1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:16,320 Verse 12 and we'll end at verse 17 as our text this morning. St. Matthew's writing, 2 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:22,980 he says, Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he departed to Galilee. 3 00:00:22,980 --> 00:00:28,720 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions 4 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:34,440 of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled, which is spoken by Isaiah the prophet, 5 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:40,080 saying, The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the 6 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:48,840 Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. 7 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:55,880 And upon those who sat in the region in shadow of death, light has dawned. And from that time, 8 00:00:55,880 --> 00:01:03,120 Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Let 9 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:12,160 us pray. Heavenly Father, Lord, we need you this morning. God, we pray for the aid of 10 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:21,280 your spirit. Lord, what we're doing is sacred, but it will not be without onslaught, Lord. 11 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:27,200 Father, it will not be without a fight. Lord, we read that sometimes as the gospel goes 12 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:31,960 out that the evil one, Satan, comes and even steals the seed so that people will not believe. 13 00:01:31,960 --> 00:01:37,040 He keeps people blinded. And Lord, we're praying this morning for the power of the Holy Spirit 14 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:41,920 to allow, Lord, a holy hush to fall upon us. Lord, God, that we would listen intently to 15 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:48,480 the word of God. And God, that you would speak to us and we would grow. Father, we desire 16 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:54,840 to hear from heaven, not from a man. Lord, I pray, Lord, for unction and power. Lord, 17 00:01:54,840 --> 00:02:01,840 we pray, Lord, God, that Christ, Jesus, the King, would be preeminent. And Lord, God, 18 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:08,040 even whether physically or metaphorically, we might fall on our faces before him in awe 19 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:13,400 and worship this morning. We pray this in the name of your Son, the risen and ascended 20 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:24,560 Christ, we pray. Amen. You may be seated. Well, it's no surprise that you and I are 21 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:31,800 living in a land with a very heated political climate. It kind of interests me and then 22 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:40,840 also just makes me sick all at the same time. I wish that God's people would be as excited 23 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:44,920 for the kingdom of heaven as they are for the kingdom of man. I wish they were as passionate 24 00:02:44,920 --> 00:02:50,240 about the kingdom of God and seeking his righteousness. I don't know what's happening over there, 25 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:59,760 guys. We all don't look over there if you have epilepsy, I'll tell you that. I told 26 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:02,160 you it would not be without distraction this morning. I didn't think it would be through 27 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:08,880 the lights. I'm going to wait just a second. There you go. Turn them off. Thank you. As 28 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:12,400 I said, the people though, even God's people, they get excited. They get excited about political 29 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:17,120 discourse and I understand that because it's really the air we breathe. It's the culture 30 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:22,640 in which we live. But we're right now in a heated political climate. And part of that, 31 00:03:22,640 --> 00:03:26,720 on both sides of the aisle, you hear accusations being levied against the other. And today 32 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:31,400 I have no desire to speak of politics whatsoever, but I do desire to think Christianly about 33 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:38,320 some issues. And it has bearing upon our text. One of the things we hear today are accusations 34 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:44,960 of racism and xenophobia thrown about all the time. Xenophobia comes from two words, 35 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:52,160 xenos, foreign or strange. Phobia being a fear. So when we talk about xenophobia, which 36 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:59,760 is people then have a distrust or a prejudice, a dislike of people from other countries. 37 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:06,000 It's a distrust of foreigners. It can be a distrust of people unlike you. And so people 38 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:12,020 will then say, well, you're xenophobic. And we hear this term used a lot in discussions 39 00:04:12,020 --> 00:04:17,600 regarding immigration and border policies. Now to me, it's not surprising that in the 40 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:26,320 fallen kingdom of man, racism and xenophobia are present. Both of those evils are. But 41 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:32,240 what saddens me is that at times there have been various groups within the church who've 42 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:38,320 also held racist and xenophobic views. I mean, just think about our own time in our own culture. 