Participants:
Series Code: DPM
Program Code: DPM000025A
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00:05 Heavenly Father, Lord, here today in Springfield, Missouri
00:09 we have the privilege of being able to worship You. 00:13 And Father, we have come to a part in this service 00:16 where we're about to open Your sacred Word. 00:19 And as we do so, we pray, Lord, that You would just 00:22 help our minds to focus on these eternal truths. 00:26 That You would write in our heart and in our mind 00:28 that we might better understand our call 00:31 to be missionaries for You. 00:33 Lord, help us to know who is that one person 00:36 that You're calling us to be friends with, 00:38 who is that person that You want us to reach. 00:40 Enlighten our minds, guide us by Your Holy Spirit, 00:44 and help us to see precious and powerful things 00:48 from Your Word today. 00:49 We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:55 Back in the year 2002 my family and I went on a 01:00 very special vacation together. 01:02 And it was on this vacation that I encountered a situation 01:06 that I was not expecting to have to face. 01:09 It happened like this: 01:11 One of my dad's life long dreams was always to go 01:15 to the Grand Canyon in the state of Arizona. 01:18 How many people here have ever been to the Grand Canyon? 01:20 Can I see your hands? 01:21 Okay, quite a few of you. 01:22 Well, that was one of my dad's wishes on his wish list. 01:26 But I knew that with my parent's being in their 70's 01:30 at that time and living in Pennsylvania, 01:33 there was no way that they were going to hop on a plane 01:36 by themselves and fly halfway across the country. 01:39 And there was no way they were going to get into a car 01:42 and my dad was going to drive 2000 miles 01:44 to a place he had never been to. 01:46 So the only way my dad would get his dream fulfilled 01:50 is if we all went to the Grand Canyon together. 01:54 So that's what we did. 01:55 July of 2002, I made the hotel reservations, 01:59 got the airplane tickets, and me, Marquita, 02:03 and my mom and my dad found ourselves in 02:06 Grand Canyon National Park, Flagstaff, Arizona. 02:10 Now I've got to tell you, my dad, he loved it. 02:14 For him, being able to look over the vastness of that canyon, 02:18 that was just a powerful example of God's creative ability 02:22 and an evidence of the biblical flood. 02:25 My mom, on the other hand, she could have cared less. 02:29 To her it was just a big dumb hole in the ground, 02:32 and she said, "I never want to come back again." 02:35 In fact, we could not even get her to go to the edge, 02:38 you know, where the railing is, we could not get her to go 02:41 and just look out over the beauty of the canyon. 02:43 She wanted nothing to do with it. 02:45 Still doesn't want anything to do with it to this day. 02:48 But I remember on one day we took a guided tour of the area. 02:53 Now you know what a guided tour is, right? 02:56 You're with a group of people, you have a guide. 02:59 All day long he takes you to all the interesting places 03:04 and explains all the facts and figures behind it. 03:07 Now if you've ever been in a tour group, 03:09 you understand that when you spend all day 03:12 with the same group of people, you're riding in the same bus, 03:16 you're discussing the same sights, 03:18 you're even eating your meals together, 03:21 it's only natural that you start to build some friendships 03:24 and an acquaintance with the people in your group. 03:27 I mean, you're spending hours together. 03:29 Well, one of the guys I met was a man by the name of Ivan. 03:34 Now what did I say his name was? Ivan. 03:37 Now Ivan was about 29 years old, same age as I was at that time. 03:42 And he was from the country of Italy. 03:45 Now I want you to remember that because it's going to 03:47 become important later. 03:49 Ivan had come all the way over to the United States 03:53 on vacation by himself in order to see the Grand Canyon. 03:58 So throughout the day, you know, we conversed with each other. 04:02 He shared with me what life was like in Italy for a young man. 04:06 And I tried to share with him what life was like 04:08 in the United States for a young man. 04:11 Well, at the end of the day when the tour was about to depart 04:15 and we were going to go our separate ways and, you know, 04:17 go back to our hotels, Ivan did something 04:21 that surprised me. 04:24 Something that I wasn't ready for. 04:26 Something that really kind of took me back. 04:29 Ivan came up to me and he invited me 04:32 to go out to dinner with him that night. 04:36 Now at first I wasn't quite sure what to think, you know; 04:38 one guy asking another out to dinner. 04:40 And then I realized, oh that's right. 04:42 What country is Ivan from? Italy. 04:45 And if you know anything about the Italian culture, 04:48 the evening meal is the most important meal of the day. 04:52 It's always a festive time and a social occasion 04:55 with family and friends. 04:57 So if you're Italian, you never eat the evening meal alone 05:01 if you can help it. 05:02 So now that Ivan had just made a friend in America, 05:06 it was the most natural thing in the world 05:08 for him to invite that friend to the evening meal. 05:12 Well any other time, that would have been perfectly fine. 05:16 Except that particular night presented me with one problem. 05:22 That night was my anniversary. 05:26 And I had already made plans in my mind 05:28 to have a nice romantic evening with my wife, you know. 05:32 Nice candlelight dinner at a fancy restaurant. 05:35 Maybe a little moonlight stroll under the stars. 05:38 You know, hugs and kisses. 05:40 You know, pastors and wives, we like romance too, you know. 05:44 You can say amen to that. 05:45 So you know, if I have to choose between spending my anniversary 05:50 with my beautiful wife or another guy, 05:54 it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. 05:56 I would like to be with my wife. 05:58 So I politely declined Ivan's invitation. 06:03 And of course, he understood. 06:05 But then a few minutes later I went and I explained 06:08 to Marquita what had happened. 06:09 And I said, "Honey, don't worry, I am not going to skip out 06:13 on our anniversary." 06:15 You know what she said? 06:18 She shocked me. 06:19 She said, "David, I think you should go." 06:23 "What? 06:24 No, Honey, it's our anniversary, you know. 06:26 Hugs and kisses, romance. 06:28 I don't want to go out with Ivan." 06:30 And she said, "David, you've been talking with 06:33 Ivan all day long. 06:35 You're never going to see him again. 06:37 Maybe if you just have a meal together 06:39 maybe you'll get a chance to talk about Jesus. 06:42 Maybe you'll get a chance to just plant some small 06:45 seed for the gospel. 06:46 Besides, we're going to be on vacation a few more days. 06:49 We can just as easily celebrate our anniversary 06:52 tomorrow night." 06:55 Well, her argument made sense. 06:57 I didn't like it at the time, but it made sense. 07:00 So I went back and I accepted Ivan's invitation. 07:05 Later that evening, as I was getting ready to meet Ivan 07:08 at our designated meeting area, 07:11 I started to think about this situation. 07:14 And then I started to become a little apprehensive. 07:17 Because I thought, now wait a minute. 