Repent the Kingdom of Heaven is Near
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Light in the Darkness
Light in the Darkness
Every evening after dinner in our house there are 3 chores to be done which are rota’d for our kids.
Washing up and loading the dishwasher,
Setting up the bread machine so bread is ready in the morning
and vacuuming the stairs, sweeping the floors and emptying the kitchen bins and compost.
It’s that final one that the younger ones don’t like - becasue in the winter at least it means going out to the front of the house in the dark.
Perhaps being afraid of the dark is an excuse
but it’s something we inherently know and experience
on the whole we grow out of it as we get older - but that is only in a context where we rationalise what dangers the dark might hold.
Most of us aren’t scared to put the bins out - or go down to the garden shed at night
In many parts of the world the dark is still something to be afraid of.
When we lived in the capital city of Lesotho, we, no-one really, went out after dark on foot if they could help it - it’s wasn’t safe.
If you drove out you didn’t stop at red lights or junctions.
The darkness conceals crime and danger, fear and the unknown.
It’s secretive and uneasy.
You cannot rest.
And the one thing you want and need when it’s dark and you’re fearful - is light.
Let’s pray
So far in Matthew’s gospel we have seen how Jesus is of the right ancestory,
He’s the king in the line of King David,
He’s the Messiah, the chosen one of old.
He’s is born of MAry and of God the HS.
Fully Human and fully God.
He is the perfect Israel, who also was brought out of Egypt
- but This Israel Jesus - never put a foot wrong - He is the obedient servant of God,
We have had a few reminders
from the OT that Jesus will suffer and be rejected by the world he came to save
- his crucifixion and suffering servant life should not surprise us!
He’s been baptised and anointed by God the father and God the HS as God the Son.
And he’s demonstrated his unquestionable perfection and obedience and trust in the Word of God and His will,
in the face of temptations from Satan himself.
Jesus is ready to begin his public ministry.
When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee.
The announcer of Jesus - John the Baptist - the one who would pave the way for Jesus’ ministry is put into prison
and so it is time to come forward and preach.
Does he head to Jerusalem - the capital to preach at the roman occupation?
Does he head to the temple or a synagogs to teach and tell the Israelites - God’s chosen people - I your king am here?
Well done - stand strong?
Not really...
He doesn’t go where they might have expected
and he does not preach the message they might have expected either..
Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali—
Why there...
to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”
The fulfilment Matthew says that Jesus fulfils is from Isaiah 9.
And as with most OT prophesy it has a double horizon in view when it’s given.
Isaiah was initially speaking and predicting a return of the Israelites from the Northern Kingdom of Israel that had been exiled to the Assyria.
History tells how after the reign of King Solomon, 3000 years ago Isreal split into 2 kingdoms - both of which had good and bad kings.
eventually over about 400 years, the Northern Kingdom became so sinful and rebellious before God,
that he allowed the Assyrians to invade and take into exile vast swaths of the population.
there’s a map on the screen - of where they were taken.
You can only imagine the devestation,
the chaos and confusion,
Most of all the sadness.
Some here understand leaving home countries for work,
or a better life,
but few of us will understand the sadness of being forcibly exiled from your home and nation and culture.
The words of Isaiah 9 then would be one of extraordinary hope.
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 nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
Even before the exile - the northern parts of Israel around the sea of Galliee,
the areas of Naphtali and Zebulun - had become known as the Galilee of the Nations.- or gentiles as translated in Matthews reading.
see map
With refugees, countless attacks and invasions, many nations and foreign settles had made it home.
Of course a gentile is simple a non-Jew - a non-Israelite.
And of course Gentiles were considered as pagans - as dark,
They did not recognise nor follow the one true God.
The God of light.
They were a dark people - spiritually speaking.
It was a dark and despised part of Israel.
But the route that the returning exiled Israleiets would take was what was known as the ‘Way of the Sea’.
Following the river Jordan from north to south on the west side of the sea of Galliee.
And it travelled right through Caperneum - right through Galilee of the nations - right through - the region of darkness.
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
The Surviving Israelites still in that region
- who had had dark lives while their nation was in exile
living amoung a people considered to be in the dark,
would see a great light as the ‘way of the sea’ road was full of returning exiles.
hope and salvation for God’s people was here.
And the first to see the light was Galilee of the nations!
now
That prophesy came true - the exiles did return as predicted on along that route,
But Isaiah had more than just ‘that light’ on his mind..
That small victory of light in the darkness was to be a sign post to a greater light and salvation,
as he makes clear in the later part of Isa 9 in that very familiar passage
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
There needs to be a full and final fulfilment.
And full and perfect light in the darkness,
Who also needs to arrive by the ‘way of the sea’
In the land of Naphtali and Zebulam,
the gallilee of the nations.
And so that is where Jesus arrives to being his minstry,
He reveals himself first to the the darkest corners both to fulfill what was promised here
- but also to show the type of ministry and salvation he brings.
How extraordinary that God would chose to reveal the light of the saviour to the region most densly populated by Gentiles not Jews.!
To those in the dark about God himself.
Why not in the temple,
Why not in Jerusalem?
Why not in glory and in significance?
Well the clue is in his message..
Jesus’ first sermon was a lot shorter than mine today.
it’s in v17
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
1 - Repent
1 - Repent
The light that has dawned is not a returning people from exile,
but Jesus himself with a call to repentance.
The thinking is not that repentance in itself is light,
Jesus is the light,
and the light of Jesus is accessed through repentance.
