Following Jesus Through Change, Luke 5:22-6:11, July 22, 2007

Following Jesus Through Seasons of Change

Luke 5:33-6:11

Hillcrest Church, July 22, 2007

Text (Luke 5:27-39; 6:1-11)

" ²⁷ After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, ²⁸ and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. ²⁹ Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" ³¹ Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ³² I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." ³³ They said to him, "John's disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking." ³⁴ Jesus answered, "Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? ³⁵ But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast." ³⁶ He told them this parable: "No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. ³⁷ And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. ³⁸ No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. ³⁹ And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, 'The old is better.' " " (Luke 5:27-39, NIV)

" One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. ² Some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" ³ Jesus answered them, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ⁴ He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions." ⁵ Then Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." ⁶ On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. ⁷ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. ⁸ But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Get up and stand in front of everyone." So he got up and stood there. ⁹ Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?" ¹⁰ He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did so, and his hand was completely restored. ¹¹ But they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus." (Luke 6:1-11, NIV)

Introduction

Jesus was the greatest change agent in the history of the world. His coming changed the history of the world and He continues to change lives daily all over this planet today.

Some experts define leadership as the ability to effect positive change. If that be true, then Jesus is the greatest leader who has ever lived because no one else has ever changed the course of history like Him! (cf. Moses[1])

One of the themes in this portion of the Gospel of Luke is the growing tension between Jesus and the religious establishment as the result of the changes Jesus brought.

There were many reasons why the religious and civil establishment resented and rejected Jesus. At the heart of it all was the fact that Jesus set in motion a dynamic of enormous change. The changes He brought impacted them personally by impacting their society, their theology, and their livelihood. Their universal response was resistance:

·         Pharisees resisted stylistic change.

·         Sadducees resisted sociological / social change.

·         Scribes resisted theological change.

·         Kings resisted political change.

·         Merchants resisted economic change.

·         Practitioners of the occult resisted spiritual change.

The key issue raised by His opponents was the legitimacy of the changes He provoked. "What right do you have to change things?"

Jesus defended His right to bring change by painting four short word pictures of a doctor, a bridegroom, a garment, and a wineskin. Then, Luke fleshes out the Lord's paradigm of change by showing us how Jesus defended His disciples when they gleaned grain from the fields on the Sabbath and how Jesus healed a man with a withered hand with utter disregard for the Pharisee's judgmental eyes.

In response to the Pharisees' questions concerning the legitimacy of the changes Jesus was bringing, Luke uses a literary model found throughout his Gospel: declaration accompanied by demonstration. In 5:31-39, Jesus reaches out to them through His words (doctor, bridegroom, garment, wineskin), then through His deeds (defending His disciples plucking grain on the Sabbath and deliberately healing the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath. (6:1-11)

Even as He countered them and defended His own actions, He was trying to change them by changing their minds, their hearts, and their lives:

·         From Law/legalism to love

·         From self-righteousness to true righteousness

·         From dead religious tradition to life in the Spirit.

·         From a preoccupation with self to a genuine concern for others.

·         From being served to serving others…!

Jesus brought change deliberately, He did it tirelessly, He did it fearlessly, He did it relentlessly.

He refused to abandon His agenda for change in their lives and in their world-view. He had come to seek and to save and to change that which was lost and He never took, "No," for an answer…! He refused to allow their resistance to change to stop that change because He was sent from the Father on a mission of change.

As we follow Him, we discover that He is up to the same thing in each one of our lives: He wants to change us and use us to change others.

He loves us enough to receive the way we are, but He loves us too much to leave us the way we are. He has a plan to change every one of our lives and to use us an agent for change in the lives of those around us.

The prospect of profound change may be unsettling at first, but the reality is that everyone of us experiences ongoing change in our life anyway, some of it brought on by God, some of it provoked by the devil, some of it as the automatic byproduct of life.

Which principles can we learn about change from Jesus?

From The image of a Doctor, we learn

1.    Change is helpful.

Sometimes change is necessary for the greater good.

Sometimes there is a need for change because the need has changed…! (Ask, "Is it for the greater good? Will it benefit others?")

Two extremes to avoid regarding change: All change is bad (reactionary); all change is good.

Folk wisdom:

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it…!"

Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence. (Robert Frost – "Mending Wall")

Ø      LEadership tip:

To be most effective at leading through change, base it on genuine need. Legitimate need validates change and is vital to obtaining "buy-in" from all key players (RASCI – Responsible for decision; must Agree to the decision; need to Support the decision; expect to Contribute to the decision; should be Informed about the decision)

Jesus categorically rejected the implication that a good spiritual leader should spend most of his time caring for the righteous sheep in the flock as opposed to seeking out the ones who are lost…! (cf. story of good shepherd leaving the 99 to rescue the 1…!)

From the Image of The bridegroom we learn…

2.    Change is seasonal.

Knowing the season you are in and flowing with the season you are in is one of the most important keys to rightly processing change…!

Delight in autumn's cool, golden light as it dapples the meadow whose summer shades of green are giving way to the amber hues of fall. Lift your nose to the air, waiting, wanting to catch the first little sniff of wood smoke, burning the dust off of someone's hearth.

As the rains begin to fall, the winds begin to blow, and the first flecks of snow begin to fly, rejoice in the prospect of curling up by the fire with a good book, sheltered from winter's encroaching chill.

Instead of stubbornly trying to linger at the lake in your summer shorts and flip-flops, celebrate the coming of Christmas, with its wondrous celebration of the Savior's birth. Focus on the reason for the season  and let your heart be filled again with the mystery of it all - Immanuel – God is with us…coming to love us, coming to seek us, coming to find us, coming to heal us, redeem us, deliver us, change us…!

And as you do, before you know it, spring's tender little buds will begin to peek and poke their way out through the thawing ground and your heart will thrill with the coming of spring when you can dust off that putter stowed away in the corner of the garage and head off to a newly mowed green as you luxuriate in that season's good, gentle warmth.

This is maturity, this is reality, this is wisdom – to know and to flow with the seasons of God in your life. Autumn follows summer as surely as winter follows fall and spring follows winter and then summer will surely come again. "To everything there is a season…" and God, "…has made everything beautiful in its time…" (Ecclesiastes 3:1,11)

" There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: ² a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, ³ a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, ⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, ⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, ⁶ a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, ⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, ⁸ a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. ⁹ What does the worker gain from his toil? ¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has laid on men. ¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ¹² I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. ¹³ That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. ¹⁴ I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him. ¹⁵ Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account." (Ecclesiastes 3:1-15, NIV)

 When I was a teenager in Junior High School in Lima, Peru, we had a teacher who must have been seventy and who came to her classes in purple, mini-mini-skirts with bright pink leotards. She was a nice lady, with many sterling qualities, I suppose, and while all who knew her appreciated and celebrated her zest for life, she was also the school's laughingstock, and that greatly hindered her effectiveness. Her mistake was simple, yet profoundly important: she refused to acknowledge and embrace the season she was in.

Ø      Leadership tip:

When contemplating change, ask, "Is this the right time?" remembering that there is no perfect time…!

"⁴ A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing." (Proverbs 20:4, NIV)

3.    Change is emotional.

Even positive change can produce negative emotions.

Change takes time to process emotionally.

The greater the degree or speed of change, the greater the degree of emotion we feel as a result of that change. The greater the degree of emotion, the greater the amount of time we will need to process that emotion.

Ø      Leadership Tip

Change should be processed openly, transparently, and truthfully.

-          Servant leadership vs. manipulation.

Change must be processed emotionally.

-          Profound change impacts people profoundly. Every person has a unique degree of tolerance for change. Emotions take time to "catch" up with necessary change.

-          One key mistake leaders make is to implement change only on a structural or organizational level without allowing people time to process the impact of that change emotionally…! This is what John Maxwell calls, "The law of process" and he declares is the law leaders violate most. Why? Because they have already processed the change in their own mind and heart before they announce it…! (Example: Parent who knows a career move and relocation is pending or a grandparent will soon be passing. Mom and Dad talk about it much in private. Children only learn about it much later and much more abruptly…! Personal stories about men not telling their wives when major change is coming.)

Change is best processed gradually. (3 ½ year ministry of Jesus)

-          You cannot always dictate the speed or degree of change, but you can wisely respond to change and process it (and help your followers process it) by understanding these principles.

-          The easiest change is gradual change. (Frog in kettle illustrates the need to be vigilant in the face of gradual negative change; Pastor and piano illustrates the wisdom of instituting gradual positive change.)

When experiencing or implementing change ask, "How do I and the others feel about this change?"

Two extremes to avoid: insensitivity to feelings and bondage to feelings…! (whether our own or those of others as a leader).

