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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to Matthew chapter four. The Gospel of Matthew chapter 
four. Matthew four, I'll pick up reading 
in verse twelve and read to the end of the chapter. Now, when 
Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he departed to 
Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, he came 
and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions 
of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was 
spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, The land of Zebulun and 
the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, 
Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who sat in darkness 
have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region 
in shadow of death, light has dawned. From that time, Jesus 
began to preach and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is 
at hand. And 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. Then he said to them, Follow 
me, and I will make you fishers of men. They immediately left 
their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two 
other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother. In the boat was Zebedee, their 
father, mending their nets. He called them and immediately 
they left the boat and their father and followed him. And 
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. Then, his fame went 
throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all sick people 
who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those 
who were demon-possessed, epileptics and paralytics, and he healed 
them. Great multitudes followed him 
from Galilee and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond 
the Jordan. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, 
we thank you for the Holy Scripture, and we pray for the Spirit who 
produced it through men to come now and to guide us as men in 
an understanding of your truth. We just confess our sin to you 
and pray for forgiveness and fresh cleansing in the blood 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. We know sin casts a darkening 
influence upon our minds and hearts, and we pray that you 
would disperse that even now, God, and cause us to receive 
your word with gladness. We pray, Father, for those today 
who remain in darkness. We pray that the light would 
dawn upon them by the power of your spirit, that your glorious 
gospel would be indeed good news to sinners today, that you would 
be well pleased to save to the uttermost those who draw nigh 
unto you through Jesus Christ our Lord. And it's in his most 
blessed name that we pray. Amen. Well, this morning we're 
going to speak specifically on verses twelve to seventeen, a 
bit of a transition passage between what has preceded and obviously 
what follows. Remember, thus far we have seen 
introductory comments concerning the Lord Jesus, specifically 
introduction or preparation with reference to his public ministry. Those three preparatory events 
were the preaching of John the Baptist in chapter three, verses 
one to twelve. And then the baptism of Jesus 
by John in verses 13 to 17. And then, of course, the Son 
of God is let out into the wilderness by the Spirit in order to be 
tempted by the devil was common for a son of a king to go through 
a testing to show his grit, to show his ability, to show the 
fact that he indeed was fit for the task. And, of course, Christ 
comes through this. glowingly, without sin, completely. And so this morning we're going 
to look, as I said, at verses 12 to 17. But just notice the 
rest of chapter 4 sort of foreshadows the entirety of Jesus' ministry. We see that Jesus preaches according 
to verse 17. We see that Jesus engages in 
discipleship in verses 18 to 22. And we see that Jesus heals 
a great multitude in verses twenty three to twenty five. So that 
will be programmatic for how the Lord Christ carries out his 
ministry on behalf of sinners. But as we take up the dawn of 
the messianic light this morning, we're going to look at three 
particulars in our passage. First, the occasion. Secondly, 
the fulfillment of Isaiah nine. And thirdly, the message of the 
kingdom. That's where we're going in our 
exposition this morning. The occasion is clear versus 
twelve and thirteen. It is at the time of the arrest 
of John the Baptist. Verse twelve says, Now, when 
Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he departed to 
Galilee. Matthew won't tell us why John 
was in prison until later on in Matthew 14. I believe he assumed 
that his readers already knew the situation. John did not shrink 
back from declaring righteousness and truth. And he preached the 
sermon that in the language of Rolf Barnard cost him his head. It was a sermon that cost him 
his head, and so the occasion here is the arrest of the Baptist. After the testing in the wilderness, 
just in case you're ever reading Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and 
you see what appears to be a bit of a different approach, remember 
that the gospel writers are guided more theologically than chronologically. They have a specific theological 
purpose in the presentation of their data. And after the testing 
of the Son of God, Luke immediately locates Jesus in Nazareth, where 
he preaches on the Sabbath day and he is rejected by his townspeople. But he also references the fact 
that there was a previous ministry in Capernaum, so there is no 
discrepancy here. As well, when we compare with 
John's gospel, we'll notice that there was some ministry conducted 
both in Judea and Galilee prior to this particular move into 
Galilee. Grant Osborne says John 1 to 
5 shows that Jesus' ministry actually began earlier, interspersing 
ministry in Judea and Galilee before moving to Capernaum. But 
Matthew, Mark, and Luke take up the Galilean ministry as the 
public presentation of Messiah the King. And then notice where 
Jesus goes, verse 13. Leaving Nazareth, he came and 
dwelt in Capernaum. Remember that Nazareth was where 
he was reared. He's born in Bethlehem, to be 
sure, but because of persecution, his parents returned to their 
hometown of Nazareth. So Jesus goes back to Nazareth 
in Galilee. Remember, this is the northern 
part of Israel. It's going to be very important 
as we proceed in our exposition this morning that you understand 
there's a northern part. Now, this is going to dazzle 
you and a southern part. Isn't that amazing? Northern 
and Southern. You need to keep that in mind. 
