(MBC - Wednesday PM, June 14, 2023

In this lesson, we can learn God's grace and mercy is unmeasurable, incomprehensible, unexplainable that it can totally, completely forgive any sinners no matter how worst a sinner be. Let us talk the life of Matthew from sinner to saints.

I – TRACE CERTAINED

On the list of the Apostle, let us trace, who is on the eighth place.

Read Matthew 10:2-4, find out who is the eighth apostle recorded? ___________ .

Matthew 10:2-4 “Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; ³Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; ⁴Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.”

Let us trace the other name of Matthew.

Matthew is called by another name, what is it? ____________ (Mark 2:14).

Mark 2:14 “And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.”

Let us trace the father of Matthew. Whose son was Matthew called Levi? ___________________ .

Most of the occupation of the Apostles of Jesus Christ is fisherman.

Let us trace Matthew's occupation. What is the occupation of Matthew? _______ (Matthew 10:3).

Matthew 10:3 “Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;”

II – TAX COLLECTOR

The word “publican” means “tax collector.” If Matthew is not a fisherman by occupation being a “gatherer of fish”, but is a publican, a tax collector therefore he was a “gatherer of _________.”

To the Jews who lived in the land of Israel, tax collectors were not very popular. Actually, the tax collectors were belittled and hated and considered as one of the worst kinds of sinners.

Reasons why the Tax collector (publican) were looked down upon, disliked and hated by the Jews:

1. Tax collectors work for Rome and help Roman Government.

No one even today, enjoys paying taxes. Tax collector has never been valued as a person. The ruling power at that time is the Roman government and the Jews did not enjoy being under the Roman rule, so the Jewish people hated tax collectors who worked for Rome in the New Testament times. The Jewish people would want to live rather in a free country that was not ruled or controlled by any foreign power like Rome. That is why the Israelites hated or dislike the tax collectors like Matthew who helped Rome and these publicans worked for Rome. The Jewish people at New Testament times considered these publicans or tax collectors as traitors, or renegades’ people.

2. Tax collectors help themselves to make money in very dishonest ways.

It is bad thing that these publicans worked with and for the Roman government, but it is even much worse for that certain publican are not honest in their collections of taxes because some of them overcharged the Jews and pocketed the extra for their own benefit. Through this dishonest overcharging collection of taxes and at the expense from their Jewish countrymen, they merciless made money and made themselves rich. It is one thing to be a traitor as they help and be a supporter of Rome and it is one thing to be a crook as they helped themselves to be rich in very dishonest ways.

That is why the Publicans were considered the lowest class of people and were grouped with the worst types of people.

Describe what kinds of people the tax collectors (publicans) are classified with according to Matthew:

1. Matthew 9:11 “publicans and ______________?”

2. Matthew 18:17 “an _______________ man and a publican.”

3. Matthew 21:31 “publicans and the _________________ (means wicked and immoral women)”

In spite of bad description of a publican who mostly were dishonest collectors of taxes in the book of Matthew, answer the following:

Who would you say the writer of the Gospel of Matthew? _______________ .

What is the occupation that Matthew himself described following his name? (Matthew 10:3 “Matthew the _____________).

III – TOTAL CONVERSION

When Matthew got saved by the gospel though the grace and mercy of God or became a Christian and a follower of Christ, he never forgot his past state how worst lost sinner he was. Tax collectors during the days of Jesus in this earth had a bad reputation and been disliked and hated because of dishonesty. Matthew acknowledged himself as a sinner when he called himself in Matthew 10:3 “Matthew, the publican” which means tax collector. Notice how Matthew described his past life how worst sinner he was in Matthew 18:17 “an heathen man and a publican”; in Matthew 21:31 “publican and the harlots” and the phrase in Matthew 9:11 “publicans and sinners” that is found eight times in the New Testament show us that these two terms being identified together. Interestingly, in Matthew 10:3, Matthew introduces himself as if he were saying “I am Matthew, the worst tax collector, not a good man, dishonest, crook, traitor, immoral sinner who has been saved by God’s mercy and God’s grace and forgiven through the blood of Jesus Christ. I am a great wicked sinner, saved by my great worthy Savior.”

Matthew pictured in various ways like the publican recorded in Luke 18:10-14 “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. ¹¹The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. ¹²I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. ¹³And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. ¹⁴I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” In this account the publican realized that he was a sinner and recognized that God is merciful to forgive worst sinner like he was.

Have you ever grouped with those worst kinds of sinner like Matthew? Do you realize how sinful you are? Do you recognize that no one can save you except Jesus Christ? Do you see that God can forgive all sinners, even the worst sinners through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ? Read Paul testimony in I Timothy 1:15 and know the reason why Jesus come to this world? ____________________ . I Timothy 1:15 “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”

II – TIME OF CALLING

Read Matthew 9:9 and know what Matthew was doing? _______________________________

Matthew 9:9 “And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.”

The description of Matthew about what himself was doing, it does mean that he was a tax collector.

