What would change about your life if you lived like you believed you’d live forever? How would your worry change? How would you invest your time differently? Today, Kent is going to unpack a surprising way this idea could change your life. Jump in with us in Sections 40 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT’S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).
OPENING ILLUSTRATION:
Have you ever sat in a church and heard a pastor talk about how someday you’re going to have an epitaph on your gravestone? We will ask the question, what will you want to be remembered by…
the real question is, ‘what kind of legacy do you want to leave?’
It’s a great question, right, because it gets you thinking about the brevity of life on earth.
But something I’ve been thinking about lately is a different way to highlight what is important.
Can I ask you a question?
What would change about the way you live, if you ACTUALLY believed that you were going to exist for the rest of eternity?
What I mean is this: I think most of us know that eternal life is a huge part of the gospel message
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But how many of us ACT as though we believe that?
Let me put it another way
I heard Francis Chan use this illustration once and I thought it was genius…
[Pull out a long thick rope]
Imagine this rope represents the length of eternal life – it extends into all history – [have the rope going off stage to where you can’t see it anymore]
Most of us live like this first little inch of the rope is the most important part –
We build our own little empires.
The new dream is to have the way we want it, gather as many resources for ourselves as possible
We even have sayings like, “carving out your own piece of the pie”
But somehow, we neglect that this is only one little tiny part of the life and existence we will inhabit.
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And the empire we build in this part of life, won’t come with us into the next.
So, let me ask you again
If you really believed that once you’ve placed your trust in Jesus as your ultimate leader, you have eternal life – what should change about the way you live?
I want to show you just one way it might change, we’re going to take a quick look at a moment from Jesus’ life…
Mt 9:9-13
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth.
Mark & Luke tell us that this tax collector’s name is Levi, only Matthew tells us this is actually the author of the book you’re reading who is writing his first-hand account – he’s actually going to give us a detail the others leave out…
Here is Matthew sitting at his tax collector booth near the Sea of Galilee. This guy would have been so hated. In our day and age, you might think loan shark… these were people who were sanctioned by Rome who took advantage of their people – he would have been the guy who was taxing Peter, Andrew, James, and John… it’s this guy that Jesus says this too…
“Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
You get the picture?
Jesus has called the wrong guy…
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All three gospels make sure you know that the Religious leaders talked to the disciples instead of Jesus about this
I’m not sure if this is just a coincidence or if it’s because these guys know that Jesus’ disciples can’t be happy about this either…
So, they ask the disciples
“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners”
ILLUSTRATION:
In ministry, you’ll have people come up to you and say, “there are some people who are upset about something…” I learned a long time ago to not allow “some people” to exist – if you ever try that on me, I’m gonna say, “who are the ‘some people’”.
I learned from Jesus that you don’t let junk like that get in the way and cloud the mission…
Jesus doesn’t let this stuff slide…
Jesus knows what they are saying, the grumbling in the background and He immediately addresses it.
Jesus is SO sharp – I’m just always amazed at how much of a punch he can pack in so few words
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick”
and this is where Matthew will interject something Jesus says that lets you know this is eyewitness testimony, listen to
In Mark and Luke, Jesus just skips to, “For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
But Matthew includes Jesus saying this,
But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’
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Why? Why does Matthew include this and the others don’t?
I think Matthew remembers Jesus saying this because he was the object of Jesus’ mercy.
b
Mercy has been a hallmark of followers of Jesus
James, the brother of Jesus, will say it this way:
James 2:12-13
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
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Mercy triumphs over judgment
b
There is only one thing that will move from this life to the next. People, that’s it. Everything else stays here.
You can see in Jesus’ ministry how He prioritized people over everything else. He went after their hearts, He cared for them, He loved them. Jesus was merciful where others would be harsh
CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:
As I’ve grown older, I’ve found it easier for me to be judgmental, for me to side more with the religious leaders than with the savior. Have you found that? You’ll know this is you if you find yourself angry about everything, you’ll find yourself saying things to justify yourself and labeling people so you don’t have to see them as people.
This is what the religious leaders did
They labeled people “sinners” because at that point they ceased to be people and they became a category.
b
Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Mercy isn’t deserved
Mercy isn’t earned
Mercy is given – and it triumphs because it has the power to move hearts back to God in a way judgment never could
Don’t believe me? Look at Matthew…
[Download and play: youtube.com/watch?v=7IUL9yq0We8 ]
Who could you show mercy to and change their world?
