The Gospel of Mark: Mark 2:13-17

You the well good morning church it is good to see you here on this absolutely gorgeous just February day amen that's awesome my name is Cody I'm the pastor here we're all about loving God loving each other and loving our community and world and I want to take a moment and introduce to you guys PJ you guys many of you all know him he's going to come up and share a little bit from the loving our world team about what they got going on so PJ why don't you come up to the [Applause] platform well thank you I'm part of the loving our world team and this morning I just want to share with you a brief testimony of how God used a short-term mission trip to impact my life dramatically 1998 my wife and I we were in the UK serving as missionaries with new tribes Mission we' been on the field just under 18 months and we were serving at a Bible School in Matlock bath darbishire about two hours north of London and we were very young we had two children Allison and Andrew and I us to cook for this single students and we lived in a dorm on the third floor in the back above all the single women one afternoon in a staff meeting our leaders invited us to pray for God to provide another leader to take a short-term missions trip to Ivor Coast West Africa the leader who had planned to go was suffering from cancer and was not able obviously to take an international trip and so the meeting ended we you we prayed meeting ended and I went back to the kitchen to get ready for the evening meal and start preparing it and my wife and my two little kids come trots trotting into the kitchen my wife

Proceeded to tell me she says I know what you're thinking and I think you should do it and I was like okay what am I thinking she goes you want to take that position you want to lead that team and I think you should do it and cutting out a whole lot of details God made it possible for me to do that there were conditions of course I had to teach her in a short little period of Time how to drive a standard car on the wrong side of the road with the gear shift on the wrong side and but we did God allowed us to do that to accomplish that goal and she did an amazing job taking those kids to church and different you know get groceries and different things while I was gone the day before I left we were suspicious that something was going on and she took a pregnancy test and she was expecting our third so I left for five weeks and yeah we lived on third floor no elevator so groceries laundry it was hard work but the body of Christ surrounded her and helped her through that of all three pregnancies that one was the worst and she was sick the whole time I was gone my mother-in-law has yet to forgive me for that but I want to just illustrate more of just how God or orchestrated all things for his good and how he continues to do that this team was diverse it was represented with students from Denmark Norway Pharaoh Islands Netherlands Northern Ireland Germany and England our project was to build two houses in the PA tribe we were not far from the town of San Pedro and the homes were to be made of cement blocks there was no cement block vendor we made the cement blocks with a form and set them on the plastic to dry and we had to stay ahead of the Masons

Putting them together to build this house over the five weeks we were able to mostly complete one house and begin the second one and while we were there I also had the privilege of baptizing two of our students in the Atlantic and it was an amazing privilege and we got to fac we also had to I don't want to scare everybody but I'll just keep it PG we had to evacuate we had to do an a medical evacuation one of our students had an allergic reaction and went into antic shock and we quickly trans transitioned a vehicle into an ambulance and myself and another leader took her into San Pedro to another mission's guest house to get her some medical help and but God through that whole experience took me so far out of my comfort zone multiple times and in multiple contexts we were already in the UK even though they speak English it's a different culture and I was leading an international team of multiple cultures and we were entering into Ivory Coast with a very diverse culture there as well and there was differences there paradoxes when we were in the city we saw extreme wealth there in Yamask where we used to have a school base there for our mission we got to tour the Basilica which is modeled after St Peters it's magnificent we got to tour the or we got to stay at this hotel Hotel Presidente and it was lavish luxury but our time in the village was very remote extreme poverty food was scarce other comfort zone things that I remember was just at separation from my family we didn't have cell phones at that time we got to communicate maybe three times I think total during the whole five weeks but it was also the beginning of our ministry we were new

