Matthew: Hope in the Darkness
November 16, 2020
Like many of you, I grew up during the sixties. I remember those days well. Life seemed innocent enough. I remember riding my bike on the streets, going crawdad fishing at Mill Creek, playing baseball with my buddies, and having a crush on my third grade teacher, Miss Hintz. Life was great, but then, one day changed everything. I remember it well. At lunch that day I knew something was up. There were no teachers in the cafeteria. Then back in class, no teacher there either. All of a sudden, Miss Hintz appeared in the doorway, tried to tell us something, but nothing came from her mouth. She just put her hands over her face and turned away. A few minutes later the fourth grade teacher stood in the same doorway told us five words that shattered my innocence: “President Kennedy has been assassinated.” We got out of school early that day. And for the next four days there was nothing else on our black and white. That day was a defining moment for my generation. And then over the next few years everything in our country seemed to unravel: The Watts Riots in LA, the protests over the Vietnam War, the assassinations of Dr Martyn Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, the scandal of Watergate and the resignation of Nixon. It seemed as if our country was in a death spiral… Fast forward to today, nothing much has changed. Instead of race riots, we have race protests. Instead of unrest over war, we have unrest over politics. Instead of the war on drugs, we have an opiod crisis. Instead of hurricanes and tornados we have climate change and devastating wildfires. We’ve gotten used to divorce and droughts, scandals and shootings, perversions and yes, a pandemic. Something is really wrong with the world and we know it.
We live in a world that’s so far gone, that it has half of you wishing Jesus might come back tomorrow, and the other half worried about what the future might hold for you, your kids and grandkids. And the Bible has a term for the mess we’re in: Darkness – a term that encapsulates the confusion, disease, violence, death and destruction that wreaks havoc and brings despair to much of our world. And so it is this darkness that weighs on our hearts and makes us ask, is there any real hope for our world?
Well, that’s where Jesus comes in. For the darkness we are facing today is not unlike the darkness people were facing at the time Jesus came to live among us. So if you brought your Bible with you today, let me encourage you to find Matthew 4:12-22 where God’s Word shows us how Jesus brings us hope in the darkness. We are going to look at three ways Jesus brings hope this morning. And the first way is this:
Jesus brings hope by infiltrating our darkness Matthew picks up the story chronicling Jesus journey by writing: Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. What we see in this phrase is that a lot has happened since Jesus’ baptism and wilderness temptations. Most of that has been documented for us in John’s gospel. During this time, Jesus has called his first disciples: John, Andrew, Peter and Nathanial. They’ve gone with Jesus to the wedding in Cana, witnessed his first miracle, and saw him flip the tables of the money changers at the temple, and from Luke’s account, they went with Jesus to his hometown (Nazareth) and heard him teach in the synagogue. On that day, Jesus stood up and took the scroll and read from this passage in Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” Then before taking his seat, Jesus said, “The Scripture you have just heard has been fulfilled this day.” And his new followers recognized this pronouncement by Jesus didn’t go over so well. In fact, those listening were so offended that they wanted to kill him on the spot. But Matthew doesn’t tell us any of this, he simply says, And leaving Nazarethhe went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” Matthew 4:12-16
Matthew is making a point by introducing the arrival of Jesus’ ministry in this way. He quotes from Isaiah 9:1-2, to tell his hearers that hope has arrived. And that hope is found in Jesus. For us to understand this, we need to be familiar with the context in which Isaiah 9:1-2 was written. In previous chapter (Isaiah 8) there was a prophecy about a judgment to come, but in chapter 9, God promised to deliver His people through a person – a child who would be born, whose name would be “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” What’s most interesting, is that this promise is given to these Jews living in Galilee, these people living in darkness. In other words, these were people living without hope. Those who lived in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, were people who were the furthest removed from the center of Jewish religious life. They were living amongst the Gentiles who worshiped their own gods. They were living amongst Romans who oppressed them. Yet because of this prophecy, they held onto this hope of a great light to come. One day this light would dawn on them and bring them hope.
So it’s here where Jesus comes to reveal himself as the light of the world. He doesn’t set up ministry in Jerusalem but comes to the spiritually darkest part of Israel. It is here where Jesus will announce the good news of the kingdom and bring hope to the hopeless. It is here where Jesus will release the captives, heal the blind, and bring hope to sinners. And it is here where Jesus will call His disciples to follow Him so that He can begin bringing hope to all the world.
