A Disciple After God's Own Heart

Big Idea

Tension: Why does Matthew love Jesus?

Resolution: Because Jesus came to call sinners to himself.

Exegetical Idea: Matthew loves Jesus because Jesus came to call sinners to himself.

Theological Idea: Christians love Christ because he came to call sinners to himself.

Homiletical Idea: We love Christ because he calls us, the sin-sick, to himself.

Outline

Introduction: Why do we love Jesus? My Own Testimony

Why does Jesus eat with sinners? Because Jesus desires “mercy” not sacrifice. He desires our love, not our acts.

Matthew

Tax Collector - Tax collectors bid for the contract to collect taxes from the Roman government. The Romans didn’t trust them and the Jews hated them.

Rich - Possessed a big house to allow for many people to come in.

Influential - had many friends and underlings who felt obligated enough to come to the party at his house.

Friend of sinners - “Sinner” is a euphemism for everything you can imagine.

Intimate Knowledge of Scriptures - Yet, Matthew’s gospel shows a profound knowledge of the Holy Scriptures.

Levi/Matthew - Most likely a Levite - According to Luke 5 and Mark 2, Matthew’s other name was Levi. He probably was a dropout. Someone who had attempted to go into the ministry, but for whatever reason and in whatever way he had become a traitor of his own people.

Jesus, according to the wisdom of his day, would have had no business being with Jesus.

Pharisees

Law keepers - Pharisees were remembered for their strict obedience to and knowledge of the law.

“Tax collector and sinners” - Condescending and judgmental.

Talk to Jesus’ disciples not Jesus himself. Didn’t want to be seen as contradicting the master.

“teacher”, “disciple”, “learn” - emphasizes the ignorance of the Pharisees.

Jesus says, to understand why I dine with sinners, learn what this means.

“I desire mercy and not sacrifice”

Hosea 6:4-6

God wants us to love him with an enduring love.

Why? Because God wants a relationship with him. That’s why this passage emphasizes the fact that Jesus eats with Matthew. (Use Matthew’s life to illustrate this)

This is the difference between the Pharisees and Matthew. They did a lot of lawful things. But Matthew loved the Lord. (Revelation 2:1-4)

God has chosen to glorify himself when his people love him. (1 Peter 1:8) “God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in him.”

Why would we love Jesus? Because he came to the sin-sick like ourselves by giving us his righteousness.

Those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick

Jesus is himself that physician (Matt 8:14-17)

Reference to Isaiah 53:5-6

How does Jesus heal the sick?

I came not to call the righteous but sinners

Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the tax collectors and sinners (Matt 5:20).

10 Commandments - none of us can live up to it. (Rom 3:23)

Jesus came to fulfill the law (Matt 5:17, 11:28-30)

Jesus makes many to be accounted righteous by healing their sins (Is 53:11)

Jesus's call is to stand under his righteousness and not ours’. When Jesus calls us into relationship with him, it is purely based on what he has done.

Of course, this requires us to be humble. It requires us to recognize that we are sick if we need a physician, this requires us to recognize we are sinners.

The only way we can love him with an enduring love is if we continually recognize that he came to die for our sins.

Application

The key to having a love for Christ that brings glory to Christ is to make the gospel the center of your life.

Have you lost sight of your first love? Recognize that you are a sinner in need of salvation. Illustration: Prayer of Confession

Does this describe your relationship with Jesus? If not, sinner, repent. Jesus stands and says to you today, “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

Conclusion: Tax Collector and Pharisee (Luke 18:9-14)