Bruised Reeds

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston.

No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ, based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the

Apostle Paul said, �But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.�

In short, if you like smooth, watered -down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn�t for you.

By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes, as we�re called by the

Divine Trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her King. Here�s our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth.

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry. My name is Mike Abendroth. Glad to be your host. I received quite a few encouragement emails.

Remember a couple weeks ago, I was crying and complaining, and �I don�t know if I want to do the show anymore� kind of blues?

Well, I think I�ve been cured. It was either the five really encouraging emails, or it was the large check, so I�m not exactly sure which one it was.

But seriously, thanks for the encouragement. You can always write me, mike at nocompromiseradio .com,

or info at nocompromiseradio .com. If you�d like to look at some of the YouTubes, we have begun with Ben�s help to post some more

YouTubes. It�s No Compromise Radio channel, and off we go. Well, my thoughts of the

Incarnation have been going on for quite some time, not because of Christmas season, but because I�ve been preaching through Hebrews chapter 1 and 2.

And of course, chapter 1, Christ is the Son of God, the eternal God. Chapter 2, how can

Jesus be great if he�s human? How can he be great if he�s a human that suffers, who suffers?

And even to the point of death, to use Paul�s language in Philippians 2, to the point of death, even death on a cross.

How could he be great? And the writer, I almost said Paul, but I don�t think Paul wrote Hebrews. The writer now in Hebrews 2 says

Jesus is great even though he�s human. Because he suffers, because he identifies with humanity, because he is our representative.

And then of course, substitute. So basically, Hebrews 2 is Christmas, Christmas in July, Christmas in October, and then of course now is just after Christmas holidays, yet I�m still thinking about the

Incarnation. Probably if I had any sense, we would sing some Christmas songs in the middle of July just so we would be reminded the

Incarnation is important for the Christian. I guess there�s two ways you approach

Christmas, and maybe this is preparing you for next year since Christmas has already been celebrated. There�s a secular way and there�s a sacred way.

So there�s two approaches to celebrate Christmas. One, according to the world, the other according to the

Bible. If you wanted to worship it according to the world or in a secular fashion, how about this?

Episcopal News, Diocese of Los Angeles, written by Rev. Benison, who is the rector of St.

Mark�s Church in Upton, California. Now when I think of Upton, California, it�s right there by the Ontario Airport, and I used to go get

In -N -Out burgers off the main freeway off -ramp in Upton, California.

But now they�re known for something else. �There are few causes to which I am more passionately committed than that of Santa Claus.�

Now remember, this is from Rev. Benison. Small �r.� �Santa

Claus deserves not just any place in the Church, but the highest place of honor, where he should be enthroned as the long -bearded

Ancient of Days, the Divine and Holy One whom we call God.�

Santa Claus is God the Son. You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout.

I�m telling you why Santa Claus is coming to town. That simply refers, says the author, to God the

Son slipping into the secrets of the heart as easily as he slips down the chimney of the house.

Now what you don�t know today is my son Luke is in the studio. I�m going to interview him at another time for a couple shows.

He�s just had his wisdom teeth cut out, so he�s just kind of watching. He could do it if he wanted to, but he�s just watching. He�s over there reading the

Bible. I looked over to him and at him when I said, �Santa Claus is God the

Son ,� and he gave me the � I don�t think that was wisdom teeth pain look. I think that was pained like, �This is about the stupidest thing

I�ve ever heard, and unworthy.� Well, Luke, here�s another one. �Santa Claus is

God the Father ,� I guess they�re really � they�re like moralists or something, �the Creator of heaven and earth, in whose hand is a pack bursting at it seems with the gifts of his creation.

Santa Claus is God the Holy Spirit, who comes with a sound of gentle laughter, with the shape like a bowl full of jelly, to sow in the night the seeds of good humor.�

He�s still shaking his head. I mean, hey, this is just like the shack, right?

Who�s the Holy Spirit in the shack? Good humor does remind me of a good humor bar. That would be good right now. �Santa

Claus indeed deserves the exalted and enthroned place in the church, for he is God the Son, Father, and Holy Spirit.�

So there he is. �God the Son, God the Father, God the Holy Spirit. I�ve seen him in the toy store, I�ve seen him in his car on the freeway, and when

I saw him with his crazy beard and his baggy red suit, I saw more than the seasonal merchant of cheap plastic toys,

I saw no less the triune God.� Talk about robbing my joy during Christmas season.

Wow. So, like I said, there�s two ways to look at Christmas. The secular way, and we saw that.

That�s kind of, you know, insert little regurgitation bags that they give you when you fly.

