Gospel: "Master"

Thank you, and just before we continue in the Gospel, we're just going to speak briefly to the Lord in prayer. Our Father, we bow in the name of the Lord Jesus, thanking Thee that He is the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. We bless Thee for hearing of individuals that came to Him in Thy grace, and Thou hast mercifully saved them.

And we thank Thee that it is Thy desire to save others in this meeting. And we look to Thee for Thy blessing and help, to Thy honor and glory, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

If you have a Bible, I'd like you to turn with me to the Gospel of Luke, in chapter number 5, please. My name is Matthew Cain. I am visiting you from Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the east coast of Canada.

And it's my honor to be here with you. And for the Christians that are hosting this conference, I thank you very much for having me and for your kind service throughout the day. It's been nice to be here.

We're going to read about a man named Levi and his encounter with the Lord Jesus. Levi was a publican. That means that he was a tax collector, and part of a group of people that were often looked down upon, because often they cheated and they stole.

And because of their wealth and their position, they were often a despised people. But Levi one day had a life-changing experience in hearing the call of Christ. Let's read at verse number 27.

Luke 5 and 27. And after these things, he went forth, Jesus went forth, and saw a publican named Levi sitting at the receipt of custom. And he said unto him, Follow me.

And he left all, rose up, and followed him. And 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. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician.

People that are well don't need a doctor, but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Levi, here's a call from the Master.

The words that he hears from the Master are, Follow me. The Lord Jesus is the Master. I like that title.

It conveys his authority and his power. It is a word that is already used for the Lord Jesus earlier in this chapter. He has displayed that authority and that power.

When Peter comes to the Lord Jesus and the Lord Jesus tells him to put down his net to catch some fish, and Peter is hesitant, but he calls Jesus Master. And when he acknowledges that the Lord Jesus is Master, Peter catches a great number of fish. It's a miracle from the Lord Jesus.

There's another man that comes to the Lord, and that's the title he uses. He calls Jesus Lord. It's similar to Master.

And he comes full of leprosy, and when he calls Jesus Lord, he finds that the Lord Jesus has the power and the authority to cleanse him of his leprosy. And there's another man that is brought to Jesus, and he comes paralyzed. And the Lord Jesus says to him, Son, your sins have been forgiven.

The Master displays his authority to forgive sins, and people are in shock because they say only God has the authority to forgive my sins. They are right, but as Jesus speaks, he speaks with all the authority of heaven, for he is the Son of God. So when a call comes from Jesus, it is a call from the Master, and the Master had a right to call Levi, and he has a right to call you, because he is the Master.

He has authority. He has power. He is your creator.

Young boy or girl, as you sit in a meeting, remember that you are part of the creation of our creator. The Lord Jesus himself is creator. He has a right to call you.

He has made you and he has died for you and has purchased your redemption. He has a right to call you. He is Master.

He is Lord of all. It says in Acts chapter 10 and verse 36, and with this authority and power of Christ as Lord and Master, he is calling you tonight. I assure you, as you hear the preaching of the gospel through the holy scriptures, that is Christ calling you, a call from the Master.

The question is really, are you listening to his voice? Are you willing to respond to his call, to come to him, to trust him and follow him? And he calls you because he wants you to be in heaven, not in hell. And if salvation in the Lord Jesus was only an escape from hell, it would be well worth preaching. And yet it's more than that.

He calls you because he wants you to find an escape from hell and he wants you to enjoy the experience of following the Master instead of the sorrow and the disappointment and the tragedy of a life in sin. You could know what it is to praise God through the Savior. You could know what it is to gather with God's people and to sing praise to him and to know freedom that only Christ gives from sin.

That's the joy that comes in following the Master. And he's calling you tonight. He wants you to come after him.

He wants you to trust him. Levi heard the call and he responds. It says he left all, rose up, and he followed him.

He's sitting in a good job. He has a measure of authority. Likely he has money.

And when the Master calls, Levi leaves it all and he goes to Christ. We're not saying that you need to quit your job and throw away your bank account to become a Christian. The point of the matter, though, is that some people allow their job or they allow their acquaintances and their friends or they allow their money or they allow their fun and their pleasure to stand between them and Christ.

Indeed, the root of the issue between you and God is the issue of your sin. Really that is what is between you and God. But the Lord Jesus is willing to wash away those sins.

And if you would be willing to set whatever it is that may hinder you from coming to him, if you could set that aside and come in faith to the Savior, He would gladly put away all those sins. He says, follow me. He says the same word to others.

It's not always a call that people respond to. In Luke chapter 18, there is a man that hears the exact same words. He hears Jesus say, follow me.

And instead of being like Levi and leaving it all and finding salvation and peace and joy in Christ, that young man in Luke chapter 18 goes the other direction. And he allows his wealth, his money to stand between him and Christ. And it says that he went away sad.

He didn't see the priority of Christ. I want you to see that tonight, that Christ has the authority to call. And it's a call you need to respond to.

