Luke's Gospel

Our series in Luke has been fantastic and, you can hear other sermons online from different fight club brothers after we read this passage, peace and to come and open up, preach, preach the word to us. Luke chapter 5 verse 12. While Jesus was in 1 of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, He fell his face to the ground and begged him. Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.

I am willing, he said. Be clean. And immediately the leprosy left him. Then Jesus ordered him. Don't tell anyone, but go show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing as a testimony to them.

Yet the news about him spread all the more so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their illnesses, but Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. 1 day, Jesus was teaching and pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galile and from today and Jerusalem, and the power of the lord was with Jesus to heal those who were ill. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles in the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said, friends, friend, your sins are forgiven. The pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking for themselves Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but god alone? Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier to say.

Your sins are forgiven or to say get up and walk, but I want you to know that the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins. So he said to the paralyzed man, I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home. Immediately, He stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising god. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to god They were filled with awe and said, we have seen remarkable things today. 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 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the pharisees and the teachers of law who belong to their sect complained to his disciples. Why do you eat with tax collectors and sinners?

Jesus answered them. It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are ill I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Well, good evening. My name is Pete Woodcock. I'm a pastor of the church.

And, we've been looking through Luke's gospel and what a fantastic, what a fantastic book it is. No. No wonder it's 1 of the best selling books in the entire world, for 2000 years. It's it's it's fantastic. Let me just push the cream tea again because at the cream tea we're looking at another best selling book called the book book of Mark.

Or Mark's gospel. And, each green tea, we we we go through 1 of the stories, and, and that's worth coming to as well. So you may not like green tea. That's fine, but you will like Mark. Now, auto correct and, predictive p predictive texts are are really very, very helpful, especially if you're sort of, in a hurry and you're running down sort of text lines and formulas you want to get out quickly like I'm late or I'll be there in 10 or or whatever.

So they're they're very happy if you're they're very good if you're running down those sort of familiar roots. And if you're a bad speller like me, they can be just absolutely fantastic. Corrective auto correction. But we know they go wrong and we've all had those experiences. They can be funny.

They can be very embarrassing. Some of the things how they go wrong. You can end up saying something rude when you men are kind this, or you can say something funny when you're actually trying to be serious. So autocorrect predictive texts, helpful, but you know you know the mistakes. Now, the human brain does auto correct and predictive text when it comes to hearing.

And as a speaker, I'm very grateful that you you do that. So for instance, in our reading, we've got 3 people that encounter Jesus. We've got the leper. We've got this paralyzed man and we've got levi the tax collector. And it's very easy as a public speaker as I'm doing now to, to say something and and get it wrong and you are to correct.

So I I might say, Levi was covered in leprosy. And you're auto correct and think, no, no, he's I know what he meant. He didn't he didn't mean that. Or I might say, the leper was a tax collector and you water correct and say, no. No.

No. The leper wasn't the tax collector. It was Levi was the tax collector and you don't shout out and you don't, you know, you just auto correct and it's very, very helpful. So for instance, if I was saying I want you to come to king's lynn and I tell you a story about me walking through the high street of king's lynn and as I'm about the high street of Kingslyn, I suddenly used the word Kingston instead of Kingslyn. You auto correct.

It's very helpful, but there's problems with it. And the trouble is that our brains often go down autocorrect predictive text roots. We've got our own roots. They go down. And so you can hear something that someone is actually really saying and you also correct them in your thinking, but it isn't what they were saying.

So I'm a Christian preacher. I'm a Christian speaker. I spend my whole life trying to explain the the Christian message. And I'm amazed afterwards sometimes that I thought I explained it really clearly. And, and then people afterwards have auto corrected and heard almost the exact opposite to what I've said.

It's quite strange. I have a friend and he was invited to, speak in a church in South Hampton. And it was a special invitation, meeting, and they wanted little cards printed up, to be able to invite people to this special meeting and they go to the print shop and there was a really helpful girl that auto corrected in the print shop because the title of the talk that was going to be printed that she was given is why good people go to hell But she ought to correct it because that isn't what it meant obviously. She ought to correct it and print it up why good people go to heaven You see? You see how we ought to correct?

