Luke 5:27-39

Discussion Questions

• As a Christ follower, do you need to fit in, or are you okay with being different? In our culture, how can we confidently stand up for our beliefs? What are ways we can “get used to different”?
• The disciples Jesus called were from diverse backgrounds, forming an unlikely team. What does your community look like? Are you only engaging with those who share your preferences and background? What are some challenges in cultivating these relationships, and how can we overcome them?
• What does listening to Jesus’ call look like in your life? How does denying the self and following where He leads differ from what the culture expects?

Transcript

We study through books of the Bible here at The Village Chapel, and we do have some extra copies. If you didn’t bring one with you and you’d like one to follow along, you can just raise your hand up and somebody will get one to you. Also, the QR code is up on this screen there. If you would like to download the notes and quotes, you can do that via that QR code. Just aim your camera at that. Take a little snap of the odd-looking box of squigglies, and it should take you to where you can download that particular set of notes and quotes. I want to say thank you as well to some folks who have joined us from overseas this past week, as well as domestically here. We had domestic folks from Plano, Texas and Pleasant Garden, North Carolina. We had folk from Singapore and from Hyderabad, Telangana, India. I’m not sure I said that right, but please forgive me. We also had online visitors from San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan in the Philippines. So, grateful to those folks for joining us over the past week, and I hope they were able to join us today as well for worship.

Our sermon today will be entitled “Get Used to Different,” and we’ll be looking at Luke, Chapter 5, verses 27 through 39. Join me in our prayer for illumination, and then we’ll dive right into the text: Father, because You’ve invited us, we have gathered. Because You’ve spoken, we are eager to hear. Because You hear, we bring You our prayers. Because You provide, we delight to feast. Jesus, because You died, we’ve found life. Because You rose again, we have hope. And because You save, we rejoice and we must sing. Lord, because You lead, we will rise to follow. Holy Spirit, give us a clearer vision of Your truth today, a greater faith in Your power and a more confident assurance of Your love for us. In Jesus’ name, amen and amen.

So, hope you’re finding your way to Luke, Chapter 5. Before we start the study, any list of the utterly astonishing things about Jesus of Nazareth would have to include uniquely authoritative teaching. We’ll read about that over and over again, how people are astonished at His teaching with authority. The list would have to include the mind-boggling miracles that He performs. They’re just amazing – His power and authority over things like disease, over demons, over death itself, over natural disasters. We see all of that as we go through our study of Luke. And also, of course, His resurrection from the dead after a very public execution on a Roman cross. That’s pretty remarkable stuff!

But I think one of the other things to one who has read all four gospels and studied them, would have to also include this: His puzzling choice of disciples. That’s just really, when you think about it, a pretty remarkable thing. Given what we know about a few of them, you’ve got to wonder why He chose them. You’ve got to wonder how it possibly could have worked and how, through those unlikely followers, Jesus could start a movement that would literally change the course of human history. That’s puzzling, and I think it deserves a little bit of exploration. It continues to this day. Here we are. And if this doesn’t make you wonder, look around the room. This is an odd group of choices made by Jesus, right? Here we are sitting here following Him.

My old friend and one of my mentors as a Bible teacher is a guy named Steve Brown. He said in his book What Was I thinking? he said, “I used to think that God liked only certain people – those who lived up to His standards. But I’m increasingly surprised by His choice of friends. Even more surprised that His list includes me.” I hope that resonates with you. I hope we have a room full of people that this resonates with.

If you come to the Village Chapel, you know we are a group of folk who understand we need redemption. This is not a group of perfect people who are trying to project perfection. This is a group of sinners who know they need redemption. This is a group of people that have found some bread and want to share the bread with other hungry people. So, welcome this morning no matter who you are, no matter how you came into the room, we’re all going to get used to different as we study this text together.

So let me read it without any further introduction. Verse 27 of Chapter 5 of Luke. “After that…” After what? Well, the miracles that we’ve just studied, he healed the guy that they cut a hole in the roof and dropped this guy down on his pallet. The guy couldn’t walk, and his four friends dropped him down into the room in front of Jesus. The room is crowded not only with followers, but also ne’er-do-wells, detractors, the religious establishment that are seeking to find a way to discredit Jesus.

