The Gospel of Luke #21

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:05.000 Jesus Christ, we come to you because we come to your word. It 2 00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:08.320 is your word, Lord, it is your word. You have given it 3 00:00:08.359 --> 00:00:12.560 to us, God, and we account every word in it, Lord, 4 00:00:12.599 --> 00:00:16.600 has coming from you. And Lord, therefore, when we read it, 5 00:00:16.600 --> 00:00:22.719 it speaks deep into our heart because Lord, reveals the hidden recesses that we 6 00:00:22.839 --> 00:00:28.800 have. And Lord, today, as we look at a brother whom you 7 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:35.039 called out of great darkness. And yet, Lord, in the instant that 8 00:00:35.200 --> 00:00:44.600 you called him in two words, he arose by your effectual calling and followed 9 00:00:44.640 --> 00:00:50.560 you and then began to live and to share his testimony through a Gospel that 10 00:00:50.600 --> 00:00:54.799 he would give about you. Lord, we pray as we look at this 11 00:00:54.880 --> 00:01:00.719 word challenge us. Let us see ourselves as we all so, we're great 12 00:01:00.759 --> 00:01:04.359 sinners, and let us see that we may follow the example of this brother 13 00:01:06.120 --> 00:01:10.719 if we ask your blessing now upon this word illuminated to us, if we 14 00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:15.000 prayed in Christ's name. Amen. Man, turn, if you will, 15 00:01:15.159 --> 00:01:19.159 to Luke Chapter Five. So we make our way through the gospel of Luke, 16 00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:26.280 a short text this morning, but I think, a very important text. 17 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:32.799 Of course, all of God's Word is important. Luke Chapter Five, 18 00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:37.159 beginning with verse twenty seven, reading to verse thirty two. This is again 19 00:01:37.280 --> 00:01:42.239 God's word. After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi 20 00:01:42.079 --> 00:01:48.920 sitting at the tax booth and he said to him follow me, and leaving 21 00:01:48.959 --> 00:01:53.840 everything, he rose and followed him, and Levin made a great or made 22 00:01:53.920 --> 00:01:57.840 him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of 23 00:01:57.879 --> 00:02:02.480 tax collectors and others need at table with them. And the Pharisees and their 24 00:02:02.519 --> 00:02:07.439 scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying why do you eat and drink with tax 25 00:02:07.520 --> 00:02:14.639 collectors and sinners? and Jesus answered them those who are well have no need 26 00:02:14.680 --> 00:02:17.960 of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to 27 00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:23.560 call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. That sense the reading of God's 28 00:02:23.560 --> 00:02:32.439 word. Please be seated. So we come to a short passage this morning 29 00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:37.479 that relates to us the calling of one of the disciples of our Lord. 30 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:43.319 We are not given in detail the calling of all the apostles in the Bible. 31 00:02:43.400 --> 00:02:46.759 We are given some, particularly the fishermen. We are given their calling 32 00:02:47.400 --> 00:02:53.719 and but outside of that we have this calling here of of Levi. And 33 00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:58.000 so, since the Lord doesn't see fit to record all of their callings, 34 00:02:58.439 --> 00:03:01.280 uh. It seems as if there is a special reason that God puts this 35 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:07.240 calling uh not only in the scriptures, but actually in all three of the 36 00:03:07.319 --> 00:03:12.759 Synoptic Gospels, including the Gospel that was written by the man who is in 37 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:17.439 this text. And so there is something here that his extraordinary, and part 38 00:03:17.479 --> 00:03:22.719 of it, we'll know, is because here God, our God and Christ, 39 00:03:22.840 --> 00:03:27.800 calls one of the most hated men of all time, at least of 40 00:03:27.879 --> 00:03:32.159 that time and perhaps in our time, a tax collector. And so we'll 41 00:03:32.199 --> 00:03:37.919 begin by looking at versus. So we are introduced to a certain tax collector 42 00:03:38.599 --> 00:03:42.199 by the name of Levi. Of course, we know him better as Matthew. 43 00:03:42.919 --> 00:03:46.080 In Matthew's account of his own calling, he gives that he gives his 44 00:03:46.199 --> 00:03:52.479 name in that account has matthew, but luke and mark give it as Levi 45 00:03:53.400 --> 00:03:55.719 Uh. In the listing of all the apostles that are found in Matthew, 46 00:03:55.759 --> 00:04:01.240 mark and Luke U and acts every time I'm he is referred to there as 47 00:04:01.360 --> 00:04:08.080 Matthew. Mark even further identifies him as the son of Alpheus, but that 48 00:04:08.159 --> 00:04:12.199 doesn't really help us much. There is another disciple who was the son of 49 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:15.800 Alpheus, by the name of James but it does not appear that this is 50 00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:20.120 the same alpheus. Now, why does Matthew have two names? While there 51 00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:25.120 could be a couple of reasons, we don't know for sure, but one 52 00:04:25.279 --> 00:04:30.319 is that some people had named to names from the beginning. It appears this 53 00:04:30.319 --> 00:04:33.480 would be the case with Thomas, who was also called Didimus, which means 54 00:04:33.519 --> 00:04:39.560 the twin, which indicates it probably