00:22:15.059 said to them, those who are well have no need 00:22:15.059 --> 00:22:18.619 of physician, but those who are sick. But go 00:22:18.619 --> 00:22:21.019 and learn what this means. I desire mercy and 00:22:21.019 --> 00:22:23.640 not sacrifice, for I did not come to call the 00:22:23.640 --> 00:22:27.140 righteous but sinners to repentance. Now think 00:22:27.140 --> 00:22:29.000 about this. The Lord Jesus, He had just heard 00:22:29.000 --> 00:22:33.359 their complaint and He takes them to task. They 00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:37.960 are instructors in religion. They're the leaders 00:22:37.960 --> 00:22:40.180 of the people. They should have known what he 00:22:40.180 --> 00:22:41.900 was doing, and they should have known why he 00:22:41.900 --> 00:22:43.900 was doing it. In fact, they should have rejoiced 00:22:43.900 --> 00:22:47.000 that you have Jesus going to reach the loss and 00:22:47.000 --> 00:22:49.559 to simply teach about God to those who needed 00:22:49.559 --> 00:22:53.680 to hear him. But that's not what you see. They 00:22:53.680 --> 00:22:56.359 did not like it at all. Jesus was always making 00:22:56.359 --> 00:22:58.339 them mad, because if you look in the Gospels, 00:22:58.420 --> 00:23:02.329 Jesus did something. Jesus pursued the pain. 00:23:03.750 --> 00:23:06.410 He went to where the leper was, the one who's 00:23:06.410 --> 00:23:09.750 unclean. We saw him go to where the demon -possessed 00:23:09.750 --> 00:23:13.430 man was. He went to where the grieving mother 00:23:13.430 --> 00:23:16.990 and father were. Wherever there was suffering, 00:23:18.049 --> 00:23:22.589 you'd find Jesus. Why? He went to pursue the 00:23:22.589 --> 00:23:26.430 lost and the broken, and with them, he's building 00:23:26.430 --> 00:23:31.359 his church, folks. Who needs a doctor? Healthy 00:23:31.359 --> 00:23:35.500 man or sick man? It's the sick. Who needs the 00:23:35.500 --> 00:23:39.559 Savior? The righteous or the lost? The lost. 00:23:40.359 --> 00:23:42.940 What was the mission? Seek and save that which 00:23:42.940 --> 00:23:46.160 is lost. Saving sinners was the very reason Jesus 00:23:46.160 --> 00:23:49.000 had come. And he says, I did not come to call 00:23:49.000 --> 00:23:51.559 the righteous to repent, but sinners. Now, let 00:23:51.559 --> 00:23:54.299 me explain that. Jesus is not saying that there 00:23:54.299 --> 00:23:56.880 are some righteous people out there who don't 00:23:56.880 --> 00:23:59.819 need to repent. You'd miss the point of that. 00:24:00.039 --> 00:24:03.119 He's inditing the Pharisees who think they're 00:24:03.119 --> 00:24:06.599 righteous. The Pharisees were never able to grasp 00:24:06.599 --> 00:24:09.680 the fact that they were just as lost and just 00:24:09.680 --> 00:24:12.660 as sick as the sinners who came to Matthew's 00:24:12.660 --> 00:24:15.180 house for dinner that night. They couldn't see 00:24:15.180 --> 00:24:19.180 it. Paul will later expand upon that in Romans 00:24:19.180 --> 00:24:22.900 3 when he talks about there's none righteous. 