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Mark 2:13-17 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

• 0:00
  So we've been moving through, we've been seeing the beginning of Jesus' ministry.
• 0:03
  He comes out, he's in Galilee, he's been baptized, he begins establishing his authority as he's tempted
• 0:10
  ! and establishes his authority over Satan, as he drives out demons, as he heals paralytics and cleanses lepers.
• 0:18
  We saw in the beginning of chapter 2 that he has returned to Capernaum. For a while he was out in desolate places because of the healing of the leper.
• 0:27
  He's returned back to Capernaum and now here at the beginning of our story we see him again back out beside the sea.
• 0:35
  Now Capernaum is located close to the sea. It's a port town and the Sea of Galilee is on the northwest.
• 0:43
  Capernaum would have been on the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee.
• 0:46
  And so that's where he is back out by the sea and there's again a massive crowd that's following him.
• 0:52
  We've said repeatedly that this crowd was not necessarily following him from genuine faith.
• 0:58
  In fact, more than likely not.
• 1:00
  We see a very, very few faithful followers of Christ after his crucifixion.
• 1:06
  As they're waiting for his resurrection, the number we count in the beginning of Acts is 120.
• 1:10
  And here we see thousands and thousands of people following him.
• 1:14
  More than likely because of the miracles.
• 1:17
  Because he was doing something fantastic and they wanted to see it.
• 1:21
  Or they themselves had some infirmity that they wanted healed.
• 1:25
  So again we see a crowd following him.
• 1:28
  And I'll just point out to you once again his ministry.
• 1:31
  The ministry that God gave him of teaching.
• 1:34
  So he's teaching them we see at the beginning of verse 13.
• 1:37
  Verse 13.
• 1:39
  Remember the very thrust of Jesus' teaching.
• 1:42
  Even as we get further into the Gospel of Mark and we begin to study the parables and all these different facets of what he's teaching.
• 1:51
  Remember the primary thing that he's teaching is the coming of the Kingdom of God.
• 1:57
  Right?
• 1:57
  Back in chapter 1, verse 15.
• 2:00
  He says that he came out of Galilee, into Galilee, proclaiming the Gospel of God and saying,
• 2:05
  The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand.
• 2:07
  Repent and believe in the Gospel.
• 2:11
  So we can, with surety, say that in some way he was teaching this very same thing.
• 2:16
  As we see him here walking alongside the seashore and teaching this crowd.
• 2:22
  And in verse 14 we see that he passes by a man named Levi.
• 2:28
  Levi.
• 2:29
  Now it's interesting, the record here is that he's Levi, the son of Alphaeus.
• 2:33
  We know that the Apostle James was also the son of Alphaeus.
• 2:37
  So would this be then James' brother Levi?
• 2:41
  And who is this Levi?
• 2:43
  He's not listed in the account of the Apostles in other places in the Gospels.
• 2:47
  And there's a bit of debate about this, but most people agree that this Levi is the Apostle we know as Matthew.
• 2:55
  Now I won't get into the argument.
• 2:57
  I thought about it.
• 2:58
  It's not worth the time.
• 2:59
  Because most people agree that this is in fact Matthew.
• 3:03
  One author said that much ink has been spilled over determining if this is in fact Matthew.
• 3:09
  I like the way J.C. Ryle put this.
• 3:12
  He's a well-respected 19th century evangelical Anglican bishop and commentator.
• 3:16
  He said,
• 3:17
  The person who is called Levi at the beginning of this passage is the same person who is called Matthew in the first of the four Gospels.
• 3:23
  Let us not forget this.
• 3:24
  It is no less an apostle and an evangelist whose early history is now before our eyes.
• 3:30
  So I think with fair certainty, we can't say definitively, but with fair certainty we can say that this is Matthew.
• 3:38
  In this day, most people had some form of nickname, often a Hebrew name and a Gentile name, which would have been sort of a nickname for them.
• 3:47
  For example, Simon Peter.
• 3:49
  Jesus gave him the name Peter.
• 3:51
  His name was Simon and he was sometimes called Cephas.
• 3:54
  If you recall, he was mocked a bit by Paul using that name.
• 3:59
  His Greek slang name being Cephas.
• 4:03
  And so the probability here is that this is in fact one of his other names of the apostle that we know as Matthew.
• 4:12
  Matthew.
• 4:13
  So let's assume that together.
• 4:15
  That's what we're looking at.
• 4:15
  And he was a tax collector.
• 4:18
  We see that he was sitting at the tax booth.
• 4:20
  And some of your translations may say toll booth by the seashore.
• 4:25
  So he was likely collecting admission for passengers headed to Capernaum.
• 4:30
  So who were landing on the seashore, had sailed across the Sea of Galilee and headed into Capernaum.
• 4:34
  He was charging them a toll.
• 4:37
  And he would have been doing this as an agent of the Roman Empire.
• 4:41
  Collecting money for Rome.
• 4:43
  For their governance.
• 4:45
  For their war effort.
• 4:47
  You know Rome marched themselves across the known world conquering people.
• 4:51
  And that's what these dollars were going to.
• 4:54
  These men were crooked in nature.
• 4:56
  The tax collectors.
• 4:58
  The toll collectors were.
• 4:59
  Because the way they were paid is they were allowed to exact a charge above and beyond the actual toll charge.
• 5:08
  Rome didn't care as long as they got the cut that they had required of that particular trade route or port.
• 5:15
  They could collect above and beyond that.
• 5:17
  And so these men lined their pockets by charging more than was necessary.
• 5:21
  That was the arrangement that they had.
• 5:23
  Furthermore, having been working for Rome, he would have been absolutely despised by most Jews.
• 5:30
  Remember, Rome was ruling over them.
• 5:32
  So he was a traitor in their sight.
• 5:35
  The tax collectors, you see them commonly named amongst sinners throughout the New Testament.
• 5:40
  Because they were very, very disliked.
• 5:43
  Notice here that as he's traveling along, it says,
• 5:48
  And as he passed by, he, being Jesus, saw Levi sitting at this booth.
• 5:58
  It doesn't say that Levi was following him.
• 6:01
  It does not say that Levi sought him out.
• 6:04
  But here we see our great Lord seeking out Levi.
• 6:10
  Luke 19, 10.
• 6:12
  Jesus says of his ministry that what he came to do was to seek and to save the lost.
• 6:20
  Jesus seeks out and finds his lost sheep.
• 6:24
  And the sheep follows him.
• 6:26
  John 10, verse 27 says,
• 6:28
  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
• 6:32
  So we have to pause at this and look at the efficacious call of our Lord.
• 6:38
  The Lord calls and Levi responds.
• 6:43
  He simply says to him,
• 6:45
  Follow me.
