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,”

 

The Segregation of Man

Genesis 9:18 – 11:9 (9:18-28)

February 2, 2014

 

When we read this text, we have here two very peculiar stories,

And ones that honestly cause us to scratch our heads a little in wonder.

 

• We have Noah, the man who walked with God, the man righteous before God, the man blameless in his time, passing out drunk and naked.

 

• We then have Noah distinguishing between his sons, cursing one and blessing two others.

 

• And then, by reading on into chapter 11 we have this peculiar story about a tower being built to the heavens and God confusing the language of humanity.

 

And while we all know the stories, there is always a little curiosity

As to why they were included and why they are here.

 

What is Moses trying to reveal?

• What benefit do these stories have to the children of Israel now wondering in the wilderness?

• What benefit do these stories have for your life today, that God would preserve them in Scripture?

 

To understand that, you need to know that Moses is now

Transitioning into his next main point to the children of Israel.

 

And that point is one that has baffled humanity up until this very day.

 

God is about to do something that is totally wonderful

And yet impossible to fully grasp.

 

God is about to select a people for Himself.

 

Now you won’t see that selection yet, it is only alluded to in our text today.

That selection doesn’t come until Genesis 12.

 

Genesis 12:1-3 “Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great;

And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

 

There God does something that is totally and completely gracious.

God chooses Abraham from the midst of the earth

To be the father of a nation whom God will bless.

 

It is mind boggling, and even to this day it is hard to fathom.

 

It is nothing less than the divine prerogative of God.

That God has the right to choose whom He will to be His children.

 

And why we find that significant at this point,

Is because this is the only hope humanity has.

 

We’ve already seen what humanity does when left to its own devices.

 

Humanity chooses sin.

Adam did it, Cain did it, and every human from there on out did it.

 

And by the time we got to Noah we read the sad reality about humanity.

 

Genesis 6:5 “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

 

When man is left to his own devices, he always chooses sin.

And that is precisely the reality that led to the flood.

 

And the idea is that after a global killer,

Man is supposed to realize that God is serious about sin

And then man (motivated by judgment)

Is supposed to choose to live a righteous life from here on out.

But that is not the way it is at all.

 

In fact, the flood destroyed sinners, but it didn’t change humanity.

 

Remember when Noah came out of the ark?

Genesis 8:21 “The LORD smelled the soothing aroma; and the LORD said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.”

 

The simple reality is that the flood did not change a thing

As to what humanity was.

 

• Man is sinful even if he is in a perfect garden

• Man is sinful even if given a second chance on earth

 

In fact by the time we get to the New Testament

Paul quotes that compilation of Old Testament passages

Which are assessments of God as to who humanity really is.

 

Romans 3:10-18 “as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.” “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,” “THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”; “WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”; “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD, DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.” “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”

That is about as thorough as it gets.

Man is sinful.

He was sinful before the flood, he was sinful after the flood.

 

Any hopes of man now changing his ways is really only wishful thinking.

And if you doubt, all you have to do is see Noah already getting drunk.

 

SO WHAT IS TO BE DONE?

 

Well it is obvious that man isn’t going to save himself.

• It is obvious that man isn’t going to choose God.

• It is obvious that man isn’t going to choose righteousness.

 

Every time man was given the option, he always chose sin.

 

Let’s state it bluntly.

MAN WILL NOT CHOOSE GOD

 

Partly because he won’t and partly because he can’t

 

The New Testament reveals this clearly

Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”

 

Today so much is spoken of about man’s “free will”

Or man’s “right to choose”

 

But listen, there is no such thing as free will.

(Man is either a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness)

 

Man, without God is not free.

Man is a slave to sin.

 

He doesn’t know he is a slave, but that’s precisely what he is.

And every time he is given a choice, he proves that by choosing sin.

 

And that is what Paul illustrated.

