You're listening to a sermon podcast from Paramount Church in Columbus, Ohio. To learn more, visit paramountcolumbus.com. If you have your Bibles today, and I hope that you do, let me invite you to turn with me in your copy of God's Word to our sermon text for this morning, which is Matthew chapter four, verses 12 through 17. Matthew chapter four, verses 12 through 17. It's always encouraging, as we did this morning at the end of ABF, to have an opportunity to think about the good things that God is doing in our church and the transitions that come along with an active, growing church. In fact, we know that transitions in life are important. Our family actually is going through a number of transitions all at the same time. And even this week, I was reminded of how hard transitions around important things can be. Sophie our second daughter down to college and she's currently getting settled in and she's really feeling as we are with her the challenge of such a transition. Our other kids are starting their first school year. And so this was just a reminder to me again about how difficult transitions can be but how important they are. I remember as a kid visiting with my family to Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I just remember being so captivated by the changing of the guard that happens, I'm not sure if you know this, around the clock, right now, every 30 minutes, Soldiers are interchanging places in a symbolic guarding of the tomb of the unknown soldier. It is a fascinating thing to see happen, and it is yet another reminder of the role of transition and change in our world. It also is a reminder this morning or perhaps an illustration for me of what we find in this text in Matthew chapter 4 verses 12 through 17. We're coming right on the heels of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness and now moving into what what may be the most profound, the most divinely profound transition in history, especially when it comes to the history of the church and to the proclamation of the gospel. Because we come here to a time in which the voice of John the Baptist, which we were reading and studying about recently on Sunday mornings, is being replaced by the voice of Jesus himself preaching. An incredible transformation, an incredible transition or changing of this guard, and it holds enormous value to us as Christians. So we want to consider this this morning as we think about three marks of this transition that we see between the era of John the Baptist's preaching, which was in preparation for Jesus to come, in order to preach with his voice and his life and his death and his resurrection, a good news to the world that has so radically impacted us as Christians and continues to this day to be paramount, why our church is named Paramount Church. paramount in our church, which is the good news of Jesus. The first mark that I want you to see this morning about this profound and divine transition is that we find John the Baptist's voice being quite literally arrested. In verses 12 and 13, we read that when he heard that John had been arrested, Jesus withdrew into Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This is incredible because we find a concerning picture or scene of the consequences for disrupting the world for Christ. This is something that we see over and over again in the scriptures and over and over again in our world. Sometimes in really big, costly ways in which people lose their lives, as we see even here with John the Baptist, and also in other smaller ways. It's one of those reminders that we live in a world that is still, until the end, until Jesus brings full and final redemption on the day of judgment, that the world is at enmity with God. And there are, in fact, two worlds colliding. There is the world of God's perfect kingdom of righteousness, which has come down and drawn near to this world, but also this fallen world of sin and opposition to Christ. and those two are colliding. And when they collide, the consequences are enormous. We read here that John the Baptist was arrested, and I'm not sure if you know this from reading your Bible, I hope that you do, eventually beheaded by Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee. Of course, this beheading took place at the request of Herodias, the wife of Herod Antipas and her daughter, traditionally known as Salome. But it is an incredible picture when you think about all that we have considered about John the Baptist and his life. that he was living a life of utter humility, of utter submission, announcing and preparing not his own way, but preparing the way of someone else, someone who would come and offer hope and salvation and forgiveness and happiness to the entire world, at least in the general sense of the gospel's call to all people. And then we find that he is quickly muzzled. John the Baptist here is a little like a dangerous dog. At least that's the way that the leaders of the time viewed him, and of course that's the way that the leaders of this time viewed all of those who would speak up for Christ. And this is a way that many of the leaders in our world today see Christians who speak up for the gospel. There is an enmity between them and it casts that Christian, perhaps sometimes you have felt it cast you in the view