WEBVTT 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:01.919 Well, friends, let me invite you to stand. 00:00:02.700 --> 00:00:04.780 Let me invite you to stand as we turn to God's Word. 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:11.320 Our sermon passage this morning is found in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 2, verses 13 through 17. 00:00:11.679 --> 00:00:15.500 That's page 786 in the Pew Bible, and we'll have it on the screen too. 00:00:16.219 --> 00:00:20.160 Let me read our sermon text for us, and then I'll pray. 00:00:20.460 --> 00:00:24.240 So this is Mark, chapter 2, verses 13 through 17. 00:00:24.239 --> 00:00:31.459 He, that is Jesus, went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 00:00:32.119 --> 00:00:37.119 And as he passed by, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, 00:00:37.479 --> 00:00:38.079 Follow me. 00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:40.340 And he rose and followed him. 00:00:41.879 --> 00:00:47.140 And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, 00:00:47.640 --> 00:00:49.039 for there were many who followed him. 00:00:49.039 --> 00:00:54.600 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with tax collectors, with sinners and tax collectors, 00:00:54.979 --> 00:00:59.000 said to his disciples, Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners? 00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:01.719 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, 00:01:02.299 --> 00:01:06.219 Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:09.519 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. 00:01:10.259 --> 00:01:11.180 Go ahead and take a seat. 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:12.019 Let me pray for us. 00:01:12.980 --> 00:01:17.579 Father in heaven, let us hear what your Spirit is saying to us through this passage. 00:01:17.579 --> 00:01:21.780 As we consider Jesus, give us eyes to see and hearts to believe in him, 00:01:22.359 --> 00:01:24.799 that our lives might reflect him more and more as a church. 00:01:25.500 --> 00:01:25.719 Amen. 00:01:27.079 --> 00:01:35.939 So when it comes to becoming a follower of Jesus, how far is too far? 00:01:37.599 --> 00:01:43.239 In other words, are there certain sins or flaws or addictions or lifestyles or backgrounds 00:01:43.239 --> 00:01:48.159 that put someone beyond the reach or beyond the desire of Jesus and his kingdom? 00:01:49.819 --> 00:01:53.739 Now, I think maybe we know the right answer intellectually, 00:01:54.579 --> 00:01:57.459 but do we really believe that at the heart level? 00:01:58.579 --> 00:02:00.780 And does our life together demonstrate it? 00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:03.439 You know, in your head, you might say, 00:02:03.840 --> 00:02:06.179 No one is too far gone for the grace of the Lord Jesus. 00:02:06.180 --> 00:02:12.420 But at the heart level, maybe you feel like you're too far gone. 00:02:14.099 --> 00:02:18.060 The things you've seen or done or the things that have been done to you 00:02:18.060 --> 00:02:20.740 or how long you've been stuck, you might think, 00:02:20.840 --> 00:02:25.100 Jesus couldn't call me or use me or accept me. 00:02:25.099 --> 00:02:29.780 On the flip side, in your head, you might say, 00:02:29.859 --> 00:02:30.659 No one's too far gone. 00:02:30.699 --> 00:02:32.460 But at the heart level, you might look at other people 00:02:32.460 --> 00:02:34.919 or other kinds of people and think, 00:02:35.139 --> 00:02:37.659 They're certainly too far gone. 00:02:38.639 --> 00:02:42.299 Given the things they've done or seen or been, 00:02:42.439 --> 00:02:46.259 you think they could never be called or used or accepted by God. 00:02:48.919 --> 00:02:50.919 But all this raises the deeper question. 00:02:51.919 --> 00:02:54.359 Who did Jesus come for? 00:02:55.099 --> 00:02:56.719 Who did Jesus come for? 00:02:58.620 --> 00:03:02.019 This morning, we're kind of jumping ahead a little bit in our series in Mark, 00:03:02.060 --> 00:03:03.340 ahead to chapter 2 here, 00:03:03.639 --> 00:03:05.599 and we see a story about just that. 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:07.180 Who did Jesus come for? 00:03:07.919 --> 00:03:09.259 As he brought God's kingdom, 00:03:09.419 --> 00:03:11.759 as he inaugurated the reign of God on earth, 00:03:13.060 --> 00:03:14.620 who is it that Jesus came for? 00:03:16.340 --> 00:03:18.120 And we see two things in this passage. 00:03:18.219 --> 00:03:20.780 The first point we see here in our short text is this, 00:03:21.340 --> 00:03:24.599 that Jesus came for sinners. 