Missionaries we were a new a young family and yes these things were hard but as I look back I can remember and even as I Was preparing this a lot of little memories came back and it was just really cool no we didn't complete both houses but he used this trip to lead many of those students into full-time Ministry because of that trip there are tribal Believers Brothers and Sisters in Christ worshiping Jesus this morning in the Philippines on August 25th to September 7th FBC will be sending a team to Ivory Coast to help our missionaries serving there the wuts and the Johnson's I do not know we do not know what God will do or what he has planned or who he will send but I can tell you that the team that he does send that he does assemble they will not come back to this church the same as when we send them I can promise you do that there is a cost it's $3,500 there will also be a cost of comfort and if the Lord is leading you to go it will cost you some comfort but I can assure you it will be so worth it I believe God is not so much interested in what we do or what the project will look like specifically I believe more he desires to I believe more what he desire to do in our hearts and that's for us to be settled our being with him not so much our doing but our being and what he wants to accomplish in us both the team par participants those who will fund the trip and more broadly the body of Christ here represented at FBC as a whole I see this trip as just the beginning of expanding our global vision as a church body for reaching the those still without Christ if you want to learn more about this if God has been working on your heart to go and to be a part of this team I implore you to join us tomorrow night at 6 PM down here in

301 and there will be an information meeting we will talk specifics and answer questions if you know at this point that there's no way that you can go I would also invite you to come and to join us maybe not in that room but in another room and pray and pray earnestly that God would lead those that he wants to put on that team and that they would not be afraid of that price tag but that they would put their hands out open and be willing to receive whatever God wants to do if God wants them on that team if he wants us to send a team it will happen and nothing will stop it I want to leave you with these words from the hym writer Charles Wesley it says faith Mighty Faith the promise sees and looks to God Alone they he laughs at impossibilities and cries it shall be done thank [Applause] you and praise the Lord that he's mobilizing our church to more and more global missions and that's what we're called to do Amen to go and make disciples of all the nations and so be praying about that a couple of other things here just so you know right after service we've got potluck down in the gymnasium and then we've got our Unity Q&A where we're going to be talking about that while also at 100 p.m. There will be a special call business meeting to actually present PJ to you as an elder of our church and so you guys are going to be able to ask him some questions and he's going to do his best to field them and then as a church members of this local body you will be able to vote for him or not affirm that and so we just pray that you've been praying through that as well there's all sorts of different information that's in here please be sure to check out the bulletin it's really well done thank you Taylor for doing that at this time why

Don't you just find a neighbor maybe they look pretty happy maybe they don't hug their necks say welcome to First Baptist Church e well good morning church it's good to see you all here this morning it's good to be in the house of the Lord today amen well we've got one more announcement before we get started here today we are taking up our special offering for our hbac issue we've got a unit down in the gym that needs to be fully replaced and We've we voted on it at the last business meeting that we would be taking up a special offering today so I'd invite you to prayerfully consider what the Lord might have you give today that will be taking place a little bit later in the service I'll let you know but right now I'd invite you to bow your heads and close your eyes and ask the Lord to prepare your hearts for worship this morning Lord we ask that you would help us to put aside the distractions this morning Lord to lay at your feet our troubles and our worries knowing that we have a hope that transcends this world and this life a hope that is eternal in sealed with the blood of Jesus Christ and with his resurrection God I pray that this morning you would help us to Worship in spirit and in truth help us to declare together your great Praises your excellent mercies and Lord help us to sing together with joy it's in Jesus name we pray amen I invite you now to stand in join us as we sing together come praise and glorify Our [Music] God come praise and

Glorify Our God the father of our Lord in Christ he has in heaven Realms His blessings on us pure and blameless in his sight he destined us to be and now we've been adoped through his son eternally to the praise of your glory to the praise of your mercy and grace to the praise of Glory you are The God Who saes come praise and glorify Our God who gives his grace in Christ in him our are washed away redeemed through sacrifice in him God has made known to us the mystery of his will that Christ should be the head of all his purpose to fulfill to the pra of your glory to the praise of your mercy and grace to the praise of your glory you are The God Who sa come praise and glorify Our God for we believe the word and through our faith we have usal the spirit of the Lord the spirit guarantees Our Hope until redemption's done Until We join in Endless to God the one to the praise of your glory to the praise of your mercy and grace to the praise of glory you are The God Who s to the praise of your glory to the praise of your mercy and gra to glory you are The God Who saes that's who we worship this morning amen he is the God who saves amen marous Grace of our Ling Lord Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt y on calary M out there were the blood of the Lamb was fil gra God's grace gra the world Hardon and CLE within Grace Gra God's Grace Grace that is greater than all

