DR. MICHAEL A PROUD, JR.

DATE:  August 15, 2010 am

TEXT:  Matthew 4:1-25

TITLE:  LIVING KINGDOM LIVES 1: Kingdom People are Joined by a Love for the Father

Sermon:  I want you to imagine you live in a small rural village in 100 BC.  Your family are farmers, and have lived just outside of town for generations.  The village is a community of people who have grown up together, each person knowing the other, for better or for worse.  One day, as you are going about your daily routine, you hear a ram’s horn blowing off in the distance.  It is coming from the town square.  It is a sound you have heard many times before, it is the call for all citizens of your village to gather together.

The last time the herald sounded it was to discuss the implications of a trade agreement between your village and a costal village.  During that meeting it was decided how much wheat would be traded for how much fish.  Since the details of the agreement had an effect on the whole village, the villagers were called together to decide what to do; literally to do village business.  At other times villagers were gathered to elect community officials, to discuss the prospects of war, or to consider village expansion.  This time of gathering is important because  in every community there is an interdependence among its citizens.  There is a need for each member of the community to work, not only for his own welfare, but for the betterment of the whole.  For as the community thrives, so do its citizens.  And likewise, as the community suffers, her citizens suffer as well.  So, when the call to gather is sounded, the citizens set aside what they are doing, and they answer the call.

In the Greek language there is a word for this time of gathering, and it is the Greek word Ekklesia.  In the secular sense of this word, it was used to describe the literal gathering of citizens to do the business of the city.  The word literally means “called out ones,” and was not used of the people individually, it was simply used to describe the people as they were assembled to do the business of their city.  This gathering was understood to be the right and the responsibility of each citizen.  And during this time of gathering there were no longer individuals, there was just the community, the Ekklesia.

In the Greek translation of the Old Testament the word Ekklesia was used to describe the time when Israel was called together to hear a proclamation from, or make a covenant with, the Lord.  In this, the citizens of all Israel were called together for the purpose of receiving instruction from the Lord.  They were no longer individuals, they were one people, the Ekklesia of God.

This is the very same word which Jesus applied to the New Covenant people in Matthew’s Gospel.  We are more familiar with this word by the English translation “church.”  In Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus had asked His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” (16:15), Simon Peter answered, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (16:16).  Jesus responded to Simon’s confession by giving him the name “Peter” meaning “small rock;” and stating that upon the rock of this confession that Jesus was the Christ the Son of the living God, that Jesus would build His Ekklesia; His church.

The term Ekklesia, and its defined meaning as a gathering of people called for a specific purpose, has become the benchmark for the Christian Church.  We no longer have a horn that blows to call us together, but this tradition was experienced not that long ago as churches would sound bells to indicate it was time to gather together as the Ekklesia of God. 

In I Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 Paul likened the local church to a human body.  Though we have many different parts, there is no escaping the fact that we are one singular body, which is designed to work for the purpose and the glory of God.  But, just being a Christian and a part of a local church does not mean we automatically do what we were designed to do as individual members of this Ekklesia.  This is what our focus is going to be for the next 8 weeks.  We are going to look at what it means to be Kingdom People, and how we develop the attitude which God wants us to have as His called out ones.  To do this, we must look at Jesus.

Our purpose, starting today, will be to look at the life of our Lord as the perfect example of what it means to live a Kingdom Life.  In this we will look at the priorities Jesus made in His life.  We are going to look at what He did, what He taught and how He lived as the example which we must follow.  You see, before we can be a united community, we must first be individuals committed to the One who has called us together. 

Even in antiquity, when the herald sounded the call to assemble, not everyone came.  However, the ones who did come were those who were committed to doing their part, because they understood the importance of surrendering themselves for the benefit of the whole.  This is the very example we will see from Jesus.  He surrendered Himself to the Father, and as a result, the church was born and the community of faith was formed.  Jesus had to look beyond Himself, and cling solely to the purpose and the will of the Father.  And this is what we must do as well.  This is encapsulated the verse which will be our theme verse throughout this entire emphasis of Living Kingdom Lives; Matthew 6:33, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”  If we are to live in community, as God designed, then we must be joined by a genuine love for the Father.  We are going to learn what this means, by looking at Jesus.

