Matthew 4:12-22 (NIV ’84):
Jesus Begins to Preach
When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, along 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 is near.”
The Calling of the First Disciples
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 make you fishers of men.” 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.
My Understanding: John the Baptist was the forerunner for Jesus Christ. He was called of God to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah, and to call people to repent, for the kingdom of God is near. Once Jesus was ready to begin his earthly ministry, then John’s task on this earth was completed, for he had done the will of God in preparing the people’s hearts for their Lord. Now it was time for John to step aside and for Jesus Christ to fulfill his purpose in coming to the earth, which was to be our sacrificial Lamb to take away the sins of the world, to preach the good news, and to call people to repentance and to faith in Jesus Christ, God’s Son.
Jesus Christ was and is the fulfillment of this quoted prophecy concerning him in the book of Isaiah, which is where I have been reading for my quiet times with the Lord Jesus. The people living in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in the shadow of death a light has dawned. That light is Jesus Christ. He is the light of the world. In him there is no darkness. He is truth. He is our deliverer and the Rock of our salvation on whom we have placed our trust if we have accepted him as our Lord and Savior. He came to give light to all men so that they would not walk in darkness but would walk in the light of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is why he came. He came to set us free from the power of Satan and sin over our lives. He did not come and go through all he went through so we could continue in our sin with little to no regard for what it cost him so we could go free.
Yet, many of those who profess his name are still walking in darkness and need to see the great light and for the light to dawn in their hearts, for their eyes to be opened and their deaf ears unstopped and for them to see the salvation that is theirs in Christ Jesus, our Lord. So, God has promised us that in these last days when the hearts of people grow cold against him and they have forsaken their first love and have refused to repent of their sins, even though the Lord has sent his servants and messengers to prepare the way for the Lord’s return and to prepare the hearts of the people for their wedding day with their husband, Jesus Christ, that he will visit them in judgment and when he does, then they will see the great light and it will dawn in their hearts. The spiritually blind and deaf will have their eyes and ears opened to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Revival will break out on the Lord’s church, but the church (the saints of God, not the institutional church) will go through a time of great persecution and suffering for the name of Jesus Christ and for the sake of his gospel.
Jesus will call out to them to come and to repent of their sins, for the kingdom of God is near, to believe the good news of the gospel, to come, and to follow Christ, and he will make them fishers of men and many will come to Christ in these last days before Jesus Christ returns. I believe that with all my heart. Yet, it will not be easy because an antichrist will now reign and rule the earth and he will set out to deceive all people, especially the saints of Almighty God, so they will have to be wise and discerning and to know the truth of God so that they can refute Satan’s lies with the truth. This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints of God, yet to all who overcome, Jesus will give the crown of life.
He Giveth More Grace / Annie J. Flint
He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added affliction He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.
His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
His power has no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
His power has no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
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