The Mission (2)
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We are in week four of our series that is on the Book of Matthew. We are still in the beginning stages of Jesus ministry. Last week we looked at the temptation of Jesus. Today, I want to look at the mission of Jesus.
I believe He has a three fold mission on what He came to do. I believe we see a glimpse of each of these in our text today. If you have your bibles, go with me to the book of Matthew. I want to read from chapter 4. Beginning at verse 12. Today’s message is entitled The Mission if you are taking notes.
Think about a mission for a moment. If you have ever watched some kind of movie that features a group of people going on a mission. Like Raiders of the Lost Ark. The purpose of this movie is for Indian Jones, an archeologist, that has received information that they know where the ark of the covenant is found and so he goes in search for the ark. His mission in that movie is to find the ark. There many other movies or stories that you read that they have a mission, a purpose to fulfill. Jesus is no different. He came to fulfill a mission. Let’s begin by looking at verse 12.
12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee.
13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali—
14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
The Judean ministry of Jesus, which lasted almost one year, is not discussed by Matthew. You can read about this period in John chapters 1-4. But this is what took place between verses 11 and 12. So, Jesus comes out of the wilderness experience with Satan and for almost a year He is ministering in Judea. Matthew picks back up with Jesus as John the Baptist is being arrested and Jesus is setting up his ministry home in Capernaum. And it is verse 17 where we see Jesus first part of His mission.
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
1. Preach Repentance
1. Preach Repentance
Jesus started His ministry with the same message that people had heard from John the Baptist: “Turn from your sins and turn to God.” Becoming a follower of Christ begins with repentance, turning away from our self-centeredness and self-control. The next step is to turn the right way, to Christ.
Jesus’ call for repentance was a further call for moral renewal in preparation for His kingdom. The kingdom was near in the sense that the King was present.
Jesus was the King. The kingdom of Heaven was being prepared and the king was now on the earth, but He will not establish His kingdom until the end, when we returns and sets up His throne here on earth.
But Jesus was setting the stage for what is soon to come. He makes the message clear that we must repent. We must turn from our old way of doing things and make Jesus the one true king Lord of our life.
For my second point, instead of reading verses 18-22, I want to show you a clip from the show The Chosen, where Jesus chooses the first disciples.
Take a look.
Video - The Miracle of the Fish (Scene from The Chosen)
That’s powerful isn’t it. The second part of Jesus’ Mission is...
2. Make Disciples
2. Make Disciples
Jesus would eventually have 12 disciples. He begins here with the first four: Peter, Andrew, James and John.
This is actually the second time Jesus called Peter and Andrew. In John chapter 1 Peter and Andrew were called to salvation; here they are called to service. The first calling took place in Judea; this one is in Galilee. Peter and Andrew were fishermen, but Jesus called them to be fishers of men. Their responsibility was to follow Christ. Jesus responsibility was to make them successful fishermen. Their following of Christ involved more than physical nearness. It included their imitation of the character of Christ. Theirs was to be a ministry of character.
What they were was more important than what they said or did.
What they were was more important than what they said or did.
We are to become disciples of Christ and then we are to go and make more disciples of Christ. It is a continuous process that never ends. It is a disciple making process. One person at a time. Can you imagine what would happen to this church if each one of you would just go and find one person to disciple. And then that person goes and disciples someone else. If we did what Jesus called us to do we would have less of the garbage to worry about because we would be consumed with the process of disciple making. What can be more important than making disciples for the kingdom of heaven.
Now skip down to verse 23 for the 3 part of Jesus’ Mission.
23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.
25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
We have a look at the threefold mission of Jesus being done in these last three verses. He taught God’s Word in the Synagogues; He preached the Gospel of the Kingdom; and He healed the sick. My last point this morning is...
3. Set Captives Free
3. Set Captives Free
One purpose of the miracles of healing was to authenticate His person and ministry.
3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.
4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
Chapters 5-7 of Matthew are an example of Jesus’ teaching ministry. We won’t cover the Beatitudes during this series but we will do an in-depth Beatitudes series this summer. Chapters 8-9 describes His miracles.
In verse 23 of our text we have the first use of gospel in the New Testament. The term means “good news of salvation.” In every age of the world’s history there has been only one gospel, only one way of salvation.
The gospel originates in the grace of God.
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
That means that God gives eternal life freely to sinful people who don’t deserve it.
The basis of the gospel is the work of Christ on the cross. Look at what Paul writes about the Gospel in 1 Corinthians.
1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.
2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
Our Savior fulfilled all the claims of divine justice, enabling God to justify believing sinners.
You and I are to be and become, if you aren’t already, disciple makers. All of us have a job that we do here on earth. Some of us this job defines us. We say, “I’m a teacher or I work in a factory.” And we allow that title to determine who we are. However, if you are a christian, then you need to change your title to disciple maker. Nothing else about your life matters more than being a disciple maker.
Think about the story we looked at a few minutes ago. Jesus tells Peter and Andrew to casts there nets to the other side. He was using their occupation and performing a miracle. They fished all night no fish. Jesus comes along and what happens, lots of fish. Then Jesus calls them to a higher mission than they have ever known. He calls them to influence others for God and introduce them to Christ. He says follow me and I will make you not just fishermen but fishers of men. Grasp this. This is our mission.
You may be a pastor, evangelist, missionary, writer, computer programmer, nurse, factory worker, waiter, teacher or student; but if you are not striving in some way to introduce others to Christ, you are not doing the most important work to which God has called you.
Memorize the words of Paul and put them into practice. He said in 1 Corinthians 9:19
19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.
Jesus speaks to us to go and fulfill the mission in John 15:16
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
The mission is clear. Jesus came to Preach Repentance, Make disciples, and set the captives free.
And you are to do the same. Preach Repentance, Go make Disciples and invites those that are held captive to be set free by the Power of the Holy Spirit that is living in you.
Let’s Pray.