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I want to talk to you a little bit tonight about one particular disciple. His name is Matthew. And if you look in your Bible at Matthew chapter 9, that's where we're going to be going. Jared always says, uh, meet me in Matthew chapter 9. And I don't know why he says that, but I figure it's a good thing to say it in pastor. So meet me in Matthew chapter 9. But we're going to talk about Matthew, who was one of the disciples. But before we read our verses for tonight, I want to tell you something about all the disciples that probably you didn't know. Okay? Number one, most of the disciples were teenagers. Okay? In fact, the youngest was probably John. He definitely was the youngest. He probably was only 15 years old. The oldest was Peter. Probably him and Matthew were the only ones that were beyond 20. And some scholars would say that not even Matthew was beyond 20, because when they had to go pay the temple tax, and all the disciples were paying the temple tax, in Matthew chapter 17, only Peter and Jesus had to pay the temple tax. Well, who had to pay the temple tax? People that were 20 years of age and older. Right? In that culture in that time, you got married when you were 18, and only Peter was married. In that culture in that time, you could become a rabbi when you were 30. When did Jesus start his earthly ministry? How old was he? 30. You ever wonder why Jesus didn't start his earthly ministry until he was 30? Because you couldn't be a rabbi until you were 30. And when he turned 30, he became a rabbi, and rabbis chose disciples from an age category who were ready to be trained, who had gone through all the Jewish systems, and they were 15-year-olds. They were from the ages of 15 to 18. Many of them were picked because they were educated. Many of them were picked because they were rich, but Jesus chose his disciples not because of any one of those reasons. He chose his disciples because he wanted to fill them up with him and use them to change the world. Now, I could do a really long talk on how Jesus called the disciples and changed them and called them to change the world. But just with that background, think about it. Does it remind you of our cultural moment today? College students? Except we have 18 to 22 year olds. They had 15 to 20 year olds. He spent three years with them. And then he gave them the Great Commission. Little scary, isn't it? And yet Jesus established that pattern even before he came as a man because God has been using young people throughout biblical history. And since the disciples, literally, God has used young people who rally together and fully leverage their life for the sake of the kingdom so that they literally can change the world. Did you know the whole university system in our country? For example, have you heard of these colleges? Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, any of you guys know how they were started? As seminaries to train pastors for the colonies. Because revival was breaking out in our country and it was the first great awakening. And who was leading that great awakening? Young people who were on fire for the Lord and advancing the gospel to the next place and the next place. So they established universities. In fact, I think it's Harvard that says, cursed is all learning that is not rooted in the Word of God. Is that what Harvard is known for today, by the way? No. No. But still, guess what? God is raising up a new generation. And I believe He's going to change the world. And I believe that 100,000 students here in Milwaukee, guys, God is capable of reaching them. I went and did a lap around, is it called Fisserv? Where the Bucks play? Was it? Okay, Pfizer, Fizzr. I mean, it looks like Fizzerv, doesn't it? I'm Pfizer, Fizzr's. So I messed up. I'm not a Bucks fan, I'm an AJ Green fan, right? So I'm telling you what, I walked around that place and prayed that someday it would be filled with a different kind of worshiper. A worshiper who was there to worship the one true God because it would be the only place in this city that would be able to hold the number of people who would gather to worship something that is worth worshiping. Wouldn't that be awesome? Wouldn't it be great if it started with you? Matthew had no idea what was about to happen to him, but we're going to listen to his story and look at it real quickly together. Verse 9 of Matthew chapter 9. By the way, Matthew wrote this book. And it goes like this. As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And he said to him, Follow me. And he got up and followed him. While he was reclining at the table in Matthew's house, many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? Now when he heard this, he said, It is not good. It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means. I desire mercy and not sacrifice, for I didn't come to call the righteous but sinners. Let's pray. Lord, help us get deeper insight into your word. But I wish Matthew was here because I know that he would giddy up these students to give the rest of their life for your namesake. But Lord, help us to touch into it just a little bit. To taste it just a little bit. That maybe we would make a decision tonight that would change the rest of our lives. That's my ask of you. And I ask that in Jesus' name. Amen. A little bit about Matthew. Already told you he was likely a teenager. He was a tax collector. He was probably a young tax collector. He had another name. Anybody know his other name? This is audience participation, by the way. Levi, not the genes. Okay. In Mark and in Luke, he is called Levi. And because that was his name. Do we know anything about Levi in the Old Testament? The Levites were the what?

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Priests?

