245 - Update Your Mindset, Embrace New Beginnings#
245 - Update Your Mindset, Embrace New Beginnings
(JP Text Group - Organized by Little Prince of Heaven)
The topic we are sharing today is: Update Your Mindset, Embrace New Beginnings.
Matthew 9:9-13
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. “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.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! Thank You for preparing this time for us to share Your words together. As we read this scripture and share about Jesus, may You renew each person's heart, allowing us to live according to Your words, for Your words provide us with a set of principles to follow in this world, which is the law of victory. Jesus has already won and has given us victory. As we begin this new week, let us live victorious lives through You, continually renewing our thoughts and welcoming the arrival of new grace. Bless this time today. In Jesus Christ's name, we pray, Amen!
Brothers and sisters, peace in the Lord! Looking at today's scripture, Jesus went on from there and saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. This is the story of Jesus choosing His disciples. Jesus had the power to accomplish everything by Himself, but He did not do so; He chose disciples to work with Him. Therefore, one person should not think they can accomplish everything alone; it requires everyone to work together.
Jesus wanted His disciples to share in this wonderful reward with Him. At that time, Jesus encountered a man named Matthew, sitting at the tax booth collecting taxes. Matthew was a tax collector, and tax collectors in Jesus' time had a bad reputation, worse than that of prostitutes. The Mosaic Law prohibited women from being prostitutes, and during that time, people accepted prostitutes but not tax collectors. This shows how miserable the life of a tax collector was; everyone disliked them. At that time, Rome ruled over Israel, and Israel was a Roman colony. The Romans could not collect taxes themselves, as they might not be able to collect anything and could even lose their lives. So they let the local people collect taxes for them, according to the amounts specified by the Romans. However, the tax collectors would add a little extra. Tax collectors in that era certainly did this, and everyone knew it, including the Romans.
The Romans tolerated this as long as someone was doing the work for them, so tax collectors became unscrupulous, and the people hated them. Prostitutes had no connection with the public; they could be ignored. However, tax collectors were related to everyone, so their reputation was very bad, and they were even considered the scum of the earth.
In that era, people discussed tax collectors, and the tax collectors knew they were a rejected and despised group. In the Jewish synagogue, there was a court for Gentiles, allowing Gentiles who joined Judaism to worship God, but tax collectors were not qualified to worship God. For them, even though there was a God, they could not approach Him because they were considered unclean.
There was a tax collector named Matthew, and Jesus accepted this man and showed him the love and grace of the Father, which changed him. Brothers and sisters, think about it: the changes in your life are definitely not changes that come from being despised or scolded. Your life changes because you see acceptance, forgiveness, and help from others, and your heart changes.
When doing something wrong, what do you need most from others? Is it to be beaten with a stick and then kicked to death? We say, “Yes, this is what I deserve. If I’m not beaten a couple of times, I feel bad…” These only increase our sense of condemnation. In that era, tax collectors knew that not being accepted was the norm, but when Jesus accepted him, he saw the grace of the Father.
When we understand the Father’s love and grace, our thoughts and intentions also need to be renewed. First, view yourself correctly; second, view those around you correctly. Continuously look at yourself through God's eyes. When you read in the Bible: O beloved of God, it proves that you are loved by God. Look at yourself with this perspective; even if the world despises you, you must know that in the Father’s eyes, God still loves you.
Then, with this mindset, welcome new beginnings. Every day is a grace given to us by God. You are not living for the world; you are living for Jesus Christ. And while we are alive, it is to receive God's grace, to receive His blessings, and to live out such blessings.
What would happen to a tax collector like Matthew if he had not met Jesus? He might have been very wealthy but would have had no friends; all his friends would be tax collectors. If Matthew had not met Jesus, his life would have been aimless, and he would have quietly died, feeling that his life was wasted and without achievement. In the end, perhaps no one would remember him, but Jesus changed his life.
Today I also tell you: the moment you accept Jesus, your life is changed. Jesus can change Matthew, and He can change you too. Once your life is saved by Jesus, from now on, you must continuously renew your thoughts every day. Do not view yourself or others through the lens of the past.
Mark 2:14, When Jesus went on, He saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax collector's booth. “Follow me,” He told him, and Levi got up and followed Jesus.
