Order, Order!

In Matthew 4, verse 17 to the end of the passage,

Matthew 4:17

And John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he caught them.

Immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.

And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,

and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick,

those afflicted with various diseases and pains,

those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics.

And he healed them.

And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis,

and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

Order!

Order!

Order!

I know what I'm doing.

Order!

Order!

Order!

Order!

Division!

Order!

Order!

There's no good people shouting.

There will be an opportunity for other points of order,

but the Prime Minister must and will be heard.

Order!

Order!

The horrible gentleman has got to learn the art of patience.

And if he is patient, if he deploys Zen,

he will find that it is ultimately to everybody's advantage.

So we'll leave it there, and we come now.

Now, I'm not...

If it...

No, very well.

Order!

Order!

Order!

Order!

Zen!

Restraint!

Patience!

Order!

The title of this sermon is taken from this repeated cause of parliament speakers.

This is John Burkow.

He's been 10 years in the British parliament.

And during...

This one is in...

I think it's German who put it up.

And so when he retires,

people just make lots of videos about him calling orders.

So when these speakers,

when they're shouting,

order, order,

they are giving an order to keep orders.

The word order has two major meanings.

One is to do things in turn,

or in proper perspective.

Another meaning is to give or receive a command.

For example,

in Matthew 6.33,

Jesus said,

but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

So this is an order

to set the order of our priorities right.

So in this sermon,

I'm talking about these two kinds of orders.

One is to see things in an orderly or proper perspective,

and paying attention to wise orders.

Sometimes they're a bit mixed up.

Hopefully you can pick them up.

So the members of the parliament know that

they need someone to keep their meetings in order

so that they can be efficient

with the use of their time.

But having elected such a person,

they often fail to listen to the order of this person.

So in the parliament,

it reflects the life as general in our society.

So we all like to live in an orderly world,

but we do not know how to order our life,

and we do not like to follow orders.

I suppose most of us appreciate an orderly existence,

such as knowing where to find a new pair of socks,

or queuing up to enter a tenant event,

or vehicles on the road,

or obeying traffic rules.

However, being orderly takes effort and time,

and conforming to orders often infringe our right to comfort,

respect, and self-expression.

For example, we may set an alarm to wake us up

according to our schedule,

but when the alarm sounds,

we might lock the alarm off.

Why do we do that?

Why do we get upset when the alarm sounds at the correct time?

Because it interrupts our comfort.

The desire for comfort often influences our behavior

more than anything else.

Another thing we observe in the parliament

is that parliamentarians are usually merciless.

They belittle or provoke one another.

However, they do not care what their opponent's viewpoints are.

They do not care if their opponent

had a bad day or bad time in their family

or personal life.

Their priority is to win the argument.

So they kept talking even when their times were up.

This is to do with our desire

or need to be respected.

No one likes to appear to be a ruser in front of others.

And also the heroes of our time

are those who dare to challenge or rebel against others

and show the world what they can do

without conforming to social orders.

We see others as some kind of oppression

that stifles self-expression.

We often think that we could do better than others

if we are given a chance to express ourselves.

So there is something wrong with the world.

We seek comfort, respect, and self-expression.

But these things usually bring these orders.

As every one of us want to express ourselves,

then there won't be order in the world.

So it is like electing a speaker for parliament to keep orders.

For everyone is busy expressing their wills

and ignoring the calls to keep order.

Or it is like setting an alarm clock

to keep us up to our schedule

but ignore the alarm and sleep in.

Jesus came to a world like this.

So in chapter 4 of Matthew,

we were told firstly,

Jesus met with temptations

to claim his rights to comfort,

respect, and self-expression.

Jesus chose to be faithful to God's words,

God's orders.

Then Jesus became the light

to the people in Galilee.

Being the light of the world,

Jesus showed us how this order of life is.

If we live in a darkness,

we never know how...

We thought that our lives are good and orderly.

But once the light shines,

then we will know

things are not that we thought it would be.

And that's what Jesus was doing

to the people in Galilee

and the rest of the Matthew.

We can, as we go on to the other chapters.

So at verse 17 of chapter 4,

Jesus said,

Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

So that is the first thing that Jesus said.

Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Repent from seeking for your own kingdom.

If the highest priority in your life

is your right to comfort,

respect, and self-expression,

you will not find satisfaction or rest.