• Man constantly lives in “the lusts of the flesh”

• Man constantly indulges “the desires of the flesh and of the mind”

 

Why?

Because he is a slave to sin.

 

In fact, in a spiritual sense he is dead.

“You were dead in your trespasses and sins”

 

Dead means “inability to respond to stimulus”

It’s not just that they won’t respond, they can’t respond.

And if they could, they wouldn’t, because they want sin.

 

And this is the reality that has been revealed

In the first 8 chapter of Genesis.

 

God created man and put man in a paradise garden.

• But did man want God? No

• Did man choose God? No

 

In fact by Noah’s day, how many men were credited as righteous before God by reason of their faith? (Just One – Noah)

 

Man is not choosing God.

Man is choosing sin.

 

And if that reality stays the same, we are destined to

Repeat this judgment scene over and over and over until the very end.

 

Man is wicked, and that isn’t going to change.

Man will not choose God.

 

SO HERE IT IS:

If man is going to be saved, then God is going to have to choose man.

 

• God will have to choose him

• God will have to call him

• God will have to save him

• God will have to sanctify him

• God will have to secure him

 

Because if it is left up to man, salvation will never occur.

 

And that is the point Moses is driving to.

God is about to sovereignly choose a people for salvation.

 

He is about to choose Abraham, and his descendants through Isaac and Jacob and make them His very own people.

 

• They will not be chosen because of their great intellect

• They will not be chosen because of their great wealth

• They will not be chosen because of their great strength

• They will not be chosen because of their great integrity

• They won’t even be chosen because of their great faith

 

They will be chose simply because God wanted to choose them.

 

And the rest of the book of Genesis will prove that

This choice makes all the difference.

 

We have seen the depravity of man throughout the first 8 chapters of Genesis.

Now it is time to see God’s effectual call upon His elect.

God is about to choose His people.

 

However, before God can select a people,

He must first separate the people.

 

The people must first be distinguished from one another

And then God can make His selection known.

 

AND THAT IS WHAT THIS PASSAGE IS ABOUT.

 

These passages reveal how God separated all the nations on the earth,

So that we can see that of all the nations, God chose Abraham.

 

And when you read this text, the reality of that separation

Becomes extremely clear. It is obviously Moses’ point.

 

(9:19) “These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.”

 

(10:5) “From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.”

 

(10:25) “Two sons were born to Eber; the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.”

 

(10:32) “These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations; and out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood.”

 

(11:8-9) “So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

 

Moses’ point is obvious.

• He is revealing how the earth became so diverse.

• He is revealing how the earth was separated.

 

And from purely an intelligent point of view this is important.

Certainly if only 8 people got off the ark, it would be curious

Why there are so many different dialects in the world.

 

Here is that answer.

• God separated humanity.

• God made them diverse.

And He did so that He might choose a people for Himself.

 

Well this morning I want you to see the events

That led up to the segregation of the world.

 

I want you to see the catalysts God used to divide the world.

There are three things that caused it.

 

#1 NOAH’S CURSE

Genesis 9:18-10:32 (18-28)

 

Again you notice Moses’ point right off the bat.

(18-19) “Now the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem and Ham and Japheth; and Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.”

 

He is pointing out how the earth came to be in the condition

That the children of Israel now see it.

 

They aren’t all one family

They don’t share the same culture

They don’t speak the same language

 

God took these three and divided them to populate the earth.

 

Moses even throws in an important fact “Ham was the father of Canaan”

 

Certainly the children of Israel would have interested in this tidbit of information.

They knew all about the Canaanites and how they were

To be removed from the land God had promised to them.

 

Well, let’s see how that division came about.

 

It all started with Noah planting a vineyard.

(120 years of boat building had more than satisfied his carpentry urge – Noah wanted to farm)

 

So “Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent.”

 

Well I think we can all agree that

This is a less than flattering story for Noah.

 

As a side note, just be mindful that drunkenness has caused people

To do stupid and shameful things since the days of Noah.