he had that second name from the very 55 00:04:39.639 --> 00:04:44.560 beginning. But it also could be because in his call, Jesus changed his 56 00:04:44.720 --> 00:04:48.560 name, as he did to uh Simon, whom he called Cephas or Peter 57 00:04:49.199 --> 00:04:53.480 Uh and, and gave him that name, and so it could be also 58 00:04:54.360 --> 00:04:59.759 that matthew had that happened. The name Matthew Means Gift of God, so 59 00:04:59.800 --> 00:05:02.920 that could very well lead to the fact that maybe our Lord Jesus said this 60 00:05:02.959 --> 00:05:08.839 would be the name that he would now be known by. In all three 61 00:05:08.839 --> 00:05:15.000 of the gospels, his calling is recorded immediately after the healing of the Paralytic, 62 00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:18.600 and I've told you that Luke is not that interested in chronology and tells 63 00:05:18.680 --> 00:05:24.959 the events as he's fit. But the fact that it finds itself in all 64 00:05:25.079 --> 00:05:30.160 three Gospels in this location leads us to believe that probably this was exactly when 65 00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:36.360 mark or matthew or Levi's calling happened. Now, his occupation, as I 66 00:05:36.399 --> 00:05:40.920 mentioned, was a tax collector and, as I mentioned, I'm sure you 67 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:45.959 know, in those days particularly, the tax collector was one of the most 68 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:50.399 hated men in all of the land, and there was a lot of reasons 69 00:05:50.800 --> 00:05:57.199 that people weren't very fond of them. Also known as Publicans. Uh. 70 00:05:57.240 --> 00:06:01.279 There are times in the gospels in one breath linked together with sinners. So 71 00:06:01.319 --> 00:06:06.759 we find it several times, even here in verse nine, the phrase Publicans 72 00:06:06.800 --> 00:06:13.439 and sinners. So they are expressly called out in that thing that we find 73 00:06:13.600 --> 00:06:18.959 nine times in the gospels. Now there are three main reasons that the tax 74 00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:27.519 collectors were hated. Number one, in going into that occupation and collecting taxes 75 00:06:27.560 --> 00:06:32.240 for the Romans, who were invaders and oppressors, the tax collectors were considered 76 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:36.920 by the people as traders to Israel. They never believed it was lawful for 77 00:06:38.079 --> 00:06:43.120 Rome to rule over them, and so therefore the tax collector working for the 78 00:06:43.199 --> 00:06:47.519 Roman government. No, he was hated. The second reason was not only 79 00:06:47.560 --> 00:06:53.319 did they collect the taxes that Rome wanted, but they were able to add 80 00:06:53.480 --> 00:06:57.959 other things of their own that they could add to the taxes. This is 81 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:02.319 how they made their living. So were also considered as thieves. And the 82 00:07:02.439 --> 00:07:08.759 third was because of their jobs, they were often in contact with other gentiles 83 00:07:08.839 --> 00:07:15.120 or gentiles and therefore they were also considered unclean. So what were tax collectors? 84 00:07:15.160 --> 00:07:20.639 They were traitorous, unclean thieves. Not a good combination. And the 85 00:07:20.720 --> 00:07:24.680 people who wanted to be tax collectors in those days, they didn't just go 86 00:07:24.759 --> 00:07:29.800 in and fill out a job application and listing their previous experience and references and 87 00:07:29.839 --> 00:07:33.439 all that. No, this job was a job that the Romans put up 88 00:07:33.480 --> 00:07:39.560 forbid in each area, that people could actually bid on and the job would 89 00:07:39.600 --> 00:07:45.079 go to the highest bidder. So of course this job was highly coveted among 90 00:07:45.240 --> 00:07:48.079 the covetous, because it could be a job where you could make a lot 91 00:07:48.120 --> 00:07:55.079 of money, and so that was very well. I wanted that particular job. 92 00:07:55.160 --> 00:07:57.920 And then that was another reason, by the way, to hate collect 93 00:07:58.120 --> 00:08:03.079 tax collectors, because most of them were rich because of that. I might 94 00:08:03.079 --> 00:08:07.199 have mentioned this before, but the most money I ever made in my life 95 00:08:07.639 --> 00:08:09.480 was not in the ministry, but it was when I was a door to 96 00:08:09.560 --> 00:08:15.480 door microwave oven salesman. Uh, yes, and this was back in the 97 00:08:15.560 --> 00:08:18.959 seventies when microwaves were brand new and and all of my friends were making two 98 00:08:18.959 --> 00:08:22.959 dollars an hour, which was a minimum wage, and I was making two 99 00:08:24.040 --> 00:08:28.560 hundred dollars a week for three to four hours of work because I would just 100 00:08:28.600 --> 00:08:31.080 schedule three appointments or four appointments. I knew I gets out two or three 101 00:08:31.639 --> 00:08:35.639 microwaves, that I would make a couple hundred dollars and do that, which 102 00:08:35.720 --> 00:08:41.960 was very, very good wages. So Commission work can be very lucrative and 103 00:08:41.000 --> 00:08:46.720 it would be that way with these tax collectors. So we find our Lord 104 00:08:46.799 --> 00:08:50.480 Passing Levi and as he does, he's in his tax booths. So just 105 00:08:50.559 --> 00:08:54.720 like we saw the fishermen were mending their nets or maybe fishing at the time 106 00:08:54.799 --> 00:08:58.799 that the Lord came by and called them uh, here we also find a 107 00:08:58.840 --> 00:09:03.759 man in the middle of his occupation and it says in our verse Jesus saw 108 00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:07.279 a tax collector. Now we have to stop for a moment. You say, 109 00:09:07.360 --> 00:09:09.879 