Let's go to Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 4.
Well, we're going to read Matthew, Chapter 4, up to verse 22.
Let's hear God's Word to us today.
Verse 1, then, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted or tested
by the devil. After fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him
and said, If you're the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. And Jesus answered,
It is written, Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the highest point of the temple.
If you're the Son of God, he said, throw yourself down, for it is written, He will command his
angels concerning you and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike
your foot against a stone. Jesus answered him, It is also written, Do not put the Lord your
God to the test. Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms
of the world in their splendour. All this I will give you, he said, if you will bow down and worship me.
Jesus said to him, Away from me, Satan, for it is written, Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee.
Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and
Naphtali, to fulfil 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.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.
As Jesus was walking beside the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew.
They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.
Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will send you out to fish for people.
At once they left their nets and followed him.
Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets.
Jesus called them.
And immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
We're going to pray.
I wonder if someone, I'm not sure who, would mind getting me just a glass of water.
That would be helpful. Thanks very much.
Thank you, Claire. Thanks.
Let's pray.
Encourage us and build us up.
And so we pray for ourselves, for the children, for our Sunday school teachers,
that we would know your word working in us, guiding us to your light.
In Jesus' name. Amen.
Thank you, Claire.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Thank you, Claire.
Well, we are in a battle.
We're in a conflict.
A war.
It's a battle of two kingdoms.
There's the kingdom of heaven, and there is the kingdom of Satan.
One is a kingdom of light against a kingdom of darkness.
But tragically, the story of humanity is all about how we have fallen for Satan's lives.
Instead of enjoying God's kingdom, we have become enslaved in Satan's kingdom.
Instead of living under God's good rule, we have followed Satan's rule.
We have chosen the darkness rather than the light.
And the problem is, we can't free ourselves.
Well, in Matthew chapter 4, we're going to see how God's promised king, Jesus, fights this battle for us.
Three things we're going to see.
First, that Jesus confronts the devil for us and wins.
Second, Jesus enters into the darkness to free us.
And then third, Jesus, our commander, our warrior king, comes to us and calls us to follow him.
So, let's take these in turn.
First, as we think about this battle, Jesus confronts the devil for us and wins.
Look at verse 1 with me of chapter 4.
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil or Satan.
This isn't a chance encounter, is it?
It's intentional and it's planned.
You see what it says in verse 1?
The Spirit leads the Son of God into a confrontation with the devil.
Now, that shouldn't surprise us because this has been God's plan all along.
God had promised a Son who would come and defeat the devil for us.
You see, this battle has been raging since the beginning of time.
It began way back in the Garden of Eden when the devil came and tempted the first man and woman to sin.
And instead of saying no to sin, they believed the lie.
And immediately they were plunged into a darkness and faced the penalty of death.
And this has been the objective of Satan throughout history.
He is leading the whole world astray.
His desire is to lure and deceive, to tempt and destroy.
And yet from the outset of this battle, God promised to raise up a son.
Genesis reminds us of this.
In Genesis 3 verse 15.
God said to Satan, after he had deceived and led the man and woman astray,
God said to him,
I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers.
He, that is one of her offspring, a son, will crush your head and you will strike his heel.
A promise that one would come, a son from the woman who would crush the enemy for us,
freeing us from the darkness that we might enter into the kingdom of heaven.
God's word was true.
And a son came.
But, that son failed.
Have a look at verse 1 with me again back in Matthew.
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested or tempted by the devil.
After fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, he was hungry.
Does that ring any bells with you to an event back in the Old Testament?
It should remind us of God's son, Israel.
Because God had promised to raise up a son who would follow and who would go his way and not Satan's way.
And remember how Israel were slaves in Egypt under the brutal reign of Pharaoh.
And God had come and said to them,
Israel is my firstborn son.
Let my son go that he might worship me.
And so God's son, Israel, were released.
They were to go with God to worship him.
And on their release, they entered the wilderness for 40 years,
where they went through a time of tempting, a time of testing.
But it was a test.
They failed.
They grumbled and they complained.
They turned their back on God and longed to be back in Egypt again.
They were deceived by the lies of Satan.
God's son, Israel, failed to be the people God called them to be.
Instead of triumphing and being victorious,
they were losing the battle.
And that's been the problem throughout the history of humanity.
Faced with a choice of walking with God or living as our own God,
we choose self over God all of the time.
We've been born into sin,
trapped and enslaved,
and we can't free ourselves.
