God With Us

And we're going to just go ahead and start in verse 23. We're going to read through chapter 2 2 verse 12. It says behold the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel. Which means god with us when Joseph woke from his sleep. He did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. I took his wife but he knew or not until she'd given birth to a son and call his name Jesus. Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the King 2 weeks ago tried to articulate and share with our church is what you're seeing Matthew do is give us a massive setup for kingdoms. And if you didn't listen to it, we went through the Old Testament and talked about the world in light of two kingdoms, and I'm just drying attention to that this morning for the specific reason of how many times were going to see Herod the king pitted against to We believe Jesus. The true king actually is and this morning we're going to spend the bulk and majority of our time on Jesus the king and his kingdom and then Christmas Eve will look at Herod and his kingdom of violence and wrath and fear and anger. So bring your friends. It'll be fun. That's what we're doing Christmas Eve just fair warning. So it says in the days of Herod the king behold wise men or Magi or stargazers of some of your translations my but it's basically Pagan priests, right? Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem saying where is he who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star when it Rose and I've come to worship him when Herod the king heard this he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him and assembling the chief priests and scribes the people he inquired of them were the Christ was to be born. They told him in Bethlehem of Judea for it is written by the prophet you o Bethlehem in the land of Judah are by no means least among the rulers of Judah ruler. Will Shepherd My People Israel, then Herod some of the wise men secretly in a certain from them what time the star had appeared and he sent them to Bethlehem saying go I wouldn't leave for the child and when you have found him bring him bring me word that I too may come to worship him after listening to the king. They went on their way and behold. Star that they had seen when it arose 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 and going into the house. They saw the child of Mary his mother and fell down and worshipped him. Then opening their Treasures. They offered him gifts gold frankincense. Myrrh and being warned in a dream not to return to Herod they departed to their own country by another way and the next week we'll kind of parse these ideas and things out but we want to do if you want to indepthly look at verse 23 a chapter one where it says that his name will be Emmanuel God With Us Now. I want you just to pause for a moment. And I want you to think what does it mean God With Us? What kind of emotions if any is that stirring up within you dear trembling rejoicing Joy this feeling of all my goodness. God has come or oh my goodness. God has come cuz there's two ways to look at that even throughout the scriptures in the Old Testament. And what we see here is that there could be a myriad of reactions in which people have when it comes to the coming of this King. In fact this text explicitly lays out the different kinds of reaction that humans have when they hear Jesus has become one of we will bow down to worship are one of We will rise up Andra volts kill murder hurts and is doing is he telling this story a continuation of the story that we say? Where he back in Genesis, that is God's story and he's talking about the presence of God With Us and what's significant about this and he's telling us the story of God becoming King in the very presence of Jesus or Emmanuel God With Us. This story is the story of this gospel is the gospel of God becoming King on Earth what that looks like and what that entails and what he goes through and what did she do to each and every one of us is gives us these feelings and emotions of reader going to receive. The king and all he has to say we're going to reject. You don't get to pick and choose you receive him and all his kingdom is worth or you can begin to say don't like that don't like this don't like him and Matthew from the very beginning is setting up this epic story of who Jesus is and how he came into this world. Now, here's a problem God With Us. Jesus is born and it says the Magi the wise men they go and worship him. Big problem massive problem over and over again in the scriptures and maybe you recall we went all the way through the Book of Genesis and we've eluded too many and numerous Old Testament passages about this over and over again. God warns Israel. We hear it even in the New Testament to not make Idols right out of anyone or anything to not make graven images for God himself has already made image bearers and we don't need more images in which we try to worship to get worse self-esteem and significance. We don't need statues in these other God and God says and gets clear mandates and Order throughout both the Old and the New Testament that as human you are under God over creation, but we did as we inverted that and we said that we'd rather rule over you and worship creation. Are they free? Order and we will make God for ourselves as a representation of what we actually want to worship. This is the story of the Old Testament and the competing God to Yahweh the ones in which humans say this