07:21 Ivan is different than I am. 07:25 Ivan is not a Christian, as far as I can tell. 07:28 Now wait a minute. 07:30 What if he talks about things that embarrass me? 07:33 What if he wants to go places that I don't go? 07:35 What if he wants to do things I don't do? 07:37 How am I going to handle that? 07:40 And I started to wonder, is this really a good situation? 07:44 And no sooner had I met Ivan at the place we designated, 07:48 and right away he said, "Hi Dave, let's go over here 07:52 and grab a bite to eat." 07:54 Guess where he was pointing. 07:56 To a place that maybe I wouldn't normally go. 08:00 And so just for those few seconds all sorts of things 08:03 ran through my mind, and I wondered, 08:05 what in the world should I do? 08:08 Should I even be mingling with this person? 08:14 Have you ever encountered a situation like that? 08:17 Have you ever faced a time when there was someone 08:20 that maybe God laid on your heart, 08:21 someone who wasn't a Christian, 08:23 maybe they weren't a believer in Jesus Christ, 08:26 but you felt that pull, that desire to try to plant some 08:29 seeds in their life? 08:31 But yet, in your mind you're thinking, 08:33 well I'm supposed to be a missionary for Jesus, 08:35 but yet the Bible says that I'm not supposed to be of the world. 08:39 And friendship with the world is enmity towards God. 08:42 I wonder, should I even be mingling with this person? 08:48 You ever have those questions go through your mind? 08:50 Did you know that Jesus encountered a very 08:55 similar situation? 08:58 Would you like to see how he handled it? 09:00 Because after all, Jesus is the divine Teacher. Amen? 09:04 And so, we're going to look at a particularly 09:07 precarious situation that Jesus found Himself in. 09:10 And as we look at what Jesus said, as we look at what 09:13 Jesus did, it's going to teach us some valuable lessons 09:17 on what it means to be a true missionary for Jesus Christ. 09:22 Because we are supposed to fulfill the gospel commission. 09:27 But yet, there is a verse that says don't be of the world. 09:30 So how are we supposed to balance those two things? 09:33 If anybody knows how to answer that question, 09:36 then I reckon it would be Jesus. Amen? 09:39 I want you to take your Bible and turn with me 09:40 to the book of Luke, and we're going to look at chapter 5 09:45 and verse 27. 09:47 Now you can look at it on the screen, but I also invite you to 09:50 look at it in your Bible. 09:52 Luke 5:27 09:57 Now as soon as you look this up in your Bible, 10:00 you should recognize the story. 10:02 You're going to see this is the calling of Levi, 10:05 or Matthew, the tax collector. 10:08 Now this passage, this story, is only six verses long. 10:11 It's very short. 10:13 But here's what I want you to do. 10:15 I want you to use your God given gift of imagination, okay. 10:20 I want you to try to picture everything that's 10:22 happening in this story. 10:24 I want you to try to imagine what is Jesus thinking? 10:27 What are the disciples doing? 10:29 What's going on in Matthew's heart? 10:32 Because we're going to dig deep below the surface. 10:36 And we're going to look at some things that Jesus did and said 10:40 that's really going to challenge us 10:43 to understand what it means to be a missionary for Jesus. 10:47 And of course, you understand, of all the things 10:49 recorded in the Bible, that only tells us 10:52 maybe 10% of Jesus' whole life. 10:54 You realize that. 10:55 I mean, the gospel author, John, wrote that if every act 10:59 of Jesus were recorded, everything He said and did, 11:02 there wouldn't be enough room in the whole world 11:04 to fill all the books that could be written. 11:06 So the things that were recorded in the Scriptures 11:10 are things that must have really gotten the attention and 11:13 touched the heart of these gospel writers, 11:15 and they felt it needed to be recorded for future generations. 11:19 And one of those stories was the calling of Matthew. 11:25 Let's pick it up, I'm going to just read straight through 11:27 Luke 5:27-32. 11:32 The Bible says, "After these things 11:36 Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named..." Who? 11:41 We know him better by what other name? 11:43 Yeah, Matthew. 11:45 "...sitting at the tax office. 11:47 And Jesus said to him, 'Follow Me.' 11:51 So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. 11:55 Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. 12:00 And there were a great number of tax collectors 12:03 and others who sat down with them. 12:05 And their scribes and Pharisees complained against His disciples 12:10 saying, 'Why do You eat and drink 12:14 with tax collectors and sinners?' 12:18 Jesus answered and said to them, 'Those who are well have no 12:22 need of a physician, but those who are...'" What? 12:26 "...sick. 12:27 I have not come to call the righteous, 12:30 but sinners to repentance." 12:33 Let's pause there. 12:35 Let's go through this story step by step, 12:38 because we're possible going to see some things 12:41 that maybe we have never seen before. 12:44 Here in Luke 5 Jesus has been traveling through the region 12:48 of Galilee going to all the small towns and villages 12:52 teaching, preaching, and healing. 12:54 Now you have to understand, Jesus' method of ministry 12:58 was very different than that of the Pharisees. 13:01 Jesus had a very personal type of ministry. 13:05 He did not just go into the synagogue in the city and say, 13:09 "Okay, if all you people want to know what the truth is, 13:11 you just come here where I am." 13:13 The gospels describe Him as going out and rubbing shoulders 13:18 with the people, mingling with them in their homes. 13:23 Associating with them in the marketplace. 13:26 Walking with them along the wayside. 13:30 He would sit in small groups in the countryside, 13:32 or the mountainside, or by the seaside. 13:35 Jesus was willing to be friends with people. 13:39 I mean, think about it. 13:41 He touched the leper, and the blind, and the lame. 13:45 He spent time with the prostitutes 13:47 and the tax collectors. 13:49 Whereas the other religious leaders in Jesus' day, 13:52 they did ministry and evangelism from a distance. 13:56 Their attitude was, "We'll just throw you some information. 14:00 You get your life together, and then you can approach God. 14:03 But we're not going to engage in your life. 14:06 We're not going to become involved with you, for fear that 14:09 we might become unclean and corrupt from your influence." 14:13 So it was ministry from a distance. 14:15 But that's not what Jesus did. 14:16 Jesus engaged in people's lives in order to touch their heart. 14:22 That's why His ministry was so effective. 14:25 Can you say amen? 14:27 It was personal. He got involved. He mingled. 14:32 And because of that, the Bible says that many lives 14:36 were touched and changed. 14:38 One of the people whose life was changed was this man 14:42 by the name of Matthew. 14:44 Now most likely this was not the first time 14:47 that Matthew had seen Jesus. 14:49 If I remember correctly, according to the book, 14:51 The Desire of Ages, no doubt Matthew had heard Jesus' 14:54 teaching before. 