“Jesus the Messiah” – Part 5 “How to Avoid Becoming Obsolete” Matthew 4:18-23

The greatest enterprise ever undertaken began along the shores of a lake when Jesus asked four fishermen to join Him in a great adventure.

Matthew 4:21-25 (NIV) 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.

Matthew 4:21-25 (NIV) Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Matthew 4:21-25 (NIV) 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.

Matthew 4:21-25 (NIV) Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.

They saw Jesus turn a common place into a thin place. A ‘thin place’ is a place where the veil between this world and the Other world is thin.

They saw Jesus turn a common place into a thin place. “Thin places” are the places in our lives where the divine and the natural worlds come so close together that we can catch a glimpse of God.

Matthew 4:24 (NIV) 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.

They followed Him to the common place of physical limitations ill with various diseases… those having seizures, and the paralyzed,

They followed Him to the common place of physical limitations Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat.

They followed Him to the common place of physical limitations …Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go home." And the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men. - Matthew 9:2-8 (NIV)

They followed Him to the common place of physical limitations A place were hope becomes reality in Christ is a thin place. But notice the connection between the healing and God being famous (v.8).

They followed Him to the common place of suffering those suffering severe pain

They followed Him to the common place of suffering Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed."

They followed Him to the common place of suffering Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment. - Matthew 9:20-22 (NIV)

They followed Him to the common place of suffering A place where suffering becomes a motivation for seeking Jesus is a thin place.

They followed Him to the common place of evil the demon-possessed

They followed Him to the common place of evil The common place of evil is in the shadows of death and it includes a loss of freedom. They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him.

They followed Him to the common place of evil The common place of evil is in the shadows of death and it includes a loss of freedom. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain.

They followed Him to the common place of evil The common place of evil is in the shadows of death and it includes a loss of freedom. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him.

They followed Him to the common place of evil The common place of evil is in the shadows of death and it includes a loss of freedom. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

They followed Him to the common place of evil When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!"

They followed Him to the common place of evil For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!" Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"

They followed Him to the common place of evil "My name is Legion," he replied, "for we are many." And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

They followed Him to the common place of evil A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, "Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them."

They followed Him to the common place of evil He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

They followed Him to the common place of evil Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened.

They followed Him to the common place of evil When Jesus turns an evil common place into a spiritual thin place a life is changed. When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; - Mark 5:15

They followed Him to the common place of evil A place where the greatness of my sin encounters the greaterness of his grace is a thin place.

How to Avoid Becoming Obsolete …and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Jesus went…

What makes a common place a “thin place”? The veil between heaven and earth is pulled back and people see a glimpse of God’s glory.

Bottom Line: If you want to avoid becoming obsolete – live to make God famous!