• 6:46
  He works in him the ability to do so.
• 6:50
  And Levi gets up and follows.
• 6:52
  And I love Mark's punctuality at this point.
• 6:55
  We've talked a bit about how he's so brief.
• 6:58
  And he runs us through stories so quickly.
• 7:00
  And in this case, I absolutely love.
• 7:02
  Jesus says, follow me.
• 7:04
  And the record is, and he rose and followed him.
• 7:06
  He left behind his profession that he was doing quite well at.
• 7:10
  Any of these men would have been incredibly wealthy doing this service for Rome.
• 7:16
  And he stands up and he walks away from it.
• 7:20
  Remember who this person is.
• 7:22
  This Matthew leaves everything to follow Jesus.
• 7:25
  Some 60 years or so later, writes the Gospel of Matthew.
• 7:31
  Follows Jesus to the grave.
• 7:32
  Experiences all of this.
• 7:34
  Writes the Gospel of Matthew.
• 7:36
  And is later, we think, martyred in Ethiopia.
• 7:40
  That's the prevalent rumor that he was martyred in Ethiopia.
• 7:44
  He leaves behind fame, success, fortune, and follows Christ.
• 7:50
  And this is a great work of grace in his life.
• 7:55
  You don't see a record here of him debating this.
• 7:59
  He doesn't go, this man seems pretty amazing.
• 8:02
  Healing people.
• 8:03
  And I'm kind of liking his teaching.
• 8:04
  I'm going to follow him around a little while and get a feel for what he's got going on.
• 8:07
  I'm going to have a chat with him and see what he may promise me if I follow him.
• 8:12
  If this is the Christ, the one who's come to reign, I want a prominent place in the kingdom.
• 8:16
  Let me go see if I can get on board with what he's doing.
• 8:18
  He had, by the world's measure, everything he could want.
• 8:24
  And Jesus walks by and says to him, follow me.
• 8:27
  And his heart is turned.
• 8:29
  And he does just that.
• 8:31
  What a precious view of the sovereign work of grace in a person's life.
• 8:38
  And so it would seem, we find in verse 15, that we see the record that Jesus is now reclining in his house.
• 8:45
  At table, it says.
• 8:46
  And so it's likely that as he followed him, he said, please come to my place.
• 8:52
  I have a house.
• 8:53
  And we can fill it with people.
• 8:56
  We see that many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.
• 9:00
  For there were many who followed him.
• 9:02
  And again here we see some debate.
• 9:04
  It could be that these tax collectors and sinners were those who followed Jesus.
• 9:08
  Or they were ones who followed Levi.
• 9:10
  Levi.
• 9:11
  Right?
• 9:12
  That he was already working as an evangelist.
• 9:15
  Right?
• 9:15
  We don't know exactly who this pronoun applies to.
• 9:19
  But all the same, we see them have a feast together at this table.
• 9:24
  And the record is that we find him at home with Levi reclining at table.
• 9:29
  Now, just to explain to you a little bit, tables of this day, they would have been low tables.
• 9:36
  People would have sat on three sides of them.
• 9:38
  One side was left open conveniently for serving at the table.
• 9:41
  Servants would bring food to the table and you didn't have to reach over somebody's shoulder.
• 9:45
  It would be kind of nice this day, wouldn't it, if we had the opening at the end?
• 9:47
  Maybe like our booths, our modern day booths.
• 9:49
  People can serve food in that way.
• 9:51
  And they reclined on couches that were at about a ten degree angle.
• 9:55
  And they actually sloped in towards the table.
• 9:58
  And they laid with their heads towards the table.
• 10:01
  And it was proper for them to prop themselves up on their left arm so they could use their right hand to eat.
• 10:05
  This seems like a miserable way to eat to me.
• 10:08
  This sounds so uncomfortable.
• 10:11
  I can't tell you the last time I laid on my stomach.
• 10:13
  No, thank you.
• 10:14
  Right?
• 10:15
  But this is the way they spent time together.
• 10:18
  They reclined together in this way.
• 10:20
  And the significant thing about the fact that he's in this place,
• 10:23
  this was the normal way that they ate food,
• 10:26
  but the fact that he was doing this was an intimate thing.
• 10:29
  You reclined at table with people that you had relationships with.
• 10:35
  And this is where we find our Lord.
• 10:38
  The one, Jesus Christ.
• 10:39
  The one who is without sin.
• 10:41
  Who does he choose to spend his time with?
• 10:43
  He spends his time with tax collectors and sinners.
• 10:48
  That he might advance the gospel.
• 10:50
  The one who is without sin.
• 10:50
  The one who is without sin.
• 10:51
  The one who is without sin.
• 10:51
  The one who is without sin.
• 10:51
  The one who is without sin.
• 10:52
  Now there's a sort of common phrase.
• 10:54
  I actually hope some of your minds were drawn to it immediately as I made that point about Christ.
• 11:00
  And people pull this phrase from John chapter 17 and they say,
• 11:03
  we're called to be in the world, but not of the world.
• 11:07
  Are you familiar with that?
• 11:08
  We're called to be in the world, but not of the world.
• 11:11
  And admittedly, this is something I have used as well.
• 11:14
  And I think the person who probably coined this, the language is incredibly close to what's happening in John chapter 17.
• 11:20
  The high priestly prayer did so with the best of intention and probably meant the right thing as they coined it.
• 11:26
  However, I think most people fall off one of two sides when they think in these terms.
• 11:32
  As living in this world as a redeemed person, they think I'm supposed to be in the world, but not of the world.
• 11:39
  And they either take it too far into licentious living, right?
• 11:43
  I'm supposed to be in the world, but not of the world.
• 11:47
  That's the way they tend to treat that, right?
• 11:49
  I'm supposed to hang out with sinners and in the act of doing so,
• 11:54
  they are continually worked into a more intimate relationship with these people who influence them and they themselves then sin.
• 12:02
  It's the end result of this action together.
• 12:05
  And then there are others who say, yeah, we're supposed to be in the world, but not of the world.
• 12:12
  We're not supposed to be of the world.
• 12:14
  And they therefore cut themselves off altogether from those who don't know Christ, right?
• 12:20
  They create these small little cultural subgroups.
• 12:23
  I actually think this is the side that we err to more often as evangelical believers.
• 12:29
  And we quit associating altogether with the world.
• 12:32
  And so there's a tightrope as there is with so many things here to be walked.
• 12:37
  How is it that we are meant to follow Christ into his ministry,
• 12:42
  the way in which he ministered to those around him,
• 12:46
  as those who have been called to carry out his mission in this world?
• 12:52
  Look at John chapter 17.
• 12:54
  I should have go there with me.
• 12:55
  We've got a couple of verses to look at, so it would be of benefit to us all to be there together.
