Luke 5:27-32
I am in the ninth thought on this series
using the words of Jesus “I came” or “I have come”… And, the purpose is of
course, to show through each of these scriptures the purpose of Jesus ministry.
His number one purpose and priority was to bring salvation and eternal life
through his final sacrifice on the Cross; to give his life as a ransom for many.
All of the things we have looked at so far in this series have to do with that purpose,
but, we would be missing the whole point if we miss the fact that what Jesus
came to do is also the ministry and purpose of the church. “I came” said Jesus,
1. “to seek and to save that which was lost” and we must
ask ourselves; “Are we doing that?”
Are we
seeking the lost? Or are we waiting for them to find us?
2. “to serve”…Do we come to serve or to be served?3. “to do His will”…Do we seek to do God’s will in our lives and in the church, or do we seek
for God to bless our will?
4. “not to destroy the law, but to fulfill the law”…We are under grace, but also still, the law…
and to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, and soul, and to love one another, is
to fulfill all the law.
5. “not to bring peace, but a sword”… Do we teach that following Christ can bring division; it
will call for a decision; and complete determination or commitment. The point is that
salvation…the turning…is just the beginning, not the end or all it takes to be a
Christian…or that salvation of sinners is the only mission or purpose of the church.
In today’s scripture, we hear Jesus saying “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repent-ance.” What do you think he means by that? Well, first of all, we need to know that he was not talking about the Pharisees as being righteous… but rather using them with “tongue in cheek” to mean “those who think they are righteous.” Those who don’t realize just how filthy they are. For the Word says in ( Isaiah 64:6 ) that our “righteousness is like filthy rags”… And in Romans 3:10 “There is none righteous, not even one.” Like the Pharisees, it is easy for us to think we are righteous comp-ared to others in the world…or that we are in some way better than others in the world… but we must never lose sight of the truth that we are all sinners in need of a Savior! A Savior who loves us and accepts us and forgives us without barriers; or social, economic, political, or racial prejudices…That’s why I like the word “whosoever!”
Jesus was fascinating. He didn’t quite agree, comply, or live up to people’s expectations. In the presence of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, Jesus embraced Levi the tax collector, and said “Come, follow me!” Jesus had come for people just like Matthew…sinners in need of grace. He came for people just like the Pharisees, religious, self-righteous, and in need of repentance and forgiveness. He himself would often suffer criticism and rejection, untill his death for being in the company of lost sinners. The Pharisees did not understand why Jesus would associate with tax-collectors and sinners. It was one thing to minister to them if they came to the Temple…but, to actually befriend and party with them? That’s outrageous!
So Levi throws a party at his home, and I want you to notice that it is not called a “celebration for Levi”... it is not referred to as “a going away party” as Levi leaves his job to start a new life…We’re told that he gave a ‘reception for Jesus. It was a banquet – a feast - for Jesus. You see, true repentance is always followed by an open and joyful reception of Jesus into our life; and the focus is on Him…Not us. Not the church, but Jesus; the One who calls for repentance and imparts new life... and deserves all the praise and worship and glory.
So here we are now, in the home of Levi. A large crowd has gathered into this home and reclined around what was probably a long, low table. Levi is at the head with Jesus, his guest of honor, on his right. At this point in the early ministry of Jesus, some of His own disciples were probably standing back away from the table, wondering why the Master would condescend to sit and eat with these sullied people. In fact, some of them were probably still seething inside over His having even invited Matthew, a despised tax-collector, to follow, side by side with them.
Standing just outside the door, observing the proceedings with disgust, were the Pharisees – in their puffed up arrogance - hissing their grievance into the ears of the disciples; “Why does your Rabbi eat and drink with the tax-collectors and sinners?” As usual, Jesus, who knows the hearts of all men, takes up the slack for his disciples and answers the question Himself; “Who needs a doctor, the healthy or the sick”? Jesus teaches us something that the church should always remember; The world, outside of the walls of the church, becomes in God’s eyes, a sick ward…an emergency room…a place where people (listen) aren’t only sick and depraved because of the sin and wrong they do, they sin and do what is wrong, because they are sick! My friends, Jesus is the cure! So we think, “O, if only they would come in so we could tell them the good news…that we have the cure! What do you think would have happened if Jesus would have sat around in the Temple waiting for people to come?
In 2 Peter 3:9 it says, “The Lord is not slow about His promise as some would count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.” And, in Luke 15:7 Jesus said, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” or again – “Don’t think they need to repent”.
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” the Bible says…and that sin brings separation and judgment. It is not what God wants for any of his children. He does not want to be separated… He does not want to condemn or bring judgment…That’s why he promised Solomon, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,( repentance ) then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land – their heart; their sickness; their hurt; their pain; their spirit; their family; their church…” The point is that repentance starts the healing process of everything that is wrong in our lives and in our world. Spiritual revival, or personal spiritual renewal cannot take place in the absence of repentance. “I have come to call sinners to repentance” says Jesus.
Repentance, of course, is an essential starting point of the Christian journey. We begin our walk with God by admitting that we need Jesus’ and expressing our sorrow for the sin in our life. However, repentance is more than just saying we are sorry… Repentance requires a “turning around”…180 degrees. We can’t just say we are sorry and go on living the same way. In Matthew 3:8 John the Baptist told the Pharisees to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” If we’ve had a genuine moment of repentance, we should see the fruit of repentance in our lives. Well, that begs the question; “What are the fruits of repentance”? – That might be a sermon by itself, but let me give you just a few;
There is Humility, which is an attitude concerning ourselves before God and others before ourselves.
There is Compassion; Patience; a different way of thinking and feeling and a change of actions;
There is also a sense of urgency, life is short and we must do all that we can for God’s Kingdom.
When there is true repentance, there will be change. A person cannot have Christ come in, and the Holy Spirit in their life, and not be changed… A final fruit of repentance is dependence. Realizing that all that we have and all that we are is totally dependent upon God. You see, repentance is a word that involves both a positive and a negative. A turning away from, and a turning to...and it requires much more than we think.
No comments:
Post a Comment