I am speaking to you this morning
on the subject of Christ's calling the sick and the sinful. In Luke
chapter 5, verses 31 and 32, the Lord Jesus Christ said to
some religious people, He said, They that are whole need not
a physician, but they that are sick. I came not to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance. Our subject is Christ calling
the sick and the sinful. You may have heard me say at
various times that the gospel is for sinners. The gospel is
only for sinners. If you think that you are a holy
or righteous or good person, then I have nothing for you this
morning. Christ said, I didn't come to
call the righteous. but sinners to repentance. Now,
he's not saying that there are some who are righteous. No. Scripture says there's none righteous. No, not one. By nature, none
of us are righteous, but all are born sinful, wicked. Only those made righteous by
Christ, only those in Christ, only that new creature in Christ
is righteous. And that's not of ourselves.
That's the work of God. One time he spoke a parable to
those who thought themselves to be righteous, a parable of
the publican and the Pharisee. This one man went into the temple. These two men went into the temple.
And one of them stood up before God and said, I thank you I'm
not like other men, that I am not an extortioner or unjust
or an adulterer like that publican. And he went on to brag about
what he had done. He said, I fast twice in the
week. I give tithes of all that I possess. But a publican, a sinner, He
wouldn't come near, but stood afar off, and wouldn't lift his
eyes to heaven, but only would smite on his breast, saying,
a very short prayer, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. And the Lord Jesus Christ said,
I tell you, this man, that publican, that sinner who pleaded for mercy
from God for a sinner, he said he went down to his house justified,
cleared from all charges, righteous before God. And the other man
that exalted himself, that other man who thought he was righteous,
he went down condemned. Do you understand? Christ didn't
come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. They that
are whole need not a position, but they that are sick. The gospel
is for those who are sick, those who are sinful. Now, you may
think we speak too much of sin. But that's the whole problem
of this universe, of this world. This whole world, this earth
that we live in, when sin entered this world, all the terrible
consequences of it entered. Evil, sickness, sorrow, hatred,
wrath, wickedness, filthiness, tragedy, horror, and ultimately
death. Scripture says, by one man sin
entered into this world, and death passed upon all men. Death. The consequences of sin
is death. The soul that sinneth must surely
die. And all of the other terrible
consequences of sin. Sin is a sickness. Sin is a disease. We all have it. Our children
are born with it. If something is not done about
it, be ruled by it, and we will die in it and because of it. This story today is how Christ
came to call the sick and the sinful. Before this story, there
was a man with the palsy. He was paralyzed. He was born
lame. He could not walk. He could not
come to Christ. Scripture says that very thing.
Christ said, you will not come unto me that you might have life. No, it is not of him that willeth,
or of him that runneth, or walketh, because no man will come. But Christ said, No man can come
unto me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him. The Lord
Jesus Christ came this day to this man sick of the palsy and
had someone bring this man to him and lay him at his feet. And the Lord Jesus Christ spoke
the word unto him and raised him from his bed, from his sickness,
and he began to walk, which is a picture of how we are dead
and trespassed and sinned, and only if God is pleased to show
us mercy Only if God will call us by His grace, bring us to
hear the gospel, raise us from being dead and trespassed in
sin, give us new life, only then will we walk by faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Walk with Him, follow Him, and
not the world. In this story of Matthew the
publican, or Levi the publican, is the story of how God comes,
Christ comes and calls sinners to repent, the sick and the sinful,
calls them to himself. There was a man named Levi in
verse 27. It says, after these things,
the Lord Jesus Christ went forth and saw a publican named Levi. This man was sitting at the receipt
of custom. He was sitting counting his money. This was no chance meeting, but
this was arranged by the Lord God before the world began. Yes,
known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.
This man, Levi, his name was written in the Lamb's Book of
Life before the foundation of the world, and Christ came to
call this man at this particular time. This was the day that the
Lord had chosen for this man to meet the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's the way it is with all of God's people. In the fullness
of time, they will hear Christ's voice. His elect, His sheep will
hear His voice. He said, I know My sheep, and
they will hear My voice. I call them, and they will come
to Me, as Levi will in the story. He saw this man, a publican.
What did he see? Just a man like anybody else.
