The Beatitudes – Part 2

Matthew 5:1-12

 

Last week we started our study of The Sermon on the Mount.

 

And as I told you then, I find this to be

The most penetrating and revealing section of Scripture in all the Bible.

 

The Sermon on the Mount does not simply deal with what a person DOES.

The Sermon on the Mount goes directly to what a person IS.

 

Jesus doesn’t simply come and tell the Jews what they should do

In order to please God.

Jesus comes and tells the Jews what they should be

In order to please God.

 

AND THIS GETS EXTREMELY CONVICTING.

 

Over time man has been somewhat successful in curving his actions.

Even lost men have been able to find relatively high levels of morality.

Foreign religions have given tremendous proof of that.

 

Through false religion we find those who have become moral, devoted,

Sexually pure, and even generous.

 

In many cases, even lost men have been able to control their actions

Into some sort of acceptable standard.

 

And this is certainly where the Jews were in Jesus day.

They had found a certain behavioral mold and

Were somewhat successfully fitting their lives into that mold.

 

But there is one major problem with that.

1 Samuel 16:7 “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

 

Psalms 139:2 “You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar.”

 

Man may indeed alter his actions,

But God is not simply reading their actions, God is reading their heart.

He is looking beyond what men do, to why men do it.

 

And it is after the heart is read

That God declares a person righteous or wicked.

 

And this is the point that Jesus comes to clearly make

In the Sermon on the Mount.

 

He tells men things like:

• It is good not to physically kill a man, but even if you hate him, God sees you as a murderer.

• It is good not to physically sleep with another man’s wife, but if you have even wanted to God sees you as an adulterer.

 

You see God examines the righteousness of the heart,

Not just the righteousness of the hands.

 

THIS SERMON RENDERS MAN GUILTY WITHOUT EXCUSE

 

The purpose is to drive you away from your own self-sufficiency

And drive you to the outstretched hand of the Savior.

 

Jesus EXPOSES THE COUNTERFEIT RIGHTEOUSNESS OF MAN

With the intention of motivating them to accept

THE CREDITED RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE SAVIOR.

 

And as we said last week,

Jesus does not start by exposing their hypocrisy,

Instead He starts by explaining what a righteous heart looks like.

 

THE BEATITUDES

They are the genuine attitudes of a true believer.

 

This is obviously not the attributes of someone

Who has never made a mistake,

But is the attitude of someone who has been justified in the sight of God.

 

Last week we saw the first one.

(3) “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

 

And as we said last week, these beatitudes

Form a very strange paradox off of the lips of Jesus.

 

“Blessed” translates MAKARIOS

Which literally means “happy”

Some Greek scholars used it to describe those who were rich.

 

That means that Jesus is saying:

“Rich are the Poor”

“Happy are the Sad”

“Full are the Hungry”

 

In other words, true happiness is obviously not what the world thinks it is.

 

To find true happiness, we must let go of the worldly wisdom

And grab a hold of God’s.

 

And Jesus said first of all, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

 

The poor are not those who have less than others,

But here are referred to as those who have nothing.

 

They don’t even have anything to sell or trade.

They have resorted to their only option, which is begging.

 

And these poor are not the financially poor, but the spiritually poor.

In a real sense, they are those who have absolutely nothing to offer God.

 

All of their righteousness is a filthy garment,

All of their religious accomplishments are unacceptable.

 

They have nothing to offer, they are totally broke, spiritually bankrupt.

 

But Jesus said they are blessed,

Because it is they and they alone who receive “the kingdom of heaven.”

 

Only those who are spiritually bankrupt get to enter.

• God only accepts the broken.

• God only accepts the lowly.

• God only accepts the contrite of spirit.

 

And we studied that last week.

 

Let’s look at the second beatitude.

#2 BLESSED ARE THE MOURNERS

Matthew 5:4

 

There again we see that same word “Blessed”.

Jesus is again giving us the pathway to utter happiness.

 

And here it is reserved for “those who mourn”

 

“mourn” translates PENTHEO

And it literally means to mourn or grieve.

 

What you may not realize is that there are 9 different Greek words

Translated “mourn” throughout the New Testament,

But this one is the strongest.

 

This word was used for mourning the death of a loved one.

Mark 16:10 “She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping.”

 

This is someone who is dealing with a horrific circumstance

That is irreversible. It is bad, and they are stuck with it.

And so it seems strange to us that Jesus would say that people

Who mourn like this are in reality those who will be happy.

 

WHY?

“for they shall be comforted.”

 

Again, the Greek is in the emphatic which means

“they alone” or “they only” shall receive comfort.

 

The comfort of God is only for those who mourn like this.

 

“comfort” translates PARAKALEO

It means “to come alongside to encourage”

 

The word for Holy Spirit is PARAKLETE

(He is the Helper who comes to you to help you)

 

And Jesus says, that type of help, that type of comfort

Is strictly reserved for those who mourn.

 

And that certainly makes sense to us.

After all, are you more compelled to put your arm around someone grieving at a funeral or cheering at a football game?

 

Comfort is only for those who mourn.

 

BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN A SPIRITUAL SENSE?

 

What we are speaking of here is someone

Who we already know is spiritually bankrupt.

We already know they are absolutely deficient before God.

 

WHAT MADE THEM THAT WAY?

The answer is sin.

 

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

 

And now you know why they are mourning.

They are unacceptable to God

And they hate the sin that made them that way.

 

They hate the things they’ve done.

They hate the things they’ve thought.

They hate the things they’ve said.

 

And they are grieved with the strongest grief imaginable

Because of the consequences of that sin – HELL

 

This is why that tax collector was beating his breast.

The good news is that because they are mourning,

Our compassionate God is moved to offer them comfort.

 

Isaiah 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

 

God is motivated to comfort the mourning.

 

Ever see Jesus go to a funeral?

Whether it was Jairus’ family…

Whether it was the widow who lost her son…

Whether it was Martha and Mary over Lazarus…

Jesus was overcome and moved to comfort them.

 

AND THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES JESUS COMFORTS

 

DOES THAT MEAN THEY ARE THE ONLY SINNERS?

No, the Bible says all have sinned.

 

But none of the other sinners receive God’s comfort

Because they weren’t grieved about it.

 

Think about it at a funeral.

Do you comfort a man rejoicing over the death of his spouse?

 

They receive no comfort because they did not mourn.

 

Luke 6:25 “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.”

 

And the same is true for us and sin.

God isn’t looking for those who have never sinned,

He is looking for those who know they’ve sinned and hate it.

 

 

And so the admonition is for us to realize our spiritual poverty

And hate the sin that put us in that horrible condition.

 

It’s not enough to know you are a sinner, you must hate it.

It must grieve you.

 

James 4:8-9 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.”

 

LEARN TO HATE YOUR SIN

And that is just the opposite of the world.

Our world doesn’t hate sin, our world loves sin.

 

Those who are found guilty of sin generally try to conceal it

So that they can keep doing it without consequence.

 

This is not the way to deal with sin.

1 John 1:8-10 “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”

 

Don’t conceal your sin, don’t ignore your sin, don’t deny your sin.

Hate your sin and beg God to remove it.

 

Blessed are the Poor

Blessed are the Mourners

#3 BLESSED ARE THE GENTLE

Matthew 5:5

 

Again Jesus is giving attributes of the truly happy of the truly “blessed”

 

And here He says that the “gentle” are “blessed”.

 

“gentle” translates PRAUS (PrOUSE)

It means “gentleness of spirit”

 

It is the word Peter uses to describe a godly woman.

1 Peter 3:4 “but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.”

 

And we understand that it refers to one

Who is not boisterous or loud or argumentative.

But one who is submissive and quiet and willing to listen to instruction.

 

The KJV calls it “meek”

“Strength under control”

(Like a horse)

 

And Jesus says here that people with this same attitude

Are the happiest people.

 

WHY? “for they shall inherit the earth.”

 

Our world thinks that in order to obtain the world

You have to scratch and claw and fight your way to the top.

You have to take what is yours and beat others to the punch.

 

“It’s a dog eat dog world”

 

But Jesus says just the opposite.

He says it is not the forceful who will obtain the world,

It is the gentle who will.

 

The reason of course is because God owns this world

And He will only give it to those who please Him.

 

Matthew 19:27-29 “Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.”

 

Some day King Jesus will return and reign for 1,000 years

And those who reign with Him, are those who submitted to Him.

 

THAT CONVERSATION OCCURRED AFTER THE R.Y.R. LEFT.

He hated his sin (he wept)

But he was unwilling to submit

 

And so even though he owned the world now,

He would not ultimately be the owner of it.

