Worthy To Be Called “Christ" Part 2 -Matthew 2

Good morning. We are going to get started this morning. I might even be a minute early, but we're going to get started. If you could stand with me, we're going to sing a song together.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King. Every heart and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing,.

And nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns.

Let earth receive her King.

And heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King. Every heart and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing. And in this country, in another continent, we're all being able to celebrate the exact same gift that has been given to us, the gift of our child.

The Promise and Light of Messiah

You know, this was promised from the very beginning. Even as pastor Jeff said, all the way back in the garden, this was a promised, and foretold. And did you know that even before the creation of the world, God had already foreordained that this would happen, and it's given to us as a gift.

I want to read out of Isaiah 9, verse 2. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine upon them. This is a description of the transition that God provides because the world, under the bondage of Satan, is walking in darkness, and that darkness cannot be resolved by anything that humans will do, no matter how hard they tried.

They tried at one time to build a tower that would reach to the heavens. We know how that worked out. There's nothing that can be done by man, but because of the great love of God, there is a light shining in the world, and we all get to rejoice into it.

Spiritual death is that darkness that could only be resolved by God. So today, we rejoice celebrating that great light. And I also like, Jeff, the way that you, a few weeks ago, I came up with a phrase, reclaim the rainbow, okay?

That's God's covenant. That's not what's going on in the world today. But I like the way Jeff highlighted the fact that you could walk through the communities, drive through communities, and see hundreds and thousands of lights.

And you can either say, wow, those are really pretty, or you can say, the light of the world is shining. So let's take that as our claim today. I have just a couple of announcements. First of all, next Sunday is New Year's Day.

We will be meeting for both services. We will be meeting for 9 .30 and for 10 .45. And this evening, we are reserving it as a time for family to be in fellowship together, so we are not having the prayer meeting tonight.

But we do encourage you to celebrate the birthday of our Lord as a family tonight. I have a really amazing announcement to make. A year ago, we were excited at how God was working in Ranconcas Woods. The church had already been planted.

And then the life of that church was growing. And just the provision of that building and the calling for Pastor Ben was not something that we orchestrated, but that God did. And God is blessing that ministry out there so that they're exploding the seams of the building that they're in.

For those of you who have been there, you know the conditions that they're in, and the building has problems. And they don't really have the financial wherewithal to fix it. But isn't God amazing? We can announce today that next Sunday will be the initial worship service that The Rock will have on Arc Road, a building currently known as Bible Baptist Church, has been donated to The Rock, I think for $1.

This stuff can only happen through the sovereign power and love of God. So we continue to support Pastor Ben and the church that's out there. It's also cool that God gave them a building just right around the corner from where they are right now so that it still feels like Rancoca's home for those who worship there.

So we just praise God for that. Let's turn to prayer. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine upon them. Lord, on this glorious day, as we celebrate the coming of Messiah, the fulfillment of a promise that you made way back in the garden and that you foreordained way back before the time of creation has come to be, we praise God because the light has come.

And we praise God because that true light, it guides, and it reveals into our very hearts the truths that we need to see. This is a gift, Lord, represented. It's all-sufficient, it's life-changing, and it never, ever fails.

We praise God for the gift of your son that we celebrate today. Came for the payment for my sin. Lord, we pray as the grace has come into our hearts so that we turn to you, in submission to you, we become adopted children in your family.

Today, Lord, as we rejoice at your coming, we remember and we look forward with hope to an eternity that we will spend with you. We thank you, Lord, for giving light, for giving your son, for giving us eyes to see.

And with the prophet Isaiah, we proclaim those words, the people who walk in darkness will see a great light. Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine upon them. Open our hearts today, Lord, to hear the good news as Pastor Jeff prepares to bring it to us.

Speak through him, we pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Can we stand together again and sing?

Angels sing, glory to the newborn king Sinners reconciled, joyful all ye nations rise Join the triumph of the skies, angelic host is born

Father, every good and perfect gift comes from you. So we wanna thank you that you have provided from your sovereign hand, a church building in which the church plant, the rock, is able to meet. This is a good gift from our sovereign Lord.

Thank you, God. You have provided this building where we are able to gather this morning and you have provided land on Phillips Road that we could build a larger place to meet. In all of these things, we say thank you, Lord, you've provided our families, you've provided the sun to warm us when the winter cold takes over.

