The Gospel of the Kingdom

Well, good morning.

My name's Billy Nye.

I lead the high school ministry here,

and it's my privilege to open God's Word with you this morning.

So who knows what tomorrow is?

Anybody been watching the news?

Iowa.

Iowa caucuses.

It's tomorrow, right?

That's what I thought.

Okay.

I know you're all really thrilled about that,

and you're like, why is he starting off his sermon talking about the Iowa caucus?

We don't want to hear any more about this election.

Well, in honor of this very important day,

I want to play a little game with you today.

I'm sure most of you watch the news.

You're probably aware of some of the candidates.

You can't be in this society

without glimpsing some little snippet here and there of the candidates

and the things that are going on.

So I'm sure probably some of you already have in your minds

an ideal candidate and the opposite ideal candidate.

A worst case scenario and a best case scenario.

I'm assuming that's probably true.

Let's play a little game.

Let's pretend just for a moment,

just for a moment, a very scary moment,

that your worst case scenario candidate gets elected.

Yikes!

Okay, okay, stop.

Stop thinking.

Stop pretending.

I know that's painful.

You're probably thinking,

no, don't torment me with that anymore.

Okay, so I did that just to communicate some comfort to you.

Just in case that worst case scenario happens,

they have a maximum of eight years

to do whatever damage they're going to do, right?

A maximum of eight years.

Okay.

Unless they decide to change the Constitution.

But we're not going to go to those horrible contingencies.

Okay.

Let's play a better game.

Let's pretend that if you're a worst case scenario candidate,

get them out of your mind.

They're gone.

Okay.

Let's pretend you're a best case scenario candidate.

Even if it's like the most unlikely person,

but your best case scenario candidate,

they get elected.

Yay!

Is that exciting or what?

That's hope giving.

It may not happen, but that's okay.

We can pretend for a little bit.

Here's the bad news.

They only have a maximum of eight years

to do whatever good they're going to do, right?

And then it's, you know,

and then it's up to, you know,

whoever comes after them.

Okay, let's just keep pretending for just a little bit more.

Let's just play a little game just for a little bit more.

Let's take that best case scenario candidate that you had

and let's stretch it to the extreme.

Someone comes to power who is infinitely good,

infinitely wise,

and infinitely powerful.

So this person can do the maximum amount of good,

an infinite amount of good,

for the longest amount of time,

and can do no wrong.

Now, even if you had a vote to get him out of power,

you wouldn't want to.

Because he's so good,

and he's so wise,

and he's so responsible,

he's so capable,

man, you wouldn't want to get him out.

I've got, you know,

some respect for the presidential candidates right now,

a couple of them,

but, you know, putting that aside,

I'd rather have that guy

who's infinitely good,

infinitely wise,

infinitely responsible,

infinitely capable,

and he's always going to be in power.

We don't have to worry about some loser

coming after him

and wrecking all the bad things he's done.

Well, I have good news for you.

This guy exists.

Let's go to the Gospel of Matthew chapter 4,

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

and we're going to find out about him.

Matthew chapter 4,

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

we're going to be in the last half

of Matthew chapter 4,

Matthew 4:12–25

verses 12 through 25.

While you're going,

while you're turning there,

let me just tell you some of the names

we've heard this guy been called

in the book of Matthew so far.

He's been called the son of David.

David, the mighty king.

The hearts of the people were his.

He had a sword of power in his fist,

and he was good,

and he was wise,

and this guy is this guy's greater son.

He's also called Emmanuel,

God with us.

His name is Jesus.

He's the one who will save his people

from their sins.

He's called the Christ,

the Messiah,

God's anointed,

picked out,

hand-picked leader of his people.

He's called the king of the Jews,

the king of God's people.

He's called God's beloved son.

He's so much like God

and so resembling of God's perfect character

that he's called God's son.

John the Baptist called him

the one who is mightier than he,

and John the Baptist was the last great prophet,

the one who spoke God's words,

and this guy is mightier than John the Baptist,

and so he's going to baptize God's people

with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

He's going to do a mighty work to God's people,

so that's his name,

or those are his names.

So we're going to be looking at this guy,

this powerful figure,

and we're going to be looking at his reign,

his kingdom,

his exercise of power

when he gets into office,

and this passage is going to help us see

that his reign,

his rule,

his kingdom

is the best case scenario

we could ever imagine,

the best good news

that we could ever hear.

