John the Baptist begins his ministry. Jesus calls His disciples and declares how to enter the kingdom of God to a lost world.
Matthew 3: John the Baptist Prepares the Way
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
2 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'"
4 Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him,
6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
The Baptism of Jesus
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.
14 John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
15 But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented.
16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;
17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
Matthew 4: The Temptation of Jesus
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
3 And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."
4 But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple
6 and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, "'He will command his angels concerning you, 'and "'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"
7 Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me."
10 Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'"
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Jesus Begins His Ministry
12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee.
13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15 "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles---
16 the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned."
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
19 And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
21 And going 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, and he called them.
22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.
25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
Things to think about…
1. We are introduced to the Elijah to come that Jesus spoke about, Mt 3:1-12 cf Mt11:14. It is of course John the Baptist. He is just like Elijah in the sense that he shouts out God’s Word of judgement, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”, 3:7. How many preachers do you know today that would not only say this, but have the right Spirit as they said it? We have a Spirit of grace as well as truth. Pray the Lord’s preachers are blessed with both these qualities.
2. What an incredible blessing for those who were able to witness the Baptism of Jesus by John. Do you believe in your heart the same thing that the Father revealed from heaven for all to hear , “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”, Mt 3:17?
3. Any ministry that is being anointed and blessed by the Lord will undergo a period of testing and refinement by Satan. The ministry of the Lord Jesus was no different. Satan always quotes the word of God out of context and Jesus confronts him by quoting the appropriate scripture back at him. Often we can hear things and think that they are true and sound legitimate, but really they are lies from the devil. We should always remember to test the spirits. The best way to do this is to go with prayer and discernment and assess all the facts from every side. Proverbs 18:17 helps us here – “The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.”
4. Jesus began preaching where He had no distractions. He didn’t preach at home in Nazareth where He didn’t have their ears and He didn’t begin in Jerusalem where the Scribes and Pharisees were prejudiced as to who the Christ would really be. He goes to those who are living in sin in the north who are not as spiritually hardened to the truth. Although He certainly speaks out against Capernaum at one point, Mt 11:23. Jesus fulfils prophecy from Isaiah 9:2 regarding Himself as He does so. The message nonetheless was very direct “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”, Mt 4:17.
5. Jesus calls his disciples and they immediately follow him, Mt 4:20, 22. The crowds of course love the ministry of Jesus. Who wouldn’t, He was an amazing healer and a deliverer from demons. He would even go on to miraculously feed the crowds. We know that His popularity would not last when He revealed how the kingdom of heaven would be achieved – through a Roman cross.
Vision Point
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Questions for Cell groups
Sunday’s sermon, “Joseph just like Jesus” came from Gen 50 by Graham Willey.
1. Joseph’s life reflected many qualities and characteristics of Jesus. Joseph is seen as a type of Christ. In what ways do you think this to be true?
2. Joseph was blessed in the 3 periods of his life whether he was in Potiphar’s house, the prison or the palace. What are the challenges to modern Christians and Christianity when studying the life of Joseph and accepting the Lord’s seasons in our lives.
3. Joseph’s brothers were still concerned after Jacob (Israel) had died that Joseph would deal harshly with him. Joseph’s response is given in Gen 50:20, 21. Explain the significance of this verse in your own life.
4. After Israel lived 400 years in Egypt in slavery, they brought Joseph’s bones back to Israel. They were laid to rest at Shechem where Jacob and his family went astray before moving to Bethel. Shechem (modern day Nablus) is still in conflict today. Joseph’s tomb was ransacked in 2016. Israel is still a divided land between Jews and Arabs. They need unity in Christ. Joseph lived successfully with the Lord’s blessing in pagan Egypt. His identity in the Lord gave him this freedom. How can we do the same.
5. Pray for your cell group and prayer/praise points. Pray for our “Blessing Beirut” appeal as we endeavour to help these ‘sons of Abraham’.
Prayer Points
1.Pray for Lebanon and the people of Beirut with this accidental blast from the storage of ammonium nitrate. 157 confirmed dead. 5000 wounded, 300, 000 left homeless. $10 - $15 billion to rebuild.
2. Continue to pray for Victoria, numbers of infections are going down, but unfortunately deaths, especially in aged care facilities, has risen sharply.
4.Continue to pray for our government for wisdom and economic management.
6.Sunday’s messages. The message this week – “Where did God come from?” Matt 1 – Ps Jay.
7.Church finances to meet our expenses and to put a roof over our café.
8.Our City and Country – Pray for revival over our city and the leadership of our country even through these challenging times.
Praise Points.
1.Finances continue to be maintained.
2.Wonderful spirit of joy in our church. Thankyou Jesus.
3. Donations to Café roof ($5,145) and Blessing Beirut ($900). Thankyou!
5.Unity, peace and grace at CBC.
6.Praise God for all those who serve at CBC.
Announcements
1. Prayer meetings Tuesday and Thursday mornings 5:30 -6:30am at Church
2. We have established a “Blessing Beirut” fund. After prayer and seeking after a support partner the Lord has led us to Ras Beirut Baptist. We have received word back from them. Pray our gift would bless Beirut with the gospel.
3. One service at 9:30am Every Sunday morning. This service will also be live streamed on Youtube. No kisses, hand-shakes or hugs are allowed. Hand sanitizer is to be used, tables will be wiped and chairs arranged for appropriate distancing. Families can of course sit together. CBC is allowed up to 50 people inside, then we have an overflow in the cafe.
4. Cell groups – Ask for details as to how and what is required.
5. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
6. Kids Church will be run in the house when the message starts.