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Priests, right? They were the sons of Leah, the ugly sister, right? That's what the scripture says, you know, or at least she had bad eyes. And it the name Levi literally means he sees me, or maybe now he will see me. The third son, and they became the priest. So tax collectors in that day, good people or bad people? Bad people, right? Who are some of the worst people in our culture today? Preachers, kids, would that qualify? What was Levi supposed to be? You followed your dad's example. You became what your dad was. If you didn't get discipled by a rabbi, you apprentices with your dad. In fact, Jesus was a what? Because his dad was a what? Levi was supposed to be a priest because his dad was a priest. But you know how he felt about church and religion and the priesthood and all of the trappings that come with the church these days? You know what Levi thought? I think he thought that's a pile of crap. And there's nothing to it. And what does a preacher's kid do? When he's rebelling against what he learned? In fact, do you know in Matthew there's more scripture in the Old Testament quoted in Matthew than any other gospel? You wonder why that is? Because he was trained in the scriptures. He was a preacher's kid. And he explained the scriptures. Right? And so now here's this preacher's kid who's in his tax booth, and he's way out of line. The worst thing that you could do in Jewish culture to throw your middle finger in the air to the Jews is to collect taxes. You were a traitor. You worked for the Roman government and you taxed Jews and you took advantage of them and you got to keep any that you taxed over what you were demanded to have. And so all of them taxed them a whole, whole bunch. So now he's a young dude making a lot of bank. Jesus walks by. Now, if you read the stories of Mark and of Luke, it talks about that he was an affluent tax collector. And it says when Jesus called him in Matthew that we read, it says that he got up and followed him right away. And you'll notice this about all the disciples. When the Lord Jesus calls them, they didn't argue. They just got up and went. But it says that Matthew left everything. And I love what it says in Luke that he threw a banquet for Jesus. Said that in Matthew, too. He had a big party, it was at his house. So this guy was not only a young guy who was making bank, it was a young guy who was a good businessman because he was already had his own house. And so he invited his own friends. And so who gathered at the house? Did you see it in the text? It was tax collectors and sinners. Code name prostitutes. Would you be comfortable at that party?

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Jesus was.

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Anybody know where that verse is from? It's a quote from the Old Testament. Anybody know where it's from? Hosea. Do you know the story of Hosea? This is a crazy story. Okay, a guy called by God, the prophet of God, his name is Hosea.

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God said, Hosea.

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He said, Yes, God. He said, Here's what I want you to do. He said, I'll do anything, God. Here I am, your servant. I'll follow you. He said, There's a prostitute in town. Her name is Gomar. I want you to go marry her and be faithful to her. That's what he did. And then Gomar went back to prostitution after she was married to Hosea. And God said to her, Well, you know, she committed adultery now. Throw her out. In fact, the law says, pick up rocks and stone her to death. Is that what God said? What did God tell Hosea to do? He said, I desire mercy more than sacrifice. You go get her and be faithful to her. Win her back. Buy her out of slavery. Only Matthew includes that. It's his book. When Jesus ran into Matthew, Matthew saw something in Jesus that he had never seen in religion before. He saw something real. And he had the right foundation, but he just didn't have the right relationship. And Jesus spoke to his heart and he said, follow me. And Matthew left everything and followed Jesus. But don't miss this. Not only did he leave everything and follow Jesus, he wanted Jesus to meet all of his friends. I don't know what happened at that party that night, but I imagine that a lot of Matthew's friends met Jesus. Because Jesus had had away with sinners, didn't he? Who was the one that Jesus was always annoyed with and he converted only a handful of them? Anyone know? The religious elite. The scribes and the Pharisees. But Jesus was always getting accused of doing something on the Sabbath, breaking the law. Jesus was always getting accused of being a drunkard and a glutton, but he wasn't a drunkard, nor was he a glutton. Jesus was always being accused of hanging out with sinners. Why? Because he was hanging out with sinners. Why? Because that's the only kind of people there are. Because the most righteous of all people, from the perspective of God, are filthy, rag sinners. But Matthew understood his sinfulness. And what did he want? He wanted Jesus to meet his friends. And so he threw a party for his friends so that they could meet Jesus. So the first call is Have you heard the voice of Jesus? Jesus does not want you to be a religious fanatic. He doesn't. I know a lot of pastors, and I like a handful of them. In fact, I was doing a call with a couple guys today. I'm not even going to tell you the city, but they have a lot of singing there. Um so uh we're thinking about planting a church there because it's a pretty prominent university there, and so we were talking to a couple of pastors, and and uh uh I just could not wait to get off the call. You know what I'm talking about because these guys were so Christian that they weren't having any impact on anybody around them, guys. Your city is known as the city of steeples. Why? Because there are churches everywhere, and how many people are in those churches? And I look on the streets in your city and I don't see a bunch of saved people, I see a bunch of lost people, I see a lot of sinful people, I see a lot of hurting people, I see a lot of broken people, and doggone it. Isn't the church supposed to be a light that shines in the darkness, that calls people out of the darkness into the light? And isn't the church supposed to be salt that brings purification and flavor into a city? Isn't that what the church is supposed to be? Look at your city. At one point, this city was hopping because churches were growing and flourishing and being built on every corner because people were wanting to go to church and filling those churches. And now you know what you're known for? You guys have more drinks per person than any other city in this country. Did you know that? That's what AI told me. I couldn't believe it. Six drinks a day per person.

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Wow! Man, are they cooked to the river?