• 12:59
  I want to revise this common phrase this morning.
• 13:10
  Whether or not you actually say it differently, that's okay.
• 13:12
  But that you think of it rightly is my hope in making a revision to it.
• 13:17
  John chapter 17, beginning in verse 14.
• 13:19
  This is the high priestly prayer.
• 13:21
  This is the prayer that Jesus prays on the behalf of his apostles
• 13:25
  and the disciples that would follow preceding his crucifixion.
• 13:29
  This is Jesus praying to God,
• 13:31
  I have given them your word,
• 13:32
  and the world has hated them because they are not of the world,
• 13:36
  just as I am not of the world.
• 13:37
  There's the language.
• 13:38
  Not of the world.
• 13:39
  Verse 15.
• 13:40
  I do not ask that you take them out of the world.
• 13:43
  There's the in the world part.
• 13:44
  But that you keep them from the evil one.
• 13:47
  They are not of the world,
• 13:49
  just as I am not of the world.
• 13:52
  Sanctify them in the truth.
• 13:53
  Your word is truth.
• 13:55
  As you sent me into the world,
• 13:57
  so have I sent them into the world.
• 13:59
  And for their sake,
• 14:00
  I consecrate myself,
• 14:02
  that they also may be sanctified in truth.
• 14:05
  So we see him very clearly say,
• 14:06
  they are not of the world,
• 14:07
  just as I am not of the world.
• 14:09
  But recognize that in this prayer,
• 14:11
  this is not the destination.
• 14:13
  He's not saying to God,
• 14:16
  make them not of the world.
• 14:17
  And now let's talk about the means by which that happens.
• 14:20
  The primary point of him saying this
• 14:22
  is to say,
• 14:23
  they're not of the world,
• 14:25
  therefore,
• 14:26
  they're being sent into the world.
• 14:28
  Right?
• 14:28
  You see that?
• 14:30
  Verse 17.
• 14:31
  Sanctify the truth and the word of the earth.
• 14:32
  As you sent me into the world,
• 14:33
  so have I sent them into the world.
• 14:37
  Right?
• 14:37
  Luke chapter 19, verse 10.
• 14:39
  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
• 14:42
  So this is the very reason
• 14:43
  for which we are left in the world.
• 14:46
  As those not of it,
• 14:47
  we are sent into it.
• 14:49
  And then his prayer for them
• 14:50
  is that we will be spared
• 14:52
  from the sin that we'll be exposed to.
• 14:54
  That we'll be sanctified
• 14:56
  or perfected in the truth.
• 14:59
  Right?
• 14:59
  That we will remain
• 15:01
  not of the world
• 15:02
  as we're in the world.
• 15:05
  So let me suggest to you
• 15:06
  that we change the phrase
• 15:07
  in the world but not of the world
• 15:08
  to not of the world
• 15:09
  but sent into the world.
• 15:12
  Right?
• 15:12
  This is the calling
• 15:13
  of our lives.
• 15:15
  So,
• 15:16
  we've been set free
• 15:17
  from the passions of the world.
• 15:19
  The slavery of sin
• 15:21
  that controls sinful man.
• 15:23
  And we've been given freedom
• 15:25
  in order to serve the world
• 15:27
  to the glory of God.
• 15:29
  Right?
• 15:29
  Look at what Jesus did
• 15:31
  with his time.
• 15:33
  Right?
• 15:33
  He's confronting here
• 15:34
  in chapter 2
• 15:35
  in a number of ways
• 15:36
  the religious culture.
• 15:38
  And that's what we're going to get to here
• 15:39
  in just a moment.
• 15:39
  The scribes of the Pharisees
• 15:41
  are all kinds of offended
• 15:42
  by this.
• 15:43
  Right?
• 15:44
  This Jesus in their minds,
• 15:45
  if he was the teacher
• 15:46
  he said he was,
• 15:47
  if he was in fact
• 15:48
  the Son of God,
• 15:49
  should have spent
• 15:49
  all of his time with them.
• 15:52
  Right?
• 15:52
  That's where he should have dwelt.
• 15:54
  Sitting around
• 15:55
  having high-minded conversation
• 15:57
  with the scribes
• 15:58
  of the Pharisees,
• 15:59
  the great theologians
• 16:00
  of the day.
• 16:02
  But he instead
• 16:03
  finds himself
• 16:04
  reclining at table
• 16:06
  with tax collectors
• 16:07
  and with sinners.
• 16:10
  Now this has all kinds
• 16:11
  of implications
• 16:11
  in our life.
• 16:12
  And in the time we have,
• 16:14
  I couldn't even possibly
• 16:14
  work it out.
• 16:15
  And I don't even know
• 16:16
  that I've completely
• 16:16
  worked it out
• 16:17
  in my day-to-day.
• 16:18
  What does it look like
• 16:19
  to spend time
• 16:20
  with sinners
• 16:21
  in this way?
• 16:22
  But we have to
• 16:23
  engage this world
• 16:24
  with the gospel of Christ.
• 16:26
  There's no debate
• 16:27
  in that part.
• 16:28
  Right?
• 16:29
  We're not supposed
• 16:30
  to get in huddles
• 16:31
  and avoid the world
• 16:32
  altogether.
• 16:33
  Right?
• 16:34
  We're victorious
• 16:34
  because what of Christ
• 16:35
  has done for us.
• 16:36
  We're sent
• 16:37
  into the world.
• 16:38
  The gates of hell
• 16:39
  will not stand
• 16:40
  against the advance
• 16:41
  of the kingdom
• 16:42
  of God.
• 16:43
  That is what we are
• 16:44
  called to do.
• 16:45
  To go in
• 16:46
  and to take over
• 16:47
  for the glory of God.
• 16:49
  And so many believers
• 16:51
  have their little rites
• 16:53
  and their rituals
• 16:54
  and their schedule
• 16:55
  and they include
• 16:56
  the lost world
• 16:57
  all together
• 16:58
  in the things of God.
• 17:00
  This is not
• 17:01
  our calling, beloved.
• 17:03
  Galatians 5.13
• 17:05
  says,
• 17:06
  For you are called
• 17:06
  to freedom, brothers.
• 17:08
  Given freedom.
• 17:10
  Only do not use
• 17:11
  your freedom
• 17:12
  as an opportunity
• 17:12
  for the flesh
• 17:14
  but through love
• 17:15
  serve one another.
• 17:17
  Paul is saying
• 17:18
  to us here
• 17:18
  that our freedom
• 17:19
  is meant to be used
• 17:20
  to serve the world.
• 17:22
  Right?
• 17:23
  Not to live
• 17:24
  in licentiousness.
• 17:25
  Right?
