I want to begin this morning by showing a deeply moving and theologically packed video clip that not only is animated and frivolous, but also 3 months too early in the year. But, this does help introduce a certain character we’re going to learn from this morning.
(Show clip from “The Toy that Saved Christmas”)
Amazing, isn’t it, how even a kind-hearted cucumber who would allow a bank robber and a Viking to come into his house doesn’t have 2 words for the man from the IRS!
Opinions of taxes and the people who help collect them haven’t changed much over the centuries.
In Jesus’ day, the men who collected taxes were not only collecting taxes, but were collecting them for the Roman government from Jews who had been forced into subjection. Not only were they for Rome, but they were exorbitant, and the men who collected them made them more exorbitant. Tax collectors got their position by being the highest bidder – they were sell outs to the bad guys.
This morning, we read not only about the change in the life of one of these men, but we read it from his pen. Levi, or Matthew, the son of Alpheus, went on to become the writer of one of the most often read books of the whole Bible. He left his business to become something better.
Ill - Imagine with me this morning being part of a business where not everyone was sure what the business was doing. The janitor thinks they’re a cleaning business. The secretary thinks they’re a public relations business. The book keepers think they’re an accounting firm. And somewhere, off in an office, is a CEO who thinks they’re a manufacturing factory!
If you were to ask anyone in that company, “How’s business?” the answer would all depend on their perception of what their business is supposed to be.
If the floors were clean, and everything well dusted, the janitor might say “Great!” even though they were posting a loss that year. If the secretary had a bad day, and the phone had her too busy, and she was frazzled, she might say, “Not so good” even though production was up that week.
It would all depend on the question: What’s your business?
When we start asking “How’s business?” in the Church, you’ll get a variety of answers. It depends on each person’s idea of what the church’s business is.
We need to be asking “How’s business?” in the church. I want us to do both this morning. One thing that will help us is our vision statement. Another is what Jesus made His business. I’m convinced that the business of the church follows closely behind that of Jesus.
So, let’s ask Him today: What’s your business? What would he say?
Jesus, what’s your business?
I. To Call People to Follow Me
(Matthew 9:9) 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.
This is now the 2nd time we read about Jesus calling people to radical action – to leave their livelihood and follow Him. And once again, the gospel writers all 3 help us to see the immediate response. It was Jesus’ business to call people to follow Him.
If we’re interested in carrying on Jesus’ business, we should make that our business now.
1. We should call them from where they are (without apology)
Mt may not have seemed a very likely prospect. Most good people couldn’t stand to be around him. But Jesus knew that Mt needed to be called from his lifestyle to follow Him. And Jesus didn’t apologize for asking him to leave it.
Ill – Up around Schell City, MO, on the Osage River, there are different ways people go catfishing. Some ways are more passive than others. Jug lines involve taking a milk jug and tying a line just below it. Fish comes along, swallows the bait, and can’t go down to get away. The guy who sets the jug line just goes around in a boat and picks them out of the water. Another passive way is called a trotline, where a long line with a bunch of hooks is left in the water and picked up later. Another way is the limb line, where a line is tied off on a tree limb somewhere along the bank. People who fish this way just have to come along and check their lines to see if they’ve caught anything.
Remember, when Jesus called the 4 fishermen to become fishermen for men? Fishing for men isn’t done with jug lines or trot lines! It means going where they are. That’s what Jesus was doing on this day. When Jesus issued the great commission, He assumed we’d go into the world. In other words, if we’re not in some way invading or infiltrating the ranks of the world with the love of Jesus, we’re not carrying out the commission of Jesus!
What’s our business? It’s our business to go into the world and invite people to follow Jesus. So how’s business? Are we fishing for men like a bass pro in a big boat, going where they are and seeking them out, or are we setting a trotline and just waiting for them to swim by sometime and we’ll check it once in a while?
2. We should call them to follow Jesus
Ill – When something has been really good for you, you tell others about it, don’t you?
• Man, we went to this condo for a vacation, and boy was it great!
• We tried this new restaurant. You should go there!
• I’ve been using this new diet plan. I’ve lost 20 lbs!
• I went to this chiropractor and he really helped me!
I’m afraid that sometimes we invite people to Jesus apologetically. “You might try visiting my church – It may help.” If you’re not convinced that someone you know would be better off following Jesus, then don’t call them to do that! You’ve got yourself to work on first!
Otherwise, why not have the same attitude that you use when you have something good to share with people? “Oh, you should do this! It will be good for you! You won’t regret it!”
Enough of feeling bad for suggesting that Jesus is the only way to heaven! Do you believe He is?
Enough of being sheepish! Enough of thinking “It’s none of my business.”
It is our business!