Northern tribes of Israel, Southern tribes of Judah. Galilee is the 
region name for that Northern portion. Judea is that region 
name for the Southern portion. Remember that Judea is where 
Jerusalem is. As Pastor Cam just read, Jesus 
sets his face like a flint to go to Jerusalem, ultimately to 
be tried, to be executed and to rise again. But first and 
foremost, at this point, he's in Galilee. And so he dwells 
in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the regions of Zebulun 
and Naphtali. And I believe that Matthew records 
this dwelling in Capernaum to prepare us for the prophet Isaiah 
chapter nine. Remember that Matthew is writing 
primarily to a Jewish audience. What I think he wants to accomplish 
is to show that Christ is Isaiah's servant of the Lord, who has 
come to save his people from their sins. More on that in just 
a moment, but it's important for us to get this. Matthew locates 
Jesus in Capernaum to highlight this fulfillment passage of Isaiah 
9. Knox Chamberlain, in his very 
good commentary, says this concerning Jesus' location to Capernaum. I mean, on the one hand, it would 
seem that he'd go back to his hometown. Not that he never visits 
there, as Luke records, and Matthew will later record as well. But 
it seems that Jesus picked this particular spot with a specific 
purpose in mind. Listen to Chamblin. He says the 
reason given for Jesus' action is neither social, to escape 
the wrath of his townspeople, nor economic, to establish a 
carpentry business in a more promising place, nor aesthetic, 
to live near the water. It wasn't as if Jesus said, oh, 
I like the property there in Capernaum. It's right on the 
Sea of Galilee, and it's a much more pleasant place to live. 
Chamberlain rightly notes it was neither social, economic, 
or aesthetic, he says, but theological, in order that what had been said 
through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled. Matthew is theologizing. Matthew is interpreting Old Testament 
data. Matthew is showing us the fulfillment 
of Isaiah chapter 9, verses 1 to 2. And that is what we'll take 
up now. Notice in verse 14, it says that 
it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet. We've already seen several fulfillment 
passages up to this point. Go back for just a moment. Chapter 
1, verse 22. Jesus is the Immanuel prophesied 
by Isaiah. See that verse twenty two. So 
all this was done that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken 
by the Lord through the prophet. We saw it in chapter two, verse 
fifteen, a reference to Hosea, the prophet. Jesus is the firstborn 
son called out of Egypt. We see it in Chapter 2, verses 
17 and 18. The exile is over and the deliverer 
escapes the wrath of wicked men. And then we saw in Chapter 2, 
verse 23, Jesus is called a Nazarene. Remember, Nazareth didn't exist 
at the time of the prophets. The idea is that he would be 
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He would be a man 
of lowly condition. That's the point of this reference 
in chapter 2, verse 23. So we've come to another fulfillment 
passage. I want you to pay attention. 
Understanding the context of the prophet Isaiah helps you 
to appreciate what Matthew is doing in Matthew chapter four 
in the introduction of Jesus' ministry among sinners. You can turn back to Isaiah the 
prophet for just a moment. Isaiah chapter nine. Isaiah chapter 
nine. For those of you who are members 
in our church and regular attenders, one of the things that I mentioned 
when we introduced our study to Matthew, our study of the 
gospel of Matthew, I said if we weren't careful or if we were 
paying attention along the way, we would learn something about 
the Old Testament. And I hope that we will learn 
something even now. And appreciate, again, the way 
Matthew shows that this is fulfilled in the person and work of the 
Lord Jesus. Prior to Isaiah 9, go back for 
just a moment to Isaiah 7. Isaiah 7, political intrigue. conspiracies, machinations on 
a governmental level. That's what we find. At this 
particular time in Judah's history, that's the southern tribe. It's 
going to be a test for everybody when you leave this morning. 
What's the northern tribe called? Israel. What's the southern tribe? 
Judah. Well, at this particular time 
in Judah, there was a king by the name of Ahaz. And Ahaz was 
a wretch. Ahaz was a wicked man. Ahaz was 
an ungodly man. And what had happened, most scholars 
agree, is that the king of the north of Israel, a man by the 
name of Pekah, and the king of Syria, a man by the name of Retzin, 
they tried to make an alliance with Ahaz. They said, let's gather 
together and fight the Assyrian armies. Assyria was the empire 
at the particular time. Ahaz rebuffed them, and what 
happens is that these two men launch an attack upon Ahaz's 
kingdom, specifically upon Jerusalem. And so the purpose of Isaiah 
here, specifically in chapter 7 to 9, is to call Ahaz to trust 
God. It's a great summary statement 
of the entirety of Isaiah 7 to 9. Trust Yahweh. Don't listen 
to what these other people have to say. Don't listen to these 
foreign alliances. Don't engage yourself in wickedness 
and ungodliness. Don't align with those in whom 
there is no help. He tells him to trust in Jehovah. He wants him to be faithful. 