or the light of maybe a dangerous animal, someone who is disrupting the world, or at least disrupting part of the world, and therefore John the Baptist is muzzled like a dangerous animal. He's arrested. He is placed down in the basement to keep him quiet, and eventually, His voice is entirely cut off and silenced by his beheading. What was it though that was so disruptive about John the Baptist's message? What is it that is so disruptive about the Gospel message today? Why does the world have such a difficult time and even as we'll see in the life and ministry of Jesus and those who carry on after Jesus' resurrection, even to this moment, why the Gospel is disruptive? I would suggest that there are at least three reasons. One reason is that our message, the message of our church, which is that Jesus, the Son of God, left His rainbow-circled throne on a mission sent by His Father into the world, our world, in order to become one of us. And by becoming one of us, to fulfill God's law, living a perfect life in our place, But then, of course, like John the Baptist, dying, though dying a redemptive life, by dying in our place for our sin, that our sin would be punished, the penalty would be paid, and on the third day, rising again. That this message of the gospel, even today, references a view of the world in which all people are in submission. Whether we or they like it, the reality is... that there's no such thing as human autonomy in the world. That word autonomy that we use sometimes, it simply is a fancy word for independence. It's a word that means we think that we can do kind of anything that we want. We think that we are the captains of our own fate, that we are independent creatures living in the world, making all of our own decisions on our behalf without any real restriction. This is the natural disposition of every human heart. Friends, listen, this is the natural disposition apart from Christ, and even now because of remaining sin, of my heart. There are many days that I believe, there are many days that you believe that you are autonomous. There are many days that I believe that I am the captain of my own fate, I am the leader of my own soul, and yet I'm reminded over and over again from the good news of the gospel as God is gracious to me, and I hope you have the same reminder for you, that that simply is not true. This is one of the primary ways that God's kingdom and world is at war with the kingdom and world in which we live today. Because that word autonomy, that word independence, is at the very center of this world system. If you go around and talk with anyone just out in the world about this, it's a kind of repulsive thought that anyone would suggest that you are not in charge of your own life. that in fact you are, whether you want to or not, you are in a place of submission. There is a God of the universe who reigns and rules over all and he orchestrates and affairs and ordains the affairs of all men. That's a repulsive thought. That is one of the reasons why the world is at such enmity with the Christian worldview. And to be personal yet again, that is why you are at war sometimes with the Christian worldview. It's why I feel such a tension in my own heart. There's a war going on between this remaining sin in me that wants to be independent, wants to be autonomous. And yet the reality of the world that I live in in Christ is entirely different. That's one reason that John the Baptist is arrested and subsequently beheaded. Another reason is, that the reality of that submission means that God is making sovereign demands on every person in the world. There is simply no way for any person to escape the demands of God. There might be a season, there might be a time in which it feels as though someone may be running from God without consequence. We read about that a lot in the Bible, that's concerning to Christians in the Bible. Why are people who seem to be shrouded in evil in their behavior and their lives, why do they seem to just get away with it? Well, they don't get away with it for long and they certainly don't get away with it forever. And that is because God is making sovereign demands on all people. Again, this is another thought that runs directly against the grain of everything our fallen nature would say about us and to us. It runs directly against the grain of everything that our world believes in. It simply does not fit. It's why the gospel, it's why God's kingdom is otherworldly. And therefore this creates a problem for anyone who wants to cheerfully publish to the world the Christian worldview and the hope of the gospel. It requires that we submit ourselves to the reality that there is someone sovereign and that someone has ultimate absolute control and authority over all things in his world and over every single person. There is another reason that comes to mind for me of why John the Baptist would be arrested, why other Christians would be arrested, even out on the mission field, why this continues to happen today. And it's one that is a little counterintuitive to me when I think about it. And that is that our message brings the promise of ultimate hope, but does so only on God's terms. Our world does have a taste for hope. We know that word. We love that word as human beings. Everyone is in pursuit of