00:24:23.700 --> 00:24:25.920 No, not one. There's none who seeks after God. 00:24:26.140 --> 00:24:29.900 They're all corrupt. They're all defiled. But 00:24:29.900 --> 00:24:32.500 that was a stumbling block for these religious 00:24:32.500 --> 00:24:36.220 leaders. Oh, yeah, Gentiles, yeah, they were 00:24:36.220 --> 00:24:39.039 certainly needed to repent. The other pagans 00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:42.859 needed to repent. But as we open the Gospel of 00:24:42.859 --> 00:24:44.759 Matthew, we have John the Baptist and then later 00:24:44.759 --> 00:24:48.319 Jesus. They come on the scene calling the Jews 00:24:48.319 --> 00:24:54.920 to repent. God's people. See, the grace of God 00:24:54.920 --> 00:24:59.829 is available to everyone. but only to those who 00:24:59.829 --> 00:25:02.549 recognize their need will avail themselves of 00:25:02.549 --> 00:25:06.109 that grace. If you don't understand your sin, 00:25:06.250 --> 00:25:08.549 you will not appreciate grace. You can't do it. 00:25:08.990 --> 00:25:11.349 The problem with the Pharisees is that they were 00:25:11.349 --> 00:25:13.990 blind, and although they were blind, they thought 00:25:13.990 --> 00:25:16.650 they could see. That meant they were self -righteous. 00:25:17.210 --> 00:25:19.509 They were unable to see their own need for the 00:25:19.509 --> 00:25:22.549 saving mission of Christ. It never dawned on 00:25:22.549 --> 00:25:26.220 them. Who were the Pharisees? Well, they're the 00:25:26.220 --> 00:25:28.660 ones that thought, if you study God's law and 00:25:28.660 --> 00:25:30.880 you apply yourself to obey it, even with the 00:25:30.880 --> 00:25:32.660 help of God, well then you can be righteous. 00:25:34.119 --> 00:25:38.140 You've got to do X, Y, Z. And the righteousness 00:25:38.140 --> 00:25:41.440 that is required before God must be perfect. 00:25:42.859 --> 00:25:46.980 For God is perfect. He is absolutely holy. No 00:25:46.980 --> 00:25:51.039 one, even with divine help, can make himself 00:25:51.039 --> 00:25:56.240 absolutely righteous before God. All of us, the 00:25:56.240 --> 00:26:01.319 best and worst of us, need to be rescued. Everyone. 00:26:01.779 --> 00:26:05.900 We need someone who is absolutely, pristinely 00:26:05.900 --> 00:26:09.140 righteous to stand in the gap for us, and that 00:26:09.140 --> 00:26:12.019 is exactly what the word Jesus does for his people. 00:26:13.900 --> 00:26:16.960 There is a problem sometimes with religious folks. 00:26:17.779 --> 00:26:20.319 There is an inherent problem with moral people 00:26:20.319 --> 00:26:23.839 like the Pharisees. Because when you put the 00:26:23.839 --> 00:26:27.660 question to them, they cannot see why God would 00:26:27.660 --> 00:26:30.640 possibly reject them and deny them entrance into 00:26:30.640 --> 00:26:34.519 the kingdom. They assume that if anyone enters 00:26:34.519 --> 00:26:39.039 the kingdom, it'll be them, because they're fine, 00:26:39.619 --> 00:26:43.819 upstanding, pious pillars of the community. But 00:26:43.819 --> 00:26:47.579 they don't get sin. For them, sin is merely external. 00:26:48.279 --> 00:26:51.140 It's just a problem with behavior. But that's 00:26:51.140 --> 00:26:53.759 not the way the Bible teaches about sin. Sin 00:26:53.759 --> 00:26:57.559 is internal. It's a problem with our heart. Our 00:26:57.559 --> 00:27:00.200 behavior simply flows from the desires and thoughts 00:27:00.200 --> 00:27:03.740 of our heart. See, sin corrupts, but sin corrupts 00:27:03.740 --> 00:27:06.200 not just what we do, not just our actions, but 00:27:06.200 --> 00:27:09.799 who we are by nature. We're corrupt in the innermost 00:27:09.799 --> 00:27:12.980 part of our being. So yeah, sure, you can make, 