43 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:43,580 Recall the antebellum South where you had Southern aristocrats, Southern slave owners 44 00:04:43,580 --> 00:04:49,200 would often quote the Bible in defense of their views and owning slaves. They would 45 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:54,880 use the Bible. There was a time when a black man or a black woman was counted as property, 46 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:59,440 not even as a person. And the worst part about it, they were using or seeking to use the 47 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:05,360 word of God to justify their sin. But today I hear some of this. And again, I'm not going 48 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:10,880 to be political, but I do want to help you think Christianly. Even today, some Christians 49 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:16,800 will tout the policies of politicians slogans like keep them out and build the wall and 50 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:26,040 don't let them come in. Who are they? To what group are those who are using this language 51 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:31,440 referring to? Well, they're referring to foreigners, strangers. Now, first let me say, because some 52 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:36,800 of you are already upset because of what I've just said. Let me say, I support, if we have 53 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:42,200 to get political, legal immigration. And what I'm speaking about is not politics. I'm against 54 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:46,880 anyone breaking the laws of our country seeking to enter. When my wife entered this country, 55 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:52,800 we did it through an arduous legal process that culminated in her citizenship. I'm not 56 00:05:52,800 --> 00:06:00,400 for open, porous borders, if anyone's asking. But at the same time, I am for a humane border 57 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:06,000 policy and a humane treatment of people who are seeking to enter this country. We have 58 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:11,960 to think Christianly about people. Most of the folks are poor folks seeking for a better 59 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:17,320 life. They're not all animals, nor are they subhuman. They're fellow image bearers of 60 00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:22,880 God. Yeah, they may have darker skin, but they don't have darker hearts. And so my suggestion 61 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:26,440 this morning is that you can have respect for immigration laws, and you can also have 62 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:31,920 respect for a humane border policy at the very same time. But some, out of fear and 63 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:38,280 ignorance, see these people from other cultures and nations as scary, maybe even bad. Now 64 00:06:38,280 --> 00:06:42,880 let me just say, obviously, we live in a fallen world. Of course, there are some bad dudes. 65 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:46,520 There are some terrorists who are seeking to exploit the situation, which is why anyone 66 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:51,800 must be diligent to vet those who are seeking to enter. But let me just say this to the 67 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:58,560 church. Christians should be the most welcoming of strangers and foreigners into our midst 68 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:04,800 because you and I were strangers and foreigners when God took us in. We have to understand 69 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:09,760 where we have come from. Even today, because again, this is why politics kind of drives 70 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:18,480 me crazy. You and I as Christians are pilgrims and strangers in this land in which we live 71 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:25,640 because the Bible says that our citizenship is in heaven. That means our primary identity 72 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:32,400 is a citizen of heaven, a citizen of the kingdom of God. Hebrews 11, 13 talks about all these 73 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:38,200 people that died in faith. And what did they confess? Here's what they confessed, that 74 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:42,960 they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. This earth, this fallen kingdom is not my 75 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:50,800 identity. Philippians 3 20, Paul says, for our citizenship is in heaven, from which we 76 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:56,480 also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. As Christians, you and I have 77 00:07:56,480 --> 00:08:01,360 received lavish grace and mercy. And since you and I have received lavish grace and mercy, 78 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:07,080 the ideas let us lavish grace and mercy on others, particularly the poor and outcast 79 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:11,720 because you and I were poor and outcast. One of the more heinous sins that can exist in 80 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:18,120 the church is this idea of racism. For someone to assume any type of superiority because 81 