Matt 2:1-23 The promised Messiah's incarnation is fulfilled.

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Matt 2:1-23 The promised Messiah's incarnation is fulfilled.

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
Psalm 3:3-4, ESV
*Come to Pulpit
*Layout Items
*Greet Congregation -Good Morning I welcome you in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are here this morning because God calls us into his presence to Bless us by his Holy Spirit and by the means of Grace.

Our Call to Worship is from Psalm 150:1-2 “Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!”

Let Us Rise for the singing of Gods Word.

*Psalm of Praise Psalm

Let us open our TPH to Psalm 29B Now unto Jehovah ye sons of the mighty.
Let us Pray

INVOCATION:

Father we now call upon you to be with us and be in our presence.
And illuminate our minds by your Spirit and Word.
We thank you Father in all things in Christ name Amen.
Please be Seated
OUR RESPONSE TO GOD’S CALL

Responsive Reading Psalm 19:1-20

I will read the odd you will read the even
*LET US PRAY

Prayer of Confession and Repentance

O most great, most just and gracious God,
you are of purer eyes than to behold iniquity,
you condemn the ungodly, impenitent, and unbelievers;
but you have promised mercy through Jesus Christ to all who repent and believe in him.
We confess that we were conceived in sin,
and are by nature children of wrath;
and have all sinned and come short of the glory of God.
In our baptism you took us into the bond of the holy covenant,
but we did not remember our Creator in the days of our youth,
with the fear, and love, and obedience which we owed you.
We did not please and glorify you in all things, nor walk with you by faith in a heavenly conversation,
nor serve you fervently with all our might;
instead we fulfilled the desires of the flesh and of the carnal mind.
We have neglected and abused your holy worship,
your holy name, and your holy day.
We have dishonoured our superiors, and neglected our inferiors.
We have dealt unjustly and uncharitably with our neighbours, not loving them as ourselves,
nor doing to others as we would have them do to us;
we have not sought first your kingdom and righteousness and been contented with our daily bread,
but have been careful and troubled about many things, neglecting the one thing necessary.
You have revealed your wonderful love to us in Christ,
and offered us pardon and salvation in him.
But we made light of it, and neglected so great a salvation,
and resisted your Spirit, Word and ministers,
and have not turned at your reproof.
We have run into temptations, and the sin which we should have hated,
we have committed in your sight, both secretly and openly,
ignorantly and carelessly, rashly and presumptuously,
against your precepts, your promises, and threats, your mercies and your judgments.
Our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us;
if you deal with us as we deserve, you will cast us away from your presence into hell,
where the worm never dies, and the fire is not quenched.
But in your mercy, your Son, and your promises is our hope.
Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father. Be reconciled to us, and let the blood of Jesus Christ cleanse us from all our sins.
Take us for your children, and give us the Spirit of your Son.
Sanctify us wholly, shed abroad your love in our hearts and cause us to love you with all our hearts.
Make your face to shine upon your servants;
save us from our sins, and from the wrath to come.
Make us a peculiar people to you, zealous of good works, so that we may please you,
and show forth your praise.
Help us to redeem the time, and give all diligence to make our calling and election sure.
Give us the things necessary for your service, and keep us from sinful discontent and cares.
let us consider what manner of persons we ought to be,
in all holy conversation and godliness.
Help us to watch against temptations, and resist and overcome the flesh, the devil, and the world.
And being delivered out of the hand of all our enemies, let us serve you without fear, in holiness and righteousness before you all the days of our life.
Guide us by your counsel, and afterward receive us into your glory, through Jesus Christ our only Saviour.
Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

1 John 1:8-9 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Let Us rise for the Sining of Gods Word

Psalm of Thanksgiving

Turn in your In your Trinity Psalter Hymnal to
Psalm of Thanksgiving #19A The Heavens Above Declare