00:27:13.039 --> 00:27:16.180 someone can make their outer behavior conform 00:27:16.180 --> 00:27:18.859 to a moral code. Yeah, you can do that. but you 00:27:18.859 --> 00:27:22.660 can never, ever change your corrupt heart. See, 00:27:22.660 --> 00:27:25.759 the Bible doesn't say you need to be fixed. The 00:27:25.759 --> 00:27:29.519 problem with sin, it is so pervasive, so tied 00:27:29.519 --> 00:27:33.920 to our DNA that we need a new birth. We need 00:27:33.920 --> 00:27:38.400 to be born again. But if you're self -righteous, 00:27:39.299 --> 00:27:41.339 you don't understand the gravity or the weight 00:27:41.339 --> 00:27:43.359 of your sin, and thus you fail to understand 00:27:43.359 --> 00:27:46.700 grace. You talk about it, but you don't get it. 00:27:47.250 --> 00:27:50.529 Ephesians 2, for by grace you have been saved 00:27:50.529 --> 00:27:54.049 through faith. And that, not of yourselves. Listen 00:27:54.049 --> 00:27:58.250 folks, it is what? The gift of God. All of it. 00:27:58.470 --> 00:28:01.250 The faith to believe, the grace that you receive, 00:28:01.450 --> 00:28:06.329 all of it's a gift of God. Why? Paul said this 00:28:06.329 --> 00:28:08.329 in 1 Corinthians 1, that no flesh should glory 00:28:08.329 --> 00:28:10.650 in its presence. He says that again here. It 00:28:10.650 --> 00:28:14.289 can't be of works, lest anyone should boast in 00:28:14.289 --> 00:28:17.819 the presence of God. There will be no bragging 00:28:17.819 --> 00:28:21.740 before God. There will only be humble rejoicing 00:28:21.740 --> 00:28:25.500 for His grace and mercy. Only those who understand 00:28:25.500 --> 00:28:27.259 their sickness will ever come to the doctor. 00:28:27.579 --> 00:28:29.200 I mean, most of us don't call the doctor and 00:28:29.200 --> 00:28:31.579 make an appointment when we feel well. It just 00:28:31.579 --> 00:28:34.539 doesn't happen. That's the problem with Pharisees. 00:28:34.839 --> 00:28:37.160 They didn't recognize their need, and they will 00:28:37.160 --> 00:28:40.559 not come to the Savior. But they boasted in knowing 00:28:40.559 --> 00:28:42.160 the law of God. That's what they boasted, and 00:28:42.160 --> 00:28:44.710 they knew. They were great at Bible trivia. They 00:28:44.710 --> 00:28:47.670 were great at sword drills. They knew the Word, 00:28:48.069 --> 00:28:51.309 but they didn't understand it. So Jesus takes 00:28:51.309 --> 00:28:54.029 them back to the Word of God. He says, but go 00:28:54.029 --> 00:28:55.869 and learn what this means, and he gives them 00:28:55.869 --> 00:28:59.450 a Bible verse. I desire mercy and not sacrifice. 00:28:59.950 --> 00:29:02.150 Jesus is quoting from the book of Hosea chapter 00:29:02.150 --> 00:29:05.970 6 verse 6, which says this, for I desire mercy 00:29:05.970 --> 00:29:09.109 and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more 00:29:09.109 --> 00:29:13.309 than burnt offerings. True religion before God 00:29:13.309 --> 00:29:16.450 is not about what you do, but about what he has 00:29:16.450 --> 00:29:20.809 done for us in Christ. It's not about rituals 00:29:20.809 --> 00:29:22.710 and ceremonies. Rituals and ceremonies can be 00:29:22.710 --> 00:29:25.750 fine. They can have their place. Liturgy is great. 