well, I mean what's in that? Of course he saw a big 110 00:09:09.879 --> 00:09:15.960 deal. The word saw here is not a simple word that is often used 111 00:09:15.960 --> 00:09:20.159 for seen. Um, it's not like I might say I saw a bobcat 112 00:09:20.200 --> 00:09:24.840 today. It's not that kind of a word. Strong. says. The 113 00:09:24.879 --> 00:09:30.240 word means to look closely at, that is, by implication, to perceive 114 00:09:31.320 --> 00:09:35.960 literally or figuratively. They are says. It means to behold, look upon, 115 00:09:37.559 --> 00:09:43.360 view, attentatively, contemplate. It's the same word that John Uses in 116 00:09:43.440 --> 00:09:48.759 John One fourteen when it says the word became flesh and dwelt among us and 117 00:09:48.840 --> 00:09:54.600 we beheld. That's the same word. We beheld his Glory as of the 118 00:09:54.639 --> 00:10:01.840 only begotten Son of God. And so Jesus sees deeply into Matthew, and 119 00:10:01.879 --> 00:10:05.240 I want to come back to that. In the application, James Edwards says 120 00:10:05.320 --> 00:10:11.200 it indicates in this word that Jesus was not just looking at but even looking 121 00:10:11.639 --> 00:10:18.320 into Levi. And that makes sense because if you're just looking at the outward 122 00:10:18.519 --> 00:10:24.039 you'd see a tax collector that everybody'd hate. But Jesus looks deeper and he 123 00:10:24.159 --> 00:10:30.399 sees something in Matthew that nobody else could have seen. and Jesus gives the 124 00:10:30.440 --> 00:10:35.799 command that he gives to other disciples as well and simply says follow me because 125 00:10:35.960 --> 00:10:39.360 of what he sees in Matthew. He says that. So in Verse Eight 126 00:10:39.320 --> 00:10:46.240 is probably the most amazing statement in the whole account. Leaving everything, he 127 00:10:46.480 --> 00:10:50.799 rose and followed him. And again we have to take note of the Greek 128 00:10:50.840 --> 00:10:52.679 here, because the English doesn't quite bring it out. And that is when 129 00:10:52.679 --> 00:10:56.639 it says he was leaving. In the Greek it's the heiress tense, which 130 00:10:56.679 --> 00:11:01.399 indicated to once for all acts that he just got up and left everything. 131 00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:05.080 And then it says it followed him. That's not the Herass, that's the 132 00:11:05.159 --> 00:11:09.360 imperfect which indicates, of course, that an action is ongoing, it's not 133 00:11:09.519 --> 00:11:16.200 perfected. And so he leaves in one act and then he follows Jesus for 134 00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:22.639 a lifetime. Now, in one sense, Levi left everything to follow Christ. 135 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:24.679 And you say, well, so it passed her, so did the 136 00:11:24.720 --> 00:11:28.440 fisherman. You're right, but there are some differences. For one thing, 137 00:11:28.519 --> 00:11:33.519 in fact, we see this in the Bible. The fisherman could always go 138 00:11:33.559 --> 00:11:37.679 back to their occupation, they could always go and fish again and in fact, 139 00:11:37.720 --> 00:11:41.159 as I said, the disciples did that. But if you left the 140 00:11:41.200 --> 00:11:46.000 office of a tax collector, people were ready to jump on that one and 141 00:11:46.039 --> 00:11:50.399 bid for that one right away. You were never going back as a tax 142 00:11:50.440 --> 00:11:54.759 collector. When you did it. This was a critical decision that has life 143 00:11:54.840 --> 00:12:01.480 changing application. So Levi left his livelihood aside and follow Jesus. Now he 144 00:12:01.480 --> 00:12:05.360 didn't give away everything that he had because he he has a great feast and 145 00:12:05.399 --> 00:12:07.240 that would have cost the money. So he doesn't just give away everything, 146 00:12:07.279 --> 00:12:11.879 but he leaves his occupation, his means of livelihood, to follow Jesus. 147 00:12:13.440 --> 00:12:16.840 So let in versus twenty nine and thirty. Were told that immediately Levi makes 148 00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:22.360 a great feast in his house. William Hendrickson says what is so wonderful about 149 00:12:22.440 --> 00:12:30.519 Levi is that surrendering everything made him the happiest man in the world. Now 150 00:12:31.440 --> 00:12:35.720 we don't usually throw a feast to celebrate a conversion, but if we look 151 00:12:35.720 --> 00:12:41.240 at this story and the story of the Prodigal Son that Jesus tells, perhaps 152 00:12:41.320 --> 00:12:46.360 that's not a bad idea. There really is probably nothing so joyful in this 153 00:12:46.480 --> 00:12:50.840 life. Has Seen his soul come to Christ right. That is that is 154 00:12:52.240 --> 00:12:56.759 means of great I mean the angels are rejoicing in heaven at that time. 155 00:12:56.200 --> 00:13:00.279 And if the angels, who aren't even of our race at the a Joe's 156 00:13:00.279 --> 00:13:05.320 are rejoicing, how much should we rejoice as well? J C Ryle says, 157 00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:09.240 nothing can happen to a man which ought to be such an occasion of 158 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:13.200 joy as this conversion. It's a far more important event than being married. 