This is the final week of our series title Unforgettable Christmas. We look at a part of the Christmas story we don't usually like to look at. It's the escape to Egypt to avoid the killing of the babies in Bethlehem. But it is part of the story. So what can we learn from it? This message is based on Matthew 2:13-23
We are finishing our Advent Series this morning. Our series has been titled Unforgettable Christmas. Just to recap, the first week we looked at who Jesus really is. It’s easy this time of year to look at the baby lying in the manger and think that was the beginning, to momentarily forget that Jesus had been around since the beginning of time, He was involved in the creation, He didn’t just show up in Bethlehem. Then we looked at the angel appearing to Mary, and saw Mary’s humility and her purpose. A young girl from a fairly poor family that could have been in serious trouble with the Jewish Law by winding up pregnant before her marriage was finalized. But when the angel gave her the news, we heard her obedience to the Lord, “May it be to me as you have said.” And then last week we looked at the visit of the Magi, and saw that even though God’s people didn’t come out to worship the baby, the wise men came from thousands of miles away to worship and to bring incredibly expensive gifts. And maybe the most important lesson from last week is that there is nothing too expensive to give to God, we can’t give God too much. We may not have gold, or frankincense or myrrh, but even if we did, it wouldn’t be too much to give. And even if we aren’t Jewish, He’s still our God, still our Savior, still the Lord of our life. These are all good things to keep in mind if you want to have an unforgettable Christmas. They are all parts of the Christmas story, but maybe somewhat overshadowed by the Inn with no vacancies, and the stable, and the baby lying in the manger. Our reading this morning is another important part of the story, again a part often overlooked. We typically stop with the Magi, if we ever get past the manger. But I this, too, is a part of the story. It’s not a pleasant part. And maybe we’d like to forget it, and just stay with the cute part. But it’s worth looking at because it shows God’s Sovereignty. No matter how hard Herod tried, he couldn’t stop the plans of God. No matter what might happen in your life, no matter how difficult things may appear, nothing can separate you from God’s love, His forgiveness, and His redemption. Let’s look at a couple parts of this story this morning and see what might stand out for us as we try to have an Unforgettable Christmas. We’ll look at the exile to Egypt, the murder of the babies in Bethlehem, and the return to Nazareth. 1. The Exile into Egypt. In this part of the story, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream. Dreams were one of the primary ways God would speak to people, and He still speaks this way. In fact, I’ve heard of a number of books that try to interpret dreams, even Christian books that try to help interpret what God is saying through the symbolism in our dreams. I haven’t read one of these books, but at this time, this was thought to be the primary way God spoke to His people. And I have no doubt that He still speaks that way today. So be open to your dreams. In this dream, the message from the angel was a warning of impending disaster. Herod was going to search for the baby and kill him. Joseph wakes up with a start, and it sounds from the wording that they left immediately. We saw in verse 14, “So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt.” Sounds like they were on their way before the sun came up. Joseph sensed God was speaking to Him, at least an angel of the Lord was speaking to him through his dream, and he got up and was obedient, and he did it immediately. As we live lives of faith, we need to be obedient, and we need to do it when God tells us to do it. When you think God might be telling you something, what do you do? Do you drop everything and do it? I suspect most people today think about for a while, toss it around, maybe talk to friends, maybe try to justify not doing anything. Change is hard – it’s much easier to just keep doing what we’ve always done. But we can miss seeing God at work. And God will show us amazing things when we obediently and immediately do what we sense He is saying. 2. The Murder of the Babies. I think this part of the story is why we stop at the stable, or at least at the Magi. This is a terrible part of the story that doesn’t seem to make sense to us, right. It’s tragic. And it seems so unnecessary. Why kill every baby boy in Bethlehem – it’s barbaric. And the story of Joseph and Mary and a baby in a manger is anything but barbaric. But I think it’s here for two reasons. First, it shows that there is evil in the world. We read in verse 16 that, “When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious…” Understand that while it doesn’t say this in the text, Herod was influenced by another. Understand that Satan was pulling the strings here. That Satan was the one that furious, and he used Herod to try to stop God’s plan. We are in a spiritual war where God tries to do something good for mankind, and Satan tries everything he can to stop it. And that’s played out every day, thousands if not millions of times every day. And even though God was planning on the salvation of the world, it wouldn’t come easy. Because Satan would try everything in his power to stop it. When you follow God, and God works in you, don’t be surprised if it doesn’t come easy. Because if it’s worthwhile, and it will help people find and serve God, and God is behind it, Satan will take notice, and he’ll try to stop it. Which brings me to the second reason this story is part of