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:23,240 of the color of your skin or because of your ethnic background is an abomination. It is 82 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:31,000 sinful. Why? Because the Lord God has made humanity all of one blood. Acts 17 26. And 83 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:37,360 he speaking of God has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell in the face of 84 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:44,080 the earth. And he has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings. 85 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:49,160 We're all one blood. So when we talk about race and ethnicity, that's a sociological 86 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:55,360 construct. The Bible knows those categories not at all. Never speaks of ethnicity, if 87 00:08:55,360 --> 00:09:01,760 you will. So the biblical view of humanity is that every person, about eight plus billion 88 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:09,860 people now on the planet, has been created in the image of God and is worthy of respect 89 00:09:09,860 --> 00:09:18,000 and dignified treatment because of the Imago Dei, because they too bear the image of God. 90 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:25,280 So thus any feeling of racial or ethnic superiority is not only unwarranted. Indeed, it is sinful. 91 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:29,600 Now, why did I start that way? Because in our text today, we're going to see how our 92 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:35,000 Lord breaks with prejudice and bias as he enters into an area known as Galilee of the 93 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:40,160 Gentiles. It's interesting. Here at the very beginning of the onset of his ministry, we 94 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:46,640 begin to see an intentionality to include in the covenant people of God those who are 95 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:52,880 different. Different ethnicities, different cultures, different language groups. See, 96 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:57,640 in the early church, there was a whole lot of division. There was a whole lot of hostility 97 00:09:57,640 --> 00:10:06,120 between Jews and Gentiles. Deep-seated resentment, a deep-seated animosity that had always existed 98 00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:12,580 between these two groups. They had long been at odds with each other. The Jews customarily 99 00:10:12,580 --> 00:10:19,600 had seen the Gentiles as pagans. They would often refer to them as dogs. They were unclean. 100 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:24,320 If you went to a Gentile's house, you would shake dust off your feet. You were considered 101 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:30,600 unclean. So they began to look down their nose at them. A long-standing tradition says, 102 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:35,200 and I've mentioned this before, that the head of a Jewish household upon waking would start 103 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:41,040 each morning with this prayer. Thank you, God, that I am not a Gentile, a woman, or 104 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:49,340 a slave. In Jewish thought of that day, all three of these groups were suspect, subordinate, 105 00:10:49,340 --> 00:10:56,640 and second-class. And it was into this cultural milieu that Jesus himself was born. So I think 106 00:10:56,640 --> 00:11:05,280 it's incredibly noteworthy that our Lord began to teach, heal, and even eat with Gentiles, 107 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:12,880 women, and slaves, showing the inclusive nature of the kingdom of God. Look at verse 12. Now 108 00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:18,280 when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he departed to Galilee. Now where is 109 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:23,200 Jesus right now? He's in Judea. He's in southern Israel, near outside of Jerusalem. He came 110 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:28,640 down to be baptized by John in the Jordan River. From that point, as we looked last 111 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:33,600 week, he was led by the Spirit of God out into the Judean desert where he would be tested 112 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:40,880 by Satan. He successfully withstood the satanic onslaught, and after that he leaves the area 113 00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:47,040 of Judea and he heads back north, that's where he was from, to the region known as Galilee. 114 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:53,800 Now this is very interesting because our Lord had just made his public debut at his baptism. 115 00:11:53,800 --> 00:12:01,240 He's just now beginning his public ministry. Now if he did not stay in Judea near Jerusalem, 116 00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:06,440 but that's where the seat of power was located. Jerusalem, that's the capital city. That's 117 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:13,040 where the lawmakers are. It's there that the Sanhedrin rules. Moreover, the temple was 118 00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:19,280 in Jerusalem. So if our Lord were seeking influence and he wanted to garner attention, 119 00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:26,520 it would have been much more profitable and advantageous to stay in Judea. It would be 120 00:12:26,520 --> 00:12:29,920 there that he would rub shoulders with the important people of the day, the movers and 121 