Hope Is Here - Past

Maybe because of some past mistake (that has ongoing consequences), stupid thing we said (that we’ll never live down), a decision we regret, something we couldn’t take back…

Or maybe because of something someone said or did to you

Time went on, and people moved on, but that part of you didn’t

Or, there’s something that’s “just the way it’s always been” - or that “I” have always been, and can’t change

Here’s the question this weekend:

START TV SLIDE

Is there hope for us in those places where…

Because of our past we’re…

Stuck in the present?

END TV SLIDE

I’m stuck now because of something that happened back then.

We’re all carrying around some of these big, heavy time capsules of our past. You can’t see what’s in mine, and I can’t see what’s in yours. But they weigh us down—sometimes to the point of getting us stuck. Is there hope…

Exegesis: Luke 5:27 (Part 1)

Turn with me to Luke 5:27-32.

START TV SLIDE

Luke 5:27-32

END TV SLIDE

(Explain where to find Luke. Context is a bunch of stories about Jesus basically not respecting any sort of social boundaries that people like to set up around race or religion or socio-economic status. There’s four of these stories in Luke 5—and this is one of them.

Start reading wtih me in v. 27:

START TV SLIDE

Luke 5:27a After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth.

END TV SLIDE

Now, we’re gonna leave this verse up on the screen here for a bit.

Because to us, this feels kinda like a filler. Some unnecessary details that kinda sets the scene.

But this isn’t just the setup for the story.

This is the story. In fact, this is all of our stories. Every single human being who has ever walked the earth has lived the story that is in this verse. Right here.

Levi - aka “Matthew” in the other gospels.

came from a priestly class—traced his lineage back to people who God charged to do ministry

this is all of our stories, by the way. Every single one of us, created to be with God, caring for one another.

But instead, he chose to be a tax collector

explain “tax collectors”… on the border between two territories…

he wasn’t just not playing for his team; he was playing for the other team… the enemy

his fellow countrymen would feel about him the way you’d feel if an American defected to Iran or Hamas or Hezbollah… only he was playing for the team who had all the power, and was oppressing you. He’s a predator.

so… a guy who was born to be a priest shepherding his people who has instead chosen to willfully, brazenly extort them for his own personal gain

Sin Separates

And it was his decision. He made that choice. And there was no going back.

He chose something that undoubtedly separated him from his family. He chose a path that they would never have chosen for him, nor followed him down.

It for sure separated him from whatever friends he had before he became a tax collector. And while the money was good, it very likely didn’t buy him new friends. He was only a pawn to the empire he was collecting taxes for; a Jew who could be changed out for another one in a heart beat.

I’m sure it separated him from his faith, too. No man with a name like Levi who chose empire over the priesthood would’ve been welcomed into the synagogue.

Levi’s greed separated him from his family, his friends, and his faith.

And that’s what sin does—every time. It separates.

START TV SLIDE

Sin is never inconsequential. It always separates.

END TV SLIDE

We see this most clearly when someone sins against us.

When someone lashes out, or lies about us, or tries to assassinate our character, or misrepresents us, boom: there’s a big gap created in the relationship. A chasm, even.

And if that gap doesn’t get closed quickly—either by talking it out, or apologizing, or asking for forgiveness—

If that gap remains, and time goes on, that gap just gets larger and larger and larger—until the separation feels permanent.

Like, nothing would or even could ever close it.

This is what Paul described when he wrote this to the church in Rome:

START TV SLIDE

Romans 6:23a “For the wages of sin is death…”

END TV SLIDE

When the Bible talks about death, it doesn’t talk about some kind of final ceasing of existence. Death isn’t an “end” in the Bible…

START TV SLIDE

Death in the Bible is a two-fold separation:

Physically: soul from body.

Spiritually: soul from God.

END TV SLIDE

See:

Just like our sin against one another separates us from one another, so does our sin separate us from God.

Our sin is never inconsequential. It always separates. And the longer the separation, the more permanent it feels.

And this is all of our stories as well. Created to be with God; but because of our sin, separated from him.

Exegesis: Luke 5:27 (Part 2)

Let’s go back to Levi’s story.