 

Well, Noah gets drunk and makes a fool of himself.

 

And “Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.”

Presumably Ham accidentally spots Noah, but instead of covering his father to save his father’s dignity, Ham immediately went to expose him.

 

And of course you know that this is not Christian.

• Christians aren’t out to exploit the flaws of others.

• Scripture teaches us that “love covers a multitude of sins”

• It also teaches that “love does not rejoice in unrighteousness”

• It also reminds us that when we catch our brother in sin, we are to show him

his fault in private, not show his fault to everyone else.

 

This is obviously bad form on the part of Ham.

Noah was certainly guilty of shameful behavior, but a son who truly loved his father would hope to save him from embarrassment, not exploit him.

 

And that is certainly what Shem and Japheth desired.

They go in and cover their father Noah.

 

(24) “When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him.”

 

Now Scripture doesn’t reveal how Noah knew it,

But it was obviously made known to him.

 

And with that shame came upon Noah

(shame always follows sin)

 

And Noah was embarrassed.

 

And in his anger and in his shame, Noah pronounces a curse.

 

(25-27) “So he said, “Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brothers.” He also said, “Blessed be the LORD, The God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant. “May God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant.”

 

Now Noah in anger pronounced a curse on his son.

 

What Moses is pointing out is that whether Noah knew it or not,

His statement was a prophetic one.

 

It was God who used Noah’s embarrassment and anger

To provide opportunity for a prophetic statement.

 

• Canaan would be relegated to slavery

• Shem would be blessed

• Japheth would share in Shem’s blessing

 

And this would happen.

1 Kings 9:20-21 “As for all the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, who were not of the sons of Israel, their descendants who were left after them in the land whom the sons of Israel were unable to destroy utterly, from them Solomon levied forced laborers, even to this day.”

 

Furthermore Shem would become the line of the Jews

And Japheth the line of the Gentiles.

 

Shem would be blessed and Japheth would indeed

Be grafted in to Shem’s blessed line.

 

It was a very prophetic moment for Noah.

• God was separating the earth in that moment.

• God was segregating among people right then.

 

And to see who the people were, we read chapter 10

(we won’t read it all)

 

Mostly I want you to see Ham’s descendants.

The first son was “Cush” (Ethiopia)

 

And Moses even points out that the curse

DID NOT MEAN that Ham’s descendants were weak.

 

They weren’t slaves because they were dumb or weak.

Look at Cush’s son:

 

(8-9) “Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD.”

 

Ham’s line wouldn’t be servants because they were weak.

They would be servants because God decreed it to be that way.

 

This line was cursed, and incidentally look at some of the places that came from that line.

 

• Verse 10 mentions Babylon

• Verse 11 mentions Assyria and Nineveh

• Verse 14 mentions the Philistines

• And verses 15-18 mentions all those “ites” the children of Israel would soon conquer

 

The point is that God, through Noah, separated the people

And actually placed Shem at the top and Ham at the bottom.

 

(32) “These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations; and out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood.”

 

NOW I KNOW…

 

You don’t like that thought.

• It’s not fair that God would just not choose Ham.

• It’s not fair that God would put him at the bottom.

 

Romans 9:19-23 “You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,”

 

PEOPLE SAY IT’S JUST NOT FAIR THAT GOD DID THAT TO HAM.

 

But let me remind you of what we spoke of to begin the sermon,

And what we’ve seen from the beginning.

 

People who hold such a view are automatically assuming

That Ham wanted to come to God, but God wouldn’t let him.

 

WRONG – we already saw what man wanted.

Ham didn’t want God,

And if it were all up to Ham he wouldn’t have chosen God.

 

And neither would Shem or Japheth for that matter.

It’s not about God being cruel to Ham,

It’s about God being merciful to Shem.

 

God would endure Ham’s line with much patience so that

He could make known the riches of His glory upon Shem’s line.

