God’s People Get Involved

Matt. 9:9-13

Introduction:

1. Years ago I bought my first riding lawn mower. On my first attempt to cut the grass, I went all the way around my large yard with the blades down but unengaged. I couldn’t understand why the grass wasn’t cut—till I understood that I was not engaged.

2. Jesus was not afraid to get involved in the lives of people

3. The ministry of Jesus was proactive—not reactive

4. He was a physician who wanted to bring spiritual healing into the lives of spiritually ill people—healing broken lives and hearts

5. He was not afraid of the Pharisee’s criticisms

I. Jesus Set the Example and Taught Involvement:

1. Matt. 4:23 And Jesus was going about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.

a. teaching, proclaiming the kingdom: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (4:17)

b. healing every kind of disease and sickness

2. Jesus touched a leper, who was unclean and cut off from the people Matt. 8:1-3 And when He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came to Him, and bowed down to Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

3. Mark 6:35-44 Jesus was involved in feeding hungry people

a. when others did not want to take the time, Jesus provided

b. Jesus had compassion, worried they may faint on the way

c. Jesus cared about the little matters and the big

4. Luke 10:25-37 The Good Samaritan

a. Jesus did not answer this lawyer—“Oh you don’t have to do anything to inherit eternal life—it is a gift!”

b. No Jesus challenged him with a demand of total love, total commitment.

c. Love your neighbor as yourself: “Who is my neighbor?”

d. Pharisees thought that only another Pharisee was his neighbor. Jews thought only another Jew was to be helped. They would not touch the unclean person.

e. The Samaritan did more than could be expected to care for the injured man

f. 10:36,37 "Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands?" And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same."

5. Matt. 25:30-46 Jesus will judge us on our involvement

6. Jesus got involved in our sins

a. John 10:17,18 "For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father."

b. 1 Pet. 2:24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

c. 2 Cor. 5: 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

d. Gal. 1:4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

II. God Wants Us to Get Involved With Christ

1. John 15:8 "By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”

2. John 15:2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.”

a. God does not want branches that look good, beautiful, luxurious leaves but fails to have fruit.

b. are you bearing fruit? Would God prune your branch?

c. Theodore Roosevelt said, “in the battle of life it is not the critic that counts; not the man who stumbled, or where the doer of a deed could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have tasted neither victory nor defeat.”

3. Can people see your faith? James 2:14-18

4. 2 Cor. 12:15 And I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls.

5. Acts 26:15ff.

15 "And I said, 'Who art Thou, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.

16 'But arise, and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you;

17 delivering you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you,

18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.'

19 "Consequently, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision,

Conclusion:

1. Some years ago in Tucson, Ariz., an older lady named Nellie Brown died from exposure after she fell into a mud puddle while carrying her groceries home. The tragic thing about this even is that as people passed by in cars, they simply ignored her screams for help. People in a nearby apartment complex also ignored her screams. Nellie Brown died because people did not want to get involved.

2. You will never be involved in your faith if:

a. you are too busy being involved in other things.

b. you are too wrapped up in pleasure.

c. you cannot hear the cries of those who need you

d. you do not see the lost around you.

e. you do not understand how great a price was paid for you