159 00:13:13.480 --> 00:13:18.480 Sorry, ladies, are coming of age or being made of noblemen are receiving 160 00:13:18.519 --> 00:13:24.399 a great fortune. It's the birth of an immortal soul. It's the rescue 161 00:13:24.440 --> 00:13:28.840 of a center from Hell. It's a passage from life to death. It's 162 00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:33.879 being made a king and priest for evermore is being provided for, both in 163 00:13:33.960 --> 00:13:39.200 time and eternity. It is adoption into the noblest and richest of all families, 164 00:13:39.559 --> 00:13:43.799 the families of God. So it's a time of rejoicing, a great 165 00:13:43.879 --> 00:13:48.759 time, and the guest list for the party that leave throws is not a 166 00:13:48.759 --> 00:13:54.960 guest list that anybody would really envy in those days or or any time like 167 00:13:56.080 --> 00:14:01.200 that. And Uh, it says that the the guest list is combined with 168 00:14:01.559 --> 00:14:09.000 more tax collectors and sinners. That's how the Pharisees described the crowd that is 169 00:14:09.039 --> 00:14:13.360 there. And a sinner doesn't just mean you know, a reputable sinner, 170 00:14:13.799 --> 00:14:16.720 but I think in this context is telling us these are the low lifes of 171 00:14:16.759 --> 00:14:22.919 the world that Levi invites to his house, those that the Pharisees would particularly 172 00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:28.840 consider great sinners. These are the kind of people that a tax collector whatever 173 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:33.639 his friends, because normal people wouldn't want to associate with the tax collector. 174 00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:41.240 So that is why he could invite other tax collectors and sinners. And so 175 00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:48.240 the people that criticize this are are described to us as the Pharisees and the 176 00:14:48.320 --> 00:14:50.120 scribes that were among them. In other words, there were other scribes, 177 00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:54.799 there were scribes in the sadducies and other parties as well, but these are 178 00:14:54.879 --> 00:15:00.919 scribes of the Pharisees that are present, and so these are are the respected 179 00:15:01.240 --> 00:15:05.679 teachers of the law. And Luke says they grumbled at the disciples, and 180 00:15:05.720 --> 00:15:09.159 I like the King James here better because it says the S V says they 181 00:15:09.159 --> 00:15:15.399 grumbled, but the King James says murmured. Now I don't like murmured better 182 00:15:15.440 --> 00:15:18.960 than grumbled because I think it's a better word per per se as far as 183 00:15:18.039 --> 00:15:22.679 how it translates what they did, but I like it because it is an 184 00:15:22.679 --> 00:15:30.360 example of the English uh figure of speech we call Automatopia. In other words, 185 00:15:30.600 --> 00:15:33.720 these are words that are are like what they uh, what what they 186 00:15:33.759 --> 00:15:39.559 sound like, and they describe that so I like Murmur because that's what murmuring 187 00:15:39.000 --> 00:15:43.200 is right. Murmur, Murmur Murmurs. That that's what the word sounds like. 188 00:15:43.240 --> 00:15:48.000 Well, in Greek the word here is Gone Good Zoe, which is 189 00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:50.919 very much like grumbling. Gone Good Zo, gone good Ze, good Zo, 190 00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:54.879 doesn't it sounds like, okay, you know, it sounds very mean 191 00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:58.480 and it's so a grumbling a kind of word. It's the word that's used. 192 00:15:58.039 --> 00:16:03.159 Uh, and there's a two gendef Israel grumbling against Moses. Paul uses 193 00:16:03.159 --> 00:16:07.879 it in First Corinthian stand referring to the children of Israel murmuring against Moses. 194 00:16:10.039 --> 00:16:14.360 And again, the fact that the Lord and the disciples were eating to the 195 00:16:14.440 --> 00:16:18.600 Pharisees indicated more than just associated. It even indicated, or could indicate to 196 00:16:18.679 --> 00:16:23.799 them a covenant kind of relationship. And so this, of course, would 197 00:16:23.799 --> 00:16:27.480 be terrible. So there was a law in the Talmud that says the disciples 198 00:16:27.480 --> 00:16:33.480 of the learned should not recline at table in the company of the common people. 199 00:16:33.879 --> 00:16:37.360 So they weren't supposed to do it. But in verse thirty one, 200 00:16:37.720 --> 00:16:41.480 Jesus utters a very simple even though we don't know how Jesus knew. They 201 00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:44.759 even said that it said. They said it was disciples. So did he 202 00:16:44.759 --> 00:16:47.919 hear them over hear it? The disciples come and say it to Jesus? 203 00:16:48.120 --> 00:16:51.720 Or did Jesus just known his Omnippancy in His divine nature? We don't know, 204 00:16:51.799 --> 00:16:56.679 but somehow he knows uh concerning that. And so he utters his proverb. 205 00:16:56.759 --> 00:17:00.720 That might have been a common proverb. But the day it's not the 206 00:17:00.840 --> 00:17:03.920 healthy that are in need of a physician but those that are ill. And 207 00:17:03.920 --> 00:17:08.559 of course Luke, as physician, would be very interested in that analogy. 208 00:17:08.759 --> 00:17:15.000 And so in verse thirty two, Jesus utters what looks like a very simple 209 00:17:15.039 --> 00:17:19.400 statement but could be taken different ways. He says I have not come to 210 00:17:19.440 --> 00:17:26.720 call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Now I suppose we could look 211 00:17:26.759 --> 00:17:30.200 at that as the Lord saying I have not come to those who already believe 212 00:17:30.519 --> 00:17:36.680 they are I should say I have not come to those who feel there is 213 00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:42.079 no need uh for for Um righteousness because they think it themselves it's already righteous. 