11.22.2009 What it means to follow - Matthew/Levi

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11.22.2009 Grace Summit Sermon - Following Jesus - Matthew from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

Lord, we thank You that You have called each of us to follow You and for that we are grateful. You loved us so much to give Your life for us and then You called us into relationship with You to know and understand Your love. You love can only be understood through Your love – in everything You are looking and pursuing us with Your love. We make ourselves available to You to understand what we mean to You.

We are looking at Luke 5 – the calling of Matthew

Luke 5: 27 And after that He went out, and noticed a tax-gatherer named Levi, sitting in the tax office, and He said to him, "Follow Me." 28 And he left everything behind, and rose and [began] to follow Him. 29 And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax-gatherers and other [people] who were reclining [at the table] with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes [began] grumbling at His disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with the tax-gatherers and sinners?" 31 And Jesus answered and said to them, "[It is] not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. 32 "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."

As we look at this story – we might say – I don’t know if you have ever gone out to dinner and see someone you don’t expect and they look at you say the phrase –“Oh, they’ll let anyone in here!” I never say that – people only say it about me – well – that is how it was here.

Matthew was a tax collector. When you think of someone working for the IRS – that is scary enough. But in this time – the collectors would bid on the contract. The trick – the person who won the bid had to pay the entire amount up front. These were wealthy men. Then they would go out and spend the rest of the year collecting the money for the taxes. It was not income taxes, but for goods and services. As people would enter the market, they would stop people – and they had a specific percentage they were allowed to take. They would look at the goods and determine the value.

Maybe it was only worth $10 – but they would say it was worth $30 and tax that.

Another way they would make money would be usury – the unlawful collection of a high rate of interest – like a loan shark. These were oftentimes people of the nationality of the people they would take taxes from. Matthew was a Jew and was defrauding his own people and were despised as much as anyone. Jesus went to this tax collector and said – “Follow Me!” – and Matthew reports that he got up and left everything and followed him. This is similar to the others – but the others were fishermen – the fishermen could go back. When Matthew left his tax collection to follow Jesus, he couldn’t go back.

I had a friend, Rob Whitaker – whose brother was an air traffic controller. They went on strike – and Ronald Reagan fired them all. They believed that they couldn’t get by without them – but he was without an air traffic control job for about a decade as a result. Matthew was a very wealthy man who gave it all to follow Jesus fully.

We are all called to follow fully, but there are some who are called to follow radically. In the early days, my wife and I lived radically. I had no other possessions than a small box. When Cindy and I were first married – the church we belonged to didn’t believe in paying pastors. The only way we got money was by people giving money of their own volition – to put money in an envelope and secretly getting it to you. There was no collection at church. It was an interesting way to live. It was adventurous at times – but it is not about thrill-seeking.

Craig Gross – is in ministry and is called the Porn Pastor. Let me explain – he is called to help people who are trapped and addicted to pornography. That is his ministry. They are also involved in helping people out of the porn industry – they share the gospel and a number of people have left the industry. If you are in that industry – you cannot go back. It is a lucrative industry. Paul Sartarelli’s dad was a doctor – and he was to become a doctor – but when he was called to be a pastor – he was called out of that.

If God has called you into a profession – that is fine – it is no less than being called into ministry – but at times, God makes a radical calling on our lives. When God calls us radically – He wants us to follow Him and to be always available to that calling on our lives. It is not for someone else – we are all called to follow fully. There is no one who is called – but to not follow fully.

Jeremiah 2: 2 "Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, 'Thus says the Lord, "I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth, The love of your betrothals, Your following after Me in the wilderness, Through a land not sown

God is saying to Israel – when Moses and this new community is founded and God brings them out of Egypt – not knowing where they were going – they delighted in that – it was a scary thing – who will feed us and take care of us – but we all, at some time, will have that following of Jesus – like the engagement and newlywed phase of a marriage. In Jeremiah, He is asking for that to come true again. For all of us, we go on and get settled – and afraid to take the steps when called upon.

Luke 5: 29 And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd (a LOT of people – like a wedding reception!) of tax-gatherers and other [people] who were reclining [at the table] with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes [began] grumbling at His disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with the tax-gatherers and sinners?"

The Jews had categories for everyone. They liked to categorize people. These other people were the ones who hung out with tax collectors – and they were referred to by the Pharisees as ‘sinners’

When Peter fell before Jesus and said – Depart from me, for I am a sinful man! – That is one kind of sinner – He was trying to live a life faithful to God. He lived by his Torah – and in the presence of Jesus, recognized his sinfulness.

