1 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:07,320 You guys act like you haven't seen each other in a couple of 2 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:11,320 weeks. So the the introverts it all set 3 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:13,080 down. So I needed to get this rolling. 4 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:15,760 All right, So it's good to see you guys. 5 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:18,400 If you have your Bible, you can open the Matthew chapter 4. 6 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:22,720 Matthew chapter 4 will be in verses 12 through 17 today. 7 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:29,880 Just a little context, little set up here as we come to the 8 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:34,720 passage today. We are beginning Jesus's public 9 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:36,440 ministry. We've been talking recently 10 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:40,680 about his, the preparation of the King, and we're going to see 11 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:43,040 that the preparation has happened. 12 00:00:43,480 --> 00:00:47,960 We, we had the baptism of Christ in which the Son of the Spirit, 13 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:51,240 sorry, descends on the Son. The Father speaks from heaven. 14 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:53,400 This is my beloved Son and who I'm well pleased. 15 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:57,240 And then we went from there into the temptation of Christ, where 16 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:01,000 he's led by the Spirit, into the wilderness for time of fasting. 17 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:05,840 And then he is tempted by the great tempter himself, and he 18 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:09,280 withstands all of that, he quoting Scripture, right, 19 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:11,960 standing on the word of God. So we examine that last time we 20 00:01:11,960 --> 00:01:14,320 were together a couple weeks ago. 21 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:19,240 And so now we come to a time where Christ is going to 22 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:23,400 withdraw in a sense, but it's really significant what he's 23 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:25,440 doing. And he's going to begin to to 24 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:30,440 announce himself repentance and to do so because the Kingdom of 25 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:34,760 heaven is at hand. And So what you'll see in the 26 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:37,440 passage is that John the Baptist has been arrested. 27 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:40,560 He was the forerunner, right? He was the one who was sent to 28 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:45,080 prepare the way of the king. His voice has been silenced 29 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:48,680 through his arrest of the baton is now being passed fully to 30 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:52,560 Christ himself. And so Jesus, however, doesn't 31 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:56,200 begin his public ministry in Jerusalem like we might think 32 00:01:56,200 --> 00:02:01,840 among the religious elite. Rather, he withdrawals to a land 33 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:06,720 called Galilee, which is a region that is long marked by 34 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:11,039 mixture, by neglect, by spiritual darkness. 35 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:14,920 And Matthew wants us to understand that this is this is 36 00:02:14,920 --> 00:02:19,240 no accident, all right. This is according to the plan of 37 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:21,640 God. This is according to what God is 38 00:02:21,640 --> 00:02:25,440 working out through his Son, the salvation that's going to unfold 39 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:28,200 in the redemption story. And So what unfolds in these 40 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:32,720 verses is the fulfillment of an ancient promise through the 41 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:37,600 prophet Isaiah that one day light would break into the 42 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:42,480 darkness and hope would dawn where despair once ruled. 43 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:46,280 Hope would dawn where sin rules, right? 44 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:50,520 Hope would dawn where people have no hope, that the light 45 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:53,680 would shine there first. And so as we hear this passage, 46 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:57,080 we're meant to see that the arrival of, with the arrival of 47 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:01,800 Jesus comes the arrival of something far greater, not to 48 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:05,840 say far greater than Jesus, but that he's bringing something 49 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:08,520 even more than just simply himself, right? 50 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:14,600 He's His coming indicates the coming of something else, not 51 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:17,520 someone else, right, but something else. 52 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:21,160 And that is the long-awaited Kingdom of heaven itself has 53 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:23,760 arrived, right? This is what it means that light 54 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:26,840 has dawned, as we will see in this passage. 55 00:03:26,920 --> 00:03:29,880 So if you're able, would you please stand in honor of the 56 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:31,560 reading of God's Word this morning? 57 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:36,120 Again, we're in verses 12 through 17 of Matthew chapter 4. 58 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:39,840 When I'm finished reading, I'll say this is the word of the Lord 59 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:41,840 and you can respond, thanks be to God. 60 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:45,640 Verse 12. Now when he heard that John had 61 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:49,560 been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee, and leaving Nazareth, 62 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:53,080 he went and lived and Capernaum by the sea in the territory of 63 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:56,640 Zebulun and Naftali, so that what was spoken by the prophet 64 00:03:56,640 --> 00:04:00,280 Isaiah might be fulfilled. The land of Zebulun and the land 65 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:03,760 of Naftali, the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of 66 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:06,960 the Gentiles. The people dwelling in darkness 67 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:11,680 have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and 68 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:15,840 shadow of death on them, a light has dawned. 69 00:04:16,519 --> 00:04:20,120 From this time Jesus began to preach, saying repent, for the 70 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:24,520 Kingdom of heaven is at hand. This is the word of the Lord, 71 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:26,800 right? Spirit of God, let's pray. 72 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:31,760 Heavenly Father, we are grateful, Lord, that you have 73 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:35,760 spoken to us by your word. We're grateful, Father, that You 74 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:40,080 have revealed yourself to us not only in creation through nature, 75 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:42,920 but You have revealed yourself through your spoken word. 76 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:46,800 That we might know you, that we might know your character, that 77 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:50,280 we might know your attributes, that we might love you. 78 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:54,760 Father, as you have revealed your redemption plan, that 79 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:57,480 redemption plan set forth from the beginning of time to 80 00:04:57,480 --> 00:05:02,000 reconcile sinners to yourself and Father, we are gathered 81 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:07,080 today as your people, adopted sons and daughters, grateful to 82 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:09,600 be in your family. And we gather today to hear from 83 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:14,160 your word, to read it, to study it, to have you speak to us. 84 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:18,360 And so, Father, I ask that you would just simply use me as a 85 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:22,480 mouthpiece for yourself today, or that your word would be 86 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:25,960 magnified, that Christ would be magnified this morning, that we 87 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:29,080 would behold Him. And having beheld him this 88 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:33,000 morning, we would be transformed more and more into his likeness. 