When dealing with important issues, we should not let our feelings or the feelings of others determine whether or not we implement a particular change. Instead, we should look at the fruit that change will produce, whether positive or negative. However, we need to be aware of the emotions that will accompany that change in order to walk it out in a healthy, productive, non-destructive way.

4.    Change is controversial.

The greater the degree or speed of change, the greater the controversy.

Ø      leadersHip TIP

The most effective way to process a group of people is to process them as individuals (each person has their own issues with change, their own personal degree of tolerance for change, and their own time-frame for processing change.) Youth, for example, usually processes change more easily and more quickly than age.

Distinguish between needs and opinions. Both old and new wine are beverages capable of slaking thirst and a truly thirsty person will drink either one…! Meeting the needs of others is much more important than catering to their preferences!

Another good question to ask when considering change is: "Does this change respect or disregard what good there is in the past?" Sometimes unnecessary controversy arises when leaders disparage or utterly disregard the past as they promote a particular change. REMEMBER: People's emotions get involved when they process change. One thing that stirs their emotions is their sense of loyalty to someone or something from the past that had great value in the past. (Note next image: Old wineskins have value for old wine…!)

From the image of The garment and the wineskin we learn…

5.    Change is inevitable.

Resisting change will not keep it from happening.

Everything living changes.

You cannot keep cloth from shrinking or wine from expanding. It will happen…!

Some changes cannot be partial, they must be total. You cannot put new wine into old wineskins…!

Tradition must never be valued more than truth…!

Ø      Leadership Tip

What change in your life or the group you lead do you realize is inevitable? Have you been postponing it because it appears too painful, perhaps because of potential fall-out from people who will react emotionally? Remember: Painful change seldom gets easier with time, rather, it usually grows even more difficult…!

6.    Change is personal.

Ultimately, each of us has to make up our mind, do we want the wine or do we want the wineskin

"A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still…!"

We must choose:

·         Resist, resent, and reject?

·         Receive and rejoice…!

Change is part of life and change is essential to growth…! The only thing in the universe that does not change is the God of heaven and His Word…! It will never change for us, we must change in response to it.

Ø      Leadership Tip

In order to successful lead others through change, I must learn to navigate it gracefully myself! In fact, most of the changes that need to take place in the groups we lead must first begin with us in order to be effective and helpful. It is also true that, as we begin to change and experience its benefits, that inspires those around us to change.

Invitation

1.    Pastor, I am in the midst or on the verge of profound change in my life and I need you to pray for me, that Jesus would take my hand and lead me through this season of change.

 

2.    Pastor, I need Jesus to change me as I make the decision today to follow Him. I need Him to forgive me and I need Him to help me.

Colton's "Word of wisdom" : "Save the soul and leave the saint to his father…!"

 

MENDING WALL - Robert Frost

 

Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun,
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
The work of hunters is another thing:
I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them made,
But at spring mending-time we find them there.
I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
'Stay where you are until our backs are turned!'
We wear our fingers rough with handling them.
Oh, just another kind of out-door game,
One on a side. It comes to little more:
There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, 'Good fences make good neighbors'.
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
'Why do they make good neighbors? Isn't it
Where there are cows?
But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That wants it down.' I could say 'Elves' to him,
But it's not elves exactly, and I'd rather
He said it for himself. I see him there
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.
He moves in darkness as it seems to me~
Not of woods only and the shade of trees.
He will not go behind his father's saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, "Good fences make good neighbors."

 

 

---

[1] One of the biggest criticisms of Moses as a leader was the fact that he was instituting change ("leeks and onions"). When that spirit entered the people, not even divine provision could keep them from grumbling… (Manna). One of his biggest challenges as a leader was how to process change in an orderly fashion ("only as fast as the very young and the very old could travel"). Try as he did, he was unsuccessful at leading them into the Promised Land, not because of a lack in his leadership, but because of their innate resistance to change.

Following Jesus in Everything, Luke 5:27-32, July 15, 2007

Following Jesus in Everything (Luke 5:27-32)

Hillcrest Church, July 15, 2007

Text

" ²⁷ After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, ²⁸ and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. ²⁹ Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" ³¹ Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ³² I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."" (Luke 5:27-32, NIV)

Introduction

Over the next three weeks, we are going to take a look at what it means to follow Jesus.

Next Sunday's sermon will be entitled, "Following Jesus through Seasons of Change."

Two weeks from today it will be, "Following Jesus in Our Relationships."