I want us to find that idea

of his kingdom being the good news for us.

I want us to find it in the passage real quick,

so go to verse 23.

I want you to know that I'm not making this up.

Look at verse 23,

and he, Jesus,

went throughout all Galilee,

teaching in the synagogues

and proclaiming the,

say it with me,

gospel of the kingdom.

So this is the first time we see the phrase

gospel of the kingdom

in the book of Matthew,

and Jesus is saying

that the kingdom is gospel,

the gospel of the kingdom.

The kingdom is good news.

That's what gospel means.

So there's a good news

about this kingdom,

but whose kingdom?

What kingdom are we talking about?

Well, follow back up to verse 17,

and we'll see the term kingdom used again,

but it's got a little modifier.

Let's look at it.

Jesus, from that time,

began to preach,

saying,

repent,

for the kingdom of,

say it with me,

heaven is at hand.

So heaven is,

this is,

Jesus is proclaiming the kingdom of heaven,

and heaven is God's space.

Heaven is where God's rule and reign

are totally evident

and unquestioned all the time.

But this is not heaven.

This is earth.

This is the world that we live in,

and unfortunately,

the one who has been delegated authority

over this world

is not very good.

He is Satan.

He has been given authority

to rule over this world.

But all of a sudden,

Jesus shows up on the scene here,

and he says,

behold,

the kingdom of heaven

is at hand.

Repent,

the kingdom of heaven

is here.

So we see that God's rule

is invading

Satan's jurisdiction.

God's reign

has come near.

That sounds like good news.

But how?

How has it come near?

In what way has it come near?

In the person

who's speaking these words.

In the person of Jesus.

This guy,

Jesus,

who is God

with us.

God himself

drawn near

to his rebellious image bearers

to reestablish

his reign over them

and to do good to them

for all time.

This sounds like

a best case scenario to me.

This sounds like good news.

So what's the gospel

of the kingdom?

What's the good news

about God's reign?

The good news

is that God's reign

has drawn near to us

through the personal

presence

of the king.

God's reign

has drawn near

to us

to humans

through the personal

presence

of the king.

And this passage

is going to paint

three pictures

of what that

personal presence

of the king

is going to do

and why that's good.

So let's

look at these

three pictures

that this passage

is going to show us

about how

this

rule of God

come near to us

in the personal presence

of the king

is going to be good

and do good

for God's people

and how we can respond

to that today.

Ready?

Picture number one.

Our king

has drawn near

to be the great light

in our darkness.

That's the first picture.

Our king has drawn near

to be the great light

in our darkness.

Let's read verses 12

through 17.

Read with me.

Now,

when he heard

that John had been arrested,

he withdrew

into Galilee.

And leaving Nazareth,

he went and lived

in Capernaum

by the sea

in the territory

of Zebulun

and Naphtali

so that

what was spoken

by the prophet Isaiah

might be fulfilled.

the land of Zebulun

and the land of Naphtali,

the way of the sea,

beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles,

the people

dwelling in darkness

have seen

a great light.

And for those

dwelling in the region

in the shadow of death,

on them

a light

has

dawned.

From that time,

Jesus began to preach

saying,

Repent

for the kingdom

of heaven

is at hand.

Literally,

has come near.

He's in the state

of being near.

So what's Matthew

trying to paint

a picture of here?

It appears

he's just telling us

that Jesus made

a geographical move

from the south

of Israel

in Judea

where he was baptized

up to the north

of Israel

and to Galilee.

So what's the big deal?

But

there's a big deal.

There's a very

intentional,

significant reason

that Matthew

has

given us

this

detail about

Jesus' life

and he's going

to give us

the significance

through the lens

of a prophecy

made 700 years

before Jesus

was born

in Isaiah

Isaiah 9 · chapter mention

chapter 9.

That sounds

very interesting.

So,

let's

go there.

hop over

to me,

with me,

to Isaiah

Isaiah 9 · chapter mention

chapter 9.

I just want you guys

to see this

in the context.

Isaiah chapter 9.

Isaiah 9 · chapter mention

Isaiah's kind of

right in the middle

of your Bible.

Isaiah chapter 9.

Isaiah 9 · chapter mention

We just read,

basically,

the first two verses

of Isaiah chapter 9

Isaiah 9 · chapter mention

in Matthew chapter 4.

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

Matthew's quoting Isaiah.

And I just want to read

the rest of this passage

and I want you to get a feel

for what and who

Matthew is talking about

as he's talking about

this light dawning.