Levi and Matthew are the same person. His name used to be Levi, which means “joined.” Among the twelve tribes, there was a tribe of Levi, meaning united, proving that he should be united with God. However, he became united with money and corruption. So when others mentioned his name, they would say, “What have you united with?”
Levi was one of the twelve tribes in the Old Testament, particularly favored by God, and was a group dedicated to serving God. His name was Levi, but it was clear that he did not live up to his name. He did not serve God in the temple but served Mammon instead. Mammon represents wealth, and God proved that he did not cherish God's grace. He himself felt that this name was not good. After meeting Jesus, he did not know if it was Jesus who changed his name or if he changed it himself, but he ended up being called Matthew, which means God's gift, God's grace, proving that after Matthew met Jesus, he knew his life was changed, absolutely because of God's grace.
At that time, Matthew was sitting at the tax booth, watching people come and go to collect taxes. He knew in his heart that this was not his fulfillment; money could not satisfy his heart. You can imagine, if Matthew really liked this job and did not care what others said, just to earn more money, could Jesus have called him away? Don’t say that Jesus is different from us; with one word, this person followed Him.
Jesus never forces anyone. Jesus will not force you to believe in Him, and our Heavenly Father will not force you to believe in Him; it is a personal choice. When we read the four Gospels, we know that before Jesus chose the twelve disciples, He prayed for a long time about this matter. The night before making this decision, He prayed all night. What was He doing? “Lord, where are the people You have prepared for me?” The next day, we see a very simple thing: “Follow me!” “Follow me!” Many people followed Him. Did God prepare their hearts? They were already prepared; the Father had prepared these people; Jesus was just there to gather them.
Today, when you think about evangelism: I must convince this person to believe in Jesus. If he is a green wheat seedling, can you pull him out? If you harvest him, he will have no life. You need to pray for him, let his life mature, become golden fruit. What he needs is to be harvested; when you call him, he will believe in Jesus. Can you say this is your achievement? No, God has already prepared everything.
God lets us evangelize, allowing you to encounter some people who easily believe in Jesus. That is not your achievement; it is not because you are more capable or eloquent. It is because you told him about Jesus, and he has been looking for such a source of reliance and home, and you just happened to tell him, and he accepted it. Jesus is doing this, and we are doing this too.
Let’s think from Matthew’s perspective: why would he put everything down to follow Jesus? It is because he knew that all of this could not satisfy him. He had long wanted to change to something else but did not know what to do. Perhaps he had also prayed in his heart: “God, I really want to worship You and serve You, but how can I do it?” He could not enter the temple because he was a tax collector; people did not want him, let alone serve God.
Brothers and sisters, many people, many souls are waiting for us to harvest them. What we need to do is tell them about Jesus, that the Father loves them, and tell them what Jesus has done for them, and that soul will turn back. How many people are like Matthew? Although they have no worries about food and clothing and seem fine, their inner needs are unknown to anyone, and God has already prepared that soul. Hallelujah! So when you can meet Jesus, do not say that at that time you were so devout, seeking God, and found the true God. It is not you who found Jesus; it is Jesus who came to find you.
At that time, Matthew was sitting at the tax booth, waiting, “What should I do?” Brothers and sisters, this is God's calling, meaning you are willing, and God is willing too. When the two collide, it becomes a reality. We can also say this is a prophetic work. For example, at this moment, Matthew was always thinking: God! I have long been tired of this job, just collecting money and embezzling a bit; I don’t want to live like this for my whole life; I want to serve You.
Perhaps some of you have these thoughts but have not found a way out, do not know how to do it, do not know if God can accept you, and have been waiting for this day to come. You say: “Lord! I don’t know how to do it, but I am willing to follow You.” This is our inner thought. Suddenly one day, a prophet comes to tell you: “Follow me! Let’s go evangelize together.” The strength you feel at that moment can make you put everything down and follow him. This is called God's calling. Do you understand now?
If you really want to serve God, and a prophet comes and says: “God tells me to tell you to give more money to the church.” This is definitely not from God. What you are thinking is to serve Him, not wanting to do this job anymore, and what God gives you is exactly what aligns with your heart; this is from God. So brothers and sisters, when you fail, do not be discouraged; it may just be that the wheat is not yet mature; wait a little longer. When you evangelize and someone accepts, do not attribute the credit to yourself, because that wheat is already ripe.