 

God was separating them,

That He might select those He chose to show mercy.

 

And the first catalyst for this separation was Noah’s angry curse

Given as result of being shamed by his drunkenness.

 

Noah’s Curse

#2 MAN’S CONSTRUCTION

Genesis 11:1-4

 

Now if you’ll listen to Moses, he is clearly revealing to you the problem.

 

God was in the business of separating the earth, but that was difficult.

WHY?

 

(1) “Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words.”

 

It’s hard to separate a people who communicate so well with one another.

If God is to fully separate the earth,

There is going to have to be more drastic measures taken.

And God finds an event which makes it possible.

 

Here is man together:

(2-4) “It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

 

Now this is an interesting story.

And it is included, NOT because building a tower is a sin.

 

• And some have said it is because they wanted to build “a tower whose

top will reach into heaven,”

 

Likening what they were doing to a form of idolatry

In which they were trying to usurp God’s position.

 

If that is so, they didn’t come close, for in a minute you will see

That the Lord still had to come down to see it.

 

But the issue isn’t even that the were building a tall tower.

The issue was the purpose of that tower.

 

It was specifically designed to keep them from being “scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

 

This tower was seeking to accomplish the exact opposite thing

That God was trying to accomplish.

 

God was trying to separate man that He might select His people

And yet these people are specifically trying to stay together.

 

Now this is in violation of God’s command:

Genesis 9:1 “And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.”

 

They were supposed to spread

God wanted them to spread

And they are doing just the opposite.

 

• I don’t know if this tower was to be a tower of trade…

• I don’t know if it was to be a worship site… (many assume)

• I don’t know if it was just something you could see so you wouldn’t get lost…

 

But the point is that humanity is resisting what God is seeking to do.

 

God wants humanity divided and spread over the earth,

And man is adamantly resisting.

 

And so this tower becomes a catalyst for God’s next move.

 

Noah’s Curse, Man’s Construction

#3 GOD’S CONFUSION

Genesis 11:5-9

 

Verse 6 really tells the story:

(6) “The LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them.”

 

Man is unified and he is unified in iniquity.

He is teaming up to defy the desires of God.

(not all unity is a good thing)

 

And God will have none of that.

So in verse 7 God said, “Let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”

 

That would have been interesting wouldn’t it?

 

A guy yells out “cut me a brick 6 ½” long” but all of a sudden the brick cutter doesn’t have the faintest idea what he is saying.

 

All of a sudden it was chaos, it was confusion.

 

But you will notice that God achieved His desired purpose:

(8-9) “So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

 

And that is Moses’ main point.

God is separating, God is segregating, God is scattering humanity.

 

He is dividing them, that He might show His grace and mercy

To the one He is about to select.

 

As you will see next week, the very next verse says:

Genesis 11:10 “These are the records of the generations of Shem. Shem was one hundred years old, and became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood;”

 

Moses was showing you that God separated humanity

So that he could show you who God was now selecting.

And God had to choose someone, because by now it is apparent

That no one was going to choose God.

 

And if you don’t believe me,

All you have to do is take a close look at Shem’s line.

 

• If you follow it on down, it gets to a man named Terah.

• Terah was the father of Abraham.

 

And just in case you assume that Shem stayed with the Lord and chose the Lord and his descendants stayed faithful where as the others did not…

 

Joshua 24:2 “Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the River, namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods.”

 

Shem’s line was no prize.

By the time we get to Abraham they are already worshiping pagan gods.

 

No, this story is NOT about how God separated the good from the bad.

This story is about how God separated all the bad,

That He might choose one and make it good.

 

God separated the bad from the bad

That He might select one and make them good.

 

AND WHY NOT JUST MAKE THEM ALL GOOD?

 

Because as Paul said in Romans 9

God left some bad and made some good “to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy”

 

It was so that those who were chosen would realize

How merciful and gracious God had been to them.

