A rock and roll band called “The Beatles,” came to America during the early 60’s. I could never understand why, but they became famous around the world.
I love good spiritual and secular music, but I have never cared for people screaming through a microphone. They call it music but I call it noise.
These hard rock groups actually dress up like devils because their music is so hellish.
Illus: The story goes that Tom Fogerty has died. He wakes up and finds himself on a stage on which a number of instruments are set up.
Offstage, a door opens and in walks Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Brian Jones, John Lennon, Otis Redding, and Buddy Holly.
Each musician picks up his favorite instrument and begins tuning up.
? Tom walks up to Jimi and says, "Man, so this is what heaven is like."
? Jimi looks at him and says, "Heaven? You think this is heaven?"
There are folks who actually think they are in heaven when they hear this racket, but I think of the opposite.
I understand we all have our choice of music. The style of music I prefer may not be the style you prefer. I understand that!
But I think all of our music should be able to be understood and the songs should have some meaning.
Illus: Driving downtown one Saturday, the father tuned the radio to a country and western station.
? "How can you stand that stuff?" complained his 16-year-old son. “It's all about lonesome cowboys, gunfights and broken hearts."
? Knowing he preferred rock 'n' roll, the dad asked, "Well, what's your music about?"
? "That's the beauty of it," the son said. "You just don't know!"
This group that called themselves “The Beatles” became wealthy and famous for the NOISE that they made! In fact, they became so famous that one of them made the statement that they were more POPULAR THAN JESUS CHRIST!
I challenge that statement. Over two thousands years have come and gone, and when you mention “Beatles,” people think of an insect.
If you mention the name of Jesus Christ, people immediately have thoughts of the greatest person that ever walked on this earth.
? Thousands and thousands of songs have been written about Him.
? Thousands and thousands of ministers have dedicated their lives to spreading the gospel of Christ.
? Thousands of missionaries have left their luxurious homes to live in a country deprived of the necessities of life, to spread the gospel.
? Millions of Christians have built churches all around the world where people can come and worship Him each week.
? Millions of Sunday School teachers prepare Sunday school lessons each week to teach the gospel of Christ.
? More books have been written about Him than any individual that has ever lived on this earth.
? There are literally thousands of Bible Colleges and Seminaries that exist for the purpose of training ministers to go out and preach the Word of God.
He is the most famous individual that has every existed.
Illus: Mel Gibson’s movie, “The Passion of Christ” shocked the world and set all kinds of records because people wanted to go out and learn more about the Lord Jesus. The Hollywood crowd was shocked that such a picture would set such records in attendance.
Make no mistake about it; the Lord Jesus Christ is the most famous person to ever walk on this earth.
We looked at THE LORD’S FAME. In this message, let’s look at -
II. THE LORD’S CALLING
Look at verse 14, we read, “And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.”
Jesus went forth by the lakeshore, that is, by the Sea of Galilee. The crowds of people now flocking to Him were so many that no building or street was large enough to hold them.
As he traveled, He saw Levi the tax collector collecting taxes.
Tax collectors are considered to be honorable people in the days in which we live. However, during the days when the Lord Jesus was here on earth, they were hated and despised for a number of reasons
WHY WERE TAX COLLECTORS HATED DURING THIS TIME? Because tax collectors have enormous power and they know it. Often they abuse this power that is invested in them.
Illus: Did you know that the IRS could literally take your home from you and put you on the street? If you owe $10,000 dollars in back taxes, they can sell your home and get the $10,000 to pay your taxes and your penalties.
BUT GET THIS! Suppose your home is worth a ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. That would leave $90,000 equity. But what a lot people do not know and is that they can also keep the $90,000 equity.
Illus: Sean Hannity, on his national syndicated radio talk show, was furious when he heard about a woman that had two strokes, got behind on her taxes and the IRS took her house, sold it for the taxes and penalties and kept the equity also.
This is why Tax Collectors have always been hated and despised. They have enormous power and they know it, and in many cases they have abused this power by not showing any mercy when mercy should be shown.
During the days of Levi, tax collectors were considered to be traitors, outcasts, and sinners in the minds of Jewish society. They were bitterly hated and ostracized.
They were looked upon as having sold their souls to the Roman authorities. The vast majority were thieves, cheats, and extortioners -- always adding to the legal tax in order to fill their own pockets.
When the Lord Jesus saw Levi, He did not see him as a tax collector, but as an individual. Levi was trying to find happiness in the only way he knew how, and that was to GET AS MUCH MONEY AS HE COULD, HOWEVER HE COULD!
But I believe the Lord could look within him and see the terrible price he had paid for wealth.
? His heart was cut by the piercing eyes, stinging words, isolation, and bitter hatred of the people.
? He ached for forgiveness and reconciliation, both with God and with his people.
Jesus saw the hurt and the ache of it, and Jesus appealed to him to abandon his sin of greed and betrayal, and to follow God.
We can never be effective until we see lost men the way God sees lost men.
