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[Music] welcome to everyone it's good to be in the house of God on this Lord's Day just a couple of announcements before we begin a reminder that there will be a baptismal service on July 14th Ashleigh van Merrin and Melanie Neil's both have requested baptism and church membership and then the next next two Sunday's the 30th and and July 7th I'll be preaching in Surrey in the morning and our deacons Steve Lawson will be preaching here in the morning services I'll be back both Sunday nights in the evening services and we've invited the people from Surrey to join with us Mike is going to be gone for two weeks visiting in London England so just a bit of reminder there you can join with me now and turn in your Bibles to Isaiah the prophet Isaiah 55 for our call to worship Isaiah 55 I'll begin reading in verse 1 ho everyone who thirsts come to the waters and you who have no money come by and eat yes come buy wine and milk without money and without price why do you spend money for what is not bread and your wages for what does not satisfy listen carefully to me and eat what is good and let your soul delight itself in abundance incline your ear and come to me hear and your soul shall live and I will make an everlasting covenant with you the sure mercies of David indeed I have given him as a witness to the people a leader and commander for the people surely you shall call a nation you do not know and nations who do not know you shall run to you because of the Lord your God and the Holy One of Israel for he has glorified you seek the Lord while he may be found call upon him while he is near let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts let him return to the Lord and He will have mercy on him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon for my thoughts are not your thoughts nor are your ways my ways says the Lord for as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts for as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven and do not return there but water the earth and make it bring forth and bud that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth it shall not return to me void but it shall accomplish what I please and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it for you shall go out with joy and be led out with peace the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands instead of the thorns shall come up the cypress tree and instead of the briars shall come up the myrtle tree and it shall be to the Lord for a name for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off amen will please turn with me in your hymn books to Psalm 9 will use Psalm 9 B as in Bravo when you find that you can stand and will sing together [Music] [Music] [Music] let us pray Oh God Almighty it's a joy for us to gather in your house on the Sabbath day we come to call upon your great and awesome name we come to sing praises and and thanksgiving unto you and we come to acknowledge and confess your glory and your majesty and your honor we see through the created order the glory of God and the righteousness of God revealed we see through your Providence your wisdom and your power and your excellence we see in your in in Redemption those things plus grace and mercy and goodness and kindness and God help us to reflect upon these things as we come to the Father through the son in the power of the Holy Spirit today and we pray that God would be all in all in this place that you would be enthroned upon the praises of your people here that as we sing as we pray as we look to Holy Scripture you would be found in the midst of this lamp stand that you would strengthen us that you would encourage us that you would build us up in our most holy faith and that we with one voice would respond with worship and praise and adoration to our great God how we thank you that you have not dealt with us according to our sin nor rewarded US according to our transgression but as far as the east is from the west so you have removed these things and cast them far into the the depths of the ocean itself how we thank you that there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared how we thank you that through the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we've not only received that forgiveness but we have received a righteousness of perfect righteousness that avails with the father so God in heaven we would pray even now that you would humble us under your mighty hand that you would fill our hearts with reverence with fear with trembling before such a holy God that is a consuming fire but may these be mingled with great joy and Thanksgiving for the grace that you have shown to each one of us here we confess our sins to you now asking that you would forgive us in and through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ we stand amazed it at your goodness toward us in this regard we stand amazed at your long-suffering with us we stand amazed at the great promise of the Apostle that if we confess our sins you are faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness so God as we reflect upon your holiness as we reflect upon your written word your your law revealed at Sinai we ask God in heaven that you would forgive us for our transgression of that law cleanse us from that lack of conformity unto it and wash us and purify us and help us Lord God to stand before you clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ alone we pray that those who have yet known this mercy this grace this forgiveness we pray that today would be the day of salvation that they would hear as the prophet calls out to sinners to come over and over again you through Isaiah tell sinners to come to you father I pray that that message would go forth today that the Holy Spirit would attend and that those who are dead in their trespasses and sins those who are in darkness would be called out of it in the marvelous light to confess saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and the manifest repentance is those things that are consistent with your grace God be merciful we pray and send forth this word today throughout the earth and may it not return unto you void but may accomplish that purpose for which you sent it and God we are encouraged as we reflect upon Holy Scripture so we read the book of Revelation we see that it's not just a few a handful that populate heaven but there are a great multitude from every tribe and tongue and people and nation and so we pray father that that word would run swiftly today and be glorified we would ask bless the missionary enterprise that you had cause your face to shine upon the nations and that you would let them be glad that you would send forth this glorious gospel throughout the earth so that Christ may indeed have dominion from sea to sea father we prayed in the last hour those for those who are suffering for the cause of God and truth in these various nations these various places and we pray that your people would know your grace and they would know the power of the Holy Spirit and they by grace would be able to persevere in the midst of the trials and afflictions that face them and God how we thank you for this testimony and for the reality that throughout this earth there are those who suffer for the cause of God and truth and continue to go forward in the fear of the Lord may we here in the West may we learn from their example and may we Lord God be bold and in earnest as well with the liberties and the blessings that you have given to us and God we do pray that you'd be merciful in this nation we know there is such lawlessness and such wickedness and such rebellion against you and father we pray that in your wrath you would remember mercy that you would send forth this gospel throughout this nation and that more and more people would come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and God be merciful in this local church there are many who suffer on a regular basis with physical challenges and trials and we do commit them to you and to the word of your grace we pray that you would uphold them that you would strengthen them with might and the inner man so that Christ may dwell richly in their hearts through faith and that in the midst of these sufferings in the midst of these trials they would be drawn out to worship and to adore the one who is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000 and for all of us God without the physical challenges that we face we all come here weary we all come here weighed down by various temptations and sins we all come here with various trials and difficulties that affect the people of God may today be a day in the presence of God Most High and may we enjoy the courts of the Lord and may we enjoy the very house of God and may it bring refreshment to our weary Souls and may build us up in our most holy faith and may you further conform us unto the image of your son the Lord Jesus Christ bless your word as it goes forth send forth your Holy Spirit and apply that balm of Gilead and to each of our hearts Lord