Follow Me Series

“Follow ME”

Matthew 4:12-25

DISMISS GROVE KIDZ

MGCC – welcome to, The Gospel of Matthew, ‘The King and His Kingdom,’ week #7.

NOW – this morning we are going to unpack, chapter 4 verses 12-25, in a conversation that I am calling, “Follow ME”

Show Video “Follow”

OKAY – let’s do this, the Gospel of Matthew week seven, “Follow ME.” AND LISTEN – before we dive into our text,

IT’S - important to point out that, there is about a one year time gap between the temptation of Jesus (which we talked about last week, “The Battle Is On!”) and Matthew 4:12.

AND – believe me when I tell you, that a lot has happened in that one year gap (much of which is recorded by John in his Gospel). IN THIS - gap we see…

• The ministry of JTB (and that powerful statement that he made as Jesus ministry was becoming more and more prominent, and some of his followers were a little bothered by it… “He must become greater and I must become less)

in this gap we see...

• Jesus’ first miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee

• Jesus’ overturning tables and clearing out the Temple during the Passover Feast

• Jesus’ early Judean ministry of healing, teaching and baptism.

• Jesus’ powerful encounter with Nicodemus in John chapter about being born again (being born of water and the Spirit) in order to enter the kingdom, and about how God so loved…

• JTB being arrested.

QUESTION – do you remember why he was arrested?

BECAUSE – he called out the sexual sin that King Herod was committing with his brother’s wife.

YEAH – not only did he not condone it, but he had the courage to condemn it. AND LISTEN – it is always dangerous to take a public stand against immorality.

IN FACT – JTB’s stand would lead to his arrest and ultimately to his death, as those committing the evil ‘tried’ to silence his voice. BUT LISTEN – God’s voice cannot be silenced and in the end He will always have the final say.

AMEN?!

YEAH – a lot had gone down in that 1 year gap between the temptation of Jesus and Matthew 4:12.

OKAY – now, to our text…

12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee.

AND LISTEN – we know from John’s Gospel that when Jesus withdrew to Galilee, He chose to go through Samaria.

QUESTION – why was this a surprising route for a Jewish rabbi to take?

BECAUSE – the Jewish people, especially the religious leaders in Judea… considered the Samaritan people: less than, half-breads and unclean.

IN FACT – most Jews who traveled from Judea to Samaria would actually go east and cross the Jordan to avoid the area all together so that they would not become ‘unclean.’

BUT SCRIPTURE SAYS – that Jesus ‘had to go’ through Samaria to… a) meet a woman at a well,

and b) to make a statement about the nature of the Kingdom that He is establishing. THAT – it is for all people, even this woman at the well who was married 5 times, and was now living with a guy who not even give her his last name.

AND – Jesus tells her…

• About living water, About never thirsting again

• About how God is searching for those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

• That He is the Messiah!

12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee.

NOW – when Jesus first returned to Galilee He spent some time in His hometown of Nazareth.

Luke chapter 4 records Jesus (full of the Spirit) walking into the synagogue in His hometown, a scroll from the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, Jesus found the place where it was written…

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” - Luke 4:18,19

THEN – Jesus rolled up the scroll and handed it back to the attendant and sat down.

AND EVERY EYE - in the synagogue was on Him and then Jesus said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

AND – the people were like, “but hey isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

Jesus did some more teaching, and when He started talking about God reaching out to Gentiles, the people became so furious that they drove Him out of town and tried to throw Him over a cliff.

But He walked right through the crowd and went on His way