The Unusual Kingdom (Part 3)

Well Good morning family. I’m so glad to be back with my church family. For those who don't know, I’m Andrew one of the pastors here at Hope Valley.

First I want to say Happy Anniversary to my Lovely Wife. Take it up with God why he graced me with you, and made me your thorn in your side (its just a way of keeping you from becoming conceded as Paul would say). But in all seriousness I love you, you are my good thang, and thank you for being patient with me.

Now lets get into the word of God. Our house rule here is Participation is better than Observation.

But I'm going to CHALLENGE us to day to not only interact with me in this message, but I want us all to find 1 thing that we can do this week to show that we are not just sunday service spectators (who are observing), BUT we are people who are followers of Christ in heart and action. AMEN.

Alright our passage of scripture today comes from Luke 5:27-39 as we continue our sermon series on THE UNUSUAL KINGDOM, as we look at the UNUSUAL approach that Jesus brought to establishing the kingdom of God on earth.

By calling people to be disciples who can have a relationship with God; a reconciled relationship with each other; and renewing relationship with the world.

So again our passage comes from Luke 5:27-39 and it will be on the screen behind me as well, AND it reads.

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.”

33 And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.”

34 And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?

35 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.”

36 He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.

37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed.

38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.

39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”

****PRAY****

Show of hands, who thinks being a Christian or better yet saying your a Christian is hard these days?

Ps. David talked about how in persecution the early Christians would draw half of a fish so that others would come and draw the other half.

These days i think people are less likely to draw the other half and instead give modifiers. Like I’m Christain but I’m not one of those Christians (fill in the blank), OR I’m spiritual; OR I’m Christian but I dont go to church.

For many of us, myself included at times, it feels like man has made our faith about political affiliation; how we view ourselves and others, and ALL the rules - O the RULES. (HASHTAGsignup for the RE-construction project).

With all these ideas swirling around out there, what does it really mean to be a Christian, a follower of Christ? (It just seems to hard to do.)

The title of this message is called XXXXXX.

And I got three points to help us explore this. They are Mission. Motive. And Method.

Point number 1 MISSION,

Vs. 27 “After this he went out…” AND Jesus has wasted no time continuing the mission he was sent for.

BUT what was his mission? Well he told us already. It may feel like a long time ago, but its only been one page in most our bibles when Ps. Megan preached the message Luke chapter 4 about Jesus mission and he has the mic drop.

Yall remember in he quotes Isaiah 61 “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me; to proclaim the good news to the poor; to proclaim liberty to the captives; AND recover the sight of the blind.”

Jesus was very clear “didnt I tell yall I must be about my father’s business.” Aint Nothing Changed.

The pharisees of that time had taken the Law which was designed to give instruction and guidance on how to know and love God and each other through OBEDIENCE;

AND they corrupted it with more rules and standards IMPRISONED US AND THEMSELVES.

They had taken proverbial salt shaker had moved further and further away from where its was supposed to be.

Today I believe, God’s people have convoluted and blurred our vision of God and his mission (no doubt by believing the lies of the enemy) and as a result we have lost our way.

And now we find ourselves in different camps trying to take the salt shaker to the right and left and all the edges of the table, because we forgot the mission.

Jesus knowing the mission, proclaims the good news so the salt shaker could be put back in the middle of the table.

To perfect the law that so many had failed to keep and to bring about kingdom of God in a new but simple way.

So we must remember no matter how far away God’s mission feels in our heart, no matter how long ago Ps. Megan preached that sermon, we must never lose sight of what Jesus is doing.

Lets keep going.

You ever been selected for a team or task and thought you knew why you were selected? Im on this team because Im good at this; OR Im on this team because they need me for that.

I thought that when I answered the call to be apart of this church plant, I knew how I was going to contribute. I knew why God had called me.

And The longer i have been out here the less I know of why God choose me.

The disciples felt that way too. So far in the account that we get from Luke: we got four fisherman, maybe a couple of John’s disciples depending on which account you read and that was good enough mixture of folk without adding any anymore to it.

BUT then Jesus does something that they werent expecting, something UNUSUAL AND he invites a tax collector named Levi to follow him.

NOW Everybody say AW NAW LORD.

Its probably more accurate that the disciples, like Peter said AW Satans Home Naw. Because they would have disapproved of bringing this tax collector onto the team.

You see - Tax collectors represented Rome and were often against the Jews and took advantage of them by skimming off the top. So that would have offended everyone in this group (becasue they were all Jewish)

But even on top of that this particular tax collector was stationed by the sea, according to Mark's account in chapter 2 so he was probably taxing fisherman specifically.

So why would Jesus invite this man to follow him?

I mean Jesus already had enough trouble with John's disciples and some rough fisherman trying to get along,

Why go out of your way to add a tax collector to the mix?

On the other hand, Levi who would have heard of Jesus would have felt that he had wronged his people; would have questioned why would he invite me (of all people) and all my transgressions to follow him?