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:39,120 shakers. Yet we read here, our Lord purposefully left that area and instead opted for a more 122 00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:45,800 obscure base for his ministry. He shunned the seat of power. He sought out a much more humble 123 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:51,360 area and even here we start to see the nature of the kingdom, or of Christ's kingdom. You're 124 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:55,720 going to see what it really is in meaning. So it's not going to be, we see from the beginning 125 00:12:55,720 --> 00:13:02,920 at foreshadowing, it will not be the elite aristocratic wealthy power brokers who enter 126 00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:09,720 the kingdom of God. Who will it be? The humble, the despised, the nondescript people of the 127 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:18,000 world who are rich in faith. Paul wrote that in 1 Corinthians 1. For you see your calling, 128 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:23,400 brethren, you see your calling, Mamrie, that not many wise according to the flesh, not 129 00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:31,120 many mighty, not many noble are called, Kaleo, they're not called in. But God has chosen 130 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:36,080 the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise. He has chosen the weak things 131 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:41,360 of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty and the basings of the world and 132 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:47,960 the things which are despised, God has chosen, and the things which are not to bring to nothing 133 00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:56,240 the things that are. Why would God do this? That no flesh should glory in his presence. 134 00:13:56,240 --> 00:14:00,800 We're told the word headed north. He goes into Galilee right when he learned that John 135 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:04,640 had been imprisoned. That's John the Baptist. Now why in the world was John the Baptist 136 00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:11,120 imprisoned? What crime did he commit? Well, we know him as a great prophet. He was bold 137 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:15,400 and he was courageous. The guy didn't seem to have a fearless bone or fearful bone in 138 00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:20,600 his body. He was fearless and he did not care to speak truth to power. And so basically 139 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:27,160 you have John the Baptist, this wilderness desert prophet. He told King Herod, hey King, 140 00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:33,360 you're committing sin and God's going to judge you for it, so knock it off. Now who was the 141 00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:38,920 king at this time? He was really not a king, he was a tetrarch. His name is Herod Antipas. 142 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:43,080 You remember when Jesus was born, the one who tried to kill the children, that's Herod 143 00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:48,320 the Great. That was the father. He died and his kingdom was divided into four. That's 144 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:55,880 why he's a tetrarch. So Herod Antipas, the son, divorced his wife and he takes his brother 145 00:14:55,880 --> 00:15:01,120 Herod Philip, we'll call him Philip, he takes his wife Herodias, you see the word Herod 146 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:06,280 through all these people, and he makes her his wife. So he stole his brother's wife. 147 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:12,360 And John wasn't having any of it. And he boldly declared to the king, hey guy, it is unlawful 148 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:21,080 before God to do what you just did. You need to repent. Can we get this guys? Just turn 149 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:29,880 him off. You need to repent. Well Herod wasn't used to having people speak like that, so 150 00:15:29,880 --> 00:15:36,560 he puts John in prison. Later he will cut John's head off. So now that seems like a 151 00:15:36,560 --> 00:15:41,800 tragedy doesn't it? But what is a tragedy? God would turn into an eternal blessing, because 152 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:46,920 in Revelation 2 10 we read these blessed words, be faithful unto death and I will give you 153 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:52,760 the crown of life. Don't fear people. So now Matthew tells us that when our Lord learned 154 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:58,000 that John was imprisoned, he leaves, he headed north. One of the reasons is because he was 155 00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:03,240 baptized by John, he would be associated with John's ministry, and Herod would look at Jesus 156 00:16:03,240 --> 00:16:08,720 as successor to John and perhaps as a political threat. So Jesus is going to leave that area, 157 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:14,300 head north, because there's a lot less, Herod didn't have, he had jurisdiction in the north, 158 00:16:14,300 --> 00:16:19,440 but there wasn't much control there. Now look at verses 13 to 16. We read them and we'll 159 00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:26,640 read them again. But we find here that when John the Baptist's ministry ended, our Lord 160 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:34,040 skyrocketed. His ministry began. Why? Because John is a forerunner, he served as a herald. 