You know, it�s kind of got the little wax lined on the inside in case, you know, you need to barf.

When I moved to California, I was surprised to find that many grocery stores in that chain there were called Ralphs.

I didn�t know if that really worked out too well. Now here�s the sacred way to celebrate

Christmas. Maybe one of my favorite paragraphs written by Martin Lloyd -Jones. Here�s what he says, �Look at the matter this way.

Here are you and I, miserable worms in this world, miserable worms with our arrogance and our pride and our appalling ignorance.

We deserve nothing but to be blotted off the face of the earth. But what has happened is that before the foundation of the world, this blessed

God, these three blessed persons, considered us, considered our condition, considered what would happen to us.

And the consequence was that these three persons, God, whom man hath never seen, stooped to consider us and planned a way whereby we might be forgiven and redeemed.

The son said, �I will leave this glory for a while. I will dwell in the womb of a woman.

I will be born as a babe. I will become a pauper. I will suffer insult in the world.

I will even allow them to nail me to a cross and spit in my face.�

He volunteered to do all that for us, and at this very moment, this blessed second person in the

Trinity is seated at the right hand of God to represent you and me. He came down to earth and did all that and rose again and ascended to heaven, and it was all planned before the foundation of the world for you and for me.

Isn't that better? Isn't that a better approach when it comes to thinking about the incarnation?

I mean, if you think, which one's more exciting? Which one's more wonderful? Which one's more awe -inspiring?

Which one's more true? When I think of people who say, �Well, you know, the

Christmas story, it's boring and it's old hat and all that.� I mean, God with us,

Emmanuel, I think that's exactly opposite of boring and irrelevant.

So what I'd like to do today on No Compromise Radio is I want to go to a passage that talks about the incarnation and the effects of the incarnation but with kind of a different approach.

And so if you have a Bible, it's in Matthew chapter 12, and it is Jesus, after he's proclaimed the

Lord of the Sabbath and he's healed a man with a withered hand. He shows his compassionate, tender touch to humans, and without the incarnation,

I don't think we could ever experience this side of God like we could because of the incarnation.

It says in Matthew 12, 15, �Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there, and many followed him, and he healed them all and ordered them not to make him known.

This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah.�

And now we come to really what the longest quote of the Old Testament found in the book of Matthew.

And you will see Jesus' concern for people who are needy, helpless, downtrodden.

What would you expect if you were a Jew? What would you expect if you wanted a Messiah back in those days?

You probably would think a white horse, military victory, fanfare, pomp, circumstance, all the decorations of a military victor.

Instead, what does the Scripture say? What does the Old Testament even say? Here now with a quote from Isaiah 42.

What to expect in a Messiah? And you are not going to see influential, you are not going to see overthrow the

Roman government. You're going to see one who, now think incarnation for a second, you're going to think one who helps people who are poor, who are downcast, who are downtrodden, who are needy.

This is what Isaiah spoke of and now quoted here in Matthew chapter 12, �Behold my servant whom

I have chosen.� Now this is the father speaking. Of course, the father is choosing the servant that is the son.

I love the language here. It's I choose for myself. I have the prerogative to choose and I choose for myself my son for this special task.

And this task is one of rescue, of love, of taking care of lowly people.

And I've chosen this one, reminds me of the language of the chosen one in the temptation account.

And now it says, �My beloved in whom my soul is well -pleased.� So here we have the father chooses the son and he is well -pleased in the son.

I'm well -pleased in you. You yourself please me, the father would say, of the son.

You can imagine the father's love for the son and the love of the son for the father and he is well -pleased.

Now you think about what pleases God, the father, and you could think about Old Testament sacrifices and all kinds of other things and the blood of animals.

Does that please God? And here we know the son is going to be pleasing to the father, so much so that what?

It says in the same verse, verse 18, �I will put my spirit upon him and he shall proclaim justice to the

Gentiles.� There's a message of the Redeemer and it's justice and deliverance and not just to the

Jews. He will not quarrel. You can imagine political rulers that are wanted.

He's not going to be a quarreler. He's not going to insist he gets his own way. You can think about all the hassling and arguing with politicians today, wrangling.

That's not going to be Jesus. He's going to be a different kind of Savior, a meek Savior. I can even think of Jesus not quarreling with the

Pharisees. He might have rebuked them, but it's not going to be a quarrel. The text says, �Nor cry out.�

All this of Isaiah chapter 42, now in Matthew 12. No revolutions, no force, no crying out with some kind of screaming, but prophecy fulfilled.

Nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. Now all that to get to this point. Think of the incarnation now.

A battered reed he will not break off and a smoldering wick he will not put out.