Congregational Prayer

We make our prayers to you, O Lord God, most merciful Father,
for all people in general, that you will be known to be the Savior of all the world
by the redemption purchased by your only Son Jesus Christ;
for they have been held captive in darkness and ignorance for lack of the knowledge of the gospel.
We pray that through the preaching, and the clear light of your Holy Spirit,
That those who do not know you be brought into the right way of salvation, which is to know that you are only God,
and that he, whom you have sent, is Jesus Christ.
Likewise, we pray that they whom you have already endued with your grace,
and illuminated their hearts with the knowledge of your Word,
may continually increase in godliness, and be plenteously enriched with spiritual benefits;
so that we may altogether worship you, both with heart and mouth,
and render due honor and service unto Christ our Master, King, and Lawmaker
*We need more Rain!!!!! 🌧 ☔️
David- improving health and treatment - esp. diet and exercise; membership interview w/session; praise for spending time with son and his family
Janet- that the Lord would draw her three oldest children back to Himself; Bekah’s pregnancy (baby girl!)
Aus- getting settled in new house
Paige- Praise for substitute training/moving forward in career
Willburns- Separation in Feb, civilian job; Kathleen’s health stuck in Ireland w/virus (Rebekah’s brother-in-laws aunt)
Bates- Laura’s pregnancy
Judds-Prayers for: Jaron, as he puts together a resume and for a potential career change, Kelsie’s pregnancy
Blanks- praise for new window cleaning business; perseverance and wisdom; praise for new vehicle
Faulkners- continued sanctification and patience with kids; Cynthia and Boyd’s medication; Travis’ kidney cancer treatment
Lauers- Awaiting membership interviews. Prayers over move in January.
Vicorys- Brianna’s pregnancy, offer on new home
Lathams- Kelli's health. Family relationship as we are in a busy season with lots of variables. Paul’s health and staying in shape, better communication in marriage
Kangs- Eddie’s training in Birmingham
Myers- patience and wisdom with plumbing issues at house
Isaac Lopez - home renovations
Luke Stienstra - Settling in to SAFB
Jason Whipple - Praise sending Steffani’s cancer into remission
Tamela- recovery from fall; moving into a new apartment
Derrick- dialysis treatments, hopefully kidney transplant
Robert and Nola Connor- marital edification, Robert’s job
Clarissa- return to worship, perseverance, and being a witness to her daughters
LSPC- need for older members and mentors in the faith; membership classes, possible progress in calling an organizing pastor!
Hudsons - (Ian and Rachael) Pregnancy!!! involvement with Grace Covenant Reformed Church in Clovis; upcoming military placement
Covenant OPC:
Our elders:
The session as it handles many family issues within their membership and Joe Keller’s help.
•Ike Williams family - adoption trials
Mitch Pritchett - heart health
•Todd Dole family- marital reconciliation, praises for closer Father-to-children relationships, Ethan’s salvation
Brad Bell- Bible study in San Angelo
Mark Sumpter- blessings for meetings with OPC Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension (CHMCE)
Manfredas- exams and paper writing; praise for hiring new employee (former Marine) and return of former foreman
Magdellinis- Justin’s meeting with Mark Sumpter about prospective work in OK; Justin’s dad’s pancreas
Father we Pray for _____________ and we ask for all these things in the powerful, glorious, majestic, and wonderful name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Psalm of Preparation

Turn in your TPH to #3 O Lord, How Many Are My Foes
Please be seated

Old Testament Reading

Let us turn in our Bibles this morning for our Old Testament Reading to Micah 5:1-15
Micah 5:1–15 (ESV)
Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops;
siege is laid against us;
with a rod they strike the judge of Israel
on the cheek.
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return
to the people of Israel.
And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth.
And he shall be their peace.
When the Assyrian comes into our land
and treads in our palaces,
then we will raise against him seven shepherds
and eight princes of men;
they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,
and the land of Nimrod at its entrances;
and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian
when he comes into our land
and treads within our border.
Then the remnant of Jacob shall be
in the midst of many peoples
like dew from the Lord,
like showers on the grass,
which delay not for a man
nor wait for the children of man.
And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations,
in the midst of many peoples,
like a lion among the beasts of the forest,
like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,
which, when it goes through, treads down
and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.
Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries,
and all your enemies shall be cut off.
And in that day, declares the Lord,
I will cut off your horses from among you
and will destroy your chariots;
and I will cut off the cities of your land
and throw down all your strongholds;
and I will cut off sorceries from your hand,
and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;
and I will cut off your carved images
and your pillars from among you,
and you shall bow down no more
to the work of your hands;
and I will root out your Asherah images from among you
and destroy your cities.
And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance
on the nations that did not obey.

New Testament Reading and Sermon Text Matthew 2:1-23

Hp: The promised Messiah's incarnation fulfilled.

The wise men search for Christ vs 1-12
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 saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6  “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;for from you shall come a rulerwho will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 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.” 9 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. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 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 and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
The Devils Servant Herod seeks to Kill the Messiah 13-18
13 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.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16 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 or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
18 “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 Messiah's Returns to Jerusalem vs 19-23
19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 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.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

vs 1-12 The wise men search for Christ.