God and help us to appreciate and help us to marvel at the glory of God Almighty as revealed in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ and we pray in his most blessed name amen well you can turn with me in your hymn books to number 450 hymn number 450 will stand as we sing together [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] we could turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of John where in John chapter 19 for our scripture reading this morning John chapter 19 we'll pick up reading at verse 17 John 19 beginning in verse 17 and he bearing his cross went out to a place called the place of a skull which is called in Hebrew Golgotha where they crucified him and two others with him one on either side and Jesus in the center now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross and the writing was Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews then many of the Jews read this title for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city and it was written in Hebrew Greek and Latin therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate do not write the king of the Jews but he said I am The King of the Jews Pilate answered what I have written I have written then the soldiers when they had crucified Jesus took his garments and made four parts to each soldier apart and also the tunic now the tunic was without seam woven from the top and one piece they said therefore among themselves let us not tear it but cast lots for it whose it shall be that the scripture might be fulfilled which says they divided my garments among them and for my clothing they cast lots there for the soldiers did these things there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother and his mother's sister Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene when Jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing by he said to his mother woman behold your son then he said to the disciple behold your mother and from that hour that disciple took her to his own home after this Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished that the scripture might be fulfilled said I thirst now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there and they filled a sponge with sour wine put it on hyssop and put it to his mouth so when Jesus had received the sour wine he said it is finished and bowing his head gave up his spirit therefore because it was the preparation day that the body should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath for that Sabbath was a high day the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with them but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead they did not break his legs but one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear and immediately blood and water came out and he who has seen has testified and his testimony is true and he knows that he is telling the truth so that you may believe for these things were done that the scripture should be fulfilled not one of his bones shall be broken and again another scripture says they shall look on him whom they pierced after this joseph of arimathea being a disciple of Jesus but secretly for fear of the Jews asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus and Pilate gave him permission so he came and took the body of Jesus and Nicodemus who at first came to Jesus by night also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes about a hundred pounds then they took the body of Jesus and bound it in strips of linen with the spices as the custom of the Jews is to bury now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid so there so there they laid Jesus because of the Jews preparation day for the tomb was nearby a man well we see the crucifixion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ crucifixion obviously is a horrific way for one to die in the Roman Empire at the time of the Lord Jesus they wouldn't even use this means of capital punishment on Roman citizens unless it was by authorization of the Emperor because it was such a heinous and a horrific manner to die they didn't reserve it or they didn't utilize it for their own citizenry well here we see Jesus go through that on behalf of his people and while it is an excruciating form of physical punishment and torture certainly the Lord Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane cried out concerning the the soul sorrow that faced him as he approached across and as we look at this particular passage we see that John's emphasis at least to some degree is to emphasize how this fulfilled the written word in other words this wasn't an afterthought in the in the plan of God or in the mind of God but everything we see transpire in this particular section is according to the mind and the will of God most high see the Father the Son and the Spirit purposed an eternity past to save a people from their sins and the son willingly took upon himself the responsibility as surety of the Covenant he took upon himself the duty as mediator he came as the prophet priest and King and here specifically he exercises his priestly role in giving up himself as the sacrifice to atone for the sins of his people it is a marvelous and a most glorious display of the love of God and as well of the justice and the righteousness of God see as Paul says in the in the book of Romans almost call it the gospel of Romans which it is Paul says there that the father designed the plan in such a way that it was not the case that he would relax his righteousness his vengeance or his justice but rather he vented that out upon the son the son was the substitute the son was the surety the stun stood in our place and took upon himself the wrath that was due for us so that God can be both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and when Jesus from the cross cries out it is finished there is a world of blessed theology in that statement he's not saying I'm finished he's saying it is finished the work of redemption the father had given him to carry out and to execute for the salvation of the elect has been completed the Lord Christ did everything that was laid upon him by the father he fulfilled it perfectly and he says here not in a feeble weak sort of defeatist way but in a manner of triumph it is finished the work of redemption is wrought out and now sinners everywhere are called to believe enter - come on - the Lord Jesus Christ and receive the forgiveness of sins so as we move into the sermon this morning it's a passage that we have dealt with before it's in Matthew's Gospel Matthew chapter 9 the conversion of Matthew he reports for us how he himself came to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior I would encourage you if you're not a believer here this morning to pay attention not that you shouldn't on every Sunday but pay special attention to how Christ deals with Matthew and to see how conversion happens and to see what it is to be a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ will let us pray our Father in Heaven we thank you for this your word we thank you for this life of obedience wrought out by the Savior and then this death at Calvary is a substitute and a sacrifice we praise you that he was raised the third day that he now is enthroned at the right hand of the Father where he ever lives to make intercession for us and where he serves as an advocate with the father even Jesus Christ the righteous we give praise to you for the gospel of our salvation we know Lord God none of us will enter into heaven based on what we've done based on our accomplishments or our works or our merit but we will go because of the works and the accomplishment and the merit of our Lord Jesus Christ how we praise you that you made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him and we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ amen well please turn with me in your hymn book again to number 440 440 we'll use a familiar tune and we'll stand as we sing together [Music] well you can turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 9 Matthew chapter 9 I'll begin reading in verse 1 so he got into a boat crossed over and came to his own City then behold they brought to him a paralytic lying on a bed when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic son be of good cheer your sins are forgiven you and it won at once some of the scribes and said within themselves this man blasphemes but Jesus knowing their thoughts said why do you think evil in your hearts for which is easier to say your sins are forgiven you or to say arise and walk but that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins then he said to the paralytic arise take up your bed and go to your house and he arose and departed to his house and when the multitude saw it they marvelled and glorified God who had given such power to men as Jesus passed on from there he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office and he said to him follow me so he arose and followed him now it happened as Jesus sat at the table in the house that behold