00:03:25.819 --> 00:03:26.960 Jesus came for sinners. 00:03:28.519 --> 00:03:30.879 We see this in the first few verses of the story, 00:03:30.900 --> 00:03:32.139 which center on the call of Levi. 00:03:32.719 --> 00:03:36.240 This scene immediately sort of reminds us of the calling of Simon and Andrew 00:03:36.240 --> 00:03:37.799 and James and John from chapter 1. 00:03:38.219 --> 00:03:38.359 Right? 00:03:38.439 --> 00:03:39.620 Jesus meets them at their work. 00:03:39.719 --> 00:03:40.900 He calls them to follow him, 00:03:40.939 --> 00:03:42.139 and they immediately respond. 00:03:42.139 --> 00:03:46.319 But of course, the new element here in this story is Levi's profession, 00:03:46.839 --> 00:03:47.419 his job. 00:03:48.339 --> 00:03:49.539 He's a tax collector. 00:03:51.099 --> 00:03:57.359 Now, tax collectors were nearly universally despised in the first century. 00:03:57.360 --> 00:04:02.440 Now, I know we have some people who in our community have worked for the IRS before. 00:04:02.580 --> 00:04:03.460 I won't point them out. 00:04:03.820 --> 00:04:05.020 But, you know, in our culture, 00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:07.960 sometimes we have to really work up love for tax collectors. 00:04:08.060 --> 00:04:10.420 But in the first century, it was utterly, 00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:11.940 they were utterly despised, 00:04:11.939 --> 00:04:16.360 especially by the upright, good, believing Jewish community. 00:04:16.459 --> 00:04:16.699 Why? 00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:18.800 Because on the one hand, what were they doing? 00:04:18.839 --> 00:04:21.519 They were collecting taxes on behalf of Rome, 00:04:21.660 --> 00:04:27.079 the pagan Gentile empire that held the Jewish people in nearly constant subjection. 00:04:27.079 --> 00:04:28.300 And so these Jewish tax collectors, 00:04:28.579 --> 00:04:31.819 they were agents of the oppressors against their own people. 00:04:32.659 --> 00:04:33.839 But even more than that, 00:04:33.959 --> 00:04:37.120 the way that tax collectors made their living 00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:41.379 was by charging people more than Rome required 00:04:41.379 --> 00:04:45.779 so that they could take that extra off the top and line their own pockets. 00:04:46.219 --> 00:04:48.779 In other words, they would sort of get a contract from Rome 00:04:48.779 --> 00:04:50.839 to collect taxes in a certain area 00:04:50.839 --> 00:04:55.219 and then charge whatever they needed on top of what Rome required to make a fortune. 00:04:55.220 --> 00:05:00.620 So they were profiting literally at their fellow Jews' expense. 00:05:03.060 --> 00:05:04.560 In later Jewish tradition, 00:05:04.720 --> 00:05:06.760 tax collectors would be lumped together 00:05:06.760 --> 00:05:10.480 as morally equivalent to thieves and murderers. 00:05:11.980 --> 00:05:16.980 A Jew who collected taxes was disqualified as a judge or a witness in court. 00:05:17.960 --> 00:05:19.380 They were expelled from the synagogue 00:05:19.380 --> 00:05:21.540 and they were a cause of disgrace to their family. 00:05:22.640 --> 00:05:24.360 Again, in later Jewish tradition, 00:05:24.360 --> 00:05:27.840 the touch of a tax collector rendered a house unclean. 00:05:29.080 --> 00:05:32.699 Jews were forbidden to receive money or even alms from tax collectors 00:05:32.699 --> 00:05:35.639 since revenue from taxes was considered robbery. 00:05:37.540 --> 00:05:40.939 In short, tax collectors were considered the worst of the worst. 00:05:42.500 --> 00:05:45.980 If there was anyone who was too far gone, 00:05:46.300 --> 00:05:48.420 who had gone past the point of no return, 00:05:48.740 --> 00:05:51.420 if there was anybody who had no place in God's kingdom, 00:05:51.420 --> 00:05:53.259 no seat at the table of the king, 00:05:53.759 --> 00:05:54.879 it was Levi, 00:05:55.879 --> 00:05:57.840 the wretched tax collector 00:05:57.840 --> 00:06:03.300 and all of those sinners who gathered around his table. 00:06:03.300 --> 00:06:07.639 But what does Jesus do? 00:06:07.639 --> 00:06:09.980 He says to Levi, 00:06:10.639 --> 00:06:15.680 the same exact thing he said to Simon and Andrew and James and John, 00:06:16.220 --> 00:06:17.480 follow me. 00:06:19.259 --> 00:06:20.699 In other words, Jesus says, 00:06:20.960 --> 00:06:22.360 I've come for them too. 00:06:23.420 --> 00:06:28.280 There's no sin so bad that Jesus didn't come to rescue. 