89 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:36,840 Father, we also pray that you would call sinners to 90 00:05:36,840 --> 00:05:40,080 yourselves, unbelievers, Lord, that you would grant them faith 91 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:42,840 in Christ, that you would regenerate them, give them new 92 00:05:42,840 --> 00:05:45,640 hearts today, having heard your word. 93 00:05:46,440 --> 00:05:49,280 And Father, would you strengthen each of us to walk with Christ, 94 00:05:49,280 --> 00:05:51,680 to serve him as our Lord and our King. 95 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:56,440 And we pray that you do this work to us, through us, in us, 96 00:05:56,520 --> 00:06:00,720 by your Holy Spirit, a Father who is a comforter and a guide 97 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:04,000 for us. He's a seal for our souls. 98 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:08,520 And so Lord, we humbly now read your word. 99 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:11,400 We submit to it. We ask that you would guide us 100 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:23,600 in Christ name, I pray, Amen. Men, you may may be seated so 101 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:29,240 we, we live in a world that constantly talks about darkness, 102 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:32,560 right? We we speak of dark times, 103 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:34,800 right? We can look across our world 104 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:37,840 today and say there are many dark times happening. 105 00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:40,960 There are many dark places, dark regions within the world where 106 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:43,400 sin just seems to be overwhelming. 107 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:46,840 We look at dark news cycles and we lament, right? 108 00:06:46,840 --> 00:06:50,120 Our hearts are torn. Sometimes we're just, we become 109 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:55,280 numb to it that there's so much of it in front of us with the 110 00:06:55,280 --> 00:06:58,400 way news cycles run on our phones all the time, right? 111 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:04,680 We also experienced dark seasons of the soul, times where we're 112 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:06,920 weary, times where we're suffering, times where strength 113 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:11,000 fails, times where we experience great loss or we experience 114 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:14,320 great turmoil and pain. There's dark seasons of the 115 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:17,200 soul, times where you feel like you're in a wilderness, you're 116 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:19,160 in a desert, you're in a dry land, right? 117 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:24,040 And so there's darkness all around because we live in a 118 00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:26,680 fallen world. We live in a world that's 119 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:29,000 stained by sin, that's marred by sin. 120 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:33,280 Death, decay, and destruction are something we are well 121 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:36,920 acquainted with, not only in our own hearts and in our own souls, 122 00:07:37,120 --> 00:07:43,640 but all around us, right? And yet, for all our talk, we 123 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:49,080 often underestimate what the Bible means when it speaks of 124 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:52,600 darkness, right? We we often misunderstand. 125 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:56,800 Scripture does not describe darkness merely as hardship or 126 00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:59,640 sadness, right? So it's that those are 127 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:03,840 byproducts of darkness. Scripture describes darkness as 128 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:07,760 a condition. It's a, it's a sickness of the 129 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:10,000 soul. It's something that's affected 130 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:14,440 all of life. Creation groans for the 131 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:18,120 redemption of man when things will be set right according to 132 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:24,240 Romans 8, right? And so we, we know darkness from 133 00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:30,120 Scripture as sin, sin and all of its effects, right? 134 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:36,200 That's a place in which God, people cannot see God rightly. 135 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:39,200 They, they can seek to understand but have no 136 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:41,159 understanding. They can appear wise but be 137 00:08:41,159 --> 00:08:45,000 foolish in actuality, right? They, they cannot see God 138 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:46,640 rightly. They cannot discern spiritual 139 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:51,320 things because they are in darkness only can they not 140 00:08:51,320 --> 00:08:53,360 understand spiritual things. They cannot understand 141 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:56,880 themselves. Truthfully, most people who are 142 00:08:56,880 --> 00:09:00,120 in darkness would evaluate themselves as being full of 143 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:02,400 lights. They would say that they are 144 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:06,720 good, that their desires are good, that it's right for us to 145 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:10,160 not withhold anything from the desires of our own eyes or our 146 00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:13,680 hearts, right? And so we, we pursue those 147 00:09:13,680 --> 00:09:18,320 things headlong, right? We, we run into those kinds of 148 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:20,520 things. They don't understand that the 149 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:26,000 problems, most of the problems in life that we know are caused 150 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:29,800 by our own sinful actions, our own sinful desires. 151 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:32,880 All right, when we talk about darkness in Scripture, we're 152 00:09:32,880 --> 00:09:36,560 talking about a darkness that permeates everything, including 153 00:09:36,560 --> 00:09:42,120 your own soul, All right, We also understand that darkness 154 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:45,560 means we cannot find our way home. 155 00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:49,080 We cannot find our way into the lights. 156 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:54,720 We are in a tunnel with no light at the end of it because of 157 00:09:54,720 --> 00:10:00,560 darkness, unless there be divine intervention, unless there be a 158 00:10:00,560 --> 00:10:05,200 work of God to arrest our hearts and minds and our souls and 159 00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:08,720 grant us new hearts, hearts of flesh, remove a heart of stone, 160 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:13,040 grant us a right spirit with God through regeneration, all right. 161 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:16,600 This is divine intervention. This is where God acts in a 162 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:19,480 place that we cannot act on our own. 163 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:23,840 We're helpless to it. And so therefore we are hopeless 164 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:29,640 to it. And that's why Matthew 412 165 00:10:29,640 --> 00:10:35,320 through 17 matters so much for us, that this passage is not 166 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:38,200 simply about where Jesus began his ministry. 167 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:43,000 It's interesting, but it's not just a geographical location. 168 00:10:44,680 --> 00:10:48,160 What Matthew wants us to understand in these verses is 169 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:52,760 why Jesus's ministry matters at all for any of us. 170 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:58,000 This is Galilee of the Gentiles. This is a place of deep 171 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:00,880 darkness. Matthew shows us that Jesus 172 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:05,160 steps intentionally into a place of deep spiritual darkness in 173 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:10,520 order to fulfill God's ancient promise, in order to announce 174 00:11:10,520 --> 00:11:14,320 that a new era has begun, a new age has dawned. 175 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:19,640 When Jesus arrives, the night does not slowly fade away. 176 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:23,680 It doesn't just disappear. No, what we see is that the dawn 177 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:26,600 is breaking. The sun is rising on the 178 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:31,440 darkness. And so here's the main point 179 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:35,280 that we must understand if we want to grasp this text rightly. 180 00:11:35,840 --> 00:11:38,760 It's pretty simple. But God's promised light has 181 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:42,800 come in Jesus, and his Kingdom has arrived. 182 00:11:44,160 --> 00:11:48,560 God's promised light has come in Jesus and his Kingdom has 183 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:54,040 arrived. As passage unfolds that truth 184 00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:56,440 and three movements. The first is we're going to see 185 00:11:56,440 --> 00:12:01,240 a land sitting in darkness. It's dwelling in darkness. 186 00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:05,440 It's made its home in darkness. Darkness is all it knows and it 187 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:10,080 is unable to rescue itself. Second, we're going to see that 188 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:13,960 God's promised light dawns exactly as He said it would, 189 00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:19,120 according to his plan, according to his purpose. 