the Christmas story. It not only shows that there is evil in the world, it shows that God is sovereign. And that even if Satan tries to stop it, if God is behind it, and we hold the course, then Satan can’t stop it. As you live your life of faith, and when you hear God telling you something, obediently and immediately do it. And when opposition comes, hold on tight to God, and hold the course. Be persistent, move ahead clinging to God, and Satan can’t stop it. God didn’t just prove victory over Satan with Jesus’ death and resurrection. He did it over and over again in the life of Jesus, showing over and over again that God will provide, and that God’s plans will prosper. Even when it’s hard. Even when Satan throws everything at them to try to stop them. Remember that when life gets hard for you. If you’re living in Christ, Satan will oppose you, and it will get hard. But even though Satan can make it hard, he can’t make it impossible. It may seem that way, but Satan can’t stop God. So as long as you cling to God, Satan can’t stop you. It may feel that way at times, but if you’re in Christ, Satan can’t stop you. So move forward with confidence even though everything around you looks like you will fail, know that God’s plans cannot fail. 3. The Return to Nazareth. Before I begin this point, let me just remind you that the single most important event in the history of Judaism was the exodus from Egypt. And I think it’s very significant that Jesus has an exodus from Egypt, too. It’s not mentioned much in the New Testament, but just as Israel was in Egypt seeking protection as a young nation, Jesus also went to Egypt for protection as a young person, just a toddler at the time. It’s not mentioned much, but it’s significant. But going to Nazareth? You know if you think about it, this might be another part of the story that doesn’t seem necessary. God’s moving Mary and Joseph to Nazareth might be another part of the Christmas story that leaves you asking, Why Lord? At the surface this might sound okay, they were apparently from Nazareth originally. But Jerusalem was the center of religious life in these times. And Bethlehem was almost a suburb of Jerusalem, only maybe six miles away. When Herod died, his kingdom was divided among his three sons, Philip, Antipas, and Archelaus. Archelaus was king in Judea, Samaria, and Idumea, which was Edom. He not only had the largest area, but he was downright wicked, the worst of the three by far. There were reports of not just immorality, but of brutality and tyranny. It got so bad that the Jews and Samaritans lodged complaints against him to Rome, and when Rome investigated, they were so shocked at what they found they exiled him in Gaul, clear the other side of the Mediterranean Sea, almost to Spain. This all happened in about 6 AD, so at the time of Jesus’ return from Egypt, Archelaus was firmly and brutally in control of Judea. So it kind of makes sense to get Jesus out there. But why all the way to Galilee? Galilee was where Joseph and Mary were from, before making the trip to Bethlehem for the census. So they probably knew people there, so it might make sense from that aspect. But there might be a couple reasons why it doesn’t make sense. First, as I mentioned earlier, Jerusalem was the center of religious life for the Jews. Jews from everywhere were required to travel to Jerusalem to make their sacrifices, it didn’t matter where they were from. The Temple was in Jerusalem, as was the high priest. There were more scribes and teachers in Jerusalem than anywhere else. Wouldn’t it have made sense for Jesus to be able to benefit from all that growing up. The second reason that might not make sense was that Galilee was not a very popular place. It was actually scorned by most. That’s evident from passages like John 1:45-46, when Philip invites his brother Nathanael to come and hear Jesus, and Nathanael, when he finds out Jesus was from Nazareth, in Galilee, said, “Nazareth, can anything good come from there?” Of course his brother told him to come and see, he did, and became a disciple. But still, it seems like it would have been easier for Jesus to gain acceptance later in life if he didn’t grow up in Galilee. Besides, Antioch was also king in Perea, which was a whole lot closer to Jerusalem. Why not there? How much of it was due to Jesus’ upbringing in Nazareth, I don’t know, but it was prophesied at least seven times in the Old Testament that the Messiah would be despised. Isaiah 53:2-3, says, “he grew before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty of majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” Sometimes at Christmas we forget that Jesus suffered. The baby in the manger is cute. It’s a cute story. It’s touching. But Jesus suffered. His was not an easy life. And as you follow Him, at times you’ll suffer. And when your faith opens you up to ridicule, remember that the story of Jesus is a story of suffering. And to really follow Christ is to turn your back on those who would ridicule you or oppose you, and do what God calls you to do no matter what. Even if it seems hard at times. But when you understand that it’s a possibility, that if they rejected and despised Jesus, then they might just reject and despise you when you follow Him, then you can stand firm, and cling to Christ, and know that God is sovereign. This Christmas, remember that just as God protected Jesus from King Herod, God will protect you, too. Remember that there is evil in the world, but that good overcomes evil. And remember that even in the midst of trials and suffering, God is still good, He still loves you, and He will bring you through. May that knowledge give you a truly Unforgettable Christmas.
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