214 00:17:42.200 --> 00:17:48.359 Or I have not come to call those who are really, really righteous, 215 00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:52.680 but those who are really sinners. And so, in Matthew's fuller account, 216 00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:57.599 he actually begins by saying a quotation from Joseah six six, go and 217 00:17:57.720 --> 00:18:06.319 learn what this means. I desire mercy and not sacrifice. In William Hendrickson's 218 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:11.920 commentary on on Luke he makes the case that he thinks the translation repentance is 219 00:18:11.960 --> 00:18:15.559 too weak there and I looked at the Greek word. It's found twenty four 220 00:18:15.599 --> 00:18:21.000 times in the New Testament and twenty four times it's translated repentance. So it 221 00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:25.160 seems like a good translation. But I think Hendrickson's point here is that he 222 00:18:25.240 --> 00:18:30.000 thinks it also can indicate conversion and that that's perhaps what is going on here. 223 00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:36.000 Uh, we're talking about not to repentance but actually to conversion. So 224 00:18:36.119 --> 00:18:41.240 repentance is in most of the translations that I looked at Um, but the 225 00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:45.920 only one I found with conversion was the literal standard version, where it translates 226 00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:51.880 it has conversion. The amplified version translates repentance but adds to change their old 227 00:18:52.400 --> 00:18:56.799 way of thinking, to turn from sin and to seek God and his righteousness. 228 00:18:56.079 --> 00:19:00.440 But anyway, we know of course it. Repentance and conversion are closely 229 00:19:00.440 --> 00:19:04.160 tied together. But to be converted and repent one has to believe that one 230 00:19:04.279 --> 00:19:07.279 is a sinner. Because if you don't believe your sinner, you're not going 231 00:19:07.319 --> 00:19:12.000 to do that. And so of course you have to understand that. And 232 00:19:12.039 --> 00:19:15.359 this is what the Pharisees didn't believe. Now we know some would come to 233 00:19:15.400 --> 00:19:21.279 that knowledge. The Apostle Paul particularly comes to that knowledge. We know that 234 00:19:21.319 --> 00:19:25.319 he said that. You know at the time he thought he was blameless concerning 235 00:19:25.359 --> 00:19:27.279 the law and all of those things, but then all of a sudden the 236 00:19:27.359 --> 00:19:30.400 law came in and said Io shoall not covet, and all of a sudden 237 00:19:30.480 --> 00:19:34.559 he dies. He says so as long as he looked at himself, as 238 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:38.480 he said in Philippians, is touching the law blameless. He's not gonna look 239 00:19:38.519 --> 00:19:42.640 at himself as one who needs conversion. But when he says that sin came 240 00:19:42.680 --> 00:19:47.480 alive and he died, and then of course he's ready. And then he 241 00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:52.480 says to Timothy, I would the chief of sinners. And so here we 242 00:19:52.519 --> 00:19:59.319 have someone in Matthew who is aware of his spiritual condition. He's not under 243 00:19:59.359 --> 00:20:03.079 any miss apprehensions as the kind of person he as. He knows he's a 244 00:20:03.119 --> 00:20:07.279 tax collector, he knows what he is, and so he is ready for 245 00:20:07.400 --> 00:20:11.440 God to work in his life. Well, let's make some applications this morning. 246 00:20:12.160 --> 00:20:15.160 The story, first of all, Levi is a wonderful example to us 247 00:20:15.240 --> 00:20:21.079 of what we believe in the reformed faith concerning the doctrine of salvation. We 248 00:20:21.160 --> 00:20:26.680 see the major points of our doctrine all in this short little story. We 249 00:20:26.720 --> 00:20:30.319 speak about total depravity, for example. That's true. We really are told 250 00:20:30.480 --> 00:20:37.960 much about Levi in the Bible, about pre conversion Levi. But knowing who 251 00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:41.680 he was and his occupation, we would certainly say, and from what follows 252 00:20:41.680 --> 00:20:45.160 in his account, that he would be a good example of somebody who was 253 00:20:45.240 --> 00:20:52.000 not righteous at all and would illustrate to US total depravity. And then from 254 00:20:52.000 --> 00:20:55.039 the kind of people he invites to the feast, we can also make a 255 00:20:55.119 --> 00:20:59.000 guest. I guess we know that when Peter went before the Lord, he 256 00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:03.400 said depart for me, I am a sinful man. But he probably didn't 257 00:21:03.440 --> 00:21:08.240 think himself as sinful as a tax collector. But we see this and we 258 00:21:08.359 --> 00:21:15.279 also see the doctrine of unconditional election. Who Chooses does? Christ walked by 259 00:21:15.359 --> 00:21:18.279 and Levi says, Lord, I want to follow you. No, our 260 00:21:18.359 --> 00:21:25.160 Lord Calls Levi. He is the one who chooses him Levi doesn't choose Christ. 261 00:21:25.759 --> 00:21:29.279 Christ chooses Levi. As he would say later. He would say, 262 00:21:29.319 --> 00:21:33.319 you did not choose me, but I chose you. It was God's election. 263 00:21:34.359 --> 00:21:40.920 And we see our doctrine of irresistible grace. We see what happens in 264 00:21:41.000 --> 00:21:45.039 Levi's case. He doesn't sit there and go, hmmm, I don't know, 265 00:21:45.119 --> 00:21:47.359 Lord, I'm not sure if this is a good move, move from 266 00:21:47.400 --> 00:21:48.960 me right now, because you know, I'm a tax collector, I make 267 00:21:48.960 --> 00:21:52.559 a lot of money, I've got dependence, I've got things I got to 268 00:21:52.599 --> 00:21:57.920 think about. He's not sitting there and says immediately, immediately there's our struggle. 269 00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:02.119 There's no done at all. Levi I just gets up and says, 270 00:22:02.160 --> 00:22:07.000 all right, I'm following you. And so again we see irresistible grace that 271 00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:14.079 draws him into the fold and to believe in the perseverance of the saints. 