14:56 He had probably heard things that Jesus taught 14:59 in other parts of his city. 15:01 He had no doubt heard the stories of Jesus, 15:03 and they intrigued him. 15:05 Because Jesus talked about a God that you could come to 15:09 just as you are. 15:10 With all your mistakes, all your sinfulness, 15:14 the foolishness of your life, 15:15 and you can just give yourself to Him. 15:17 He will accept you as you are and begin to work change 15:21 and transformation in your life. 15:23 But the Pharisees, their attitude was, 15:26 "Listen, you get your act together, 15:28 you prove that you've truly repented, 15:30 then when you become clean, then you can come to the 15:33 synagogue and you can come back to God, 15:35 but not before." 15:37 There was a stark difference between the religion of the 15:40 Pharisees and the religion of Jesus Christ. 15:43 Can you say amen? 15:44 And I believe Ellen White tells us that deep within his heart 15:49 Matthew desired to be a follower of Jesus Christ. 15:54 He desired that he wanted his life to change. 15:58 He wanted to start making different choices. 16:01 But he kept that desire silently hidden inside. 16:05 He didn't want anyone to know that he desired 16:07 to be a follower of this man, Jesus. 16:10 You say, "Well, why?" 16:12 Was he ashamed of Jesus? 16:15 No. It's the exact opposite. 16:19 Matthew was ashamed of himself. 16:23 Because of his life as a tax collector, 16:27 because of the choices that he had made, 16:30 because of issues he was probably struggling with 16:32 in his life he felt that someone like Jesus, a religious teacher, 16:38 would not want him as a friend. 16:42 You say, "Why does Matthew feel that way?" 16:44 Let me explain to you something about first century 16:47 Jewish culture, because this is going to help us 16:50 to understand this passage a lot better. 16:52 In first century Jewish culture there was something called 16:56 the unwritten rule. 16:58 Now do you know what an unwritten rule is? 17:01 An unwritten rule is a rule that a certain group has, 17:04 and everyone else knows about it. 17:06 You won't find it written down everywhere. 17:08 People just instinctively know. 17:10 For example, maybe one of the unwritten rules in our culture 17:14 is, when you come to church, you're not supposed to get up 17:18 and argue with the preacher, and yell and scream 17:20 at him in church, okay. 17:22 That's just an unwritten rule. 17:24 Most people understand that. 17:27 However, you're not going to find that rule 17:29 written in the bulletin, the greeters aren't going to 17:32 share it with you at the door, and you're not going to find it 17:35 written on a plaque on the wall somewhere. 17:37 It's just an unwritten rule that is understood in our culture. 17:43 One of the unwritten rules in first century Jewish society 17:47 was this; listen carefully: 17:49 Because you might find that the same rule exists 17:52 in some churches today. 17:55 The unwritten rule said religious people 18:00 don't spend time with nonreligious people. 18:04 Those who are spiritual do not associate 18:06 with the nonspiritual. 18:08 Those who go to church, or synagogue, 18:11 do not hang out with those who don't. 18:14 Because if you do, your life will become corrupted 18:17 just as there's, and you will become unclean. 18:22 And the entire Jewish society was based on this separation 18:27 mentality of us versus them. 18:30 We are clean, they are unclean. 18:33 Stay totally separate. 18:36 Which is why they never fulfilled the gospel commission. 18:42 That unwritten rule was ingrained in Matthew's mind. 18:46 That's why he felt like he could not approach Jesus. 18:48 Jesus would not want to associate with someone like him. 18:53 On top of that, do we understand what a tax collector really was? 18:59 Now is there anything inherently immoral 19:01 about collecting taxes? Yes or no. 19:04 You know, nothing wrong with being a tax collector. 19:06 But understand, in Jesus' day, when Rome conquered Israel 19:11 they did what every conquering power wants to do. 19:13 They wanted to collect taxes from the people. 19:16 And so what Rome did is, they knew they could not 19:20 send their soldiers into Jerusalem and Israel 19:23 to take taxes from the people. 19:24 That would have been an all-out bloodbath. 19:27 So they got smart. 19:29 They decided to hire Jewish men to become their tax collectors. 19:35 And so, those Jewish men would take money from their own people 19:39 and they would give it to the Roman enemy. 19:42 And so, any Jew who agreed to be a tax collector for Rome 19:48 was an absolutely hated individual. 19:51 They were despised. 19:53 Because they had turned their back on God's people, 19:56 they were considered to be the greatest of sinners, 19:59 and here they were collaborating with the enemy. 20:01 So people wouldn't talk with them, 20:03 they wouldn't eat with them, and perhaps many times 20:05 wouldn't do business with them. 20:06 They ostracized them. 20:08 So why would anybody want to be a tax collector 20:11 under those circumstances? 20:14 Because Rome added some fringe benefits to the job. 20:18 And the fringe benefit was, as long as Rome got their share, 20:23 you could collect as much as you want 20:26 and pocket the difference for yourself. 20:29 And nobody would say a thing. 20:32 So that means when a tax collector came to your home, 20:35 if you thought you owed a thousand, 20:37 Matthew or Zacchaeus or someone else 20:39 might have told you, "Sorry, you owe two thousand. 20:42 The rates went up." 20:43 You can pitch a fit, but there's nothing you could do about it. 20:47 Unless you wanted to lose your home and your business. 20:49 So you have to pay the two thousand. 20:51 And so, a thousand would go to Rome, 20:53 and guess where the other thousand would go. 20:56 In their pocket. 20:57 They didn't care if you had bills to pay. 20:59 They didn't care if you had mouths to feed. 21:02 Tax collectors were in it to get rich quick 21:05 no matter what the cost. 21:07 That's why people hated them. 21:08 A life of dishonesty and without integrity. 21:13 On top of that, tax collectors were also known to be 21:16 somewhat immoral people. 21:18 Now just picture this. 21:20 You've got a bunch of men who have a lot of money 21:24 and they pretty much hang around with themselves. 21:28 These are the kind of guys who are always out 21:30 looking for a good time. 21:32 You get the picture? 21:33 These are the guys always looking for a good party 21:36 to go to on the weekend. 21:38 And you know what kind of parties I'm talking about. 21:40 Actually, I hope you don't know what kind of 21:42 parties I'm talking about. 21:43 But let's just say it's the kind where the alcohol 21:46 flows freely, and when the lights go out 21:49 people do things they regret for the rest of their life. 21:53 That was the lifestyle of most tax collectors. 21:56 That's why they were so hated. 22:00 Now whether Matthew was exactly like that, we don't know. 22:03 But that would have at least been some of the influence 22:06 that was in his life. 22:08 And so, now Jesus comes to his town, according to Luke 5, 22:12 and it says that when Jesus goes by the tax office of Matthew 22:17 He does something astounding. 22:20 Something that confounds the disciples. 22:23 Something that may seem utterly simple and unamazing to us. 22:28 He goes in or goes up, 22:30 and He just starts talking with Matthew. 22:33 Friendly conversation. 