That was for the meek disciples.

 

Because only the “gentle” will “inherit the earth”.

 

AND WE UNDERSTAND WHY THEY ARE GENTLE.

• This is a person who has come to grips with his spiritual poverty.

• And as a result of his poverty this person hates the sin that made him that way.

 

And now when God comes offering mercy,

He is willing to do anything God says in order to be forgiven.

No sacrifice is too great…

No command is too unreasonable…

No expectation is too lofty…

 

This person realizes they are getting a chance they don’t deserve

And so they are willing to follow any command,

To take any path, and endure any hardship.

They are in no position to bargain, they only wish to submit.

 

And they are blessed.

WE SHOULD DO THE SAME.

 

#4 BLESSED ARE THE HUNGRY

Matthew 5:6

Again we are talking about the “blessed”

And this time it is those “who hunger and thirst”

 

Now in a physical sense people “hunger and thirst”

Because their body is deficient of something it needs to survive.

 

AND WHEN A PERSON GETS EXTREMELY DEPRIVED,

THOSE DESIRES TAKE PRECIDENT OVER EVERYTHING ELSE.

 

That is why in the Old Testament we see women eating their children. Their hunger superseded all other thoughts and feelings.

 

Jesus says that people with that type of hunger are blessed.

Only it is not a hunger for food.

 

“hunger and thirst for righteousness”

 

AND THIS MAKES SENSE TO US DOESN’T IT?

• This is a person who is spiritually bankrupt with nothing to offer.

• All they have is sin and they hate it.

• They are willing to do whatever it takes to be forgiven.

• Because all they really want is to be righteous in God’s sight.

 

I’ve always loved the 7th chapter of Romans,

Because there you see the heart of a man who hungers for righteousness

And mourns over sin.

 

Romans 7:15 “For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.”

 

Romans 7:21-24 “I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?”

 

Can you feel Paul’s pain?

Can you identify with his hatred of sin and his hunger to be righteous?

 

If you can, then you are blessed.

 

WHY ARE THE HUNGRY BLESSED?

“for they shall be satisfied.”

 

That word “satisfied” is used other places.

 

Matthew 14:20 “and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets.”

 

God didn’t just give a little, God filled them up.

And they alone are the only ones God gives righteousness to.

 

After that cry for deliverance, Paul went on to say:

Romans 7:25 – 8:1 “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

 

Paul hated sin and hungered for righteousness and God gave it to him.

 

I know in our world people who stand on street corners begging for food

Have a negative connotation.

People tell us not to help them, because they are scamming us.

 

Yet I know, that many times I have given them food

Because I was compelled by their hunger. (And I bet you have too)

 

But you know, I don’t know if I’ve ever went and bought food and then stopped someone at random in the mall and asked them if they wanted it.

 

If they aren’t hungry, we don’t give it.

 

And that is true for God as well.

He gives righteousness to those who hunger and thirst for it.

 

So far we’ve seen the first half of the beatitudes.

The first four deal with coming to God.

The last four are evidences of a heart that has come to God.

 

AND IN THESE FIRST 4 BEATITUDES

YOU HAVE THE HEART OF EVERY SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION.

 

That person saw their sin and hated it.

And submitted to God all because they wanted to be righteous.

 

 

And so thus far you know the type of attitude God wants from you.

• He is not asking you if you are perfect, He wants to know if you know that you aren’t.

 

• He is not asking you if you have ever sinned, He wants to know if you hate the sin you know you’ve committed.

 

• He is not asking you if you have a plan to change your life, He is asking you if you would be willing to listen to His.

 

• He is not asking you if you are righteous, He is asking you if you want to be.

Because righteousness, reward, comfort and heaven are only for those who know they are sinful, hate it, and long to be righteous.

 

WHY?

Because they are the only ones who will

Accept the salvation Jesus offered.

 

Jesus came and died on a cross to be a sacrifice for sin.

And He offers it to all who will deny self, take up the cross and follow Him.

 

But people won’t do that unless they are convinced that they are unacceptable to God because of their sin, and unless they want righteousness so bad that they will do anything to get it.

 

THIS MUST BE YOUR ATTITUDE OR YOU WILL NEVER COME TO JESUS.

AND YOU WILL NEVER BE SAVED.

 

THIS MORNING YOU SEE THAT WE ARE GOING TO PARTAKE IN THE LORD’S SUPPER.

 

We do this because we realize that without Him we could never be saved.

We are spiritually bankrupt

We are filthy sinners

We can only beg for righteousness

 

BUT HIS SACRIFICE PURCHASED THAT RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR US

AND NOW WE COME TO REMEMBER THAT.

 

It is a time of worship!

• Because though we are poor – we are rich

• Because though we mourn – we are comforted

• Because though we are meek – we will reign

• Because though we are hungry – we are filled

 

AND IT IS ALL BECAUSE OF THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST

 

We never partake of the Lord’s Supper without a time of preparation to first examine ourselves.

 

And this morning, if you have realized that

THE BEATITUDES HAVE NEVER BEEN YOUR ATTITUDES,

I want to invite you to see the truth about yourself and come to Jesus.

 

If you will realize what you are, hate your sin, beg Christ for righteousness and submit to Him, He will save you.

 

During this time, I will be here at the front,

You come and give your life to Jesus.

 

The Beatitudes

Matthew 5:1-12

 

This morning we approach what is in my mind the most penetrating,

Convicting, and revealing portion of all Scripture.

 

It is contained in Matthew 5 – 7 and it is called

“The Sermon on the Mount”

 

(1-2) “When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and began to teach them,”

 

As we learned two weeks ago in examining the ultimate fisher of men,

The passion of Jesus was to teach the people.

 

His healing was an important part of His ministry as it served for vindication,

But make no mistake, Jesus came to teach.

 

He came to explain the truth to sinful man,

And to make a way for sinful man to be redeemed back to God.

 

So its no surprise that before Matthew gets specific about Jesus miracles,

He first gets specific about Jesus’ teaching.

 

And in doing so Matthew records a tremendous section of Scripture.

 

I don’t know how to convince you as to

The importance of this text, except to say.

 

If I was given the assignment to find the crux or centerpiece of all Scripture…

If I was challenged to send someone to the “heart” of the Bible.

I would choose Matthew 5,6,&7

 

I say that because there is no section in Scripture

That more thoroughly depicts the message Jesus came to preach

Than these three chapters.

 

I believe with all my heart that these three chapters

Are the basis for all Christian theology,

Especially as it deals with the doctrine of salvation.

 

In other words, you cannot understand what God wants from you

If you do not understand the Sermon on the Mount.

 

And on the flip side,

Once a person truly understands the Sermon on the Mount,

They have already made tremendous strides

In their quest to understand the whole of Scripture.

THIS IS A SUPREMELY IMPORTANT SECTION OF SCRIPTURE

 

Before we deal with the various parts of this sermon,

Let me first give it to you as a whole.

 

If you know the purpose of the entire sermon,

It will help you better understand all of its different pieces.

 

So here is the purpose of the Sermon on the Mount.

TO EXPOSE THE COUNTERFEIT RIGHTEOUSNESS OF ISRAEL

 

You are well aware of what the spiritual state of Israel looked like.

 

Isaiah said of them:

Isaiah 29:13 “Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,”

 

That was a passage that Jesus Himself quoted about Israel

In Matthew 15:8.

 

In other words Israel was a hypocritical nation

Their religion was all external.

Their love for God was skin deep.

Therefore their righteousness was counterfeit.

 

In short Israel was not saved,

Although they themselves were strongly convinced otherwise.

 

And there we have a tremendous difficulty in evangelism.

 

• When you approach a lost man who knows he is lost, you only have to lead him to salvation.

• But when you approach a lost man who thinks that he is saved you first have to convince him that he is lost.

 

And that is where we find our Lord this morning.

 

He is preaching the most penetrating sermon ever preached

With the intent of exposing Israel for what she truly is.

 

John said of Jesus:

John 1:9 “There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.”

 

And that is certainly the role Jesus is playing here.

 

This sermon is meant to expose the counterfeit righteousness of Israel.

 

And therefore the SUBJECT of the Sermon on the Mount

Is also clear.

The subject of this sermon is TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS

 

And that is clearly seen in two very direct and penetrating verses.

 

Matthew 5:20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

 

Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

 

Just from those two verses we learn the heart of the matter.

Jesus wanted Israel to realize what true righteousness was,

And ultimately that they did not yet have it.

 

And so Jesus uses this sermon to expose them.

And He exposes them in several ways.