But Levi was ultimately moved by this, AND wanted to thank Jesus by throwing him a feast with all his friends.

Guess who his friends were?? ALL the sinners and tax collectors. (they hung out together)

It says that they were lounging around with Jesus. That means this was a comfortable setting

Nobody was dressed all up in holy robes looking down on one another.

He met these people where they were and invited them to know HIM by living his life in front of them.

By pushing past the apparent divisions that should have separated them and used relationship to bridge gaps in differences.

This account with Jesus at a party with sinners and tax collectors almost sounds like something that would be on the top of your Facebook Feed.

Because we dont know that this is good news for us. Jesus choose not to spend time with the religious scribes and pharisees who thought they had it all together.

No he spent time with those who knew they werent getting into heaven without somekind of miracle. And thank goodness that miracle decided to live his life infront of them.

This should give us hope and encouragement, because when you make my decision to follow Jesus, his requirement of what to do next is not that hard.

He just ask us to share the good news with someone else.

BUT even that is not that hard, because although you choose to leave your old way of life; it's practices; and it's identification of who you were

You Don't necessarily have to forget where you came from. You don't necessarily have to change how you talk or what you like to eat.

When I grew up in the inner City I grew up in a middle class family where my parents were set on giving me a better life

So they started us in a predominantly white private school.

But as they have more kids less resources I ended up having to go to a predominantly black inner city public school.

And this was a huge switch for me. I remember crying everyday cuz I didn't know who I was and sadly this began the beginning of what some people call code switching.

I didn't do it intentionally but as a matter of survival. In certain contexts I would be acting and talking White according to some of my peers.

In other contexts I would be acting and talking black according to some of my peers

And I didn't learn til too much later in life that I didn't have to be influenced by one group to fit in

OR act one another way to impact that other group of people.

But I could be who GOD uniquely called me to be, for the very purpose of reflecting him to others around me.

In our call to follow Christ, we're called to reach back to those we could directly influence and share the good news with them.

Andrew and Peter shared with other fishermen James and John.

One disciple of John the Baptist shared with another disciple of John the Baptist

BUT that would not be all that different from what the Pharisees were doing at that time, they shared the rules and regulations with other Jews.

Sadly many churches have set themselves up this way ONLY sharing the message with people who think like them and look like them OR beat people over the head doctrine until they do.

But Jesus teaches his disciples in this moment by showing them that we are to reach across the aisle to others, so they can have the good news too. (if its good for me its good for you)

At this gathering I imagine the Pharisees were sitting outside grumbling saying why does he eat with those sinners?

AND by this time Jesus has all these questions about why he is conducting his mission this way

Which brings us to point number 2, his MOTIVE.

One of the things my wife and I love to do is watch crime documentaries together. (it's our thing)

And in all of the cases even if the prosecutors have all this evidence they still have to prove motive.

Motive is why we do something.

At vs 31 Jesus restates his mission and begins to answer thier question of why.

He says “it is not those who are well who need a physician but those who are sick”

Ps David said last week Jesus does alot of signaling and counter signaling in this section of scripture.

Here he uses an example of a physician.

If you remember he uses an example of a physician after he rolls up the scroll that laid out his mission, and the people begin to doubt if he was who he said he was.

He mocks there approach to him with a quote that says physician heal yourself, in other words prove it.

To which Jesus responds with healing and miracles in the next chapter, essentially saying “I already am.”

But for the Pharisees in vs 33 that still doesn't explain why he conducted his ministry in this way.

Why his ministry look different than what the Pharisees were doing

Why his ministry look different than what John the Baptist ministry was doing

Why his ministry looks so simple and basic.

But unaffected, Jesus uses some more signaling at verse 34 and talks about the bridegroom.

We have one amazing couple that I know of about to get married in our congregation and there will be the celebration

But in ancient Jewish culture the wedding celebration included multiple celebrations.

It was usually broken down into three phases

Shedookcum

Erisin

Neshoein

The Shedookcum was the commitment ceremony prior to the more serious engagement ceremony

And Traditionally, during this time BOTH the bride and bridegroom would separately be immersed in water in a mikvah which is symbolic of spiritual cleansing. (y'all remember that from the sermon on John the Baptist) is it all coming together

Then you would have the Erisin which to me is more like the engagement party. AND There is a ceremony and celebration but bridegroom doesn't take his bride with him, because he has to go away to make preparations for his bride. (Yall tracking yet)

And then you got the Neshoein which is the actual final celebration where the vows are finalized and they get to live together in covenant communion.

Why does Jesus who is presenting himself as holy give an illustration of himself in a pending marriage to a seemingly unholy people?

Because he was signaling to what the prophets of the Old testament had said about the coming of the Lord.

Hosea chapter 2, specifically vs 14-23

Hosea was a prophet who was called to marry a prostitute to be faithful to her even when she was unfaithful to him as an illustration of God's enduring love for his wayward people.

In this passage, you see where hope valley's mission statement comes from vs. 15 where the valley of Achor or curse will become the door of Hope.