00:06:28.279 --> 00:06:34.859 And that means no matter how deep or dark or stuck you feel in sin, 00:06:34.939 --> 00:06:37.279 whether it's addiction or anger or bitterness, 00:06:37.939 --> 00:06:40.039 Jesus calls to you and says, 00:06:40.199 --> 00:06:42.959 I see you and I love you. 00:06:43.859 --> 00:06:44.759 Come follow me. 00:06:45.819 --> 00:06:46.879 Come sit at my table 00:06:46.879 --> 00:06:49.040 and come dine with me. 00:06:50.719 --> 00:06:52.240 If Jesus called Levi 00:06:52.240 --> 00:06:54.540 and welcomed him to dine, 00:06:55.240 --> 00:06:58.420 then he will and does call and welcome you too. 00:07:00.180 --> 00:07:01.560 Jesus came for sinners. 00:07:03.740 --> 00:07:06.259 And I think we can apply this in two ways. 00:07:06.540 --> 00:07:07.920 First, Jesus came for sinners, 00:07:08.560 --> 00:07:09.680 so come to him. 00:07:11.579 --> 00:07:13.379 Of course, when you're that deep in something 00:07:13.379 --> 00:07:14.860 that's so obviously despised, 00:07:14.860 --> 00:07:17.680 one of the great barriers to coming to Jesus is shame. 00:07:18.980 --> 00:07:20.360 Shame works in a lot of ways. 00:07:21.259 --> 00:07:23.220 We feel shame because we've done something wrong. 00:07:23.780 --> 00:07:26.939 We feel shame because others have told us we've done something wrong. 00:07:27.060 --> 00:07:31.139 We feel shame sometimes because something wrong has been done to us. 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:35.680 Is it so hard to imagine Levi sitting at his tax booth, 00:07:36.220 --> 00:07:39.840 seeing the disgust on his neighbor's faces as they passed him, 00:07:40.620 --> 00:07:42.900 and feeling in the pang of his own heart what he's doing? 00:07:42.899 --> 00:07:46.719 Is it so hard to imagine Levi sitting there gripped by shame? 00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:53.039 It's not hard to imagine if you've ever been somewhere like that in his shoes. 00:07:55.419 --> 00:07:57.379 But how does Jesus approach Levi? 00:07:58.819 --> 00:08:02.000 The same way he approached everyone else. 00:08:02.379 --> 00:08:05.159 He called him and he communed with him. 00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:07.959 Jesus sat down at his table 00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:10.680 and ate his meal with his friends 00:08:10.680 --> 00:08:11.279 as if to say, 00:08:11.459 --> 00:08:12.419 I love you, Levi, 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:13.899 no matter what you've done. 00:08:14.419 --> 00:08:16.359 Let me cover your shame. 00:08:19.019 --> 00:08:22.919 Now, does Jesus approve of Levi's sin? 00:08:23.719 --> 00:08:25.659 Is the point of this story that tax collecting 00:08:25.659 --> 00:08:26.679 and wronging other people 00:08:26.679 --> 00:08:28.740 and cheating others is okay in Jesus' eyes? 00:08:29.539 --> 00:08:29.879 No. 00:08:29.879 --> 00:08:33.860 Jesus didn't come to approve sin, 00:08:34.500 --> 00:08:36.480 nor did he come to judge, 00:08:37.419 --> 00:08:38.580 but to heal. 00:08:41.240 --> 00:08:42.299 He's a great physician. 00:08:42.519 --> 00:08:43.720 You know, if you go to a doctor, 00:08:44.080 --> 00:08:44.840 if you go to a doctor, 00:08:44.939 --> 00:08:45.919 they're not going to say, 00:08:46.139 --> 00:08:47.620 you know, you have cancer. 00:08:47.919 --> 00:08:48.360 Congratulations! 00:08:48.860 --> 00:08:50.379 Just be yourself and you'll be okay. 00:08:50.720 --> 00:08:50.919 Right? 00:08:51.899 --> 00:08:53.379 But nor will they say, 00:08:53.720 --> 00:08:54.340 you have cancer. 00:08:54.440 --> 00:08:55.799 How dare you get out? 00:08:55.879 --> 00:08:56.759 You have no place here. 00:08:56.759 --> 00:08:59.419 Instead, they'll say, 00:08:59.639 --> 00:09:01.179 here's the news. 00:09:01.500 --> 00:09:02.399 You have cancer. 00:09:03.059 --> 00:09:04.860 Let's begin the process of healing. 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:10.419 It's the same with the great physician, Jesus. 00:09:10.580 --> 00:09:12.799 He's looking at you and me and saying, 00:09:13.319 --> 00:09:15.259 let's begin a journey 00:09:15.259 --> 00:09:17.779 of grace-fueled recovery 00:09:17.779 --> 00:09:20.120 from all of sin's chains. 00:09:22.340 --> 00:09:23.659 Jesus came for sinners, 00:09:23.799 --> 00:09:24.600 and if that's you, 00:09:25.120 --> 00:09:26.080 then come to him. 00:09:26.759 --> 00:09:30.200 But I think we can apply this point 00:09:30.200 --> 00:09:30.840 in a second way. 00:09:30.919 --> 00:09:32.259 Briefly, Jesus came for sinners, 00:09:32.379 --> 00:09:33.439 so we should go with him. 00:09:34.259 --> 00:09:35.860 We should be willing to meet people 00:09:35.860 --> 00:09:37.639 where they are with the love of Christ. 00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:40.340 Does that mean we should join people 00:09:40.340 --> 00:09:42.659 in their sin in order to win them for Christ? 