(Read Luke 5:27-3927And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. 28And he left all, rose up, and followed him. 29And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. 30But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? 31And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 32I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 33And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink? 34And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? 35But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. 36And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. 37And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. 38But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. 39No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better. (Luke 5:27‑39))
My desire is to give a very simple message, so that the youngest Christian may be helped and encouraged. The burden of it
will be found in the two words addressed by the Lord to Levi-" Follow Me."
First let me call your attention to three words found in the 27th verse: "After these things." Whilst we do not need to be ingenious about the words of Scripture, yet we must ever bear in mind that every one of them is Divinely inspired, and without straining a point, or the exercise of ingenuity, these three words contain a deep meaning, and it is the failure to recognize the truth which they convey, that leads to so much sorrow and disappointment.
Let me explain. Before this point is reached in the Chapter three things come out which lead up to it and explain the words, "After these things."
1. Self discovered.
2. The need met.
3. The power given.
These three things indicate the soul-history which must first be experienced before the Lord can say to any one of us, " Follow Me," or before we can be in a position to respond.' The failure to recognize this leads unconverted people, who know neither the second nor the third, and who only partially know the first, to attempt to serve the Lord, and the result is absolute and entire failure. On the other hand, many Christians, who know the first and the second, but fail to recognize the true meaning of the third, attempt to follow the Lord more or less in their own strength, and that again is weariness, disappointment and vexation. Let us look briefly at those three points.