 

YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS COUNTERFEIT BECAUSE YOU DO NOT KNOW THE LAW

 

This was the basis for 5:21-47

“You have heard…but I say”

 

One of the reasons for their phony righteousness

Is because they were taught wrong.

 

Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”

 

Because most of these people grew up being taught a lie about God and His righteousness, they had never truly been what God desired.

(This is also why Jesus spends time exposing false prophets at the end of this sermon)

 

But because of their ignorance of God’s truth,

They had failed to achieve true righteousness.

 

YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS COUNTERFEIT BECAUSE IT GLORIFIES SELF

 

Matthew 6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.”

 

And of course Jesus goes on from there to expose:

• Hypocritical Giving

• Hypocritical Prayer

• Hypocritical Fasting

 

Their righteousness sought only the glory of the world,

And it sought that glory for their self.

 

Seen clearest in the Pharisees who loved the chief seats at banquets and respectful greetings on the street and being called Rabbi by men.

Their righteousness was only a tool to get glory for themselves

And thus it was counterfeit, Jesus came to expose it.

 

YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS COUNTERFEIT BECAUSE IT IGNORES SELF

 

How can it glorify self and ignore self?

 

Very simply, they glorified themselves for what they did well,

And ignored what they did wrong.

 

For them, it was an exercise in self-justification,

And in condemning others to make themselves look better.

 

Matthew 7:3 “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”

 

Their righteous standard was not consistent and therefore their righteousness was not true.

 

YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS COUNTERFEIT BECAUSE IT LACKS OBEDIENCE

 

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”

 

Again, their righteousness was skin deep.

It didn’t really love God.

It didn’t really obey God.

It didn’t really emulate God.

 

Israel’s righteousness was a counterfeit standard invented by man

As a way for man to glorify himself before other men.

And before Jesus came, it was universally taught

As the doctrine of God to all Israel.

 

In short, Israel thought they were righteous,

But in reality they were very far from it.

 

Jesus came to reveal that to them,

And His method of revelation was The Sermon on the Mount.

 

And so you can clearly see that this is a very penetrating sermon

As it exposes man’s counterfeit righteousness.

 

BUT IT DOESN’T BEGIN THERE

 

This sermon actually begins with

Jesus explaining what true righteousness looks like.

 

The Jews thought true righteousness looked like a Pharisee.

On the contrary the first twelve verses

Reveal what a truly righteous person looks like.

 

We call this description the BEatitudes.

(Not the DOatitudes)

 

And to understand these character traits

Is nothing short of understanding the difference

Between being saved and being lost.

 

I WISH WE HAD TIME TO STUDY THEM ALL IN ONE SITTING

The unique thing about studying these beatitudes together

Is that they each depend so much on one another.

 

They not only stand alone as vitally important attributes,

But they also build upon one another

As they reveal the character of a righteous person.

 

But this morning I want to begin our study of these important qualities.

 

There has always been a debate about whether there is 8 or 9 Beatitudes,

But we are going to break them down into 8.

 

#1 BLESSED ARE THE POOR

Matthew 5:3

 

The word “blessed” translates MAKARIOS

“happy, fortunate, blissful”

 

Greek writers used the word to describe those who were rich

Or those who were successful in business.

 

And so by using this word that means “happy” or “rich”,

Jesus introduces the strangest of paradoxes.

 

In Matthew 5:3 He in essence states “Rich are the Poor”

In Matthew 5:4 He in essence states “Happy are the Sad”

In Matthew 5:6 He in essence states “Full are the Hungry”

 

To our world the statements are mindless and backward.

Our world emphasizes pride and happiness and power and brashness

As the keys to the good life.

 

Jesus did exactly the opposite.

He was describing a person who was not of this world.

And those who have these attitudes are those according to Jesus

Who are truly happy, are truly rich, are truly fulfilled, are truly blessed.

 

So as we study this list understand that the road to true happiness

May not be the road you are on,

But rather the road that Jesus lays before us here.

 

And the first is vitally important.

 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit”

 

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE POOR IN SPIRIT?

 

In Scripture there are commonly two words used for “poor”.

 

One is PENICHROS

It speaks of one who is living on the bottom of the barrel.

 

It was the word Jesus used to describe the widow with the two mytes.

She was poor, but she did at least have two pennies.

 

The other word for “poor” is PTOCHOS

This word speaks a person so poor that they literally are forced to beg.

 

This was the word Jesus used to describe the poor man Lazarus

Who sat at the table of the rich man fighting the dogs for the crumbs

That would fall off of his table.

 

I probably don’t have to tell you which word Jesus used here.

It is PTOCHOS, the beggar type of poverty.

 

Jesus is speaking of a person who is so poor

That they have nothing to sell, nothing to offer.

They are reduced purely to begging for what they need.

 

And Jesus takes this poverty a little farther,

For He isn’t referring to those who have no money.

 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit”

 

Jesus is referring to spiritual things here.

 

He is speaking of a person that has nothing to offer God.

• They cannot pay for what they seek.

• They cannot work for what they seek.

• All they can do is come to God and beg.

 

They are so aware of their own sinfulness, and of their own wretchedness

That the know there is nothing they have to offer.

In the end of the book of Isaiah,

Isaiah foresees the day when Israel will finally come to God for salvation.

 

Listen to what they will say to God in that day:

Isaiah 64:5-9 “You meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. Behold, You were angry, for we sinned, We continued in them a long time; And shall we be saved? For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on Your name, Who arouses himself to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us And have delivered us into the power of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand. Do not be angry beyond measure, O LORD, Nor remember iniquity forever; Behold, look now, all of us are Your people.”

 

They’ll come to a place where they realize they don’t deserve forgiveness,

Nor can they offer God anything in exchange for it.

 

All that they could give are the equivalent of “a filthy garment” to God.

 

They are poor, they are spiritually bankrupt, they can only beg.

 

They are mirrored by the tax collector Jesus praised in Luke 18.

Luke 18:13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’”

 

These are pictures of those who are spiritual beggars.

They don’t come to God rich in spirit.

They don’t come to God low in spirit.

They come to God poor in spirit.

 

THEY ARE LITERALLY CRUSHED BEFORE HIM

 

When Isaiah saw the Lord

Isaiah 6:5 “Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”

 

When Peter realized who Jesus was

Luke 5:8 “But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

 

These are men that saw themselves for what they were

And realized they were spiritually bankrupt solely at the mercy of God.

 

And needless to say, this is a state of being

That most people resist ever entering.

 

In our society today beggars are looked down upon.

It is not a noble thing to be so poor that you have to beg.

And this not only in a financial sense.

We don’t find it honorable to be bankrupt spiritually.

 

Even in our religious settings we all like to be able to list

Our achievements and accomplishments.

 

Since I am a preacher, I get the rare privilege of having other preachers constantly talk to me about the size of their churches, and the “success” of their ministries.

 

I can only think of one who ever told me, “I’m in over my head, and God is going to have to bail me out.” (Dallas Huston)

 

Spiritual poverty is not something we deem as a good thing.

 

And yet Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit”

 

Jesus said that in reality it is those who are spiritually bankrupt

That are the happiest.

 

WHY?

“for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

 

“theirs” translates AUTOS

This is an emphatic pronoun which indicates

“theirs alone” or “theirs only”

 

In other words, if you aren’t poor in spirit

Then you do not inherit the kingdom of heaven.

 

And all of a sudden we understand why they are so happy.

It is only through spiritual poverty that a person is able

To inherit the truest riches of God’s kingdom.

 

So when Jesus was saying, “Rich are the Poor”

He knew exactly what He was talking about.

 

Proverbs 13:7 “There is one who pretends to be rich, but has nothing; Another pretends to be poor, but has great wealth.”

 

It is the humble who are the happiest.

 

They are happy because they alone are accepted by God.

Isaiah 57:15 “For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.”

 

Psalms 34:18 “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Psalms 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”

 

If you are not humbled before God, you cannot enter His kingdom.

If you are not spiritually bankrupt, you are not welcome to God.

If you do not come as a beggar, you do not come at all.

 

Humility is the key to coming to God.

2 Chronicles 7:14 “and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

 

Remember when Josiah found God’s word and humbled himself?

2 Chronicles 34:27 “Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares the LORD.”

 

That is why Peter said:

1 Peter 5:6 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,”

 

That is why James said:

James 4:6 “But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”

 

If you don’t come to God broken, then you can’t come.

 

WHY?

Because God only accepts the humble,

And forgiveness is at the discretion of God.

 

Mankind must learn that we have nothing in us that is pleasing to God, and therefore our only hope is to beg.

 

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

 

David said:

Psalms 51:5 “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.”