Now that is fascinating. The Father chooses the Son, the

Son that pleases the Father in every way. And now that Son goes to rescue sinners and needy people.

And a battered reed the Messiah will not break off. Now what do you use a reed for?

Well, back in the day, you would use it for a musical instrument. And if it was bent, if it was used too much, if it was battered, it wouldn't be any good.

You know what you would do with a battered reed? You would toss it or you would throw it in the fire. If it was old and got cracked or it was worn, it would not be any good.

And the problem is with these reeds, by definition, they're fragile. And here's the image.

The Messiah comes along and instead of smashing in some victorious way over the political forces with the people in Rome occupying

Jerusalem, Jesus, he goes to people who are helpless, who are weak, who are at best fragile like a reed.

And what does he do? He doesn't break them off. I mean, that's what you would expect, but he doesn't do that.

And it goes on to say, a smoldering wick he will not put out. So you imagine there's a little flaxseed wick and it's in some oil.

All the oil's gone. It's all been burnt off and it's just a little smoldering wick.

That's the only thing that's left, a little kind of cherry on top of that. And what does it do? It doesn't give light.

It doesn't give heat. It just keeps smoking and smoking and smoking. And so what do you do? You put it out.

I mean, you snuff it out. You toss it. That little piece of flax is not going to be worth anything.

And so, you know, you're not going to kind of redo it and take care of it and then put it in the next thing oil.

It just, well, I mean, why bother? There's no, no, don't trouble yourself.

But here, think about the Messiah now, prophesied in Isaiah 42. Now think our incarnation for a minute.

Of course, God, we would realize is a spirit and he's powerful and he's caring, but now it's really shown, right?

It's shown because the second person of Trinity adds humanity and he is born in the world. And he is the sympathetic high priest now, exactly what

Hebrews talks about. And when he sees the fragile reeds, what does he do?

He helps them. When he sees the wick, I don't even want to bother. No, this is all a great word picture that Jesus heals and helps the weak and the helpless.

Now think about what the Pharisees did. Think about what the Romans did. Think about what the scribes did. They did the exact opposite.

Here, the people that are broken, I mean, you know how on No Compromise Radio, I hate to say

I'm broken and wounded. Those are the things that I just, you know, everybody's broken, everybody's wounded, but I guess

I have to repent because, well, I don't really have to repent that much. I still don't like to use it very often, but here it is appropriate.

At this particular point, it's apropos. Tender compassion towards the lowest of the low.

Here's the God man. He's dealing with people that the religious leaders didn't want, the political leaders didn't want.

Here's what one commentary said, whereas one rough touch will break a bruised reed and quench the flickering smoking flax, his would be with matchless tenderness, love, and skill to lift up the meek, to strengthen the weak hands and feeble knees, to comfort all that mourn, to say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not.

This is highlighted in the incarnation, the tender concern of Christ Jesus.

What does Matthew 9 say? And seeing the multitudes, he felt compassion for them because they were distressed and downcast like a what?

Like a sheep without a shepherd. And here comes this great

Messiah. And there will be a political overthrow in the second coming of Christ, but the first coming of Christ, yes, he leads justice to victory,

Matthew says, and in his name the Gentiles will have hope, right? Israel's Savior is the

Gentiles' Savior. But now we have Jesus, who when there's a wick that needs to be snuffed out, he doesn't do it.

A reed that's broken and he just throws it away, he doesn't do it. Because he's talking about people. These are the people that the

Father said to the Son, go rescue, go redeem, go be their representative and substitute.

And that's exactly what Jesus does. And when I consider the Incarnation, God adding flesh, the

Eternal Son adding flesh, and now we have the Messiah, Christ, Jesus, that makes me think, you know, he's a man and he's gone through everything that we've gone through.

And he has, in a special way now, because of the Incarnation, tender compassion toward us.

And you know, I think in Evangelicalism, we get the point, you know, Jesus isn't a baby anymore.

And this baby who's in the manger we all love because he doesn't really say anything, he's just this cute little baby.

But the Jesus who is returning, he's ferocious.

I think that's true, and I have said that many times. And Jesus the baby came for a reason.

He came to die on the cross. I understand that. That's exactly right. That was the purpose.

And as Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem, he knew that was the ultimate destination. But I think what you're going to do is you're going to forget very often,

I mean, I'm prone to forget it, what happens in the Incarnation between Jesus's life at 30 and his death at 33, to just use, you know, approximate numbers.

Jesus is the man. Now I know he's more than a man, but he's the man and this man is perfectly obeying the cross.

He's a man born of a woman, Galatians 4. Born what? If you're born of a woman, what else are you born under?

