Where and How It All Began, Part 1

Gratefully, the Christian faith is not an esoteric idea. It's not a philosophy. Our spiritual convictions are rooted in history founded on truth documented in a book. In fact, we can point to a time and place where the Christian faith was born today on Insight for living.

Chuck Swindoll invites us to follow along in the fourth chapter of Matthew retaken geographical journey into Israel. In this chapter we discover the very first encounters between Jesus and those he met along his travel. Chuck titled today's message where and how it all began.

It's helpful. On occasion to think through life doctrinally allow me for a few moments to bring to your attention. Free great doctrines that relate to God's leading. First is revelation the doctrine of revelation is God supernaturally giving us his true he has done that and it is contained for us in the Scriptures we can rely on that because of the doctrine of inspiration, which has to do with individuals on this earth supernaturally receiving and recording the truth without error. Revelation is God's giving us true inspiration is special individuals in the days when the Scriptures were being written receiving the truth and writing. And then there is illumination, where God guides us into an understanding of the truth that's been written. That's the work of the Spirit of God.

He leads us all the way because he is at work in all our lives. You don't see him because he's invisible. You don't hear him because he does not speak in audible terms, but you experience the result of his present when you have peace in the midst of difficult circumstances. That's the work of the spirit.

When you would not otherwise know what direction and your given direction, perhaps for some verses of Scripture or as a result of prayer. That's the spirit leading you all the way in your life. The longer you live, the more sensitive you will become to these great truths. Revelation has ceased inspiration has ceased, but illumination goes on and on and on. And that's what draws us together when you leave following a time of worship and you have learned something you didn't know before skull being illumined. That's the result of the spirit of God at work guiding you into an understanding of truth. Our hope is that that will happen today as we look in the verses 12 through 25 of Matthew chapter 4 Were Working Our Way through this book of Matthew and we've come to the fourth chapter right about the center of the chapter I've given you an outline in your worship folder which you can use as a guide, help, you want to stay on target as to the areas were dealing with, which will involve the use of the maps that are in the back of our Bible as well as observation of what the text says, and imagination as we put ourselves in the sandals of those who lived back in that day.

Matthew four verse 12 I'll be reading from the new living translation may be a little different from the version you have, but it will guide us as we come to understand what this is saying verse 12 begins when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee, he went first to Nazareth then left there and moved to Capernaum beside the Sea of Galilee in the region of Zebulun and napped to lie. This fulfill what God said to the prophet Isaiah in the land of Zebulun and napped to lie beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River in Galilee were so many Gentiles live the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow. A light has shined from then on Jesus began to preach repent of your sins and turn to God for the kingdom of heaven is near. One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon also called Peter and Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living.

Jesus called out to them, follow me and I will show you how to fish for people and they left their nets at once and followed him a little farther up the shore. He sought two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father Zebedee repairing their nets and he called them to come, they immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind Jesus travel throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the good news about the kingdom and he healed every kind of disease and illness news about him spread as far as Syria and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick, whatever their sickness or disease, or they were demonized are epileptic are paralyzed, he healed them all large crowds followed him wherever he went. People from Galilee.

The 10 towns Jerusalem from all over Judea and from East of the Jordan River have a bit of a travelogue today as we journey where Jesus went and have an understanding of that is retracing with our finger on the maps and later study the book of Matthew Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures study going to Insight world.org/studies and Alice begin Chuck's message titled where and how it all began there many things about the first 30 years in the life of Jesus that we know nothing we know nothing about those things.

For example, we know nothing about the details of the home life there in Nazareth.

We know nothing about his relationship with his siblings, his brothers and sister we really know nothing about the relationship he had with Joseph, with whom he worked in the carpenter shop. Nothing is ever revealed regarding that. I've often thought what it must've been like to raise a house full of children knowing at one of them is perfect and every one of the brothers or sisters having to live in the same home with a perfect brother. I wondered if there was a girl in the neighborhood that ever got a crush on the on Jesus when he delivered the cabinets. There the kitchen or the table that he just built with Joseph. I wonder she didn't look at him and maybe week. I know I know it's it's just a thought. I wonder if I had a favorite subject at the synagogue school where he was better in this than that V played a certain position in one of the neighborhood teams. Is he playing with those in the neighborhood while growing up so many things we don't know you wonder if he ever sat down with Mary and discussed his plans when he would leave what he would be doing and how grateful he was for training many things we don't know. But thanks to Matthew.