You have multiplied

the nation.

I'm starting at verse 3.

You have multiplied

the nation.

You have increased

its joy.

They rejoice before you

as with the joy

at the harvest.

Man,

there's a lot of joy

going on.

And they are glad

when they divide

the spoil.

For the yoke

of his burden

and the staff

for his shoulder,

the rod of his oppressor,

you have broken

as on the day

of Midian.

For every boot

of the tramping warrior

in battle tumult

and every garment

rolled in blood

will be burned

as fuel for the fire.

No more war.

Broken yoke

on their backs.

For what reason?

For to us

a child is born.

This should sound familiar.

To us a son

is given

and the government

shall be upon

his shoulder

and his name

shall be called

Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace

and of the increase

of his government

and of peace

there will be no end

and on the throne

of David

and over his kingdom

to establish it

and uphold it

with justice

and with righteousness

from this time forth

and forevermore

the zeal

of the Lord of hosts

will do this.

That's what Matthew

has in mind

as he is quoting

Isaiah chapter 9.

Isaiah 9 · chapter mention

So Jesus,

he's making

a very clear connection here.

Jesus is that one

that Isaiah 9

is talking about.

The son that was given.

The child that was born.

The one who is

Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God,

Prince of Peace.

The one who is

Everlasting Father.

The one who has

the government

of God's people

on his shoulder

and he can bear it.

The one who is going

to sit on the throne

of David.

I mean it just keeps going.

It's the Messiah.

It's God's King.

The one is finally come

and he's about

to announce his reign.

But the really

interesting thing is

where is he going

to do it?

Where is he going

to announce God's reign?

His reign come

to invade Satan's jurisdiction.

Is he going to do it

in Jerusalem?

I mean Jerusalem

was the capital city.

It was the city of David.

That's where David's throne

was, his ancestor.

So that's where

God's presence resides

in the temple.

That's where the

sacrifices are made.

That's where God

communes with his people.

That's where the power

and the influences

politically.

All the important Jews

live there.

Is he going to do it there?

No, he goes to Galilee.

Galilee was a little

bustling backwater

of a region

that was far away

from the Jewish

center of power.

Why did he go there?

Galilee was quite a

melting pot of diversity.

It was a Jewish territory.

There were Jews

living there.

It was the ancient

territory of the

tribes Zebulun

and Naphtali

according to Isaiah 9.

But in the 8th century BC

a bunch of crazy

Assyrians rode in

at God's bidding

and they took out

the tribes of Zebulun

and Naphtali

and destroyed their

towns and villages

and carved off

the survivors

to Assyria

and they went into exile.

And in their place

came a whole lot

of different

pagan,

non-Jew,

not knowing

living God

people

and they came

and they settled

in that area

and eventually

some exiles trickled back.

Jews coming back

and they settled there.

So Galilee was just a

it was a melting pot.

There were Jews there.

There were Gentiles there.

And in Jesus' time

it was

it was kind of like

St. Louis was

150 years ago.

St. Louis was the gateway

to the west.

Everyone driven through

St. Louis

seen the arch?

Okay.

It's the gateway

to the west.

You go to St. Louis

and if you want to go

to the west

you go through St. Louis

and that's where you

get on the Oregon Trail

to go west.

Well, Galilee was like that

only it was the gateway

to the heathen north

and the heathen east.

And the roads

from the Roman Empire

ran down through Galilee.

And so lots of trade routes

were set up

that ran to east

to the Mediterranean

or west

to the Mediterranean coast

as well as to the riches

in the east

in the old Persian Empire.

And so all these places

were surrounded by

Galilee was surrounded

by heathen people.

People who didn't know

the living God.

People who were

living in darkness.

There were Jews there too

but they were certainly

influenced by

their Gentile neighbors.

So why did he go there?

Why did Jesus go to this place?

You might be tempted

to think that he's acting

out of fear

because we just read

that John had been arrested.

But Satan,

Jesus has just been

staring down Satan

in the wilderness.

I don't think he's afraid

of being arrested.

This is Jesus

we're talking about.

Did you notice the verbs

that were used?

He withdrew into Galilee.

That sounds very intentional.

And he went and he lived.

Literally he settled down.

He took up housekeeping

in Capernaum.

So there's intention here.

But what is that intention?

It's because these people

were living in darkness.

It's because

they were dwelling.

Literally the word for dwelling

means sitting.