But that isn't what the title was. So they went back to the girl and said, these are no good these leaflets. It's not the title. The title is why good people go to heaven? But she's very useful this girl because she auto corrected again.

And she wrote the title why bad people Sorry. Why good people go to hell? And I'm gonna get wrong now. And and then she auto correct you auto corrected. That was a test.

She also corrected and put why bad people go to hell. It took 3 times for her to to get it right. And that's what people do, and they do that with the the the Christian message. So you can talk about things like grace and mercy and the love of god and why Jesus died on the cross, and still people come away and think that you've said Good. Be good.

Try harder. That's the Christian message. I mean, it's largely to do with that evil monster called Father Christmas. Now I know you're not allowed to say that at Christmas time, but I we're just out of Christmas now and we're about as far as ways we can get, but he's a really evil preacher because he's a liar because he says be good and, you know, you'll get the present. And if you're bad, you won't get it.

And that is not the Christian message. Now I know some of you have water corrected and thought, yep, that's it. Right? Santor Claus is right. He's though he's wrong, right?

Wrong. Yeah. And I mean wrong. So what I'm trying to do tonight, and I hope you'll hear me, I want to sort of take up that line. Why good people go to hell.

And then just in case you've auto corrected, let me put it the other way. Why bad people go to heaven. Why bad people and only bad people Go to heaven. Now would you just listen to me and try to let me explain it because you sombres 31 and 32 in our passage that we were reading from. I don't know what the page number is if you've closed it.

What is sorry? 1 0 3 2. 1 0 3 2, and it's luke chapter 5, and you'll see the little numbers, and, it's 31 and 32. But here's Jesus. Jesus answers them It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are ill.

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repent. Now, I want to contest that Jesus is saying there, it's only bad people that are ever right with god. Okay? So let's have a look at this first thing I wanna see. Not the healthy that needs a doctor.

Not the healthy that needs a doctor. The context here, the immediate context is this man called Levi. And Levi is a tax collector. And he's throwing a party, and he's throwing a leaving party He's leaving his job of as tax collecting, and he's gonna take up, wandering around with Jesus as a preacher. So it's quite an interesting thing.

Now we'll look at Levi in a little bit more detail in a minute, but he's having this leaving party And at the leaving party, he invites his colleagues and his mates to meet Jesus. Now the trouble with his colleagues and his mates, you've gotta get this. They are bad people. Okay? They are bad people.

Really bad. In fact, they're called in this little reading tax collectors, and sinners. They're bad people. The religious leaders who are called the Faruses, they're the good people. You've gotta get this right.

They're the really, really good people. They're really good. You wouldn't want Levi as your neighbor because he's bad. You would really want a pharmacy as your neighbor because he's really good. These are these are the best you can get.

They're good people. And they ask a fair question. You get it in 30 verse 30. But the pharisees, the good people, and the teachers of the law, the really good people who belonged to their sect a really good committed religious group complained to Jesus disciples. Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors, bad people, and sinners, really bad people.

And then Jesus replies with that phenomenal little illustration. Verse 31, Jesus answered them. It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are ill. It's a very simple illustration, and then he explains it. He explains it very simply in verse 32.

I've not come to call the righteous but sinners to repent. You put those together and you you get the whole picture. Healthy, equals righteous people. Good people. Got it?

Healthy people in the illustration are those that are righteous. They're the good people. I've not come to call them. Sinners or, ill people equals sinners. Tax collectors.

They're the really bad people. Bad people. Are those? I've come to call them. The doctor in the illustration is Jesus.

I only come to call the bad people. To repent. That's my job. So, geez, it's very simple illustration. It's a wonderful little illustration.

And do you see what he's saying to the pharisees? It's the bad people who will come to a doctor and not those who think they're healthy. So to put it in my friend's terms, bad people go to heaven Bad people go to heaven because they're the ones that go to the 1 that can get you to heaven, Doctor. Jesus. That leads me to my second point.

If you think you're healthy, you won't call a doctor. It's such a simple illustration. If you think you're healthy, you won't call a doctor. If you're healthy or at least if you you think you're healthy, you're not really interested in doctors. That's why it must be a very odd job to be a doctor.