Today, we are going to look at what it means to follow Him in everything.

1. Following Jesus will reveal my destiny.

Sitting at his tax collector's booth that day, Matthew did not know the reason he was alive, but Jesus did…! Though he was quite successful financially (note the size of the banquet he gave…!), he would have never imagined that he would become an apostle of Christ and the author of one of the Gospels in the New Testament, known by name to millions down through the centuries. Jesus had a destiny in mind for him that he could not discover until he rose up to follow the Lord.

When Matthew arose to follow Christ, we walked out of his past into his future and into his destiny. No matter how successful you are or self-aware you may be (in the sense of knowing your gifts and talents, etc.), you will never fully understand the reason why you are alive until you begin to follow Jesus. You may know, for instance, that you have artistic gifting and may even become a celebrated painter or sculptor who says, "I was born to be an artist," but there will always be a missing dimension in your life until you come into a personal relationship with the God would created you and has a plan for your life.

2. Following Jesus will transform my personality.

As Matthew left his past and began following Jesus into his future, He started on a journey of personal transformation that would not only change his destiny, but also mold and shape his character.

God's highest goal for our lives is to help us become like His Son, Jesus Christ. He will give us every resource we need

We sometimes say to God, "This is just the way that I am" and He replies, "No, that is just the way you have been. Let me show you what you can become, with my help."

This begins in a moment, but continues throughout our lifetimes. It begins with an experience, but is only able to continue through an ongoing relationship with God cultivated by the pursuit of His manifest presence, the study of His Word, and personal participation in His harvest. (How did Jesus make disciples? He spent time with them; He taught them; and He involved them alongside Himself in what He was doing.)

*My personal journey (ADD, etc.)

· Following means trusting.

· Following means submitting.

· Following means obeying.

· Following means learning.

· Following means loving.

· Following means giving.

· Following means receiving.

· Following means dying.

· Following means living.

The personal transformation I experience is one of the main reasons why following Jesus will impact my relationships! (Two weeks from today…!)

3. Following Jesus will impact those around me.

How to share your faith like Levi:

· Capitalize on your sphere of influence. Matthew invited other tax collectors because that is what he was. They had things in common. Tip: If there is someone in particular that you want to reach for Jesus, focus first on developing a relationship with them through common interests and shared experiences.

· Meet over a meal. (There is tremendous power in breaking bread together. Jesus did it with His disciples at the most important moment in their relationship and commanded His followers to do it together, often. Ancient Bedouins forbade harming or injuring anyone who was sitting "à table" with them…!

· Prepare yourself for criticism and misunderstanding. (The people around you may not understand you. The people you reach out to may reject you.)

· Focus on the greatest needs. (All good doctors invest the majority of their time in the sickest patients…! "They that are whole do not need a physician…!" It is God's job to ripen the harvest, it is our job to reap the harvest…!)

4. Following Jesus will thrust me into controversy.

We must love Him more than anyone else and be willing to sacrifice all other relationships to fully follow Him.

Here's the good news – Jesus has promised to give us new relationships in place of the ones we have lost!

"²⁸ Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!" ²⁹ "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel ³⁰ will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. ³¹ But many who are first will be last, and the last first."" (Mark 10:28-31, NIV)

" ¹⁸ "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹ They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me." (John 15:18-21, NIV)

"³² "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. ³³ But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. ³⁴ "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to turn " 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— ³⁶ a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' ³⁷ "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; ³⁸ and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10:32-39, NIV)

5. Following Jesus will both cost me and bless me.

Following Jesus will take me to the Mountain

Disciples blessed by seeing and hearing on the Mount of Transfiguration what others did not.

"²³ Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. ²⁴ For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."" (Luke 10:23-24, NIV)

Following Jesus will take me to the Garden.

· Decisions will be thrust upon me…!

Following Jesus will take me to the Cross! (Not just for salvation, but also for lordship…!)

"³⁸ and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." (Matthew 10:38, NIV)

"²³ Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23, NIV)

"²⁷ And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:27, NIV)

What is the meaning of the cross?

· Shame that ends in honor!

· Rejection that ends in exaltation!

"⁴ Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷ but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! ⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:4-11, NIV)

· Sorrow that ends in joy! ("Who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame." Not sadistic or masochistic, but a resolute, purposeful pain like a mother that endures childbirth, etc.)

" Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ² Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2, NIV)

· Loss that ends in gain! (His gain, not my gain; "Their" gain, not my gain…!)