hope, all non-Christians. They're reaching and grasping for something to give them hope, just like we were when we came to Christ and we latched onto Christ by grace. But this promise of hope in the gospel carries with it that nasty little bit about God's terms. It says that there is no real hope, there is no real happiness, there is no real joy or satisfaction in life apart from submission to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And that by faith in Him, we may know God the Father and we may be made right with Him and led along by His Holy Spirit all the days of our life. But again, even that message, think about that. The message of ultimate happiness and ultimate hope flies in the face of what the world system believes and wants. That's why the world system, that's why every human heart, when it hears the gospel, says, no thank you. I do not want that hope if it comes on someone else's terms. I will only take it on my terms. And friends, that reminds us exactly why we are in so desperate need of God's grace. Because it's only by the grace of God that the human heart at enmity with God can be changed so as to receive and enjoy that hope, to hear and embrace the gospel. The gospel does not simply go out to the world asking for anyone who would like to be maybe smart enough or sensible enough or good enough to make that good decision to save themselves and to become Christians. But rather it goes out to the whole world with the promise that in the midst of that, God by his sovereign grace is doing the necessary work in the hearts of some to bring them to faith in him. to give them what only he can give them. His gifts are absolutely the best. But this is why John the Baptist is arrested. This is why he is beheaded. This is in part, in part, the earthly sense, why Jesus will be arrested and why Jesus will be, quote, beheaded. Why his voice will be sort of cut off. But it is a reminder to us again, as we see so many times throughout the scriptures, in so many times since the closing of the canon around the world, as the church continues, which we are celebrating today, seeing flags hanging in our sanctuary and having had our missions festival last night, that there are many people sacrificing and suffering in many ways and finding joy in it. because they have found that Christ is worthy. He is worthy for the reasons that we are stating here, for the beauty of this good news, for his perfect sovereignty to place the whole world in submission to himself and to do it for our good and for his glory. It leads us to the first life application this morning. And it simply is that you and I, we need to see more clearly the worthiness of giving our whole lives to God's mission, to God's mission to make himself known in the world and to make himself known as the soul-gladdening, sovereign God who loves us. This is something that we all need to see more clearly. We were singing the praises of our missions advocacy team a moment ago. This is the reason that we're singing their praises. What are they doing? They're not just putting flags on the wall. They are not just hosting an event. They are helping us to see more clearly the worthiness of giving all of your life, and even if God were to call for it, even your death, because Christ is worthy, his mission is supreme and unstoppable, and he is the one who ultimately gives us hope and joy. After this happens and John the Baptist is arrested and he will eventually be beheaded, we read something really interesting in verse 12 that Jesus withdrew into Galilee, that he left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. It is interesting to me here because the idea that he withdrew or that anyone would withdraw suggests to me, in my untrained eye, a weakness. The only people that retreat are people who are in a position of weakness. The only ones who withdraw from a pressure or from some danger are those who feel they aren't up to the task. But is that what Jesus is doing when he withdraws into this region of the world after John the Baptist is arrested? Is it because he has some kind of weakness and he can't handle the situation? Is it because he's afraid that if he doesn't really watch his steps that he could end up like John the Baptist without his head? I know that that's not true. You know that that's not true. Jesus is fully divine and yet fully man. And so we see always this tension between the two in the way that he lives and ministers in his earthly life and ministry. We see here that yes, there is an aspect in which he is withdrawing in response to what has happened to John the Baptist, but he's not doing it because of weakness, he's doing it because it is God's will. It is God's will for Jesus to come into the world and operate in our world among us, as us, and therefore we see him doing a number of things that seem just different than we expected to come from divinity. And yet here also we find another reason that Jesus withdraws. Jesus is not withdrawing because he is afraid or he is hiding out in a corner so that he can, you know, work some self-preservation. But rather what he's doing is what we see next in the second mark of this transition. He is illuminating darkness. Look at verses 14-16. It says this was to fulfill, this withdrawal into this region