00:09:42.779 --> 00:09:43.259 Well, notice, 00:09:43.720 --> 00:09:45.399 Jesus is eating with Levi and his friends. 00:09:45.480 --> 00:09:46.840 He's not sinning with them, right? 00:09:46.919 --> 00:09:48.519 Jesus didn't start collecting taxes 00:09:48.519 --> 00:09:50.539 in order to call and commune with Levi. 00:09:51.419 --> 00:09:53.360 He didn't start frequenting brothels 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:54.379 to call and commune 00:09:54.379 --> 00:09:55.379 with the so-called sinners 00:09:55.379 --> 00:09:56.379 around Levi's table, 00:09:56.539 --> 00:09:58.639 but Jesus did find ways 00:09:58.639 --> 00:09:59.960 to connect and call 00:09:59.960 --> 00:10:01.279 and commune with us. 00:10:02.059 --> 00:10:04.200 He wasn't afraid to be seen with us. 00:10:04.259 --> 00:10:06.279 He wasn't afraid to engage with us, 00:10:06.480 --> 00:10:09.059 even in our sin. 00:10:10.659 --> 00:10:12.019 And if you look at your life, 00:10:12.059 --> 00:10:14.000 I'm sure you can see many ways 00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:15.720 to follow Jesus 00:10:15.720 --> 00:10:17.879 in his loving pursuit of the lost, 00:10:17.879 --> 00:10:21.399 whether it's at the local gym 00:10:21.399 --> 00:10:22.340 or the local school 00:10:22.340 --> 00:10:24.100 or the roommates right under your roof. 00:10:24.860 --> 00:10:26.240 How can you be showing 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:27.580 this love of Jesus 00:10:27.580 --> 00:10:28.700 to those around you? 00:10:31.500 --> 00:10:32.860 Jesus came for sinners, 00:10:33.220 --> 00:10:36.019 so we should come to him 00:10:36.019 --> 00:10:37.960 and we should go with him. 00:10:40.139 --> 00:10:40.720 But, you know, 00:10:40.759 --> 00:10:42.159 there's another important piece 00:10:42.159 --> 00:10:42.840 of our passage. 00:10:43.039 --> 00:10:44.639 We see in the calling of Levi 00:10:44.639 --> 00:10:46.220 that Jesus came for sinners, 00:10:46.220 --> 00:10:48.160 sinners, but we see in the second half 00:10:48.160 --> 00:10:48.920 of this passage 00:10:48.920 --> 00:10:50.840 that Jesus came for sinners 00:10:50.840 --> 00:10:52.660 and only sinners. 00:10:53.740 --> 00:10:56.820 Jesus came for sinners only. 00:10:58.940 --> 00:11:00.600 Let's look again at verse 16. 00:11:01.560 --> 00:11:01.920 Mark says, 00:11:02.019 --> 00:11:02.660 the scribes, 00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:04.279 that is the legal experts 00:11:04.279 --> 00:11:05.279 of the Pharisees, 00:11:05.340 --> 00:11:05.519 you know, 00:11:05.560 --> 00:11:06.240 those Pharisees 00:11:06.240 --> 00:11:07.460 who were legal experts, 00:11:07.980 --> 00:11:09.040 when they saw that Jesus 00:11:09.040 --> 00:11:10.080 was eating with tax collectors 00:11:10.080 --> 00:11:10.519 and sinners, 00:11:10.620 --> 00:11:11.180 said to his disciples, 00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:12.220 why does he do that? 00:11:12.220 --> 00:11:13.080 Why does he eat 00:11:13.080 --> 00:11:14.720 with tax collectors and sinners? 00:11:14.899 --> 00:11:16.480 Now, the Pharisees 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:17.480 were sort of like a movement 00:11:17.480 --> 00:11:18.620 in first century Judaism, 00:11:18.860 --> 00:11:20.139 a movement that valued 00:11:20.139 --> 00:11:20.899 the law of God 00:11:20.899 --> 00:11:21.800 and sought to keep it 00:11:21.800 --> 00:11:22.660 as best they could. 00:11:23.000 --> 00:11:23.680 So what they did was 00:11:23.680 --> 00:11:24.740 they developed traditions 00:11:24.740 --> 00:11:26.040 about things that you should 00:11:26.040 --> 00:11:27.060 or should not do 00:11:27.060 --> 00:11:28.480 so that you wouldn't get anywhere 00:11:28.480 --> 00:11:29.540 even close 00:11:29.540 --> 00:11:30.560 to breaking God's law. 00:11:30.920 --> 00:11:31.519 They would put sort of 00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:32.580 this hedge of rules 00:11:32.580 --> 00:11:33.480 around the law, 00:11:33.639 --> 00:11:34.480 extra requirements, 00:11:34.580 --> 00:11:35.320 so that if you kept 00:11:35.320 --> 00:11:36.519 those extra requirements, 00:11:36.620 --> 00:11:38.220 then you wouldn't be anywhere near 00:11:38.220 --> 00:11:39.600 to breaking God's law. 00:11:39.879 --> 00:11:41.480 Then you would be set apart. 