A Dinner With Sinners
His holy word, Mark chapter 2 and verse number 13.
says then he speaking of Jesus, went out again by the Sea and all the multitude came to him and taught them, and he taught them As he passed by, he saw Levi, the son of alphaeus sitting at the tax office and he said to him, follow me. So he arose and follow them. Now it happened as he was dying and Levi's house, that many tax collectors, and sinners also, sat together with Jesus and his disciples for there were many and they followed him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to his disciples, how is it that he eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners? when Jesus heard it he said to them those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick, I did not come to call the righteous but Sinners to repentance. Let's pray together.
Are Great and Mighty father, or we are humbled. Follow that. Those who have been saved by the grace. By your grace can say that. Jesus is a friend of sinners. And to that we give our utmost. Thanks and praise. Father, I pray as we go through this particular passage of scripture that you would open our eyes to its truth. I pray that you would Bob is Spirits. Apply these truths are our to our hearts and that's we would leave here differently. Then how we came in. Fallback, pray that if anyone here today has never been saved. Father, I pray for them. I pray that the Holy Spirit would speak to their heart and soul and draw them to your son Jesus today. Your father, I pray that we would as Christians be motivated. To witness and a van to tell others about the Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. The truly, only good news that mankind will ever hear. Father, we love you. We ask all of these things in Christ name, all of God's people said, amen. The title of the message this morning is a dinner with Sinners and that's exactly what we see with Jesus CD with a tax collectors and the sinners in Levi's house. However, an alternative to that title could be Christ's Kingdom expanse, one Center at a time because that's exactly what's Happening Here. Christ has initiated his kingdom, he is here, he is preaching and people are responding. And each time. A person responds by faith, the kingdom of God expands and love it. It is still expanding to this day because Jesus is still saving centers in the that were grateful to, that would give him praise. But here in our text is just another personal illustration of the good news. It's another personal illustration of what was started out for us and Mark, 1:1 says the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Son of God I remember the word gospel means what the good news of Salvation. It's just not good news. It's the good news of Salvation that Jesus Christ has come to save sinners from their sin. I hope you hear this morning and you are carrying a huge burden of seeing if you're carrying a load of guilt and there is good news for you. You're seeing can be forgiven, your guilt can be removed. Just to give you a quick recap. What we looked at last week. Jesus here has just returned to capernium. Mark, 2:1 tells us this. He just returned from Galilee. He was there a few days preaching with his disciples and now you enter back into the city of two per diem and he enters into a house more than likely. It is Peter's mother-in-law's home and ask me, is there? The crowd is just standing room. Only, there's, there's no way anyone else can get inside the home to hear Jesus, teach them. but yet, we find in that text for men, Who buys State cut a hole in a roof in this home? Cut a hole in the roof and from there, they let down a paralytic, man, so that man could get to Jesus to heal heal him. What Jesus does more than just heal his physical body. Jesus heals his spiritual saw, Jesus there. And he cries out to that man, that paralytic and says, son, your sins are forgiven. And when Jesus said that the Pharisees, you know, you would think the religious leaders will be excited. That one's seeing has been forgiven know. They reason within themselves that this was somehow blasphemy. Because they knew that the only person who had the power to forgive sin with God. And so, we're Jesus for giving this man calling this man sin forgiven. He was an Essence saying that I am God. And it is here that Jesus Christ says that he is the son of man. One given Divine Authority from Heaven to forgive sons of men, their sins on Earth. and so if Jesus came from Heaven to Earth to forgive sins, Then the question should be, what should we expect him to be doing well? Seeking, Sinners, right, seeking Sinners. And that's what we find Jesus doing here. And Mark chapter 2, verses 13 through 17. And when you think about it, forgiveness of sin is really the heart of the entire New Testament. It is the heart of the entirety of the New Covenant, the day of Grace. We are living in a day. When we can be forgiven of our sin, and we're grateful for that. But this is what we see in our text, Jesus. The true servant King. We see how he befriends the most wretched of Sinners. The outcast, the down-and-out.
Jesus is a friend to you and me who are also outcasts. who are also Sinners when we compare ourselves and see ourselves to the Holiness and righteousness and purity of God, so again, we see here, Christ Kingdom expanding one Center at a time. What? How does the kingdom expand will notice. First of all, the routes of the Kingdom, the route of the kingdom is what it is. Preaching it is preaching. This is how the kingdom, expand. Notice this in verse 13.
