Sunday 12 th August 2007 Evening Service Jesus – THE EARLY YEARS GETTING MISSION RIGHT: Why do you eat … with … ‘ sinners ’ ? Luke 5:27-39 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Ps 46.1

PSALM 47:1-9* (p. 62) LM 1All nations, clap your hands and shout! Let joyful cries to God ring out! 2How awesome is the LORD Most High, Great King who rules the earth throughout!

PSALM 47:1-9* (2/5) 3He has subdued beneath our feet The nations who had been our foes. 4In blessing Jacob, whom he loved, A heritage for us he chose.

PSALM 47:1-9* (3/5) 5God has gone up with shouts of joy, The LORD amid the trumpets’ sound. 6Sing praise, sing praise to God Most High; To God our King let praise abound.

PSALM 47:1-9* (4/5) 7For God is King of all the earth; Sing psalms of praise to him alone. 8God rules the nations from on high; He sits upon his holy throne.

PSALM 47:1-9* (5/5) 9The leaders of the nations come To yield themselves to Abr’ham’s God. To him belong the shields of earth; Exalted greatly is the LORD!

Prayer

Scripture Reading Luke 5:27-39 Jesus – THE EARLY YEARS GETTING MISSION RIGHT: Why do you eat with ‘ sinners ’ ?

Luke 5:27-39 (p. 1033)  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.

Luke 5:27-39 (p. 1033)  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 5:27-39 (p. 1033)  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?

Luke 5:27-39 (p. 1033)  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.

Luke 5:27-39 (p. 1033)  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.'"

PSALM 80a:1-3,17-19* (p. 106) 1Hear, O Israel’s Shepherd, hear us; Joseph like a flock you lead. You who are enthroned in glory, shine upon us in our need.

PSALM 80a:1-3,17-19* (2/5) 2Shine on Benjamin, Manasseh, and for Ephraim rouse your might! 3Turn us once again towards you; come and save us, give us light!

PSALM 80a:1-3,17-19* (3/5) 17Let your hand be placed in blessing on the man at your right hand— On the son of man you’ve chosen, whom alone you caused to stand.

PSALM 80a:1-3,17-19* (4/5) 18Then we will not wander from you, turning from you to our shame. Strengthen us, revive and heal us; then we’ll call upon your name.

PSALM 80a:1-3,17-19* (5/5) 19Look on us, LORD God Almighty; let us see your glory bright. Turn us once again towards you; come and save us, give us light!

Sermon Jesus – THE EARLY YEARS GETTING MISSION RIGHT: Why do you eat with ‘ sinners ’ ? Reading: Luke 5:27-32 (p. 1033)

GETTING MISSION RIGHT (Luke 5) Why do you eat with ‘ sinners ’ ?  John Stott: In his last public address, July 2007, he asked, “What is God’s purpose for his people?”  His answer: “God wants his people to become like Christ.”  Part of Christlikeness: being like Christ in his Mission. John Stott: Incarnational Mission

GETTING MISSION RIGHT 1 - Levi's Friends  27-29: You can tell a lot about a person by the company he keeps.  Why did Levi (Matthew) end up with a houseful coming home for dinner?  27: He gained a new friend and “ LEFT EVERYTHING ” (unique to Luke, 28. Luke often notices things about the poor and the rich). Levi-Matthew was a Tax-man

GETTING MISSION RIGHT 1 - Levi's Friends  Tax collectors were unclean and despised on three counts:  politically (working for the hated Romans); ceremonially (working with Gentiles constantly); morally (in the main they were dishonest crooks). Levi-Matthew was a Tax-man

GETTING MISSION RIGHT 1 - Levi's Friends BUT Jesus had room for him, and for us. The First step: Levi brought HIMSELF to Jesus!!! The Second step: Evangelism should begin at home. Forget exotic locations. William Temple: "It's quite futile saying to people, `Go to the cross.' We've got to be able to say `Come to the cross.’”

GETTING MISSION RIGHT 1 - Levi's Friends  ‘Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.’ Mark 5:19  The dinner party is the essence of the story – so get mission right by being converted yourself, and by creating friendly settings to introduce people to Jesus.

GETTING MISSION WRONG 2 - Levi's Critics  Pharisee = a "separatist."  Sadducees tended to compromise with Roman culture, while Pharisees tried to remain aloof from culture.  Their way to holiness was all wrong: avoiding contact with the unrighteous. Pharisees

GETTING MISSION WRONG 2 - Levi's Critics  They were shocked to see the company Jesus kept - they misunderstood true (heart) holiness.  Are there Christian Pharisees and Christian Sadducees today?  Separatists & conformists both got it wrong. Jesus was neither. Pharisees

GETTING MISSION RIGHT 3 - Levi's Doctor  30: "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"  Why? He was invading the world.  John 20:21, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

GETTING MISSION RIGHT 3 - Levi's Doctor  Jesus: Not a space- traveller touching down. He identified by incarnation.  Dealing with sin, and offering the hope of the gospel, requires contact! "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

GETTING MISSION RIGHT 3 - Levi's Doctor  A few quotes from John Stott’s last sermon:  “As Christ had entered our world, so we are to enter other people’s worlds.” "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

GETTING MISSION RIGHT 3 - Levi's Doctor  “Why is it… that in many situations our evangelistic efforts are often fraught with failure? Several reasons may be given and I do not want to over- simplify but one main reason is that we don’t look like the Christ we are proclaiming.” "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

GETTING MISSION RIGHT 3 - Levi's Doctor  Archbishop Michael Ramsey: ‘We state and commend the faith only in so far as we go out and put ourselves with loving sympathy inside the doubts of the doubters, the questions of the questioners and the loneliness of those who have lost the way.’ "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

GETTING MISSION RIGHT 3 - Levi's Doctor  “There was a Hindu professor in India who once identified one of his students as a Christian and said to him: ‘If you Christians lived like Jesus Christ, India would be at your feet tomorrow.’ I think India would be at their feet today if we Christians lived like Christ.” "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

GETTING MISSION RIGHT 3 - Levi's Doctor  “From the Islamic world, the Reverend Iskandar Jadeed, a former Arab Muslim, has said ‘If all Christians were Christians – that is, Christlike – there would be no more Islam today.’” "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

GETTING MISSION RIGHT 3 - Levi's Doctor  But how can we be like Christ today?  Levi’s doctor will come and live inside you by his Spirit.  This is still his mission, and as he invades your world, through you, he will invade the world around you. "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Responding to God’s Word From Ephesians 3:20-21 MINISTER: Now to God the Father who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or think, by the power of the Spirit at work in us: PEOPLE: To him be the glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations, now, and for ever and ever! Amen.

Psalm 126 (Version by David C Preston - See Service Sheet) 1 The LORD restored us we were freed: Our life was like a dream! We laughed and sang: the heathen said, 'The LORD did this for them.'

Psalm 126 2/4 (Version by David C Preston - See Service Sheet) 2 The LORD had done great things for us, As every eye could see; He made our thankful hearts rejoice, He set the captives free!

Psalm 126 3/4 (Version by David C Preston - See Service Sheet) 3 Restore us, LORD, again, we pray: Make desert waters spring; For those that sow in tears today At harvest time shall sing.

Psalm 126 4/4 (Version by David C Preston - See Service Sheet) 4 The sower who goes forth and grieves To see such barren ground Shall carry home his golden sheaves, While songs of joy resound.

God Calls Us to delight in Christ and to Share His Hope. OPEN AIR SERVICE FERINTOSH BURN Tonight at 8 pm

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