Jesus came to make the unacceptable acceptable, Matthew 9:9-13

Jesus came to make the unacceptable acceptable.

The cross and the empty tomb are not for the righteous.

The cross and the empty tomb are not for those who have everything together.

The cross and the empty tomb are not for a certain color, country, or neighborhood.

The cross and the empty tomb are for sinners.

The cross and the empty tomb are for those who fall short of God’s standards.

The cross and the empty tomb are for those God deems unacceptable in his kingdom.

In Matthew 9:9-13, the writer brings his story to a pivotal point. He has been building toward this moment in his gospel for a good reason. His intent is to reveal who Jesus is, to demonstrate that He alone is the promised Messiah. Matthew intends for us to see that Jesus is the King God promised to David that would reign on His throne forever.

But, like we saw last week the manner in which Jesus did his ministry and saved the world were unexpected. The week of His crucifixion Jesus entered Jerusalem like a king, only to die like a criminal. But why? Why did the King of the universe, the one who taught with an unparalleled authority, who healed with authority, who commanded the winds and the waves with his voice, the one who cast out demons (the enemies army), the one who forgave sins… the one who told a paralyzed man to get up and walk- and the man got up and walked home. Why did the king of the universe come to teach us these truths, to perform these miraculous signs and wonders die a criminals death on the cross?

Jesus died a criminals death because He came to make the unacceptable acceptable.

Matthew was unacceptable

Look with me at Matthew 9:9–13 (CSB). It says,

“9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him. 10 While he was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 Now when he heard this, he said, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice., For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.””

Matthew was sitting at the tax office because Matthew was a tax collector. James Montgomery Boice points out that through Matthew we see God’s love for the politically, socially, and religiously unacceptable.

Matthew was a tax collector, which meant he had aligned with the political enemy of the Jews. Tax collectors were traitors and despised by their kinsmen.

Matthew was unclean. As a tax collector he would have been banned from entering the synagogue because he had made himself unclean by working for the Gentiles.

Matthew was an outcast in Jewish society. Because Matthew lived his life alongside the unrighteous Gentiles, other Jews would have been forbidden from doing business with him. They would have avoiding spending time with him, or even receiving something from him.

Matthew was totally unacceptable in the eyes of the religious leaders, but Jesus called out to him and said “Follow Me.”

And, just like the paralyzed man, the demon possessed man, the demons, the Roman Centurion, and the leper… Matthew did what Jesus said- He obeyed.

Notice what Matthew is doing here in his gospel. There are some who reject Jesus because they cannot and will not surrender and submit to Him. Men like the two guys in 8:18-22, who weren’t willing to let go of their plans and their desires to follow Jesus. Or others like the host of Gentiles, who after hearing of what Jesus did to the demon possessed men in 8:28-34, begged Him to leave their region. Or even the Scribes in 9:1-7 who accused Jesus in their hearts of dishonoring God, rejected Him, and set their lives against Him.

Matthew has shown us that there are some who surrender and submit to Jesus and there are those who reject Jesus. The common theme among those who say yes to Jesus is that they are all considered unclean and unacceptable by those around them.

The leper was unclean and unacceptable

The Roman Centurion was unclean and unacceptable

The demon possessed men were unclean and unacceptable

The paralytic (who many would have assumed was this way because of his sin or his parents sins) was unclean and unacceptable

And Matthew- the tax collector was unclean and unacceptable

Matthew identifies with the unacceptable and unclean in the gospel he is writing because it’s his story too.

Matthew knows first hand what Jesus meant when He said “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.

Jesus calls sinners because He came to make the unacceptable acceptable.

The cross and the empty tomb are the means by which Jesus makes the unacceptable acceptable.

Sin is defeated through the cross

Colossians 2:9–15 (CSB)

9 For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, 10 and you have been filled by him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. 11 You were also circumcised in him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, 12 when you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. 14 He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.

Jesus died the death that every sinner deserves so that forgiveness could be given to those who believe.

Like Paul wrote in Colossians, Jesus has erased the debt that your sin deserves and He has triumphed over his enemy and death in one sufficient act.

Jesus died the death that sinners deserve and also gives them the life they don’t deserve.

Life is given through the resurrection

Jesus took our sin to the cross, and He gives us His life through the resurrection.

Everyone who believes in Him is saved by the same power that raised Him from the grave.

Like the act of baptism demonstrates, your sins have been buried with Christ, and you have been raised to new life by the only who has power over sin and death- Jesus Christ!

But consider this, if there is no resurrection then everything else is pointless…

1 Corinthians 15:14–15 (CSB) says, “14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith. 15 Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified wrongly about God that he raised up Christ—whom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised.”

Not only does God have the power to give you life, but if the resurrection doesn’t happen, there can be no life. For without the resurrection everything else we believe is false…

But the resurrection is true!!!! Jesus is alive and there is hope and salvation for everyone who believes!

You can be saved because of the resurrection.

When you are saved: Righteousness is declared, the Holy Spirit is received, and adoption is granted.