00:29:26.609 --> 00:29:29.269 But it has to be a heart that reflects the heart 00:29:29.269 --> 00:29:32.609 of God. It's a heart that reflects what? God's 00:29:32.609 --> 00:29:35.569 mercy and God's compassion. This is what's going 00:29:35.569 --> 00:29:41.319 to please him. Sproul said this. Christ. has 00:29:41.319 --> 00:29:44.420 not commanded us to shake our fingers at every 00:29:44.420 --> 00:29:48.180 center and every outcast of our society. He has 00:29:48.180 --> 00:29:50.619 called us to a ministry of mercy. That is what 00:29:50.619 --> 00:29:54.000 he did and that is what he wants us to do. Amen. 00:29:55.140 --> 00:29:56.660 Friends, the world is the world. The world's 00:29:56.660 --> 00:29:59.319 lost and lost act like lost people. Now let me 00:29:59.319 --> 00:30:01.960 give you a little caveat here. Sproul was not 00:30:01.960 --> 00:30:04.960 referring to those within the church. He's referring 00:30:04.960 --> 00:30:07.670 to those outside the church. There are two standards. 00:30:07.970 --> 00:30:09.809 We have a different standard for those who have 00:30:09.809 --> 00:30:13.170 come to faith in Christ. Immorality must be judged. 00:30:13.529 --> 00:30:15.769 Outside, they need to be rescued. They need to 00:30:15.769 --> 00:30:19.690 be saved. But the Pharisees didn't get it. They 00:30:19.690 --> 00:30:23.549 needed Jesus. They could not see it. So Jesus 00:30:23.549 --> 00:30:25.630 tells in the shocking statement, I can't imagine 00:30:25.630 --> 00:30:27.670 the look on their faces when Jesus said this. 00:30:27.829 --> 00:30:30.309 He said, listen, tax collectors and prostitutes 00:30:30.309 --> 00:30:32.029 will go into the kingdom of heaven before you 00:30:32.029 --> 00:30:37.059 do. Matthew 21, 31. Assuredly. Mark it down. 00:30:37.900 --> 00:30:41.980 I say to you that tax collectors and harlots 00:30:41.980 --> 00:30:47.380 enter the kingdom of God before you." Wow. And 00:30:47.380 --> 00:30:50.519 that's such a strong skating indictment. Jesus 00:30:50.519 --> 00:30:54.220 had just quoted the book of Hosea. Why Hosea? 00:30:55.259 --> 00:30:57.220 Because the Pharisees were acting just like the 00:30:57.220 --> 00:30:59.759 people did in Hosea's time. They were religious, 00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:02.960 but they did not grasp the relationship with 00:31:02.960 --> 00:31:06.329 God that was necessary. See, their hearts were 00:31:06.329 --> 00:31:11.250 cold, censorious, proud. Because of their religious 00:31:11.250 --> 00:31:15.549 devotion, they thought they were right with God. 00:31:16.490 --> 00:31:20.089 But had they truly valued mercy above sacrifice, 00:31:20.430 --> 00:31:22.190 there would have been no boasting, and there 00:31:22.190 --> 00:31:24.130 would have been instead great humility, and there 00:31:24.130 --> 00:31:26.029 would have been rejoicing that Jesus was reaching 00:31:26.029 --> 00:31:30.130 the lost. I want you to listen to these words 00:31:30.130 --> 00:31:32.009 that Jesus spoke. He later on, he was so fed 00:31:32.009 --> 00:31:35.460 up with them. He speaks a parable to them that 00:31:35.460 --> 00:31:39.319 illustrates perfectly Matthew 9. In Luke 18, 00:31:39.839 --> 00:31:43.119 verse 9 to 14, it says also He, that is Jesus, 00:31:43.640 --> 00:31:46.460 He spoke this parable to some who trusted in 00:31:46.460 --> 00:31:48.859 themselves that they were righteous and despised 00:31:48.859 --> 00:31:52.299 others. Who are the Pharisees despising in Matthew 00:31:52.299 --> 00:31:56.079 9? Tax collectors and sinners, all