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| Matt. 4:12-17 |
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Lesson # Matt. 4:12-17 Study Material - Matt. 4:12-17 You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth. Matt. 4:12-17 12 Now when He heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; 13 and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This was to fulfill what was spoken through 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 were sitting in darkness saw a great light, And to those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, Upon them a light dawned.' 17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.' John is the light of the moon, of the stars, and when the dawn of the light of the sun rises, then the moon and stars vanish to make way for the sun. So it is that John the Baptist must step aside to make way for Jesus Christ. We have already seen the competition between the disciples of John and the disciples of Jesus. And now this competition must be set aside, because it is a distraction of false loyalties, pitting man against man, rather than emphasizing the importance of the gospel first, and Bible doctrine second. The popularity of man, any given man, is irrelevant. Remember that Jesus did not just come out of the desert when these events occurred. Almost a year and a half has passed before John was arrested. We have been 'sort of'' following the gospels in a chronological order. Jumping around between these four books as we study their content. Since Matthew resides in Capernaum, he picks up on most of his written account of Christ from that point forward. But only after covering the birth, and some initial history of Jesus' early life. Isaiah is quoted, Isa. 9:1-2, which reflects the history of Zebulun and Naphtali. Which were initially sacked in the first captivity of 1 Kings 15, and then the second captivity of 2 Kings 15, thus humbled them for their negative attitude toward God, but now given blessing by the arrival of Christ. For they, and any who reject Christ, are the ones sitting in the darkness, in the shadow of death, permanent death and the lake of fire. But the gospel is among them and there is a huge positive response to Christ's ministry. And that is exactly what Jesus did. He taught the gospel, calling for repentance and faith in Himself, the Son of God. What is repentance? 'Metanoeo', think differently, reconsider, exercise the mind, comprehend, to change ones mind. Thus repent doe not mean to feel sorry for ones sins or ones circumstances. It means to open your eyes, listen and learn, come to the conclusion that what you are hearing is better than what you have already, and to change your mind about Bible doctrine. Stop being negative. Stop being apathetic. Stop being naive, or ignorant concerning God and your future. Hear the gospel and believe it. But more than that, possess it and treasure it more than you would gold or anything else that you consider precious. The realities of life are ever present. You will die one day, perhaps sooner than you think, and after death, you cannot undo anything you have done in your life. After death you cannot grow up spiritually in this life and therefore be used by God in a positive way. You cannot build your spiritual assets once dead. So repent. Wake up and get with the program which will change your life for the better. Jesus Christ is the light. He is ever dawning in all our lives. Earlier generations in the region of Galilee, rejected God and went into slavery, the slavery of perpetual death and destruction, but now there is an opportunity to recover and advance in ones spiritual life. As long as a person is alive and breathing, there is always the opportunity for change. We have already seen the three kingdoms of God in Dan. 2. And this is referring to the kingdom constructed in ones soul, beginning with the gospel and salvation and then continuing with Bible study and spiritual maturity. The other two kingdoms are coming with certainty as well. Why miss out on any of it? 
Now is the time to post a prayer. End Of Lesson Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth. |
