The Persecuted Church?

John 15:18-16:4

Introduction: On Tuesday of last week, it was announced that an evangelical pastor, Louie Giglio, was selected to deliver the benediction at the presidential inaugural on January 21^st. He accepted, saying it was a great honor to be invited. Then the left began their research and found a sermon he had given 15 years ago that called homosexuality a sin. The uproar started.  By Thursday, Giglio withdrew his acceptance of Obama’s invitation, it was too distracting. Obama’s team went to work trying to find someone who would better reflect their inclusive vision for America.  The only thing that surprised me about this story was that Giglio, like Rick Warren in 2009, was invited at all.  When we talk about the persecuted church and the question of suffering for our faith, the truth is most American Christians have difficulty relating. We are a country founded on the principle of religious freedom, and historically the center of missionary outreach. For most of us “persecution” is the stuff of history, or something to do with news reports and far away.   What kind of unfairness or mistreatment have we ever experienced because of our faith in Jesus? It may be coming.

     The truth is, that worldwide, persecution against the Church of Jesus Christ, has intensified over the last century.  According to one source I checked, over 45 million Christians were martyred in the 20^th century, more than in the first 19 centuries of the church combined. And that intensification of hatred and violence against Christians has only increased since the dawn of the 21^st century.  We need ministries like Voice of the Martyrs to keep us updated and praying for brothers and sisters in Christ who are being beaten, imprisoned and killed in the Mideast, some countries in Africa, and in parts of Asia. We need to pray for the Persecuted Church!

       Though violence against Christians is thankfully something that is rare in our context, we have no guarantees that it will stay that way throughout our lives. it is certainly true that Christians are experiencing increasing “push-back” if they take a stand for their faith, is it not?

       It is getting to be more and more common to see Christians, especially born-again Christians, mocked or ridiculed or discriminated against in the media.  At times it seems that the one minority that its ok to “pre-judge” as narrow minded, bigoted, and unthinking, it is evangelical Christians. They are pictured as obnoxious and closed minded, prideful, and intolerant. They think they are better than anyone else! Or at least that is the picture the media would present.   What is going on?  Should any of this surprise us? Not according to Jesus. We should expect it.

The Big Idea: As surely as Jesus was rejected by “the world” we should expect opposition when we point to Him as the only hope for sinful humans.

I. PERSECUTION of GOD’S PEOPLE: Opposition to our mission is inevitable (15:18-24).   

As Jesus was hated by the world, so will be those who He has chosen (read 18-20). "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.  ¹⁹ "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you…”

       - First of all, Jesus, the Master Teacher, is gently preparing his disciples for what would soon happen. The hatred of the world would reach a climax against Jesus as He is rejected and handed over to be crucified.  That hatred would be manifested against His followers after his departure. If they were going to persevere He would have to prepare them.

      - Jesus makes a point: Their treatment by the world would be in sharp contrast to the love that is normative for church. Verse 17 flows right into verse 18.  For the believer, love is a choice that we make that flows out of God’s love for us. But Jesus is also preparing his disciples for what they are going to receive from the world.  The fact is we shouldn’t be surprised by the hatred of the world. If Jesus was hated, so would those who are identified with Him.

      - By the way, who or what is “the world” in this passage (contrast Jn 3:16!)? “World” here is used in a narrow sense of the inhabitants of this planet who are in rebellion against God and his Kingdom. It’s the rebellion against God and his anointed that we see in Psalm 2:1ff, “Why do the nations rage… against the LORD and against His Anointed…”  If Jesus was despised and rejected, even though He only told the truth and did good, it shouldn’t be surprising that those who are identified with him also are rejected.

     - V.19 makes it clear that we are aliens, we are ALL from away, we are citizens of Heaven and strangers and aliens in the world – we just don’t belong.  Have you ever been in a setting where you just felt that to be the case? You are just not one of them so you are viewed with suspicion, even contempt. I recall when I first got saved I didn’t know any Christians, I wanted to share with everyone I met the “Good News.” It did not always go so well. Sometimes it was surely my fault, you have to have some discernment in how you share and with whom! There is a difference between being persecuted for being obnoxious and being persecuted for righteousness sake! Have you been there?

     -V 19b To make matters worse, we’ve been chosen by Jesus.  John earlier said, “Men love darkeness rather than light because their deeds are evil…”  We are identified with the Light of the World that unregenerate humans would rather avoid! They hate Him. If we remind them of Him, they are not going to warmly embrace us either!

 The rejection of God’s revelation in Christ, including our witness, exposes those who don’t know Him (21-24). "But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me…”  The truth is, apart from Christ humans are deaf, blind, and dead to spiritual things.

- The World rejects Christ followers because they reject Jesus – they reject Jesus because they don’t know God.  God has revealed himself to the world in Christ, and there is no excuse for unbelief.

- N.B. Jesus “spoke” to them, He spoke the truth. The Light shined in the darkness, but the darkness comprehended it not. N.b. v.24, the works revealed his identity, the signs were evidence and yet they chose to reject the evidence. They are guilty of the sin of unbelief; guilty of rejecting the One who reveals the Father and who came to provide the way to Heaven. Jesus, God incarnate, walked among humans, spoke the truth, acted only in love, and was rejected!  When we preach the offensive message of the Cross, when we dare say that Jesus is the only name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved, we shouldn't be surprised by opposition. Hatred shouldn't shock us. As surely as Jesus was rejected by “the world” we should expect opposition when we point to Him as our only hope.

II. PROOF AND PROPHECY: Even the rejection of Jesus and His followers is a fulfillment of prophecy and so vindicates the Truth (15:25). "But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, 'They hated Me without a cause.'”

                This is a citation from Ps 69:4 a psalm of the Righteous Sufferer. Jesus is reminding his disciples, and us, that everything that happened this week of the Passion, or for that matter the widespread rejection of Jesus that was manifest throughout his earthly ministry, had all been predicted in the Scriptures.  God sent His Son not only to visit the world and to reveal himself, but to give His life as a ransom for many. He came to die.  Here, He was telling them before hand, even though they didn’t understand, so that when it happened it would actually be a further vindication of his identity. By warning that they too would be rejected he was preparing them, telling them not to be surprised as the story unfolded.  