[Music] our dark is the stain that we canot hide what can aail to wash it away look there is Flowing a Crimson Tide than snow you may be today gra God's gra the will pardon and CLE within gra God grace gra that is greater than all our marous infinite grace freely bestowed on all who believe you that are longing to see his face will you this moment his grace receive gra God gra Grace that will pardon and C within PR gra God Grace Grace that is greater than all you can be seated as our ushers come forward to take up the offering let's pray dear Lord thank you for today thank you for bringing us here you give us everything we have thank you and now it's our time to give a little bit back to you dear Lord thank you for your love and as always thank you for the mercy and Grace that you've given us in Jesus name amen this next song that we're going to sing has been Our Song of the month this month of February it's Lord have mercy and it's a song of confession where we together ask that the Lord would have mercy on us because we know that we are Fallen that we don't measure up by ourselves but we also know that we have a great Savior who's given us Grace that we don't deserve As we sing this song we're also going to right after this song Rather we're going to be taking up the special offering for our hbac unit so during this time I'd ask that you consider what the Lord might have you give for that [Music] offering

For what we have done and let UND we fall on your countless mercies for s that are known and those unnown we call on your name so holy for every and pride for closing our eyes for storing our [Music] neighor in thought word and deed we fail you are King How Deeply we need aior Lord have mercy Christ have mercy Lord have on us Lord have mercy Christ have mercy Lord have on us for what you have done your life of love you perfectly Liv we praise you though temped and tried you fix your eyes you finished the work God gave you and there on the tree a king of th you for a World's betrayal you love to the end our merciful friend how pure and forever faithful Lord have Mery Christ have mercy Lord have on us Lord have mer Christ have mercy Lord have us Lord have mercy Christ have mercy Lord have on us Lord have mercy Christ have mercy Lord have on [Music] for hearts that are cold for seing control for scorning our very maker in thought word and deed we fail you our King How Deeply we need a

Saor Lord have mercy Christ have mercy Lord have on us Lord have mercy Christ have mercy Lord have us Lord have Mercy Christ have mercy Lord have on us Lord have mercy Christ have mercy Lord have us Lord have mercy Christ have mercy Lord have us Lord have mercy Christ have mercy Lord have on us I' invite you now to be seated as we prepare to take up the special offering for the hbac evening so ushers invite you to come forward at this [Music] time [Music] amen Amazing Grace how sweet the that save our like me I was lost but now am found was but now I see I invite you to stand as we sing this next few verses was that Tau My Heart To Fear and gra my fears Rel how

Did that gra of beh feeling through many ders to and STS I already come his gra has brought save the and Grace will lead be home when we've been there 10,000 years bright shining as the son we no days to sing God's praise when we first be we've no last days to see God's praise and when we first be Lord we thank you this morning for your faithfulness for your goodness for your mercy and your grace Lord we thank you for revealing who you are to us that we might know our creator that we might be allowed to praise you Lord I pray that you would help us to continue worshiping this morning as we hear from your word and then even as we go from this place and we go down to the gym in Fellowship Lord I pray that you would help us to be glorifying to you in our thoughts in our words and in our Deeds it's in Jesus name we pray amen if you have your Bible and I hope that you do please turn with me to Mark

Chapter 2 Mark chap 2 verses 13-1 17 today we are looking at some very practical ways that we can love our lost family our friends our neighbors our co-workers and win them to Christ that's kind of the overall question that we're asking and we all have a tremendous need for grace in our lives don't we Grace that comes at some of the most unexpected times last year it was May and I'd had my appendix taken out of me and I was standing there on my back deck looking at my yard I was like man I gotta get out there and do that but I just couldn't and I went and I laid down and I took a nap and all of a sudden I heard my neighbor out there knocking that out for me and that was just a way of showing showing Grace I mean I didn't deserve that I mean he just went out there and he did it sometimes I'm out at a restaurant or something and one particular time I was shaking hands and talking with this church member and we're just talking and I go back and I order my food I'm sitting with my family and we're all talking and after we're we're wrapping up our meal they were already done they come over they talk with me and all of a sudden there was I'm waiting for my check and I said well where's my check they said no it's already been paid for someone covered that for you I was like well let me at least pay a tip they said no don't worry about it's already been paid for wow that's that's just amazing just God's grace his gift on our lives even through people and I heard a pastor he was telling a story about how he had asked his children he had asked his son it if I pay you and your sister a dollar each would you be willing to wash my car for me and you know the son said no I really don't want to do that for a dollar so he goes to his daughter and he says hey hun would you be willing to wash

