Mark 2:13-17

So we've been moving through, we've been seeing the beginning of Jesus' ministry.

He comes out, he's in Galilee, he's been baptized, he begins establishing his authority as he's tempted

! and establishes his authority over Satan, as he drives out demons, as he heals paralytics and cleanses lepers.

We saw in the beginning of chapter 2 that he has returned to Capernaum. For a while he was out in desolate places because of the healing of the leper.

He's returned back to Capernaum and now here at the beginning of our story we see him again back out beside the sea.

Now Capernaum is located close to the sea. It's a port town and the Sea of Galilee is on the northwest.

Capernaum would have been on the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee.

And so that's where he is back out by the sea and there's again a massive crowd that's following him.

We've said repeatedly that this crowd was not necessarily following him from genuine faith.

In fact, more than likely not.

We see a very, very few faithful followers of Christ after his crucifixion.

As they're waiting for his resurrection, the number we count in the beginning of Acts is 120.

And here we see thousands and thousands of people following him.

More than likely because of the miracles.

Because he was doing something fantastic and they wanted to see it.

Or they themselves had some infirmity that they wanted healed.

So again we see a crowd following him.

And I'll just point out to you once again his ministry.

The ministry that God gave him of teaching.

So he's teaching them we see at the beginning of verse 13.

Verse 13.

Remember the very thrust of Jesus' teaching.

Even as we get further into the Gospel of Mark and we begin to study the parables and all these different facets of what he's teaching.

Remember the primary thing that he's teaching is the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Right?

Back in chapter 1, verse 15.

He says that he came out of Galilee, into Galilee, proclaiming the Gospel of God and saying,

The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent and believe in the Gospel.

So we can, with surety, say that in some way he was teaching this very same thing.

As we see him here walking alongside the seashore and teaching this crowd.

And in verse 14 we see that he passes by a man named Levi.

Levi.

Now it's interesting, the record here is that he's Levi, the son of Alphaeus.

We know that the Apostle James was also the son of Alphaeus.

So would this be then James' brother Levi?

And who is this Levi?

He's not listed in the account of the Apostles in other places in the Gospels.

And there's a bit of debate about this, but most people agree that this Levi is the Apostle we know as Matthew.

Now I won't get into the argument.

I thought about it.

It's not worth the time.

Because most people agree that this is in fact Matthew.

One author said that much ink has been spilled over determining if this is in fact Matthew.

I like the way J.C. Ryle put this.

He's a well-respected 19th century evangelical Anglican bishop and commentator.

He said,

The person who is called Levi at the beginning of this passage is the same person who is called Matthew in the first of the four Gospels.

Let us not forget this.

It is no less an apostle and an evangelist whose early history is now before our eyes.

So I think with fair certainty, we can't say definitively, but with fair certainty we can say that this is Matthew.

In this day, most people had some form of nickname, often a Hebrew name and a Gentile name, which would have been sort of a nickname for them.

For example, Simon Peter.

Jesus gave him the name Peter.

His name was Simon and he was sometimes called Cephas.

If you recall, he was mocked a bit by Paul using that name.

His Greek slang name being Cephas.

And so the probability here is that this is in fact one of his other names of the apostle that we know as Matthew.

Matthew.

So let's assume that together.

That's what we're looking at.

And he was a tax collector.

We see that he was sitting at the tax booth.

And some of your translations may say toll booth by the seashore.

So he was likely collecting admission for passengers headed to Capernaum.

So who were landing on the seashore, had sailed across the Sea of Galilee and headed into Capernaum.

He was charging them a toll.

And he would have been doing this as an agent of the Roman Empire.

Collecting money for Rome.

For their governance.

For their war effort.

You know Rome marched themselves across the known world conquering people.

And that's what these dollars were going to.

These men were crooked in nature.

The tax collectors.

The toll collectors were.

Because the way they were paid is they were allowed to exact a charge above and beyond the actual toll charge.