God, you have provided everything we need for life and godliness. But this morning, we say thank you for the greatest gift of all. We say thank you that you have sent your own son, born of a woman, born under the law, the word made flesh dwelling among us, the child who is born, the son who is given.

Thank you, God, that you have given us your son. And also to take away our sins and rise from the dead, we thank you for Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen. Well, has anybody noticed that the Christmas season tends to be busy?

A lot to do, right? And we live in a very action-oriented culture.

Do, do, do.

And sermons very often can fall into the same trap.

Of here's what you need to do, do, do.

But the gospel message is not what you can do, but what Jesus has already done. And so there's rest in him. In fact, the great need of the Christian is not for more moral instruction, because we had that in the law with 600 commandments that we were unable to keep.

What we need is to look upon the one who was pierced. We need to see Jesus. Martin Luther was troubled by his sin, of course you know, but he came to understand faith in Christ to be the key. And so when he believed in Christ, he was set free.

Well, Martin Luther has a great quote that I want you all to remember this Christmas. Martin Luther said, when he looks at himself, he cannot see how he could be saved. Pause right there in the thought.

When you look at yourself, you cannot understand how you could possibly be saved. There's too much sinfulness, too much folly, too much rebellion against the Holy God. But listen to the second part of Martin Luther's quote.

He said, when I look at myself, I do not see how I can be saved. But when I look at Christ, I cannot see how I could be lost. That's gospel truth. Robert McShane was, he only lived till 29 years old. He was a Scottish pastor, loved the Lord with all his heart and ministered in a small Scottish town.

At age 29, he got called to the mission field. Well, at 28, he just went on a mission trip for a year. And after sowing so much seed of the gospel, while he was gone, some younger guys stepped into the pulpit.

Okay, if I ever go on a mission trip, Jack, Jacob. They got in the pulpit and while McShane was gone, revival broke out in Scotland under their preaching. All the young men were preaching, McShane was gone.

And then when he came back, he got to experience a taste of that revival. Guys, we have seats near the front here and there along. Praise God for a full house on Christmas day. They told us we should cancel, right?

Why would you cancel Christmas service on Christmas day? Christmas is about Christ. Well, Robert McShane said this, and it was a great life lesson, very similar to what Martin Luther taught us. He said, learn much of the Lord Jesus.

For every look at yourself, take 10 looks at Christ. Let your soul be filled with a sense of the excellence of Christ. That's another one to remember. For every time you look at yourself, take 10 looks at Christ.

And so reading that McShane quote, I got to thinking about what to preach this Christmas. And we were in a very unique situation. I think it doesn't happen again till 2034, where Christmas Eve is on a Saturday and then Sunday morning is Christmas day.

So it set itself up perfectly for a two-part sermon, Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Part one would be Matthew chapter one and part two would be Matthew chapter two. So we come to Matthew two today, if you would turn there.

But I bring up McShane because we are taking 10 looks at Christ, 10 looks. In Matthew chapter one, we see him, first of all, as the son of David. Five prophecies in the first chapter of Matthew. Second Samuel chapter seven, verse 13, that a son of David would always sit on the throne.

And then Genesis 12, three, that the seed of Abraham would bless all the families of the earth. Then we looked at Genesis 3, 15. The seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent. Then we looked at Isaiah 7, 14.

Behold, to you a sign is given. The virgin shall be with child and shall give birth to a son. And they shall call him Emmanuel, meaning God with us. And then lastly, we saw Isaiah 9, 6. A child is born, a son is given.

The government shall be upon his shoulder and he shall be called wonderful counselor, almighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace. Five looks at Christ. You ready for five more? Matthew chapter two.

And we'll preach as we go, because it's a lot to read, and I've been told I only have 20 or 30 minutes, so. 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, saying, where is he who has been born king of the Jews?

For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. First point, the head crusher, the son of David, the son of Abraham, the virgin born, the wonderful counselor is also, number six, the brightest star.

How would these wise men, maybe living in Japan or China or who knows where, know that the Messiah was born? Well, clearly something supernatural in the heavens signaled it. It was a star. And this star became to them, perhaps they were astrologers, and God in his mercy would even have mercy upon Gentiles who practice divination and astrology, because the gospel will go to the Gentiles as well, which is why at the end of the book of Matthew, you see the disciples sent out to all the nations.

