Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Welcome to the April 26 sermon from Clifford Baptist Church, 635 Fletcher's Level Road in Amherst. Today's scripture is Luke, chapter 5, verses 27 through 39. And the sermon is entitled A Call that Must be Answered, delivered today by Pastor Jeffrey Campbell. I am thankful and grateful for a Lord that will not fail us. And I'm grateful today as we gather, we gather under his umbrella of care and under his umbrella of direction. And I'm grateful for the word of God today as we pray. We pray that this word would not only direct our church and direct our lives, but also that it would also correct us if we needed it and forgive us, show us what forgiveness looks like. And so as we open the word of God today, we are grateful for all that God can do through it. When was the last time that you did not take a call on on purpose?
[00:00:57] Now I emphasize those last two words on purpose because there's a great little button on the side of our phones that if you don't want to take the call, all you gotta do is hit that button and it quits ringing. That doesn't mean the problem goes away or the issue goes away.
[00:01:15] But at the time that you don't want to take the call, maybe you don't have to. You just hit that little button. Well, maybe you have a good reason. Maybe on your phone the last call that you ignored on purpose, it came potential spam.
[00:01:32] Those are the calls that I hit the button very quickly and I don't want to even deal with them.
[00:01:38] Maybe you were busy and didn't have time or maybe you didn't feel like taking a call.
[00:01:44] I was reading a job description with for a local part time pastor job. I'm not trying to get another job or anything, but I was just trying to help read over to help a church out and in their part time pastor job description, guess what? One of the requirements was be on call 24 7.
[00:02:06] And I said wow, in the title it says part time.
[00:02:13] But you asking full time, how many of you know in ministry part time is full time. Right, we understand that, right? Amen. I get an amen up there at the top. Thank you, Mason. I'm grateful that we understand that. But listen, listen, my phone is on 24 7. Now please don't blow that up tonight at 2am unless you have to.
[00:02:37] But I believe today that little intro will help us understand that there is a call from scripture that every man and every woman, every boy and every girl has to answer.
[00:02:53] You have to answer the call.
[00:02:56] Maybe you have been in a situation that you've had your phone in hand and you were expecting or anticipating a call. Maybe it was from a family member or or from a doctor. A call that you knew that you could not miss. What happens when you do that? You take that little device and you put it in your hand and you walk everywhere with it. It does not leave your side. It's turned all the way open and you are waiting for that call.
[00:03:27] Well, it's this serious today.
[00:03:30] And maybe in this room or those watching livestream today, there's a call that is going to go out that must be answered. And Jesus shows us that in three ways today. And so as we gather around scripture together, I'm going to direct you to Luke chapter number five. We are going to finish out chapter number five today, but we're going to start with verses 27 through 29. 27 through 29 of Luke chapter number five. Five.
[00:04:03] And after these things, he went forth. He saw a publican named Levi sitting at the receipt of custom.
[00:04:11] And he said unto him, follow me. And he left. All rose up and followed him.
[00:04:19] And Levi made him a great feast in his own house.
[00:04:23] And there was a great company of publicans and of others and that sat down with them.
[00:04:32] Point number one. Today, a call that must be answered is the call to follow.
[00:04:38] The call to follow. And the person that we're talking about following is none other than Jesus himself. Now, you've got to put yourself in the context of the story. Jesus has healed a man. He is working his way through the region of Galilee. He has healed, healing people. He is teaching people. He is telling people that he is the fulfillment of the promised Old Testament Messiah. He is the son of God. And Jesus is shown as such. He's shown that he can heal physical needs. Last week we watched a man or saw a man get lowered down through the roof.
[00:05:17] And we understand that Jesus not only healing, healed him in a physical manner, but Jesus healed him spiritually as well. As he pronounced the man's sins had been forgiven. And as soon as he done that, the religious leaders that were watching him, they are now in a frenzy. And I want to put it to you lightly. They want Jesus not only out of town, they want him dead. He is a threat to their religion, to their teaching, to their. To everything they have studied and known. Jesus now is a threat.