Rome didn't care as long as they got the cut that they had required of that particular trade route or port.

They could collect above and beyond that.

And so these men lined their pockets by charging more than was necessary.

That was the arrangement that they had.

Furthermore, having been working for Rome, he would have been absolutely despised by most Jews.

Remember, Rome was ruling over them.

So he was a traitor in their sight.

The tax collectors, you see them commonly named amongst sinners throughout the New Testament.

Because they were very, very disliked.

Notice here that as he's traveling along, it says,

And as he passed by, he, being Jesus, saw Levi sitting at this booth.

It doesn't say that Levi was following him.

It does not say that Levi sought him out.

But here we see our great Lord seeking out Levi.

Luke 19, 10.

Jesus says of his ministry that what he came to do was to seek and to save the lost.

Jesus seeks out and finds his lost sheep.

And the sheep follows him.

John 10, verse 27 says,

John 10:27

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

So we have to pause at this and look at the efficacious call of our Lord.

The Lord calls and Levi responds.

He simply says to him,

Follow me.

He works in him the ability to do so.

And Levi gets up and follows.

And I love Mark's punctuality at this point.

We've talked a bit about how he's so brief.

And he runs us through stories so quickly.

And in this case, I absolutely love.

Jesus says, follow me.

And the record is, and he rose and followed him.

He left behind his profession that he was doing quite well at.

Any of these men would have been incredibly wealthy doing this service for Rome.

And he stands up and he walks away from it.

Remember who this person is.

This Matthew leaves everything to follow Jesus.

Some 60 years or so later, writes the Gospel of Matthew.

Follows Jesus to the grave.

Experiences all of this.

Writes the Gospel of Matthew.

And is later, we think, martyred in Ethiopia.

That's the prevalent rumor that he was martyred in Ethiopia.

He leaves behind fame, success, fortune, and follows Christ.

And this is a great work of grace in his life.

You don't see a record here of him debating this.

He doesn't go, this man seems pretty amazing.

Healing people.

And I'm kind of liking his teaching.

I'm going to follow him around a little while and get a feel for what he's got going on.

I'm going to have a chat with him and see what he may promise me if I follow him.

If this is the Christ, the one who's come to reign, I want a prominent place in the kingdom.

Let me go see if I can get on board with what he's doing.

He had, by the world's measure, everything he could want.

And Jesus walks by and says to him, follow me.

And his heart is turned.

And he does just that.

What a precious view of the sovereign work of grace in a person's life.

And so it would seem, we find in verse 15, that we see the record that Jesus is now reclining in his house.

At table, it says.

And so it's likely that as he followed him, he said, please come to my place.

I have a house.

And we can fill it with people.

We see that many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.

For there were many who followed him.

And again here we see some debate.

It could be that these tax collectors and sinners were those who followed Jesus.

Or they were ones who followed Levi.

Levi.

Right?

That he was already working as an evangelist.

Right?

We don't know exactly who this pronoun applies to.

But all the same, we see them have a feast together at this table.

And the record is that we find him at home with Levi reclining at table.

Now, just to explain to you a little bit, tables of this day, they would have been low tables.

People would have sat on three sides of them.

One side was left open conveniently for serving at the table.

Servants would bring food to the table and you didn't have to reach over somebody's shoulder.

It would be kind of nice this day, wouldn't it, if we had the opening at the end?

Maybe like our booths, our modern day booths.

People can serve food in that way.

And they reclined on couches that were at about a ten degree angle.

And they actually sloped in towards the table.

And they laid with their heads towards the table.

And it was proper for them to prop themselves up on their left arm so they could use their right hand to eat.

This seems like a miserable way to eat to me.

This sounds so uncomfortable.

I can't tell you the last time I laid on my stomach.

No, thank you.

Right?

But this is the way they spent time together.

They reclined together in this way.

And the significant thing about the fact that he's in this place,

this was the normal way that they ate food,

but the fact that he was doing this was an intimate thing.