Matthew is the most Jewish of the gospels, and yet even the book of Matthew is focused on the gospel going out to the unreached peoples of the world. So they see a star, but did you know that Christ was prophesied as the star?

Turn with me to Numbers 24, verse 17. Here is the story of Israel about to enter the promised land, and one named Balaam was sent to curse them. This hired sorcerer went to curse Israel, but when he tried to do it, all that could come out of his mouth was blessing on Israel.

And one of those blessings that he spoke refers to the Messiah. Numbers 24, 17. I see him, but not now. I behold him, but not near. A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.

It shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth. Now that's interesting, because Moab is paying him to curse Israel. And instead, he prophesied that there's one coming. Not yet.

Still yet thousands of years away. Not near, still far. But this one will have the scepter, and like the language of Genesis 49, 10, the scepter does not depart from the hand of Judah. The scepter belongs to the king, David's son.

And here, the word scepter is used of the one who will rise out of Israel. Notice this language, to crush the forehead. Sound like Genesis chapter three, verse 15? Crushing the enemy under his foot. Psalm chapter two, he dashes them to pieces like pottery.

He's the victor, he's the champion, the king. But we are told here that he is also to be referred to as a star. Why did God choose to put a star to herald and bring in the wise men? It was in accordance with this prophecy, that we would know that of all the bright lights in the heavens, including the sun in our sky, that all the light of the world pales in comparison to the brightest star.

The star of the universe, the one whom the universe revolves around, Jesus Christ. He is the creator of all things and he is the light of the world. Here, even a pagan, just like the wise men from the east, these guys are to the east, Balaam is prophesying a star.

And so, the wise men come. Turn back with me to Matthew two, because we have a lot of territory to cover. And four more visions of the son of God. Matthew two, verse three. When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

He made problems when he was angry. What you do not want to have is an angry king. He has power to do ungodly things and terrible things. Verse four, and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

They told him, in Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet. And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people.

Last night, we focused on the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's no coincidence that the calendar has been devised, the Gregorian calendar, with reference to the birth of Christ. So when we say 2022, going on 23, we're saying how long it's been since Messiah was born.

When the world is lit up with Christmas lights, that's no accident of history. All of it points to the glory of Christ. But I'll tell you what, when I was in college, I had a wicked professor who doubted the words of this book.

And the problem with him was he was very funny, and I really liked him. And I sat in a religious studies class, and I began to doubt whether this book was true or whether it was just something that my parents indoctrinated me to believe.

So I went back to my college dorm, and I was really shaken up in my spirit for a period of time. But the way the Lord set me free was through Micah chapter five, verse two. I said, God, if this is real, if this book is real, show me.

And I just let the book fall open. And there, Micah five, two was highlighted because when I was young, I highlighted it. And it was also underlined because I had come back to it another point in my life, maybe as a teenager, and underlined it, and it had stars next to it because I was really reminding myself.

And as that book fell open and my eye fell to the page, it said, but you, Bethlehem, though you're small among the tribes of Judah, yet out of you will come forth the meek, the one to be ruler, whose goings forth are from everlasting to everlasting.

And when I read those words, I knew without a doubt that this book is true because only God can tell the birthplace of the son. And Jesus could have controlled a few things trying to fulfill prophecy, but he couldn't have controlled his own birth.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem. And that prophecy says that his goings forth are from everlasting to everlasting. Who but Jesus existed before he was conceived and brought into the world. Jesus is the son of God who always existed, everlasting to everlasting.

The prophet Micah wrote these words so that we would know that it's true. Born in Bethlehem, continue on with me, verse seven. Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.

And he sent them to Bethlehem saying, go and search diligently for the child. And when you have found him, bring me word that I too may come and worship him. Such a liar. After listening to the king, they went on their way and behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. Just pause there for a minute. No prophetic point here, but just notice that he could have just said, I got this from John Piper. Because John Piper loves joy.

He said, it could have just said joy. It could have just said exceeding joy. It could have just said exceeding and great joy. Or it could have said, as it does, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

The point needs to be emphasized. If we have the son of God given to us, yes, we have problems in this life. Jesus said, right, in this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.

But if you have the son of God who died for your sins and now indwells you by his spirit and is saving you and preserving you for that day, how can we help but being joyful people? We should be beyond joyful.

We should be greatly joyful. Beyond that, we should be exceedingly greatly joyful. No, we should rejoice with exceeding great joy. Do you see the point? Christ is born. That's what Christmas is. If we have him, God will give us everything that we need for life and godliness.