In Chapter 2 of Matthew, we have the history of our Saviour’s infancy
Of how Christ came into the World
We will find out in this chapter that Christ was not only a man of Sorrows
But a child who was being perused by Satan and his follower King Herod even in his infancy.
Because Herod wants to search out this prophesied King to protect his throne.
So we find out how early Christ began to suffer in his life
and that in him the word of righteousness was fulfilled even in his birth.
The Word of God spoke of his birth thousands of years before it would happen.
And here it is now coming true.
So Christian you have a savior that that is trustworthy even in his birth.
before Christ began to fulfil all righteousness in his earthly ministry.
Matthew directs us that Christ had to be born.
And it is Maji from the east who are star gazers that come looking for him.
The text tells us that they are wise and learned men.
They see this star in the east and
We know these Maji are Gentiles because they don’t know the Scriptures
Their astrological deductions come from the “rising” of a star that had convinced the magi of a royal birth in the “westland” which would have been in (Palestine),
hence the title “King of the Jews.
The idea that a special star heralded the birth of famous people (and other significant events) was widespread in the ancient world.
The magi were presumably aware of Herod’s royal position,
and perhaps assuming that a birth had taken place within his family they had come to find out more.
But what is Herod’s response?
We read in verses 3-4

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

Herod says what King?
He has to get to the bottom of this?
It also says these wise men have disturbed Jerusalem with their star gazing.
Becasue they asked the jews ‘who has been born to be king of the Jews?
So the Jews are disturbed
And Herod doesn't want his throne to be in danger.
So the wise men are going to hear from the Chief Priests where the King of the Jews is?
They report to Herod and the Wise men.
that the location is Bethleham in Judah.
They would have know this becasue of Mic 5:2 “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”
and 2 Sam 5:2 “In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’ ””
this is speaking of David who was of the tribe of Judah.
This identifies the Messiah’s birthplace specifically as Bethlehem in the tribe of Judah
This is the passages the scribes speak of
and the passage that Matthew records and summarizes for us in Verse 6
Matt 2:6 ““ ‘And you, O 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 Israel.’ ””
Bethlehem signifies the house of bread; the fittest place for him to be born in who is the true manna,
the bread which came down from heaven, which was given for the life of the world
So the Jews might be wondering why do these gentile star gazers have insight into our future messiah being born.
And this is the first we are hearing of it.
So even in Christs birth he is born off the grid so to say.
Out of the lime light.
No kingdom or city surrounded at the city walls awaiting his birth,
They didn’t know his mother,
And they certainly didn’t know that the Holy Spirit would divinely impregnante Mary with the Messiah.
Which we read about in Matthew chapter 1:18-25
So Jesus is born with out all the pomp and circumstance as say when a New King of England ascends to the throne.
Or a New President is elected in our Country.
And what is his peoples response to the maji?
let us go with you to see the Messaiah?
No, just suprise, and no pursuit.
You would think if the long awaited messiah that had been promised to Adam and Eve in the Garden and spoke of to Abraham Issac and Jacob and the Jews new he would be born in Bethlehem.
They new the promises.
But they would not pursue him, when news of his appearance came to light.
Rather these gentiles are traveling across country with expensive gifts for a Messiah they are led to by a star.
Christ even at his Birth is bringing the gentiles to Faith in Him by his Birth.
The one who can take the sin darkened eyes of three men from the east
And give them light.
This star had led them to Jerusalem to herald Christs coming to the Jews in Jerusalem and went away for a short time, yet now the star returns.
These Wise men are another example of men who followed God in the dark
But soon will find that light that is sown for them to the precious Messiah.
Israel was led by a pillar of fire to the promised land, the wise men by a star to the promised Seed, who is himself the bright and morning Star
And the Star will now direct these wise men to the exact house where Christ lives with his parents.
Next in verses 7-8
Rather Jesus is already being plotted against to be killed we see in verses 7-8
Matthew for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 1–15 The Magi Visit Jesus (Matthew 2:1–12)

7 Then Herod called the wise men to him in secret. He found out from them precisely when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem.

‘Off you go,’ he said, ‘and make a thorough search for the child. When you find him, report back to me, so that I can come and worship him too.’

