Having a relationship with God comes down to having a

Matthew 4:19
“Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fish for people.”

Luke 9:23
Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.

1 Peter 2:21
For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

Luke 18:22
When Jesus heard this, he told him, “You still lack one thing: Sell all you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

John 10:27-28
My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.

Matthew 9:9-13
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him. While he was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Now when he heard this, he said, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Matthew 9:9a
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office,…

Matthew 9:9b
…he said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him.

Following Jesus requires a

Luke 5:28
So, leaving everything behind, he got up and began to follow him.

Luke 5:29
Then Levi hosted a grand banquet for him at his house. Now there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining at the table with them.

Matthew 9:10b
…many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples.

Matthew 9:11
When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

Luke 5:30
But the Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

Though not the main point of this passage, these religious leaders show us an important truth: bigotry is always ugly and pathetic. It betrays the fear and depravity of our hearts and is clear evidence that we are sinful people that desperately need the scandal of grace in our own lives, even as we proclaim that grace to others. Jesus will certainly welcome the targets of such prejudice as honored guests and beloved members of God’s family, provided they come through faith in Him. -Danny Akin

Matthew 9:12-13
Now when he heard this, he said, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Sinners need a

Hosea 6:6
For I desire loyalty and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

“To those who think they are righteous I have nothing to say. To those who know they are sinners in need of salvation I have come, to heal them and call them to Myself.” You must see yourself as lost before you can be saved. You must know you are spiritually sick before you can be spiritually healed. You must know you are spiritually dead in sin before you can be made spiritually alive by a Savior! -Danny Akin

We cannot call people to repentance if we are never with them. - Thabiti Anyabwile

As we go:
Recognize you

Remember your

Rely on

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