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before we begin worship this morning just a couple of announcements the first one is that there is a uh an email did go out but uh a reminder that there is a ladies night this upcoming Thursday uh the 23rd um if you need more information uh you can talk to uh Melanie Neils um or uh Kirsten Stewart I believe so if you uh would like to attend that's ladies night Thursday the the 23rd um as well if you could please uh RSVP to uh uh Kelly rosma or Katie Butler if you plan to attend uh the anniversary uh party for uh uh Jim and Rebecca Butler um again an email did go out for that one as well but if you didn't get it or if something happened to it there RSVP to to Kelly risma or Katie Butler um that's uh uh Saturday August the the 8th well let's turn in our Bibles please to the book of Isaiah chapter 55 Isaiah 55 for our call to worship this morning Isaiah 55 the entire chapter the word of the living and true God ho everyone who thirsts come to the waters and you who have no money come by and eat yes come by wine and milk without money and without price why do you spend money for what is not bread 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 in Bud that it may give seed to the swer and bread to the eater so shall my word be that uh be 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 not go out excuse me for you shall 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 thorn shall come up the cypress tree and instead of the Brier 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 let's stand together and sing in our larger hym books hymn 217 that's hym uh 217 let's stand and sing that together [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] Ang [Music] [Applause] [Music] Ang [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] Tri k [Music] please be seated going to go to our God In Prayer here in a moment a couple of the things uh among others that we can pray for uh Marcel's dad uh had a heart attack and he's in the hospital presently um so we can pray we can pray for him uh as well uh don newfeld I believe has surgery this evening uh for the uh the uh pain in his face associated with his Ms so we can pray uh for those two things along with many other things let's go to our God In Prayer our gracious and loving Heavenly Father we rejoice in this your new day we Rejoice that it is again the Lord's day and we pray Lord God that your name would be hallowed in all the Earth we would ask again father that you would help us in this place by your spirit to rightly give you honor and praise we pray that this would be the case as well in all of your churches around the world that your assembling Saints would open their mouths and give praise to the Triune God we pray Lord that your name would be hallowed around the Earth today that you would be the recipient of of honor and praise and truly we we rejoice in in you our God and we would pray that you would give each and every one of your Saints this day in this place and around the world hearts that rejoice in their God and in their Christ we rejoice in our savior the Lord Jesus we thank you again that you did send him in the fullness of the times born of a woman and born under the law that he might redeem those who are under the law that we might receive the adoption as Sons we rejoice in the gospel it's a true and faithful saying that Christ Jesus came into this world Sinners to save and we rejoice in that truth we know that we have been saved not by Deeds of Holiness which we have done and we know that we have been saved not by acts which we have performed but rather we have been saved solely and alone by the perfect work of our Lord Jesus Christ and we thank you that in a due time in your appointed and in your accepted time you made us alive in Christ Jesus we were dead in our trespasses and in our sins yet You Came Upon the wings of amazing and Victorious Grace and caused us by your grace and For Your Glory to be made alive in Christ Jesus by Grace we have been saved and we sing the Praises of that truth and would ask you Lord to help us to return unto you those praises and thanksgivings uh that are due your Most Holy Name we would pray Lord God that you would wash Us aresh in the blood of our savior the Lord Jesus Christ we know that there is a fountain opened up for sin and for uncleanness and that this is the shed blood of our savior that blood which he shed upon calvary's tree perfectly to save a multitude of Sinners that no man can number we do pray Lord God that we would rejoice in you rejoice in our Christ and sing the praise of Amazing Grace we do ask Lord that you would be with those who need prayer for physical things we think now of Marcel's father we pray that you would strengthen him in body uh after this heart attack we just pray that you would knit together those wounds of the physical man that you would heal his heart uh that you would heal him bodily and uh that you would give those dealing with him the diligence and the wisdom uh to to help him and we do know that all healing comes from on high so we do pray that you would bless in this matter and we do pray that you would cause him to rejoice in our Christ and in our God that he would in the midst of physical Affliction nevertheless be rejoicing in our God and in his Christ we would ask as well that you would be with Don newfeld as he under goes surgery this evening be with him again uh strengthen him um uh under uh under the knife of the surgeon and uh give uh diligence and and much wisdom to those handling his case that he might receive the proper care and we pray as well for our brother dawn that he would be strengthened in the inner man that he would be wholly resigned unto your will and unto your goodness in all things we would remember all of those as well who suffer with various diseases various ailments and sicknesses that you would be with each and everyone that you would come near to them with uh the hand of healing that you might strengthen them heal them and cause them to know gains and strength and we pray again for each and everyone that they would be rejoicing in our Christ and be singing the Praises uh of your most high Grace we do pray God that You' be with those unable to join us due to travel uh watch over them and strengthen them Lord God we pray that you would give them traveling mercies watch over them and bring them home safely to us we would ask as well God that you would be with the persecuted Church uh there are many around the world and in other nations who are persecuted uh for the cause of the gospel and we do pray that you would be with our Brothers and Sisters in Christ who are the re recipients of such hatred and anger and violence we would ask that you would strengthen them that you would be near to them that you would be unto them the God of all comfort and in the midst of these afflictions and trials they would look with eyes of faith upon our strong Christ ascended to your right hand whoever lives to make intercession for them and whoever lives uh uh to put down the enemies of God we do pray that you would deal with those who are your enemies we know that those uh that that that you have deemed it well Lord God to make enemies your friends and we do pray like Saul so many years ago that you would conquer the hearts of many persecutors that you would cause them to flee from their idolatry and The Madness of uh of Godless religion and that they might turn unto the religion of the Lord Jesus Christ that they might know you the glory of our savior and the power of the holy spirit that they might be found among those whom they formerly persecuted and rejoice in our Christ we know as well that there will be those who remain in opposition who remain in uh uh in perpetrating violence against you and against your church we do pray Lord God that you would