The Incompatibility Of The Gospel, Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. What's this person and when you are praying please do not use meaningless repetition of the Gentiles the and then Jesus is your public prayers short and sweet and so he says please do not use meaningless repetition. Previously, our father who art in heaven, 2000, our father who art in heaven. This is how Jesus taught us to pray. Are you training. He said don't praying repetitious prayer which will distribute that's a church that's how incurably religious. We are this is praying for joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana.

Let's join Pastor Bill govern ours. Once again he shows us of God's word meets our work. Webster says that the definition of compatibility is a device or system designed to be used with another device or system without modification. That's the key without any modification. Things are compatible. There are all kinds of books written on the compatibility and marriage issues in a show. All these factors about whether or not your compatible with your spouse and when I do premarital counseling. We often go over this idea of compatibility. It makes sense, but the opposite of compatibility is incompatibility right sometimes that even occurs in our marriages and the point is, some things just don't work together at all. No matter how you try date they will not work together. That's what I want to talk about this morning. Incompatibility one can understand this, it has far-reaching implications, let me say this clearly as I can.

Jesus Christ and his gospel are incompatible with any religious system, any religious system in the world is not compatible with all of the great world religions. It's not compatible with the cults like Mormonism are Jehovah's Witnesses and it's not compatible with that. It's not compatible with religious Christendom Sacramento is him it's not compatible with any of that. And that's not my words.

That's the words of Jesus Christ, I want you to open your Bibles to Luke chapter 5 Luke chapter 5 in the text were going as verse 27 but I want to give you some context. It's a very important thing Jesus in Galilee and he's been doing his ministry and it's an interesting thing that we find out that that all of a sudden everybody became very interested in Jesus Christ as a matter fact it says in verse 17. One day was teaching and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. How many is that every single village, Jerusalem, Judea, Galilee, all the Pharisees. The reason this place is so crowded it's crowded with the religious crowd. It's crowded with the Pharisees and the scribes and there there to debate Jesus and that's the context of a very famous story that you're probably very much aware of it says and some men were carrying on a better man who was paralyzed and they were trying to bring a man and a cinema in front of Jesus, but not finding any way to bring them in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and they let them down through the tiles with the stretcher in the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. I can still remember my parents had a pictorial kind of Bible when I was a real kid and I can still remember them up on the roof with his long lines hanging this Mendon in front of Jesus.

What's interesting is Jesus doesn't deal with the healing first because Jesus wants to speak to the crowd. He wants to speak to all these Pharisees all the scribes, always religious people.

He wants to speak to them. So here's the first thing he says, he said, seeing their faith, he said friend, your sins are forgiven you know he knew to the Pharisees them are fighting words.

You see, your sins are forgiven you in the scribes and Pharisees began to reason they said who is this man who blasphemes who can forgive sins but God alone really interesting to write about that.

By the way, it is wrong about Jesus and Jesus, aware of the reasoning said why your reasoning in your hearts, which is easier to see your sins be forgiven. You are to get up and walk.

He said, but so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.

He said to the paralytic, I say to you, get up, pick up your stretcher in Gaul tremendous miracle by Christ. Verse 26 as they were all struck with astonishment, begin glorifying God. They were filled with fear and exit. We seen remarkable things today for Jesus. This is the opportunity once you see he wants to start this dialogue with the scribes and the Pharisees. He wants to begin to talk to the religious element of the day and what he wants to say to him in these next verses is real simple.

My myself the person of Jesus and my gospel are not compatible with any religion. That's what is going to say no.

What's how it develops is is after that he went out and he noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting at a tax booth is the tax collector.

Now this is in the IRS okay when you complain about the IRS. You should understand biblical taxes new one complain anymore at all. He is a tax collector were to choose their the word Republican or town to generalized word, but he's a tax collector, tax collectors or crooks and traders of the worst kind.

There is nobody in Israel that people hate more than tax collectors.

Another reason is because of the system of taxes room occupied their territory. Rome demanded certain taxes be sent to Rome and what they would do is they would set up a sort of a puppet king like Herod on deposit who is King of Galilee, and they would tell her not deposit this is how much money you have to send Rome every year and they would pick an amount now Herod on the pots, then what he would do if he would assemble what he would sell franchises to anybody in his get who wants to collect taxes for him now in order to buy a franchise impaired on deposit. You have to slip your money like under the table like business is done today. Did you slip your money under the table and then you can begin to collect taxes know what's interesting about that from that point of view is is that these are the most hated people in the nation of Israel and ends up happening is that they begin to fix taxes they had fixed taxes, poll taxes, duty taxes, goods, taxes, produce taxes, crop taxes from taxes one taxes. They even tax how many axles you had on your cart if you were to ask of you to pay more money in taxes. According the tome of the Jewish writing there were two kinds of tax gatherers two different collectors.