                This is part of the “apologetic” of the early church. If Jesus was the Messiah, how could it be that He was rejected by His own people? And why, after the resurrection, did most of the nation, indeed most of humanity, continue to reject Him?  The answer would be almost shocking if you were hearing it for the first time: The rejection of Jesus was part of God’s plan. It led to the cross, and resulted in our redemption through his blood. The rejection of Jesus by most of humanity was no surprise, it had in fact had been predicted and so vindicates his claims. And  know this: As surely as Jesus was rejected by “the world” we should expect opposition when we point to Him as our only hope.

III. POWER TO PERSEVERE: Spirit empowered witness is at the heart of our mission, enabling faithfulness in the face of opposition (15:26-27).

These verses might seem out of place on the surface until we think about what Jesus is saying: The Holy Spirit, the “Parakletos” from the Father, He will enable Christians to persevere under trial, and to be faithful witnesses in the face of hatred and rejection. He’ll teach us more about the Spirit as we get further into chapter 16 – In Acts 1:8 He gave a great summary: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me…”

                Jesus encouraged his disciples not to be surprised by persecution and not to be discouraged by rejection. He mentions the Spirit here to remind them that our mission is a “co”-mission, i.e. we don’t engage the enemy alone or in our own strength. God is on our side. The Holy Spirit testifies, amazingly, through US.  The presence of the Spirit in the Church is a truth that sets this age apart from all others in the unfolding Drama of Redemption.  Now, today, we are the Temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in us.  And it is up to Him to open the hearts of rebellious, sinful, humans.  As we live in the world and carry out the mission He has entrusted to us, we can be assured that as surely as Jesus was rejected by “the world” we should expect opposition when we point to Him as our only hope.

IV. PREJUDICE and PERSECUTION: The time will come when it will be politically correct & socially acceptable to persecute Christians (16:1-4).

                We know that with respect to the Islamic world that Christians are considered infidels and so the persecution of Christians is considered a good thing. But what about living in a country with religious freedom like the USA?  Is there a sense in which it has become socially “acceptable” to discriminate against evangelical Christians?

                Why is it OK to have a WICCA club or TM meeting, but Christians are discouraged from gathering for prayer or Bible Study in the public schools? Why is it unacceptable to generalize about any minority, be it racial, religious, sexual orientation or whatever, but Christians in the media can routinely be presented as ignorant, intolerant, unthinking, narrow minded bigots? We are not of the world.

What is God saying to me in this passage?  As surely as Jesus was rejected by “the world” we should expect opposition when we point to Him as our only hope.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Are you encountering “push back” as you seek to walk with the Lord?  Don’t be intimidated. If God is for us, who can stand against us? Don’t be obnoxious – but don’t be intimidated. God is with you. He calls us to be His witnesses, in Boothbay, in Lincoln County, to the ends of the earth. You are God’s missionary, placed exactly where you are by the Sovereign King of the Universe. Are there five people in your sphere of influence: family members, neighbors, co-workers, who don’t yet know the Lord? Can you commit to pray for these people, asking the Lord to open their hearts and to lead them to repentance and faith? Will you look for opportunities to share with them the truth that God is real, and that He has made a difference in your life? Will you look for an opportunity to invite them to church, to your small group, or into you home? Let’s see what the Lord will do!  Amen.

Love God, Love your Neighbor

Jesus loves me this I know; but my neighbor? He can go!

John 15:9-17

     With this cold snap we’ve been comfortable over in the parsonage – the baseboard hot water heat works very well. When I was a pastor in NJ we lived in a nice, old house, it had steam heat. Every now and then the old pipes would leak and the steam boiler would lose pressure.  There was a glass tube that serves as a gauge on the side of the boiler that would let you see the level of the water inside.  How do you know if you love God, who you cannot see? Look at the gauge. Your love for your brother is a measure of your love for God.  An unbelieving Greek writer of the 2^nd century AD named Lucian observed the warm fellowship between Christians said “It is incredible to see the fervor with which the people of that religion help each other in their wants. They spare nothing. Their first legislator, Jesus, has put it in their heads that they are brethren.” That theme is at the heart of today’s passage.

Review: This section in John, 13-17, is often referred to as “the upper Room discourse.”  Following the first 12 chapters which emphasized the “signs” that Jesus did, this is an extensive section emphasizing His teaching, given to His disciples, as the Cross drew near. Jesus knew His departure was at hand and He was preparing His disciples to continue on with His physical presence. So he taught them about servanthood in Chapter 13 as He, their Master and teacher, washed their feet, and predicted his betrayal and the Cross. He told them that He was the Way to the Father in John 14, and that He was going to prepare a place for them. He also spoke of another Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who would come after his departure. Chapter 15 started with the images of a vine, a vinedresser, and some branches. We learned that we are dependent on God for life and can only be “fruitful” or effective, as He works on us, in us, and through us. As He continues to prepare His disciples to go on without Him being present, in this paragraph He emphasizes one characteristic, one fruit of the Spirit that should be present in the life of His followers: love.  As Jesus was loved by the Father, so He loved us. That love should overflow in our relationships with one another.   

The Big Idea: Because God has so loved us we ought also to love one another.

I. The Foundation of God’s Family is Love (15:9-11). The starting point is the love of the Father. Think about this: The measure of Jesus’ love for His disciples, His love for us, is the Father’s love for Jesus.  The Father, Son, and Spirit were in intimate, perfect union for all eternity. No sin, no selfishness, no misunderstanding. God’s love. “As the Father has loved me, I also have loved you…”  There are times when the love of our parents or our spouses or our brothers and sisters might be uncertain, but God’s love is unquestionable, unbreakable, unconditional.

                 “…abide in my love…”  The word “abide,” i.e., “remain, continue,” takes us back to the Vine and the Branches in 15:1-7.  The branches remain or continue in the vine, they depend on it for sustenance, life, and fruitfulness.  It calls us to remain conscious of His love which is ever present, and never changing.

                “If you keep my commandments, then you will abide in my love…” We have to understand this in its context. It can’t be saying that obedience is the condition of experiencing God’s love, or that God will love us if we obey Him. That would undercut the doctrine of GRACE, God’s unmerited favor, which permeates this passage and the Bible as a whole. Obedience to Jesus, specifically, obedience to His commandment to love one another, will allow us to recognize and experience more fully His love toward us. We are enabled to “abide in His love.” Because God has so loved us we ought also to love one another.