My car for $2 and she's like yeah Dad I'll knock that out for you and so she goes out there and she's working real hard and she gets it all cleaned and scrubbed up and everything and then she calls her dad says Dad can you come out here and take a look at it I'm all done and so this pastor he goes outside and he looks looks at this car and he's he's just wow this is a great job here's your money and the Sun comes running up he goes well I encouraged her and you know in that moment he could have given some money and that would have all been Grace just totally undeserved but what the girl got was wages she deserved that it's a very big difference between what we've earned in Grace many times we view grace through a distorted lens sometimes we feel like we deserve it as children of God maybe we realize our new position in Christ but we don't realize that our position is because of the mercy and the grace that God has given to us and so we might be tempted to be self-righteous at times and so we try to add good works into the mix as the basis for our salvation but remember that Paul he wrote in Romans 11:6 but if it is by Grace it is no longer on the basis of Works otherwise Grace would no longer be amen you see when we add our works to the grace of God we wind up getting the Gospel wrong it's a false Gospel and so how do we come to God what example does Christ give us in how we are to receive lost people and minister to lost people that's what we're going to be talking about today and so if you would stand with me in honor of God's word as we read Matthew 2: 13-1 17 God's word says this he went out again beside the sea and all the crowd was coming to him and he was teaching them and as he passed by

He saw Levi the son of alfus sitting at the tax booth and he said to him follow me and he rose and followed him and as he reclined at the table and in his house many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples for there were many who followed him and the scribes of the ph and the scribes of the Pharisees when they saw that he was eating with the Sinners and tax collectors said to his disciples why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners when Jesus heard it he said to them those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick I came not to call the righteous but Sinners and so God we do thank you for this word that you've given to us this morning and I ask Lord that you would give us understanding this is your word not mine not any of ours it's yours and it's authoritative for our lives today and I pray that we would conform our lives to know you a bit more today through the preaching of the word give us Open Hearts and open minds help us to be receptive and to apply it to our lives Lord I pray that for those that need to be redeemed today that they would be redeemed and for those of us who are redeemed that we would walk in the glory and the truth that is found in this passage and I pray Lord that you would move us God move us to action move us to live out our faith in Practical and relevant ways so that we might change camton and this world with the Gospel we love you Lord in Jesus name amen well after the paralytic was healed as we saw last week he was healed in front of everyone and sometime later Christ he goes back down to the Sea of Galilee and there he teaches the crowds because the people they were coming to him and they heard his teaching they heard his preaching because that was the function of Christ he came to preach and

Now Christ at this time he was becoming more and more famous throughout the region of Galilee and people they were coming to capernium to see and to learn about this man Jes Jesus of Nazareth and they came to Jesus because they were attracted to him not that he had any beauty in and of himself but they were attracted to them to him because of the way that he treated them the way that he received Sinners the way that he taught the way that he lived for the Lord and likewise people they are attracted to Christ in our lives for those very same reasons the way that we conduct ourselves for the Lord to the Lord's Glory the way that we teach the Gospel and live it out the way that we love people because people need the hope of Christ and Christians have everything that we need by the power of the Holy Spirit to live faith-filled lives here on this Earth amen the people they also came to Jesus because guess what Jesus was still seeking the one when I say the one I mean those who are lost and in need of redemption remember that Christ taught that there is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner than that repents than a 100 righteous people have that have no need for repentance but Jesus is about to find one of those ones and his name is Levi the son of Al is now Levi it was a very common name during the first century region of Galilee there was Levis everywhere at this time but he is also known as the Apostle Matthew he's the guy who wrote the Book of Matthew and in Matthew's account it's nearly identical to Mark's retelling of this event but we learn some very important things about Matthew here namely we learn his profession as a tax collector and for us that may not mean