Now, later on, or as we learn in 2 Kings 15 and 16, and in 
2 Chronicles 28, Ahaz doesn't listen to God. Ahaz actually appeals to the 
king of Syria and forms an alliance with him, or tries to form an 
alliance with him. All this to highlight that Isaiah 
7 and 9 is a bleak time in Israel's history. A very dark time, if 
you will. These people sat in darkness, 
not just with reference to sin, as we'll explore in a moment, 
but with reference to everything around them. I mean, it's a bad 
thing when your governmental or elected officials are wretched, 
when they're ungodly, when they seek out alliances with other 
ungodly and wretched men. That is precisely what's going 
on here. So God dispatches the prophet 
Isaiah, tells him to tell Ahaz not to form this alliance. And 
he tells him, don't worry about these things. Don't worry about 
the northern tribes of Israel. And don't worry about Syria. 
I will take care of them. This is God's word of comfort 
and protection to them. So in the midst of judgment, 
hardship and trial, God promises goodness. God promises protection. God promises salvation. In fact, 
go to chapter 8 for just a moment. In chapter 8, there would be 
this temptation for the king, for the government officials 
to seek out a word, to seek out the occult, to seek out a message, 
to seek out something that would verify or confirm their their 
particular stand and God says to Isaiah, no, it is to the law 
and to the testimony. They must listen to the truth. So, in many respects, Isaiah 
here is pleading with Ahaz not to engage in ungodly alliances. 
And in the midst of this, God then highlights the fact that 
there would be judgment, that there would be decline, that 
there would be all manner of wicked things that would come 
upon them. Note the end of chapter 8, verse 21. It says, Then they 
will pass through it hard-pressed and hungry, and it shall happen, 
when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and curse their 
king and their God, and look upward. Then they will look to 
the earth and see trouble and darkness, bloom of anguish, and 
they will be driven into darkness. It's a bleak scene, isn't it? 
You might all be tempted at this point to say, what does this 
have to do first with God, second with Christ and third with Mother's 
Day? I mean, doesn't this man know 
it's Mother's Day? What's his problem? Bear with 
me. I want you to see why Matthew 
appeals to this passage to introduce Jesus' ministry. Darkness, gloom, 
trouble. Nevertheless, look at chapter 
nine, verse one. Nevertheless, the gloom will 
not be upon her who is distressed, as when at first he lightly esteemed 
the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. Why does he mention 
these two regions or these two tribes? Because they were northern 
most. They would be the first to fall. 
They would be the first deported. They would be the first destroyed. They would be the ones that would 
know the rigidness and the wretchedness of the Assyrian invasion. And 
he speaks to this particular issue and afterward more heavily 
oppressed her by the way of the sea beyond the Jordan in Galilee 
of the Gentiles. The people who walked in darkness 
have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in the land of 
the shadow of death upon them, a light has shined. This is what 
Matthew links to the Lord Jesus. This is where Matthew is going 
in his basic introduction to the life and ministry of the 
Lord Jesus. He is saying that what the people 
have suffered under for so many hundreds of years, the light 
has gone. The Messiah is here. The servant 
of Yahweh has come on the scene. He will make it good. He will 
diffuse the darkness with his light. He links this specifically 
to that passage in Isaiah 9, verses 6 and 7. For unto us a 
child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government 
will be upon his shoulder and his name will be called Wonderful 
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Edward 
Payson says, admire him as wonderful, consult him as counselor, adore 
him as God, be born of him as your everlasting father and submit 
to him as the Prince of Peace. The prophet then describes the 
nature of his reign and of his kingdom in verse seven of the 
increase of his government and peace. There will be no end upon 
the throne of David and over his kingdom to order it and establish 
it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even 
forever. The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will 
perform this. In the context, Isaiah 7 is the 
promise of Emmanuel to come. Matthew does the very same thing 
in Matthew chapter 1. Matthew is teaching us theology. He is saying the exile is over. The darkness is diffused. The 
light has dawned. Salvation has come. And it's 
a blessed and beautiful statement that Jesus begins this ministry 
in Galilee of the Gentiles. It is a worldwide, global mission 
to rescue his people from their sin. Thus far in Matthew's gospel, 
we have seen his emphasis on the inclusion of Gentiles, the 
covenantal context of Matthew 1.1. He's the son of David, son 
of Abraham. We've seen the statement in chapter 
121. He will save his people from their sin. We have seen 
the various Gentiles. We saw the various Gentiles in 
the genealogy. We've seen the fact that the 
Magi come and they worship him. They come from the east. Matthew 
is teaching to us that this is not just a ghetto savior, not 
a localized savior, not an Israeli mascot, but he is indeed the 
savior of the world. That is why the appeal to Isaiah, 
the prophet chapter nine. Now go back to Matthew 4, and 
let's just open this up just a bit. Matthew 4. Hopefully everybody's 
tracking. You've got Isaiah 7-9. You know 
a little bit about Ahaz. You know a little bit about this 
Syro-Ephraimite alliance to try and destroy them. You can read 
later on about Ahaz in more detail. It didn't end well. He was an 
apostate, a wretch. By his moral decline, he led 
Judah into grievous and wicked sin. But going back to Matthew 
4 for just a moment, not for just a moment, where we'll focus 
now, I want us to notice two things as we consider still this 
fulfillment of Isaiah 9, 1 and 2. Notice the wretched condition 
of these people. The people who sat in darkness 
and then dropping down in verse 16 and upon those who sat in 
the region and shadow of death. The Bible often uses darkness 
as a metaphor for spiritual problems. Sin. Wickedness. Depravity. John the Apostle tells 
us God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. When Paul 
is preaching, or Paul highlights his conversion account to Agrippa, 
he tells him what Jesus commissioned him to do. In Acts 26, verse 
18, it says to open their eyes in order to turn them from darkness 
to light. and from the power of Satan to 
God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among 
those who are sanctified by faith in me." You know, what's interesting 
as we consider this particular passage, verse 16, the people 
who sat in darkness and upon those who sat in the region in 
shadow of death, they didn't know it. They didn't know it. They didn't understand it. They 
weren't sitting there waiting for the hope of Israel to come 
and deliver them. And I think the same lesson is 
true today. I suspect there are some sitting 
here this morning in darkness, not because it's dark in here, 
but I'm speaking about the darkness of the soul, the sinfulness in 
your heart, and you don't even realize it. You don't recognize 
it. Jesus speaks about men who love 
darkness. They hate the light. They don't 
want to come to the light. Why? Lest their evil deeds be 
exposed. It's very intriguing to go back 
to 2 Kings 17. You don't need to turn there. 
