Scripture Matthew
4:12-25
Matt 4:12-25
When Jesus
heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee.
SLIDE: Zeb and Naph - Naz and Cap Leaving
Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of
Zebulun and Naphtali— (Jesus had to live and
minister here to fulfill the OT) to fulfill what was said through the
prophet Isaiah: 15 "Land of
Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of
the Gentiles— the people living in darkness have
seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light
has dawned." (Jesus coming changed
the significance of those particular places. Imagine living in a dark/dismal
place and suddenly a bright light begins to shine – Much like the musical
Godspel where 9 homeless are in the junkyard and superman shows up)
17
From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, (Describe repentance) for
the kingdom of heaven is near." (Jesus
preached someone else’s sermon – He preached exactly what JTB preached. khrussw = to proclaim as a herald. The exact word used
for John the Baptist. “From that time on…” aor of to begin = meaning a fresh
start or a continuous action. Jesus was starting something new or he was
continuing what JTB had started. By using the same sermon notes, it appears to
be a continuing of the same message. It is in fact the exact same words.
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Matt 3:1-2 In those days John
the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, "Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is near." However, “WHO” is preaching can
make as much difference as WHAT is preached. They said the exact same words but
John’s repentance was physical - Luke 3:11-14 , "The man with two
tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do
the same." Tax collectors "Don't collect any more than you are
required to," Soldiers "Don't extort money and don't accuse people
falsely — be content with your pay." John said someone else is coming
who is greater than I! And yet, the one who came said the same words…but the
repentance Jesus preached was spiritual – internal – a matter of the heart. Matt
15:16-20 "Are
you still so dull?" Jesus asked them. "Don't you see that whatever
enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things
that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.'
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality,
theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but
eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.'" Luke
12:29-31 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do
not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your
Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be
given to you as well. NIV
JTB preached DO RIGHT – Jesus preached BE RIGHT
Matthew 4:18
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon
called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for
they were fishermen. 19 "Come, follow me,"
Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20 At once they left their nets
and followed him.
(cont.) Matt 4:21 Going on from
there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John.
They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus
called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their
father and followed him.
23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in
their synagogues, preaching the good news of
the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24
News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were
ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed,
those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. 25
Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region
across the Jordan followed him.
Some clicked “follow” but only
watch his TikTok, others look at everything he posts and follow him diligently.
Did the 4 fishermen just blindly follow? Of course not.
Why did they follow? What was it about Jesus?
Why would any of us follow Jesus?
Some followed because he was saying controversial things.
Some followed because he was healing the sick.
Some followed because he was performing miracles.
Some followed because he was the latest thing.
Some followed because they hoped he was the new military
messiah.
Some followed because there was something drawing them to him.
NOT EVERYONE WILL FOLLOW JESUS
Then
a scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher,
I will follow You wherever You go." Jesus said to him, The foxes
have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere
to lay His head.
Another of the disciples said to Him, "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, Follow Me, and allow the dead
to bury their own dead.
As
Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax
collector's booth; and He said to him, "Follow
Me!" And he got
up and followed Him.
DON’T WORRY ABOUT OTHERS – YOU!
FOLLOW ME!!
John 21:17-23 PETER’S RECONCILIATION
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked
him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. 18 I tell you the truth, when you were younger you
dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch
out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not
want to go." 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of
death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"
20
Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved (John) was
following them. 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?" 22 Jesus answered,
"If I want him to remain alive until I return,
what is that to you? You must follow
me."
During
the World War some Turkish soldiers tried to drive away a flock of sheep. It
was on a hillside near Jerusalem. The shepherd who was sleeping was suddenly
aroused to see them being driven off. But singlehanded he could not hope to
recapture his flock by force. Suddenly he had a thought. Standing up on his
side of the ravine he put his hands to his mouth and gave his own peculiar call
which he used each day to gather his sheep to him. And his sheep heard it. For
a moment they listened, and hearing it again they turned and rushed down one
side of the ravine and up the other, and it was quite impossible for the men to
stop them. So the shepherd was away with them to a place of safety before the
soldiers could make up their minds to pursue them.
John 10:27-28
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and
they follow me. 28 I give them eternal
life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
“Draw
Me Close” was written by Kelly Carpenter, a Vineyard worship pastor, in January
1994. Here is his story:
I had been leading worship and pastoring the worship ministry at our
church for about two years. During this time I had put myself under a lot of
pressure. I was new to both leading and pastoring, and although I had a lot of
confidence musically, I felt pretty green in worship leading and totally
overwhelmed with the people leadership aspect.
I got so busy and focused on doing the work, that my
personal connection with God suffered. People wonder how this can happen to someone
in ministry, but this situation is all too common for church leaders and
believers in general. When we come to know Christ, we arrive acutely aware of
our brokenness and praying for personal transformation. But then we get “better” and learn how to “do” church, “do” scripture reading, “do” prayer, “do" good things for others, and “do" anything that is considered a good
thing for a Christ-follower to do. And sometimes living the "Christian”
life becomes more focused on the doing rather than on the relationship with
Christ and in being in community with others. One day I came home exhausted and
tired of doing and knew Jesus was not saying “Come, and DO some more!” He was
saying, “Come, follow me” and I wrote the following words:
SLIDE of the words below:
DRAW ME CLOSE TO YOU
Draw me close to you Never let me go
I lay it all down again To hear you say that I'm your friend
You are my desire No one else will do
You are my desire No one else will do
'Cause nothing else can take
your place To feel the warmth of your
embrace
Help me find the way Bring me back to you
Help me find the way Bring me back to you
You're all I want You're all I've ever needed You're all I want Help me know you are near
OPTIONAL VERSES
And
He was saying to them all, If anyone wishes to
come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
Then
Jesus again spoke to them, saying, I am the
Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will
have the Light of life.
If anyone serves Me, he
must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.
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