take them out of the way that you would bring temporal judgment upon them however you may bring this about and by whatever means Lord God we know that it would will be holy and that it will be righteous and we do pray that you would put them down and cause them to stumble like drunken men that they may no longer bring violence against the Church of Christ we would ask God as well that You' be with the governments of the nation as we as we cast our eyes upon the Affairs of the world we see many things that trouble us and we see many things that are in opposition to your law and uh to your revealed word we do pray that you would come and that you would deal with those who perpetrate violence against your holy precepts we think of the governments uh close to US Canada and the United States those who uh seek to to sanction wickedness those who uh seek to support and and fund abortion and those who self celebrate homosexuality and sodomy we do pray that you would bring an end to these things that you would raise up those in the government that would uh rule in righteousness INE equity and judgment calling those things vices which are so and exalting those things which are virtues we do pray that you would just help that you would come to this lower world that you would cause those who rule over us to do so rightly and in truth we do pray Lord that you would be with us now as we worship we know that we uh worship and we require the aid of the holy spirit so we do pray first for preacher that you would send him your spirit uh that he would know the presence of his God in this Pulpit as Pastor Butler comes up here and opens his Bible that you would give him Divine Aid because the preacher does need that he cannot lean upon his own Earthly and human strength but requires that strength that only the Triune God affords so please bring that to the man in the Pulpit this morning that he might open his Bible and preach well the things of our Christ and the things of your revealed truth we do pray for those of us in the pews again God that you would strengthen Saints as we sit and we engage in worship as we stand and sing as we pray as we uh engage in that act of worship in a few moments the preaching of your word that you would strengthen Us by your word and by your spirit and For Your Glory that you would GD us up in uh the Inner Man strengthening strengthening us to go into this upcoming week to live in light of such a glorious gospel and we do pray Lord for those who entered in these two doors in unbelief out sight of the Lord Jesus Christ that you would come upon the wings of Victorious Grace that you would remove hearts of stone and replace them with hearts of Flesh that you might put your spirit within them cause them to believe in our Christ to rejoice in the gospel and to live in a manner worthy of their calling by Grace we do pray that you would save For Your Glory sake Lord God and strengthen Saints for your Glory's sake and that everything that is done this morning would be done unto the praise of your glorious name and it's in Christ's name that we pray amen amen well let's stand and sing together our next hymn will be uh 272 if you'll stand with me and sing that 272 [Music] [Music] all the hill of [Music] [Music] world [Music] take [Music] wor seated one more announcement I forgot at the beginning of worship uh we do have our uh monthly hymn sing in the fellowship after tonight's evening service so if you would like to stick around for that maybe within 5 minutes after the close of the the evening service if you could find your way up to the fellowship hall um and if you'd like to stay and sing hymns uh we'll be up there doing so um please turn in your Bibles then for our New Testament scripture reading to the book of First John John's first epistle in Chapter 2 if you were here or you were listening last week you'll remember that we finished at verse 8 18 at verse 17 of 1 John 2 so we'll pick up reading in verse 18 so this is first John 2 Verse 18 once again the word of the living and true God Little Children it is the last hour and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming even now many antichrists have come by which we know that it is the last hour they went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would have continued with us but they went out that they might be made manifest that none of them were of us but you have an anointing from the Holy One and you know all things I have not written to you because you do not know the truth but because you know it and that no lie is of the truth who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ he is Antichrist who denies the father and the son whoever denies the son does not have the father either he who acknowledges the son has the father also therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning if what you heard from the beginning abides in you you also will abide in the son and in the father and this is the promise that he has promised us eternal life these things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you but the anointing which you have received from him abides in you and you do not need that anyone teach you but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true and is not a lie and just as it has taught you you will abide in him and now little children abide in him that when he appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming if you know that he is righteous you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of him amen one of the things uh well one of the uh many things we have before us in this chapter first off is the importance of uh of christology that simply means the doctrine or study of Christ we see here that for John the Antichrist is not something that is to launch a thousand bad eschatology charts but rather it is a heretical christology Antichrist for John far from John's mind is some 2,000 years in the future eschatological bad guy but rather christological heresy those who were denying that Jesus had come in the flesh those who were denying Christ in 1 John 4 and uh verse two we read by this you know the spirit of God every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God and this is the spirit of the Antichrist which you have heard was coming and is now already in the world this brings to us the importance of KN our Christ doesn't it we are to know who Christ is that's what he said in his early Ministry uh who do men say that I am uh those who were in unbelief said well some say Jeremiah some say Elijah some say one of the other prophets some say John the Baptist and Christ says well who do you say that I am and they respond Peter responding for the disciples says Thou Art the Christ the son of the Living God it brings to Bear the biblical reality that Jesus Christ is God the second of the Blessed Triune he is the brightness of his father's glory and the express image of his person he upholds all things by the word of his power and yet in loving condescension he took to himself human nature he is fully God and fully man he has all the essential properties and common infirmities of men yet without sin and he gave his life for guilty Sinners those who reject that truth are Antichrist and they do not have the spirit of Christ they are not abiding with the father because they do not have the son nor acknowledge Him rightly and notice that the Blessed doctrine of perseverance of the Saints is brought out before us and perhaps the the a blessed biblical rejection of anyone that would say that one who is saved by Christ can ultimately and finally fall away abomination of Abominations to say that one whom Christ died for can ultimately and finally fall away what is the nature of the case for one who does Fall Away well it's verse 19 they went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would have continued with us but they