Matthew Tag

Hosting a Supper for Sinners

Becoming a Christian can be summarized into three words: Admit, submit, and commit. Jesus is a doctor for those of us who are suffering from the fatal sickness of sin. But before you’ll ever go to the doctor, you’ve got to admit that you have a problem. You must admit you are sinner. Then you have to submit to the doctor’s care. You must submit your wounded heart to the Healer. Then you’ve got commit yourself to the doctor’s plan. You need to take the medicine every day; or follow the treatment regimen every day. You’ve got to be committed to the cure. In the same way, you’ve got to commit to follow Jesus every day.

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The Doctor Who Still Makes House Calls

When Jesus looks at us, He doesn’t just see the “AS IS” sign around our necks He also sees something more—He sees “what I can be” when He takes possession of my life. He delights in accepting “as is” people and transforming them into something wonderful. He saw Matthew “as is” and saw what he could become. He didn’t just see a despised tax collector, Jesus saw a “facts collector” who would one day use his pen to write down His words and deeds. Jesus accepted the woman at the well in Samara “as is.” He knew she had a jaded past and was living in sin, but he looked beyond that to see she could be a relational evangelist bringing her thirsty friends to find the living water. Jesus looked at little Zacchaeus and saw Him “as is”–another despised tax collector. And He saw He could become a generous giver. Jesus looks at each of us and accepts us “As Is.” Then He says, “I see what you can become.” And we should look at people the way Jesus looks at people. We should be willing to accept them “as is” and rejoice as Jesus makes them into something beautiful.

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The Miracle of the Virgin Birth

An interesting thing about the list of names in Jesus’ genealogy is some of the people on the list we might think weren’t spiritually qualified. For instance: Rahab (who was once a prostitute) and Ruth (who was not Jewish, but Moabite). There are some pretty lousy kings who made the list too. Manasseh was one of the worst kings in Israel’s history. The Bible says he led Israel into sin and did more evil than any other king. The point is that God can use all kinds of people. If He can redeem the life of a former hooker, an unclean Gentile, and a lousy king, do not be surprised that He can make something special of your life, even if your past is less than perfect.

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