Very much but let's face it taxes have been hated by everyone that's ever lived in Civilization ever amen but the Romans they were interesting in how they did it because they contracted their tax services out to the highest biders okay so you so you had these subcontractors that would say to the Empire I believe that I could get this much for you or that much for you and the government would contract it out and once a tax collector would reach their quota then they would just simply extort their neighbors and their family and their friends and their Community they would pack their they would pad their pockets it was actually a running joke that if there was ever an honest tax collector found anywhere in the Roman Empire that there would be a Monument built to that man in Rome for eternal glory as an honest tax collector now I believe that we could probably say the same thing about the IRS in DC myself but this was a Cutthroat position and it attracted some of the worst people think about this you would become vilified in your entire Community hated despised rejected you would be labeled as an enemy as a traitor as someone that was excommunicated even your family would be cursed by people walking around the kind of person that was attracted into this type of line of work was not a good person I mean it once they took this position they weren't even allowed to serve as a witness in the courts because their reputation was just completely demolished and Matthew he was hated by the people in capernium and I think that we should see this progression that Christ has made over the last several weeks I mean think about it Jesus you know he first we saw that Jesus he was casting out a demon out of a man and he showed

Authority over Darkness we see Jesus he healed a leper he showed compassion to the unclean by touching and healing him and then Jesus he forgave a paralytic sins and brought healing by the word of his power but Jesus is not finished yet because he's going to go to a man that is so hated and so vilified by this fishing Community he is going to call Matthew to leave all of his wealth to leave his career and all of it to follow him and we can see that in verse 14 Jesus saysf follow me and he rose and followed him now a couple of things that we have to ask here why didn't Matthew go and see Jesus when he was casting out demons and doing all the sickness and all that kind of stuff why did Christ wait so long could have been weeks could have been months before Christ approached Matthew we really we really don't know but it is an interesting question question but what's important is that Christ does come to Matthew in his own time and Christian you might have lost family friends people that you have been praying for and sharing the Gospel with for years be faithful in ministering to them do not lose hope okay the Lord he will do his work in his timing we just have to be faithful in the meantime now Christ he goes to Matthew and he doesn't say hey you want to come too no the Greek tense here is an imperative that means it's a command that's an authority just as he called darkness and demons to leave just as he told paralysis to leave just as he told leprosy to depart Christ also has the authority to command someone to follow him and Matthew does and that is the beauty of the Gospel and that he calls the most sinful the most hateous the most wretched the most worst among us to follow him and why would he do that I mean if we were

Being honest about God and we were to say God I want you to be fair then guess what we all deserve we all deserve an eternity separated from God in hell if God is being fair we don't want God's fairness we want God's mercy we want God's grace we need the Gospel and we must have it and while we see this great ious calling of God we also see the human responsibility to respond to that call we see the demon leaving at the command of Christ we see leprosy leaving at the word of Christ we see paralysis and forgien forgiveness being given at the word of Christ and we also see Matthew following Jesus at the word of Christ and he does so immediately he doesn't count his money he doesn't appoint someone to his post he doesn't make a Arrangements he just leaves and that is a holy recklessness to just get up and go praise the Lord for that praise the Lord for Holy recklessness and if you're taking notes I want you to write down this first point about how can you Minister and love the lost the first thing that we see in this passage and we'll get to it in just a second is this is not working I think that you got to activate that window for me here we go oh the friend to the friendless why did why did Jesus call Matthew I mean generally it's by his grace and his good pleasure is why the Lord called you if you trust in him because you didn't find Jesus Jesus found you he had died adopted you he rescued you but what we see in Levi is that Jesus saw what others did not everyone else saw hatred for the community they saw selfishness they saw greed a willingness to betray close-knit families for the sake of a dollar you know there's a story from the Renaissance about a piece of marble from