immediately satisfies. This gives me pleasure. We will worship. These gods are will make Gods to represent you Yahweh graven images and we will worship in that way and over and over again in the biblical narrative. We see the failure of humanity and even there the called outline of Abraham to actually worship Yahweh and Yahweh alone news flash. We do it today still don't we it's biblical narrative Adam continues to rear its ugly head of an each and every one of our lives in the moment Adam disobeyed with Eve God there and says, we will look to our How to say what is right and wrong good and bad we will determine in Our Lives who and what we are going to worship Humanity carries on with the same kind of theme and mindset that we will worship what we want to worship trying to assert ourselves over got there are three Mega people and kingdoms that we see just in Genesis and exodus and then in the stories of Samuel the King's It is Nimrod and babble and we looked at that Kingdom a few weeks ago a mighty warrior one who ruled one who conquered lands and spread apart and spread about in that way and he had this Kingdom but he said are there still power since God is a red just eat this a few weeks back. He sang. We're going to make Towers so tall that he send your flood waters. We will stand above them. You will not harm or her. Like God's kingdom Pharaoh in Egypt thought himself to be the Divine or from the Divine that's giving him the right to conquer kill take life. Give life to the mimicking the very God that he believed in thinking himself to be of their image and like them or how about Nebuchadnezzar? Nebuchadnezzar prior to the story where he gets deformed and turn into Beast like characteristics one who says my kingdom my life you will do as I say will raise up statue in the land of shinar and you will come and Bow Down and Worship them worship these God we are doing things our way. I know what a modern thinker says. Come on Brett's we don't worship like that. Do we get we still have the same kinds of God's they just look like strip clubs and child pronography. They look like killing children and murdering for more land to take what is not ours. But being that now it is ours to promote ourselves and we maybe don't worship them in the same kind of temples, but we still worship the spirit of them. Or the mindset behind them even down to some of the littlest moments of our hearts in the twinges in the desires that it might have and we seek to run from the presence of God like Cain East of Eden. Outside of his Rule and his Reign trying to take what we think is ours and this is a very Grim picture because it's really the idea of Life absence from the presence of God and we turn in ourselves. We bring about self-destruction and Decay and the question is what hope do we have life outside the presence of God, but something happened and I want you to follow me on this. Abraham Abraham has one of them what we would like all heroes of our story though. There's only really truly one hero in our story and it's not a man. It is the god-man Jesus Abraham called out and he is pitted against their what it looks like to be in Babel and Nimrod and God says come out and worship me and follow me and he all right at this although he had his lapses, but it's Joshua 24 verse 2. We're told that there to put away the God, but Abraham had had to prior to following Yahweh. Abraham was some kind of pagan worshipper in the end. God says come out Pacific Lee. I will be your shield and your great reward. I'm going to be your righteousness put away your idols. Worship Yahweh alone in Genesis chapter 35 if you want to turn their Abraham has a grandson. His name is Jacob. Jacob had a whole lot of troubles and ran into Uncle Laban and married two of his daughters and life was chaotic and a mess and in Genesis 35 here is Jacob who later has his name changed to Israel sort of a big deal, isn't he? And when you would think of Jacob you would think of a guy who worshipped God and God Alone yet. It says in chapter 35 verse 1. God said to Jacob arise go to Bethel and dwell there make an altar there to God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau. Jacob said to his household if you all were with him put away the foreign gods that are among you purify yourself change your garments. Why who are they going to meet with? God put away the Idols are not welcome in this place purify yourself, but it's a ride and go to Bethel so that I may make there an altar to God who answers me in the day of my distress have been with me wherever I have gone. So they gave to Jacob all the foreign God. They had the rings that were in their ears. Jacob had them under the tree that was near shechem. Jacob leave your dog behind don't worship them. Follow me Abraham leave your God behind come on out. Follow me. The Israelites in Egypt same idea. We get the image of the Israelites as if they're the good guys hanging out in the Badland forgetting that they were bad guys hanging out in what was a horrible place the dates you needed the blood to cover the doorpost. They chew needed to be in the presence of God, but could not come without some kind of covering over them. And so they were slaves to Pharaoh doing his bidding his work. With his mighty outstretched arm calls them out. And is there in the wilderness? What does God say to them? He said you shall have no other gods but me to you shall not make for yourself any idle nor bow down to it or worship. Does God like idolatry? It's not like I Dollar Tree absolutely absurd to think of anything going. Well, if you're going to worship a deity outside of the true and living God, what does Matthew highlight in Matthew Chapter? 