Well, you're born under law. And Jesus now keeps the law.

And he knows as a man what the struggles of other men and women are like. And when people are fragile and needy and downtrodden, instead of just kicking them to the proverbial curb, he ministers to them as a man.

And what we're going to do next time is we're going to look at Jesus touching the leper and the power of touch regarding how can

God touch? Well, he has to have a body. And then we think

Incarnation. It was not that long ago I was in Rome and we were at the

Sistine Chapel. And of course, what do you do at the Sistine Chapel? Everything there is designed to make you look up.

Now, that's, by the way, one of the reasons why I like some older church buildings, because they really were focused on the idea of transcendence, the transcendence of God.

There's certainly nothing wrong with being in a white, boxy, New England, Puritan type of church, 1650s type of deal.

By the way, Bethlehem Bible Church is very much so that. It looks like it's a Puritan church, 1650.

I think Edwards, you know, would have preached in a building like ours. Oh, not quite. Our church kind of looks like a pizza hut, some people say.

But we do preach the Bible here. But some of those older cathedrals, they'll make you look up. And the idea regarding that was, you're looking up because of the transcendence.

You need transcendence. And I think in evangelicalism in general, what happens?

We think that God is close to us. He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way.

And there's a God who's close, a God who sticks closer than a brother, a God with us,

Emmanuel. I think Christians typically get the eminence of God, not the soon return part, eminence, but eminence, that is,

He's close. But so often, at least where I, in the circles in which

I run, I'm thinking I need a good dose of the transcendence of God. He's thrice holy.

He's above us. He's different. We even talk about the righteousness of Jesus as an alien righteousness, a different kind of righteousness outside of us, this perfect righteousness.

Yet for me, the incarnation is really good because if I'm not careful, my desire for the otherness of God and the transcendence of God, it swings me to maybe not appreciate the eminence as much as I should, but the incarnation solves that problem for me.

It cures that dilemma that's in my mind. Now, back to the Sistine Chapel.

You've got that famous picture or the painting up there. Is that the one where the finger of God is touching man or something like that?

I should probably look this up before I talk about it, but how does that happen?

I think Michelangelo, I think that's probably God, like the Father or something, touching mankind, but if there's no body,

I mean, you can have an old grandpa kind of looking guy and you might be saying that's God the Father, but God doesn't have a body.

He's invisible. So how do you paint an invisible God touching mankind? Well, the answer is you have the

Son who's born of a woman, born of the Virgin, right?

The Holy Spirit hovered over Mary's womb to make sure Jesus was sinless, and now this man born of a woman, born under law, redeems us by keeping the law and paying for our sins that we've committed against the law.

When you need a transcendent view of God, I think you go to the Lord Jesus Christ because he is the transcendent

God, the eternal God, and then he adds humanity. So isn't that great? In the incarnation, and I always think it's best to call him the

God -man, God hyphen man. Yes, you could say he's God and man, but if you want to call him something, first he's

God and then he's man in terms of he's always been God, and then he adds humanity. So we have the

God -man, and you understand now both things. God is holy, different, other, set apart, he's transcendent, and yet God is eminent, he is close.

Could there be anything closer than God becoming a man? That's pretty amazing to think about, and I think the more we study, for instance,

Luke chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, you'll see what does it mean for Jesus to be fully human.

He didn't just seem to be human. You can think about all the docetism and everything else that's out there, but here we have the eternal

God who becomes man, and I think that's a better way to celebrate than all the other secular things.

I'm not against traditions. I'm not against—I don't even think I'm against Christmas trees, am I? Luke, do we have a tree up this year?

You know, I was wondering what Luke was doing this morning when I woke up, and they were like singing songs to the tree.

I didn't really know what that meant, but maybe it's some new app or something, I'm not sure. Don't forget, we are going to Germany, Lord willing,

Reformation 500. That is March—excuse me, May 20th through the 30th. You can go to NoCompromiseRadio .com.

Probably is a good time after you got all your tax money back, you can go with us. That's May 20th through 30th.

Mike Gendron and I will be taking a group. We're starting to get some more people signing up, so that looks like it's a go.

And what else do we have? Oh, I don't know. You can get the Kindle books. You can do whatever. If you like the show, here's the way we ask you to support it.

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TuneIn Radio, Facebook, Twitter, et cetera. Mike Abendroth here. This is No Compromise Radio.

Always biblical. Always provocative. Always in that order. No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston.

Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible -teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life -transforming power of God's Word through verse -by -verse exposition of the sacred text.

Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 1015 and in the evening at 6. We're right on Route 110 in West Boylston.

You can check us out online at bbchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.

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