Illus: Did you know a man can be drinking and he will spend his whole paycheck buying drinks for everyone in the nightclub?
He does it because he is hurting and he needs a friend. The only way he knows to acquire friends is to take his paycheck and buy everyone in the bar a drink.
The Lord knew the heart of Levi, and the Lord asked him to abandon his profession and to follow Him.
Levi is the same man who wrote the book of Matthew. The Lord Jesus changed his name from Levi to Matthew. The name Matthew means “The gift of Jehovah.”
His friends knew him by the name Levi. For example, both Mark and Luke use the name Levi. (Mark 2:14 and Luke 5:27)
But the Lord came across this man and asked him to do something that a lot of men would not do. He asked him to give up his occupation and follow Him.
Look at verse 14, we read, “…And he arose and followed him.”
When the Lord calls a man like MATTHEW to be one of his disciples, it causes some problems. Let’s look at-
III. THE LORD’S ASSOCIATION
Look at verse 15, we read, “And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.”
Matthew gave up everything to follow Jesus:
? His job
? His enormous income
The call of Jesus disrupted his whole life.
Listen, salvation is free; there is not one thing you can do to earn it. But the cost of following the Lord after salvation requires sacrifice.
It is difficult today to talk about sacrifice to Americans. Why? Because most Americans are so spoiled they do not know anything about sacrifice.
? The Lord Jesus said, in Mark 8:35-36, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
? In Luke 9:23 we read, "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."
? Jesus said, in Luke 14:26, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."
? Jesus said, in Luke 14:33, "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”
When I read these scriptures that are so clear about what is required to be one of the Lord’s disciples, I can’t help but wonder if many who profess to be saved are really saved at all!
Levi was willing to give it all up to follow the Lord and be one of His disciples. He was hated and despised by many. He was an outcast sinner that most Jews did not want anything to do with. But the Lord Jesus came along and chose him to be one of His disciples.
Immediately after his conversion, Matthew invited his associates and friends to a large feast.
Look at Luke 5:29, we read, “And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.”
His old friends were sinners. Yes, they were probably like most sinners and had foul mouths and etc.
Illus: But listen, if you are going to catch fish you have got to go to the fishing hole. You can’t catch them sitting around with your halo on your head watching television.
Illus: One of the drawbacks to Christian schools and home schooling is that they surround themselves with nothing but Christians.
All Christians need to be like Matthew and look up those sinners they used to hang out with and spend some time with them Let them know what the Lord has done for you and that you are praying that the Lord Jesus will do the same for them.
Matthew discovered something wonderful. So he planned a feast, and he invited all his friends to meet Jesus. Matthew did not forget his sinful friends after his conversion. He wanted them to have the wonderful, life-changing experience with Jesus that he had come to know.
Many have the mistaken idea that once you become a Christian you dump all your old sinner friends for your Christian friends.
After his conversion, Levi associated with what the world considered to be the “scum” of the earth.
We have looked at THE LORD’S FAME, THE LORD’S CALLING and THE LORD’S ASSOCIATION. But also, let’s look at-
IV. THE LORD’S ATTITUDE
Not only did Matthew associate with these Publicans and sinners, SO DID THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Look at verses 16-17, we read, “And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
While the Lord Jesus is ASSOCIATING with these Publicans and sinners, look at the religious “Snobs” in these verses.
They saw the Lord EATING and TALKING to the publicans and sinners and they came to his disciples. I find that interesting. They did not go to the Lord; they went to His disciples.
WHY IS IT THAT PEOPLE WILL NOT GO TO THE PERSON THEY HAVE SOMETHING AGAINST?
If they are sincere and it is a sincere misunderstanding they will go to the person and talk with them. But when people are up to no good, they will go behind someone’s back that they hate and do everything they can to try and cause problems.
WHY WOULD THEY DO SUCH A THING? To put it point blank, they are STRAIGHT FROM HELL!
Most likely, they were hoping that when they complained to these disciples, the disciples might say, “Yea, we do not understand why He is hanging out with that crowd either!”
WHAT WAS THEIR COMPLAINT? They said, “How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?”
But notice this; JESUS HEARD THEIR COMPLAINT. The Lord always hears the bellyaching that the ungodly spew out of their mouths.
The Lord set them straight. The reason He came was to seek and to save the Lost, and He said in verse 17, “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
WHAT IS THE LORD JESUS SAYING?
Illus: Suppose you talk to someone tomorrow and they say to you, “I am going to the doctor tomorrow.”
You ask, “Oh, do you have a physical problem?” They say, “No, I do not have anything to do so I thought I might go see him.”
Listen, people do not do things like that. They go to see a Physician when they need some help.
The Lord Jesus says that the lost world is sick in sin and that is WHY HE CAME! HE CAME TO SEEK AND SAVE THE LOST!
Conclusion:
We have looked at:
I. THE LORD’S FAME
II. THE LORD’S CALLING
III. THE LORD’S ASSOCIATION
IV. THE LORD’S ATTITUDE