was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah, land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, along the road by the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who live in darkness have seen a great light. And for those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned. Jesus here is withdrawing into a region that's described as a place of darkness. Of course, there are certain earthly things that we know historically about these places that can illuminate a little of the sense of why would the Bible say that? Capernaum is a place, this region had been ravaged by war, enormous suffering under the Assyrians. So certainly there is a sense of darkness and defeat there, and Jesus withdraws into this place to illuminate that darkness. But also we're reminded even in the text that Galilee was a place not only of Jews, but also Gentiles. And every place that we can highlight it in the scriptures is a reminder to ourselves that this was Jesus' mission. His mission was to save all people without distinction. all different kinds of people from around the world, from every nation, tribe, tongue, this is his mission. And he is going into the world of darkness and he is carrying the light. That is why the second mark of this transition from John the Baptist to Jesus' proclamation is a darkness illuminated. Jesus is carrying the light of the gospel of his good news into a world that is shrouded in darkness. We're reminded here, even of that metaphor of light, of just how powerful even light in our world is, that there is always light somewhere. I was really amazed to find, in just doing some, you know, internet research that I like to do, nerdy stuff, that there is no such thing, I'm told. I'm not a light scientist, obviously, because no one would say light scientist if he was one, but I'm not a light scientist. But the light scientists say that in our universe, in our world, there's no such thing as complete darkness. Nowhere. There's no such thing as complete darkness. It really speaks to the power of light to drive out darkness. They cannot exist. They are at enmity with each other. Now think about what this metaphor says as we see Jesus, who is the ultimate light of the world, going into a world, a region of darkness, and carrying that light to dispel the darkness and to illuminate it with his grace. It is an incredible, incredible picture. In some sense, this is what John the Baptist was doing. John the Baptist was coming and with his voice reverberating, the announcement or the message of repentance for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, it's drawing near, was to illuminate the path forward. as Jesus was coming into the highway and he was exiting, that this voice of his would illuminate the darkness as Jesus came in to shine the ultimate light upon the world, to bring his light and to illuminate the darkness of the fall. to drive out that darkness and to welcome people from all over the world. Jews, who we love very much, and we have many Jews who are living right around our church here, and also Gentiles, those who are not Jews, of the nations of the world. It is such a reminder to us. I want you to notice also in these few verses, the play between these concepts. John's voice is like a reverberating light. that is preparing the way for Jesus. But because this world is a world spiritually of darkness, at enmity with that message of repentance, and at enmity with any sense that the sovereign kingdom of God would come near, that's not something that we as fallen people desire, that yet then that darkness seeks to muzzle this enemy voice and to cover the light but rather than having the desired effect, Jesus comes on the scene and undoes it all. This is one of those patterns that we see in scripture over and over again. It is as though the world thinks it's clever, thinks it has a way of stopping what Jesus has planned, and yet all they end up doing is making it worse. You think, you know, if you are in your kitchen and you're always warned as a kid about grease fires and what not to do, it is a little bit like that. You create a grease fire on the stove and your first instinct is to grab a pot of water. That is not what you want to do. That is not, that is not what you want to do. Because all it does is inflame the fire, spread the fire. The same thing is happening here. It seems as though the world thought if we could extinguish John the Baptist's voice, all would be well. But all that's happened is it's water on the grease fire, and now Jesus is on the scene, and his ultimate voice of light is shining, is speaking into the darkness. This is a continued transition that will happen over and over again. We'll even see even more so in a moment. that there is generation after generation in the church, those who follow and come along and carry the baton forward. They continue to carry the message forward. But we do well to remember that this is often the way the Bible speaks about Jesus' mission as to be a light. It is a way that he talks about you. He expects. He has saved you. He has equipped you, gifted you. for many reasons, but at the center of it is to be a light. It is no small thing, though it is a small song, that we teach children in church at a very young age about this little light of theirs. and