• 17:25
  Not to run off
• 17:26
  hanging out
• 17:27
  with all of our pals
• 17:28
  and living however we might
• 17:29
  because of grace
• 17:30
  but in order
• 17:31
  to serve the world.
• 17:34
  Again,
• 17:34
  a warning
• 17:35
  just as you're thinking about
• 17:36
  how do I engage
• 17:37
  a culture?
• 17:38
  How do I get involved?
• 17:39
  How do I recline
• 17:41
  at table
• 17:41
  with those
• 17:42
  who are sinners?
• 17:44
  1 Peter 2.11-12
• 17:46
  Peter says,
• 17:47
  Beloved,
• 17:47
  I urge you
• 17:47
  as soldiers of exiles
• 17:48
  to abstain
• 17:50
  from the passions
• 17:50
  of the flesh
• 17:51
  which wage war
• 17:52
  against your soul.
• 17:54
  Which wage war
• 17:54
  against your soul.
• 17:56
  Keep your conduct
• 17:57
  among the Gentiles
• 17:58
  honorable
• 17:58
  so that when they
• 17:59
  speak against you
• 18:00
  as evildoers
• 18:00
  they may see
• 18:01
  your good deeds
• 18:02
  and glorify God
• 18:03
  on the day of visitation.
• 18:04
  So there you see
• 18:05
  that tightrope line
• 18:06
  of walking
• 18:07
  that we keep
• 18:08
  our conduct
• 18:09
  honorable
• 18:10
  but that these people
• 18:11
  do in fact
• 18:12
  see our good deeds.
• 18:14
  That they actually
• 18:15
  know who we are.
• 18:17
  They can observe
• 18:18
  the work of God
• 18:19
  in our lives.
• 18:20
  And I hope this morning
• 18:21
  that we'll take a cue
• 18:22
  from Christ
• 18:23
  here as we see him
• 18:24
  reclining at table
• 18:25
  with the tax collectors
• 18:27
  and the sinners.
• 18:30
  Verse 16
• 18:31
  we see the scribes
• 18:33
  of the Pharisees.
• 18:34
  Some of your translations
• 18:35
  may say scribes
• 18:36
  and Pharisees.
• 18:38
  You can insert
• 18:39
  at this point
• 18:40
  we talked a bit
• 18:41
  about who these
• 18:41
  people were
• 18:42
  specifically
• 18:43
  last week
• 18:44
  but just insert
• 18:44
  at this point
• 18:45
  these were the
• 18:46
  this was the
• 18:48
  legalistic
• 18:49
  religious culture.
• 18:50
  These men
• 18:51
  were certainly
• 18:52
  apostate
• 18:52
  but they didn't
• 18:53
  think that they were.
• 18:55
  They thought
• 18:56
  that they kept
• 18:56
  God's law
• 18:57
  to a T.
• 18:59
  But they had
• 18:59
  failed to
• 19:00
  understand the
• 19:01
  point of God's law.
• 19:03
  So they were
• 19:04
  self-righteous
• 19:05
  they were built up
• 19:06
  they were holy
• 19:07
  in their own minds
• 19:08
  and they asked
• 19:09
  this question
• 19:10
  to the disciples
• 19:11
  why does he eat
• 19:12
  with tax collectors
• 19:14
  and sinners?
• 19:16
  Now you remember
• 19:16
  the reason
• 19:17
  that Jesus
• 19:18
  was crucified
• 19:19
  was the charge
• 19:20
  of blasphemy.
• 19:22
  Because Jesus
• 19:22
  had said
• 19:23
  that he himself
• 19:24
  was God.
• 19:26
  And certainly
• 19:26
  that would be
• 19:27
  blasphemy
• 19:28
  if he wasn't.
• 19:29
  If he wasn't God
• 19:30
  that would be
• 19:31
  the case.
• 19:32
  And so the
• 19:32
  constant effort
• 19:33
  of the scribes
• 19:35
  the Pharisees
• 19:36
  the Sadducees
• 19:36
  was to prove
• 19:38
  him to not
• 19:39
  be God.
• 19:40
  Because then they
• 19:40
  had him
• 19:41
  on the charge
• 19:41
  of blasphemy.
• 19:43
  He said it
• 19:43
  and he said it
• 19:44
  again and again
• 19:45
  and again
• 19:46
  that he was
• 19:46
  the son of God.
• 19:48
  And so they
• 19:48
  continued to do this
• 19:49
  and they did so
• 19:50
  by accusing him
• 19:52
  of things
• 19:52
  that they
• 19:53
  thought were
• 19:54
  wrong.
• 19:54
  By their own
• 19:55
  set of rules
• 19:57
  that they
• 19:57
  thought God
• 19:58
  had commanded.
• 19:59
  And so here
• 20:00
  we see this
• 20:01
  this charge
• 20:02
  being railed
• 20:02
  against him
• 20:03
  that he would
• 20:04
  stoop so low
• 20:05
  to associate
• 20:06
  with these
• 20:07
  unclean men.
• 20:10
  They had clearly
• 20:10
  categorized themselves.
• 20:12
  They were so
• 20:13
  much better
• 20:14
  as keepers
• 20:15
  of the law
• 20:15
  versus those
• 20:16
  that collect
• 20:17
  taxes and sin.
• 20:18
  And sinners
• 20:19
  is just a general.
• 20:20
  There are tax collectors
• 20:21
  and a bunch
• 20:22
  of other
• 20:22
  sinners
• 20:22
  is all that's
• 20:23
  being said
• 20:24
  in this case.
• 20:25
  And so this is
• 20:25
  their attempt
• 20:26
  to continue
• 20:27
  to build
• 20:28
  evidence
• 20:28
  against him.
• 20:30
  Why is it
• 20:31
  that he is
• 20:31
  not the son
• 20:32
  of God?
• 20:33
  Because look
• 20:33
  at the sin
• 20:33
  he lives in
• 20:34
  and Jesus
• 20:35
  in all of his
• 20:36
  wonderful
• 20:38
  profundity
• 20:39
  hears what
• 20:40
  they say
• 20:41
  and responds,
• 20:43
  those who are
• 20:43
  well have no
• 20:44
  need of a physician
• 20:44
  but those
• 20:45
  who are sick.
• 20:46
  I came
• 20:47
  not to call
• 20:48
  the righteous
• 20:48
  but sinners.
• 20:51
  And I love
• 20:52
  that he doesn't
• 20:52
  actually address
• 20:54
  the charge.
• 20:56
  He doesn't
• 20:56
  even give them
• 20:57
  the time
• 20:57
  of day
• 20:58
  but says to them
• 21:00
  this is why
• 21:01
  I came
• 21:02
  to come
• 21:03
  into this world
• 21:04
  to save
• 21:05
  sinners.
