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.”

 

The Testing of the King – part 3

Matthew 4:1-11

 

As you know we are currently in the middle of a severe battle.

 

After Jesus was baptized, He immediately entered the wilderness,

And according to verse 1 that this was all according to God’s will.

 

(1) “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

 

It was God’s intention that Jesus fight this battle.

It was God’s intention that Jesus enter wilderness university.

 

One reason was to prepare Him to be the high priest

That you and I desperately needed Him to be.

 

Hebrews 2:10 “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.”

 

When Christ became a man,

It was God’s design to walk Him through an entourage of suffering

In order that He might “perfect” Him in His high priestly role.

 

Hebrews 5:8-9 “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,”

 

Furthermore, it is the wilderness temptation that helps us

To clearly see the sinless perfection of Christ.

 

For every Jew who doubted His perfection…

For every Gentile who doubted His perfection…

 

We only have to look at the success Jesus found in the wilderness

To understand that this man truly was without sin.

 

Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”

 

And so thanks to the temptation, we believe Jesus was sinless.

 

Thus far we have learned two undeniable attributes of Jesus.

 

The first was HIS FOCUS

 

Jesus had spent 40 days and nights without food.

(He was intent on seeking His Father)

 

He then became hungry, and Satan saw the first opportunity.

He tempted Jesus to take matters into His own hands,

And to turn stones into bread that He might eat.

 

And Jesus was tempted to do it.

Until the Scriptures entered His mind and He remembered that “man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

 

In other words, God calls His people to focus on spiritual things,

And to trust that God will take care of the temporal things.

 

And this is precisely the type of focus that Jesus showed.

He left the stones alone, and trusted God to take care of the bread.

 

Jesus was focused.

 

The second thing we saw about Him was HIS FAITH

 

Since Jesus quoted Scripture to guide His every decision,

Satan decided to use a crafty temptation against Him.

 

This time Satan actually quoted Scripture.

He quoted Psalms 91, that if Jesus were to throw Himself off of the temple,

Then God would be forced to honor His word and step in and save Jesus.

 

And there again, Jesus was tempted to do it.

(After all, this was Scripture, and Jesus was on the temple)

 

But just before He did so, another Scripture entered His mind, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”

 

And Jesus remembered that the purpose of the Scriptures

Is not so that we will test God, but so that we will trust God.

 

And so Jesus decided to trust that God would reveal Him as the Messiah

According to His own plan and according to His own timetable.

 

He decided to trust God.

 

And so through the first two temptations,

We have seen His Focus and His Faith.

 

This morning we look at the final temptation,

And learn yet another attribute about Jesus.

#3 HIS FORTITUDE

Matthew 4:8-11

 

And please notice the backdrop to this temptation.

(8) “Again”

It reminds us that the devil can seem relentless.

 

He didn’t give up easily.

Jesus had found victory over the first two temptations,

But Satan still isn’t finished.

 

Luke 4:13 “When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.”

 

That seems to indicate that there was more temptation,

Than even we have seen recorded. Satan was thorough.

 

In fact we already read out of Hebrews how Jesus

Had been tempted “in all things as we are.”

 

Jesus was under a harsh attack from the enemy.

 

“Again the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.”

 

Now this is the set up for the temptation.

 

And as we said on the previous one, it seems a little strange to us

To understand why Jesus would have followed the devil anywhere.

 

Why did Jesus follow him to stand on the temple?

Why now is Jesus following him to stand on the mountain?

 

BECAUSE THAT IS THE NATURE OF TEMPTATION

(It is difficult to see and understand)

 

I’ve told you in the previous sermons, and remind you again here,

That this temptation was not as neat and clean as we imagine it.

 

There was no formal greeting here.

In fact, Jesus never even called Satan by name until verse 10.

 

And let me show you that real quickly.

(1) “…to be tempted by the devil.”

(3) “the tempter came and said to Him”

(5) “then the devil took Him into the holy city…”

(8) “Again the devil took Him to a very high mountain…”

 

The tempter is repeatedly referred to as “the devil”

 

“devil” translates DIABOLOS

“slanderer”

 

He is one who comes and gossips and slanders other people.

That is precisely what the devil has been doing to God.

“If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

(Make God prove His provision)

“If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down…”

(Make God prove His protection)

 

And so throughout the text, he is called the devil, or the slanderer.