You reclined at table with people that you had relationships with.

And this is where we find our Lord.

The one, Jesus Christ.

The one who is without sin.

Who does he choose to spend his time with?

He spends his time with tax collectors and sinners.

That he might advance the gospel.

The one who is without sin.

The one who is without sin.

The one who is without sin.

The one who is without sin.

The one who is without sin.

Now there's a sort of common phrase.

I actually hope some of your minds were drawn to it immediately as I made that point about Christ.

And people pull this phrase from John chapter 17 and they say,

John 17 · chapter mention

we're called to be in the world, but not of the world.

Are you familiar with that?

We're called to be in the world, but not of the world.

And admittedly, this is something I have used as well.

And I think the person who probably coined this, the language is incredibly close to what's happening in John chapter 17.

John 17 · chapter mention

The high priestly prayer did so with the best of intention and probably meant the right thing as they coined it.

However, I think most people fall off one of two sides when they think in these terms.

As living in this world as a redeemed person, they think I'm supposed to be in the world, but not of the world.

And they either take it too far into licentious living, right?

I'm supposed to be in the world, but not of the world.

That's the way they tend to treat that, right?

I'm supposed to hang out with sinners and in the act of doing so,

they are continually worked into a more intimate relationship with these people who influence them and they themselves then sin.

It's the end result of this action together.

And then there are others who say, yeah, we're supposed to be in the world, but not of the world.

We're not supposed to be of the world.

And they therefore cut themselves off altogether from those who don't know Christ, right?

They create these small little cultural subgroups.

I actually think this is the side that we err to more often as evangelical believers.

And we quit associating altogether with the world.

And so there's a tightrope as there is with so many things here to be walked.

How is it that we are meant to follow Christ into his ministry,

the way in which he ministered to those around him,

as those who have been called to carry out his mission in this world?

Look at John chapter 17.

John 17 · chapter mention

I should have go there with me.

We've got a couple of verses to look at, so it would be of benefit to us all to be there together.

I want to revise this common phrase this morning.

Whether or not you actually say it differently, that's okay.

But that you think of it rightly is my hope in making a revision to it.

John chapter 17, beginning in verse 14.

John 17 · chapter mention

This is the high priestly prayer.

This is the prayer that Jesus prays on the behalf of his apostles

and the disciples that would follow preceding his crucifixion.

This is Jesus praying to God,

I have given them your word,

and the world has hated them because they are not of the world,

just as I am not of the world.

There's the language.

Not of the world.

Verse 15.

I do not ask that you take them out of the world.

There's the in the world part.

But that you keep them from the evil one.

They are not of the world,

just as I am not of the world.

Sanctify them in the truth.

Your word is truth.

As you sent me into the world,

so have I sent them into the world.

And for their sake,

I consecrate myself,

that they also may be sanctified in truth.

So we see him very clearly say,

they are not of the world,

just as I am not of the world.

But recognize that in this prayer,

this is not the destination.

He's not saying to God,

make them not of the world.

And now let's talk about the means by which that happens.

The primary point of him saying this

is to say,

they're not of the world,

therefore,

they're being sent into the world.

Right?

You see that?

Verse 17.

Sanctify the truth and the word of the earth.

As you sent me into the world,

so have I sent them into the world.

Right?

Luke chapter 19, verse 10.

Luke 19:10

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

So this is the very reason

for which we are left in the world.

As those not of it,

we are sent into it.

And then his prayer for them

is that we will be spared

from the sin that we'll be exposed to.

That we'll be sanctified

or perfected in the truth.

Right?

That we will remain

not of the world

as we're in the world.

So let me suggest to you

that we change the phrase

in the world but not of the world

to not of the world

but sent into the world.

Right?

This is the calling

of our lives.

So,

we've been set free

from the passions of the world.

The slavery of sin

that controls sinful man.

And we've been given freedom

in order to serve the world

to the glory of God.

Right?

Look at what Jesus did

with his time.

