Scripture Reading: Matthew 9:9-13
A sermon preached on Sunday, August 11, 2013 at Hebron Baptist Church in Denham Springs, Louisiana by Pastor Joe Alain.
The story of Matthew inviting his friends to his home for a meal and to learn about Jesus is at the very heart of the "My Hope America" emphasis this November, an emphasis that each one of us can participate in to reach our friends and neighbors for Christ. Most Christians want to share their faith, but they just don’t know how to get started, where to begin. Matthew’s story helps us to understand how each of us can do something very simple to reach our friends for Christ, as well as showing us how to overcome some of the barriers we have in sharing our faith.
We find Matthew’s story in Matthew 9:9-13. His story answers the most common objections that we face in sharing our faith.
1. Meeting Jesus (9:9)Objections: #1: Some people are to sinful for God to forgive. #2: People are not interested in the Gospel of Christ and will not respond.
Matthew was a tax collector and as such he would have been considered a traitor by his people. When Rome annexed territories they naturally sought to tax the people. They had an effective way of doing this, they hired people in the lands they conquered. They would bid out the jobs to the highest bidder. Tax collecting became a profitable business for both the government and the individuals collecting the taxes. Because of the way the job was set up, the unscrupulous and greedy were the ones who ended up being your tax collector. Whatever they charged above what Rome required was theirs, so tax collectors were typically well off.
Tax collectors were hated by their fellows Jews and from the Jewish perspective they were in a separate class of "sinners" (see 9:11). In their eyes, Matthew had betrayed his people by becoming a tax collector. He had sold his soul to the devil for money. Tax collectors were shut out from God’s people and they were seen as too sinful to forgive. They had crossed a line that no one could cross. Of course, Matthew knows he’s hated, he knows he’s crossed the line, he most certainly feels the burden of being estranged from both God and his fellow Jews. His only friends are other outcasts like himself.
But Jesus loved Matthew in spite of his betrayal and sinful lifestyle. Jesus came for sinners like Matthew. "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (9:13). The truth is, God loves the people of this world and does not want them to perish in their sins (Jn. 3:16). "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him" (Jn. 3:17). The only people too sinful to forgive are the ones who will not come to Jesus and be saved. "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son" (Jn. 3:18).
Jesus saw Matthew at his tax collecting booth and said to him, "Follow me." Immediately, "Matthew got up and followed him." We don’t know what was going on in Matthew’s mind when Jesus came his way that day, but we know that he was interested in the Gospel and he did respond. We can only imagine that his lifestyle must have weighed heavy on him. He must have come to the point in his life where he began to question, "Is this worth it? Is my lifestyle worth sacrificing my family, my people, my peace, my God?"
I’m sure Matthew looked as if he had everything together, most people can put up a pretty good front. People become good at hiding their needs and problems so that others do not see them, but Jesus sees, and He knows how to help those who are hurting. Inside Matthew’s struggling, he’s seeking and when Jesus comes by his tax booth that day, he sees hope, he sees forgiveness, he sees that a different life is possible. Jesus looked into his lonely life and spoke to him, "Follow Me." There are many people today who can not see how their life could be any different than what it is today. They don’t know the truth, that in Christ they can become a new person, their old life and sinful lifestyle can be washed clean by God (2 Cor. 5:17). They do not know that there is hope in Jesus.
Following Jesus in the New Testament always meant a literal following him as a disciple, hearing and doing what he did. Following Jesus still means watching and listening to Jesus and doing what he did. To follow Jesus is to respond to his call, it is to attach yourself to his person, and it is to imitate him.
The Gospel of Matthew emphasizes the decisiveness of following Jesus. Matthew "got up and followed him." This does not suggest that Matthew’s decision was made hastily. Jesus does not call us to make "hasty" and "quick" decisions, but he does call us to be "decisive." We cannot be neutral on Jesus. To follow Jesus is a decision of the will, it’s to be a well-thought-out decision, it’s a clear break from your past life of sin, it’s putting your hands to the plow as Jesus said and not looking back. Jesus gave Matthew an imperative, to follow Him and Matthew did. And Matthew’s decision implies a continuing to follow Him. This decision to follow Jesus has a decisive beginning point (aorist), but it continues on.
After he met Jesus, Matthew shared Jesus. Here we discover two more objections to sharing our faith and how Matthew’s story addresses those concerns.
2. Sharing Jesus (9:10-13)Objections: #3: I am not trained to tell people about Jesus. It is too hard for me to do. #4: I will be criticized by others or embarrassed if people do not respond.
Apparently, Matthew in gratitude to Jesus threw a dinner party and Jesus was the guest of honor (v.10)! In attendance were "many tax collectors and sinners" (presumably Matthew’s friends and associates), and they ate alongside Jesus and his disciples. It was a tax collector’s convention and Jesus was the key note speaker! Matthew never went through a personal witnessing class, he wasn’t trained, he simply used what he had to introduce others to Jesus Christ: his home, his food, and his relationships. What better way for Matthew to show his gratitude than to throw a party in Jesus’ honor. And Matthew wants his friends to know Jesus too. He did not forget his old associates.
Word got out about Matthew’s party and the critics chimed in. The Pharisees were critical of the fact that Jesus and his disciples were at Matthew’s home eating with "tax collectors and sinners." And yet, who better to have at your home to meet Jesus than people who need Jesus? Jesus tells the critics "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
When you take the Gospel seriously, when you seek to live it out, when you follow Jesus you will face criticism. Don’t listen to your critics. When criticized for his way of reaching people for Jesus, the man asked his critic, "what plan for reaching people do you have?" To which the man replied, "I don’t have a plan." The man being criticized replied, "I like my plan better than yours." Matthew apparently did not let the cold water committee ruin his party. From what we know of Matthew he only continued to grow in the Lord and he influenced many more for Christ during his life. God used him to give us the Gospel that bears his name.
Evangelism (Verb): Eu/angel/izoOur fear of sharing Jesus can be overcome when we understand what evangelism is and what it is not. In the biblical language two words make up the word "evangelism." One word ("eu") means "good" and is found in many of our English words. For example, Eu/phoria is a "good" feeling. Eu/reka is a "good" discovery. Eu/logy is a "good" word about someone who is deceased. The other word is "angel" and means message or messenger. So evangelism is "saying a good word about Jesus." And what good word do we have to say? That word of his death and resurrection! We do not save anyone and we’re not responsible for how people respond. We simply speak a good word about Jesus and what he’s done for us and what he will do for them.
Do people need to hear about Jesus? Are there still "sick" people? There are people all around just like us with the same struggles, the same anxieties, who feel overwhelmed by life’s problems. We don’t look down on them, instead, we want to lift them up, we want to bring them hope, and a good word about Jesus brings hope to the hopeless. You can do this! You do not have to be a pastor or teacher. You can bring a good word about Jesus to your friends and neighbors. If you’ve met Jesus you can share Jesus.
Let me encourage you to watch the video explaining the "My Hope" emphasis this November at the website, myhopewithbillygraham.org. Pray about becoming a "Matthew" and hosting an event at your home or other place the week of November 3-9. You can sign up to be a "Matthew" in the church’s foyer. A "Matthew" training event will be held on Sunday, September 22nd at 5:00 p.m.
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe
Sunday, August 11, 2013
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