I want to remind everybody that
we're having a church dinner Sunday, and if some of the men
can put up the tables after the service, that'll be helpful. I've entitled this message Matthew
the Publican. Now, there are four lists of
the twelve apostles, and in every other list, He's simply called
Matthew. But when God the Holy Spirit
inspires him, and remember, each word is inspired by the Spirit
of God. We believe in what is called the, I can't even remember, but it
just means every word is inspired, every word. And God inspired
Matthew to call himself Matthew the publican. None of the other
writers referred to him like this, but that is the way he
referred to himself. A publican was a tax collector
employed by the Roman government with the backing of the Roman
army. They would overcharge the people and make themselves rich
at the expense of their Jewish brethren. And they had the protection
of the Roman army behind them. They could do whatever they want
and they had protection. And they were the most despised,
hated people in Israel. They were looked upon as below
prostitutes, as below whatever the lowest form of society is. They were thought of as moral
reprobates. Now I'm sure Matthew didn't continue
in this dishonest profession. But he doesn't call himself Matthew
the former publican. He doesn't call himself Matthew
the reformed publican. He just calls himself Matthew
the publican. Now, these lists could have read
Peter the coward, James and John the seekers of preeminence, Philip
the stupid, Nathaniel the prejudiced, Thomas, the doubter, it would
have all been true, wouldn't it? It would have been no less true
than Matthew, the publican, but he didn't. You see, love covers
transgression, doesn't it? That is so beautiful. Love covers
a transgression. If the Lord loves you, you cover,
or he covers your transgression. And if you love somebody, you'll
cover their transgression. To try to expose somebody is
to say, I don't love that person. Love covers a transgression.
So Matthew speaks of himself inspired by the spirit of God
to call himself Matthew the publican. And we ought to learn something
from this. How distasteful is self-promotion and self-praise. Matthew, the publican. Matthew has a very interesting
story, and the Lord used him to write this gospel. Now, turn
back to Matthew chapter 9, verse 9. Let's look at the story
of Matthew. And as Jesus passed forth from
thence, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the receipt of custom,
the toll booth. That's how he made a living,
taking people's taxes, adding on to them to add to his own
riches. And the Lord saw him. I love
to think about this. The Lord saw somebody whom he
had always known. always loved. He saw one of his
elect. He saw one for whom he would
keep the law for. He saw one who he would die for
and be raised for and intercede for. He saw one who was eternally
united to him. Now I want you to think of the
Lord seeing you in that light. That's how he saw it. The Lord
saw him and he said unto him, Follow me. Could Matthew have said no? Well, if he could have, he would
have. No question about that. But he
couldn't say no any more than Lazarus could say no. And Christ
said, Lazarus, come forth. That would have been a thing
impossible, wouldn't it? Lazarus, come forth, he that was dead. came forth. The hour is coming,
and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of
God, and they which hear shall live. This is what is called
irresistible grace. I've heard people say, I don't
like that term. I do. I like it a lot, as a matter
of fact. God elected a people. They shall
come to Christ. Christ died for those people.
They're going to come to Christ. God the Holy Spirit gives life
to those people. They're gonna come to Christ.
Irresistible grace. They're given life by the Spirit
of God and they follow the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, if any
man will come after me, let him deny himself. Take up his cross
and follow me. Now the fact that anybody the
Lord said, follow me, you know what they did? They followed
him. And that makes me say, Lord, say that to me. Say to me, say
to my soul, follow me and give me the grace to follow you just
like Matthew did. Verse 10, he arose and followed
him. And it came to pass as Jesus
sat at meat in the house. And we know from Luke's account,
this was Matthew's house. Matthew had a party. He invited
everybody he knew. He was so happy that the Lord
had said, follow me. He had a party. And it came to pass, as Jesus
said at meet in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came
and sat down with him and his disciples. I think of the story of Zacchaeus.
