We turn to the passage we read in Matthew chapter 9. And there in the midst of this chapter from verse 9 we read, 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. And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, why eateth your master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, they that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 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. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice. Our great need as sinners before a holy God is salvation. Throughout this chapter we read of several who are pictures of a great need of salvation, of several sick, One sick of the palsy, so sick that he couldn't come to Christ to be healed, but others carried him on his bed. And the Lord, seeing him, forgave him. A woman who had an issue of blood for 12 years, she could not heal herself, comes unto Christ, and he made her whole. blind men who cried out unto Jesus to have mercy upon them. Thou son of David, have mercy on us. And he touched their eyes, saying, according to your faith be it unto you. A dumb man possessed with a devil whom Christ delivered. All pictures in an outward form of sinners who are wretched within. Those like you and I who are sick of the palsy, sick with sin that we cannot deliver ourselves from, that we cannot free ourselves from. Sin that pervades all that we are, all that we do, all that we think. A woman with an issue of blood, she was bleeding, she was dying. And we are bleeding and dying by nature from the day we're born. We go forth speaking lies, we're sinners. We cannot help ourselves. There is an issue of blood from us, an issue of death that pours out from our hearts. Everything we say and do condemns us. until there's no more life left within us until the last drop of blood pours away and we sink into eternity. We're dying. Spiritually we are blind men that cannot see and we need one to touch our eyes that we may see. We are truly dumb men possessed with devils. Such is the nature of sin within our hearts. We are as those possessed with a devil. That devil calls sin an evil heart that corrupts all that we are and all that we do. If we knew what we were, if we knew the depth of our sin and the reality of it before a holy God, we'd be crushed. We'd drop down dead in a moment if God showed us just how evil our hearts truly are. We only stand up and breathe because He is gracious enough to us to only show us in measure. But when God begins to reveal unto us just what we are, just how blind we are, just how dead we are, just how dumb we are, just how possessed we are by sin, how it breaks us, how it crushes us, how it teaches us our need of salvation. And if God is pleased to send us the truth by the gospel in Christ, we will come to see that salvation is by mercy, by the grace of God alone, and can come no other way. Jesus said unto these Pharisees, they that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. You will only seek salvation. You will only desire salvation. You will only desire the mercy of Christ if you know you're sick. He says, I'm not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance will only cry out unto him. will only come to Him when we're shown by His Spirit that we are sinners and not righteous as we think we are by nature. The Pharisees had no time for His mercy, had no need of it because they thought they were righteous. And by nature you and I are the same. But Jesus said unto them, and he says unto us and all that will hear, go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice. Go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice. The gospel It's not a message of reward for our goodness. It's not a message of the reward of heaven, of salvation, to those that work, to those that are better than others, to those with a zeal in religion. Salvation does not come as a consequence of our efforts, our striving, our zeal. It's not a reward for our prayers or our scripture reading or our attendance at meetings. It's not a reward for any outward good that we may do, for our upright living. It's not a reward for our zeal or our desire or our attempting or trying to please God however imperfect. We may know that we're not perfect. We may know that we're sinners. But we may feel that we do better than others. And at least we come to the meeting. And at least we want to know God. And at least we're striving. And at least we pray. And surely God will reward my desire, my attempts, my sincerity. But when we come to Him like that, Christ will respond and say, go and learn what it meaneth. I will have mercy and not sacrifice, for I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. Go away and learn what you are and learn what it means. that salvation is of grace, I will have mercy and not sacrifice. I will show mercy unto a people that can do nothing else, unto a wretched, vile, lost people who have no ability, no strength, no wisdom, who are at the end of themselves, who know they're wicked from head to toe, who know they're lepers, who know they're sick at a palsy, who know they're dying with an issue of blood, who know they're dead in trespasses and sins, who know they're blind, they cannot see, they do not know the way. I will have mercy unto such as these. for mercy is at the heart of the gospel. It is the gospel, the grace of God that brings salvation, the forgiveness of God through the blood of Jesus Christ. He came not to call the righteous but sinners. He came not to condemn, He came not with the law to condemn us and to slay us and to judge us, but he came preaching the gospel of the kingdom. He came preaching the grace of God. He came