What Jesus did was this. The twelve people He chose were actually all waiting; only one, Judas Iscariot, wanted to do it but did not believe. Are there such people in this world? Yes, there are. This person does not believe in Jesus but is very enthusiastic about bringing people to church. If someone has a problem, she says, “Then you should seek Jesus.” When others ask, “Do you believe?” she says, “I don’t believe, but you can believe.” So some people are very enthusiastic in witnessing for Jesus but do not believe in Jesus; God uses all kinds of people.
Let’s continue talking about Matthew. He was sitting at the tax booth, perhaps casually thinking: I am wasting my time; what should I do? I want to serve my God, but no one wants me; what should I do? Suddenly he hears a young man say: “Levi, follow me!” He turns around and sees it is Jesus. At that moment, that call made Matthew put down everything.
Some people say: “What a pity! That was all money! How could he bear to throw it away and directly follow Jesus?” But in Matthew's heart, money was no longer important. Although Matthew did not say, like Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector in Jericho: “Lord, I will give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount,” Matthew did not do this, but after hearing the call of the Lord Jesus, he immediately got down from the tax booth and followed the Lord Jesus. It was immediate; he did not go back to think about it for a few days.
Look at Luke 5:27-28 for this explanation.
27 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, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.
This shows that there was no hesitation; he was already prepared. We are also waiting for such people. Our evangelism is to wait for those who are ripe and need to return to the Father’s embrace. Isn’t it simple? When you evangelize and someone does not accept, there is no need to be discouraged or disappointed because the time is just not right. This is Matthew's repentance.
Many people think that repentance must have an extremely painful external manifestation. What we used to hear about repentance means that one must weep and cry, confess everything done in the past, and say: “Lord! I am worthless! Look at all I have done in the past; I am sorry for You! From now on, I will definitely turn over a new leaf and start anew…” Please remember, if someone says this, they may not genuinely want to start anew. True repentance does not necessarily manifest externally, but there must be an internal change.
Can you see Matthew's repentance? Coming down from the tax booth and following Jesus, isn’t that repentance? Some say: “No, how can Matthew be considered to have repented? He hasn’t confessed his sins yet; he hasn’t knelt down like Peter and said, ‘Lord, I am a sinner; go away from me.’”
Can we not be so rigid? Many people always think we must talk about repentance every day, and only then can it be considered repentance. Matthew has already repented; he did not delay; he immediately followed the Lord Jesus. When Jesus came to find Matthew, did He know everything about him? Did He know about his past greed? He also knew that others looked down on him; Jesus knew every sin Matthew had committed in the past. When Jesus comes to find you, He knows everything about you. Since Jesus knows everything, what are we worried about? When Jesus comes to find you, He already knows everything about you; this is a beautiful thing. Many people think: God comes to find me; He may not know everything about me, so I will tell Him a little.
Some people want to present themselves well before Jesus to gain the Father’s acceptance, thinking that if they perform better, obey more, the Father will love them. In fact, they should do this before people; if you perform better before people, they will love you. But before God, there is no need for that; just come to seek Jesus with your true self.
When we accept Jesus, He knows everything about us; at that time, we were not good at all, yet Jesus accepted you. How much more now? So do not try to cover up before God, as if presenting a petition. Many people come before Jesus and say: “Lord! Look, I shared the gospel with ten people today; I served God in the church; I worshiped You in church, so You must accomplish this for me.” This is called showing off; we refer to it as a legalistic mindset. The legalistic mindset is trying hard to perform well before God, but you do not need to do that at all.
Luke 18 records a Pharisee standing by the roadside praying: “God! I pray three times a day, fast twice a week, and give a tenth of all I get. I am not like him,” referring to a tax collector, and he said a lot of bad things about the tax collector. Perhaps the tax collector also saw this, and how did the tax collector respond? He beat his chest and said: “Lord! I am a sinner; have mercy on me; I am just like what he said.”
Whom did God accept? The tax collector; do you understand?
Come to seek Jesus with your true self. When you believe in Him, He can accept you; today He still accepts you. The mindset of grace is the way God thinks towards people, seeing people from God's perspective. How God views you is what you should understand; the legalistic mindset is the way people think towards God, meaning the law reveals the true state of people before God. Grace is God revealing His true self to people.