Let’s investigate our verses this morning and discover four practical ways in which Jesus sought the Father’s Kingdom and His Righteousness above and beyond all other things because He loved Him.  Jesus Demonstrated His Love for the Father by...

1.     Honoring the Father’s Word, vv. 1-11.  Follow along with me as I read these verses...READ.  In hearing these words we come to see the situation we know as Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.  Three different ways, and at three different levels, Satan tried to get Jesus to turn His focus away from the Father.  But in each of these temptations, Jesus did not respond with His own rebuke of Satan, He responded to Satan by quoting from Scripture, in particular, from the book of Deuteronomy.  Yet, this meant more than just how familiar Jesus was with the Law of God, it revealed to us His deep commitment to honor the commands which the Father had given. 

You see, Jesus lived the whole of His life with only one desire, to do the very will of the Father.  And yet, this obedience was not just about keeping a list of rules, it was Jesus’ expression of love for the Father.  What we will learn from this study is that the commands of God are not just cold regulations for us to follow, they are the Father’s instructions of love for His people.  Thus, following those commands are not just about doing what is right, it is about returning love to the Father.  Jesus’ love for the Father was so strong, it was so precious, that His own desires held little importance to Him.  Look at what I mean from these temptations.

Setting for temptations, vv. 1-2.  Notice that Jesus did not go into the wilderness, fasted and prayed for forty days and nights, and then the devil just appeared out of the blue.  Verse 1 tells us Jesus was “led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” This encounter is why He went into the wilderness.  He was led there to be tempted.  We see in this Jesus’ desire to honor the Father’s instructions and His will.  If this was where the Father led Him, this was where He desired to be.

Because Jesus’ love for the Father was His top priority, there was no whining or complaining about what He was asked to do.  You see, no matter how overwhelming the request may be, a believer’s sincere desire to honor the Father’s purpose will eventually win over whatever apprehension might exist.  Fear or nervousness may still exist, but this is an act of practical faith in the Father.  Jesus’ love for the Father moved Him into the wilderness and His encounter with Satan.

First temptation, vv. 3-4.  We are told that after His time of fasting for forty days Jesus became hungry.  Satan’s first temptation was to trap Jesus at the level of personal need, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”  Satan knew full well who Jesus was, so this temptation was more than a proof.  Satan was wanting Jesus to focus on His own hunger, His own well-being, and meet that need Himself rather than trust the Father.  To which Jesus replied from Deuteronomy 8:3, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” 

The context of Deuteronomy 8:3 was that of trusting the Father.  Moses told the people who were about to enter the Promised Land to be careful to obey the commandments and instructions the Lord had given them.  And to remember how the Father let them know hunger, then how He provided manna out of the sky, so they would understand that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.  Jesus honored the Father by trusting Him to take care of His needs. 

Second temptation, vv. 5-7.  Satan then took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and tempted Him to test the Father’s presence and care for Him.  Satan even quoted Psalm 91:11-12, telling Jesus the Father would protect Him from harm.  But, Jesus responded by quoting Deuteronomy 6:16, saying, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” The context of this quote was actually from Exodus 17:1-7, when the Hebrews quarreled with Moses because the Lord had led them to a place in the wilderness which had no water.  And what has the test of which they were guilty?  Doubting whether or not the Lord was with them.  Jesus knew the Father was with Him, and there was no need to test that for Satan’s sake.

Third temptation, vv. 8-10.  In this final temptation Satan sought to derail Jesus from His mission.  Jesus knew He had come to ransom the world from the clutches of sin and the devil.  And there is no doubt Jesus knew the way in which this was to happen.  But, Satan offered Jesus an alternative, an easier way out, to bow down to him and receive the kingdoms of the world as a gift.  But Jesus emphatically refused, saying, “Begone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”

Jesus’ love for the Father kept Him focused on honoring the Father’s desires.  Jesus knew the Father would care for Him regardless of whether the need was for food, protection, or even carrying out the mission He was sent to accomplish.  The Father was everything to Jesus, and thus, His greatest desire was to honor Him as a show of His love.

  Secondly, Jesus Demonstrated His Love for the Father by...

2.     Following the Father’s call, vv. 12-17.  Look with me at these verses...READ.  Already we have discussed Jesus’ knowledge of His mission, and the price He would have to pay.  Thus, after John’s arrest, Jesus did not run from trouble, rather, He embraced the Father’s call on His life.  Moving to Capernaum in the traditional territories of Zebulun and Naphtali, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus fulfilled the Scripture of bringing light to the nations as spoken from Isaiah 9:1-2. 

