Untitled Sermon (24)

Follow Me

Me:

Grew up in church. Felt like the whole Christian life was game of Jesus says. To be a christian felt like do: jump, pray, don’t do this, etc. If Jesus din’t say, then you were out. Easier to be out. More enjoyable. Go to camp, try to get back into it. Then when doing good, feeling like you’re doing everything Jesus says and doesn’t say, I’d see others who weren’t doing what Jesus says and become really judgmental. You need to do it too! If I’m miserable, you should be miserable. You need to do what Jesus says. Better i did meaner I got. Jealous of people who weren’t doing what Jesus says. A lot of us come here and we feel like we just can’t handle this kind of religious system. This one of do do do, don’t don’t don’t , and you just aren’t good at it or consistent enough or disciplined enough. So you’re like I’m just out. Can’t do it, I’m out. If I go to hell I go to hell and at least I know people there. Can’t play this game.

I Grew up in church. Felt like the whole Christian life was game of Jesus says. To be a christian felt like do: jump, pray, don’t do this, etc. If Jesus din’t say, then you were out. Easier to be out. More enjoyable. Go to camp, try to get back into it. Then when doing good, feeling like you’re doing everything Jesus says and doesn’t say, I’d see others who weren’t doing what Jesus says and become really judgmental. You need to do it too! If I’m miserable, you should be miserable. You need to do what Jesus says. Better i did meaner I got. Jealous of people who weren’t doing what Jesus says. A lot of us come here and we feel like we just can’t handle this kind of religious system. This one of do do do, don’t don’t don’t , and you just aren’t good at it or consistent enough or disciplined enough. So you’re like I’m just out. Can’t do it, I’m out. If I go to hell I go to hell and at least I know people there. Can’t play this game.

But, If we could erase everything we’ve heard about God, religion, Christianity, and just start with a blank slate and pick up Matthew mark luke john, we’d discover how extraordinarily relational the message of Jesus is. He said things like “I’ve come so you can understand the father.” Well who’s the Father? That’s God, so we can call God father. And he’s not like our earthly father but he’s the perfection of fatherhood. Then he says things Like I’m the vine you’re the branch, and the vine doesn’t say branch do this do that, the vine gives life to the branch and he says if we remain in him, we’ll grow. It’s super relational. Then he talks about Shepherd and Sheep relationship. This was huge because they undrestood shepherds took care of sheep, and he says that he’s the shepherd and his sheep hear his voice. It was intensely relational. The Jesus Says thing is the wrong approach. If our approach to or understanding Christianity is anything less than this than maybe we’ve missed something. We’ve been invited into an extraordinary relationship. And throughout the gospels Jesus came back to one word over and over and over again and it’s “Follow.” And It’s wild. Jesus extended this invitation to follow to every single kind of person imaginable. Rich, poor, spiritual, religious, irreligious. He’d say just follow. And we see this everywhere, but where I want us to look this morning is this story, and it’s a familiar story that most of us are probably familiar with, and if not, i think you’ll love this story, at least I hope you will, but it’s found in the book of matthew and it’s actually about matthew. Here’s where we’re introduce to this idea of follow.

But, If we could erase everything we’ve heard about God, religion, Christianity, and just start with a blank slate and pick up Matthew mark luke john, we’d discover how extraordinarily relational the message of Jesus is. He said things like “I’ve come so you can understand the father.” Well who’s the Father? That’s God, so we can call God father. And he’s not like our earthly father but he’s the perfection of fatherhood. Then he says things Like I’m the vine you’re the branch, and the vine doesn’t say branch do this do that, the vine gives life to the branch and he says if we remain in him, we’ll grow. It’s super relational. Then he talks about Shepherd and Sheep relationship. This was huge because they undrestood shepherds took care of sheep, and he says that he’s the shepherd and his sheep hear his voice. It was intensely relational. The Jesus Says thing is the wrong approach. If our approach to or understanding Christianity is anything than less than this than maybe we’ve missed something. We’ve been invited into an extraordinary relationship. And throughout the gospels Jesus came back to one word over and over and over again and it’s “Follow.” And It’s wild. Jesus extended this invitation to follow to every single kind of person imaginable. Rich, poor, spiritual, religious, irreligious. He’d say just follow. And we see this everywhere, but where I want us to look this morning is this story, and it’s a familiar story that most of us are probably familiar with, and if not, i think you’ll love this story, at least I hope you will, but it’s found in the book of matthew and it’s actually about matthew. Here’s where we’re introduce to this idea of follow.out