And as they’re dropping this guy down through the roof, Jesus says the most remarkable thing to this man, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” The guys that dropped him down through the hole in the roof are yelling, “No, it’s his legs. It’s his legs. Heal him.” And everyone’s puzzled. And Jesus says, knowing that the religious leaders are standing there grumbling about the fact that Jesus just said, “Your sins are forgiven” and only God can do that, Jesus says, “All right. Which is harder to say? Your sins are forgiven? Or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’?” So that you know that the Son of Man, meaning Jesus, has authority to forgive sins. And he said to the man, “Rise up and walk.” The man took his pallet, walked to Him, surprised his parents after many, many years and was healed by Jesus there publicly.

So, after that, verse 27, “He went out and noticed a tax-gatherer named Levi sitting in the tax office, and He said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he [meaning Matthew or Levi] left everything behind, rose up and began to follow Him.” There’s so much there. We could camp out right there with just those two verses and it would make a really nice, full Sunday Bible study. These two verses here, there’s a parallel in Matthew, Chapter 9 and in Mark, Chapter 2, and probably here and in Mark we get a little more information than we do in Matthew.

Levi, who that’s a solid Jewish name, right, he’s a tax collector, which means he’s basically turned traitor on his own people. He’s extorting money from his own people. He got the job from the oppressive Roman government. So, he gives them their minimum and then he extorts a little bit more from his people and he gets to keep that. And he gets quite wealthy. I mean this is a great job if all you cared about was money and not people at all and not your own countrymen.

Later on, we learn that it’s likely Jesus that changed Levi’s name to Matthew, which is a fascinating word study and a name study. Levi keeps a record of what people owe. Matthew, that name, means gift of God. And it’s just fascinating to me that the man who kept a record of what you and I owe, he’s the same one that Jesus transformed into a guy to remind us that the price has been paid. It’s a gift of God and it’s not something you can earn. It’s not something you can earn by being a good little boy or girl. It’s something that’s given to us as a gift. That’s what grace is really all about and that’s why the Christian faith is so unique.

But what a pivot this is for Levi here in Chapter 5 of Luke – and a little bit more about it in just a second. “[Levi] began to follow Him.” Notice began, I think that’s important, it’s in italics in my New American standard Bible, so it’s implied. It may not be actually there. But for all of those who are Greek scholars, you would understand that this is exactly what happens. It has a starting point, but it continues on, and that’s what discipleship really is. It begins, that’s true. And there is a pivot, that’s true. But it’s only the beginning. And so, he began to follow Jesus.

“Levi gave a big reception for Him,” so it was a party, “in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax-gatherers and other people who were reclining at table with them.” Remember, he’s a traitor to his own country, his people. So, the only friends Levi really has as a tax collector would be other tax collectors. And these are the wealthy. Like I said, they have extorted money from their own people, so you can imagine there’s a young Jewish seminarian who’s sort of an intern, and he’s parking the chariots out front of Levi’s house that night. And they’re all the finest chariots you can imagine. And they’re all filing in and they’re all wealthy, but there are other people. And the implication here because of what we know about Levi, these may have included some women of the night and some other folks who are just sinners of the greatest magnitude. And they’re all coming to this party that he’s throwing at his house.

He’s really throwing a reception for Christ, but he’s also retiring from his job as a tax collector. So, it’s kind of a retirement party and a reception for Jesus. And he really wants all of those fellow tax collector types and those fellow sinner types to come to his house. This is basically party evangelism, and he wants them all to meet Jesus. Is that what I want? Do I want my friends to meet Jesus? Am I eager for that? Do I care enough about them to want that to happen? That’s a good question as Levi throws his retirement party from tax collecting.

