Matthew 4
12 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,
14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
15 "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."
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
19 Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."
20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them,
22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.
25 Great multitudes followed Him — from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
Matthew 4
Verse 12 marks a major change in the New Testament. The 400 years of prophetic silence were broken by this man dressed in camel’s hair garments calling the entire nation to repentance!
John has been imprisoned and will remain there until he is beheaded in the near future. The voice of the one crying in the wilderness has been silenced by the king’s command. As we will see in the next verse, this also marks a major change in the ministry of Jesus as well.
12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.
At this time Jesus relocated from the town He was raised in, and settled in Nazareth. Luke explained why Jesus relocated.
Luke 4
16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.
17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
18 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."
20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph's son?"
23 He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"
24 Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.
25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land;
26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."
28 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.
I am assuming that the fact that the entire town attempted to kill Him could have something to do with him relocating from Nazareth to Capernaum.
13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
15 "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."
Jesus’ relocation to Nazareth was prophetically important as well. It brought fulfillment to Isaiah 9:1-2, which talked about the people who were in darkness being illuminated by the light that came to them.
Everywhere Jesus went, He brought light.
John 1:6-9 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
The message that Jesus came to bring into the world is the same message that He is brings into our lives today, let’s look at
Three parts to Jesus’ message
· The Lord calls us to repentance
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Jesus’ message of repentance was coupled with the announcement that the kingdom of God “has arrived” or “is here.”
Existing simultaneously with all the kingdoms of the world, is the kingdom of God here on earth.
The way that you transfer your citizenship, or allegiance from the kingdom of the world to the kingdom of God is through repentance.
Repentance has always been the message that God has sent.
Ezekiel 18:30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord GOD. “Repent , and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin.”
Jeremiah 25:4-7 “And the LORD has sent to you all His servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear. They said, ‘Repent now everyone of his evil way and his evil doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you and your fathers forever and ever. Do not go after other gods to serve them and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands; and I will not harm you.’ Yet you have not listened to Me,” says the LORD, “that you might provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.”
Don’t complicate repentance…it is not some hard to understand concept that none of us can fully grasp.
Repentance “to think differently”
Repentance is a change of mind. There have been times when you have “had a change of heart.” You saw things one way, and now you see them differently.
Event though it sounds so easy, there are so many who refuse to do it.
Matthew 11:20-22 Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” (Can you imagine not repenting when you personal heard Jesus tell you to?) This stubborn refusal to repent will even be seen in during the tribulation period.
Revelation 9:20-21 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
What is the big deal about repentance? There are three basic reasons why we need to repent.
1. We need to repent because there is a day of judgment coming.
· Acts 17:29-32 “Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
2. We need to repent because there is no other way to avoid hell.
· 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
3. We need to repent because there is no other way to get to heaven.
· Acts 3:19-20 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before…
Repentance, “thinking differently sounds so simplistic and easy, but Acts 3:19-20 told us that some amazing things happen when we repent.
This is what happens when we repent
· Sins are blotted out
· Times or refreshing come to us
· We are ready for the return of Jesus
Repentance was an important part of the message Jesus brought to us.
Three parts to Jesus’ message
· The Lord calls us to repentance
· The Lord calls us to follow Him
18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
19 Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."
20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them,
22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
Peter, Andrew, James, and John are not the only ones who were called.
· We cannot follow Jesus’ will and our will at the same time
As we will look at Luke 9:23, and it is important that we notice who it is addressed to.
Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
Jesus call to follow is as personal to you as it was to the first apostles.
· There is an urgency to following Jesus
Listen to the account of Jesus calling Levi.
Luke 5:27-28 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.
Jesus is calling you to follow Him now.
· Following the Lord is personal, it is between you and Him
Listen to the conversation that Jesus had with Peter. Three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved him.
John 21:17-22 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep. Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish." This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me." Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?" Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me."
Jesus called us to follow Him personally. It is between you and Him.
· Following Jesus is not optional
Luke 18:18-22 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'" And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth." So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
You cannot not follow Jesus and have eternal life.
· Following Jesus will cause the Father to honor you
John 12:26 “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.”
Being honored by the Father begins with you following His Son.
· Following Jesus brings you security and protection
John 10:25-28 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”
You will be kept safely as you follow
Three parts to Jesus’ message
· The Lord calls us to repentance
· The Lord calls us to follow Him
· The Lord calls us to be whole
23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.
25 Great multitudes followed Him — from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
If you put Jesus in this very narrow box of saving people from hell, you miss the incredible work that He can do to affect every area of our lives. People did not only find forgiveness and right standing with God through repentance, but they also found wholeness. This is one of the concepts that is so clearly described by the King James Version:
Matthew 9:20-22 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: for she said within herself, if I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.” And the woman was made whole from that hour. (KJV) When You touch Jesus, you will find wholeness too.
Sometimes we think an account like the woman we read about was an isolated account, it was only one woman who touched Him and was made whole, but that is not what the Bible teaches.
Matthew 14:35-36 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased; and besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole. (KJV)
When Jesus was criticized for spending too much time with sinful people. His response explains that He came to make them whole.
Matthew 9:12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, they that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. (KJV)
The early church continued to bring wholeness into people’s lives
Acts 4
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel:
9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well,
10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole .
11 This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'
12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
You can see Jesus at work by the wake of people who have been made whole.
Jesus desires us to continue the work He began, that was the authority given to us in the great commission.
Mark 16
15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.
20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
Wholeness is one of the signs that prove that Jesus is at work!
Three parts to Jesus’ message
· The Lord calls us to repentance
· The Lord calls us to follow Him
· The Lord calls us to be whole