II. Friendship with God means choosing to love each other (12-14). Have you heard it said that we don’t choose our family, only our friends? God has done both!  Loving God is something we affirm, we embrace. Loving one another – we can struggle a little more with that. Remember the old ditty: “To live above with saints I love will certainly be glory! To live below, with those I know, well that’s another story!” People are not always “lovable” but love is a choice!

                V.12 says "This is My commandment, that you love one another…” That should sound familiar, if we look back to 13:34,35 we read, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."  Jesus loves us as He is loved by the Father. We are called to love one another as He has loved us! His disciples didn’t yet understand the extent to which that would go, Jesus alludes to what’s coming in v.13 when He says, “Greater love has no one than this: that he lay down his life for his friends…” He loved them to the end, to the cross. It’s similar to what Jesus said in John 10:11, “…the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” It’s the same verb (“lays down”), the same object (“his life”), the same preposition (“for”).  Substitution. He loved us so much he died for us, He laid down his life for us.  

A famous example from literature is found in Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities. You remember the famous scene where Sidney Carton slips into the cell of the condemned Charles Darnay, drugs him, changes clothes, and then goes to the guillotine in his place. “It’s a far, far better thing I do, than I have ever done before…”  We are not going to be asked, most of us, to literally lay down our lives for another. It does mean choosing to love. Considering the needs of our brother or sister before our own. John writes a lot about this in his first Epistle:

1 John 2:9-10 The one who says he is in the light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now.  ¹⁰ The one who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

1 John 3:14-16  We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.  ¹⁵ Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.  ¹⁶ We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

1 John 4:7-11  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  ⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.  ⁹ By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.  ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another…”   

There is much more, but you get the idea?  We are not usually going to be called to literally lay down our life for another… That was the attitude of the early church.  The church father Tertullian said: “It is our care for the helpless, our practice of lovingkindness, that brands us in the eyes of our opponents. “Look!” they say,. “How they love one another! Look how they are prepared to die for one another!”

                It does mean however that we put others first. This passage talks about ‘joy’ in verse 11. Do you remember the acrostic for JOY: Jesus first, others second, yourself last!  We choose not to be selfish. We choose to go out of our comfort zone to help someone else. To look out not for our own personal needs, but also for the needs of others.  Often the greatest sacrifice is our time.   Because God has so loved us we ought also to love one another.

III. Friendship with God means receiving the Word of Christ (15:15). We have the revelation of God, His Word in written form! The Creator of the Universe, invisible, omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, has spoken, He has told us about himself, He has laid out in human language what He has done for us and what He expects from us. There is much we don’t know about God, but what He has revealed is true and trustworthy. And He invites us to call Him “Father” (I John 3:1).

                Servants don’t know what the master is doing – they follow orders, they do as they are told. God has revealed His plan to us, we even know the end of the story!  We read through the Book of Revelation, all 22 chapters, on New Year’s Eve.  It took us a little less than two hours. Spoiler warning: Hold your ears if you don’t want to hear the ending: JESUS WINS! God is at work, carrying out His mission in the world, and He has chosen to use us. And He has revealed His plan to us.  William Barclay wrote:

“This phrase is lit up by a custom practiced at the courts both of the Roman emperors and of kings in the Middle East. At these courts, there was a very select group called the friends of the king, or the friends of the emperor. At all times, they had access to the king; they even had the right to come to his bedchamber at the beginning of the day. He talked to them before he talked to his generals, his rulers and his statesmen. The friends of the king were those who had the closest and the most intimate connection with Him…”

                The NIV says, “I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” That’s a pretty comprehensive statement – it’s an evidence of His love, His trust in us. We are part of the family. He has given us His Word, His “love letter,” a true and reliable revelation of who He is and guidebook to learn what He expects from us.  One of the best New Year’s resolutions you could make is an intentional decision to be in the Word on a daily basis. His Word is a Lamp to our feet, a Light to our paths.  It implies here that it is a demonstration of the truth that we are a friend of God: “I have called you friends for everything… I made known to you.”  Because God has so loved us we ought also to love one another.

IV. Friendship with God means we have been chosen by Him for a mission (15:16-17).  The most loving thing we can do for our brothers and sisters is intercede on their behalf, in the name of Jesus. Certainly the most loving thing we can do for our neighbors is point them to Jesus.   Bruce Milne calls this “the ultimate encouragement in mission.” He said: “We go, not because we are worthy, or equipped, or attractive, or skilled, or experienced, or in any way suitable and appropriate. We go because we are summoned and sent. Since he has called us he will equip us and enable us for our witness” (The Message of John, p.223).

What is God saying to me in this passage? Because God has so loved us we ought also to love one another.

What we He have me to do in response to this passage?  I hope the title to this message is not misunderstood: “Jesus loves me this I know, but my neighbor? He can go!” That’s not the message! The point is, that should not be our attitude. If Jesus so loved us, we need to love one another. That means choosing to invest ourselves in each other’s lives. It means bearing one another’s burdens. It means watching for those who need a ride, or need a meal, or need an encouraging word.  Is someone missing this week? Give a call, ask is there something you can pray about.  Someone sick?  A visit or a call would say so much at a time like that.  “By this men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 

God's Way to Find Our Way in 2013

God’s Way to Finding Our Way in 2013

Proverbs 3:5,6

Introduction: Do you remember the story of the pig and the hen that approached a church and read the sermon title on the sign: “What can you do for the poor?”  Immediately the hen suggested that they feed them a bacon and eggs breakfast.  The pig thought for a moment and said: “There is only one thing wrong with that idea: For you it only requires a contribution, for me it means total commitment!” 

     How committed are we to the Lord?  The end of one year, the beginning of a New Year. How many surprises we had in 2012!  Victories, struggles, successes, defeats. Joy, heartbreak.  What will 2013 bring us? Only God knows. The good news is: God knows. And He is good. And we can trust Him. He will prepare the way for us, if we’ll trust Him.  Proverbs 3:5,6 talks about this truth. It is one of the first verses of the Bible that I memorized as a new Christian, and even after 34 years as a believer I am still learning to live out in my daily life the truths that it presents. The words easy, but it can be very difficult when we are faced with choices in our daily lives.