190 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:23,200 And 3rd, we're going to hear the King himself, Jesus Christ, 191 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:26,280 announce that the Kingdom has come, and he's going to call us 192 00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:28,760 to respond with repentance and faith. 193 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:33,680 All right, so Jesus is beginning his public ministry here, and 194 00:12:33,680 --> 00:12:38,840 before we can rejoice in the light of that, we must first 195 00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:41,240 understand the darkness into which it came. 196 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:44,840 So we should begin where Matthew begins in verses 12 through 13. 197 00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:47,080 I'm going to read those again to you now. 198 00:12:47,080 --> 00:12:50,720 When he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into 199 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:54,360 Galilee, and leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum 200 00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:59,800 by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naftali point #1 201 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:06,320 Darkness covered the land. Darkness covered the land. 202 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:16,440 Matthew begins this section not with a miracle, not even with a 203 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:23,280 sermon. He begins with a setting, a 204 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:26,560 place. After John the Baptist is 205 00:13:26,560 --> 00:13:29,640 arrested, Jesus, withdrawals from Nazareth, settles and 206 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:32,640 Capernaum by the sea in the territory of Zebulun and 207 00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:36,520 Naftali. Now, to you and I as modern 208 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:40,120 readers, this may not. This may sound simply like a 209 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:44,760 geographical note To Matthew's original audience, however, it 210 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:47,760 would have carried deep spiritual significance. 211 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:52,800 Galilee, especially Galilee of the Gentiles. 212 00:13:54,560 --> 00:13:58,920 You see, the Gentiles were not God's chosen people in the Old 213 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:01,400 Testament. They were wicked and cut off. 214 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:06,160 They were not Israel. Galilee of the Gentiles was 215 00:14:06,160 --> 00:14:11,120 historically associated with a mixture of religions and 216 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:13,600 peoples. It's associated with 217 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:16,480 marginalization. It's associated with spiritual 218 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:21,920 neglect. These northern tribes were among 219 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:26,080 the first to fall to a Syrian invasion and 2nd Kings 15. 220 00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:30,520 They became a symbol of a people that are cut off from God. 221 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:34,960 They became a symbol of a people that were compromised, that had 222 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:38,600 given themselves to foreign gods, to foreign women, to to 223 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:45,400 all sorts of idolatry. They were overshadowed by the 224 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:49,800 nations. And This is why Isaiah is able 225 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:53,120 in Isaiah Chapter 9, to describe them as those who walked in 226 00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:56,720 darkness. He describes them as those who 227 00:14:56,880 --> 00:14:59,520 dwelt in a land of deep darkness. 228 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:03,840 So only are they walking in darkness themselves, right? 229 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:07,280 They're, they're, they're in darkness by their own sins, by 230 00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:10,600 their own actions. They also dwell in a land that's 231 00:15:10,600 --> 00:15:15,320 marked by darkness. They've set up residence there. 232 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:19,960 It's their home. And Matthew, Matthew's point is 233 00:15:19,960 --> 00:15:23,000 clear, right? Jesus intentionally begins his 234 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:28,280 ministry not at the center of religious power, Jerusalem, 235 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:32,280 though He begins his ministry at the edges. 236 00:15:33,760 --> 00:15:36,880 He begins his ministry on the outskirts, among the people long 237 00:15:36,880 --> 00:15:42,600 accustomed to the shadow. And notice the language that 238 00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:47,120 Isaiah and Matthew use. The people are not said to be 239 00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:52,880 wandering in darkness, other they're walking in darkness, 240 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:56,520 they're dwelling in darkness, they're sitting in darkness. 241 00:15:57,280 --> 00:16:02,240 It's their way of life. Darkness is portrayed in Matthew 242 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:09,640 chapter 4 and Isaiah as a settled condition that they've 243 00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:16,800 settled themselves. Here it's similar to Psalm One, 244 00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:22,640 which tells us blessed is the man who doesn't sit with the 245 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:24,840 sinful right, the unrighteous, the wicked. 246 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:29,320 These are not the blessed man of Psalm 1. 247 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:34,560 These are the wicked people who have made their residence with 248 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:37,240 the wicked. It's their identity. 249 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:44,840 It's who they are. But I do want you to understand 250 00:16:44,840 --> 00:16:47,600 that when Matthew talks about darkness, he's not merely 251 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:49,680 talking about suffering or hardship. 252 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:52,880 Again, those are byproducts of sin. 253 00:16:55,040 --> 00:17:00,720 He's describing a spiritual blindness, an inability to see 254 00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:04,480 righteousness. He's describing an alienation 255 00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:08,119 from God. That's the kind of darkness 256 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:14,119 here. And we might be tempted to 257 00:17:14,119 --> 00:17:19,000 think, well, that's Zebulun and Naftali, that that's those 258 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:22,160 people. But Paul does something in 259 00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:27,599 Ephesians 2 and in four where he describes the fallen humanity as 260 00:17:27,599 --> 00:17:29,240 this. He says the fall of humanity is 261 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:33,400 darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God. 262 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:39,960 So darkness biblically is not something we occasionally fall 263 00:17:39,960 --> 00:17:46,360 into, brothers and sisters. Darkness is something that we 264 00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:51,640 dwell in apart from Christ. It's it's the realm we inhabit 265 00:17:52,120 --> 00:18:00,320 apart from divine grace. This passage tells us something 266 00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:02,960 deeply humbling about ourselves, doesn't it? 267 00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:10,800 What it reveals is that if we are left to ourselves, if we're 268 00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:13,640 left to our own desires, if we're left to our own pursuits, 269 00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:21,800 if we're left to ourselves, we will not naturally gravitate 270 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:26,040 towards the light. It's not in US. 271 00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:32,200 It's not who we are by nature. If we're left to ourselves, we 272 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:38,760 sit in the dark until God acts on our behalf, until God 273 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:43,200 rescues, until God redeems, until God saves. 274 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:50,720 John Calvin put it this way very plainly. 275 00:18:51,360 --> 00:18:55,760 He said Until Christ appears, we are held fast in darkness and 276 00:18:55,760 --> 00:19:00,480 can perceive nothing but what is confused and perplexed. 277 00:19:03,760 --> 00:19:07,240 We can perceive nothing but what is confused and perplexed, 278 00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:10,760 meaning we don't understand. We have no understanding of 279 00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:13,880 light. Darkness is not simply the 280 00:19:13,880 --> 00:19:16,680 absence of information then, is it? 281 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:20,760 It's not simple that we don't have all the facts. 282 00:19:21,320 --> 00:19:24,000 It's not simply that we haven't been given the right 283 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:26,360 information. No, it's it's more than that. 284 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:28,600 It's the absence of saving light. 