However, if you give up your kingdom

and seek the kingdom of heaven,

you will find something more precious

than your own right.

This kingdom of heaven

is not far away in space or time.

It is something you can be part of now.

The kingdom of God is at hand.

So how did Jesus go about

getting people to repent

and change their ways?

He started with setting right

the order of things.

So the first thing we can consider

is the order of relation

from Matthew chapter 4, verses 18 to 22.

Matthew 4:18–22

So what I mean by order of relation

is how we relate to people and God.

How do we see people or God

in relation to us?

How important they are?

Do they see people as people?

Jesus called the disciples.

And then,

why did Peter and Andrew,

James and John,

left their families and occupation

and follow Jesus?

It was because who Jesus was

and whom Jesus called.

I know that we usually understand

the call to these brothers

show the authority of Jesus

as their king.

So Jesus,

we consider Jesus king,

so he called,

people will respond.

And that is true.

But there's more than that,

I think.

It's not that

Jesus just simply called anyone

he met

or you think that this person

looks smart

or looks capable

and he will call.

There is a history

behind that.

First of all,

in the book of John,

we knew that

at least John,

the apostle,

and also Andrew,

they were followers

of John the Baptist.

So they,

these two,

John and Andrew,

at least,

maybe their brothers as well,

there's Peter and James,

they were already people

who were looking for

a better world

or something that

is different

to what they experienced.

And so when John the Baptist

came,

they followed

John the Baptist.

And here,

we see the role

of John the Baptist.

he prepared a role

for the Messiah

and John the Baptist

pointed Jesus out

to Andrew and John.

Andrew and John

went to meet Jesus

and spent some time

with him.

They then told

their older brothers

about Jesus.

They knew enough

about Jesus

when the call came.

Jesus also knew them

and their families.

In Matthew 8,

Matthew 8:14

verse 14,

we will read about

Jesus visiting

Peter's mother-in-law

and healing

her illness.

So,

Jesus knew those

whom he had called

and he was interested

in things that matter

in their life.

The political leaders

focused only

on their political

against.

They will make use

of other people

to reach their goals.

Jesus did not

call the disciples

to be pawns

in achieving

his purpose.

He called them

to be followers

and to be children

of God.

In the parliament,

some people

are indispensable.

Without them,

the government

would not function.

But most people

are unimportant.

Why are they

unimportant?

Because nobody,

in a sense,

inside the parliament

itself,

they are not

being respected.

Usually,

you can see

people just

belittle

the other politicians.

They don't care

much about them

as a person.

They care more

about them

as a means

for them

to be successful

in their careers

or to,

yeah,

either to help them

or to make them

or put them down.

So,

this is how

our world

functions.

But in the kingdom

of God,

everyone is important

because

everyone is

being redeemed

by the blood

of Jesus

and people

are

so important

that,

yeah,

the Lord Jesus

died for them.

But nobody

is indispensable

just because

the kingdom of God

will go on

regardless

whether we follow

Jesus or not.

Whether we do

anything in the church

or not,

the church will

still go on.

So,

that is the

difference.

in the system

of the world

and the kingdom

of God.

So,

Jesus

does not force

or trick

anyone to

follow him

because

while everyone

in the kingdom

is important,

none of us

is indispensable.

So,

in the kingdom

of God,

personal comfort,

position,

and self-expression

are no longer

our priority.

the disciples

live together,

rejoice together,

suffer together.

They do not

need to outperform

one another

but learn to

forgive one another

and build up

one another

because of

their relationship

with Jesus

and with

one another.

As we go on

with the book

of Matthew,

we will see that

in calling the

disciples to

follow him,

Jesus

would show the

world that

the proper order

of things.

The world

sacrifices

others to

achieve

the desires

of their hearts.

You will notice

that people

will tend to

abuse those

who are most

willing to

help them.

If our parents

help us a lot,

we will tend

to abuse

their help

before considering

their own needs.

This is a way

of the world.

Jesus sacrifices

himself to

complete those

who follow him.

While the first

order of things

in the world

is personal

comfort,

respect,

and self-expression,

the first order

of things

who Jesus

loves is love.

How people

relate to God

and how people

relate to one

another.

Then in Matthew

Matthew 4:19

chapter 4

verse 19,

we see the

order of

commission.

That is,

how do we

live our life?