I point you to our vision statement. We’ve committed our lives to teach the Bible to direct personal living. That means we’re pointing people to the truth of the gospel with the idea that they’ll live it.
That’s our business.
Church, how’s business?
How are we doing at unapologetically calling people to leave where they’re at in life and take up new life by following Jesus? If you’re not somehow involved in this, you just answered the question!
II. To Care More About People than Comfort or Appearances
(Matthew 9:10-12) While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
What a great idea! Matthew is so excited and committed to Jesus, he holds a bon voyage party for himself and invites all his tax-collector and outcast buddies. You have to understand that “eating with” somebody was a serious association in those days. The Pharisees and their scribes never associated with people of ill repute. So, they gripe to Jesus’ disciples for His choice that day. It wasn’t because they were worried about Jesus becoming corrupted. It was because they didn’t care a spit in the wind about those people.
I have to tell you that for most of my life I’ve majored in the “keeping yourself separated” commandment, and I’ve managed to do a decent job of it. I could point you to all the Scriptures that command us to be pure and unique – to live as aliens and strangers in the world:
(James 1:27) Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after
orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
(James 4:4) don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
(1 Corinthians 15:33) Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."
(2 Corinthians 6:14-17) Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial ? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God… come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."
(Ephesians 5:7-8) …do not be partners with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.
(1 Thessalonians 5:22) Avoid every kind of evil.
I knew all about those. I figured, if I was never around the people of the world, I’d never be pressured by the people of the world, or corrupted by them. (Unless, of course, I have a TV, or the internet, or I ever leave my house.) So, I could tell you about staying separated from worldly people.
I’ll still be the 1st person to tell you that your closest friends ought to be Christians – that the people who influence you ought to be the right influence. That the person you choose for your spouse has to share your faith in Jesus. Those commands of Scripture are just as true and important as ever, but they also have to be taken with the rest of Scripture that tells us how to relate to the world:
2 Corinthians 2:15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.
(1 Peter 2:12) Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
Or try this one on:
(1 Corinthians 5:9-10) I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people--not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.
(Story - It is said that Dr. Mortimer Adler suddenly left a discussion group at a tea quite disgusted, slamming the door after him. One person trying to relieve the tension, remarked, "Well, he's gone." To this the hostess replied, "No, he isn't. That's a closet!" We’re just as successful when it comes to “leaving the world.” As long as you’re here, you’re here!
(1 Corinthians 5:11) But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
Let’s say you’re a student, and let’s say there’s 2 groups you can be seen with. One is a group of immoral kids. They don’t claim to be Christians, and they don’t live like it. At least they’re consistent! The other is a group of kids who claim to be Christians, and have that appearance in some ways, but they’re slanderous, or into alcohol, or would compromise good morals for money – in other words, they’re claiming the name of Jesus, but not living like it. Between just those 2 groups, who should you associate with? According to Paul, not the so-called Christians! He says you can’t get away from worldly people - you’d have to leave the world! But you should make an effort to not associate yourself with people who claim to be Christians but aren’t living it out. Jesus chose to be around the riffraff and change them.
Now, I’ll bet that you can tell me of some people in your school or in your workplace who aren’t Christians and don’t claim to be. I’ll bet you can also tell me of some people there who claim Jesus as their Lord but don’t live like it. Which group do you associate with? Take a hard look at this passage of Scripture and re–think the company you keep and why.
OK, but what will people say?
Well, if Jesus’ experience counts for anything, hypocritical, uncaring people - who don’t care about the people that God cares about - will say bad things about you. They’ll call you things…
(Matthew 11:19) The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions."
Worldly people, the ones you genuinely love and call to change, will be saying things like, “I like this guy. I like to be around him. He actually cares about me more than he cares about what people say.” It’s the self-righteous and hypocritical who say, “Just look at the company he’s keeping!”
When Jesus was accused of hanging around with sinful people, the only defense He gave was the nature and purpose of His whole ministry. He needed to associate with sinful people in order to change sinful people. Don’t forget the title of this series. Stand in awe every time you hear it. It comes from
(John 1:10-11) He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
Ill - 2 years ago, April 16th, 1999, was Friend Day. Everyone was encouraged to bring their non-Christian friends to VHCC for the Sunday morning services. Lots of people got on board with this. I talked to a lot of our members who were excited at the prospect of some friend who needed the Lord coming with them that day. But you know what I heard more than that, and had to say also about myself? - “I don’t really have any friends who aren’t Christians.” That was an eye-opener. I’ve tried to make some changes to that.
The charge that Jesus associated with sinners was His glory, not His shame. And I’m asking, conversely, isn’t our collective lack of redemptive association with sinners to our shame more than it is to our glory?