272 00:22:14.119 --> 00:22:18.480 We know, although we're not we only know from tradition, that Matthew was 273 00:22:18.559 --> 00:22:22.519 martyred and we don't even know how he was martyred because there's different accounts of 274 00:22:22.559 --> 00:22:27.559 that. But we do know that he followed Jesus until the end, because 275 00:22:27.599 --> 00:22:33.079 he wrote the Gospel that is named after him. And so we have all 276 00:22:33.119 --> 00:22:40.160 of these doctrines found in this one little short account of a conversion. We 277 00:22:40.240 --> 00:22:45.160 also see and leave the Lord likes us to be people who introduce other people 278 00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:51.039 to Jesus. The Pharisees thought it was wrong to associate with sinful people around 279 00:22:51.079 --> 00:22:56.960 them. People said that the Pharisees believed in the doctrine of salvation by segregation. 280 00:22:57.200 --> 00:23:02.799 They had forgotten not only Joseah, six six, but also Micah, 281 00:23:03.559 --> 00:23:06.599 the very famous scripture. He has showed the old man what is good. 282 00:23:07.119 --> 00:23:11.200 And what does the Lord require of Thee but to do justly and to love 283 00:23:11.319 --> 00:23:18.880 mercy and to Walk Humbly With Thy God? Phil rikin points out, the 284 00:23:18.880 --> 00:23:23.880 Pharisee isn't someone we find outside the church, but inside the church, and 285 00:23:23.920 --> 00:23:30.359 here we see the problem of trying to be holier than thou. The Pharisees 286 00:23:30.359 --> 00:23:32.720 were like the Leo to see in Church. It said, Oh, we 287 00:23:32.799 --> 00:23:37.559 are rich and increased with goods and want nothing, and Jesus said no, 288 00:23:37.839 --> 00:23:45.920 you're poor, wretched, miserable, blind, naked. I want you to 289 00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:52.319 notice in the account not only what Jesus said but what he doesn't say. 290 00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:59.359 He doesn't deny the charge leveled against him. What is the charge? You 291 00:23:59.400 --> 00:24:03.400 eat with tax collectors and sinners? He doesn't say, Oh, wait, 292 00:24:03.480 --> 00:24:06.480 everything, man, no, no, no, I don't associate. No, 293 00:24:06.759 --> 00:24:12.200 he accepts the charge has been completely true. What the Pharisees should have 294 00:24:12.240 --> 00:24:15.319 done at that point to say, well then, let us come to the 295 00:24:15.359 --> 00:24:18.880 table, because we're sinners too. But of course they didn't do that, 296 00:24:18.920 --> 00:24:22.920 did they? Kelvin said, we are reminded that the grace of crisis of 297 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:27.640 no advantage to us unless, when conscious of our sins and groaning under their 298 00:24:27.680 --> 00:24:33.799 load, we approached to him with humility. Let's go back to Levi for 299 00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:37.480 a moment, because I think there's an important lesson. As I said, 300 00:24:38.079 --> 00:24:45.400 he's someone introduced people to Jesus. The Pharisees thought it was wrong to associate 301 00:24:45.400 --> 00:24:53.400 with sinful people, but Levi didn't think that. Now let me ask you 302 00:24:53.400 --> 00:25:02.559 a question. What do you know about Matthew Levi? Now I know you 303 00:25:02.599 --> 00:25:06.319 don't have to answer. I know what you know about Matthew Levin. You 304 00:25:06.440 --> 00:25:11.640 know about his call because it's here. You know he wrote a Gospel because 305 00:25:11.640 --> 00:25:15.119 it's in your Bible, and you know he was one of the twelve apostles 306 00:25:15.119 --> 00:25:19.920 because he shows up in all four lists. What else? You know nothing. 307 00:25:22.359 --> 00:25:26.400 I know nothing. There's no record of Levi Matthew ever saying anything in 308 00:25:26.440 --> 00:25:32.200 the Gospels. We don't read of him ever uttering the saying. His recorded 309 00:25:32.240 --> 00:25:34.319 words of Christ we have in the Gospel, but we know nothing about him 310 00:25:34.319 --> 00:25:41.079 personally outside of what we have here. He's kind of a nobody, but 311 00:25:41.160 --> 00:25:49.759 yet in the opinion of Christ he becomes a great somebody. He was humble, 312 00:25:51.559 --> 00:25:57.000 he was merciful, he invites all the rejects and in so doing he 313 00:25:57.079 --> 00:26:03.079 gives to us an example that is given to us by our Lord Jesus and 314 00:26:03.119 --> 00:26:10.920 also by the Apostle Paul. Jesus associated with tax collectors and sinners, and 315 00:26:11.079 --> 00:26:17.240 we should associate and socialize with tax collectors and sinners. We should do that. 316 00:26:18.319 --> 00:26:21.640 Paul Instructs the Corinthians at Verse Corinthians Five. I wrote to you in 317 00:26:21.680 --> 00:26:26.519 my letter not to associate with sexually a moral people, not at all meaning 318 00:26:26.559 --> 00:26:30.799 the sexually a moral of this world are the Gredient, swindlers or idolaturs. 319 00:26:30.799 --> 00:26:36.599 Since then you would have to go out of the world and you should associate 320 00:26:36.960 --> 00:26:41.960 with those kinds of people. That's who Levi I associated with and in one 321 00:26:42.039 --> 00:26:48.920 sense we should even seek out those kind of opportunities for us to be that 322 00:26:48.960 --> 00:26:52.160 way. I want to say something here this morning because I don't want you 323 00:26:52.240 --> 00:26:57.160 to misunderstand before I say what I'm gonna say. I love the ministry. 