• 21:07
  Now you see
• 21:07
  these two groups
• 21:08
  we see those
• 21:09
  who are well
• 21:10
  and the righteous
• 21:11
  we can think
• 21:11
  of those
• 21:12
  as one.
• 21:13
  He says
• 21:13
  basically the same
• 21:14
  sentence twice
• 21:16
  to give us
• 21:16
  more explanation
• 21:17
  of what he
• 21:17
  means by this.
• 21:19
  Those who are
• 21:19
  well have no
• 21:20
  need of a
• 21:22
  physician but
• 21:22
  those who
• 21:23
  are sick.
• 21:24
  So these would
• 21:24
  have been
• 21:25
  people who
• 21:25
  would have
• 21:26
  been well
• 21:26
  in their
• 21:27
  own minds.
• 21:29
  Jesus here
• 21:30
  introduces himself
• 21:31
  as the great
• 21:32
  physician.
• 21:34
  Certainly he's
• 21:35
  healed people
• 21:35
  who are sick.
• 21:36
  He could take
• 21:37
  that title
• 21:37
  for this reason
• 21:38
  but here he's
• 21:39
  speaking specifically
• 21:40
  of being a
• 21:42
  spiritual healer
• 21:43
  of making
• 21:43
  people's
• 21:44
  souls
• 21:45
  right.
• 21:47
  So just
• 21:47
  think about
• 21:48
  our day
• 21:49
  of modern
• 21:50
  medicine.
• 21:51
  I'm sure
• 21:51
  you're thinking
• 21:51
  more about
• 21:52
  that these
• 21:52
  days than
• 21:53
  maybe other
• 21:54
  days you
• 21:54
  might.
• 21:56
  But how
• 21:56
  many people
• 21:57
  act and
• 21:58
  think as if
• 21:59
  they're well
• 21:59
  and they're
• 22:00
  not?
• 22:00
  Because the
• 22:00
  reality of it
• 22:01
  is that none
• 22:01
  of us really
• 22:02
  are well.
• 22:04
  We may not
• 22:05
  be in the
• 22:06
  hospital or
• 22:06
  necessarily need
• 22:08
  a doctor at
• 22:08
  that time
• 22:09
  but you're
• 22:10
  all falling
• 22:11
  apart.
• 22:12
  The degradation
• 22:13
  is happening.
• 22:14
  Maybe the
• 22:15
  little guys
• 22:15
  are still
• 22:16
  getting bigger
• 22:16
  and growing
• 22:16
  up but
• 22:17
  those of you
• 22:18
  who understand
• 22:19
  what I'm
• 22:19
  saying right
• 22:19
  now, you
• 22:20
  are falling
• 22:21
  apart.
• 22:22
  We're all
• 22:22
  in some
• 22:23
  way sick.
• 22:25
  How many
• 22:25
  of you have
• 22:26
  a very
• 22:26
  stubborn
• 22:28
  relative,
• 22:28
  maybe a
• 22:29
  dad or a
• 22:30
  grandpa,
• 22:30
  that will be
• 22:31
  so sick
• 22:32
  and will
• 22:33
  just refuse
• 22:34
  to believe
• 22:35
  that they're
• 22:35
  sick?
• 22:36
  That person,
• 22:37
  that's somebody
• 22:37
  who's like,
• 22:38
  it sounds like
• 22:38
  they're going
• 22:38
  to turn
• 22:39
  inside out,
• 22:39
  they're coughing
• 22:40
  so hard and
• 22:41
  you say,
• 22:41
  why when you
• 22:42
  not go to the
• 22:43
  doctor and say,
• 22:43
  I'm not sick,
• 22:44
  this is just a
• 22:44
  little cough.
• 22:45
  Do you know
• 22:46
  those people?
• 22:47
  I do.
• 22:51
  These are the
• 22:51
  type of men
• 22:52
  who certainly
• 22:54
  were soul
• 22:54
  sick,
• 22:55
  certainly were
• 22:56
  sinners,
• 22:57
  but not in
• 22:58
  their own
• 22:58
  mind.
• 23:00
  You see them
• 23:00
  constantly comparing
• 23:01
  themselves.
• 23:02
  They knew
• 23:03
  that they were
• 23:03
  flawed,
• 23:04
  they knew
• 23:04
  that they
• 23:04
  weren't keeping
• 23:05
  the law
• 23:05
  perfectly,
• 23:06
  but they
• 23:06
  were constantly
• 23:07
  comparing
• 23:07
  themselves,
• 23:08
  high-minded,
• 23:09
  setting themselves
• 23:10
  apart from
• 23:11
  everyone else.
• 23:12
  We're not
• 23:12
  like them.
• 23:14
  There's some
• 23:14
  6,000 Pharisees
• 23:15
  at this time,
• 23:16
  and they were
• 23:17
  so much
• 23:18
  better in
• 23:19
  their own
• 23:20
  minds that
• 23:21
  they had
• 23:21
  earned this
• 23:23
  type of
• 23:24
  righteousness.
• 23:25
  It's a
• 23:25
  self-given
• 23:26
  righteousness,
• 23:27
  an outward
• 23:28
  righteousness that
• 23:29
  they appeared
• 23:30
  to be doing
• 23:31
  quite well.
• 23:33
  We can be
• 23:34
  that way
• 23:34
  sometimes.
• 23:35
  They trusted
• 23:36
  in themselves
• 23:37
  for righteousness.
• 23:39
  righteousness.
• 23:40
  In Matthew
• 23:40
  chapter 23,
• 23:41
  verse 27
• 23:42
  and verse 28,
• 23:44
  Jesus hands
• 23:45
  out quite the
• 23:46
  indictment to
• 23:47
  the scribes
• 23:48
  and the
• 23:48
  Pharisees.
• 23:49
  He says,
• 23:49
  Woe to
• 23:50
  you,
• 23:50
  scribes
• 23:51
  and Pharisees,
• 23:51
  hypocrites,
• 23:52
  for you are
• 23:53
  like whitewashed
• 23:54
  tombs,
• 23:55
  which outwardly
• 23:56
  appear beautiful,
• 23:57
  but within are
• 23:57
  full of dead
• 23:58
  people's bones
• 23:59
  and all
• 24:00
  uncleanness.
• 24:01
  So you also
• 24:02
  outwardly appear
• 24:03
  righteous to
• 24:03
  others,
• 24:04
  but within you
• 24:05
  are full of
• 24:05
  hypocrisy and
• 24:07
  lawlessness.
• 24:07
  righteousness.
• 24:08
  Woe to
• 24:09
  you if you
• 24:11
  think that
• 24:11
  you can look
• 24:12
  to yourself
• 24:13
  for righteousness.
