June 11, 2016

"As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples." Matthew 9:9-10

I have been sharing some significant insights about following Jesus gleaned from the story of Matthew's calling to become a follower of Christ.

1) Being a sinner does not disqualify you from following Jesus it's a prerequisite.

2) Being an unbeliever doesn't disqualify you from following Jesus! None of His earliest followers believed when they began following.

3) The invitation to follow is an invitation to a relationship.

When Jesus called Matthew to follow Him it was clear to Matthew that Jesus was called him into a relationship.

Jesus was a rabbi and when you followed a rabbi you entered into his life-style and came under his teaching. So, Jesus' call to Matthew was "learn from me, live like me and let my love change your life."

I'm not sure if Matthew fully understood what that would look like or what it would require but he was ready for a change and from all he had heard about this Jesus from Nazareth He could be the someone he had been looking for.

A healthy and fulfilling relationship isn't lived "by the book". You don't start your day out by pulling out the rule book so you can check on the "do's" and "don'ts" of a relationship. Rather, you ask, "How can I get to know this person better?" "How can I help this person want to get to know me better?" 

A healthy relationship is driven by the desire to know and to be know by someone significant in your life. You find out what pleases that person and you do that thing. And you make that happen by sharing life's journey with them. You find out what that person enjoys and you share that with them. 

Out of that relationship grows a friendship and that friendship becomes increasingly more fulfilling to you as your friend adds value to your life. You develop a desire to somehow add value to your friend's life because you want to become important in their life.

Answering Jesus' call to "Follow me" changed Matthew forever! From that first invitation to follow Jesus Matthew began to change as he walked with Jesus and became a Friend of Jesus'

It may strike you odd that Jesus didn't ask Matthew to change BEFORE he began to follow Him. He simply invited Matthew to follow and that's how it began.

We often say, with our attitudes or demeanor, "If you change or when you change then you can join us and follow with us.

But Jesus graciously issued the invitation that is extended to every human being on the face of the earth. There is no one too bad or too worthless or too lost that Jesus wouldn't want a relationship with him if he/she will enter into a relationship with Him.

Tax-collectors were the most despised people in Judea and with good reason. They wielded oppressive power to extort large sums of money from the locals and had the force of the Roman army behind them. Nobody wanted to have anything to do with a tax-collector and Matthew was a tax-collector when Jesus called him to follow. Coming into a relationship with Jesus changed His life.

Who wants to have a friendship with a tax-collector? The very same Jesus Who invites YOU to follow!

The Prerequisites To Become a Believer

"As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:9-13

Jesus caused quite a commotion when He invited a despised tax-collector to become His follower. The commotion turned into consternation when Jesus went to Matthew's house for dinner with Matthew and his tax-collector friends.

The Pharisees didn't understand it and the disciples weren't sure either. 

What was Jesus doing risking His reputation by dining with tax-collectors and other sorts of sinners?

Was there a point He was trying to make?

There were several actually:

1) Being a sinner doesn't disqualify someone from following Jesus, it's a prerequisite.

2) Being an unbeliever doesn't disqualify someone from following Jesus. None of His earliest followers were believers when they began following Him.

Matthew and all of his tax-collector friends didn't know what they believed but they knew Jesus was Someone worth following. He was the only person in town willing to have dinner with them.

When Jesus issued the invitation to Matthew to follow Him, he was busy collecting taxes. It's possible he even collected some tax money from Jesus. But when Jesus told him, "Follow me!" Matthew got up, left his money on the table and followed Jesus leaving a very lucrative career. 

Matthew became a follower before he became a believer. This was Jesus' home base so Matthew had probably heard about this revolutionary Rabbi. Perhaps he had even heard Him preach. So, you could say that Matthew probably believed as much as he knew about Jesus.

But the one thing that made Matthew a follower was that he heard the call of Jesus and he FOLLOWED Him.

If you were to read through the Gospel, which I encourage you to do, you will discover that all of His disciples began following Him before they believed in Him. In fact, even two or three years into following Him you will see phrases like "and then His disciples believed". Peter, James and John got a sneak peak at Who Jesus was at His transfiguration, but the majority of his followers didn't truly believe until after the resurrection. Seriously, how hard is it to believe when you saw Him die, knew that He was buried and then you saw Him alive again?