Well, the Pharisees are there too. They’re always kind of hanging around. I always feel like whenever I read the word “Pharisees,” we should go << Dun, dun, dun, dun >> like the little sort of foreboding kind of music thing, right? Levi gave this big reception, he’s at the house, there was a great crowd, tax collectors and other people there, and the Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples. That happens a lot, doesn’t it? When people are upset at what Jesus might be doing, they grumble at Jesus’ disciples. It’s always the church. Now, listen, I’m the first guy to say I have a sort of a love-hate relationship for the church, and some of you’re going into shock. “He’s a pastor. He shouldn’t be having a love-hate relationship.”

I love it. I love the church, but there are things about it that drive me crazy. Is there anybody else in the room that religious people drive you nuts? You don’t have to raise your hand, it’s all right. But we do. We drive me nuts, okay? We drive me nuts. I’m not the guy that would put it on my bumper sticker on my car, “Lord, save me from your followers.” I wouldn’t go that far, but I would say, man, the church sometimes does some really knuckleheaded things. And I could name some things this year that have really bothered me about the church worldwide that we’ve done that I don’t think have brought glory to the name of Jesus or furthered the cause of the Gospel.

But here they are, these religious people, and they’re self-righteous. They’re really starting to follow Jesus for one reason, one reason only, to catch Him in something they can accuse Him of. They’re detractors. They’re not interested in actually finding out the truth. They’re what I would call willful unbelievers. They’re not curious unbelievers, they’re willful unbelievers. And so, they’re there, they’re grumbling at his disciples. And they’re going to ask two questions, and they’re both why questions. The first one is here in verse 30, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax-gatherers and the sinners?” And see, what’s really going on here is that they’re annoyed by the guest list of God. They’re annoyed by who’s invited to this party that Levi has thrown for Jesus. And they don’t think that those people should be invited at all.

They’re self-righteousness. And by the way, self-righteousness is not… Religious people don’t have a corner on that market. Irreligious people are self-righteous as well. Self-righteousness is a problem that’s universal. We all have that problem, every single one of us. But it’s real obvious when you see it in somebody else, right? And here it is in these folks, and they’re upset that Jesus would drink and eat with these people. Jesus answered, verse 31, and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.” God is not opposed to doctors. I’d even say this is an endorsement on doctors. So, if you grew up in a religious tradition that said, “Don’t ever go to doctors,” I don’t think that’s right. I think there’s great wisdom in going to doctors. We’ve got a number of medical folks here in this church, and we appreciate you and pray for you and ask the Lord to grant you wisdom and discernment and creativity as you do your job.

But here he says it’s not those who are well who need a physician. Who’s he saying it to? These self-righteous, religious people who don’t think they’re unwell; they don’t think they’re sick with the sickness of sin. So, Jesus, I love the way He does this, He sort of does it through a side door, this image of sort of a medical metaphor. “It’s not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.” Then he says, “I’ve not come to call righteous men but sinners to repentance.” And I say thank You. Amen. I’m glad He called sinners. Sinners, wherever you may be watching from, I’m glad that’s who He came for, because that’s who I am, and I need Him to call me as well.

What I love about this medical metaphor too is, I don’t know how many of you over the years get tired of the paperwork with medical insurance and get tired of the online forms you’ve got to fill out and all that sort of thing. Sometimes the visits to the doctor don’t go as smoothly as you really want them to, all that. Sometimes it’s kind of a difficult thing. But here, when Jesus, the Great Physician as He’s called later, and it’s this kind of a passage that really leads us to see Him that way, but here we get from Jesus, the Great Physician, we get the proper diagnosis: sinners. We get the proper cure: the Gospel, forgiveness. And what’s really beautiful about it is, the bill is paid and there’s no paperwork to do. Jesus paid it all and all we need to is turn to Him.

Verse 33, “They said to Him,” here comes question two, and it’s not put in the form of a question here, but it is in Matthew, I believe in Mark’s account as well, because these events are all in Matthew, Mark and Luke, all synoptic gospels. “They said to Him, ‘The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers; the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same; but Yours eat and drink’.” So, the first question was, “Why do you do this?” And the second question is, “Why aren’t you doing this? Why do you eat with those sinners? Why do you hang out with those people?” And now the second question is really, “Why don’t you fast? How come you’re eating and drinking? Why don’t you fast? Why are you feasting?”