We all know what it’s like to be loved by someone and to respond to that love. “He loves me,” “she loves me,” and we find ourselves drawn to that person. I know we understand this because of I Jn 4:19 – “We love because he first loved us.”
Why did tax collectors want to hang around with Jesus? Because He genuinely loved them. They loved because He first loved them.
We know this works! It worked on us! Will it work now, if we do it? Will people respond to us preemptively loving them with the love of Jesus if we practice it? Look at our vision statement again: we’ve committed ourselves to proclaim the love of Jesus to Joplin, to demonstrate God’s love by service.
What’s your business? The business of the Church, if we’re serious about carrying on the business of Jesus, is to care more about people than comfort or appearances, without apologies to hypocrites.
So, how’s business? How are we doing at this?
Right now, in your bulletin, or on something that you can write on, write down the name of 3 non-Christians that you know and see enough of to influence them. If you can’t come up with the names of 3 people you can influence to know Jesus, start making a plan now for how you’re going to change that. And if you did put down 3 names, start planning a way for you to better impact those people with less concern for your comfort or appearances than you have for their souls.
III. To Invite People to be Healed
(Matthew 9:12-13) Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Jesus has a ready response for the hypocrite. He pointed them to Hosea 6:6 and he used a phrase that would have just fried the Pharisees and their scribes: “Go and learn” – it was the equivalent to saying, “Go back and redo your homework, boys.” Jesus was telling the “experts” to go back and try again on this one!
The context of Hosea 6:6 is God’s deep emotion over His peoples’ tendency to wander away from Him. He wants their hearts, not just their empty ritual. He wants them to have genuine hearts, that care about His concerns. He cared about them. He wants them to care as well.
Go back and learn that, guys! You’re not caring about people the way God wants you to!
Jesus gives a quick statement about His business here. We could restate it in 2 parts:
1. I didn’t come to call the righteous to repentance
Until the Pharisees would accept that they needed healing, they would never respond to Jesus’ call to repent. But for people labeled tax collectors and sinners, that wasn’t such a reach.
Until someone is sick, they don’t need to be healed. That’s a statement of the obvious, right? Then why do we miss it so often? How much of what we do, as a church body, is directed at already saved people?
It doesn’t make sense that Christians should continually gather together and challenge each other to repentance. In fact, the author of Hebrews warns against it:
(Hebrews 6:1-2) Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
To what do we press on and grow? It doesn’t make sense to lay another foundation.
It does make sense, though, that we would continually gather together and urge each other on to reach the lost.
(Hebrews 10:24-25) let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another… I picture the early church spending a lot of time encouraging one another to impact their world.
If we’re going to carry on the business of Jesus, we’re going to not have a focus that just deals with righteous people. We’re going to have to look outside the church body at others.
Maybe we could put out on our marquee what I read on one years ago: “You’re not so bad that you can’t come here, and you’re not so good that you don’t need to!
2. I did come to call sinners to repentance
That’s the business Jesus was in. That’s the business of the church. How’s business? I don’t just mean, “How are we doing at getting people to come into this building, at this place?” I mean, how are we, as the VHCC family, doing as a people at this business of calling people to change and to follow Jesus?
Ill – Can you imagine a hospital for only well people? The Emergency Room is low stress, because the nurses and doctors there just sit around and take each others’ blood pressure all day. Sick people aren’t encouraged to come in. In fact, they’re shunned. After all, sick people are so much more work, and they just raise the stress level!
I know that there has been a lot of debate over whether Sunday morning services should be geared for people who are saved or for people who aren’t. Should we be seeker driven, or is the worship time for believers.
I’m concluding it’s not an “either/or” assignment. The Bible talks about given attention to the impressions we leave on unbelievers who visit our assemblies. But it also speaks of what we ought to be doing as a body gathered together.
I’m becoming convinced that our times of getting together ought to serve both purposes. They ought to encourage Christian people to grow – to get past the milk and baby formula of being a Christian and get to the meat. And they also ought to be an experience where non-Christian people, some who are listening to this right now, are introduced to Jesus and see what it means to worship and adore Him. And it ought to be an event where those people are called to repentance.
That was the business of Jesus. That’s our business today.
How’s business?
Are we growing up as a body of believers? Are we done setting the foundation stones and started building? Are we also presenting ourselves as people who care about someone besides ourselves?
Remember, it’s the sick who need a doctor.
Aline is going to sing a song that’s not easy to listen to. If it makes you uncomfortable, it has served its purpose.
Conclusion:
There are a lot of sick people out there – a lot of people who are looking for the kind of healing that can come only through Jesus Christ.
Our ability to reach them doesn’t depend on some yet undiscovered method. It depends on us having straight in our minds what our business is, and then honestly assessing, “How’s business?”