 

And this is the message that Moses is beginning to reveal

To those children of Israel wandering out in the wilderness.

 

THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO UNDERSTAND

HOW GRACIOUS GOD HAD BEEN TO THEM.

 

And incidentally that message is for you as well.

If you would be willing to see it, you didn’t choose God, He chose you.

 

Ephesians 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.”

 

Jesus said:

John 6:70 “Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?”

 

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.”

 

There is no reason why God would have done this except grace.

• Can I explain it? No

• Do I fully understand it? No

 

But one thing is for sure, I sure am grateful for it.

 

I don’t know why He chose to bring me into His church and make me part of His bride, but I sure am glad He did.

 

It is the sovereign grace of God at work, and

• It is meant to move you to gratitude and greater commitment.

• It is meant to crush your pride, and to quit assuming your salvation was all your doing.

• It is meant to motivate you to give every ounce of glory you can to our gracious God.

 

He separated the earth, and out of the earth, He chose you.

 

Titus 3:3-7 “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

 

The Matter of Giving and Receiving

Philippians 4:15-23

February 9, 2014

 

Well tonight we bring our letter of Philippians to a close. I sincerely hope God has used it to continue His process of sanctification in your life.

 

Certainly the truths about

• The attitude,

• Not grumbling,

• Pursuing Jesus,

• And contentment

Are truths that we need to be reminded of continually.

 

Well tonight Paul gives us another gem of information

As he reveals to us the truths about giving.

 

As I told you last week, the Philippians had sent a gift to Paul

As he sat in jail in Rome.

Much of the motivation for this letter came as a result of that gift.

 

Now as we saw last week, Paul was not a discontented person, moping in his jail cell, just wishing for things to comfort him.

 

Instead, Paul was content

 

Philippians 4:11-13 “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

 

Paul was a contented person.

He had learned that regardless of his circumstances,

There was supernatural strength from God to allow him to handle it.

 

• And so Paul’s focus was no longer on obtaining the things of the world

that would make him comfortable.

• Paul’s focus was now on being like Christ and he was content with

everything else.

 

And so we saw the blessed reality of contentment.

 

However, just because contentment is required,

That is no excuse for us to stop helping people.

 

A true Biblical perspective would be:

• If I am in need, I must be content.

• If you are in need, I must meet it.

 

And so tonight we see the necessary second part of that reality.

Paul was content, but their generous giving was still the right thing to do.

 

We even saw last week:

Philippians 4:14 “Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.”

 

Giving and meeting the needs of others is the right thing to do.

And tonight I want to show you the truth about giving.

 

And through this I honestly hope to encourage everyone here to participate in it.

 

There are five things we see in the text tonight:

#1 THE PICTURE OF GIVING

Philippians 4:15-16

 

As we look at these two verses we find here a wonderful picture

Of what giving is supposed to look like.

 

Now, you should keep in the back of your mind that the Philippians make a wonderful example because the Philippians were poor.

 

2 Corinthians 8:1-4 “Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints,”

 

And you need to understand that so to break any misconceptions

That giving is just for the rich.

 

Generosity is not an economic issue.

Generosity is a heart issue.

 

Now obviously you can’t give what you don’t have,

But you can give what you do have, even if it seems insignificant.

 

And the Philippians make a tremendous example

Because they gave out of their deep poverty.

 

Now, as you look at these first two verses

A couple of other realities jump out at you.

 

(15) “You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone;”

 

Paul said after I left Macedonia, at “the first preaching” you were the only ones to help me.

 

It certainly speaks of the eagerness of the Philippians.

They didn’t wait for Paul to call…

They were givers from the beginning.

It was in their heart.

 

Paul says as soon as I left Macedonia, you were there to support me.

 

And incidentally, their giving to Paul was what allowed him to serve in other places, like Corinth.

 

In Acts 18 we find Paul fresh out of Athens, and he comes to Corinth, but he has to work with Aquila and Priscilla making tents.