Austino d Duo which was given to him to work on in 1440 1464 he was told make an Old Testament hero out of this piece of marble as he started working on it he noticed all these imperfections all these blemishes and he said I am not going to work on that's no it's going to be wrecked and so it was put aside for over a decade 11 years it was just put in storage and finally another sculptor named Antonio rosalino 1475 he said well I might be able to do it and so he started working on it and thinking through it and as he started to chip away he noticed a lot more imperfections in the marble as he began working and scraping and just getting everything where it needed to be and so he just said no this is this piece of marble is trash it's just garbage it's useless we just need to take this and just toss it into the Mediterranean but then the contract came to Michelangelo and when he saw it he gained the contract for it and he created Michelangelo's David he made that in spite of what everyone else saw as trash as garbage as useless as just worthy of just being cast into the bottom of the sea he saw something beautiful Paul he writes in Ephesians chapter 2:10 for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them and just as Michael mangelo he saw the potential in there God he saw and chose the damaged the trash the useless out would add the foolish now I'm am not saying that we're all masterpieces and this like feel goody kind of thing you know and that God sees the potential in you or anything like that please don't think that you're so great because you know you're not and I'm not and some of you said Pastor said I'm not great you know if

Anyone says anything bad about you all right just take comfort because you're far worse than they realize okay but I want you to think about like think about it like this God sees the wretch and he has mercy God sees The Sinner and makes them rightous ious God he chooses the foolish he chooses the blind he chooses the leper he chooses to work even among the demon possessed for his glory and His glory and His glory no Rabbi in their right mind would want someone like Matthew no one would want Matthew this is the one in that community that should be punished the most severely but Jesus knew what he was doing he was about the father's work and so he calls Matthew and Matthew follows him and he becomes a disciple and in the next scene of the story we see Jesus he's reclining in Matthew's house this is a term meaning that Matthew is hosting a banquet for Jesus Christ and how glad Matthew is that salvation has come to his home this man who was once hated who was despised by everyone is suddenly accepted by the most wonderful teacher in the region and he is changed radically by this encounter with Christ and it's just like what Jesus taught in the story of The Prodigal Son in chap Luke chap 15:32 it was fitting to celebrate and be glad for this your brother was dead and is alive he was lost and now he is found in Matthew he invites his friends over and these Sinners and these Tax Collectors they're sitting around and Matthew he just wants to share this good news with his friends and there's a ton of people there the Bible says that you know his disciples Peter and James and John and Andrew they're all there along with all of these tax collectors and Sinners and what we see is this Messianic picture of God and sinners being reconciled together this is Heaven and Earth

Meeting together and notice the second point of a way that you can love the Lost is simply by feasting together note the feast with Sinners the feast with the Lost Jesus he eats with these people he drinks with them he'd be accused later on of being a drunkard of being a glutton by these religious leaders but this kind of language that Mark is using here it's to show companionship it's to show closeness and friendliness Jesus he wasn't hanging out with sinners in order to make them feel better he wasn't just there to love them he wasn't he was he was there to love them but also to minister to them to teach them to heal them Jesus he wasn't in any danger of assimilating to them like so many of us are just a word of caution at work okay like things like language you know it might be very different than how it is on Sunday mornings okay be careful as you Minister because because you were simultaneously called to love people with the Gospel while also being different than them I mean if people like us just because we're cool to be around then we've missed the purpose of Christ friendship with Sinners he spent time with people in order to win them to the kingdom of God not so that way he'd be popular Jesus was already plenty popular he didn't more he didn't need more people in his Entourage his goal was to bring the lost the hurting the broken into fellowship with the father and as Jesus reclines at this house he is feasting with this tax collector and the Sinners and these scribes of the Pharisees they are completely scandalized last week they asked a question in their hearts and Jesus addressed that question because he knew their hearts but this time the Pharisees are going to be speaking up a little