that they are to let it shine. It is not the little light of their sweet little personality, though they have them. It's not the little light of their hopes and dreams in the world. Though those are good, they should be pursued for God's glory. It is the little light of faith that comes by grace alone and carries forward this message of good news into the world. That is the very light that we are seeking to fan into flame. by reminding ourselves of the great mission that God has placed us on with him, the great commission into the world. That brings us to a second way that we can focus our faith, focus your life, focus it on being a light, but being a light of Christ's happy gospel kingdom. This is what he came to be. This is what he did. He replaced John the Baptist with a brighter, louder, more powerful voice and light. And it is a voice about his happy gospel kingdom. Wasn't that long ago that we spent significant time in the book of Philippians being reminded of the centrality of happiness in Christ. That in fact, your happiness in Christ is the primary way that you glorify God. It is not by doing things for him and begrudging them. It is by obeying Him with a heart that delights to do it because He has delighted in you. This is the picture that we have of Jesus and the church down through the ages, even to today and to the very end. We want to be the kind of Christians that are taking the light of Christ into the world because the light of Christ has made us glad. We want the world to worship him because he is the one who satisfies every human heart. This is in fact to quote John Piper actually in one of his well-known books that missions exists because worship doesn't. What are we trying to do by having flags on the wall and missions festivals and talking about this on a regular basis, supporting missionaries and encouraging others to go? We are trying to fill the world with worshipers. We are trying to fill the world with people who have been transformed by God's grace and have been made glad by it. But notice this again, it is profound that one voice is arrested and simply leads to another voice emerging. This is the pattern of the redemptive story that God unfolds, really, in a sense, from eternity past all the way to the very end when there will be a final judgment and day of restoration in the world, a new heavens and a new earth, and all of his chosen people will be with him forevermore. This is the pattern. I remember hearing long ago words that were attributed, I don't know if they are exactly, truly Tertullian's voice. He was an early Christian theologian and writer who may have said, nevertheless, no matter who said it, it does seem to be quite true that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. That is a way of illustrating what has happened even here in this text. As John the Baptist is arrested, beheaded, and then another era of proclamation, another era of mission has begun. We see this over and over and over again. It really encapsulates the idea that persecution and even martyrdom in church history has not led to the squelching of the church, but has inflamed it. And we see it even here in the last verse this morning. Notice in verse 17, it says, from then on, Jesus began to preach, repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near. Talk about a sense of Jesus' humanity here blended together with his divinity. Jesus has simply taken on the very same message of John the Baptist when he's arrested and begun preaching the same message moving forward. That, of course, does not mean that Jesus is submissive to John the Baptist. He's inferior. He's his assistant. He's taking over, you know, taking his place. He's not taking his place. He's taking his own place. He is doing exactly what God had planned for him to do on the heels of John the Baptist coming and preparing the way. Jesus has started to preach repent. The kingdom of heaven has come near. This is one important truth that we do raise in our church over and over again, and it has become so very important to me as a Christian. It has become life transforming to me. In fact, I'm not really sure that there are many truths that have become more profoundly impactful for me than simply this. The knowledge that the good news of Jesus is simply an announcement. It is a message to be preached. That the gospel is not something to be lived. We do use that language and we know what we mean by that. We want to live out of the implications and truths of the gospel, but the gospel is not something that we live because it doesn't demand that I live. It doesn't offer me a transaction. Live this way and you can be saved. That's not what the gospel is. In fact, the gospel does not make any kinds of demands like that. It doesn't lay out any new list of things to do, but rather the gospel lays out a list, an eternal list, of what has already been done. of what Christ has done. And therefore we are freed to preach this powerful announcement, just like John the Baptist, like Jesus, like those who came after him. We are those who came after him to preach this good news. It's a great reminder for us, both in our own Christian lives, because sometimes we mix up. I do. Sometimes I mix up the gospel and the law. Sometimes I fall back into that sense that, you know, God's