Sermon Notes 4-28-2013

Not a fan!

Sermon one: anyone means everyone?

Luke 9:23 (ESV)And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

1)   Anyone Is Welcome

But over the years, we’ve gotten to the point that even when we hear Jesus say “anyone” we think, “Yeah right. What’s the catch?” There’s no catch. No small print. No hidden fees. It’s all laid out in that verse, and it’s open to “anyone.” And when Jesus said “anyone,” the crowds would have looked at his disciples and known that He meant it.

What a rabbi was

·         And a rabbi was a teacher of God’s Word, which was then the Old Testament. Rabbis had extensive knowledge of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) and all of the writings of the prophets.

·         There was an extensive application process, you had to really go through

·         They had a group of “talmids” (pronounced tal-meed). The word talmid translates to “disciple” or “student.

·         All good Jewish boys tried to be a “student” of a Rabbi, Most didn’t make it.

It was very exclusive, very proper, very legalistic. They were very religious not everyone got in most end up in some kind of trade.

How Jesus was different

·         Jesus’s process’s was totally different

·         He ask people to follow Him

·         Jesus’s followers were nobody’s! Two used to be fishermen, a few of them are just political hotheads, and that guy’s a local tax collector!”

·          

Then Jesus made the invitation, and when people heard that anyone could come learn from this incredible rabbi, I’m sure they started to entertain the idea. People who had given up the dream of learning from a rabbi a long time ago were now wondering if they’d be welcome in this new rabbi’s group. And slowly but surely, people started to come and wanted to follow this rabbi Jesus.

They realized when He said “anyone,” He meant it. When Jesus said that anyone was welcome, the crowds began to understand that meant everyone was welcome. And it’s true, anyone means everyone.

2)   Anyone Means Everyone

The story of Levi

Luke 5:27 (ESV) After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.”

·         Tax collector was the pimp of His day

·         He not only collected taxes, he robbed his own people

·         Jesus changed the way disciples were picked

·         Jesus didn’t give him an exam, he didn’t look at his resume

·         Jesus saw his heart

·         Jesus does not call the equipped, he equips the called!

Do we really mean anyone?

Luke 5:29–30 (NLT) 29 Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them. 30 But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?*”

·         Sound familiar

·         Church today has all kind of unwritten rules

·         Do really follow Jesus and let anyone in

·         Sometimes we need to check ourselves

·          

Jesus reminds us of who he came to save

Luke 5:31–32 (NLT) 31 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

·         Anyone one means everyone

·         But it requires a life change, a commitment

·         If you want to follow Jesus you have to repent of your old ways and let him change you form the inside out

The church today keeps saying “anyone is welcome.” But when you look at how they treat new people, and what they require the questions they ask, do they really mean anyone. It shouldn’t matter how you dress, or what your politics are, or what style of music you like, it has become clear that church today has qualifications and that has to change.

But Jesus didn’t just get rid of the qualifications. When Jesus said, “anyone,” he did something else. In eliminating the qualifications, Jesus got rid of all the excuses.

3)   No Qualifications Means No Excuses

Luke 5:29 (NLT)  Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them.

See, when Jesus invites anyone to follow him, He doesn’t just break down the barriers that keep so many people from learning more about God. He also gets rid of all the excuses different people are hiding behind.

·         This is the sinners of Jesus’s day

·         This is the chicks with clear heels

·         And the thugs packin

·         The drunks and drug dealers

·         The girl who has two kids without being married

So what’s your excuse, what has it been been? I think most of us have been holding off on a relationship with Christ because we have an excuse.

So what is it for you?

·         Is it because you’re too busy putting in hours at the office?

·          Is it because you’ve really been focusing on your marriage lately?

·          Is it because the kids need a lot of time and attention?

·          Is it because times have been tough and you just got a second job?

·         Is it because you’ve got a past they’re not proud of.

It’s easy to hide behind those kinds of excuses, because who’s going to argue with someone who’s been through a tragedy, or someone who’s been emotionally scarred? But Jesus gets rid of all the excuses when he invites “anyone.”

Anyone is welcome to have a relationship with Jesus. Anyone.

Sexual past? Anyone.

Ex-con? Anyone.

Inmate? Anyone.

Recently divorced? Anyone.

Legalist? Anyone.

Alcoholic? Anyone.

Drug addict? Anyone.

Pervert? Anyone.

Hypocrite? Anyone.

Now, we need to be ready for what can happen when we embrace the invitation to “anyone.” Because if anyone can come to church, that’ll bring all kind of messed up people. All of a sudden, the church gets filled with a lot of “un-churched” people. If we really accept “anyone” into our churches to follow Christ be forced to get out of our comfort zones and rub shoulders with people from different backgrounds and social circles, people who are hard to tolerate and even harder to love. But followers are willing to break down walls, trash the unwritten codes, and welcome “anyone” into God’s family right alongside Jesus.

But when Jesus makes the invitation, he says, “anyone.” So some of the people who respond to that invitation will have a past that you don’t approve of. Some of them will have been involved in lifestyles you’d be embarrassed to hear about.

Fans don’t know how to handle new people like that. They prefer not to know. Fans prefer things to be shallow and comfortable. But followers are willing to listen, willing to hear stories of brokenness and sin and still welcome those people with open arms. This next point is crucial to making sure that we help all—both brand new Christians and long-time believers—move into a completely committed relationship with Jesus.

4)   It’s Anyone, But It’s Everything

Luke 5:27–28 (NLT)27 Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. 28 So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.

They gave up everything!

When a talmid was finally accepted into a rabbi’s school, they would leave their homes, their jobs, whatever was holding them back, and they would go and follow the rabbi. Literally, they would follow the rabbi wherever he went.

·         Matthew gave up everything

o   His business

o   His home

o   His family

o   His money

o   His life to follow Jesus  

When Jesus makes His invitation, he welcomes anyone who would come after Him. But He also makes clear that when you choose to follow Him, you are giving up everything. So it’s anyone, but it’s everything.