went out that they might be made manifest that none of them were of us you see it will finally be found out those who are not truly christs they may give some measure of lip service to this one called Christ but in their Doctrine and in their deeds they do reject him and here it is the case that those were not truly christs who went away their going away was evidence that they were not his and then finally we have in verse 29 something that we looked at this morning uh when uh Mike Kirkpatrick was instructing on chapter 19 the Baptist of the Baptist confession of faith on the doctrine of the law of God we see that it is the Christian who loves the law of God and follows it notice verse 29 if you know that he is righteous you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of him that isn't saying that if you practice righteousness God uh uh God or you'll be born again but rather those who are born again practice righteousness and so it is our duty as Christians those who have been saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to love the righteousness the word and the law of God and to seek to abide in that and follow after it well let us pray Heavenly Father we rejoice in your revealed word to us we thank you for what it discloses concerning right Doctrine about our blessed savior the Lord Jesus Christ we pray that we would not be Antichrist that we would not be such as to have a bad christology but that we would know that he is truly God and truly man fully God and fully man God was manifested in the flesh that he dwelt among us that he was seen by angels that he was was received up into Glory we do pray Lord that you would cause us to rejoice in this Christ who came into this world Sinners to save that we would know him that we would know you and that we would seek to live in a manner consistent with our calling by grace and we pray in Christ's name amen well let's Stand Together our final hymn before uh the preaching is 393 if you'll stand with me and sing 393 [Music] is he is he is a he [Music] is with with [Music] to Jesus [Music] Christ [Music] will the the [Music] Theus is to [Music] let [Music] please be seated well please turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 9 it's not a mistake we are going to look at Matthew chapter 9 this morning in our Study last week as we finished up verses n uh uh chapter 19 verses 23- 30 we focused or we noticed rather the apostles question in verse 25 in chapter 19 after Jesus indicates that it's difficult for a rich man to enter to the kingdom of heaven the disciples then ask who then can be saved sought to explain a bit about the Christian Gospel and I thought by way of extended application we would look at the conversion of Matthew this morning something we have considered in the past obviously but hopefully by way of reminder for the people of God and encouragement for those who are not the people of God to see what genuine conversion looks like to see what salvation by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ does indeed look like so I want to read beginning in Matthew chapter 19 uh chapter 9 rather beginning in verse 1 and we'll read to verse 13 so he ca uh 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 at once some of the scribes 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 marveled 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 Pharisees 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 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 amen well let us pray Our Father in heaven we thank you for the word of the Living God we thank you for the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and I pray now that by your spirit we would have ears to hear and hearts to receive the truth I pray that Believers would be encouraged aresh at what Christ has done on their behalf and I pray that unbelievers would be encouraged to flee to the Lord Of Glory to that one alone in whom there is forgiveness of sin and the righteousness that avails with you our father May the spirit truly guide us and direct us and illumin minds and hearts may you now forgive us for all of our sins and unrighteousness help us to take every thought captive to The Obedience of Jesus Christ and help us God most high to think your thoughts after you and we pray these things through Christ Our Lord amen well as I said we're going to look specifically at the conversion of Matthew the author of our particular letter under that consideration of who then can be saved often times when we talk about salvation or we talk about faith or when when I preach believe on the Lord Jesus Christ sometimes persons don't always know what that means and so this morning is an attempt to try and flesh that out what does conversion look like what did it look like in the life and context of Matthew this evangelist who gave us the First Gospel as well what ought it to look like in our lives and how ought we to respond to the Lord Of Glory and to the preaching of his most holy word the larger broader context in chapter n what we find in chapters 5-7 is that Jesus taught as one having Authority his Doctrine was not like the scribes Remember The Sermon on the Mount the end of chapter 7 that's what's highlighted he taught them not as one or he taught them as one having Authority and then in chapters 8 and nine what we see is the Deeds of Christ or the power of Christ or the ability of Christ essentially after teaching in 5 to 7 he goes about healing in chapters 8 8 to9 he goes about engaged in miraculous deeds and one of the conspicuous elements in chapters 8-9 is the display of the power of our Lord Jesus Christ so both in his Doctrine and in his activity what we see is that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God most high so let's look specifically at verses 9-13 under three considerations in the first place the call to discipleship in verse 9 secondly the supper at Matthew's house in verse 10 and thirdly the confrontation with the religious leaders in verses 11 to13 then we will try and tease out some implications or applications concerning this particular subject note in the first place the call to discipleship in verse 9 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 the other gospel writers tell us that Matthew's name was Levi this was not uncommon for a man to have two names think of Simon Peter or John Mark in this instance we have Matthew alternate alternately alternately called Levi by the other gospel writers and notice his particular occupation he is sitting at the tax office the reason I read the first section in verses 1 to to 8 is simply this there is a strong connection between 1 to8 and 9-13 in 1 to8 we learn that there is a problem that surpasses paralysis there is a problem that exceeds what physical difficulties or challenges one might have in verses 1 to8 we have the account where the paralytic is lowered down into the midst of where our Lord Jesus Christ is teaching and the Lord Jesus Christ when he sees this man says to him specifically son your sins are forgiven you this sends the scribes and the Pharisees into a bit of a tizzy they start to imagine or they start to think or they start to contemplate who but God Alone is able to forgive sin Jesus knew precisely what their thoughts were Jesus knew the heart of man he knew their evil minations to use an older word and so Jesus asks this question which is easier to say your sins are forgiven you or to say arise take up your mat and walk well it's easier to say your sins are forgiven you because we can't verify whether or not that takes place I may say to do or I may say to Michael or I may say to anyone your sins are forgiven you we can't objectify that or we can't quantify that with the naked eye so it is easier to say to the paralytic your sins are forgiven you than to say arise and take up your mat and walk that we can