Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro-

Locker room talks dont always go as planned, Jimmy V was a legendary coach for the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the 1980’s.

He tells how before his first game ever, coaching Rutgers freshman team he had been reading a book by Vince Lambardi and working on what he was going to say to his players and decided to use the speech that lambardi gave his packers football team and just change the name of the team.

So he waits till 3 minutes before tip off , tries to bust through the doors but they wouldnt open and then he gets in there and starts the speech.

“All Eyes on me, now men we will be successful this year if we focus on three things, our family our religion and the green bay packers” not exactly what he had planned

I have always loved the thought of the locker room pep talk before a big game, You see them all the time in the movies and you hear about them on Espn, How the coach says just the right words in order to get the players pumped up and they are ready to go out and get the job done.

They have all the motivation they need and now its time to go.

Prop-

I thought about that this week as I read about Matthew and Thomas, all these men needed was to hear Jesus say follow me and they were ready to go, they heard Him speak and they said Let’s Go for them it was game time.

Tonight as we look at these two we will see....

-The Tale of the Tape

-The Truth

-The Transformation

The Tale of the Tape

Matthew

Hebrew name of Levi

A tax collector

Not many friends other than tax collectors

Would have been known as a traitor

A jewish man collecting taxes for the romans

Basically the low of the low

Thomas

Called the twin

Greek word didymus

must have had a twin

Not mentioned alot

Only on the list in Matthew, mark, Luke and Acts

mentioned a few times in gospel of John

Known as Doubting Thomas

The Truth

Matthew

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.

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.

Got up and followed Jesus

Got up and followed Jesus

.Got up and followed Jesus

He Left everything to follow after Jesus

He had heard all he needed to hear

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.

He Had a Party

He wanted people to know

Invited the only people he knew

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 Reason for Jesus Coming

I came to call sinners to repentance

I came to seek and save the lost.

I am on a rescue mission

Thomas

Lazarus has died

Jesus says its time to go

Disciples aren't sure

People had just tried to harm Jesus why would we go back

verse 16

So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Thomas was willing to go even if it meant death

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), .

He was commited to following Jesus

Even in his pessimism- must have great courage to be a pessimist

Jesus Says he is leaving

Thomas is concerned

We have just seen his commitment- lets go die...

now Jesus says he is leaving

Thomas has to know the way

Thomas asks the way

Jesus is the way the truth and the life ()

Both have ultimate truth revealed to them

The reason

The way

The Transformation

Matthew and Thomas

Matthew

The Tax collector

Note all three tax collectors mentioned by name in the bible come to know Christ.

The outcast

the vile sinner

Transformed by Christ

Thomas

A pessimist by nature

Melancholy

Moody

Yet Transformed by Chirst

This is who Jesus uses

All they had to be was willing

Jesus did the rest.

For us:

They heard Jesus say lets go/follow me and they were ready to go

What about you?

What pep talk to you need ?

(ESV)

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

(ESV)

For God So Loved the World

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

(ESV)

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.