At The Table Part: Matthew (P2)
Notes
Transcript
Lives are Changed at the Table
Lives are Changed at the Table
Matthew 9:9-13
INTRO
Last time we met we talked about Zacchaeus and how his life was radically changed when we sat down at a table with Jesus.
As we continue this series of “At the Table” we are going to flip open to Matthew 9.
If you could have dinner with one person who is either dead or alive who would that one person be?
Let me ask you this question— as you sit down with these people, would you change how you acted?
Would you be more proper?
Would you dress up a bit more?
Would your conversation with them, leave a lasting change?
I have a list of people I would love to have dinner with:
Jesus
Paul
Peter
Steve Jobs
Walt Disney
Craig Grochel
John Krizenky
Steve Carell
My Grandpa (who just passed away)
You see each conversation would be unique and full of questions and advice given.
Each would happen around a table over a meal.
I think that each conversation with each person has the potential to lead to a change in my life.
This week, we look at a story around a table again.
We meet another tax collector- Matthew- who would eventually become a disciple and author one of the Gospels, can you guess which one?
That’s right Mark— kidding— it was Matthew.
But we see what happens when Jesus joined a table full of tax collectors and sinners.
For you see when Jesus comes to the table lives are changed.
It may be your life, or the life of someone you call friend, but no matter what lives are changed.
Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself.
Let open up to Matthew 9 and read
As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Join me in prayer as we ask for wisdom in unraveling this text.
PRAY
So the first point tonight is a call to follow requires action.
A call to follow requires action (v.9)
A call to follow requires action (v.9)
As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
As Jesus was passing through He saw Matthew who was doing this job of tax collecting.
Recall from a couple of weeks ago that Tax Collectors were despised.
They were seen as traitors.
They collected money from their people and then sent it to the Roman Government.
They were allowed to charge above and beyond the required tax and keep the excess for themselves.
So when Jesus passes by Matthew’s booth.
He sees Matthew (who is also known as Levi in Mark and Luke’s account) and says to him “follow me.”
It doesn’t mention any other details, but Jesus walks by his booth and says follow me.
This strikes me as one of the most weird but yet impressive calls to join Jesus.
Jesus looked at Matthew and said follow me and Matthew did.
No questions asked— a call to follow requires action— it requires us to follow or to not.
Matthew could have said— what? Who are you talking to?
I think that would have been my response.
Like why are you asking me to follow you?
But Matthew just gets up and follows after Jesus.
Think back to the time when you felt God calling you to follow Him, what was your response?
Did you respond like Matthew and say Yes, and began to follow Him?
Did you struggle with accepting Christ, or did you find it easy to trust Jesus?
I know that not everyone may be able to answer this question.
But we all have a choice to follow Jesus or to stay in the booth just doing our normal day to day routines.
But whatever you choose that is a choice.
Jesus says follow me— you can follow him or you can stay put— but know that is a decision that you made.
I recall at the promise keepers event where everyone was going forward and I had a choice to make--
The speaker was ask for those who wanted to follow Jesus to come forward and give your life to following after Jesus.
I knew He is who I wanted to follow all the days of my life.
I knew that there was no one better then Jesus.
It was a quick and easy decision— for me it was YES— I want to follow Jesus.
And maybe you can recall that same choice you had.
Where you said Yes to Jesus— You choose to follow Him.
We each have a choice to make.
And just as Jesus changed the table for Matthew, He changed the table for you as well.
And if you are sitting here tonight and you are not following Jesus, as in you have never giving your life to Him, HE CAN CHANGE YOUR TABLE AS WELL.
Matthew was a tax collector— A Sinner—
And yet, Jesus changed the table for Matthew and he can do it for as well.
When you feel Jesus calling you don’t ignore it, lean into it, embrace it and follow Him.
But while Jesus had a direct encounter with Matthew that lead to his life change, Jesus also had another impact with those he actually sat with.
Matthew after getting up and following Jesus throws a party for Jesus.
Matthew invites his friends who are other tax collectors and sinners.