Big Idea: Rather than relying on ourselves we need to recognize God’s presence and trust Him implicitly.  He promises to lead us on the right path.

I. Because of Who He is, we can trust God: “Trust in the Lord…” Our faith is only useful to the extent that the object of our faith is trustworthy.

           One of the cries of the protestant reformation came from the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk, via the apostle Paul: “The just shall live by faith!” At its root “faith” is talking about believing God, taking Him at his Word. There is a proviso built into that idea: if we are going to believe God, we need to know what He has told us. That is, we need to read the Bible.

Last year we promoted a “through the Bible in a year” reading program. This year, will you make a commitment to be in the Word daily?  Tomorrow night some of us will join together here, reading through the Book of Revelation. We read in Revelation 1:3 “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” Scripture restates that promise in various ways with respect to the entire Bible: it is God’s Word to us, it is the Word of Life.

           Our trust, our faith, is only as good as the object of our faith. You might think someone is trustworthy but that doesn’t make it so. I got a rifle as a Christmas present and took it out to the range to try it out – you might trust me to shoot an apple off your head at 100 yards, but it would be a terrible mistake! It would not go well for you!

           Here we are told to trust in the LORD, the God of the Covenant. Notice the word “LORD” is written in all capital letters in most English translations. We are to trust in Yahweh, The God who spoke to Moses from the burning bush, who led the Jews through the wilderness in the Pillar of Cloud and Pillar of Fire. The God who spoke in times past to the Fathers through the prophets, and in these last days has spoken in His Son. He is trustworthy. Do you trust Father’s voice?  I recall the story of a building fire in Harlem, NYC. It was a desperate situation: a blind girl was perched on a fourth floor window. The firemen couldn’t get the ladder truck between the buildings to reach her, and they were trying to coax her to jump into a net, which she of course couldn’t see.  Finally the girl’s father arrived at the scene and took the bullhorn and spoke to her, saying that there was a net below, and that she had to jump. Immediately, she jumped, totally relaxed, because she heard her father’s voice and trusted him. Even when we don’t see the net, we can trust our Father. He is good. He loves us. He is trustworthy.

*** Rather than relying on ourselves we need to recognize the presence of God and trust Him implicitly.  He promises to lead us on the right path.

II. If God is who He claims to be, He deserves our whole-hearted trust: “…with all of your heart…” In the Old Testament we are told to love God with all our heart, to seek Him with all our heart, to serve Him with all our heart – only here do we find the call to trust Him with all our heart. The closest thing I could find in the Bible is when the Ethiopian Eunuch asked Philip if he could be baptized. He answered "If you believe with all your heart, you may." Obviously there he is talking about trusting God for salvation, the kind of faith that saves.

  This passage must include the idea of trusting God for our salvation, but I think it goes further – we entrust our lives to Him – whole heartedly – no reservation – nothing held back. That’s radical faith. That’s the faith that changes lives. That’s the faith that lets us live our life in dependence on Him. Even when we don’t understand, we can trust Him. With all our heart. No matter what, He is trustworthy.

  Remember the story of the man who was walking along a narrow path, and lost concentration for a second and slipped over the edge of a cliff. As he fell he grabbed a branch growing from the side of the cliff. He realized he couldn’t hold on for long and called out for help, 

“Is anybody up there?” 

A voice replied, “Yes, I am here.” 

“Who’s that?” the man asked. 

“The Lord” came the answer. 

“Lord help me!” he cried. 

“Do you trust me?” the voice asked. 

“I trust you completely!” he frantically replied. 

“Good,” said the Lord, “Let go of the branch.” 

The man asked, “WHAT???” 

The Lord replied, “I said, Let go of the branch.” 

After a long pause the man spoke, “Is anybody else up there?”

***Rather than relying on ourselves we need to recognize God’s presence and trust Him implicitly.  He promises to lead us on the right path.

 III. The opposite of faith is self-reliance: “Lean not on your own understanding…”

          First, what this is not saying. This is not saying that believers are supposed to muddle through life without thinking. We don’t put our minds on hold when we trust Christ! Paul reasoned with the philosphers on Mars Hill and the Jewish rabbis in the synagogues. If anything our minds should be on a new level – we know the One who is the truth. All truth belongs to Him. Nor is this saying that we don’t try to use discernment in making decisions. Faith is not blind, mindless faith.

           We are not to “lean on” our own understanding. Because our minds are affected by sin, and our motives and our thinking are askew we can’t trust our reason – certainly we can’t put our reason before the black and white truths of Scripture. Nor can we pick the parts of God’s Word that we want to accept while ignoring the rest.  The church father Augustine said: “If you believe what you like in the Gospel and reject what you don’t like; its not the Gospel that you believe, but yourself.” Peter himself said that Paul wrote about many things that were hard to understand.  Faith means we take God at His Word, whether we understand or not.

      Of course the truth is that we usually do understand, we would just rather not listen. Mark Twain expressed unusual honesty for an unbeliever when he said: “Many people are bothered by the things they can’t understand in the Bible. As for me, the things that have always bothered me the most are those that I do understand!”

*** Rather than relying on ourselves we need to recognize His presence and trust Him implicitly.  He promises to lead us on the right path.

IV. Trusting God means acknowledging His sovereignty and recognizing His presence in every moment of our lives: “In all your ways acknowledge Him…”

           God in interested in every aspect of our lives. One of the saddest tendencies in the church today is to put God in a little corner of our life, and then to live the way we want to. We are to trust Him “in all our ways.”

I read recently in a devotional: 

“If you have been basically doing things on your own while occasionally expressing a semi-sense of dependence on [God] for your life and work and family, then you may not be prepared for suffering. But if you build a habit of daily acknowledging Him as your source and sustainer, you will feel welcome rushing to His side in an emergency.” 

We should acknowledge his presence, His goodness, His promises about walking with us every moment.

 The word “acknowledge” is the Hebrew word yadah usually translated “to know.” We need to know the truth, recognize it, receive it: God is present, and He cares about every detail of our lives, every minute of our existence. Read Psalm 139:1-10:

 You have searched me and known me.  ² You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.  ³ You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.  ⁴ For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.  ⁵ You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me…  ⁷ Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?  ⁸ If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.  ⁹ If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,  ¹⁰ even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me…

Well that is a Biblical view of life: where ever we go, whatever we do, God knows, and He is there with us. We need to know and be assured that somehow, He will work every detail of our lives together for our good, and for His glory.