many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples and when the Pharisee saw it they said to his disciples why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners when Jesus heard that he said to them those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick but going learn what this means I desire mercy and not sacrifice for I did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance then the disciples of John came to him saying why do we in the and the Pharisees fast often but your disciples do not fast and Jesus said to them can the Friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them that the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them and then they will fast no one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment to the patch pulls away from the garment and the tear is made worse nor did they put new wine into old wineskins or else the wineskins break the wine is spilled and the wine skins are ruined that they put new wine into new wineskins and both are preserved amen will let us pray father thank you for the written word and thank you for the revelation of the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ God may you bless and encourage the people of God may we be refreshed as we have a glimpse of what Christ does in terms of saving sinners and for those unsaved we pray that today would be the day of salvation that they would come to know Christ as Lord and Savior for the glory of God Almighty and for the good of their own Souls and we ask this through the name of our beloved Savior and we pray that you would fill us all with your Holy Spirit and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well just by way of reminder it's been some time since we were in Matthew's Gospel in Matthew chapters 5 to 7 the Lord teaches what's called the Sermon on the Mount and after concluding that sermon they had people marveled they saw that he taught as one having authority he wasn't like their scribes he wasn't like those who had no sort of intimate knowledge of that word but he rather taught them as one having authority well then Matthew shifts directions to highlight the Christ acts with authority he not only taught with authority chapters five to seven but he also acts with authority in Chapter seven chapters 8 and 9 and we see that emphasis in that first section in Matthew 9 verses 1 to 8 you see the emphasis there on power you see the power of the Lord Jesus Christ to forgives sins verse 8 now when the multitude saw it they marvelled and glorified God who had given such power to men and as Christ goes about healing people as Christ goes about saving people as Christ goes about then raising people from the dead it is a manifestation of the power of God most high upon him and that's an encouraging thing because it is not in our power to save ourselves it is not in our power to make ourselves better it is not in our power to commend ourselves to God that God Most High has power he's able to make men willing in the day of that power he is able to take dead centers to make them alive in Jesus Christ and to confer upon them or give to them every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Christ and what he offers answers to the answers to the needs of every man woman boy and girl he brings forgiveness he brings that righteousness he brings that holiness he brings that glorification in the future every good thing is to be had in our Lord Jesus Christ so let's look at how Jesus deals with this man Matthew Matthew of course is the author of this particular gospel narrative Matthew wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit the book that bears his name and here specifically he gives us this snapshot or this this sort of picture of how Jesus dealt with Matthew and I want to look first at the call to discipleship in verse 9 secondly the the supper at Matthew's house in verse 10 and then finally the confrontation with the religious leaders in verses 11 to 13 you see that to those religious leaders are always right there complaining and whining and grumbling and mumbling but in their whining and grumbling and complaining and mumbling we oftentimes see glorious expression of the truth of God's gospel and the case is that way in this passage but notice first this call to discipleship the man's name is Matthew he's also referred to as Levi in the parallel passages in mark 2 and Luke 5 it's not uncommon it was not uncommon for men to have two names had Simon Peter you had John Mark and in this instance this matthew is also Levi but as well notice his particular job verse 9 as Jesus passed on from there he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office he was sitting at the tax office because he worked there he was sitting at the tax office because he was indeed a tax collector and I just want to tell you how the the connection is in this particular passage before us in the previous instance the Lord God the Lord Jesus Christ healed that paralytic and it was in the healing of the paralytic that it was demonstrated that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins so that's settled in the pre this account now what Matthew indicates is that that power avails for great sinners and Matthew himself was a great sinner tax collectors were despised tax collectors were hated tax collectors were loathed for the one of on the one hand they were traitorous or seen as traitors because they were Jews working for the Roman Empire taking money from other Jews and giving it to the Roman Empire they also trafficked and in coins that bore symbols of the of the Caesars that those Caesars were oftentimes looked at in a religious way as lords and saviors they were filthy men according to the Jews and they were despised men and so when Jesus comes and calls this man Matthew to himself it shows that his power is in fact there but it's a power to veil with even the greatest of sinners at this particular time it's a wonderful thing that Paul the Apostle says it's a worthy statement a faithful saying worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world sinners to save and then Paul says of whom I am chief now you might have met those people before and you might be one of them that say well I'm so bad that God can't save me that's pride and arrogance that's more sin you need to be saved from if the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit calls himself the chief of sinners and Christ conquered him on the road to Damascus there is salvation to be had for the likes of you you can come to the Savior you can come to the Lord Jesus you can by grace look to him and live but in terms of this occupation tax collectors are linked with sinners in Matthew 9 10 tax collectors are linked with heathen Gentiles in Matthew 18 17 tax collectors are linked with harlots in Matthew 21 31 and tax collectors are linked with extortionists unjust and adulterous men in Luke 18 so just so you can see that these are not a class of good people in society so Jesus isn't just simply helping somebody to be a better version of themselves rather Jesus is saving Matthew by powerful grace he is exercising forgiveness for a lot of wicked on the part of this man RT France says for Jesus to call such a man to follow him was a daring breach of etiquette a calculated snub to conventional ideas of respectability which ordinary people no less than Pharisees might be expected to balk at remember this is pretty new in Jesus ministry he's called the fisherman unto himself he's gone about teaching and preaching he's gone about doing some miraculous things but now he's calling somebody that is a notoriously wretched man unto himself France goes on to say fishermen may not have been high in the social scale but at least they were not automatically morally and religiously suspect Matthew was so the instance before this he wanted them to know that the son of man had power on earth to forgive sins now if we were to ask the question well does that power avail for really bad people yes Matthew says it avails for really bad people and Matthew says I was a really bad people and disgrace availed for me this grace conquered me this grace came to me this Grayson enslaved me to this blessed one who is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000 that's the connection Jesus says to him follow me and I want us to consider his response first note it note that it's an immediate response he followed in think about this for just a moment Jesus says follow me and Matthew got up and followed him now I see that because I don't always witness an immediate response we say follow him just about every Sunday as far as I can remember and it's not always this immediate response if you have some inkling of your sinfulness before a holy God and the Savior says to you follow me then follow him don't tarry as we just sang in that heart hem venture on him venture holy don't wait til you have some feeling or experience but rather hear the reality that God is a holy God you're a sinful and the only help of or the only hope of salvation is through Christ he follows