We do know where he went when he began his ministry. And we do know what he did initially as he got started starting any ministry has its challenges, and thanks to Matthew were given geography as well as strategy were not left to wonder what that was all about. With regard to geography. You know what I'm going to say turn to the back of your Bible and locate maps. Three people are turning to the back of their Bibles to locate. Come on, go back there blow the dust off find the one that says the ministry of Jesus is a double-page map for that and then when you locate that map look a little bit earlier for the one that's marked the 12 tribes of Israel.

This is one of the reasons you need a Bible with a set of maps. Otherwise, you will read of places like were going to be reading today, and unless you've been there are a real student of geography you won't have a clue about distance or location or significance of the places so let's inform ourselves as if we were doing this study on our own. Let's locate where he was, as he began verse 12 tells us when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea. That's the first place were going to note and returned to Galilee go back to the map on the ministry of Jesus, look toward the bottom of that map you will see a large body of water mark. The Dead Sea to the left of the Dead Sea, which is west you will see the wilderness of Judea. That's where he was tempted by Satan was our study last time in Matthew 41 through 11 wilderness of Judea.

That's right where it happened. And indeed, it is wilderness at the top of the Dead Sea. You will see where the Jordan River flows into it.

See the river see the sea somewhere north of the Dead Sea.

John the baptizer stationed himself, maybe more than one place where he was engaged in baptizing those who repented. Now you found Judea see the large marking the large print the large font Judea right in the middle of that area look to north, you will go through Samaria. The is drain on valley and you will get to the lower Galilee you see that look at lower ended up above obviously would be upper Galilee. Stay in lower Galilee. You know you're there because it is just west of the Sea of Galilee. See the small body of water. The Sea of Galilee flows through the Jordan river directly south into the Dead Sea, which flows nowhere beyond why it's called the did see there's no flow of water through it, but with the Sea of Galilee from Hermine which is the mountain area, far to the north, Mount Herman, snowcapped year-round that snow melts and the water comes from a number of places up there in two the Sea of Galilee look to the left of the Sea of Galilee due West and you will find Nazareth's toward the bottom of the Sea of Galilee, to the left find Nazareth you got your finger on that's where Jesus spent most of his childhood. All of his teenage years.

All of his young adult years until he was baptized at age 30 when he went to be baptized.

He left Nazareth in Galilee, not Tracy. He came due south to wherever John was baptizing. And there in the Jordan River.

Somewhere along that region of the Jordan, he encountered John who was baptizing in their John baptized Jesus so what is says he returned to Galilee. That's because he came from there to begin with. After he left his original home keeper for hand on the map go back to the verse he left Judea returned to Galilee, he went first to Nazareth, we just located. Then he left there and moved to Capernaum back to the map. Find the Sea of Galilee and look to the northern shore and you will see copper not whom the village of Nahum called in our language.

Capernaum, that's where Peter lived. That's where Jesus settled so he moved his home from living in Nazareth up northeast to the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, to the city. The village of Capernaum, by the way, when you travel to Israel you will have a guide that will help you locate all these places you will find the joy of literally walking in the very places that are named on the maps and in the Scriptures that you studied through your life when the thrills of being there. You see it on a map, but when you're there it comes to life for now before we go further, there go back to the text ski. Looked on the maps he went to Capernaum. He moved there beside the Sea of Galilee, and then notice in the region of Zebulun and NAFTA lie.

That means nothing to the reader of the Bible unless you have a map back in the days of Moses. He led the children of Israel to the land of Canaan. He died.

Joshua led them into Canaan where they conquered the land and once they conquered Canaan, which is today the land of Israel.