When you live under the law, you see how corrupt you are, always feeling sorry for God. Therefore, many people always say: “Lord! I owe You…” Such people still live under the law. We live under grace, seeing all problems through God’s grace: “Although I am not good, You still love me; I also know that he (she) is not good, but God loves him too.” This will create harmony. The four Gospels all reveal that Jesus is the Savior of humanity.
John 3:16-17,
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Many people feel that this passage is very good, but they only memorize it without reflecting on what it truly means. Who does God love? What kind of people does the world include? Everyone, including you, right? Including, also including your enemies, including that person you dislike.
When God loves these people in the world, are these people sinners or righteous? You must think this: God loves these sinners in the world. If there were only righteous people in the world, would God still need to send His only Son down? This proves that while we were still sinners, God loved us, but it is essential to distinguish: God loves sinners, but God hates sin and detests sin. There is a difference between the two; God loves sinners, meaning God loves you as a person, but God hates sin, meaning God detests your sinning.
God wants you to live out His likeness, so He even gave His only Son to them, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. What does this mean? If we are sinners, the outcome is destruction, but now God has given Jesus, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life, proving that Jesus has done something: He has resolved the sin on us.
Now many people are doing the opposite, resolving the person while leaving the sin. What we need to do now is to tell the world: Jesus has come and resolved your sin; you are now a person loved by God. Amen! In the past, you were a sinner, proving that from beginning to end, you were just a person; now Jesus has changed everything about you.
However, many people are doing things like this: when they see you sinning, they say: “You are not one of us! You are a child of hell! I will drive you out of the church…” They eliminate the person and then tell others: “This person has sinned; so-and-so is not a good person.” They leave the sin with him and destroy the person, harshly criticizing him. This is not what Jesus does.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. God sent His only Son down, and when He came down, Jesus knew our sins, just like Matthew; Jesus knew his sins, but He did not condemn Matthew’s sins; instead, He wanted to resolve Matthew’s sins.
This is what we need to do in this world: do not condemn others' sins; instead, tell them: Jesus has resolved your sins; you can be saved through Jesus. What does it mean to be saved? You cannot do it yourself; He can help you. Some people say, “Isn’t God also just? God is a consuming fire; He cannot tolerate sin.” That is correct, but what did Jesus accomplish for us on the cross?
Why did Jesus shed blood and sacrifice on the cross? It was to resolve our sin problem. Why did Jesus rise from the dead? It was to justify us. So when Jesus enters your life, He already knows everything about you; He even knows better than you how many sins you have committed.
To put it simply, do you know how many sins you have committed? No one dares to say they know how many sins they have committed. What about the sins you do not know? What about the unintentional offenses? For example, when you come down the stairs, someone is going up, and you glance at that person. As a result, you offend them, and that person thinks: “Why did he look at me like that? He must look down on me; I don’t want to live anymore.” As a result, they commit suicide; is that your sin? Then before God, you say: “Lord, I am so wronged! I just looked at him!” Just because you looked at him, this person died; that is your sin. The Bible calls this an unintentional sin, a hidden sin.
Many times, you do not even know how many sins you have committed; how can your sins be resolved? God knows. If God did not know our sins, would He still be our God? If God did not know our sins, how could He judge us? This proves that what we do not know, God knows. God knows everything about you; He even knows better than you how corrupt you are and how many sins you have committed.
But there is good news: He knows all this and sent His Son Jesus into this world precisely to resolve this problem for you. When you believe in Jesus, His precious blood has already removed all your sins, and you have a new identity called righteous, Amen! If some people say, “I must be aware of my sins and explain all the sins I have committed to God before He forgives me,” then you will never have assurance before God.
Yesterday, I was chatting with some brothers and sisters. Someone said: “I have believed in the Lord for more than twenty years, and I worry every day, ‘Did I do something wrong today? Can You accept me?’” How many Christians live in such a situation, worrying every day: “Lord, can You accept me?” Some people have believed in the Lord for a lifetime, and before they die, they are still unsure if they are saved.
What a pity! God’s word says very clearly: He came into this world not to condemn your sins but to save you through Him. How are you saved? Verse 16 says clearly, “that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” As long as you believe that Jesus shed blood and sacrificed for your sins on the cross and rose again, you are already saved. Amen!