In Scripture God tells us that we are justified before Him by faith. Upon our faith we are declared righteous, and we receive the Holy Spirit.

Righteousness is declared

God declares you righteous when He justifies you.

Romans 5:1–5 (CSB) says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, 4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. 5 This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Righteousness is viewed like a covering or clothing in Scripture… it is not your own it is declared or given. Rather than being clothed in the sin stained garments of your own works, you are now clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

When God sees you, He sees the covering of Christ’s righteousness until the day when Christ returns and you are transformed into your glorified body.

The Holy Spirit is received

Like Paul said in Romans 5:5, the Holy Spirit has been given to us. When you are saved you receive the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit transforms you, He seals and secures you, He convicts you, He guides you, He works through you, and He bears fruit in you.

Romans 8:11 (CSB)

11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.

2 Timothy 1:14 (CSB)

14 Guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

Galatians 4:6 (CSB)

6 And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!”

Adoption is granted

Galatians 4:5–7 (CSB)

“5 to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir.”

The Holy Spirit within you testifies to the change in your relationship with God. You have moved from sinner to saint. From rebel to follower. From enemy to child.

Your adoption is with full rights. There is no difference between your rights and your inheritance because you are adopted. You are not kind of a child of God, you are fully and completely a child of God. This is just how it is with adoption in our country today. This is how it is with adoption in our home. You may see 2 biological children and one adopted child, but we see three children. And, what’s amazing is that is what the government sees too.

When we adopted Eden, she was issued a new birth certificate… and that’s how it works with God. When you are adopted into in His family, your old self and your old life are gone. You have a new name, a new family, and a new life. That’s all there is and all there ever will be.

This is God’s will for sinners… that they be transferred from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of light. This is God’s plan and purpose for the death and resurrection of Christ- to redeem those under the curse of sin- all who are unacceptable and unrighteous- into His family.

So, here’s what this means for you-

You are unacceptable

I know it’s hard to hear… but it’s true. From the moment that Adam and Eve sinned, every person born has been born under the curse of sin. The stain of sin is such that you cannot wash it away or make up for it on your own.

Like Matthew and the others in his gospel, you are unclean and unacceptable in the eyes of God. But, because of His love, mercy, and compassion, God has done for you what you cannot do for yourself.

You are saved by faith in Jesus because of Jesus

No one is saved because they are good

No one is saved because they were born the right family

No one is saved because they grew up in the right town, state, or country

No one is saved because of anything he or she has done.

Salvation comes through faith in Jesus, because of Jesus.

Jesus lived a perfect and holy life

Jesus died as a substitute on the cross

Jesus was resurrected to give you life

Remember what Jesus said, He didn’t come for the righteous. He came for the unrighteous, and that means He died for sinners… all of them… even the worst of them.

There is no one so unacceptable or unclean that Jesus can’t save them.

Jesus didn’t “come for the righteous, but sinners.”

This means that Jesus came for you. He came for me. Jesus came for all of those you don’t think He should save. Just like the pharisees and scribes around Jesus, we need to be reminded that Jesus can save anyone. And if you don’t think He can, then I’m not sure you know Him at all.

Jesus can save the liberal

Jesus can save the conservative

Jesus can save the wealthy

Jesus can save the poor

Jesus can save the single

Jesus can save the married

Jesus can save the senior adult

Jesus can save the teenager

Jesus can save the children

Jesus can save the drug addict

Jesus can save the alcoholic

Jesus can save the divorced

Jesus can save the homosexual

Jesus can save the transgender

The problem is that we have forgotten that Jesus didn’t come for healthy

We have forgotten that Jesus didn’t come for the righteous.

But, God has not forgotten the sinner. God has not forgotten the sick. The empty cross and the empty tomb serve as a glorious reminder that no matter how far off track we get- God has never stopped loving the sinner.

Are you a follower of Jesus?

Have you followed Him with your life? Have you surrendered your life to Him by faith in Jesus Christ?

If you have, think this morning about the empty tomb. Isn’t it amazing!

Think about the power that God displayed when the stone was rolled away. That power that we see in the resurrection of Christ is the hope and comfort that you have for your salvation.

But, following Jesus means surrendering and submitting to Jesus.

Are you following Him faithfully today? Are you walking closely with Him?

Do you need to renew your commitment to follow Him this morning? if so… then don’t hold back.

Follow the example of all those who said yes to Jesus and let go of whatever is holding you back.

Do you need Jesus?

Every person here needs Jesus, and many have trusted Him for salvation. But have you?

Have been declared righteous?

Have you received the Holy Spirit?

Have you been adopted into the family of God?

Will you tell others about Jesus?

Like those who found the empty tomb let us run from hear and tell the story of what Christ has done!

The church of 2021 must become a church that shares the story of Jesus. commit to day to reaching out to one person this year with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Write his or her name on the wall outside at the Who’s Your One display.

Take the magnet home to remind you to pray for them and to share with them.

Invite them to be a part of Harrisburg. Bring them in to what God is doing so they can hear and see the truth of the Gospel. (This is what so many people need right now- to see the evidence of the gospel in relationship)

Response…