The Great Mission of Jesus

Luke 5:27-39

For so many years of my life, I lived with the thinking and belief that I was, “good with God.” Lookin back today, man did I have it wrong. Years of pretending and performing only provided me with the assumptive belief that God and I were good. However, by the time I turned 36, my life reached a tipping point. A nearly 7 year addiction to pornography had brought me to the end of myself; where God had me right where He wanted me.

Among all the things I came to grips was coming to realize that Christ had been seeking me out, that He had come after my heart to save me from myself and the destruction sin had/was causing me. For 36 years of my life, He was chasing me down, beckoning me to see the cross He bore for me, and when I saw it for the first time, my life has never been the same.

The glorious truth is Christ still pursues and the cross still beckons us.

In fact, Luke’s gospel centers of theme of Christ’s pursuit and promise of salvation. Throughout Luke’s recording of Christ’s earthly ministry, Christ’s ministry of the cross is seen. Everything Christ accomplished & taught for 3 1/2 years leads us to the foot of the cross—His primary mission.

Here in Luke 5, we gain just such an understanding. Jesus calls an outcast to follow Him—Matthew. From there we learn our response to the call of Jesus— repentance and belief, where true joy is found. The means of this true joy is found in Christ’s crucifixion, through which we are created as “new skins,” launched into a new life

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I. Jesus Christ sees the broken and calls them to follow (Luke 5:27–29)

(CONTEXT)

Jesus “went forth”—Jesus’ mission was singular and intentional

Singular purpose:

Luke 19:10 “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.””

Intentional purpose:

Luke 9:21–22 “And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.””

Jesus’ encounter with Levi/Matthew

Who was Matthew

Matthew, or Lev, as referred to by the other apostles, was a Jewish man, whose name means, “gift of the Lord.”

Matthew was a tax collector; mostly Jewish men and were bitterly despised b/c:

They served Rome and often accused of denying their Jewish heritage,

They were cheats, dishonest, and unjust men—most of whom were extremely wealthy b/c they abused those they took money from, and

They were assuming rights belonging only to God (Jewish culture dictated taxes were to only be paid to Him and His government

Matthew was thought of as

A traitor and an outcast, rejected not only by his Jewish brethren, but society as well

Wealthy by extortion—having cheated people and exacting more money than was required and pocketing the rest

Matthew, before he encountered Christ was, on all accounts:

An immoral/unjust man,

Money-hungry and worldly minded,

Cared more about possessions and wealth, than for people

Hardened, difficult, bitter, and without hope, through years and years of prodigal living

Yet Jesus saw through a different lens

He saw, “a man,” (remember last week’s account)

He saw a sinner, hurting within and in need of purpose

He saw his heart, his mind, his thoughts and all the pain, loneliness, and lack of meaning.

He saw a man who needed a Savior

Jesus called Matthew, telling him to “follow Me.” (a simple, yet forcible statement)

That Jesus would beckon Matthew to come and follow reveals Jesus’ great love and compassion for him

Jesus despised the criticism and gossip of others and associated with Matthew—reaching out to him instead of refusing him

That Jesus stooped down to Matthew’s level (sinful, outcast, and immoral) shows His great humility

Matthew abandoned all and followed Jesus

The emphasis of “…he left all..” shows that Matthew was very wealthy:

Why would Matthew give up so much to follow Jesus?

Matthew knew what money had bought him…”things”

Houses and land

Clothes and food

Furnishings

Lavish lifestyles

Matthew came to realize what money could NOT bring him:

True happiness

True peace and security

Completeness and wholeness

Satisfaction and fulfillment

Confidence or assurance

When confronted with Jesus, Matthew realized the emptiness of his heart, the incompleteness in his spirit, and his unfulfilled life and saw in Jesus the promise that Jesus could supply all his needs

In choosing to follow Jesus, Matthew became an instant witness for the genuine joy he found in Jesus:

Jesus had

Made him different

Filled him with love, joy, and peace

Matthew’s response—he couldn’t contain himself

He called his friends and he held a feast to share his excitement for what Christ had done

(CONNECTION)

God has not ceased to call people to repent and be saved.

The mission of the cross is not limited to only those we read about in the Bible, but for all mankind; just look at Jesus’ prayer in John 17:20–21

““I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

The mission of the cross is alive and well, b/c God’s Word is alive and well; Hebrews 4:12

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Christ sees you through a much different lens, than the world

He knows you and He knows your frame:

Psalm 139:1–5 “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.”

Psalm 103:13–15 “As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.”

He knows all of this b/c He created you in fearfully, wonderfully, intentionally, and creatively in His likeness and image:

Genesis 2:7 “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

Psalm 139:13–14 “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.”

He also knows what sin has caused man, to become

Separated and at odds with God and Himself

Burdened and heavy laden with guilt/shame/despair

Weighed down with condemnation

He has compassion towards you, and as the Parable says, leaves the 99 to rescue you and be your Shepherd

Matthew 9:36 “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.”