We cannot acknowledge all our sins. Our sins can be forgiven not based on what we know, not based on our understanding of sin, but based on God's understanding of sin. He knows everything. So when God sees all our sins, He lets His Son Jesus shed blood on the cross for all our sins, and at that moment, God says: “I declare you righteous.” The blood of Jesus has removed all your sins, and today you can have peace and assurance.
Jesus said to Matthew: “Come, follow me!” You can see how harmonious and gentle this statement is: Follow me, and I will make your life different. Brothers and sisters, when you follow Jesus, your life will also change. Following Jesus does not require extensive theological knowledge first; it is not necessary.
Today, if someone asks you: “Do you know what the Trinity is? Do you know what systematic theology is?” If you say you do not know, they will say you cannot be saved. This proves that Matthew had no qualifications to be saved because he had never studied theology; he had not attended Jesus’ training, so how could he be saved? The Bible says very clearly: Believe in Jesus, and you will be saved.
Thank and praise the Lord! The conditions for following Jesus are very simple; you do not have to say: “I must finish my theology studies or complete my Bible course before I can follow Jesus or believe in Jesus.” Following Jesus is something each of us can do. When you serve people and serve God, you need training. Anyone can believe in Jesus, but not everyone can serve God; serving requires some training. Jesus trained them not to make them believe in Him but to enable them to serve more people after they believed in Him.
After you believe in Jesus, you will have great faith and small faith, but God never said that those with small faith are not counted as believers. Regardless of the size of your faith, it is still faith and still saves you. Many people say that those with small faith cannot be saved; do not believe such words; this is incorrect. It is just that the level of understanding of Jesus is different, so you need to know Jesus more, renew your thoughts, and be trained like the disciples before serving others.
Jesus trained the disciples for more than three years before letting them evangelize to all nations. Why did Jesus not let them do this at first? He gathered these twelve people and then said: “Great! My work is done; my purpose is to come down from heaven, find you twelve, and let you work while I watch from behind.” Is that how it was? No, Jesus came and said, “Come, follow me!” Meaning you need to see how I do things, and then you follow me to do it together. This is our way of evangelism.
What I mean to say is, today you have believed in Jesus. If you are willing to serve people, you need a series of training. At the very least, you should know why Jesus died on the cross and what He accomplished. This is the most basic knowledge you should have, and you must be sure you are saved. Then you can tell others that by believing in Jesus, you too can be saved. This is serving, which requires training. After training, you can lead this person to walk with you.
We need to expand our new concept. This year, when you evangelize, it is not just about getting someone to believe and then leaving them alone. The moment they believe in Jesus, your service begins. We do not bring people to church and let the pastor serve them; that is not it. We all serve together. The focus for this person is on the one leading them; do not say that as soon as this person believes, you let them believe entirely in Jesus and rely on Jesus for everything; they cannot do that; they are looking at you.
This year’s theme is: Expand Our Horizons. How to expand? First, when this person believes in Jesus, my behavior represents the image of a Christian. For example, if you occasionally go to church, do not pray, and do not read the Bible, that person spends every day with you; they will be like that. The people you lead will be like this.
This is what we mean when Jesus says: “Come! Follow me; see how I do things, and you do the same.” You see those eleven disciples later did things according to how Jesus did them before. This is how we become examples for others; after they grow, they become examples for others. This is evangelism, living out the style of Jesus in life; otherwise, Jesus is Jesus, and the Jesus in the church is different from the Jesus at home; they should be the same.
Jesus knew everything about Matthew; Jesus did not define his present by his past. So Jesus said: “Come, follow me.” When did Jesus say to Matthew: “Matthew, don’t think I don’t know what you did in the past; I can tell you everything. So after you follow me, you must listen well; otherwise, I will tell the Romans about your embezzlement…” Jesus never threatened him like this; Matthew’s past was no longer important. Jesus looked at Matthew, who was willing to follow Him now.
So brothers and sisters, when you followed Jesus, your past has already passed; Jesus looks at the present you. The Bible tells us that he got up and followed Jesus. Then he invited Jesus to dinner. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. You can see this as God's grace and acceptance, proving that at that time, no one paid attention to the tax collectors. For any Jewish person to go to their house to eat was the highest form of grace for these tax collectors, let alone that it was Jesus who went.