Right?

He's confronting here

in chapter 2

in a number of ways

the religious culture.

And that's what we're going to get to here

in just a moment.

The scribes of the Pharisees

are all kinds of offended

by this.

Right?

This Jesus in their minds,

if he was the teacher

he said he was,

if he was in fact

the Son of God,

should have spent

all of his time with them.

Right?

That's where he should have dwelt.

Sitting around

having high-minded conversation

with the scribes

of the Pharisees,

the great theologians

of the day.

But he instead

finds himself

reclining at table

with tax collectors

and with sinners.

Now this has all kinds

of implications

in our life.

And in the time we have,

I couldn't even possibly

work it out.

And I don't even know

that I've completely

worked it out

in my day-to-day.

What does it look like

to spend time

with sinners

in this way?

But we have to

engage this world

with the gospel of Christ.

There's no debate

in that part.

Right?

We're not supposed

to get in huddles

and avoid the world

altogether.

Right?

We're victorious

because what of Christ

has done for us.

We're sent

into the world.

The gates of hell

will not stand

against the advance

of the kingdom

of God.

That is what we are

called to do.

To go in

and to take over

for the glory of God.

And so many believers

have their little rites

and their rituals

and their schedule

and they include

the lost world

all together

in the things of God.

This is not

our calling, beloved.

Galatians 5.13

says,

For you are called

to freedom, brothers.

Given freedom.

Only do not use

your freedom

as an opportunity

for the flesh

but through love

serve one another.

Paul is saying

to us here

that our freedom

is meant to be used

to serve the world.

Right?

Not to live

in licentiousness.

Right?

Not to run off

hanging out

with all of our pals

and living however we might

because of grace

but in order

to serve the world.

Again,

a warning

just as you're thinking about

how do I engage

a culture?

How do I get involved?

How do I recline

at table

with those

who are sinners?

1 Peter 2.11-12

Peter says,

Beloved,

I urge you

as soldiers of exiles

to abstain

from the passions

of the flesh

which wage war

against your soul.

Which wage war

against your soul.

Keep your conduct

among the Gentiles

honorable

so that when they

speak against you

as evildoers

they may see

your good deeds

and glorify God

on the day of visitation.

So there you see

that tightrope line

of walking

that we keep

our conduct

honorable

but that these people

do in fact

see our good deeds.

That they actually

know who we are.

They can observe

the work of God

in our lives.

And I hope this morning

that we'll take a cue

from Christ

here as we see him

reclining at table

with the tax collectors

and the sinners.

Verse 16

we see the scribes

of the Pharisees.

Some of your translations

may say scribes

and Pharisees.

You can insert

at this point

we talked a bit

about who these

people were

specifically

last week

but just insert

at this point

these were the

this was the

legalistic

religious culture.

These men

were certainly

apostate

but they didn't

think that they were.

They thought

that they kept

God's law

to a T.

But they had

failed to

understand the

point of God's law.

So they were

self-righteous

they were built up

they were holy

in their own minds

and they asked

this question

to the disciples

why does he eat

with tax collectors

and sinners?

Now you remember

the reason

that Jesus

was crucified

was the charge

of blasphemy.

Because Jesus

had said

that he himself

was God.

And certainly

that would be

blasphemy

if he wasn't.

If he wasn't God

that would be

the case.

And so the

constant effort

of the scribes

the Pharisees

the Sadducees

was to prove

him to not

be God.

Because then they

had him

on the charge

of blasphemy.

He said it

and he said it

again and again

and again

that he was

the son of God.

And so they

continued to do this

and they did so

by accusing him

of things

that they

thought were

wrong.

By their own

set of rules

that they

thought God

had commanded.

And so here

we see this

this charge

being railed

against him

that he would

stoop so low

to associate

with these

unclean men.

They had clearly

categorized themselves.

They were so

much better

as keepers

of the law

versus those

that collect

taxes and sin.

And sinners

is just a general.