22:35 Associating with him. 22:38 And that makes the disciples very nervous. 22:43 Because do you understand what Jesus is doing here? 22:46 He's breaking the unwritten rule. 22:50 In broad daylight. 22:52 Remember, religious people don't spend time 22:56 with nonreligious people. 22:58 The spiritual do not associate and mingle with unspiritual. 23:02 Because your life will become corrupt. 23:04 But here is Jesus in His culture in broad daylight 23:07 associating with someone who is considered to be 23:10 one of the worst of sinners. 23:13 Now the Bible doesn't come right out and say this, 23:15 you kind of have to read in between the lines, 23:17 but I'm going to ask you to consider this: 23:20 At this point when Jesus is there talking to Matthew, 23:23 where do you think the rest of the disciples are? 23:25 In your mind, do you picture them right there 23:28 associating with Matthew and talking with him? 23:31 Or do you kind of picture them back in the distance 23:33 really wondering what in the world Jesus is doing? 23:36 Where do you picture those disciples? 23:38 How many people say, "Yeah, they're right up there 23:39 talking to Matthew with Jesus," what do you think? 23:42 How many of you say, "No, I think they're in the distance 23:44 not wanting to get near him," let me see your hands. 23:46 Oh, that's pretty much the majority. 23:48 That's where I think they are. 23:50 I can just imagine the conversation. 23:53 "Hey, does Jesus know who He's talking to? 23:56 Does He realize that's Matthew the tax collector? 23:59 We don't hang out with his kind. 24:02 What are people going to think?" 24:05 It makes them very nervous. 24:07 See, because those disciples know 24:10 that if you're trying to start a religious movement 24:13 and you want to gain the favor of the people and the 24:16 Pharisees, you don't hang out with people like Matthew. 24:21 Because rumors fly. 24:23 And rumors, true or false, rumors can destroy ministries. 24:28 True. 24:29 Now, can a false rumor destroy ministries? 24:32 Absolutely. 24:34 And the disciples knew that. 24:35 And they're nervous, "Why is Jesus doing this." 24:40 But then you know what? 24:41 If that makes the disciples nervous, 24:44 what Jesus does next probably sends them through the roof. 24:50 Because He goes beyond friendly conversation now 24:54 and He actually invites Matthew to become one of His disciples. 25:01 Now I want you to think about that, okay? 25:04 He's inviting Matthew to become part of His 25:06 core group of twelve people. 25:09 Now you understand, Jesus had more than twelve followers. 25:11 But those twelve disciples were His core group 25:14 that He spent the most time with. 25:16 He's inviting Matthew to be one of the men who take the 25:20 gospel to the world after He dies and resurrects 25:23 and goes back to heaven. 25:24 He's going to be one of the representatives of the church 25:28 of Jesus Christ. 25:31 What do you think the disciples thought about that? 25:33 Tax collector? 25:36 How would you like to have Matthew as one of the 25:37 leaders in your church? 25:40 Probably that would ensue a very long 25:43 church board meeting and discussion. 25:46 But you know what? 25:47 Jesus did it anyway. 25:50 Because Jesus recognized the silent cry in Matthew's heart. 25:54 Can you say amen? 25:56 He recognized that in this man's heart, 25:58 even though on the outside he may have been involved in 26:00 things he shouldn't, even though on the outside 26:03 he's made poor decisions in his life, 26:05 even though on the outside he's got issues, 26:07 He also knows that inside that man's heart 26:10 someone is crying out that he wants to be changed. 26:14 That he wants his life to be different. 26:16 The Pharisees won't help him because Matthew is unclean, 26:19 the people want nothing to do with him, 26:21 so Jesus is willing to mingle and associate with him 26:26 and invite him to become one of the disciples. 26:30 Now let me ask you something. 26:32 Do you think Jesus knew that move was going to 26:35 bring Him a lot of criticism, what do you think? 26:37 He knew that. 26:39 He knew it was going to put obstacles in the path 26:41 of Him being accepted by the people. 26:43 He knew that. 26:45 So why did He go ahead and do it anyway? 26:49 You know what I think? Yeah. 26:51 He was sending a message to His disciples. 26:55 He was sending a message to what would become 26:57 His first century church. 26:59 I believe He's sending a message to us today. 27:01 He wants us to realize that Matthew is exactly the kind of 27:06 person the church should be reaching out to. 27:09 That Matthew is exactly the kind of person 27:12 that the church of Jesus was created for. 27:15 That Matthew was exactly the kind of person 27:20 He wants us to be spending time with. 27:25 Not to do what they do, but in order to 27:29 plant seeds for the gospel. 27:30 Because you know what? 27:32 Sometimes the only thing the Holy Spirit needs 27:35 to reach another person's heart is if a Christian 27:37 is willing to become their friend. 27:40 And through that Christian's influence, 27:42 change and transformation can take place. 27:46 But Jesus is waiting for His church 27:48 to learn to know what it means to mingle, and say, 27:50 "Here I am, Lord. Use me." 27:55 Now we could end right here, and this story 27:57 would have taught us a lot of lessons, 27:59 but you have the latter part of the story. 28:02 Because if it bothers you that Jesus talked to Matthew, 28:05 If it bothers you that He invited Matthew now to become 28:08 part of His disciples, what happens next 28:11 is really going to throw us for a loop. 28:14 Because now you go to verse 29. 28:17 Now there is apparently some time between verse 28 and 29. 28:21 I don't know how much. 28:22 Matthew has been a disciples now for some time. 28:26 But the Bible now says, if you read in between the lines, 28:31 Matthew begins thinking about his old friends. 28:35 You know, the guys on the other side of the neighborhood. 28:38 His old tax collector friends that he used to hang out with. 28:43 Because he knows, some of those guys he used to hang out with, 28:48 they have the same silent cry in their heart. 28:52 Some of them have that same desire to be changed, 28:55 but they don't know where to turn. 28:58 And Matthew figures, if he could just get his old friends 29:02 to spend some time with his new friends; 29:04 that is, Jesus and the disciples, 29:06 then maybe the change that happened in his life 29:09 could happen to them. 29:12 But Matthew doesn't know how to do that. 29:14 His old friends, they're not the kind of people 29:17 that are just going to go walking into the synagogue 29:19 on Sabbath morning. 29:20 Probably because the Pharisees wouldn't let them. 29:23 They're not the kind of guys that are going to go 29:26 to the temple courtyard and listen to a boring scribe 29:30 read from the law. 29:32 And so, Matthew thought, "How do I bring them together?" 29:35 And Matthew decides, he realizes there is one thing 29:39 he knows how to do. 29:41 He knows how to throw a party. 29:44 Now I know the Bible says feast. 29:46 That makes us more comfortable. 29:47 It's a more religious word. But it was a party. 29:49 But you can call it whatever you want. 29:51 Matthew decides, "I'm going to do a feast at my house. 29:54 I'm going to invite all my tax collector friends." 