“Light Has Dawned in the Shadow of Death” January 26, 2014 Matthew 4:12-23, “12Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. 13And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: 16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.” 17From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 18And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 21Going 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. He called them, 22and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. 23And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. “The Shadow of Death,” Ominous words in today’s world. In this world, there cannot be life without death. There is also death in the spiritual sense, that we can be dead in Christ and dead to the promises of God. There is a rejoicing through the words of Matthew 4:16, “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.” It is interesting to note that just prior to this scripture, we hear of the temptation of Jesus for 40 days and nights in the desert. This relates to the 40 years that Israel wandered in the wilderness. Satan acknowledged that Jesus is the Son of God. Importantly, we see that Jesus stands up to the temptation as a human and turns to God for His strength. Matthew 4:17, “17From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This is the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus, bringing light to Israel and to the world. We, like the disciples, are called to ministry and to share in the Light of Christ. The calling of the disciples is recorded in all four of the Gospels so it stands to reason that it is important to us. For me the importance is the faith and dedication offered by the disciples in following Christ. Is it God that you do not trust; or it that you cannot trust yourself to do what God asks of you? To find the answers I would refer you to the three questions. 1. Who is this man, Jesus Christ? The Son of God who created all things. 2. How does He know me? He created every cell within you. 3. What does He have that I don’t have? The ability to save you, to forgive you, and to give you everlasting life. Psalm 27:1, “The Lord is my Light and my Salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the Strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” We look at the power that is given to us through a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. When times of trouble have seemed to taken over our lives, God is with us, the Holy Spirit is with us, and the very Spirit of Jesus Christ is with us. Matthew 4:23, “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.” Christ is still doing that same thing this very day through the Holy Spirit in our lives and in countless lives throughout the world. Imagine walking away from your family and job to follow someone you have only heard of. Without faith it would be a time filled with fear and the unknown. Today our lives are filled with decisions and directions that border on the unknown. The promises of God are fulfilled through Christ and therein rests the basis for our faith. Psalm 27:4-6, “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me; therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises of the Lord.” You cannot have mountaintops without also having valleys. I have been on mountaintops; I have also been within the confines of the valleys of death and have felt the walls of fear, anger, and loss closing in around me. God called me His own, illuminated my path, and made me safe within the Light of Jesus Christ. God will do the same for you! Let us pray: “Father God, though we walk in the valley of the shadow of death, You are truly with us in all that we do. We praise You Father, and thank You with our hearts and souls for providing us with Your Son and Your Holy Spirit. Be with us as we go forth this day to take the Light of Christ to those still living in darkness and allow us to be bold in our witness. As You have nourished us with Your blessings, we ask that You strengthen us in our times of weakness. Lord, may we always remember Your wonderful grace when we walk within the shadow of death.” Amen
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 23:21:22 +0000
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