[00:05:54] And so as they see Jesus as that threat, nothing changes. Jesus is going out doing the Father's business, doing what God has called him to do. And so as that controversy continues, to grow, he encounters Levi. Some of your translations may read, Matthew. This is the same person, Levi or Matthew, but we notice a couple of things about Levi. We notice that he is a publican. And I'm gonna say these bad words, and they may be crosswords to you. Tax collector, right? We don't like the tax guy even in our day. Right. Tax collector. Levi's job was simply this. He worked on behalf of the Roman government, which made him a hated person to those Jewish believers. But also they were known. And I'm not saying Levi done this, but tax collectors were known by adding a little extra to line their pockets. They levied collections on goods coming into the city, and they lined their pockets with some of the extra money they collected. They were known for being dishonest, and they were known for working for the Roman government.
[00:07:09] And so Levi or Matthew, he was a disliked man, to say the least. People did not want to encounter him. They definitely didn't want to give him their money, but they had to.
[00:07:23] Have you ever met anybody that carried a label by their profession or by their background? You have already made a decision in your own mind who they are, what they are like that you do not like them.
[00:07:42] Am I the only person that's done that?
[00:07:45] I don't think so.
[00:07:47] I'm afraid not.
[00:07:49] Sometimes we look at people and maybe even where they are in life or what they're going through, or we even judge them the first time we meet them, and we're like, I really don't like this person.
[00:08:02] Matthew or Levi carries a dislike, a hatred from the people that he is around, and he lives a very lonely life. But as Jesus comes into town, Jesus is not gonna pay the tax. But what Jesus is gonna do, he is gonna give him a clear, simple call. That call can be summed up in two words, and Jesus used them. And that call sounded like this.
[00:08:27] Follow me.
[00:08:31] Some of you have heard that call from Jesus.
[00:08:34] Some of you have surrendered to following Jesus with your life. But usually in a crowd this size, there's usually some people that have not surrendered. They know who Jesus is. They know what he's about. They know he's a good man and he means good things. But they've never surrendered to. To the call. They never answered that call.
[00:08:57] And maybe Sunday after Sunday, they hit that little button on the pastor. You know when you feel like the spirit's talking to you, and you know it, it's coming at you, you just hit that button and say, God, not today.
[00:09:13] Levi couldn't do that.
[00:09:15] It's Jesus call to follow me. It was a call. It was an invitation to forsake it all.
[00:09:22] And what I mean by all is this. His allegiance to Rome, his occupation, his position that he has to increase, his livelihood, his critics. He is to leave it all. And Luke simply writes this. He left it all. He rose up and he followed Jesus.
[00:09:45] Now listen, this is not a call just to hang out with a really cool guy.
[00:09:53] This is not a one hour a week call.
[00:09:58] This is a lifetime call.
[00:10:02] And what Jesus is calling this man to do is to have faith and to forsake everything and to follow no matter what it costs.
[00:10:14] And we are told that Matthew or Levi gladly does this and he follows Jesus.
[00:10:24] We applaud when people answer the call, don't we?
[00:10:28] Wednesday night we're gonna set apart a great man in the ministry and we can applaud him. But here's the reality.
[00:10:37] The Lord isn't calling only Johnny Eagle to follow him and and preach the good news.
[00:10:43] There could be other men and women that he wants in ministry in this room. But it's hard to leave something comfortable and go and follow.
[00:10:53] It's hard to leave something that's guaranteed to follow Jesus.
[00:11:00] And that's what he calls Levi to do.
[00:11:05] I'm grateful that in only the simple words that Luke writes, he leaves it all. He rises up and he simply follows Jesus. He doesn't know what he's getting into.
[00:11:19] He doesn't know what's waiting ahead.
[00:11:22] But he answers that call. And I'm grateful to read this too, that he invites people to celebrate with him. And in that celebration, in verse number 29, it says this Levi made him a great feast in his own house.
[00:11:35] There was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. So guess what? Guess who he invited to his party.
[00:11:44] All the other tax collectors, Other people that were doing crooked things.
[00:11:54] Mark's gospel tells us that Jesus and his disciples were there, as well as many publicans. And listen to this word, sinners.
[00:12:07] The call to follow must be answered.