see if I say to Da or I say to Michael take up your mat and walk I'm proved to be a fake within 30 seconds notice what Jesus then says but that you may know that the son of man has power on Earth to forgive sins he says to the paralytic take up your mat and walk what's the point the point is is that Christ uses the taking up the mat and walk as a proof or a a confirmation or an affirmation or illustration that he is indeed the one who has power to forgive sins you know men in our day come to this passage and the healers and the health wealth Prosperity guyses preach how you should never hobble or you should never be crippled and you should always be healed in Jesus and they come to passages like these and they tell people take up your mat and walk Brethren we've missed the significance if we focus on the reality that the man picked up his sat and walked the reality is is that that man now had forgiveness of sins that he was heavenbound that he was going to be with Jesus that was just illustrative of the reality that the son of man has power on Earth to forgive sins now enter Matthew what kind of Sinners does God have power to forgive what kind of Sinners does Christ have the ability to forgive he has the power to forgive notorious Sinners really bad Sinners horrible Sinners it always amazes me how persons outside the church look at the church and they say things like well you know I don't belong there because those are respectable people no we're not we are hell deserving wrath of God deserving Sinners against the high and holy king of Heaven and Earth the only reason we are in the church is because of grace alone because of the blood of the gospel I've learned when I go to these old people's homes that doesn't sound politically correct does it of course as I'm getting closer to being an old person myself I don't think it'll ever bother me to be called an old person you're old sorry it's a matter of being able to read clocks and calendars you are old one of the things I've noticed that the Saints of Christ there respond well to hearing about Sin you treat these old dolls like they're blue-haired innocent persons that have never done a thing and you're not treating them biblically all of these old dolls have a wretched past all of these old men have a wretched past and Matthew illustrates for us the kind of power that Christ has to save Sinners so on the one hand verses 1 to8 underscore the reality that Christ has that power verses 9-13 underscore the reality that it's a power that saves The Wretched Matthew's a tax collector Matthew's a horrible person in the first century Matthew is a wretch not for the not for only the obvious reasons certainly persons hate Tax Collectors because Tax Collectors take their money there were several reason reasons why Tax Collectors were looked down upon in this context in the first place they collaborated with Gentiles secondly they handled currency with Pagan inscriptions and iconography thirdly they took money from fellow Jews to give to the magistrate who oppressed them and in the fourth place they were often greedy and corrupt and this is just simply the reality of it consider the fact that they are linked with sinners in 910 they are linked with Heathen Gentiles in 18170 they are linked with harlots in 2131 and extortionists unjust and adulterous man in Luke 18:11 you see what we need to appreciate and what you need to appreciate if you're here this morning and you're not saved you've not been forgiven you can never ever ever argue that I am too sinful to be forgiven by God I am am too wretched to be cleansed in the blood of Jesus Christ there is no hope for me whatsoever oh there's hope in the Christian Gospel there is great hope in the glory of the Savior the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from all sin the prophet Zechariah foretold a day when there will be a fountain open for sin and uncleanness the hym writer says and sinners plunge beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains it truly is good news it truly is Gospel in this instance our Lord to demonstrate the power that he has comes to this notorious sinner 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 B at he says fishermen may not have been high in the social scale but at least they were not automatically morally and religiously suspect Matthew was he's a wret it's a sinner it's a bad man it's a horrible specimen of a human being he has sinned against a holy God so in order to underscore the power to save it's as if Matthew says not only does the son of man have power to save on Earth but look at the kind of a wretch that he saved look at the kind of a monster that he saved look at the kind of a beast that he saved and he gives us this snapshot into his own conversion and to how by God's grace he came to the Lord Jesus notice Jesus sees him sitting at the tax office and he said to him follow me so he arosed arose and followed him the tax collector here didn't wait wait did he the tax collector didn't say you know what I'm going to think about this I'm going to ponder my options I suspect and I fear at times within this place so many people hear the gospel every Sunday and instead of coming to Jesus well I'm just going to wait I'm just going to put it off just going to think about other things I'm young I want to go out and do my thing and then I might come to Jesus Christ note what Matthew does and he's sitting at the TA tax office he's sitting with is sin if he is a Covetous man if he is a greedy man if he is a money grubbing man he is sitting with the very Idols that captivate his heart and yet when Jesus who has the power to enable compliance with the command commands him follow me Matthew gets up immediately and he follows after Jesus Christ have you done that have you followed again we're going to tease that out in a bit I realize it's hot I realize it's it's it's a a difficult time to receive certain things from the word of God but just consider some at least like to go sit in the sun if it's not in the church they like to go sit in the sun it baffles me I don't understand it the idea being that if I can see a body of water somehow it's okay to sit in the sun I thought about maybe you should just put a picture of a body of water on your phone and you can look at that when it gets overwhelmingly hot in here but then I thought no we'd probably click on a YouTube video of a cat jumping in a lake and I I don't want you to do that one of the things that's difficult for gospel preachers is when they go after sinners they come to a place like this they got a lot of things fighting against them yes the heat yes time yes the desire for Comfort but a real devil a real Satan a real foe that is seeking to snatch up seeds planted L Sinners hear and believe and are saved pay attention this morning please we got maybe 30 40 more minutes don't think about oh 40 minutes just pay attention if you followed Christ can you say with that bride in the song he is allog together lovely and chief among 10,000 I would rather be Ador Keeper in the house of my God then dwell in the tents of wickedness what a Sabbath ethic that is isn't it oh the Sabbath what a drudgery not for the psalmist he would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God than dwell in the tents of wickedness have you followed have you taken up the cross and and and walked to Jesus path have you have you denied yourself have you sought by the grace of God to pursue those things which are pleasing to our blessed Lord Matthew did he followed him immediately Calvin says the custom 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 into the family of Christ but even to be called to the office of apostle we have a striking instance of the grace of God Matthew stood up and he followed him intriguing intriguingly as well it says so he arose and followed him Luke fleshes this out