So Jesus comes to make his dwelling among ordinary people who are lost in darkness. And I find this so encouraging. For the grace and mercy of God always shines brightest in the darkness. You see, Jesus didn’t just go to the synagogues and teach, and hope that people would come and be amazed at his teaching. No, he chose to infiltrate the darkness by living right in the midst of people looking for hope.
We too live among people who are still looking for hope. They’re still looking for hope in what politicians promise. They’re still looking for hope in a scientific cure. They’re still looking for hope in an economic recovery. They’re still looking for hope in education to eradicate racism. But here Jesus shows us how hope dawns. Hope dawns when we shine our light amongst people who are lost in darkness.
So we have an amazing opportunity right now. While much of the world worries about what the future holds, we know who holds the future. We have hope, and our hope is Jesus. So let’s learn from Jesus today.
Jesus infiltrated the darkness to bring people hope. And we can do no less. God has placed you right where you are to shine the light of Jesus. So get out and go for a walk – talk to people. Keep playing pickle ball, go to the dog park, start a wood project, visit to your neighbor. Let your light shine. And who knows, God may just use your life to bring hope to someone who is looking for hope. For if you know Jesus, then you are a beacon of hope, you bear the light of Jesus – to bring hope to people lost in darkness! Ok, that’s the first way Jesus brings hope. Here’s the next:
Jesus brings us hope by inaugurating a new way to live From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17 The good news of the kingdom was the primary message of Jesus. Jesus’ message was a message of hope to people sitting in darkness. For the greatest darkness anyone ever experiences is the darkness of sin. Sin is destructive. It takes us down a path where we choose to live for ourselves. As we saw that last week. The Devil tempts you to live apart from God: 1) to satisfy your fleshly desires by taking matters into your own hands. 2) to protect your life by wanting God to serve your agenda and 3) to get you to pursue a life where you can have it all, and to do this by avoiding the pain and hardship of life. And at the core of sin is this lie telling you to live apart from God. But when we live this way, we don’t love people, we use people. When we live this way, we put possessions or position in the place of God. And when we live this way, we live diminished lives, distorted lives, empty lives, because we believe the lie and miss out on the goodness of God and the life He created for us to enjoy!
But when Jesus announces, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” He offers a message of hope. For He calls you to turn from your life of sin, and turn to God, who wants to give you a whole new way of life with Him. The Apostle Paul said it this way: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” Acts 3:19 So then, when we turn from ourselves and turn to God Jesus gives us the life we’ve been longing for. If you’ve ever jumped into a cool lake on a sweltering day and experienced that cool water invigorate your body – imagine what it’s like to let God refresh your soul. The good news of the kingdom is that when you put your trust in Jesus, He will make your life new. He will clean your heart, He removes your guilt, and He removes the barrier of sin that stood between you and God, so you can know God’s love, see God’s beauty and be refreshed by God’s grace.
That’s how Jesus brings us hope! That’s the good news of the kingdom! Jesus delivers us from the realm darkness and brings us into the kingdom of light! Our hope is not found in what this world promises, but it’s found in Jesus. That’s why Jesus began his ministry with these people sitting in darkness. They were looking for hope, so when Jesus preached, “Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This was the hope they were looking for.
This is why every Christian needs to understand the riches of God’s grace we have in Jesus Christ: We have the good news. We have a new way of life in Jesus. We have Jesus! We can be forgiven. We get to walk with God! And now in this new way of life with Him…
We can experience joy. We can know peace. We can be comforted… We can heal relationships. We can give mercy. We can love those who don’t love us… We can have pure hearts. We can live without anger. And be free of worry… We can live without judgment. We can walk with Jesus. And we can stand strong in the storms of life. That’s the good news of the kingdom that’s at hand with the arrival of Jesus. Heaven is breaking into our darkness. That’s the good news our world needs to hear!
So then, if you know Jesus, you have a story to tell and a life to live that can give our world hope. That’s why we need to become kingdom people. That’s why we need to learn the good news of the kingdom. And that’s why we’re going to dive into the Sermon on the Mount – for in this Sermon Jesus will unpack for us the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven.
So let me ask you – do you know Jesus? Have you repented? Have you turned from living for yourself, and turned to God by putting your faith in Jesus? If you have, not only do you have new life in Jesus, but you have now been delivered from the realm of darkness and have entered the kingdom of light – where God has given you a new way to live so you can show the world there is hope in the darkness.
