Kingdom Mindset: Matthew 4
Notes
Transcript
CIT: Jesus has called us to follow him, and has given all the reasons for it. So, how will you respond?
CIT: Jesus has called us to follow him, and has given all the reasons for it. So, how will you respond?
Follow
Me
One Big Question
Follow
Follow
Live with radical abandonment
Peter, Andrew, James, and John immediately abandon their livelihoods to follow Jesus. Think for a second what that meant. They abandoned their jobs that they were raised to do, they abandoned their families, and they abandoned their homes. All because a stranger came up to them and said “Follow me”
This is radical abandonment for Christ. We see the opposite with the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-22
And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
To truly follow Jesus we cannot continue to hold onto earthly things that are going to pass away. Jesus does not call us to a 50/50 relationship, one that is 50% committed to him and 50% committed to earthly things. Jesus doesn’t call us to dip our toes in the pool and wade into the water, he calls us to jump in headfirst knowing that he is the one who will truly sustain us.
So, what is it that you need to abandon? What is it that may be keeping you in the shoes of the rich young ruler who time has forgotten and not the shoes of a fisherman who lead the Church?
Live in utter dependance
When Peter, Andrew, James, and John abandoned their livelihoods to follow Jesus they now have to utterly depend on Jesus for not only their education but also their literal survival. They no longer have jobs. They no longer have homes. All they have is Jesus.
This reminds me of the story of David Brainerd. He was a missionary to the Native American tribes in the North Eastern colonies in the 1700’s. He was one of the first people to actually go and live with the Native American’s and learn their language to share the gospel with them, rather than living in an English home and only share the gospel in English. He had no family with him, he had no comforts that he was used to, he had abandoned everything to share the gospel with those in need of the Truth. And while he did this he battled deeply with Depression, Anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. But his diary and journal is marked with confessions of utter dependance upon God to do his daily work of evangelism and translation. David Brainerd knew he had to depend on God for his survival and work in ministry. Peter, Andrew, James, and John knew they had to utterly depend on Jesus for their survival and work in ministry. Are you prepared to utterly depend upon Jesus, or are you still depending on the comforts of this world?
Live in total submission
Why did Peter, Andrew, James, and John radically abandon everything to live in utter dependance? Because they saw it right to totally submit to Jesus from the moment they saw him. When Jesus shows up in your life it is correct to totally submit to him.
This makes me think of Isaiah 6:1-8
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
Because when God showed up in Isaiah’s life he saw it right to totally submit to God’s Kingdom and plan. Peter, Andrew, James, and John saw it right to totally submit to Jesus’s Kingdom and plan when he showed up. It is right for you to totally submit to Jesus’s Kingdom and plan, will you though, or is this still going to be a 50/50 attempt? Because in the Kingdom of God there is no 50/50 it’s 100/0 or 0/100.
But why do we need to follow Jesus? Why must you radically abandon everything to utterly depend and totally submit to someone? That is what Matthew has been trying to convince us of this entire time!
Me
Me
Jesus is the Messianic Son of David and Abraham (Matthew 1)
Review this concept quickly
Jesus is the New Deliverer (Matthew 2)
Review this concept quickly
Jesus is the Chosen Son of God (Matthew 3)
Review this concept quickly
Jesus is the Greater Israel (Matthew 4:1-16)
The final reason that Matthew gives us to follow Jesus is that he is the greater Israel. Israel was in the wilderness for 40 years and constantly rebelled against God, read Exodus and Numbers to see that. Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days and was tempted by Satan and never fell to sin. This shows that he is more faithful to God’s covenant than Israel from the OT.
But not only that, immediately after resisting the temptations in the wilderness he went to Capernaum. This area, which is at the northern part of the Sea of Galilee, is surrounded by Gentile cities, which was on purpose for Jesus’ mission. Israel in the OT was meant to be a city on a hill shining God’s holiness to the Gentiles so that they may come, repent, and be God fearers. But their unfaithfulness is best seen in the Pharisee’s, people who refused to even get close to Gentiles because they wanted to hoard the blessings of God. But Jesus came so that the Gentiles may hear the good news of God’s Kingdom and be grafted into Israel.
So Jesus is not only the greater Israel because he resisted temptation, but he is also the greater Israel because he is expanding the Kingdom of Heaven to all peoples, not just the Jews.
So, now with the example of the disciples living in radical abandonment, utter dependance, and total submission, and a greater understanding of Matthew’s reasons for why we should do the same, I ask you this one big question.
One Big Question
One Big Question
Will you follow Jesus?
Count the cost
Before you answer consider the weight of your answer.
If you say no, while you may get to continue in the temporary pleasures of your sin, you are running down a road that leads to eternal death and suffering.
If you say yes, while the road you walk on may be filled with suffering, temptation, and constant denial of self, it is a road that has a steadfast hope that Christ will hold us fast as we press on towards our promised inheritance in heaven in Christ.
Answer the question