Zacchaeus was the chief of the publicans, and he was very rich. And the Lord put it in his heart
to seek him. And the scripture says he sought
to see Jesus, who he was. And he could not. You know, the
first thing you find out when you start to seek him is that
you can't know him. He was short of stature. So he
climbed up in a sycamore tree and waited for the Lord to pass
that by. And when the Lord, I love to
think of this, when the Lord was passing by, he stopped, he
looked up in the tree, Zacchaeus, how shocked do you think Zacchaeus
was? You see, this is one he'd always
known, just like he'd always known Matthew. Zacchaeus, make
haste, come down. For today I must abide at thy
house. And he made haste and came down
and received him joyfully. And that's what's going on right
here. Matthew is having a feast for the Lord. And the scripture
points out in verse 10 that many publicans and sinners came and
sat down with him. Now, I love thinking about this. These really they were moral
reprobates, publicans, sinners, the dregs of society. I mean,
just the immoral people that your average person said, I don't
want to be around them. They came and sat down with the
Lord and his disciples. And what I think is so glorious
about thinking of this is they didn't feel threatened. They
didn't feel judged. Now, if they came in here tonight,
I fear that they would feel threatened and judged. But not with the
Lord. No sinner ever came into his
presence that felt threatened and judged. Don't you want to
be that way? How beautiful the Lord is. And
these men could come into his presence and feel that way. Turn across the page to Matthew
chapter 11. Verse 18, for John came neither
eating nor drinking, and they say, he hath a devil. The son
of man came eating and drinking, and they say, behold, a man gluttonous,
a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans. sinners. That's how he was known,
a friend of publicans and sinners. That's what his reputation was.
Truly he was the sinner's friend. In Luke chapter 15 verse one,
we read, then drew near all the publicans and sinners for to
hear him. Oh, they wanted to hear what
he had to say. He had something to say that they were interested
in. And the scribes and Pharisees
murmured and said, this man Receiveth sinners and eateth with them. Now, think of that statement.
This man receiveth sinners. We sing that hymn, Christ receiveth
sinful men. This man receiveth sinners. Who's... Sinners. That is the only people
who will find that to be good news. This man receiveth sinners. and eateth with them a sinner.
Would that describe you? Would that describe me? What
a group, the Lord Jesus and his disciples and publicans and sinners. And I have no doubt that Matthew
thought himself to be the foremost of this group in this party at
his home. Verse 11, and when the Pharisees
saw it, They said unto his disciples, why eateth your master with publicans
and sinners? Now, when the Pharisees saw this,
they didn't see something glorious. They saw something to criticize.
Why eateth your master with publicans and sinners? They were saying,
he's putting his stamp of approval on their wrong behavior. They
can come into his presence and not feel threatened, not feel
judged. feel comfortable, and all he's
doing is putting his stamp of approval upon their wrong and
their evil behavior. That's not right. That's what
they were thinking. This is not right. Now, what
I think is interesting is that they deemed themselves competent
and able to sit in judgment on the great judge of the earth. You know what I find so scary
about that? I see myself doing that. That's what I find fearful. I see in myself no different
than them. Look at the Lord's reply. He
heard this. But when Jesus heard, he said
unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they
that are sick. Now, what he's saying to these
people who made this objection, you don't need me. They do. It's as simple as that. You don't
need me. They do. Now, the word whole is the word
that is usually translated able. They that are able. They that
have strength. They that have ability. They
don't need a physician. Somebody that is not sick doesn't
need a doctor, do they? If I'm feeling good, the last
thing I'm thinking about is needing a doctor. Everything's great. The only time you feel like you
need a doctor is when you are sick. The whole need not a physician,
but they that are sick. Now, I think this is interesting
as well. The word sick is literally evilly sick. It's taken out of
the word, its root word is evil. Not just sick, like somebody
you feel sorry for, oh, they're sick, you feel, but evilly sick. The whole, those who have ability.
They don't need a physician, but those that are evilly sick
have need of a physician. I've got a question for myself.
I've got a question for you. Able or evil? How would that describe you?
Able or evil? A sin can be aptly compared to
an evil sickness. An evil sickness, now, it's something
I brought on myself. It's my fault. Sin has brought
it on. That's something I was born with
as well. It's a hereditary disease. The scriptures say the wicked
are restrained from the womb They go about, as soon as they'd
be born, speaking lies. David said, in sin did my mother
conceive me. I was born that way. It's a hereditary disease. I
mean, I had it the moment that I came out of my mother's womb,
but it is all my fault. It is an evil sickness. It's a disabling disease. A disabling sickness, John 6,
44 says, no man can come to me. He doesn't say no man may come.
If you come, you'll be received. Now understand that if you come
to Christ, you'll be received. He won't kick you out. You will
be welcomed with open arms. Doesn't say no man may come.
It says no man can come. No man has the ability to come. Romans 8, 6 says the carnal mind
is enmity against God It's not subject to the law of God, neither
indeed what can be. So then they that are in the
flesh cannot, they lack the ability to please God. So sin is a hereditary
disease. It's an evil disease. It's my
fault, but it renders me completely unable. to do anything. Now you tell somebody who believes
themselves to be evil and tell them there's such a thing as
free will, they'll know better than that. If you know anything about
your sin, you know free will is not true with regard to you.
