"Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." - Matthew 4:19

foundations okay [Music] so [Music] good morning everybody we'd like to welcome you to our online service uh here this morning we hope you're doing well at home uh and uh just we're grateful that you're gonna join us this morning uh to worship our god and king together let's start with a word from the psalms psalm 84 verses 1 and 2 says this how lovely is your dwelling place o lord of hosts my soul longs yes faints for the courts of the lord my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living god and that's what we're going to do this morning let's begin with the word of prayer father we are so grateful for this opportunity to gather together in this online format to worship you god god might you inhabit our hearts this morning god and spur us on to worship you for who you are our god and king god we're grateful for this place that you've given us for the technology that you've provided for us to be able to do this during this time that we find ourselves in god be with our worship team as they lead us in in song this morning god be with each one of them lord and be with pastor paul this morning as he uh brings forth your word god and it might speak to each one of our hearts this morning father we thank you and we love you so very much in jesus name we pray amen please join with us as we sing [Music] we're gathered with your name calling out to you your glory like a fire away [Music] you're the reason we're singing open up the heavens we want to see you open up a floodgates a mighty river flowing from your heart filling every part of ours [Music] [Applause] you're standing with us [Music] [Applause] open up the heavens we want to see you open up a floodgate [Music] open up the heavens we want to see you open up the footcase [Applause] filling every part of our brains show us show us your glory show us show us your power show us show us your glory [Music] us your lord show us show us your power show us show us your glory lord open up the heavens we want to see you open up the floodgates a mighty river blowing from your heart filling every part open up the heavens we want to see you open up the book gates a mighty river flowing from your heart filling every part [Music] [Music] no more [Music] lifted me now [Music] love lifted me when nothing else loved love lifted me [Music] in his blessed presence [Music] me nothing else [Music] nothing else [Music] is [Music] [Applause] love lifted me [Music] when nothing else [Music] feels a little bit more natural to say please be seated but it might be a little bit redundant today but we have some announcements this morning that i'd like to share with us as we continue with our service uh the let me begin by just reminding you that our prayer meeting happens every wednesday um at 7 pm uh prayer time and it will be on zoom again this week and so the link will be in the prayer prompter so please join with us as we pray for our country our church and the needs of those who are among us it's a great time of prayer together and so again i want to encourage you to come out and join with us in that life groups we're supposed to begin this sunday but in light of what's happening in our country we've decided to postpone that just for a few weeks uh which is arguably a good thing because it gives time for more of you to sign up and so we're going to begin life groups in person on october 10th lord willing depending on how the situation in the country develops hopefully by then we will see a reduction in the amount of cases on island and in our hospital so that we can begin uh life groups so again on october 10th we will begin in personal life groups which again allows you many much more opportunity to sign up so you can email me and we can get you in on a life group as you have known for the last couple of weeks we've been doing a project to help our local school our school is close to us gilbert and so so far we've raised 830 for the list of items that were included in that initial email for the gilbert institute students and teachers and so this sunday is the last sunday for you to be able to give you can give online you can drop funds off in the church mailbox or let us know in the office and this week we're going to be preparing to purchase all the items that were requested by the school and so um look out for information on and what that looks like you'll see pictures on social media to see how our church has been able to help our local school in this new school year another reminder is for your christmas cards to be preparing those for our missionaries again that's in our prayer prompter and our ecb updates you'll see the all the details on how you can give a christmas card to one of our missionaries so the reminder that i want to share with you is to get those in before october 17th so they can be collated and then sent off to the right missionary amp and olympians are still on pause uh just while the this cova situation is uh going through and so just be praying for our leaders and for our students for a quick resumption in those ministries and the last announcement that i have for us this morning is just a really cool opportunity that our church has been able to be a part of as you know our hospital has been just flooded with covet patients and so our nurses are under a lot of strain and stress and so there's been a request for meals for our nurses in particular the nurses in the covid and the icu wards and so our church is going to be supporting our nurses with a lunch next saturday on october 2nd and so um an opportunity that i wanted to share with you that we are being a part of that you are being a part of to help our hospital and so you can be praying ahead for that praying for our nurses in our hospital and