Then he went out again by the sea in all the multitude came to him and he taught them. So Jesus is preaching here. The gospel of the kingdom of God. And 1:14 through 15. We see what that message was. He was calling on them to repent and believe the gospel. And hear Jesus, preached. When he preached, he did. So with authority, he did so, with Divine Authority. Remember, Jesus and chapter 1, his authoritative teaching, and preaching in the synagogue there capernium in, and he was preaching in such a manner that the people a say, this man speaks different differently than the other. Rabbis This man speaks with authority, he is he speaks with Divine Authority, he was speaking on the authority of his preceding rabbis. He was speaking on the authority of God. We also notice that the ministry of preaching, was the purpose of why Jesus came, that's what he said. And 1:38. Remember when the city of capernum was looking for Jesus, his Fame was growing. His popularity was growing. Yeah, just finished a night of healing, all sorts of diseases, and, and casting out, demons the next morning, the city of go partying was looking for him and the disciples were excited because of the messiah's popularity. But instead of going to capernium to those people Jesus said, hey, I must go to Galilee and preach there for that is why I came So Jesus. Again, he preaches in Galilee, he comes back Mark 2:1 to capernium. He returns teaching, but now we seem verse 13, because of so many people not home, he goes out by the seaside by the seashore, so that more people could listen to him. I told Jesus purpose was to preach the gospel. He wanted people to he wanted to point them to God by looking unto himself by looking unto Christ, he wanted them to come to God, not by the ferris Seroquel laws that they demanded, but by looking unto Jesus Christ, Jesus preached. His purpose was preaching. This was Paul's purpose as well. 1st Corinthians, chapter 1, verse 17. Paul said, for Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel. But to preach the good news of Salvation, this was Paul's command to Timothy and 2nd Timothy 4:1. Paul said I charge you I charge you therefore before God, and the Lord, Jesus Christ to preach the word preach, the word be ready in season and out of season, convince rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and teaching. Allison, why are we called to preach the Glorious gospel? Listen, we are called to preach the Glorious gospel, because preaching the gospel is likened unto the scattering of seed. It's like a nun to the broadcasting of seed. I listen, every time I preach every time you passed out a gospel track, you are casting out the gospel seed.
if preaching is a root of the Kingdom, a Vex us to question then, why are so many churches? Avoiding it. Why do so many churches in the least minimize it? Listen to Gospel Light seed, must be broadcast. It must be scattered for it to have any effect whatsoever.
What good is seed, that is left in the barn. No good. And what good is the seed of a gospel if it is stored and only stays Within These Walls?
Lovelace and the kingdom will not. And cannot grow without preaching without the broadcasting, without the scattering of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul said this in Romans 10:14. He said how then shall they the Lost call on him? Jesus in whom they have not believed and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear? Without a preacher? I'll blow to listen, there must be the showing. There must be the preaching of the Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. And one more thing we notice in verse 13 is that the kingdom advances through the consistent preaching through consistent preaching, we noticed that word and verse 13 again, Then he Jesus went out again. By the Sea and he talked to them. And so this is contrary to those who say, well, you know, they've heard the gospel before, there's no sense in preaching the gospel to them again, Jesus did. Hey man. Jesus the other is something about the consistency of preaching doing it over and over and over again. Bloodless and that is the route of the kingdom of how the kingdom expand. It is through the preaching, the proclamation, the scattering of the Gospel.
Notice the response of the Kingdom. The response of the kingdom is what? Salvation.
Remember, our text tells us that Jesus left the small home. For a large open area where the crowds to get close to him where he could teach them.
So, what we see here is Jesus. Is Out Among the people. He's Out Among the people. He's out with those who need his touch. He is out with those who need is teaching. Listen, I believe there is a simple principle here that we should easily apply. I managed to reach the Lost. To reach those who know not the gospel, you have to be with the Lost. And you must share the gospel. Both listen to me, we're not living in the day. when lost folks are just going to show up on their own,
And come inside this building and be saved. Now, there may be some exceptions to that, but generally speaking, that's not going to be the case. No. Listen, Jesus. Is again doing what he loved doing. He's teaching the word. He's calling disciples to follow him and he's going out to them. He's going out to the Lost. I think about the parable that Jesus told about the parable of the great feast. and he told them, you go to the highways and the byways, you go to the back roads in those dirt roads and you can tell them to come to my feast That's what Jesus said. And this is what, Jesus practice notice, again, verse 13. And 14. Then he went out again by the Sea and all the multitude came to him and he taught them. As he passed by, he saw Levi, the son of alphaeus sitting at the tax office and he said to him follow me so he rose and followed him. Here in this passage of scripture received the called given out. We see both the general call, that is given out. We also see and effectual call that is given specifically to Levi and what is the general Caldwell, the general call involves commanding people to repent and believe the gospel and to follow Jesus. What I'm doing right now is I am preaching the gospel and I'm giving you a general call to come and be safe. Every time I preach every time I go out, I am proclaiming forth, a general call for those to come to Christ. We also see here and effectual call Where Jesus purposefully crosses paths with a tax collector named Levi. and this is certainly the man that we know as Matthew, Mark, chapter, Matthew, 19:9 tells us as Jesus passed on He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office and he said to him, follow me and so he arose and followed Jesus. But what I want you to see is this is this, this is how all Disciples of Jesus are made. There is first that General call of the Gospel that must be proclaimed before one will ever be effectually called by the Lord Jesus Christ. Every sinner must be called with a general call before, they will ever come to Christ by his effectual call.