 

But Acts 18:5 says:

Acts 18:5 “But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.”

 

Paul quit working because the Macedonians had sent an offering to Paul

Which allowed him to focus solely on ministry.

 

That is why Paul wrote to the Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 11:7-9 “Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you without charge? I robbed other churches by taking wages from them to serve you; and when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for when the brethren came from Macedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will continue to do so.”

 

That support for Paul’s ministry came from the Philippians.

They were the first after he left Macedonia.

 

In fact, they supported him before he ever even left Macedonia.

 

(16) “for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs.”

 

That is what you call eagerness. That is what you call priority.

The Philippians were givers.

They wanted to.

 

You also see a picture of giving in their REPETITION.

Paul says, “more than once” you sent a gift.

 

They were not just trying to sooth their conscience.

This wasn’t just giving to say they gave.

 

This was a people who were concerned about a need,

And continually supported it as long as it existed.

 

My point?

• They wanted to give.

• It was a desire of the heart.

2 Corinthians 9:7 “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

 

And that was the Philippians.

They were cheerful givers.

 

And if you’ll look down to verse 18 I’ll show you how much they gave.

 

(18a) “But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent;”

 

Now if you aren’t careful you can read this as though

Paul is just being content.

 

Maybe they didn’t send that much, but because he is so content and so polite, he writes, “you’ve sent plenty”

 

But that is not the language used.

 

“But I have received everything in full”

 

“received…in full” translates APECHO

It literally means “to hold back” or “to keep away”

 

In this context, it is Paul actually retreating from what they have given,

Because he can’t hold anymore.

 

“and have an abundance”

 

“abundance” translates PERISSEUO

It actually refers to having something left over.

 

Matthew 15:37 “And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large baskets full.”

 

So Paul says, “I have leftovers”

 

“I am amply supplied”

 

“amply supplied” translates PLEROO

It literally means “full”

 

And it is used of a total saturating full.

 

John 12:3 “Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.”

 

John 16:6 “But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.”

 

So put all three of those together, and here is what Paul is saying.

I am absolutely stuffed, I’m pushing away from the table,

And I’ve got a ton of leftovers.

 

Now that is what you call giving.

• They gave instantly

• They gave willingly

• They gave sufficiently (and then some)

 

Deuteronomy 15:7-8 “If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.”

 

That is how the Philippians gave, and incidentally,

That is what giving looks like.

 

• It comes from a cheerful heart

• It meets the need

• It doesn’t delay

 

So when the Bible speaks of giving, it isn’t talking about

A little gift here and there to sooth the conscience.

 

It is talking about a heart desire to make a difference

In the life or ministry of someone else.

 

And the Philippians did it so well that Paul was

“stuffed and eating leftovers”

 

The Picture of Giving

#2 THE PROFIT OF GIVING

Philippians 4:17

 

Now I hope you noticed the title of the sermon and the statement Paul made in verse 15.

 

“no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone;”

 

• Now we saw the “giving” side.

• But what is this “receiving” side Paul is talking about?

 

That is what he mentions here.

 

Again pointing out that he is content,

Paul reveals what it is that he does want.

 

“Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek the profit which increases to your account.”

 

“profit” translates KARPOS

It literally means “fruit”

 

I want you to receive the fruit.

 

Romans 1:13 “I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.”

 

What is this fruit? What is this profit?

 

It is your eternal treasure.

Paul said, “I seek the profit which increases to your account”

 

Did you realize that you have a heavenly bank account?

 

You do, and Scripture says that is the one you really ought to be concerned about, namely because you’ll be using it longer than your earthly one.

 

Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

 

Luke 12:33 “Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.”

 

Paul told it to Timothy like this:

1 Timothy 6:17-19 “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 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 even wanted those with big accounts here

To make sure they transfer some of that wealth to their other account.

 

And the reality is this.

Giving here increases your account there.