324 00:26:57.480 --> 00:27:03.279 I Love Particularly Pastoral Ministry. I love being able to preach God's word, 325 00:27:03.319 --> 00:27:07.599 which I have been doing now for probably over forty five years of my life. 326 00:27:07.920 --> 00:27:11.480 I love it. Since I was in seventh grade I knew that God 327 00:27:11.519 --> 00:27:17.640 called me to be a minister and God has been so gracious to allow that 328 00:27:17.680 --> 00:27:22.759 to happen in my life. However, and there are times in my um 329 00:27:22.960 --> 00:27:27.839 ministerial life that I've also worked a secular job to support myself. But I'll 330 00:27:27.839 --> 00:27:33.640 tell you this. The one thing that I really miss about secular work is 331 00:27:33.640 --> 00:27:40.880 the opportunities God gives to share the Gospel. I really really missed that living 332 00:27:41.000 --> 00:27:45.839 among sinners every day, letting your light shine, and I find oftentimes they 333 00:27:45.839 --> 00:27:48.440 wouldn't say anything for a long time, but they would observe. They would 334 00:27:48.440 --> 00:27:55.839 just been days and months and years observing and then one day they come and 335 00:27:55.880 --> 00:28:00.160 they say, I've been watching you and I want to know what is it 336 00:28:00.640 --> 00:28:07.559 that you believe, and so it has been one of my greatest joys in 337 00:28:07.599 --> 00:28:11.799 my life to see a CO worker come to Christ and still living for him 338 00:28:11.839 --> 00:28:18.640 today. I'm so happy and excited about those things. Now you can say, 339 00:28:18.680 --> 00:28:22.680 well, come on, pastor, you you still can converse with sinners, 340 00:28:22.720 --> 00:28:26.680 you can still go out into the world. You know, don't don't 341 00:28:26.720 --> 00:28:29.160 act like you can't do that. Yeah, you're right, I can, 342 00:28:30.119 --> 00:28:34.119 but how great it was to have a whitened harvest before me every day of 343 00:28:34.200 --> 00:28:38.119 my life. But again, I'm not saying I want to leave the pastoral 344 00:28:38.160 --> 00:28:44.640 ministry, and I know that even covid has kind of destroyed that in many 345 00:28:44.680 --> 00:28:48.240 places where I know it's it's a great blessing for people to work at home, 346 00:28:48.279 --> 00:28:52.839 there's no question about it. But yet I sometimes agree because it takes 347 00:28:52.839 --> 00:28:56.839 away so many good opportunities. You say we don't you believe an election? 348 00:28:56.920 --> 00:29:02.599 I do, but I also believe in evangelism as well. But I also 349 00:29:02.640 --> 00:29:06.799 have to say this. In talking about being in the company of sinners, 350 00:29:07.359 --> 00:29:12.359 there is also an inherent danger that is there and we have to be careful 351 00:29:12.480 --> 00:29:17.559 in doing that. I have known believers. In fact we had one man 352 00:29:17.559 --> 00:29:22.559 that we had to discipline who went to a party of people that he worked 353 00:29:22.559 --> 00:29:26.480 with and ended in sin and he had to come and repent before us. 354 00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:34.680 And so we have to be careful. One of my favorite theologians is the 355 00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:41.960 famous one dirty Harry, and dirty Harry one said a man's got to know 356 00:29:42.240 --> 00:29:48.720 his limitations, and I say to you, know your limitations, know your 357 00:29:48.759 --> 00:29:52.319 temptations, know what you have to be careful of in doing this as well. 358 00:29:52.359 --> 00:29:57.920 We are to be wisest serpents and harmless as doves. But the problem 359 00:29:57.920 --> 00:30:04.519 on the other side of this oftentimes is although we are not associating perhaps with 360 00:30:04.599 --> 00:30:10.720 sinners as we ought, yet in the church we don't follow the discipline. 361 00:30:10.839 --> 00:30:14.039 In the same chapter, first Continde. Five, that Paul says that we 362 00:30:14.279 --> 00:30:18.799 don't go out of the world. He says in the church it shouldn't be 363 00:30:18.880 --> 00:30:22.599 that way. He says, I'm writing to you not to associate with anyone 364 00:30:22.599 --> 00:30:27.119 who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed 365 00:30:27.240 --> 00:30:32.519 or is an idolatry, reviler, drunkard or swindler, not even to eat 366 00:30:33.079 --> 00:30:38.440 with such a one. And there Paul is encouraging church discipline so oftentimes the 367 00:30:38.559 --> 00:30:48.160 church has stopped associated with sinners without and doesn't deal with sinners within. But 368 00:30:48.200 --> 00:30:52.319 I want to close on a positive note. I want to close by again 369 00:30:52.480 --> 00:30:56.440 coming back to what I said. The Christ saw something in Matthew that I 370 00:30:56.440 --> 00:31:03.839 don't think anybody else ever really saw, and sometimes I think we don't do 371 00:31:03.920 --> 00:31:08.039 that. Not that God gives us insight into every person, but I think 372 00:31:08.079 --> 00:31:15.680 sometimes we end up with negative opinions and negative thoughts about people. When I 373 00:31:15.720 --> 00:31:21.839 was in junior high, uh, I was in the band and I played 374 00:31:21.880 --> 00:31:27.799 the most manly of instruments to clarinet, and even in junior high, and 375 00:31:27.839 --> 00:31:32.000 I don't know why we did this, but we always had to have marching 376 00:31:32.079 --> 00:31:36.079 band, and so we would go out in the parking lot of our junior 377 00:31:36.160 --> 00:31:42.440 high and we would practice marching formations and in the process of these marching formations 378 00:31:42.759 --> 00:31:48.400 there would come a time when the trombone players would come by the clarinet players. 379 00:31:49.240 --> 00:31:52.400 I was on the outside of the clarinet players and there was a guy 380 00:31:52.440 --> 00:31:57.359 that was on the inside of the trombone players and every time we passed each 381 00:31:57.359 --> 00:32:04.039 other he would make up and slugged me in the arm and he did it 382 00:32:04.279 --> 00:32:08.079 every time he passed me and I really didn't like him. To be honest, 383 00:32:08.759 --> 00:32:14.519 I was not not fond of him at all. Fast forward three years. 