An Unfamiliar Christmas part 2

INTRO

A. Welcome, turn to Matthew 2.

B. We started a new series last week called “An Unfamiliar Christmas”

C. We are looking at some heavy stuff today, but don’t worry, there is a lot of hope and true joy in it today.

D.PRAY

BODY

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.”

A. The “They” is the wisemen in the previous verses. Quick recap.

B. This story is overlooked, but it is incredibly important.

D. Especially since Matthew says that this is fulfilling what the prophets said. And so where is he quoting from?

E. If you were feeling studious in your Bible reading when you read this you might turn to Hosea and read… WHAT?

11 When Israel was a child, I loved him,

and out of Egypt I called my son.

2  The more they were called,

the more they went away;

they kept sacrificing to the Baals

and burning offerings to idols.

3  Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk;

I took them up by their arms,

but they did not know that I healed them.

A. So what is going on here? Is Matthew just cherrypicking verses to make his case?

B. He is recounting Israel’s story, coming out of Egypt and being God’s firstborn son.

If you are unfamiliar with the story…Slaves in Egypt, Pharaoh kills babies, Moses is raised up, they come out of Egypt. Exodus 4 God calls Israel His firstborn son.

C. Jesus is the true firstborn son, he is living out the path of the Israelites.

Out of Egypt

Pass through the Jordan

1.So can you see the importance of this small story that we like jump over? This unfamiliar story of two new parents traveling to an unknown and unfamiliar place, again.

And you have to wonder, what were some of their thoughts as they are traveling down to Egypt. Can I be bold enough to say one that probably crept into their minds? Even though God told them to go there

HAS GOD ABANDONED US?

Think about it. Jesus is called to save His people from their sins. The people are the Israelites, who, a vast majority are in Jerusalem and the surrounding area. Why Egypt? Different customs, different gods. ugh.

Which makes me wonder for those of you who are in an unfamiliar Christmas season, has this thought popped up in your mind? Do you feel like you have been abandoned by God? Is there something going on in your life where you feel like you are going the total opposite direction?

If so, I want to share with you some truth so that the lie about God forsaking you can be demolished.

Truth to remember God has not abandoned you

God is a Good shepherd.

Just like he was faithfully leading Joseph and Mary, he will faithfully lead you through life. It may not make sense, but he has not forgotten you. He knows every hair on you head. Now, if you are in a self inflicted place and reaping what you have sown, God can deliver you out of that. But if you are in a place, or going through something that is literally out of your control, remember he is a good shepherd who is faithful to lead you.

God is Protecting you.

I’m not sure if Mary and Joseph totally understood what was happening. They maybe didn’t hear about the killing until later in life, however, we know that this was an act of God’s hand against the enemy trying to destroy God’s plans. The thing in your life could be God protecting you from something you have no idea about. He is protecting you from spiritual attacks and temptations that havn’t even crossed your mind. Despite the frustration of the season or issue you may be feeling, remember that we are looking at a picture way bigger than we can see, but God sees the whole picture.

Nothing can separate you from God’s love.

Romans 8 tells us this truth when it says,

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

a. This came from Paul who faced a lot of unfamiliar situations in life, yet he was confident that nothing could take him from the love of God.

b. Does it feel like God has abandoned you? Remember these truth’s found in His word that points to His character.

Okay, let’s look back in Matthew now at another unfamiliar story that actually brings great hope despite the devastating situation.

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.”

A. So most archeologist and theologians believe this was around 30-80 children killed. This is awful. All because another pharaoh like king was trying to again kill off God’s people. This is evil. This is demonic. This is straight from the pit of hell.

B. Which makes you wonder, why is this fulfilling a prophecy? Is God ordaining this? If you are biblically illiterate it could seem that way, but let’s look at what Matthew is talking about when he is quoting Jeremiah.

C. So let’s talk abut two people that will help us understand what in the world is happening here.

Jeremiah

A prophet during the Exile (stayed in Jerusalem unlike Ezekiel, Daniel, and others.)

He wrote poetry to mourn and capture what was happening during this time (Jeremiah and lamentations)

The Children in Jeremiah 31:18 are the people of Israel being carried off into exile.

Ramah was 5 miles north of Jerusalem, the road into exile where people were weeping the loss of the city.

Rachel

1.Married to Jacob/Israel and gave birth to Joseph and Benjamin.

2. Jeremiah is referencing the story of Rachel’s birth to Benjamin where she dies in Genesis 35.

3. Calls her son Ben-oni (son of my suffering). But Jacob changes it to Benjamin (son of my right hand).

4. Rachel is buried in Bethlehem.

5.Matthew is using this metaphor-Israel in Exile and saying that this is as terrible as it.

6. A similarity with a poet using George Washington weeping over…

A.Let’s bring this all together incase you lost me. Matthew is trying to communicate an age old question.

What is God doing in times of great pain, loss, and suffering?

According to Matthew, he believes God is weeping. He is grieving, like Rachel, over the loss of these children.

1.That brings up the question, well why didn’t he stop it. If he is all powerful then how come…

2. I don’t have any perfect answers for that, but I think this does show that we have a God sees our pain and grieves with us. He weeps because of the pain and the hurt that you and I are going through. And while we could keep wondering, how come you are not changing this, or fixing that, or healing this person, does it not show the heart of Christmas.

GOD WITH US. Not just God who fixes everything for us. Not just God with the perfect, easy, comfortable life with us. And he has done something about it. He actually just sent him to Egypt. God is bringing redemption through his son and while it doesn’t stop all the evil from happening, he walks with us, he grieves with us, he walks us through the valley of shadow of death. He doesn’t say, hey! I’ll see you on the other side!

Ministry time.