[00:12:11] That answer must be made by every person in this room. Here's what I want you to know. When we hit that side little button on our phone, you are really answering the call by saying no.
[00:12:25] And if God calls you to something and you say God, no, no, that's your answer.
[00:12:33] You are answering the call by saying no, I cannot do this. God.
[00:12:40] Maybe today there is an audible call going out through a country pastor's voice. And I apologize that I don't have a great preaching voice, but there's nothing I can do about it.
[00:12:52] But the Lord simply wants to hear this through his Holy Spirit. He is calling you to follow. And some of you have ignored it, maybe for a day or a few weeks, some of you for years, to pick up the cross and follow.
[00:13:13] Do not ignore this call any longer.
[00:13:19] There's a second part.
[00:13:22] Look at verse number 30 through 35.
[00:13:27] But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
[00:13:37] And Jesus answering, said unto them, they that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
[00:13:45] I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
[00:13:49] And they said unto him, why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers? And likewise the disciples of the Pharisees, but thine eat and drink?
[00:14:02] And he said unto them, can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them?
[00:14:09] But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
[00:14:18] Point number two.
[00:14:19] When we think about answering a call, a call that must be answered, point number two is simply a call to repent.
[00:14:29] Those religious leaders launch two questions against Jesus. The first one is this. Why are you eating with sinners?
[00:14:39] And why are you celebrating instead of fasting?
[00:14:46] Can I change that language a little bit? And I'm not trying to take away from the word of God here.
[00:14:51] The religious leaders want to know Jesus, why are you having fun?
[00:14:57] Why are you enjoying yourself?
[00:15:01] Why are you celebrating something?
[00:15:03] And you have all these sinful people around you as he ponders those questions? And I need to tell you this. These religious leaders, they're not mad because they weren't invited.
[00:15:17] They're mad because the Jesus who has taught in their synagogues, who has claimed that he was the Messiah, the fulfillment of Old Testament promise, he has forgiven sin, he has healed people, and now he sits with sinners.
[00:15:34] Jesus went to the celebration, and you need to listen closely, not to participate in sin, but to call them to repentance.
[00:15:45] And there's a difference there.
[00:15:48] You don't go to sinful places to partake in the sin. You go with one mission and one goal to win people for the Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:16:01] And so as Jesus is there, he is now taking the role that Levi had. Because Levi was guilty by association. Jesus is guilty now by association because he is eating with the sinful man.
[00:16:18] Dr. Luke, focusing on medical terms, simply says this.
[00:16:23] Healthy people don't need to go to the doctor, only the sick doctor, I look around a sanctuary full of people today and on the outside, can I be honest with you?
[00:16:40] We look healthy, you look good, you look the part.
[00:16:46] But inside, inside, are you sick?
[00:16:51] Are you hurting?
[00:16:53] Do you need the great physician to minister not only to your heart, but to your soul?
[00:17:01] And so today we understand that Dr. Luke writes Jesus words that he did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. This is a call that must be answered as well. A call to turn your life around and to follow Jesus.
[00:17:23] The idea here is that Jesus wants to for these sinners just the same thing he wanted Levi to faithfully follow him. Jesus will not only forgive. How many of you know that Jesus will save?
[00:17:42] He does.
[00:17:44] And so when we think about the call to repentance today, maybe there's somebody sitting in Clifford, Virginia that's sick.
[00:17:53] This week I listened to a podcast from a fellow pastor and at the time, this was years back, he went out into a place probably and invited a woman to church that most people would say she doesn't need to be there, she had a very special job during the night in the entertainment business and I'll let you go from there.
[00:18:17] And this young man, this young pastor went out with, witnessed to her and invited her to the church. And guess what? She said yes.
[00:18:27] She showed up in church, she worshiped in that sanctuary, she went home. And then the deacons call this man and have a conversation with him and say this, you have overstepped the line. She does not belong here.
[00:18:50] This older pastor, now, but as a young pastor, wrote that he did not have the guts that he needed to say what he needed to say.
[00:18:58] And he caved to the religious leaders, he caved to his deacons.
[00:19:06] Never, ever, ever inviting her back to church again.
[00:19:12] Who knows where she is in this world.