You know, it must no 1 really cares about you and tell they actually need you or they feel ill. They only come to see you when they're ill. Yeah? And that's what it is. You you never think of a doctor unless you're ill.

And you certainly don't ring to make an appointment just to say hello, do you? I mean, can you imagine it? You ring You've gotta ring early in the morning. You gotta get there at 8 o'clock, not 1 minute passed. Otherwise, he's gonna be full.

So you gotta get that phone call going. If you want to get into the doctor's surgery at least where I am, and it rings through and it's, hello, Chestington surgery here. Because that's how they seem to speak. I don't know. I mean, if that's you, I'm lovely to have you.

But hello, Chestington surgery, yes. Oh, I'm I'm, I'm pleased that that's Chestington surgery. Is it? Yes, Chestington surgery. As I said, how can I help you?

Well, I'd like to make an appointment with the doctor, please. What's what's the nature of the medical emergency? Well, I just thought I'd call to say hello. But well, just are you ill? No.

Click. Or imagine dialing 9 9 9 quick. Dial 9 9 9. Hello? Which emergency services would you like?

Ambulance please, ambulance and make it quick. What's the nature of the medical emergency? Well, I just thought it would be nice to get to know the ambulance man. I've made a lovely spaghetti bolognese. I've even bought some very nice, you know, cheese to go on top of it.

I mean, the best to be quite honest with you, straight from Italy, you know, because I've just been in holiday, Italy, and I've scraping it, and I'd love to just give them a lovely spaghetti bolognese with the beautiful parmesan. It really is parmesan. Not the cheap stuff you get from Tesco. But real poliadar just thought I'd Stop wasting time. That's the point Jesus is making in this very simple illustration.

Do you get it? It's easy, isn't it? Good, righteous people Don't call the ambulance. Healthy people don't dial 9 9 9. Good people don't call Jesus because they're good.

So if you think you're good, If you think you're healthy, if you think you're doing alright, or even if you think you're not doing bad when you compare yourself to other people, I mean, I'm much better than that person, you won't call the doctor, and the doctor won't call you. Many people, you know, in our country, won't own up to illnesses or sicknesses or disease. So many ignore symptoms. They think they can sort it out if they might have a symptom. They don't wanna talk about it.

So if they drink more orange juice or whatever is the latest thing more cranberry juice or do a bit more exercise or lose a bit more weight or take a few more vitamin pills or, basically, just ignore it. It will go away. And the NHS It's amazing. It has to advertise to persuade people to go and get tests and go and get help. And the more personal that problem might be, the more difficult it is for people to go, to go and get a test.

And they they won't they won't go. But that's the problem, isn't it? If you think there's nothing wrong or you can sorted out with a bit more cranberry juice. If you think you can sort it out and you're good, and basically healthy, and you're a lot better than those people with all of those diseases and cancers that seem to be dying around you. Then you won't go to the doctor, and you won't be persuaded to go.

But are you healthy? Are you? There's a phenomenal true story from the 19 sixties. In the 19 sixties, Israeli agents captured captured Adolf Eichmann. Adolph Eichmann was 1 of the masterminds behind behind the Nazi Holocaust, you know, Auschwitz, and all of those sort of things.

And they captured him in, Argentina, I think it was. He was just actually, I think he was just a road sweeper. And they captured him, arrested him, brought him back to Israel for trial in 19 sixties. And, of course, they had a number of witnesses to testify against Eichmann. And there was a very small haggard old man called mister Denu.

Mister Denour. And, he was brutally tortured, in Auschwitz, but survived that brutal torture. And he was brought into the courtroom. And when the eyes of both of them met, so Eichmann, this powerful man that killed so many people. When the eyes of them met, little mister fell over, fainted fainted in the courtroom.

You can see a picture of him doing it. Actually, you can see it on YouTube. It's just collapses. He's in a little white suit and he collapses. And, there was an extraordinary scene A many literally sobbed when he came around and sobbed violently on the floor when he came around.

Later on, when he was being interviewed on a on a an American program called 60 Minutes, the interviewer said, what was it? When you saw Eichmann, what what was it that made you made you faint? Was it that he was a mass murderer this strong Nazi that had so many put to death. And, this is what he said. No.

