Called to Be Jesus' Friend

Luke 5:27-32
My daughter’s cell phone drowned yesterday. She came home and said her best friend died. Actually, her phone is in ICU at the moment in a tub of rice, and we are waiting to see what happens.
When my cell phone rings, I have two options that light up: I can Answer or I can push Ignore. There is also a third option, I can let it go to voicemail on its own, but that is still ignoring the call. God is calling you today. Will you accept His call or ignore it?
This past week, a young man died in a tragic accident on I-4. Yesterday, Travis said, “Everybody was friends with Adam.” As we notice in the Scripture before us today, that’s kind of the way Jesus was: He was everybody’s friend.

I. INVITATION-
Jesus has been in this area ministering before, as Mark’s gospel makes clear
This time, Jesus walked up to Matthew AKA Levi to introduce Himself
We like it when someone goes out of his/her way to be our friend.
Until now, Matthew/Levi probably wondered what it would be like to be Jesus’ friend
But Matthew knew that someone like Jesus would never want to be his friend
Matthew was a tax collector and tax collectors were hated more then than now
As a Jew, Matthew was doing the dirty work for the Romans
Folks resented that Matthew and people like him lived so well when most were barely getting by
But Jesus wasn’t worried about taking a hit to His reputation by befriending Matthew
He invited Matthew to follow Him and be one of His disciples
In the same way, Jesus isn’t worried about what you’ve done. He wants to be your friend
He is inviting you today to come and join Him and become one of His followers
Matthew had never met anyone like Jesus: Jesus would never use or take advantage of Matthew
He has nothing to gain from Matthew. He just wanted to give Matthew something he needed
You and I are like Matthew: We don’t have anything Jesus needs.
He has more to lose by befriending us than we stand to lose by befriending Him.
He offers us something that we need and can’t get except from Him: eternal life
Jesus isn’t like any friend you or I have ever had before.
Jesus said in John 15:13-14, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.”

II. INFLUENCE-
Matthew’s response to Jesus’ invitation was that he “left all, rose up and followed Him.”
Matthew’s job couldn’t bring fulfillment. The pay scale was high but came with sacrifices.
He couldn’t share it with any one. He didn’t create anything, just living off the living of others.
Jesus offered Matthew a chance to change all of that. To have a life of purpose.
This represents the opportunity to put the past behind him and use his talents for God
Do you want your life to matter? Are you willing to live for something greater than yourself?
Matthew had something to offer, but it had been wasted in pursuit of the world
His ability to organize and keep records would be useful in writing the Gospel of Matthew
His willingness to take risks and swim upstream would serve him as a disciple
He was good at networking and had a business mind for making contacts
But, Matthew was making a huge decision. Once done, he could never