for us in a little bit more detail in Luke 5:29 it says then Levi remember that's Matthew I'm sorry then so he left all rose up and followed him he left all he left all Matthew doesn't tell us that himself Luke however tells us that he left all why does Matthew leave that out I don't know particularly but perhaps the idea is this he didn't want to draw any attention to himself he want persons to say you're such a great man you left it all he don't want to go on the the testimony circuit and point himself or portray himself as this Majestic specimen of a human being you know you hear testimonies in the life and context of the church you don't know whether to praise God or congratul at that sinner because he's done such a splendid job I don't think Paul Matthew wants that Matthew's not going to say guess what I left it all for Jesus he just did remember last week we considered that reality Jesus is infinitely worth everything it's no sacrifice to leave Earthly all for the glory of Jesus Christ Our Lord Matthew did what is fitting in light of such a great savior now notice in the second place the supper at Matthew's house verse 10 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 the location it is Matthew's house Luke 5:29 then Levi gave him a great feast in his own house what does Matthew do he leaves his loot he leaves his idols he follows the Savior and if we were to interview him and we ask him how has your life fundamentally changed oh I've lost everything I've given up everything no Matthew wants to celebrate he calls together a feast he invites the tax collectors he invites the Sinners he invites those like himself to be recipients of God's grace if we ask why Matthew do you do this it's a time to honor the Lord Jesus isn't it I mean if somebody does a great thing for you don't you want to take him out for lunch imagine if I pushed you out of the way of a speeding bus you'd probably want to take me over to Chili's and have some spicy food right it's legit we can't pay back it's not somehow greasing the wheel but it's a sign and a token and a and a symbol of our appreciation and our gratitude he has saved me from my sins I want to gather people together I want to honor him I want to celebrate in his presence and I want everybody to know what great things this Jesus has done for me as well there's an Evangelistic angle as well what happens Matthew invites fellow Sinners many tax collectors and sinners sat down with him and his disciples so Matthew comes to thank and praise the Lord he comes to celebrate and rejoice in the goodness of his God and in the third place he is there to evangelize his fellow Sinners I love the way Spurgeon captures it he says 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 and it is an intriguing guest list isn't it many tax collectors and sinners came France again says the attentive reader of the Gospel might recall the vision of the Messianic banquet in 8 11 and 12 that's when many from outside many from east to west would come and sit down at the marriage sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob he says here as there the guest list is not at all what most Jews would have expected Jesus doesn't care about what you think is good Jesus doesn't care what you think is acceptable Matthew says tax collectors and sinners come and eat with me and Jesus because I want you to make contact with this man who's able to save to the uttermost all who draw nigh un God through him it's interesting too look at the text verse 10 now it happened as Jesus sat at the table in the house that behold that's one of Matthew's words words I mean it's a Greek word Matthew just uses it a lot this behold what he's saying is pay attention to this see look it's underscoring something Matthew throws the feast and behold Matthew invited many tax collectors and sinners to be in the presence of our Lord Jesus now certainly this caused a bit of problem and that brings us in the third place to see the confrontation with the religious leaders notice the nature of the complaint in verse 11 and when the Pharisees saw it they said to his disciples why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners these are cowardly men aren't they they're cowardly men they would fit well in the 21st century if you have a question for Jesus ask Jesus don't ask his disciples don't whine to his disciples don't play your political games if you have a concern or you have an issue with somebody go to that somebody and they're not seeking information they're not genuinely curious about this guest list does he see something in them that we've perhaps overlooked this is a mask to cover their grumbling and their whining and their PL pling why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners they're cowardly men and they're men who are in or holding the Lord Jesus in contempt for this choice of dinner guests or for the fact that he is present with such Scoundrels Carson explains the question this way the Pharisees question put not to Jesus but to his discip deciples was less a request for information than a charge and contemptuously it lumped together tax collectors and sinners under one article you know this is a blessing the Suter it says that the wrath of man Praises God isn't that amazing the wrath of man Praises God if you ever wonder what that means read the gospel accounts the wrath of man in this instance Praises God why because the nature of the complaint serves as the foil for our lord Jesus to respond to the complaint and when Jesus responds to the complaint essentially he is identifying for his audience the very purpose for which he came into this world so while they're complaining and while they're whining and while they're grumbling and while they're saying why does your teacher eat with such low lives like these Jesus uses the opportunity to underscore that these are the sorts of low lives that Jes Jesus came to seek and to save it's beautiful even the wrath of man shall praise God notice Jesus response three PS his role as a physician his appeal to the prophet and his statement of purpose note in the first place when Jesus heard that he said to them those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick everybody understands that don't they when do you go to the doctor when you feel well no when you're sick when do you need an em an ambulance when you're just walking the dog and everything is cool no when you've been hit by a car Jesus uses this simple proverb for simple men so that they can understand that the nature of their complaint is completely unfounded why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners Jesus First Response those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick to whom else should the Savior go to whom else should the doctor visit to whom else should the Healer approach it's a no-brainer isn't it this is why I said earlier don't ever say oh my sin is so bad he can't ever fix me Jesus is the Divine healer Jesus is the Divine physician One Touch from Jesus and you'll be made whole belief on the Lord Christ ushers in the uh uh the uh the Forgiveness of sins that's the blessing and the beauty notice in the second place his appeal to the prophet in case they miss that easy statement those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick but go and learn what this means I desire mercy and not sacrifice now there's a bit of a cut here a bit of a reproof a bit of a dig now the gospel writers indicate to us that Pharisees and scribes were present because of the Heat and because I want to spend a little time teasing this stuff out we're not dealing with every jot and till or every detail the Pharisees and the scribes are who they're the religious teachers in Israel they are the men that should know the law of God they are the men that should know the prophets they are the men that love to stand on the street