Word of Salvation - September 2017

 

Jesus Comes to Call Sinners to Repentance

By Rev. Craig Van Echten

Text: Luke 5:27-32

 

Textual Theme: In His grace Christ calls all people to repentance, including tax collectors and sinners by enabling them to see their need of Christ

Purpose Statement: To show how Jesus is the promised Messiah who has come to save sinners and what it means to follow Him.

Proposition: Christians are those who in response to grace see their need for Christ and repent.

Songs for after sermon: BoW 188, 416

 

Brothers and sisters,

In 1901 95% of Australians identified with Christianity. In 2011 this dropped to 61.1%. In the most recent census the figure is down to 52.1%. It’s a terrible decline. And there’s a good article in yesterdays Weekend Australian. It argues for Australia not to leave Christianity behind.

But where are the 52%? They are certainly not attending church every week. It’s estimated that only 5-10% of the population attend Church on a regular basis.

So we have to make a distinction don’t we?

On the one hand, there are those who identify with the culture of Christianity. But are not necessarily Christians themselves. The 52% do not want to identify with atheism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism or anything else. They want to identify with the Judeo-Christian principles and culture this country was founded on. And so the 52% say we are Christian. They might be better termed, cultural Christians.

On the other hand, there are those who believe, trust in, and follow Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. They also call themselves Christians. But for them, Christianity is not about a system. But a person. They might be termed followers of Christ.

So how do we tell the difference between these two groups?

One of the marks of a healthy Church is conversion. A true and genuine Christian experiences conversion. This morning we are going to look at Levi’s conversion experience. And we are going to see that Christians are those who, in response to grace, see their need for Christ and repent.

 

Firstly, by God’s grace we are converted

This should fill us with hope and optimism. No sin is too bad. No person too lost.

No heart too hard. For with Christ all things are possible. We certainly see this in the case of Levi.

Mark’s gospel shows that Jesus is by the Sea of Galilee. Fishing boats are going about their business. People are walking by. Jesus teaches. After He finished teaching, Jesus walked a bit further. And he walks towards a tax booth. There were a few tax booths in that area of Capernaum. One was on the road went from Damascus to Egypt: The main trunk route through Israel. Another booth would have been near the Sea of Galilee. For, any goods that came from the Eastern shores were taxed. The Eastern shores were considered another country. So Levi is in either one of these tax booths.

And he is a tax collector. Now you might be thinking Australian Tax office. But collecting tax was a little different to how the A.T.O works. The tax collectors collected tax for Rome. And they would bid for the contract to collect tax. And the highest bidder wins. And so the tax collector would then have to collect that amount. And then on top of that would collect extra for their own wages. And a lot extra went into the back pocket! This profession was lucrative. It was a real money spinner. But how do you feel when someone rips you off? You despise such people.

And tax collectors like Levi were despised for this extortion. There are a few more reasons why they were despised. a)  they lined the coffers of the Romans, their enemies. And b) from a Pharisee point of view, they were unclean. They mixed with all the Gentile traders.

So they were despised.

Apparently, in prison there are certain people called dogs. These include sexual offenders and dobbers. Tax collectors like Levi were the dogs. There were considered as unclean as leper. And as immoral as a sexual offender.

            How amazing then is the grace of God! Jesus said to Levi the tax collector “Follow          me.”

            Never despair over anyone’s salvation. If God can save Levi, He can save any sinner.        Including you and me. No one can sink so low that God can’t pick them up.

Now there’s a few doctrines worth reflecting on for a moment.

1. a) We see the election of God. Levi does not choose Jesus. Jesus seeks after Levi. The doctrine of election reminds us that, all the initiative in salvation belongs to God. Jesus alluded to this doctrine of election in the upper room. He said to Levi and the other ten Apostles, “You did not choose me, but I choose you.” And when Jesus said that, Levi knew exactly what Jesus meant.

 

1. b) We see the doctrine of Effectual calling. The gospel call goes out to all mankind. But not all will answer the call. Only elect will respond. God sends His Spirit to open their hearts. Remember Lydia? Acts 16:14 “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul,” She responds positively. She is effectually called. We see this with Levi. In verse 28 we read, “And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.”

            Now all this is so say, from start to finish, ‘salvation belongs to our God.’ We owe          our conversion to Him. To the praise of his glorious grace! ‘Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.’

And because it depends on God’s grace, no sin is too bad, no person is too lost, no heart is too hard. With man it’s impossible. By the saving grace of God all things are possible.

Now how do we know God has worked in someone’s life? What does conversion look like? Secondly, conversion leads to a changed life Mark Dever writes that a man had said, ‘I’m not the man I used to be. Can you ever forgive me?” The man said this to a woman thirteen years after being charged with raping her. Had you known that man or had you heard of the case against him, would you have believed his claim that he had changed? I suspect most people would be somewhat sceptical, not just toward that one repentant man but towards anyone who claims to have changed in any deep and lasting way.

So what about Levi? Would you trust Levi if he became a member of this church? Would you celebrate his profession of faith? How do you know he’s changed?