285 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:32,480 It's the absence of Christ himself. 286 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:35,520 It's the absence of the Spirit which awakens us. 287 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:42,200 Those matters because it corrects A subtle but dangerous 288 00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:49,000 assumption. And this exists especially in 289 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:51,880 the Bible Belt. I think it exists everywhere, 290 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:53,600 but especially in the Bible Belt. 291 00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:59,800 The assumption goes that people merely need encouragement, they 292 00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:04,480 merely need moral improvement, they merely need better 293 00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:10,880 circumstances. But Matthew confronts us with a 294 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:14,880 deeper diagnosis than that. He confronts us with the true 295 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:18,600 state of the person. But the problem is not that the 296 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:22,520 world needs advice or needs better counsel or needs better 297 00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:26,200 circumstances. No, it needs illumination. 298 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:31,320 It needs light, right. The land does not need reform 299 00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:36,400 First. It needs rescue, needs 300 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:41,440 salvation. This forces us to ask honest 301 00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:47,880 questions about ourselves because what we're seeing here 302 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:52,360 is that apart from Christ, we are not neutral seekers standing 303 00:20:52,360 --> 00:20:57,520 in twilight. Now we we are people who sit in 304 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:01,360 darkness. Romans 3 describes the condition 305 00:21:01,360 --> 00:21:04,120 really well. Couple of the phrases that you 306 00:21:04,120 --> 00:21:06,240 see in Romans 3 or is that no one is righteous. 307 00:21:06,240 --> 00:21:12,920 No, not one. No one seeks God. 323 You see 308 00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:15,600 that we all fall short of the glory of God. 309 00:21:20,240 --> 00:21:23,360 So what that means is exactly what Jesus tells Nicodemus in 310 00:21:23,360 --> 00:21:27,560 chapter in John chapter 3. You you cannot find the lights 311 00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:33,040 by your efforts. You cannot find the light by 312 00:21:33,040 --> 00:21:37,960 insight. The light came looking for us. 313 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:42,160 We love Christ because Christ first loved us according to 314 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:45,920 first John, right? That humbles our pride. 315 00:21:46,760 --> 00:21:50,080 It keeps us from thinking that I'm responsible for my 316 00:21:50,080 --> 00:21:56,240 salvation, which is really helpful because when you sin and 317 00:21:56,240 --> 00:21:59,560 you, you face temptation over and over again and you fall into 318 00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:02,480 temptation over and over again and you sin over and over again, 319 00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:06,960 you start to think somehow, someway, I must be losing my 320 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:08,880 salvation. If I was responsible for it, I 321 00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:12,080 must be giving it away in my pursuits. 322 00:22:16,360 --> 00:22:21,080 But what we see in Scripture so we cannot be prideful in our 323 00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:26,720 salvation. Ephesians 289 tells us that you 324 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:30,280 are saved by grace through faith and that faith is not of 325 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:31,840 yourselves. It is a gift of God. 326 00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:36,520 So that no one may boast means none of us can say look at how 327 00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:41,120 great I am in my salvation. None of us can look at the good 328 00:22:41,120 --> 00:22:43,920 in our lives and think, look how amazing I am. 329 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:49,400 We all look at that honestly. If we look at it honestly, 330 00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:55,840 humbly, we say aye was a wretched, dirty, rotten Sinner 331 00:22:55,840 --> 00:23:00,200 destined for hell. And Christ saved my soul by the 332 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:05,760 grace of God and we glory in him. 333 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:09,520 Whatever good comes from my life, Christ gets the glory. 334 00:23:10,160 --> 00:23:14,880 God gets the glory because I dwelt in darkness and Christ has 335 00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:19,240 saved me and brought me out of the darkness into marvelous 336 00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:22,840 light. It's his work. 337 00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:26,880 And so that humbles our pride, but it fuels our gratitude as 338 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:29,840 well. But it tells us who to be 339 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:32,320 thankful for. It tells us what to be thankful 340 00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:34,840 for. It teaches us how to praise God 341 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:37,960 above ourselves or our circumstances or our situations. 342 00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:42,000 We can thank God that he is in control, that He's at work, that 343 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:50,880 He's sovereign in salvation. And it also shapes our mission. 344 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:56,600 That shapes our mission. If Jesus was willing to enter 345 00:23:56,600 --> 00:24:04,200 places long overshadowed by darkness and to save a people 346 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:08,560 from their sins, to grant them new life, then we understand, 347 00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:10,960 brothers and sisters. We understand that there is no 348 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:15,200 heart, there's no family member, there's no community that is 349 00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:22,440 beyond the reach of God's grace. That when faith comes by hearing 350 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:25,000 and hearing by the Word of God, we know that we are to go and 351 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:28,640 proclaim the Word of God to family members, to friends, to 352 00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:32,160 coworkers, to people in other areas of the world. 353 00:24:33,880 --> 00:24:37,000 That's their hope. That's the light of the world 354 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:40,480 that we bring. And we know that when the light 355 00:24:40,720 --> 00:24:46,120 shines, the darkness cannot overcome it will not overcome 356 00:24:46,120 --> 00:24:48,960 it. It's the great hope for anyone 357 00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:55,160 who was outside of Christ today. But Matthew doesn't want to 358 00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:57,200 leave us standing in darkness long right. 359 00:24:57,200 --> 00:24:59,640 It's it's gloomy even just to look at it for a moment. 360 00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:05,680 You feel the the weight of sin. You feel the darkness kind of 361 00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:09,840 creeping over you and Matthew doesn't leave us there for long. 362 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:12,880 He wants us to see that this darkness was not ignored by God. 363 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:16,360 That's the beauty of grace. Since God doesn't look at the 364 00:25:16,360 --> 00:25:19,080 darkness and say, man, they're they're just too far gone. 365 00:25:19,080 --> 00:25:21,760 No, God looks at the darkness and says, I'm going to send my 366 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:26,280 son into the darkness. I'm going to bring hope where 367 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:28,880 there's no hope I'm going to be bring redemption where there's 368 00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:32,600 no hope for redemption. I'm going to grant new life 369 00:25:32,600 --> 00:25:36,840 where there's nothing but death. But he wants us to see that this 370 00:25:36,840 --> 00:25:40,320 darkness was not ignored by God. It was not permanent. 371 00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:43,960 Praise God, it's not permanent, right? 372 00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:51,280 The darkness was real, it's deep, it's long standing, but it 373 00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:56,240 was not the final word. Because into that very darkness 374 00:25:56,240 --> 00:25:58,200 God did exactly what he promised. 375 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:01,640 His Son came and the light dawned. 376 00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:06,440 Point #2 The promised light has dawned. 377 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:10,520 The promised light has dawned. Verses 14 through 16. 