They were sitting in darkness.

For those sitting in the region

and the shadow of death

a light has dawned.

Jesus has come

to be the light

in the darkness.

Where it was most needed

Jesus came

to dawn the light

of the kingdom.

And what does he do?

He announces his kingdom.

Repent

for the kingdom of heaven

is at hand.

Isaiah saw it

700 years before

Jesus came.

The king would come

and he would announce

and begin his reign

of light

not in the center

of the cultural hub

of Jerusalem

but in the backwater

of Galilee

where much light

was needed.

God's been

doing this

for the whole

of history.

Even from the very beginning

of the garden

when Adam and Eve fell

he promised

that he would send

a snake crusher.

He promised

that he would send

someone to deliver

God's people

from the darkness.

And then

he gave a promise

to Abraham

in Genesis chapter 12

Genesis 12 · chapter mention

where he says

all the nations

of the earth

will be blessed

through your family.

God set

a rescue plan

into motion

and that was

God's mission

to save

to dawn the light

upon those

who were in darkness.

And now it's happening.

Where there was

total darkness

and no hope

the king came

and the light

was dawned.

And the cool thing

is they didn't ask

for it.

They weren't looking

for it.

It was unanticipated.

It was kind of like

the shepherds

watching their flocks

by night.

They weren't asking

for a bunch of angels

to show up

and blind them

with the glory of heaven

and tell them

he's here!

It was totally

by grace

that Jesus has come

to dawn

upon those

in darkness.

But did you notice

that the presence

of the king

and the announcement

of his reign

demands action?

What does Jesus say?

Repent

for the kingdom

of heaven

is at hand.

Those dwelling

in darkness

must respond

to the light

that has dawned

upon them

by turning

from the darkness

and of sin

and self-sufficiency

and pride

and turn

toward the light

of the king

who has drawn

near to them

to be their light

in the darkness.

Can I ask you something?

Have you seen

this light?

Have you seen

the light?

Has this light

dawned upon you?

If you're a Christian

then it has.

I want to remind you

of the words

of a beautiful hymn

written by Charles Wesley.

Long my imprisoned

spirit lay

fast bound

in sin

and nature's night.

Thine eye

diffused

a quickening ray.

I woke

the dungeon

flamed with light.

My chains fell off.

My heart was free.

I rose,

went forth

and followed thee.

Many of you remember

what that dungeon

was like.

I do.

You still remember

the feeling

of being trapped

by sin

and the way

that your enemy

was in power

over you.

You still feel

the effects of it.

The ache

of that.

But you have

seen the great light

and the light

has set you free.

So what are you

to do?

Rejoice.

Be grateful.

This light

did not,

you did not deserve

for this light

to dawn upon you.

You were in darkness

and a light

dawned on you.

But maybe you

don't remember.

Maybe you're a Christian

but maybe you don't

remember what

that dungeon

was like.

Maybe

your heart

has become

hard and desensitized

to sin

after a while.

This happens

to me.

Happens to all

of us.

Your eyes

have become

accustomed to

the darkness

maybe again.

It doesn't seem

so bad

because your eyes

haven't been

looking at the

great light

of the gospel

for a while.

So brother or sister

if that's you

can I speak

some words

of encouragement

to you?

Stop and ask

God to cause

a light

of the gospel

of the glory

of Jesus

to shine

in your heart

once again.

Ask God

to get your eyes

on the blinding

light of his glory

and let your eyes

adjust to how

beautiful it is

so you can see

your sin

so you can confess

your sin

repent and turn

again to the light.

Don't let this world

satisfy you

with its promises

of comfort

and convenience

and contentment

because the king

has come

to give us

life and life

abundant

that far outweighs

anything the world

can give.

Maybe you're wondering

what the big deal is.

Maybe you're wondering

darkness, light

those sound like

exclusive

polarizing terms

I mean come on

what's the big deal?

Our modern culture

we've kind of

moved past that

right?

