The Kingdom of God: Matthew 4:12-17

O Lord, we come today because we serve Emmanuel. And we remember at this season of the year the great gift that we have in and through the one we call Emmanuel. This day as we turn our thoughts to him, I pray that our hearts and minds will be changed to more fervently serve him. For it is in Christ's name we pray. Amen.

It's invisible, yet at the same time it's visible. It is costly, yet at the same time it is free. It's radical, but it is not political. It is of extreme importance, but it is ignored by many. It's coming, but it's already here.

Today, I want us to think about the beginning of the end.

The prophet Isaiah prophesied with these words, Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past, he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. But in the future, he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles by the way of the sea along the Jordan. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.

When was that prophecy fulfilled?

When was that prophecy fulfilled? I'm asking for a response here.

Okay, the answer I got was the birth of Christ.

that's not exactly correct the birth of christ is going to be necessary for this prophecy to be fulfilled and in fact isaiah will go on in just a few verses and will prophesy about the birth of christ for unto us a child is born unto us a son is given and the government will be upon his shoulders his name will be called wonderful counselor mighty god everlasting father prince of of his government and peace, there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing it and upholding it with righteousness and justice from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. That child would be born in Bethlehem.

But the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah in Isaiah 9, verses 1 to 2, where the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali would see a light would be prophesied years later in the ministry of Jesus. It would occur when he came preaching in his first public ministry. If you have your Bibles, turn right now to Matthew chapter 4 and look at verses 12 to 17 with me.

And we'll see where this prophecy is fulfilled. It's not the birth of Jesus technically, though that was a necessary precursor. It is actually with the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus Christ. Matthew 4, start at verse 12 with me. When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee.

Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake, in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali. to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah. Now here we go. Land of Zebion, land of Naphtali, by the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people is literally sitting in darkness, have seen a great light. On those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.

And then from that time on, Jesus began to preach, repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand. Well, let me ask you first, as we get into this lesson for today, who were Zebulun and Naphtali?

Who were Zebulun and Naphtali? It's said that this light is going to dawn in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali.

Do you remember the 12 sons of Jacob? When they entered the promised land, was divided among the twelve tribes and two of those tribes were the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali.

And there's their land right there. The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. See this little lake right here? It's called the Sea of Kinnereth on this map from that time. What sea is that?

This is the Sea of Galilee. Now look and see where Zebulun is in relation to the lake and see where Naphtali is. And let me flip you forward to a map in the time of Jesus. Okay? You with me?

Here's a map in the time of Jesus. And look right here. Here's the Sea of Galilee again. And there's a little town called Nazareth that was in the land of Zebulun. And a little town called Capernaum which was in the land of Naphtali.

Jesus Christ after his birth would go and live in his early years in the city of Nazareth the land of Zebulun but then he would make his hometown the town where Peter lived and some other fishermen the town of Capernaum which was in the land of Naphtali so in this land of Zebulun in this land of Naphtali, Jesus would settle and he would launch his public ministry in this land. So on the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, the light would dawn. It was an humble land, we are told in the text. It was humble because this was the land that the Assyrians had conquered about 700 years before Christ. It was an humble place because it was away from Jerusalem and Judea, which was the of religious life and of the life of the Jewish people.

It was Galilee, folks. It was a backwards, unscholarly, rustic place. At least that is the way it was viewed. It's sort of like being from wherever. Greer, Welford, Lyman.

It was a rustic backwards place. Would anything good come from this area? It was a place where the people were sitting in darkness. And the idea of sitting is they weren't moving, folks. They were just in the darkness.

And it was going to take something to move them. But it was here that a great light would dawn. A light that would come in the form of Jesus Christ. and we would see the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 9, 1-2 when Jesus came preaching. The prophecy of Isaiah was not fulfilled until after John the Baptist was imprisoned.