And he is worthy of your confidence. He's worthy of your allegiance, your love, your trust. Don't allow anything to stand between you and the Lord Jesus.

Whatever might hinder you, be like Levi and be willing to cast it aside that you might get to Christ. See the priority of responding to his call. Levi was very thankful.

Says he put on a great feast. That's not how Levi became a Christian. It's not how he became a follower of Christ.

We are not saved of our works or of things that we do for the Lord Jesus. But it's because the Lord Jesus has blessed him. And out of thanksgiving, he honors the Lord Jesus.

You see, gratefulness is a wonderful mark of the Christian. They all might have mentioned it. I noticed it particularly in the third brother that just told his testimony, Brent.

He started off by saying that he was thankful that the gospel came to Blue River. Thankful. And I'm thankful that the gospel came to my town and my family and it came to me.

Have you ever thanked God for the Lord Jesus? Levi did. Levi heard him call and he followed him. You see, there's a lot of confusion over who the Savior is calling.

A lot of misconceptions. And some people think, well, really, the Lord Jesus only came to call people that are particularly religious or righteous or upright or moral. And you think, I don't really fit in that religious category.

Of course, the problem with those people is that they often don't think they need the Lord Jesus. And then some others think, no, the Lord Jesus came to save people that are really out and out, that are down in the depths of sin and despair and wickedness. Those are the people that need the Lord Jesus.

Of course, the scripture presents a bit of a different picture to us. The truth of scripture is Romans chapter 3 and verse number 10 and verse number 12 that say there is none that doeth good, no, not one. And there is none righteous, not one.

And verse 22 and 23 says there is no difference for all have sinned. And whether you look down on others or look up to others, the truth of the matter is that God just puts us into one great big category. As people that have violated his commands, we are sinners according to his word and everybody needs to be saved to be in heaven.

The problem or the issue is it's only those that know that they're sinners that are ready to listen to his call. The Lord Jesus has illustrated it with this little parable of the sick and the healthy. You see, Levi and his friends were an example of what the Lord Jesus taught.

He says, people that are whole, people that are healthy, they don't need a doctor. Where I come from, a lot of people are not able to find a family doctor. There is a doctor shortage.

And so those people without a family doctor, if they just have the least little bit of illness, sometimes they would have to go down to the emergency room of the hospital and wait to see a doctor. It could be three or four hours if it's a busy time. But could you imagine somebody who goes down to the emergency room and they sit there for their three or four hours and are finally ushered in to see the doctor and the doctor says, what's wrong with you? And you say, oh, nothing really.

Well, what do you mean nothing? I mean, you've come to see the doctor, haven't you? Why have you come? Well, I'm feeling perfectly healthy. Well, why would somebody that is feeling healthy wait three or four hours to go and see a doctor? That's what the Lord Jesus is saying. People that think that they are OK, they're not going to seek the doctor.

They won't listen to his call. Of course, the truth of the scriptures is that none of us are healthy. We have all been sickened by this sin.

And yet it is only those that admit that they're sick that go to the doctor. And it's only those that acknowledge their sin that are ready to hear the master call. But he's calling sinners.

It's as if someone wakes up one morning and their wife looks at them and says, there's a there's a lump on your on your neck there. What is that? And you look in the mirror and it's not. I think it's just a swollen gland.

And a few days later, it's a little bit bigger. They say, I think you should get that checked out. You don't want to see a doctor and you say, no, it's going to go away.

I'll put some ice on it and some ointment on it. And a few days later, that tumor is such that it's constricting your swallowing. And now you recognize, yes, I've got a problem.

Now you're willing to go and see the doctor. You've been made aware of the fact that you're sick. Now, here's the gospel.

Is that when people see that that they do have a problem on the inside, indeed, it manifests itself in our actions, in our words and in our thoughts. But that disease that courses through us of sin puts us in need of God's salvation. That's why the Lord Jesus came to call us.

I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. And Levi knew his sickness and Levi hears the call of the master and he responds. And he has authority to call you tonight.

And the question is, are you going to respond when the master calls? He's calling sinners, people that are guilty. People that are going to hell because of their sin. He calls you and he wants to save you.

Once we know that we're sinners and we love to hear his call, heaven is going to be enjoyed. Heaven is going to be enjoyed by sinners that have been cleansed of their sins in responding to the call of Christ and finding forgiveness and salvation in him alone. Will you respond to his call? Levi did.

He's calling you to repent and follow him. When we say that he's calling you to repentance, it doesn't mean that he wants you to clean yourself up and get your life all changed around and get on track and then Jesus is ready for you. It's not what we're saying.

The Lord Jesus said, I came to call sinners to repentance and he wants you to acknowledge your guilt and a willingness to turn from sin and turn to Christ and find mercy in him. And God wants to know, is there a sinner here tonight who hears his call and will repent of sin and turn to the Lord Jesus to follow him? Will you be that one tonight? Will you respond to the call of the master?