There are tax collectors

and a bunch

of other

sinners

is all that's

being said

in this case.

And so this is

their attempt

to continue

to build

evidence

against him.

Why is it

that he is

not the son

of God?

Because look

at the sin

he lives in

and Jesus

in all of his

wonderful

profundity

hears what

they say

and responds,

those who are

well have no

need of a physician

but those

who are sick.

I came

not to call

the righteous

but sinners.

And I love

that he doesn't

actually address

the charge.

He doesn't

even give them

the time

of day

but says to them

this is why

I came

to come

into this world

to save

sinners.

Now you see

these two groups

we see those

who are well

and the righteous

we can think

of those

as one.

He says

basically the same

sentence twice

to give us

more explanation

of what he

means by this.

Those who are

well have no

need of a

physician but

those who

are sick.

So these would

have been

people who

would have

been well

in their

own minds.

Jesus here

introduces himself

as the great

physician.

Certainly he's

healed people

who are sick.

He could take

that title

for this reason

but here he's

speaking specifically

of being a

spiritual healer

of making

people's

souls

right.

So just

think about

our day

of modern

medicine.

I'm sure

you're thinking

more about

that these

days than

maybe other

days you

might.

But how

many people

act and

think as if

they're well

and they're

not?

Because the

reality of it

is that none

of us really

are well.

We may not

be in the

hospital or

necessarily need

a doctor at

that time

but you're

all falling

apart.

The degradation

is happening.

Maybe the

little guys

are still

getting bigger

and growing

up but

those of you

who understand

what I'm

saying right

now, you

are falling

apart.

We're all

in some

way sick.

How many

of you have

a very

stubborn

relative,

maybe a

dad or a

grandpa,

that will be

so sick

and will

just refuse

to believe

that they're

sick?

That person,

that's somebody

who's like,

it sounds like

they're going

to turn

inside out,

they're coughing

so hard and

you say,

why when you

not go to the

doctor and say,

I'm not sick,

this is just a

little cough.

Do you know

those people?

I do.

These are the

type of men

who certainly

were soul

sick,

certainly were

sinners,

but not in

their own

mind.

You see them

constantly comparing

themselves.

They knew

that they were

flawed,

they knew

that they

weren't keeping

the law

perfectly,

but they

were constantly

comparing

themselves,

high-minded,

setting themselves

apart from

everyone else.

We're not

like them.

There's some

6,000 Pharisees

at this time,

and they were

so much

better in

their own

minds that

they had

earned this

type of

righteousness.

It's a

self-given

righteousness,

an outward

righteousness that

they appeared

to be doing

quite well.

We can be

that way

sometimes.

They trusted

in themselves

for righteousness.

righteousness.

In Matthew

Matthew 23:27

chapter 23,

verse 27

and verse 28,

Jesus hands

out quite the

indictment to

the scribes

and the

Pharisees.

He says,

Woe to

you,

scribes

and Pharisees,

hypocrites,

for you are

like whitewashed

tombs,

which outwardly

appear beautiful,

but within are

full of dead

people's bones

and all

uncleanness.

So you also

outwardly appear

righteous to

others,

but within you

are full of

hypocrisy and

lawlessness.

righteousness.

Woe to

you if you

think that

you can look

to yourself

for righteousness.

If you think

that you have

any good

in and of

yourself,

right?

You are like

these Pharisees

and hypocrites.

You are a

whitewashed

tomb,

right?

You've made

yourself up

all neat

and pretty

on the outside,

but inside

you're full

of death.

That's what

Jesus is saying

here.

And these are

the men that

deliver this

accusation.

How could

he possibly

eat with

these men,

these sinners,

these unclean

ones?

So we must

recognize our

sin,

our sickness

to see our

need of a

physician.

I think a lot

of you know

that on Tuesday

I threw my

back out of

place.

My lower

back is one

of the most

miserable

experiences of

my life.

I'm still,

I'm rocking a lot

today because

I'm still a little

uncomfortable as

a result of it.