It wasn't that. It was just when I saw Eitman, he didn't look like an evil monster. He didn't look like an evil monster at all. He looked like an ordinary person, just like anyone else. He said in that moment, I realized that evil is endemic to the human condition.

He then said this. Now listen, because this is shocking. He said, there's an Eichman in all of us. And when I understood that about myself, I fainted. Now that's an extraordinary statement, isn't it?

Is there really Are you like Iceland? You? Surely not. If you knew you were that sort of a sinner, you would cry out for mercy and salvation, wouldn't you? But, you know, the Bible teaching, and this is the amazing thing.

People get the Bible so wrong. The Bible teaching says that mister Deneur, is right. There's something in us. Now we've not we've not all bore the fruit of an eichman But every area of our life is touched, emotional, intellectual, physical, is touch with rebellion against God and sin. And if we were put in the right conditions under the right circumstances, and god withdrew his common grace from us.

We'd end up an ointment. That's what the Bible says, but it's hard for us to believe that, isn't it? You don't believe you're an Eichman. You're much more like the survivor of Auschwitz. Things have gone wrong to you, but how could I be an Eichman?

And so If I can't see myself like an Eichman, I think I'm pretty good when I compare myself with someone like him, and therefore I don't need a doctor, he did. But the Bible says this, can I just go on a minute? No 1. This is what the Bible says. No 1 is righteous.

No 1 is righteous. No 1, not even 1. Let me just read. In fact, you could turn to it if if you, if you can find her or someone can shout out the page number, is, a letter by Paul to the Roman, people that living in Rome. It's Romans chapter 3 and verse 12.

Someone can shout out the number. Just have a look. This is this is the Bible, well considered diagnosis of the human heart, the human condition. What number of page number is it? 1 1 30.

Romans chapter 3 verse 12. Just listen. This is a summary Of us, all have turned away. They have altogether become worthless There is no 1 who does good, not even 1. Their throats are open graves, their tongues practice deceit the poison of vipers is on their lips, their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness, their feet are swift to shed blood, ruin and misery mark their way, and the way of peace they do not know there is no fear of god before their eyes.

Now, we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to god. Therefore, no 1 will be declared righteous in god's sight by works of the law. Rather through the law, we become conscious of our sins. Now there is masses of stuff there that we could spend a long time on, but you get the general flavor, don't you? No 1, not 1, all.

And this is very much like going into the doctor's surgery. He says stick out your tongue. Look what he says in verse 13. Their tongues are open graves. Their tongues practice to see.

We saw last week that the the poison of vipers is on their lips. Stick your tongue out, says the doctor. Let's have a think about the words that have come from your mouth. Let's have a think. You ever lied?

Have you ever manipulated the truth? You ever waggled out something nasty about someone so that you could have some little mean advantage over them? Ever passed on a bit of juicy gossip? What's your tongue like? Stick it out.

It's a viper's tongue. There's poison on your very lips. Isn't that true? Has anyone got clean lips? A pure mouth.

Just think about how you drove here today and when someone cuts you up. Was it blessing and honor? Glory and power be unto you. But what are you? What?

What? You see, you may not be an Eichman, an order that that bloke bloke be executed, but in your little and in your car, that's exactly how you're acting, isn't it? It's just you haven't got the guts to see it through. Look. Okay.

The doctor looks at our mouse, and then he looks at our feet. First 15, their feet are swift to shed blood ruin and misery marked their way. And the way of peace they do not know. Wherever you walk, have you left peace and harmony and beauty and haven't you ever been in a place and you've caused annoyance and you've stirred things up. Come on.

Look, be honest. Cause if you've got really beautiful feet and you've got a beautiful mouth, you don't need a doctor. You don't need a doctor. But if your feet are rotten, If you've brought some violence and bloodshed, then you need a doctor and you need him quick. You want to dial 9 9 9.

I'm surprised you're not doing it right now. And then look at the eyes. Verse 18, there is no fear of god before their eyes. The doctor says, let me just look in your eyes and get the light. There's no fear of god.