and all those who are involved in this covet situation that's what we have for announcements this morning i'm going to invite up zach who's going to share one last announcement and then read our scripture this morning morning church morning isaac lorena heidi linda anyways it's really great it's actually an announcement of praise and thanksgiving the board has been praying for some time for a replacement for dinah when she started probing and prodding us to consider her retirement coming up and the lord has graciously answered those prayers in the form of laura rigo who is joining us as a part-time office administrator and she is currently working a couple days a week with dinah in a transition period and in january she'll be taking over in a part-time but monday through friday or tuesday through friday and working part-time on those days as the office administrator so lots of praise and thanksgiving for us because the board has been praying for quite some time for that and god has answered those prayers most graciously okay scripture reading is from matthew chapter 4 verses 12 through 25. sorry now when we heard that john had been arrested he withdrew into galilee and leaving nazareth he went and lived in capernaum by the sea in the territory of zebulun and naphtali so what was spoken by the prophet isaiah might be fulfilled in the in the land of zebulun and the land of natalie 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 the shadow of death on them a light has dawned from that time jesus began to preach saying repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand while walking by the sea of galilee he saw two brothers simon who was 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 immediately they left their nets and followed him and going on from there he saw two brothers james the son of zebedee and john his brother in the boat with zebedee their father mending their nets he called them immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him and he went throughout all galilee teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people so his fame spread throughout all syria and they brought him all the sick those afflicted with various diseases and pains those oppressed by demons those having seizures and paralytics and he healed them and great crowds followed him from galilee and under the anda and the decapolis and from jerusalem and judea and from beyond the jordan let's pray church heavenly father as we consider the state of covid and the pandemic on the island lord we just want to ask we want to lift our island up to you lord and ask for your blessing on us lord we pray that you would ultimately do your will and at the same time we pray for your protection father father we pray for the marshall family today as they bury their father pray that you would be with the family be gracious in your mercy for them pray for pastor paul and jamiko as they are leading our church pray for paul as he brings us your word today i pray that you would he would just be a conduit for you and you would speak directly into our hearts through him father i pray that our worship this morning would be pleasing in your sight in jesus name we pray amen good morning well it's good to be seen by you this morning and uh and thank you zach for that reading this morning and uh for the for the prayers and and would you would you pray for me as well as i officiate that funeral at three o'clock today down at st paul's um and also for the visitation that will be held here from uh 1 30 to 2 30 for the public and so if you could be praying for us that would be greatly appreciated as we minister to the family well this is still this isn't ideal is it it doesn't have the same excitement of when we when we gather together in person and and and i get that so so right now you may be feeling a little bit of the of the blahs you know oh man another it's only been two but another online service that's what it feels like to me another online service so it's only been two well it still feels like that and so uh so lord let's just let's just pause for a moment and and let's just ask the lord to help us to to see him as we look into the pages of of his word and and to just take away those blahs to to help us to feel a level of freshness and excitement would you would you join with me in a moment of prayer father as as this last two years really has has has been one of ups and downs and currently we feel in a bit of a down at the moment father we pray that as we look into your word this morning you would you would help us to have have fresh eyes to see see the beauty and the excitement of jesus christ and and father as as we do so made encourage us and and as as we saying this morning may love lift us and we pray these things in jesus name amen well i hope you have a device or bible in front of you matthew chapter four and this this uh passage at the end of matthew chapter four is an important one as it as it leads us into the the greatest uh recordings of jesus's teaching that we have in all four gospel accounts this sets up the stage of of the audience that jesus would have had and clearly outlines many aspects of his mission as well we're going to look at humanity in darkness and jesus as the light shining into that darkness we're going to see jesus authority and how he shows it as well as what it looks like to be a follower of jesus so we start in the region of galilee all right this is this is the area around the sea of galilee and this region is is approximately 70 miles by 40 miles just so you can sort of maybe uh get a spatial idea of it it uh the uh the ancient historian josephus estimated well recorded that there were approximately 200 cities or villages in this in this galilee region and it's estimated at that time to have had about 