It was as if in God's providence before the light of Jesus would dawn in a public way, the forerunner had to sort of be removed. So there would be no question about people still following John John had to sort of be removed but then Jesus comes and he comes preaching and his message is a simple one it is repent from the for the kingdom of heaven is at hand the text says from that time on Jesus began to preach and teach this message there are two times in the book of Matthew where Matthew says, from that time on, Jesus began. Two significant points in the book of Matthew. The first time is when Jesus launches his public ministry. The next time we will see this phrase is when Jesus began, begins to teach his disciples that he must die and then be resurrected.

Matthew 16, 21, from that time on, Jesus began to teach that he must die and be resurrected. This is an important point folks Matthew 4 17 is an important point in the life of Jesus and in the plan of God to let the light dawn on the world so I want to tell you something when we start out something so significant Jesus is launching his public ministry he is fulfilling a prophecy 700 years earlier of the prophecy of Isaiah that the light would dawn in this very specific area of the world this very humble place a place of darkness we need to pay attention and listen to the message the message is simple repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand repent means to change one's heart and mind but the change of heart and mind must be matched by a change of direction and action in life one turns from the direction one was going and goes in a different direction and the reason that jesus says that we should repent is because or for the kingdom of god is at hand

i'm the rest of this lesson this morning is going to talk about this simple phrase the kingdom of heaven is at hand the kingdom of heaven is at hand it's a phrase we've heard for but the question is what does it mean and why is it so important it is centrally important in the message of jesus there is probably no theme in jesus teaching that is more important than his teaching that the kingdom of heaven is at hand in matthew there are over there are 50 references to the kingdom or the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of god matthew usually says kingdom of heaven he was writing to a jewish audience that was very particular about using the name of god so he used the word heaven but it's the same thing it's the kingdom of god but 50 times in matthew there's a reference to this kingdom there are over 100 times in the gospel that this kingdom is referenced some commentators say this is the message of jesus throughout his whole teaching his whole ministry is about the fact that the kingdom of God is at hand. What is meant by the kingdom of heaven? What do we mean by that phrase? The Greek word for kingdom is basileia. It's a word that means royal reign, royal rule, or kingship. So when we say the kingdom of God is at hand we are saying the royal reign or the royal rule of god is at hand when we talk about kingship we also often think of a realm a king has a kingdom and when this phrase basileia kingdom of god is used it does have the sense sometimes of being part of a realm or part of a kingdom, but it's an unusual kingdom.

It is a kingdom that does not have geographical boundaries. It's not a kingdom that's limited to one type of people or people who speak one type of language. It's an unusual realm or an unusual kingdom. It is a kingdom in the sense that it has subjects.

The subjects are those who have sworn allegiance to the king. the reality is that sometimes it's hard to tell who those subjects are but the true subjects are those who have sworn allegiance to the one who is royally reigning

and like many kingdoms this kingdom has opponents enemies people who are working to overthrow it who want to see it destroyed who do not wish to

There's no point in Jesus' ministry where He stops and He says, here's a definition of the kingdom of God, but throughout His ministry and teachings, we begin to get glimpses of what this kingdom is like. It's like a mustard seed that you throw out and plant, or yeast in dough. You know, the mustard seed grows to a huge plant, and if you put yeast in dough, it's not long before the yeast has infected all of the dough. In other words, this kingdom is one that will have small beginnings, but it's going to have a huge impact in the world. It's a kingdom that is like a farmer sowing his seed.

And you know, you throw some of the seed out and the birds eat up some of it. and some of it gets on the rocks and it doesn't have very deep roots so when the sun comes out some of the seed and plants just get burned up and then some of the seed does take a little better root but then the soil in which it landed is the hearts of human beings who get tied up in the worries of this world the deceitfulness of riches the care for other things and it doesn't become very fruitful because of those things. But then there's some soil where the harvest is plentiful. The hearts of some people are so affected by this that they have transforming impact in the world in which they live. In other words, while among many people this kingdom, the message of this kingdom will have very small results, sometimes folks in this kingdom there's a huge harvest this kingdom is also like weeds among the wheat in the field or it's like catching a bunch of fish but some of them aren't very tasty but then there are others in there that are pretty good.