There's no fear of god. Not really. Is there? There's no real fear of god. If you feared god, you'd find out what god says.

If you feared god, you'd read what he says. If you feared god, you'd find out everything he wants you to do. If you fear god, you might be on your face saying my goodness. I've not lived up to the standard that you would want me to live up to. The trouble is we just don't like this.

This is cringing stuff, isn't it? It was like, don't talk to me like this. I don't wanna ever come to church. This is why I don't go to church because I don't wanna hear this stuff. This is like going to an NHS thing saying now the prostrate is here.

We would need to find out whether it's, you know, got a problem. Yeah. I don't wanna go to that. But it might be wise to. There's a very famous story of, a famous preacher in this country called George Whitfield 300 years ago sort of time he was preaching around.

It was an amazing time. George Whitfield were our most famous preachers. And, he preached out in the open air to all kinds of people, but he also to the very rich and the very elite. And there was a woman called Lady Hunting, and she was an amazing woman and became a Christian and loved Whitfield and a supporter of Whitfield. And she was related to royalty.

She was very, very high up in the aristocracy, and she invited, to her, dining a room or whatever you would call it, her, you know, 1 of her rooms, Whitfield to come and she gathered her friends, and Whitfield came in to speak. And 1 of the 1 of the people that heard Whitfield was the, was a lady that that the duchess of Buckingham. And the Duchess of Buckingham was not well pleased. Really, really not pleased. Because Whitfield had preached what I'm preaching now that you are a sinner like anybody else, and you're no better than an Eichman.

Although Eichman was to come later. She was furious. And the Duchess of Buckingham, who I could imagine, has voiced like this. I don't know why, but I'm sure she did. Says to Lady Hunting, this is monstrous monstrous.

It's monstrous to be told that you have a heart as sinful as the common wretches that crawl on the earth. This is highly offensive in insulting and I cannot but wonder that your leadership should relish any sentiments so much as, at variance with high rank and good breathing. She particularly didn't like being called as sinful as the field worker. We don't like it. You don't like it.

I don't like it. But is it true? That's the question. It's interesting Eichman. When he was condemned to death in Israel, He wrote a letter to the prime minister of the day pleading for clemency, pleading to be let off.

And in the letter, there was no I was wrong. I'm just deeply sorry. It was Look, I'm a pretty good man. I was just following orders. You understand what it is to follow orders?

It's not my fault. You see Eichman didn't see that he was unhealthy because it's so hard, isn't it? To see that. The Bible says this, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of god. All have sinned and fallen short of god's glory.

And that means you. See, how do you imagine god? How do you imagine him? Do you think god looks down at this world and sees the horror of things going on in this world and turns a blind eye to it. Do you think that?

Do you think god looked at the Nazi camps at Auschwitz and saw what was going on there and said it's okay. Those Nazis aren't that bad. Eichman wasn't that bad. He was only under orders. Do you really think that god is like that?

Do you think that god can look down at favor on Starlings massacre of people. Do you think god looks at the wars that are going on in the world right now where people are killed and maimed and exiled and children have never known a day without hearing bullets whiz past them and their house shake with a bomb. Do you think god thinks that's okay? Is that the sort of god that you believe in? Do you think god tolerates the murders and the rapes and the knife crimes of London when he looks down.

Don't we actually even cry out Where are you god? Don't we do that? We ask for justice. What's going on? Well, let's bring it nearer home then.

What about your lusts? What about your jealousies? What about your pet hates? Your gossip, your snide remarks, your lies? The people that you've murdered with your tongue.

Do you think any of us here have no guilt at all at the slaughter of the innocent, but we call it abortion. To hide what we actually do. Do do you not think That is Eichmanlike? The innocent that should be protected and cared for and loved, ripped out of their home. If you don't see you're unhealthy, you don't see the point of the Christian message whatsoever.

But if you see a little bit that you're unhealthy, you know you need a doctor and there are 3 stories here. 3 stories of those who admit that they're wrong who need a doctor. If they were coming here, They would give these testimonies something like this. Let me go through them very quickly. The leper, we saw him last week.