At that time, everyone thought Jesus was a good person because He attracted many people with His preaching. At this moment, Jesus went to Matthew's house, and a group of tax collectors and sinners came. How should you treat such a group of people? Their behavior is not good, and their reputation is not good; can you accept them?
It is very difficult for us. If it is a person of good reputation or prestige, we can easily accept them. But it is clear that this group of people may bring you a bad reputation; if you are with them, what will they say about you? You are one of them! Many tax collectors came, which is actually the power of grace; grace attracts sinners to turn to Jesus.
Matthew 9:11, When the Pharisees saw this, they asked Jesus' disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Brothers and sisters, what does this have to do with the Pharisees? The Pharisees do not do proper things and meddle in others' affairs. Are there many people like this in the world? You say they have the energy to attack others; they might as well evangelize! But they do not; they tell you every day: “You are not good; you are like a heretic…” They just do these things; isn’t that the same as what the Pharisees did? Why did the Pharisees act this way? They are instigators.
Could the Pharisees ask Jesus directly? “Why do you eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But they did not ask Jesus; they asked the disciples. Jesus was present at that time. This is the most potent weapon for instigating discord among people; if there is something, do not tell you directly, but go to your friends to say it. If your friend already has an opinion about you, then they have found common ground.
Today is the same; many people are dissatisfied with you and do not tell you directly; they usually talk to others. Jesus was present at the scene, but they asked Jesus' disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” This easily creates misunderstandings and causes discord among people.
In the eyes of these Pharisees, Matthew was a filthy person, a sinner, and this group of people were all sinners. Why could Jesus mix with this group? “You are a Jew; why do you disregard your identity, lower your standards, and eat with this group? This proves that the Pharisees felt their identity was high: I walk the right path and cannot be with this group.
The Pharisees were filled with the law; could they accept this group of sinners? Instead, they condemned this group. So I tell everyone, expand your horizons. Look at all people and all things through Jesus’ eyes; even if this person behaves poorly now, do not condemn their sins; tell them: Jesus can change you. Amen!
Why could the Pharisees make such a judgment? Because the Pharisees looked at Matthew through the lens of the past; Matthew accepted bribes and oppressed the poor… but the current Matthew had already repented and was different. However, the Pharisees looked at a person through the lens of the past, which is a legalistic mindset. This mindset will cause eternal discord among people.
For example, now seeing a person, one says what this person did in the past… and can list a bunch of things, ultimately concluding: this person is not a good person. You forget that a new year has begun; this person is changing and renewing every day. In Jesus Christ, do not look at your brothers and sisters with this mindset and perspective.
They are being changed by Jesus every day, so your heart must expand; you must broaden your horizons. When others look at you through the lens of the past, just smile and let it go. This is how the Pharisees looked at Matthew through the lens of the past; they will always see this person as problematic. Therefore, they believed Matthew was not a good person, and Jesus should not associate with this group. Another reason is that the Pharisees were self-righteous, taking themselves as the standard.
Today in the church, if we take ourselves as the standard to judge others, it is very dangerous; over time, it will lead to great pride. When many people criticize and attack you, just bless them because they are living under the law; their hearts are still in their old identity. We must learn to look at people with new eyes, seeing others through Jesus; you will see different results.
Let’s look at a passage of scripture, 2 Corinthians 5:16-17,
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
This is a lesson we need to learn this year. Perhaps in the past, you had many discordant companions, coworkers, friends, or colleagues. The new year has begun; bless them from your heart and let Jesus change them. Perhaps after a while, they have turned around. We cannot judge this person with a past mindset; otherwise, you will live in bondage.
In Genesis, Jacob struggled hard and thoroughly, deceiving his brother and father, ultimately cheating his brother out of everything. His brother was angry and wanted to kill him, so Jacob ran away for twenty years. During these twenty years, Jacob always thought his brother Esau was waiting with a knife for him. Twenty years passed, but his heart was still bound; therefore, on his way back, he played tricks again. He divided his group into three teams, sending the first team ahead, and thought: “I will first send this team over to see how you will treat me.”