2 3 Magi and what do they do? They come and they bow down and they worship. Striking and I understand that is actually lost some of it on all of us because we know the story, of course, they're worshipping Jesus, of course because he was crucified and risen. He's the son of God. Did they know that they went and they thought we're going to bow down we're going to worship. But any time any human has worship anything with the true and living God, it's never highlighted in the sense of this is a good thing until this moment. Jesus is born and either this is an absolutely outrageous Act of idolatry or Matthews trying to convey something incredibly unique about this child how so let's just get a little background on the Magi. This is really fun. I was talking to me about the story and I refer to them as the Magi they said who and I said, oh those three cute little guys that have like staffs and not the Shepherds with You know them as wise men and they were wise do they worship God and we can do some play on words. I Ain't Got You know what that came from the East they would have known a little bit about is real having Israel been in captivity at some point in those lands. There have been those that I've heard the stories and the promises but it wasn't necessarily that they were Yahweh followers of Yahweh that is a god of the Bible worshippers, but they worshipped all of the Gods and they gaze at the stars to look for inside the religious men and their own tradition looking for new insights ancient culture. They were to look at the stars. and when you look at the stars, you see the stars like Timon and Pumbaa right there in The Lion King where they just expounded on the scientific idea that they're just big balls way mean gas so they say now the Ancients and you need to understand something because the scriptures record what they believe it doesn't mean that we should look down on it. I think we're such a modern thinkers because we do some silly stuff in our day and age and I cannot read or tell the whole story about 2 years ago. There was a man in Europe. He was 68 years old and he felt that is dating app without actually discriminating him because he couldn't get into the category of dating women between the ages of 30 and 45 cuz he was over 60 so she decided to take it to court and he identified as a forty-five-year-old. He would give up his social security in order to date younger women on the dating app. That's silly we will you think that and believe that in this day in age of not saying you do I'm saying culture believe that we got some pretty dumb ideas ancients believe that the stars because of the way they move the way they were shining the way that they changed during the seasons that they were the deities in another realm that controlled or rule even in Genesis as it says they were set to Rule the Day rule the night they wrote and said they would look at them for insight and wisdom to try to get some kind of understanding of God. They thought they were deep teeth. Now we can go through a lot of fun stuff and I won't bore you with but there's some idea of may be representing something true behind them enough sure that they worship them trusted them as the living being and so when they see this new star pop-up or the Stars, they thought to be the star of Israel it grab their attention. What I love is that God takes what they believe in their culture and he's using it to redeem it to draw these men to him. But were they believing there's this famous prophecy of Balaam. Did I see him but now I Behold Him but not near a star will come out of Jacob to Israel a scepter a rule out of Israel was Israel in a place to ruin rain at this moment in history. Did the Roman government that was exceeding that was expanding that was growing. This prophecy would have been very near and dear to any Jewish Hearts. They knew this because they live with this great expectation that this king would be born to them and be a religious group of people there have this. Hope that someone would come to rescue them and they knew about this and the Magi they knew about this I do. Comes a big problem they come to worship Jesus.

look This is all you have is Old Testament New Testament not written yet worshipping any image outside of Yahweh will get you in the hot seat real quick, right big huge problem. Now, most everyone in ancient culture lived under some kind of rule of a King and King proclaimed that they were the very image of God on Earth having the authority to carry out whatever they desire because it was the will of the Gods it would also like Nebuchadnezzar create. Use this as an act of giving yourself over to the gods myself included. And I thought you had pharaohs who demanded worship you an ancient Kings who demanded worship from their subjects and they gave him through right to conquer and do as they pleased but Israel was constantly this outliner forgot even said I will give you a king but you want to worship that King like the other nations I will give you rulers and leaders but they are not to be your God. They're not to be your savior than a point you to who I am for there not to replace who I am and what Matthew is doing and highlighting is the Deep truth about Jesus a foreshadow of poo. This child actually is because where