Sermon August 9
Mark 2:13-22
We live in a society that does not know the true nature of God and the gospel, who Christ is, what happened on the cross, and what heaven and hell are. To win these people we need to be able to teach and explain. And we need to show love for lost people by telling them and showing them the truth. Among the lost, the tax collectors were the most visible Jewish collaborators with Rome and were regarded as an outcast from society, hated by almost everybody. Yet Jesus loved and called Levi to follow Him, that there is a place for him within God’s kingdom. To follow Jesus, Levi would have to give up his old life as a tax collector. Who do we hang out with? Intent and context matters. Jesus did not fellowship with tax collectors and sinners so that he can have fun and hang out with the wealthy, enjoying a good meal. In verse 17 He tells us: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Jesus bring sinners to repentance and forgiveness rather than being defiled by the association with them.
Only sick people need a doctor. Pharisees were actually sick, but they didn’t realize it. That is the most dangerous situation of all. A sick person who doesn’t realize it will not seek help. As a church, we have been tempted to keep the outside world out and keep only the good influences in. That is not the way of Jesus. That is not the way of the kingdom of God. Jesus gathered the messy, the outcasts and the broken. We are to show the same compassion that He did. We are not to condemn sinners but love them. That does not mean that we excuse or tolerate sin, but it does mean that we willingly serve, associate with, welcome, and share the gospel with sinners instead of detesting them as the Pharisees did.
As a follower of Jesus, you cannot fit new life into the old form. Jesus came to introduce something new, not to patch up something old. Jesus doesn’t destroy the old (the law), but He fulfills it and establishes new covenant. We cannot accept new and still cling to old at the same time, it is a direct conflict, incompatibility. If there is something you are carrying with you from the past, something you cannot let go of, confess it to God, ask Him for forgiveness, ask Him to take it away from you. Choose to follow Jesus!
Discussion Questions
- How can you show more compassion for the lost?
- Who do you hangout with most? Why?
- Are there areas in your life where “old” still prevails?
- Have you chosen to follow Jesus?