Not so much

about purpose-driven

life,

but whose purpose

that is.

What we live

for.

We see that

in John's

baptism,

there is a

purpose in

his life.

He didn't

care about

what the

world offers.

He just

lived in the

wilderness

and prepared

himself for

the coming

of the Lord

Jesus Christ.

And Jesus

said to Peter

and Andrew,

follow me

and I will

make you

fishers of

men.

Jesus was

ordering Peter

and Andrew

to do

something which

they had not

planned to do.

Peter and

Andrew were

trained by

their father

to be

fishermen.

They would

be expected

to continue

the family

business.

In addition,

we know that

at least Peter

was married.

What right

did Jesus

have to tell

Peter and

Andrew to

leave their

families and

occupations

and follow

him?

At this

point,

when my

person asked,

why did

God not

raise more

people like

John the

Baptist to

go with

Jesus?

It would

have been

easier for

people who

do not

have any

time with

families or

family business

to follow

Jesus?

I suppose

God could

have done

that.

However,

we can

see that

God's plan

was to

gather people

into his

church,

not

monastery.

So God's

church is

made out of

people like

you and

me,

people with

families and

occupations.

If you

ask Peter

why he

obeyed

Jesus'

order,

he might

answer,

don't the

Baptist told

us that

Jesus was

the Messiah

we were

waiting for?

Andrew and

I did

check him

out and

found that

Jesus was

not an

ordinary

person.

How should

I explain

this?

Peter would

try to

imagine what

Peter would

say.

Jesus may

not be

attractive

physically,

but he

was beautiful.

He was

poor,

but he

lived like

the richest

person in

the world.

He was

troubled by

the suffering

and injustice

around him,

but he

was joyful

all the

time.

He was

humble,

but at

the same

time,

noble.

So there's

something about

this Jesus

that attracted

the first

disciples.

Peter may

ask,

you ask me

why you

obey him?

Would you

not obey

a man like

this?

You ask me

why I

give up my

family and

my job?

At first,

I did think

that I gave

up my

family and

my job

so that I

could help

create a

better world

for my

family by

following

Jesus.

Now I

understand that

I did not

give up

anything.

My family

was not

mine to

give up,

my job

was not

mine to

give up.

They

belonged to

God in

the first

place.

By

following

Jesus,

I gained

life.

My family

also gained

life.

I could

not hold

on to

my family

forever.

I could

not hold

on to

my job

forever.

But the

life in

Christ is

forever.

If you

ask Peter,

do you

know what

it meant

to follow

Jesus?

He

told my

answer.

In the

beginning,

I thought

I had

joined a

party of

political and

social,

change.

John the

Baptist said

the kingdom

of heaven

was at

hand.

I was

sick of

the injustice,

corruption,

oppression in

society.

I could

not wait

for the

kingdom of

heaven to

come.

I was

shocked when

Jesus started

to tell us

that he was

going to be

killed by

the current

political

leaders.

How do

you fight

injustice,

corruption,

and oppression

by being

killed by

such a

system?

I now

understand that

I was part

of the

disorders in

the society.

I could

not even

change myself.

How could I

think that I

could change

the world?

Jesus'

death was

necessary for

my sins to

be forgiven

and for me to

receive the

Holy Spirit.

It is only with

the Holy Spirit

that I could

become like

Jesus,

living a life

that brings

blessing to

others and

glory to

God.

God.

If you

ask Peter,

which is

easier,

to catch

fish or

to catch

men?

Peter might

say,

there are

two different

matters.

You catch

fish to

sustain your

life.

To catch

men,

you need

to give

your life.

As Paul

told Titus

that all

men were

foolish,

disobedient,

led astray,

slave to

various passions

and pleasures,

passing their

days in

malaise and

envy,

hated by

others and

hating one

another.

Titus 3.3

How do you

catch men

like this?

It is

impossible

unless the

Holy Spirit

was in

you and

in their

hearts.

In the

kingdom of

heaven,

relationship

with God

and with

one another

is more

important than

personal comfort,

respect,

and self-expression.

Having a

sense of

mission,

a higher

purpose in

life is

also important.

As Jesus

becomes our

Savior and

Lord,

we will

have life.

And this

life will

come with

a mission.

In

Matthew 4,

23a,

we come to

the next

order,

the order

of logic.

That is,

what are the

most important

things in

life?

how do

we

logically

decide

what to

live for

or how

our life

should be?