 

We are born into this life totally in the flesh, and separated from God.

 

And while in this flesh, we never pleased God.

Romans 8:5-8 “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

 

OUR GOOD DEEDS NEVER PLEASED GOD

WE HAVE NOTHING TO OFFER

And once you know that, you need to know a second truth.

 

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

Evangelicals are quickly forgetting this truth today.

 

I’ve told some of you about a popular song out right now:

“Come As You Are”

 

He’s not mad at you. He’s not disappointed.

His grace is greater still than all of your wrong choices.

He is full of mercy and He is ever kind.

Hear His invitation, His arms are open wide.

 

You can come as you are

With all your broken pieces

All your shameful scars

The pain you hold in your heart

Bring it all to Jesus

You can come as you are

 

Louder than the voice, that whispers you’re unworthy

Hear the sound of love that tells a different story

Shattering your darkness and pushing through the lies

How tenderly He calls you, His arms are open wide

 

Now I know that some of you are thinking,

“What’s wrong with that song?”

Jesus is kind, Jesus is loving, Jesus does have great grace.

 

That is true.

The problem is not how they depict Jesus,

The problem is how they depict man.

 

They depict man as someone who has not disappointed God.

They depict man as someone who has not angered God with sin.

They depict man as someone who is worthy of God’s grace.

They depict man as someone who can come to God with their head held high.

 

And that is precisely the opposite of what Jesus said in the first beatitude.

 

Furthermore it perverts the gospel.

 

The gospel says that God is angry and disappointed in sinners.

So angry in fact that He will send them to hell.

 

(Why else would John the Baptist tell men to repent?)

 

Now His wrath does not nullify His great love

By which He sent His Son as a sacrifice for the sin of mankind.

 

BUT GOD WANTS SINNERS TO KNOW

 

You are in a great deal of danger.

You are on the brink of hell and destruction.

And your only way of escape is the mercy of God.

 

• And when a sinner finally realizes that it is too late.

• When a sinner realizes there is nothing I can do to appease God.

• When a sinner realizes that God is ready to send Him to hell.

THAT IS WHEN JESUS LOOKS BEAUTIFUL

 

That is when the sinner is prompted to fall to his knees,

Confess his filth to God, and beg for mercy.

 

The simple point I am trying to show you this morning is that

If you have never been broken before God…

 

Then you are not on the road to heaven, because the kingdom of heaven

Only belongs to those who are “poor in spirit”.

 

You see it is only the “poor in spirit” that beg for God’s mercy.

And it is only those who beg for God’s mercy

Who receive God’s forgiveness.

 

And I implore you to humble yourself before God and beg for His mercy.

 

Because it is there in your spiritual poverty

That you will find the true riches of eternal life.

 

Furthermore it is there you will be truly happy.

It is there you will be truly blessed.

 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

 

The Ultimate Fisher of Men

Matthew 4:23-25

 

You may remember that last time we met we witnessed

The vocational calling of the disciples.

 

Jesus had previously called Peter, Andrew, James & John to salvation,

But on this day, He returned to the sea of Galilee

To call these men into vocational ministry.

 

He asked them to stop working for fish, and to start fishing for men.

 

The response was the same for all four of them.

Matthew 4:22 “Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.”

 

They had just spent a night fishing with futility.

They had caught nothing.

 

And then here comes Jesus.

• They already knew Him to be the Messiah.

• They already saw Him turn water into wine.

• They already saw Him heal Peter’s mother-in-law.

• They had just seen Him multiply that catch of fish.

 

And then He offers them a job, a new career, as fishers of men.

They would have been fools not to jump at the chance.

 

And so they eagerly, readily, and immediately dropped those old nets

And started their new career.

 

Now you may remember the promise Jesus made to them

During that recruitment.

 

Matthew 4:19 “And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

 

Eventually, when Jesus was through with them,

They would be fishers of men, but they were not there yet.

 

And we even gave some examples of their lack of missionary zeal.

• Forbidding children to come to Jesus.

• Asking Jesus to send the crowds away.

• Even attempting to call down fire on a group of non-believers.

 

They were a work in progress.

 

And today, the training begins.

They were about to come under the apprenticeship

Of the greatest fisher of men who ever lived.

 

We call Him Jesus.

And because we all also long to be fishers of men,

It does us a tremendous service to see exactly how Jesus fished.

 

So Let’s Examine the Ultimate Fisher of Men (5 things)

#1 HE EXPLORED FOR SINNERS

Matthew 4:23a

 

“Jesus was going throughout all Galilee”

 

That is simple enough.

Jesus was on the search for lost men and women.

 

And this is certainly not new information to us.

Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

 

Jesus was clearly passionate about finding those who are lost.

 

In fact, you remember this great chapter.

Luke 15:1-10 “Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So He told them this parable, saying, “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? “When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. “Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?” When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’ “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

 

We see a contrast between the heart of Jesus who sought for sinners

And the heart of the Pharisees who despised them.

 

Jesus had a tremendous desire to see the lost saved,

And His first step in seeing that happen was to go to them.

 

And of course that makes sense if He was going to be good at fishing.

 

I’m certainly not a fisherman,

But even I know that if you want to fish,

It’s really difficult to do it from your living room.

 

Fish are stubborn like that.

Very rarely will a fish flop into your living room

To give you the opportunity to catch him.

 

Most fish are content to remain in their own world,

And if you want them, you have to go to them.

And Jesus did.

“throughout all Galilee”

 

He fished cities and villages all over that land.

He wanted to catch the fish, and so He went where the fish were.

 

And you and I understand that point.

 

We live in a day were most of us only want the fish to come to us.

Most churches evangelistic effort can be defined

With a sign outside of town on the highway that says,

“So and so Church welcomes you”

 

That’s like putting a sign by the lake

Inviting the fish over to your house any time they might want to come.

 

It doesn’t work like that.

If you want to catch fish, you have to go to the fish.

If you want to catch men, you have to go to them.

 

Your church is no more appealing to them,

Than your living room is to a fish.

 

If you want them, go get them.

 

And by the way, this is also how the ultimate fisher of men told us to do it.

 

Matthew 10:7 “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

 

Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,”

 

One thing I know about fishing, if you’ve never been to the water,

Then you’ve never caught a fish.

 

Jesus Explored for Sinners

#2 HE EXPLAINED SALVATION

Matthew 4:23b

 

“teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom,”

Make no mistake about it.

JESUS CAME TO PREACH

 

(Certainly miracles were also part of His ministry,

But don’t get the cart before the horse. He came to preach)

 

Mark 1:38 “He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.”

 

Mark 2:1-2 “When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them.”

 

Mark 2:13 “And He went out again by the seashore; and all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.”

 

Mark 4:1-2 “He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching,”

 

Mark 6:1-2 “Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown; and His disciples followed Him. When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands?”

 

Mark 6:34 “When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.”

 

Mark 10:1 “Getting up, He went from there to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan; crowds gathered around Him again, and, according to His custom, He once more began to teach them.”

 

Jesus was a teacher and a preacher.

• His objective was to move men from darkness into light.

• His objective was to open spiritually blind eyes.

• His objective was to rightly explain the Scriptures.

 

He wanted people to know the truth so that they might be saved.

 

WHAT DID HE PREACH?

“proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom,”

 

Jesus preached the gospel. “good news”

 

The good news that man can be forgiven.

The good news that there is salvation.

The good news of how to enter the kingdom.

 

It was not a message void of difficult topics:

Matthew 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

 

But altogether, it was still good news,

For He showed men how to be forgiven and how to enter heaven.

 

He preached the gospel.

 

WHY?

Because it’s hard to catch fish without a hook or a net.

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

 

You can go to the lake, but if you don’t throw a hook in the water,

You are gonna have a heck of a tough time catching fish.

 

Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

 

Your presence alone will not do it.

 

IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE ME

• Sometime put on your waders,

• Put on that nifty little hat with all the fishing lures in it,

• Put on that vest that says “World’s Greatest Fisherman”

• Pick up your pole,

• Pick up your tackle box,

• Hold your net.

 

Then go stand beside the water and see how many fish

Jump out of the water into your net.

 

Fishing for men is real similar.

You have to use the hook, you have to use the net.

 

THE GOSPEL IS THE HOOK

And that is why Jesus proclaimed it everywhere.

 

Paul said:

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 “And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”

 

That is how Jesus did it.

He went to the fish and used the only tool He had for pulling them out of the water, and that was the hook of the gospel.

 

Follow the example of the ultimate fisher of men

 

Jesus Explored for Sinners

Jesus Explained Salvation

#3 HE EXHIBITED SIGNS

Matthew 4:23c

 

“and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.”