Just a sinner like anybody else. Levi didn't see him. Matthew
didn't see Christ coming. But Christ saw him first. Christ
looked upon him first. If Levi had seen him before this,
like so many people have, he saw no beauty in the Lord Jesus
Christ. He had no desire for the Lord
Jesus Christ. He saw nothing in him. He heard
nothing that interested him in this preacher, this rabbi named
Jesus of Nazareth. But God, rich in mercy, for his
great love, whether he loved this man Levi or Matthew, He
looked upon him before the world began. And in time, when God
walked this earth, He looked upon this man in salvation. He saw him. He looked upon him
with compassion, with love, with favor, with mercy, with grace. And all that he loves, he calls,
he saves, he brings to himself. Well, this man was sitting at
the receipt of custom. He was sitting where normally
would sit, counting his money. His life consisted in counting
his money. He loved money. He lived for
money. That was his life. Scripture
says, what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Well,
most, if not all, will give just about anything. People will give
anything in exchange for their soul. Our Lord said in Isaiah
52, You have sold yourselves for naught, but His people, He
said, shall be redeemed without money. No, we are not redeemed
with corruptible things such as silver and gold or from our
vain conversation received from the elders, not from our religion,
not from our morality, not from our doings Our works? No, no. By the deeds of the flesh,
by the works of the flesh, by the works of the law, no flesh
shall be justified, but redeemed without money, without price,
redeemed one way by the precious blood of the Lamb that pays for
the sins of God's people. Well, this man named Matthew,
named Levi, That's a good religious name, isn't it? One of the sons
of Jacob. Perhaps his parents were religious
and they gave him this religious name. Their hopes perhaps were
that he would grow up and be successful, and he was, physically. Materially, he was rich. Publicans
were rich, but they were corrupt. Kind of like a lawyer today. They would sell anything to anyone,
sell their brethren for the dollar. Scripture says that money is
the root of all evil. The love of money is the root
of all evil. That money answereth all things.
Well, it answered everything for Matthew, for Levi. He lived
for it. And if the Lord Jesus Christ
had not come his way, if the Lord Jesus Christ had not called
him, he would have died, he would have perished counting his money. So the Lord Jesus Christ came
and saw this man, looked upon this man, and said unto this
man, called him by his word, by his power, and he said in
verse 27, follow me. In verse 28, he left all. His
publican left everything. He left his money. He left his
old friends. He left his family. He rose up. That is the quickening power
of God. You hath he quickened who were
dead and trespassed in sin, Ephesians 2 verse 1 says, and followed
the Lord Jesus Christ. He is no longer following his
dream of being rich, he's no longer following the world, he's
no longer following religious leaders, scribes, pharisees,
hypocrites, modern religion, what everyone else was following.
He now is following the Lord Jesus Christ. He is truly now
a Christian, following, listening to, believing, worshiping, dependent
upon, looking to the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, he made a great
feast in his own house. The great company of publicans
and others sat down with him, with them. He made a feast under
the Lord Jesus Christ out of gratitude, out of thanksgiving
to the Lord Jesus Christ for coming to him and calling him.
And he invited all his old friends, publicans. He wanted them to
hear Christ too. He wanted them to hear the Gospel
too. And so it is with everyone who
has heard the truth, who has heard Christ. They want their
friends, former friends, to hear the Lord Jesus Christ, too, to
be called by His grace. Well, the scribes and the Pharisees,
in verse 30, they murmured against the disciples and said, Why do
you eat and drink with publicans and sinners? People, there are
no other kind of people on this earth, nothing but sinners. Because
Christ said in verse 31, He's a friend of sinners. He came
to eat and drink with publicans and sinners. He drank wine. He
ate food with sinners. Because that's the only kind
of people there are on this earth. The only kind of people. We'll be sinners to the day we
die. Christ said, I didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners
to repentance. He said, they that are whole
need not a physician, but they that are sick. Do you understand?
Do you have this sickness called sin? Can you say with David in
Psalm 38, there is no soundness in my flesh? He said, mine iniquities
are over my head. They're a burden to me. He said, my loins are filled
with a loathsome disease. Can you say with Paul the apostle,
in my flesh dwelleth no good thing, how to perform that which
is good I don't know because I'm just a sinner. Can you say
with David, in Psalm 51, Lord, have mercy upon me according
to your lovingkindness. Wash me throughly from my iniquity.
Cleanse me from my sin. I acknowledge my transgression.
My sin is ever before me. Against thee and thee only have
I sinned and done this evil in thy sight. David said that as
a believer. David said that as a child of
God. Do you understand that? All of
God's people do. Well, that's who Christ came
to call. Oh, may He call you is my prayer. Amen.