Levi’s separated. He’s in a sea of people, no doubt, as everyone lines up in order to pay the empire whatever they owe (and whatever Levi demands from them). But even though he’s in a sea of people, he’s on an island, banished there by his own greed, as he watches everyone stare daggers at him as they hand over their obligations.

Let’s throw our verse back on the screen:

START TV SLIDE

Luke 5:27a After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth.

Let’s take a look at that word “saw” for a second

remember: this was originally written in the Greek language, because that was the language of the Roman Empire when all of this happened. It’s translated into English for us.

But in the Greek language, just like in English, there’s more than one word for this idea of “saw”

And this particular word in Greek has more of a sense of “carefully observed” or “paid close attention.” Jesus wasn’t just giving him a passing glance. It was the kind of attention that, if it was being paid to you, you’d notice

Which probably didn’t surprise Levi. I’m sure there was more than one rabbi who eyed him down… only to give him the business when they got to the front of the line. I mean… Levi was a ready-made sermon illustration for a Jewish crowd who probably couldn’t get enough their pastors preaching against the empire—not to mention a traitor to his nation and faith

Levi’s probably just waiting for this new rabbi, Jesus, to take his turn. But when he opens his mouth, he says:

START TV SLIDE

Luke 5:27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him…

END TV SLIDE

Not:

“You sinner.”

“You traitor.”

“You know better.”

“Do better.”

None of that. No condemnation. Instead, an invitation.

God Pursues

Here’s what we’ve said so far:

START TV SLIDE

Sin is never inconsequential. It always separates.

END TV SLIDE

But now, let’s add this:

START TV SLIDE

Sin is never inconsequential. It always separates.

But God’s love is unconditional. He pursues.

END TV SLIDE

There’s no place that we can go where God won’t come after us.

There’s nothing in our past that stops God from pursuing us.

And if I can just say this same thing, but instead to you as your pastor:

There’s nothing in your past that stops God from pursuing you.

Your sin has created distance between you and him - no doubt about it. But your sin doesn’t stop him from pursuing you.

He’s watching you like he watched Levi. Observing you like he did that day in a crowd of people waiting in line to pay their taxes. Just waiting for the right time—not to come after you with his list of things that he knows you’ve messed up on, but with an invitation to leave your past behind and create a new present and a different future with him.

And I can’t emphasize this enough—and this is true in Levi’s story just like it’s true for any of us who have been pursued by God and took him up on his invitation:

START TV SLIDE

God invites people who are stuck in their past.

God invites people who are stuck in the present because of their past.

God invites people who are presently sinning.

God invites people before they’ve cleaned themselves up.

God invites people who are playing for the wrong team.

God’s invitation to people depends only on God’s love for people.

God invites people so that they might change, not because they have changed.

God doesn’t invite the people who deserve it. He invites the people who need it.

God pursues people no matter what.

END TV SLIDE

And Jesus puts all of these things about our God on display for everyone to see when he stops to notice Levi and then says these two simple words to the guy who was presently extorting his friends under threat of violence of a foreign empire for personal gain:

“Follow. Me.”

And let me tell you:

The church people of the day did. Not. Like. It. At all.

Verse 30:

START TV SLIDE

Luke 5:30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to [Jesus’] disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?

END TV SLIDE

Why does he get an invite?

This is another one of those verses that we could spend the rest of our time talking about, because it’s so packed with meaning.

Essentially what they’re asking is this:

“How could you, Jesus?”

How do you just ignore all of the things he’s done?

That he’s done to God’s people?

That he’s done to us? To you? To your family?

How do you justify associating yourself with someone who has a past (and a present!) that is littered with nothing but greed, who has taken every single last one of God’s commands and thrown them back in God’s face? Aren’t you just sanctioning every sin this guy has committed?

Demand that he repent before you invite him in.

Take a stand for the truth before you make him your friend.

Otherwise, all you’re doing is watering down the Word of God—not to mention discouraging the rest of us who are taking it seriously at great personal cost.

This world is going to hell, Jesus, and you seem to be along for the ride.

Quick aside, here:

This sentiment of the Pharisees that we’re talking about here that shows up in verse 30… this is alive and well today.

There are those who would much rather see pastors and other people make their message to the Levi’s of the world:

“Clean it up. God hates what you do.” Rather than: “Come sit with me.”