Going on, verse 11, and going into the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

I don't know what you got for Christmas this morning, but what matters more is the disposition of your heart to bring him your best. And as great as gold, frankincense, and myrrh were to him, they were prophetic, picturing him in his burial, him as a king.

I don't know what the other one would be. Someone can tell me later. But the point is, these are physical gifts to him that would be useful in his life. He would be on the run to Egypt, and this would fund his existence.

God was providing. But what God doesn't need from you is gold, frankincense, or myrrh. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. What he desires from you, according to the scripture, my child, give me your heart.

He wants you to come and worship him today. Maybe you haven't done that yet. To just get alone, get on your knees, and spend some time praising him, giving thanks to Jesus Christ, the king. Well, let's see the third one.

And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. Now, when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt.

And remain there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him. Now, there's something very prophetic and interesting happening. Do you remember the promises that the Messiah will come through Abraham?

But would he come through Isaac or Ishmael? Isaac, we all know that. But in Isaac, through his wife, there were two born, Jacob and Esau. They struggled in the womb. Genesis chapter 25, verse 22. You can turn back there quickly.

Genesis 25, 22. Rebekah notices that there's something wrong. There's some strife between the children inside of me. They're struggling, they're fighting in the womb. Now, this is quite opposite. When in the womb, John the Baptist and Jesus came into the presence of one another, and John the Baptist leapt for joy.

What does that tell you about life in the womb? It's alive. The child is alive in the womb. This is a living person made in the image of God. Sermon for another day. But here, Genesis 25, verse 22. The children struggled together within her, and she said, if it is thus, why is this happening to me?

So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her, two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided. The one shall be stronger than the other. The older shall serve the younger.

The older was Esau, and the nation that came from Esau was Edom. Edom was destined to be destroyed and to constantly be an enemy of Israel, when they should have come to Jacob's aid, to Israel's aid. Instead, they scoffed and they sat on high.

The book of Obadiah talks about this. They didn't rescue, they mocked and laughed, and ultimately, they themselves would be destroyed. But here's the salient point for Matthew chapter two. Herod is one of the last of the Edomites.

Isn't that interesting? Herod the Edomite is raging against the true seed of God, the seed of the woman, the seed of the serpent. Herod the Edomite desires to kill the Christ child because he's a pretender to Christ's throne.

He's sitting on Israel's throne, but he's an Edomite. And so what happens? Verse 14, he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod.

This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet. Out of Egypt I have called my son. When did the son come out of Egypt? Well, Israel was called the son of God. God's son, figuratively. As a nation, they belonged to God.

They were his child, his special child. And they were brought out of Egypt. In the same way, the true son, the pure son, the faithful son, would likewise go down into Egypt to fulfill the prophecy, out of Egypt I have called my son.

So far we've seen then four amazing prophecies, all in Matthew chapter two. The brightest star, Numbers 24, 17. The heavenly bread, I called him heavenly bread there because you know what Bethlehem means?

House of bread. Jesus born in Bethlehem, bread from heaven, manna from heaven. Micah chapter five, verse two. Genesis 25, 22. Why is this happening to me? The Edomite and the Israelites struggling in the womb, pointing to Christ and Herod the murderer.

And we saw Hosea 11, one. Out of Egypt I called my son. But to me the most striking is the fifth and the last. What unfolds at this point is horrible. Shows the struggle between the offspring of the woman and the offspring of Satan.

But notice here this morning that it shows the parallel between Moses and Jesus. The great promise of the Torah where it leaves off in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 18 and then again reiterated in 34 is that there would come one like Moses from among your people, an Israelite, and you must listen to everything he has to say.

One like Moses. So let's read. Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem. And in all that region who were two years old and under, according to the time that had been ascertained from the wise men, then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, a voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation.

Rachel weeping for her children. She refused to be comforted because they are no more. The terrible wicked intent and horrible genocide of these children parallels what Pharaoh did to the baby boys. Remember Moses, the decree that the babies, the baby boys needed to be killed.

His mother refused to obey that command of course and the midwives themselves refused to obey. Turn with me to Exodus 4 .19, but keep your finger where you are. Exodus 4 .19, God's word is perfect. It's got one author.

It is a perfect unity and it affirms itself by the glory of the unity and the consistency of what God says from cover to cover. Here the parallel is striking. Exodus 4 .19, and the Lord said to Moses and Midian, go back to Egypt for all the men who are seeking your life are dead.