We don't really

like terms

like that

pure

good and evil

light and dark

but the message

of the Bible

is clear

there is a king

and he is good

and he is drawn

near to be light

to those in darkness

and so if you are

not under his rule

can I encourage you

you will continue

in the darkness

living under the shadow

of sin and death

unless you turn

and repent

and see the light

of the glory

of Jesus

he has come

to give you life

so can I ask you

to learn a little

bit more

to ask questions

and to put your

life under

this great light

that has shown

in your darkness

our king

has drawn near

and his coming

was like the rising

of the sun

to scatter the deepest

darkness

picture number two

our king

has drawn near

to be our light

and our darkness

our king now

picture number two

our king has drawn near

to call his own

to himself

let's read verses 18

through 22

read with me please

while walking by the sea

of Galilee

he saw two brothers

Simon who was called

Peter

and Andrew his brother

casting a net

into the sea

for they were fishermen

and he said to them

follow me

and I will make you

fishers of men

immediately they left

their nets

and they followed him

and going on from there

he saw two other brothers

James the son of Zebedee

and John his brother

in the boat

with Zebedee

at their father

mending their nets

and he called them

also

immediately they left

the boat

and their father

and followed him

a couple things

stand out

about this

little picture

we see here

first

it's interesting

Jesus begins small

he's just made

this huge announcement

the kingdom of heaven

has drawn near

we're kind of expecting

this

some world changing drama

to happen

right

massive movements

put into action

but what happens instead

Jesus walks along

the shore of this lake

he sees two fishermen

tells them to follow him

they leave their stuff

and they follow him

and this happens again

to two other guys

that's it

not very world changing

so far the kingdom

isn't doing anything big

just four local fishermen

that's the cool thing

about what Matthew

wants us to see

about God's rule

coming in

King Jesus

is all about

God doesn't work

according to our

expectations

Jesus' kingdom

is an upside down

kingdom

it works

against

human

expectations

it starts small

it's not flashy

God works

God works though

very powerfully

through small

faith filled

people

Jesus is interested

in

get this

Jesus is interested

in individuals

people like you

and me

he's got his eye

on massive movements

but he's interested

in individuals

he calls his own

to himself

one by one

so do you see

that this morning

Matthew wants us

to see

this is the way

the individuals

get into the

kingdom of heaven

we are called

by the king

personally

do you ever doubt

that Jesus cares

about you

that you have a place

or a role

in God's kingdom

let this passage

assure you

of something

if you're a kingdom

Jesus has called

you

individually

personally

he looked at you

and he said

I want you

in my kingdom

he didn't send out

a massive

generic

Facebook invitation

to everyone

in his social

media circle

no he looked up

your address

he walked to your

house

he knocked on the

door

and he said

follow me

he came near

to you

you weren't

looking for him

and he came

near to you

in grace

Jesus cares

about you

he calls

individuals

notice this

too

did you also

notice that

there's a cost

did you notice

that there's a

cost to following

Jesus

these disciples

leave their jobs

and their families

by the way

Galilee had a

very thriving

fishing industry

they had good

jobs

upper middle

class

they were doing

well

it's not like

they're just

you know

straggling for

the next bite

to eat

and Jesus

comes along

and offers

them something

better

it's not it

there's a cost

here

in our culture

we value

financial independence

and security

and that's a good

thing

I'm not saying

you should quit

your job

to follow Jesus

and I'm saying

that

however

I'm saying

that Jesus

demands

our whole hearts

and our whole lives

our jobs

are his

our families

are his

our goals

are his

our money

is his

our retirement

is his

our priorities

are his

so

are you withholding

something from your king

is there something

that you know

he is requiring

of you

in obedience

and trust

but you're saying

I'll follow you

Jesus

I like you

but

our king

demands

our lives

and he

promises

us

true life

whatever he

demands of us

he will supply

to us

a hundredfold

as we trust him

and obey him

in this world

or the next

it's another part

of Matthew

is he part

of your life

or is he

your life

lastly

notice

something else

about this

picture

he promises

to

transform

the disciples

into

people

fishermen

fishers of men

not just men

men women

children

people fishermen

fishers of people

he is the one

who transforms us

into useful members

of his community

as we follow him

he's not looking

for

the rock stars

of the varsity

Christian team

he is looking

for small

faith filled

people

who will give

him their lives

and trust him

with their whole

hearts

and he promises

to make us

into fishers of men

do you notice that

I will make you

fishers of men

I don't know about you

but I'm really bad

at sharing my faith