29:58 But he said, "This feast is going to be different. 29:59 It's not going to be like the feasts and parties 30:01 I used to have before I knew Jesus. 30:04 So I'm going to invite these tax collector friends." 30:07 And then Matthew, he does the unthinkable. 30:14 He actually invites Jesus to go to that party. 30:21 He invites Jesus to go to this feast of tax collectors 30:24 at his house. 30:28 And Jesus has an awesome decision to make. 30:32 Because no religious leader in his right mind 30:37 would be caught dead at a gathering of tax collectors 30:41 in first century Jewish society. 30:43 Your ministry would be dead and gone. 30:47 Remember, religious people don't mingle with nonreligious people. 30:55 And so, Jesus has to think this through. 30:58 And when you look at the story, it's going to challenge us. 31:02 Because whether we like it or not, 31:05 whether I want to believe it or not, 31:07 whether the church board votes it or not, 31:10 Jesus went to that party. 31:14 Jesus went to that feast to mingle with 31:18 lost and hurting people. 31:22 Now let me ask you something. 31:25 Did Jesus go there to do what they do? 31:29 Did Jesus go to that party to participate 31:32 in any unholy activities? 31:34 Well certainly not. 31:36 But He also knows these are not the kind of guys 31:38 who were going to come to Him. 31:40 Not with all the obstacles in His society. 31:43 So Jesus went to where they are. 31:47 Now when you spend time with people who don't know Jesus, 31:49 who have issues in their life, let's be honest, 31:52 are you going to face situations that may at times 31:54 be uncomfortable, yes or no? 31:56 Yeah. 31:58 Sometimes they use language that maybe, you know, we don't use. 32:02 Sometimes they may crack jokes that we don't 32:04 particularly think are funny. 32:07 And their world view is so different, 32:09 it may be hard to connect with them in conversation. 32:13 So yeah, there are moments where it's a bit uncomfortable. 32:16 And so, you can't tell me there weren't times 32:19 where the disciples might have been 32:20 uncomfortable about a few things. 32:22 Now I'm going to guess that since it was at Matthew's house, 32:25 he was able to have control of some of the 32:26 things that happened. 32:28 But the point was, Jesus went there 32:30 to plant seeds for the gospel, because He knew 32:33 they weren't going to come to Him. 32:36 See, that's what the gospel commission says. 32:38 "Go." 32:39 Go mingle with people who don't know Jesus. 32:43 Not to participate in activities that hurt your spiritual life. 32:47 You've got to make wise decisions. 32:49 Well let's be honest. 32:51 How in the world are you going to fulfill the gospel commission 32:56 if we think we can't mingle with those who don't know Jesus? 32:59 Those are mutually exclusive. 33:00 It's impossible. 33:03 Let me tell you a quick story. 33:05 I remember when I pastored in Pennsylvania, 33:07 over near the Pittsburgh area. 33:09 One of the things I liked to do, still like to do, 33:12 is play basketball. 33:13 That's just my way of relieving stress and having fun. 33:18 And so, I looked for a gym that was open on Sunday mornings. 33:22 You know, that's a good time for an Adventist pastor. 33:25 And I finally found this place that would play 33:27 pick-up basketball from about 9 to 12. 33:31 And so I would go play. 33:32 Now you would have guys from the community. 33:34 You know, high school, college, people in their 20's and 30's. 33:38 Even had a guy in his 60's who would come play ball 33:41 every week, every Sunday. 33:44 Well, you know, when you play basketball with guys, 33:47 you can't help but get to know them. 33:49 And yes, I'll be honest, there were moments 33:51 that made me a little uncomfortable. 33:53 Sometimes they talked about what they did the night before. 33:57 That was a little bit hard to relate to. 33:59 Sometimes they, you know, cracked some jokes 34:02 that I didn't particularly want to laugh at. 34:04 So sometimes I was a little bit embarrassed by that. 34:08 But I also knew these were not the kind of guys 34:12 who are just going to wake up one morning and say, 34:14 "You know what, I think I'll go to an Adventist church 34:16 on Saturday morning." 34:17 It's not going to happen. 34:19 I know sometimes it does, but let's be honest. 34:21 That's not the norm. It doesn't happen that way. 34:23 God sends us to mingle with them. 34:26 So I would ask Joe, "Well, Joe, what do you do for a living?" 34:29 "Oh, I work second shift over at the steel mill." 34:32 "Oh, that's cool." 34:33 Well after I ask Joe what he does for a living, 34:35 guess what he asks me? 34:38 Come on, that's not a trick question. 34:39 What would he ask me? 34:40 "What do you do for a living?" 34:42 So I said, "Oh well, you know, I'm a minister. 34:44 I pastor a local church here in town." 34:47 Now I thought at first when I told them that I'm a minister 34:51 that they might start to shy away from me, you know. 34:53 "Watch your language, there's a preacher over there. 34:56 Don't tell that joke." 34:58 But you know what? That didn't happen. 35:00 You know, 50 to 100 years ago if they knew a preacher was 35:02 in the midst, people were respectful. 35:05 Today it's not that way. 35:06 Their language didn't change one single bit. 35:09 I fact, I actually think it got worse. 35:11 But now just think in your minds. 35:13 Imagine for a second. 35:15 I just told him that I'm a minister. 35:19 And I'm there playing basketball ever week. 35:23 What do you think their next question is? 35:27 "Wait a minute. 35:29 You said you're a minister. 35:31 But you're here every Sunday morning. 35:35 What kind of a minister skips church to go play basketball 35:38 every Sunday morning?" 35:40 And I had to explain to them, "Well I'm an Adventist minister. 35:43 We have our worship services on Saturday. 35:45 That's, you know, what the Bible calls, the Sabbath." 35:48 Now I thought they might think I'm a little bit weird. 35:51 "Going to church on Saturday?" 35:53 But you know what some of their response was? 35:56 "Oh. You know, that's kind of cool. 35:58 Why, I could go to church on Saturday, 36:02 then I'd have Sunday free to watch football all day." 36:06 I thought, "Wow, maybe I should invite them to church." 36:10 Now I know what someone's thinking. 36:12 Because in ever place where I tell this story, 36:14 somebody is thinking, "Oh, that's terrible. 36:19 Why, going to church on Saturday just so they can 36:22 watch football on Sunday. 36:23 That would be going to church for the wrong reason. 36:27 That would be the wrong motivation. 36:29 That's terrible." 36:31 Listen, I don't know much, but there's one thing I do know 36:34 after being a minister for 19 years. 36:37 How can I expect someone who doesn't know Jesus yet 36:41 to do things for the right reasons? 36:43 How can you expect someone who has not yet been converted 36:47 by the Holy Spirit to do everything 36:49 with the right motivation? 36:50 That's crazy. That's insane. 36:54 But the more they come, even if it's not for the 36:56 right reason, as they hear the Word of God, 36:59 they sing the songs, and more important, 37:02 as they get involved in the life of the Christians who are there, 37:07 perhaps their lives will begin to change 37:09 and they will start doing things for the right reasons. 