A Positive Call To Sinners
Luke 5v27-32
INTRODUCTION
It is rare to find the word sin in today’s newspapers. Apart from a light-hearted approach to the seven deadly sins, the only other reference to sin might be a rugby player being sent to the sin-bin! This leads to our theme today from Luke 5:27-32. Here we have A Positive Call to Sinners. Notice first that it is…
A CALL TO FOLLOW REASON
Follow me
After forgiving a paralysed man, Luke 5:27 says, “Jesus went out and saw a tax collector at his booth.” Because of their allegiance to Rome, tax collectors were viewed as traitors and sinners. The Jewish leaders were still getting over the events in the house when Jesus walked out and said to this despised sinner, “Follow me.”
A decisive response
The Tax Collector’s name was Levi, and his response is remarkable. Verse 28 says, “Levi left everything, stood up, and followed.” Having looked down and carefully weighed his options, he made up his mind. He decided to leave everything. He then stood up, moved out of his booth, and followed Jesus. Unlike Peter and John who could go back to fishing, there was no turning back for a tax collector.
A similar call comes to us
Jesus said, “Follow Me!” The tense in the verb encourages Levi to stop what he is doing, to follow Jesus, and to continue to do so. The same call comes to us today. We are to follow Jesus with a decisive act, and in a determined way. In other words, Jesus is calling us to follow him rather than our own inclination. He is calling us to follow him rather than self-indulgence. He is calling us to follow him rather than the influence of others.
As you reflect on this, think about the alternatives. Socially, psychologically, and spiritually, we have to follow someone. It could be yourself. It could be your peers. It could be a colleague at work. It could be your boss. It could be a strong personality. It could be Jesus. If we do follow Jesus, we follow reason, and this should then lead to…
A CALL TO FORSAKE RIGHTEOUSNESS
Jesus calls the unrighteous
In Luke 5:32 Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” To follow Jesus, we need to forsake our own righteousness as a way of impressing God, others, and ourselves.
Celebrating salvation
Notice what Levi did after he decided to follow Jesus. Verse 29 says he gathered his mates and threw a party! He did this to celebrate his faith in Jesus. The religious leaders didn’t like this. Verse 30 says the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to his disciples: “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” In response Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” In saying this, Jesus turned the religious system of the Pharisees upside down. They believed that God loved the righteous and hated the sinner. God, however, loves those who forsake their own righteousness as a way of salvation.
Our righteousness is in Christ
Highlighting evil in the lives of others, however, can lead to self-righteousness and pride. In contrast, Romans 5:6 says Christ died for the ungodly… and we are all candidates! In 1 Timothy 1:15 the Apostle Paul said, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—and I am the first!” We need to let the world know that the gospel is for sinners. We need to let the world know that Christ is for sinners. We need to let the world know that the church is for sinners. To do this, we need to accept, teach, and practice that we are what we are by the grace of God. In Christ alone, we are forgiven; in Christ alone, we have peace with God; in Christ alone, we are righteous. This leads to a further point...
A CALL TO FOCUS ON REPENTANCE
Jesus sorts out the pain
Jesus said in Luke 5:31-32, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Ongoing repentance
Repentance should be an ongoing part of life. In other words, the Christian life is a continuous journey of repentance, faith, and spiritual growth.
Sin against God
People don’t like to talk about sin today. One reason for this is that sin by definition is a transgression of God’s law. In other words, we have to bring God into the equation. After committing adultery and murder, David’s sense of moral judgement was questioned. Ultimately, however, his sin was against God. David’s repentance, therefore, only began when he said in Psalm 51:4, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.” Then he found relief from his pain. The same can be true of us.
Bernard Cartledge