I stayed

bent in half

for about 20

minutes before

I could even

straighten.

Spent just a

couple of days

laying on a

heating pad.

There was

absolutely no

avoiding the

fact that I

was in pain.

I couldn't go,

I'm alright,

things are good.

I wanted to

throw up.

I cried once.

I sneezed,

I sneezed,

and it made me

cry because it

hurt so bad.

There was no

doubt of this,

and so the

very day I did

it, I went to

the chiropractor.

There was no

question in my

mind.

Like Sam

suggested it,

I didn't go,

well, I don't

know, let's

wait and see

how this goes

for me.

I went,

okay, alright,

I'll make the

call right now.

I did, and I

went, and it

helped.

It certainly

moved me along.

We must

recognize our

need of the

great physician.

We must

recognize that

we have a

sickness that

we cannot

heal ourselves.

We must be

humble in this

way.

We must

recognize that

we have no

good in us,

nothing at

all.

And this is

the great

sickness of

our soul.

And that if

we're to stand

right before

God one day

in judgment,

if we're to

have any

joy in life

now, that

we need

Christ's

righteousness.

That our

source of

health must

come from

someplace else.

Remember

Jesus'

gospel call

to repent

and believe

in the

gospel.

Repentance

is carried

along by

humility.

A proud

person never

asks for

forgiveness,

never admits

they're wrong.

Right?

You must be

humble in

order to

repent.

And this is

the very

thing that

Jesus Christ

is calling

us to.

To recognize

who we are

apart from

him and

respond in

faith to

the grace

that he

lavishes on

sinners.

Because that

is who he

came to

save.

We were

all once

like Levi.

You might

say,

well, I

haven't been

rich.

You've been

successful.

You've had

what this

world can

offer to

you.

And you

were happy

to have

it.

And one

day Jesus

came along

beside you

and said,

follow me.

And by the

spirit working

in your life,

you said,

yes, sir.

And you

got up and

you followed

him if you

were found

in him.

And now he

has sent us

into the

world the

way he

went into

the world.

You know,

Paul gives

us a little

more severe

example of

this idea

of sickness

and health.

There's a

bit of an

implication here,

and I'm not

saying that

Jesus was

flawed in

his presentation

at all,

but there's a

bit of an

implication that

if we're

sick,

maybe there's

something we

can do for

ourselves.

Maybe it's

possible that

we could do

this for

ourselves.

And I'll

draw you

back again

to my

back example.

I was not

popping my

own back

that morning.

I needed

a physician.

Many places

in the

scripture that

we see that

we're actually

dead.

This is the

example given

to us.

This is what

we see as

Jesus brings

out this

indictment to

the Pharisees

that they're

full of

dead people's

bones.

In Colossians

Colossians 2:13

2,

verse 13

and 14,

Paul writes,

And you who

were dead in

your trespasses

and the

uncircumcision

of your flesh,

God made

alive together

with him,

having forgiven

us all our

trespasses,

by canceling

the record of

debt that stood

against us

with its

legal demands.

This he set

aside,

nailing it,

to the cross.

These scribes

of the Pharisees,

or the scribes

and Pharisees,

stood in this

very same place,

dead in their

trespasses,

in the

uncircumcision

of their

hearts.

And they

desperately needed

a physician.

Desperately.

But they were

not willing to

be humble.

And we get

to see that

record all

throughout the

Gospels.

All over the

place we see

scribes and

the Pharisees

hearing the

Gospel message

and rejecting

it and

rejecting it

and rejecting

it because

they were

so proud.

For those

of us who

are in

Christ,

we can rejoice

this morning

and see that

the record of

debt was

canceled that

stood against

us with all

its legal demands,

meaning our

eternal punishment.

Like what was

properly would

have been given

to us for our

infinite sin was

infinite death.

Right?

But this was

set aside and

nailed to the

cross and we

can rejoice

in that great

truth.