Repentance is opening the door from within a dark room to let the warm, bright and all encompassing sunlight in.
And so why is Jesus beginning his ministry by starting in the gailee of the nations,
the dark lands of those who don’t know God?
Becasue that is who he has come for.
Those who are in the dark,
the lost.
Not just the Israelites who have been privileged to know God through their history,
but all nations.
John the Baptist has already prepared us for this.
He had exactly the same message,
and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
and he rebukes the pharisees and sadducees who don’t think they need a Messiah who forgives in v7-9.
Who warned you he says - you think you’re saved becasue you’re Abraham’s descendants!
If you think you’re a good person,
or by association, or race, or stautus that you don’t need Jesus - then he’s not going to start with you.
Jesus has come for those who are in the dark.
Every part of the globe where darkness dwells,
The light has come - a great light.
He has come for the nations.
And the message is ‘Repent’.
We see the light of Jesus acorss our world today - although not completely yet.
Just within our congregations having done a quick count, we have people from 23 countries represented!
Australia. Sa. Nigeria. Bulgaria. Albania. Mexico. Brazil. Columbia. England. Germany. Lesotho. South Korea. Hong Kong. China. Ukraine, Hungry, Indonesia. India. America. Jamaica. At Claire? Scotland, Ireland
Each of those countries is full of darkness spiritually,
but each represents Jesus’ desire to reach all nations.
and each has a door marked repentance with Jesus the light behind it!
To summarise,
Jesus has come to reach all nations,
Jesus has come to reach those in the darkest places spiritually,
Jesus is light in the darkness when we repent.
We might ask what sort of light is Jesus.
Or why are we in such darkness without him.
Well his second point in his sermon shows us.
2 - The Kingdom of Heaven is Near
2 - The Kingdom of Heaven is Near
If repentacen is the door which when opened floods us with light,
then the kingdom being near is the relm that exists on the other side of the door.
The kingdom of God and the kingdom of Heaven throughout the NT is interchangeable,
and is less about a land and more about a relm - and reign of a King.
The King Jesus.
It is near says Jesus.
It is urgent that you make a decision and respond - that we repent.
Jesus goes into more detail about his kingdom throughout his ministry - but the long and the short of it is
that in his kingdom
- under which all people exist - there are 2 options.
You can continue in the dark, spiritually sick and poor.
In fact worse - you will face the justice of God who gave us the door of repentance to open and yet we rejected it.
Or if we repent then the kingdom we belong to is full of light
Every dark corner of sin and sickness, and sadness and evil is eradicated.
To some extent we already enjoy his kingdom as Christians - if we live for him in his light through repentance - then we are no longer enslaved to sin and darkness.
Our life has hope and light.
But there is also a complete fulfilment to come.
It is in some way here, but still in some Way ‘near’
In Revelation we get a picture of the final fulfilment of the Kingdom of God.
And describing the future return of Jesus we read this.
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”
The implication is that there is a temporary state now where the kingdom has begun, but is not fulfilled.
It began with the death and resurection of Jesus. - as Jesus says at the end of Matthew’s gospel.
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
But for now, the kingdom is still contested - it’s still contains darkness,
it still requires repentance,
becasue evil is still present - as We saw in JC temptations last week,
The door of light shines warmly on us, nothing can close it,
we are assured of his salvation - but we have not yet entered eternal glory and light.
So, we cannot delay our decision to repent or not,
and we cannot delay in sharing the light of Jesus with a dark world.
For we know not when Jesus will return or we will die and the door of repentance disappears.
I feel all this leaves us with a few things to consider.
1 - Repent
1 - Repent
We must acknowledged we are in the dark and need repentance.
It is our only hope for salvation, for light.
2 - Rejoice
2 - Rejoice
We need to see that Jesus has come for us - for all nations! He loves us, he has a kingdom of light for us.
He did not go first to the wonderful, or powerful, or the holy people - he went first to reveal his light in the lives of those who are lost, and dark, who have messy lives and complicated histories. He came for you and me. Give him great thanks.
3 - Reach
3 - Reach
If we are now his people - in his kingdom - we are to continue the work he began.
How sad if Jesus came to all nations to offer light,
if his people then fail to take the light of Jesus to the dark corners of the world.
Of course our neighbours and friends all need to hear,
but Jesus began with the hardest to reach - the places where the light seemed furthest from.
He had a missionary heart for those across the world who have not heard.
It’s why as a church we support Margot who is reaching a muslim village with the light of Jesus in TZ.
It is why we pray for Caleb and Tobias still taking the light of Jesus to the darkness of the ancestor worshiping shepherds in Lesotho.
It’s why we must all give, pray and seriouly consider going to the lost, to the dark places with the light of Jesus.
Are we after comfort and money, and a normal life?.
Or are we like Jesus, choosing the dark places, the hard places to take the light we carry.
In the next chapter Jesus will challenge us with just that sentiment.
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
If you’re younger - perhaps you can be a missionary of light when you’re older.
Adults - it’s not too late, some peopel retire to the mission field,
or leave their jobs and careers for a greater purpose,
uprooting children,
leaving the familiar,
to go on an adventure for Jesus the light.
Repent, Rejoice, Reach.
We sent out a number of verse about Jesu being the light in Firday’s email.
I’d encourage you this week to read those verses and consdider how each one call us to consder further how we can and should,
repent, Rejoice and Reach.
Pray
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.