Then the second team also went over, leaving himself behind. He wanted to run but could not run anymore because an angel touched his thigh and made him limp. Since he could not run, he had to face reality. Finally, he met his brother Esau. When Jacob saw his brother Esau, he used the same mindset and perspective from twenty years ago to view his brother, so he acted very falsely humble.
His brother said: “Brother, who are these people? So many things!” Jacob said: “My lord, these are all yours.” Do you think Jacob really thought they belonged to his brother? Just to save his life, he insincerely said, “These are all yours; I specially left them for you.”
His brother said: “I have enough; yours should remain yours.” What did Jacob say? “No, you must accept it; if you do not accept it…” The unspoken part of his sentence was, “I am not at ease,” using the perspective of that event from twenty years ago to view his brother. In reality, Esau’s heart had long been changed by God; he just wanted to gain some family property.
God also blessed Esau, and he had more than he could use. In fact, he had long forgotten that incident, but Jacob had not forgotten. So have you thought: If you choose not to forgive and do not believe in God’s grace, you will truly live in bondage. Even if you have God, you will still be bound.
The Pharisees are such an existence; they did not expand their horizons and did not look at Matthew with new eyes, so they always thought Matthew was not a good person. Later, after several trials, Jacob finally realized: it seems my brother has truly let go of that matter. Brothers and sisters, today you should forgive others like this. We should not give others a false impression as if that matter has not been let go; we must forgive others from our hearts and also pray for those who have hurt us or whom we have hurt.
Let us know that today, each of us in Jesus Christ is a new creation; the old has passed away, and all has become new. God sees you as a new person; Hallelujah! Paul said that in the past, we regarded Jesus from a worldly point of view, which shows that Paul’s perspective in the past was not good; otherwise, how could he have seen those Jews stoning Stephen to death without any reaction? In the past, he thought that the group of people who believed in Jesus were not normal people, but villains who should die, including how he viewed Jesus.
But how does Paul say now? I no longer regard anyone from a worldly point of view. What about the past Jonathan? Upon hearing that Jesus was from Nazareth, he said, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” What kind of perspective is this? In today’s terms, that province can produce nothing good. This is a narrow perspective, a legalistic perspective.
Times are changing; we cannot look at the present person with the past perspective. Therefore, look at your brothers and sisters around you; the new year has arrived, and their lives are continually growing. I suggest you go back and listen to the sermons in order; lives will change every day. Hallelujah! How will they change?
2 Corinthians 5:21, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
This is the reason we are changed before God; God no longer sees you as a sinner but sees you as a righteous person because Jesus took your place for your sins.
Let’s take another look at Matthew 9:12, When Jesus heard this, he said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”
This proves that Jesus heard this group discussing. Should the disciples debate this themselves? No. When others speak about you from a wrong perspective, you can keep your mouth shut and pray for them; God will personally vindicate you. So when others speak ill of others in front of you, do not participate. If you have the ability to stop this person, you can tell them: “If you have an opinion about this person, you can speak directly to them; do not tell me.” We should not be peacemakers or gossipers; we should be peacemakers. Jesus heard and said: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor.” Meaning, those who think they are healthy do not need me; only the sick need me.
In this passage, I will explain it to you in another way. If you are sick, you can find a doctor; this is the biblical basis. Many people have taken faith to extremes: “If I have to take medicine, it means I have no faith; it means I do not believe in Jesus.” This is extreme and incorrect.
I give you a suggestion: If you pray and still feel worried and want to take medicine or see a doctor, then go ahead. Because healthy people do not need Jesus; if you are physically ill, you need a doctor, so go find a doctor; it is okay. This is what Jesus personally said.
Did Jesus see these Pharisees as healthy? In the spirit, they were all sick. The strange thing is that this group of people insisted on pretending to be healthy, which is the troublesome part. If you are a patient, pretending to be fine is detestable before God. Clearly, you are a sinner, yet you pretend to be a righteous person. Can God not see clearly? You are just a hypocrite. Conversely, if you pretend to be a sinner, that is also hypocrisy. So be what you are; if you are a patient, come to Jesus: “Lord! I am sick; please heal me.” Clearly being sick, yet pretending to say: “Lord, I am not sick.” Then you will suffer.