In a sense, we are all failed sons.
But true to God's word,
God promised a faithful son, didn't he?
And that faithful son did come.
Just as Israel went into the wilderness to be tested for 40 years,
so Jesus comes and he is sent into the wilderness for 40 days.
And he goes through a time of testing.
But unlike Israel, the unfaithful son,
Jesus is the true and faithful son.
Verse 3,
The tempter came to him and said,
If you are the son of God,
tell these stones to become bread.
And Jesus answered,
It is written,
Man shall not live by bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Three times the devil tempts,
and each time the son remains steadfast,
loyal and faithful
as he enters into the battle,
the confrontation.
Have a look at verse 10.
And as the tempting came,
Jesus said to him,
Verse 10,
Away from me, Satan,
for it is written,
Worship the Lord your God
and serve him only.
You see,
You and I go through times of testing all the time.
And yet we seem to fail that test so often.
We worship self.
We serve my desires and my wants.
But there is one who stands strong.
And he passes the test.
And he worships God.
He never fails.
For Jesus is the faithful son.
Satan can't deceive him
or trip him up or trick him.
Satan cannot lead him astray,
no matter what he throws to him.
Here, Jesus,
have the kingdoms of the world
as if Satan could offer it to him.
Already Satan had tried to destroy Jesus,
didn't he?
Remember when the birth of Jesus was announced?
King Herod was furious.
He ordered that all the boys
in Bethlehem age 2 and under
would be slaughtered.
Yes, Herod would be responsible.
But who's standing behind these evil acts?
Only the desire of Satan
to destroy God's king.
But God's promise of a faithful son
will not be broken.
God's plan never fails.
That means this faithful son
can come and help you and me.
Because we need somebody
who will come in and stand for us
and go where we cannot go.
Because Jesus comes as our representative.
He passes the test on our behalf.
He doesn't fail.
He confronts the devil for us
and he wins.
Jesus is the perfect son
who is fully equipped and qualified
to go into the battle for us.
And that's exactly what Jesus does.
So first, Jesus confronts the devil
and he wins.
Second, he means he can now
enter into the darkness
to set us free.
The battle lines have been drawn.
The kingdom of heaven has come
through the kingdom of his son
and he confronts head on
the kingdom of Satan.
And the battle is truly fierce.
Look at verse 12.
When Jesus heard that John
had been put in prison,
he withdrew to Galilee.
Remember, we looked at John last week.
He was the one, the forerunner,
announcing the coming of Jesus.
And what's happened to John?
Well, he's now imprisoned.
Satan is again at work
trying to disrupt the ways of God.
Verse 13.
Hearing this news,
Jesus left Nazareth
and went and lived in Capernaum,
which was by the lake
in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali.
So he'd gone from Jerusalem
following the river Jordan north
up to the lake of Galilee.
Once again,
Jesus' movement is intentional.
He's not just escaping.
There's a plan and a purpose behind it.
For look what verse 14 says.
He goes to Zebulun and Naphtali.
Why?
To fulfill what was said
through the prophet Isaiah.
You see, Jesus is on a mission
to set us free.
Jesus is going to a people
who are living in darkness.
Look at verse 15, the quote.
This is what we learn about the people.
Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali.
The way of the sea beyond the Jordan.
Galilee of the Gentiles.
The people are living in darkness.
Darkness is the Bible's way
of talking about the presence of evil
and our hearts of sin.
And the world has seen
some very, very dark days.
This weekend we commemorate
the Holocaust
when up to 8 million human beings,
people just like us,
were brutally exterminated.
What a terrible darkness it was.
Today our nation
commemorates Bloody Sunday
which led to decades
of violence and hatred
and mindless death
of over 3,000 people
on our island.
What a terrible darkness
we have experienced
in our land.
And we too,
each one of us,
if we were to put a microphone
in front of us all,
we all have our own stories
of darkness, don't we?
Of troubled days
and hard times.
Things that have come
into our life.
But we too
are not innocent.
Because we too
have added to the darkness
by our cross words,
our selfish actions
and our unloving thoughts.
Isaiah's description
is right.
We live with a shadow
over us.
Look at verse 16.
These people, he says,
are living in the land
of the shadow
of death.
The darkness
of this world
has only one end.
And that is
death itself.
This is the kingdom
of Satan.
Darkness
and death
prevails.
This is what
we experience
in our life.
