The Benefits Of Looking Back

THE BENEFITS OF LOOKING BACK

Matthew 9:9-10

I want you to imagine that just outside the doors of this church is a time machine that will immediately transport you back to the day that you were born again. If this were possible, and you could arrive at the very moment of your conversion, what word would you use to describe your emotions at that specific point in time? I am sure that the majority would say they were excited. This is perhaps the best word that we can use, but it fails to adequately explain that overwhelming feeling that occurs when God takes you from death unto life. When the Holy Spirit does His unparalleled work in our lives, we are crushed by the weight of our sin, terrified at the prospect of an eternity separated from God and amazed at the offer of salvation through Jesus Christ. Upon our surrender that weight of sin is lifted, we are reconciled to God and assured of salvation in Christ. When this happens we experience peace, hope, joy, and indescribable appreciation for God’s work of redemption in our lives. These (and many more) emotions should remain with us throughout the remainder of our lives.

Now, I want you to get back in your hypothetical time machine and set the date, time and location for June 9th, 2024, 10:47, Stockdale Baptist Church. Whether you have been saved for a year, a decade, or half a century, ask yourself this question, “Am I still as excited and enthusiastic about Jesus as I was in the beginning”?. I am afraid that many of us may not like the answer to that question. I have been walking with the Lord for 25 years. I know much more about Him than I did the day I was saved, I have far more Biblical knowledge than I possessed in 1997, and I am certainly more spiritually mature than I was back then. However, there are far too many times and often long seasons of life where my passion, zeal, and excitement about Jesus is nowhere near where it was when I was a 15-year-old boy. While this is a common reality for many Christians, it doesn’t have to be, nor should it be. In fact, the more we walk with Jesus and learn about Him, the more grateful, devoted and excited we should be concerning our relationship with Him and our responsibility to be ambassadors for Him.

Our selected text is fascinating. In these few verses we read Matthew’s personal testimony. It is also important to note that his transformation and relationship with Christ was so apparent that Mark and Luke both chronicle it in their Gospel accounts. This fact should challenge us to live in such a way that other people can point to us and tell the story of how Jesus transformed our lives. This is possible, but it will never happen if we fail to share our own testimony of salvation and to live in such a way that proves our transformation was genuine.

I would like to examine Matthew’s personal testimony and consider “The Benefit Of Looking Back”. If you know your Bible, there are probably a couple of passages of scripture running through your mind that have you pondering whether your pastor has finally lost his mind. It is certainly true that the Lord Jesus Himself often warned His followers of the inherent danger of looking back. When teaching about the end times, Jesus encouraged His listeners to “Remember Lot’s wife”. He said this as a caution so that they did not make the same mistake that she did. Jesus also said in Luke 9:62, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God”.

While it is true that we should not look back to the things of this world, it is very beneficial for us to look back at what Jesus has done for us. When we observe the Lord’s Supper we look back to His suffering and sacrifice at Calvary. Each and every week when we assemble together we look back and rejoice in the reality of Christ’s resurrection. When we read and teach through the Gospels we look back at the amazing life and ministry of Jesus Christ. These things are exceedingly beneficial. Likewise, it is beneficial for us to look back to the moment of our conversion and other notable moments in our journey with Jesus.

- For this reason, I would encourage every born-again Christian in this place to take a moment and look back at:

OUR TRANSFORMATION BY JESUS

“As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.”

Matthew was the son of a man named Alphaeus. He was also known as Levi. It is possible that after his conversion Jesus gave him the name Matthew which mean “gift of God”. Matthew was a publican in Capernaum. Publicans were tax collectors and Matthew was actively involved in this work when Jesus found him and called him to follow Him. He was “sitting at the tax office”.