We should not live in lies; we are continuously renewing ourselves according to the words of Jesus Christ. This is not a lie; it is living in faith. For example, if you are physically ill: In the name of Lord Jesus, I believe Jesus has healed me. This is not a lie; this is you spiritually seeing your healing.
But if you do not pray and say: “It’s okay; I’ll act as if I am not sick.” This is a lie. One is a declaration of faith; the other is self-comforting. Without Jesus, the world can only comfort itself and others: “It’s okay; this illness may not be a problem; just endure it, and it will pass.” Yes, endure it, and it may really pass (or die).
Before Jesus, you do not need to endure; pray with the power of Jesus Christ, asking God to change your life. You do not need to endure; just believe, and He will give you the strength to overcome these problems. The new year has already arrived; do not look at your present with the perspective of past failures, because last year’s failures do not mean you will still fail this year. Your past failures do not mean you will always fail in the future. In Jesus Christ, you can expect a beautiful future.
Matthew 9:13, For it is written: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ This means you should go and learn what this means. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Jesus quoted a passage: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. This means that your sacrifices are not wrong, but after the sacrifices, if there is no God, and you do not regard God as God, no matter how many sacrifices you offer, I do not like it because there is no mercy in your heart. Now the Pharisees had no mercy; they looked down on this group of people.
So Jesus said: “This means you should go and learn.” Jesus said: “I have not come to call the righteous.” Why did Jesus not come to call the righteous? Because there are no righteous people; if there were righteous people in this world, then Jesus would say: “I have come to call the righteous.” There are no righteous people in this world. Therefore, Jesus said: “I have come to call sinners.” But there is a group of sinners who pretend to be righteous and do not admit they are sinners. If you want to accept Jesus, you must first admit you are a sinner, and Jesus came to call you to follow Him, changing your identity. Jesus shed blood for sinners, resurrected for them, and justified them.
Once we are justified, we are no longer the old person from the past; we are a new creation. Life is no longer the same, so your perspective must also change. Do not look at the present you with the perspective of not believing in Jesus in the past; do not define the present you with last year’s you; do not judge others’ present with others’ past. Each of us is being renewed by God every day; Jesus hopes we will use new thinking to welcome new beginnings.
At the beginning, it was mentioned that Levi means united; he is now united with Jesus, so his life begins to be manifested. Just like in the past, we were wild olives, now grafted onto the vine of the Lord Jesus. From now on, as long as you are united with Jesus, your life will no longer be the same; you will no longer bear wild olives; you will bear abundant and delicious fruit because your object of union has changed.
Matthew means God’s gift, God’s grace. Since Matthew followed Jesus, God’s grace has continuously flowed upon him, and he knows it is a new beginning. So today is a new beginning; this week is a new beginning. Look at your life and the people around you with new eyes and new horizons. Finally, let’s look at Matthew’s change and see his history. Matthew was the one who preached the longest to the Jews, for fifteen years. Other disciples preached for a while and were forced to leave, but only Matthew continued to preach the gospel to the Jews. Therefore, the Gospel of Matthew was primarily written for the Jews, and later he also humbly served the Lord among the Gentiles.
In other Gospels, it is recorded that he was Levi, son of Alphaeus. What was different about his life? It was meeting Jesus that completely changed him. Later, he traveled throughout Africa to preach and gave his life for Jesus. In the Gospel he wrote, there is no hint of boasting about himself because he knows: if it were not for Jesus, my life would be a mess. He recorded Jesus’ teachings: You must go and make disciples of all nations. He himself also faithfully followed this. I believe that if Jesus can change Matthew, He can change you too. You should look at your current life through Jesus’ eyes; in Him, there is no failure; He can help you live completely differently.
Galatians 2:20-21,
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing.
Let us pray together,
Heavenly Father! We thank and praise You! The moment I believed in You, my life has already turned to You; now I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So wherever I go, You are with me, helping me. Today I live in the flesh because I believe You are the Son of God, You love me, and You will change my life.
Today marks the beginning of a new week, and I also believe You will grant me wisdom to be an example to the world because You love the world. You came into this world not to condemn the world but to save the world through You. I am willing to share this beautiful message with more people. I do not set aside Your grace; everything I have now, my life, my living, is all given by You. You can change my life, making it more abundant, and my perspective will also change. Every day, let Your words renew me. Thank and praise You! In the name of Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen!