“A Transformed Life”
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What does a transformed like really look like?
Good morning. Turn with me to Luke chapter 5. As you are making your way to Luke 5 today we once again see the Lord ministering to someone, however today we see how the Lord is ministering to an individual who was considered the worst of the worse, a social outcast if you will. Jesus had been dealing with those who had physical limitations, the sick, the demon possessed, the leprous, the lame, but now Jesus calls a despised tax collector to come and be His disciple. This calling produces a self-righteous reaction from the religious leaders who viewed tax collectors as the worst sinners of all time. Why in the world would Jesus and His disciples be caught hanging around notorious sinners like Levi and his friends? How could they even be associated with people like this?
(My Senior year of High School we had a national prayer breakfast day where I had the opportunity to meet Elizabeth Elliot and hear her story)
Elisabeth Elliot was born Elisabeth Howard in Brussels, Belgium, on December 21, 1926; her family included her missionary parents, four brothers, and one sister.
Her family moved to the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the U.S. when she was a few months old. She studied Classical Greek at Wheaton College, believing that it was the best tool to help her with the calling of ultimately translating the New Testament of the Bible into an unknown language. It was at Wheaton College that she met a young man named Jim Elliot. Jim Elliot and Elisabeth Howard individually went too Ecuador to work with the Tsáchila people. After she married, she joined Jim in his work with the Quichua (or Quechua) Indians; the two eventually married in the city of Quito in 1953.
The resounding theme of Elizabeth’s life was the boundless love of Jesus, and her greatest commission was to tell others of His saving grace. This costly call led her into the Amazonian jungle of Ecuador where her husband, Jim Elliot, was one of five missionaries speared to death in 1956 while attempting to make contact with members of the Auca/Waodani tribe. Elisabeth, along with her young daughter Valerie, would later return to Auca territory to live among and minister to the people who killed her husband. Familiar with suffering, Elliot wrote, “The deepest things that I have learned in my own life have come from the deepest suffering. And out of the deepest waters and the hottest fires have come the deepest things I know about God.”
When I heard this story I came to understand that Elizabeth could have had a resentment and even hatred against those who killed her husband. These people were the worst of the worse, and yet Elizabeth went right back to them and shared the good news of Jesus with those who murdered her husband.
The Lord’s response to these self-righteous leaders shows us exactly why Jesus came. Jesus came to transform lives. Jesus came for the sick. Jesus came so that sinners would turn from their sin and turn towards Him and follow Jesus all of their days.
When you hear the word transformed there are many things that may come to your mind today. We often think of someone who has gone on a diet and exercised and they don’t look the same. We would say that they had a transformation. You may think of someone who has redone a house or a vehicle and the car or house is totally transformed. But real transformation is when the Lord truly changes someone’s life. When you see someone who used to live in sin and now they live for Jesus they are different now and we can say with confidence that they have been transformed! Let us now take a look at the calling of Levi a take a look at a life that we can truly say was transformed by Christ. Luke 5 and let’s begin in verse 27.
27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.
29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
“The Transformed Life”
What does a transformed life really look like?
1. A transformed life begins with a Powerful calling from the Lord.
1. A transformed life begins with a Powerful calling from the Lord.
Jesus is calling sinners to turn from their sin and turn toward Him.
27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.”
We need to understand a little background about the this man Levi and his job as a tax collector. Luke tells us that this man’s name was Levi. Levi was better known as Matthew the disciple who wrote the gospel of Matthew. Levi lived close to Capernaum which was right by the Sea of Galilee and was a major crossroads for the east-west and north-south trade routes. In other words, Levi most likely had a very lucrative tax business because so many people were passing by his way. However, Jewish people during the time of Christ had a deep hatred for all tax collectors. In Israel tax collectors and sinners went hand in hand, they were virtually synonymous. The Jewish people believed that the worst type of sin was a friendship with the Romans who were solely responsible for oppressing them. And the biggest way that the Romans oppressed the Jewish people was through taxation. In fact, the taxes that the Roman government imposed on Israel was overwhelming. These tax collectors had a certain amount that they were required to collect, but whatever they collected beyond that they could keep, and many collected much more. There was a poll tax, income tax, and land tax. There were also taxes on the transport of goods, letters, produce, and using the roads. All of this helps us to see just how overwhelming these taxes were, but also how despised and hated the tax collectors were who collected them.
Luke helps us to see here in verse 27 that Levi when he was found by Jesus was sitting at the tax booth. This tax booth was located near the shore of the Sea of Galilee as we see in the parallel text in Mark chapter 2 and suggest that Levi was collecting taxes from the fisherman, which would have made him even more hated. My point here is that Levi was not liked by anyone and yet Christ shows him great compassion.
Jesus does not care about his position or that he is disliked by most everyone. Jesus stops and calls out to Levi and invites him to come and follow Him. This was a powerful and life changing call, because Jesus knew Levi’s heart. Jesus knew that he was a sinner and desperately needed to be forgiven of his sin. On the other hand, Levi or Matthew was aware that he was a sinner in need of a Savior to transform his heart and life. Levi’s immediate response shows us the true and real change that took place in his life. Levi desired a change and to live a life of righteousness and salvation and the Lord transformed him. If you are here this morning and know that you need a heart change a life change call out to Jesus and know that He will save you. If you have friends and family who don’t know Christ pray for the salvation of their souls and take time to share the good news of Jesus with them.
What does a transformed life really look like?
2. Those who have been transformed display real change in their lives.
2. Those who have been transformed display real change in their lives.
28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.
29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them.
There were 4 major changes that stand out to us about Levi’s transformed life.
a. First of all Luke helps us to see here in verse 28 that you leave your old way of life behind. Luke tells us here that Levi left everything to follow Jesus. Leaving everything behind shows us his humble and grateful heart. This change was drastically different then what we saw with the rich young ruler in Mark chapter 10.