In the same verse what is the two words that comes out from Jesus words, when He called Matthew? _____________

The words “Follow me” mean “become My disciple.”

In the same verse, when Jesus asks Matthew to do something, did Matthew quickly obeyed the words of Jesus? ________

Matthew was only interested in his occupation of pocketing extra money with overcharging dishonest collection of taxes, for Matthew was only focused and concerned about “me”, “myself” and “I”. Likewise, many people today like Matthew are only focused and concerned in themselves and thinks little about others and interested little for spiritual things and God.

Notice, everything changed at the moment Jesus called Matthew. Matthew was no longer the same Matthew who before usually focus and only interested in his business of collecting taxes and making money for himself. Notice the words in Matthew 9:9 about Matthew’s response to the calling of Jesus “he arose, and followed him,” means he begin thinking to be followers of the Lord and the welfare of others.

Read Luke 5:27-29, and find out in verse 29, what Matthew called Levi do after he arose and immediately followed Christ? ___________________

Luke 5:27-29 “And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. ²⁸And he left all, rose up, and followed him. ²⁹And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.”

In verse 28. Identify who are those 2 types of people present in the feast made by Matthew? _________ and __________.

Interestingly, the Matthew before is not interested concerning the spiritual condition of others but in this case, the Matthew who was changed now have burden and wanted others to know the only Savior Jesus Christ whom he had found personally.

Matthew was grateful and very happy when He had found the Savior Jesus Christ. Thus, Matthew was eager to help other sinful people also to find Christ, but it so sad that there were other people who opposed, criticized and complained why Jesus was eating together with those sinful people in the house of Matthew.

Luke 5:30 “But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?”

These blind people who knew not the purpose of Jesus Christ coming to earth which is to save sinners (I Timothy 1:15) had thought themselves “If Jesus is supposed to be so good and righteous, then why Jesus should eat and associate Himself with these kinds of people who are worst sinners?”

The Lord Jesus Christ has good and best answer in Matthew 9:11-13 for these other people who condemn and question why the Lord is eating and associating Himself with these publicans and sinners.

Matthew 9:11-13 “And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? ¹²But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. ¹³But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

In verse 12, Jesus replied, “They that be ________ need not a ____________.”

Please explain the spiritual meaning of what Jesus wants to say? _____________________________________

When Jesus said “They that be whole” He is talking about healthy people” and when Jesus said “need not a physician” He is talking about people who does not need a doctor.

As a Savior, Jesus means that the doctor himself needs to be among His patients. No way can the doctor help his patient if the doctor is 10 miles away, so in other words, in order for the doctor to treat his patients, the doctor needs to be with his patients.

According to the words of Jesus in our text were the publicans and sinners sick? __________________

In what way, you can say that those publicans and sinners are sick? ______________________

Who could cure those sick publicans and sinners? _______________

How about you, are you spiritually sick? ________________ .

What is the cure if you are sick? ______________

Are you sick that only Jesus can cure? ____________________

Did the Pharisees know that they are spiritual sick? _______________

Who is the great Physician who can heal the sin-sick soul? ___________________

Jesus Christ came to save sinners, in Matthew 9:13 what kind of people Christ come to save?

Matthew 9:13 “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Matthew was one of sick kind of person that Jesus refers about when He said in Matthew 9:12 “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick” and the Lord Jesus Himself was the Physician whom Matthew needed. Sin is sickness and to heal that that sick person needs to be healed by the forgiveness of God through the blood of Christ.

I Peter 2:24 “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”

Ephesians 1:7 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;”

Listen to Paul’s theological view that salvation is more than forgiveness.

Romans 3:21-31 “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; ²²Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: ²³For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; ²⁴Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: ²⁵Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; ²⁶To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. ²⁷Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. ²⁸Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. ²⁹Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: ³⁰Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. ³¹Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”

How can the righteousness of God become ours? Is it given to believers through works or by faith? Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that the righteousness of God is not obtained by works of the law or merely an acceptance in the mind of truth. Righteousness is given when there is a true trust in Christ’s work in salvation. This trust results not only in forgiveness of sins but by the believer being clothed in the very righteousness of God. It is important to understand that forgiveness of sins by itself is not enough for salvation. This belief misconstrues the holy and just nature of God that requires satisfaction of the law’s demands. Therefore, the believer must have a righteousness that satisfies God and so the clothing of the believer in righteousness not his own is essential. May this truth move our hearts to rejoice in this great act of God done on our behalf through Christ’s work.

From sinner to saint is the story of Matthew’s life. From being a publican, a sinner spiritually sick, was spiritual healed, was saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.

Matthew probably knew how to keep very careful records being a former tax collector. On the other hand, Matthew also kept a very careful and accurate record of the life and death and burial and resurrection of Christ being a believer.

The Lord used His disciple Matthew in a great and wonderful way and was given the great privilege to be the writer of the first Gospel which is the gospel of Matthew. Have you ever read or finished reading the book written by Matthew?

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