But Scripture couldn’t be clearer on God’s heart on this:

START TV SLIDE

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

END TV SLIDE

Or how about this one:

START TV SLIDE

Romans 2:4 “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”

END TV SLIDE

The order is important here.

It’s grace first. Kindness first. Invitation first. No matter your past or your present.

That’s how it is with God. That’s the gospel—or better put: that’s what makes the gospel the “gospel;” that’s what makes the good news “good:”

God’s love is unconditional. He pursues you for who you are, right where you’re at, and invites you in—not because of anything you done, but despite everything you’ve done.

Jesus Ransoms

And yet, the question remains:

What does he do with all of this sin?

What does Jesus do with Levi’s sin?

It’s easy to make the Pharisees and teachers of the law into these judgmental church people who hypocritically hold everyone else to standards they’re not holding themselves to. And while that might be true, there’s more than a kernel of truth in what they’re saying:

What about all of his sin, Jesus?

Does he just get off scot free?

He gets to cheat us out of a bunch of our money and then, what… just follow you and go to heaven when he dies?

Where is the justice in that? He gets to be forgiven while we get taken advantage of. Not to mention all of his little tax collector friends who feel like they now have divine sanction to just continue to do whatever they wanna do.

Because look at what Levi does after accepting Jesus’ invitation:

START TV SLIDE

Luke 5:29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.

END TV SLIDE

So Levi gets away with financial murder, as does all of his buddies? The scales don’t balance, Jesus. What do you do with this past life of cheating, stealing, and greed at the expense of everyone else?

Well, it’s here that we’re going to get to our 3rd and final part of the story. In Levi’s case, it’s going to happen just a few years after he meets Jesus at his booth; in our case, it happened 2,000 years ago now. But it’s what empowered Jesus to invite Levi in, despite his past… just like he invites us in today.

Here’s what we’ve seen so far:

START TV SLIDE

Sin is never inconsequential. It always separates.

But God’s love is unconditional. He pursues.

END TV SLIDE

But how can God pursue sinners? What does he do with the justice that our sin demands?

START TV SLIDE

Sin is never inconsequential. It always separates.

But God’s love is unconditional. He pursues.

Because Jesus paid it all. He ransoms.

END TV SLIDE

Romans says that the wages of sin is death. Death separates. It creates a gap that has to be filled with something for that separation to no longer be.

Until that gap is filled, the sinner is bound up in that separation. They’re a prisoner of it. Like being in jail for a crime you committed, you’re under lock and key until the debt that your wrongdoing has created is somehow paid for.

This is a part of Levi’s story, and a part of all of our stories. We are a prisoner of the separation that our sin has created between us and God. Bound up until the price of our sin is somehow paid for.

In other words:

START TV SLIDE

In order for God to invite us in despite our sin, Jesus had to pay the ransom for our sin.

END TV SLIDE

By all accounts, Levi should’ve remained separated from God and the rest of God’s people for what he did. But Jesus was going to the cross to take upon himself the separation that was due Levi.

It’s like he’s unlocking the prison door to set Levi free—but the only way for him to do that justly was to serve Levi’s sentence in his place.

It’s like the prophet Isaiah foretold:

START TV SLIDE

Isaiah 53:4–6 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

END TV SLIDE

(Explain.)

Jesus himself says the same thing:

START TV SLIDE

Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

END TV SLIDE

(Explain.)

This is how Paul explains it to the Corinthians:

START TV SLIDE

2 Corinthians 5:21 “God made [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

END TV SLIDE

(Explain.)

Jesus can invite sinners because Jesus was going to make the payment that their sin demanded.

The question for us is this:

How will we respond to his just and loving invitation?

Host Content: We Confess & Believe

Back to Levi’s story, v. 28: “Levi got up and left everything.” He left his old life behind. Went in a different direction. This is repentance. And this is the only response to Jesus’ invitation that will result in transformation.

It’s not enough just to believe that Jesus loves you enough to invite you, although that’s first. The invitation requires you to confess and believe—and then to follow.

Leave your past behind. Jesus paid it all. Confess and believe.

Make Jesus’ ways your ways. Not perfection… but a different direction. Get up, leave everything, and follow him.

Related Media

Related Sermons

Earn an accredited degree from Redemption Seminary with Logos.