21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Levi had come to make a decision that he was giving up his very successful career as tax collector and was going to follow Jesus. Life would be completely different.
b. Second of all Luke tells us in verse 28 that Levi arose. He took action. Levi made a decision to break from his past way of life, and never look back. Levi was now going to be obedient to Christ by following Jesus the rest of his days. What we see here is a turning from sin and the old patterns of life and obedience to Christ and following Him.
c. Third, True Conversion brings joy to a believer. This was the opposite state of the religious leaders. One of the things that we see in verse 29 is that the reality of Levi’s changed life was that he gives a feast for Jesus in his house. Levi was excited and joyful for all that the Lord had done in his life. There was a joy because his sins had been forgiven and his life was transformed. The old had passed away and Levi was a new transformed creation in Christ Jesus.
d. Finally, those who are saved want others to come to Christ. Luke helps us to see here in verse 29 that when Levi had been transformed he had a great feast for Jesus in his house, but he also invited a large company of tax collectors and others to join him. Matthew called these people sinners in his gospel. These folks probably included thieves, enforcers to pay the tax, drunkards, and prostitutes. These are the people that Christ came to save.
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Levi knew exactly what these people needed because he had been one of them. More than anything Levi wanted them to know Jesus as their Savior. Having found the Lord’s mercy in his own life, Levi wanted them to find mercy and be delivered from the bondage of sin. Levi wanted them to experience the transformed life that he now had. For Levi there was real and true change in his life and he wanted others to be transformed. Can you look at your life and see the changes that have taken place? Is there evidence that you are a true believer? Is there fruit in your life? Has your life been transformed by the Savior? Maybe you are here today and you have wondered away from Christ. Come back to the Lord and know that you will be forgiven.
What does a transformed life really look like?
3. Real transformation frustrated the self—righteous hypocrites.
3. Real transformation frustrated the self—righteous hypocrites.
These religious elite did everything they could to obey the law perfectly and yet they failed miserably because there was no way to perfectly keep the law. And because of this there was no joy and peace only angst and frustration. These men were never happy and always grumbled at anything good that the Lord did including transforming someones life.
30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
It is very evident to us that the Pharisees and scribes were not happy about what Jesus and His disciples were doing by having a meal with these tax collectors. Luke tells us here that the Pharisees came grumbling to the Lord’s disciples. How could Jesus attend this party with tax collectors? Why would Jesus keep company with people like this? The Pharisees thought that the best way to earn salvation was by separating themselves from sinful people like tax collectors, thieves, prostitutes and sinners like this. Their mindset was that if you came close or shared a meal with sinners then they may contaminate you and then you be unclean. Holiness requires total separation from sinners and so evidently they did not see themselves as sinners. Church, we as sinners need to be with Jesus. We need to be in His Word so that we can grow in our faith. Unfortunately these religious leaders were so blinded by their self-righteous outward appearance that they missed Jesus and they didn’t recognize their own sinful condition before a holy and righteous God.
Notice here the question that they bring forward. “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Their question was not intended to be a genuine or sincere question, because behind their question was a rebuke. They thought Jesus had gone way too far by forgiving sins, and eating and drinking with sinners. The question that they ask shows their proud and arrogant hearts. They looked at themselves as the religious elite, when they had fallen short of truly loving and caring about those who did not know God.
Jesus stopped to show not only Levi compassion but all sinners who recognize their need to be transformed. Jesus turned His back on those who thought they were righteous and showed much compassion on transforming repentant sinners into a holy people. You don’t have to have a hardened heart. Pray that the Lord would soften your heart and help you to see your sin and not be blinded like those religious leaders. Ask the Lord to help you follow Him, to be aware of your sin and confess it and then walk righteously with the Lord.
What does a transformed life really look like?
4. The Lord’s purpose in transforming lives was to save sinners!
4. The Lord’s purpose in transforming lives was to save sinners!
So often the question get’s asked, why did Jesus come to earth?
31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
When I have to go to a doctor, I know several things. I am sick and not feeling well. I need some help or a test or for the doctor to draw my blood. I also come to realized that I don’t know what is going on for sure, I can’t help myself.
I tell us this today because this is exactly what we see behind the Lord’s response here. The Lord’s call goes out to sinners like Levi who realize that they desperately need help because they can’t fix themselves. Jesus came to seek and to save those who are lost, blind, lame, oppressed, fearful and perishing. Jesus comes as the light of the world to give hope to those who are living in darkness.
But notice the cure that Jesus offers sinners here. Jesus doesn’t say do these 5 steps. Be a really really good person, and go to church and say 5 hail Mary’s. No, Jesus calls sinners to repent from sin and turn toward Christ. The cure from our sickness is genuine repentance, not a worldly grief or sorry I got caught. As we saw back in Luke chapter 3 repentance means a change of mind, a change of heart, a change of will, and a change of direction. When sinners come to know Jesus there is a break with the past life and a continual pattern to follow Jesus. We see this new change in Second Corinthians.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
What does a transformed life really look like? This is where we get to the details.
When Jesus changed Levi’s life he had a new mind, a new will, he became a new creation in Christ. This old tax collector, the old traitor, thief, and outcast became a follower of Jesus. He became a disciple of Christ. He became an apostle. Yes, he lost his career, he lost his source of income, but he gained Christ and the eternal riches of being in the kingdom of God for all eternity. The call is to follow Jesus, not this world, or the things that it offers us. Will you follow Christ? Are you following Christ? I urge you today to humble yourself, confess your sin to God and know that He will save you.
Pray.
Lead into Communion.