• 24:15
  If you think
• 24:16
  that you have
• 24:16
  any good
• 24:17
  in and of
• 24:18
  yourself,
• 24:19
  right?
• 24:20
  You are like
• 24:21
  these Pharisees
• 24:21
  and hypocrites.
• 24:22
  You are a
• 24:23
  whitewashed
• 24:23
  tomb,
• 24:24
  right?
• 24:24
  You've made
• 24:24
  yourself up
• 24:25
  all neat
• 24:25
  and pretty
• 24:26
  on the outside,
• 24:27
  but inside
• 24:27
  you're full
• 24:28
  of death.
• 24:30
  That's what
• 24:30
  Jesus is saying
• 24:31
  here.
• 24:32
  And these are
• 24:33
  the men that
• 24:33
  deliver this
• 24:34
  accusation.
• 24:35
  How could
• 24:35
  he possibly
• 24:36
  eat with
• 24:37
  these men,
• 24:38
  these sinners,
• 24:40
  these unclean
• 24:41
  ones?
• 24:43
  So we must
• 24:44
  recognize our
• 24:46
  sin,
• 24:47
  our sickness
• 24:47
  to see our
• 24:48
  need of a
• 24:49
  physician.
• 24:50
  I think a lot
• 24:51
  of you know
• 24:51
  that on Tuesday
• 24:52
  I threw my
• 24:53
  back out of
• 24:53
  place.
• 24:54
  My lower
• 24:54
  back is one
• 24:55
  of the most
• 24:55
  miserable
• 24:56
  experiences of
• 24:57
  my life.
• 24:58
  I'm still,
• 24:58
  I'm rocking a lot
• 24:59
  today because
• 25:00
  I'm still a little
• 25:00
  uncomfortable as
• 25:01
  a result of it.
• 25:02
  I stayed
• 25:03
  bent in half
• 25:04
  for about 20
• 25:05
  minutes before
• 25:05
  I could even
• 25:05
  straighten.
• 25:07
  Spent just a
• 25:07
  couple of days
• 25:08
  laying on a
• 25:08
  heating pad.
• 25:09
  There was
• 25:10
  absolutely no
• 25:11
  avoiding the
• 25:12
  fact that I
• 25:12
  was in pain.
• 25:13
  I couldn't go,
• 25:15
  I'm alright,
• 25:15
  things are good.
• 25:17
  I wanted to
• 25:18
  throw up.
• 25:19
  I cried once.
• 25:20
  I sneezed,
• 25:20
  I sneezed,
• 25:21
  and it made me
• 25:21
  cry because it
• 25:22
  hurt so bad.
• 25:24
  There was no
• 25:24
  doubt of this,
• 25:25
  and so the
• 25:26
  very day I did
• 25:27
  it, I went to
• 25:27
  the chiropractor.
• 25:28
  There was no
• 25:28
  question in my
• 25:29
  mind.
• 25:29
  Like Sam
• 25:30
  suggested it,
• 25:31
  I didn't go,
• 25:32
  well, I don't
• 25:32
  know, let's
• 25:33
  wait and see
• 25:33
  how this goes
• 25:35
  for me.
• 25:35
  I went,
• 25:36
  okay, alright,
• 25:37
  I'll make the
• 25:38
  call right now.
• 25:39
  I did, and I
• 25:40
  went, and it
• 25:41
  helped.
• 25:41
  It certainly
• 25:42
  moved me along.
• 25:43
  We must
• 25:44
  recognize our
• 25:45
  need of the
• 25:47
  great physician.
• 25:48
  We must
• 25:49
  recognize that
• 25:49
  we have a
• 25:50
  sickness that
• 25:51
  we cannot
• 25:52
  heal ourselves.
• 25:55
  We must be
• 25:56
  humble in this
• 25:57
  way.
• 25:58
  We must
• 25:59
  recognize that
• 25:59
  we have no
• 26:00
  good in us,
• 26:01
  nothing at
• 26:02
  all.
• 26:02
  And this is
• 26:03
  the great
• 26:03
  sickness of
• 26:03
  our soul.
• 26:04
  And that if
• 26:05
  we're to stand
• 26:05
  right before
• 26:06
  God one day
• 26:06
  in judgment,
• 26:07
  if we're to
• 26:08
  have any
• 26:08
  joy in life
• 26:09
  now, that
• 26:10
  we need
• 26:10
  Christ's
• 26:11
  righteousness.
• 26:12
  That our
• 26:12
  source of
• 26:13
  health must
• 26:14
  come from
• 26:15
  someplace else.
• 26:17
  Remember
• 26:17
  Jesus'
• 26:19
  gospel call
• 26:19
  to repent
• 26:20
  and believe
• 26:21
  in the
• 26:21
  gospel.
• 26:22
  Repentance
• 26:22
  is carried
• 26:23
  along by
• 26:24
  humility.
• 26:25
  A proud
• 26:26
  person never
• 26:27
  asks for
• 26:27
  forgiveness,
• 26:28
  never admits
• 26:28
  they're wrong.
• 26:29
  Right?
• 26:30
  You must be
• 26:31
  humble in
• 26:31
  order to
• 26:32
  repent.
• 26:32
  And this is
• 26:32
  the very
• 26:33
  thing that
• 26:34
  Jesus Christ
• 26:34
  is calling
• 26:35
  us to.
• 26:36
  To recognize
• 26:37
  who we are
• 26:39
  apart from
• 26:40
  him and
• 26:41
  respond in
• 26:42
  faith to
• 26:42
  the grace
• 26:43
  that he
• 26:43
  lavishes on
• 26:44
  sinners.
• 26:45
  Because that
• 26:46
  is who he
• 26:46
  came to
• 26:47
  save.
• 26:49
  We were
• 26:50
  all once
• 26:51
  like Levi.
• 26:53
  You might
• 26:53
  say,
• 26:53
  well, I
• 26:53
  haven't been
• 26:54
  rich.
• 26:55
  You've been
• 26:56
  successful.
• 26:57
  You've had
• 26:58
  what this
• 26:58
  world can
• 26:59
  offer to
• 27:00
  you.
• 27:01
  And you
• 27:01
  were happy
• 27:02
  to have
• 27:02
  it.
• 27:03
  And one
• 27:04
  day Jesus
• 27:04
  came along
• 27:05
  beside you
• 27:06
  and said,
• 27:06
  follow me.
• 27:08
  And by the
• 27:09
  spirit working
• 27:09
  in your life,
• 27:10
  you said,
• 27:11
  yes, sir.
• 27:11
  And you
• 27:12
  got up and
• 27:13
  you followed
• 27:13
  him if you
• 27:14
  were found
• 27:15
  in him.