him immediately he doesn't play games the tax collector didn't wait he liked the paralytic respond to the voice of Christ immediately he doesn't hesitate John Calvin says the Custom House the tax house has usually been a place noted for plundering and for unjust exactions and was at that time particularly infamous in the choice of Matthew out of that place not to be admitted in the family of Christ but even to be called to the office of apostle we have a striking instance of the grace of God now if it's in your head well you know that was Matthew or the Apostle Paul or those people that I sit with at the church it is for sinners this call goes to follow him is what Jesus says don't wait don't tarry don't say well you know when I have a convenient time or hour that doesn't work out today now is the acceptable time today is the day of salvation according to the Word of God when you hear the the gospel of our salvation follow him but notice as well with reference to just a few implications to his following yep there'd be some financial ramifications for Matthew right notice that it says he got up and left now perhaps he took the coinage and put it in the safe perhaps he loaded his pocket so that he could give it to the rightful owners later on they got up and he followed him what would we call that if we were the employee we call that dereliction of duty and probably fire him wouldn't we I don't want to sugarcoat it that's most likely what would happen see these Fisher men who were called to follow Jesus could ultimately return to their nets in fact they do after the resurrection of the Lord Jesus but Matthew this tax collector who leaves right in the midst of his business he's right there at the office he I kind of had this picture in my head of these stacks of coins right before him the Savior comes the Savior calls and Matthew gets up and follows him there is an immediate response and there is a complete response notice what the tax says it goes on to say he and followed him now Matthew doesn't tell us what Luke does in Luke's Gospel in the parallel passage Luke reports so he left all rose up and followed him he left all why doesn't Matthew say that probably because Matthew doesn't want to draw attention to himself Matthew would have struggled with the current situation in Christianity where we virtues signal you see virtue signaling here that's what we call it in the political realm and virtually virtue signaling is essentially what's always plagued the church self-righteousness right that's just the reality you see it plaguing the church in this instance when the Pharisees say why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and and and he's it that's virtue signaling that's pride well Matthew will have no part of it when Matthew is penning his own autobiographical sketch he doesn't say and I left all because everybody would tell oh well aren't you a wonderful being aren't you a wonderful wonderful person you go to these testimonies you hear the testimony of people and almost sounds like wow you know I gave up so much to come to the Savior no you didn't coming to the Savior is gaining everything there's no loss coming to Christ there is no short change coming to Christ you do not come out the the loser when you come to the one who's altogether lovely and chief among 10,000 so Luke tells us that Matthew left all it's a total commitment it is the whole man the whole soul whole body the whole being coming after our Lord Jesus Christ he doesn't save a part of us he saves all of us he doesn't save some of us he saves all of us this was an immediate response it was a whole response and it was a blessed response to the savior of sinners now notice secondly the supper at Matthew's house verse 10 tells us it happened as Jesus sat at the table in the house that behold many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples now this was Matthew's house Luke fills this in for us it was Matthew's house and according to Luke 529 then Levi Matthew gave him a great feast and own house nobody might ask the question why would he do that I would answer why wouldn't he do that see there's this idea that religion breeds long faces and Lenin sucking mouths never get that those people and religion looks like they'd have a you know lemon in their mouth pocket they suck it and they just look so terrible and miserable that's not what religion is presented as in Scripture what's Jesus say in the next section in terms of those who are present with the bridegroom they feast they celebrate they rejoice for any parent that has ever given their children away in marriage the parents typically at the wedding reception will visit friends and family if everybody's sitting at those tables look like they were sucking on lemons and we're absolutely an utterly miserable it would be shocking and alarming we're here to rejoice or if you had been married and you're walking around the reception visiting your guests and they all look absolutely depressed despondent and miserable you'd probably wonder why are they like that well perhaps the Lord God most heart the Blessed God the happy God sees his people walking around like Moke faces all the time walking around like there's no joy whatsoever in our lives and it betrays the gospel of the kingdom the gospel of the kingdom produces joy happiness feasting delight you know that Israel was cast out of the out of the land of Canaan that the promised land for a multitude of offenses but one of them was is that they weren't full of gratitude toward God who gave them the land and one of them was isn't it they didn't express joy to the God who gave them the land they were supposed to receive this gift enter into the land vanquish the Canaanites and be happy they didn't do that they go into the land they don't vanquish the Canaanites and they're miserable lemon sucking fools that don't give any honor and praise to God they show no gratitude whatsoever and they walk around with Moke face instead of rejoicing so when matthew throws this feast this is appropriate this is the way we respond the whole man redeemed by Christ comes out of darkness into marvelous light what does he do he rejoices in that he's like that pearl merchant back earlier in Matthew 13 who finds that pearl of great price what does he do is he sad is he distressed as he sorrowful now brethren I'm not minimizing sadness distress and sorrow in our Christian lives I am NOT minimizing James's admonition that at times we need to lament we need to mourn and we need to weep but if the constant trajectory of our lives is a lack of joy brethren we need a fresh side of Jesus we need to come to him again whose altogether lovely not like we're being saved again but we need to see him who is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000 so Matthew having been converted now throws this feast I would suggest it was in the first place a time to honor the Savior see Matthew knows what life is and when somebody does you a solid you show expressions of gratitude thankfulness kindness love you you say thank you for for calling me out of darkness and of our villains life thank you for saving me from my idols of Mammon thank you for redeeming me I want to honor you in the presence of others as a result of this as well it's a time of celebration of the marvelous grace of God again look down in in 914 then the disciples of John came to him saying why do we and the Pharisees fast often but your disciples do not fast and Jesus said to them can the Friends of the bridegroom warn as long as the bridegroom is with them but the days when we will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them and then they will fast do you ever have it where somebody likes you a wedding or reception and you might ask well what kind of foods going to be served at the reception that's not untoward that's not ungodly that's not unholy what's Jesus rationale or argument when you gather in the presence of the newly beloved you eat good food you rejoice you praise you you you express gratitude I have never met anybody and I hope never do who has a wedding reception and says there'll be no fish there'll be no chicken there'll be no beef we're gonna fast I haven't met that person that person shouldn't be I shouldn't say that I'm sure there's somebody out there that might want to call for that but but this just contrary to to the occasion right the occasion is one of celebration and joy what should Matthew do now that he's saved from his sins what should Matthew do now that he's heaven bound Matthew should honor the Savior and Matthew should celebrate but as well guess what Matthew is doing he's testifying to fellow sinners that they need Jesus Christ it's a beautiful thing look at who he vine invites look at the guest list now it happened verse 10 as Jesus sat at the table in the house that behold many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples Spurgeon made the observation the new convert most naturally called in his old friends that they might have the advantage of our Lord's teaching they would come to a