I'll just be honest

I don't think I have

the gift of evangelism

I definitely know

people who do

but guess what

Jesus promises

to make me one

to make me

an evangelist

to make me

into a fishers of men

some are better

than others

naturally for sure

but

he has called us

all to be fishers

of men

part of following

Jesus is seeing

his light

having the light

dawn upon you

and then also

seeing that there

are some in darkness

and they desperately

need the light

and that's here

in this area

here in your

neighborhood

and that's also

in China

and that's also

in the universities

of this land

that's also

in Europe

that's also

in Africa

that's also

in the Muslim world

all over the place

people need to hear

the gospel

people need to be

fished into the kingdom

and he promises

to make us

into fishers

of his kingdom

and so if that

sounds like

an incredible task

it is

but he has promised

to do it

after service

we can have

an opportunity

to start small

we got a ministry

fair going on

downstairs

our mission

as a church

is to just join

Jesus and his mission

of fishing people

out of the darkness

and into the light

and so

come downstairs

after the service

and find out

where you can

meaningfully be a part

of our mission

which is Jesus' mission

to make disciples

of all nations

picture number three

so our king

is drawn near

to be our light

in our darkness

he's drawn near

to call his own

to himself

and three

our king

has drawn near

to deliver

all people

from the power

of sin

and evil

he's drawn near

to deliver

all people

from the power

of sin

and evil

read with me

verses 23

through 25

and he went

throughout all

Galilee

teaching in their

synagogues

and proclaiming

the gospel

the good news

of the kingdom

and healing

every disease

and every affliction

among the people

so his fame

spread throughout

all Syria

and they brought

to him

all the sick

those afflicted

with various diseases

and pains

those oppressed

by demons

epileptics

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

so this little section

right here

kind of serves

as a summary

that Matthew

is going to use

to springboard us

into the next

several chapters

of his gospel

so it's a summary

of what Jesus

did in Galilee

in proclaiming

the good news

of the kingdom

so we're going

to see

in the weeks

and months

to come

this little summary

gets spelled out

in greater detail

but even in this

little teaser

there are two big

things that stand out

I want you guys

to see

first

the king

is on the move

and he's on the move

for all people

the king

is on the move

and he's on the move

for all people

I absolutely love

the Chronicles of Narnia

I'm sure I think

I've already said that

before from the pulpit

I love the Chronicles of Narnia

and there's this part

in the Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe

when the four Pevensey children

are in Mr. and Mr. Beaver's house

and they hear the name of Aslan

for the first time

and they have no idea

who Mr. and Mrs. Beaver

are talking about

but they hear them say

Aslan is on the move

and they don't even know

who Aslan is

and yet they feel this thrill

rise in their hearts

Aslan is on the move

the king is on the move here

did you notice

all the alls

and the everys

he is moving

and did you see

all the geographical place names

Galilee

Decapolis

Jerusalem

Judea

beyond the Jordan

Syria

holy smokes

the king is moving

and he's moving

to all people

so he went throughout

all Galilee

did you notice that

verse 23

teaching

preaching

and healing

tons of people

every disease

and every affliction

among the people

that means

everything that was

brought to him

he dealt with it

everything he encountered

he dealt with it

but his activity

in all of Galilee

also made his fame

spread to all of Syria

verse 24

by the way

Syria is just

probably just

the Roman province

that included

all of Palestine

and the surrounding area

so this is

Jews

Gentiles

everybody

so it's a big area

and so his fame

is spread

from his operation

in Galilee

it's gone out

and then

we see

great crowds

are following him

from Galilee

Decapolis

Galilee's in the north

Decapolis is in the

southeast

on the eastern side

of the

Sea of Galilee

Jerusalem and Judea

all the way in the south

you have to come over

lots of mountains

to get up to Galilee

from Jerusalem and Judea

and then beyond the Jordan

which is probably

the area to the southeast

south of the Decapolis

and so

oh and the west

is not mentioned

because that's the

Mediterranean Sea

there's nobody there

so basically

they're everywhere

where there are people

around

and they were coming

to Jesus

and the blessings

of God's rule

and his reign

were coming to them

through him

he's on the move

secondly

notice this

the good news

of the king's nearness

to all these people

came in the form

of deliverance

from the effects

of

and the consequences

of sin

and evil

Jesus' healings

were like little sparks

of light

in the darkness

that signaled

the breaking in

of God's good rule

to undo

and heal

the brokenness

of our world

they were signs

of his kingly credentials

that yes

he is the king

spreading God's kingdom

to the kingdom

of darkness

by healing

all and every kind

of ugly effect

of the fall of man