Matthew rights “As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. Something you need to know about tax collectors: they were hated. Idea of tax collector in Jewish culture, because they were Jewish people collecting Roman taxes, they were disgusting, hated, outcast, couldn’t be a part of society, could only hang out with other tax collectors and people like themselves. Way it worked was this: Rome offered off the right to collect taxes in all of their provinces. So generally pretty wealthy people bid on the opportunity to collect taxes, because if you had the authority to collect taxes in a region, you could collect as much as you wanted and as long as Rome got their share you could keep the rest. It was extremely lucrative. Roman citizens would go to Roman controlled provinces like Judea and they would hire locals to work for them to collect the actual taxes. All kinds of taxes. So, they’d hire citizens of those countries to collect their taxes and they’d pay them so much money to collect taxes so it was almost impossible to say no. But they were immediately hated by the people of their communities because they were traders. The were benefiting from Roman taxes. And Matthew was one of these people and he was hated. So Jesus walks up, and there sits matthew collecting taxes. And Jesus could have said so many things to Matthew. But Jesus looks at Matthew the tax collector and he says “Follow me.” Now, imagine if you’re one of the people following Jesus at this point.

Tax collector: Hated. (costa rica bathroom) Idea of tax collector in Jewish culture, because they were Jewish people collecting Roman taxes, they were disgusting, hated, outcast, couldn’t be a part of society, could only hang out with other tax collectors and people like themselves. Way it worked was this: Rome offered off the right to collect taxes in all of their provinces. So generally pretty wealthy people bid on the opportunity to collect taxes, because if you had the authority to collect taxes in a region, you could collect as much as you wanted as long as Rome got their share you could keep the rest. It was extremely lucrative. Roman citizens would go to Roman controlled provinces like Judea and they would hire locals to work for them to collect the actual taxes. All kinds of taxes. So, they’d hire citizens of those countries to collect their taxes and they’d pay them so much to collect taxes so it was almost impossible to say no. But they were immediately hated by the people of their communities because they were traders. The were benefiting from Roman taxes. And Matthew was one of these people and he was hated. So Jesus walks up, and there sits matthew collecting taxes. And Jesus could have said so many things to Matthew. But Jesus looks at Matthew the tax collector and he says “Follow me.” Now, imagine if you’re one of the people following Jesus at this point.

There’s a lot of things Jesus could have asked Matthew to do, but Jesus says “follow me.” And Matthew got up, and he followed him. And if you were one of the people following Jesus you’re probably thinking “it can’t be that simple!” There were religious people, like uptight, stiff, you know, what like you think of when you think of religious people, they were like shadowing Jesus, trying to figure what he’s up to and they gotta be like, it can’t be that simple you can’t just say follow me and a tax collector of all people just become part of your group. The invitation to follow Jesus wasn’t just lets’ walk down the street together, this was a formal invitation, be part of my group, become part of my circle, begin to identify yourself with me and I will begin to identify with you. And what Jesus didn’t say, and what I’d expect him to say, or what those of us who grew up in the church might expect him to say was “Matthew if you’re willing to blank, you can follow me. If you’e willing to start this, or quit this, or do this, or go here, then you can follow me. If you can do what I say then you can follow me. That’s not at all what Jesus says. He says follow. And what’s significant about this is this is the same invitation he extends throughout the gospels. The invitation to just follow me. The question that I want us to begin to ask over the next few weeks, whether you grew up in church, whether you’re Christian, or even if you’re not Christian, the question I want us to ask in the most simple way is “ following?” Not am I doing enough, not am I praying enough, going to church enough, reading the bible enough, serving enough, not am I good enough and all the other things we think of, but simply, Am I Following? And this might seem too simple. I’m thinking through this now as I prepare these messages, and it seems too simple to me, but it also seemed to simple for the religious leaders in Jesus’ day.