As we will later discover, preaching a message of repentance is a message of love, which would be interpreted as a message of judgment and hate.  To repent simply means to turn, to go in the other direction.  The message of repentance means the bridge is out down the road, so stop and turn around because there is danger ahead.  It means the life of sin will lead to destruction, so turn and embrace life in the Father.  But people would hate this message.  Yet, Jesus was willing to embrace this call because His desire to please the Father was greater than His desire to avoid conflict. Jesus’ love for the Father moved Him to embrace the Father’s call. 

  Thirdly, Jesus Demonstrated His Love for the Father by...

3.     Enlisting others to the Father’s will, vv. 18-22. Let’s look at these verses together...READ. Five times in Matthew’s gospel Jesus offered the words, “follow Me.”  In each of these cases, He was inviting people to a relationship with the Father they had never experienced before.  For some, it was the call to experience the Father for the first time.  For others, it was the call to experience the Father correctly.  But for all, it was the call to love the Father more than what they were presently doing.  And hasn’t this been the example we have seen in Jesus?  He demonstrated that His love for the Father was greater than His love for anything or anyone else. 

Here is where we begin to see how this study will focus us into a greater life and experience in community.  Jesus invited others to join Him in embracing the Father’s will for the Father’s glory.  In Jesus’ example we see the importance of God’s people coming together for a purpose greater than themselves.  Jesus called fishermen, tax collectors and zealots to do the will of the Father.  They were not a homogeneous group without the Lord.  But, with the Lord, they were one.  The bond they experienced was found in their common love for the Father, the same love which Jesus exemplified in His life and teachings.  Yet, each person had to say, “Yes,” to following Jesus before they could be a divinely controlled unit.  And that “Yes,” had to be to a totally sold-out love relationship with the Father.  This is what it means for us to be the Ekklesia of God.  Individual members of one body, called together by the Father, using our unique gifts and abilities for the glory of the Father; as a single entity.

Jesus gave us this cooperative example.  Listen, too often we think Jesus trained these men to carry on His work; as if the work of God would not be done without them.  God chooses to make us a part of what He is doing because He loves us, but because He needs us.  What Jesus was doing was inviting people into a love relationship with the Father, so that together, they could live in the power and strength of God’s Spirit.  Jesus demonstrated His love for the Father, by inviting others to embrace the Father’s will with Him.

  Finally, Jesus Demonstrated His Love for the Father by...

4.     Enveloping others with the Father’s love, vv. 23-25.   Finally, let’s look at these last few verses together...READ.  Jesus’ ministry, that is His love for the Father, led Him to make a difference in the lives of the people He met.  There was, without a doubt, a uniqueness about Jesus as God in the flesh, but His life was an example of what it meant to be unconditionally sold-out to the Father.  When we understand this, and when we see the effect His life had on others; we understand how the Father longs to use us for His glory.  There is no way to be sold-out to the Father and not radiate the Father’s love to others.  In this, we become an extension of the Father, doing what He does.

I just imagine Jesus traveling throughout Galilee and encountering people who were suffering, and His heart going out to them in their plight or condition.  I also imagine Jesus being like a parent who is watching his or her child making mistakes and longing to be able to open up that child’s mind and simply dump all He knew about this love relationship with the Father.  Longing for them to have what He had in terms of the blessings of fellowship with the Father.  Wanting them to have the joy of knowing the presence of the Father each and every day.  But, He knew He could not force people to love God, so what He did was to show them and tell them how to find the Father.

-How radically has your life changed since coming to know the Father? 

-How empty does your life feel when you know there is something standing in the way of that relationship? 

-Have you experienced the joy in your Christian life when you have been right in the center of the Father’s will? 

-And have you also experienced the useless feeling which comes with not pursuing the Lord’s love; questioning, “What is my purpose in life?”

Folks, throughout this study we are going to learn from the Lord Jesus how we are to respond to the Father’s voice.  We are going to learn how to set our lives in the proper order so when we hear the herald sound and the Ekklesia is summoned together, our hearts will jump for joy because pleasing the Father is our only desire!