37:12 Amen? 37:13 Besides, how many people ever started coming to church 37:15 for the wrong reason? 37:16 Because there was a boy or a girl there? 37:18 Or maybe their spouse or their parents made them? 37:21 But God still worked with you. 37:23 See, that's part of where God meets us where we are, 37:28 in an imperfect place, but He's willing to work 37:31 on the heart and on the mind. 37:33 Can you say amen? 37:34 Now let's address one other thing. 37:37 Someone might be thinking, "Pastor Dave, 37:41 you shouldn't have gone and played basketball there. 37:43 Why, don't you know you're a minister? 37:46 You're a holy man with a holy calling. 37:48 You should not have associated with them. 37:50 Because the Bible says we are not to be of the world." 37:55 You know, that has got to probably be one of the misquoted 37:58 out of context verses used within Christianity today. 38:02 Now, does the Bible say we're not supposed to be of the world? 38:06 It does say that. 38:07 The problem is, we only quote half the verse. 38:10 You know, kind of what people sometimes do 38:12 with the secret rapture. 38:14 You know, the coming of the Lord is like a thief in the night, 38:16 but that's only half the verse. 38:17 You don't read the whole verse. 38:19 Before Jesus said we're not to be of the world, He also said 38:22 we are to be in the world, but not of the world. 38:26 In the world mingling and associating with people. 38:30 To not be of the world doesn't mean we ignore people. 38:33 To not be of the world means we don't take on 38:36 the attitudes of the world. 38:38 We don't participate in the activities of the world. 38:40 You know, the don't take on the immoral thinking of the world. 38:44 But it doesn't mean we ignore people. 38:47 Because if that's what it means, my question would be, 38:50 how do you explain Jesus being friendly with Mary Magdalene, 38:54 the prostitute, going to spend half the day with Zacchaeus, 38:58 going to the feast of the tax collectors, 39:00 and making Matthew a disciple? 39:03 We will never fulfill the gospel commission 39:06 by long distance evangelism. 39:08 "I'll throw you the information, 39:10 but hey, I can't get involved in your life." 39:12 That wasn't Jesus' method. 39:14 He invites us to engage, to interact with people, 39:19 and to become their friend. 39:23 Finally, we get to the end of the story. 39:27 And the Pharisees get wind that Jesus is at this feast 39:29 of tax collectors. 39:31 So they accost the disciples. 39:34 And they say, "Why is it that your Master eats and drinks 39:37 with these sinners, with people who have such issues, 39:41 unclean people in their life? 39:43 And yet, you want us to believe that He's the 39:45 holy, spotless, blameless Lamb of God?" 39:49 And somehow Jesus gets wind of this conversation. 39:52 And so, He starts talking to the Pharisees. 39:54 And I believe He looks them right in the eye 39:57 and He directly says these words in verses 31 and 32. 40:00 Jesus says, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, 40:07 but those who are sick." 40:10 When you go to the doctor's office, the hospital, or the 40:12 nursing home, who are most of the people that are there? 40:15 People who are sick. 40:17 The vast majority who are there aren't people in perfect health. 40:20 The hospital is for sick people. 40:23 It's the same with the church of Jesus. 40:26 The church of Jesus is not just simply for perfect people 40:29 who have their life together. 40:30 Because frankly, that would be very, very few of us. 40:33 The church is for people just like Matthew 40:36 who have issues that we're suppose to be trying to reach. 40:39 Somebody say amen. 40:41 And then Jesus ends it in verse 32, and He says, 40:44 "Listen, I have not come to call the righteous, 40:48 but sinners, to repentance. 40:51 So you guys can go back to your Sabbath services. 40:55 You can have your committee meetings. 40:57 You can have your talks and your rules. 40:59 You can do whatever it is that you do. 41:01 But as for Me and My disciples, 41:03 we're right here where we belong. 41:04 Here at Matthew's party, ministering to the lost 41:08 and the hurting and dying." 41:10 That's the mission of Jesus. 41:11 That's the mission of the church of Jesus Christ. 41:14 Can you say amen? 41:16 So the thing I want to leave with you today, 41:20 church is very little about what happens inside these four walls. 41:25 Yeah, it's nice to fellowship. We need that. 41:27 It's good to worship. 41:30 But the gospel commission really begins 41:33 when we go out those doors and we mingle with those 41:36 who don't know Jesus. 41:39 Some people have a remnant concept. 41:41 Now I believe that we are the remnant of Bible prophecy. 41:44 I preach that in evangelistic meetings. 41:46 But being the remnant doesn't mean that 41:48 you're better than anybody else. 41:50 Being the remnant doesn't mean you're holier than anybody else. 41:53 And being the remnant doesn't mean that you're superior. 41:56 What being the remnant means is that we should be the most 41:59 mission minded people on the face of the earth. 42:03 Because being the remnant brings responsibilities. 42:06 Yes, it's supposed to protect truth, but that's not just it. 42:10 Being the remnant means we have been entrusted with the 42:13 last gospel message of the three angels 42:16 that's got to be taken to the world. 42:17 And evangelism, my friends, always starts with friendship. 42:22 Evangelism always starts with engaging with people, 42:26 getting involved with their lives, 42:28 and mingling with them. 42:30 Who is God calling you to mingle with? 42:34 I'm going to end it with this story. 42:38 When Marquita and I lived in Lincoln, Nebraska 42:41 when I used to work for Christian Record, 42:44 I remember when we moved there, across the street 42:46 from us we had neighbors. 42:47 They were grandfatherly and grandmotherly type people. 42:50 Probably in their 80's. 42:52 And I remember, not long after we moved there, 42:55 there was this young guy by the name of Matthew, 42:58 that was actually his name, he moved in there. 43:00 Probably about 20 something years old. 43:03 And what I saw of Matthew, I didn't like. 43:07 I had already assumed some negative things about him. 43:10 Because, you see, he had just gotten his 19 year old 43:13 girlfriend pregnant; she was about to have twins. 43:16 And it seemed to me as though he was just 43:18 living off his grandparents, loafing around, 43:21 not going out to find a job and take care of the lives 43:23 he was bringing in this world. 43:25 So my first impression of Matthew, I stereotyped him, 43:28 you know, guy with tattoos and everything, I stereotyped him 43:31 and said, "You know what? He's probably no good." 43:35 I shouldn't have done that. 43:37 I remember when I would come home from Christian Record. 43:40 I mean, I lived across the street, so I could walk home. 43:43 And whenever I would walk home, there was Matthew 43:45 sitting on the porch of his grandparent's house. 43:48 And something inside of me, no doubt the Holy Spirit, 43:51 would say, "Why don't you go over and talk to Matthew?" 43:55 "No, Lord, not today. I'm too busy. 43:57 I've been busy doing ministry. 43:59 I've got to go home and do some other things. 44:01 Not today." 