happy with me when I'm doing the right things. But that's not true. God is happy with me because Jesus did the right things on my behalf, and that's the motivator for me to do the things that please him. Because he has me, loves me, keeps me, and my life, my place in his family, in his covenant kingdom, is not dependent. on what I do. It is dependent on what Christ has done for me and his ability to keep me, and I want to obey him all the more. One of the ways that you and I then can obey him is to do the very same thing that John the Baptist and Jesus and those after him continued to do over and over again. It may be a word that you don't usually think of as being your word, but it is the word preach. The word that's used here is the word caruso. It is a word about speaking, it is a word about preaching or proclaiming, but it really is more than that. It carries with it the sense of a sovereign declaration with an emphasis on the importance and power and the urgency of the message that's being preached. It doesn't mean to be a public speaker. That's not what Jesus was doing. He became a public speaker and he spoke the message. He's preaching. It's the same thing that we are called to do, yes, with our lives, but with our voices, because the gospel is an announcement made of words. But this word Caruso, this preaching that Jesus did, the preaching that John the Baptist did, the preaching that others did after Jesus and continue even this day around the world, is a preaching with a higher authority. It's a preaching unlike the world knows. The world cannot Caruso. The world has no authority to Caruso. There are lots of messages out there. We talk about that a lot. We talk about being aware of them and seeing the way that they conflict with what's true. But those are not Carusos. There's only one. There is only one message that can be preached in this way. John the Baptist was described as preaching in the wilderness. It's the same word. Jesus is depicted here as preaching the good news of the kingdom. Also in Mark chapter one, it's the same word that's used. And then we just see the generations continuing forward because it's the same word that's used of the apostles preaching the gospel after Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit. This is what they're doing. Why did Jesus come? to preach good news into the world. Why did he save us? To live our lives and to use our voices as a light to the world to preach that good news. Because it's the good news that we hear and comforts us and makes us glad. And it's the good news that can comfort the world. And it's the only news that can make the world glad. It is the Caruso. We need this. We need this. We need this reminder over and over again that you have a voice. You have a voice that has with it a delegated kind of authority because of the message that you proclaim when you share the gospel. We all could grow, we all can grow in the frequency, in our clarity, and we want that. We want to be like missionaries even here, cross town, cross culture, in every way that we can with gladness because this announcement is an announcement of power. Think about it. Think about what we are preaching. We preach the gospel. It's a heavenly message. It's an announcement. We are heralds of a message that has come from another world and has come into our world, even into our darkness. The message with real power and authority. Yes, Jesus did miracles. but he did miracles to draw attention to his message. And central to his mission and central to God's relationship to us is this very same good news. It does help us to have these reminders from scripture. And so let me encourage you to do this as you read your Bible even this week. Be more in tune with where you see messages being proclaimed, especially the gospel message in particular, the central message of the Bible. Look at all of the different people and the way that God worked in them to preach good news. That will help to bring it to the forefront of our minds, to be the people that have that on our minds. You know, when you go through a drive-through, there is an opportunity there to say something. And it's better to say something than to say nothing. To invite someone to church. No, that's not evangelism, but that's good. That's a good start. To share something of your testimony, even in 30 seconds when you have an opportunity somewhere. Or with someone you really know well, a family member, co-worker. This is central to what it means to be a Christian. It's central to what Jesus did. I wanna share just two more passages, brief passages. You can turn there if you want or just listen to them before we come to a close. But they do well to highlight this and to remind us of the centrality of proclaiming good news. One is Isaiah 61, one and two, listen to this. This is a passage about Jesus, suffering servant. This is a passage that is looking forward to Jesus and what he came to do. I want you to notice how preaching oriented, proclaiming oriented, gospel message oriented this passage is in the way that it describes him. The spirit of the Lord God is on me because the Lord has anointed me, this is of course attributed to Jesus' life and ministry on earth, to bring good news to the poor. There are many things that we should do to help