There’s a lot of things Jesus could have asked Matthew to do, but Jesus says “follow me.” And Matthew got up, and he followed him. And if you were one of the people following Jesus you’re probably thinking “it can’t be that simple!” There were religious people, like uptight, stiff, you know, what like you think of when you think of religious people, they were like shadowing Jesus, trying to figure what he’s up to and they gotta be like, it can’t be that simple you can’t just say follow me and a tax collector of all people just become part of your group. The invitation to follow Jesus wasn’t just lets’ walk down the street together, this was a formal invitation, be part of my group, become part of my circle, begin to identify yourself with me and I will begin to identify with you. And what Jesus didn’t say, and what I’d expect him to say, or what those of us who grew up in the church might expect him to say was “Matthew if you’re willing to blank, you can follow me. If you’e willing to start this, or quit this, or do this, or go here, then you can follow me. If you can do what I say then you can follow me. That’s not at all what Jesus says. He says follow. And what’s significant about this is this is the same invitation he extends throughout the gospels. The invitation to just follow me. The question that I want us to begin to ask over the next few weeks, whether you grew up in church, whether you’re Christian, or even if you’re not Christian, the question I want us to ask in the most simple way is “ following?” Not am I doing enough, not am I praying enough, going to church enough, reading the bible enough, serving enough, not am I good enough and all the other things we think of, but simply, Am I Following? And this might seem too simple. I’m thinking through this now as I prepare these messages, and it seems too simple to me, but it also seemed too simple for the religious leaders in Jesus’ day.

But the story continues and Matthew writes “While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house…” Wait what? Like, the people already following Jesus are thinking “it’s one thing, and already kind of crazy, to invite this guy to follow you, Jesus, but now we’re going to his house?” It’s bad enough this guy’s with us, We can’t go to his house. But Jesus does this kind of stuff all the time. In the story of Zaccheus in the book of Luke he say follow me, and their like where Jesus, and he says we’re going to your house. And so he does the same with Matthew. He’s like Matthew, follow me, and this will be easy for you cause we’re going to your house! Let’s go somewhere familiar to you, somewhere comfortable for you, let’s go somewhere, and this is wild to me, but Jesus is like, let’s go somewhere that might ruin my reputation, but might give us an opportunity to relate. And lets look what happened “While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house,” and now it gets worse, MANY! tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. And this is funny to me, tax collectors were so bad and so despised that it was offensive to sinner to be associated with them! I might be a sinner but at least I’m not a tax collector.

Matthew’s only friends were other tax collectors and sinners - people who were outcast of the religious system. The didn’t even bother with religion. They were just like, we’re so bad we might as well just do what we want for as long as we can because there’s no hope for people like us. And now Jesus goes to Matthew’s house, and Matthew invites his closest friends, tax collectors and sinners, and Jesus’ followers are probably sitting with them like ehhh, i don’t like this Jesus, we’re uncomfortable, what are people going to think about us if they see us here??? And this next thing I think is really important. If you’re here and like you’re parents force you to come here and it’s uncomfortable for you, or if you’re not sure about Christianity, or you think you aren’t good enough to be Christian, this next thing is so important: Jesus was extremely comfortable with people who weren’t anything like him. And as you read these stories in the gospels, Mathew Mark, Luke John, it becomes apparent the people who were nothing like Jesus were very comfortable being around him. Jesus, God incarnate, God in a body, he’s in this environment surrounded by people who would probably tell us that he wasn’t being judgmental, he was so welcoming, so understanding, so comporting and comfortable, and people who were nothing Like Jesus liked him and he liked people who were nothing like him. That’s huge. And this means, if you’re not a religious person, or you’re not Christian, and you’re not sure, you’ve got questions, if you are here and you feel anything but accepted and loved by this church, that’s our fault. It’s not Jesus’ fault, because our savior was extraordinarily comfortable with people who were nothing like him and they followed him everywhere he went. Jesus would like you. Jesus would not be put off by your sin, an Jesus would not be uncomfortable with your thoughts even though he knows your thoughts. He knows the hears of men and women. Every thought, every bad intention, every form of selfishness, every sin, every shortcoming, he knows all of it and he says Follow Me.