Then there was a second type of ‘sinner’ – those who were unclean, morally and socially. Sinners and prostitutes. People who, in the Pharisees minds were morally corrupt and social outcasts. They were the most despised group of this community.

We see this today – when someone like this is cast out of the community – the Jews were into separating – they form communities. The outcasts form communities of outcasts. Think back to high school – those who didn’t fit in formed their own community. It is that way today. You can go into any high school and see it dividing up. There are always these outcasts who form their own community. People need affirmation and acceptance. We see this with Jesus here – tapping into this. He brings those into His community.

What is going on here – Table fellowship – it is important to understand this because it was important to the Jewish people – You weren’t allowed to eat with certain people in certain situations. The Jews wanted to separate. First, they did this by circumcision – and then they had 341 purity laws. Of those 229 related to meals. Laws – pertaining to meals to separate themselves from others. If Matthew, as a tax-collector entered Peter’s home – it was declared as unclean. Until it was purified – not that it was dirty – but unclean religiously.

Gentile Perspective on the Jews: They had made their hatred of humankind into a tradition – and on this account had introduced utterly outlandish laws; - not to break bread with any other race, nor to show them any good will at all” Diodorus Siculus

Jesus responds – addressing their understanding of God.

Luke 5:31 And Jesus answered and said to them, "[It is] not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. 32 "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."

This is an amazing answer. There is nothing else that needs to be said. Jesus had a real clarity of vision and purpose. They are challenging him and angry with him – they feel He has lost it and He comes back with crystal clarity as to why he came to earth and nothing will stop Him.

Last week – what struck me the most – each had unbelievable clarity of vision and purpose.

Dave Brunelle – their whole focus on the poor – they feed 600 / month and touch 3000 families in a year.

Jason at H2O Kent – all they are doing is college students – that is their focus.

We were up – Dave and I went to Ann Arbor Monday and Tuesday for a conference. Mike Hopkins went too – we decided it was not a good time to wear our OSU stuff.

The church bought a sorority house – and tacked an auditorium onto it. This was a $4 million dollar project. When families come – they tell them – we don’t provide any services to families (no nursery/Sunday school/etc.) – they focus on college students.

Jesus had this same focus and clarity – and this is where it fits in for all of us -0 He came to the sick – the poor in Spirit – to sinners. We are all called to those who are sinners. That is our calling as Christians. “Oh, I am just called to the Church!” NO! That is nowhere to be found.

Jesus breaks their categories into just two – those who are sinners and know it – and those who are sinners and don’t know it. Those are the only two categories from God’s perspective. The first category is the poor in spirit. We are a part of the first category – those who know it.

One phrase Matthew adds…

Matt. 9: 12 But when He heard this, He said, "[It is] not those who are healthy who need a physician , but those who are sick. 13 "But go and learn what [this] means, 'I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Sacrifice – for the Jews – He is referring to their acceptable Jewish religious practices. Their religious obligation – making an offering – you’ll see this in Hosea – and throughout the Old Testament - you see the prophets telling them God wants their hearts, not sacrifice. Stop the focus on the sacrifice and focus on the heart. Mercy – sympathy so deep you are compelled to act. After Rachel spoke on Sunday about the AIDS orphans – I noticed some folks going back to sign up to support an AIDS orphan – and that is compassion. Compelled to act. We sing – Everyone needs compassion – the kindness of a Savior – do we really believe that?

James 2: 13 For judgment [will be] merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

When I became a Christian, it was under a deep sense of guilt. Sometimes our kids don’t have that – because they learned it so early. I had this guilt and a need for mercy. Now, as I go through life, I become the Pharisee – categorizing people – ‘why can’t they stop that!’ – ‘if only they would do this!’ – but God is faithful to let me know how much I need His mercy and compassion. I urge you to remain there in your life. Have you thought about that lately – how much you need His mercy and compassion? If you haven’t, you’ll be merciless. It is impossible to demonstrate mercy unless you understand the mercy given to you – and you’ll become a judge and Pharisee of others.

God, help us to understand how gracious and merciful you have been to us. We are so unworthy and yet you have chosen to forgive us of all our sins. We are the Matthews – and now we can banquet with You. We are grateful to You – in Your name we pray – amen.