The Transformation of the Twelve, Part Three
(Matt. 10:2-3)
Main Idea: The Apostles were very human men, just like us. And just as Jesus took these diamonds in the rough and polished them into gems, so God wants us to reach our spiritual potential by spending time with Jesus.
I. Levi Matthew: The Godless Man Who Became Godly
1. From a recent sermon, you remember that Matthew had been a tax collector, forsaking God and Judaism...
---excommunicated and cut off from the people of God
---probably well taught in childhood, named Levi, his Gospels quotes OT more than any other
---Matthew is called the son of Alpheus and possibly the brother or half brother of James the lesser (also called a son of Alpheus); Alpheus was Jesus uncle or great uncle (also called Clophas)....(Mark 2:14)---Matthew would have been a first or second COUSIN to Jesus....
2. The Talmud, "It is righteous to lie and deceived a tax collector."
3. His overwhelming sense of sin made it easier to follow the Lord Jesus Christ whole-heartedly; little to be proud of in himself...
4. A heart for the Lost: invited all his rowdy friends to come and hear Jesus...banquet....
5. Probably was detail-oriented and accurate
----The Gospel of Matthew is as smooth as can be, very logical order
----Tax collectors, book work, etc..
6. Traditions says he preached in several different nations....
FILL IN CHART
II. James the Lesser
1. Probably the brother of Matthew Levi; young or short?
2. May have been Christ’s 1st or 2nd cousin, and Matthew may have been as well....
3. We know next to nothing about him; like Andrew who lived in the shadows of Peter, so James the lesser seems to be have been quiet, introverted....
(1) people who are pasionate often leave no room to recognize that God can use, bless and approve of
the reserved, quiet types.....the Apostles BEAR testimony that this is nonsense...
(2) Christ could have chosen 12 outgoing natural born leaders: He chose only some this way....
(3) Many good leaders are not great extroverts....but they have to be nudged into leadership....
(4) What about you? Are you hesitant to get involved? HPC welcomes you; we are a fortress where you
won’t be bullied or put down if you are not a go-getter or filled with intenese passions....Like the 12, we want a variety of personalities here...
4. Church tradition says he preached in Persia/Iran and was crucified there.
FILL IN THE CHART
CONCLUSION
1. The 12 Apostles were all different, yet they were united because of their faith in Jesus...
2. We are all different: backgrounds, education, personality--it is our faith, not our same-ness, that unites us.
