I. Introduction
A. A little old lady sold pretzels on a street corner for 25 cents each. Every day a young man would leave his office building at lunch time and, as he passed her pretzel stand, he would leave her a quarter, but would never take a pretzel. This went on for more than five years. The two of them never spoke. One day as the man passed the old ladies pretzel stand and left his quarter as usual, the pretzel woman spoke to him, "Sir, I appreciate your business. You are a good customer, but I have to tell you that the pretzel price has increased to 35 cents."
B. The time had now come, the time when Jesus was to go forth to His great purpose
1. There is much in this passage for every believer, layman and minister alike.
2. Every believer is called of God, actually sent into the world for a specific purpose.
3. The sad fact is that too many believers are not aware of their purpose.
4. They do not know why God sent them into the world
5. They have not sought God to discover His purpose for their lives;
a. They are just walking through life doing the same tasks and activities which occupied their time before they were saved.
b. But for the believer who knows God's purpose for his life, the day comes when he is to go forth to His purpose.
c. He is to go forth as Christ went forth, to carry on the great task which God has given him to do.
d. Many know, but chose to ignore it for one reason or an other
C. Our passage, today, can be outline as follows
1. There was the sign to begin: John's imprisonment (v.12).
2. There was the chosen headquarters: Galilee (v.12-13).
3. There was the deliberate decision to fulfill Scripture (v.14).
4. There was the mission (v.15-16).
5. There was the message (v.17).
a. So lets begin by turning to Matthew 4:12
II. Body
A. The sign to begin, John’s imprisonment
Matthew 4:12 (NKJV)
Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.
1. God must have shown Christ when to begin His ministry
a. Apparently that sign was the imprisonment of John
(1) Turn to John 4:1 & 3
b. He had been ministering in Judea, but not as publicly or as extensively as He was now to do.
c. He could now go forth and tackle His task to the fullest
(1) Why now? Why not earlier?
2. Jesus could not give the appearance of competing with John
a. If He had begun His ministry in full force before John's ministry had been completed, the loyalty of the people would have been divided
b. John was sent to prepare the way, and the way was not fully prepared until John was removed from the scene
(1) Lets turn to John 16:13
(2) Here’s a thought, the believer who lives and walks in Christ will be directed by God
(3) He will know God's purpose for his life
(4) He will know when to go forth to his task, when to carry out God's purpose for his life-just as Christ knew
(5) God will guide and direct His servant.
John 16:13 (NKJV)
"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
(6) Charles Spurgeon illustrates this so very well, he wrote, He will guide you into all truth." Truth may be compared to some cave or grotto, with wondrous stalactites reaching from the roof, and stalagmites reaching from the floor, a cavern glittering with spar and abounding in marvels. Before entering the cavern you enquire for a guide, who comes with his lighted torch. He conducts you down to a considerable depth, and you find yourself in the midst of the cave. He leads you through different chambers. Here he points you to a little stream rushing from amid the rocks and indicates its rise and progress. There he points to some peculiar rock and tells you its name, then takes you into a large natural hall, tells you how many persons once feasted in it, and so on. Truth is a grand series of caverns, it is our glory to have so great and wise a conductor as the Holy Spirit. Imagine that we are coming to the darkness of it. He is a light shining in the midst of us to guide us. And by the light he shows us wonderful things. He teaches us by suggestion, direction, and illumination.
(7) Here is another thought, the eclipse of John by Jesus holds a significant lesson for believers of every generation.
(a) Lets turn to Ephesians 4:11-12
(b) The believer is to be serving the Lord from day one of his conversion, and when the day comes for him to launch out in full force to carry out God's purpose for his life, he must go forth
(c) Within every generation, God raises up witnesses to follow other witnesses in order to carry on the work of the ministry
Ephesians 4:11-12 (NKJV)
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, {12} for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
(8) Believers are not to be rivals
(a) They are to be joint servants of the Lord who work together in their respective ministries
(b) They are not to compete against each other
(c) And when the time comes, when a servant's ministry is completed, he is to willingly step aside
(d) In fact, a believer should prepare to have his ministry eclipsed, to move aside while God raises up others to carry on after he is gone
(e) There is a church in Phoenix, a Conservative Baptist Church, that has a very evangelistic pastor an a core of dedicated believers. This church concentrates on winning the lost to Christ. Every effort, every sermon, every visitation is geared to a salvation message. And as a consequence many are saved. But there is little else, very little solid food for the growing Christian. So many of these converts will switch churches after a time, a new church where they will get the solid food they need to grow. The evangelistic church encourages the movement and the other churches will help support the other churches evangelism.
(f) That is the way it is supposed to be.
(9) God cannot wait until a generation is gone to raise up others.
(a) There would not be time for the new generation to take over and affect a smooth transition
(b) God has to raise up new servants and thrust them into the forefront as the older generation fades into the background
(c) Such eclipsing should be accepted willingly and graciously
(d) Pastor Von was this kind of man, he allowed himself to stand in the background and support me as we began to work in the church.
i) Now lets turn to Matthew 4:12 - 13
B. There was the chosen headquarters: Galilee
Matthew 4:12-13 (NKJV)
Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. {13} And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,
1. Nazareth was Jesus home town
a. So why did He chose to make Capernaum His headquarters?
(1) Christ left Nazareth
(a) Lets turn to Luke 4:24
(2) Why?
(3) Why didn’t make His hometown His headquarters?
(4) The reason is clear: the city had rejected Christ
Luke 4:24 (NKJV)
Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.