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So the call of Matthew is on your life. But it's not a call to be a religious weirdo. I took a group of students to a church camp, and uh we were there all week. We had a great time. We were worshiping the Lord. It was just a great time. And at the end of the week, there was a guy that came up to me afterwards. He said, I figured out the difference between your group and the other groups. I said, Oh yeah, what is it? I was curious. He said, Here's the thing: your students, they're normal. I said, like, what do you mean? He said, Well, they're not like a church group. We call them Christian bubbles. You know Christians that are so godly that they're really uncomfortable around non-Christians. You know those Christians that are afraid to hear a secular song because they think somehow a demon might come in them, or you know, afraid to watch a really well-done movie, or you know, where you have to feel apologetic if I got caught. You see those, you see that cut across my hand? I got caught in a beaver trap that was meant to kill beavers. And and here's what I learned I don't swear anymore. Okay, I'm 63. Because if there was ever an appropriate time to swear, that would have been it. Right? And I thought afterwards, after I got dealing with the pain, I thought, man, that's cool. I don't swear anymore. But sometimes it's almost there's sometimes it's appropriate to swear, but you know how when you have to be really apologetic around people, if you you know those people because what kind of person do you think Matthew was? When he converted, do you think he became like his dad? I'm telling you what kind of person Matthew was. Matthew was a guy who lived his life with a passion for lost people. You know the context in which Jesus said the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost? Anyone know? Please, somebody get this right. You know that verse? The Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost? You've heard it, right? Are you with me? It was in the context of Zacchaeus, who was a wee little man, but what was Zacchaeus? Who was Zacchaeus? A tax collector. We're talking about give back tonight. Um, Zacchaeus, what did he do? He gave half of everything he had, and he was rich to the poor. And then if he took money from you, he paid you back four times. And I'm telling you, he took money from you. That meant he was really good at money. Because he got a God exchange, right? When Jesus changes your life, it's not a problem to give money. Some of you saying, Well, I don't have any money. What I used to do at give back night, just so you know, Mike, I don't know where you are now. I can't see, I got a spotlight on me, right? So uh you don't have to give back tonight. You can actually give back after your summer job and make a commitment to give something. Because it's always good to invest in something that's investing in you. But Zacchaeus, he did it all the way. And Matthew abandoned everything to follow Jesus, left it all behind because he found the real deal. So, what does that mean for you? Briefly. Right? Jesus is not asking you to believe in him. Pay attention to me right now. Some of you think you're gonna go to heaven when you die because you believe in Jesus. Ambassador is teaching James, and James, the brother of Jesus, he said this, the demons believe. Some of you are thinking you're gonna go to heaven because you do more good stuff than bad stuff. Well, if you look at Adam and Eve, how much bad stuff that they have to do before they were thrown out of the garden. They disobeyed God once, and their disobedience, what was it? They ate fruit. So one sin is enough to get you distant from God. So God is not wanting you to do good stuff so that you go to heaven. He actually did it for you. But what he's asking of you, he's saying, I gave my life for you, and I'm calling you to give your life for me. I'm calling you to be a Matthew. Now, Zacchaeus remained a tax collector, but Matthew gave it all up, and some of you would abandon all of your life ambitions to follow heart after Jesus. Most of you would continue to follow heart after Jesus with whatever ambition he's given you, but he is not looking for your simple belief and your church attendance. He's wanting to radically change your life so that your defining moment is in college when you begin to walk with Jesus in such a way that people, if they knew you, they meet Jesus. That's what it means to be called. Not so that you believe in Jesus, but so that you literally follow him so that you become his. They're hard to read. Here's what he said. When Jesus calls a man, he bids him come and die. What did Jesus said? If anyone wishes to follow after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. Deny yourself, take up his cross, death and follow me, obedience to me. Yes, Lord. And I'm telling you tonight, if you hear the call of God on your life and you surrender to him, I have yet to find a student who fully devoted their life to following Jesus. And I've been doing it now for 40 years, who regretted it. But I've met a lot of them who trained Rector Life because they thought they had a better way. And you do not. The choices you're making today are the person you're gonna be in the future. Don't think when you graduate you're gonna shift the gear. Begin today. Jesus is calling you today. Hear your name. Let Jesus walk past your booth and hear your name.

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Joseph. Follow me. Molly. Follow me. Jim, follow me. Willie, follow me.

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He's calling us. And if you follow him, guess what?

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He will send you into your workplace, into your university, into your families, into your future to have an impact for his kingdom. I pray that's the kind of people you would be. Lord, thank you for tonight. Thank you for Salt Company. I love college students. I would love to sit and talk all night with this group. I pray that you would embolden us with your spirit, help us to worship you in spirit and in truth. And I pray, God, that there's anybody here who doesn't know you yet, that they would be willing to continue to ask questions until they understand that the gospel call on their life is not simple to believe, but simply to lay down their life to follow you because of their belief. And I pray, Lord, that the righteousness that you give us would compel us to live a life that makes a difference in the lives of others. So that the people that we meet will have an opportunity to meet you and get their life changed as well. Thank you, Jesus, for being with us. We pray in your name. Amen.