Similarly, keep reading with me into verse 19 and 20. But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt saying, rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel for those who sought the child's life are dead.

Sound familiar? Exodus 4 .19. You see the parallel between the slaughter of the innocents under Pharaoh and of Herod and then the rescue of Moses. We had time, we would see how that word ark, the ark of Noah is only used again of the ark that rescued Moses as he floated on the Nile.

And that ark is Christ. It prefigured Christ who would be the ark of our salvation. There's reference to that in 1 Peter 3 in an allusion. We are brought safely through the water. So a few other points about Moses and then we'll be done.

Moses brought the old covenant. Jesus brought the new covenant. Each is a covenant giver. Most importantly, the story of Moses is a story of deliverance. God's people caught in slavery in Egypt but brought out by the deliverance of Almighty God led by Moses.

Well, there's a greater Moses and he doesn't just bring a nation out of captivity to another nation, he brings you, individual, who's caught in sin and a slave to sin out of the prison of your own slavery and he delivers you into the promised land which ultimately we call heaven.

Jesus is the greater deliverer but Moses prefigured him, a foreshadowing until the fullness had come. Moses brought manna in the wilderness and fed the people for 40 years but you who eat of the bread of heaven which is Christ himself, his body the bread, his blood the wine, he himself will satisfy you and save you and provide for you for all the days of eternity.

He's the true bread of heaven, greater than what Moses brought but I think the perfect picture of Moses as an archetype of Christ is in Exodus chapter 32, read it when you have time. Moses is up on the mountain receiving that covenant and when he comes down, he discovers that the people have fallen back into their idolatry, they've made a bull idol and they're worshiping in very grotesque and improper ways and God is intent to destroy the entire nation, he tells Moses, I will start fresh with you, I will kill them all and you will be the head of Israel, a new wife, a new life and a new nation, we're starting over.

But Moses, the mediator, Moses the intercessor begins to pray and he pleads with God, the father and he appeals to the glory of God, what would the Egyptians say and what would this do for your namesake so the glory of God is highest and the intercessor, Moses even offers his own life for Israel but he's not the substitute, he only points to the substitute.

God accepts that intercession, he forgives the people after Moses grinds the bull idol and makes the people drink it, Moses is a picture of the intercessor that is Christ Jesus and you wanna know what Christmas is really all about?

Well, your mediator, your priest, your intercessor has come and he pled for you before the father and he interceded for you at the cost of his own blood, he did die, that was the only way for us to be set free from our sin.

So he is the greater Moses and Matthew two presents him that way. In closing, this Christmas, I'm not asking you to do anything, nothing you gotta go and do, only look. Charles Spurgeon was likewise caught up in this cycle, he was a pastor's son and his grandpa and great grandpa, they were all pastors and he had all this pressure but he didn't have any love, any joy in the gospel and so on a cold snowy day, he tried to go to church but he got snowed in and walked into this old primitive Methodist church where the preacher was uneducated, turned out to be just like a carpenter or something, the preacher couldn't make it, he was snowed in and this old Methodist man got up and he said, son, you look miserable and he told him to quit striving and he said, look to me, all you nations of the earth and be saved, look, that's all you gotta do is just look and it opens Spurgeon's eyes to the gospel that the gospel is about Christ, look at yourself, you'll be discouraged, look at Christ, you'll be saved, believe in him, you'll be saved, that's what Christmas is all about, so this morning, let's all just bow our heads, maybe there's somebody here, you always assumed that Christmas was merely just a tradition and there's other traditions in the world, no, this morning, hear the word of God that the message of Jesus, born to a virgin who lived a perfect life, was crucified, buried and rose from the dead, this message is true and you must repent and believe in order to be saved, so let's all bow our heads and maybe this morning, you'd like to pray, just in the quietness of your own heart, pray something like this, God, I am a sinner, I deserve to die and the second death of going to hell but I believe in Jesus, he was born to the virgin, lived a perfect life, that he died in my place, that Jesus rose from the dead, so Jesus, this Christmas morning, I look to you, here I am, save me, the sinner, the chief of sinners, save me from my sins, I ask, in Jesus' name, amen.

Awesome, let's stand and let's worship.

Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice

Go in peace with Simeon's blessing, Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people.

Israel, go in peace.