So, just struggling to believe in Jesus does not disqualify you from following Jesus. If you will believe what you do know and if you are willing to follow Him you can become a follower of Jesus!

Today, are you willing to follow Him? 

You know what you have been believing isn't working.

You know that there has to be more to life than what you are experiencing now.

Jesus is calling you, "Follow me!"

Will you answer that call today?

June 9, 2016

"As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:9-13

When Jesus called Matthew, the tax-collector, to be one of His followers he bent the minds of his other followers and blew the minds of the religious establishment.

What message was Jesus sending by His choice of Matthew as a disciple?

I want to offer four insights into becoming a follower of Jesus. I will share the first one this morning.

BEING A SINNER DOES NOT DISQUALIFY YOU FROM FOLLOWING JESUS IT IS A PREREQUISITE!

One of the most insidious lies perpetrated by the Evil One is the notion you be "good enough" to come to Jesus.

Jesus, Himself, twice in this portion of Scripture dispels that notion:

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick."

Have you ever thought to yourself when you are ill, "I need to get healthy so I can go and see the doctor?"

Of course not! 

You go to the doctor BECAUSE you are ill and you want him to help you get well again.

That's exactly the point Jesus was making when He was rebuked for calling an evil tax-collector to be His follower.

"For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

If you had to be righteous in order to become a follower of Christ there would be no followers of Christ! 

Those in this story who THOUGHT they were righteous were the ones who failed to become followers of Christ. The Pharisees and the Sadducees and other religious leaders stalked Jesus and shadowed Jesus but they never became followers of Christ. They became critics but not followers because they not only saw themselves as righteous they saw themselves as MORE righteous than Jesus!

Think of a person in Scripture who became a follower of Christ who wasn't a sinner at the moment they began following Him. Good luck on that project!

I was a sinner when I heard the call of Jesus to follow. So were you!

Aren't you glad that being a sinner doesn't disqualify you from become a follower of Jesus?

Aren't you glad you can bring your spiritual illnesses to the Great Physician?

Aren't you glad Jesus came to call you into His fellowship and out of your sin?

The Call

"As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him." Matthew 9:9

When you think about the I.R.S. what thoughts and emotions are stirred within you?

Okay, let me up the ante!

Just the other day the I.R.S. admitted they indeed targeted some 320 conservative or faith-based organizations to bully and harass leading up to the 2010 and 2012 elections despite testimony to the contrary by the previous and current I.R.S. Directors.

Those feelings of frustration or disgust you are feeling will help you imagine what was going on in the mind of those with Jesus when He issued the invitation to follow Him to a tax collector.

There are several huge things happening in this simple interaction between Jesus and Matthew. Unpacking those and discussing them will be the gist of our message this coming Sunday at FredWes. But, let's get a head start on it.

1) Notice the simplicity of the call.

2) Notice the subject of the call.

3) Notice the surprise of the call.

Jesus looked directly at Matthew, the despised and dastardly tax collector WHILE he was in the process of collecting taxes and said simply, "Follow me!"

He didn't say, "Keep the commandments, Matthew!"

He didn't say, "Go get baptized, Matthew!"

He didn't say, "Go to the synagogue, "Matthew!"

He didn't say, "Repay everything that you have stolen from the taxpayers."

Jesus just invited Matthew to follow Him! And Matthew did follow Jesus!

That is how simple being a Christian is supposed to be. But before you protest, "Brad, that's just too easy! You are "dumbing down" the Gospel let me ask you, "Are you following Jesus?" 

If so, "Are you finding it easy to follow Him or are you struggling with it?"

