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Isaiah 11:1-9 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 3 His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. 6 The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. 9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
Matthew 4:17-25 17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” 18 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. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 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, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. 23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
The Coming Kingdom
In this passage we see Jesus saying and doing three things. First He says, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near”. Second he says “”Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Third we see what Jesus is doing. He is teaching, preaching, and healing.
When we want to understand a particular scripture it is necessary to examine the context in which the verses occur. The first chapter of Matthew gives us a list of Jesus’ ancestors and tells of His birth. The second tells of the visit of the Wise Men. The third chapter speaks of John the Baptist and describes Jesus’ baptism. The fourth chapter tells us that immediately after His baptism, Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan. Today we are looking at the end of chapter 4.
Our first verse today, Matthew 4:17 is a turning point. “From that time on Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’”
Our scripture begins with the words, “from that time on.” By looking at the context as we just have we know that Jesus has just been tempted by Satan and has overcome that temptation. It is following His success in the wilderness that Jesus begins His ministry and He starts by calling people to repentance for the kingdom of heaven near. Let’s take some time to study repentance.
The word repentance comes from the Greek word metanoia. It signifies a transformative change of heart or mind, often associated with a turning away from sin and a commitment to a new way of living. It is the act of expressing sorrow and remorse for sin.
Repentance involves a change of mind and life direction as a beginning step of expressing Christian faith. It occurs at the beginning of our faith journey and needs to come before any time when we want to deepen our faith. It has been said, “Man is born with his back toward God. When he truly repents, he turns right around and faces God. Repentance is a change of mind.”
For the next example we need to pretend we don’t have GPS. I’m sure we all remember what that was like. It’s easy to get lost driving down the streets in a strange town. You become aware that this just isn’t where you meant to go. You finally say to yourself, I’m going in the wrong direction. That’s the first act of repentance. The second act of repentance is to go in an different direction. It implies that you not only do this but you admit it to your companions.”
Repentance is not cleaning yourself up so God will accept you. Nor is it promising to “do better next time” Repentance is about turning from self-rule to God’s rule. It is letting go of lesser kingdoms for a greater one.
Repentance includes confession. True confession is not the mere mental assent that we have done wrong. No, confession means seeing and agreeing with God how our sins have harmed us and others. It is pouring out our shame and deep sorrow to the Lord over our misdeeds. It is repenting of our evil ways, turning around and doing what is right and good, and it’s seeking reconciliation with others and with our God.
The rest of the first verse says, “For the kingdom of heaven is near”. Let’s discuss what Jesus means when he says “the kingdom of heaven is near.”
First, note that of the four gospels only Matthew uses “kingdom of heaven”. The other gospels all use “kingdom of God”. These have the same meaning. Matthew used heaven because his gospel was originally written for a Jewish audience who thought “God” was too sacred to be named so Matthew substituted kingdom of heaven for kingdom of God.
What is the kingdom of heaven? It is not a far off place, it is not just where we go when we die. It is a present reality wherever Jesus reigns.
To say “the kingdom is near” means that God is acting, God is present and God is reclaiming what sin has broken.
Broadly speaking, the kingdom of God is the rule of an eternal, sovereign God over the entire universe.
More narrowly, the kingdom of God is a spiritual rule over the hearts and lives of those who willingly submit to God’s authority. Those who defy God’s authority and refuse to submit to Him are not part of the kingdom of God. In contrast, those who acknowledge the lordship of Christ and gladly surrender to God’s rule in their hearts are part of the kingdom of God. In this sense, the kingdom of God is spiritual—Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world, and He preached that repentance is necessary to be a part of the kingdom of God. When Jesus spoke with Nicodemus he told him that in order to enter the kingdom of God he must be entered born again.
The kingdom of God has several aspects. The Lord is the Sovereign of the universe, and so in that sense His kingdom is universal. At the same time, the kingdom of God involves repentance and new birth, as God rules in the hearts of His children in this world in preparation for the next. The work begun on earth will find its consummation in heaven. George Eldon Ladd in his book, “The Presence of the Future.” talked about the “now and not yet” of the kingdom. He emphasized the tension between the present reality of God’s kingdom and its future fulfillment.