 

In this passage we see evidence of conversion. In Biblical terms what is conversion? Essentially conversion is verse 28, “And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.” In more technical terms, conversion is: repentance and faith. In terms of road signs, conversion is a big ‘U turn.’ For you are turning or repenting from sin and then turning in faith to Christ. That’s conversion. Levi leaves behind the tax collector booth, and follows Jesus.

And how do we know this was genuine? Look at Levi’s changed life. He began to live sacrificially, joyfully and evangelistically. No doubt there was other fruit. But these are the one’s the text mentions.

Notice a) His sacrificial living. Scholars mention that Levi’s sacrifice is probably the greatest out of all the disciples. Unlike the fisherman, he can’t go back. He also incurred personal losses by leaving the tax booth. The unpaid tax was his loss. And he throws a lavish party.

So Levi knew what Jesus meant when he said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and fellow me.” Levi knew what it meant to suffer loss in the cause of Christ. Following Christ always comes with a cost.

But also notice b) His joy. Although there was great cost. Nothing could dampen his joy. Instead he threw a party! He’s got so much to be thankful for. Grace, forgiveness, peace, joy, and eternal bliss. As one commentator says, ‘nothing can happen to a man which ought to be such an occasion of joy, than his conversion.’ Isn’t that so true! A profession of faith is a red carpet event. It’s special.

Notice c) His evangelistic spirit. When you have such joy. How can you not share it! When you are well provided for eternity, how can you not wish the same for others. Levi has invited all his buddies. I don’t think they are all disciples. So, he wants them to meet Jesus. We are not squirrels keeping the gospel nut all to ourselves.

So can you see what genuine conversion looks like? It’s fruitful, and life changing. It transforms all priorities. As the song goes, ‘you will never be the same again.’ This is quite different to simply identifying with the culture of Christianity. In true conversion Christ becomes your life, your master, your teacher, your all. Not all at once of course. Over time God’s Spirit works and we change.

 

But the Pharisees are not happy.

Finally, Jesus has come to call sinners to repentance.

I remember the time that someone came up to me and asked for bus money. It was a Sunday afternoon. I was walking into Church. And this random guy, roughly dressed, asks for bus money. I’m not even sure if the buses were running on a Sunday afternoon. I didn’t know where the money would go. So what do I do? Well the brain is going overtime. He wants money. And he needs the gospel. So I made a deal. I’ll give you money if you come and sit in church for a while. Maybe not the best model of evangelism! Anyway the Church service is a happening. I’m praying hard that God will convert him. But there’s another thought. You can’t help wondering what others are thinking. Who’s this random sitting next to me.

Why do we think like that? Isn’t church where we expect to see randoms? Don’t we expect to see lost guilty, sinners? Or is it about some other measure?

The Pharisees have lost sight of grace. But interestingly, not by being too strict. But by being too lax. They made the law easier to obey than what it was. Some say they did so to accommodate human weakness. In any case, they provided a ladder to become righteous. A ladder of 600 odd laws which replaced grace. And so they cast a suspicious eye towards Jesus.

Do we fall into the same trap today? Of course. The ladder might not be 600 laws. But the ladder might be a prayer. A profession of faith. A baptism. It might be a creed or confession. It might be a particular morality such as give to the poor, get involved in social justice, do evangelism. The list goes on. In every age, grace can be replaced. And notice it can be replaced by something that lowers the bar. The bar being, “…be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48)

 

So who belongs in Christ’s Church? Young people, when you meet someone how do you know that person is a genuine Christian? Elders, after asking questions about someone’s doctrine and life, how do you know a person should become part of the Church?

Verse 31 “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Those who belong are those who cannot make the bar. Who are sick. Who are sinners. Who are unworthy. If you are healthy you don’t need to go to the hospital. But if you’ve just been in a car accident, and the bleeding hasn’t stopped, and life is fading away, then you cry out, ‘take me to a hospital.’ Likewise, it’s when we see our Spiritual need that we cry out, ‘God have mercy on me a sinner.’ Like Naaman the proud Syrian commander, who come to humbly admit their need.

These are the people who belong to Christ. A conversion experience is not about making good people better. Conversion is when sinners flee from sin to a Saviour. It’s about a ‘U’ turn. One that continues through our whole Christian life.

 

And everyone needs to make this ‘U’ turn. Romans 3:10 “There is none righteous, no not one.” When Jesus called the Pharisees “righteous.” He wasn’t suggesting they didn’t need to come and see him. No, it’s that they thought they were righteous. Tragically, they were too righteous to be saved. They had to repent of the ladder they constructed. Are you too righteous to be saved? A muted sense of sin leads to apathy towards grace.

 

 

 

Conclusion

So let me finish with a call to come to the divine doctor. This call to come applies to us who are believers and need to continue to convert. This call applies to you if you are an unbeliever.

Come, see the one who can heal your wounds. Come and be saved from divine condemnation and eternal judgment. Come and have the burden of your guilt lifted. Come and be forgiven for your sins.

Jesus came into this world to save sinners. Come and be restored to God. Come and enjoy peace, joy, contentment, and fullness of life. Don’t delay. Let Christ dress your Spiritual wounds with the healing balm of the gospel.

Amen (2200 words)