Find the Cure F.R.O.G

Wrapping up the series,” The Way” as we explored a little about Jesus’ early life and ministry.

We’ve talked about how God wants to speak to us and lead us into truth.

We learned Jesus knows us better than anyone and he sees where we are and has come to help.

Last week we looked into God’s plan for us. His plan is more relational than directional. He wants us to follow Him.

Tonight we are going to look at a similar passage to last weeks. So turn with me to Matthew 9:9-13

As you turn there have you ever thought that Jesus doesn’t love you?

Or that Jesus only loves certain people, He only loves or cares for people who go to church every week, or who look nice. The reason I ask is because I think some people can see and hear God’s word and think that He is not a loving God.

Like Maybe you disagree with something Jesus teaches, and you might say will Jesus doesn’t love me, He his not a loving God if He tells me I can’t live “this” way.

As we jump into this passage tonight my hope and prayer that God would open our eyes to see that He love us and really knows the best way to live.

Matthew 9:9–10 NLT

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners.

The way Jesus sees you is far greater than the way the world sees you.

Matthew was a tax collector, he was hated by his own people because he was working for the very people, the Romans, who were afflicting oppression on them.

Matthew was seen as a traitor, and amongst his people was not worth a lot.

YET, Jesus looked on Him with love and gave Him the same invitation He gives everyone. He invites them into the truth always.

Then Matthew out of excitement and this sense of belonging that Jesus gave that He never experienced before, invites Jesus over for dinner.

What does Jesus do?

Have you ever had people in your life that you know talk you and are nice, but then when their in a different setting or their around maybe their friend group they treat you as if they don’t know you, or that you are less than. Anyone ever felt that or experienced that before?

Jesus didn’t do that to Matthew, He didn’t do that to anyone. In face the passage says that He and His disciples with to Matthew’s home where there were other tax collectors and sinners deemed as outcasts and unworthy.

Jesus included people that weren’t like Him, and He calls us to do the same.

Jesus calls us to see people the way He sees people.

Every single person was created in the image of God. Even the people that you don’t like, or that miss treat you, God loves them and wants all people to be a part of His family, and calls us to do the same.

Only with the Spirit of God will we be able to look at people the way that God sees them. You won’t be able to do this yourself. You might there is people in your life who you think, Man I cannot forgive them for this, I can’t love these people, but when you learn and experience the love that God has for you, He produce in you a love that is willing and able to forgive.

Not saying that it is always going to be easy and that you are not going to have temptation to view people the way the world sees them instead of God’s way because you will. People sometimes hurt us(Let me just say when I say that if you are a part of some physical, emotional, mental abuse you need to share with someone to help you get out of that situation and into a better one, because loving those that do that looks like getting them help, looks like getting them in a better place, frustrate us, but people hurt us, frustrate us, confuse us, annoy us and so there will be times to treat them as they deserve, but Jesus just has He has shown us mercy(which is not getting what we deserve) we all deserved punishment and death because of our own sins, but Jesus showed us mercy and calls us to extend that to others, even people who don’t look like, sound like us. Jesus told the Pharisees who wondered why He would eat with such people He said I desire, I want you to show mercy.

This was a problem for the Pharisees and many of us at times.

Matthew 9:11–13 NLT

But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

The Pharisees saw people as the world saw them, scum, outcasts. Then they do this tricky thing and go to Jesus’ disciples and question why He would eat with such people, and I think is is important for you to know. Because satan will work the same way. He will come and say we shouldn’t love this or that person, he will tell us to hold a grudge, he will try to keep us from showing God’s love and mercy to others, because he doesn’t want people to know or experience the love of God.

Jesus responded to the Pharisees and said, the reason I am here is because “heathy people don’t need a Doctor, sick people do.”

When you can’t see your need for a Savior, you won’t find the cure for your heart.

You see the people hanging with Jesus and enjoying dinner were people, not perfect and very rightly said they were sinners, but they knew they needed Jesus, they knew they where sick and needed a Doctor to save them and make a way for them to live.

The pharisees thought they were healthy and needed no doctor, but the truth is we all, including the religious people, have sinned, we all are sin sick and need Jesus to save.

The key to knowing the way to live and finding the cure for your heart, is understanding you’re sick and in need of Jesus the great doctor.

- Follow Jesus. So would you follow Jesus. Do you you realize that you have sinned and because of sin your life is headed in the way of Death, but if you call on Jesus to save you He will and He will show you the way to live like loving and showing mercy to people.

-Forgive. Is there hatred and hurt you have been holding on to? Is there someone you need to forgive? Ask God for the strength to forgive.

- Is there someone God has been putting on your heart to be kind to or to serve, help them with something they need?