right? He 00:31:56.079 --> 00:31:58.140 says two men went up the temple to pray, one 00:31:58.140 --> 00:32:00.339 a Pharisee and, ah, let's just take, for example, 00:32:00.460 --> 00:32:03.210 the other a tax collector. It's a parable he's 00:32:03.210 --> 00:32:05.730 choosing on purpose. He's contrasting the two. 00:32:06.650 --> 00:32:09.130 One, you have this well -respected, zealous follower 00:32:09.130 --> 00:32:11.549 of God's law, and the other was a notorious corrupt 00:32:11.549 --> 00:32:16.009 thief. Verse 11, the Pharisee stood and prayed 00:32:16.009 --> 00:32:19.329 thus with himself, God, I thank you, that are 00:32:19.329 --> 00:32:23.470 not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, 00:32:23.829 --> 00:32:25.789 or even as his tax collector. Let me just say 00:32:25.789 --> 00:32:27.509 that would please God. God doesn't want you to 00:32:27.509 --> 00:32:30.039 be an extortioner and adulterer. They go on, 00:32:30.059 --> 00:32:33.819 I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that 00:32:33.819 --> 00:32:37.960 I possess. And the tax collector, though, he 00:32:37.960 --> 00:32:41.460 has nothing to offer to God. He stands afar off. 00:32:41.480 --> 00:32:44.200 He's not going to draw near. He would not so 00:32:44.200 --> 00:32:47.440 much as even raise his eyes to heaven. He knew 00:32:47.440 --> 00:32:50.400 he wasn't worthy. But he beats upon his breast 00:32:50.400 --> 00:32:56.289 saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner. Now 00:32:56.289 --> 00:32:59.150 remember, what did Jesus say that God delights 00:32:59.150 --> 00:33:04.589 in or God requires? He desires mercy and not 00:33:04.589 --> 00:33:07.750 sacrifice. So then Jesus gives a conclusion to 00:33:07.750 --> 00:33:09.329 the parable, and he's looking no doubt straight 00:33:09.329 --> 00:33:12.009 at these men. He said, I tell you, this man, 00:33:12.049 --> 00:33:16.029 this tax collector, he went down to his house 00:33:16.029 --> 00:33:20.549 justified rather than the other. The other is 00:33:20.549 --> 00:33:23.789 not justified. The other is condemned. This is 00:33:23.789 --> 00:33:26.289 how tax collectors enter into the kingdom before 00:33:26.289 --> 00:33:31.869 you. For everyone who exalts himself, you want 00:33:31.869 --> 00:33:34.869 to be proud before God? God will humble you, 00:33:35.089 --> 00:33:37.930 and it will be a terrible humbling. But if you 00:33:37.930 --> 00:33:40.009 will humble yourself before the great and strong 00:33:40.009 --> 00:33:43.930 arm of God, you will be exalted. God will justify 00:33:43.930 --> 00:33:46.609 you. Friends, there's only two takeaways here. 00:33:46.710 --> 00:33:50.500 There are two ways. That's it. You are either 00:33:50.500 --> 00:33:52.839 going to seek to earn God's favor through your 00:33:52.839 --> 00:33:56.900 self -effort. It's a fool's errand. You can try. 00:33:56.960 --> 00:33:59.539 You can fast. You can tithe. You can give. You 00:33:59.539 --> 00:34:04.819 can pray. Your heart's far from God. You'll be 00:34:04.819 --> 00:34:08.340 cast out and shut out of the kingdom. Or secondly, 00:34:09.840 --> 00:34:12.519 you don't lift your eyes to heaven. You beat 00:34:12.519 --> 00:34:14.539 upon your breasts and say, God, be merciful to 00:34:14.539 --> 00:34:17.300 me, a sinner. This means you cast yourself upon 00:34:17.300 --> 00:34:20.690 the mercy of God. given to us in Christ Jesus. 