Spiritual Climate Change Matthew 9

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atmosphere ,esus had about +im as contrasted with the -harisee.s. /t 0#10 'nd it happened that as +e was reclining 1at the table2 in the house behold many tax(gatherers and sinners came and were dining with ,esus and +is disciples. /t 0#11 'nd when the -harisees saw 1this 2 they said to +is disciples 3$hy is your Teacher eating with the tax(gatherers and sinners&3 /t 0#12 !ut when +e heard this +e said 31%t is2 not those who are healthy who need a physician but those who are sic". There are two main climates % want to preach on today the first is that we have an atmosphere in our church that is conducive for a move of the Spirit of 4od and the second is that we have an atmosphere in our church and our personal lives that is attractive to the lost. 1. Creating an atmosphere5climate that is conducive for a move of the +oly Spirit. 6id you "now there are professionals whose 7ob it is is to advise churches on how to ma"e a church visually attractive and appealing& They will give advice on the arrangement of the facility the deportment of ushers5greeters the color scheme of the building etc. There stated goal is that there is a loo" and feel that a church can have that will be very appealing to visitors. % believe the scriptures give us some "eys that we can continually apply that will ma"e our church very appealing and welcoming to the Spirit of 4od. 8ery simply they are#

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthews house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.
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When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?
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!n hearing this, Jesus said, "t is not the healthy who need a doctor, #ut the sick. The basic premise of global warming is that certain things done over an extended period of time will heat up the earth. Our message today is about improving the spiritual climate in our lives. There are things that we can do that effect our spiritual climate personally in the church in our families and in our business lives. !esides the environment all "inds of things have a climate or atmosphere about them# $e can tal" about the Corporate Climate. %s your wor"place a pressure coo"er& ' business in a growth and prosperity season& %s it down(si)ing& %s it hostile to wor"ers& 'll these things affect and define the corporate climate. *i"ewise the business climate reflects the overall mood of the economy. +ere is our scripture for today and in it notice the different

submitting our will to +is = etc. 1. $elcome +im 2. $orship +im 9. $or" with +im Welcome Him. There is a spiritual truth that 4od is a gentleman that +e doesn.t usually force +is way into our lives. $e read in :evelation of ,esus standing at a door and "noc"ing not of +im ta"ing a sledge hammer and brea"ing it down. +ow do you respond when a someone comes to your door& +ow about your best friend& $hen we smile and say 3come on in 4od you are welcome here.3 +e feels and appreciates that. ;veryone li"es to go into a welcoming environment. 2. Worship Him. % won.t spend long on this one but the scriptures teach that 4od inhabits the praises of +is people. There is something about genuine worship that causes 4od to show up in a very powerful way. 3. Walk with Him. ,ohn 9 describes the +oly Spirit as wind li"e. <ou can.t see +im but you can sense the effect of +is presence. % thin" we do that text no harm if we were to suggest that we should be li"e sailboats and flow with the wind as opposed to fighting the wind. $hen we move in the same direction as the wind is moving it spea"s of a much better relationship with 4od than if we were moving in the opposite direction. Specifically we should be involved in evangelism tal"ing up our cross %f we will continually wor" on these three areas we will have a church that 4od is pleased with. % than" 4od for all the bible believing churches in 'merica but isn.t there something inside of you that wants our church to be 4od.s favorite house& Somebody say 'men> *et.s shift gears 7ust a little bit and tal" about having an climate5atmosphere that is attractive to the lost. % am not tal"ing about watering the gospel down so that the world li"es us % am tal"ing about having an air about us that is welcoming loving and redemptive. 'll people have a climate or atmosphere about them. Some people are debauched. <ou can sense it when you are near them. Others are sports nuts health nuts gambling nuts malicious gossips some people have an atmosphere of "indness about them others an atmosphere of friendliness. This atmosphere radiates from them in the same way that perfume does from a woman or cologne from a man. <ou get the point. We want to have about us an climate/atmosphere that is attractive to the lost. /t ?#1@ !y their fruit you will recogni)e them. 6o people pic" grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles& %f we are thorny people others will not reach for our fruit. $e won.t have a harvest of reaching lost people. %f we come

across as uppity 7udgmental hard hearted and vindictive do you thin" others will want what we have& One of the big negatives of the gay marriage debate is that we have become the enemy of gay people. They hate us and have closed their hearts to the message we have. % "now what you are thin"ing. +as pastor gone soft on homosexuality& 'bsolutely not. !ut consider this have Christians every protested medical benefits for heterosexual couples that are shac"ing up& Aor every sinning homosexual couple there may be B0 sinning heterosexual couples. The homosexual community views us as being in a war with them. There is an atmosphere of war between us and them and % don.t thin" it is a good thing. This sub7ect is a minefield to navigate with pitfalls on every side. !ut for the sa"e of this message today may % simply say that ,esus had an atmosphere around +im that was very welcoming to sinners while at the same time not excusing or accepting the sin in their lives. That is not always an easy thing to do but ,esus was the best there ever was at it and doesn.t the bible teach we are to try our best to be li"e +im& Thin" about ,esus and the woman caught in adultery& $here are your accusers& Ceither do % accuse you. $hoa> did ,esus really say that& +ow could +e let it slide that she was an adulteress& +e didn.t +e went on to say 3go and sin no more.3 !ut that woman left that meeting with ,esus "nowing that +e was more about offering forgiveness than +e was about offering condemnation. %n our scripture text from /t. 0 the -harisees were shoc"ed that ,esus had dinner with 3tax gatherers and sinners3> They felt good about being around ,esus. +e wasn.t always in their