And now the

response to

that is to

recognize that

just as Jesus

came into the

world to seek

and to save

the lost,

he has sent

us into the

world as

high priestly

!

Prayer,

and therefore

we go and

we share his

goodness to us

in Christ.

I hope you

find yourself in

that place this

morning, that you

can rejoice

alongside me,

that you can

rejoice new

alongside me,

that you're not

sitting there

saying, I've

heard this

before.

Yeah, I'm a

redeemed one,

good for me.

This should warm

your heart,

to remember who

you once were,

Levi, Matthew,

sitting here

successful, happy

as he could be,

and then his

world got flipped

upside down and

he discovered

true joy in

Christ.

To the point of

death, he

discovered true

joy in Christ.

You may find

yourself this

morning not in

that place,

having some doubt

of that,

finding that

maybe you

have built

your righteousness

on the things

that you do,

that you come

to church,

that you live

in the south

and grew up

in a Christian

home.

Most of us

did.

That you have

a Bible and

you read it

occasionally.

That when things

are going real

crummy in your

life, you pray.

Right before

finals, lots of

prayer happens.

things.

Right?

And you hang

your goodness

on that.

Right?

And not that

bad.

Right?

You hold

yourself up to

other people.

You guys all

have friends and

co-workers that

are way worse

than you in

your mind.

Right?

Horrible messes.

And so you're

doing so much

better.

There's not a

scale that will

be judged upon.

Right?

You don't get up

there and God

says, eh, you're

good enough.

I'm going to tip

it that direction.

Come on in.

Right?

You're either in

Christ or you're

not.

Right?

You're in

Christ.

He sees Jesus'

righteousness.

Perfect righteousness.

That's what's

required of us to

stand in his

presence.

If you're not,

the little bit,

little pilfy

righteousness of

your own is not

nearly enough to

pay the infinite

debt of your

sin.

That's why,

that is why

Christ bore the

wrath for us

that we might

trade these two

things.

Martin Luther

called it the

great exchange.

He took our

sin.

He gave us his

righteousness.

This is what

happened on the

cross.

He perfectly

suffered for the

sins of the

church.

For those that he

would efficaciously

call, effectively

call, is what that

means.

Right?

Our sin has been

expunged from the

record.

It's been cast as

far as the east is

from the west.

Let us rejoice in

that great truth.

And let us be active

sharing that great

truth with this

world.

We take the Lord's

Supper together every

Sunday here.

And we do it as a

climactic point.

I hope it's that for

you.

We really work at

leading you up to

it.

Right?

To stop and pause

and think about this

work of Christ on

our behalf.

His body broken,

his blood spilled.

There's symbols

here.

We don't believe in

transubstation.

We don't believe this

actually becomes the

body and the blood

of Christ.

Right?

We don't believe that

this is in some way

goes into your

righteousness purse

and you gain a little

bit as a result of

taking the Lord's

Supper together.

Right?

That's heresy.

But what we do

believe is it's a good

practice.

It's as a symbolic

thing for us to

participate in

together to

remember the work

of Christ on our

behalf as well as

the things he's

promised to do and

complete finally and

fully.

And that's why we do

it together.

It only makes sense to

take the Lord's

Supper together

though from a pure

place, from a clean

heart.

Right?

If you harbor sin in

your heart in light of

these great truths,

what business do you

have celebrating the

death and the

resurrection of Christ?

It makes no sense.

But if you're going to

actually celebrate what

he's done on your

behalf, you ought to

also ask that the

Spirit would examine

your life.

Shed light in the dark

corners, which we all

have, that you might

repent and believe once

again.

Turn from your sin and

turn to God and take

the Lord's Supper

together with us.

So I'm going to pray,

men who are going to

take the Lord's Supper,

if you'll go ahead and

move to those as I'm

praying.

As we do before, we'll

have our station set up

and I just ask as you're

prepared, come take the

elements and partake of

the Lord's Supper.

Let's pray together.

together.