That’s the second way Jesus brings us hope. Jesus brings us hope by giving us a new way to live. But he’s not done. There’s one more way Jesus breaks into our darkness and brings us hope, and that is this:
Jesus brings us hope by initiating a new kind of relationship Look at the progression of hope Matthew is giving us here. First, Jesus brings hope to a people lost in darkness by coming to live among them. Next, Jesus brings hope to a people enslaved in darkness with the message of new life in the kingdom. Now, Jesus brings us to the full extent of his hope by initiating a new kind of relationship with Him. While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:18-20
Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Matthew 4:21-22
I want you to notice something very profound here. We don’t choose Jesus. Jesus chooses us. Jesus comes into our world of darkness. He comes to deliver us, to rescue us, to save us. Left to ourselves we will not seek a relationship with God. In our darkness we will choose sin over God; every time. I can’t say this any stronger. These men didn’t come to Jesus, Jesus came to them. He chose them to be with Him. And what we see here, is what God did throughout the Old Testament. God always chooses His partners. He chose Noah, Abraham, Moses and David. He also chose the prophets. And He chose Israel to be His people.
And that’s pretty amazing. God has come to you, to rescue you from a life of darkness and now invites you to join Him in the greatest mission on earth. Think about this. Think about the men Jesus chose to come and be His students. He chose fishermen. Now these four guys, and the disciples that came later, didn’t have much going for them. For starters, they were Galileans, this means they were of the lower class, rural and uneducated. They weren’t the typical kind of men Rabbi’s would take under their wing. They were just ordinary men who were sometimes narrow-minded and superstitious, full of prejudices, misconceptions, and animosities. And yet, these are the people Jesus chose to be with Him to bring hope to our world.
But what’s so great about Jesus initiating a relationship with these men, is that if Jesus could take these back water bumblers as his partners in ministry, then he can take you under his wings too. Here in is our hope. You and I have nothing in us to draw Jesus to us, to elicit his invitation. Apart from His saving grace we’re all sinners – rebels to the core – running from God. But no matter what you’ve done, no matter how insignificant, uneducated or unspiritual you may be – Jesus wants you to follow Him – to be with Him, so you can learn to live, and love like Him. That’s the hope we have in Jesus. He comes to us. He calls our name. He chooses us. And He chooses us so He can make something of us – so He might turn our world upside down through us.
You see, this the other thing we need to see from this passage. Jesus doesn’t command you to go fish for people. He says, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” In other words, when you follow Jesus, Jesus will work in you to make you like Him. You don’t do this. Jesus does this in you, when you align yourself with Him. And when Jesus works in you to make you like Him, you will begin to shine the light of the gospel through your life to anyone who is lost in the darkness. Jesus is our hope for change. Not only for our change but change for the world.
But this won’t happen unless we obey His call to follow Him. So let me ask you: Is Jesus worthy of your allegiance? These fishermen believed He was. They left everything behind and followed Jesus. They obeyed His call. They left behind everything that was familiar and natural. They exchanged comfort for uncertainty. They didn’t know where they would be going; they only knew who they would be with.
That’s the key isn’t it? It’s all about Jesus. Jesus didn’t call them to simply believe in Him, but to walk with Him, learn from Him and to join Him in bringing hope to this world lost in darkness – this world without hope.
And the beauty of this invitation Jesus gave on a beach in Galilee, is that its still open to anyone who hears His call. For Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27
So this invitation is not just hope for you, but this is THE strategy God has chosen to bring hope to the whole world. We are His Strategy – If we obey His call and follow Jesus.
So here’s what this message comes down to. We don’t choose Jesus. Jesus chooses us. He invites us to be His followers, to be with Him and let Him make us into fishers of men. So let me ask you: Does this describe your relationship with Jesus today? Have you heard His voice calling you to follow Him? If you have, then God will use your life to bring hope in the darkness. I won’t have to encourage you to be part of a journey group, you’ll want to help others join you in a group. I won’t have to encourage you to read the Word. Since you heard His voice call you to follow Him, you’ll want to spend time in His Word, to learn His will and follow His ways so He can use you to bring hope in the darkness. That’s why Jesus calls you to follow Him.
But if you have not answered His call, then why not? The God who created you, the Savior who died for you, is calling you to follow Him. And His invitation is the same today as it was on this day: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” So if you hear His voice, all I can say, is let go of whatever you’ve been holding onto, and follow Him. For when you do, your life will never be the same, and you will become a beacon of hope for a world lost in darkness. As Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” So, are you ready to go all in with Jesus? Let’s pray.
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