supper more readily than to a sermon and so he gave them a feast and thus attracted them to the place where Jesus was so yes he's honoring the Savior yes he's expressing gratitude and celebration the presence of the Savior but he's also reaching out to these fellow tax collectors and the sinners he is like that pearl merchant he is like those who find that pearl of greatest price and want to tell people about it they want to say come and see a man that told me all things that I ever did that's the reflux of the blood bought children of God they want to tell others that Jesus Saves now that doesn't necessarily mean they're gonna knock on every door in Chilliwack doesn't mean they're gonna stand on the you know the museum snaps and and and preach like a Whitfield in the midst of everybody no that doesn't mean that but there is a sense where the blood bought the conquered ones of Christ most high want to tell people I was dead and now I'm alive I was blind and now I see I was held down and now I'm heaven bound that's what the child of God wants he wants others to come and see he wants others to hear he wants to be exposed to the glorious grace of God most high as it comes through the person of Jesus Christ so that's why Matthew throws the feast now notice thirdly the confrontation with the religious leaders this sort of sets the stage verse 10 also sort of sets the stage for the confrontation that follows again France says the attentive reader of the gospel might recall the vision of the messianic banquet and eight eleven and twelve here as they're the guest list is not at all what most Jews would have expected so again Jesus is going contrary to the social norms in that he calls Matthew a tax collector and now that he goes to Matthew's house and then he sits with these fellow tax collectors and sinners so when we get to the response of the Pharisees if we know anything of our Bibles and we know anything of the know of the heart of man it's a no-brainer that they they're gonna complain this is really offensive to these people and they're the sorts of guys that have to tell you when they're offended you know what I mean like that's another thing common in art we always have to tell everybody what we're offended about I'm not as old as some of the Brethren in here but even in my generation there was a a wisdom expressed in being silent we've all betrayed that we all show ourselves to be the fools we are because we never stop talking we never stop sharing how offended we are we never let anybody go that ever did anything wrong to us you gotta let some stuff go brethren or you're gonna be like the Liberals you don't want to do that because that's not a happy way to live now notice what we find with reference to these Pharisees in verse 11 when the Pharisees saw it now remember back in chapter 9 at the beginning in verses 1 to 8 notice what happens there verse 2 of chapter 9 then behold they brought to him a paralytic lying on a bed when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic son up son be of good cheer your sins are forgiven you and at once some of the scribes said within themselves this man blasphemes that that that's the kind of guys these guys are I mean you could hand them a $20 bill and they'd complain well why don't you give me two times it's just in their DNA it's just part of the the framework from which they operate I don't think every Pharisee was as monstrous as everybody could possibly be you see some decent guys in the gospel narratives but for the most that they complain about everything they complain and in in Luke's Gospel and in and in Matthew chapter 12 when when jesus heals a man on the Sabbath well you know there's six days you do your labor and in your work you you come during that time to be healed are you kidding me Jesus just healed a man oh that that woman that that was bent over hunched over who had that that that spirit of bondage of that oppression of that that that physical turmoil for for 18 years this daughter of Abraham Jesus heals her and they complain brethren if as a rule you complain about the good things that happen to other people that's more a trait consistent with Pharisee ISM than it is with biblical Christianity the mandate from the Apostle in Romans 12 is to rejoice with those who rejoice not say well I didn't get a raise I didn't get good things we need to check our hearts less we are Pharisaic but that's the kind of manner of men these are so verse 11 really doesn't surprise us when we come to see what they say verse 11 says when the Pharisee saw it they said to his disciples why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners now it scribes and Pharisees Pharisees are mentioned here specifically but the scribes are there as well and notice their complaint when the Pharisee saw it they said to his disciples and notice they don't say it to Jesus it's not other thing right we complained but we don't ever talk to the person I mean come on why would we man up and do what we're supposed to do we'll talk behind their backs will complain about them behind their backs they're within a stone's throw we'll mention it to everybody else around just like two in verse three they don't say it to Jesus who do you think you are saying I forgive you of your sins no it's it's this internal grumbling it's this internal whining it's this internal spirit of discontent and that's precisely what they do here they say to the disciples why your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners that's an offense that's foul that's polluted that's wretched to remember the readings in John's Gospel when the Jews come to pair up I let to present their case that they would indeed see Christ executed by Pilate they didn't want to go into the palace lest they become defiled you see that's the problem with self-righteousness or virtue signaling or whatever it is that you want to call it typically it majors on minor points and neglects the bigger things right this is what Jesus says to them in Matthew 23:23 you tithe mint anise and cumin kids have you ever seen those seeds the the cumin seed it's a little tiny seed they put it in cheese sometime don't know why they do that cheese is a wonderful product all on its own it doesn't need cumin seed but nevertheless it's a tiny tiny seed so you have these guys and they're measuring out these tiny tiny tiny seeds so that they can present their 10% to God well one hand that's not bad we should want to give what is God's curing or says people like their religion but they like it cheap but when they neglect the weightier matters of the law justice mercy and faith measuring out cumin seeds doesn't seem to be a really good thing and in this particular instance these men these men who are foul and polluted these men who would never themselves enter into the house of a tax collector are arguing about and grumbling about the very Messiah promised in their scriptures you see it's it's absolutely contrary to all that is good and decent and holy so they make this particular complete but as is often the case as the psalmist says the wrath of man shall praise God in this expression of their disdain they highlight the glory of the Christian gospel why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners turn to Luke 15 for just a moment Luke 15 this is an interesting or a curious thing that oftentimes the opponents of Jesus speak better than what they know they speak better than what they notice in Luke 15 we see a similar same sort of thing going on parallel passage to some degree in terms of concept but notice in Luke 15 1 then all the tax collectors in the sinners drew near to him to hear him his fame is popularity was going out people wanted to hear this man who taught with authority not like the scribes not like the Pharisees but one who actually taught with authority so they they draw near to him and again notice the language tax collectors and sinners now sinners there doesn't probably mean just your garden-variety sort of sinner it probably is really bad sinners right that woman that comes to to cleanse the feet of Jesus she's called a woman which was a sinner well all women are sinners all men are sinners but she was a particularly notorious sinner and I think that's where the accent falls here not necessarily that they're all prostitutes but tax collectors and sinners drew near to him to hear him now notice verse 2 similar to what we have in our tax and the Pharisees and scribes complain saying this man receives sinners and eats with them isn't that the glory of the gospel isn't that the beauty of Christ isn't the blessedness seen not in man accepting Jesus into his heart but God accepting sinners in the beloved that's a blessed statement that they say by way of complaint this man receives sinners and he eats with them that is a disdainful thing as far as they are concerned but notice how Christ responds imagine if you were one of these tax collectors and sinners imagine if you would have heard these Pharisees say this man receives sinners at each with that wouldn't your curiosity be piqued