And sadly,
this is what we
inflict on each other.
But yet,
this is the world
that God himself
steps into.
He's not immune
to it.
He comes in the person
of his son.
Look back at verse
13.
Leaving Nazareth,
he went
and lived
in Capernaum.
He went
to a people
of darkness
and he lived
amongst them.
He entered
into the darkness.
He entered
into your world
and my world.
He understands.
He knows.
Because he encountered
darkness.
But he enters it
because he comes
to bring
light.
People are
in darkness.
But the light
has come.
Look at verse
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.
Every morning
at this time
of year,
if you're up
early enough,
that is,
you will
awaken
in the darkness.
But slowly
as the sun
begins to rise,
so that darkness
is dispelled.
Light has come.
Well,
that's exactly
what Jesus
has come to do.
He is the light
who comes
breaking through
into the darkness
for us.
And to understand
why we need
the light
of Jesus,
we need
to go back
to Isaiah
chapter 9
where this
quote
comes from.
So if you
go back
in your Bibles
to Isaiah
chapter 9
and we'll
see a little
bit clearer
why
the light
had to come.
Because we
live in a
world of
darkness
darkness,
we live
with the
shadow
of death
and we
look for a
way out
of it,
a way to
get through
it.
And here
in Isaiah
9,
or really
it's at the
very end
of chapter
8,
the last
couple of
verses,
we're
introduced
to,
well,
as Isaiah
describes them,
a people
who've ignored
God's word
and sought
their own
solution to
the darkness.
darkness.
And this
is what
they find.
Look at the
very end
of verse
21.
Looking
upwards,
they will
curse their
king and
their God,
shaking their
fists angrily
at God for
all that there
is.
And then
they will
look towards
the earth
and see
only distress
and darkness
and fearful
gloom,
and they
will be
thrust
into utter
darkness.
Isn't that
what we
do?
We look
to ourselves
and to
other people
to lift
the darkness
and to
remove the
shadow of
death,
but as we
look to
others,
what do
we find?
Well,
just more
distress and
darkness.
We look
to other
people and
what do
we get?
More fear
and gloom.
Rather than
fix our
lives and
our world,
we only
make things
worse.
That's why
we need
the light.
That's why
we need
Jesus.
Look at
chapter 9
verse 1.
Nevertheless,
there will
be no
more glooms
for those
who are
in distress.
Verse 2.
For the
people walking
in darkness
have seen
a great
light.
On those
living in
the land
of deep
darkness,
a light
has
dawned.
Jesus
has come.
Matthew
identifies
that who
Isaiah
is speaking
about is
Jesus,
the one
who comes
into the
darkness
of our
hearts
to destroy
the shadow
of death.
You see,
Jesus enters
the darkness
to set us
free.
And how
does he
do that?
Well,
he wins
the battle
for us.
He wins
the battle
for us.
Look down
at verse 5,
Isaiah
chapter 9
verse 5.
Isaiah
here
pictures a
battle
scene,
but it's
a battle
that has
been won.
Verse 5.
Every
warrior's
boot
used in
battle
and every
garment
that has
been rolled
in blood
will be
destined for
burning,
will be
fuelled
for the
fire.
The
garments
of war,
the
uniform
of the
soldier
has now
been taken
off,
stained in
blood.
The battle
was fierce.
It's been
ripped off
and now it
is burned
up because
they are no
longer needed.
The battle
has been
won.
we don't
need to
fight the
battle
because
Jesus has
come to
do the
battle for
us.
And that
battle was
ultimately
fought and
won for
us at
the cross
and it
was a
bloody
battle.
For as
Jesus took
my sin
and your
sin,
we are
told that
darkness
came over
the whole
land,
symbolic of
the ways
and deeds
of Satan.
Jesus was
thrust into
utter darkness,
suffering the
darkness of
hell for
you and
for me.
But yet
three days
later,
that warrior
who went
into battle
would rise
again from
the grave,
destroying
the shadow
of death
that is over
us,
his resurrection
confirming
that this
battle has
been won
once and
for all.
the apostle
Paul would
put it like
this,
you can read
on screen.
For he,
that is the
Son,
has rescued
us from
the dominion
of darkness
and brought
us into
the kingdom
of the
Son he
loves,
in whom
we have
redemption,
the forgiveness
of all
our sins.
He takes
us from
darkness
and brings
us into
light.
a place
of fear
and gloom
and distress
to a
kingdom of
love
and beauty
where we
are forgiven
and treasured
and made
his children.