declaring unto his own and to wretched lost sinners like you and I and to the dead and to the weak. He came to them, to sinners, saying, I will have mercy and not sacrifice. Before we will ever understand what it means that I will have mercy, we must be brought to understand just how bad we are by nature. just how leprous we are, just how weak we are. I will have mercy, not sacrifice. Who was he speaking to? These Pharisees. When the Pharisees saw that publicans and sinners came to Christ and sat down with him, that he ate with publicans and sinners, they saw it and said to his disciples, why eateth your master with publicans and sinners? They condemned him. When Christ healed the sick of the palsy and said unto him, thy sins be forgiven thee, certain of the scribes said within themselves, this man blasphemeth. All they did when they saw him and heard him heal, save, deliver, When they saw the grace of God in Jesus Christ, they found fault and condemned Him. And when they looked on others, all they could see was their faults and their failings. Because their whole approach unto God was on the basis of what they did and how they performed. They came to God based upon their works, their righteousness, their uprightness, their holiness. They looked on others and saw that they were better than them. They saw these publicans and sinners that sat with Christ and they thought, well I'm not like they are. I don't go where they go, I don't do what they do, I don't say what they say. I go to the house of God, I read the scriptures, I pray, I'm zealous. God will receive me, not these sinners, not these wretched people in the streets, not these vile blasphemers. So when they saw those sat with Christ, they were full of consternation. How could he sit with these and not us? How they hated it. How they hated this message of grace and of mercy. How much they had sacrificed in their lives for God. What a sacrifice they made with their time. What a sacrifice they made of their money in order to serve God. Oh how zealous they were, they gave up everything. They were at every meeting. They were listening, they were doing every day. They made such a sacrifice and here's Christ passing them by and sitting with publicans and sinners that deserve condemnation. What is your attitude when you hear of Christ's mercy in this way? Or when you hear of those that sin, what's your attitude to them? Should someone be brought unto you found in sin, found in adultery, like that woman that was dragged before Christ in John chapter 8, the Pharisees, they brought that woman unto him, found in adultery, found guilty, they caught her. The scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us that such should be stoned. But what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down and with his finger wrote on the ground as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last. And Jesus was left alone, and a woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself and saw none but the woman, he saith unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? Have no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more. Now if you were like those scribes and Pharisees, when you come across someone who falls, When somebody sins, what's your attitude to them? Do you say, well, they've broken the law. We can't have this. We can't have this in the church. They must be disciplined, cast out. They can come back when they're better. Or do you see your own sin and say, well, I could have done worse. And in my heart, I've done worse. Do you show mercy unto those that fall? Or do you condemn? I will have mercy and not sacrifice, the Lord said. But how the Pharisees hated this. They brought that woman unto him in order to accuse him. To see whether he would bring down the judgment of Moses' law which rightly condemned her. Or whether he would set it aside so they could say, oh he despises the law, he sets aside judgment. How can you set it aside in order to forgive? but he exposed their own sin and their own hypocrisy in condemning another. How they hated this. How they hated his forgiveness, how they hated his mercy, how they hated his being merciful to sinners that they would condemn. And how do religious today hate it? In spite of all they may claim, in spite of all they may say, Religious man hates the message of grace, of forgiveness, and of mercy when it's truly preached. By nature we find fault one with another. By nature we can see all the wrong in our brother and sister, all the wrong in our fellow men, and none of our own sin. By nature we are not gracious, we are not forgiving, we are not merciful. You can see this all around the world, all around you and if you look within you can see it within. when someone is found out how many voices are raised up in condemnation when someone in public life falls from height when someone that's known is accused of some crime how many voices there are that raise up and say yes they should be thrown out take their job away from them put them behind bars how self-righteous we are when every one of us is as guilty We've all done the same in our hearts. We're all just as wicked. We all need mercy and we all have no ability to please God. You see the blindness of these Pharisees and the blindness of you and I by nature is that we do not know what we are. To look upon others as though we're better than them shows the utter blindness in our hearts to what we are. We are no better. We're vile, we're lepers. We're dead. And our works and our righteousness and our religion is vile. It's just pride. It's just coming to God, seeking a reward, trying to make a deal with him. Trying to