They parceled out the land among the tribes. The tribes of Jacob among the tribes would be Asher NAFTA lie Exhibit 1. Go back to the map on the tribes of Israel and you will see the region of Galilee.

For those tribes. Once settled is see it. The Sea of Galilee look to the west, you will see NAFTA lie Zebulun Asher that's named after sons of Jacob who led their people into that region where they settled after conquering Canaan. Let me tell you this as we go back now to the text, you will never become a serious student of the Scriptures until you determine that you will also be a student of geography. Otherwise you will be a watch in ignorance. You will have a clue where you are, how far some distances from what or why they may be there until you are a student of the very places you read about so don't think that studying the Bible is simply studying words and also has to do with locating places now were into to Matthew chapter 4 Jesus is just beginning his ministry. Matthew takes the time to tell us where he went. Please observe that he settled in Galilee, where he returned verse 15 in the land of Zebulun, as Matthew quotes from Isaiah 9 wanted to the land of Zebulun NAFTA lie beside the sea.

That's the Sea of Galilee on the Jordan River in Galilee were so many Gentiles live and don't stop reading way back in the days of Isaiah the prophecy as stated, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light who is the great light. Jesus when he comes into that region. The Gentiles and Jews who live there are living in darkness spiritual darkness and with Christ's coming. They see a great light look at the next race and those who lived in the land were death casts its shadow, a light shine again. A reference to Jesus Galilee fascinating when you are traveling in Israel you will certainly spend part of your time in Galilee, so I looked up one of my references and the little study on the region of Galilee so that I could be informed and I could therefore inform you when I quote Galilee was not large only 50 miles from north to south 25 miles east to west but small as it was. Galilee was densely populated Galilee for its size, had an enormous population. The historic and Josephus tells us that in that other than in it.

There were 204 villages in the region of Galilee 204 villages, some with a population of fewer than 59 with a population fewer than 15,000 people so that Jesus began his mission in that part of Israel where there were most people herein. He began his work in that area teeming with men and women to whom the gospel proclamation might be made. Please observe.

It is the land were Gentiles also live not simply choose they too would be in need of the gospel. My reference continues. The name Galilee comes from the Hebrew God Leal GAL. I will means a circle a circle.

The full name of the area was Galilee of the Gentiles phrase comes from the fact that Galilee was literally surrounded by Gentiles on the west clinicians on the north and east. The Syrians and to the south.

The territory of the Samaritan. Also word about the darkness again it mentions the death that cast its shadow, and the people who said darkness if you travel enough.

You have been to areas that are dark they may be densely populated but used since the darkness if you flew there you step off the plane and you find yourself enveloped in a thick darkness. You look around and you see signs of idolatry, witchcraft, demonism, the presence of demonic individuals. You can see this with your own eyes.

Temples devoted to that in all of this creates an atmosphere of darkness. It has an effect on you. Jesus knew that for his message to penetrate the maximum number of people he needed to go over it was dark.

Many people are called to serve places of gross darkness, we should faithfully remember them in prayer doesn't mean they're not modern places. It doesn't mean there are not a lot of people. It means there is little spiritual truth, a gathering like the size of this church would be unheard of in those places of darkness.

The truth would not be taught would not be preach would not be proclaimed in some places you would be killed for declaring a truth that would differ from those who are in the leadership of the darkness he's led to those places because it was there that would be the most response to his message and you notice his message.

Verse 17 change your mind regarding sin.

The word repent, met an ILO has to do with the change of the mind, turn your thinking around you been moving in one direction turn around as you trust in me and going the other direction change your mind, change the direction of your life, repent of your sins.

Last time we were together. I gave you a three-part statement related to sin.

I want to repeat it.

I told you would come back to it. It's this sin will take you farther than you want to go. Sin will keep you longer than you want to stay in sin will cost you more than you want to pay is fascinating to see Jesus emerging from obscurity and beginning his earthly ministry just went all title today study in Matthew four where and how it all began to learn more about this ministry.

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