Now, it says, “When the Pharisees saw this,” remember, the pharisees are the super religious , follow all the rules, do this and that to be saved and accepted and to follow God, they saw this, and they’re probably taking notes, “oh, here’s this radical Jesus guy again, he just lets anyone in. Where are they going? Oh, they’re going to a house, oh look it’s a tax collectors house, and look! There’s more tax collectors and even other sinners.” Knew it. This guy will let anyone be a part of his little group.” And it says they ask his disciples “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” We’re confused. He claims to be holy, and we’re holy people, he’s a rabbi and we’re teachers, he worships God and we worship God, he seems to have a lot in common with us, but why didn’t he invite us?” Why would he choose people who he’s nothing like instead of people like us who are more like him, and I mean, we’re not sure he even likes us and we definitely don’t like him, but why is that?? They were so confused, and Jesus knows this is going on, and he’s sitting around the table with the people, and on hearing this Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor,” now imagine you’re matthew or the other people around the table and you hear this, but the sick.” Mathew’s like wait a minute Jesus… You’re saying that we’re sick? I hear you. They’re the healthy ones so you’re not out there with them and we’re the sick ones. Where do you get off saying that?? And Jesus is probably like, Matthew, you’re a tax collector! Of course you’re sick. and look at your friends! And they’re probably like, yeah! We are sick and they just go on with the dinner, because they know they’re sick. They know the lives they’ve been living. The tax collectors have been profiting off the exploitation of their people. They know deep down that’s wrong. They know they’re sick. And like them, you know you’re sick. We, all of us, religious or not, have some understanding that we’re not okay.

We have this sense of right and wrong that we break all of the time when it’s convenient for us, but if we see someone else break that code, we get all upset about it. I see this all the time in my life. Like when I drive: I will cut people off and flip them off when they get in my way, but if someone does that to me, I get pissed! I don’t live up to my own driving standards. Or if someone were to treat Matthew the way he was treating his people, he’d be upset and cry about injustice. And so, we know that if there’s a God we’ve broken his rules. We know that there’s distance, if there’s a judgement that we’re in trouble. We know that if the standard is Jesus we fall short. We know this! And I think Jesus knows that we know this and so he’s able to say I’ve come for the sick people, high five matthew, I’ve come for people like you, and Matthew’s like you know that’s mad offensive but I think you’re right. I need some help. Only people who are willing to look at themselves and say “I need something. I need help.” These are the prime candidates for the followers of Jesus.

But Jesus isn’t done offending. He shouts one more thing at the Pharisees “But go and learn what this means:” and this is so offensive to the pharisees. All they did was study. They had so many bible passages memorized, they knew everything it said, and they were convinced they were good. That what they did. They sat around and were good. And now Jesus is about to say “yo, go tell them to look this up,” and he’s like really trying to get under their skin now. He quotes from the prophet Hoseah, so they should have already memorized this, and he quotes “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” And then he’s like, if they don’t understand what I’m saying, here’s what I’m saying “I’ve not come to call the righteous but sinners.” In other words, I’m not content to just be with people who believe all of the right things, and I’m not content to hangout with people who behave all the right ways. I want to be with people who believe the right things and behave the right way in order to call the people who don’t believe the right things and don’t behave the right way, and who know there’s something else to believe and wish they had more control over how. And, if you’re christian, and if you claim to follow Jesus, let me just say something us for a moment: We cannot become a youthgroup that believes the right things and behaves the right way and just stop there. If we do, we’ll find ourselves standing outside of Matthew’s house with the Pharisees as he comes to call the sick and the sinners and those who need a savior. I don’t want us to be a church that all about believe the right was and behave the right way and forget that we have been called to partner with Jesus to reach those who have some suspicion that there’s something more to this life, that there’s something that will help them and reduce them. It’s not enough to believe right and behave right. These are the people who become judgmental. They’re the ones who say once you change, then you can join us. that was the message of the pharisees. “Change and you can join us.” And then Jesus came and he turned that whole message upside down and said No, join us and you will change. He was like Matthew, stand up, I’m not asking you to do anything other than follow me and we’re going to your house. And the pharisees are like wait he’s a tax collector. And Jesus is like, I don’t do things the way you do. You’re plan is behave right, believe right, and then we’ll decide if you can join us. And Jesus is like I don’t care what you’ve done, I don’t care what you believe or don’t believe, and I don’t even care what you believe about me. I want to invite you to just take a little step and follow me. And if you follow me for very long, you may eventually not recognize who you see. Not because you’ve been in this endless cycle of Jesus says Jesus Says Jesus says, but because I’m like a father, or a vine, or a shepherd, and I just want you to follow me. And this is what we’ll be looking at over the next couple of months. Regardless of where you are, what end of the spectrum you’re on, the invitation is for you.