"²¹ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. ²² If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! ²³ I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; ²⁴ but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith," (Philippians 1:21-25, NIV)

· Death that ends in life!

"²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20, NIV)

Following Jesus will take me to the Empty Tomb!

Following Jesus will take me to the Upper Room!

Following Jesus will take me to heaven, to the Father's right hand!

Notes:

Tax collectors were hated because they were perceived as having betrayed their people for monetary gain. Also because they took money from those who worked (Jews) and gave it to those who did not work (Roman overlords).

One word from God really can change your life forever…if you will respond to it and obey it. (Word is like a seed planted in the ground. If it is watered, it has incredible potential to bring forth exponential increase…!)

Levi must have been a very wealthy man because he was able to give a very great banquet with a lot of guests and other tax collectors (imagine a top financial services person or mutual fund manager inviting all his peers.)

The same group of religious leaders who had previously questioned Jesus' authority (v. 21) questioned the propriety of Jesus' association with tax collectors and "sinners." Not only was Jesus associating with people to whom the Pharisees objected, but He also was eating and drinking with them. Eating and drinking with others denotes a fellowship or camaraderie with them.^[1]

The Pharisees complained to Jesus' disciples instead of to Him directly (they always had a hard time answering Him…! Have you ever found yourself in a situation where impressions and emotions have been built up in your own mind to a very great degree and then when you actually sit down with the person and talk with them, everything changes?!) It is a weak and cowardly mind and heart that says things behind a person's back that they would not say to their face…!

Peter Marshall's mother's advice to ask three questions before speaking: 1. Is it true? 2. Is it kind? 3. Is it necessary? Many of the greatest problems we have in life as individuals and in our church as a community come about because of an inability to control our tongues…!

Disciples were followers, but apostles were those sent out as messengers with delegated authority^[2] (In God's economy, you must be a follower before you can be a leader…, before you can be a messenger…!

It is likely that Jesus at this time gave Levi his new name—"Matthew, the gift of God" (Luke 6:15; see also Matt. 9:9). ^[3]

Since the tax rates were not always clear, it was easy for an unscrupulous man to make extra money for himself. But even if a tax collector served honestly, the Jews still despised him for defiling himself by working for the Gentiles. John the Baptist had made it clear that there was nothing innately sinful in collecting taxes (Luke 3:12–13), and we have no evidence that Matthew was a thief. But to the Jews, Levi was a sinner,^[4]

Following Jesus will teach me things I have never known.

Following Jesus will take me places I have never gone.

Following Jesus will change me into someone I have never been.

Where He Leads Me I Will Follow…

---

^[1]John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985), 2:218.

^[2]John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985), 2:219.

^[3]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, "An Exposition of the New Testament Comprising the Entire 'BE' Series"--Jkt. (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996, c1989), Lk 5:27.

^[4]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, "An Exposition of the New Testament Comprising the Entire 'BE' Series"--Jkt. (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996, c1989), Lk 5:27.

A Woman A Godly Man Wants to Love, June 24, 2007

The Kind of Woman A Good Man Wants to Love

Hillcrest Church, June 24, 2007

Text

" ¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. ¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. ¹² She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. ¹³ She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. ¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. ¹⁵ She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. ¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. ¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. ¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. ¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. ²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. ²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. ²² She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. ²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. ²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. ²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. ²⁶ She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. ²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. ²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ²⁹ “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” ³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. ³¹ Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate." (Proverbs 31:10-31, NIV)

Introduction

Last week I brought a Father’s Day sermon entitled, “How to Be the Kind of Man A Woman Wants to Love.” In four and one half years here at Hillcrest, I don’t think I have ever had such overwhelmingly positive response from people about a single sermon, especially from the women.

Today, I want to turn that topic around and talk about the kind of woman a good man wants to love. And so we turn in the Bible to the most famous of all texts describing womanhood, a psalm of praise written by the mother of King Lemuel for her son to help him know what kind of wife he should look for. She realized, I am sure, that because of his position, he would attract all kinds of women with all kinds of motives. And so she wrote these words to save him from the wrong kind of women and to help him find the right kind of woman, a wife fit for a king…!

Instead of going through this rather lengthy passage verse by verse, I want to share six suggestions with every woman here based on these and other Scriptures.

1. Be pure.

Set your standards very high and do not lower them at any time, in any place, or for anyone…!

" ¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies." (Proverbs 31:10, NIV)

"³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. ³¹ Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate." (Proverbs 31:30-31, NIV)

A godly wife is a godly influence upon her husband.

"¹² To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. ¹³ And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. ¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. ¹⁵ But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace." (1 Corinthians 7:12-15, NIV)

In God’s eyes, by the way, there is no such thing as a double standard…!

2. Be personable.

A man falls in love with your personality.

"¹³ A foolish son is his father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping. ¹⁴ Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord." (Proverbs 19:13-14, NIV)

"¹⁵ A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day; ¹⁶ restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand." (Proverbs 27:15-16, NIV)

"⁹ Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife." (Proverbs 21:9, NIV)

"²⁴ Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife." (Proverbs 25:24, NIV)

The woman is the “Holy Spirit” of the home. More than anything else, she sets the atmosphere!

I have often been amazed on the kind of woman men run off with…! Often, the most outstanding trait they have is that they are good conversationalists – and an important part of that art is learning to be a good listener…!

Wives, are you so interested in making sure he hears what you have to say that you fail to really listen to what he has to say?

Teresa excels in this regard, and it has not been easy because I can be quite a talker, but she has learned that I process verbally, that is to say, I think out loud, and by engaging with me in conversation, even about things that do not matter much to her

I believe every man talks to someone or something, whether to his friends or into his glass of beer down at the bar. Is he talking to you? Do you make it easy for him to? Do you really want him to talk to you or do you just want him to listen to you? Obviously, both are important!

3. Be productive.

Proverbs 31 woman led a very active life, with some measure of independence over her money and her decisions, making a significant contribution to her home and to her city.

"¹³ She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. ¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. ¹⁵ She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. ¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. ¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. ¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. ¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. ²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. ²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. ²² She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. ²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. ²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. ²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. ²⁶ She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. ²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." (Proverbs 31:13-27, NIV)

Engage in meaningful pursuits with your life. If you have children, pour yourself into them. Better yourself. If you like gardening, learn more about flowers, etc.

The best way not to be boring is to be growing. A woman who is growing is usually a woman who is glowing…!

Make a financial contribution to the welfare of your family, whether through thrift, investments, or generating income (centered around the home, able to do all this because of servants (vs.. 15)

Homemaker? Be creative and innovative..!

The Proverbs 31 woman had tremendous influence in her home but also in larger society…!

4. Be patient.

Your husband is not perfect yet…and neither are you…!

“It is better to be lonely than to wish you were…!”

5. Be passionate.

Be playful – a woman’s laughter adds much to a home…!

Read the Song of Solomon…!

Joe Slaughter’s book recommendation, “Sheet Music.”

6. Be prayerful.

Hell trembles when it hears a godly woman pray…!

Recommend “A woman’s guide to spiritual warfare…” by Ruthanne Garlock

Nothing builds a long-term partnership in a godly marriage like a man knowing his wife walks with God and hears from God…!

Charles Blair- ignored wife’s advice…! (Read, “The Man Who Could Do No Wrong,” which tells his story.)

Jamie Buckingham – hardest way to hear voice of Spirit is through wife’s voice…!

Conclusion

Invitation

1. Would you like to begin that kind of relationship with God today?

2. Would you like to ask God to help you be this kind of woman…wife, mother, friend?

How to Be the Kind of Man A Woman Wants to Love, Hillcrest Church, June 17, 2007

How to Be The Kind of Man A Woman Wants to Love

Hillcrest Church, June 17, 2007

Text

"²¹ Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. ²² Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. ²⁸ In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— ³⁰ for we are members of his body. ³¹ “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” ³² This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. ³³ However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ² “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— ³ “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” ⁴ Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." (Ephesians 5:21-6:4, NIV)

Introduction

Why talk about women on Father’s Day?

Just in case you have forgotten basic biology, let me remind you that no man can be a father without the help of a woman….! And, one of the most important legacies you can leave your children is a loving, healthy relationship with their mother. In the final analysis, it is impossible to be a good father without being a good husband…!

Sometimes as men, when we read the passage that is our text for today, it may strike us as unfair. After all Paul requires a man to love and cherish his wife, but does not even bother saying that to the women. Why? Because nine times out of ten, if a man really loves his wife the way Paul talks about his wife will love him back…!

Women are responders by God-given design.

There can be exceptions to that rule, even as there are some people who willfully and consciously reject God’s love for them and the relationship He wants to have with them, but most people who choose to not walk with Christ have never really grasped how awesome God’s love for them really is…!