00:11:41.480 --> 00:11:42.580 Then you would be pure, 00:11:42.779 --> 00:11:43.600 which is maybe 00:11:43.600 --> 00:11:44.800 where the name Pharisee 00:11:44.800 --> 00:11:45.500 comes from, 00:11:45.740 --> 00:11:46.639 the separated ones, 00:11:46.740 --> 00:11:47.500 the pure ones. 00:11:48.879 --> 00:11:49.800 And when they hear 00:11:49.800 --> 00:11:50.440 that Jesus, 00:11:50.659 --> 00:11:51.700 this popular teacher 00:11:51.700 --> 00:11:52.980 who himself is getting 00:11:52.980 --> 00:11:53.539 quite a movement 00:11:53.539 --> 00:11:54.440 of his own, 00:11:54.720 --> 00:11:55.139 when they hear 00:11:55.139 --> 00:11:55.600 that he's eating 00:11:55.600 --> 00:11:56.200 with tax collectors 00:11:56.200 --> 00:11:56.720 and sinners, 00:11:56.960 --> 00:11:57.580 they're offended. 00:11:58.000 --> 00:11:59.360 They're scandalized. 00:12:00.620 --> 00:12:02.700 That is not what good people 00:12:02.700 --> 00:12:04.180 and good teachers do, 00:12:04.220 --> 00:12:04.740 they think. 00:12:05.139 --> 00:12:06.159 You don't welcome 00:12:06.159 --> 00:12:07.120 and commune 00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:08.320 with people like that. 00:12:09.460 --> 00:12:09.940 Those people 00:12:09.940 --> 00:12:10.480 are the very problem. 00:12:11.279 --> 00:12:12.080 They're the very people 00:12:12.080 --> 00:12:13.920 we're trying not to be like, 00:12:14.420 --> 00:12:15.500 according to the Pharisees. 00:12:18.360 --> 00:12:20.240 But this Pharisaical heart, 00:12:20.759 --> 00:12:22.899 it wasn't just a problem 00:12:22.899 --> 00:12:23.940 in the first century. 00:12:25.100 --> 00:12:26.200 It lives on, 00:12:26.379 --> 00:12:26.840 doesn't it? 00:12:29.500 --> 00:12:30.600 Some people are afraid 00:12:30.600 --> 00:12:31.300 to come to church 00:12:31.300 --> 00:12:31.980 because they think 00:12:31.980 --> 00:12:32.740 they'll be judged. 00:12:33.960 --> 00:12:34.800 But some people 00:12:34.800 --> 00:12:35.700 are all too ready 00:12:35.700 --> 00:12:36.580 to come to church 00:12:36.580 --> 00:12:37.279 because they think 00:12:37.279 --> 00:12:38.180 they get to judge. 00:12:38.179 --> 00:12:42.199 Of course, 00:12:42.299 --> 00:12:43.519 Christians are called 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:45.239 to holiness of life. 00:12:46.299 --> 00:12:47.759 But it's very easy 00:12:47.759 --> 00:12:49.319 for pride to creep in. 00:12:50.539 --> 00:12:52.079 We catch ourselves thinking, 00:12:52.459 --> 00:12:54.699 if I raise my kids right, 00:12:55.039 --> 00:12:56.019 they won't be like that. 00:12:57.219 --> 00:12:58.139 I've worked hard 00:12:58.139 --> 00:12:59.120 to get where I am. 00:12:59.819 --> 00:13:01.000 They must just be lazy. 00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:03.320 If that person 00:13:03.320 --> 00:13:04.519 really believed, 00:13:04.620 --> 00:13:05.259 they wouldn't be 00:13:05.259 --> 00:13:06.159 struggling like that. 00:13:08.080 --> 00:13:09.879 The heart of the Pharisee, 00:13:09.960 --> 00:13:10.919 if we're honest, 00:13:11.480 --> 00:13:12.720 creeps in the corners 00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:14.460 of all of our hearts. 00:13:16.960 --> 00:13:18.559 And what does Jesus say to us? 00:13:19.419 --> 00:13:20.159 Verse 17, 00:13:20.159 --> 00:13:22.399 And when Jesus heard it, 00:13:22.439 --> 00:13:23.100 he said to them, 00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:24.779 those who are well 00:13:24.779 --> 00:13:26.059 have no need of a physician, 00:13:26.219 --> 00:13:27.159 but those who are sick, 00:13:28.159 --> 00:13:29.120 I came not to call 00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:29.579 the righteous, 00:13:29.799 --> 00:13:30.339 but sinners. 00:13:32.139 --> 00:13:32.559 Now, 00:13:32.620 --> 00:13:33.439 what's Jesus' point? 00:13:33.939 --> 00:13:35.379 Does Jesus' reply here 00:13:35.379 --> 00:13:36.339 mean that there are 00:13:36.339 --> 00:13:37.559 actually some people 00:13:37.559 --> 00:13:38.439 who are righteous, 00:13:38.559 --> 00:13:39.959 who are spiritually healthy enough 00:13:39.959 --> 00:13:41.259 so that they don't need him? 00:13:42.399 --> 00:13:42.839 No, 00:13:42.980 --> 00:13:44.000 that's not Jesus' point. 00:13:44.100 --> 00:13:44.299 Rather, 00:13:44.399 --> 00:13:45.339 Jesus is saying, 00:13:45.340 --> 00:13:47.759 if you want to sit 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:49.139 at my table, 00:13:49.899 --> 00:13:51.160 if you want to sit 00:13:51.160 --> 00:13:51.940 at my table 00:13:51.940 --> 00:13:53.620 and dine with me 00:13:53.620 --> 00:13:54.879 in my kingdom, 00:13:55.560 --> 00:13:57.259 then you have to take 00:13:57.259 --> 00:13:58.860 the seat of a sinner. 