That's
what Jesus
has done.
He has
faced the
devil for
us and
he wins,
fully equipped
and able
and qualified.
He enters
the battle
and he
does war
on our
behalf
so that
we can
enter his
kingdom.
So how
do we
experience
this kingdom
of light?
How do
we get
to enter?
Well,
third,
Jesus,
if you like,
the warrior
king,
the victorious
champion,
now comes
to us
and says,
follow me
as your
captain.
Follow me
as your
captain.
Because if we
are to know
and enjoy
the freedom
that he has
come to give
us,
then we need
to follow
him.
Let's go
back to
Matthew 4.
Back to
Matthew 4.
Matthew 5.
Because as
Jesus came
to live
in the
darkness,
he comes
to call
people to
follow him.
Look at
verse 19.
As Jesus
was walking
by the
lake,
he sees
two sets
of brothers.
Verse 19,
he says,
come,
follow me.
And at
once they
left their
nets and
followed him.
A little
later he
met two
more brothers
and Jesus
called to
them,
saying,
follow me,
and immediately
they followed
him.
You see,
following
Jesus is
nothing less
than a
radical
transformation
of our
whole life
and thinking,
our
perspective.
And the
question that
is before
us,
are we
going to
follow the
triumphant
king?
Are we
going to
be loyal
to our
commander
and captain?
For
Jesus comes
to us
and says,
if you
want to
experience
this
kingdom,
then you
must
follow me.
You must
follow.
Look back
in verse
17.
From that
time on,
Jesus
began to
preach,
repent,
for the
kingdom of
heaven has
come near.
The call
to follow
is essentially
a call
to repent.
It's saying,
will you
turn from
yourself?
Will you
put down
the weapons
that you
fight against
God and
your desire
to be
Lord and
King over
your life?
Will you
lay down
your weapons
and will
you turn
and trust
in the
Saviour,
the one
who has
won for
you?
Will you
trust him
who entered
the darkness
and has
given you
life?
You see,
to follow
Jesus is a
commitment to
say,
I am no
longer going
to trust in
my own
resources or
willpower.
I see
my weakness
and the
only one I
can follow
is the
strength of
my warrior,
the Lord
Jesus Christ,
who gives
us grace
and mercy
in every
test and
trial we
come up
against.
There is
nothing so
big or so
great that
he cannot
supply the
grace that
we need
in our
times of
trial and
temptation.
And when
we fail,
he gives
us forgiveness.
Will you
follow this
captain?
Will you
walk with
him?
It's a
life of
continuous
repentance
and faith
as we
trust in
our
redeemer who
takes us
from darkness
into light.
life of
God.
But not
only that,
our warrior
king calls
us to a
new purpose.
He gives
us a
brand new
mission.
Jesus is
come,
hasn't he,
to rescue
people from
the kingdom
of Satan.
He's come
to free us
from the
kingdom of
darkness,
to bring us
into the
kingdom of
light.
And now
that mission
is ours,
not to
fight the
battle because
that's already
won,
but to go
with new
weapons of
war,
the weapon
of the
gospel,
the good
news of
the Lord
Jesus Christ.
Look what it
says in
verse 19.
Jesus says
to these
fishermen,
come follow
me,
Jesus said,
and I will
send you
out to
fish for
people.
our mission
is now to
go empowered
and equipped
with the
good news
of Jesus,
not to
convince people
because that's
what God
will do,
but to
call people,
to point
them to
Jesus and
say,
look at
him,
the one
who can
take you
from distress
and darkness,
one who
can bring
you into
light and
beauty and
forgiveness.
He will
do it for
you.
As one
writer
commented,
we are not
here to
gaze at
the aquarium
in comfort.
We are to
go into
the rough
sea of
this world
and do
the work
of a
fisherman.
I'm
challenged
by that.
Maybe
we're too
busy gazing
at the
aquarium,
looking at
one another.
We're to
go into
the rough
seas of
this world
and to
do the
work of
a fisherman.
This is
our purpose.
This is
our new
goal.
This is
our aim
in life.
This is
the mission
that the
risen Lord
Jesus,
the victorious
captain,
has given
us.
Go and
make
disciples of
all nations
is how
Matthew
finishes his
gospel,
because that
is the
purpose.
So when
we waken
up each
morning,
remind
yourself,
who are
you?