***Rather than relying on ourselves we need to recognize His presence and trust God implicitly.  He promises to lead us on the right path.

  V. God promises that He will lead us if we will trust Him: “…and He will direct your paths.”

          Literally, “He will make our paths straight…” He’ll level out the ground before us. He’ll make a way. I recall an instance when we just bought our current vehicle and were on a trip in upstate New York, near Cooperstown. A sudden snow storm came out of nowhere. We came behind a snow plow, it cleared a path before us, laid down some salt and sand as it went. God goes before those who trust Him, preparing the way. He doesn’t promise that it will be easy, but He promises to be with us, and to prepare the path that He would have us walk.

What is God saying to me in this passage? *** Rather than relying on ourselves we need to recognize God’s presence and trust Him implicitly.  He promises to lead us on the right path.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage?  I have become overly reliant on my GPS.  I’ll use the thing even navigating around town! Will you rely on a real GPS in 2013 (God’s positioning system!) – taking God at His Word? Follow Him! Trust in the Lord (He is trustworthy) with all your heart (no reservations) and lean not on your own understanding (He knows best!) in all your ways acknowledge Him (know that He is there, working, guiding, teaching) and He will direct your paths.  Amen.

Worship the King!

Have you come to worship the King?

Matthew 2:1-12

Introduction: The story of the Magi is one of the best known and most loved stories surrounding the incarnation. We’ve all seen the phrase, “Wise Men still seek Him!”  Every nativity scene includes them. But we’ll see that some of the ideas associated with their visit are more traditional than Biblical.  Although these men are actually call “Magi” in the Bible, it is reasonable to call them “wise men” since Proverbs says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” True wisdom is associated with knowing and reverencing the God who is. 

     In today’s passage Matthew shows that even if the Jews would not recognize Jesus as their King, God had a remnant from the nations who would come to Him and worship Him.   The fact is, Jesus is Lord. The question for us is how will we respond to his sovereign rule in our lives?

The Big Idea today is in the form of a question: “Is knowing and worshipping Jesus at the heart of your life?”

I. People respond in different ways to the rule of God (2:1-3).

First we see the Wise Men who came seeking the King that they might worship Him (vv.1-2). “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,  ² saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." 

   Notice first of all the setting: It was after Jesus was born…  Some people conclude from this that this calls in question our traditional “manger scenes” with wise men showing up alongside the shepherds on the night of His birth.  It was “after” his birth, but we don’t know how long after. The word that is translated “young child,” [paidion] can mean anything from an infant to a toddler.  We know that after inquiring as to when the Star announcing his coming appeared, Herod ordered all the male children two and under to be slaughtered.  Apparently the Magi told Herod that the star had appeared two years earlier. Of course God could have arranged the appearance of the star before the birth, so that the Magi would arrive while Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were still in Bethlehem.  We don’t know for certain!

      Secondly, what do we know about these gentile wise men who came seeking Jesus?  They weren’t kings! (My apologies if “We Three Kings” is your favorite Christmas Carol!).  They are called “magi”, which was used to describe a priestly cast of wise men who served as advisors to kings. According to some sources they had an interest in astrology and spent time studying the stars. 

        And guess what, we have no idea how many of them there were! Only because there were three kinds of gifts mentioned, gold, frankincence, and myrrh, the assumption was made by some that there must have been three. The text doesn’t say – there were certainly more than one, but safety came in traveling in numbers, so more likely there was a small caravan.

       They apparently didn’t arrive at the Manger – they came to the house where they were. This could have been days after his birth, or weeks, or even months.

      Most importantly, their intentions are clear: they are seeking the new born king of the Jews, and had come to worship Him.   Their intention was to worship Him. Only God should be worshipped. How they knew so much we are not told. Could it be that some Hebrew prophets in the east during the captivity like Daniel taught pagan wise men about the promise of a coming deliverer and that hope was handed down?  It may well be.

       It is interesting to consider how God providentially works to carry out His purpose. Last week we saw how He worked through a pagan emperor, Cesar Augustus, and a new tax, to get Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus.  He could have just told them to go, but He arranged circumstance to get them there.  He could have sent an angel to tell these Magi to seek out the newborn King of the Jews, but instead He arranged a star, and used that to get them to where He wanted them to be. He is the Lord of all Creation! We can trust the fact that God is sovereign, and that as we are obedient to His Word and seeking His will, He will make our paths straight!

        By the way, we should notice that these were gentile wise men. In this very Jewish gospel, we see an emphasis on the fact that Jesus came to be the Savior of the entire world, He would save a remnant from every nation. From the first chapter where Rahab and Ruth are mentioned in the genealogy of Joseph, to the last words where the disciples are told to “go and made disciples of every nation” its clear that the whole world is God’s world – and the whole world needs to know that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, the only way to the Father.  We take seriously missions in our church – world missions as we partner with workers that God has called to other parts of the world, and Home missions as we seek to support ministries locally and to ourselves be the lighthouse He wants us to be right here.

  Wise men seek Him, while the fool resists and rejects Him (v.3). “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” The term means “to shake up, to throw into turmoil.” Herod almost certainly wasn’t looking for the Messiah. He was however power hungry and paranoid. At one point he had some of his own sons executed because he imagined that they conspired to steal his throne. Herod was “troubled,” he was filled with that uneasy dreadful feeling that something was terribly wrong. What if it were true?  It was like the reaction of King Saul to David when he saw his popularity: he tried to kill him!

     I suspect that most unbelievers, who try so hard to suppress the revelation of God and to ignore it, experience the same feeling of uneasiness from time to time. They resist the truth, withdraw from it, at times even react violently against it.  The question for us is…

***Is Jesus your Lord? Is knowing and worshipping Him at the heart of your life?”

II. People have different attitudes toward the Word of God (2:4-10). Some people know the Word and don’t act on it. Others put on an outward mask of piety for their own reasons (we call that hypocrisy).  Relatively few hear it and unconditionally obey it.