Jesus went

throughout all

Galilee,

teaching in

the synagogues

and proclaiming

the gospel of

the kingdom.

We shall

learn some

of the

teachings of

Jesus in

the subsequent

chapters of

the gospel.

For now,

it is enough

for us to

understand that

Jesus was

the Logos.

The gospel of

John says,

in the

beginning was

the Logos,

and the

Logos was

God,

and the

Logos was

with God,

and the

Logos was

God.

Logos was

translated into

word in

English.

However,

Logos means

much more

than word as

we understand

it.

Logos also

means logic

and order.

What was

Jesus teaching?

He was

teaching that

there was

logic and

order in

the existence

of things.

We can only

understand this

when we know

this Logos.

Woly logic

tells us that

we have the

right to

comfort,

respect,

and self-expression.

When I'm in

pain,

or lose my

reputation,

or not given

a chance to

show others

what I can

do,

what should

I expect

from God?

I would

expect God

to intervene

and restore

my comfort,

respect,

and self-expression.

However,

as you know,

life seldom

turns up

like that.

Our pain,

our humiliation,

and our

obscurity

may persist

without any

deliverance.

We want a

God who

intervenes

on demand,

defeats our

enemies,

relieves our

sufferings,

solves our

problem quickly.

The first

disciples had

the same

expectation from

God.

In the

following

chapters of

Matthew,

we shall

see that

Jesus was

teaching

disciples about

suffering for

the kingdom

of heaven.

Holy logic

about life

does not

make sense

when we

suffer in

this

disorder and

disrupted

world.

The

logical

order of

things starts

with our

willingness to

suffer.

The

suffering is

not mainly

for others

or for

God,

but for

ourselves,

for us.

Holy logic

tells us that

we must

fight for

our rights,

otherwise our

life is not

worth living.

Jesus said,

deny yourself,

take up the

cross and

follow me.

It is only

when we

suffer the

loss of

comfort,

respect and

self-expression

that we can

start to

understand the

kingdom of

God.

Even John

the Baptist

had his

doubt about

Jesus when

John was

languishing in

prison.

We read

from Matthew

11, 2-6.

Now when

John heard

in prison

about the

deeds of

the Christ,

he sent

word by

his disciples

and said

to him,

are you

the one

who is

to come

or shall

we look

for another?

Why did

you not

say that?

Because the

Messiah who

came was

supposed to

set the

prisoner free

and he

was still

in prison.

And Jesus

answered

him,

go and

tell John

what you

hear and

see.

The blind

receive their

sight and

the lamb

walk.

Lepers are

cleansed and

the deaf

hear and

the dead

are raised

up and

the poor

have good

news preached

to them.

And blessed

is the one

who is not

offended by

me.

John the

Baptist was

wondering why

he was

suffering in

prison while

Jesus was

performing

miracles in

the community.

John the

Baptist was

like the

prophet Elijah.

They are

both faithful

servants of

God and

they both

expected God

to defeat

evil with

power.

Jesus replied

to John

was,

what I

preach and

what I

did are

enough to

reassure you

my identity.

I will

indeed defeat

evil and

restore order

to the

creation,

but not

in the way

or the

timing you

expect.

Do not

trust me

because I

do things

according to

your orders,

but trust

me because

of who

I am.

If we

live by

the logic

of the

world,

we will

be offended

by Jesus.

Jesus did

not come to

make our

earthly life

more comfortable.

Jesus did

not come to

help us to

fulfill ourselves.

He came to

live a life of

love and

obedience to

God.

In doing so,

He redeems us

and tells us

to follow Him.

The way of the

cross is the

only way for

us to be

different from

the way of

the world.

The way of

the cross is

the only way

for us to

find rest in

our souls.

And the

last one is

from Matthew

Matthew 4:23

chapter 4,

verse 23,

B,

until,

and verse

25,

the order of

creation.

There is,

what does God

want,

what does God

want to change

in our minds

and our hearts,

in our thinking

as well?

There is,

why does God

create the

whole universe?

So God

created the

universe with

the seventh

day in mind.

It is the

day of rest.

The creation

was waiting

with ego,

longing for

the revealing

of the sons

of God.

That is

from Romans

8.

The creation

was subjected

to futility

and is waiting

to be set

free from

its bondage

to corruption

and obtain

the freedom

of the glory

of the children

of God.