Bit this question pops up and they ask Jesus's disciples why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners now why on Earth would they ask the disciples why wouldn't they ask Jesus couple of things here about these kind of questions one the Pharisees they thought Jesus was a blasphemer we saw that last week and so these questions are not innocent questions secondly sometimes people that hate the work of God will ask questions of followers while avoiding the leader to se Division and thirdly questions always seem innocuous in but they are deeply rooted in self-serving motives why else would they ask the disciples rather than the teacher and so what the what these pharisaical leaders see is a complete disgrace Jesus he claimed to be a teacher of the law but instead of upholding the laws of the Pharisees he's reclining with Sinners and you can hear them CR grumbling can't you well it's worked for us for the last 400 years we've never done it that way before this is this is how teaching Works how dare Jesus challenge our customs and our traditions and eventually they are going to curse Jesus and they're going to accuse him of being possessed by the devil himself but the Pharisees they're becoming angrier and angrier and more and more opposed to the work of God they begin complaining they're attempting to divide and the third way that to love the sinner is don't focus on what the Pharisees focus on you see they're more concerned about honoring their customs and the Eternal Souls of people around them my nephews have a black dad and a white mom and I can't tell you how many times I've heard the racial slurs and the hardships that they go through it's disgusting it's especially disgusting when it comes from Christians perhaps you're not a racist or something something like that pick your fad whatever it is maybe you don't agree with any sort of fysical belief but maybe you live them out practically I mean when is the last time that you befriended a lost person I mean think about it the Bible studies that you attend are probably 100% Christian they're probably not Evangelistic the doctors that you go to are probably Christians the dentists that you go to we look for Christian more laborers and workers because we want good reputable people to do the work but you know we're also not very concerned about any other qualification of well are they a Christian I mean we go to we do business with Christians we got Christian veterinarians your dog might even be a Christian I don't know but we pass by hundreds of people every single day without a Second Glance or a helping hand and so while you may hate the philosophy of phariseeism practically you might be one and how do you get past that I want to give you a couple of points here this is just some practical things okay I'm not just what I do it's an acronym called bless and first thing is begin with prayer we see Jesus constantly withdrawing to spend time with the Lord in prayer be praying for opportunities that you might have to share the Gospel with people with friends with neighbors and things like that secondly as you identify those people go and talk to them and listen to them just listen I have to move quick because I'm a pastor and as soon as that like so what do you do I'm a pastor who the walls go up right because people assume that I'm there to convert them which is true praise the Lord right but you know people also have some really rotten experiences with

Pastors too but this past summer I saw a moving truck that was coming into the neighborhood and when I see a moving truck I know I probably need to work fast so while they're moving I go over and I'm like hey I just wanted to meet you and he's helping and he's carrying these boxes of books can I grab a box yeah and you know how it is when you're moving you're passing each other you're having these little bits of conversations what do you do where' yall move from all these different types of things and come to find out that he is a Believer and his family they are moving they moved here from Virginia another good connection and things like that and so it was just it was really good you know just finding these different opportunities to share the Gospel with people and if you listen closely if you really listen closely they will tell you different ways that you can serve them you know he's like yeah we got to put in a new bedroom this place has two bedrooms they got five kids you know we got to put in some new bedrooms in the basement well hey give me a call let's knock that out let's put down some w walls down in your basement people will tell you how to serve them second thirdly eat with them I am a big fan of eating okay because I'm a Baptist and that's what I do very prosperous but I believe that hospitality is an essential Ministry for the Christian we as churches have to be better about practicing and inviting people into our home and even stepping into their home if they invite us it's important to have people over and people drop their guards around meals it's hard to be contentious while you're eating ribs it really is I saw some people going yes it is so prepare something to share s serve them Have you listened as you've eaten you know figure out the need and how to serve them and sometimes it's by

Being a friend sometimes it's through an act of service or love but people will usually divulge how to serve them and as you serve them if we stop right there then we miss it we get blessed okay we don't want to do that we want to be a blessing share your story share your testimony of how you became a Christian as I've said before people like people need the Gospel and I really want to impress upon you the importance of that I know that so basic but we cannot ever lose sight of that share your story and you know ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom on how to do it's exciting and it's faith-building this means that you have to make room in your home for different cultures different political beliefs because people aren't going to believe the same as Christians they shouldn't well you kind of hope that they do but whatever it's Camden County we all want to want it to be similar but it's not the world is coming to us and I say praise praise the Lord let's reach him let's do what we can to reach the lost but I want you to notice that Jesus he doesn't tell these tax collectors and sinners before I'll sit down with you and eat with you need to do this that or the other he just goes in and reclines and eats and teaches and you know breaks bread with them I mean he re meets them right where they're at and in the same way Christ by the preaching of the Gospel he met us right where we were I heard the message repent of your sin and Trust in Christ and by the mercy and grace of God the Holy Spirit convicted me of my sin and I responded this is the story and it's the testimony of so many people that he changed my life and he can change your finally last note here from the passage is the function of the Messiah verse 17 it says and when Jesus heard it he said to them those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick I came not to call