44:04 Well, you know, the more you resist the Holy Spirit, 44:06 you know what happens to that voice, don't you? 44:08 It kind of starts to become stronger. 44:09 And He would keep doing it when I would walk home, 44:11 "Go talk to Matthew." 44:13 "Lord, what am I suppose to say to him? 44:16 You think he wants to talk about 666 and the mark of the beast, 44:18 and stuff like that?" 44:20 And it's like God said, "Who told you to talk 44:22 about those things?" 44:24 Now those things are important, 44:25 but it's certainly not where you begin. 44:27 "Just go talk with Matthew." 44:29 "Alright." So I went over. 44:32 And I admit, at the beginning it was uncomfortable. 44:34 You know, it was a hard time relating to him. 44:37 But thank goodness for sports, because I could use sports 44:40 to be able to have a conversation. 44:41 And so we made a connection. 44:43 Then his girlfriend was there. 44:45 And I remember she said to me, "You know, in two weeks 44:48 I'm going in to have a c- section for these twins, 44:51 and I'm scared. 44:53 I'm scared." 44:55 I thought, "Well, yeah, I guess if I was 19 and never had a 44:59 baby before, a C-section, I guess I'd be scared too." 45:02 And I said, "I'll pray for you." 45:04 Now if I'd been smart, I would have prayed for her right there. 45:07 But I didn't. 45:09 Time passed. 45:11 Now if I was being a real missionary for Jesus, 45:14 after a few weeks I would have went back over and said, 45:16 "Hey, how is it going? 45:17 I've been praying for you. How are the babies?" 45:20 But I didn't do that. 45:21 You know why? 45:23 Because I was busy. 45:24 Busy doing ministry for the church. 45:29 Finally, one day I went outside to take out the trash, 45:32 and I see Matthew out of the corner of my eye. 45:33 He's over there on the porch. 45:35 And I thought, "No, Lord, not today. 45:37 I can't, I don't want a long conversation. 45:38 I've got other things to do." 45:40 And this time God wouldn't let me get away with it. 45:42 Matthew saw me and he yelled across the street, 45:44 "Hey, Dave, come over and see the babies." 45:47 Now you tell me how to get out of that one. 45:50 So I went over and I saw them. 45:53 The grandparents, Matthew, his girlfriend, 45:56 Madison and Mackenzie. 45:58 Two beautiful baby girls. 46:00 Spoke a few words to them. 46:02 Then went back to my house. 46:05 But you know, a few weeks later Matthew wasn't there any more. 46:10 He moved away. 46:12 It turned out that he had found a job, 46:15 he had found a place to live. 46:17 I believe eventually they got married. 46:20 And he was trying to do the right thing 46:22 to take care of his family. 46:25 I had judged him wrongly. 46:27 I didn't want to mingle with him because he was 46:30 different than I am. 46:32 And I couldn't help but wonder, what could have been 46:38 if I had just spent some time with Matthew? 46:43 What kind of seeds would have been planted if I would have 46:45 just been his friend? 46:49 I guess I'll never know. 46:52 This morning I want to ask you, 46:54 are there any Matthew's in your life? 46:56 People who don't know Jesus. 46:58 People who know nothing of a God who loves them. 47:01 People in your work place. 47:03 Your neighborhood. 47:06 People in your school. 47:07 Today on this Sabbath are you going to say, 47:10 "Lord Jesus, if there is a Matthew somewhere in my world, 47:13 I give You permission to bring them across my path. 47:16 And Lord, I'm willing to be their friend. 47:19 I'm not perfect, God. You know I've got my own issues. 47:21 But I know how to be a friend. 47:23 So, Lord, if You can use me this week, 47:25 here I am, Lord, send me." 47:28 Are you willing to answer that call today? 47:37 Heavenly Father, as we are about to open up Your Word once again 47:40 in this revival, we are asking that Your Holy Spirit 47:45 would do a work in our lives. 47:47 And, Lord, we know that You promise to do that. 47:49 Our prayer really is that our ears will be open to 47:52 hear what the Spirit wishes to say to the church today, 47:56 that our minds might be renewed. 47:58 And we want to give You permission to write these 48:00 lessons on our hearts and minds. 48:03 For, Lord, You know our struggles. 48:05 We come before You as though we were naked, in a sense. 48:08 Because You know where our weaknesses are, 48:10 yet You love us, You envelope us in Your arms. 48:14 And now we pray You would show us who is that person 48:18 that You want us to be friends with. 48:20 Who is it that You want to use us to plant seeds 48:23 for the gospel in their lives? 48:25 Enlighten our minds with that person, their name, their face. 48:29 Help us to be able to connect with them. 48:32 These things we pray in Jesus' name, amen. 48:37 My friend, Reuben, was moving from Michigan to Colorado. 48:42 He had just finished his education at Andrews University 48:45 and he had taken a job in the Fort Morgan, Colorado area. 48:49 So Reuben, being the bachelor that he was, 48:52 actually began to pack up all of his belongings 48:56 into all these unmarked boxes, and he then put those boxes 49:00 in an old, wooden, rickety, makeshift trailer 49:04 and hooked it up to the back of his Nissan Altima. 49:07 Then he began his 1000 mile journey across the country. 49:11 Well if you know anything about Nissan Altima's, 49:14 you know they were not built to haul a heavy trailer 49:17 a thousand miles down the road. 49:19 So part way through the trip the engine gave out 49:22 and the car broke down. 49:24 And Reuben was stranded along the side of the road. 49:27 Now fortunately for him, his car broke down 49:31 right while he was going through Lincoln, Nebraska, 49:34 which is where I happened to live at that time. 49:37 So he called me on the phone and he explained his situation. 49:41 So I got in my car, drove out to where he was, 49:44 picked him up, and it was too late in the evening 49:46 to really do anything. 49:48 All we could do is get this broken down car 49:50 into a motel parking lot. 49:53 And then I took him home where he could have a nice 49:55 warm home-cooked meal and sleep in a nice warm bed. 49:59 But the next day we knew we had to take care of things. 50:02 And it was pretty obvious this car was shot. 50:05 I mean, the engine was done. 50:07 The only way he was going to get to Colorado 50:09 is if he went out and he bought another car 50:12 right there in Lincoln, Nebraska. 50:13 And that's what we did. 50:15 We went car shopping, he found a good cheap used car. 50:19 And so we drove it back to the motel parking lot 50:22 and we parked the newer car right beside 50:25 the old broken down car. 50:27 And we began the arduous task of transferring everything 50:31 from the broken down car to the one he just bought, 50:34 and unhooking the trailer from one vehicle 50:37 and re-hooking it on another. 50:39 And believe me, that took some time. 50:42 But as we were doing that, I noticed a man came up 50:46 to us in the parking lot and he asked us what we were doing. 50:50 And I explained to him, "Well, this is my friend, Reuben. 50:53 His car broken down and I'm trying to 50:55 get him back on the road." 50:57 And then he said to us, "Oh, I understand what that's like. 51:01 You see, I'm a truck drive. 51:03 And I've been broke down on the road many times. 51:05 I know that's no fun." 51:07 And then there was this long pause. 