Luke 15:3–5 “So He spoke this parable to them, saying: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”

In His compassion and humility, Christ stepped down to where you are, to call you out of death and into life

Jesus Christ still beckons those lost to sins wages to repentance and salvation. How?

Rooted in Joy, Jesus despised the shame of the cross to bring us to God:

Hebrews 12:2 “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Through the cross—Jesus Christ died once for all your sins and for ANY PERSON, who would turn from their sins (repent), believe that He died and rose from the grace, and confess Him as Lord—salvation awaits.

1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,”

Romans 10:13 “For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.””

A person’s response commands a person must also, “leave it all behind,” which is a bold and courageous act of faith, but it’s act that’s worth it:

Luke 9:23 “Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

Self-denial says,

“No more is my life about ME and my wants/desires,” but is all about, “What Christ desires for my life,”

John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Self-denial insists

We take the desires of the heart and measures them against God’s Word

Psalm 90:12 “So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Taking up one’s cross

Symbolizes your old self has been put to death, that a person no longer lives for the old life Christ has redeemed us from, rather living as new creations in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Requires an attitude like Paul’s—knowing we have not yet attained

Philippians 3:13 “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,”

Recognizes we are no longer in debt to the flesh, but alive by the Spirit

Romans 8:10–13 “And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

The Fruits of our Heart Change

Heart change makes you different—different from the world, so that you may be an example to the world

Philippians 3:17–19 “Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.”

Heart change should excite you—its OK to be excited about your faith—as a baby believer or mature believer

II. Jesus Christ call requires repentance (Luke 5:30–32)

(CONTEXT)—Those who’s lives are full of self-righteousness, either do not know, or fail to accept the fact they need repentance

The Scribes and Pharisees questioned why Jesus would associate with outcasts and sinners

Sinners and outcasts had rejected society and forsaken the ways of acceptability—it didn’t make sense why Jesus would associate with rebels, the outcast, and the unclean

Sinners and outcasts were religiously and ceremonially unclean, who did not seek out healing/cleansing—it didn’t make sense why Jesus would associate with those guilty of breaking religious laws and law of decency; in their eyes uncleanness was a contamination others could catch

Jesus answered them with an illustration and statement regarding His mission:

The sick (sinners) are in need of a physician (a Savior)

Sin is the plague which sickens a person

Some are sick and don’t know it

Some are sick and don’t call the physician

His mission, was not to call the righteous, but to call sinners to repentance

(CONNECTION)

Personal evangelism begins with the truth about self-righteousness; it is to live so narrow-minded, a person is convinced of their

Personal morality and goodness

Rules & works

Transactional living

One’s own righteousness, especially in contrast with the actions and beliefs of others (they will always see another’s sins as more grievous than their own—if they even recognize their own)

Personal evangelism begins to impact a person’s life when they realize that Christ came to associate with them, regardless of how:

Hated or bitter they are

Non-religious they are

Unjust they are living

Dissatisfied or lonely they are

Immoral they’ve lived

Long they’ve lived seeking purpose/meaning through worldly living

Personal evangelism is then adopted when, sinners who know they are sinners & realize the depth and gravity of their sin & need— see God clearly, see clearly the mission of Jesus and repent:

The mission of jesus

John 10:10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

John 12:47 “And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.”

1 Timothy 1:15 “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.”

Our repentance:

Acts 2:37–38 “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 3:19 “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,”

The self-righteous either do not know or refuse to accept the fact they are sinners in need of repentance

Sinners know they are sinners—yet even then, they may fail to know the depth and gravity of their sin and their need

III. Jesus Christ’s call brings true joy (Luke 5:33–34)

Note the transition here: Having no response for Jesus’ last statement related to Jesus dining with sinners and tax collectors, the Pharisees tried again..and in doing so, we are taught a valuable truth

(CONTEXT)

The Pharisees questioned Jesus and His disciples about their lack of fasting

By law, Jews were to fast twice a week (Monday & Thursday)

In their eyes, Jesus was religious and a religious teacher, claiming to be the Messiah—so why wasn’t He fasting?

Jesus responds with a clear picture to teach what His mission was—a wedding

As the Bridegroom, His presence brought joy, not sadness—b/c He was bringing people (marrying them) to God

As the Bridegroom, as long as He was with them, there was no need to fast. Why?

He presence brought joy and vitality to life; not ritual or ceremonial demands

No special sense of God’s presence was needed if the Bridegroom was present among them

(CONNECTION) The believer’s fast:

The focus here is where we find our joy:

Joy is not found through ritual or ceremony

Joy is found in salvation, in belonging to Christ

Salvation is a cause for joy in the believer’s heart—b/c not only are we free from condemnation, we have been given the Holy Spirit

What does this have to do with fasting?

These are times a believer must fast (this we will discuss in verse 35)

“Fasting” in both the O/T and N/T simply means this: To abstain from food/eating for the purpose of seeking God intently for some special reason

While it’s right to abstain from other things that may hinder our relationship with God—TV, Movies, Internet, Social Media, etc., these are not what is meant when the Bible teaches us about fasting

“Fasting” is our seeking out a deeper sensitivity for God’s presence in our lives

Fasting keeps the believer in the presence of God (for a special purpose)

Fasting humbles the believer before God.