00:34:22.329 --> 00:34:25.329 It's what we see in Matthew, an unlikely convert, 00:34:26.130 --> 00:34:29.690 the call of an unlikely disciple. No one, friends, 00:34:29.889 --> 00:34:32.969 no one in here, no one out there is beyond the 00:34:32.969 --> 00:34:38.230 saving reach or arm of God. So what about for 00:34:38.230 --> 00:34:42.449 us, for the church? Jesus called Matthew to be 00:34:42.449 --> 00:34:45.389 his disciple and we're told that Matthew left 00:34:45.389 --> 00:34:48.980 everything. He left a job of great financial 00:34:48.980 --> 00:34:52.360 security. His trust could no longer be in this 00:34:52.360 --> 00:34:56.340 money. It had to be in Christ. Do you remember 00:34:56.340 --> 00:34:58.760 when Jesus called Andrew and Peter and James 00:34:58.760 --> 00:35:01.500 and John earlier in Matthew? What were they? 00:35:01.559 --> 00:35:03.380 They were fishermen by trade. And when Jesus 00:35:03.380 --> 00:35:05.159 walked by and He called them, what are we told? 00:35:05.239 --> 00:35:07.559 It says they left their nets and their boats 00:35:07.559 --> 00:35:09.820 behind to follow Christ. They left their old 00:35:09.820 --> 00:35:12.500 way. Matthew got up from the tax office and he 00:35:12.500 --> 00:35:14.610 leaves it. So what about us? You're like, well, 00:35:14.610 --> 00:35:16.630 those are special cases. Yeah, those are apostles. 00:35:17.889 --> 00:35:21.469 They're disciples. When we come to Jesus, we 00:35:21.469 --> 00:35:24.690 leave behind our old life as well. You and I 00:35:24.690 --> 00:35:27.250 are called to abandon ourselves to Him and Him 00:35:27.250 --> 00:35:29.070 alone. What does that mean? It means seeking 00:35:29.070 --> 00:35:31.269 His will and His kingdom above everything else. 00:35:31.650 --> 00:35:34.210 Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. 00:35:34.650 --> 00:35:36.949 That's what we're called to do. So here's the 00:35:36.949 --> 00:35:41.269 cry of the disciple. Lord, do with me whatever 00:35:41.269 --> 00:35:45.219 you will. Whatever you want. Because we are not 00:35:45.219 --> 00:35:48.579 our own. We've been bought with a price. And 00:35:48.579 --> 00:35:50.500 we are to therefore glorify God in our bodies. 00:35:50.920 --> 00:35:52.619 It means, friends, everything. We give everything 00:35:52.619 --> 00:35:56.440 to Him. Your life, your home, your family, your 00:35:56.440 --> 00:35:58.659 job, your security, it all belongs to Him. He 00:35:58.659 --> 00:36:03.139 purchased you. But you and I know that He's good, 00:36:03.139 --> 00:36:06.699 right? And it's a choir saying He's faithful. 00:36:07.860 --> 00:36:11.280 So we trust Him. He only has good plans for you. 00:36:12.019 --> 00:36:15.800 Realize this, folks. He is the true King, son 00:36:15.800 --> 00:36:18.960 of David, and the true Savior, son of Abraham. 00:36:19.840 --> 00:36:23.000 And you and I bow our knees before Him today, 00:36:23.420 --> 00:36:27.420 confessing Him as our Lord. This is the message 00:36:27.420 --> 00:36:30.199 that Matthew wants you to get. Cast yourself 00:36:30.199 --> 00:36:32.760 up on the mercy of Christ. The saving reach and 00:36:32.760 --> 00:36:35.320 arm of God is there for you. You humble yourself, 00:36:35.340 --> 00:36:38.440 He'll receive you. You in refusal and pride, 00:36:38.920 --> 00:36:40.960 He will humble you on that great day of judgment. 