This brings us to our second point:
At the table lives were changed.
At the Table Lives were changed (v.10-11)
At the Table Lives were changed (v.10-11)
And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus is at this party.
We know this from Luke 5:29
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.
So Jesus is at this large feast and Matthew/Levi has invited all of his friends there.
Jesus is the guest of honor.
If Matthew could have had dinner with anyone dead or alive, he wanted it to be Jesus and he wanted all of his friends to meet Jesus.
Meal were considered intimate times together.
There were personal.
And Jesus was with everyone who were described as tax collectors and sinners.
This would have been puzzling to those around Him, if not down right outrageous.
Notice the religious leaders— they called this out.
But they did not go to Jesus with the question— they picked his disciples to ask the question.
While I believe that we must be careful on who we allow to influence our lives.
As in being surrounded by those who do not believe in Jesus and asking for advice may not lead to the best judgement.
I remember watching watching the movie Fireproof and the wife in the movie was asking for advice from those who do not follow Jesus and their advice was divorce him and kick him to the curb— and while I know that this is a movie— I believe that when we seek advice from the world we are going to get bad advice.
While we must be careful on who we allow to influence our lives, I believe we must be bold on the influence we have on others people lives.
Here is what I mean by that:
It means sitting down at the table with those who are different then us.
Those who believe differently.
And having conversations that point to Jesus.
It means having an influence in their lives that causing them to see their life and want to change the table.
It means having Gospel conversations.
It means being a light to them with life happens.
When their world is falling apart.
Heck it is how you respond when your world is falling apart.
It is how they see you respond to the highs and lows of life.
Jesus always invited everyone to his table.
But Jesus never changed who he was because of who was sitting at this table.
We do not join in with those who are sinning but rather set an example.
When the Pharisee’s asked, why does your teacher sit with tax collectors and sinners?
The response that needed to be said by the disciples is this:
“Because if he doesn’t then who will?”
Our response to sitting with those around us who are different then we are and who believe differently— and when others ask why are you sitting with them?
Our response needs to be “IF I DON’T THEN WHO WILL!”
Who is going to tell your friends about the love of Jesus.
Who is going to tell your friend who struggles with homosexuality that Jesus loves them.
Who is going to tell the one whose dad has left them— that God will never abandon them.
Who is going to tell the one with the eating disorder that God created them and they are loved.
Who is going to tell the one who struggles with identity that you are who God says you are— and you are called blessed— And they are loved so deeply by God.
WHO IS GOING TO SHOW THEM?
WHO IS GOING TO TELL THEM?
These are your friends, these are your family members that if it is not you then who?
When we sit down at the table with Jesus then there is always a chance of life change.
I know it is not easy, I know it is hard, I know that no one wants to lose friends over what they believe.
But Folks— you can lose friends on this side of heaven or you can lose friends on the other side of heaven.
What stings more?
As someone who has lost friends and family members who I never had those conversations with, it stings more knowing that they are gone and I never sat down and told them about Jesus.
That stings far worst then telling them and being rejected.
Because at the end of the day you invited them to the table, you showed them Jesus through your life and through your words— but just know that sometimes people are not going to follow Him— but that is their decision we are just called to be faithful and share the Gospel.
Now look at how Jesus responded to the Pharisees;
This brings us to our third point:
Transparency reveals our need for a savior (v.12-13)
Transparency reveals our need for a savior (v.12-13)
But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
I love when Jesus talks to the religious elite.
Because these guys just didn’t get it.
They would ask questions and miss the point.
They looked at the law and missed out on God in the flesh.
Jesus was hard on them.
We may want to look at them and feel bad for them.
And to a degree I guess I do.
For Jesus hammered these guys.
Look at what he says in response to their question.
They asked why does Jesus sit with tax collectors and sinners.
Jesus responds with Those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick.
I do not know about you— but the only time I really go to the doctor is when something hurts or something looks weird on my body.
Right?
Jesus is saying that he came to help the hurting, the lost and the troubled.