From this we realize that Christ has already been born.
Herod want’s the Wise men to be his hunting Dogs so to say.
He wants them to use their star gazing skills to find this King of the Jews so that he might lay hands on him and kill him.
But Just as Satan Lied to eve in the Garden
Herod lies to these wise men that he wants to come worship Jesus when they find him.
And these wise men are diligent in there task.
They are excited in their task.
And God is leading these wise men.
Becasue who is in Control of the stars?
We sing about how God controls the earth and the stars in the psalms.
God is in control of all creation.
God is leading these Wise men for his purpose.
To fulfill Prophesy and to point to Christ the sinless lamb of God who has come to save his people from their sin.
This is what was told to Mary and Joseph by God at the end of Matthew Chapter 1.

21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23  “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us).

Next we see in verses 9-12
The Wise men see the star.
They follow this star and the star is over a house where the child is.
So these wise men these Maji
Really were wise.
Because the Holy Spirit has enlightened their minds about who Christ is.
And they get to meet the child and worship the child so they come into the house according to verse 11
they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.
They worshiped him because that is the honor that is do to messiah.
And we see they did not come empty handed they brought valuable things as gifts to the King.
They opened their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
The gifts the wise men presented of gold, frankincense, and myrrh were very valuable.
And through God’s Providence he sent these as a seasonable and generous relief to Joseph and Mary in their present poor condition.
They were not wealthy and were having to travel to protect their son and Gods Son from the the Murderous Herod.
So our heavenly Father,
who knows what his children need,
uses some as stewards
God used these wise men to supply the needs of Joseph and Mary and Jesus
And God the Father can provide for us, even from the ends of the earth.
From men far from the east.
Their gifts are those of the affluent:
gold then as now is the symbol of ultimate value and wealth,
and exotic spices frankincense and myrrh which were more expensive than the gold would not normally come within the budget of an ordinary Jewish family.
This was to point to not only God’s provision for his Son Jesus.
But the importance of His son, that he was the long awaited Messiah.
And God not only provides for Jesus but he protects him from Herod by giving the Maji a dream in Verse 12
Verse 12 says
12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
The Maji are not going to tell Herod where the King of the Jews is located because Herod is seeking Jesus’s life.
We see the true intentions of Herods heart in verses 13-18 where

vs.13-18 The Serpents Servant Herod tries to Kill the Messiah

Lets read vs.13-18 again.
13 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.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Herod Kills the Children
16 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 or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
18  “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.”
Joseph and Mary had to take Jesus into Egypt to escape this genocide that Herod was going to commit.
Jesus goes into the land of Egypt in which God delivered the people of Israel out of Slavery in the time of Moses.
So Prophecy is fulfilled.
Becasue Christ was foretold of to come out of Egypt.
Christ would one day return to Jerusalem to call the lost sheep of Israel to himself as the Scriptures had foretold of.
Christ work has begun on earth.
But it was a prophecy that came with a cost
The cost came to many who were two years old and younger.
Yes with great joy sometimes comes great sorrow.
Yes the long awaited Christ child was here.
But this came with consequences for many.
Satan through his servant Herod kills many children to try and kill a child who was promised the throne of David.
A throne that Herod was not even a legitimate King of.
A throne here on earth that Christ had know need of .
Becasue Christ’s throne is in the heavens and his kingdom rules over all kings and kingdoms.
The consequence once again shows the fulfilment of prophecy and the wages of sin in our lives and that of our first parents.
In verses 16-18
Herod sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under,
17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah in
Jeremiah 31:15 “Thus says the Lord: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.””
This was the Unbridled wrath of Herod,
Herod was armed with an unlawful power, that killed many.
When such a tragedy happens and children are killed many will blame the very God they curse with the next breath.
But there was no unrighteous thing with God to permit this; every life is forfeited to his justice as soon as it begins.
The diseases and deaths of little children are proofs of original sin.
And the cure for their sin and our sin that we inherited through Adam.
And if any of those children killed that were two years old and younger.
that were killed were Gods Elect were saved from the hell fire to come after their lives were forfeit by Herods sinful order to kill these little boys..
And all that were not Gods elect were given over to the fires of Hell For the punishment of Adams first sin.
Just as any here today that are not trusting in the Birth of Christ, The sinless life of Christ, and the finished work of Christ on the cross are in danger of hell fire.
So you see all these things must come to pass that Christ could redeem his people from their sins.
So that you today who call on Christ would not perish at the end of your lives on this earth.
He had to be Born that not of a Human Father.
The Virgin Birth is necessary for him to be untainted by the sin of Adam.
And the fleeing to Egypt for a time and then returning to the Land of Israel one day for Jesus had to come to pass.
Because God is truthful.
And Gods word can be trusted and will always come to pass.
Because he is a faithful Father to all his people.
Next we see Christ returning to the land of Israel in Verses 19-23
Lets read 19-23 again

vs 19-23 The Messiah’s Return and Prophecy of being King is Fulfilled.