00:14:00.220 --> 00:14:01.820 You must sit 00:14:01.820 --> 00:14:02.920 in the seat 00:14:02.920 --> 00:14:05.440 reserved for sinners only 00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:06.759 if you're going to sit 00:14:06.759 --> 00:14:08.200 at this table at all. 00:14:11.019 --> 00:14:12.340 Jesus is confronting 00:14:12.340 --> 00:14:13.240 the Pharisee 00:14:13.240 --> 00:14:14.120 in all of us, 00:14:14.120 --> 00:14:16.220 confronting our self-righteousness. 00:14:17.799 --> 00:14:18.860 If you continue 00:14:18.860 --> 00:14:19.379 to cling 00:14:19.379 --> 00:14:20.220 to your own 00:14:20.220 --> 00:14:21.500 moral record 00:14:21.500 --> 00:14:22.379 as that which 00:14:22.379 --> 00:14:23.500 puts you apart 00:14:23.500 --> 00:14:24.620 from anyone else, 00:14:25.580 --> 00:14:26.580 if you don't admit 00:14:26.580 --> 00:14:27.560 that you need 00:14:27.560 --> 00:14:29.659 as radical a rescue 00:14:29.659 --> 00:14:30.799 as the most obvious 00:14:30.799 --> 00:14:31.700 moral failure, 00:14:33.080 --> 00:14:34.820 then you will stand 00:14:34.820 --> 00:14:36.320 outside the feast 00:14:36.320 --> 00:14:37.399 that Jesus has come 00:14:37.399 --> 00:14:37.820 to bring. 00:14:40.799 --> 00:14:41.560 In other words, 00:14:41.620 --> 00:14:42.560 Jesus is asking us 00:14:42.560 --> 00:14:43.180 to do something 00:14:43.179 --> 00:14:44.120 that is radically 00:14:44.120 --> 00:14:45.339 undoing 00:14:45.339 --> 00:14:46.539 for so much 00:14:46.539 --> 00:14:47.219 of our identity. 00:14:49.319 --> 00:14:50.439 You have to admit 00:14:50.439 --> 00:14:51.739 you're a sinner 00:14:51.739 --> 00:14:54.359 just like Levi 00:14:54.359 --> 00:14:55.019 and his friends. 00:14:57.259 --> 00:14:57.759 You see, 00:14:57.819 --> 00:14:58.379 we like to divide 00:14:58.379 --> 00:14:58.779 the world 00:14:58.779 --> 00:14:59.759 into the good people 00:14:59.759 --> 00:15:00.959 and to the bad people, 00:15:01.059 --> 00:15:01.500 don't we? 00:15:01.539 --> 00:15:02.419 We're very good at that. 00:15:02.559 --> 00:15:03.319 These are the good people, 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:04.359 these are the bad people, 00:15:04.439 --> 00:15:05.359 but according to the Bible, 00:15:05.559 --> 00:15:06.819 there aren't good people 00:15:06.819 --> 00:15:07.279 over there 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:07.939 and bad people 00:15:07.939 --> 00:15:08.419 over there. 00:15:08.419 --> 00:15:09.740 No, 00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:11.500 we're all made 00:15:11.500 --> 00:15:12.759 in the image of God 00:15:12.759 --> 00:15:13.679 full of dignity 00:15:13.679 --> 00:15:14.419 and worth 00:15:14.419 --> 00:15:15.839 and we are all 00:15:15.839 --> 00:15:17.039 sinful and broken 00:15:17.039 --> 00:15:17.699 and in need 00:15:17.699 --> 00:15:19.219 of a radical rescue. 00:15:22.799 --> 00:15:24.240 But how could a Pharisee 00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:25.079 like you and me 00:15:25.079 --> 00:15:26.379 ever admit that? 00:15:26.379 --> 00:15:28.600 How could we 00:15:28.600 --> 00:15:29.419 when so much 00:15:29.419 --> 00:15:30.059 of our time 00:15:30.059 --> 00:15:30.679 and energy 00:15:30.679 --> 00:15:31.399 is spent 00:15:31.399 --> 00:15:33.679 trying to bolster 00:15:33.679 --> 00:15:34.539 a sense 00:15:34.539 --> 00:15:37.019 that if we achieve enough 00:15:37.019 --> 00:15:37.960 and have done enough 00:15:37.960 --> 00:15:39.080 and have loved enough, 00:15:39.159 --> 00:15:40.919 then we are something. 00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:43.720 We spend so much 00:15:43.720 --> 00:15:44.620 of our time 00:15:44.620 --> 00:15:46.860 trying to do that 00:15:46.860 --> 00:15:48.100 through our achievements 00:15:48.100 --> 00:15:48.879 and what we've done 00:15:48.879 --> 00:15:49.659 and who we are 00:15:49.659 --> 00:15:50.600 and what we follow. 00:15:50.600 --> 00:15:54.540 Would it not utterly 00:15:54.540 --> 00:15:55.779 undo us 00:15:55.779 --> 00:15:57.180 to admit 00:15:57.180 --> 00:15:58.639 that we're sinners? 00:16:02.500 --> 00:16:03.340 But listen, 00:16:04.279 --> 00:16:07.940 the one who is calling you 00:16:07.940 --> 00:16:09.340 to admit 00:16:09.340 --> 00:16:10.680 that you need 00:16:10.680 --> 00:16:12.240 this radical rescue, 00:16:13.159 --> 00:16:14.720 the one who says 00:16:14.720 --> 00:16:15.500 you have to admit 00:16:15.500 --> 00:16:16.200 that you're a sinner, 00:16:16.379 --> 00:16:17.139 you have to identify 00:16:17.139 --> 00:16:17.779 with them, 00:16:17.899 --> 00:16:18.960 sit down in their seat, 00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:20.360 the one who says that 00:16:20.360 --> 00:16:22.519 is the one 00:16:22.519 --> 00:16:23.120 who himself 00:16:23.120 --> 00:16:24.639 has also done that. 00:16:27.440 --> 00:16:28.320 The Lord Jesus 00:16:28.320 --> 00:16:29.379 is the only one 00:16:29.379 --> 00:16:30.560 who is ever truly 00:16:30.560 --> 00:16:31.460 without sin. 00:16:31.580 --> 00:16:32.639 He was more righteous 00:16:32.639 --> 00:16:34.000 than the Pharisees 00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:35.539 could ever imagine. 