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Passage
Matthew 9:9-17 ESV
As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”
I. CALLING SINNERS TO FOLLOW (9)
A. Matthew is a traitor to the Jews, without a country, & cut off from God.
B. Jesus invites Matthew to follow and he leaves all behind.
II. CELEBRATING WITH SINNERS (10-11)
A. Matthew throws a party for Jesus to celebrate and Jesus joins Him and rejoices with him.
B. Pharisees miss the opportunity to celebrate repentance of a sinner.
III. COMING FOR THE SICK (12-13)
A. The doctor is no good to those who are well. Jesus is no good unless we realize we need Him.
B. Traditions and customs are fine but God wants more than habits. He wants our hearts.
IV. CONSECRATING SOMETHING NEW (14-17)
A. You don’t mourn at wedding, patch jeans with a tuxedo, or serve sweet tea out of a bathtub.
B. Jesus could not just be added to their religious system. He did not come to right Judaism. He came to do something new.
APPLICATION
1. Are you the kind of person and are we the kind of church around which people who are lost and without Jesus feel comfortable?
2. Are you the kind of person & we the kind of church that is more put off by what people do than broken over the state of their heart and soul?
3. Are you the kind of person & we a church that cannot fully embrace the mission of Jesus b/c we try to contain Jesus within our religious traditions?
You can download this week’s sermon at this link:
http://newjourneysermons.com/wp-content/podcasts/NJSermon-14-06-08.mp3