people in need, practical needs and help through our church, through our own resources. But what's the ultimate? What's the ultimate resource? What did Jesus come to do for the poor? to bring good news, to preach good news. It says, he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and proclaim freedom to the prisoners. There it is again and again. To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of our God's vengeance to comfort all who mourn. Highly, highly preaching oriented, proclaiming oriented. Or 1 Corinthians 15.3, which we often cover once a year in November because it's sort of the life verse of our church and why our church is named Paramount Church. Even in the New Testament, Paul says, I passed on to you. That is preaching, proclamation, gospel announcing. As most important, what I also received or heard, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. He was buried and he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to us when we come to verse 17, what does Jesus do right at the start of his earthly ministry? He starts preaching. He starts announcing. He goes to places of darkness. He goes to sinners. He goes to tax collectors. He goes to people who were down and out. He goes to people who need comforting. He goes to everyone, Jews and Gentiles, to proclaim to them this announcement repent because the kingdom of heaven has come near. As a last word and encouragement this morning, I do want to encourage you to think, and especially even in community group this week, about what this message means. Because without seeing this message that is summarized by repent because the kingdom of heaven has come near, without having the context of the rest of what Jesus preached and what the Christian message is in the good news, it can sound, and I think it's not right, it can sound very crooked finger in your face. You better repent because the kingdom of heaven's come near. You better get right. You better get with the program. You know you haven't been doing what you were supposed to be doing. You better start. But is that really the message? Is that really the message that Jesus brings? Well, for one, his message begins with repent. Read your Bible long enough and you see very clearly that repentance is not something that I can do. It's a gift. He is preaching at the beginning of his message about the ultimate gift that only God can give me to change my heart, to overcome the enmity of my heart against God so that he will work in me the good gift and grant to me repentance. Then what does he say next? The kingdom of heaven has come near. You don't get any sense throughout the life and ministry of Jesus that the kingdom coming near, even though we read and we know that our God is the God of armies, that he is coming to do war, that's not until later. His kingdom coming near is an incredible arrival of grace. That's what his kingdom is bringing. His kingdom is bringing gladness. It's bringing mercy, bringing forgiveness, atonement, happiness, hope, help, all of those things. When you think about it in the context of the gospel, this message comes to life. It's not a message that drives you into the ground. It's a message that lifts your eyes to God who is gracious and merciful. because he says, I have the gift that you need. I can grant you repentance. I can change your heart. And my kingdom is coming near to your kingdom, and I am gonna turn your kingdom upside down for my glory and for your gladness. This is the transition that is most profound and most divine of all time, to see what Jesus came into the world to do. as a final way of application, and then come to a close, I promise. Long one, long one today. The final application here is simply to recognize that we are not only, as we've been called a lot as Baptists, and rightly so, people of the book, but we are people of proclamation. At the very center of our faith is an announcement, a message, something that cannot be lived. It can only be spoken. And therefore this reminder for us should motivate us to be proclaimers of this good news to ourselves, preaching the gospel to ourselves, to others in our church, and then also obviously to the world. We want to be this kind of church. We want to be this kind of Christians. And so we pray that God would help us. Let me invite you to stand as you're able so that we can pray about that very thing as our worship team comes up to lead us once again. I hope that you'll set your heart this week on the proclamation of the gospel. Look for little steps that you can take to make a difference in that way and depend upon God to give you grace for every word. Father, we thank you this morning because you have proclaimed good news to us Through Jesus, you have brought the light of your kingdom into the darkness of our world, and that light has illuminated our hearts, changed us, made us glad, and yet there is still room for us to increase our gladness in you. Please help us, help us to do that by knowing more of you, by speaking together more of you, and by being useful to you in the world in this great commission that you've given to us. Please give us success, Give us courage and motivation and give us words so that we can be a voice for you. Just like Jesus, just like John the Baptist, we pray this in Jesus' name, amen.