When Teresa heard about the video we are going to show at the men’s breakfast on, “How to Improve Your Sex Life…” she said…

“That’s easy…Just tell them, ‘Help clean up from dinner; Help do the dishes; Help the kids take their baths; Help them brush their teeth; and help them say their prayers. Then your wife will have the energy to do something besides just fall asleep. All the women’s magazines talk about how young mothers are so tired by the time they go to bed that sex is the last thing they have on their mind.’”

As I was preparing this message, I went back to her to get her approval to share those comments with you and she added the following great insights…

• A woman wants to know that her husband cares about her and not just about sex. “Men sometimes give love for sex; women sometimes give sex for love.”
• Brush your teeth and bathe often.
• Find out what your wife’s love language is and tell her you love her often in ways that are meaningful to her, not in ways that are meaningful to you!
• Work hard to have a good relationship with a woman’s family and close friends. No woman wants to have to choose between people she loves.
• Love her children, teach them to love their mother, and insist they respect her.
• Bill and Fran Holbrook’s first date, “Where are the kids? They are coming, too…!” (Darryl and Sherri Fletcher; Bob and Gay Thurman’s, “Divorce Recovery Workshop.”
• The Apostle Paul situates his instructions regarding a man’s responsibilities toward his children in the same context as his comments on a man’s responsibilities toward his wife…!
• Provide time alone for your wife, especially when you have small children.

So there you have it, fellows, straight from the heart and mind of a very, very special woman…!

Her thoughts are better than mine, but here are four things I suggest you write down as well:

1. Love her more than anything else.

Traditional marriage vows include the phrase, “Forsaking all others…” The word, “forsake,” is very strong. It implies a total, conscious renunciation of all soul ties, lingering thoughts of “What might have been…” or “What could have been…”

There is more than one way to commit adultery. It can be done sexually; it can be done emotionally; it can be done mentally; it can even be done vocationally.

· Hobbies

· Sports

· Buddies

· Work

· … and obviously, other women…!

In the words of Jesus, “For this cause, a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife and they will become one flesh…” Both “leaving” and “cleaving” are also very strong words.

2. Put her needs ahead of your needs.

“Love seeketh not its own…” (1 Corinthians 13)

“Love keeps no record of wrongs…” (1 Corinthians 13)

Love puts its need for a new beginning ahead of its own selfish tendency to protect itself and justify itself by carefully recording and remembering every mistake has been made.

3. Look after her spiritual well-being.

· This can be as simple as making it easy for her to attend church in place she enjoys worshipping the Lord.

· Talk with her about your own thoughts and feelings about God. The old adage, “Never discuss money, politics, and religion” should never be applied to marriage…! If you are in spiritually, “blended” home, it is important to use tact, wisdom, and lots of mutual respect, but it is extremely important to know exactly where each other stand on this most important issue.

· Read the Bible together and pray together. Begin at mealtime and at before bedtime. I really struggle with this. Teresa and I talk about the Bible a lot, in part because I love to get her feedback on my sermons. (I stopped having her “grade” them a long time ago, though…! Smile!) We pray together over the most important things, but I need to make sure we also pray together over everyday things, if for no other reason than it is important for our children to see us doing it together…!

4. Live a life worthy of her respect.

Respect is the foundation upon which all true love is built. If your wife respects you, it is much easier to love you…!

Be the kind of man she can trust her children with and that her children will look up to. More than once over the years as I have heard wives say what drew them to their husbands these words have been spoken, “I could tell he would be a good father to my children.”

Conclusion

Becoming the kind of man I have talked about this morning is a journey I am on myself. I am far from a perfect husband or a perfect father, but my relationship with Jesus Christ is the key to anything I do right in my relationship with my wife and with my children. His love for the church sets the standard I try to live by in my relationship with my wife. My heavenly father’s love for me shows me how I am to love my children.

I can only do that with His help…! Here is the good news, if any of lack wisdom, if we ask God for it, He will generously pour it out upon us if we trust Him and respond to His promptings.

"⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." (James 1:5-8, NIV)

The starting point on the journey to that kind of wisdom to begin a personal relationship with God.

"¹⁰ “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." (Proverbs 9:10, NIV)

"³³ The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor." (Proverbs 15:33, NIV)

INvitation

1. Would you like to begin that kind of relationship with God today?

2. Would you like to ask God to help you be this kind of man…husband, father, friend?