One group was called the goodbye other big-time operators. They have all kinds of tax collectors under them they could have dozens and dozens of tax collectors there.

The big-time operators Zach ES is a goodbye Zach ES is a chief tax collector Jackie is a wee little man was a man with enormous amount of wealth and then there's a second group in the second group is called the second group is called them mochas and the mochas are divided into two groups.

There are bigger mochas and smaller mochas.

The bigger mochas has a few people to work form and help him collect taxes and then there's the small mochas and he's a tax collector just collects himself. Matthew was called Levi with the two names. Matthew is a small time mochas. So how do you know we small time is it says so.

It says in verse 20 Ceftin appy when I noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting at a tax booth. He's right there it is. Have someone sitting up for Mrs.'s taxable know what's interesting about the story here is as hated a person as exist in the nation. Here is a man who would sold his birthright to tell you what the Jews thought of a tax collector, a tax collector was not allowed to go on a Jewish synagogue. He was not allowed to worship God.

That's how much they hated tax collectors and Jesus walks up to them and this is always says follow me.

That's it says follow me. What an interesting thing to say to a tax collector, but please understand the Bible and the New Testament makes it clear Jesus Newman's heart. Jesus never walked up and said follow me to someone he did know there are already. He knows his heart and he just says follow me know this is a tax collector using humans can make a tax Collector, a follower, not much more to make a tax collector, and apostle the words he uses with the tax collectors the same words he uses with John and Peter and James as fishermen remember they were when mending the nets. He said follow me to drop the nets and followed him. And so what you see is Jesus says follow me and us as he left everything behind and he got up and began to follow him, that errors tense means that it happened immediately.

While this is perplexing. More to the religious group than anyone else.

Now notice what happens. Levi gave a big reception for him in his house and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining at the table with them is a party. Matthew wants to expose always friends to the Savior is not exactly what happens to you, and I want to come to Christ. It should want exposure friends to the gospel in the person of Christ and Matthew doesn't now understand this party, the kind of people that were at the party. I don't think any of you would be at the party.

Now I'm going on a limb here, but good decent folk would never be at this party. This is the party of tax collectors and prostitutes. This is the riffraff of their society.

These are the lowest rung people in their society and matters having a big party and Jesus is there. Jesus is there and apparently at last quite a long period of time because it says they were reclining with them.

So this could been several hours. Matthew just once exposed Jesus to always friends religious people don't like that very much. This is the Pharisees and scribes began grumbling at his disciples and they said, why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners were upstanding people or churchgoing people see more the better. People in society what why would you why would you ever go and be with a bunch of tax collectors, Jesus of course overhears it. He's orchestrated at all till now.

And Jesus answered and said this is not those who are well who need a physician with those who were sick. Please understand something. Jesus is not inferring that the scribes and Pharisees are well.

This is called sarcasm. Okay, Jesus is being sarcastic. The scribes and Pharisees know exactly what you saying but he says look when you call a doctor, you don't call a doctor and he comes in your sick hey I just want to get on from grade today you call a doctor because you're sick. That's the whole point.

And Jesus says that's my analogy know what goes on. He says I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. I have not come to call righteous people.

Now do you think Jesus believed they were righteous. They believe they were righteous. Yes, religious people always do.

You see, they believe they were righteous people and they understood what Jesus was saying and they hated him for. They just hated this is just the beginning of the hatred they hate him all the way through the rest of his ministry. That's what Jesus near the end of his ministry starts a warning to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. He goes right after the they hate him so much that they make sure he is crucified. That's the hatred because Jesus is inferring too good, righteous, religious people that there sinners are just sinners from his point of view.

There are no different than tax collectors are all the same call back that up. Remember, all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There is none righteous, not even one. You see, that's the point that Jesus is making, and of course that's drawing a line in the sand of these kind of people and their very upset with them and so immediately what you see people do. When Jesus points out your sin so often what you want to do is change the subject. In their case they want to get on your religious subject using our talk about some religious thing here is important to me. So here's what they bring out they said to him, the disciples of John, often fast and offer prayers and it says the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but yours.

The decedent drink is kind of funny thing about it. Go wait wait wait disciples are better than yours.

I disciples they fast the nape right your disciples don't do any of that stuff while this is exactly what I believe Jesus wanted them to say he wants to expose this whole idea that the religion is not compatible with him.

It's interesting here because Jesus then responds and said to them, you cannot make the attendance of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them.

Can you that's an interesting statement.

You see as religious people always do.

They set up externals and they measure your religion by how faithful you are to their externals whenever they are these of the things you need to do if you do these things well enough, then God be so impressed that you be willing to have a relationship with you because of the good things you've done, and so they took prayer and fasting and they made it a religious external this the Pharisees taught and had talked for a couple hundred years, you need to fast two days a week you need to fast on Monday and Thursday. You must fast on Monday and Thursday of your righteous person and so every Monday and Thursday. They would fast.