378 00:26:14,120 --> 00:26:16,280 So what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be 379 00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:19,000 fulfilled. The land of Zebulun and the land 380 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:22,080 of Naftali, the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of 381 00:26:22,080 --> 00:26:25,200 the Gentiles. The people dwelling in darkness 382 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:28,400 have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and 383 00:26:28,400 --> 00:26:32,360 shadow of death on them a light has dawned. 384 00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:38,760 Matthew is careful to tell us that Jesus's move into Galilee 385 00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:41,240 was not merely strategic or circumstantial. 386 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:48,000 No, it's scripturally necessary. It was necessary to show that 387 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:51,600 he's the Christ, to prove yet again through the prophets that 388 00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:56,920 this is the Messiah. It was necessary so that what 389 00:26:56,920 --> 00:26:59,600 was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled, Matthew 390 00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:02,440 says. And with those words, Matthew 391 00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:08,960 invites us to step back, to take a breath, to see this moment not 392 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:12,440 only through geography, but through redemptive history. 393 00:27:13,680 --> 00:27:18,120 Isaiah had spoken these words more than 7 centuries earlier. 394 00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:20,760 That's a long time. That's longer than dog years. 395 00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:28,000 Kids addressing a people who were crushed by invasion and 396 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:31,360 exile. Zebulun and Naftali had been the 397 00:27:31,360 --> 00:27:33,400 first to fall. They were the last to be 398 00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:35,000 restored. They were the place where 399 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:37,760 darkness seemed to settle most heavily. 400 00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:41,600 And yet Isaiah declared that it would be precisely there. 401 00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:46,480 There of all places, that God would cause a great light to 402 00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:48,800 shine. And Isaiah 91 and 2. 403 00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:54,400 And so Matthew now declares that this time has come. 404 00:27:56,240 --> 00:27:58,320 The promise is no longer future tense. 405 00:27:58,320 --> 00:27:59,680 No, no, no, no. It's past tense. 406 00:27:59,680 --> 00:28:04,640 The light has dawned. The imagery is deliberate. 407 00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:08,840 The imagery is powerful. Light does not argue with the 408 00:28:08,840 --> 00:28:15,760 darkness. When you turn a flashlight on, 409 00:28:15,760 --> 00:28:17,840 it doesn't get in an argument with the darkness around you, 410 00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:20,320 does it? No. 411 00:28:20,320 --> 00:28:22,880 What does it do? It dispels the darkness. 412 00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:27,120 It casts the darkness away, and it shines light. 413 00:28:27,120 --> 00:28:31,440 It illuminates. And Matthew does not describe 414 00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:37,080 this light as some flicker. It doesn't describe it as a 415 00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:43,080 gradual glow. No, it's a great light, he says. 416 00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:46,840 It's a decisive breaking in of God's saving presence. 417 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:52,520 That verb dawned signals the beginning of a new age. 418 00:28:53,600 --> 00:28:56,520 Night is ending. Day is arriving. 419 00:28:56,520 --> 00:29:02,640 The light is dawning. It's crucial for us to 420 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:05,600 understand that the light is not a philosophy. 421 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:11,960 It's not a moral program. It's not some pragmatic thing 422 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:18,200 that God brings to help make a a more moral people tell people be 423 00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:26,880 better versions of themselves. No, it's, it's, it's a whole new 424 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:32,400 way the light is a person. It's not a person with a new set 425 00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:34,400 of teachings. No, it's Jesus himself. 426 00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:37,400 He embodies what the prophets longed for. 427 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:40,440 He embodies what the prophets foretold. 428 00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:43,520 He embodies what God had been promising for ages. 429 00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:49,800 He is the God man. He is the light of the world and 430 00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:53,920 the gospel of of John the Apostle John makes it explicit. 431 00:29:53,920 --> 00:29:57,920 He said in him was life and the life was the light of men. 432 00:29:57,920 --> 00:30:01,240 The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not 433 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:07,480 overcome it. John chapter 1 verses 4 and 5 S. 434 00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:11,680 The light promised by Isaiah shines because the light 435 00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:15,080 promised by Isaiah is Christ, and Christ has arrived. 436 00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:20,480 The light was not only dawning in history past, brothers and 437 00:30:20,480 --> 00:30:25,280 sisters, No, the light stands among us still in His Word and 438 00:30:25,280 --> 00:30:28,920 by His Spirit. This is why Matthew's 439 00:30:28,920 --> 00:30:32,840 fulfillment formula matters so much. 440 00:30:34,480 --> 00:30:37,720 We talked about this early in the series that Matthew over and 441 00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:40,960 again says this was to fulfil what the prophets said. 442 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:45,360 It's a repeated refrain throughout Matthew's Gospel. 443 00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:48,200 What Matthew wants you to understand, brothers and 444 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:50,760 sisters, that God is not improvising. 445 00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:55,440 He's he's not making up some new plan as it goes. 446 00:30:56,120 --> 00:30:59,080 He's not looking for a way to defeat where he has been 447 00:30:59,080 --> 00:31:01,480 defeated. No, not at all. 448 00:31:01,680 --> 00:31:06,600 God is keeping his word. He's staying true to what he has 449 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:09,240 said. He's remaining faithful where 450 00:31:09,240 --> 00:31:14,320 man has been unfaithful, and what he promised in Israel's 451 00:31:14,320 --> 00:31:18,720 despair, the depths of Israel's despair, he now accomplishes in 452 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:25,760 the presence of his own son. Now Charles Spurgeon captures 453 00:31:25,760 --> 00:31:30,640 this well when he said Christ is the true morning star. 454 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:36,720 He ushers in the day of grace, and with him comes light and 455 00:31:36,720 --> 00:31:45,560 warmth and life. There's a few applications to 456 00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:53,240 this .1 If the light has dawned in Christ, then your despair is 457 00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:58,120 never ultimate. It's never ultimate. 458 00:32:01,440 --> 00:32:04,640 If you belong to Christ, then your despair is not ultimate. 459 00:32:04,640 --> 00:32:08,680 Darkness may still press in and you'll feel the effects of a 460 00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:12,280 fallen world, either through your own sin or outside things, 461 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:17,400 right? But what you understand, or what 462 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:22,880 you must understand if you do not, is that darkness does not 463 00:32:23,120 --> 00:32:26,200 reign over you. Christ does. 464 00:32:29,640 --> 00:32:34,120 Christ is your hope. You carry a hope that is 465 00:32:34,120 --> 00:32:36,800 undefiled and kept in heaven for you. 466 00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:39,880 You understand nothing can defeat the light. 467 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:43,120 Nothing can cast out. I don't care what you've gone 468 00:32:43,120 --> 00:32:44,520 through. I don't care what losses you've 469 00:32:44,520 --> 00:32:46,000 experienced, what pain you've had. 470 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:47,360 It's not that I don't care about those things. 471 00:32:47,360 --> 00:32:50,640 It's not what I'm saying. But I want you to understand 472 00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:52,520 those things are not bigger than Christ. 473 00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:55,120 Those things are not greater than His glory. 474 00:32:55,120 --> 00:33:01,120 Those things are not, are not able to harm body and soul. 475 00:33:01,120 --> 00:33:09,160 You are kept in heaven. So despair is never ultimate for 476 00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:13,040 you, is it? You can rejoice in despair. 477 00:33:13,800 --> 00:33:18,040 You can praise God in despair. You can hope in despair. 478 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:21,440 You can have strength and joy and peace in despair. 479 00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:25,840 You can hurt in despair and know that Christ carries your tears. 