You can't just up and make yourself better. You can't do it. It's
beyond your ability. Sin is a foul, disgusting, loathsome
disease. It's a painful disease. It's
a numbing disease. It makes it to where you can't
feel. When you become so sick, you can't even feel pain. Oh,
that's when you're really sick. You don't have any appetite because
of this disease. It's deep-seated. There's no
operation that can take it away. Now, most of the time, I reckon
when you have an operation, you're thinking something can be cut
away and you can get rid of it and all of a sudden you'll be
better. It's not that way with regard to sin. It is a deep-seated
disease. There's no human operation that'll
make it go away. It's gonna stay there. It's incurable. That's the kind
of disease this is. It's incurable. And it'll kill you if the Lord
doesn't do something for you. Now, what does this person need?
He needs a physician, doesn't he? The great physician. I'm so thankful the Lord referred
to himself as the great physician. Listen to his qualifications.
Luke 4, 18, the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has
anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to
heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives,
Recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are
bruised, to preach the acceptable year of our Lord. Now, if I'm
looking for a doctor, I'm interested in his credentials. Somebody
says, well, I'm a doctor, but I don't have any education. I
ain't going to you. I mean, I'm not interested in that at all.
I want somebody who has some credentials and owe the credentials
of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's got 100% success rate. Anybody that's ever come to Him
has been cured, healed. And He's got one thing that heals
every disease. His grace, His blood. Same cure for every ill. And
He's a sympathetic doctor. He's moved by the feelings of
our infirmities. And His healing is so immediate. You don't go through long process
of recovery, you're clean in God's sight when He heals you.
What a doctor the Lord Jesus Christ is, the great physician. Now, what is the difference between
the able and the evil? One word, need. the whole need not of physician,
but they that are sick. He healed them, Luke 9, 11. He
healed them that had need of healing. Now, when we speak of
the great doctrine of grace that comes from the great doctor of
grace, the great physician, we could just as accurately call
this the doctrine of need. The doctrine of need. Being totally depraved. And I've said this many times,
so I hope this comes home to somebody listening right now.
It's one thing to believe in the doctrine of total depravity
and think the scriptures teaches it. It's an altogether different
thing to believe in your heart that you yourself are totally
depraved. Being totally depraved, I need
God to elect me. I need him to choose me before
time again. And if He doesn't, there's no
hope for me. I need Christ to be a successful Savior. I need
for His death to do everything that's needed to pay for my sins,
so nothing's required of me. I need Him to do it all. I need
His grace to be irresistible and invincible toward me, because
if it's not, I'll resist it. I know that. I know that about
myself. I need to be preserved and caused
to continue in the faith by His grace, because I'm not. I won't. I know that. This is a thing
of need. You know there are some who see the
Scripture teaches this, but it's just doctrine to them. I remember
a fellow sitting in my family room, and we were talking, I
was talking to him, somebody's visiting the church, and we were
talking about election. He said, well, I see a Bible
teaches election, but that doesn't mean I like it. Well, I do. I do. If there's no election, there's
no salvation for this sinner. The person who can live without
this is like that person described in the church at Lattice Sea.
I'm rich, increased with goods, and have need of nothing. And the Lord said, you don't
know that you're wretched and miserable and sick and blind
and poor and naked. Oh, how we need the great physician
and his gospel. When Jesus heard that, he said,
they that behold, they that be able, those who have ability
need not a physician, but they that are sick, but verse 13,
go ye and learn what that meaneth. I'll have mercy and not sacrifice. And this is a quotation from
Hosea chapter six, verse six. What does it mean? Well, sinners
try and bring a sacrifice, something they've given up, some change
in their lifestyle, something they have done. Sinners try to
bring a sacrifice to God that they think will render God obligated
to do something for them. I've done this. I've done my
part. Now you do your part. Everybody who's lost tries to
bring a sacrifice that they think God will accept. Now, let me
say this. If I have that kind of attitude,
I prove what a low view I have of God. What a low view. And what a high view of the things
that I think I'm bringing. But what does the Lord say? He
said, go and learn what this means. I'll have mercy, not your
sacrifice, not sacrifices that you think will obligate me to
do something for you. But thank God, I will have mercy. You see, that's his nature. That's
the nature of God. He delights in mercy. And he says, I will have mercy. Have you learned what that means?