            Vv.4-6 Show that while some people are “Religious” and may know what the Bible says but don’t obey it! The Chief priest and Scribes knew the Scriptures. When Herod inquired of them as to where the Messiah was to be born they were able to quote Micah 5:2 (Mt 2:5,6), probably by heart.  They correctly quoted what the prophet had said, but they didn’t act on it! They didn’t seek Him. Knowing what the Bible says is not the same as “hearing it with faith” and submitting to its authority.  There are “intellectual giants” who study the Biblical documents out of historical interest, but are not interested in submitting to what is says. James tells us to be doers of the Word, not hearers only who deceive themselves.

            Vv. 7-8 reveal that Herod exemplified hypocrisy at its worst.  He asks the Magi to come back and report to him, that he also wanted to go and worship Him also. The Magi might have been fooled, but God knew Herod’s heart. There are no doubt who hear the word, say they believe it and even announce their intention to obey, but all along are planning to do their own thing. Tragically, there are probably those who as so used to the mask they are wearing that they even deceive themselves.

            The Magi received the Word, obeyed it, and were led by it to Christ (see Micah 5:2). They obeyed just this one verse of Scripture, and it brought them to Jesus. I think it was Nate Saint who said that his life was changed when he came to grips with the fact the obedience is not a momentary option. It is a dye-cast decision made beforehand.  

Most of us have Bibles. Question: Do we receive it as the Word of God?  Are we committed to reading it and living it? We started a “Read through the Bible initiative last year, did you join with us?  Will you choose to be in the Word in 2013?  The song says “Trust and Obey, there is no other way….”     Is knowing and worshipping Jesus at the heart of your life?

III. The key question for every person is how they relate to the God who is (2:11-12). “And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  ¹² Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.”

             Some worship Him and are led by Him as the wise men were (2:11-12a). Being led by God is normal, healthy Christianity (see Rom 8:14). They found Him and offered gifts in an act of worship. They were valuable but also symbolic.

·        Gold: perhaps symbolizing royalty. Matthew presents Jesus as the promised and coming King.

·        Frankincense: Costly incense used in certain offerings in the Temple: emphasizing Jesus’ deity. He is our High Priest as well.

·        Myrrh: A valuable perfume, sometimes used in wine as an anesthetic, but also mixed with spices and used to prepare a body for burial.

Gold his royalty, Frankincense His deity (and perhaps his priestly function), myrrh His humanity and sacrificial death. These gifts were possibly used to finance the family’s flight into Egypt and then helped them get reestablished in Nazareth when they returned.

              The Magi sought Him. Others reject God and His Word as did Herod. Herod’s rejection of the Messiah led Him to try to be rid of Him, by lashing out in anger and having all the male children under two years of age in Bethlehem put to death.  I’ve read this story many times, but the horror of it struck me in a new way last couple of weeks with the tragic events in Connecticut.

What is God saying to me in this passage? Is knowing and worshipping Jesus at the heart of your life?

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? What would you give Him?  In Romans Paul outlines the doctrine of God’s sovereign grace. Then, Rom 12:1 says, “I urge you therefore brothers, in view of God’s mercy, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice to God…” 

The Necessity of the Incarnation

[The horrible events last week in a Connecticut school remind us as to why the Incarnation was necessary. Sin brought death and suffering into God’s good creation (Rom 5:12ff.) and corrupted the human heart, separating us from our Holy God. Jesus came to pay the price that we could not pay, and to offer us salvation as a free gift. Only in Him is there hope.  In Christ, weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.  SN.]

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The Promise of Christmas: JOY to the World!

Luke 1:26-38

Introduction: One of the great themes that surround the life of Jesus is the humble circumstance of his birth, life, and death. Born in a stable to a working class family. Raised the son of a carpenter. Never owning a home or business of his own.  Dying a criminal’s death at a young age.  We would do well this Christmas to remember the song, “Thou didst leave thy throne and thy kingly crown when thou camest to earth for me…”  We would do well to remember as we look at our manger scenes and Christmas cards “Who He is in onder stall, at whose feet the Shepherds fall…”  He came to offer us a gift, through faith, “The wages of sin is death, but the [free] gift of God is eternal life…”  That is the truth we have received, and the truth with which we have been entrusted. Look around. If you were recruiting a team that was to have a part in God’s plan for saving the world, would this be it? 

The Big Idea: God has graciously chosen to use ordinary people in the extraordinary program of building His church. In view of what He has done for us, will we surrender ourselves to Him?

I. The People God uses: God has revealed that it is His plan to use ordinary people to carry out His program (1:26-28). God chose to use ordinary people to implement His extraordinary program. He continues to use ordinary people as He carries it out. In this passage the two key actors at the human level are Mary and her betrothed Joseph. Both exhibited remarkable faith and faithfulness.

          The first surprise is the location of the story in v.26. Nazareth of Galilee would not be the place one would expect to find the human mother of the Messiah!  It wasn’t the political center of the world in the day like Rome, or the center of learning and culture like Athens. It wasn’t Jerusalem, with all its history of significance, the center of Judaism.  It wasn’t even Bethlehem, where the Scriptures had prophesied the Messiah would be born (Micah 5:2).  In fact Nazareth was somewhat despised by more pious Jews, probably because they had so much interaction with Gentiles. Nathanael asked, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (Jn 1:46).  This already stands as a clue as to how God was working, contrary to human expectation.

           There is no indication that either Joseph or Mary were particularly exceptional people, the kind that would stand out in a crowd. Joseph was a carpenter, a person who worked with his hands, not a Rabbi or a priest or a leader.  He is called a righteous man, which indicates He was a sincere follower of God. There is certainly no indication to support the idea that Mary was sinless. In fact in 1:47 she refers to “God my Savior.” God chose to use ordinary people to implement his extraordinary program. So we see Jesus in the NT calling fishermen and tax collectors, others considered “sinners” by the religious Jews. In the OT some who God called like Moses, David and Amos were shepherds. Ordinary people who trusted in an extraordinary God. A song says “Its not because of who I am, but because of what You’ve done, its not because of what I’ve done, but because of who You are…” That’s grace! God’s unmerited favor! He chose ordinary people to carry out His extraordinary program.

            And He continues to use ordinary people: Paul said in

1 Cor 1:26-31  “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;  ²⁷ but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,  ²⁸ and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are,  ²⁹ that no man should boast before God.  ³⁰ But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,  ³¹ that, just as it is written, ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.’”