But it is very interesting what happens when Tiglath-Pileser 
III finally conquers the northern tribe. He deports them, or a 
bulk of them, off to Assyria. This is the same Assyria we've 
studied, or we've thought about in our Wednesday night studies 
with both Jonah and Nahum. These were a wretched folk. These 
were an ungodly people. I mean, when they wanted you 
to go, they'd put a hook in your nose and a wire, and they'd hoard 
you and herd you and take you right back to their place. If 
you were a coastal people, they put you in the mountainous region. 
If you were a mountain person, they put you in a coastal region. 
They kept you off your game. They kept you off kilter. They 
kept you off your balance. And it's interesting, when they 
invaded the Northern Kingdom, not only did they deport Israel, 
but they brought in foreign peoples. They brought in different peoples. 
That's why it became Galilee of the Gentiles. It might even 
predate that. Solomon gave cities in the north 
to Hiram, king of Tyre. So it had a long-standing reputation 
as being Galilee of the Gentiles. But it's interesting. In 2 Kings 
17, the peoples now populate this northern area, and what 
happens? God is angry with them and sends 
lions to kill them. I've always wondered, I've always 
thought, if you knock on your door and you open it and there's 
a lion there, God has an ax to grind with you. God uses lions 
throughout the Bible in a way that shows his disapproval of 
you and your actions. So, be careful. But God sends 
these lions in 2 Kings 17. You know what the response is? 
You know what the answer is? Let's learn the customs. Let's learn the ritual. Let's learn enough religion about 
this Yahweh to stop the lions. Follow me, please. Because I 
think 2 Kings 17 looks a lot like North America. We're in 
the midst of darkness. We call out to God for enough 
religion to protect us from the lions. Enough religion to protect 
our crops. Enough religion to keep food 
in our refrigerators. Enough religion to keep clothes 
on our backs or a shelter over our head. It says that the peoples 
who settled the land, they made their gods, they kept making 
their gods, and they tried to tie them with Yahweh of Israel. And the section drifts with irony. It says they feared the Lord 
and they continued with their carved images. Well, any reader, 
any person with that much understanding realizes the author is dripping 
with irony. You don't fear the Lord and serve 
your carved images any more than you men bring your girlfriends 
home to have company with you and your wife. You say, that's 
wicked. That's evil. That's wretched. 
Exactly. And what's going on throughout 
the land today? Give us enough religion just 
so we are happy. Give us enough religion so that 
I'm safe for eternity. Lordship, following, discipleship, 
those are all antiquated puritanical concepts. I want Jesus to save 
me, but I don't want to serve Him. That's the kind of religion I 
witness. What Michael Horton calls moralistic, therapeutic 
deism. We want enough God to salve our 
wounds and to help our consciences, but we don't want to worship. 
We don't want to bow. We don't want to engage in covenantal 
fidelity. We don't want to take up our 
cross daily and follow Jesus. Who are you, preacher? Are you 
crazy? You see, that's the darkness 
that had settled upon the land. That is the region into which 
Jesus went. See, we oftentimes think that 
revival will come when we clean up our act. Generally, revival 
is God's answer to the spiritual depravity of his people. I'm not suggesting go out and 
live as depraved as we can so that we get revival. New marketing 
scheme. Just go live like the devil and 
God will send revival. I'm not suggesting that at all. 
But revival or an outpouring of the Spirit or empowered preaching 
is God's response to the darkness that is settled over the land. Now, you just need to take notice 
of this particular passage in verse 16. Are you sitting in 
darkness? Is that your lot this morning? 
You want enough Jesus, enough God, enough religion just to 
make you happy? Do you want enough Jesus, enough 
religion, enough God just to keep your parents off your back? Do you want enough Jesus or enough 
religion or enough God just to make your wife, your husband 
happy? Please, I'm asking you, examine 
your hearts before the word of the living God. This isn't rhetoric. It isn't literary technique. 