wouldn't you want to know how he's going to respond I would if I flocked to Jesus and I was a notorious sinner and I I heard this complaint about him that he receives sinners and eats with them I I'd then look at Jesus and say okay how are you gonna answer that how are you gonna respond to that what are you going to say about that are you gonna be like a politician that tries to navigate a middle position well well I really don't but I do but no he affirms their proposition he says three times you're absolutely positively correct that Seve sinners and eat with them he's like the Shatt bird who loses a sheep he doesn't say well you know that's just the price of doing business in Israel in the first century I've got 99 other snow he leaves the 99 others he goes out and he finds that one he puts it on his shoulders and he goes back home rejoicing that's how Jesus receives sinners and eats with that he's like a woman who loses a coin again she doesn't say well I've got nine others no she moves furniture she gets out the broom she sweeps she looks she pursues and when she finds it what does she do she rejoices see that that that theme of rejoicing there to sinner's gets saved and people are happy and then Jesus says I receive sinners like that man who had two sons and the one son said Oh give me my share of the inheritance so that I can go out and do what I really want in other words dad you're better off to me dead than alive just give me what is do me now so that I can go out and do whatever it is I want well what does Jesus say with reference to the father of that prodigal son the father sees him when he's a long way off and he runs to him and he falls on him and he kisses him and he puts a ring on his finger he orders the slaying of the fatted calf and he calls for rejoicing you see when they complained this man receives sinners and eats with them he says I do like the Shepherd like the woman and like the father of the prodigal again if I was those you know the rabble sitting that'd be like wow this is great I can come to him I can be with him I can eat with him I can receive him or rather be received by him now go back to our passage in Matthew 9 to see how Jesus responds here he gives a three-fold response here as well it's not parabolic per se but it is powerful notice in the first place when he responds to their complaint he highlights his role as a physician when Jesus heard that he said to them those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick now Jesus uses an analogy Jesus uses parable there I guess it's parabolic to some degree he uses a figure of speech that even his opponents can follow that even he's proud hearted fare of Pharisees these arrogant scribes could follow and understand notice what he saw those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick you don't go to the hospital when you're well do you if you do they have a name for you it's called weird none of us ever want to go to the hospital even when we're sick who goes to the hospital when they're sick we don't do that I think I have a doctor I got his names in my phone but I don't ever call him because I feel ok I mean you get the simple logic they're there for the sick so as Jesus is sitting there with the sick he is telling them this is a no-brainer this is where I must be physicians minister to ill people tax collectors and sinners need a doctor tax collectors and sinners need a Savior tax collectors and sinners need the Redeemer it's a no-brainer isn't it notice what he does then he appeals to the Prophet again it's a three-pronged response that he gives them and in the second second instance he appeals to the Prophet Hosea verse 13 but go and learn what this means before we sort of look at what he says for Jesus to say to the scribes and Pharisees go and learn it would be like me coming to your place of employment and telling you to learn something that was extremely basic or saying to scientists okay I have a science project and my kid needs to make a volcano with stuff to come out of it can you handle that well he's a scientist any traffics and you know real life science of course he can make a volcano that you know whatever it pops out of that Jesus is telling man whose job it is to study the law and the prophets to go and learn he's not impressed with their religiosity he is not impressed with their learning yes they knew the text but they didn't know the meaning of the text they knew Hosea 6:6 they knew God Yahweh saying that he desires mercy and not sacrifice but Jesus tells them go and learn what this means you can know a lot of Scripture but you can also not know it you can sort of repeat it ad nauseam or or cite it you know according to the to the to the written letter and not know it it's the reality that that the devil facing Jesus in that wilderness setting the devil himself quote scripture to our Lord Jesus Christ but he doesn't know what it means he doesn't he doesn't have the proper understanding he's got a faulty hermeneutic and that's the way these men are Jesus appeals to the Prophet Hosea and he says I want you to go and learn what Hosea 6 + 6 6 is all about notice I desire mercy and not sacrifice and I actually think that Jesus is making a larger point here than just for them to readjust their mindset in terms of learning mercy that's specifically there to be sure but I think what Jesus is saying is that the religion religious leadership in the first century is similar to what Hosea the Prophet faced now for those of you who do not know the Prophet Hosea Hosea was called upon to do something intriguing in the first three chapters Hosea was commanded by God to marry a harlot that's a tough one and yet Hosea does that Hosea marries a woman by the name of Gomer Gomer is in fact a harlot and Hosea marries her now for those of you are thinking back in the law the prohibition against marrying harlots applied to the priests not to the Prophet so when God Most High tells Hosea to marry Gomer he tell he does it now what's the point of Hosea's marriage to Gomer it is a parallel or an analogue to God and Israel see God is married to Israel but Israel's like Gomer Israel is a harlot Israel is a prostitute Israel is a Israel does not know God they know Yahweh or understand at least cognitively there is a god they refer to Amazon but they don't they no the Lord that's what it says in Hosea 4:6 and as a result of that their society is corrupt their society is bankrupt they are full of idolatry and lawlessness and wickedness and vile mess and so God do the prophets calls them to repent you know how they repent they engage in cultic obedience that means external ISM they do the externals they go and sacrifice they go to the temple they pay lip-service to Sabbath but their hearts are far from God that's the context in which God through the Prophet says I desire Sacre a mercy and not sacrifice that's not saying suspend sacrifice that's not saying don't have temple worship that's not saying no more Sabbath it's an idiomatic way to show what God wants if you come and you're engaged in external ISM but your hearts are still at home or they're in the office tomorrow already you're falling prey to the various things that happened to Israel at the time of Isaiah and for these Pharisees and scribes to complain in the manner in which they do they are showing their solidarity with apostate Israel in Hosea's day and age so Christ says he is a physician for sins sake souls Christ says the prophet has spoken in terms of what God demands but then notice thirdly Christ's statement of his purpose his purpose look at what he says there but go and learn what this means I desire mercy and not sacrifice for I did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance that's what he does it's what he's about it's what characterizes the Savior what is this Jesus about if anybody ever asked you you know they're they're new to Canada they're new to this sort of Western world they come from foreign shores they've not been exposed to Christianity what do you say if somebody says who who is this Jesus what what does this Jesus do now there's a lot of answers and a lot of things that you can say because the Bible is a big book 31,000 propositions telling us about our Lord Jesus Christ but what's the sort of main emphasis that we want to underscore or highlight he's a savior for sinners right isn't this the point isn't this what it's all about we're here today brothers and sisters because Jesus saved us from our sins that's it we're blood-bought were redeemed we've been purchased we've been saved we were dead now we're alive we were blind but now we see we were once astray like sheep but God has found us so Christ underscores this now I want you to understand something when he says I did not come to call the righteous he's not admitting that there's a class of people out there identified as the righteous that have no need for the Savior that's how what he's saying he in Matthew 11 praises the father for hiding gospel truth from the wise and the prudent those who are righteous in their own eyes