Pastor Ben Wikner puts it this way, "When Jesus speaks about following him, the more common word that Jesus uses combines the prefix indicating “union” and the word meaning “path or road”, which also means “voyage or journey”. So when Jesus says, “Follow me” he is saying “join me in my path, my journey.” It’s the idea of walking with Jesus, being near to him. It’s highly relational and communicative, but with the clear understanding that Jesus is the leader; he is setting the course. So what does it mean to follow Jesus? Following Jesus is…what being a Christian is all about (1) This is the most basic command; it encompasses all the others. If we follow: we love, forgive, serve, etc. To be a Christian is to be united to Christ, to walk with Him, to imitate him. a. If you boil down Christianity to it’s essence, it’s about Jesus. If you boil down the Christian life to its essential element, it’s about following Jesus. Everything else flows out of following Jesus. Do you want to simplify your Christian life? Follow Jesus. Do you want to live in God’s will? Follow Jesus. Do you want ultimate meaning and purpose? Then follow Jesus. (2) Our tendency is to want to live according to a list or by a set of rules. We can get so caught up trying to follow Christianity (the religion) that we forget to follow Christ. And when it’s about Christianity (religion, rules, and lists) more than about Christ (relationship, communion, and discipleship) we will focus on doing and not doing things, rather than on walking with Jesus. a. For example, consider our call to holiness. Holiness is good, even necessary. However, if holiness is understood through the lens of the religion of Christianity, it inevitably becomes about doing good things and not doing bad things. It becomes a checklist of rules through which we determine if we (and others) are living holy lives. This mindset breeds self-righteousness and self-condemnation. It leads to a spirit of judgment toward others. Because of this, the call to holiness will be undermined, even rejected, giving way to license – we are free in Jesus! b. We must not reject holiness, but rather, rule-centered religion. The right way for holiness and sanctification to flourish in our life is to follow Jesus – his way, his path – in growing our relationship with him. If we get this right, the Christian life follows."

The call to Matthew was an invitation into a relationship with Jesus and Jesus was God in the flesh. Jesus wasn't calling Matthew into observing rules or participating in religious rituals He was calling him into a relationship where Jesus would lead and Matthew would follow.

The call to Matthew should give you hope that there is no one who is outside of or beyond the call of Christ to follow Him. No one is more despicable than a tax-collector and Jesus called a tax-collector to become His follower!

If you, like the other followers of Christ and like the Pharisees, are troubled by His calling of Matthew that says something troubling about you as a Christ-follower.

Doesn't it?

Will you work through your outrage long enough to honestly and humbly consider this question, "Am I following. Am I REALLY following?"

June 7, 2016

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3

If I were looking for a good illustration from the Bible of what it means to be "poor in spirit" I would point you to the story of the Prodigal Son.

This foolish young lad bought into the notion that being rich in material possessions was the essence of happiness. So, he coaxed his father into letting him have his inheritance in advance and he took the money and ran as fast and as far as he could from the rules and restraints of home to a place where the pleasures of self-indulgence would be his boundless!

But he ran out of loot before he ran out of lust and when he did, his party time friends decided it was time to depart! Suddenly his quest for happiness left him humiliated, hopeless, and hungry.

Finding himself in an urgent need for lunch money, he took the only job he could find feeding pigs in a pig sty. Here is a young man who was destined to own his father's farm now feeding hogs for a farmer far less compassionate than his father.

His hunger didn't stop before the paycheck started and the foolish lad found himself longing for the slop he was he was giving the swine. Surrounded by hogs and knee deep in mud and slop he began to think of home. His mistreatment at the hand of this farmer refreshed his recollections of how well his father had treated those who fed the pigs back home.

Showing sudden signs of common sense, the son reasoned that if he was going to slop hogs he may as well try to hire on with his dad. Without giving two weeks notice he waded through the mud, around the pigs and over the fence to return to his father with the little bit of strength he had remaining. Luke 15 records the reunion that happened when he met his father on the dusty road home:

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate."  Luke 15:21-24

What is particularly noteworthy is the spirit of the son's plea to his father. Several key phrases give indication of his "poorness of spirit":

1) "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you....."

2) "I am no longer to be called your son...."

He left as a son but was returning in hopes of becoming a servant. 

This is where it gets good!

We he came home properly poor, that is when he became prosperous! 

His father lavished on him full privileges of a highly favored son! The robe of righteousness, the signet ring of authority and the sandals signifying sonship! He finally found the happiness he had been looking for but it wasn't in the way he had expected.