It is a serious question posed to your conscience. Do you sit 
in darkness? Have you come to the light which 
is Christ? Have you seen yourself as God 
sees you? And have you cast yourself upon 
his mercy and upon his grace? John Calvin said, Our souls are 
plunged in the darkness of everlasting death. See, that's what's at 
stake here. This isn't a sermon to make Reformed 
Baptists. It's not a sermon to build up 
a church wall. It's a message orchestrated under the power 
of the Spirit, not because of me, but because of Matthew. He 
wants you to face this dawning light. Calvin says, till he enlightens 
them by his grace. The prophet's discourse relates, 
no doubt, to the destruction of the nation, but presents to 
us as in a mirror what is the condition of mankind until they 
are delivered by the grace of Christ. Do you ever read the 
newspapers or see the news and you start to get really perplexed? You scratch your head and you 
wonder how in the world could so-called dignified man ever 
do such atrocities? How in the world could God's 
image bearer fall into such a place where he molests children? Where 
he engages in spousal abuse? Where Rex himself and all manner 
of wickedness and lawlessness, have you ever wondered why it's 
darkness? The Christian actually has the 
answer. It's not pleasant, we shouldn't 
rejoice in it, but we do have the answers. If you are here 
this morning and you have not come to this light that has dawned 
and has blazed brightly since, then you're in darkness. It doesn't 
matter how respectable you look. It doesn't matter how polished 
you are. It doesn't matter if you pay 
your taxes on time. It doesn't matter if you never 
cheat from your employer. It matters alone what you think 
of Christ. That's what Matthew wants us 
to get. He says 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. Commentators suggest 
that it's the same, a form of the same word that is used when 
that light shines to the Magi and directs them to the Holy 
Jesus. This light has come. This light 
has dawned. This light is in power. Jesus 
and John 8 describes himself as I am the light of the world. We need to embrace the fact that 
we are sinners, that we are darkened, that that is our issue and our 
problem. Until we come to that reality, 
the gospel makes no sense. It's just the story of a martyr. 
It's the story of a very nice man. It's the story of self-sacrifice. It's the story of self-love, 
our love for others. It's a story of example setting. Until we come to the reality 
that we are sinners justly condemned under the wrath and fury of God, 
and that Jesus is our sacrifice, Jesus is our substitute, Jesus 
is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the 
gospel makes no sense. So, as he speaks about the darkness 
that reigns in the hearts of men, he says that God has countered 
that darkness in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. D.A. Carson said, if the messianic 
light dawns on the darkest places, then Messiah's salvation can 
only be a bestowal of grace. Namely, that Jesus came to call, 
not the righteous, but sinners. Isn't that beautiful? Jesus begins 
his public ministry in Galilee of the Gentiles. You could hear 
the church growth strategists in the South. You could hear 
the Pharisees and the Sadducees now. Oh, don't waste your time 
there. Don't even bother there. It's 
a place peopled with Samaritans. It's a place peopled with idolaters. It's a place peopled with Gentiles. Little did they know that the 
darkness that was extant in Judah was 10,000 times more dark than 
what was going on in Galilee of the Gentiles. I think Matthew 
will develop that later on in his gospel as well. You can hear 
them. Don't go up there. Go over here. This is a lucrative part of town, 
Jesus. Certainly, men will be more apt 
to receive your preaching and your teaching there. Go to these 
polished ones, Jesus, because certainly men would be more apt 
to respond in faith to what you have to say. Not that I think 
the Pharisees and the Sadducees would have given him any counsel, 
but just transferring it to our own modern parlance. Oh, no, 
you can't go there. They're too bad. They're too 
wicked. They're too horrific. I mean, 
Jesus, haven't you read Second Kings 17? Haven't you seen how 
they made dogs? Haven't you seen how they just 
tried to cope with the situation around? Certainly, Jesus, you 
can't think for a moment that there's any hope for those people. 
Jesus is the hope of the world. Jesus is the light of the world. 
Jesus can dispel the darkness. Jesus alone is the means or the 
way rather of salvation. And the same is true for you 
this morning. Again, whether you're young or 
old, whether you're a member or attender, whether you're a 
visitor or not, whatever your particular condition is, if you've 
not looked to Christ, if you've not believed the gospel, you're 
in darkness. One hope. One way. One means. One bright light that 
exists in the universe of God and His name is Jesus Christ. The people who sat in darkness 
have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region 
in shadow of death, light has dawned. Now let's look thirdly 
and finally at Jesus' message of the kingdom. Verse 17, From 
that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent, for the kingdom 
of heaven is at hand. From that time, it will appear 
again in 1621 and 2616. It marks the beginning of something 
new. John has been arrested. Jesus 
has gone to Capernaum. Jesus has entered into Galilee 
of the Gentiles. From that time, this is the declaration. This is the message. This is 
the point. Spurgeon says it's Jesus' first 
and last message, isn't it? He says, repent for the kingdom 
of God is at hand. What does he say in Luke 24? 
