Unexpected Messiah

The Gospel of Matthew Unexpected Messiah - Matthew 2:19-23 December 22, 2024 By the time Tuesday morning comes around, I'm still studying and working on my sermon. This Tuesday was no different, but what was different was the Advent devotional from Paul David Tripp that morning was exactly what God put into my heart and mind Monday afternoon - but I had a hard time putting it into words. So, since he put it so well, let me open our time this morning by reading from his devotional: When we look at politics, entertainment, sports, or industry, it is clear that our culture is obsessed with greatness. The people who are our heroes have lots of power, stacks of money, piles of accomplishments, tons of human acclaim, warehouses of possessions, multiple houses, and fleets of luxury vehicles. We love to watch videos that take us into their homes or let us see their amazing cars. We view their yachts and their mansions with a little bit of longing in our hearts. We like feats of power, and we look up to people to take control. Our heroes are kingdom builders who have accomplished and acquired much, and who have crowds of people around them to serve their purposes. We often watch the coronation of another business leader, entertainment star, sports champion, or national king and silently think, "if only." But the King of kings is unlike any earthly king. The Lord Creator and sovereign of the universe did not invade the earth He created so that He can set up an earthly Kingdom and be served. No, His coming, His life, and His death displayed ultimate humble, self-sacrificing service. What was Jesus's experience on earth? An inauspicious birth and poverty of life. Mocking and rejection. An unjust and violent arrest and trial. Horrific suffering on the cross. Jesus poured out his life - not for His own power and earthly fame, but for the eternal salvation of all who put their trust in Him. If this is the way of the king, then why would we think that the call and culture of His Kingdom would be any different? Apologies for the long quote, but I firmly believe that this is what I wanted to communicate when I began forming this sermon earlier this past week. Obviously, I couldn't have said it better. We're going to read from Matthew 2 this morning, just about concluding the "Christmas" portion of His Gospel. Good timing if you ask me, as we look forward to our Christmas Eve service in just a few short days. What we'll discover from this passage is that Jesus was an unexpected Messiah. Not only will we see this clearly from this passage, but we'll also be encouraged by it. Follow along as I read Matthew 2:19-23. 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. I know that we've talked about Joseph's obedience in the last couple of passages, so I won't spend too much time there. But, here, we have three specific examples of JOSEPH'S OBEDIENCE that I think is worth noting as an example for us. First thing we can learn from Joseph is that: * I must listen to God. (vv.19-20) o Once again, the Lord speaks to Joseph - through an angel - in a dream. o The instructions were simple, Herod is dead, return to Israel. o Listening is not the same as hearing. o Many of us hear His Word, but do not listen o But when we listen, it results in action. o The next example for us reveals that ... * I must rise to God's instruction (v.21) o The next stage in listening is that response thing I've mentioned several times in this series. o Joseph is instructed to rise and take his wife and Jesus back to Israel. o Rising is that first step in full obedience. o One cannot be obedient to their call without rising and being ready to take that first step. o Then, we can follow Joseph's lead and ... * I must go to where God leads me (vv.22-23) o It is not enough to listen and rise, we must take that first step in obedience and go to where the Lord is leading us. o We know from His Word that He will not lead us astray. o In fact, we see this in the example of Joshua's succession of Moses in Deuteronomy 31:8, where Moses encourages him with these words: IT IS THE LORD WHO GOES BEFORE YOU. HE WILL BE WITH YOU; HE WILL NOT LEAVE YOU OR FORSAKE YOU. DO NOT FEAR OR BE DISMAYED. You see, when we listen, rise and go, we show the Lord and those who are watching us that we trust God in His plan for us. What I want to focus on for the rest of our time this morning is our response to, what I'm calling, the "Unexpected Messiah." Here's the main idea for our message this morning: How I respond to the unexpected, illustrates my faith in God. Naturally, we need to dig deeper into ... RESPONDING TO THE UNEXPECTED. First ... * I will wait for God's direction (v.22) o Fear is natural. o Worrying is normal. o Anxiety is increasingly more and more prevalent. o The problem is living in those moments. o Allowing them to overwhelm us o Becoming a slave to them. o Again, looking at Joseph's example in verse 22, we see that he was afraid of Herod's son, Archelaus. o However, there is no indication that he stopped his journey to Israel, rather another warning in a dream directed him to Nazareth in Galilee instead. o We must look to Jesus. Look to God in times of distress or fear. Here's what we see in Psalm 120:1: IN MY DISTRESS I CALLED TO THE LORD, AND HE ANSWERED ME. Or, one of my personal favorites, Psalm 121:1-2: o 1 I LIFT UP MY EYES TO THE HILLS. FROM WHERE DOES MY HELP COME? 2 MY HELP COMES FROM THE LORD, WHO MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH. o In both chapters of Matthew, so far, there is a heavy emphasis on God's sovereignty. o God remains in control, in spite of Herod, or Archelaus, leading us to the next understanding ... * I will trust that God's in control (v.22) o Even though there was fear of Archelaus, God remained in control, directing Joseph and Mary to Nazareth. o Apparently, Herod had three sons, and each of them were given a region to rule when Herod died. o Reports say that Archelaus was just as cruel as his father and was hated by the Jews. o Apparently, he was so bad, he was replaced and banished by the Romans some time in AD 6. o When we come to sections like this in the Bible, it