The righteous but Sinners don't forget that it is God Almighty that is sitting down and eating with these Sinners and these tax collectors and in sharing a meal with them he is extending to them the grace of God that he has towards Sinners and not only that but he is showing how to love people right where they're at not by isolating like the Pharisees thought that they needed to do nor by assimilating to them like men that don't have a conscience but on Mission seeking to win Sinners to the kingdom of God I feel like I really need to reiterate that because someone might leave here and go Pastor K told me that I need to go eat and drink at the bar a lot more with Sinners and that's that's not what I'm saying okay I said that we shouldn't isolate ourselves away completely nor should we conform ourselves to the patterns of this world but we should welcome the lost and we should love them while sharing with them the hope of Christ and if we fail in either of those then well we're not loving the lost like Christ Jesus said those who are well have no need of a phys of a physician but those who are sick I came not to call the righteous but Sinners and it's true that those who are well don't need a doctor but those who are sick in Christ he wasn't saying that the Pharisees didn't need them but Jesus's purpose was to call needy Sinners to repentance not the self-righteous ones and people have to understand their need for Jesus but you know what we can't be Jesus for people we are not called to be their Savior we are called to follow the example of Christ to be a friend to Sinners to make opportunities for that to happen to Feast with them not to focus on what the Pharisees focused on and remind yourself of the role of Christ that's what we're called to do

Head harand headed I want you to know that we must meet people right where they're at so that we can win them to Christ that's what we're called to do G just as Christ stepped into our lives we must be willing to step into other people's lives in order to win them to Jesus heart I want you to believe that as we meet people where they're at we will have opportunities to share Christ with them the goal of our love is not simply love in and of itself is an unworthy goal the goal must be the Gospel the goal must be bringing them to Christ so that way they can deal with the father and they can hear the Gospel and hand I want you to have some lost people over to your home okay so that you can love them and share the Gospel with them that's what we are called to do amen typically on the last Sundays of the month we conclude our service by partaking in the Lord's Supper but this week we will not we're going to be changing that to the first Sundays of the month so that our volunteers and Kids Quest will have opportunities to partake in the Lord's Supper as a United Church body and I think that's a good thing for us to do so in response today we are going to be singing together the hymn Amazing Grace and perhaps you realize your need for Grace today or maybe the need for you know refocusing yourself on the calling that the Lord has for you would you stand with me as we sing together this hymn and maybe sing it as a prayer to God as a reminder of where we were before we saw Christ and his Gra great love that he has for us let's pray together and then we'll sing and so God we do ask that you would watch over us and protect us father as we go out into this world help us to have spiritual eyes to see opportunities to minister to people in

The Name of Christ help us to be a blessing to others by sharing the truth of the Gospel always seeking ways to minister to the loss that we might be able to bring many into your kingdom God help us to get out of our comfort zones and in seeking opportunities to minister Lord we pray that we would be found pleasing to what you have for us God father Empower us help us to abide in your presence that we might never go way before you but that you would lead us and that we would follow in your steps and the ways that we might be able to seek and save the Lost Lord help us God to do that well in Jesus name [Music] amen [Music] Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a rich like me I once was lost but now am found was but now I see through many dangers through many ders to and snares I have all he come was Grace has brought he save th far and Grace will lead me home when we've been

There [Music] 10,00 years bright shining as the sun we no l days to sing God's praise then when we first we' no less days to sing God's praise and when we first be Lord help us to continue to sing of your amazing grace to Proclaim your excellencies to a world that is lost that needs to hear Lord we pray that you would help us to worship you in every thought