HARD SAYINGS - Pastor Dave's sermon series

"The He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them. As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, 'Follow Me.' So he arose and followed Him. Now it happened as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, 'How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?' When Jesus heard it, He said to them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.'" Mark 2:13-17

After Jesus commanded Levi to follow him, Levi hosted a meal at his home for not only Jesus and His disciples, but for other tax collectors and sinners (prostitutes, swindlers, thieves, etc). Earlier in the same chapter, the Pharisees accused Jesus of blasphemies because he forgave the sins of the paralytic. "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" they charged. Now the Pharisees are astonished that Jesus would freely associate with such sinful people. Jesus declared he came to help those who are sick, not the self-righteous, those that realize they are sick and need a Savior.

The world teaches we are justified by either self-esteem, self-acceptance (God accepts me how I am), or victim status (race, infirmities, poverty, etc). All are attempts to come to God on terms other than what is taught in scripture. As Christians, we understand we are depraved and can do nothing to save ourselves from the wrath of God, apart from trusting in the the finished work of Christ on the cross. Jesus bore the wrath of God for our sins, and imputed to us His righteousness. Pastor Dave pointed out that the very doctrines that explain how Jesus befriends us (imputation, justification, atonement) are rarely taught in churches today, and many Christian cannot even define the terms. If we are intent on following Christ, we need to know what he has done for us. And if we are intent on sharing Jesus with others, we also need to be able to explain these doctrines. Contrary to popular "Christian" thinking, Bible doctrines are important.