3 million people in those in those dwelling in that area uh one of the reasons for this population was well first the source of fresh water and also uh the source a source of fish of source of food and and also the peace that the roman empire brought to that particular region there are not just jews living in this region but you have many many non-jewish people as well we're told that that jesus is here because the prophet isaiah had been told this by god it's found in isaiah 9 and and the passage is all about the messiah or or the coming king and and that that coming king is the mighty god so these old testament quotations and that's what we we that's what zach read there to start off the passage these old testament quotations are are important because they help us to see jesus not as some new concept of the day but the fulfillment of what god had promised long ago god's plan for humanity's rescue is is unfolding and here's the words of isaiah that matthew quotes it's in verse 15 and 16 of matthew chapter 4. the land of zebulum in 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 that region the shadow of death on them a light has dawned so the people here are described as dwelling in darkness and and that darkness we're told is associated with death right the shadow of death so this this area again is that combination of of both jews and non-jews so so it's it's not this isn't a condemnation on on a particular group of people okay it's not just like okay yeah the jews aren't condemned but the non-jews are condemned no in this region here that that's that isaiah gives prophecy about is is is a mix of people of different nationalities and so so it's a condemnation on all humanity that the concept of humanity dwelling in in darkness is actually a biblical theme that that begins back in in genesis chapter three but it goes it goes deeper than than just the wickedness that we often see on on the news our our hearts our hearts are darkened that's that's that's our inner being right that's that's who we are we we there's a there's an element of darkness to us but that makes that makes sense though doesn't it i i feel like that makes sense because perhaps perhaps you've personally experienced when when you do something that you can't believe you you actually did and and you you didn't like it at all and so so after you did it you know you you responded uh you responded with well well that's that's not me or or i i just don't know what came over me the reality is that that is you that is you right what what's what's in your heart comes eventually comes out and that's you but that's also everybody else so you're you're in broad company too but when jesus comes on the scene we're told a great light shines into that darkness now think about light just generally think about light shining into darkness you know as i kind of considered that there were there were three things that came to mind okay it first of all it it grabs our attention and it draws us in doesn't it i don't know if you've ever been to you know like a theater production but but they use they use lights to their advantage right like spotlights they'll shine a spotlight over here and what happens well you don't you don't look the other way you automatically turn and you focus on that particular spot that's illuminated secondly light shows us what's really there right we we can't discern correctly in the dark it's it's only when when you know we flip on a light in a room that we can navigate you know around the furniture right unless you've memorized it like i'm sure some of you have in your own homes but if you're in someone else's home you turn on the light so you can see where you're going and thirdly it light also gives us a a sense of comfort and warmth hasn't it there's there's there's there's a fear and and uncertainty associated with darkness and and light dispels that it takes it away boy this this is really a beautiful picture of jesus himself right he he he gets our attention he draws us in he he shows us what's really there he gives us that sense of warmth and comfort now look at verse 17. from that time jesus began to preach saying repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand so here we have jesus continuing the the message of john the baptizer in in the temptation account that we looked at last week we saw that jesus proved that he was the light by passing that that initial testing time showing that in fact in him was no darkness at all he doesn't he doesn't succumb to any of the temptations now you might be wondering why jesus maybe didn't change his message from john's message right john said you know the kingdom of heaven is near well jesus if you're the king why don't you just say well the kingdom of heaven has come well even though the king is here the the kingdom is still not yet you have to enter the kingdom and jesus must lead his people into that kingdom and so to say it's here is is premature this gets us thinking about the the ancient nation of israel you know it was it was not moses that led his people god's people into the promised land right moses led them around in in the wilderness wanderings for 40 years but but he didn't lead them into the promised land it it was uh it's interesting that joshua is the one who leads them across the jordan river into the the land that god had promised for them it's interesting because because the hebrew name of jesus is is the equivalent is the english equivalent of of joshua jesus is seen as the as that new joshua who will lead his people into the new land into the coming kingdom right that's that's what he's doing he's he's he's the moses who delivers them out of slavery but he's also the joshua who leads them into the kingdom now let's see how jesus the the light of the world shines as well as