00:16:37.419 --> 00:16:38.940 But he puts himself 00:16:38.940 --> 00:16:40.300 in the seat 00:16:40.300 --> 00:16:41.259 of a sinner. 00:16:43.340 --> 00:16:44.100 Don't you see 00:16:44.100 --> 00:16:44.600 what's happening 00:16:44.600 --> 00:16:45.279 on the cross? 00:16:46.379 --> 00:16:47.720 The righteous one 00:16:47.720 --> 00:16:49.600 is putting himself 00:16:49.600 --> 00:16:50.399 in the place 00:16:50.399 --> 00:16:51.540 of the unrighteous. 00:16:52.279 --> 00:16:53.279 He takes all 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:54.019 of our sin 00:16:54.019 --> 00:16:54.879 and he takes 00:16:54.879 --> 00:16:56.320 all of our shame 00:16:56.320 --> 00:16:57.259 willingly 00:16:57.259 --> 00:16:58.360 on himself 00:16:58.360 --> 00:17:00.320 to give us 00:17:00.320 --> 00:17:01.360 in exchange 00:17:01.360 --> 00:17:02.480 the favor 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:03.620 and acceptance 00:17:03.620 --> 00:17:04.339 of God. 00:17:06.259 --> 00:17:07.279 He takes all 00:17:07.279 --> 00:17:07.880 of our shame 00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:08.279 and says, 00:17:08.759 --> 00:17:09.500 here is favor. 00:17:09.500 --> 00:17:13.920 God's 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:14.920 God's 00:17:14.920 --> 00:17:15.920 God's 00:17:15.920 --> 00:17:16.920 pronouncement. 00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:18.380 It was God's 00:17:18.380 --> 00:17:18.819 public 00:17:18.819 --> 00:17:19.619 pronouncement 00:17:19.619 --> 00:17:20.160 of favor 00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:20.960 and acceptance 00:17:20.960 --> 00:17:22.859 proclaiming to the world, 00:17:23.539 --> 00:17:24.220 this is my beloved 00:17:24.220 --> 00:17:24.700 son 00:17:24.700 --> 00:17:25.480 in whom 00:17:25.480 --> 00:17:26.279 I'm well pleased 00:17:26.279 --> 00:17:27.200 and that favor 00:17:27.200 --> 00:17:27.920 and acceptance 00:17:27.920 --> 00:17:29.440 is freely given 00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:31.039 to all 00:17:31.039 --> 00:17:31.500 who trust 00:17:31.500 --> 00:17:31.920 in him. 00:17:33.619 --> 00:17:34.539 So don't you see 00:17:34.539 --> 00:17:34.940 what he's done 00:17:34.940 --> 00:17:35.420 for you 00:17:35.420 --> 00:17:36.680 and for me? 00:17:36.680 --> 00:17:38.160 He sat down 00:17:38.160 --> 00:17:38.640 in the seat 00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:39.400 of your sin 00:17:39.400 --> 00:17:40.140 so that you can 00:17:40.140 --> 00:17:41.200 sit down in it too 00:17:41.200 --> 00:17:42.140 so that you can 00:17:42.140 --> 00:17:43.160 admit your need 00:17:43.160 --> 00:17:44.240 so that you can 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:45.140 confess that you 00:17:45.140 --> 00:17:45.940 too are a sinner 00:17:45.940 --> 00:17:47.640 but because of the cross 00:17:47.640 --> 00:17:48.480 when you sit down 00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:49.220 in that seat 00:17:49.220 --> 00:17:50.340 you find that it's 00:17:50.340 --> 00:17:51.180 not a seat 00:17:51.180 --> 00:17:51.980 in the courtroom. 00:17:52.640 --> 00:17:53.360 It's not a seat 00:17:53.360 --> 00:17:54.380 of condemnation 00:17:54.380 --> 00:17:55.519 but you sit down 00:17:55.519 --> 00:17:56.140 and it's a seat 00:17:56.140 --> 00:17:56.700 at the banquet. 00:17:58.019 --> 00:17:58.740 It's a seat 00:17:58.740 --> 00:17:59.360 of forgiveness 00:17:59.360 --> 00:18:00.220 and favor 00:18:00.220 --> 00:18:01.039 and freedom. 00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:04.940 At first 00:18:04.940 --> 00:18:05.559 the call of Jesus 00:18:05.559 --> 00:18:06.180 sounds like 00:18:06.180 --> 00:18:07.159 the very undoing 00:18:07.159 --> 00:18:07.779 of our identity. 00:18:07.980 --> 00:18:08.079 Wait, 00:18:08.159 --> 00:18:08.940 I have to admit 00:18:08.940 --> 00:18:10.359 that I'm so lost 00:18:10.359 --> 00:18:11.420 that I need someone 00:18:11.420 --> 00:18:12.240 to rescue me? 00:18:13.159 --> 00:18:14.000 It sounds like 00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:14.899 it's going to undo us 00:18:14.899 --> 00:18:15.779 but what you find 00:18:15.779 --> 00:18:17.420 is that it's not 00:18:17.420 --> 00:18:18.440 your undoing 00:18:18.440 --> 00:18:20.180 it's your very 00:18:20.180 --> 00:18:21.220 liberation. 