• 27:16
  And now he
• 27:16
  has sent us
• 27:17
  into the
• 27:17
  world the
• 27:18
  way he
• 27:18
  went into
• 27:19
  the world.
• 27:21
  You know,
• 27:21
  Paul gives
• 27:22
  us a little
• 27:22
  more severe
• 27:24
  example of
• 27:25
  this idea
• 27:26
  of sickness
• 27:28
  and health.
• 27:29
  There's a
• 27:30
  bit of an
• 27:30
  implication here,
• 27:31
  and I'm not
• 27:31
  saying that
• 27:32
  Jesus was
• 27:32
  flawed in
• 27:32
  his presentation
• 27:33
  at all,
• 27:34
  but there's a
• 27:34
  bit of an
• 27:34
  implication that
• 27:35
  if we're
• 27:36
  sick,
• 27:36
  maybe there's
• 27:37
  something we
• 27:37
  can do for
• 27:37
  ourselves.
• 27:38
  Maybe it's
• 27:39
  possible that
• 27:40
  we could do
• 27:41
  this for
• 27:41
  ourselves.
• 27:42
  And I'll
• 27:42
  draw you
• 27:43
  back again
• 27:43
  to my
• 27:44
  back example.
• 27:45
  I was not
• 27:45
  popping my
• 27:46
  own back
• 27:46
  that morning.
• 27:47
  I needed
• 27:48
  a physician.
• 27:50
  Many places
• 27:51
  in the
• 27:51
  scripture that
• 27:51
  we see that
• 27:52
  we're actually
• 27:52
  dead.
• 27:53
  This is the
• 27:54
  example given
• 27:55
  to us.
• 27:56
  This is what
• 27:56
  we see as
• 27:57
  Jesus brings
• 27:58
  out this
• 27:58
  indictment to
• 27:59
  the Pharisees
• 28:00
  that they're
• 28:00
  full of
• 28:01
  dead people's
• 28:02
  bones.
• 28:03
  In Colossians
• 28:03
  2,
• 28:04
  verse 13
• 28:05
  and 14,
• 28:06
  Paul writes,
• 28:07
  And you who
• 28:08
  were dead in
• 28:08
  your trespasses
• 28:09
  and the
• 28:10
  uncircumcision
• 28:10
  of your flesh,
• 28:11
  God made
• 28:12
  alive together
• 28:13
  with him,
• 28:14
  having forgiven
• 28:15
  us all our
• 28:16
  trespasses,
• 28:17
  by canceling
• 28:18
  the record of
• 28:18
  debt that stood
• 28:19
  against us
• 28:19
  with its
• 28:19
  legal demands.
• 28:21
  This he set
• 28:22
  aside,
• 28:23
  nailing it,
• 28:23
  to the cross.
• 28:26
  These scribes
• 28:28
  of the Pharisees,
• 28:29
  or the scribes
• 28:29
  and Pharisees,
• 28:31
  stood in this
• 28:32
  very same place,
• 28:34
  dead in their
• 28:35
  trespasses,
• 28:36
  in the
• 28:37
  uncircumcision
• 28:38
  of their
• 28:39
  hearts.
• 28:41
  And they
• 28:42
  desperately needed
• 28:43
  a physician.
• 28:45
  Desperately.
• 28:45
  But they were
• 28:46
  not willing to
• 28:47
  be humble.
• 28:47
  And we get
• 28:47
  to see that
• 28:48
  record all
• 28:48
  throughout the
• 28:49
  Gospels.
• 28:50
  All over the
• 28:51
  place we see
• 28:52
  scribes and
• 28:53
  the Pharisees
• 28:53
  hearing the
• 28:54
  Gospel message
• 28:55
  and rejecting
• 28:56
  it and
• 28:56
  rejecting it
• 28:57
  and rejecting
• 28:57
  it because
• 28:58
  they were
• 28:58
  so proud.
• 29:02
  For those
• 29:03
  of us who
• 29:03
  are in
• 29:03
  Christ,
• 29:04
  we can rejoice
• 29:05
  this morning
• 29:05
  and see that
• 29:06
  the record of
• 29:07
  debt was
• 29:08
  canceled that
• 29:09
  stood against
• 29:10
  us with all
• 29:10
  its legal demands,
• 29:11
  meaning our
• 29:12
  eternal punishment.
• 29:13
  Like what was
• 29:13
  properly would
• 29:15
  have been given
• 29:15
  to us for our
• 29:16
  infinite sin was
• 29:17
  infinite death.
• 29:18
  Right?
• 29:19
  But this was
• 29:19
  set aside and
• 29:21
  nailed to the
• 29:22
  cross and we
• 29:22
  can rejoice
• 29:23
  in that great
• 29:24
  truth.
• 29:25
  And now the
• 29:25
  response to
• 29:26
  that is to
• 29:27
  recognize that
• 29:28
  just as Jesus
• 29:28
  came into the
• 29:29
  world to seek
• 29:30
  and to save
• 29:30
  the lost,
• 29:31
  he has sent
• 29:31
  us into the
• 29:32
  world as
• 29:33
  high priestly
• 29:33
  !
• 29:33
  Prayer,
• 29:34
  and therefore
• 29:34
  we go and
• 29:35
  we share his
• 29:36
  goodness to us
• 29:37
  in Christ.
• 29:40
  I hope you
• 29:41
  find yourself in
• 29:42
  that place this
• 29:43
  morning, that you
• 29:43
  can rejoice
• 29:44
  alongside me,
• 29:45
  that you can
• 29:46
  rejoice new
• 29:46
  alongside me,
• 29:47
  that you're not
• 29:48
  sitting there
• 29:48
  saying, I've
• 29:49
  heard this
• 29:49
  before.
• 29:50
  Yeah, I'm a
• 29:51
  redeemed one,
• 29:51
  good for me.
• 29:53
  This should warm
• 29:53
  your heart,
• 29:55
  to remember who
• 29:56
  you once were,
• 29:58
  Levi, Matthew,
• 29:59
  sitting here
• 30:00
  successful, happy
• 30:01
  as he could be,
• 30:02
  and then his
• 30:03
  world got flipped
• 30:04
  upside down and
• 30:05
  he discovered
• 30:06
  true joy in
• 30:08
  Christ.
• 30:09
  To the point of
• 30:10
  death, he
• 30:10
  discovered true
• 30:12
  joy in Christ.
• 30:14
  You may find
• 30:15
  yourself this
• 30:15
  morning not in
• 30:17
  that place,
• 30:17
  having some doubt
• 30:18
  of that,
• 30:20
  finding that
• 30:20
  maybe you
• 30:21
  have built
• 30:23
  your righteousness
• 30:24
  on the things
• 30:25
  that you do,
• 30:26
  that you come
• 30:27
  to church,
• 30:28
  that you live
• 30:28
  in the south
• 30:29
  and grew up
• 30:30
  in a Christian
• 30:31
  home.