else is the Bible ever talk about worshiping someone Outside of the gospels here in this place. You did not have that going on. So what are they? What are they do they come and they bow down and Matthew doesn't say is idolatry because they bend their knee. We see that there's something incredible happening and taking place. Now. This is really interesting and might be review for some of you but if you knew what was going on in about 37 BC up into the point when Christ was born you had a big transformation happening in the Roman Empire you had a man that you all probably know as Caesar Augustus or Octavian with his name given to him. Augustus is a title and on that in that day and age Augustus was actually not the true son of Julius Julius Caesar, but he would have been adopted check it out an adopted child who is ascending to the throne and so he got all of that going on in the background you have this new Caesar on the scene got a couple of different names and titles and adopted son. The historian his name is the rat's name on the title of Augustus. He says the word has been applied only to Holy objects and places to certain creative our argument arguments in divinity's apply to Octavian this title Augustus it clothing with a Halo of sanctity and the protection of religion and God. So just prior to the birth of Jesus you have an expanding wrong. You have a road system being built you have hope you have the time of unprecedented because of war and wrap. It is already taken place. And so you have all the room looking to the Caesar who came to power as an adopted son who murdered off those that wanted his power and control and he brings people. He doesn't just bring peace to their empire but not just looking to him as a king and a great ruler to story goes on and it says an important part of the strategy involves religion. The emperor of Rome was already the most powerful man on Earth did this wasn't enough Augustus wanted a piece of heaven to he was determined that if people would see him as their Supreme spiritual leader Roman religion had many gods and spirits and Augustus was Keen to join their number as God himself does Not Unusual turning political leaders into God is an old tradition around the Mediterranean. There was also president in Roman history an ass and Romulus who helped found Rome who already worshipped as Gods now get this Halley's Comet aside from many God Romans were deeply superstitious Saint Augustine was handed a huge piece of luck. He took advantage of it early in his Reign Halley's Comet passed over Rome Augustus cleaned it was the spirit of Julius Caesar entering Heaven is Caesar with a God as his Heir Augustus was the son of a God and he made that make sure that everybody knew it promote. Self is the man who would return to Rome's path Glory Augustus claimed that only restoring the traditional values and it first made Rome great wood. Could he hope to make it great again one writer commented. He renewed many Traditions that were fading in our age. We start 82 temples of the Gods neglecting none that required repair ended up calling us at the pontifex Maximus the chief Priests of Rome and head of the collegium pontificum the highest priests in the lamps. How I would you talk about all that? You have this Caesar it was claiming during that time of the world the same things that are actually true of Jesus competing Kingdom competing rulers competing views. He was changing. The way Rome was ruled the longer just governed by an Empire but governed by an emperor you bring the piece to bring the hope and people would celebrate him and he became what he thought was truly a God on Earth. Yet the scriptures declare not Augustus. But Jesus is the true God man that came and Luke you can write these passages down. Is not Augustus to Savior and Lord, but Jesus is says today in the town of David a savior has been born to you. If he is Christ the lord Luke 2:11, Luke. Does this intentionally, I'm telling you Luke 1:32 is not a gustus. But Jesus who is the Son of God as God declares. It is not Augustus was the high priest but it is Jesus. You have to look at Hebrews 444 that he is. Our great high priest is not a gustus. That is the turning point that the age to come but it is Jesus who ushers in the Kingdom Luke Chapter 4 verses first 43 same with Matthew chapter 3. This is Jesus actually god with us and one of the Magi do they come to Bow Down and Worship? How many guys were able to watch Michael's teaching on worship?

I'm so disappointed with you. All it was how do you say Michael fire flames that we said last week? It was awesome. It was legit. It was so good. And now every time you say the word worship your little bit skeptical about that word worship, aren't you? Because we actually don't in our English language have the right framework and category 4th. We think of worship we think of singing we think of worship. We think of a service we have all of these ideas that come in to worship the word that it's actually used here in Matthew. Is it they come and they bout what was the second commandment? You should not Bow Down and Worship any other gods. What are these Magi do they do exactly that they bow down telling you who is their Authority it is Jesus and that's how they worship hymns little fun point there for you all don't make any Images of other gods but they make Jesus the image of the invisible don't they as it doesn't Colossians it is Jesus who says if you have seen me you've seen the father.