What a vivid illustration of what Jesus meant when He said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit....."!

Being "poor in spirit" is not just about humility. Humility assumes you had something to be proud of. Being poor in spirit is about depravity, confronting your absolute spiritual depravity and then confessing it to your Father. That is your one chance at happiness!

June 6, 2016

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” Ephesians 5:31

I want to begin this article by wishing my beautiful bride, Barbara, Happy Anniversary - for the 29th time!

Yep! Today is our 29th anniversary! Time REALLY does fly when you are having fun. And we have a ton of fun!

When people meet me and then meet Barbara, they wonder how someone like me was able to end up with someone like her. That is a typical reaction, and honestly, I understand because I wonder the same thing!

Being married to a pastor is not easy.

Becoming an instant mother to three children was not easy.

Moving away from family and adjusting to a new role in a blending family was very difficult.

But Barbara has faced and conquered each and every challenge that arose during those two and one-half decades. And she has done it with grace.

When you take the marriage vows seriously, as we do, and when you hear that verse saying, "two shall become one flesh" you wonder what that means, exactly.

Of course, the physical image of it is pretty clear. And it is good!

But the spiritual and emotional, and even psychological implications of "two becoming one" are more mysterious - and a bit frightening. How do two sinful, strong-willed, selfish, stubborn and scarred people meld into one? Is that really possible?

Indeed, by the grace and mercy of God - IT IS! Through the power, and patience and presence of the Holy Spirit - IT IS!

That is what makes 29 years so amazing! We have become one! We are each better individually because we are together. I see many areas of my life where I have grown because of her. And she can point to a few where I have helped her!

It is pretty amazing that - not unlike God - the one who knows me best loves me most! I look forward to our daily routines. We miss each other during the day and get excited at the thought of coming home and being back together each evening. On Mondays I begin getting excited about our Friday dates!

Quite amazing this "two become one" relationship that God ordained for marriage. In His mystical math "two become one" when they lose themselves in a Third! His marriage math is God + Man + Wife = ONE!

How's your math?

How's your marriage?

June 5, 2016

“While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.”  Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.  Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak.  She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment. When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this spread through all that region.”  Matthew 9:18-26

“What determines your reality? How do you decide what is real?”

That is a very important question. You need to have a very good answer. Over the next few posts I want to share some examples of people whose faith shaped their reality. They believed what they believed more than they believed what they saw. Christ was more real to them than their circumstances.

Two great examples are shown in these several verses from Matthew 9.

The local synagogue leader – and position of respect and influence in any community – came to Jesus bearing news that was all too real, his beloved daughter laid dead at home. But he made an amazing statement, ““My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.”

Wow! Here is a guy who should have been grieving but instead – he was believing! This dad refused to let death have the last word with his daughter. Though there was nothing he could do he knew that Jesus was in town and was convinced that Jesus WAS the Son of God. So his thought process went something like this – Jesus is in town. Jesus in the Messiah come from God. God is the Creator and Giver of life. Therefore, Jesus is connected to the source of life and He should be able to raise my daughter from the dead. THAT was his new reality – his faith in Jesus.

Since he believed so strongly in Jesus, Jesus was able to believe in this guy and He arose to follow this fellow home to raise his deceased daughter. But before they made it to the end of the block a woman with a debilitating blood disease took her opportunity to touch the Master’s garment. There is an important reason she reached for the hem of his garment and I recommend you do some research on it.

Matthew reveals what she was thinking as she reached to touch Jesus, ‘She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.’” Her affliction was real, but her faith was more real. She had a faith that changed her reality. She came with a disease and went home completely healed.

Jesus and the synagogue leader then sped their way to his home. As Jesus entered the house He saw the evidence of a death – mourners and music. Speaking to them, Jesus ordered them to leave. Mourners are for the dead and this girl was not going to be dead. That caused them to mock Him because they were locked into a different reality than He was.

After the commotion was stilled, Jesus went to where the daughter was laid and He proceeded to raise her back to life in respect to the great faith of her father. The father’s faith became reality. By letting Jesus have the last word, death did not.

So, I ask you, “Does reality shape your faith or does your faith shape reality?”