In other words, the subjects and opponents of the king will live together for now. But one day there will be a grand separation where the true subjects of the king will be seen. And those who have not been subjects of the king will be banished away.

And we're warned, it's not up to us to try to figure out who the weeds are and who the weed are. In fact, the king says, don't worry about weeding out the weeds. That's my job. I'll take care of that one day. You just do what I've told you to do.

But this kingdom is like that, folks. It's not a kingdom that's a pure kingdom in a sense earth it's a kingdom that's mixed up where the true subjects and those who aren't true subjects are all kind of mixed together it's a kingdom that's sort of like a treasure hidden in a field where somebody learns that there's treasure in that field and they go and sell everything they own so they can buy the field because the treasure's in the field or it's like a merchant who's out there searching for the perfect gem. And he finally finds the pearl, the perfect pearl. And he's so taken with the perfection of the pearl, he sells everything he has so he can be sure he can buy that pearl. And he does it.

In other words, what's this kingdom like? This kingdom, Jesus tells us, is of such great value that it is worth everything we have.

That's what this kingdom is like. That's what this basilea of heaven is like. It's a very unusual kingdom, folks. It's without geographical borders. There are no buildings of parliament.

It consists of men and women of every race and nationality. But the most important thing about this kingdom is the king. king who reigns over the kingdom how does one become a subject of this kingdom repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand how does one become a subject in this kingdom and what must the subjects do who pledge to follow this king well first you only become a subject in this kingdom not by standing up and telling the king how great you are or of what importance you are to him you become a part of this kingdom by being humble like a child knowing that really you're sort of insignificant in the scheme of things

but the only people who will become subject to the king are those who have this childlike humility those who become subjects of this king are those who pledge their total allegiance to this king it requires a surrendering of my will to his will and the only way we can really tell if somebody has pledged total allegiance to the king is by what they do and that's why so often this king says you will be in my kingdom if you do what I tell you to do. If you do my will, then it's evident that you're part of my kingdom. Because it's by what we do that we're able to measure the allegiance, right? So this is a kingdom in which talk is not enough. It is a kingdom in which that you can say all you want.

But until you do what the king says, the talk is cheap. because if it's just talk folks if it's not real in the heart if it doesn't change action and direction then there's not total allegiance total allegiance is a giving of the mind and heart in such a way that life is different and is lived differently and we do the will of the king so salvation doesn't come by what we do it comes by the allegiance but the reality of the allegiance is seen in what we do. Do you understand? You follow what I'm saying? How do I know if you're a subject of the king? Well, it's a little hard to tell sometimes.

But if you're not doing what the king wants you to do, if you're always going your own direction, it's pretty evident you haven't pledged your total allegiance to the king. Thirdly, the subjects of the king, those who have pledged their allegiance, will seek first his kingdom. In other words, the subjects of the king will be most concerned with things that are of concern to the king. What matters most to the king matters most to his subjects. What is of little importance to the king is of little importance to his subjects.

That's why Jesus constantly would say, Why are you running around after all this stuff you call money? clothes and other stuff like the pagans. I don't care about that stuff. That's not important to me. Seek first my kingdom.

And the subjects of the king say, okay, we're not going to spend all our time chasing after stuff and things that don't matter to you. We're going to chase after things that do matter to you. The subjects of this king pray regularly for the coming of the kingdom. What was the model prayer? who art in heaven hallowed be thy name

thy kingdom come what does kingdom mean the royal reign or royal rule of god may your royal reign your royal rule spread forth on this earth that's what we're to pray every day and the subjects of the king are to be very forgiving people you know why because this king has forgiven us so much in fact this king thought this was so important he told a parable about it the parable of the unmerciful servant you remember this king came and forgave a debt of a servant who owed him 10,000 talents yet that servant would not forgive someone who owed him a hundred denarii and let me put that in terms you can understand a hundred denarii was a little over three months salary back in jesus day so this unmerciful servant wouldn't forgive somebody who owed him three months of wages you know how much 10 000 talents was that's what the king forgave the unmerciful servant 10,000 talents was over 164,000 years. Over 164,000 years of a laborer's wage. And the king says, I forgave you over 164,000 years worth of wages, and you wouldn't forgive this person three months.