[00:19:16] Here's what I want to say to you, church, as we swing the doors of the church open.
[00:19:23] Jesus didn't come to set us in an air conditioned place and make us all comfy.
[00:19:30] Jesus came to call sinners to repentance.
[00:19:35] And there are a lot of sick people in this world that need. Not you, not me, not the church. They need Jesus.
[00:19:47] And so today, when we understand the call to repentance, I'm not lifting up any moral sin, any sin in the world. I'm just saying this sinners need Jesus as much as you and I need Jesus.
[00:20:08] What if you have the cure?
[00:20:12] What if you have the cure to somebody's sickness?
[00:20:18] Do you hide and hold that cure and do not say A word, tuck it deep inside. Or do you share it with those who are sick?
[00:20:30] We are called to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with those who are sick and those who need him.
[00:20:40] And so today we understand that as Jesus is approached by these religious leaders in his day, he needs to understand this.
[00:20:52] These people need me.
[00:20:58] The Bible says in Romans 10:13 that whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be redeemed. Thank you for filling in that blank.
[00:21:09] We are called to go to those whosoevers that are around us and share the good news that Jesus has the cure for their sickness and for their sin if they will just turn to him.
[00:21:24] When I look at the second part of this, we see this, that as he sees the other disciples.
[00:21:34] He mentions John, he mentions the Pharisees.
[00:21:39] Here's what we understand. They have their disciples, they have their followers. And here's what he says. Their followers are fasting.
[00:21:48] That's the second complaint.
[00:21:51] Jesus, you're out here partying, you're celebrating.
[00:21:54] Why aren't you fasting?
[00:21:57] Well, I want to be clear in two things. Number one, fasting was not, was only commanded one day out of the year and that was the day of atonement.
[00:22:06] That one day out of the year was the only day in the Bible that the Bible commands fasting.
[00:22:13] Number two, I want to tell you this, I believe fasting works.
[00:22:21] But what we see about these teachers is these teachers, they were just fasting because that's what they wanted to do. That was their tradition.
[00:22:31] And the religious leaders say, Jesus, you're over here eating everything, you're celebrating, you're eating and drinking, you're having fun, you're merry. But all the other people, they fast forward when they follow their leaders, what's going on?
[00:22:48] And Jesus simply says this, can you make the guest fast while the bridegroom is with them?
[00:22:54] There is coming a time when the bridegroom will be taken away. And of course fasting and mourning will occur in those days.
[00:23:03] Jesus is calling himself the bridegroom. He is telling the religious leaders, I am here. And now is the time for joy. There will be days for fasting and weeping and mourning. And those days would occur in between the crucifixion and the resurrection. But now the Savior, the Messiah is here.
[00:23:25] Sin brings sorrow.
[00:23:27] Jesus brings salvation and joy.
[00:23:35] And that's why I'm just going to get on a little soap, stool, a little stool here and just say this, if you're saved, don't walk around scowl faced and cross armed and mad at the world looked.
[00:23:52] That's not why Jesus came.
[00:23:55] We have a cure. We know the cure and that cure is Jesus.
[00:24:03] Sin should bring sorrow, but Jesus brings salvation and joy and to Levi and his life and to his home for all eternity that joy will be celebrated. The religious leaders, the Pharisees, their religion and their rules and their law turned into something that deemed as a weight to them.
[00:24:27] When Jesus brought healing to the sick and he set captives free. He preached the gospel to the poor and he healed the brokenhearted the recovery of signs in the sight of the blind and he set at liberty those who were bruised.
[00:24:42] Maybe today you lack the joy that only Jesus can bring. Here's what I need you to hear. Maybe your religion or your rules or your work based faith not right.
[00:24:59] If it seems so much of a burden to follow Jesus, you are not following him correctly.
[00:25:09] It's not a checklist of to do's. It's a life spent with him leading you in the joy of your salvation.
[00:25:19] Today we maybe you are here and you've lost your joy, but maybe you are here and you are sick and I don't want you to miss this. Maybe deep down inside you know that you need something more and Jesus is that great physician. You need to heed the call from the Lord Jesus to turn from your sin and turn to him as Lord of your life.