• 30:32
  Most of us
• 30:33
  did.
• 30:35
  That you have
• 30:36
  a Bible and
• 30:37
  you read it
• 30:38
  occasionally.
• 30:39
  That when things
• 30:40
  are going real
• 30:41
  crummy in your
• 30:41
  life, you pray.
• 30:43
  Right before
• 30:44
  finals, lots of
• 30:45
  prayer happens.
• 30:47
  things.
• 30:48
  Right?
• 30:48
  And you hang
• 30:49
  your goodness
• 30:50
  on that.
• 30:51
  Right?
• 30:52
  And not that
• 30:53
  bad.
• 30:54
  Right?
• 30:54
  You hold
• 30:54
  yourself up to
• 30:55
  other people.
• 30:56
  You guys all
• 30:56
  have friends and
• 30:57
  co-workers that
• 30:58
  are way worse
• 31:00
  than you in
• 31:01
  your mind.
• 31:02
  Right?
• 31:03
  Horrible messes.
• 31:04
  And so you're
• 31:04
  doing so much
• 31:05
  better.
• 31:07
  There's not a
• 31:07
  scale that will
• 31:08
  be judged upon.
• 31:09
  Right?
• 31:10
  You don't get up
• 31:10
  there and God
• 31:11
  says, eh, you're
• 31:12
  good enough.
• 31:13
  I'm going to tip
• 31:13
  it that direction.
• 31:14
  Come on in.
• 31:15
  Right?
• 31:16
  You're either in
• 31:17
  Christ or you're
• 31:18
  not.
• 31:19
  Right?
• 31:19
  You're in
• 31:20
  Christ.
• 31:21
  He sees Jesus'
• 31:23
  righteousness.
• 31:24
  Perfect righteousness.
• 31:25
  That's what's
• 31:26
  required of us to
• 31:27
  stand in his
• 31:27
  presence.
• 31:28
  If you're not,
• 31:30
  the little bit,
• 31:31
  little pilfy
• 31:33
  righteousness of
• 31:34
  your own is not
• 31:36
  nearly enough to
• 31:38
  pay the infinite
• 31:38
  debt of your
• 31:39
  sin.
• 31:40
  That's why,
• 31:42
  that is why
• 31:43
  Christ bore the
• 31:44
  wrath for us
• 31:46
  that we might
• 31:46
  trade these two
• 31:48
  things.
• 31:48
  Martin Luther
• 31:49
  called it the
• 31:49
  great exchange.
• 31:50
  He took our
• 31:51
  sin.
• 31:52
  He gave us his
• 31:53
  righteousness.
• 31:54
  This is what
• 31:55
  happened on the
• 31:56
  cross.
• 31:57
  He perfectly
• 31:58
  suffered for the
• 32:00
  sins of the
• 32:00
  church.
• 32:01
  For those that he
• 32:02
  would efficaciously
• 32:03
  call, effectively
• 32:04
  call, is what that
• 32:05
  means.
• 32:06
  Right?
• 32:06
  Our sin has been
• 32:09
  expunged from the
• 32:11
  record.
• 32:12
  It's been cast as
• 32:12
  far as the east is
• 32:13
  from the west.
• 32:15
  Let us rejoice in
• 32:17
  that great truth.
• 32:18
  And let us be active
• 32:20
  sharing that great
• 32:21
  truth with this
• 32:23
  world.
• 32:24
  We take the Lord's
• 32:25
  Supper together every
• 32:26
  Sunday here.
• 32:27
  And we do it as a
• 32:29
  climactic point.
• 32:30
  I hope it's that for
• 32:31
  you.
• 32:32
  We really work at
• 32:33
  leading you up to
• 32:34
  it.
• 32:35
  Right?
• 32:35
  To stop and pause
• 32:36
  and think about this
• 32:38
  work of Christ on
• 32:39
  our behalf.
• 32:40
  His body broken,
• 32:41
  his blood spilled.
• 32:42
  There's symbols
• 32:42
  here.
• 32:43
  We don't believe in
• 32:44
  transubstation.
• 32:45
  We don't believe this
• 32:45
  actually becomes the
• 32:46
  body and the blood
• 32:47
  of Christ.
• 32:48
  Right?
• 32:48
  We don't believe that
• 32:49
  this is in some way
• 32:51
  goes into your
• 32:52
  righteousness purse
• 32:53
  and you gain a little
• 32:54
  bit as a result of
• 32:56
  taking the Lord's
• 32:56
  Supper together.
• 32:57
  Right?
• 32:58
  That's heresy.
• 33:00
  But what we do
• 33:00
  believe is it's a good
• 33:01
  practice.
• 33:02
  It's as a symbolic
• 33:03
  thing for us to
• 33:04
  participate in
• 33:05
  together to
• 33:06
  remember the work
• 33:07
  of Christ on our
• 33:08
  behalf as well as
• 33:10
  the things he's
• 33:11
  promised to do and
• 33:12
  complete finally and
• 33:13
  fully.
• 33:14
  And that's why we do
• 33:15
  it together.
• 33:16
  It only makes sense to
• 33:18
  take the Lord's
• 33:18
  Supper together
• 33:18
  though from a pure
• 33:20
  place, from a clean
• 33:21
  heart.
• 33:22
  Right?
• 33:23
  If you harbor sin in
• 33:24
  your heart in light of
• 33:25
  these great truths,
• 33:27
  what business do you
• 33:28
  have celebrating the
• 33:29
  death and the
• 33:30
  resurrection of Christ?
• 33:32
  It makes no sense.
• 33:33
  But if you're going to
• 33:35
  actually celebrate what
• 33:36
  he's done on your
• 33:36
  behalf, you ought to
• 33:37
  also ask that the
• 33:39
  Spirit would examine
• 33:39
  your life.
• 33:41
  Shed light in the dark
• 33:42
  corners, which we all
• 33:43
  have, that you might
• 33:45
  repent and believe once
• 33:46
  again.
• 33:47
  Turn from your sin and
• 33:48
  turn to God and take
• 33:50
  the Lord's Supper
• 33:50
  together with us.
• 33:53
  So I'm going to pray,
• 33:54
  men who are going to
• 33:55
  take the Lord's Supper,
• 33:56
  if you'll go ahead and
• 33:57
  move to those as I'm
• 33:58
  praying.
• 33:58
  As we do before, we'll
• 34:01
  have our station set up
• 34:02
  and I just ask as you're
• 34:03
  prepared, come take the
• 34:05
  elements and partake of
• 34:07
  the Lord's Supper.
• 34:07
  Let's pray together.
• 34:08
  together.