that parable reminds us how much the king has forgiven us so the folks we're supposed to be forgiving if we're subjects of this king

when is this kingdom coming

we're talking about the royal reign of god well when

when well it's already folks but in a sense it's also not yet came preaching the kingdom of God is at hand or is near and he would go on in Matthew 12 28 to say if I'm casting out demons by the spirit of God it tells you that the kingdom of God is at hand or is actually he said he actually said the kingdom of God has come in Matthew 12 28. remember what kingdom means the royal reign a royal rule of god if he's casting out demons whose royal reign is evident whose royal rule is evident this is the king who commands demons so if he cast out demons that means his royal rule has come but there is a sense in which his royal rule is future it is not yet it will one day be consummated completely for some reason right now this king doesn't impose his royal rule completely and finally over everything and everyone he lets evil have its sway but one day one day his royal reign will be fully consummated so with the coming of Jesus in a real sense the kingdom has been inaugurated but it is yet not yet consummated it's inaugurated because the blind have seen the deaf ear the ears of the deaf have been opened by Christ the lame have been made to walk but when the kingdom is consummated when it's consummated there will be no more disability there will be no blindness no lameness no deafness so what Jesus' ministry was a foretaste of the consummation. We know that the kingdom has been inaugurated in the life of Jesus because he raised the dead. His royal reign was evident because he could even reign over death.

That's a foretaste of what will happen when the kingdom is finally consummated, when there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. We know that the kingdom has been inaugurated in Jesus' ministry because demons have been cast out. That's a foretaste of the consummation, folks, because when the kingdom is fully consummated, the evil one will be bound forever and will have no more sway on earth. we know that the kingdom has been inaugurated in the life of Jesus because we've been told the promise was made by Isaiah that a child would be born the inauguration has been made because the rightful king has been born among us he has invaded this enemy occupied territory but what's the consummation going to be like The first coming was a foretaste of the consummation. But when he comes back, when he comes back, when he comes back, he's not coming quietly.

He's coming as a conquering king to finally and fully impose his reign over all.

The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout. the archangel and the trumpet call of God and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Encourage one another with these words. The consummation of the kingdom is coming when the king comes back. So it's inaugurated, folks the kingdom is at hand it has come but boy just wait when it's fully consummated do you follow me if you don't understand this sense of the kingdom being already but not yet life will be very discouraging for us because evil still has its sway right now folks in the already aspect but not yet. Evil still has its sway. But don't get discouraged. Don't get discouraged. The fact that it is already is the foretaste that it will be completely consummated.

So don't be discouraged subject to the king. The king's coming. The king's coming. All will be set right. Well here are my lessons for life for today. My first question for you at this Christmas season is am I a loyal subject of the king and I don't mean just what have you said I also mean what have you done is it evident that you are a loyal subject of the king by how you behave and by how you spend your time and your effort yes pledge allegiance with your mouth but then with your feet and your hands and your time, let's make sure we're acting like subjects of the king.

If you're not, if you have not been, what better time of the year than Christmas to decide the rightful king has landed and I'm going to pledge you my loyalty. Secondly, make wise investments. Invest your time, your money, your effort, your energy things that matter when is the last time you didn't buy something you wanted so that you could invest in the things that the king wants i know somebody who said to this year i don't want anything for christmas but give it invested in something that the king is doing they didn't say it quite like that but that's what they did they said give to this cause or this effort instead of buying a present from me. I'm not saying you shouldn't take any presents, but think about it. When's the last time we gave up something to make an investment in something that was important to the king? Thirdly, live with a single-minded loyalty. If you live with a single-minded loyalty, that means that what matters to the king will matter to you. It means that no task, journey, effort on his behalf will be considered too difficult or too hard.

