Levi To Matthew Series

Sermon: Levi – to – Matthew- to Chosen by Jesus!

Thesis: Jesus loved changing the identity and direction of people he came across in his ministry. Do you know who you are within the Kingdom of God? Do you know your calling and gifts? Have you believed the Father of lies for your life or the Lord who is the “I am” calling you to the way of truth and to a good life – yes Jesus - The Creator is calling will you? (John 14:6)

Scripture Text: Matthew 9:9-13:

The Calling of Matthew

9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. 10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Introduction:

As I have studied the life of Matthew – I have come to a conclusion that he had an identity crisis.

Identity is a big deal today in our society. We have more people identifying as something other than male or female for the first time in history of the world. The last I heard there were over 70 gender identities being promoted today in our society and modern culture in opposition to the traditional male and female gender identities.

In my view we have a identity crisis going on in our society especially among the younger generation – would you agree?

But I also look at how identity theft is at an all-time high in our society today as well. We have people stealing other people’s identities. Most do it to steal or buy things using other people’s money, credit cards are being stolen to use a person’s good name- why - to purchase things and then stick others with the bills.

Just this last year someone stole one of our checks we mailed at the post office to pay a bill and washed the check and rewrote the check for over 4,000 to themselves with a fake name and the bank cashed it and stuck us with over 4,000 loss.

I had a deacon at my last church come to one day and show me a picture of a beautiful women who wanted to marry him from some Latino country. He corresponded with her for almost a year and then sent her 5,000 to come to America to marry him. It was a fraud and he lost 5,000 dollars. It ended up being a guy who once he had cashed his check told him how stupid he was to send the check.

Google tells me the following about identity theft:

Identity theft continues to be a significant problem in the United States, with millions of cases reported annually and billions of dollars in financial losses. In 2024, over 1.1 million complaints were reported to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). While credit card fraud is a common form, other types of identity theft, such as the misuse of personal information for other fraudulent purposes, are also prevalent.

Here's a more detailed look at the statistics:

Prevalence:

Around 1 in 5 Americans (22%) have experienced identity theft in their lifetime.

Financial Losses:

Identity theft resulted in over $12.5 billion in financial losses in 2024.

Most Common Type:

Credit card fraud is a leading form of identity theft. In 2023, it accounted for 31% of reported cases.

Other Common Types:

Unauthorized use of bank accounts is also a major concern, making up 24% of cases in 2023.

How Identities are Stolen:

Cyber-enabled methods, like online transactions and phishing scams, are the most common way identities are stolen, accounting for 37% of cases.

Age Groups Affected:

Individuals aged 30-39 are most at risk of identity theft.

Reporting:

While millions of cases are reported each year, a significant number of victims may not report the crime, according to Javelin Strategy & Research.

Data Breaches:

Data breaches continue to be a major source of identity theft, with the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) reporting a record number of incidents in 2023.

When you live in a fallen world – you discover quickly people want to steal your identity – to use you, steal from you and even abuse you.

But identity theft and identity confusion is nothing new to the Bible and to God. Satan the deceiver and Father of lies is still spinning his identity confusion within society and the Kingdom. Satan appears in the garden of Eden using the methodology of identity theft and confusion to get Adam and Eve to doubt their God given identities and embrace a false identity which caused them to fall into sin and be cast out of God’s presence.