You are to go and preach what? Good works? No, repentance to 
the peoples. This is the same as what we've 
already seen in John the Baptist. Notice in Matthew 3, verse one. In those days, John the Baptist 
came preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, repent for 
the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repent. What's it mean? First and foremost, 
it means a change of mind. We often associate the fruits 
of repentance with repentance. It's not a bad association, but 
we need to remember that repentance happens first in the mind. Repentance 
is a saving grace given by God. In fact, the Westminster Shorter 
Catechism says, What is repentance unto life? Repentance unto life 
is a saving grace whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin 
and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, does with grief 
and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God with full purpose 
of and endeavor after new obedience. That's as good an outside the 
Bible definition as exists. If you didn't get it all, type 
in Westminster Shorter Catechism number 87 on your Google search 
engine and you'll get it there. You got an iPod or an iPhone, 
you can get creeds and confessions right there. An app, there's 
an app for that. The Westminster Shorter Catechism 
in your pocket. Better to have it in your heart 
than in your mind. Good to internalize doctrine. Good to appropriate 
theology. What does Jesus say here? He 
says, repent. Change of mind. You can't continue 
in darkness. You can't continue to love the 
darkness. You can't continue to refuse 
the light. You can't despise the light, 
because God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. You know, 
when we consider repentance, we start to think about this 
change of mind and the actions that flow from it. Yes, we can 
see those fruits of repentance. We saw that in Luke's account 
when John preaches to the soldiers, for instance, he says, this is 
what repentance will look like for you. Each of us in our own 
sinfulness, each of us in our own propensities, each of us 
in our own inclination. When God grants repentance, we 
will manifest something of a parting with those sins. Go back to the 
analogy, you won't bring your girlfriend home anymore to meet 
your wife. You won't join Baal with Yahweh. You won't engage in self-destructive 
behavior. You won't hurt others. Now, brethren, 
you need to understand that there will be imperfection. Repentance 
is an ongoing thing. Repentance is a continuing thing. 
When you sin, confess it, forsake it, find mercy from God and repent. Repentance is often gauged on 
what a man thinks of sin. A lot of people profess to be 
Christians. Sure, if you walk down the street 
and you say, are you a Christian? A lot of people would say, yes, 
I'm a Christian. In North America, that has become shorthand for 
I'm not a Muslim, I'm not a Hindu, I'm not a Buddhist, I'm not a 
Sikh, and I'm not an atheist. Sure, I'm a Christian. But repentance? Listen again to the Catechism. 
Whereby a sinner out of a true sense of his sin. Remember David's psalm of repentance? Psalm 51, what does he say? He says, against thee and thee 
only have I sinned and done what was evil. When you say, David, 
you were pretty nasty to Uriah the Hittite. You were pretty 
nasty to Bathsheba. Don't you account for all of 
the wicked infliction of your evil upon those poor people? 
You see, repentance shows us God. Repentance brings us into 
what God thinks of our sin. That's why the catechism, out 
of a true sense of his sin. I believe Luther was right. If 
any of us had, for a moment, a true sense of our sin, we'd 
probably explode. We probably couldn't handle it. It would destroy us. It would 
undo us. We see something of that in the 
prophet Isaiah when he sees the holiness of Jesus Christ. In the year that King Uzziah 
died, he said, I saw the Lord high and lifted up. I saw the 
train of His robe fill the temple. I heard the angels praising Him. 
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is 
full of His glory. What's Isaiah's response? Wow, 
this is good. I'm going to write a book about 
this and sell it at the local bookstore and make a mint. Boy, 
I'm going to go on the speaking circuit. I'm going to go on religious 
broadcasting. I'm going to be interviewed by 
every, every reporter in the world because I've seen some 
really impressive things. When he saw that, he says, whoa, 
is me for I am undone. It destroyed him. He says, for 
I am a man of unclean lips, a prophet bemoaning his unclean lips. And 
I dwell amongst the people of unclean lips. Why, Isaiah? For my eyes have seen the Lord. That's what our catechism is 
getting to. Out of a true sense of his sin. Have you seen your sin as an 
offense to God? You may not have cried out like 
Isaiah. Or when Ezekiel is confronted 
with the glory of God, what does he do? He falls as a dead man. 