And Jesus so beautifully answers the question one more time through a little bit of imagery, a little bit of a metaphor. “You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” Perhaps foreshadowing His own death on the cross, His resurrection and His ascension into Heaven. Maybe it’s foreshadowing all of that because Jesus goes back up into Heaven and then this church age begins. And yes, there’s fasting. There’s much fasting to do. There is much in the way of spiritual disciplines that we need to employ so that we can learn and grow.

But while Jesus was there, what He’s saying is He’s come to bring us a feast. And as a matter of fact, when He returns, that’s the end goal. That’s sort of the final outcome, is that we’re going to gather together around an eternal feast with Him and the new Heaven and the new Earth. But I get ahead of myself here. For now, He’s talking to these people, and they’ve said, “Why do you do these things and why don’t you do these religious things?” And He’s basically saying, “I’m bringing a new way of being. You must understand that. And in me, God’s new kingdom is breaking into this dark and broken world. And while I’m here, let those who follow me feast.”

Well, He was also telling them this other parable. And so now He gets one from the sort of tailoring or garment industry and another one from viniculture or winemaking. Watch these two parables that He gives here. “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise, he will both tear the new and the piece from the new will not match the old.”

Now, how many of you remember the day when blue jeans were sold without tears and holes in them? Raise your hand. Okay, so everybody over 40. All right, that’s good. Yeah, I think back in the day when I grew up, we would get a pair of Levi’s or whatever, brand new, and they’d be only like 20 bucks back in that day. I mean that was amazing. Talk about inflation. But they were whole, all of it was there. You know what I’m saying? And now it’s like 150 bucks for some that have looked like they’ve been shot through with a shotgun or something like that. They’re torn in just the right places in some cases, but it’s different.

By the way, I’d take mine home, and my mom, who’s listening this morning… Mom, how are you? Mom would patch them for me. And sometimes back in those days, like in the ’70s and ’80s, I’d get to pick the patch if I want some kind of a hippie-looking thing or some kind of a cool-looking symbol or something. She put a patch right on the old jeans there and back out onto the road of life I go with my patched-up jeans. What He’s saying here is you can’t take a new patch and put it on an old garment. The minute you wash it, the new patch is going to shrink. It’s going to tear both the new patch away from the old fabric and it’s going to rip and cause even greater problems. And that’s what He’s talking about. He’s using this as a metaphor because He has brought something new, and what He has brought is the new in-breaking kingdom of heaven. Sometimes the fabric, the old fabric of the old regime, the old religious system, is going to have a problem with that.

And He uses another illustration from viniculture to drive the point home. Verse 37, “No one puts new wine into old wineskins.” By the way, they used wineskins, animal skins, like we would have a bottle, they would use wineskins. “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, otherwise the new wine will burst the skins.” As it ferments, it will expand. And so, the old wineskins would burst, and you’d lose both the old wineskin and the wine itself, if you tried to do that. So, the new wine, He says in verse 37, will burst the skins. “It will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined.”

By the way, I think Jesus loves aspects of the old wine skins and the old wine. It’s not that He’s come to just in some way dismiss the laws of God. No, He’s come to fulfill the laws of God, something that these religious folks couldn’t quite get in their heads because they’re all rule-followers. And here comes Jesus. He comes to fulfill the law, not just abolish it, but to fulfill it so that when He dies on the cross, He could take my sins with Him. He who knew no sin could take my sin with Him to the cross. And when He dies, He pays the price for my sin, not for any sin He committed. That’s really powerful.

And He says this new wine of the Gospel that He’s come to bring, you don’t put it in old wine skins. “But new wine,” verse 38, “must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good’” or ‘good enough’ some of your translations might say. And again, I make the argument that Jesus loves God’s Word. He’s the Living Word. He is the one who John would write about. And in the first chapter of John’s gospel, he would say, “In the beginning was the Word,” and the word is Jesus, of course. We read through John, Chapter 1 and we learned that that’s Jesus, right? “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”

And so, this is really unique about Jesus: He comes, He speaks with great authority, and He talks about this new kingdom that is to come. It’s different, and so we’ll talk. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to title this message “Get Used to Different” because that’s exactly what the Lord is doing. So, we see here the caller, the one called, and the call itself. Jesus is the caller. He’s the initiator, He’s the leader, the one emotion, the teacher, the healer, the one everybody’s been talking about, God’s Messiah, the deliverer, Savior and King. That’s who’s calling Levi that day. Had they met before? I really don’t know. But I think this was pretty unusual that day.

