Bible Text: Matthew 2 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | (Audio recording got cut off after 18 seconds)
12-30-2018
God’s Protection and Provision
Matthew 2
The past three Sundays we have studied some of prophecies, events, and
people surrounding the Holy Conception of Mary, the Divine Birth of God’s Son, and
the Incarnation of Immanuel!
Today I’m going to unwrap some of the events and characters that we haven’t
studied deeply this Christmas season.
Read Matthew 2:1-6… Some Magi (learned men who studied the heavens) came
from the East (Persia – Iran), in order to find, honor, and worship the newborn King
of the Jews. They most likely had servants and a security squad traveling with
them, and the Magi would have appeared as royalty and noblemen to the Jews.
The Magi followed a star to Jerusalem (about 1000 miles), and began asking
everyone about the birth of the King of the Jews. This greatly troubled Herod (who
had been named King of the Jews, by Julius Caesar), so he called for his
theologians to find out what the Prophets had written (Micah 5:2), “From you
[Bethlehem] One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from
long ago, from the days of eternity.”
Read Matthew 2:7-12… Herod, being aware of the Magi, sends for them in order
to find out when the “star” (they had been following) appeared; he then sends
them to Bethlehem to look for this King of the Jews (who is now a “Child” [or
toddler, i.e., 1-2 years old], Jesus is no longer a baby or infant). Herod says he
wants to find this child (v. 8), so that “[he] too may go and worship Him.”
The Magi go to Bethlehem, following the star that came to rest over a house,
where the Child, Mary [His mother], and Joseph were now living.
The Magi present magnificent gifts to Jesus:
Gold – One of the most precious metals, associated with royalty and wealth: it
speaks of Christ as King of Kings.
Frankincense – An expensive and highly aromatic incense made from tree resin, it
was used in worship at the Tabernacle, and later, on the incense alter at the
Temple, as a fragrant offering to God: it speaks of Christ as Lord of Lords.
Myrrh – A valuable aromatic gum resin, it was used mostly for embalming the
dead, in order to preserve dead bodies from putrefaction; it was also mixed in wine
to produce sedation or intoxication: it speaks of Christ as the Suffering Servant, the
Lamb of God, our Savior.
The Magi honored Jesus, although just a child, with marvelous gifts, for He is
the KING of Kings, LORD of Lords, and the Savior who came to die for our sins, that
we might be set free from sin’s penalty.
The Magi were warned in a dream (verse 12), not to report to Herod, so they
obeyed God and returned home a different way.
Read Matthew 2:13-18… Joseph is now warned in a dream to take Jesus and
Mary and go to Egypt until Herod is dead, for Herod will soon order the murder of
all male babies and toddlers who appear to be around two years of age and
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younger, in an attempt to destroy the Christ child who had been born (see verse
18, cf. Jeremiah 31:15).
Ramah is about 5 miles north of Jerusalem where Jewish captives during
Jeremiah’s time were gathered and deported to Babylon, children were separated
from their parents, never to be seen again.
Rachel, the wife of Jacob [Israel], wept as her children [the Israelites] were
taken away from their mothers and sent to foreign lands during the time of
Jeremiah.
Now, after the birth of the Messiah, God’s Son, the mothers in and around
Bethlehem would also weep bitterly, for Herod, in a rage of jealous anger, would
massacre their male children.
Herod (verse 16) was enraged, physically shaken, so full of anger that he set
himself against God, knowing full well the identity of the Child he was trying to kill
(verse 4, the Messiah, God’s Son), the future Ruler of Israel.
God not only protected His Son by sending Him out of Israel into Egypt before
Herod could find Him, but God also provide resources (gold, frankincense, myrrh),
so that Joseph and Mary could care for Jesus, while traveling to, living in, and
returning to Israel from, Egypt.