that he encountered

he was exercising

the kingly authority

to extend

the blessings

of his rule

mastering

every illness

and disease

among them

simply by his presence

simply by his word

simply by his touch

if you read

through the healings

of Jesus

throughout the gospels

all he does

is just

touch

or heal people

but with a word

that's all he does

he speaks a word

or he touches them

or he

make a little mud

thingamajig

and put it on their eyes

it's just simple

it's not

there were ancient

healers

in this time

who just made

elaborate healing

methods

and they kind of

wrote books

of how to heal

by mixing this potion

and that

Jesus says

it's gone

done

that's his authority

and so it's a little

spark of light

in the darkness

physical ailments

even paralysis

total disability

you're paralyzed

this was considered

incurable

by the way

by all those

ancient healers

they were subject

to him

with a word

mental disabilities

like epilepsy

were mastered

by him

with a word

spiritual torment

through demonic

influence

was abruptly

ended

by a word

from the son of God

I'm really grateful

for modern medicine

I think it's

a wonderful thing

it's God's blessing

on the age

we live in

but it can't

hold a candle

to this kind

of authority

our king

simply mastered

every form

of illness

just by virtue

of his authority

of his person

and it shouldn't

surprise us

he's the king

of life

he's the light

in the darkness

but even more

than that

Jesus' healings

they were signs

of his authority

signs of God's rule

breaking into this

kingdom of darkness

but even more than that

they were pointing

forward to what

Jesus was going

to do

that Isaiah 53

had announced

beforehand

that we were

he was crushed

for our iniquities

he was pierced

for our transgressions

the chastisement

that brought us

peace was upon him

by his wounds

we were healed

and so all this

is pointing forward

to all of his healings

are pointing forward

to the way

that he would heal

the entire

broken world

and every lost

human soul

that comes to him

by taking on

all the darkness

into himself

and beating it

on the cross

and the empty tomb

he came to deliver

all people

from the effects

and the power

of sin and evil

the darkness

no longer has dominion

still has a presence

we still live

in this world

that is affected

by sin and evil

we all feel it

we all feel those

creaks and groans

of our own bodies

and of creation

we're under the weight

of the curse of sin

and death

we feel sickness

and disease

and suffering

but

now

and forever

our king

has showed

that he is

authoritative

over

all of that

and one day

he's going to come

he's going to put

an end

to all of that

listen to Revelation 21

I heard a loud voice

from the throne

saying

behold the dwelling place

of God

is with man

God is with man

God

with us

he will dwell

with them

and they will be

his people

God himself

will be with them

as they're

did you hear

how many withs

there were

with us

Emmanuel

God is with us

now and forever

and forever

he will wipe away

every tear

from their eyes

death

will be

no more

and neither

shall there be

mourning

nor crying

nor pain

anymore

for the former

things have

passed away

because Christ

has taken it

all into himself

at the cross

so on this side

of Revelation 21

we still feel it

but we also know

that our king

has power over it

are you feeling

the effects

and the power

of sin

and evil

at work

in your own life

or in the lives

of those

that you are

close to

there is nothing

outside the authority

of King Jesus

there is no chain

of sin

no spiritual oppression

no work of the enemy

that he cannot break

or turn on its head

go to him in prayer

the elders will be here

in front

at the end of the service

if you want to come

and pray

Christ the King Church

your king is drawn

near to you

his rule

and his reign

are near

to you

this is good news

and it is good news

to all people

and all kinds

of people

Jew

Gentile

Chinese

and American

to us

to the people

in your neighborhoods

to the people

you work with

the people

of all nations

he is the light

in our darkness

he calls us

as his own

he delivers us

and all people

from the darkness

of sin

and death

and Satan

so repent

if you need to repent

for the kingdom

of heaven

is drawn near to you

give to him

what he asks of you

in grace

and know that he is

calling you

to be his own

and trust that he will

make you into a fisher

of men

and rejoice

in his reign

of great light

let's pray

father we thank you

that you did not

have to

but you drew

near to us

to say

that the kingdom

of heaven

is near

god the kingdom

of heaven

is still near

to us

because you

are with us

and you've promised

to be with us

to the very end

of the age

and you've given

us jobs

to do

to be the light

and the darkness

in your place

ambassadors

of the light

I pray god

that you would help us

to do that

I pray that you would

equip us

as we go to the ministry

fair to do that well

God would you strengthen

us as a church

to be on your mission

to be trusting

in the light

that is dawned

and to be spreading

that light

God I pray

that you would

cause the light

to dawn on

all those

within the hearing

of this word

cause that light

to dawn