Jesus is the representation. father brand new this is mind-boggling and never ever in the history of Israel. Would this be acceptable but alone promoted and accepted 12 Apostles 11 Apostles at first you go out and then either Matthias Apollo we want to add into that mix. This would have been mind-blowing. That's what this text is telling the worship alone and reserved for God Jesus Is God now. I'm just going to finish with a few thoughts here and how this all ties together. What is this a to us? What is the primary story a Christmas? What is both Matthew and Luke and even if you look at John in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the word is God. What is that? Actually telling us about Jesus Jesus Is God that is the simple meaning of Christmas the Creator King of the universe has become human. Everything else is secondary out of that all this talk of Goodwill and peace on Earth and respect and community and we love secondary thing to talk about secondary thing, but the primary thoughts of Christmas is that God is with us God is with us and the scriptures are we telling that at every single moment is not even Jesus choose for yourself a 30 minutes isn't he will later on in the gospels. It's very clear that they killed him because he claimed to be the very Son of God that he said I am using those words. He was very clear on who he was first. First said about him through these Magi down. It was told by the angel Gabriel to married. He is the Son of God the rumors were out there. This is who he is. He's not just another Liver, he is actually God. So what does this mean for us? He is God With Us Again. He is God With Us and I want to emphasize that what does that mean for you? And for me, this is the beautiful part of the story. God coming along side of the form of a witness to us. He is God With Us not in the Old Testament. Almost every story of God showing up is absolutely terrifying, isn't it? He needs an Abraham and his smoking furnace and it's fire and it's scary and there's Bloodshed he meets with Moses on the mountain and in the cloud there is thunder in the people down below are getting freaked out by Isaiah to me. I'm a man of unclean lips. He was thinking I am a dead man because I'm in the very presence of God anytime somebody in the Old Testament gets into the presence of God. It's not like I say nice to meet you finally get to hang out with a great time. Isn't it? Absolutely terrifying. That is holy God shows up makes a way for them to worship and be in his presence. Don't miss that always provides a way. terrify How do we talk about God friend of Sinner? Loving compassionate what we see here is God With Us he comes in the least terrifying form you can imagine a baby unless you are a parent for the first time. You like I don't know about this. This is a little scary. I mean you can do is eat up those little feet right you just love those little babies and I love babies more now that my kids are older than I've ever loved babies in my entire life. Just cuz I was like feudal holding a great spot to be in not terrifying not scary. He comes in this way to us not in Smoke not in terrifying Thunder. Three times is a baby to give his life. So you can do what you can personally know him. It would have been hard to personally know the fire by night in the cloud by day. I don't have it all worked. But it comes in this way in which you can have personal closed relationship with him and you can enjoy him. Not just in his presence, but you know him to go to a concert. You can be in the presence of a great musician. We were all in the present. My music was rocking this morning can't wait till a little bit more of that going on here in a minute of it. But it's different when you begin to then talked to the lead singer of U2, because now you're actually in the presents right not just in the place of the room, but you're getting to know that person on a more intimate level the way in which God comes is an invitation to actually know him personally. He has, we think Moses would say finely Moses pleaded with God on the mountain that I might see your glory and he says that you are to see my glory it would be like Indiana Jones face-melting. That's what would happen to you knows it but I will pass by you and you will see my backside a shadowy figure but us

We can see his glory. The very thing tonight to Moses were invited to that kind of relationship. What's it going to take for you to get near to him? Because he came near to you. Look at what he did for you and I'm like at 6 a.m. To kind of early. I don't think I can spend any time with you this morning. Can we pencil it in for sleep at 9 at night going to take for us to understand? He's invited us into that kind of relationship not just this relationship or get to come into a big room and feel and sense that present put an intimate close relationship to know and be known by the god of the universe. She came here and close to us ask yourself this morning how close am I to him? He is faithful freed rotten near to him. He draws near to us. What keeps you from being near to God what habits don't give up for set aside disciplines. We don't want to engage in. By look what he has done. He's humbled himself is God With Us and it's come near to us. It's going to cost you today hour of your day. A weekend, but I want to try to near to you. This is Christmas. He has come near to us and he says come you can do me in a way. The Generation Z. I didn't get because I have calm God With Us for him Lord. Thank you for your love and your mercy and your kindness. God with us and we get to bow down before you. But I physically are the Bowing submitting of our hearts positionally because your rain has come into our lives in a real tangible way. So God, we submit to you first and foremost. We acknowledge like those wise men that you are God you have come died and resurrected and given us hope because of that you deserve all of our Praises we can sing songs to you Jesus cuz you are a reigning King. Tell our hearts with the joy of Christmas. Just Nostalgia and warm feelings, but God With Us in Jesus name.

Related Media

Related Sermons