But notice who took the initiative in this. There’s no indication that Luke doesn’t open up the account. Neither does Matthew himself, who is Levi, nor does Mark. None of the three synoptic gospels open up the whole thing with sort of some backstory on the mindset of Levi at the moment. “Oh, he’s been searching for God” and then here comes Jesus. There’s none of that. All we know is that he’s sitting there doing his everyday job, extorting money from the people as they’re lined up outside of his booth. Can we speculate that perhaps he was feeling guilty as a Jew? Perhaps he started to see the ruin of lives and businesses because he extracted all that money from them for his own personal gain. Is some of that possible? Sure, it’s possible, but I speculate because it’s not in the text.

Could he have been at the place where he just wished he could find meaning and purpose in life because he felt like his life over and over again, he’d climbed some ladder, achieved much, acquired much and got to the top and just found that there’s nothing there? That’s possible. He could be feeling like his life is empty and meaningless. That is quite possible. But it’s not in the text. All that’s in the text is he’s there. He’s doing his daily job of taking money from these folks and along comes Jesus the caller. And for some reason, this caller notices that sinner. This pastor is really glad that He’s that kind of caller because He notices people like me and people like you.

Notice also the one called Levi, is a traitor to his own people, the most repugnant kind of individual that city had ever known, as I said, stealing from people. Some of the Jews would likely, I speculate, but would likely have walked by his tax collectors booth and thrown food at him because they hate him. They would’ve yelled at him, calling him out for what he’s doing to his own people. Some of you watch the TV series called The Chosen. I’m not real big on standing up here and endorsing TV shows or movies or anything like that, but they do a really great job with this particular event. It’s pretty fascinating and worth going just onto YouTube and just search for the calling of Matthew or Levi or whatever and just watch the exchange.

What happens there? Jesus calls Levi by saying, “Follow Me.” Peter steps in, and that’s not in the text, but this is the TV show. Peter steps in to confront Jesus by saying, “I don’t get it.” And Jesus says, “You didn’t get it when I called you either.” And I love that. I think that’s fair enough because I didn’t get it when the Lord called me either. Peter’s retort though, and remember Peter’s the guy that just… You always know he’s kind of pushing things, isn’t he? Sort of like getting just a little too close to the edge with Jesus and he retorts in this episode of The Chosen, “But this is different. I’m not a tax collector.” And Jesus says, “Get used to different.” And I’m glad that Jesus says get used to different. I need different. I don’t need rules to follow. I don’t need just some kind of karma. I need grace.

I don’t need to be told I have to balance out the moral scales like so many people might think. “How do you get into heaven? Do you balance out the moral scales?” Guess what? None of us can do that. None of us. We’re so dishonest about the weight and value of our goodness. We need grace. We need the kind of thing that’s a free gift from God given to people who don’t deserve it, people who admit and acknowledge that they’re sinners. God’s grace is amazing because Jesus chooses those whom nobody else would choose. People like Levi, people like you, people like me. Jesus chooses those nobody else would choose, and Jesus uses those nobody else would use.

I suspect even though it says he left everything and followed him, and began to follow Him that day, I suspect he found a pen somewhere else along the way. And instead of keeping a record of what we owed, he began to compose a record of how Jesus paid it all for us. And so, we have the one who is called, who is a repugnant other, but that’s what makes grace so amazing. And then the call itself, more on that in just a second because I think this is really, really important. When Jesus says, “Follow Me,” that’s the call, got the call itself, you could explore that. And I want you to, I hope you will over lunch or perhaps in your home groups. But I thought to myself with just two words, here’s Jesus literally turning this guy’s life inside out, upside down. And the impact is so far-reaching that we are sitting here today, 2,000 years later, still talking about those two words.