This is why when we need to make sure that we do not preach. Without demanding for a response. We always preach for a response, we do not just preach the gospel, preached, the good news and then leave it at that. No, we command them and we demand them by Holy scripture to respond to cry. How you respond to price? You come to him by faith. That's how you respond. You do that? And listen, if you're here today, and listen the gospel right now is being proclaimed. You need to repent and you need to believe the gospel. But understand, it's just hearing, the gospel is not sufficient to save you. You must respond to the gospel. How do you respond to the gospel? You respond to the gospel by faith. You respond to the gospel by following Jesus.
So there is a call. There is also notice the cost. What was the cost for for Levi, are for Matthew to follow Jesus? Will looped houses in his account? Luke 5:28 tells us. So he Levi or Matthew left. All he left everything, he arose and follow Jesus. And so when we are preaching, when we are sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we must take care. Not to preach only the message to come. Without stipulations of what it means to come to Christ. This Is Why I'm preaching. You got to have a balance to our preaching. We don't just say, Hey, listen, all those who want to be saved, you just come to Jesus and follow him. That right there is essentially easy believism. Easy believism is asking people to come without a cost. And listen, easy, believism is perhaps the greatest Thorin American evangelicalism today. It is to come to Christ without any cost. What so ever? And that is no excuse me. That is not how Jesus preached at all. remember Jesus, speaking to the Rich Young Ruler I'm young ruler asked a tremendous question. Good Master. What must I do to inherit the kingdom of God? What must I do to inherit eternal life and Jesus. Said. Go and sell everything you have and give to the poor and follow me. And, you know, the story of how the Rich Young Ruler, he left sorrowful for he had great possessions. And he went on his way, but notice that Jesus didn't stop him. Jesus allowed him to the park. I remember reading about James and John and Peter and Andrew in chapter one, how they're leaving their Nets and following Jesus in doing so they left their lucrative business.
And here in Mark chapter 2, we see Levi forsaking his lucrative business as a tax collector. Sublevel, listen to me, salvation is the costliest free gift you'll ever receive. It is free because you don't have to do anything to earn it but listen to me, there is a cost there's a cost because you have to die to yourself, that's not easy. You say brother, why do I have to sell everything I have in order to to be safe? No Linda, no, but you must be willing to do so if he calls and ask you to do it. You must be willing to do. So that's the whole point of Jesus and his interaction with the Rich Young Ruler. There's a cost.
Leave. I counted the cost.
Follow the lord Jesus. Am I getting this was a radical decision? He gave up his lucrative. Business. He gave up all of his stuff. He turned his back on his former life for a completely new life. Now, why would leave? I leave everything and follow Jesus. Well, I believe I saw something in Jesus that most people in his day did not see. Levi saw Jesus as the Lord. And master the Messiah, the Christ. But even more, why would Jesus invite such an outcast to follow him? Listen, Jesus salt and Levi. A sinner in need of salvation. Let Levi lived a wicked life, he was a tax collector, he was an extortionist. Yet Jesus called him by his grace and change his life. Jesus changed a man that was once an extortionist to an evangelist and Apostle and a gospel writer. That is what Jesus can do for you. The same is true for us, Jesus saves us from our sins, but he also changes us For his glory. Of course, all of this every bit of it. Is made possible by God's Amazing Grace. And Jesus is willing choice to be the friend of sinners. Levi, the one who had been a thief. Will now receive a gift from God and become a gift of God to the people whom he had previously swindled. And we look at that, we say my what eighth transformation.
Sore text houses with amazing brevity. A shocking scene that Jesus. He's as man named Levi and says follow me and Levi leaves everything to follow Jesus.