This is the way they did it whenever they would pray to go on public stand on the street corner and then pray their prayers were allowed and real long so everyone could hear them because that's what good religious people do, so that other people can see what they're doing. Jesus had a little bit different perspective of this to say the least. Jesus decides to do something else with it. Turn with me to Matthew chapter 6 Matthew chapter 6 you may wondered how how come John the Baptist disciples are also fasting and praying. Please understand this a lot of John the Baptist disciples did know much about Jesus. Some people when G member of Jesus is baptized by John and John said, behold the Lamb of God, it takes away the sins of the world. If you were there that day you would know that John right now is nowhere to be fun is in prison. His voice is still he's now in prison waiting to be beheaded. So many of his disciples. These were Jews and whatnot baptized by John and you're all excited, the Messiah's coming. Not sure yet even who Jesus is but they're going to do the good religious things at the top by Judaism by the scribes and Pharisees.

The best example I can think of this in acts chapter 19 in a missionary journey. They wanted to. Some guys all the way in Greece and when they run into them they say to him.

Have you received the Holy Spirit and the guys I love the response when everyone heard of the Holy Spirit when you know what you're talking about. So they said wait and what baptism were you baptized in a St. John's they had come to pass over something that baptized by John and then went back to Greece and going about Jesus member there's no media they're not writing you listen on the radio, hereby Jesus watch them on TV text about Jesus.

Nothing's going on like that then you know Jesus was and so they end up receiving Christ way later, all the way in acts 19 so there practicing religion well when you get that Matthew six, the sermon on the Mount, Jesus wants to speak and notice how we start. He said beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them. That's Jesus definition religion you want to know what is definition. Religion is there to practice your righteousness before men, so they can see what you're doing whatever it is he said beware of that he said he said otherwise you will have no reward with your father's in heaven.

God's as the religion is a work like that true religion doesn't work like that is not to be noticed by people. Jesus is so when you give to the poor do not sign the trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they may be honored by men that interesting.

Let's help the poor. I got $100 or to help the poor, bump, bump, I got 100 bucks right for what you see the poor going to get this would never do that would someone makes a donation. He put his name on a window or pew. We never do that you don't do this be noticed by men. That's what Jesus says. Then he says in verse five when you pray you not to be like the hypocrites they love to stand and pray in the synagogues on the street corners so they may be seen by men. I said don't do that.

He said I said verse six but you, when you pray going to your inner room, close the door and pray to your father's in sync with your father who sees in secret will reward you any snow. What's this for seven and when you are praying please do not use meaningless repetition of the Gentiles do, and then Jesus is when your public maker prayers short and sweet and so he says please do not use meaningless repetition.

Previously, our father who art in heaven, and when we do 2000 years of our father who art in heaven. This is how Jesus taught us to pray. Are you kidding he said don't praying repetitious prayers. We so let's repeat that when that's the church that's how incurably religious. We are this just pray I'm in some of the disciplines. Think about this is amazing in order to do penance for your sin, they make you say, 27, our fathers say it over and over and over again and then your sins covered really, how would anybody possibly believe that is not done he says in verse 16 whenever you fast, he said, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their parents so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting true, a city you they have their reward in full. Pharisees were known on Mondays and Thursdays to get some charcoal and put on the cheeks and run their eyes and probably get there worse close and then walk around. Sorta like this how you don't move him fasting your really godly man, Jesus is very upset by that.

This is ridiculous. It's like you don't even understand what a fast is about. If you think of all the fast of the Old Testament. Many day fast several days, fast weeks, fast 40 day fast one fast.

Guess how many fast in the Old Testament are commanded by God for us. One in Leviticus, the day of atonement date Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, the nation is the fast, why we are fasting about what our sin, remember that they're going to carry away our sin for another year.

Fasting in the Old Testament is always linked to grieving and morning when you're grieving and morning the whole idea of a fast, by the way, and then America's culture is a little different look you want to fast for health reasons coed but please don't try to combine health reasons with spiritual reasons, the faster the Bible has nothing to do with how healthy it is for you to fast you want to fast, go ahead one faster health go head but don't make it like it spiritual because your fasting that's as bad as what the religious people are doing you fast, because the circumstances of her life are so grieving is so burdensome, so heavy that you want to be distracted about anything except prayer to God. You want to have someone you love very very much fighting for the life in intensive care and get some is not to walk up things and you want to go have dinner not going are you know Windows why I'm focused on one thing the life of this person that's with fasting. That's what fasting supposedly it's not magical it's not mystical if none of those things.

It's a preoccupation with God without distraction.

That's what he says you have to do bathroom the radio ministry of fellowship in the world. If you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just like the listen to the message one more time. Remember, you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online that website you will find on today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio program, had Fellowship in the Word.

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