There’s a lot of two-word phrases that can change lives. “I’m sorry” can change lives. “Thank you” can change lives. “Well done” can change lives. “Watch out. Help me” can change your life. “Love you” can change lives. “Me too. I do. What’s next? Why not? You okay?” And, “Let’s roll.” These can change lives for sure. But “Follow Me,” that is a historic change. That’s a remarkable change, and it has impacted you and me 2,000 years later. Jesus in Matthew’s gospel said it again, described what it means to follow Him. And He told His disciples, “If you wish to come after Me, you must deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow Me.” Deny yourself means there is a new disposition in your heart and mind about yourself. You are no longer the center of the universe.

We were talking about a little dog last night who’s just a little narcissist. He just is convinced everything is about him. He’s awesome. I love this dog. He’s a really amazing dog, but he’s just like follows you around. “What’s in it for me following you around? What do I get? Where’s the treats?” All that sort of thing. Sometimes dogs can be that way. Cats are definitely that way. You guys know. Who’s got cats? You know cats. It’s all about them, but in a very calm way. Whereas dogs are like… “It’s all about me, isn’t it still?”

We need to learn to deny ourselves. That’s so hard to do. It goes against what we’re used to. And so, what we need is a total transformation of the heart. And I can’t do that for myself. My self keeps getting in the way. But what Jesus calls me to is trusting Him, hoping in Him. He gives me a new heart, He gives me His heart, and He takes my heart and transforms it so that increasingly, not completely right now, but increasingly, I’m saying no to myself and yes to Him. And then I’m taking up my cross, which that’s not just put on the little piece of jewelry because that’s what a lot of us think of crosses. It’s a piece of jewelry or it’s that thing on the top of the building… But what does it mean? Well, it means there’s a death involved, there’s a sacrifice involved. And not just the tragic side of that, but also the wonderful side of that.

When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the price once and for all my sin, so I can rest in His having saved me in atonement for my sins. But I too then, as I want to follow Him, I must deny myself; I must lay down my life and I must take up my cross and serve and sacrificially serve others and serve the purposes of God in my life as well. Philip Yancey says it this way, “Far from claiming to have it all together, Christians regularly confess that we do not. After all, Jesus said He came for the sick and not the well, for sinners and not for saints. In the words of the old gospel song, ‘He looked beyond my faults and saw my need.’ True Followers of Jesus distinguish themselves primarily by admitting failure and the need for help.”

I bet most of us have pride so pounded into us that it would be really hard for us to say, “Back on that list, the top one.” Some of us might not be able yet to say that very quickly, “I’m sorry.” And not, “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.” There’s no “if” in a real confession of wrong. There’s no if. “I’m sorry. I see that I hurt your feelings. And I really care about you, and I don’t want you to be hurt by what I said. I’m sorry I said that.” “God, I’m sorry I went against Your will and Your ways.” And as C.S Lewis says, “What we have to take to God is the inexcusable part.” And see, for that happen, we have to humble ourselves. We have to admit that we indeed are the ones who have gone wrong, and that’s different. So, Jesus is basically saying, “Get used to different” to all of us, to Levi that particular day and to all of us along the way. Surrender to a different master on a different mission, believing a different message.

We follow Jesus. We find that He leads us in different directions at a different pace, toward a different destination. Our world, our culture pushes you, tries to influence you to think about you. It’s me, myself and I. Three most important people on the planet, me, myself, and I. It’s in the magazine titles that have gone from Life, to People, to Self now. And there’s probably a magazine called Me. And that just shows us how narcissistic we are and how we need to repent and turn away from all of that and find ourselves now following Jesus as He leads us in these different directions.

The integrity of Christian living matures as our values, speech, actions, and character come into alignment with those of Jesus Christ. See, to follow Him means that we go where He wants to go, not where we want to go. To follow Him means we don’t use Him to get what we want. In other words, we don’t lead Him. We are led by Him. To follow Him means we also don’t follow a bunch of other things, our selfish desires, our proclivities to blow up at people out on the highway or whatever, whatever place it manifests itself in your life as it does in mine in so many different ways.