Gives up those things. But notice this by calling Levi, to follow him. Jesus wants more commit a scandalous act, at least, by the society standard. I mean this would rival. Jesus touching the leper. But notice your refuses to yield to social pressure. He came to call centers unto himself and that is exactly what Jesus was doing here. Can we see the response of the Kingdom? That is salvation. Notice the recipients of the Kingdom. The recipients of the Kingdom, who are the recipient? Sinners. Notice this number 15. Now, it happened. As he was dying, in the Levi's house that many tax collectors, and sinners, also, set together with Jesus and his disciples for there were many, and they followed him. Now, in Bible times, and especially in the New Testament, times Tax Collectors were hated, they were despised by the Jewish people because a Jewish people saw Tax Collectors as those who were traitors Assault at collectors as those who were abusers of the people of God because in essence a tax collector who was a Hebrew, who was a Jew, who was working for the Roman Empire. I remember Roman the Romans had inquire the nation of Israel. This time they had occupied the nation of Israel and so they were working for the nation are the Empire of Rome to gather up the taxes. They were allowed by wrong to take as much taxes as they wanted to take so long as Rome got their percentage and that's what tax collector like Matthew did. What Zacchaeus did? They became very, very wealthy people. But the Jewish people hated, that makes them as they saw them. As traitors. The Jewish writings known as the mishnah set them aside as thieves and murderers. They were expelled and band. From the synagogue. The touch of a cat of a tax collector. Rendered, a house unclean, And so with many ass, excuse me with money. As his God, Levi was a social outcast, who was spiritually bankrupt, having sold his soul to seeing and sell is was a soul in need of a touch from Jesus. What I want you to see here is this, this is how we must see ourselves before we come to Jesus. We must see ourselves just as the tax collector just as Levi who may be physically wealthy, but spiritually bankrupt.
Luke chapter 5.
Tells us that Levi gave Jesus a great feast. We find Jesus in Levis house, sharing a meal and having a good time. And
Obviously, Levi must have only large home because he invited a large number of friends and acquaintances over to his house to eat and meet with Jesus. I looked at 45 tells us that this must have been a very impressive banquet. It was a great feast perhaps it was a farewell party. For Levi, as he was getting ready to leave and follow Jesus, perhaps it was to celebrate his new life and his new calling. In any case, there's no doubt that it was to honor Jesus and to share Jesus with his friends, the term centers, there a 15, maybe a technical term for the, for the common people who did not live out, the rigid rules of the Pharisees. And because they did not live out those rigid rules of the Pharisees. They were alienated and they were rejected by the religious leader at least Pharisees were no doubt stunned when they saw the young Rabbi sharing a table with such type of people But why the tax collectors and sinners were humble and thankful. The religious Hypocrites were offended and anger. Has Jesus has rubbing elbows. You can say with those who are outcasts and a down and outer. But let me courage you this morning that you ought to be prepared to sit and eat with such people for such is the kingdom of God. Listen, when you think about it. The mill itself here was something of a foreshadowing and in anticipation of the great. Messianic banquet that's mentioned in Revelation chapter 19, the marriage supper of the Lamb. When person from every tribe nation and tongue who have experienced the saving grace of God including the unlikely and the undesirable will recline with King, Jesus had a great banquet that will never end. I'll listen, we see. The recipients noticed. Quickly, rejecters of the Kingdom, there were jectors of the Kingdom. That is a self-righteous. 416 Talus when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eating with the tax collectors and sinners. They said to his disciples, how is it that he eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners? Verse 16 were introduced to a group that is not happy at all with what Jesus is doing. And From this point onward. He they are going to constantly oppose him throughout his ministry all the way to the cross. The scribes were most likely outside the home looking in, through a window or through an open door, and they did not like what the saw You see the Pharisees that the word literally means separatists separateness and they were careful to avoid ritual impurity from contact with others who did not keep their traditions. The damn, it was an unforgivable. Disgrace for Jesus who claimed to be a teacher of the law. The shame for him to decide to disregard their time-honored customs.
Perhaps. None of us here this morning, espouse such for a cycle beliefs. I think if I were to ask, you would say that you hate them. That you loathe them, but many of us. Leave them out, nevertheless.
We come to Christ. and in our desire to be Godly, we seek out people. Who are just like us.