480 00:33:27,480 --> 00:33:30,920 Christ is a sympathetic high priest, as we sang earlier and 481 00:33:30,920 --> 00:33:37,320 before the throne. Another application is that this 482 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:41,120 means that Christianity is not primarily about climbing toward 483 00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:50,900 God through insight or effort. I want you well, that the elders 484 00:33:50,900 --> 00:33:55,980 here want you to be a doctrinally informed people, to 485 00:33:55,980 --> 00:34:00,020 be theologically rich, to have depth to your faith. 486 00:34:00,720 --> 00:34:04,960 That's what we mean when we say that we exist to glorify God by 487 00:34:04,960 --> 00:34:08,120 making disciples who grow in their faith in Jesus. 488 00:34:08,120 --> 00:34:11,000 We want that faith growing deeply. 489 00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:17,159 We want you to be faithful for a lifetime and let God sort out 490 00:34:17,159 --> 00:34:21,520 the fruit for a lifetime. That does require theological 491 00:34:21,520 --> 00:34:23,480 death. It does require doctrinal 492 00:34:23,480 --> 00:34:25,400 purity. It requires a lot of those sorts 493 00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:27,880 of things. But I don't want you to ever 494 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:33,679 misplace those things, to think that doctrinal depth or 495 00:34:33,679 --> 00:34:37,560 theological purity or any of those things are the high marks 496 00:34:37,560 --> 00:34:39,600 of Christianity. The high mark of Christianity is 497 00:34:39,719 --> 00:34:43,719 loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and 498 00:34:43,719 --> 00:34:48,199 strength to love your neighbor as yourself. 499 00:34:50,320 --> 00:34:52,560 You're not trying to climb your way to God. 500 00:34:55,080 --> 00:34:59,560 You're not trying to gain His love through further insights or 501 00:34:59,720 --> 00:35:04,080 through better efforts. You're not ascending a mountain. 502 00:35:05,160 --> 00:35:09,320 No, what we see in the Gospel is that Christ descended the 503 00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:16,440 mountain and came to us. We only receive what God has 504 00:35:16,440 --> 00:35:18,320 offered. By His marvelous grace. 505 00:35:18,440 --> 00:35:22,720 We receive the light that God has graciously sent to us. 506 00:35:23,960 --> 00:35:29,360 It's his work. And so I think for believers 507 00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:35,640 this fuels confidence and hope, a confidence in Christ, a 508 00:35:35,640 --> 00:35:39,200 confidence in his finished work that he has done what I cannot 509 00:35:39,200 --> 00:35:41,600 do. He's the great high priest who 510 00:35:41,680 --> 00:35:45,800 was able to sit down after making his sacrifice, and he sat 511 00:35:45,800 --> 00:35:50,360 down at the right hand of God. And he invites us to come boldly 512 00:35:50,360 --> 00:35:53,840 before his throne in our time of need and to find mercy and 513 00:35:53,840 --> 00:35:56,240 grace. He's sympathetic to us and our 514 00:35:56,240 --> 00:35:59,640 weaknesses because he was tempted and tried as we are, yet 515 00:35:59,640 --> 00:36:05,080 without sin. And he invites you to come to 516 00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:08,120 him. So you have confidence that 517 00:36:08,120 --> 00:36:13,000 Christ has done what you cannot do, and you have hope. 518 00:36:14,960 --> 00:36:18,360 Hope in the middle of a darkened world. 519 00:36:18,920 --> 00:36:22,280 Hope in the middle of a darkened circum, darkened circumstance. 520 00:36:23,440 --> 00:36:26,920 You have hope that Christ reigns, that he will not be 521 00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:31,080 dethroned, that he's working all things together for your good 522 00:36:31,080 --> 00:36:34,080 because you love Him and you've been called according to his 523 00:36:34,320 --> 00:36:42,030 purpose. Now, if you're an unbeliever in 524 00:36:42,030 --> 00:36:48,280 here, you have not set your faith on Christ. 525 00:36:48,280 --> 00:36:50,720 You've not repented of your sins, you've not made Christ 526 00:36:50,840 --> 00:36:55,680 Lord of your life, you've not received him, but you've 527 00:36:56,000 --> 00:37:00,000 rejected him at every turn, at every opportunity. 528 00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:05,720 You've lived for yourself. Well, then, this text presses an 529 00:37:05,720 --> 00:37:13,200 urgent question on you. What will you do with the light 530 00:37:13,240 --> 00:37:19,360 that God has provided? What will you do with Jesus 531 00:37:19,360 --> 00:37:26,760 Christ? Do you think he's simply a good 532 00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:32,320 teacher? If you think he's simply a good 533 00:37:32,320 --> 00:37:36,040 teacher and a spouse some good things, then I would argue with 534 00:37:36,040 --> 00:37:39,320 you that you do not know all that Christ said about himself. 535 00:37:41,840 --> 00:37:46,840 Because if you did, then you would have to conclude that 536 00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:48,880 either he's a lunatic or he's Lord. 537 00:37:54,000 --> 00:37:56,760 But you have to decide what are you going to do with the light 538 00:37:56,760 --> 00:38:02,720 that God's provided? You see, Matthew is not content 539 00:38:02,720 --> 00:38:04,440 for us to merely observe the light. 540 00:38:06,720 --> 00:38:09,560 He doesn't want you to look at the flashlight in the darkness. 541 00:38:10,960 --> 00:38:15,560 He wants us to hear what the light says, but the light calls 542 00:38:15,560 --> 00:38:19,480 us to. Because when the light dawned 543 00:38:19,480 --> 00:38:24,960 did not remain silent. But the arrival of light brings 544 00:38:25,160 --> 00:38:29,280 an announcement, and that announcement is a summons for 545 00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:33,160 your heart. And it's a summons from the King 546 00:38:33,160 --> 00:38:37,480 himself. That brings us to .3. 547 00:38:37,480 --> 00:38:50,760 The Kingdom has arrived verse 17 from that time dwelling in the 548 00:38:50,760 --> 00:38:55,000 land of Galilee, Galilee of the Gentiles, dwelling in the land 549 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:58,360 of the great darkness. From that time Jesus began to 550 00:38:58,360 --> 00:39:03,200 preach, saying repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. 551 00:39:07,520 --> 00:39:12,480 These are the first words in Matthew's Gospel from Christ, 552 00:39:13,400 --> 00:39:16,200 the first recorded words of Jesus's public preaching. 553 00:39:16,960 --> 00:39:19,920 Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. 554 00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:27,040 This is not some warm up message, right? 555 00:39:27,040 --> 00:39:30,120 This isn't, this isn't just, you know, taking a few swings in the 556 00:39:30,120 --> 00:39:33,000 batter's box before you step in to really play. 557 00:39:36,080 --> 00:39:38,560 It's not even a placeholder sermon. 558 00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:48,520 Matthew signals with care that this is programmatic, right? 559 00:39:48,520 --> 00:39:53,000 This is what God has designed. It sets the tone for everything 560 00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:56,000 that we will see in the rest of Matthew's Gospel. 561 00:39:58,040 --> 00:40:02,040 The content of the message is striking in its simplicity. 562 00:40:03,880 --> 00:40:09,160 It's striking in its authority. Jesus announces that the Kingdom 563 00:40:09,160 --> 00:40:13,400 of heaven is at hand. When he says it's at hand, he 564 00:40:13,400 --> 00:40:17,600 means it's not distant anymore. It's not theoretical anymore. 565 00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:21,680 It is near and its presence. It is among you. 566 00:40:21,800 --> 00:40:24,920 It has arrived. The light is here. 567 00:40:27,480 --> 00:40:29,440 The Kingdom is not merely an idea. 568 00:40:29,800 --> 00:40:33,080 It's not a future hope. It arrives in the presence of 569 00:40:33,080 --> 00:40:37,400 the King himself, and where Jesus stands, the reign of God 570 00:40:37,520 --> 00:40:42,120 has drawn near to us. The dawning light is inseparable 571 00:40:42,200 --> 00:40:45,960 from the arrival of the Kingdom. You cannot miss that in 572 00:40:45,960 --> 00:40:55,080 Matthew's Gospel, and you cannot miss the demand that this 573 00:40:55,080 --> 00:41:03,480 announcement makes. Jesus does not say reflect, for 574 00:41:03,480 --> 00:41:05,320 the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. 575 00:41:06,800 --> 00:41:10,960 He does not say consider all these things, for the Kingdom of 576 00:41:10,960 --> 00:41:15,480 heaven is at hand. He does not say admire me, bow 577 00:41:15,480 --> 00:41:17,680 down to me, for the Kingdom of heaven is a hand. 578 00:41:17,680 --> 00:41:22,160 No, he says repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. 579 00:41:25,160 --> 00:41:31,040 Repent. It's a word you're likely really 580 00:41:31,040 --> 00:41:37,440 familiar with, at least in usage, but I want to explain to 581 00:41:37,440 --> 00:41:42,440 you what repent means. Repentance is not mere remorse. 582 00:41:52,610 --> 00:42:01,930 When you catch your child in a lie and you confront them about 583 00:42:01,930 --> 00:42:10,040 this lie and they realize they're caught, often times they 584 00:42:10,040 --> 00:42:16,640 will show remorse, especially if you have some consistency in 585 00:42:16,640 --> 00:42:19,520 discipline because they know what's coming. 586 00:42:25,100 --> 00:42:28,340 But repentance is not merely remorse. 587 00:42:30,580 --> 00:42:35,300 Now, to be sure, James, the brother of Jesus in his book, 588 00:42:35,300 --> 00:42:43,360 says we should be wretched and we should mourn over our sin. 589 00:42:45,720 --> 00:42:48,640 That'll be remorse. That's not merely remorse. 590 00:42:55,500 --> 00:42:59,020 Repentance is not merely a religious feeling. 591 00:43:02,140 --> 00:43:06,580 I went to a youth camp or I went to VBS or I went to a church 592 00:43:06,580 --> 00:43:16,280 service and I felt some goosebumps and I made some sort 593 00:43:16,280 --> 00:43:24,840 of emotional decision because I had this religious feeling. 594 00:43:26,920 --> 00:43:28,960 It's not repentance, brothers and sisters. 