161 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:38,440 What does a herald do? He announces that the king is coming, that the arrival of the king, 162 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:42,580 but now the king has arrived, so you no longer have need of the herald, so John's work was 163 00:16:42,580 --> 00:16:50,160 finished and the Lord's work just was beginning. Now where was his Lord born? Bethlehem. That's 164 00:16:50,160 --> 00:16:57,800 near in the south. But where was he raised? Nazareth. Some tiny, tiny little town in Galilee. 165 00:16:57,800 --> 00:17:03,760 But as he goes back into Galilee, he doesn't head to his hometown, he doesn't go to Nazareth. 166 00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:08,080 Instead we're told he moved to Capernaum, and it was in Capernaum that that would serve 167 00:17:08,080 --> 00:17:14,360 now as his official base of operation. From there he would begin preaching. He would begin 168 00:17:14,360 --> 00:17:20,640 preaching about the kingdom of God. But why Capernaum? Why would our Lord choose that 169 00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:25,400 place? You need to look at where it is. It was situated in the northwestern point of 170 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:30,200 the Sea of Galilee. It was a very strategic location on the highway. It connected that 171 00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:35,880 region to Damascus, a major trade route, a major economic center for all of northern 172 00:17:35,880 --> 00:17:42,720 Galilee. It served as a center for trade with other countries. In fact there was an international 173 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:48,040 trade route that was there that connected Africa, Europe, and Asia. It was called the 174 00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:58,040 Via Maris, the way of the sea in Latin. So it was there. Now notice it's called Galilee 175 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:03,800 of the Gentiles. There were many Gentiles who lived in that area. I would love to take 176 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:09,280 it and the reason why, if you go back to the history of Israel, it's because of their disobedience. 177 00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:14,360 But it was in Capernaum that the Lord began to teach in homes privately. He would also 178 00:18:14,360 --> 00:18:18,640 teach publicly in the synagogues, and most of his ministry, earthly-wise, took place 179 00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:23,360 around that area. It was in this area he first recruited his disciples. Lord willing we'll 180 00:18:23,360 --> 00:18:29,760 look at next week. Here he earned fame for his ability to heal the sick. Some of his 181 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:34,080 most famous miracles took place in Capernaum, including calming the sea and walking on the 182 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:42,360 water. All that was right there. But there's another reason that our Lord went to Capernaum. 183 00:18:42,360 --> 00:18:48,880 Matthew tells us that in choosing this location, Jesus was fulfilling an ancient prophecy 184 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:56,720 given by Isaiah. Thus this move was fulfillment of prophecy. Let me read verses 14 through 185 00:18:56,720 --> 00:19:03,160 15, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying, the land 186 00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:08,640 of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee 187 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:15,880 of the Gentiles. Verse 16 is what I want to hone in on. The people who sat in darkness 188 00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:22,680 have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region in shadow of death, light 189 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:30,720 has dawned. Now Matthew is quoting somewhat loosely Isaiah chapter 9 verses 1 and 2. Friends, 190 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:36,040 that's very interesting. It's very insightful because the nation of Israel was called in 191 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:40,880 its inception to be a light to the nations leading the nations to the worship of the 192 00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:47,600 one true God. You see that in Psalm 67. God be merciful to him, bless us. Cause his face 193 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:55,400 to shine upon us. Why? Verse 2, that your way may be known on earth and your salvation 194 00:19:55,400 --> 00:20:02,520 among all the nations. But Israel failed. She failed miserably in her task to be a light 195 00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:08,360 to the nations. Instead of being a light, she often adopted the dark practices of her 196 00:20:08,360 --> 00:20:14,800 Gentile neighbors. She, Israel, began to worship strange gods. She began to live as a pagan 197 00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:18,880 and as a result of this, God sent judgment upon them. He would send prophet after prophet 198 00:20:18,880 --> 00:20:26,720 after prophet warning of exile. Finally, Israel was exiled from her homeland. So you find 199 00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:33,280 the Jewish people were forced to live outside of Israel in a foreign land. First with Assyria, 200 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:38,840 later with Babylon. Friends, this is not the end of the story. God had promised to bring 201 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:44,240 them back into the land and when he did, he said, I will restore your good fortune. So 202 00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:50,800 Isaiah chapter 9, that's what Matthew's quoting, he's promising that God is going to send a 203 00:20:50,800 --> 00:21:00,360 king, a Messiah. He will end the exile and he will bring in foreigners, Gentiles. Look 204 00:21:00,360 --> 00:21:08,200 at Isaiah in chapter 9. Nevertheless, the gloom will not be upon her as distressed as 205 00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:12,800 when at first he lightly esteemed the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. And afterward, 206 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:17,920 more heavily oppressed her by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan and Galilee of the 207 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:24,680 Gentiles. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who have dwelt 208 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:29,480 in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined. You have multiplied the 209 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:35,080 nation and increased its joy. They rejoice before you according to the joy of harvest 210 00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:40,400 as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. What? How is this possible? The people are 211 00:21:40,400 --> 00:21:45,920 coming back to the land, they've been exiled, yet you find them exulting, rejoicing as in 212 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:52,240 harvest time, as if they're dividing spoil. How is that possible? You have to keep reading 213 00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:59,360 in Isaiah 9 because of the one whom God would send to them. You all know this. This is at 214 00:21:59,360 --> 00:22:08,360 Advent, we read this verse, Isaiah 9, 6, just three verses later. For unto us a child is 215 00:22:08,360 --> 00:22:15,080 born, unto us a son is given, praise God. And the government will be upon his shoulder, 216 00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:21,200 his name, what's wonderful, counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, of 217 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:25,720 the increase of his government and peace there will be no end, it's eternal, upon the throne 218 00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:31,640 of David and over his kingdom, to order and establish it with judgment and justice from 219 00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:37,880 that time forward, even forever. There's no king coming after that. How's this gonna be 220 00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:45,680 done? The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform it. A child would be born. That child was 221 00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:51,720 the son of God, the son was given. And that child was destined to sit upon the throne 222 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:56,760 of David and to rule over God's people forever. See, what you have here is you have a heaven 223 00:22:56,760 --> 00:23:02,160 sent king and he would be a light, a true light, not just for Israel, but for all the 224 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:10,240 nations, Gentiles included. A bright light is about to dawn upon people living in darkness. 225 00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:15,840 Go back to Matthew. Matthew tells his readers, our Lord moving to Capernaum in the land of 226 00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:23,760 Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, that's a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. Jesus, the 227 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:31,520 light of the world, deliberately chose to move to this dark land of Zebulun and Naphtali, 228 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:39,600 a land of spiritual darkness. Do you see what Matthew is saying? Jesus is the Christ. He 229 00:23:39,600 --> 00:23:46,880 is the child destined to rule as prophesied by Isaiah. This one, moving up north in the 230 00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:51,800 Galilee, this is the son that was given. He is the mighty God who is going to rule as 231 00:23:51,800 --> 00:23:58,040 king. So our Lord going into this Galilee of the Gentiles, he does so on purpose. Why? 232 00:23:58,040 --> 00:24:04,640 He's going to shine the light of God to those who are living in darkness. The message is 233 00:24:04,640 --> 00:24:10,040 clear here, folks. God's saving arm is not for the Jews only, but for the Gentiles too, 234 00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:17,500 in fact, for the entire world. The Lord Jesus, he is the one who would bring about an end 235 00:24:17,500 --> 00:24:24,860 to Israel's exile and he would bring the Gentiles in to the one true worship of God. Gentiles 236 00:24:24,860 --> 00:24:31,520 had always lived in darkness. They had been overcome by death and our Lord goes to this 237 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:40,720 land to reveal the blazing light of God. John 3.16, for God so loved the world that he gave 238 00:24:40,720 --> 00:24:47,040 his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting 239 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:54,540 life. Now Matthew is a Jew writing to a Jewish audience. So why is he including these details 240 00:24:54,540 --> 00:25:01,160 about Gentiles in a Jewish gospel? Do you remember how he opened up the gospel? Jesus, 241 00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:08,200 son of David, son of Abraham. He is proving that the Lord Jesus is the true son of Abraham 242 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:16,200 through whom all the world would be blessed. He's once more letting his readers know Jesus 243 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:24,400 is the true Israel. Jesus is the true son. The nation of Israel failed to be a light. 