Read Matthew 2:19-23… Herod tried to kill God’s Son by murdering all the baby
boys in or near the vicinity of Bethlehem, but as Josephus (a historian during the
time of Christ) records in Antiquities of the Jews, how God’s judgment came upon
Herod, who died a horrible and painful death, after suffering with ”ulcerated
entrails, maggot-filled organs, convulsions in all parts of his body, and foul breath.”
Herod murdered two of his own sons, his wife, and several other relatives; in
fact, anyone who became popular among the people was in danger of becoming a
victim of Herod’s maniacal jealousy.
After Herod died, God told Joseph to return to Israel, fulfilling (Hosea 11:1),
where God says, “out of Egypt I called My Son.”
Herod, at the time of Christ, had three living sons: Archelaus (Ar-khel’-ah-os)
ruled Judea & Samaria; Antipas (An-tee’-pas) ruled Galilee (he beheaded John);
and Philip II ruled north of Galilee (his wife, Herodias, committed adultery with
Antipas).
Herod’s son Archelaus hated the Jews about as much, if not more than his
father, e.g., one Passover he had 3000 Jews executed.
No wonder Joseph (verse. 22) was warned in a dream, not to go to Judea
(ruled by Archelaus); but instead to take Mary and Jesus and go to Nazareth in
Galilee, ruled by Antipas.
Nazareth was considered a despised place, a”Nazarene” was often used to
express contempt or disdain.
Isaiah 53:3 says, “He was despised and rejected by men… … and we did not
esteem Him.”
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Five days ago, most of us, if not all of us, in this room, celebrated Christmas, in
honor of God’s Son; but instead, many of the world’s inhabitants celebrated
Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, or the Holiday, giving no attention to the
Christ of Christmas.
The majority of the worlds people are indifferent toward the meaning of
Christmas, perhaps ignorant of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus – all
of which declare Him to be Almighty God, Lord or all, Savior to those who believe in
Him, but Judge and Executioner to those who reject Him.
The birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus all declare Him to be the Lord and
Savior of all.
John 3:16-18, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not
send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved
through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has
been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten
Son of God.” 36, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not
obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
God wants us to know and to believe in His Son; God wants everyone to be
saved and to spend eternity in heaven
1Timothy 2:3-4, “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who
desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
John 14:6, Jesus said, ”I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to
the Father but through Me.”
God protected and provided for His own Son when Herod sought to kill Him, and
God will provide for and protect all who belong to Him, now and forever.
John 1:12-13, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to
become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born,
not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
John 14:1-3, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in
Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have
told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”
2Peter 1:3, “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and
godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and
excellence.”
Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” 19, “And
my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
If you have not confessed your sins and trusted in Jesus Christ to forgive you,
believing in Him as Savior, do it right now; there is simply no good reason not to.
Romans 10:9-10, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in
your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart
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a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses,
resulting in salvation.”
1John 5:11-13, “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and
this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life [eternal life]; he who does
not have the Son of God does not have the life [eternal life]. These things I have
written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know
that you have eternal life.
At our Christmas Eve Service I shared a piece of literature called, ’Twas the
Night Before Jesus Came. The last line of that piece goes like this, “In the words of
this poem the meaning is clear; the coming of Jesus is drawing near. There’s only
one life and when comes the last call, we’ll find that the Bible was true after all!”
If you have never confessed to God that you are a sinner, asking God to forgive
your sins and save you, please consider Paul’s urgent plea in 2Corinthians 5:20,
“[I] beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
Don’t let another day go by without the assurance of God’s eternal presence,
protection and provision. The gift of forgiveness and eternal life is absolutely free
and God turns no one away.
Acts 4:12, “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under
heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
Romans 10:13, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Do not enter 2019 without the Protection & Provision that comes through God’s
Son, Jesus Christ, Savior and Lord, to all those who believe in Him and follow His
teachings, as revealed in the 66 Books of the Scripture, known to us as the Word of
God, the Holy Bible.
Pastor Mike >’(((><