John the Apostle, after his commission, he sees the vision of the Son 
of Man. And what happens? He falls at 
his feet as a dead man. This is the typical response 
when a sinner comes into the presence of a holy God. It's 
not, hey, how you doing? What are you going to do for 
me? How are you going to fix it? How are you going to keep 
the lions at bay? That just is not Bible. And if 
you've been playing that sort of a game, then I am calling 
you today to listen to the word of the living Christ. Repent. Change the mind. Have a different 
orientation. See sin for what it is. See it 
not as that fun thing you get to engage in, but as that wicked 
thing that the God of heaven is at war with. Doesn't matter 
what the sin. Christians can categorize, well, 
I don't do anything really bad like that. But we gossip, we 
malign, we slander, we impute, we're engaged in all manner of 
verbal wickedness. But because we haven't engaged 
in homosexuality, somehow we think we're okay. What Bridges 
calls respectable sins. We need to repent. We need to 
repent. It might be a young person or 
a child who's professed faith in Christ. Well, remember, faith 
and repentance go hand in hand. It's interesting, in Mark's parallel 
account, when Jesus says, repent, for the kingdom of God is at 
hand, he says, and believe the gospel. Peter preaching on the 
day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, that's an alliteration, Peter 
preaching Pentecost, he says, repent and be baptized for the 
remission of sins. Later on, rehearsing these conversions, 
he says, they believed. Faith is penitent faith. Repentance is believing. You don't have one without the 
other. Yes, we're justified by faith 
alone. Biblical faith includes with 
it repentance unto life. This is Jesus' message today. Repent, and then the reason for 
the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The kingdom of God has arrived, 
the time of God's effective sovereignty has arrived, and now is the time 
for decisive action in response. That's R.T. Frantz. I think that 
encapsulates it well. The time of God's effective sovereignty 
has arrived, and now is the time for decisive action in response. If you have played games, religiously 
speaking, If you think you are going to go to heaven because 
you attend this church or any church, if you think because 
you can recite the Westminster Shorter Catechism, you have the 
acceptance with God that the Bible enjoins upon you, you are 
wrong, dead wrong. There's one means, one way, one 
hope, and it's the light of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, in conclusion, we see the 
fulfillment of Scripture. This is most important. I don't 
want to gloss over this. Matthew is crafting his gospel 
to demonstrate that Jesus is the one prophesied in the Old 
Testament, who would be the servant of the Lord and the deliverer 
of his people. He wants to announce that at 
the get-go. We saw it in Matthew 1.1, the 
book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the 
son of Abraham. That's the covenantal context. 
for all that Jesus will undertake. Verse twenty one speaks to the 
function that Jesus will engage in to carry out that covenant, 
and she will bring forth the sun and you will call his name 
Jesus free will save his people from their sins. Jesus in Matthew 
three verse fifteen makes this most important statement permitted 
to be so now for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness 
is like would be one of active obedience under the law of God, 
culminating ultimately in his passive obedience, which would 
be his death on the cross. And here at the introduction 
of his public ministry, Matthew pulls back the veil and says, 
this is the one whom Isaiah prophesied concerning the mission of Christ, 
the targets of his redemptive work, Jew and Gentile. He is 
indeed the savior of the world. You know, I can hear those people 
in this house saying, don't waste your time with those Samaritans. 
They're trash. They're garbage. They're foul. They're polluted. What is Jesus 
going, John, for? After a Samaritan woman. And 
not just a Samaritan woman. A pretty wicked one, too. Doesn't he? He says, go call 
your husband. She says, but I don't have a 
husband. Right. You've had five husbands 
and the one that's with you now is not your husband. What's her 
response when she meets her townspeople? Come see a man who told me all 
things that I ever did. She's joyous, she's found out 
in her sin and the remedy is now available. You know, the 
most pitiful person in this room is the one who tries to deny 
that they're a sinner. Or tries to minimize their sin. Or tries to cover their sin in 
their own attempt. Just face it, man. Face the facts. Face reality. You are a wretch. God sees you, as Edwards would 
picture, as a loathsome bug that he holds over the flames of hell. 
I mean, he paints this amazing picture. I would even argue you're 
worse than that loathsome bug. That loathsome bug does what 
that loathsome bug was created to do. Man is a sinner. Man is the rebel. Man has rejected 
God. Man is engaged in apostasy. The 
one who bears God's image fights against his creator. The targets 
of Jesus' redemptive mission, Jew and Gentile, the power of 
his redemptive work. He is a light that delivers men 
from darkness. You've all heard me admit before 
that I miss the man card when it comes to fixing things. I'm 
not the guy that loves my garage. I'm the guy that has to go out 
and clean it once in a while. That's about it. But I did venture 
to Home Depot the other day, and I liked it. Even those of 
us without man cards get excited in a store like that. They had 
a deal on mag lights. A two-pack of maglites, the big 
three-cell and the small one, for twenty-eight bucks. I'm not 
endorsing, you know, I'm not getting a kickback from Home 
Depot today. And I saw it and I thought, that's a good deal. 
I could have a maglite next to my bed so I could protect my 
wife, so I don't trip down the stairs when I have to go down. 
So I went over to Walmart and I saw that they had just the 
three-cell alone for the same price. I thought, hey, good deal. 
So I got this light. You know what a maglite does? 