Now Mary and Joseph certainly had a unique calling and a tremendous privilege. But each of us who know Him have a unique part in His program and we are all called to proclaim the Gospel, and the true message of Christmas: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners!

          The messenger proclaimed to Mary, “the Lord is with you…” Jesus has promised us, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age!” A pastor once read that phrase to an elderly lady and said “Isn’t that a wonderful promise?”  She replied “That’s not a promise, it’s a fact!” Its fine to feel our weakness and inadequacy, as long as we remember that He is with us, and His strength is perfected in our weakness.    God has graciously chosen to use ordinary people in the extraordinary program of building His church. In view of what He has done for us, will we surrender ourselves to Him?

II. The Program God has revealed: Believers need not fear God’s plan, we can trust that it is good (1:24-34). Because we are ordinary people, we tend to feel unworthy or unqualified to be used by God.  “Who am I?” Well, if you know Jesus, you are a child of the King!

          1:29 says that Mary was “perplexed” or “confused.” This demonstrates the humility of Mary. She felt unworthy of divine favor. She pondered what the angel was saying.  Her head was spinning as she tried to make sense of his words. Could it be true? How?

 Then the angel’s explanation in v. 30, “You have found grace…” That’s the word, charis, the emphasis is on the free, gracious, choice of God. His unmerited favor.

  N.B. the description of the Child, His divine sonship, His eternal reign, His human lineage, even His name, which as we saw last week reveals what He came to do, all these are essential aspects of the predetermined plan of God. And God chose this ordinary Jewish girl to have the blessing of being part of God’s plan.  God has graciously chosen to use ordinary people in the extraordinary program of building His church. In view of what He has done for us, will we surrender ourselves to Him?

III. The Promise God has made: He will supernaturally work, as He has in the past, to carry out His program (1:35-37). It is not our ability, but God working in us and through us that brings results. As Chuck Colson said, “Its not what we do that matters, but what a sovereign God chooses to do through us…” 

          1:35 says that in response to Mary’s question “how?”, the angel answers: “The power of God, that’s how!” [See also Gen 18:14]. Yes, its not what we do that matters, but what our sovereign God chooses to do through us! “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord!” That was the message of Jesus in Acts 1:8, “You shall receive power…” Not “give it your all, you can do it!” He said “I (Jesus) will build my church.”

           God calls us to a reasonable faith, based on His revelation. In vv.36-37, as evidence that nothing is impossible with God, the angel points to the fact that Elizabeth has conceived in her old age. God has established a pattern of giving us a reasonable basis for our faith (after 40 years in the wilderness, the new generation was given some preliminary victories east of the Jordan before they were sent into the land; Jesus resurrection assures us that we too have life in Him; etc.).

            “For nothing will be impossible for God…” Have you ever thought God might be leading you to do something, then thought, no, I can’t do it?  The truth is, we can’t do anything that will matter for eternity in our own strength. We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength!   God doesn’t demand our success, he rightly expects our obedience!  And God has graciously chosen to use ordinary people in the extraordinary program of building His church. In view of what He has done for us, will we surrender ourselves to Him?

IV. The Proper Response of Faith: Believers should respond to their Creator and Savior by willingly yielding to His lordship (1:38). Mary responds in faith, with the attitude of a servant, submitting herself to God will.

Mary, no doubt stunned by the news, yields herself to God: “Behold the servant of the Lord!” This is the word normally translated “slave.” Her willingness to yield to God was a tremendous statement of faith: in that culture for her to be found with child before the marriage to Joseph was consummated could have resulted in the death sentence! At the very least she risked rejection by Joseph, misunderstanding from those closest to her, and scorn from the community.  She had no idea how this story would work itself out, even so, she said “Behold the handmaiden of the Lord…”  Your will be done. “Here am I…” 

  Are we willing to allow God to use us as He wills?  For a few that might mean being willing to sacrifice our comfort and security and going to serve Him on a foreign field.  Some of our missionaries like the Beliasovs, the Pierces, and others have done exactly that. For others it might mean full time ministry , like Fay has been trying to do. For most of us, it means being willing to use our gifts right here in the local church. Teaching classes, working with kids, or toddlers or adults, visiting, calling, bringing meals: encouraging one another to love and good works. Are you willing? God has chosen you for His team. He has a work for you to do.

What is God saying to me in this passage? You see, God has graciously chosen to use ordinary people in the extraordinary program of building His church. In view of what He has done for us, will we surrender ourselves to Him?

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? There is a sense in which each of us has a unique calling: God has saved you and made you a part of His church by His Grace for His glory. Are you willing to consider the opportunities He puts before you? Are you willing to allow Him to use you, however He decides He will use you?

God's only forgotten son... Matthew 1:18-25

 “Immanuel: God with Us”

Matthew 1:18-25

Introduction: Martin Luther: “When I am told that God became man, I can follow the idea but I just don’t understand what it means. For what man, if left to his natural promptings, if he were God, would humble himself to lie in the feedbox of a donkey or to hang upon a cross?  God laid upon Christ the iniquities of us all.  This is the ineffable and infinite mercy of God which the slender capacity of man’s heart cannot comprehend and much less utter—the unfathomable depth and burning zeal of God’s love toward us… Who can sufficiently declare this exceeding great goodness of God?”

We can easily be overwhelmed when we consider the pervasive presence of evil in the world and the reality of suffering for believers and unbelievers alike. Shakespeare called this life a “veil of tears” and since the Fall that at some level has been true for every human.  Suffering and the consequences of sin entered the world as the result of human rebellion.  Paul said it bluntly: “By one man sin entered the world and death through sin and so death spread to all men because all have sinned…”  That was our predicament.  No consider this:  God chose to make a way for us to experience forgiveness and life.  Of all things He sent His Son into this sin cursed world for us.  Isaiah prophesied of God’s response to our deepest need  when he said:

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.”

Luther was right, the plan was not something that you or I would have come up with. Contrary to the laws of nature, “A virgin would conceive and bear a son…”  When we consider the fact of his coming, let’s try to always remember the purpose of his coming.  