Forgetting the fact that though we are not of this world. We are still in this world. Love. Listen to me. We need to get out of our church Bubbles at times. We must get out to where the lost people are. Listen, Christ Kingdom. Expands and grows by evangelism. Not ostracism, okay. And listen, you cannot even July's if you isolate yourself. From all other walls people. You cannot do that. So may we may we remember that Jesus was a friend to Sinners and so too we should and so too and so should you and I be a friend to sinners. Alyssa may the Lord help us to see that. If only, if it's the only people, you believe you should be friend or those who? Look like you think like you and act like you've you've missed the meaning of the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I think for the past several decades, we have as A church. And I'm speaking primarily the American church. We have so arranged our lives so that we are in no contact whatsoever with non-believers if we can help.
We attend Bible studies that are one hundred percent Christian and we attend Sunday school that is a hundred percent Christian we go to prayer meetings that is 100% Christian. We play sports we do exercise with those were Christian we eat dinner with Christians. We have Christian doctors, we have Christian Dennis and so on. And the result is we passed by so many people without ever noticing them, or positive positively influence them, and losing them for Christ. now, I know none of us are Pharisees philosophically, but we made the Pharisees practically
We need to reach out to the people with whom we work. We need to go to dinner with them. We need to attend a sporting event was in. We need to interact with him. You're never going to share the gospel with somebody that you never come in contact with. We need to extend ourselves to those. We know who are hurting. Again, Jesus prayed in John 17 verse 15. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. Notice lastly, the reality of the Kingdom, the reality of the Kingdom that is a sick will be healed 417 when Jesus heard it. He said to them those who are well have no need of a position but those who are sick, I did not come to call the righteous but Sinners to repentance. Jesus heard what they were saying and he was absolutely disgusted by their hard hearts and he responds in two parts and Bruce 17. First of all he said it is not. It is not the healthy who need a doctor. It is a sick who needs a doctor.
The response that Jesus gave was a supremely common sense response. It was a response. It was both known and both secular and religious Proverbs, Common Sense tells us the doctor needs to visit the ill. Common Sense tells his that it is those who are whole that should go to those who are fracture. History records. That one Oliver Cromwell ruled in England, the nation at that time, experiencing Mighty crisis. They ran out of silver and could not miss any coins. Cromwell sent his soldiers to the cathedral to see if any silver was available. They reported back that the only silver was the statues of the Saints. To which Cromwell famously replied meltdown, the Saints and get them back into circulation. Lovelace and this is what God must do with us. We must be melted down so that we can get back into circulation in the world for the glory of God. Noticed. Secondly Christ completed his answer, with the statement of his overall purpose price that I have come not to call the righteous but sinners And hear Jesus spoke not only ironically, he spoke truthfully. The Pharisees whether they realize it or not, they did not realize it. We're just as needy as the tax collectors were needing. They were just as needy as the center's. But they did not know it. so Jesus was saying any fact to people, who think they are righteous, I have nothing to say But to those who know they have need, I have come. until the person who says, You know what? I have no need. I don't think I am a sinner. Listen, that is a person who cannot be saved. In that state. A person will never be safe, until they realize that they are First lost. Now if a person says this, it doesn't mean we just totally give up. We wait and we pray, we wait and we pray and sooner or later. Listen, their life is going to sour and their dreams are going to collapse at their feet and there may come a point in time where they realize their need This is my God. So often the last trouble to come to men and women's lives to strip away the terrible delusion that they can make it by themselves and us. They're then open to the grace of God. Now, what do we learn from priced at the party? Eating with tax collectors and sinners. Well, first of all Christ and his followers did not and still must not isolate themselves from a needy world. Nor did they assimilate themselves? Nor did he, or his disciples condone their sin, No, they went out with Christ in Mission. Jesus didn't spend time eating with Sinners, because he wanted to appear tolerance. Do not spend time eating with Sinners, because he wanted people to see him as a firming or very inclusive. I know, he spent time with him to show them a different way of living.
So, the work of Jesus is not about affirmation, it is about transformation. The Christians wife is not to be one of isolation. It's certainly not to be one of assimilation, but mission. Secondly, Christ sat down with Sinners and praise the Lord. He still sits down. With sinners. He dined with them and they with him and he met their spiritual need. So we can say, as a song, we just sung moments ago, Jesus, what a friend of sinners Call the seemingly unlikely. You reached out to the socially undesirable and he healed the spiritual unhealthy. He cared for them. He spent time with them and he loved them. And listen, if this be true of our master May it be true of us?
And yes, do you see yourself this morning as a center? Oh, I hope and pray that you do. because Jesus says to those who think they are righteous, I have nothing to say To those who know they are sinners. In need of Salvation, I have come to heal them and call them to myself. You must see yourself as lost before you can first be saved.
You must know that you are spiritually sick before you can be spiritually healed. And you must know that your spiritually dead before you can be made spiritually alive. By the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's pray.