So how should you respond if you hear Jesus calling you, as Levi did that day? Well, I think we should heed the call, count the cost, make your move, get used to different. That’s what happens in just those two verses. Levi heard the call, and not only heard it, but he heeded it. That means you respond to it. So, then he literally counted the call, it said he left everything. And then he made his move. He stood up and began to follow Him. That’s all just in those first two verses, right?

We have to get used to different because that’s exactly what Levi did as he turned more and more into Matthew, reflecting the gift that God has for us. And I think we see that in the following verses as well, these same four things. The call is not to just stop doing this or start doing that. It’s not about dues, it’s about being first. In philosophical terms, it’s about your ontological reality, that is what kind of a being are you? It’s about that before. It’s about your biography, your story. In the world in which we live, everything’s about your story, your story, your story. Your story’s first and foremost. And all we have now is such a chaotic world. It’s the cacophony of competing autobiographies. Let that sink in for a minute.

We’re all trying to get our story to surface, whether we’re on the internet, we’re on social media, we’re at work, whatever it is; it’s all about asserting my story. I’m not saying your story is unimportant. I’m just saying you can see how a society of more than one will very quickly crumble if it’s only about the cacophony, the noise of competing autobiographies. We need Jesus to come and help us and to transform us, to call us to Himself to begin to transform and change us. John Stott says, “Our Christian life began not with our decision to follow Christ, but with God’s call to us to do so. He took the initiative in His grace while we were still in rebellion and sin. In that state we neither wanted to turn from sin to Christ, nor were we able to. But He came to us and called us to freedom.”

You see what’s happening there? It’s depicted there in those two verses with Levi. Again, I argue that Levi wasn’t… We’re not told he was looking for Jesus. We’re not told that. Again, he might’ve heard of Him or something like that. But that day all we’re told is he was at work; he was doing what he did, and Jesus invaded his space and said two words that changed his life. And perhaps those two words will change your life and change my life, even though I’ve been a Christian for a long, long time, but I still need to heed the call. Every single day I need to count the cost. Every single day I need to make my move stand up, make my choice, set my trajectory on following Him because I trust Him so much.

David Jackman, “The challenge to us now is how much are we really prepared to let Jesus change us. Is it to be my will or His? On this will depend the ultimate verdict, whether we prove to be frauds or followers. Who’s at the center of our lives? Is it ‘self’ with its long to be first, to be number one? Or is it Christ enabling us to keep faithful, to continue walking in the truth? There’s still no issue with greater or more far-reaching implications for the church or for the Christians.”

Who will it be? You, the self? Or Jesus first? I’ve said this before. When I put Jesus first in my life, it actually makes me a better husband. All the other relationships, all the other roles that I play in this world, in life, actually are improved because Jesus is first in my life. When I put Jesus first, I’m a better citizen. When I put Jesus first, I can be a better pastor. When I put Jesus first, I can be a better son, a better brother. The same thing is true for you. You who are married you, you put Jesus first and watch it change your relationship with your spouse. Even if you think your spouse is the one who’s doing all the wrong stuff, put Jesus first yourself and watch the grace begin to flow and watch the forgiveness. Watch Him change your heart.

Often when we go to Him in prayer, the first thing He does is not necessarily change circumstances around us, but He begins to change us, which often is what’s really needed to begin with. So true. So, I commend to you what we see here with Levi and what we see here with Jesus. Next week I will have, as Kim said, she let the cat out of the bag, I was going to say this myself, but I’ll enter my seventh decade of life. Actually, I guess it’s my eighth decade of life in reality, I’m beginning it. All but five years of that time I’ve walked in the Pilgrim way following Jesus. I went forward at Compton Baptist Church in Compton, California when I was five years old to give my life to Christ. The preacher was talking about hell, fire and brimstone. It didn’t sound good. When they made the altar call, I said, “I think I’m going there.” And so, for most of my life, I’ve been intending to follow Jesus. I’ve lagged behind, I’ve run ahead sometimes. I’ve gotten distracted and drifted off course. I’ve been nothing but inconsistent much of that time. And yet surprisingly, Jesus still calls me each and every day to follow Him.