say, I've done this and I've done that, now reward me with salvation. It's just seeking our own end. It's just selfishness. We don't serve him because we love him. We serve him for what he will give us. Now many will say, well I know that I'm a sinner. And I know I cannot live right before God. I know that I cannot keep his law to perfection. I know that I'm going to fall short. I know that if righteousness demanded my perfect keeping of the law, I'm never going to come to that level. I know that. I know I come short. But surely God will reward my desire. If He looks upon my heart, He knows that I'm trying my best. He knows I desire to be saved. He knows I know I'm not good enough, but I'm trying to read the scriptures and I'm trying to pray. He knows that I'm trying, I'm sincere in my works. But this is why Christ says even to them, Go ye and learn what that meaneth. I will have mercy and not sacrifice. Our works, however weak, however feeble, however sincere, however hard we try, if we don't come to God knowing that we are utterly wretched and at His mercy, All we're doing is presenting our sincerity as being deserving of salvation. It may not be much, Lord, but I'm sincere. Give me heaven. We're coming in the pride of our own will and our own self-righteousness, however small it may be, however sincere it may be. and in so doing we are turning our back upon his mercy and grace and saying I don't need mercy I just need the reward for my sincere efforts. I'm not totally dead, I'm not totally vile, I'm not as bad as some of these others I'm a sinner, yes, but I'm not the worst sinner. So God should reward me. Like the brother of the prodigal son, the one son ran off with his inheritance and wasted it and spent it and sinned his way to nothing until God eventually showed him what he was and convicted him and brought him back to his father crying out for mercy. But the other son stayed with his father and served. and when he saw the mercy shown under his wayward brother he was full of indignation but I've been here all these years and I've served all these years why does he have the fatted calf and this feasting and all this given to him? How we feel that our works are deserving of more that God should reward us But if God shows us what we are, then we would simply look on our brother and rejoice that God has shown him mercy, and rejoice that he's shown us mercy. Go 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. What are you? What am I? Are you righteous or are you a sinner? You may say well I'm not righteous For you know you sin, but do you think that you are better than some? And have you something with which you hope God will be pleased? Is there some sincerity, some desire, some obedience that you feel God should look kindly upon? Or do you look within and see nothing to plead? Nothing but sin, nothing but darkness, nothing but condemnation, nothing but guilt. Do you say, I'm the chief of sinners, I'm vile, I'm blind. Oh Lord, Son of David, have mercy upon me. Do we think we see when we are blind? Do we think we live when we are dead? Do we think there's some good in us when in reality that's all just pride? Those who think they serve God, who do God's service whilst condemning others demonstrate the wickedness of their heart that we should look down on others as worse than us. They brought that woman, a guilty woman, unto the Lord. And he convicted them by speaking into their hearts and saying, he who is without sin cast the first stone. Have you a stone in your hand? Or do you stand before God guilty? He came not to call the righteous, but sinners. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief, Paul says. Sinners. In this chapter we read of seven examples of a sinner like you and I. Seven examples. Firstly, there's this man sick of the palsy. Jesus entered into a ship and passed over and came into his own city. And behold, they brought him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer. Thy sins be forgiven thee. Has God shown you the palsy in your heart, the sickness within? Have you said to your friends, take me to Christ. Bring me unto him. Cause me to hear his gospel preached. I need to hear. I need his mercy. And herein, have you heard his words, Son, be of a good cheer. Thy sins be forgiven thee. The scribes condemned Jesus, this man blasphemeth. And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether it is easier to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee, or to say, Arise and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins. Then saith he to the sick of the palsy, Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose and departed to his house. This man receives sinners. He had the power to heal him and in so doing he had the power to forgive him of all his sins. He comes next to Matthew. People saw it, the multitude saw, they marveled and glorified God which had given such power unto men. 