595 00:43:30,440 --> 00:43:33,200 Not always. Not saying you won't have some 596 00:43:33,200 --> 00:43:38,040 sort of feeling about repentance, but you can't tie 597 00:43:38,040 --> 00:43:40,280 repentance to merely remorse or feeling. 598 00:43:42,280 --> 00:43:46,120 Repentance is a decisive turning away from. 599 00:43:49,480 --> 00:43:55,120 If you have to apologize for something in our house is not 600 00:43:55,120 --> 00:44:03,400 enough in our home to say I'm sorry, you must say I'm sorry 601 00:44:03,400 --> 00:44:09,840 that I lied to you. I'm sorry that I got angry with 602 00:44:09,840 --> 00:44:13,040 you or that I yelled at you or that I called you a name or 603 00:44:13,040 --> 00:44:16,840 whatever. Why? 604 00:44:16,840 --> 00:44:21,680 Because we want to name the sins that we're turning away from. 605 00:44:23,440 --> 00:44:26,280 These are things we're not going to do any longer. 606 00:44:26,280 --> 00:44:29,880 It's a decisive turning. It's a renunciation of darkness 607 00:44:30,080 --> 00:44:34,000 and a submission to God's reign. Right. 608 00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:39,240 To repent is to step out of the shadows and into the light. 609 00:44:40,440 --> 00:44:44,880 Repentance is to lay down self rule and bow to the rightful 610 00:44:45,080 --> 00:44:50,720 king. He's at the heart of all of our 611 00:44:50,720 --> 00:45:02,740 sin is a kingship issue. We have made ourselves kings. 612 00:45:04,220 --> 00:45:07,460 We have sought to build little kingdoms for ourselves. 613 00:45:07,460 --> 00:45:10,940 We have been selfish. We have been idolaters. 614 00:45:17,720 --> 00:45:22,720 And so we must learn how to lay down self rule and submit 615 00:45:22,720 --> 00:45:25,920 ourselves. Bow to the rightful king. 616 00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:32,240 You may notice that this call echoes the preaching of John the 617 00:45:32,240 --> 00:45:38,720 Baptist earlier in Matthew chapter 3, verse 2, but with a 618 00:45:38,720 --> 00:45:43,400 crucial difference. John was announcing the nearness 619 00:45:44,160 --> 00:45:47,560 of the Kingdom. He was announcing the nearness 620 00:45:47,560 --> 00:45:50,040 of the Kingdom and anticipation for the king. 621 00:45:52,680 --> 00:45:55,960 He's preparing the way for the king to arrive, but Jesus 622 00:45:56,240 --> 00:46:06,020 announces it in its arrival. As Herman Bavni observed, he 623 00:46:06,020 --> 00:46:07,460 said this. He said the Kingdom is not 624 00:46:07,460 --> 00:46:09,980 something Jesus proclaims only with words. 625 00:46:10,300 --> 00:46:13,420 It is something that comes with him and in him. 626 00:46:15,460 --> 00:46:20,400 He said the king does not merely speak about the Kingdom, he 627 00:46:20,440 --> 00:46:27,120 embodies the Kingdom. Now I think theologically this 628 00:46:27,120 --> 00:46:33,000 guards us from 2 errors, 1 is it prevents us from reducing 629 00:46:33,000 --> 00:46:35,400 Christianity to moral improvement. 630 00:46:38,560 --> 00:46:42,720 But the call to repent flows from the announcement that God 631 00:46:42,880 --> 00:46:46,960 reigns. The call to repent flows from 632 00:46:46,960 --> 00:46:51,720 the announcement that we are to bow to the rightful king. 633 00:46:55,120 --> 00:47:00,160 So it's not moral improvement, it's Lordship. 634 00:47:02,400 --> 00:47:06,120 Secondly, it keeps us from postponing obedience to some 635 00:47:06,120 --> 00:47:13,360 future age. Right now in my life, I will 636 00:47:13,400 --> 00:47:16,320 continue to do what I want to do because I've got plenty of time. 637 00:47:16,320 --> 00:47:19,400 I will settle these things later in life. 638 00:47:25,530 --> 00:47:28,450 And I wonder how many have split hell wide open thinking 639 00:47:28,450 --> 00:47:35,410 precisely that. If the Kingdom is at hand, and 640 00:47:35,410 --> 00:47:39,490 it is because Christ says it is, if the Kingdom is at hand, then 641 00:47:39,650 --> 00:47:46,280 neutrality is no longer an option because the light has 642 00:47:46,280 --> 00:47:50,480 demanded a response. Repents for the Kingdom is at 643 00:47:50,480 --> 00:47:53,880 hand. What this means is that every 644 00:47:53,880 --> 00:47:58,800 encounter with Christ, as people who are sitting here today 645 00:47:59,800 --> 00:48:05,360 observing the Word of God, this is an encounter with Christ and 646 00:48:05,360 --> 00:48:08,280 His Word. And every encounter with Christ 647 00:48:08,440 --> 00:48:15,600 is a crossroads in your life. To hear His voice, to hear the 648 00:48:15,600 --> 00:48:20,480 Word of God proclaim, to hear these things is in itself a 649 00:48:20,480 --> 00:48:23,920 summons. It's a summons to turn from sin, 650 00:48:24,000 --> 00:48:28,240 to turn from self, to turn from darkness, and to trust the King 651 00:48:28,360 --> 00:48:30,800 who has come near to us in His grace. 652 00:48:34,240 --> 00:48:39,480 Now for believers, we understand that this repentance is not a 653 00:48:39,480 --> 00:48:47,560 one time event, it's a lifelong posture as we continually seek 654 00:48:47,560 --> 00:48:51,360 to align ourselves, align our lives with the reign of Christ. 655 00:48:55,080 --> 00:48:59,360 2nd Corinthians describes it as beholding the glory of Christ in 656 00:48:59,360 --> 00:49:03,160 such a way that you are being transformed from 1° of glory to 657 00:49:03,160 --> 00:49:08,640 the next. So in our sanctification 658 00:49:08,640 --> 00:49:13,040 process, after you've been declared justified freely by the 659 00:49:13,040 --> 00:49:17,360 grace of God, there's a process of sanctification that ensues 660 00:49:17,640 --> 00:49:22,200 where God takes you and transforms you by his spirits to 661 00:49:22,200 --> 00:49:27,480 be like his Son. What that means is we're 662 00:49:27,480 --> 00:49:30,520 constantly, constantly at war with the flesh. 663 00:49:30,520 --> 00:49:32,840 We're constantly at war with the old man. 664 00:49:32,840 --> 00:49:38,440 We're putting death his old deeds and we're taking on the 665 00:49:38,440 --> 00:49:44,360 new man, and that requires a posture of repentance. 666 00:49:47,320 --> 00:49:49,800 If you've ever had a conversation with a seasoned 667 00:49:50,560 --> 00:50:00,320 St., you'll know that you just become more and more aware of 668 00:50:00,320 --> 00:50:04,200 your own sinfulness. Even as you're defeating sins, 669 00:50:04,200 --> 00:50:06,920 even as you're putting those things to death, you become more 670 00:50:07,040 --> 00:50:10,520 and more aware of new idols of the heart. 671 00:50:19,440 --> 00:50:22,880 And by God's grace, we put those things to death through 672 00:50:22,880 --> 00:50:32,040 repentance for unbelievers. Again, the call is urgent and 673 00:50:32,040 --> 00:50:39,400 it's gracious. It's good to hear that you are a 674 00:50:39,400 --> 00:50:44,720 Sinner in need of a Savior. It's good to hear that you 675 00:50:45,120 --> 00:50:49,080 cannot climb the mountain of righteousness on your own. 676 00:50:49,080 --> 00:50:52,280 It's good to hear those things. It's a grace of the Lord on your 677 00:50:52,280 --> 00:50:56,520 life. Why? 678 00:50:56,520 --> 00:50:58,920 Because what we're saying is that the light has come. 679 00:50:58,920 --> 00:51:02,400 The Kingdom is here. The door of mercy stands open to 680 00:51:02,400 --> 00:51:12,320 you right now, and I'm imploring you from the word of the Lord to 681 00:51:12,320 --> 00:51:20,640 come to Christ, to stop yourself serving, and to serve the Lord 682 00:51:20,640 --> 00:51:24,840 on high. Matthew has shown us the 683 00:51:24,840 --> 00:51:26,480 darkness, He's shown us the dawning light. 684 00:51:26,480 --> 00:51:31,600 He's shown us the King's call. All that remains for us is to 685 00:51:31,600 --> 00:51:34,600 reckon honestly with what this means for our lives. 686 00:51:37,000 --> 00:51:39,960 The question before us all, believers, unbelievers, is 687 00:51:40,080 --> 00:51:44,880 simple and unavoidable. If God's promised light has come 688 00:51:44,880 --> 00:51:49,240 in Jesus and his Kingdom has arrived, how are we going to 689 00:51:49,240 --> 00:51:53,760 respond? And Matthew has shown us 690 00:51:53,760 --> 00:51:55,680 something unmistakable this morning. 691 00:51:58,080 --> 00:52:01,400 The world was not slowly improving. 692 00:52:04,440 --> 00:52:10,280 No, it was. It was stuck in darkness, 693 00:52:10,480 --> 00:52:15,640 dwelling in darkness. It was sitting in it. 694 00:52:17,200 --> 00:52:23,200 You and I were sitting in it. But but God did not leave it 695 00:52:23,200 --> 00:52:27,040 there, Right? God, God's promised light has 696 00:52:27,040 --> 00:52:30,320 come in Jesus, and His Kingdom has arrived. 697 00:52:30,320 --> 00:52:33,680 What we see is that the darkness was real and the light has truly 698 00:52:33,680 --> 00:52:36,560 dawned, and the King has now spoken to us. 699 00:52:39,720 --> 00:52:45,280 And yet Scripture is brutally honest with us about why this 700 00:52:45,280 --> 00:52:48,400 moment is so searching for our hearts. 701 00:52:51,280 --> 00:52:55,240 Jesus Himself tells us later in his ministry. 702 00:52:55,240 --> 00:52:56,960 In John chapter 3, you read this. 703 00:52:58,880 --> 00:53:02,560 Jesus says the light has come into the world and people loved 704 00:53:03,400 --> 00:53:05,280 the darkness rather than the light. 705 00:53:10,200 --> 00:53:14,160 And that's the dividing line this passage presses upon us. 706 00:53:15,080 --> 00:53:18,560 The question is not whether the light has come, because it has. 707 00:53:19,040 --> 00:53:22,120 The question is whether we will come to the light or whether we 708 00:53:22,120 --> 00:53:25,880 will clean to the darkness that we call home. 709 00:53:30,040 --> 00:53:33,560 So again, for those who belong to Christ, my brothers and 710 00:53:33,560 --> 00:53:38,040 sisters in here, this passage calls us to ongoing repentance, 711 00:53:38,480 --> 00:53:41,440 and it calls us to confident hope in Christ. 712 00:53:42,240 --> 00:53:47,000 We have not drifted into the Kingdom, no we we must walk in 713 00:53:47,000 --> 00:53:51,560 the light daily, turning again and again from our own sin, from 714 00:53:51,560 --> 00:53:55,000 our own self rule, from hidden shadows of the heart. 715 00:53:57,200 --> 00:54:02,320 The same light that saved us continues now to expose us. 716 00:54:04,000 --> 00:54:09,440 But it doesn't expose you to shame you, it exposes you to 717 00:54:09,440 --> 00:54:15,440 heal you. Hebrews reminds us that God 718 00:54:15,440 --> 00:54:18,520 disciplines those whom he loves, His children. 