And that is an understatement.

When you read the gospels,

It is literally overwhelming the number of miracles He worked.

 

Anything from curing leprosy to blindness, to bleeding, to muteness,

To deafness, to palsy, to paralysis, demon-possession, disease,

And even death.

 

In short, HE HAD POWER

 

Now, again, we shouldn’t get confused.

The aim of His ministry was not

Signs and wonders and miracles and healings.

 

That is NOT what He came to do.

(He came to teach)

 

The miracles were the validity to His preaching.

John 5:36 “But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish — the very works that I do — testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.”

 

Later in the upper room

John 14:11 “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.”

 

And even the lost understood this.

John 9:30-33 “The man answered and said to them, “Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. “We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him. “Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. “If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

 

His power proved He was the Son of God,

And therefore you had better listen to His words.

 

And of course later He even gave this ability to His apostles.

Hebrews 2:1-4 “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.”

 

The point is that in fishing for men,

Jesus verified His message with the signs He worked.

 

WHILE WE DO NOT WORK MIRACLES,

WE CERTAINLY MUST VERIFY OUR MESSAGE.

 

HOW?

The power of our transformed lives.

 

Romans 6:1-4 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”

 

The old German reformer said,

“Show me your redeemed life, and I might consider your Redeemer.”

 

In other words, don’t offer me freedom from sin

If you are still living in it.

 

That is why Paul told Timothy to watch more than just his preaching.

1 Timothy 4:16 “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

 

This is what Jesus meant when He said:

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

 

And of course this proof

Aided the preaching of the early church immensely.

Acts 4:13 “Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.”

 

We don’t just go about preaching a message,

We live a life that verifies the truth we preach.

 

• We say Christ can deliver from sin, so we live in holiness.

• We say Christ can deliver from guilt, so we live in peace.

• We say Christ can secure eternal life, so we live in hope.

• We say Christ can fulfill, so we live in contentment.

• We say Christ will reward, so we live in generosity.

• We say Christ is Lord, so we walk in obedience.

 

Our life verifies the message we preach.

 

THIS IS YOUR FISHING LISCENSE.

 

Ever so often when you fish, you will run across a true antagonist.

You run across someone who wants to know

If you have the right to fish these waters.

 

In a literal sense, we call him the Game Warden

In a spiritual sense, it is anyone who balks at your preaching.

• What gives you the right to preach to me?

• Who do you think you are telling me what to believe?

• Don’t judge me to confront my sin!

 

If you are going to fish, you had better go to the water,

You had better throw out the hook,

And you had better have a fishing license,

Or you will pay the penalty.

 

Jesus Explored for Sinners Jesus Explained Salvation Jesus Exhibited Signs

#4 HE EXERCISED SYMPATHY

Matthew 4:24

 

When we read that verse, we are quickly made aware

Of the extreme popularity of Jesus.

“The news about Him spread”

 

Let me remind you that popularity is not always a positive thing.

Some heard and came to Him.

Others heard and wanted to kill Him.

 

But one thing about a fisherman.

If he starts pulling enough fish out of the water,

Other people around the lake will start noticing.

 

And here the people flocked to Him.

“they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them.”

 

And of course the irony is that the people missed the point.

(They often do)

 

He came to teach them, so that they could have eternal life,

All they were concerned with was physical and temporal healing.

 

And they had every possible problem

“demoniacs” – those who were demons possessed. It was the most extreme spiritual sickness there was.

 

“epileptics” – SELENIAZO (literally meaning “moonstruck”) This was mental illness.

 

“paralytics” – which of course was physical illness.

 

This was not why He came

BUT – He was compassionate.

Matthew 9:36 “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.”

 

Matthew 14:14 “When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.”

 

Matthew 15:32 “And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.”

 

You may even remember that Jesus

Taught on the importance of compassion.

 

After being chastised by the Pharisees for eating with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus said:

Matthew 9:13 “But go and learn what this means: ‘ I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

 

Of course the Pharisees didn’t learn and later on Jesus rebuked them for not having figured it out yet.

Matthew 12:7 “But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.”

 

The point is that compassion was highly important to Jesus.

HE LOVED PEOPLE

 

And Jesus told His followers to do the same.

Matthew 10:7-8 “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘ The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.”

 

Luke 6:35-36 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

 

COMPASSION IS IMPORTANT

I suppose you could just throw an empty hook into the water, and there is a chance you might harpoon a fish and drag him out of the water.

 

But most fisherman have learned that fishing works so much better

If you put a little bait on the hook.

 

COMPASSION IS THE BAIT

 

The gospel is good news, but it is not always received as such.

To those living in sin, the gospel can seem course and offensive.

 

So we have learned that people are far more open to the demands of the gospel if we present it with a little compassion.

 

It is a love for people that makes listening easier.

Jesus Explored for Sinners Jesus Explained Salvation

Jesus Exhibited Signs Jesus Exercised Sympathy

#5 JESUS EXPERIENCED SUCCESS

Matthew 4:25

 

Could it get any clearer than that?

 

“Large crowds” came

And they came from long distances away.

 

“from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.”

 

He caught fish all over the place.

 

And yes, He was a successful fisherman in God’s eyes with or without a catch, but don’t overlook that He still caught a lot of fish.

 

 

And by the way, so did the men He trained.

Acts 2:41 “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.”

 

Acts 2:46-47 “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

 

Acts 4:4 “But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.”

 

Acts 5:14 “And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number,”

 

Acts 6:7 “The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.”

 

Acts 9:31 “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.”

 

Acts 9:42 “It became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.”

 

Acts 11:21 “And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.”

 

Acts 11:24 “… And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord.”

 

Acts 14:1 “In Iconium they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a manner that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of Greeks.”

 

Acts 14:21 “After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,”

 

Acts 16:5 “So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.”

 

Acts 17:12 “Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men.”

 

Obvious enough?

 

Jesus took these old flaky, temperamental fishermen and through His example, actually transformed them into fishers of men.

 

They walked with Him

They watched Him

They learned from Him

They followed Him

And they, like Him, became great fishers of men.

 

It’s really not complicated, we just follow His example.

• We Explore for Sinners

• We Explain Salvation

• We Exhibit Signs

• We Exercise Sympathy

• We Experience Success

 

Take it from the Ultimate Fisher of Men

 

Acts 1:7-8 “He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

 

The Kings Men

Matthew 4:18-22

 

As we study through Matthew’s gospel,

We get to yet another important aspect of the kingship of Jesus.

 

And that is the selection of his men.

 

Of these men Jesus said:

John 15:16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.”

 

This men did not go looking for Jesus, Jesus went looking for these men.

 

And that in and of itself is an amazing fact.

For we are all aware of the type of men that Jesus chose.

 

He could have chosen the Jewish leaders,

Skilled in the Law and in social etiquette.

He could have chosen the Greek philosophers,

Skilled in reason, and relevant to the culture.

He could have chosen the Roman senators,

Entrusted with power and authority, men of dignity and influence

 

But Jesus passed on them all.

Instead He chose fisherman, a tax collector, and a terrorist.

He didn’t go for the most educated.

He didn’t go for the most influential.

He didn’t go for the most powerful.

 

He purposely chose ordinary men.

 

HE ALWAYS HAS

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”

 

Christ purposely chose the weak, foolish, and ignoble.

If a wise men speaks wise words, no one is surprised.

If a strong man does brave things, no one is amazed.

If a noble man exhibits great leadership, it is expected.

 

But if you take the weak, foolish, and ignoble fishermen

And put in them the ability to do those things, people will pay attention.

And that was certainly the result.

Acts 4:13 “Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.”

 

When the weak and the foolish and the despised

Start exhibiting great wisdom, strength, and honor,

Then it is apparent that ability came from somewhere else.

And God is glorified.

 

That beloved, is why God chose me, that is why God chose you,

And that is why God chose the disciples we see today.

 

These were the men that Jesus determined to use to change the world.

12 ordinary, foolish, weak, ignoble men; but men who when filled with the power of God, would literally turn the world upside down.

 

And this morning Matthew gives us a peak into their calling.

 

But it is important to understand the chronology of the event.

 

I told you last week that Matthew was not a stickler for detail.

We already know that he omitted

The first 3 ½ chapters of John and part of Luke 4.

 

Matthew was not a historian, Matthew was a tax collector.

Matthew didn’t care if you knew history, Matthew wanted you to know the King.

 

And so Matthew only included the facts he wanted you to know.

 

And that is the case again this morning.

 

Do not assume that when Jesus walked along the sea of Galilee

That this was the first time Andrew, Peter, James, and John ever saw Him.