384 00:32:15.720 --> 00:32:19.079 I'm on a band trip to Iowa, that state where all your children 385 00:32:19.160 --> 00:32:24.319 love to go, and we're on a bus late at night going back to 386 00:32:24.359 --> 00:32:29.079 our hotel and there's two girls sitting behind me and I carried my Bible and 387 00:32:29.079 --> 00:32:31.519 they knew that and they said, Kim read something out of Your Bible. 388 00:32:32.079 --> 00:32:35.640 I don't know if they were teasing, if they were just, you know, 389 00:32:36.160 --> 00:32:37.759 trying to say something. I don't I don't know what their reason or 390 00:32:37.799 --> 00:32:42.440 if they were sincere. I'm not sure. But Hey, somebody asked me 391 00:32:42.440 --> 00:32:45.160 to read the Bible to him. I'm going to read the Bible to him. 392 00:32:45.200 --> 00:32:47.559 So I take out my little pocket Bible, open it up and all 393 00:32:47.559 --> 00:32:52.279 of a sudden, from the front of the bus comes this guy who always 394 00:32:52.319 --> 00:32:57.440 hit me and he says, are you gonna read from the Bible? He 395 00:32:57.519 --> 00:33:01.400 said Yeah, and he's is can I listen? Wow, it was a 396 00:33:01.400 --> 00:33:05.000 little skeptical. I didn't know what he was gonna do, just make more 397 00:33:05.039 --> 00:33:07.880 fun of me, or what he was going to do, and I said 398 00:33:07.440 --> 00:33:12.759 okay, yeah, it's fine. So I read from the Scriptures. We 399 00:33:12.880 --> 00:33:15.839 ended up, when he got home, having a conversation that went for a 400 00:33:15.839 --> 00:33:22.920 few hours, talking about Christ, salvation, and the end of the story 401 00:33:22.079 --> 00:33:25.960 is he committed his life to Christ. He's still following Christ. I talked 402 00:33:25.960 --> 00:33:34.559 to him this last week. He's still following God years later. I said, 403 00:33:35.839 --> 00:33:38.279 you know, when you were in bed and you used to pass me, 404 00:33:39.440 --> 00:33:43.720 you've always hit me in the arm. Why did you do that? 405 00:33:44.920 --> 00:33:49.160 And he said, well, I really don't know, but I used to 406 00:33:49.240 --> 00:33:53.319 hit people in the arm that I liked. I said, I wish you 407 00:33:53.319 --> 00:34:00.160 wouldn't have liked me, but nonetheless God did a work in his life. 408 00:34:00.920 --> 00:34:06.720 I've worked as lasted. Sometimes we need to see. We think about people 409 00:34:07.119 --> 00:34:10.480 who we despair of ever having a desire for the Gospel. People who leave 410 00:34:10.559 --> 00:34:15.480 the church we think are lost forever, friends and family that you've long shared 411 00:34:15.480 --> 00:34:20.559 the Gospel with and prayed for and interceded for, and you think there was 412 00:34:20.599 --> 00:34:24.679 no hope and everything about them indicates bad and negative and and you think, 413 00:34:24.760 --> 00:34:29.400 oh, it's just it's just not even worth it anymore and I don't even 414 00:34:29.440 --> 00:34:32.880 know if I could pray anymore. And all of these things. But maybe, 415 00:34:34.079 --> 00:34:38.599 just maybe there's a Levi that's there that we don't see. But Jesus 416 00:34:38.639 --> 00:34:45.599 sees something and God sees something in them that we can't see, that we're 417 00:34:45.719 --> 00:34:53.840 blinded to see what it is. But who knows, perhaps perhaps God will 418 00:34:53.880 --> 00:34:59.440 do a great work and we need to be able to look and see with 419 00:34:59.559 --> 00:35:02.440 the eyes faith. I know not everybody is going to come to Christ, 420 00:35:02.480 --> 00:35:07.320 I know that, but let us have the faith and believe and seek not 421 00:35:07.400 --> 00:35:13.440 to give up. Maybe there is a Levi that we don't see. Can 422 00:35:13.480 --> 00:35:17.920 we pray, Lordly, thank you for the faith that Leavi I had and 423 00:35:19.000 --> 00:35:22.440 believing on you and trusting in you and following you. And Lord, he 424 00:35:22.440 --> 00:35:29.119 saw something that Lord, not the Pharisees and scribes could see in that day, 425 00:35:29.159 --> 00:35:32.880 but he saw in you a redeemer who would die for a sins, 426 00:35:32.880 --> 00:35:38.960 who would go to the Cross and shed his blood for the sins that he 427 00:35:39.000 --> 00:35:44.079 committed. And Lord, we see you as well. We see you on 428 00:35:44.119 --> 00:35:50.840 the cross, we see you crying out in mercy and we know that anyone 429 00:35:51.000 --> 00:35:55.960 here today that sincerely cries out to you as you work in their life can 430 00:35:57.000 --> 00:36:00.599 know you and find you as a savior, Lord, because you've find them 431 00:36:00.639 --> 00:36:05.440 first. And so, Lord, we pray and ask God you would help 432 00:36:05.599 --> 00:36:09.840 us. We all have people on our heart's lot, people very close to 433 00:36:09.920 --> 00:36:15.639 us, people that we love very, very dearly. And Lord, we 434 00:36:15.679 --> 00:36:16.599 look at them. I know I do. Lord, I look at them 435 00:36:16.599 --> 00:36:20.719 and I think, Lord, there was just no hope. But Lord, 436 00:36:20.800 --> 00:36:27.119 help us to see that perhaps there is a Levi. Perhaps there is one, 437 00:36:28.679 --> 00:36:31.840 and perhaps you have a work yet to do, and help us not 438 00:36:31.960 --> 00:36:37.719 to give up. But the trust in you. Lord, we praise you 439 00:36:37.239 --> 00:36:42.079 for the work of salvation that we have had in our heart and we pray, 440 00:36:42.199 --> 00:36:45.880 God, that you would help us not to be shy about sharing, 441 00:36:45.599 --> 00:36:51.360 but to tell others about the good news of the Gospel of Christ. We 442 00:36:51.480 --> 00:36:57.880 prayed in Christ name. Amen. Amen. The scripture tells us we have 443 00:36:57.920 --> 00:36:58.440 a mission.