 

But it is not until verse 10 when Jesus recognizes him and calls him,

Not the devil, but “Satan”

 

“Satan” translates SATANAS

“adversary”

 

After the final temptation, Jesus recognized him.

These temptations were coming from the one who opposes God.

 

At that moment it clicked with Jesus,

And all he had to say to Satan was “Go!”

 

Now, because Jesus never calls him Satan at the outset,

It becomes clear to us that during these temptations,

There was a certain level of confusion involved.

 

These were thoughts that Jesus was literally having and entertaining

(don’t forget that He was a man)

 

He was literally being tempted to do these things.

And when He fought through the temptations by quoting Scripture,

He was not quoting them to Satan, He was quoting them to Himself.

 

And so when we read that “the devil took Him to the holy city”

Or that “the devil took Him to a very high mountain”

 

We realize that it is most likely that the devil did not come in bodily form and say, “Hey follow me, I want to show you something”

 

But rather, in a much more crafty sense,

The devil put thoughts in the mind of our Lord to tempt Him.

 

What that means is that Jesus went up on the mountain,

He started thinking about “all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.”

 

NOW WHY WOULD HE THINK ABOUT SUCH THINGS?

 

Because He is the heir of those things.

He is the King of Kings.

He is the Lord of Lords.

 

All of those kingdoms and all of that glory is His inheritance.

Psalms 2:7-8 “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.”

 

In one sense it is no different than a believer

Taking a moment to stop and think about heaven.

 

Jesus was taking a moment to focus on the prize.

And there is nothing in the world wrong with that.

 

In fact, Jesus is commended for having such perspective.

Hebrews 12:2 “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

 

Scripture commends Him for focusing on the prize.

Just as you and I are told to

“fix your minds on things above, and not on earthly things.”

 

So there is nothing wrong with Jesus

Taking a moment to think about His inheritance.

 

THEN COMES THE TEMPTATION.

(9) “and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.”

 

Here Satan is offering to give Jesus what will one day be His.

 

Now some would say, “Who is Satan to offer such a thing? He can’t give that.”

 

But that’s not true.

It was Satan’s to give.

 

1 John 5:19 “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”

 

3 times Jesus uses this title for Satan

John 12:31 “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.”

 

2 Corinthians 4:4 he is called “the god of this world”

 

In Ephesians 2:2 he is called “the prince of the power of the air”

 

The point is that Satan had absolute ability to give this to Jesus.

 

Adam was created as the heir of the world, but he sold that right to Satan in the garden. Satan then came to be known as the usurper.

 

And right now, this world is his kingdom.

 

But that brings us to another question.

IF IT WAS ALL GOING TO BELONG TO JESUS EVENTUALLY ANYWAY, WHY WOULD JESUS BE TEMPTED TO TAKE IT?

 

Because of one little word I just used – “eventually”

 

Satan was offering it now, God was offering it eventually.

 

God’s plan for Jesus to be king of the world required Him

To live a sinless life, die on a cross, rise from the dead,

And someday return to fight for His kingdom.

 

Satan’s plan for Jesus to be king of the world only required Him

To “fall down and worship” him.

 

IN SHORT SATAN WAS OFFERING THE PRIZE

WITHOUT ANY HARDSHIP SUFFERING OR PATIENT ENDURANCE.

 

I hope you see the parallel to our decision to take the wide or narrow gate.

 

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

 

False prophets still offer this same temptation today.

 

They promise heaven and eternal life with no suffering and no hardship.

Of course it is a lie. That way doesn’t end in life, but in destruction.

 

True life is only found through the narrow way.

 

And this is what Satan was offering Jesus.

I’ll give you all the comforts and privileges right now,

And there is no need to suffer at all.

 

Satan was asking Jesus to take the wide road.

 

If He had, He obviously would have been putting other gods before God, and that sin would have rendered him unable to save.

 

But no doubt Jesus was tempted to do it.

WOULDN’T YOU BE?

 

Until Jesus had yet another Scripture enter His mind.

(10) “YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.”

 

Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy 6:13

 

Jesus knew that what He was tempted to do,

Was not correct because it violated the word of God.

 

Furthermore, when the tempter asked for worship,

Jesus also knew who He was dealing with.