AND as the word of the Lord continues it describe this bridegroom coming after his bride.

That even though she ignored him, rejected his way and pursued other suitors, he would come to allure her or draw her back to him.

To betroth and commit himself to her verse 19 in righteousness Justice loving kindness and compassion

So that his people would KNOW THE LORD. (Relationship)

It goes on to describe the renewal of ALL things that had died

AND illustrates compassion for those who didn't have it

AND acceptance of a people who were not his people who can now say YOU ARE MY GOD. (ownership and relationship they didnt have before because they were excluded due to their sin)

This beautiful illustration that we’ve talking about, explains why Jesus was doing what he was doing.

Why he would use his simple and unusual approach to reach people who were considered outcasts AND sinners.

Why he would draw them back to him with the simplicity of compassion, righteousness, Justice, and loving kindness in relationship.

Because for Jesus it is not a mistake to go after what others considered to be the ugliest, the sickest, the most broken, the most rejected

We were not appalling to him. Because we are his bride.

No mountain, no sea, no wall would prevent him from getting his wayward bride back; making preparations for her; AND renew the covenant that had been broken

Jesus was the only one who could do this for us.

Where all the Pharisees and religious leaders had failed in obedience to the Lord

Jesus had remained perfect in his obedience, even to the point of death on the cross

So that we could put our hope for salvation in Jesus’ work, NOT our best efforts at trying to keep the law.

Which brings us to the final point his METHOD.

In Vs 36 Jesus gives us one more illustration to discuss or describe his method.

He talks about this old and new wine and old and new cloths and how you can't mix the two.

And By giving this illustration Jesus was implying that the gospel was something new and distinct from the rules and regulations the Pharisees have been trying to levy on every one.

This wasn't going to just be some lip service Or trying to keep the old mindset with some new rules, without actually helping others to know God.

Jesus wasn't going to just repeatedly hash out the laws and rituals that you were supposed to do in order to remain holy.

He didn't just keep personal holy observance of quiet time and fasting.

But he slowed down enough to break bread with those who were seemingly furthest away from him, in order for them to KNOW him again.

There this movie called The Notebook (most of the woman in here know it). But its the love story of a man who goes to nursing home to see this woman and tell her a story about there love accept she doesnt know him, because she has alzhiemers. BUT he keeps telling her this story in hopes that she would remember who she was and who he was and ultimately remember their love for each.

I believe Jesus does the same for us, slowing down for us to have relationship with him, to hear the love story through all the OT scriptures that point to him, that talk about his wayward creation and all he was willing to sacrifice, to remind us of who we are so we can remember who he is and how he loves us.

By modeling this for us, Jesus showed his disciples and in turn us how we can be reconciled and to God in a simple way.

The pharisees just could not understand how if they were supposedly clean how could they ever sit with those who were unclean.

BUT by thinking more of themselves than they should

They didn't realize they were just as dirty AND in need of the bridegrooms mercy just as much as those they put down.

Jesus shows us that by having meals and building meaningful relationships with people we tear down those false levels of separation and even the playing field.

This is evident by at least 10 meals Luke captures in his gospel account, and alludes to many more

To include the early church in the book of Acts chapter 2, where the disciples were meeting together breaking bread praying and reading scripture. And it says the Lord added to their number.

It didn't say that they had an amazing worship service with lights and fog; a really charismatic leader who knew all things about God and made all the disciples.

NO! ALL of God's disciples were making disciples through this very simple and disarming act of sharing meals and building relationships as they lived their life for God infront others.

Doesn't have to be elaborate meals the word says they were breaking bread didn't even say they had butter.

But in all seriousness some of my most significant experiences of ministry in my life and others have occurred at the dinner table.

Didn't happen up front while I was praying for somebody or while I was being paid for.

But they happened while I was sitting across the table from another that might not looked like me, think like me, or have the same experiences of me

BUT in that moment while we were dressed down; just hanging out; building relationship with one another;

Praying for one another; believing God for one another; asking for healing for one another; asking for breakthrough for one another

I experienced the loving kindness of God and could say I know him because of what he's done for them and for me and for you.

Worship team you can come on up.

As I close the good news is we don't have to be ashamed of being followers of Christ.

Despite the other things people have levied on top of faith, His Yoke is easy and only requires us to take simple steps of trust little by little.

We don't have to worry about how we look to the coming bridegroom.

We don't have to worry about all the former partners, lovers, and idols we've chased down and lived for.

We don't even have to worry about making ourselves appealing before he comes to us

Because our bridegroom Jesus is coming after us.

And he is coming with loving kindness for our broken hearts

He is coming with Justice for those of us who have been wronged

He is coming with sight for those who have lost their way

And he is coming with freedom for those who have been stuck in bondage. Glory be to the Lord

Thank God he sets us free through this very simple way of knowing trusting and following him.

And I pray that all of us this week will do the same for others.

By going to those who are lost, breaking bread with them, and living our lives for Jesus in front of them.

And when the time comes help them to know trust and follow him.

Lets pray.