 

THIS WAS NOT THEIR INITIAL CALLING.

 

Their initial calling occurred in John 1.

John 1:35-42 “Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, ” Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).”

 

This was the initial introduction of the disciples to Jesus.

Of course from there they spent the evening with Him,

And the next day they attended a wedding with Him

Where He turned water into wine.

 

After He turned water into wine:

John 2:11 “This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.”

 

That was the salvation of

Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, and Nathanael.

 

After that event, it is apparent that

The disciples returned to their homes, as did Jesus.

 

He actually went back to Nazareth to reveal Himself to His hometown,

Where they tried to throw Him off a cliff.

 

Then Jesus returned to Galilee.

Luke 4:31 “And He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and He was teaching them on the Sabbath;”

 

Matthew 4:12-13 “Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.”

 

After re-entering that region,

We know that Jesus went and stayed with Peter, at least for a little while,

For while He was there, He healed Peter’s mother-in-law.

 

Luke 4:38-39 “Then He got up and left the synagogue, and entered Simon’s home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him to help her. And standing over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her; and she immediately got up and waited on them.”

 

So, at this point, the disciples are pretty well acquainted with Jesus.

 

He has saved them, they are believers,

But they have yet to be challenged to go beyond their saving faith.

 

But as we all know, Jesus is not content to leave us where we are. He always wants more for us.

 

The disciples day was coming.

 

• After Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law, the sick started flocking to Him.

• So much so that He left for a secluded place to get away.

 

But according to Luke 4:42, the crowds found Him,

And tried to keep Him from leaving.

And it was in this wave of popularity

That Jesus received a crowd near the shore of the sea of Galilee,

And the day would change the disciples lives forever.

 

NO, THE DISCIPLES WERE NOT WITH HIM YET.

The disciples were still fishing. They had not yet left to follow Him.

 

Luke 5:1-11 “Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.”

 

Peter was well-acquainted with Jesus,

So when Jesus asked for the use of the boat, he was more than willing.

 

Then came the miracle in which Jesus blew Peter’s mind.

And not only Peter’s, but Andrew’s, James’, and John’s as well.

 

It was there that Jesus said, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.”

 

This is the same incident that Matthew speaks of here.

 

It occurred after the disciples were already saved,

At a point when Jesus wanted them to take the next step

And be more than lazy believers.

 

Now you probably noticed that Matthew left out a whole lot of the story.

 

WHY?

• In part because Matthew was not an eye witness of all of that. Matthew was not called until after that event.

• And in part because Matthew was more focused on the result, than the details.

 

Matthew simply wants you to see that Jesus called

And His disciples followed.

How or why was not as important to him.

And so this morning we look at Matthew’s account

Of the day Jesus called His men to be more

Than they had ever been before.

 

And as we study, let it be firmly planted in your mind

That the same is true in our case.

 

We may be truly saved, but Jesus is asking for more.

 

This morning’s text is actually broken into two categories.

 

First is the calling of Andrew and Peter

Second is the calling of James and John.

 

But because both callings follow the same outline,

We are going to look at them simultaneously,

And therefore learn the truths about following Jesus.

 

3 things

#1 AN OBSERVATION MADE

Matthew 4:18, 21a

 

In each of these verses we see basically the same thing occurring.

 

As two fishermen are engaged in some aspect of their daily work,

Jesus walks by and observes them.

 

In both cases the Scripture says, “He saw two…brothers”

 

Andrew and Peter were “casting a net”

James and John were “mending their nets”

 

(Because according to Luke 5:6, their nets began to tear from the large catch of fish Jesus orchestrated)

 

But as Jesus looked at these men.

He saw two who were striving to survive

He saw two who were recovering from the battle

 

And the best way to put it is that

Jesus saw a tremendous waste of potential.

 

Remember when Jesus first saw Peter?

John 1:42 “He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).”

 

And you may remember that “Cephas” means “rock”.

 

And if you recall, for the next 3 years Peter was anything but a rock.

Simon was wishy-washy.

Simon was overconfident.

Simon was a coward who fled.

 

But Jesus didn’t seem him for what he was.

Jesus saw him for what he would become.

And those are the same eyes at work here.

 

If all these men ever do is catch fish, sell fish, and eat fish,

They will have wasted a life that could have been so much more.

 

And that is what Jesus saw here.

 

And so, we see An Observation Made

#2 AN OFFER GIVEN

Matthew 4:19, 21b

 

To Peter and Andrew Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

 

And although Scripture only says that “He called” James and John,

The same calling is implied.

 

• Jesus was offering a new life.

• Jesus was offering a new calling.

• Jesus was offering a life with purpose.

 

• They had heard John proclaim Jesus as the Lamb of God.

• They had seen Him turn water into wine.

• They had heard Him preach to the masses.

• They had seen Him heal His mother-in-law.

• They had seen Jesus orchestrate that huge catch of fish.

 

They had seen Jesus do amazing things,

And now Jesus was holding out His hand saying, come with Me.

 

TALK ABOUT AN EXCITING NEW CAREER!

This amazing man was giving them the offer of a lifetime.

He was offering them a life of adventure, a life of faith, and a life of victory.

 

I mean you only have to look at the next section of Matthew’s gospel

To see the type of life He was offering.

 

Matthew 4:23-25 “Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.”

This was no ordinary occupation Jesus was offering to them,

He was offering them a truly amazing life.

 

All they had ever done was pull fish out of the water.

Jesus was giving them the opportunity to pluck men from the fire.

 

Jude 22-23 “And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.”

 

And that is precisely what these men were asked to do.

“Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

 

It is also quite important to note how the transition would occur.

 

Jesus did not command them to become “fishers of men”

 

Jesus said, “I will make you fishers of men.”

 

We know the twelve.

Just because Jesus intended for them to be evangelistic

Did not mean they instantly were.

 

Remember the missionary heart of John?

Luke 9:51-56 “When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem; and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But He turned and rebuked them, [and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”] And they went on to another village.”

 

How about the missionary heart of the rest of the disciples?

Matthew 14:15 “When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”

 

Matthew 19:13-14 “Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

 

These men did not start out as great evangelists with missionary hearts.

They were a work in progress.

 

Jesus did not draft them as “fishers of men”

He made them “fishers of men”

 

And that is something that is important for you to realize as well.

 

You were called by Christ for a reason.

You were chosen by Christ for a purpose.

 

Maybe you are not a fisher of men as of right now,

But rest assured that is what He desires for you to be.

 

The tragedy is that most people who call themselves Christians

Live totally oblivious to that fact.

 

In fact a recent statistic says that 95% of all evangelical Christians

Have never shared their faith with another living soul.

 

BUT HOW CAN WE CLAIM TO BE FOLLOWING JESUS IF WE DO NOT SHARE HIS GOSPEL?

 

Charles Spurgeon

“Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.”

 

So you are either fishing for men, or you are not following Christ.

 

AND IT IS TRAGIC WHEN THE CHURCH FAILS TO FOLLOW

 

John MacArthur shared a modern day parable

In his commentary on this chapter.

 

“On a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks were frequent, a crude little life-saving station was built. The building was just a hut, and there was only one boat, but the few devoted crewmen kept a constant watch over the sea. With no thought for themselves, they went out day and night, tirelessly searching for any who might need help. Many lives were saved by their devoted efforts. After a while the station became famous. Some of those who were saved, as well as others in the surrounding area, wanted to become a part of the work. They gave time and money for its support. New boats were bought, additional crews were trained, and the station grew.

Some of the members became unhappy that the building was so crude. They felt a larger, nicer place would be more appropriate as the first refuge of those saved from the sea. So they replaced the emergency cots with hospital beds and put better furniture in the enlarged building. Soon the station became a popular gathering place for its members to discuss the work and to visit with each other.

They continued to remodel and decorate until the station more and more took on the look and character of a club. Fewer members were interested in going out on lifesaving missions, so they hired professional crews to do the work on their behalf. The lifesaving motif still prevailed on the club emblems and stationery, and there was a liturgical lifeboat in the room were the club held its initiations.

One day a large ship was wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in many boatloads of cold, wet, half-drowned people. They were dirty, bruised, and sick; and some had black or yellow skin. The beautiful new club was terribly messed up, and so the property committee immediately had a shower house built outside, where the shipwreck victims could be cleaned up before coming inside.

At the next meeting there was a split in the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club’s lifesaving activities altogether, as being unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal social life of the club. Some members insisted on keeping lifesaving as their primary purpose and pointed out that, after all, they were still called a lifesaving station. But those members were voted down and told that if they wanted to save lives they could begin their own station down the coast somewhere.