If you wanna know more about him, you'll see him you can see more of him. So the leper here was a man riddled with, with leprosy. He knew that he was an outcast. He came to Jesus And he said, if you're willing, you can make me clean, and Jesus touched him and he was willing, we saw it last week. It's beautiful.

It's a beautiful picture of what Doctor. Jesus does to those that own up to what they're really like. And then you have this paralyzed man So you have this story of the leper. You have this central story of this paralyzed man. If he was here, if he was here, If if if we said come let's get this is his testimony.

Yes. So I didn't have a choice. The leper, he could say, had a choice. He went to town. Put himself in a vulnerable situation, but I didn't have a choice.

My mates came early in the morning, picked me up and, put me on a mat and started carrying me to where Jesus was. I mean, remember I was paralyzed so I couldn't really do anything other than say, what the hell are you doing? What are you doing? But they didn't listen. When we got to the house that Jesus was teaching in, there was just it was just so overcrowded.

We couldn't get in, and it was extremely disappointing for me and my friends because we couldn't get in to see Jesus. So we tried the door. We tried window and then 1 of my mates said, what about the roof? And I'm going, what are you talking about? Is this a joke and they were up on the roof before I could do anymore?

Protestation and they were digging a hole in the roof. We could hear the people in the house thinking it was an earthquake. Because the dust was falling and crumbling down on top of them, but then when the dust settled, it went silent and I how embarrassing. You don't know how embarrassed I was. I was lowered down on a mat through the roof in front of Jesus and all eyes were on me, and Jesus looked at me And to be quite honest, I was a bit disappointed and so was my mates because Jesus said, friend, your sins are forgiven.

Now I knew it was an amazing statement, and the religious leaders knew it was an amazing statement because they said who can Who is this fellow who blasphemes? Who can good forgive sins, but god alone? It was an amazing statement. Jesus knew what they were thinking because he said, what is easier to say your sins are forgiven or get up and walk. But I want you to know that the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins.

Now all this was going on, and it was very confusing. How does god forgive sins was going through my mind? And Jesus had said, it's through the authority of the son of man, and he was claiming to be the son of man. Now I knew enough about The Bible to know that the son of man is an extremely important title that's basically is saying The son of man is the ruler with god. He rules with god on god's throne.

Now I guess I didn't understand everything that Jesus was on about that, the then and all that he was claiming. But I can tell you this The only god could do what he did next because he turned to me and said, get up, take your mat, go home, and immediately I did. And only god can do that, and everybody knew because they all praise god. They all knew it was god. When Jesus healed my legs, it changed my life.

But now I've been with Jesus for 2000 years. And I know that the most important thing he did that day was to forgive my sins. Healing my legs was great. I had 40 years of being able to walk and provide for my family but forgiving my sins was better because my legs eventually stopped walking. In 2000 years, the question is are your sins forgiven?

Who can forgive sins, but god alone? Jesus said friend, your sins are forgiven. My friends carried me to Jesus, thinking my greatest need was physical, my legs. But this doctor examined me and saw a bigger problem and said friends, your sins have forgiven. The testimony of the paralyzed man.

So you have the leper who knows that he is rotten and needs god to clean Jesus to cleanse him. You have the paralyzed man who, realizes that the most important thing is since forgiven. See, 2000 years time, in 2000 years time, It doesn't matter whether you passed your exams got that house, had a nice car, It does matter whether your sins have been given. Let's hear the testimony, if you'll just bear with me, of Levi. Levi.

Hi. He would come here. He would stand up and give a testimony. He'd say thank you very much paralyzed man. Although, I guess he'd know his name by then, thank you very much, paralyzed man.

My name is Levi, AKA Matthew. I'm the bloke who actually wrote Matthew's gospel, that you might well have read. So you got Luke, you've you've advertised tonight, I hear. Luke and Mark, you should advertise Matthew. Don't worry about John.

But Matthew. So I'm the 1 who wrote Matthews's gospel. I turned my back on religion and certainly the religion of my birth because it didn't seem to bring me anything. My name is Levi, so it's obvious that I'm a Jew and I was brought up as a Jew. But I turned my back on religion because it didn't help, but money surely would money and materials, and I became a tax collector.