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. Matthew, a collector of tax, was the sort of man in society that others despised and hated. He was a bit of a thief in essence. He stole from the weak to enrich himself and others. He was merciless. He was like those in the world like you and I that seek after what we can get. and we will take it at others' expense. We have no care for others, we just seek our own glory and our own gain. And he'd be the last man to just arise and leave what he was doing and follow Jesus by nature. But such was the power of Christ's call unto him that when he passed this vile sinner, this thief, this crook, this extortioner, and said unto him, follow me. He arose and followed him. Having declared unto them, to go and learn what it means, I will have mercy. Disciples of John came, saying, Why do the Pharisees fast off, but thy disciples fast not? Jesus saith unto them, Can the children of the bride-chamber mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? For the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment. that which is put in to fill it up take it from the garment and the rent is made worse neither do men put new wine into old bottles else the bottles break and the wine runneth out and the bottles perish but they put new wine into new bottles and both are preserved. Salvation is total when Christ saves He makes new bottles filled with new wine. He transforms the sinner. He washes him clean. He takes away all that was wicked, all that was vile. He washes away every sin. He gives him a new heart. He gives him life. He transforms him. While he spaked these things unto them, Behold, there came a certain ruler and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead, but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. And Jesus arose and followed him, and so did his disciples. And behold, a woman which was diseased with an issue of blood, twelve years came behind him and touched the hem of his garment. For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. Jesus turned him about and when he saw her he said daughter be of good comfort thy faith have made thee whole and the woman was made whole from that hour. She was dying. She was bleeding. She knew she was dying. She knew she was lost. But God gave her the faith to seek his mercy. And he touched her and said, Thy faith hath made thee whole. And when Jesus came into the ruler's house and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, he said unto them, Give place, for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. Why did they laugh? Because she was dead. She was utterly dead. but not to him. No matter how dead we may be in our sins, he can come in his gospel and touch the worst of sinners, the vilest, those dead in the grave like Lazarus, those who stink because they've lied in the grave for so long. And he can call out unto them and touch them and make them to live. But when the people were put forth, he went in and took her by the hand and the maid arose. And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land. Yes, he healed this woman. He healed this dead girl. A picture of you and I dead in trespasses and sins, like Lazarus dead in the grave. How we need Christ to come and call us by name, Lazarus, Lazarus, come forth. Again we read of two blind men. And when Jesus departed, thence two blind men followed him, crying and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this. They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened. And Jesus straightly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country. They were blind. They could not see. What a contrast with these religious that kept coming unto Christ, seeking to destroy him, seeking to accuse him, seeking to find fault, full of their own self-righteousness, thinking they could see when they were blind. Here are blind men that know they're blind. and their cry unto Jesus when he comes their way is thou son of David have mercy on us have mercy on us not reward me Lord for my belief reward me for my zeal reward me for my works reward me for my decision but have mercy on us They knew what it meant. Go ye and learn what that mean if I will have mercy and not sacrifice for I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. They knew what it meant. They were lost. They were blind. Have mercy on us. And lastly, seventhly, we read, as they went out They brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake and the multitudes marveled, saying, it was never so seen in Israel. But the Pharisees said, he casteth out devils through the prince of the devils. Oh, the mercy and the grace of God. we see in all these examples. Seven sinners saved by grace. Perfect salvation. The perfect grace and mercy of God. But how could Christ show the mercy? The Pharisees' objections when they brought that woman into his midst was that if you're to uphold the law, she's guilty. She's guilty. She deserves to be condemned. Guilty sinners should be condemned. Otherwise the law will be broken. And how can God be merciful to sinners? who deserve condemnation. How can they be? How can they be saved? How can he show mercy? How can Christ deliver us when we're guilty? Only one way. Only if another pays the price. We're condemned already. We're guilty of our unbelief. We're guilty of our self-righteous pride. We're guilty of our condemning one another. We're guilty of not coming unto God by nature and crying out unto him for mercy. We're guilty of rejecting him. We're guilty of shutting our ears to the gospel. We're guilty of our apathy and our coldness of heart. We're guilty from head to toe. We're utterly blind and utterly dead. We're possessed with sin like a devil that tears us apart. We cannot do anything. We're utterly guilty. Then how can he show us grace? Only if he takes that guilt away. Only if God pours out the judgment of that law upon another in our place. Only if that law is satisfied when it looks upon our every sin and says guilty. When it looks upon us and finds us as having not worshipped God with all our heart, soul and mind. When it finds us as having had other gods. When it finds us as having been adulterous under God and gone off after other gods and other lovers. When it finds us having stolen from Him. and stolen our time and our affections. When it finds us having condemned others, when it finds us having lied