It reminds me of the old 19th century hymn. I’ll just quote two verses from it. I’m not going to put it on the screen but close your eyes and see if you remember these words, those of you who are over 50. “All the way my Savior leads me. What have I asked beside? Can I doubt His tender mercy who through life has been my guide? Heavenly peace, divine comfort, hereby faith in Him to dwell, for I know what e’er befall me. Jesus doeth all things well. All the way my Savior leads me. O the fullness of His love. Perfect rest to me is promised in my Father’s house above. When my spirit, clothed immortal, wings its flight to realms of day, this my song through endless ages, Jesus led me all the way. This my song, through endless ages, Jesus led me all the way.”

Those words were written by the hymn writer Fanny Crosby and put to a tune by Robert Lowry, good friend and a brother that we’ve quoted from time to time. We’ll sort of walk us out of here with this quote. He says in his book The Call, which as you might imagine, this passage we’ve read today fits right into the theme of his book. “Do you want to know a truth that in the momentous challenges of our modern world will be at once a quest to inspire you, an anchor to hold you fast, a rich fear to nourish you and a relationship you will prize above all others? Listen to Jesus of Nazareth. Answer His call.” Let’s pray:

I wonder, Lord, if You might be calling someone within the sound of my voice right now. I wonder if perhaps You would make us aware that You’re doing that? All of us. Whether that’s somebody You’re calling for the very first time to follow You, or perhaps You’re calling some of us to return to following You more closely than we have been. Holy Spirit, speak to us, convict us of our sin and convince us of what is true, and then call us to follow Jesus. And Father, may the good seed of Your Word find fertile soil in our hearts and minds today. May the Holy Spirit cause our study of it to take root and bear fruit in every category of our lives as we prepare to begin this new week. And all of this we pray in the strong name of Jesus, amen and amen.

Songs, Readings & Prayer

Songs:

“Behold Our God“ by Stephen Altrogge, Jonathan Baird, Meghan Baird, and Ryan Baird
“The Lord Almighty Reigns“ by Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, Matt Boswell, and Matt Papa
“Come Thou Fount“ by Robert Robinson
“Come Unto Jesus“ by Jordan Kauflin, Keith & Kristyn Getty, and Laura Story
“Doxology” by Thomas Ken and Louis Bourgeois

All songs are used by Permission. CCLI License #200369

Call To Worship: Lord Of All Our Days

O God, You are Lord of all our days and all our nights. Every star in heaven answers Your call and offers their joyful obedience. As we come to worship You today, stir our hearts to respond to You in like manner. As we end one week and begin another, grant us the peace of knowing we belong to You. Open our eyes to see the security of Your sovereignty and the wonders of Your love. To Your care we commend our souls. To Your will we bow our own. To Your grace we happily surrender, receiving from You what we have not deserved. Now we raise our glad hallelujahs! Now we offer You all glory and praise! O Creator God, be blessed to receive our most grateful thanksgivings. Let every heart shout it aloud, Amen! Amen!

Confession: What is Our Only Hope?

Leader: What is your only comfort in life and death?
People: That I am not my own, but belong- body and soul, in life and in death-to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.

Leader: What is the chief end of man?
People: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

Leader: What rule has God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him?
People: The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.

Source: Heidelberg Catechism, Question 1; Westminster Shorter Catechism, Questions 1-2

Classic Prayer: Polycarp, 69-155 AD

Thou God and Father of Thy beloved and blessed Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have received knowledge of Thee, O God of the angels and of all creation and of all just men who live in Thy presence, I thank Thee that Thou hast graciously granted me a portion among Thy people, among the people of Christ, unto the resurrection of everlasting life: may I be received in Thy sight, as a fruitful and acceptable sacrifice, wherefore, for all this, I praise Thee, I bless Thee, I glorify Thee through the eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ, Thy beloved Son; to whom, with Thee and the Holy Spirit, be all glory, world without end.

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