19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 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.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
God tells Joseph that the threat to Jesus is gone for now.
Herod is dead.
And how did he die?
Like most men who are consumed with promoting themselves.
And taking what is rightfully others.
Herod is even worse because he sought to take what was Christs by Birth.
This isn’t true in every case but listen to what Josephus has to say about Herods end.
Josephus says that Herod was siezed with disease which burned him inwardly, he had colic and gout and dropsy, and it was said that he had an intolerable stench that attended his disease, that none could come near him: and so passionate and impatient was he, that he was a torment to himself, and a terror to all that attended him: his innate cruelty, being thus exasperated, made him more barbarous than ever; having ordered his own son to be put to death, he imprisoned many of the nobility and gentry, and ordered that as soon as he was dead they should be killed; but that execution was prevented. See what kind of men have been the enemies and persecutors of Christ and his followers!
Herod was truly the Seed of the Serpent who would try to bite the heals of our savior and all that follow him.
The Infant Jesus who would one day grow.
And have his public ministry on earth.
And who would lead a sinless life and take upon himself the sins of all the elect on the cross.
Herod lived for himself.
Christ lived and died for others.
The serpent and all that serve him seek to murder and persecute the elect of God and the Christ.
Christ came to save all those whom the Father has given him before the foundation of the world.
And Christ returned to the land of Israel Just as prophesied.
But he doesn’t go to the prominent cities of Israel but rather the lowly at Gods direction through a dream to Joseph.
When Joseph heard the descendent of Herod, Archelaus was reigning it gave Joseph pause.
Archelaus must have been a man just like his Father Herod wicked.
And a dream confirms to Joseph that his hesitation is warranted.
God directs Joseph in this dream to take Jesus to the District of Galiliee.
and specifically the city of Nazareth.
The last phrase is interesting and seems to have most commentators grasping at where it has come from.
Becasue the OT no where says “so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.”
I think R.T. France gives a great explanation of this when he says
The Gospel of Matthew (5. A Galilean Messiah (2:19–23))
the words “He shall be called a Nazorean” represent the prophetic expectation that the Messiah would appear from nowhere and would as a result meet with incomprehension and rejection. Of course the prophets could not speak specifically of Nazareth, which did not even exist when they wrote. But the connotations of the derogatory term Nazorean as applied in the first century to the messianic pretender Jesus captured just what some of the prophets had predicted—a Messiah who came from the wrong place, who did not conform to the expectations of Jewish tradition, and who as a result would not be accepted by his people.
\
Isn't that what Isaiah 53 a prophet says
If this term Nazarine denotes somewhere where no one wants to be from.
Isaiah 53 says

He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4  Surely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten by God, and afflicted.

5  But he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed.

Christ was and is everything the Scriptures said he would be.
Despised of men.
attacked by the evil one Satan.
But a redeemer to all his Elect.
And just as Matthew began with the lineage of Jesus in chapter one of who Christ was.
And how he truly was the Christ
The God Man
A God man was needed,
the Son of David,
the Son of Mary,
the Son of God Jesus Christ,
Emanuel,
the Savior of the World.
No Salvation apart from him
To God be the Glory forever and ever
And it is in his name
The name of Christ that we are redeemed.
Amen.

Let us pray.

Father we thank you for this time to study and meditate on your Word
We ask that you would make this sermon meaningful in the minds of us your children.
Father we ask that we would be so on fire for you Lord that your Word and our time in it would be on our lips today
with our children and with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
We ask for all this in Christs name Amen
LET US RISE for the Singing of Gods Word

*Hymn of Response #342 Stricken Smitten, and Afflicted

WE ARE DISMISSED WITH GOD’S BLESSING
Let us Pray
Father in heaven be with and keep this your people throughout the week.
Father in heaven encourage these your people to discuss with their families the sermon and how they can apply this to the people who they run into through the week.
And father help them through your spirit to have a stronger walk with you and to make this word preached effectual in their lives.
In Christ name
Amen
Closing Hymn TPH 567 Doxology
Praise God from whom all Blessing Flow; praise him all creatures here below; Praise him above ye heavenly host praise Father Son ands Holy Ghost Amen.
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