and having been covetous and sought after other things and other riches and other glory, when that law finds us having broken his Sabbath, not resting in him but trying to work our way to heaven by our own works and our own efforts. When that law condemns us and finds us guilty what is going to answer it? It says the soul that sin if it must die then either we die under it's just condemnation as those who are condemned already. Condemned in Adam when he fell, condemned every day from when we were born, when we went forth from the womb speaking lies. We're condemned already, either we will pay the price ourselves. Either when we breathe our last breath and enter eternity, God will say unto us, away with you, depart from me ye workers of iniquity, I never knew you. Either we will go away to start paying the price of that law, to pay its penalty, to know its everlasting death and judgment. And we will go into outer darkness. because of our rejection of Christ and rejection of his word and our seeking to come to heaven by our own works. Oh God will say, thy sins be forgiven thee because the price has been paid. Because that law has been answered on your behalf by another. because that law said that the soul that sinneth it must die and another came and died in your place because the price was paid because you've been redeemed the redemption money has been paid and I've set you free because a ransom has been paid and I've set you at liberty either he will say in mercy you're forgiven the price has been paid. And if he does, it will be because his own son, Jesus Christ, took your sin, took your guilt, took your depravity, took the condemnation, and went to the cross, and was nailed upon it, and was made sin for you, that you might be made the righteousness of God in him. Either in his flesh he bore your sins, your unbelief, your rebellion, and God condemned him, and he shed his blood and died in your place. Either he did that for you, or you must pay the price. But each of these that Jesus met in mercy, each of these sinners whom he came across, whom he touched and forgave, he forgave because he suffered in their place. He was heading to Calvary for them. He was heading to the cross to pay the price for them in order that he might show them mercy. He would not have their sacrifice, it was not sufficient. We could live every day being as zealous as we can, striving as hard as we can, it would not come close to what the perfection of God's law demands. We're still full of pride and arrogance. We don't come close, we're sinful from head to toe. But Christ, the perfection of his people, the righteousness of God, went on their behalf to the cross and suffered in their stead. It cost him. It cost his blood. It cost his life. It cost him his all. He gave himself for them. He took their sins upon him that he might forgive them of every one. He washed them in his own blood. He cleansed them. He was made sin that he might make them the righteousness of God. He went into the abyss, into the darkness upon the cross when he was made sin. He drank the cup of God's wrath to its dregs. He suffered the eternity of hell in three hours of darkness upon the cross. He felt the weight and the burden and the guilt of sin upon him. He was broken inside. He was abandoned by all men. And he cried out to the Father in the darkness, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? He gave his all. that he might show the seven we read of here mercy, and that he might show a multitude of others whom the Father gave him before the creation of the world, a people chosen, elected unto salvation, a people whose names were upon his heart when he hung there upon the cross, a people whose sins were all individually laid upon him, a people whom he loved with an everlasting love. He paid the price for everyone that he might preach his gospel to everyone and say unto them in particular, I will have mercy. Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. We read, Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. Oh, what a blessing if God has sent one of his few labourers Somebody preaching the gospel of Christ. Somebody preaching this message of grace and the mercy of God unto you and I. When he saw the multitudes he was moved with compassion on them because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd. Is that you? Is that you? Are you sick in your sin? Are you afflicted by every disease? Are you blind? Do you have an issue of blood? Are you dumb? Are you sick of the palsy? Are you dead like that maid? Dead in trespasses and sins. Has God brought you to an end of your sacrifices? To an end of all your efforts for him to attain unto salvation? Has he brought you in dead? Has he brought you in blind? Has he brought you to say, Lord, I'm lost. Have mercy upon me, the sinner. Have mercy upon me, the sinner. And has Christ looked upon you in grace, in compassion, and said, I will have mercy. I will have mercy. I know you. love you. I suffered and died for you. I was in the darkness for you. I was forsaken by my father for you. I drank the cup of God's wrath for you. I endured hell for you. I was cast out by every man in this world for you. I was despised by the scribes and the Pharisees for you. They cast me out as one that blasphemed because I loved you. They sought to stone me to death because I love you. They took me and nailed me to a cross and crucified me. because I love you and I gave myself for you. Paul said he loved me and gave himself for me. Did he love you and give himself for you? Has he shown you mercy? Go and learn what that meaneth. I will have mercy and not sacrifice. I will have mercy. Amen.