51:10 And he said, "But I guess that won't be happening anymore. 51:15 You see, my boss just called me on the phone to tell me 51:18 that I'm fired and I need to leave my truck here at the motel 51:22 and take the train home. 51:23 And I need to go tell my family I no longer have a job." 51:28 Well I was so engrossed in what I was doing, 51:31 you know, so focused on trying to get Reuben back on the road 51:34 and transferring everything from one car to another 51:37 that I really wasn't paying much attention to what this man said. 51:40 And I just kind of looked at him and said, 51:42 "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," 51:43 and went back to what I was doing. 51:45 And after a few minutes, the man turned around 51:49 and he walked away. 51:52 After I got Reuben back on the road and I was driving 51:55 back to my home that night, I began to replay the day's events 52:00 in my mind. 52:01 And all of a sudden it hit me. 52:04 And I realized what I had done. 52:06 Here, God had given me an opportunity to be a 52:09 witness to someone, and I missed it. 52:12 Here, God had put a hurting person right in front of 52:16 my eyes, and because I was so focused on myself 52:19 and on my life, I did not see the opportunity when it came. 52:23 The least I could have done was had a word of prayer with him 52:26 and encourage the man, but I didn't do it. 52:29 And as I drove home that night, I can't describe just that sick 52:34 feeling that's inside your stomach when you know 52:37 you missed an opportunity. 52:38 You know what that feeling is like? 52:40 You know, it's like there's a bowling ball in your abdomen. 52:43 And I felt so horrible as I ate my supper that night. 52:48 How many of you have ever had an experience like that 52:50 where you know you missed an opportunity, 52:52 and you just felt terrible about it? 52:55 I think if we're honest, we've all experienced that. 52:59 But I want to take a look at the life of Jesus. 53:02 Because it seems that Jesus never missed an opportunity 53:05 to reach out to someone. 53:07 It was as though His eyes were always open to the 53:10 lost and hurting people that were all around Him. 53:13 So we're going to take a look at one example 53:16 of the life of Jesus, a story that we have read 53:18 many, many times, and we're going to see in it 53:21 lessons for us of what it means to be a missionary for Christ. 53:26 I want you to take your Bible and I want you to turn with me 53:28 to John chapter 4 beginning in verse 4. 53:33 Now what book did I say we're going to? 53:35 What chapter? 53:37 And what verse? 53:38 Alright, you're with me. 53:40 John chapter 4 beginning in verse 4. 53:45 Now as soon as you look this up in your Bible, 53:47 if you Bible has these subheadings, 53:49 you are going to immediately recognize this passage. 53:52 It is the story of who? 53:56 That's right, the Samaritan woman at the well. 53:59 So at this point you might be tempted to turn me off. 54:02 And you might be thinking, "Oh, I've read this story 54:05 a hundred times. 54:06 I know everything there is to know about this story. 54:08 You're going to preach about living water 54:10 and about salvation." 54:12 Well, that's a good direction to go in this passage. 54:15 But that's not how we're going to look at it today. 54:18 We're going to look at this passage from a 54:21 very different perspective. 54:23 We're going to look at it from the perspective 54:25 of seeking and saving the lost. 54:27 Because in it Jesus demonstrates some very important principles 54:32 of what it means to be that witness; 54:35 a missionary for Christ. 54:37 So I want you to try to picture everything that happens here. 54:40 Put yourself in Jesus' place, in the woman's place. 54:43 Try to imagine what the disciples were thinking. 54:46 And I want you, as we go through this verse by verse, 54:49 to try to read in between the lines and go far 54:53 beneath the surface. 54:54 And as the Holy Spirit guides us, I believe 54:57 we're going to see some things that maybe we have 54:59 skipped over before. 55:01 So John chapter 4, I'm going to begin reading in verse 4. 55:05 I'm just going to read verses 4 through 10 55:08 straight through. 55:09 John chapter 4 beginning in verse 4. 55:14 The Bible says, "But He needed to go through..." Where? 55:19 Samaria. 55:20 "So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, 55:25 near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 55:29 Now Jacob's well was there. 55:32 Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, 55:35 sat thus by the well. 55:37 And it was about the sixth hour." 55:40 That's about noon time. 55:41 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. 55:45 Jesus said to her, 'Give Me a drink.' 55:48 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 55:53 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, 55:56 'How is it that You, being a Jew, 55:59 ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?' 56:02 For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans." 56:06 Verse 10, "Jesus answered and said to her, 56:09 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 56:14 "Give Me a drink," you would have asked Him, 56:16 and He would have given you living water.'" 56:19 Now let's pause here for a second. 56:21 Here in chapter 4 Jesus had been working in the area of Judea. 56:26 But because of all the prejudice of the Pharisees 56:29 and all the obstacles they put in His path, 56:31 Jesus felt as though it was time to go 56:33 to a different field of labor. 56:36 So they decided to move from Judea and start working 56:40 in the area that was known as Galilee. 56:43 Now in order to go from Judea to Galilee, 56:46 that was at least a full day's journey. 56:49 So Jesus and the disciples decide to get up at the 56:52 crack of dawn early the next morning 56:54 and travel as far as they possibly can. 56:58 Now why do you suppose they decided to 56:59 travel at the crack of dawn? 57:01 What do you think? 57:02 It's the coolest part of the day. 57:04 Nobody wants to travel along the hot dusty roads of 57:08 Israel while the afternoon sun is beating down on your back. 57:12 It's best to travel in the coolest part of the day. 57:16 And if truth be told, that's probably what you and I do 57:19 whenever we have to go on a long road trip. 57:21 I know there have been many times for Marquita and I, 57:23 we travel a lot, that if we have to go on a long road trip 57:27 and we're driving, we prefer to get up early in the morning 57:30 when it's cool and to go as fast as we can. 57:34 However, the reason that we did it, 57:36 that was more because of kids. 57:38 See, we had a strategy. 57:39 And what we would do is this: 57:41 We thought, you know, "If we just get up at like 4:00 o'clock 57:45 in the morning, and pack the car the night before, 57:48 we can get the girls out of bed," 57:50 and this is when they were little, 57:51 "with their pajamas still on, and we can just pick them up, 57:54 get them situated in the back seat, 57:56 they'll still be sleeping, and then we can drive 57:59 hours down the road in peace and quiet." 58:03 If you would like more information about our ministry, 58:06 visit our websites at... 58:15 If you'd like to make a donation to keep these sermons 58:18 on the air, you can contact us at... |
Revised 2020-05-20