face about the sin in their lives. +is approach often was to be first "nown as their friend and then deal with them about the sin in their lives. *et me Duic"ly give 9 "eys that are necessary if we are to have about us a climate that is attractive to the lost# 1. Be what they need when they are sick from sin. %t is difficult to be attractive to the lost as long as they are still fascinated by sin. ,esus met and ministered to the 4adarene demoniac when sin was doing its worst to him. This is reality. !efore we can be attractive sin must become repulsive. +eb. 11#2B spea"s of the pleasures of sin for a season. !ut :evelation 10#0 and 10 illustrates a different truth about it# EThis passage is ta"en out of context but it does illustrate what sin is li"e.F :e 10#0 'nd % went unto the angel and said unto him 4ive me the little boo". 'nd he said unto me Ta"e 1it2 and eat it upG and it shall ma"e thy belly bitter but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. :e 10#10 'nd % too" the little boo" out of the angel.s hand and ate it upG and it was in my mouth sweet as honey# and as soon as % had eaten it my belly was bitter. 6o you "now what people with an upset stomach would most welcome& Tum tum tum tums> -eople with sins indigestion will desperately reach for a cure. %f you want to be the friend of sinners be what they need when they are sic" from sin.

2ndly if we are going to have a climate that is attractive to the lost# 2. We should be known more for offering a cure than we are for hurling accusations. The world often sees us as a prosecuting attorney rather than ;/S technicians. The church was made to be ;/S wor"ers not prosecuting attorneys. <ou would agree those are two different climates wouldn.t you& $hat was ,esus response to the 4adarene demoniac in /ar" chapter H& !efore % answer that % need to remind you he was demon possessed. Sometimes as Christians we focus on the reason a person has problems before we focus on fixing them. ,esus did it the other way around. +e didn.t say# Iuit drin"ing and the devil will leave. %ts your fault you are reaping what you have sown. :epent and % will help you. The first thing ,esus did when +e met the man was fix what was ailing him. +e cast out the demon without any demand that the man first repent. Touched by that loving example that man became a great witness for the *ord ,esus Christ. +ere is some good advice from the boo" of ,ude#

,ude 1#29 save others snatching them out of the fireG and on some have mercy with fear hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. On some have mercy. mercy 1. Compassionate treatment especially of those under one.s powerG clemency. 2. ' disposition to be "ind and forgiving. 9. 'lleviation of distressG relief. /ercy( an act of "indness that is in contradiction to what the normal circumstances demand that is born of pity and intended to be redemptive. /t. 0#11 ...$hy eateth your /aster with publicans and sinners& /t 0#12 !ut when ,esus heard 1that2 he said unto them They that be whole need not a physician but they that are sic". % am a doctor not a prosecuting attorney. %f we want to be attractive to the lost we need to be li"e ,esus and have an air about us that spea"s of mercy more that criticism. *et me remind you also that the measuring stic" by which we will be 7udged is the stic" by which we have 7udged others. /atthew B#? !lessed are the merciful# for they shall obtain mercy. ,esus had an atmosphere about him that was attractive to the lost. The woman at the well who had multiple marriages and was shac"ing up with someone.

,esus enticed her with the offer of living water before +e dealt with her about shac"ing up. 3rdly we need to learn to not give up on people. $hen we give up on people then we usually give ourselves permission to be angry with them. $hen we give up on them our attitude towards them changes significantly and they can sense a change in the atmosphere. +ere is a verse vindictive people use to 7ustify their hardness of heart# 36on.t cast your pearls before swine.3 E/t. ?#@F *et me tell you a secret about yourself. There is probably one or more people in this world that would consider you swine. !e careful how you label people. There was a time in your life before Christ that others may have considered you swine and yet someone showed you the love of Christ. ;ven ,esus sows seed on ground that is hard and barren and that is almost always wasted because the birds eat it. <et every now and then in the most unli"ely of spaces one of those seeds ta"e root. %t is no crime to sow seeds in unli"ely hearts. The apostle -aul could strongly argue that case. Consider the climate the father of the prodigal son had and the one the prodigals. brother had. The dad never gave up on the son the brother considered him swine. %f you were a lost

person who would you rather meet and be around& %f we are going to be attractive to the lost# 1. !e what they need when they are sic" from sin. 2. $e should be "nown more for offering a cure than we are for hurling accusations. 9. $e need to not give up on people Close# 're you here and are you sic" from sin. Come let us reason together& +ave you been tough on people. 4od let me show more mercy.