Matthew 9:9–13
9As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.
10Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” 12But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 13“But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Focused Thinking:
What did Jesus see when He saw Matthew?
Did He see Matthew the tax collector or did He see Matthew the person?
- He saw Matthew the person.
- He saw Matthew the person who is an outcast.
- He saw Matthew the person who is hated.
No one likes being an outcast.
No one likes being hated.
Matthew had to be a hurting person.
Matthew had to be a conflicted person.
Matthew had to be a lonely person.
What did it mean to Matthew when Jesus, a rabbi, said “Follow Me”?
Can you imagine what took place in Matthew’s heart?
- It is hard to imagine what it felt like to be wanted.
- It is hard to imagine what it felt like to be valued.
- It is hard to imagine what it felt like to be called.
What did the disciples think?
What did the Pharisees and Scribes think?
What did the Jews think?
Jesus crossed a line no one wanted Him to cross.
Jesus loved someone no one wanted Him to love.
Jesus forgave someone no one wanted Him to forgive.
Jesus restored someone no one wanted Him to restore.
What happened after Jesus called Matthew?
10Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples.
When you love one sinner, other sinners want to be loved.
When you restore one sinner, other sinners want to be restored.
When you forgive one sinner other sinners want to be forgiven.
When you free one sinner other sinners want to be freed.
“MANY tax collectors and sinners came and were dinning with Jesus and His disciples.
We don’t have an evangelism problem; we have a love problem.
We don’t have an evangelism problem; we have an acceptance problem.
We don’t have an evangelism problem; we have a serving problem.
Personal Application:
We need to prioritize this truth this fall.
We need to turn this truth into a doable plan.
We need to turn this truth into a 40 Day “Friend of Sinners” campaign.
- 40 Days of “The Golden Rule”
- “Treat others as you want to be treated.”
- 40 Days of “The New Commandment”
- “Love one another even as I have loved you.”
- 40 Days of “Invest and Invite”
We don’t have a God problem; we have a lack of invest and invite problem.
We don’t have a Good News problem; we have a lack of invest and invite problem.
We don’t have a love problem; we have a lack of invest and invite problem.
We don’t have a forgiveness problem; we have a lack of invest and invite problem.
We don’t have a freedom problem; we have a lack of invest and invite problem.
We don’t have a life-change problem; we have a lack of invest and invite problem.
We don’t have a faith, hope and love problem; we have a lack of invest and invite problem.
I believe the timing of today’s priority time is PERFECT.
It is God’s perfect timing that I’m in this passage as I’m preparing for my “Friend of Sinners” series on Luke 15.
It is God’s perfect timing that I’m in this passage after I visited Elevation Church and NewSpring Church this weekend.
Interactive Prayer:
Father, thank you for communicating so clearly about Your vision for Highpoint. Father, thank you for birthing this in my heart and showing me Your heart for the lost. Father, thank you for loving Matthew, the tax collector. Father, thank you for loving the outcast. Father, thank you for wanting the unwanted. Father, give our church a passion for being a “Friend of Sinners.” Father, give us Your ability to love others with Your love. Father, make us a church that is awesome at loving people.
Father, give me vision and direction as to how to mobilize our people to love people. Show me how to give our people specific instructions and directions to encourage their obedience. Father, I pray that our people will catch the fire in Your heart of loving the sinner. Father, I pray that every single person in our church will have the opportunity to see someone they invested in and invite trust Christ. I pray that every single person in our church will have the privilege of baptizing someone. Father, help me to remember to teach, encourage and challenge every person to pray that God will give them the privilege to baptize someone. Father, make us a people who are awesome at loving people, awesome at connecting people, awesome at serving people and awesome at giving to people.
Father, I pray that we will see hundreds of people saved and baptized through this initiative to be a “Friend of Sinners.” Is there anything more beautiful than that? Father, give us specific visions about how to do this. Father, give us clear plans to carry out this vision and to live it out continuously. Father, speak to my heart and anoint Your message through me. Father, accomplish Your work in and through this church. Father, give us the pleasure joining the chorus of great joy in heaven that occurs when one sinner repents.
Focused Thinking:
What did the Pharisees do when they saw this?
11When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?”
They were negative and critical.
They were too good to associate with them.
What did Jesus say to them?
12But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.
Jesus is the Great Physician and He came for the sick.
Only sinners need a Savior.
Jesus came for sinners.
Who is missing from that mission?
No one!
No one, except the self-righteous.
No one, except the healthy.
Who qualifies as healthy?
No one!
What did Jesus tell the Pharisees to do?
13“But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
“I desire compassion, not sacrifice,”
- I desire what you are not giving.
- Your sacrifice means nothing to me without compassion.
- Your sacrifice isn’t about me; it is about you.
- Your sacrifice isn’t true sacrifice; it is hypocritical sacrifice.
“I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
- I didn’t come for you; I came for the tax collectors and sinners.
- I didn’t come for you; I came for Matthew.
“I am the Savior and I came for Sinners.”
- I came to forgive the unforgiven.
- I came to free the enslaved.
Personal Application:
How beautiful!
Can you imagine what it would look like if it were the other way?
Can you imagine how corrupt we would be to prove our goodness?
“FRIEND OF SINNERS”
WOW!
That makes me love Jesus.
That makes me love sinners.
That takes the emphasis off of me.
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