 

A very accurate way to see giving is

Like you are making an investment in God’s business.

 

• God has a business, it is a kingdom business.

• He is in the business of saving sinners.

• And when you give, you are becoming an investor in God’s business.

 

In fact:

Proverbs 19:17 “One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, And He will repay him for his good deed.”

 

Giving is lending to God, and God’s businesses never fail.

In other words, giving is profitable.

 

The Picture of Giving, The Profit of Giving

#3 THE PRINCIPLE OF GIVING

Philippians 4:18-29

 

And here is something you need to understand about giving,

It comes with a divine principle from God.

 

Now first you recognize all that the Philippians gave.

We talked about how Paul was stuffed, pushing away from the table, and he had leftovers.

 

But then he goes on to describe what their gift was to God.

 

He says their gift was “a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.”

 

I hope that terminology sparked some familiarity in you.

 

Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

 

In other words, what the Philippians did for Paul

Was in reality pure worship of God.

 

Have you ever viewed your giving as worship?

• When you write a Lottie Moon check, do you view that as worship?

• When you help a family with their electric bill, do you view that as worship?

• When you give to the Gideon’s like this morning, do see the worship?

 

When you do it with the right heart, God does.

 

Many times in our routine religion

We just see worship as when we sing songs to God.

 

Certainly that is part of it. Praise is a fitting part of worship,

But worship is much bigger than that.

 

Giving is also worship.

Hebrews 13:15-16 “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

 

And let me show you the PRINCIPLE that comes with that worship.

 

(19) “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

 

Now this is another verse that is often quoted out of its context.

People quote this verse to any and every one.

 

But this verse is not for any and every one.

This verse is for those who worship God through giving.

 

If you don’t give, you have no right to claim this verse.

 

If you are concerning yourself with your own “needs”,

Why should you expect God to concern Himself with them too?

 

But if you are doing what Jesus said:

Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

 

If you seek His business, He will seek yours.

That is the divine principle here.

 

So when you give, He puts treasure in heavenly account,

And He promises to meet your earthly needs.

 

Now, the prosperity gospel messes this principle up.

They have devised this “seed faith” concept where you give a little on earth and God makes you rich on earth.

 

No, you give out of a heart for worship, and God will meet your needs here

Your treasure is waiting in heaven.

 

And the reason God puts your treasure in heaven and not on earth,

Is because in heaven your treasure is secure.

(Thieves don’t steal it, moths don’t eat it, rust doesn’t destroy it)

 

But God promises to meet the needs of givers.

 

WHY?

Because if God locates a giver,

He’s going to make sure they are always able to give.

 

2 Corinthians 9:6-11 “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; as it is written, “HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER.” Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.”

 

A very important statement.

“Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing (not spending) and increase the harvest of your righteousness (not wealth).”

 

Do you see that?

If you are giver, God is going to make sure you have plenty to give.

 

It’s like when a child delights in putting money in the offering plate.

They don’t have their own, so they ask you for some.

 

And when they give, it’s not their money, it’s yours.

Well that is exactly how it is when you give.

 

If you give, God will supply.

And He promises to take care of your needs.

 

In fact, “My God will supply all your needs”

 

Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure — pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

 

God is not cheap

God is also generous, that is why He loves it

when His children reflect His generosity.

 

Deuteronomy 15:10 “You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings.”

 

That is the principle of giving.

God supplies what the giver needs.

If you don’t give, you supply it yourself.

 

The Picture of Giving, The Profit of Giving, The Principle of Giving

#4 THE PURPOSE OF GIVING

Philippians 4:20

 

“Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever.”

 

• The prosperity gospel thinks that we give so we can get from God.

• The social gospel thinks we give to ease the suffering of humanity.

• The false gospel thinks we give to make ourselves look good.

 

But the true gospel says we give because it brings glory to God!