[00:25:47] The second call that must be answered by every person is the call to repent, to turn from your sin, to turn from your own ways, to turn from your pride and selfish self, to follow Jesus with your life.
[00:26:05] The third one look at verses 36 through 39.
[00:26:14] And he spake also a parable unto them.
[00:26:17] No man putteth a piece of new garment upon an old if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old.
[00:26:29] And no man putteth new wine into old bottles, else the new wine will burst the bottles and be spilled and the bottles shall perish.
[00:26:39] But new wine must be put into new bottles and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway, desires the new, for he saith the old is better.
[00:26:53] Point number three today is this the call to trade the old for the new.
[00:26:59] The joy that Jesus brings is this. He could teach and preach like none other, but he introduces us to those parables, those stories he uses to drive home his point.
[00:27:13] It is a great preaching help to those that are trying to get across a message. Jesus done it better than anyone. But there are two points that Jesus is Trying to drive home here to these religious leaders that are questioning him and looking at him, and as he is celebrating and eating with those that they are labeled as sinners. The first point that we see is this, that as they are questioning him, the point being Jesus had come to fulfill the law. He was the Messiah, and they needed faith to follow him. Faith rooted in God.
[00:27:53] What does that look like?
[00:27:55] The first example he uses is this. In verse number 36, he says, you don't take an old garment, an old piece of clothing, and you don't take a new garment, a new piece of clothing of the same model and cut a piece out of the new and put it on the old to make the old right?
[00:28:14] Why not just put on the new and throw the old one away?
[00:28:19] Because if you cut off the new to fix the old, they're both messed up.
[00:28:26] Does that make sense?
[00:28:29] Why not just put on the new garment the patch that you cut off the new? Once you sew it on the old and you wash it, that patch is going to draw up and it's going to be destroyed.
[00:28:42] So don't patch up the old.
[00:28:45] I want to jump in here and say this. Jesus is simply saying this.
[00:28:49] He is not a patch affix to any religion that they were thinking was right.
[00:28:57] He would not fit in any mold.
[00:29:01] He was not the answer they were looking for.
[00:29:05] And as we understand this, Jesus jumps into a parable about the wineskins. And as he talks about those wineskins, you need to know this, that wineskins are made from animal hide.
[00:29:20] Don't anybody get mad at me. It's just the way it was done back then.
[00:29:24] But as those wineskins were made, those wineskins taken off fresh animals, the new wine was put in it. As that wine would ferment, those skins as they were new, they were able to stretch. As the wine fermented, those new wineskins would grow.
[00:29:45] And so as we understand that Jesus is telling them this, look in. In verse number 38, he says, this new wine must be put into new bottles, and both are preserved. If you put the new wine into the old wineskins, the wineskins have lost the ability to stretch.
[00:30:06] And if you put that new wine into old wineskins, guess what's going to happen as that wine ferments, those old wineskins cannot abandon grow. And. And guess what? It busts. It ruins the wineskin and it ruins the wine.
[00:30:22] And so today, with those two parables, we see this.
[00:30:31] Jesus is telling the religious leaders the old way of coming to God in faith has changed.
[00:30:38] Jesus would Become that new way. He would become the new garment to be put on or the new wineskin. He wasn't there to patch up the old way or to burst their practices. He came as Savior and would not only sit and eat with sinners, but he could do something else. He could save them.
[00:31:00] Sometimes the old way is more comfortable. Look at verse number 39. No man also having drunk old wine straightway desires new. For he saith the the old is better.
[00:31:16] How many of us are set in our ways?
[00:31:26] Be honest.
[00:31:28] We are.
[00:31:29] If somebody comes up with something different, man, it can't be done like that.
[00:31:36] And that is particularly hard in ministry.
[00:31:40] Because ministry today is not ministry. Back before I was born.
[00:31:46] It's the same message, but the method. If it's different, it can be. Okay, here's what I want you to understand.
[00:31:58] Some of you like the old songs and some of you like the new songs.
[00:32:04] Here's the truth.
[00:32:06] Many of them we sing in this church.
[00:32:08] All do the same job. Lift up Jesus as Savior.