You will willingly undertake it. Fourthly, live with greater urgency.

We are not here to dream or drift. We have work to do and loads to lift. The king is coming, but until then, he has put us here with a task. We need to live with greater urgency. We need to be more about his business.

so that when he does come back or when we meet him in death, we will hear the words, well done, good and faithful servant. One reason I think the king is delaying folks in consummating the kingdom is so that we can be about our business in bringing people into the kingdom, inviting people to be subjects into the kingdom.

But where's the urgency? Where's the urgency? So often I don't see it among Christians these days. about the things of the kingdom. Let's not be consumed with ourselves, but with the king.

Let's think less about self and more about him. I would submit to you that everything we do every day ought to be because of our loyalty to the king. There should be nothing in our lives that doesn't somehow relate to our loyalty to the king. From how we care for our children, to the way we do our work, to the way we coach the little league basketball team, to the way we use our talents. Every one of those things should have something to do with our loyalty to the king.

The way we spend our money should have something to do with our loyalty to the king. There is no area of life that is not under the royal reign of the king. Everything is under the royal reign of the king for his subjects. and so we need to act like it. Let's develop a more carefree attitude.

By that I mean because the king is the one who royally reigns over all and we know he cares for us. We can live lives that are more worry-free, that don't always feel like we have to be scrapping Each moment, rising up early, staying up late. Because at root, our security and safety is found in the king. Yes, he's given us means to help take care of ourselves. We're to use those means.

But at root, our safety and security is in his hands. He's got you in the palm of his hands, folks. Relax.

Be happy. Enjoy life.

it's easy to do when you realize who the king is and you know you're his subject and lastly let's not be discouraged the king has come and he's coming again I will tell you sometimes I get discouraged

but be not discouraged

I close with this story in the book Prince Caspian which is one of the chronicles of Narnia Louis tells the story of a young prince named Caspian. His father, who was a good king, is dead. And now Prince Caspian's uncle is on the throne of the kingdom. And his uncle, a king named Meraz, is an evil king. And evil men are living throughout the country.

And it seems that evil is having its sway. but one day one day prince caspian is taken up on top of the castle by his teacher and his teacher gets away in a quiet corner on the top of the castle and he whispers something into the ear of prince caspian and he whispers these words he says to prince caspian despite what you see this is not the land of men it is the country of aslan you know who aslan was he was the great lion who was christ this is not the land of men it is the country of aslan what he was saying to prince casme is despite what it may look like in this country look like it looks like evil has control that men are in charge never be misled it is not men who are in charge this is the country of the king who is in charge sometimes i feel like it's the land of men when i see terrorists flying planes into towers when i see soldiers killed every day by evil people

sometimes I feel like it's the land of men when I know that 1.5 million babies will be aborted and killed

this year this year and that may be a low number sometimes I feel like it's the land of men when

husbands and wives no longer care for one another when children are neglected or abused there are many reasons to be discouraged folks but let me tell you this don't be discouraged through and in it all the king is working it is the land the country of the king trust in that he's coming again but for now lets us live as loyal subjects of the king that's the message of christmas really i think the king has come It's time to declare your loyalty.

Let's pray.

Lord, I pray that we, this Christmas season, will reaffirm our loyalty to the King, that we will with renewed vigor understand that you have fulfilled the promises of old and we can have confidence that the promises that are yet to be fulfilled will be fulfilled. So I pray here and now for each person in this room They will reaffirm or for the first time affirm their allegiance to you. That each day they will seek to live in a way that honors and glorifies you. And that they will live in a way that looks forward to the rightful reign of your kingdom being imposed over all things, all people, and all powers. These things we ask in Christ's name and for his sake.

Amen.