God.

In the

presence of

Jesus,

the son of

God,

we see

the healing

of those

who were

afflicted with

virus,

disease,

and pain,

those oppressed

by demons,

epileptics,

and paralytics.

This is a

taste of what

is to come.

At the

revealing of

the sons

of God

in the day

when Jesus

comes again,

sickness,

demons,

pains,

and paralysis

will no longer

be able to

interrupt the

day of rest

for those

who are

in Christ.

We heard

the speaker

of the

parliament

telling members

to practice

Zen

to keep

orders.

The world

does not

know how

to keep

orders.

Practicing

Zen

may help

us to

calm down

for a while,

but it

does not

last long.

God

does not

tell us

to practice

Zen.

God

does not

just shout

order,

order.

He does

something about

this.

God sent

his son

in Jesus.

we see

orders.

Before

Jesus'

natural

and physical

disorders

submitted

themselves,

Jesus showed

us a more

excellent way

to live.

In Matthew

Matthew 11:28–30

11,

verses 28

to 30,

Jesus said,

Come to

me,

all who

labor and

are heavy

laden,

and I

will give

you rest.

Take my

yoke upon

you and

learn from

me,

for I am

gentle and

lowly in

heart,

and you

will find

rest for

your soul,

for my

yoke is

easy and

my burden

is light.

The

order of

relation

is shown

in the

Trinity.

In the

baptism of

Jesus,

the Holy

Spirit

descended

on him,

and the

Father said,

This is

my beloved

son,

with whom

I am

well pleased.

Jesus

then gave

a new

commandment

to his

disciples,

love one

another.

When we

are called

to follow

Jesus,

we will

have the

ability

to love.

Real love

cause.

It

cause us

comfort,

respect,

and self-expression.

1 John

4, 7

said,

Beloved,

let us

love one

another,

and whoever

loves has

been born

of God

and knows

God.

How do

we love?

We love

when we

start

treasuring

God and

other people.

The order

of commission

is also

shown in

the Trinity.

As the

Father has

sent me,

so send

an eye

you.

When we

are called

to follow

Jesus,

we will

have a

sense of

mission in

life,

a mission

that makes

us forego

personal comfort,

respect,

and self-expression.

A missional

life does not

start with

preaching the

gospel.

It can,

but it

doesn't need

to.

It starts

with something

simple,

just like

being on

time,

being

considerate

to other

people,

and being

gospel-minded

in what

we do.

The order

of logic

is shown

in the

Trinity.

In the

beginning,

the world

was chaotic

and without

form.

The Spirit

of God

was hovering

over the

face of

the water.

God spoke,

and the

world obeyed

its creator

and became

orderly.

When we

are called

to follow

Jesus,

another change

is in our

mind.

Our minds

are being

renewed day

by day.

Through

suffering,

we gradually

learn to

trust God's

order of

things,

and not

demanding God

to do

things according

to our

own orders.

The order

of creation

is shown

in the

Trinity.

God set

aside the

seventh day

of the

Sabbath.

The Lord

Jesus said

He was

the Lord

of the

Sabbath.

Meanwhile,

Jesus said,

My Father

is working

until now,

and I am

working.

The Father

and Son

sent the

Holy Spirit

to convict,

comfort,

and bring

many sons

to glory.

The

restoration

of relationship,

the restoration

of regional

life,

and the

restoration

of our

minds

are all

necessary

to bring

us

rest

in the

pride in

God.

Jesus is

still

proclaiming,

repent for

the kingdom

of heaven

is at

hand.

Through

His

disciples,

Jesus is

still calling

and sending

disciples.

The way

of the

cross is

uncomfortable,

and often

humiliating,

and usually

means obscurity.

But as you

walk in it,

you will find

love,

purpose,

meaning,

and rest.

would you

repent of

your way

and follow

Him?

Let us

pray.

Father,

we

usually do

live in

darkness,

and many

a time

we don't

like

light,

because we

don't want

our

evil

is

exposed.

we

thank

you for

your

goodness

to us,

and you

pull us

out from

darkness,

and change

us,

and help

us to

see your

intended

way of

life,

what life

supposed to

be.

We

worship

you,

and to

know that

you are

the God

who created

all things

and ordered

all things.

Thank you,

Father.

We pray in

Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.