corner and they love to pray when everybody can see them they are the sorts of men that wear phaces and they have scripture all over them these are the sorts of men that look A skew at others who do not know the law as they do so for Jesus to say to them but go and learn what this means in many respects it was a dig from a rabbi to fellow rabbis who should have already known this is not an obscure text it's not an obscure lesson it's not something that is cryptic it's not esoteric it is not hidden away from the rank and file and only available to the few it's Hosea 66 for I desire mercy and not sacrifice in the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings of course they knew the tax of course they had recited the text of course they had probably given lessons on the text in the synagogue they didn't learn it they didn't know it they didn't understand it they didn't realize that they themselves in the first century were acting just like the persons that Hosea was preaching against the sorts of persons that prided themselves on going to the temple and on bringing the sacrifice and on tithing and on all those fastidious uh uh obediences to the external requirements of the law and yet they did it without a heart they walk by some poor man lying on the street well I can't be late for the the Sabbath service I can't be late for temple I I see that you're bleeding out of the eyes but I can't defile myself on the Sabbath day you know and pick you up that's the sort of things that was going on or were going on in hosea's day and in the history of Israel most of its junctures and this is precisely what the scribes and the Pharisees are guilty of he says go and learn what this means is our Mercy not sacrifice he's not saying No sacrifice ever it's an idiom to be sure certainly God tell told Israel yes I want you to have your heart right when your heart's right bring the sacrifice to the Lord God most high it's kind of like us you know we go through these religious motions we say that we love Jesus we go to church our minds are 100 miles away we're at Family devotions our fathers open the Bible our minds are 100 miles away I realize realiz there's a struggle and I realize there's a battle and I realize that difficulty is harder as the temperature increases but if the fundamental defining aspect of your life is to absent your mind when the word of God is proclaimed or taught you've got big problems if you are content with the externals of Christianity but you are not a worshipper and a lover of the Lord Jesus Christ then you don't know Christ it's just that simp simple I was reading the Prophet Jeremiah this morning and I thought wow wouldn't this be wonderful if if this was all of us and again allowing for the struggle allowing for the difficulty allowing for the trials and allowing for the fact that there's an EB and flow in the Christian Life is this you your words were found and I ate them and your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart for I am called by your name oh Lord God of hosts that's not a man committed only to the externals I was thinking about something else this morning too when I was a kid I played baseball and sometimes the encouragement from the stands whether it be the parents or the coaches was to look alive out there do you realize to be good at baseball all one has to do is look alive that's incredible isn't it talk about a lowering of the bar I don't follow professional sports but if I did it wouldn't be a sport that the only requirement or one of the requirements is to look alive brethren in the Christian church there's a sense where we need to look alive remember one of those challenges I said when a preacher comes and he knows he wants to plead with Sinners to be reconciled unto God one of the thing that at least creeps up in my mind is if I was a sinner and I was unconverted and I saw a lot of professing people of God around me and they weren't receiving the word they weren't happy about the word they weren't joyful about the word I would wonder why I need to be if they can't look alive then why must I there a lot of things militating against the salvation of a sinner let it not be the case that our half-heartedness when it comes to the reception of God's holy word which as the Puritans and the reform saw was a violation of the third commandment it's to dishonor God's name when we don't open our ears to God's word there's an externalism that paralyzes the professing people of God your kids look good you show up at the right place you do the right things but is there a heart for Christ is there a love for the Savior not saying it has to be this mystical turn off and tune in experience can you say praise God Almighty that he has saved my guilty soul now notice in the third place his role as a physician his appeal to the prophet notice his statement of purpose I did not come for he says this is a reason for I did not come to call the righteous but Sinners to repentance isn't that beautiful the Pharisees Rumble the scribes complain Jesus preaches the gospel you see an a similar instance in Luke's gospel 152 all the Pharisees or all the all the Sinners Drew near to him and the Pharisees and the scribes they grumbled saying this manes Sinners and eats with them you know how Jesus answers that he says I most certainly do I do it like a man who seeks out his one lost sheep I do it like a woman who finds her one lost coin I do it like the father who receives back home his dead son Christ is about saving sinners Christ is about saving Sinners I did not come to call the righteous but Sinners to repentance well in terms of some concluding thoughts in the first place we cannot miss the authority of Jesus here the authority of Jesus no other religion has Jesus no other religion provides forgiveness and a righteous that avails with God no other religion has a savior Christianity in the first place is a Redemptive religion it's not a list of howtos it's not a list of go do better it's not a list of principles to have a better existence it is the message of Christ crucified and resurrected and all those who by Grace look to that Christ will have Redemption they will be bought out of the slave market of sin they will be washed in the precious blood of Jesus they will be given a righteousness that avails with God and in that light when by God's grace they are redeemed that blessed savior points us back to the law as Pastor cam alluded to as Mike mentioned this morning or stated this morning the law then serves to instruct us on how we are to pursue our beloved God in the second place what are some lessons that we can draw out of this passage concerning discipleship we're going to illustrate with other portions in Matthew's gospel as well in the first place Matthew believed on the Lord Jesus Christ Matthew believed on the Lord Jesus Christ remember that shama in Deuteronomy 64 here o Israel the Lord Our God the Lord is one you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength Matthew 16:16 is a bit of a New Covenant shamama a confession the central confession of the new Israel's faith when Peter says to Jesus Thou Art the Christ the son of the Living God what does Jesus then go on to say blessed are you Simon bar Jonah Flesh and Blood did not reveal this to you but my my father who is in heaven he has revealed this to you faith in Christ you are simply not a Christian unless you believe the gospel unless by the grace of God you trust in Jesus you believe in him you follow him that's involved in that whole idea what does the confession say concerning belief our confession of faith when it teases out the doctrine of saving Faith talks about what saving Faith looks like in a whole bunch of ways and then it says this in 142 but the principal acts of saving Faith have immediate relation to Christ accepting receiving and resting upon him alone