(a) Turn to Luke Luke 4:28-31
(5) They had thrown Him out and had attempted to kill Him
Luke 4:28-31 (NKJV)
So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, {29} and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. {30} Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way. {31} Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.
(6) Therefore, Christ set up headquarters in the city of Capernaum
(a) Capernaum lay in the northernmost point of Palestine
(b) It was deliberately chosen by Christ as "His own city
b. God had prepared Galilee down through history for the coming of His Son's ministry
c. A number of facts show this
(1) Throughout history Galilee had been invaded and repopulated again and again with different people and cultures from all over the world
(2) Over the years such an influx of differing people had created an atmosphere susceptible to new personalities and ideas
(3) Galilee was strategically located
(4) The world's leading roads passed right through its borders
(5) Merchants from all over the world passed through and boarded in its cities
(6) Galilee was heavily populated
(7) It was also surrounded by the Samaritans, Phoenicians, and Syrians making it an open door for world evangelization
(8) It was one of the most fertile lands in that part of the world. This fact, plus the travelling trade, led numbers to settle within its borders
(9) Josephus, the Jewish historian, tells us that there were within the district over two hundred cities with a population of fifteen thousand or more
(a) There were multitudes for Jesus to reach
(b) Galilee was open to new and fresh ideas
(c) Its people, having come from all over the world, were liberal minded, always looking for new and fresh ideas to stimulate and challenge their thinking
(d) It is believed that it was for these reasons that Christ chose Galilee to begin His ministry
(e) The area was an open door for people to spread the news that the Messiah had come and the Kingdom of Heaven was being ushered in
i) Turn to Matthew 28:19 - 20
2. Here is a thought, a person's place of ministry should be deliberately chosen. He should consider strategic locations for ministry
Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV)
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, {20} "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
a. Turn to Acts 1:8
b. We should also consider where we are as our Jerusalem
Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
3. Here is another thought
a. People can reject the gospel and the Savior
(1) Just imagine! The Lord's own hometown rejected Him
(a) Well, lets turn to Matthew 4:14
C. There was the deliberate decision to fulfill Scripture
Matthew 4:14 (NKJV)
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
1. This stresses the critical importance of the Scripture
a. Turn to 2 Timothy 3:16
b. A believer should heed the Scripture-all of it
c. The Bible tells us about itself
2 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV)
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
(1) John 17:17
John 17:17 (NKJV)
"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
(2) Hebrews 4:12
Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
(3) Psalm 119:9
Psalms 119:9 (NKJV)
How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
(a) Now we turn to Matthew 4:15 - 16
D. .There was the mission
Matthew 4:15-16 (NKJV)
"The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: {16} The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned."
1. Christ's mission was people
a. He focused on people
(1) Turn to Matthew 20:28
2. Note what is said about the mission of Christ
a. Christ went to the people
Matthew 20:28 (NKJV)
"just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
(1) Turn to Luke 5:31 - 32 and then to Luke 19:10
b. To what people did Jesus come to minister?
Luke 5:31-32 (NKJV)
Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. {32} "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."
Luke 19:10 (NKJV)
"for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
(1) Jesus came to minister to those who were sick with sin, the lost
3. Consider this thought, the mission of every believer is people, to take people and to do what Christ did.
4. And another thought is since Christ came, two wonderful things are now present
a. Light, the light of the world, Jesus Christ
b. And choice is now present, we can choose light
c. Take note, in Matthew 4:16, People sit in the region and shadow of death
(1) But Christ is the light of the world
(2) One need not continue to live in darkness
(3) Look to the light, Christ is that light
(a) Now we turn to Matthew 4:17
E. There was the message
Matthew 4:17 (NKJV)
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
1. The words "from that time" are extremely significant
a. They indicate urgency, persistence, perseverance: three excellent words describing the obsession of Christ with His mission and message.
b. Christ’s message had two major points.
(1) Christ preached repentance.
(a) Repentance means to change; to turn; to change one's mind; to turn one's life.
(b) It is a turning away from sin and turning toward God. It is a change of mind, a forsaking of sin.
(c) It is putting sin out of one's thoughts and behavior. It is resolving never to think or do a thing again
(d) The change is turning away from lying, stealing, cheating, immorality, cursing, drunkenness, and the other so-called glaring sins of the flesh.
(e) But the change is also turning away from the silent sins of the spirit such as self-centeredness, selfishness, envy, bitterness, pride, covetousness, anger, evil thoughts, hopelessness, laziness, jealousy, lust.
(2) Christ also preached the nearness of the kingdom of heaven
2. Here are four things to consider
a. Believers should become obsessed with the mission of the Lord!
(1) They should be gripped and enslaved by the obsession of Christ!
(2) Here is why. Man no longer has to seek light. The Light of the world has come, but so many are still in darkness.
(3) They have not heard.
(4) Believers today, in their lethargy and lack of urgency, have hoarded the message and failed to go forth as God's messengers of light
b. The ministry of believers is the same as Christ's: to preach.
(1) All other work and ministries are important, but the primary ministry of all believers is to preach, to proclaim the gospel to a world crying for help
c. The message of believers is the same as Christ's
(1) Repent
(2) The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand
(a) All other subjects are important, but the primary message must be these two points
d. Believers are given the highest honor in the world: they are sent into the world on the same mission as God's very own Son. Imagine having the same mission and the same message as God's own Son!
(1) Turn to the last two verses in Matthew, Matthew 28:19 - 20
(2) This is what is called the great commission
Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV)
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, {20} "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
(3) This passage should be understood this way, While you are going make disciples of every nation
(4) Our words and lifestyle should be light and salt to those around us.