As the years went by, the new station gradually faced the same problems the other one had experienced. It, too, became a club, and its lifesaving work became less and less of a priority.

The few members who remained dedicated to lifesaving began another station. History continued to repeat itself; and if you visit that coast today you will find a number of exclusive clubs along the shore. Shipwrecks are still frequent in those waters, but most of the people drown.

[MacArthur adds] What a striking illustration of the history of the church. Yet the work of evangelism, of spiritual lifesaving, is nonetheless the purest, truest, noblest, and most essential work the church will ever do. The work of fishing men and women out of the sea of sin, the work of rescuing people from the breakers of hell, is the greatest work the church is called by God to do.” (pg. 111-112)

 

And so I think you get the point.

Jesus chose His followers with the intention that

Some day they would become fishers of men.

 

Observation Made, Offer Given

#3 AN OPPORTUNITY SEIZED

Matthew 4:20, 22

 

As we said, these disciples were in a rut.

Day in and day out it was the same old grind, the same old routine.

 

And then Jesus comes by and offers them a chance

To live with Him and for Him.

 

“Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.”

“Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.”

 

No doubt Matthew wants you to see that these men did not hesitate.

On one hand because it was a great offer.

And on the other hand because this was their Lord who was asking.

 

And you will notice that their obedience meant sacrifice.

 

“They left their nets”

“They left the boat and their father”

 

It’s not that Jesus has anything against fishing nets,

Nor is it that Jesus had anything against Zebedee.

 

But you couldn’t carry your nets around if you were going to follow Jesus.

James and John couldn’t drag their father in a boat and follow Jesus.

 

It wasn’t that Jesus demanded that they get rid of those things,

It was that they couldn’t keep them

And follow Jesus where He was going.

 

Many a missionary has learned this lesson,

As they left their homes and possessions and family behind

To go and live on the mission field.

 

This is what Jesus had in mind when He said:

 

Mattew 10:37-39 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”

 

Luke 14:26-27 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”

 

There is nothing wrong with stuff,

Just make sure that stuff doesn’t keep you from following Jesus.

And if it does, leave it on the sand and follow.

 

These men did, and the rest is history.

 

EVEN MATTHEW WAS THE SAME

Luke 5:27-28 “After that He went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him.”

 

Matthew sure would have looked funny following Jesus

With a tax booth on a two-wheel dolly.

 

He couldn’t take it with him.

But Jesus was moving on.

He had a choice, and he chose to leave it all and follow Jesus.

 

So this morning, let me ask you.

HOW IS YOUR LIFE?

WHAT ARE YOU FISHING FOR?

 

Jesus has a plan for you that is beyond your wildest dreams.

 

In fact, He actually calls it B

John 8:12 “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

 

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

 

John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

 

We just studied in 1 Timothy,

Paul’s encouragement to the rich of this world concerning this very thing.

 

1 Timothy 6:18-19 “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”

 

Paul said, there is “life indeed” out there,

But it isn’t found in the riches of this world.

 

SO WHAT ARE YOU FISHING FOR?

 

These men were not special men,

But they were chosen by Jesus and molded by Him. And it was these ordinary men who literally changed the world.

 

And now imagine if they had chosen to stay where they were.

 

What difference would Peter and Andrew have made in the world?

What difference would James and John have made in the world?

What difference would Matthew have made in the world?

 

NONE

 

But by answering the call of Jesus and seizing the opportunity

What they did in reality made all the difference.

 

This morning let me encourage you to follow the Master.

 

Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

 

The King of Hope

Matthew 4:12-17

 

So far Matthew has been very systematic

In his choice of how to reveal the king to us.

 

• We have seen the genealogy

• We have seen the prophetic birth and prophetic birthplace

• We have seen numerous fulfilled prophecies surrounding His early life

• We have seen His coronation (baptism)

• Most recently we have seen His testing and His victory over it.

 

Matthew has been systematic in regard to showing you the king,

And that does not change this morning.

 

Here we move on to another aspect of the King

That was obviously very important to Matthew.

 

Not only was Jesus the prophetic King,

Jesus is also the King that Israel has been waiting for.

 

They may not have realized that, that is why Matthew includes this incident.

 

Now, as we read those first two verses it can quickly strike us

As something that is pretty much insignificant.

 

The event Matthew tells us about is simply; Jesus return to Galilee.

 

(12) “Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew to Galilee;”

 

Verse 13 says that in order to do this He left “Nazareth”.

And that He specifically “came and settled in Capernaum” which is “in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali”

 

And it’s not that we would doubt this,

It just seems sort of insignificant to include it.

 

Some might deduce that Matthew was just a stickler for detail

And wanted us to get every incident of Jesus’ life.

 

BUT THAT IS NOT TRUE EITHER.

Matthew has just skipped over a large amount of content.

 

To be exact Matthew just skipped over the first 3 1/2 chapters of John

And Luke 4:16-30.

 

To fill in the timeline.

 

After Jesus finished His wilderness temptation,

He returned to the wilderness where John was baptizing.

 

• John saw Him and said:

John 1:29 “The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

 

• The Second Day

John 1:35-37 “Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.”

 

• The Third Day

John 2:1-2 “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.”

 

And you know what occurred there.

 

• In John 3 Jesus had a conversation with Nicodemus about eternal life.

 

HOW DO WE KNOW THIS ALL HAPPENED

BEFORE OUR STORY IN MATTHEW?

 

John 3:24 “for John had not yet been thrown into prison.”

 

• Of course after this event Jesus then traveled through Samaria in John 4 and there encountered the woman at the well.

 

And it wasn’t until after this that John was imprisoned

And Jesus returned to Galilee.

 

Of course that is not all that Matthew omits.

 

Luke 4:16-30 records Jesus going to His hometown of Nazareth

And preaching in their synagogue.

 

At first the people were amazed at Him,

But after He condemned their hardness of heart,

They tried to throw Him off a cliff.

 

Luke 4:30-31 “But passing through their midst, He went His way. And He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and He was teaching them on the Sabbath;”

 

And so you can see that Matthew was not just a stickler

For including every detail in his gospel account.

 

Matthew saw this event as a very important incident

And one that clearly made the point he wanted to make.

 

To Matthew this is a very important piece of His puzzle.

As we look at it, there are 3 things I want you to see

#1 A FUNNY PATH

Matthew 4:12-13

 

The first thing you must notice is that

All this began according to God’s timing.

 

“Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee;”

 

John was the forerunner, he was the herald.

And it is easily understood that the king doesn’t arrive

Until the herald is finished.

 

Jesus was not to minister alongside of John.

Jesus was to minister after Him.

 

This is why when His mother sent the servants to Him at the wedding

When they were out of wine, He responded by saying:

John 2:4 “And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.”

 

He was following God’s ordained timetable,

And that included waiting for John to finish His ministry first.

 

But now John is gone from the scene Jesus publicly begins His ministry.

 

AND HE DOES SO IN A VERY PECULIAR WAY.

Jesus enters Galilee.

 

I call this a funny path, because

To most Jews it would have seemed strange

That Jesus would even go to this region, let alone settle there.

 

If Jesus were king,

There is really only one place He should have wanted to go.

Jerusalem.

 

Even His unbelieving brothers knew that:

John 7:1-5 “After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him. Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near. Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. “For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” For not even His brothers were believing in Him.”

 

Even Jesus’ brothers knew that if He wanted to be known as King

He didn’t need to waste time in Galilee, He needed to go to Jerusalem.

No King of Israel had any business settling in Galilee.

And this was the mindset of almost all the Jews.

 

John 7:41 “Others were saying, “This is the Christ.” Still others were saying, “Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He?”

 

WHY? Because of Galilee’s history.

 

“The region of Zebulun and Naphtali” was a region with a history.

 

It all began back in the days of Joshua.

You may remember that by the time of Joshua’s death

Not all of the tribes of Israel had yet succeeded

In removing the Canaanites from their portion of the Promised Land.

 

Joshua told them to do this before he died.

However after Joshua died the new leaders sort of dropped the ball

And the Israelites fell away from God.

 

Instead of destroying the remaining Canaanites

They formed alliances with them.

 

God was angry.

Judges 2:20-21 “So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers and has not listened to My voice, I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died,”

 

What that meant is that those regions were consigned

To forever have foreign and pagan influence.

 

Not only that, but when Assyria conquered the northern kingdom,

You will remember that he brought in foreigners to live in the land,

And they intermarried with the refugees forming the Samaritan race.

 

And now, by Jesus day “the region of Zebulun and Naphtali”

Was better known as a Gentile region than a Jewish one.