Here’s a couple of things and then I’l close.

Being a sinner doesn’t disqualify you. It’s a prerequisite. Every person that Jesus invited to follow him and every single person that said yes was a sinner. The only people that resisted following Jesus were those who thought they were perfect, those who were convinced they had it all together. And so Jesus begins with Matthew before he has prayed anything, repented of anything, turned away from anything, before he’s done anything, Jesus turns to him and is like Matthew will you just take a small step and follow me? There is no sin, habit, addiction, illness, problem, the puts you outside of the circle of those who have been invited to Follow. Jesus looks us in the eye and he extends an invitation to follow him. And we’ll see what this means of the next couple of months.

Next thing, and this is a game changer I think. Being an unbeliever doesn’t disqualify you. None of Jesus’ earliest followers believed. This is crazy. When you read the gospels there’s a point, and I can’t remember where, but there’s a point where they’re two years in to following Jesus, and he does something and it says “they believed.” Like, what have they been ding for two years?? Not believing. And all through the gospels you see this. Jesus was constantly getting on them for their unbelief. If you just believe, just believe, and they’re like we’re trying to believe. Doubting Thomas

It doesn’t matter how little faith you have or if you have no faith, you’re still invited to follow Jesus. Even if you don’t believe that Jesus was real at all, like pick up a bible and read one of the four gospels, and just try and find something that stands out and just try it out. It took many of them so long to believe in him, and he’s okay with that. You can begin following. It extended to you even if you’re not sure you believe.

The invitation to follow is an invitation to relationship. It’s not an invitation to the ten commandments, it’s not even an invitation to obedience. Rules don’t make a relationship. And Jesus knows that if you start to love him, you’ll start doing different things. Not because you’re sticking to a set of rules, but because of the relationship, because he loves you and you begin to love him, you start doing different things. You’re being invited into a relationship that begins with you just as you are. God’s kindness is what leads us to repentance. To experience kindness is to be in proximity. It’s to be in some sort of relationship with them. As we begin to follow, as we take small steps to follow Jesus, the thing that leads to repentance, which means change, it’s not the fear of hell, that doesnt work, no, it’s God’s kindness which has been demonstrated through Jesus.

Last one: Following forces me to focus on where I am rather than where you are not. This is why we have to follow. If you’re a christian and you’re not actively following, then you become a pharisee. When we wake up and say God, my goal today is just to follow you, we become so aware of our responsibility that we don’t have time to judge others. And if you’ve ever felt judged by other Christians it’s probably because you were surround by christians who believed the right things and behaved the right way but they stopped following and so they started judging. Another way to put it is like this: “The more conscious I am of the work God has yet to do in me, the less critical I am of what God has yet to do in you. This is what makes the body of Christ amazing. When the church does this, it’s fantastic. Because all of us in the church are in different places spiritually. Some of us are mature, some of us are still figuring this Jesus thing out, and that’s okay, because we’re all moving in the same direction as followers of Jesus. And when that’s the nature of our church, we become something and take part in something that’s extraordinarily powerful.

And so they question is: Am I following? Not am I obedient, not am i praying, not how much scripture I know, not how good i am or aren’t. Am I following? Are we following? And this invitation is extended to every person on this planet and every person in this room.

Untitled Sermon (24)

Intro