Fasting teaches the believer dependency on God

Fasting is demonstrative of our convictions to trust God

Fasting teaches the believer discipline and self-control

Fasting guards against being enslaved by habit(s)

Fasting helps the believer stay fit (physically, mentally, and spiritually)

Fasting in the believer’s life is

NEVER to be about ritual and ceremony, but,

Be about seeking out the joy and consciousness of His presence

Fasting helps guard us from allowing our first love to grow dim (the intimate relationship we have with Christ)

Revelation 2:4 “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”

Fasting draws our hearts to cry out as David:

Psalm 51:12 “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”

IV. Jesus Christ calls a person through His death and resurrection

Luke 5:35 “But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.””

(CONTEXT)

Christ’s primary purpose/mission was to die upon the cross

This is what is meant when He says, “…the bridegroom will be taken away…”

His death would enable the Holy Spirit to be present with believers around the world

John 14:16–18 “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”

His death

Brings sorrow to the heart of any who see it and understand it, however

Brings joy soon after, for there is knowledge of His resurrection (that He lives forever)

Hebrews 7:25 “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

His death and cleansing power can be forgotten: There are times

When believers get preoccupied with the affairs of the world

Often times distractions and the circumstances of life can effect the joy of Christ (salvation) where our awareness of Him grows dim and we lose our sense of peace; something Paul preaches to the Philippian church:

Philippians 4:6–9 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”

When believers allow “thorns” to develop and it interferes with the intimate fellowship they have with God

Unconfessed sins negatively effects the joy of Christ (salvation) and our sensitivity to God’s presence can grow dim, interfering with our fellowship with God—something David became keenly aware of:

Psalm 32:3–4 “When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer.”

Because of a great need/life-altering decision(s), His presence is especially needed and a greater intensity of prayer and fasting is needed to draw closer to God and God to you—it’s here that grace abounds.

2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”

His death would bring about a disciples need to fast, in order that

His disciples might seek Him out and draw nearer to Him, in these specified time, as He is absent (physically) from our presence

His resurrection would bring victory over death and the promise of eternal life

1 Corinthians 15:20 “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

1 Corinthians 15:51–52 “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

1 Corinthians 15:54–57 “…“Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

If the death of Christ caused the first disciples to fast, how much more should His death cause us to fast.

V. Jesus Christ’s call brings new life (Luke 5:36–39)

(CONTEXT)

The context of this parable is the new life Christ brings:

(FIRST)—A piece of new cloth is not used for an old garment, b/c it would fail to match (think of patching up a hole in your jeans)

Jesus is not “patching up” an old life, He’s starting a new life.

Jesus is not out to reform an old religion or an old life, His life is a completely new way of life

Jesus is bringing life of regenerations—not reformation; in other words our lives aren’t “improved” they are made new

(SECOND PARABLE)—Fermenting wine creates gas, which builds pressure. Old wine skins are hardened and do not expand, often time exploding under pressure, whereas new wines were elastic and would expand

Unless a person comes to Christ for a “new beginning,” a “new wineskin,” they will die in the “old wineskin,” or “old garment of his flesh.”

Jesus brings a new “elasticity” to life; a whole new life, of excitement, adventure, where growth (expansion) happens

(THIRD PARABLE)—New wine is hard to accept if one is used to old wine and it takes time to get used to it

Jesus is teaching that His new life and spiritual movement would be hard to accept and would take time

We (us) are slow to give up our old ways and often times become too comfortable living to our old ways

We, as believers however, must struggle against becoming fixed and set in our own ways, and become elastic and expanding in this new life

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CLOSING/WORSHIP

The great mission of Jesus Christ is:

To make people alive to God (salvation)

To give people hope of a life in God’s presence, free from the presence of sin (eternal life with Christ)

To give people purpose in committing their lives to God unconditionally

For the believer and the church what’s our take away from this message:

We must guard ourselves from allowing the joy of salvation to grow dull:

We must live lives of daily repentance and confession

We must live lives of daily devotion (Bible study and prayer)

We must live lives of daily surrender and self-denial

We must live lives of “adding” to our faith

2 Peter 1:4–8 “by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We must not allow another message to be preached or taught within the church:

Charles Spurgeon, in a July 1876 sermon states this:

“The motto of all true servants of God must be, ‘We preach Christ; and him crucified.’ A sermon without Christ in it is like a loaf of bread without any flour in it. No Christ in your sermon, sir? Then go home, and never preach again until you have something worth preaching.”

For those who are lost and still searching:

There is joy in the gospel

There is no condemnation if you believe in the gospel

There is liberty in the gospel

There is the truth that Jesus truly sees you—knows you—and has compassion towards you as a “father pities his children,” the Bible says

There is the truth that Jesus Christ is calling you—through the cross and an empty grave—forgiveness of sins and eternal life await you, if you might repent and confess the name of Jesus Christ.