 

2 Corinthians 9:12-13 “For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all,”

• When the poor man finally gets a meal, he glorifies God

• When the missionary finally gets support, he glorifies God

And that is why we give.

 

• Is it good for us? Yes

• Is it good for others? Yes

But we mostly do it because it is good for God.

 

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 that is also why giving the right way matters so much.

• We can’t give with a stingy heart…

• We can’t give under compulsion…

 

We have to give with the right motives, otherwise it doesn’t glorify God.

 

Matthew 6:2-4 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

 

These men gave, but it certainly didn’t glorify God – it glorified them,

And that is not the purpose for giving.

 

And as strange as it may sound,

We don’t even give primarily because of the poor.

 

• Yes we want to help

• Yes we are moved with compassion

• Yes it is beneficial

 

But we are never going to solve the problem of poverty.

Jesus said, “You’ll always have the poor with you”

 

We give because God is glorified.

That is the PURPOSE; that is the end result of our giving.

 

The Picture of Giving, The Profit of Giving, The Principle of Giving, The Purpose of Giving

#5 THE PRODUCT OF GIVING

Philippians 4:21-23

 

Now certainly this is Paul’s salutation to the letter.

He is ending what he has to say.

 

But what I want you to notice here is

THE OBVIOUS FELLOWSHIP THAT IS PRESENT.

 

• You have Paul greeting “every saint” in Philippi

• You have the brethren with Paul also greeting them.

• You have the saints from “Caesar’s household” greeting them.

 

In other words, it isn’t just Paul who is grateful

And desires to great the Philippians.

 

Paul’s ministry co-workers want to say thank you

And the saints that Paul has witnessed to want to say thank you

 

WHY?

Because their lives are blessed by Paul.

And the Philippians are making ministry easier on him.

 

It is the old song you’ve all heard before.

“Thank you for giving to the Lord”

 

I’ve shared it with you many times (and I will continue to do so since it was such a blessing in our lives) about the SHOR retreat Carrie and I went on.

 

Charles and Suzanne Grigsby were the couple who hosted it.

They fed us, they prayed with us, they encouraged us, and we were very grateful.

 

But do you know who else we wanted to thank?

The people who give every month to make their ministry possible.

 

We know behind every ministry there are those who financially support it.

 

Fellowship is a product of giving.

I want to thank those who give to help me.

 

2 Corinthians 9:13-14 “Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you.”

 

Did you catch that?

They pray for you and they “yearn for you”

 

There is a desire and fellowship that takes place.

There is a gratitude that is built.

They are blessed and they share a bond from this day on.

 

That is what giving looks like.

• It gives willingly

• It gives abundantly

• It is profitable with heavenly treasure

• It is dependable as God meets the giver’s needs

• It glorifies God

• It produces fellowship

When giving is done correctly,

It is one of the most powerful tools the church has.

 

That is why Paul closed 2 Corinthians 9 (a chapter we’ve been quoting from a lot about giving) with this strange verse.

 

2 Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

 

Paul says that the ability to give is a gift from God.

He doesn’t say thank God for your gift.

He says thank God for His gift.

 

Imagine if we were not permitted to invest in the lives of one another.

• We’d lose the ability to store up treasure in heaven

• We’d lose the promise that God will meet our needs

• We’d lose a major way in which we glorify God

• We’d lose one of the tightest bonds of fellowship we know

 

The church would be so much weaker without the ability to give.

Giving is a gift from God.

 

And the Philippian church is an example of that.

 

So tonight I encourage you to be a giver.

Give

(and I don’t even have a specific need in mind)

 

• I don’t care if it’s Lottie Moon

• I don’t care if it’s benevolence

• I don’t care if it’s Gideons

• I don’t care if it’s to a ministry outside of this church

• I don’t care if it’s just a poor man you see on the streets

 

I’m not telling you to give so I can get more.

Contentment is my calling.

 

But in regard to others we must give, and it is a blessing to do so.

 

Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”