244 00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:29,720 Christ would not fail. Everywhere where that nation failed, our Lord succeeded. He is the 245 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:35,960 true son. He's the obedient son and he's going to bring in those who once excluded, 246 00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:41,800 cut out into the covenant people of God. Some of my favorite verses in scriptures are found 247 00:25:41,800 --> 00:25:49,000 in the second chapter of Ephesians. Ephesians 2 verse 11. Mamrie, this is us. Therefore 248 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:55,880 remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by what is called 249 00:25:55,880 --> 00:26:02,240 the circumcision made in the flesh by hands, that at that time before Christ, you're without 250 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:07,680 Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of 251 00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:15,320 promise, having no hope. And the saddest part of this is without God in the world. Verse 252 00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:24,800 13, but now. But now in Christ. Now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off, that's us, 253 00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:31,040 have been brought near, how? By the bloody death of Christ. Do you see what Matthew's 254 00:26:31,040 --> 00:26:36,000 doing? Our Lord purposely goes to the Galilee of the Gentiles. That's the place where people 255 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:42,000 lived in darkness. They did not have the religious advantages of Jerusalem or Judea. The temple 256 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:46,720 was not located there. It was in this place that Jesus went that the darkness was most 257 00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:52,440 dense. These people sat, Matthew says, in the shadow of death, and yet it was there 258 00:26:52,440 --> 00:26:59,440 that the true light dawned. How's that? Our Lord is the true light. He's beginning his 259 00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:05,320 ministry where the darkness was most intense. And this was God's plan, that the light would 260 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:12,520 dawn first in the darkest places. And you know what that's called? That's grace. You 261 00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:20,440 and I living in the darkness, light dawned. So the message gets even more clear. Jesus 262 00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:28,120 had not come for righteous people, but rather to call sinners to repent. Verse 17. From 263 00:27:28,120 --> 00:27:32,860 that time Jesus began to preach and to say, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 264 00:27:32,860 --> 00:27:36,880 This is exactly the same way John the Baptist started his message. Well yeah, he was sent 265 00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:43,040 by the Father as well. Same message. John, though, was preaching the kingdom is at hand 266 00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:48,640 because the king is coming. The king Jesus, he's preaching it because he's bringing in 267 00:27:48,640 --> 00:28:01,760 the kingdom. How? How do you enter into this kingdom? Repent. You repent of your sins and 268 00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:08,240 you come to him in faith. Paul wrote this, 1 Timothy 1, verse 15. This is a faithful 269 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:16,240 saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came in the world to save sinners. 270 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:22,080 That's faithful and you can accept it. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. 271 00:28:22,080 --> 00:28:26,920 Do you get it? And you're saying, but what do I do now in light of that? What do we do 272 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:38,440 now what? As we begin to close, you marvel. I feel so burdened and I don't even know how 273 00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:43,120 to articulate it this morning. I feel that many of God's people are just not getting 274 00:28:43,120 --> 00:28:51,840 it. Marvel at the wonder of God sending a son. Marvel at the incarnation. Marvel that 275 00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:57,120 God took on flesh. Be grateful. Give thanks to God for this wonderful salvation He has 276 00:28:57,120 --> 00:29:02,680 lavished upon you. But so many people fail to give Him thanks. He is an add-on to their 277 00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:09,760 lives if they can fit it into their schedules. What a tragedy. Thank God for this mercy He 278 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:14,480 has shown to you. He has given you mercy. Now go tell others of this great mercy that 279 00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:20,720 is offered to them. Go to the dark places. Go to the outcasts. Go to the marginalized. 280 00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:25,920 The Lord Jesus, He's the true light of the world. But He told His disciples, He told 281 00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:33,720 us, you are the light of the world. He's in heaven. He's the ascended Lord. We're His 282 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:42,960 light here. That's our calling, church, to be salt, to be light. But who needs your light? 