But the trouble is with becoming a tax collector, it meant that none of my family or none of my nation or none of the Jews that I knew me at all because I was seen as an utter traitor that was 1 of the most treacherous things I could do to the nation. It's like selling my birthright. And I made money out of my own nation by working for the Romans. I was not only seen as a coward and a pagan, but a traitor But I'd heard about Jesus, and he was giving a life that was worth more than money. Now you read tonight in in my story that that Luke writes, I left everything and followed him.

Well, he's right when he wrote that. I did. Because actually, to be honest, my fellow disciples that were fishermen If it all went wrong with Jesus, they could go back to fishing. But if you leave the Roman tax collector job, which was a lucrative job, You can't just go back. So can I have your job back?

So I did leave everything in 1 sense, but In another sense, I didn't leave anything that I wouldn't have to give up at death anyway. And as a missionary will say later on, he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. I couldn't keep this money anyway or all that it bought. He's no fool that gives gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. I've got eternal life.

Now do you see 3 people unhealthy, ill, unrighteous, sinners. They come to Jesus. You put all the sentences together of these 3 and you have what it is to be a Christian. The sentences that Jesus says to these men. The first man comes to Jesus, he's a leper and says, if you are willing, you can make me clean.

Jesus says, I am willing. Be clean. The second man in is pushed down in front of Jesus or lower it down in front of Jesus Jesus says friend, your sins have a given. The third man, Levi, Jesus says, follow me. That is a Christian.

I am willing. Be clean, says Doctor. Jesus. I am willing. Be clean, friend your sins are forgiven.

Follow me. Follow me. But I have got to just 1 more. I'm sorry. Just 1 more quick point.

Jesus is more than a doctor. Jesus is so much more than a doctor. He doesn't just diagnose the problem and send you a way to have some pills or do some religious exercises. You're too sick for that. It's an ambulance you need, but even more than that.

Jesus is not just the doctor that sends you in an ambulance, He is the only 1 that can cure you. And the way this doctor cures you is by taking your unhealthy sin upon himself, and that's what the cross is about. Do you not understand that? 1 last passage and we're through I promise you we're nearly through. Just go to Isaiah 53.

It's in the middle of the Bible. This was written hundreds of years before Jesus died on a cross, and it's a prophecy about what he would do on the cross. It was actually written before even crucifixion was invented by wicked men. But listen to it. How it describes, not just a doctor, and not just a cure, but the 1 who takes your sin to cure you.

Isaiah 53 verse 4, listen, surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering. So what page number is it on? We need to look at it. 7 4 1. Just have a look at it.

Verse 4, that little number 4, 7 4 1 surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by god stricken by him and afflicted What was he doing on the cross? He was punished by god. He was stricken by god. He was afflicted by god. But he was pierced for our transgressions.

He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was on him and by his wounds. We were healed. We all like sheep have got a stray each of us have turned to our own way, and the lord god has laid on him the iniquity of us all. On the cross.

On the cross. Jesus was taking your very punishment for your very sins. The god who cannot look upon sin had sin poured all over him so that he would take that punishment so that you could be forgiven and cleansed and healed and made a child of the living god That's who Jesus is and I don't know why you're not dialing 9 9 9 right now. Get your phone out and do it. Stop mucking about with life.

What the heck are you doing? God has sent this savior, and you think you can walk away. Jesus said to those who walked away, you will die in your sin My goodness, that's the worst sentence I've ever heard in my life. But you don't have to. I will take it.

Says Jesus, And so I know this is impassioned. I know you can say, oh, you know, what? It was just raising his voice at me. Oh my goodness, me. Stop that stupid way of that's so utterly proud, isn't it?

Oh, even that I don't like. Fine. But some of you know you need a savior right now. Some of you know you do. And why wouldn't the preacher be impassioned if this is true?

Why wouldn't you stick up posters saying if you got cancer go for cancer test apply to the doctor, go now. Why wouldn't you put up warnings like that? You see the trouble is good people go to hell. Don't auto correct. Good people like you go to hell.

Did he say me? Yeah. You. Do you want me to say your name? Good people go to hell.

Bad people who know they're bad call the doctor. So which are you?