is easy to think that God was reactive instead of proactive, but there is no doubt, as we see in verse 23, that it was always part of God's plan for Jesus to be "from Nazareth." We'll expand on this momentarily. o But notice that there has been a non-stop attempt by the evil earthly rulers to cut off Jesus from this earth. o This is, in part, why Matthew focuses a lot on the Kingdom of God in his Gospel account. o This is why Jesus preaches on this topic more than any other. o It is to be a reminder that God will protect and preserve His Kingdom, and all of those who belong to it. o One author put it this way: "God is orchestrating events, inaugurating His plan of Salvation" o As we saw during the most recent election - and the aftermath thereof - it is easy to be consumed by fear by who is in charge. o But, as the cliché goes, it doesn't matter who is president, Jesus is King. o Herod could not stop Jesus. o Archelaus could not stop Jesus. o Do we trust God enough to know that no matter what, His plan will come to pass? o That is where the rubber hits to road, as J. Vernon McGee used to say. o Another side of this is that ... * God is not limited by my past (v.23) o Verse 23 is interesting, to say the least. o Matthew says that the prophets revealed that Jesus would be from Nazareth. o If you have a modern bible, it will likely have a cross-reference section, or a note indicating what verse is being referred to. o Here, we don't have any specific reference to this prophecy outside of this verse. o Was Matthew wrong? o No. The Bible is infallible - without error. o The Bible is God-breathed - which means that God wrote the Bible, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, through the earthly writers. o So, how can this be explained? There are several possible solutions. * First, Matthew stated a plurality of prophets, not just a single one, so it's not usual that someone would cite each of them. It also points to the fact that there was a common theme or allusions throughout the Old Testament writers. * Second, there seems to be a connection with the Hebrew word for "branch" and the name Nazareth. * If there is a connection, one can head over to Isaiah, chapter 11, Jeremiah 33, or Zechariah 6 - to name a few examples - of where Jesus is called the "Branch of Israel" * Another reference to the prophets is that Nazareth is being used to describe a person who was despised and rejected. I feel like this one is most likely. * John 1:46 indicates that Nazareth had a bad reputation among the other Jews. * There are also several Old Testament prophesies that speak to how Christ will be despised and that He would be treated poorly. Psalm 22:6-7 and Isaiah 53:3 are two such examples. o So, we see that Jesus was from this town that was despised and almost acts a prelude to how He would eventually be treated. o God uses this picture to help us to see that He will use even the rejected, the poor, the weak, and whomever else He chooses to His will. o Later in chapter 4, verse 13, we read that Jesus left Nazareth. o Luke 1:26; 2:4; 2:39; and 4:16 all indicate that this is where both Joseph and Mary are from. This was their hometown. o Even though Jesus was born in Bethlehem, He was still called a Nazarene. o It is easy to look down on someone because of their past. o Just like many of you look down on me because I'm from the LA area. o But the Bible teaches us clearly and consistently that there is no partiality with God - in Christ Jesus. o This historical account highlights this truth. o Even a poor family from Nazareth can take part in the greatest story ever told. o God can change anyone's heart, no matter your past. No matter your upbringing. No matter your sin. Jesus changes everything. o Finally, the reality is ... * Faith matters o Again, as we wrap up the Christmas story from Matthew 1-2 - in preparation for our Christmas Eve service - we can easily see the example of faith from so many. o In chapter 1, Mary and Joseph had massive faith when it was revealed to them that they were pregnant with Jesus. o They had to listen to the angel, believe in the message, and follow God o In chapter 2, the Magi, somehow knowing what Jesus's star meant, travelled from their hometown to find and worship Jesus. Later, they had to listen to the dream that warned them about Herod's plan, so they returned home. o Later in chapter 2, Joseph again had to listen and respond to the vision and the dream and go to Egypt until Herod died. o Then, this morning, Joseph intently listened for the instruction from the messenger to take Jesus to Nazareth. o All to continue to fulfil the Old Testament prophecies concerning the first coming of Jesus. Showing and proving that God was and continues to be the One in charge of it all. o Faith matters. o That's really what Christmas brings. o Maybe you're experiencing faith for the first time. o Maybe your faith is being renewed. o Or maybe, your faith is being strengthened as we study the Word of God. This is why I said earlier: How I respond to the unexpected, illustrates my faith in God. * The Jews were expecting a conquering ruler - like David - to come in and overthrow the Roman rulers. * The Jews were expecting a Messiah that would restore the Davidic Temple. * They were not expecting a baby to be born to poor parents. * They were not expecting someone from Nazareth. Sometimes we have our own presupposition of Jesus, and who we want Him to be. But what we learn from the Scriptures, as recorded by Mark 10:45 is that Christ came for a reason. Here's what Mark recorded: 45 FOR EVEN THE SON OF MAN CAME NOT TO BE SERVED BUT TO SERVE, AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE AS A RANSOM FOR MANY." Although we celebrate the arrival of the King, He did so for the purpose of serving and giving Himself as a ransom. I want to remind you of Tripp's words that we opened with: Jesus poured out his life - not for His own power and earthly fame, but for the eternal salvation of all who put their trust in Him. How will you respond to the arrival of our Lord this Christmas season? Or, better stated, is this the Jesus that you are trusting in? Let's pray. 2