283 00:29:42,960 --> 00:29:48,720 Those who live in darkness. One of the prayers that I think we ought to pray is pray, God, 284 00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:56,840 as you have been to me, let me be to others. God, you have forgiven me. So you must forgive 285 00:29:56,840 --> 00:30:05,400 others. God, you've been so kind to me. You must be kind to others. God, you have welcomed 286 00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:14,420 me into your kingdom. We must welcome others. Church, remember, just amid all this political 287 00:30:14,420 --> 00:30:21,680 dumpster fire that we're experiencing, remember, you were once a foreigner and a stranger to 288 00:30:21,680 --> 00:30:31,080 God's family. And He called you by His grace. You must be willing to welcome. And I'm talking 289 00:30:31,080 --> 00:30:35,400 about immigration here, so don't beat me on me saying, hey, we're talking about immigration. 290 00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:40,460 I'm not. But you must be willing to welcome foreigners and strangers. I want to leave 291 00:30:40,460 --> 00:30:45,560 you with this verse here in Luke 14, verses 12 to 14. Listen carefully. I did not put 292 00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:51,880 this on this wall. I don't know that we always take heed. Sometimes I think we explain away 293 00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:58,800 parables and passages far too easily. We dismiss them. Then Jesus also said to him who invited 294 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:05,280 him, so He's talking to us, He said, when you give a dinner or supper, don't ask your 295 00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:10,080 friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbors, lest they also invite 296 00:31:10,080 --> 00:31:14,760 you back and you be repaid. He said, that's really not a sacrifice. Really not. Don't 297 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:18,640 invite those. I mean, that's an easy thing. That's low-hanging fruit. But when you give 298 00:31:18,640 --> 00:31:23,480 a dinner, when you give a feast, He said, here's who I want you to invite. Invite the 299 00:31:23,480 --> 00:31:32,560 poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, verse 14. Because they 300 00:31:32,560 --> 00:31:38,520 cannot repay you. And this is, I love this promise. For you will be repaid at the resurrection 301 00:31:38,520 --> 00:31:46,680 of the just. Oh friends, let us continue in this divine ministry that our Lord began preaching 302 00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:52,920 the kingdom. It is at hand. It's here. Not in full consummation yet. It's been inaugurated. 303 00:31:52,920 --> 00:31:59,580 But let's go out bearing His light and welcoming all kinds of people into it. May there be 304 00:31:59,580 --> 00:32:07,720 no one, no one that we would shun or seek to give this life-saving message to. Let us 305 00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:17,520 pray. Father, Lord, we see the intentionality and the purpose, Lord, of our Lord heading 306 00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:26,160 north into Gentile territory. Lord, that just rejoices my heart. Because I and my people 307 00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:33,120 were once apart from you and having no hope. Cut off strangers from the covenants of promise. 308 00:32:33,120 --> 00:32:38,600 Lord, we were excluded. We were the outsiders. But God, you did not treat us as such. Lord, 309 00:32:38,600 --> 00:32:42,720 you looked upon us with compassion and you called us by your grace unto your Son and 310 00:32:42,720 --> 00:32:48,080 you brought us into the kingdom. And Lord, as the kindness and the mercy that we have 311 00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:54,760 received, let us so be to other people. Oh God, let us see others with the imago de, 312 00:32:54,760 --> 00:32:58,760 the image of God upon them and treat them with dignity and respect. And Lord, as we 313 00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:03,400 speak, may we speak with dignity and respect, realizing we will give an account for every 314 00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:09,080 idle word that is spoken. Lord, help us as your people to think Christianly. We live 315 00:33:09,080 --> 00:33:13,960 in a very hostile climate, Lord. We live in a very divided culture politically. But Lord, 316 00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:17,520 God, this is not where, this is not where we put down stakes for our citizenship is 317 00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:22,720 not here. Everything here is going to be burned up one day. God, we're citizens of heaven 318 00:33:22,720 --> 00:33:28,120 and we freely confess we're strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Let us live like that. 319 00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:33,500 Preaching the welfare of wherever we live, but also preaching this good news of the kingdom 320 00:33:33,500 --> 00:33:39,240 wherever we go. Oh Father, help us, Lord God, thank you. Lord, we get to celebrate Christ 321 00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:43,360 and we get to commune with your Son in the sacrament of communion and Lord, we were going 322 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:47,800 to feast upon him and Lord, thank you for strengthening us that way. Oh God, what a 323 00:33:47,800 --> 00:33:55,360 loving God you are. Wonderfully kind and merciful. Lord, your mercy is open. And Lord, we can't 324 00:33:55,360 --> 00:34:00,640 thank you enough for that. Oh God, help us build your church. Lord, you are the faithful 325 00:34:00,640 --> 00:34:28,640 one who will do it. And we pray this in Jesus name. Amen.