[00:32:19] As we understand and look to try to minister to the new generation, there are some old practices that are crucial and that have worked. But there are some new ways to minister to young generations.
[00:32:36] That's not what this is about.
[00:32:39] Here's what it's about.
[00:32:42] Jesus coming on scene.
[00:32:45] He was declaring himself as the only way, the only means of salvation moving forward.
[00:32:55] It rubbed the religious leaders wrong that he set with sinners.
[00:33:03] But Jesus came not to just sit with them, but to save them.
[00:33:11] And so today, when we look at our own ministry, we need to first look to Jesus as the only way and the only one that can save someone's life.
[00:33:24] And that's why the call to follow Jesus and the call to repent need to ring loud and clear from. From every ministry of Clifford Baptist Church, the call to come to Jesus.
[00:33:37] But today, maybe there's somebody in this room that's stuck in an old way.
[00:33:49] Maybe you're stuck in your only way.
[00:33:52] When we think about sin, the Bible is crystal clear that God is working in a new way. In Isaiah, he writes this. Behold, I will do a new thing now. It shall spring forth. Shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
[00:34:12] Second Corinthians, chapter 5. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new.
[00:34:23] Ephesians tell us to put off the old man and put on the new.
[00:34:28] And so today, as I end this last point, there is a clear call to Trade the old for the new.
[00:34:36] For the religious leaders, it was their only and old way of thinking that they had to meet these list of rules in order to honor God. And Jesus says this, no, you just need to turn from your sin and you need to follow me with, with your life. And Levi is that example.
[00:34:56] As we sit here at a feast and celebrate Levi as the example to all the religious leaders that simply this, you just need to follow Jesus.
[00:35:09] And those religious leaders put up a wall.
[00:35:14] They couldn't do it.
[00:35:16] As I close my book, the sermon's over. Here's the way the sermon ends. Today. It ends with this one man followed. But the religious leaders couldn't.
[00:35:26] They couldn't understand it. They couldn't see Jesus as the one they need to follow.
[00:35:32] As we end our service today, maybe there's somebody in this room that simply needs to understand this, Come and follow me.
[00:35:43] You just need to heed that invitation.
[00:35:45] It involves turning from your old life, turning to the new.
[00:35:51] But also there may be that person that says, just like the religious leaders, I can't do that today.
[00:35:58] Here's what you've done.
[00:36:01] You've silenced the call of God.
[00:36:06] Who knows if you'll ever get that again.
[00:36:09] There's no promise you will.
[00:36:12] Today.
[00:36:13] I just ask every one of you to heed the call that God has on your life.
[00:36:19] Maybe today you want to come to this altar and you want to pray for your life. You want to pray for somebody. You want to pray that God would use you, that God would call you, that you will answer that call.
[00:36:29] Maybe you want to make that a time of prayer. During this invitation, you come.
[00:36:33] Maybe today. You, you're here and you need Jesus. Here's what we realize and we understand. Jesus not only taught well, he lived his life perfectly. He went to a cross for your sin, that we could be forgiven not just one time, but for our entire life and even into eternity.
[00:36:49] Praise God for that.
[00:36:51] Praise God that today Jesus saves. Let's pray, Father.
[00:36:57] In this moment of invitation, God, we just open up our hearts and our lives to you, God, as we listen to that call. It's not a call from a preacher's voice, God, I pray, Lord, that you will use the supernatural call, that your Holy Spirit would be at work to draw men and women, God, that you would be at work in this moment for that one that needs you as savior. God, I pray they don't put off that call, Lord, that they will come simply like Levi and follow you for the rest of their life.
[00:37:27] For that believer, for that one in the room that has backslidden. Oh God, I pray that you would give them a clear call.
[00:37:35] Clear way back to you, Lord. For the Christian in this room today, may our prayer be that we will heed the call that you give us throughout our lifetime and be faithful to follow wherever you lead us. That we will follow.
[00:37:51] Oh God, we just give you this moment of invitation and pray that you work in only the way that you can. In Jesus name. Clifford Baptist Church invites you to join us for worship every Sunday morning at 11am for more information about our church, please call our church office at 434-946-0555.