the responses from the darkness let me read you verses 18 through to 22. while walking by the sea of galilee he saw two brothers simon who was 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 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 so here we have here we have the calling of four of the disciples the response seems fairly radical but it's not i want to i want to just tell you that it's not a blind faith that's sort of exhibited here right jesus as we've seen has already been in the region and was preaching and teaching the gospel the writer the gospel writer luke actually associates their calling with a miraculous set of um catch of fish which is which is maybe what matthew is alluding to when he says that james and john were mending or repairing their nets perhaps from that miraculous catch of fish these these four fishermen had most likely seen the miraculous from jesus and heard him teaching and so the call to follow him has has a little bit of weight behind it the phrase follow me is is literally come and get behind me right that's that's what it would be translated literally in the in the original language that the meaning is to follow but it but in the larger context it's to become his pupils right if if jesus is the messiah or or the or the king the only position is is behind him the the invitation was was not to become his partners or part of a consultant board of advisors i think that's often how how we can look at jesus yeah i'll i'll follow jesus because i need some i need some better luck and perhaps he can give me a few pointers on life no no he he is king and and if you want him in your life you have to get behind him and let him let him lead as he has the authority over even our own lives now that that may seem like a scary thing but consider that this king is also our creator he made us he knows us he knows how we're wired and and he loves us so we can we can trust him and i'm sure it was scary for these for these four men peter andrew james and john right they were being to ask they were being asked to leave their their professions and and their families and homes for an extended period of time but they were going to undergo three years of training under jesus to become in his words fishers of people just like how jesus was was shining into their lives and and calling them and and would and would transform them they would learn to shine the light of the of the good news of jesus christ into the darkness of the world and catch people up into the kingdom of god but even but even though the choice to follow jesus is is a little frightening the alternative to reject his call is even more frightening think think of what they would miss out on if they had rejected this call and i'm i'm not i'm not talking about missing out on on the popularity surge and and the excitement that that would just that was just around him but they would miss out on the person they would miss out on being near jesus they would be given an opportunity later on these disciples to leave when jesus began teaching some some hard things to understand and comprehend but they refused to leave him they knew he was the life they were searching for he is the life we are all searching for he says himself i am the way i am the truth i am the life one one of the words that is striking in this passage is is the word immediately it's used twice and it describes how these these four men responded right away before before i was married you know i i wondered i wondered how in the world do you know if she's the one you you probably had that same thought if if you're married you know but before or maybe if you're you're single maybe you're wondering the same thing right now if you desire to be married it's it's it's a it's a common question and and i remember someone telling me you know an answer and i think this is this is probably a common answer well you'll just know it doesn't it doesn't give a lot of like peace when you just know that's all you're gonna say you'll just know you know they they had they had heard of jesus these disciples and they had seen him and and they had witnessed him doing amazing things and when he called them they just knew they just knew and that's why they acted immediately perhaps perhaps you're considering the person of jesus and and his teachings and claims you know i'm not asking you to rush a decision to follow him but i am asking you that when you know respond respond immediately because there's a lot that will want to hold you back from following jesus but don't let anything hold you back from the greatest treasure that you can ever possess in this life because it's the lord jesus christ himself the next paragraph tells us another way people respond to the light and it's really not as a follower although we do see that word follow again it's it's more of an admirer let me read verses 23 to 25. and he went throughout all galilee teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people so his fame spread throughout all syria and they brought him all the sick those afflicted with various diseases and pains those oppressed by demons those having seizures and paralytics and he healed them and great crowds followed him from galilee and the decapolis and from jerusalem and judea and from beyond the jordan so we see a little more how jesus the light shines is shining into the darkness jesus goes all around the region of galilee teaching in the synagogues now the synagogues are meeting places for jews to pray to worship and jesus would go into these places and proclaim the good news of the kingdom of god right that that is the kingdom is near because the king has come and you need to turn and follow the king he would do this by by opening up the scrolls of the old testament right there's no new testament yet