those who are righteous like the Pharisees those Pharisees who who were the religious men of their time who couldn't care one bit about Matthew the tax collector who couldn't care one bit about harlots who couldn't care one bit about sinners you see it throughout the gospel narratives when Jesus goes to the home of the Pharisee and that woman which was a sinner comes and she weeps all over his feet and she wipes his feet with his head with her hair what does Simon the Pharisee say or or think again he's not brave enough to to mention this to the Savior he says if if this man were a prophet he would know what manner of woman this was he would kick her away he was sure out he wouldn't have talked with her he would he would send her packing see they are complainers incessant complainers you see the prevailing attitude at the the call of Zacchaeus as well it's not just the religious leaders in that instance though probably they're there but when Jesus looks up into that tree that sycamore tree and tells a key is to come down Zacchaeus comes down what's the response of the audience is it praise God that he's saving and conquering Zacchaeus no they complain they grumble they whine it's part of our Adamic nature to be upset when good things happen to other people I don't get it it you know it's a struggle even as believers why we more rejoicing over the good things that happen in people's lives why would we ever be affronted or offended or upset why do we have that mindset well if I don't get good things that nobody should get good things why is there that pervasive spirit of envy that fills the hearts of people well that's precisely what they're doing I didn't come to call the righteous these are righteous men in their own eyes these are the deceived and deluded the proud and the arrogant the self-sufficient and the independent the ones engaged in ritual purity and in ceremonial cleanliness who will have no concern whatsoever for image-bearers that are suffering under sin that's who Jesus says I didn't come to call then praise III I thank the Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and prudent Matthew 11:25 but thou didst reveal them unto babes that's the next clause notice what he says I didn't come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance so they come they say why is he sitting with these sinners at this feast he says well they're sick and I'm the doctor also the Prophet said that this is the way we're supposed to function and operate you guys need to go and learn what this means because well this is the mission this is why I came I came not first and foremost to start a new religion I didn't come first and foremost to set forth morality though he does those things I'm not just diminishing that but why does Jesus come to this world to save sinners and notice what he says here I didn't come to call the righteous but sinners note to repentance in Matthew 1:21 the very announcement of the coming king it says you shall call his name Jesus for it is he who will save his people from what from their sin he doesn't save them to continue in sin he doesn't save them so that they'll continue in sin that grace may abound he comes to save them from their sin and the same thing is true here he says I didn't come to call the righteous but sinners to what to repentance they can no longer go on thinking their own thoughts they can never go on raising their fists of rebellion against God they can't go on pursuing their own and their own carnality but rather is called them on to repentance so it's faith in Jesus Christ and repentance unto life that's the emphasis in the gospel narratives Matthew 4 and the and the preaching of John the Baptist Jesus and John the Baptist how do they announce the coming of the kingdom of God repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand and that's Christ's emphasis here he didn't come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance he came to save them from their sins not so that they'll continue in their sins now there is remaining corruption we still have that battle we still do the things that we ought not to do there is forgiveness with God that he may be feared but again the overarching trajectory of the life of God's people ought to be one wherein we pursue a life that is pleasing in the sight of God our lives must adorn the doctrine of God our Savior according to Titus 1 that's the emphasis of our beloved Savior in this section now I want to close with a few thoughts a bit broader than just our passage when I preached this I dealt with discipleship as a whole I kind of want to smuggle some of that in right now first of all with reference to discipleship that means following Jesus that's the language that Jesus issues he says to Matthew follow me follow me that that means follow him doesn't it that's pretty obvious in the text now in this situation it meant that he left all he arose and he followed him there was a physical proximity that Matthew could actually obtain near Jesus so we don't have that physical proximity it's not that Jesus comes to the door and says to this mass follow me and then we walk down Wellington we sort of make our way you know on to Yale and we go down to that no no no that's not the way it is but following Jesus in the first place means we believe the gospel we hear the voice of the Savior and we respond and if we're going to be Matthew like we respond immediately we don't wait till tomorrow we don't wait till this afternoon we don't wait until we're 50 or 60 or 70 or 80 we respond by God's grace immediately to the Savior we believe secondly the sigh means repentance again that's the emphasis that Jesus highlights I didn't come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance so when we follow Jesus that means we're leaving something behind when we follow Jesus that means we repented of other stuff when we follow Jesus that means we're not going the opposite direction if we're supposed to go down to Wellington get on Yale and then go down to Vetter the way to follow Jesus doesn't mean going this way on Wellington going then I think to Ashwell and back around to Chilliwack Mountain that that's not what it means repentance means to follow Jesus that that's conspicuous in the passage isn't it he left all he rose and he followed him he'd grab all of his idols he didn't grab all of his stuff and he load down his pockets and say well I'm gonna I'm gonna have this for myself in secret when the when the Masters not looking I'm gonna I'm gonna bow to my man and I'm gonna give it religious worship he doesn't do that there's so many of us do that part of following the gospel of our Lord Jesus or part of following Jesus is the faith looking unto Jesus in faith and repentance leaving sin leaving it behind thirdly he rejoices in the Savior you ever noticed that in Christianity God commands us to be happy I don't get that I don't know a lot about other religions admittedly but I don't know as you see some of these others they don't look happy there's a particular ritual that is done and and I want to say it's it's Buddhism I think it's Buddhism it's outlawed in many places but in one particular country it's just a vicious vile sort of right that they practice where they put needles through there like big needles like what you would do shish kebob on through their cheeks and they hang things on this and then they walk however many miles in the heat of the day that doesn't look fun to me it just doesn't at all whatsoever the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit tells us to rejoice always again I will say to you rejoice God takes our joy seriously this is what happens when Matthew is converted I doubt that you know when he got to the church the following Sunday and the pastor called out nine Bravo that's military it's fanatics it's so that we don't think a B as a C or a D right you just kind of mumble it out just to kind of get the bare basics in open the book stand up open the diaphragm and sing because God has saved us it's joy isn't it happiness you're allowed to be happy in here I you know I've heard in the past that I'm a killer of joy it's not a not a pleasant thing but but but I give you authorization to be joyful and happy in the Savior don't just go through motions God says I desire mercy rather than sacrifice I desire the heart I want the external but I want the internal so there's a joy notice as well he pursues the kingdom first these all come right out of Matthew's Gospel what's Matthew tell us in Matthew 6:33 but seek first the kingdom of God in His righteousness and all these things will be added to you so when Matthew is writing these things as Matthew is recording the words of the Savior I would imagine there's this sort of yeah yeah yeah yeah exactly exactly Matthew evidence is that in his own life he seeks first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and trust that these things will be added to him later he lost his job as a tax collector I mean even if you know who would want to hire him at that point he comes to your business and say