     The biblical doctrine of the virgin birth has been one of the most attacked doctrines of scripture. Yet the incarnation is at the heart our our faith, it is the foundational truth of Xnity. The essence and the power of the Gospel is that God became a man, and that, by being fully man and fully God He was able to make possible the reconciliation of sinful humans to a holy God. 

The Big Idea: The miracle of the virgin birth was a demonstration of who this Child was, and a prelude to what He would accomplish.

I. This birth would be unlike any other (1:18-20). “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.  ¹⁹ Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.  ²⁰ But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.’”

            A. The Bible records several miraculous births: the entire story of redemptive history is full of examples of God overcoming barrenness or old age to accomplish His saving purpose.

     The birth of Isaac to previously barren Sarah-Remember Sarah was 90 years old and when she heard the promise through God’s messenger she laughed at the idea of having a child. Yet God intervened and Isaac was born and the laughter of unbelief was turned into the laughter of joy!

       The womb of Manoah’s barren wife was opened to give birth to Samson, who would be a judge and deliverer, who would kill a thousand men with the jaw bone of a donkey and pull down a pagan temple with his bare hands.

      The birth of Samuel the prophet and anointer of Kings to the barren Hannah revealed God’s power and showed how He worked through prayer.

      Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary, was barren, but through the power of God she gave birth to John the Baptist, of whom Jesus said there had yet been no one greater “among those born of women” (Mt 11:11).

            B. The virgin birth of Jesus surpassed all of these.  In each of these cases God intervened to allow conception through normal, biological means. In the case of Jesus God miraculously caused conception in Mary’s womb. N.B. v. 18, stated so simply, “…she was found with child of the Holy Spirit…” No fanciful elaboration, just the facts.

     There can be no question what Matthew is saying: She was betrothed to Joseph (in the first century this was more than engagement, they were committed to be married, but did not yet live together as husband and wife). The commitment was such that to break it a certificate of divorce was required.

     V. 19 affirms that Joseph was a “righteous man,” and when he found out Mary was pregnant he knew that he shouldn’t marry her, but he couldn’t bear that thought of shaming her publically, much less demanding the death the Law specified (Dt 22:23,24). Thus he determined to “put her away secretly,” i.e., to quietly divorce her.

      N.B. the timing in v.20, “…while he thought about these things…” The situation and his options were ruminating in his mind, the angel of the Lord speaks, revealing the nature of what had happened: “…that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit…” An unprecedented intervention of God in human history: INCARNATION. 

***The virgin birth was a demonstration of who this child was, and a prelude to what He would accomplish. Not only would this birth be like no other, but also that….

II. This Child would accomplish what no other could (1:21).  "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."

          “…she shall bring forth a son…” There were no ultrasounds in those days, Mary was told her baby would be a boy. He did not merely appear human, He took upon himself a human nature. The Scripture had predicted the coming of the “Seed of the woman” who would crush the serpent’s head, And so, in the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman…”

                  “…you shall call His name Jesus…” Y’shua, the Lord saves. Typically when God names someone in the Bible the significance of the name is stated, as it is here: “…FOR He will save His people from their sins…”

      First, notice that “…He will save His people …” The idea of a “deliverer” was very popular in the 1^st century, but it was typically thought of in purely termporal terms. Once again the Hebrews were oppressed by a power from the outside, and many longed for God to send the promised deliverer. Most were probably expecting deliverance from the Romans, God was interested in offering salvation from sin.

     Secondly, we can celebrate the story of His coming, the people and images that surround the first Christmas, and that’s good (many of us have some kind of a nativity scene depiction). We mustn’t forget why He came, what He came to do, to be “….offered once to bear the sins of many” (Heb 9:28), i.e. He came to die.  The babe in manger came as the sacrificial Lamb, the King who would be rejected, the Suffering Servant who would be despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows acquainted with grief. He came knowing He would be rejected, handed over to the gentiles, scourged and mocked and spat upon, and finally nailed to a Roman Cross. THIS is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

***You see, the virgin birth is not simply a nice story we tell at Christmas time, it is a redical demonstration of who this child was, and a prelude to what He would accomplish on our behalf. This birth would be unlike any other, and this child would accomplish what no other could, because….

III. This Child would be unlike any other (1:22-25). “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:  "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.

“…you shall call His name Immanuel (God with us)…” (v.23).

            A. He would be the God-Man: “GOD with us…”

       Notice that Matthew emphasizes that the virgin birth was predicted—Matthew repeatedly uses the phrase “That it might be fulfilled…” Hundreds of OT predictions were fulfilled in the birth, life and death of Jesus. Matthew as much as any NT writer wants us to see that everything unfolded according to God’s plan. This was the one of whom the prophets had spoken.

        He would be called Immanuel, “God with us.” The presence of God was disrupted by the Fall, but we see the unfolding story of God reaching out to His people, showing the way to life and light. The Pillar and cloud and pillar of fire, the tabernacle, the temple, and then, the God who spoke in times past to the fathers through the prophets, has in these last days spoken in his Son (Heb 1:1).

            B. He would be the God-Man: the Word _{was made} flesh. “…he did not know her until she gave birth to a son…” From the time of conception He experienced life with a human nature. He was “…made in the likeness of man…”    So He would be the perfect example, and the perfect sacrifice. Whereas Adam brought death through sin, Jesus made possible life through His death.

            C. Joseph was obedient to the Lord, he called Him JESUS.  He didn’t know a lot about God’s plan, but what he knew, he submitted to, he obeyed.

What is God saying to me in this passage? The virgin birth was a demonstration of who this child was, and a prelude to what He would accomplish.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Busyness, rush, be still and know that He is God.  Remember the story of a child who misquoted John 3:16, “For God so loved the world He gave His only forgotten Son…” Don’t forget God the Son, He came to die for YOU.

Our part in His Mission

With respect to the purpose of the incarnation and the mission with which we have been entrusted I came across this quote a while back in "The Drama of Scripture" by Bartholomew and Goheen:

"Following the apostles, the church is sent– Sent with the gospel of the kingdom to make disciples of all nations, to feed the hungry, to proclaim the assurance that in the name of Christ there is forgiveness of sin and new life for all who repent and believe– To tell the news that our world belongs to God. In a world estranged from God, where millions face confusing choices, this mission is central to our being, for we announce the one name that saves."