00:18:21.980 --> 00:18:22.940 It's your freedom. 00:18:24.879 --> 00:18:25.759 It's the joy 00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:26.279 of sitting 00:18:26.279 --> 00:18:26.960 at the banquet 00:18:26.960 --> 00:18:27.700 with the king 00:18:27.700 --> 00:18:29.559 with no more hiding 00:18:29.559 --> 00:18:31.559 and no more performing 00:18:31.559 --> 00:18:33.480 and no more pretending 00:18:33.480 --> 00:18:36.819 surrounded by others 00:18:36.819 --> 00:18:38.859 who are also done 00:18:38.859 --> 00:18:39.679 hiding 00:18:39.679 --> 00:18:41.179 and performing 00:18:41.179 --> 00:18:42.619 and pretending. 00:18:44.279 --> 00:18:46.119 No longer defined 00:18:46.119 --> 00:18:47.039 by their shame 00:18:47.039 --> 00:18:48.980 or by their self-righteousness 00:18:48.980 --> 00:18:50.740 but defined 00:18:50.740 --> 00:18:51.779 by the grace of God. 00:18:54.859 --> 00:18:56.299 Could that be us 00:18:56.299 --> 00:18:57.960 as a church? 00:18:59.559 --> 00:19:00.299 Where the love 00:19:00.299 --> 00:19:01.059 of God in Christ 00:19:01.059 --> 00:19:01.819 is so real 00:19:01.819 --> 00:19:02.500 and powerful 00:19:02.500 --> 00:19:03.679 that we're no longer 00:19:03.679 --> 00:19:04.519 ruled by shame 00:19:04.519 --> 00:19:05.639 or self-righteousness 00:19:05.639 --> 00:19:07.419 but we all sit down 00:19:07.419 --> 00:19:08.440 at this table together 00:19:08.440 --> 00:19:08.899 as sinners 00:19:08.899 --> 00:19:09.879 saved by grace? 00:19:11.019 --> 00:19:12.019 Where we really 00:19:12.019 --> 00:19:12.940 believe in our hearts 00:19:12.940 --> 00:19:13.619 that no one 00:19:13.619 --> 00:19:14.440 is too far gone 00:19:14.440 --> 00:19:15.019 to be welcomed 00:19:15.019 --> 00:19:15.859 by the gospel 00:19:15.859 --> 00:19:17.119 and where we're 00:19:17.119 --> 00:19:18.119 willing to commune 00:19:18.119 --> 00:19:18.799 with each other 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:20.399 on this long road 00:19:20.399 --> 00:19:22.279 of God's transforming grace? 00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:23.579 Could that be us? 00:19:27.240 --> 00:19:28.099 Maybe we're not 00:19:28.099 --> 00:19:29.000 all the way there yet. 00:19:29.559 --> 00:19:30.519 In fact, 00:19:30.559 --> 00:19:31.460 we're always going 00:19:31.460 --> 00:19:31.960 to have room 00:19:31.960 --> 00:19:32.379 to grow. 00:19:34.399 --> 00:19:35.179 But that's where 00:19:35.179 --> 00:19:36.419 the gospel's taking us 00:19:36.419 --> 00:19:39.000 because that's why 00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:39.639 Jesus came. 00:19:40.379 --> 00:19:41.359 Not for the righteous 00:19:41.359 --> 00:19:43.079 but for sinners. 00:19:44.700 --> 00:19:45.359 Let's pray. 00:19:49.259 --> 00:19:50.099 Father in heaven, 00:19:50.819 --> 00:19:51.139 Lord, 00:19:51.179 --> 00:19:51.799 I know that many 00:19:51.799 --> 00:19:53.899 of my friends 00:19:53.899 --> 00:19:54.599 in this room 00:19:54.599 --> 00:19:56.019 and many that 00:19:56.019 --> 00:19:56.700 I haven't met yet, 00:19:56.779 --> 00:19:56.879 Lord, 00:19:56.940 --> 00:19:57.440 I know that many 00:19:57.440 --> 00:19:58.120 of us are wrestling 00:19:58.120 --> 00:19:58.660 with shame. 00:20:00.559 --> 00:20:00.980 Lord, 00:20:01.039 --> 00:20:01.880 help us to see 00:20:01.880 --> 00:20:02.920 the love of Christ 00:20:02.920 --> 00:20:05.019 with a fresh clarity 00:20:05.019 --> 00:20:05.640 this morning 00:20:05.640 --> 00:20:07.160 who comes to us 00:20:07.160 --> 00:20:07.840 where we are 00:20:07.840 --> 00:20:09.340 and speaks those 00:20:09.340 --> 00:20:10.480 loving and embracing 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:11.000 words, 00:20:11.120 --> 00:20:11.940 come follow me. 00:20:14.660 --> 00:20:15.100 Lord, 00:20:15.160 --> 00:20:15.620 and I pray 00:20:15.620 --> 00:20:16.559 that by your spirit 00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:17.820 we would all 00:20:17.820 --> 00:20:19.140 know the reality 00:20:19.140 --> 00:20:20.320 of that radical grace 00:20:20.319 --> 00:20:21.240 and you would continue 00:20:21.240 --> 00:20:22.079 to drive 00:20:22.079 --> 00:20:23.599 self-righteousness 00:20:23.599 --> 00:20:24.500 from our hearts 00:20:24.500 --> 00:20:26.079 to make us 00:20:26.079 --> 00:20:26.819 into a community 00:20:26.819 --> 00:20:27.579 of real 00:20:27.579 --> 00:20:28.639 welcome 00:20:28.639 --> 00:20:31.339 and transforming 00:20:31.339 --> 00:20:31.819 grace. 00:20:32.319 --> 00:20:33.859 We pray this in Jesus' name. 00:20:34.039 --> 00:20:34.279 Amen. 00:20:34.279 --> 00:20:34.399 Amen.