Have you learned not to try to bring your sacrifices? Now, where
the remission of these is, there's no more offering for sin. Don't
try to bring anything. Don't try to bring God anything
that you think he would accept. All you do is try to bring him
down to your level. That I thought I was altogether
such a one as thyself. I think this is good. Surely
God will. No, he won't. No, he won't. But he will have mercy. You see
anybody that comes pleading mercy, Lord have mercy on me. The only
time you plead for mercy is when your sin's all your fault. If
it's not all your fault, you're asking for justice. Give me what
I got coming. But oh, if all your sin is your
fault, you're gonna ask for mercy. And anyone who asks for mercy
receives mercy. There's never been anybody in
the history of the universe that's actually asked God for mercy.
And he turned them down. Somebody says, well, I asked
for mercy and he hadn't given it to me. I expect me to believe
you were God. You didn't ask for mercy. You
asked for, tried to strike a deal with God. If you do this, I'll
do that. But you didn't ask for mercy. Anybody who truly asks
for mercy receives it. Now, have you learned what that
means? I'll have mercy and not sacrifice. For I came not to
call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. I didn't come to call the righteous.
Now, if you have any ability, if you have any personal righteousness,
anything that you think God could be pleased with. Did you know
you exclude yourself from mercy? He said, I didn't come to call
the righteous. I'm not coming for them. You'll find yourself
in that group that the Lord says, many will say unto me in that
day, Lord, Lord, have we not preached in your name? In your
name, have we not cast out demons and demonstrated much power?
And in your name, have we not done many wonderful works? Then
will I depart. I say unto them, depart from
me, ye that work iniquity. I never knew you, never did. I don't want to hear that, do
you? Many shall say to me in that day." He said, I didn't come to call
the righteous, but I came. Aren't you glad He came? He came. I love that Scripture in 1 John
4, 3. Whoso confesses not that Jesus
Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. Well, in making
that confession, I confess that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh. He came. And He came in flesh. And He
did what He came to do. He came to put away the sins
of His people. And beloved, He did it. When
He said it is finished, all the sins of all of God's people were
wiped away. Gone. Clean. No more. He said, I came not to call the
righteous, but I came to call sinners to repentance. Are you a sinner? Are you a sinner? Now, if you are, he came to call
you. He calls you right now to trust
his son only as all that's needed to make you perfect before God.
He came to save you. And that's exactly what He did.
He saved everybody He came to save. He came to save every sinner.
If you're a sinner, He came to save you. I'm not asking if you're
one of the elect or if Christ died for you. I'm not asking
you if you have faith. I'm asking you this. Are you
a sinner? How do you answer that question? If you're a sinner,
Christ came to save you. And I love this. He said, I've
come to call sinners to repentance. Now here's where to begin. Repentance
means a change of mind. Change your mind about the stupid
things you think about repentance. What do people think? Well, repentance
is me being sorry and me not committing that sin anymore.
Well, you ought to be sorry and you ought not ever commit that
sin again. I'm not saying but that's not what repentance is.
Repentance is not being sorry because when are you sorry enough?
And as far as not committing that sin anymore, how many sins? Be honest, how many sins do you
commit and know you're going to commit them again? And you
confess them and you know you're going to commit them again. If
that's what repentance is, you've never repented. Repentance is a complete change
of mind concerning God. concerning yourself, concerning
how He saves by Christ. It's a complete change of mind
regarding the forgiveness of sins. Everybody naturally thinks
if I do this, this, this, this, I'll get the forgiveness of sins.
It's the end of the equation of the works that I do. Repent
of that. The forgiveness of sins, the
complete forgiveness of sins was accomplished by what Christ
did without reference to you. You know, people ask the question,
can I forgive somebody if they haven't asked for forgiveness? Christ did. He didn't ask you anything when
he forgave you. He put away your sin. And he
didn't wait for you to ask. He gave you the grace to call
for mercy. So don't May we repent of the silly, dumb things we
think of repentance. Preachers have muddied the water
so much there. Repentance is turning from your
sins and having a dim... If somebody's honest, they'd have to say, I've not
repented, man. That's all repentance is. Thank God he came to call
sinners to repentance. They repent and believe the gospel
and they become somebody like Matthew the Publican. Don't you
love the way he calls his name that? Matthew the Publican. I pray that we have some Matthew
the Publicans here tonight. Let's pray. Lord, we ask in Christ's name that you would say to each person
here, follow me. And Lord, we ask that we might
be of the sick that need the great physician. We ask that
we might be sinners called by your grace
to repentance. Lord, how we thank you that your
son is the friend of sinners. In his blessed name, we pray.
Amen.