Maybe
you think,
oh, I'm
a teacher,
I'm going
off to
school today,
I'm a
mother,
I'm looking
after my
kids today,
I'm a
worker,
I'm going
to be
online today.
Whoever
we are,
you wake
up and
you remind
yourself,
well,
remind
ourselves
this,
I need
to do
it.
Johnny,
you're a
fisherman.
You've
been
called
by God
to go
and present
the good
news to
people,
the gospel,
the power
that brings
people from
the kingdom
of darkness
to a kingdom
of light.
So mums,
when you
wake up,
you're not
just a taxi
driver for
your children,
you're calling
your children
to the kingdom.
kingdom.
When you
spend time
with your
family,
yes,
you're there
to provide
and to
care,
but you're
to raise
a family
for the
kingdom.
When you
socialize
with your
friends,
yes,
we have
a laugh,
yes,
it's to
be good
fun,
but we
are calling
them to
a kingdom.
And when
you go to
work,
yes,
you want
to get a
salary to
pay off all
your bills,
yes,
you want
to perhaps
go up
the career
ladder,
but you
are there,
God has
placed you
there to
bring the
light of
his kingdom
through every
act of
service by
listening
attentively
and
sensitively,
praying for
those who
will meet,
giving a
reason for
the hope
we have,
calling
people to
the kingdom.
Are we
going to be
loyal?
to this
kingdom
work that
we have
been called
to?
Did you
notice the
response of
the brothers?
Do you
see what
they said
at verse
20?
At
once,
they left
their nets
and followed
him.
Verse 22,
immediately
they left
their boat
and their
father and
followed
him.
this is
a matter
of life
and death.
This is
serious.
It's the
kingdom of
darkness
versus the
kingdom of
light.
The kingdom
of Satan
which ends
in destruction
or the
kingdom of
heaven
which is
life eternal.
God
you see
when Jesus
calls us
and he is
calling us
today
he's calling
us to
leave work.
They left
their nets.
He's calling
us to leave
family.
They left
their father
and they
followed him.
Now
does Jesus
really mean
for me to
leave work
and not to
go to work
tomorrow and
move out of
my house and
leave my
family?
Now if we
read on through
Matthew's
gospel we
discover that
they did
continue fishing
and they
did spend
time with
their family.
So what
does it
mean?
Well it
means holding
loosely our
work and our
family and
grasping
tightly the
priorities of
Jesus.
You see I
think it's
fair to say
isn't it?
Aren't work
and family the
things that
dominate our
minds most of
all?
Aren't we
thinking about
our families
the most?
Don't we
think about
work the
most?
Don't we
talk about
these things
the most?
It's what we
build our
lives around.
But rather
than hold on
to work for
our security
he's saying
hold on to
me.
Hold on to
Jesus.
Instead of
clinging on to
family for
comfort and
for all our
needs cling
to Jesus.
Why?
Well because we
can lose our
work at any
stage.
Your job can
be taken from
you just like
that.
We can lose
our family,
any members of
our family,
myself, any of
us could die at
any moment.
None of it
lasts.
But we can
never ever
lose Jesus.
Nothing can
separate us
from him.
Not even the
darkness,
not even death.
The kingdom of
this world will
be blown away
but the kingdom
of heaven
will last
forever.
Forever.
Jesus has
confronted the
devil for you
and for me
and he has
won.
He's entered
the darkness
and he's
fought the
battle for
us.
And now he
calls us,
follow me,
follow me
in this
kingdom work.
Join the
fight.
Pick up the
weapon of the
good news of
Jesus Christ
and go
wherever you
are scattered.
Your loyalty
to me
and I will
be with you.
Let's pray.
Amen.
Father,
once again,
your word
presents
before us
your amazing
son,
our
savior,
who has
won
salvation
for us,
who has
brought us
from a
kingdom of
darkness
into the
kingdom of
the son
he loves
and
how we are treasured and loved
and cared for by you.
Thank you for life today.
Thank you for an eternal kingdom to come.
And we pray
that in light of all of this
we will follow you.
Father, would you impress upon us
the areas of our life
that we so tightly hold on to
that we would let it go
and grasp firmly
the priorities of your kingdom.
Go with us as you have promised.
Use us
to bring our children,
our family,
those within our community,
those we'll meet tomorrow.
Use us
to bring them and point them
to the kingdom of light.
Help us, we pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
We're going to sing
the church.
We're going to sing