Which is everyone.
Everyone has hurts, everyone was or still is lost, and everyone has had trouble.
This is the reason why Jesus came.
This is why he sits at the table with sinner and this is why he sits at the table with us.
While this statement is great— check out the next sentence— Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.
The Pharisees were considered master teachers and for Jesus to tell them to go and learn what something means would have felt like an insult.
I think that is what Jesus meant for it to feel like as well.
But it was also a genuine call to go and learn this.
And Jesus here is quoting Hosea 6.
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Hosea was looking for God’s people to Love God!
To love God and show loyalty to Him.
But it does not end there, it also means showing love to those around us.
The sacrificial system was huge for the Jewish people and to say I desire love over sacrifices was a big deal.
For everything hung on the sacrificial system.
For no one would be considered righteous, unless they offered up sacrifices to God.
And Jesus here is quoting Hosea and saying I desire mercy— I desire love— not sacrifices.
For then Jesus says I came for the sinners not the righteous.
Here is what everything boiling down too.
Jesus came for the sinners.
Which we know is everyone.
as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This means everyone.
Jesus came for the sinners meaning everyone.
For no one is righteous.
Everyone is in need of a savior.
We have all fallen, and we all have made mistakes.
EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM IS A SINNER WHO HAS SAT AT THE TABLE WITH JESUS.
WE are the ones the religious elites are asking about.
We are sinners.
BUT HERE IS THE HOPE— Jesus came for you.
Jesus came for me.
If you are righteous then you have no need for a savior.
For those who are well we don’t need to go to the doctor.
And the biggest lie that we see in Christianity is that we all pretend that we are okay because Sunday morning is not the place for sinners but for the righteous.
No body wants to see your sin here— no body wants to know if you are hurting, or doubting, or within an inch of ending it all.
It is place we come to dress up— shame in our packets to embarrassed to say “i’m broken and in need to Jesus.”
It is the biggest travesty today in our churches.
I talked with a buddy of mine for over 2 hours on Friday who’s life is just hard right now.
And he didn’t want to tell me what was going on.
He felt shame and he was embarrassed by his sin.
His marriage is rocky.
And I had to keep telling him that I had been there too.
I have made so many mistakes.
I am a sinner.
I have lied— I had this massive addiction to porn for years including into my marriage.
I have been selfish.
I have had doubts.
I have had moments where I just don’t feel like I am good enough.
I had thoughts just over the last couple of weeks that kept filling my head that were calling me fake and worthless.
I was down and beaten up.
And I am through the worst of it.
But I am still working through stuff.
I’m not perfect.
I never will be.
BUT Listen to me here.
JESUS still invites me to the table of grace and says I love you.
Jesus still invites you in and says I love you.
He sees your sin and your muk, and the parts of you that are the worst and says I still love you.
Nobody does that.
Nobody is that forgiving, no one is that gracious, no one loves that deeply.
But Jesus does.
And when we reveal our sin, when we confess our sin, when we let others in and say I’m not okay— that is when we realize our need for a savior.
Our need for him is great.
It may take some transparency for us though.
It take us saying I’m a sinner, I’m not perfect but I am loved and in need of Jesus everyday.
Maybe right now you need to be transparent with someone, maybe that someone is Jesus.
Maybe right now you just need to sit and talk to Jesus.
Maybe you need to get up and find a leader and be transparent with them.
I’m going to invite the worship team up to play, I want you to do what you need to do.
Maybe you need to respond to the call to follow Jesus.
I pray that you will.
Maybe you need to ask God to show you someone to invite to the table so they can meet with Jesus.
I pray that he will reveal someone to you.
Maybe you need to be transparent and be honest and real with what is going on in your life right now.
I pray that you will bask in His grace and His Love.
Jesus came for the sinners— and we all are sinners who have been bought and paid for by the blood of our savior.
It was his love that he went to the cross, it was his mercy that he took on sin that was not his, and it was his grace that he offers to us today.
Let’s pray