The following rest of the verses in our passage this morning are not just information about what Jesus did, but an invitation into how life changes when the King arrives.
This passage shows us three movements: A call to repentance, a call to follow and a call that results in transformation and witness. At its heart, this text asks us a simple but unsettling question: What do you do when Jesus comes near?
After Jesus began to preach about repentance and the kingdom, Jesus calls four of his disciples. Two sets of brothers, Peter and Andrew first, then James and John. They were fisherman. Jesus called them to leave their nets and become fishers of men instead. At His call, they left their nets and boats and followed Jesus. Jesus called ordinary fisherman, not saints, not scholars, not the brightest or the best. Just ordinary people. All of us are called into God’s kingdom; there is a place for each of us there. We don’t need to be anyone special, just plain, ordinary people. Each of us has a place in the kingdom and a purpose in being there.
Matthew tells us: “Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” They didn’t finish cleaning them or say goodbye to their families, they simply dropped their nets and left their boats to follow Jesus.
Think about it . Their nets were their livelihood. Their boats were their security. Being fishermen was their identity. Following Jesus always involves leaving something behind. Not because those things are evil—but because they can’t be ultimate. God must come before everything in our lives. Before work, before friends, before family. This may sound harsh but it’s a reality of the kingdom. When we put Jesus first then everything else in our lives will be better. When Jesus comes before our spouses and children it makes those relationships better. Our relationships with family and friends will be better.
Now Matthew tells us the scope of Jesus’ ministry. “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.”
This verse gives us a threefold picture of the kingdom in action.
Jesus teaches truth. He explains reality as it truly is. He reveals God’s heart. The kingdom renews how we think.
Jesus doesn’t just discuss the kingdom—He announces it. Good news is meant to be shared, proclaimed, declared! Christian faith is meant to be shared.
Matthew emphasizes that Jesus healed every kind of sickness and affliction. Physical pain. Spiritual bondage. Emotional suffering.
This shows us something crucial. The kingdom of God is a healing kingdom. Not all healing happens instantly. Not all healing happens fully in this life. I often say at funerals that the deceased is now fully healed in heaven. If healing doesn’t come in this life it will come in the next. Wherever Jesus reigns, brokenness does not get the final word.
The final verse says, “Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.”
People from every direction. Different cultures. Different backgrounds. Why? Because hope is magnetic. When people see lives being changed—when they see truth, grace, and power working together—they want to come.
But there’s a difference between the crowds that follow Jesus and his disciples. Crowds follow Jesus—but disciples walk with Him. The crowd wants miracles. Disciples desire transformation. The crowd asks, “What can Jesus do for me?” Disciples ask, “Who is Jesus calling me to become?” This passage is not just history—it’s an invitation.
While Jesus was proclaiming the coming kingdom of God He was also demonstrating the power of the kingdom by healing many people. Sometimes here in the Western world we get so caught up in our own power and abilities that we forget about God’s power. This morning in our scripture we see God’s power at work in our world as Jesus heals many. Matthew says Jesus cured “every disease and every sickness among the people.” Not just some or certain ones but all. Matthew specifies disease, pain, demon possession, epilepsy and paralysis. Things we, with all our medicine, cannot cure today. We can treat all of these but we cannot cure all of them. Jesus’ fame spread throughout the area. Matthew says people came from Syria, Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and from beyond the Jordon. We need to remember there were no phones or newspapers in those days. Word of what Jesus was doing spread by word of mouth as people walked from one place to another. A man that could heal in a day of little medicine would have drawn needy people from far and wide. Many of them traveled for many days to reach Jesus. He offered them hope and when they came He demonstrated the power of the kingdom of God in their midst by curing their illness.
Our scripture ends with great crowds following Jesus. Let us all spend time before God this week asking God to show us any areas of our life where there is sin and repenting of it. Jesus said, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.” This is where we start, with true repentance, asking God to move in our lives, reveal our sin to us so we can repent and turn back to God. It is only then that we will know the blessings of God, the greatest of which is God’s presence in our lives.
Jesus still says: Repent, Follow me. Be transformed and join the work of the kingdom. Jesus is still calling. The same kingdom is still advancing. The same grace is still available.
So the question is not: Has the kingdom come near? The question is:
What will you do now that it has?