for justification sanctification and eternal life by virtue of the Covenant of Grace so if anyone ever says to me what what does faith look like in the first place faith has as its principal concern the person and work of Jesus I want you to believe that there was an ancient hittite civilization I want you to believe in the fact that Egypt was indeed an oppressor of God's people I want you to believe in how many cubits the East wall of the Temple of Temple or Tabernacle was high I want you to believe every jot and tit of God's holy word but the principal Act of saving faith is to locate Christ and to believe on him that's the first the second is that Matthew repented of his sin now I need to clarify something I just said that was a bit of a misstatement I want you to pay attention here with me look alive I said that belief includes the following of Jesus no the belief will lead to the following in J of Jesus see salvation is by grace alone through faith alone we need to get this I fear that sometimes preachers preach repentance as a work you repent and then you will be saved no because who gets Credit in that arrangement I repented and God Save Me Faith is that aspect that is definitional definitional for justification justification by faith now genuine biblical Faith again as our confession States Faith thus receiving and resting on Christ and his righteousness is the alone instrument of justification yet it is not alone in the person Justified but is ever accompanied with all other saving Graces and is no dead Faith but worketh by love let me explain it this way it's a difference between a condition and a consequence again look alive you know every Sunday morning or at least every alternating Sunday morning from 9:30 to 10:30 we take pains to explain this confession of Faith so that we'll be smarter than the Armenians yeah that's a good idea so that we'll know more than the hyper Calvinists yeah that's a good idea but we'll know what God's word says concerning these most crucial issues I am going to cite something from our confession in a few minutes that I challenge you to find a modern devotional manual that contains as rich and practical Soul stirring comforting Christianity as what this old dry sty Doctrine from the 17th or document from the 17th century does we've lost our way we look at these old confessions and say well it's old if it can't be for modernized then we don't want it you know maybe these men were more brilliant than we are maybe they made nuances and qualifications so that we didn't preach repentance as a work that goes on all the time Brethren repent and you will be saved believe and repent are the response to the gospel to be sure but because of God's grace they're not the condition for salvation it is the consequence of God's gracious giving to us God gives faith and repentance and we respond by grace to him it's very important and you may not think about it now think about it someday there's a big difference between a condition and a consequence I challenge you to think through that someday and understand that what we T at times think our conditions are actually consequences and if we botch that we're going to send Sinners into a tail spin the bottom line that was for the Christians who've looked alive thankfully the non-Christian what does it look like believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and repent from your sin what's repentance what is repentance in the first place it's a change of mind so we look at somebody and say wow he stopped going there he repented we look at somebody we say oh he stopped smoking that he repented or he stopped looking at porn he repented those are the fruits of repentance but repentance begins in the in the mind it's a change of perspective it's a change of view belief on the Lord Jesus Christ will always usher in alongside of it repentance because when we walk to Jesus guess what we're leaving behind I've said it before when a man has walked down this aisle to marry his newly beloved bride in my history of marrying people I have never seen a man bringing his girlfriend along down along with him I've never seen a woman with her boyfriend as she's come to meet her new bridegroom never seen that faith and repentance we leave or we flee to Christ we leave our sin it's a very basic simple test what do I think about Sin does it still hold me does it still Captivate me does it still enamor me is is it still that which I pursue with all my heart soul mind and strength do I want my loot do I want my drugs do I want my sex do I want my whatever you know not just bad things can be Idols good things can be Idols family can be an idol children can be an idol we don't ever want to disrupt the delicate psyche of our children Brethren disrupt them and bring them to church teach them that God's more important than they are it's a good lesson to impress upon your dainty little ones repentance a forsaking of a leaving of a turning the back on see sometimes people say well it seems so confusing the way I don't think it's confusing at all you come to Christ you stop your sin is that hard really at least conceptually it should be easy easy practically man a man would rather swim through the fires of Hell to pursue his lust than to come after the Lord Jesus Christ so Faith repentance coming to Christ leaving sin in this instance what does Matthew do immediately follows Jesus and he leaves his idols in the third place he pursues the kingdom First Matthew 6:33 seek first the kingdom of God in his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you you know one of the men made a good observation the the fishermen could and did return to their trade didn't they after the resurrection of Jesus what are the fishermen doing they're fishing do you think Matthew could return to his tax house do you think the Internal Revenue Service or Revenue Canada would be happy with the fact that he got up and left piles of loot unattended Matthew probably became Public Enemy Number One in terms of the revenue you know Israel service at that particular time they're not going to give him his job back he sought first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and realized all these other things will be added to him that's a kingdom priority it's another good sign what comes first in your life I'm sure we've told you at our home when you know at least when the kids were little if I got my food we'd call it IGM you know honey let's pray because that means I got mine I got mine I know that most of you ladies here who have little children you eat cold food you eat after everybody else because your husband maybe doesn't have it as professed say I did but an IGM attitude I got mine there's stuff we like and there's stuff that we hold to and there's stuff that we're attached to that gets in the way of this Kingdom priority where's your priority this morning is it Christ is it his kingdom is it the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places in Christ is he the priority look alive Brethren if he is your life will manifest it in the third place he sees Christ as altogether lovely and chief among 10,000 a terrible thing has occurred in the last uh generation or two persons have taken the Song of Solomon and turned it into a sex manual that's not what the Song of Solomon is about the Song of Solomon shows God's covenantal love for his bride Israel The Song of Solomon shows in typical manner Christ's love for his bride the church and you know how the church sees her bride according to Solomon's song which is the chief of his songs by the way I mean Solomon was no slacker this man wrote songs he wrote a lot of songs his arm hurt because he wrote so many songs but this is the song of songs because it stols the glory of God and the bride says to her bridegroom you are all together lovely and chief among 10,000 see that's how the