00:36:41.729 --> 00:36:45.510 Come to Christ today. Let's bow our heads and 00:36:45.510 --> 00:36:49.909 prepare our hearts for the table. Father, we 00:36:49.909 --> 00:36:52.809 thank you, Lord, for your word. Lord, it is good. 00:36:53.010 --> 00:36:55.429 It's so very good. And Lord, I thank you for 00:36:55.429 --> 00:36:57.489 the calling of Matthew. Lord, it reminds us of 00:36:57.489 --> 00:36:59.530 our own calling. Lord, help us to see ourselves 00:36:59.530 --> 00:37:01.909 as him. Lord God, we are the tax collectors. 00:37:02.030 --> 00:37:04.510 We are the sinners. Lord, we are the notoriously 00:37:04.510 --> 00:37:07.369 corrupt ones, as Paul wrote about in Romans 3. 00:37:07.530 --> 00:37:10.090 Lord, we were the ones who were far off in Ephesians 00:37:10.090 --> 00:37:13.159 2. Lord, we have nothing to brag. We can't bring 00:37:13.159 --> 00:37:15.980 to you our piety. We can't bring to you the works 00:37:15.980 --> 00:37:18.239 of our hands, for if we did, Lord, we would be 00:37:18.239 --> 00:37:24.159 consumed. Lord, just as Cain was. Lord God, we 00:37:24.159 --> 00:37:26.719 come to you casting ourselves upon your mercy. 00:37:27.000 --> 00:37:28.900 Lord, we don't want to lift up our eyes to you. 00:37:28.920 --> 00:37:31.980 We bow our hearts to you, but we do this. We 00:37:31.980 --> 00:37:35.179 confess your son is Lord. He's the king, the 00:37:35.179 --> 00:37:37.599 son of David, and he's the savior, the son of 00:37:37.599 --> 00:37:41.440 Abraham, and we trust in him. All our hope is 00:37:41.440 --> 00:37:45.739 in him. All our security lies in him. Thank you, 00:37:45.880 --> 00:37:48.539 Father, that he is faithful. Lord, we know that 00:37:48.539 --> 00:37:50.719 he cannot renege. We know that he cannot fail. 00:37:51.019 --> 00:37:54.079 He has died and risen again, has ascended to 00:37:54.079 --> 00:37:56.559 the most exalted place in heaven, and we trust 00:37:56.559 --> 00:37:58.960 him, Lord. Father, I pray for my brothers and 00:37:58.960 --> 00:38:00.920 sisters this morning. Some may be going through 00:38:00.920 --> 00:38:03.139 difficult trials. Lord, help their faith to grow 00:38:03.139 --> 00:38:06.159 to see Jesus. Lord, I pray for them, Lord, who 00:38:06.159 --> 00:38:08.400 are just wavering and being tossed about. Lord, 00:38:08.679 --> 00:38:11.260 help them to be fully fixed and Lord, firm and 00:38:11.260 --> 00:38:14.360 resolute in their trust in Christ, Lord. Father, 00:38:14.400 --> 00:38:16.420 may your spirit work, Lord, in those who are 00:38:16.420 --> 00:38:18.619 lost. Lord, awaken them. Maybe there's someone 00:38:18.619 --> 00:38:21.280 like the Pharisee here this morning that in their 00:38:21.280 --> 00:38:23.440 pride, they come to church and they are clean 00:38:23.440 --> 00:38:25.880 living and moral and give and they even pray, 00:38:25.900 --> 00:38:28.280 but their heart is far from you. Lord, I pray 00:38:28.280 --> 00:38:29.960 that God in your grace, you would open their 00:38:29.960 --> 00:38:32.559 eyes. Lord, help them to see their need and to 00:38:32.559 --> 00:38:35.480 cast themselves. upon your mercy to humble themselves 00:38:35.480 --> 00:38:37.500 before you, Lord. For there will not be a proud 00:38:37.500 --> 00:38:40.079 man to enter to heaven, for you actively resist 00:38:40.079 --> 00:38:42.659 the proud. I pray this in Jesus' name and for 00:38:42.659 --> 00:38:43.340 his glory alone.