 

The first temptations made Satan a little difficult to spot,

But when he asked for worship,

Jesus knew exactly who He was dealing with.

 

Satan has always wanted God’s glory.

Isaiah 14:12-13 “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north.”

 

A desire for God’s glory was the reason for Satan’s fall.

When Satan asked for worship, Jesus knew exactly who He was.

 

AND THEN WHAT DID JESUS DO?

Two words – “Go Satan!”

 

Jesus didn’t rebuke him.

Jesus didn’t bind him.

Jesus didn’t mock him.

Jesus didn’t taunt him.

JESUS SIMPLY RESISTED HIM

 

1 Peter 5:8-9 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”

 

James 4:7 “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

 

The art of mocking or binding or rebuking the devil

Was a thought originated by false prophets.

 

Jude 8-10 “Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties. But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.”

 

It was the false prophets who originated

The idea of mocking or rebuking the devil.

 

Jesus simply resisted him, and when He did.

(11) “Then the devil left Him”

 

We call that victory!

And it is so fitting that you and I take a moment

And recognize how to have victory over temptation.

 

TURN TO: EPHESIANS 6:10-17

 

I would point out to you one more time that there are 6 pieces of armor

And that they fall into two main categories.

 

1) CUSTOMARY ARMOR (“having girded” “having put on” “having shod”)

The armor that the soldier always had on.

• The Belt of Truth

• The Breastplate of Righteousness

• The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

 

If a soldier was ever without any of these pieces

He was not ready for battle and he was already defeated.

 

Certainly Jesus already had these on (and we must as well)

 

But I really want to point out the second category of armor.

 

2) COMBAT ARMOR (“in addition taking up” “take”)

This is the armor the soldier put on when he knew he was fighting

• The Shield of Faith

• The Helmet of Salvation

• The Sword of the Spirit

 

CAN YOU SEE THAT JESUS FOLLOWED THIS BLUEPRINT IN HIS BATTLE?

He trusted God’s plan, when He didn’t understand it.

He fought the battle in the mind, but overcome it.

The weapon that won the battle was a reliance upon God’s Word

 

We win the victory against temptation exactly the same way.

 

Jesus won this battle.

AND WHAT DO WE LEARN ABOUT HIM HERE?

– His Fortitude

 

He could have taken an easier road…

He could have tried to bypass suffering…

He could have tried to escape the cross…

 

But instead, He chose to endure.

And we have seen the fortitude in Him throughout the gospels.

 

One of the best passages is:

John 12:23-28 “And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

 

Jesus knew what lay ahead, yet He pushed through to it anyway.

 

And I would be remiss if I failed to reveal

That this is the same He expects of us.

 

Matthew 10:21-22 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”

 

Jesus expects that we will follow His lead.

When tempted with bread, He maintained FOCUS

When tempted with proof, He maintained FAITH

When tempted with hardship, He maintained FORTITUDE

 

And by resisting temptation He overcame the devil.

THE KING PASSED THE TEST

 

(11b) “and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.”

 

WHAT IS THIS?

This is God making good on His promise.

 

Jesus didn’t make bread because He trusted God to provide,

These angels came and met that need.

 

ARE YOU TELLING ME THEY BROUGHT FOOD?

1 Kings 19:4-8 “But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.” He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat.” Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. The angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.” So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.”

 

WHAT ELSE WOULD THEY SUPPLY?

How about a little confirmation.

 

Remember as Joshua was in the wilderness overlooking Jericho.

Joshua 5:13-6:5 “Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” He said, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the LORD.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” The captain of the LORD’S host said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in. The LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors. “You shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days. “Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. “It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up every man straight ahead.”

 

Joshua needed confirmation and the Lord provided it.

 

Certainly these angels did the same for Jesus.

They reminded Him that the kingdom would be His

And that God really would show Him to be the Messiah.

 

And so Jesus’ wilderness experience ends

With God doing exactly what He said.

 

Again, let me encourage those of you who are presently in “Wilderness University”

1) Have Focus

2) Have Faith

3) Have Fortitude

 

You are not alone, and God has not forsaken you.

He will do what He promises.

 

1 Peter 5:6-10 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

 

That is the blueprint Jesus followed,

And it is the blueprint for you and I as well.