and show how they were pointing to him as the coming messiah or king he would also teach them about god and the kingdom of god but but unlike the scribes he would teach with his own authority he didn't quote the current teachers of the day right the the current rabbis that was that was the popular thing if there was a prominent rabbi you quoted that rabbi in your teaching he taught with his own authority but that authority never went against the old testament writings but instead shed further light on them and we'll see that as we get into this the famous sermon on the mount but further he was healing people with every disease and affliction people would bring their loved ones who had diseases pains seizures paralysis and he would heal them his authority extends to areas that a teacher didn't have we also see that he had authority over the demonic as he healed those who were oppressed by evil spirits word had spread about jesus and people were coming from as far as syria right that's from that's from the northern part above the sea of galilee they were coming to hear him or to be healed by him and matthew describes many crowds following him that's that's that's there's that word again follow all right they they see jesus that light shining in the darkness right this that like that spotlight it's got their attention but it's the general crowd following now not specific individuals like peter andrew james and john and when jesus starts to teach some difficult things to these many crowds the things that are hard to understand they leave they no longer follow they will forget about the authority he has over all sickness and disease and they will turn back and go their own way are you following the crowd and and its whims and trends that change like the wind or are you following jesus the person that that's still his invitation today and and that's still a daily decision that you have to keep making here's here's the problem here's the problem with light darkness doesn't like it john says it like this in in john's gospel verse chapter 3 verse 19 people loved darkness rather than light because their works were evil that's quite the verdict but it but it's true we don't like the light when we do something wrong because it gets seen and and we don't and we don't know what to do about it because because that light just seems to only condemn us look what you've done you we can see it now the reality that reality that reality that condemning reality that we feel when when the light shines upon us when we do something wrong that reality is why the cross is so beautiful to us as followers of jesus it was there that jesus the light in whom there is no darkness at all took on all our wrongs against others and most importantly against god himself he took them all so we could walk in the light as he is in the light he gives us light in exchange for our darkness through our faith to follow him so when we walk in the light and and our wrongs get exposed we can have a new response as followers of jesus we we no longer we we're no longer condemned there is no condemnation for those who are in christ jesus even if we feel that way because we probably will but it's not true because jesus took our condemnation on the cross we can have joy because we know we are forgiven and because we don't have to try to hide anymore we don't have to hide because because we know that we are are delivered out of the same darkness that everyone else is in so we don't have to fake it because because we're all in that same predicament we try to fake that we have it all together and that we never mess up and that's miles from the truth i picture christ saying it like this to us i know you are in darkness i came to take you out of darkness into the light and what you see in the light that you don't like i took that condemnation away so you don't have to live in regret any longer but be but instead you can you can move ahead in hope of the transforming work that i'm doing in you now wouldn't it be great to do life with a bunch of people who believe that and encourage courage each other in that reality that's what the church is that's what the church should do it seems risky to live in the light but if we if we all do it together it will be beautiful and real and attractive and you won't want to live any other way even though it may be a bit messy but it's worth it to live in the light let's pray father we we do pray that you would help us to desire to live in the light as jesus is in the light and that we may do it together as a church that we may have fellowship with one another knowing that the blood of jesus christ has forgiven us from all of our sins we're no longer condemned and we have hope hope of being transformed into the likeness of jesus christ and a hope of being completely transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of your glorious son thank you for his brilliance may he shine brightly not only this morning to us but each day of our lives for we ask it in jesus name amen [Music] i surrender i will never [Music] [Applause] i surrender is [Music] oh to jesus [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] surrender [Music] to follow jesus [Music] to follow jesus i have decided to follow jesus [Music] before [Music] the world behind me no turning back [Music] oh to jesus to him [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] surrender [Music] thank you so much for joining us this morning and i miss you guys looking forward to seeing you real soon let me read from romans 15 13 may the god of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the holy spirit you may abound in hope amen [Music] you

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Length: 58min 36sec (3516 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 26 2021