719 00:54:18,520 --> 00:54:24,880 He disciplines them. And all discipline is painful 720 00:54:24,880 --> 00:54:28,600 for a moment, yet it rewards the fruit. 721 00:54:29,160 --> 00:54:31,480 Its rewards are the fruit of righteousness. 722 00:54:36,440 --> 00:54:39,240 First, John chapter 1 tells us that if we walk in the light as 723 00:54:39,240 --> 00:54:43,160 He is in the light, and He is faithful and just to forgive us 724 00:54:43,160 --> 00:54:49,120 our sins. So we understand this. 725 00:54:51,200 --> 00:54:55,400 We understand that we should live as people of the day, not 726 00:54:55,400 --> 00:54:58,360 as people of the night. We understand that we should 727 00:54:58,360 --> 00:55:02,280 walk openly, joyfully, obediently under the gracious 728 00:55:02,280 --> 00:55:12,080 reign of our King. Once more, for those who are not 729 00:55:12,080 --> 00:55:18,760 in Christ the the Kingdom, I want you to know that the 730 00:55:18,760 --> 00:55:23,360 Kingdom is not far off. The Kingdom is at hand. 731 00:55:24,640 --> 00:55:27,320 The the king has come near in mercy. 732 00:55:28,440 --> 00:55:36,800 The King has shed his marvelous grace on us and and when the 733 00:55:36,800 --> 00:55:40,600 scriptures call us to repent, when Christ calls us to repent, 734 00:55:42,800 --> 00:55:45,640 he's not calling you to lose life. 735 00:55:46,080 --> 00:55:49,400 He's calling you to finally step into really living. 736 00:55:51,760 --> 00:55:55,360 He's calling you to truly live as he designed you to live in 737 00:55:55,360 --> 00:55:58,680 fellowship with the Father through the substitution of the 738 00:55:58,680 --> 00:56:04,800 Son by the Spirit of God. He's calling you to turn from 739 00:56:04,800 --> 00:56:08,120 darkness to receive the light that God has freely given us. 740 00:56:11,920 --> 00:56:15,200 And Christ here is urging you. Do not delay. 741 00:56:17,000 --> 00:56:20,040 He's urging you. Do not bargain as the rich young 742 00:56:20,040 --> 00:56:22,880 ruler tried to bargain. He's urging you. 743 00:56:22,880 --> 00:56:27,040 Do not hide as Adam and Eve tried to hide themselves from 744 00:56:27,040 --> 00:56:29,280 the Lord, though. He's urging you to come to the 745 00:56:29,280 --> 00:56:32,280 light while the door of grace stands open to you. 746 00:56:36,640 --> 00:56:40,400 You see, the night is ending, the day has dawned upon us, the 747 00:56:40,400 --> 00:56:43,400 light has come, the Kingdom has arrived. 748 00:56:43,400 --> 00:56:47,640 And the only question left for us is how will you respond? 749 00:56:50,560 --> 00:56:57,040 How will you respond? It's my hope and my prayer for 750 00:56:57,040 --> 00:57:05,800 every one of us that we may turn from the darkness, that we may 751 00:57:05,800 --> 00:57:10,960 come to the light and live joyfully under the reign and 752 00:57:10,960 --> 00:57:14,320 under the rule of our King Jesus Christ. 753 00:57:16,280 --> 00:57:26,760 Would you pray with me? Heavenly Father, we we praise 754 00:57:26,760 --> 00:57:42,360 you, we thank you grace and mercy shown to us in Christ, We 755 00:57:42,360 --> 00:57:46,640 thank you that he is described as the glory of the Father 756 00:57:46,640 --> 00:57:53,440 revealed for us. What you once spoke through the 757 00:57:53,440 --> 00:57:57,720 prophets, you have now revealed in your Son Jesus Christ. 758 00:57:59,880 --> 00:58:06,320 And Christ says to us in the middle of darkness, repent, for 759 00:58:06,320 --> 00:58:07,960 the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. 760 00:58:10,640 --> 00:58:14,880 God, you have not left us with neutrality as an option. 761 00:58:16,760 --> 00:58:19,440 In fact, what you've done is revealed that neutrality was 762 00:58:19,440 --> 00:58:24,720 never really an option. We are either people of the 763 00:58:24,720 --> 00:58:35,080 darkness or people of the light. And Father, I pray now for my 764 00:58:35,080 --> 00:58:38,360 brothers and sisters here, old and young. 765 00:58:39,960 --> 00:58:44,360 God, would you help them in every way to walk faithfully in 766 00:58:44,360 --> 00:58:50,680 the light of Christ, to truly be, as Christ will say, the 767 00:58:50,680 --> 00:58:58,220 light of the world. God, would you help them to put 768 00:58:58,220 --> 00:59:06,000 away the darkness of their flesh, to walk by the Spirit, to 769 00:59:06,000 --> 00:59:11,000 walk by faith in Christ, to not only trust Him for the 770 00:59:11,000 --> 00:59:14,760 forgiveness of sins, but to be vigilant in putting death, 771 00:59:15,080 --> 00:59:21,000 putting to death the deeds of the flesh at the living by the 772 00:59:21,000 --> 00:59:26,120 Spirit of God, which frees us from a spirit of slavery to sin, 773 00:59:28,280 --> 00:59:31,000 to a spirit of sonship where we can now cry. 774 00:59:31,000 --> 00:59:36,960 ABBA Father, we thank you that you have adopted us as your own. 775 00:59:36,960 --> 00:59:38,520 You have made us your own children. 776 00:59:38,840 --> 00:59:42,480 We're Co heirs with Christ. We're sealed by the Spirit of 777 00:59:42,480 --> 00:59:47,160 God. There's nothing, nothing in this 778 00:59:47,160 --> 00:59:49,840 world according to Romans 8. There is nothing that can 779 00:59:49,840 --> 00:59:52,480 separate us from the love of Christ our Lord. 780 00:59:57,000 --> 00:59:59,400 So God would you help us to walk in that hope. 781 01:00:00,920 --> 01:00:03,880 Would you help us in that hope to put to death the flesh? 782 01:00:04,000 --> 01:00:07,440 Would you help us in that hope to carry forward the light into 783 01:00:07,440 --> 01:00:10,640 the world that man might see our good deeds and glorify our 784 01:00:10,640 --> 01:00:18,160 Father in heaven? God, would you unite us together 785 01:00:18,160 --> 01:00:20,160 as brothers and sisters in Christ. 786 01:00:23,440 --> 01:00:26,280 Help this church, these people, these members here. 787 01:00:26,280 --> 01:00:30,960 Help them to be a beacon of light and hope for the world. 788 01:00:34,160 --> 01:00:40,400 God, help them to carry the light into their homes, into 789 01:00:40,400 --> 01:00:44,160 their marriage, into their relationship to their children. 790 01:00:47,360 --> 01:00:51,520 Lord, would you help us to serve and to glorify you, to magnify 791 01:00:51,560 --> 01:00:54,520 your great name in every area of our lives? 792 01:00:57,760 --> 01:01:00,280 Help us to carry the light into our workplaces. 793 01:01:06,050 --> 01:01:11,330 Help us to be set apart. Help us to walk as holy men and 794 01:01:11,330 --> 01:01:21,130 women of God again, not for our own boast or bragging, but for 795 01:01:21,130 --> 01:01:27,000 the glory of the Lord Jesus God, would you lead us in 796 01:01:27,000 --> 01:01:30,960 conversation to those who are lost, those who are dying 797 01:01:30,960 --> 01:01:35,000 without Christ? Would you help us to carry the 798 01:01:35,000 --> 01:01:39,120 gospel to them? Let the gospel adorn our feet 799 01:01:39,120 --> 01:01:43,640 wherever we go. The words of Christ be on our 800 01:01:43,640 --> 01:01:47,000 lips. The words of your Word be on our 801 01:01:47,000 --> 01:01:52,280 lips. Help us to offer salvation to 802 01:01:52,280 --> 01:01:55,720 those who seem as though or to those who are dwelling in great 803 01:01:55,720 --> 01:02:01,320 darkness, and may we see salvations, God, near and far. 804 01:02:05,120 --> 01:02:08,000 Would you lead us into our community for the same purpose? 805 01:02:09,560 --> 01:02:12,280 Would you lead us into our nation and state for the same 806 01:02:12,280 --> 01:02:17,960 purpose? God, would you lead us into the 807 01:02:17,960 --> 01:02:25,680 world all across the globe for the same purpose of proclaiming 808 01:02:25,680 --> 01:02:31,000 Christ and him crucified, the hope of sinners, the help for 809 01:02:31,000 --> 01:02:36,560 those who are in darkness, a salvation for the soul. 810 01:02:40,480 --> 01:02:45,080 God, again I ask that you first lead us to be a holy people. 811 01:02:46,680 --> 01:02:51,640 Helps to walk in the holiness of God, putting to death our sins, 812 01:02:52,000 --> 01:02:55,440 growing in our faith in Jesus Christ, loving those around us. 813 01:03:01,790 --> 01:03:05,470 Father, I also pray for anyone here who doesn't know you again, 814 01:03:05,470 --> 01:03:10,590 whether they're young or old. Maybe they're older and they've 815 01:03:10,590 --> 01:03:16,870 made a life of living for themselves, a life of hedonism, 816 01:03:16,870 --> 01:03:21,110 giving themselves to whatever their heart desires. 817 01:03:23,960 --> 01:03:26,120 God, would you help them to see Christ today? 818 01:03:26,920 --> 01:03:30,440 Help them to hear his call to repent, for the Kingdom of 819 01:03:30,440 --> 01:03:33,440 heaven is at hand. May they yield themselves to the 820 01:03:33,440 --> 01:03:40,040 lordship of Christ. May they deny themselves, take 821 01:03:40,040 --> 01:03:45,600 up the cross and follow Him. Maybe they're young, being 822 01:03:45,600 --> 01:03:50,800 raised in a home where Christ is proclaimed, hearing the truths 823 01:03:50,800 --> 01:03:58,840 of Scripture, but haven't yet believed them, haven't yet had 824 01:03:58,840 --> 01:04:00,640 the light of Christ shine in their hearts. 825 01:04:00,640 --> 01:04:05,280 God, would you save them? Lord, would you help them to 826 01:04:05,280 --> 01:04:10,240 never know a day where they were not in fellowship with the Lord? 827 01:04:13,040 --> 01:04:17,480 Would you help them to grow in their faith and love as young 828 01:04:17,520 --> 01:04:23,000 boys and girls? Would you transform them by the 829 01:04:23,000 --> 01:04:26,600 renewal of their mind? Would you grant them new life in 830 01:04:26,600 --> 01:04:35,300 Christ? Today I'm going to give you a 831 01:04:35,300 --> 01:04:38,740 moment now there in your seat to pray and seek the Lord. 832 01:05:44,880 --> 01:05:49,840 Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gracious work you do in 833 01:05:49,840 --> 01:05:53,000 us, the merciful work you do in us through Your Word by your 834 01:05:53,000 --> 01:06:02,560 Spirit Lord, it's my prayer that you would transform each one of 835 01:06:02,560 --> 01:06:06,440 us, whatever that looks like for each person here. 836 01:06:10,360 --> 01:06:16,400 God, would you help us to be faithful, to remain faithful, to 837 01:06:16,400 --> 01:06:22,680 walk with you. To the name of Christ I pray, 838 01:06:23,240 --> 01:06:24,960 Amen. Amen.