saint sees Christ the saint doesn't always see Christ that way and the saint needs to work on seeing Christ that way but the saint wants to see Christ that way doesn't he the saint strives to have that mindset the saint wants to know Jesus as the altogether lovely and chief among 10,000 he wants to pursue the lamb wherever he goes he wants to be about putting off sin killing unrighteousness and doing those things which are pleasing to his beloved that's what Matthew has in this instance and then in the fifth place and there are other things we could say to be sure but in the fifth place he takes seriously the doctrine of sanctification he seeks to live in a manner that is pleasing to his Lord so again I don't think these concepts are difficult conceptually sometimes you kid I don't really understand what it is to be a Christian believe on Jesus and stop being sinful is that hard to understand I don't think it is in fact I know it's not here it's hard when we want to in it's hard when we want to do things that are ungodly the saint takes seriously the doctrine of sanctification in the third place I want to highlight some challenges that face disciples do you think Matthew just skipped away from that tax office and never had a bad thought for the rest of his life he doesn't tell us he did but if he's like every other Christian that's ever lived he most likely did you see when we are converted it doesn't mean that everything just magically changes we're new creatures in Christ Jesus all things are new but there is something continuous in us with the first Adam we have remaining corruption the second Adam has saved us he has redeemed us and there is a time when he will transform our lowly body but up until that time we have remaining corruption Romans 7 Galatians CH 5 there is a struggle in the Christian life so do not take these five things that I have said and say well everybody always does all of these things all the time no they don't Believers struggle with reference to Faith believers get battered Believers get tried Believers struggle Believers don't always manifest repentance as they ought yes they should have a change of mind and yes they should leave off those and they should pursue only their bridegroom but you know what they often times stumble Brethren the remaining struggles for a Christian are manifold there are many remaining corruption is one of the chief among them take the illustration of the conquest in of Israel they went into the promised land what did God do say to them dispossess the land of the Canaanites did they always successfully dispossess the land of the Canaanites no they did not there were these remaining Canaanites in the land we have that right there's struggle I mentioned earlier that our confession deals with this sort of thing again if you have the the idea that this document is simply to promote a high futin Orthodoxy that has no concern for anything practical it is this that drives practical religion again what manual on Modern devotions ever say this and though they may talking about Believers through the Temptation Of Satan and of the world the prevalency of corruption remaining in them and the neglect of the means of their preservation fall into Grievous sins and for a Time continue therein whereby they incur God's displeasure and Grievous Spirit come to have their Graces and Comforts impaired have their hearts hardened and their consciences wounded hurt and scandalize others and bring temporal judgments upon themselves I produce or I promote this statement of faith for the Practical encouragement and comfort that it affords God's hurting people how many times I've heard Brethren say man this is me I'm struggling I'm hurting I'm I'm falling I'm I I'm I've got Corruptions I still have this sin I I'm hurting my family I'm hurting my people this confession then goes on to say yet they shall renew their repentance and be preserved through faith in Christ Jesus to the end may I suggest not only chapter 17 but chapters uh chapter 13 2 and three and chapter 184 on Assurance fact Assurance True Believers may have the Assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken diminished and intermittent it's a struggle don't ever go for me say all he preaches believe on Jesus and repent from your sin your life will just be filled with smiles no I don't I don't think I've ever preached that Benny Hinn preached that Joel ostein will preach that but I doubt you've ever heard it in this Pulpit We Don't Preach the version of the old World War II song mentioned this I think on Wednesday night put your troubles in your old kit bag and smile smile smile that's not Christianity Christianity is the Salter 42 and 43 why are you cast down oh my soul hope thou in God Christianity is the Prophet Jeremiah crying over the Abominations that are done in his Nation Christianity is the suffering and the travail and the trial that often times happens with the people of God and yet amazing beautiful thing even in the midst of those there is that joy that peace which does surpass all understanding I just wanted to at least allude to 18 there we need to understand Brethren that there are struggles and trials in the Christian faith with remaining sin there are struggles and trials in the Christian faith that aren't necessarily sin we backed up a little bit in chapter 8 remember when the disciples are on the boat with Jesus what happens there's a storm the Bible doesn't teach that when Jesus is in your life you'll never have difficulties the Bible teaches just the opposite we've seen that in our studies in 1 Samuel soon as the spirit comes upon David guess what happens to his life becomes a man on the Run hunted like a dog the spirit comes and the troubles begin for David I mean at least in the shepherd's field all he had to deal with were lions and bears now he's got to Fe face this 9- foot monstrosity named Goliath then he's got to face a king who wants to kill him for you know no reason whatsoever so there is difficulty one of the final challenges that the disciple faces and again these are just a sketch you ought to be thankful we're not going to flesh this whole thing out he will never be in this life what he ought to be but should always be thankful that he's not what he once was listen to what Newton said 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 doesn't that capture for the Christian where he's at so yes we tease out what faith what repentance looks like in those who profess the saving Faith so that unbelievers here this morning will hear the call and look and live but we flesh out to Believers that life as Christians often times is like this often times it's 2 feet forward and five back back you get up to go back you get up to go back you get up to go back and by the grace of God you go forward a little bit you praise him and you adore him and you love him and you thank him for that so for unbelievers flee to Believers continue to hold to Christ let us pray father we thank you for your word and we thank you for your grace and we thank you for everything every spiritual blessing that is ours in Christ Jesus I pray that you would give us ears to hear and hearts to receive these things and I pray for Sinners this morning they may feel picked on God I hope that's not the case I hope they know that this is born out of love and a desire to honor God with the truth and to see Sinners saved by grace through faith I pray that they would believe the gospel we live in a wretched wretched world we are filled with wretched wretched sin and the only hope is in the savior Christ by your grace and for your glory Lord God draw men and women and boys and girls unto yourself and demonstrate in our midst that Jesus Christ has power to forgive sin and we pray these things in Christ's name amen we'll close with a brief time of meditation and then be dismissed e e e e