 

The Jews who lived there were viewed as

Unorthodox, worldly, and far less than devout.

They were hated and mocked.

 

If anything, when the King came

He would destroy that region, not settle there.

 

And so for Matthew to go out of his way

To point that Jesus entered this region to settle there, i

It must have been extremely peculiar to the Jews.

This was indeed “A Funny Path” for Jesus to take.

 

But it was only funny because they didn’t understand His purpose.

He didn’t come to destroy sinners, He came to save them.

 

In fact, Matthew actually lived in this region and that is no doubt why Matthew was so clear to understand what Jesus was doing.

 

Matthew 9:9-13 “As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him. Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. “But go and learn what this means: ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

 

Jesus had come to save men, not destroy them,

And so it only makes sense that when Jesus began His ministry

He didn’t first go to the righteous, He first went to the wicked.

 

No physician who approaches a scene of some tragedy

First begins by giving routine check-ups to the people who are fine.

 

But none the less, Jesus decision to settle first in this region

Would have been peculiar to the Jews.

 

But Matthew includes this because he wants them to know

That this should have been a great indicator to them.

 

A Funny Path

#2 A FULFILLED PROPHECY

Matthew 4:14-16

 

Now we know why Matthew included

This seemingly insignificant event in his gospel.

 

Matthew saw it as a fulfillment of prophecy.

“This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:”

 

And then Matthew quotes Isaiah 9:1-2

 

And so, in order to understand Matthew’s point,

We must turn back there for a moment.

TURN TO ISAIAH 9

 

(Now I know this is a lot of information,

But please hang with me and we will bring a point out of this)

 

Isaiah 6-9 is a sort of parenthetical section in the book of Isaiah.

It falls in the middle of a sermon Isaiah gives

Regarding the wrath of God on Israel’s sin.

 

The sermon begins in Isaiah 5 and ends in Isaiah 12.

 

Isaiah 5 starts with the parable of the vineyard in which God reveals that Israel is a fruitless vine that He is about to destroy.

 

And then, based upon that wrath

Isaiah begins issuing a series of WOES to Israel.

 

5:8 “Woe to those who add house to house” (Greed)

5:11 “Woe to those who rise early in the morning that they may pursue strong drink” (drunkenness)

5:18 “Woe to those who drag iniquity with the cords of falsehood” (mockers)

 

And you could continue reading all of those woes on their sinfulness.

Even into chapter 10

 

But it is apparent that as Isaiah delivers this message of wrath,

The people of the day don’t seem to take it serious.

 

In fact, they don’t really think it is relevant or that it even applies to them.

And that is why Isaiah includes chapters 6-9

 

He is writing to reveal that this sermon does apply to them.

In fact according to chapter 6

God called him specifically to preach it to them.

 

• In chapter 7 Isaiah reveals that this sermon perfectly fits their wicked king Ahaz.

• And in chapter 8 Israel reveals that this sermon perfectly fits the wicked people of Israel.

 

The backdrop of the incident is that

Assyria is about to conquer them

And God wants them to repent and turn to Him

So that this event doesn’t happen.

But instead of seeking God, they are ignoring Him.

 

READ: Isaiah 8:19-22

 

Assyria was about to attack, and instead of seeking God and His word, Israel was going to the mediums and spiritists.

 

And Isaiah tells them what the outcome to their decision will be. (8:21-22)

 

So Isaiah says that in your refusal to seek God,

You have brought upon yourself a destiny of doom and anguish

In which you will be driven away into darkness.

 

And that is precisely what DID happen to Israel.

 

Their first conqueror would be Assyria, followed by Babylon, followed by Media, followed by Persia, followed by Greece, followed by Rome.

 

It would be one oppressor after another.

It would be the gloom of anguish and a life of utter darkness.

And this is where Israel remained even until the coming of Jesus

 

But despite the coming darkness,

Isaiah promised an eventual day of relief.

 

This is where chapter 9 comes into play.

READ ISAIAH 9:1-2

 

Isaiah had promised that gloom and darkness would definitely come,

But it would only last for a while.

 

For God would send “a great light” to deliver those who live in darkness

And would subsequently put an end to their gloom.

 

WHO IS THIS LIGHT?

READ ISAIAH 9:6-7

 

NOW DO YOU GET IT?

 

This is why Matthew was so enamored by the fact

That Jesus entered the region of Zebulun and Naphtali

And settled in Capernaum.

 

As Matthew sat at his tax booth, he was a man living in darkness

Until one day he saw Jesus and for him, the light came on.

And now he is writing of that very incident to the Jews.

 

He is screaming – “Your time of darkness is over, your time of despair is over, the light has come! I have found the One Isaiah spoke of! The great Light is here! This is the One to put an end to our anguish. This is the One to put an end to our gloom.”

 

Matthew saw Him and now wants all of Israel to see Him as well.

 

And so Matthew quotes Isaiah 9:1-2

And points out that Jesus has just fulfilled it.

 

“THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES — “THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT, AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH, UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED.”

 

And it is only wise that we explain this passage a little further.

 

Isaiah here spoke of two types of people.

1) IGNORANT

“The people who were sitting in darkness”

 

These were people who were in sin and didn’t even know it.

They were clueless as to how this life was supposed to be lived.

 

And because they didn’t know how to live,

They continually made the wrong decision

And as a result reaped the consequences of it.

 

We have all seen people like that.

I talked to a kid the other day who had been baptized in:

The Baptist Church, The Methodist Church, The Church of Christ,

And the Mormon occult.

He has heard so much “truth” he doesn’t have a clue what it is.

 

And to the ignorant, Jesus is “A GREAT LIGHT”

 

• He comes to show the truth.

• He comes to expose the flaws in how they are living.

• He comes to reveal the right way to walk and the right things to do.

 

John 1:9 “There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.”

 

Similar to the woman at the well,

When Jesus exposed not only her shady past,

But also her wrong theology.

 

He showed her the light of truth and she became a believer.

 

Jesus reveals the areas of falsehood in our lives

By shining light on our bad decisions

And showing us what needs to change.

 

But that isn’t the only type of person Isaiah spoke of.

2) HOPELESS

“And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death”

 

These were not ignorant people.

These people knew all too well how bad their life was.

 

They knew their life was bad and they didn’t know how to change it.

They were hopeless.

 

They didn’t see a way out of their despair and misery.

 

But when Jesus came “upon them a light dawned.”

 

(I have to think this must have been Matthew)

 

John 8:12 “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

 

Jesus gave hope to the hopeless.

 

He was the solution to their anguish and gloom

That Isaiah said was coming.

 

So when Matthew saw Jesus enter that region

It was far from insignificant, it was a huge message of hope.

 

And let me just say that Jesus is light for your darkness as well.

 

And that brings us to the third point.

 

A Funny Path, A Fulfilled Prophecy

#3 A FAITHFUL PREACHER

Matthew 4:17

 

I’ve always found it extremely interesting and important to note

That when Jesus began His ministry,

His first sermon was not about the mercy of God.

 

When Jesus began to preach,

He preached the same message as John the Baptist.

 

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

 

THERE IS THE LIGHT WE SPOKE OF

 

Jesus walked into this sin infested region.

• This region that had compromised with the world…

• That region that had copied the world’s religion…

• That region that had intermarried with the world and brought hardship upon themselves.

• That region that Isaiah said consulted mediums and spiritists instead of consulting the Law of God.

 

And as a result of their sin and disregard for God,

Their lives ended upon the gutter.

And so Jesus comes to shed some light on the subject.

 

He reveals that the problem that is killing them is sin,

And therefore the solution to the problem is repentance.

 

“You’ve got to leave the sin if there is to be any relief!”

 

It’s not a cruel message, instead it’s the message of deliverance.

STOP SINNING

TURN AROUND

GO THE OTHER DIRECTION

 

Until now, no one had been willing to tell them what their sin was,

And no one had been willing to tell them to leave it.

 

And as a result their lives were in shambles

And they couldn’t see any way out.

 

Thank God that Jesus loved enough to reveal the problem and solution.

 

Jesus is the King of Hope.

He came to put an end to anguish and gloom.

 

Are you living in sin?

STOP

Are you avoiding God?

STOP

Is your life in shambles?

STOP

 

This morning I just want to remind you that Jesus is the Savior.

Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of that sin is death.

 

But Romans 5:8 says that God demonstrated His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

 

And the command to us is simple:

Romans 10:9 says “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

 

This morning I just want to offer that message of hope to you.

If your life is in despair, then run to the king of hope.

 

Leave your sin behind and find the light at the end of the tunnel.

Acts 3:17-20 “And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. “But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you,”