I'm out of work who will you hire me know he used to steal my money why would I hire you it cost him everything as well he sees Christ is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000 he's like the father in this what's the father say concerning Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased it's an unfortunate reality in the last several years persons have gone to that Old Testament book called the Song of Solomon and they have turned it into a marriage manual they have turned it into a sexual relationship manual it is a picture of God and his bride to picture of Jesus in his church when the bride says he is altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand that's Jesus Christ that's what it is for the blood bond as well he follows Christ perseveringly until the end this actually comes out of our Wednesday night studies to be honest with you Abraham was an incredible man Abraham was an absolutely incredible man why because he served an incredible God how does somebody go through the sorts of things that Abraham and Sarah went through unless God is there how does Paul the Apostle go through what he goes through according to 2nd Corinthians chapter 11 unless God is with him but there is this perseverance there is this determination were not led astray by every wind of doctrine were not led astray by it the absence of religious frames were not led astray by anything we focus upon the Lord Christ by the grace of God and were tenacious we're like a dog with a bone we're not gonna let go that's just it we're not gonna let go I think it was Luther if Christ pointed a sword at me I would still come down it's like the the disciples in John 6 after all the people that had eaten their the bellies worth of food had heard the hard teachings of Jesus Christ it says that many fell away many stopped following him at that point and then Jesus looks at his disciples and says do you also want to stop following me and what is Simon Peter say Lord to whom shall we go you have the words of eternal life no words you can't get rid of us that easy lord we are with you now in terms of challenges facing disciples I want to be honest if you're not a believer here this morning notice what I have not said come to Jesus and everything will be rosy in your life your bank account will grow you won't get sick it's amazing because the colds and the flu that are going around now are like three you're still gonna get that as blood bots you're still gonna get that there's challenges facing the disciples of Christ there's hardships there's afflictions there's an instance in Matthew chapter 8 where the disciples are in the boat with Jesus and a storm comes a storm that threatens their safety these are experienced fishermen who had been on the Sea of Galilee on number a number of occasions and yet this particular storm was so nasty that they feared they would be thrown off and died we think well Jesus is in the boat there's not going to be any storms Jesus is in the boat in their storms it is a faulty mindset to associate temporal blessedness as believers there is God's good we work hard he blesses there's you know a lot of niceties that he gives to us but the fundamental purpose for which Jesus came was to save us from our sins we consider David a few weeks ago in second Samuel Chapter 12 he repents God forgives him but what happens the sword never departs from his house he still knows temporal consequences associated with his sin against the living and true God so in terms of discipleship it's not the case that if you come to Jesus today you're going to only ever smile you're only going to be happy you're only going to get good reports from your doctor you're only going to get raises you're only going to get new cars you only got that's just a life from the pit of hell it's unfortunate that so many people like that message or want that message that there are troubles he not only experiences trials even though he is with Jesus but he still even struggles with sin it's an interesting thing I did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance yeah he does he saves us by his grace he forgives us he cleanses us he gives us a righteousness that avails with the father but there's still this struggle there's still this remaining corruption they're still Romans 7 there's still Galatians chapter 5 there's still Simon Peter in Matthew chapter 26 denying his master to a slave girl I don't say that to encourage you to go out and sit but brethren there is struggles in the in life but he will never be in this life or he will never be in this life what he ought to be but he should always be thankful that he's not what he wants was this is Newton John Newton that him Amazing Grace you've all heard it you've all sang it hopefully you all loved it John Newton was a pretty bad dude before he got converted I think we just have this idea you know in Luke 15 then all the tax collectors and sinners came near to him well what are the sinners they're they're like us you know John Owen volume six probably the most excellent Puritan treatment on sin and temptation and all that sort of thought stuff do you think Owen learned all that by watching all the subjects in his church do you think Paul came to the the conviction of Romans seven and Galatians five because of the rabble around him we have remaining corruption we aren't what we ought to be were not the sorts of persons that that do adorn consistently the doctrine that we believe but Newton that man who was a wretch that man who was saved at one point in his in his life says I am NOT what I ought to be I am NOT what I want to be but I am NOT what I hope to be or I am NOT what I hope to be in another world but still am I am I'm sorry I butchered this let me start again I am NOT what I ought to be I am NOT what I want to be I am NOT what I hope to be in another world but still I am NOT what I once used to be and by the grace of God I am what I am that's where we find ourselves isn't it that's where we find ourselves and we praise God Almighty for that if you're not a believer here this morning I know that if you attend this church you hear this hopefully every week please hear this this week hear the words of the Savior himself you're sick and you need a doctor and Christ is that doctor God Almighty upbraiding his own people says I desire mercy perhaps you've been exposed to that kind of teaching where God is just this this hard tyrant that nobody can ever come near I desire mercy God says to the people of Israel through the prophet Ezekiel he says why will you die turn and live and Christ is a savior for sinners again any preaching that would diminish the power of Christ's words at this point is bad preaching because the Savior says come do you notice that in the prophet Isaiah over and over and over and over again in Isaiah 55 is God through the prophet saying stay don't come near me I'm holy you're wicked I don't want you near he says come come come those who have no money come by and eat he prescribes everything good for the needy soul he says the water of the gospel is it's refreshing the milk of the gospel is it's nourishing the the wine of the gospel is exhilarating everything a sinner needs is in that gospel don't tarry don't wait don't stay but rather with Matthew rise up leave everything and follow Jesus Christ will let us close in a word of Prayer father we thank you for your word we thank you for the gospel of our salvation we thank you for the Lord Jesus that great physician for souls that one who expresses and evidences and shows forth the mercy of God Almighty and that one whose mission was to save his people from their sins I pray God that as this gospel goes out throughout the world today it would be attended by the power of the Holy Spirit and that many would come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior do that as well in our place here we pray for your blessing upon sinners and open their hearts and open their eyes to the truth that Christ is altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand and we pray this in his most blessed name amen we'll close by singing praise to our God on page 564 in your handbook five six four we'll stand and we'll sing hopefully joyfully to the God who has saved us from our sins five six four [Music] [Music] the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all amen God may we know these things experientially and our own hearts and lives may you indeed bless and strengthen us as individuals and as a church and help us in our families to worship and praise and glorify you and God give us all that courage that boldness and that grace to shine as lights in a crooked and perverse generation and to hold forth your word of truth send forth your glorious gospel today conquering and to conquer and we pray that many from every tribe tongue people the nation would come to the Father through the son in the power of the Holy Spirit and we pray these things through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well please be seated for a brief time of meditation [Music]