It diffuses the darkness. It's powerful. I came here first, 
put the batteries in, was so excited, went downstairs where 
it's all dark, and I popped on that light and it just lit the 
whole place up. It's beautiful. It's amazing. It's wonderful. For the small 
price of 30 bucks, I have a big mag light and a little mag light. This is what the Bible says Jesus 
does. He diffuses the darkness. He gets rid of it. He takes care 
of it. Through the prophet Isaiah, God 
says, let us reason together, though your sins be like scarlet, 
they'll be whiter than snow. Isn't this David celebrating 
in Psalm 51? Wash me, he says, and I will 
be whiter than snow. Brethren, when you see a snowy 
day, before you complain, before you think about shoveling it, 
think of Psalm 51 and what God has done with your soul. Jesus 
Christ is the light that has dawned, that has diffused the 
darkness. It is the power of the gospel 
that takes hearted, vile, wretched, guilty and not so hard, not so 
vile, not so guilty, not so wretched, but sinful nonetheless, and cleanses 
them to the uttermost. That is what Matthew is announcing. The graciousness of his redemptive 
work is stated. He goes to Galilee of the Gentiles 
in order to preach the gospel. Mothers, how is this appropriate 
to you? Happy Mother's Day, by the way. I'm always in this bit 
of attention because it's the Lord's Day. I've given us 52 
Lord's Days. We could do Mother's Day and 
Father's Day any other day of the year. But I want to neglect 
the fact that mothers are here listening. What could be more 
appropriate for you than the fact that the light has dawned 
and dispelled the darkness first for you? What do you mean? I would bet, I'm not better, 
but I would submit, I would guess that most of you mothers at times 
feel guilty because you're not as consistent with your child. 
You're not as faithful with your child. Your child's not as well 
behaved as the neighbor's child. Your child doesn't bear all the 
marks of beautiful innocence that all the other children, 
perhaps in the church, do. And there is a tendency for mothers 
to get discouraged and downcast. May I submit that you keep the 
language of Edward Mote's hymn deep in your heart and mind. 
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest 
frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ, the solid rock 
I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. I don't submit 
this so that you'll go out and be a bad mother and then say, 
well, the blood of Jesus cleanses me from all sin. But I want you 
to understand your acceptance with God, your place in heaven 
is secured for you, not by your performance. By grace alone, 
through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, be encouraged. Let the gospel motivate you to 
faithful mothering. Let the gospel be the power of 
your sanctified life. Let the thought of Jesus as the 
light who has dawned be that which adds vigor to your parental 
activities. And mothers, what better message 
for you to pass on to your children than what we find here? You tell 
your little children, you tell your little daughters, you tell 
your little sons, there's darkness in your hearts. The reason why 
you did what you did, I mean, brethren, get away from that. 
I cannot believe you could do such a thing. That betrays or 
that shows an ignorance of the scripture. If you know the scripture, 
you know your heart, you know why they can do what they do. 
They're in Adam. They're sinners. And you use 
that. You tell them that. You teach 
them that. Your heart is darkened. Jeremiah the prophet says things 
about you that you probably won't like to hear, but he says your 
heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. 
You say, what kind of thing is that to tell a little kid? What 
is with you? Are you warped? It's Bible. What do you think the faithful 
Israelites were nurtured on from their mother's wombs? What was 
Timothy nurtured on from his godly grandmother and mother? 
Oh, you're the best there ever is, Timothy. I love you. You're an image bearer. You're 
awesome. You make me happy. You rejoice my heart. I love 
to care for you. I love to take care of you. But 
there's a problem between you and heaven. You've got sin in 
your heart. One place to go with that sin 
in your heart. And it's to this light who has dawned. It's to 
this Jesus who died and rose again. It's to this Jesus who 
alone can save you from your sins. And finally, the message 
of Christ. The time is fulfilled. The kingdom 
of God is at hand. Mark adds, repent and believe 
in the gospel. Question for you to leave now. 
It's interesting, we studied recently Jonah and Nahum in our 
Wednesday night Bible studies, the only two books that end with 
questions in all of the Bible. Sixty six books, two of them 
end with questions. I think Jonah's question is designed 
to show us how gracious and merciful God is to pity Nineveh. Names 
ends with a question to show us how right it is for God to 
visit with judgment and punishment. Those who continue to rebel against 
him. And with this question, the light 
is dawn. It is blazing, shining bright 
every time the preaching of the gospel, every time you read the 
scripture. Every time your mothers or your 
fathers or your husbands or your wives or your radio or your television 
or your Internet speaks the truth concerning God's Word, the light 
is blazing. Have you come to the light? Have you looked to Jesus Christ? That's what you should go home 
and ponder today. That's what you should consider. That's what 
should occupy you. is where am I at in relationship 
to this white, which is gone. Let us pray. Father, we thank 
you for your word and we thank you for Matthew's gospel and 
we thank you for the way that he presents Jesus Christ to us. 
The fact that he is the one who answers to the darkness of sinful 
men. We thank you as well for his 
message of the kingdom. Repent for the kingdom of God 
is at hand. Believe the gospel. I pray that 
today, wherever this message is preached, sinners would come 
out of darkness into marvelous light. We know your sovereign 
grace is required. We know that your power must 
be in place. So we appeal to you, our sovereign 
God, to do that which is impossible with men. God caused there to 
be a turning unto you, a turning from idols, a turning from comfort 
or sin or whatever it may be. to the true and the living God 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. And it's in his most blessed 
name that we pray. Amen.