What Are You Here For?: I Know A Doctor

April 25th, 2021/Riverside & Lookout

Story: Calling Dr. J

Passage: Matthew 9:9-13 CSB

9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him.

10 While he was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples.

11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 Now when he heard this, he said, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Pray:

Title: I Know A Doctor

Main Points:

1. Jesus Invites Him In
   1. 9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him.
   2. EX: Jesus is calling His disciples that will follow Him and learn from His teachings. He chooses an unlikely and misfit group of men to come alongside and serve with Him. He chose fishermen, a zealot, a tax collector, a thief, and we don’t know about the others. Jesus wasn’t interested in the brightest, wealthiest, or most esteemed… He obviously had a different criteria as He called His disciples. Some might say, unlikely.

   3. Illust: Wouldn’t you think that if God was going to target a group of individuals to champion the efforts of the Gospel that He would have chosen the “most qualified”? Maybe the “most educated” or “most eloquent?” Not at all!

      1. Aren’t you grateful that God can take the unlikely, and use them to change the world! Jesus desires to do the extraordinary through the unlikely.
      2. You see, He’s not looking for the able, but the available.
         4. “He saw…”

      3. I want to appeal to somebody here today, we’ve got to open our eyes. Jesus saw opportunity in the most unlikely of places. Jesus saw potential when everyone else saw a prostitute and perpetrator.

         1. “Jesus, give us eyes like you!” How many times has someone been too difficult, too far gone, too outside of your comfort zone for you to meet them where they are and invite them in.
         2. Give me eyes like Jesus that I might remove any prejudice and judgement. Give me eyes like Jesus that I might see what others dismiss!
         3. Who are you disqualifying? Who are you afraid to take a chance on?
            5. Matthew was a tax collector and was sitting at his post when Jesus found him.
               1. Tax collectors in this time were outcasts and considered unacceptable in religious circles because they were considered unclean. Under rabbinic law they could not even serve as witnesses in a court of law. They were socially unacceptable. Orthodox Jews wouldn’t walk with them, do business with them, or give or receive anything from them. They were outcasts, unaccepted. Matthew was a Jew who was appointed by the Romans to be the area tax collector. They had a reputation for taking more commission than what was due. He was a social, political, and religious outcast!
               2. Aren’t you grateful that even though Matthew was unacceptable to everyone, He was accepted by Jesus! Even though He was considered an outcast to the religious, Jesus saw potential and invited Him as a disciple! You’re not too far! You’re not too deep! God’s inviting you in! He’s calling you out!
               3. Question: Who am I talking to today that has felt unworthy and unacceptable? That the enemy worked overtime to convince you that shame, guilt, and past sin has counted you out in the Kingdom. GOD DOESN’T LOOK UPON YOU WITH PITY, BUT PURPOSE! YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AND CALLED UP!
               4. Don’t count out, what God has invited in! Don’t overlook what God has engaged! Don’t disqualify, who God gave His life for!
            6. Jesus invited, Matthew accepted.
               1. He not only accepted the invitation, but he left everything to follow Jesus. Unlike Peter, who could always go back to fishing, Matthew guaranteed future unemployment. He left everything and knew there was no turning back!
               2. “So, leaving everything behind*, he got up and began to follow him.”* - Luke 5:28 CSB
               3. Are you willing to leave everything behind if Jesus calls you? Are you willing to walk away from a more lucrative job? More promising career? More fun adventure?
               4. Jesus is inviting you to something so much bigger! So much better! So much more than you could possibly imagine! Does He have your yes?
               5. Little did Matthew know that He would use his skills of writing and keeping a record, to go on and write the first Gospel that we are reading today.
         4. Matthew invites Him over
            1. 10 While he was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples.

      4. “Then Levi (Matthew) hosted a grand banquet for him at his house. Now there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining at the table with them.” - Luke 5:29 CSB

      5. Jesus wasn’t secretly walking up in the “sinners house”, he was reclining and chilaxing at the table. Both passages speak of “many tax collectors” and a “grand banquet”.

      6. Matthew’s life has just been turned upside down and he invites Jesus over to his home and invites all of his friends and co-workers! Wow! Jesus also wasn’t alone, but He had His other disciples with Him.

         2. Matthew invites Jesus to be his honored guest

      7. When Jesus has changed your life, you should want others to experience the same grace that you’ve been given.

      8. Question: You may have accepted the invitation to follow Jesus, but have you accepted the call to bring others to His name?

      9. When Jesus changes your life you can’t help but share about it.

         3. Jesus put His reputation on the line to reach those that were far from Him.

      10. If we’re going to make an eternal and significant impact for the Kingdom, then we cannot worry or fear losing our reputation for the cause of Christ.

      11. Jesus clarifies the call

          1. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 Now when he heard this, he said, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
          2. This doesn’t make any sense? Why would Jesus associate with such scum? (As one translation says) Surely He associated with sinners because He must be like them or that He wished to indulge in their sin. Absolutely not. He was meeting people where they are!

      12. In our context we hear about those that need a doctor and we think, go to the hospital. But in those days there weren’t hospitals, doctors made house calls. He met the sick person literally where they are.

          3. Reexamine Hosea 6:6
      13. “For I desire faithful love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” - Hosea 6:6 CSB
      14. Is your pursuit of God in your religious activity, or your faithful love relationship with Him? Jesus' purpose for coming to this earth was to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins! Therefore He came for the sinners! He had a call and purpose, and this is still our purpose today.
          4. What is the call?
      15. “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” - Luke 5:32
      16. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9

Closing:

Invitation: I would change language here to invitation. invitations have been powerful the past few weeks. maybe give 2-3 questions to the believer and unbeliever and then remember to say the prayer team is available at the front.

1. How many of you have disqualified yourself from being used and need to be reminded today that God desires to use you?
2. I know while I was preaching God brought people to your mind that He desires you to be intentional with in this season, I want to pray for you and them, if that’s you will you raise your hand?
3. I wonder if there are a few in the room that would say I haven’t taken a seat at Jesus’ table yet and I'm feeling the invite today… give the Gospel.