Ghost of Christmas Present

Advent

Recap

Adventus means coming

For Jesus’ first and second coming

Candles for the light of the world

4 centuries (Malachi to Matthew)

Wreath is circular

Points are for thorns, berries for blood

Last week’s candle was the “hope” candle

AKA the “prophets” candle

This week is the “peace” candle

AKA the “Bethlehem” candle

LIGHT CANDLE

Introduction

Performing ”A Christmas Carol” this year

Last week we looked at the story and compared to Christmas now

I told story that Jacob Marley wanted to help Scrooge

Sent him 3 ghosts - Past, Present and Yet to Come

The goal was to show Scrooge his life in order to change his heart

Last week we looked at the Ghost of Christmas Past

He showed Scrooge how his past had good and bad

His dad was a jerk, but his boss and fiance loved him

Yet he chose to become a selfish and greedy person

When Scrooge returns to his bedroom, he meets the second ghost (Present)

This spirit took Scrooge over to his clerks house - Bob Cratchit

Here, he saw Bob walk in with his son, Tiny Tim, leaning on a crutch and very ill

Scrooge asks if the boy will live

The Ghost explains that in the future there will be a vacant seat at the table, and a crutch without an owner

And then the Ghost decides to quote something Scrooge says earlier

When Scrooge is asked to help the poor, he says this line, and the Ghost says it now to apply to Tiny Tim

He says, “If he is to die, then let him die; and decrease the surplus population!”

Of course this stings Scrooge - he said that when he didn’t know who he was talking about

But now that he sees this little boy dying, he doesn’t feel that way

But the Ghost isn’t done, he says this:

“If man you be in heart, not adamant, forbear that wicked cant until you have discovered What the surplus is, and Where it is. Will you decide what men shall live, what men shall die? It may be, that in the sight of Heaven, you are more worthless and less fit to live than millions like this poor man’s child. Oh God! to hear the Insect on the leaf pronouncing on the too much life among his hungry brothers in the dust!”

After this, the Ghost gives Scrooge a warning

He reveals two mangled children: They are the problem with mankind

The two things that cause us to avoid helping other people who need it

The children are named Ignorance and Want

YouVersion: The Ghost of Christmas Present

We’re in Matthew 2:1-23

We’re comparing the Wise Men to Herod

Matthew 2:1–2 (ESV)

1 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.”

These “wise men” are called the Magi

They are not 3 kings, although we sing that

There is no reference to “3” at all except 3 gifts

Early church thought 12

Remember our Daniel series, Judah was captured by Babylon (700 years before Christ)

All the valuable people brought to Babylon - including Daniel

Becomes one of his “wise men”

As Babylon conquered, their collection of “wise men” grew from many places

Physicians, astrologers, scholars and magicians all shared different lessons

This group is referenced multiple times in Scripture

Daniel (and others) likely shared Micah’s prophecy with the group

Then centuries passed

Babylon fell to Medo-Persia

Medo-Persia fell to Greece

Alexander the Great’s empire was scattered

Rome came on the scene

That’s a lot of time for them to be waiting...

1. The Wise Men were aware of good on Christmas

Here’s a little of what they knew:

Micah 5:2 (ESV)

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.

They also knew to follow a star

Some think Balaam’s prophecy was the clue:

Numbers 24:17 (ESV)

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.

This is what we have today in Scripture

But remember these guys had personal conversations with prophets like Daniel

They probably had way more detailed instructions

They’ve been waiting for the Messiah, and they knew the signs to look for

But they made a bit of a mistake… they went to Jerusalem

That’s not where Jesus was, He was either still in Bethlehem or made His way back to Nazareth

Star had stopped shining, so they probably assumed since He was a king He’d end up in Jerusalem

Now they stand before Herod, asking for King

Matthew 2:3–6 (ESV)

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 ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

Why was Herod troubled? He thought Jesus was a threat!

What do you mean “king?” I AM KING!

2. Herod only cared about himself

Herod is known to be crazy suspicious

He wasn’t liked very much

The “patriots” hated him because he was a Roman puppet king

The Pharisees hated him because he wasn’t really Jewish

Idumean - descendent of Edomites of Esau

Forced to convert to Judaism, but no one believed

The commoners hated him because of high taxes

There was also no shortage of political threats from Rome

In his fortress, the outside had huge walls

Not to protect from invaders, but to make it too difficult for his servants to throw him over

He burned 2 popular Rabbi’s alive because they disagreed with him

He killed everyone is the Hasmonean family because they used to rule the area before him

One of them was his wife BTW

He killed 2 of his sons because he accused them of treason

The Emperor joked “It’s better to be Herod’s pig than his son.”

He was so disliked, he ordered a group of leaders to be executed when he was dying

Why? To ensure there was at least some weeping on the day of his death

This order was ignored when Herod died

Obviously Herod had a lot of enemies to worry about

So when he heard a new king had been born, he wasn’t happy

Then he asked the Jewish leaders where their future king would be born, they told him Bethlehem

So Herod has half the information he needs…

Matthew 2:7–8 (ESV)

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.”

Bring me the “king,” I can’t wait to worship!

Uh huh, like that’s what Herod wants to do… he wants to do what Satan did!

Remember our last series, the dragon was waiting for the child to kill him?

He’s using Herod at this very moment to try and do that!

He also go the other half of the info he needs

He knows when and where Jesus was born

Matthew 2:9–11 (ESV)

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.

3. The Wise Men were generous on Christmas

The gifts for Jesus have strong symbolism

Gold - Represents His royalty

Clearly marks wealth and riches of a king

Frankincense - Represents His priesthood

Key portion of word is “incense”

Temple priests burned as an offering

Represent prayers rising to heaven

Myrrh - Represents His death

It was a burial spice used for embalming

Christ is a King, a Priest and a human Savior

Each of these gifts cost something - they didn’t come to gain anything for themselves

Instead, they acknowledged Jesus’ position, and gave

Matthew 2:12–13 ESV

12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. 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.”

It is here, we see the stark contrast between the wise men and Herod

Just like the contrast between who Scrooge was, and where he would eventually be

The King of the World was just born, and Herod is worried about losing his throne

He is being governed by something

The same two things Christmas Present warned about: Ignorance and Want

4. Herod was ignorant of the meaning of Christmas

Herod is ignorant of:

The magnitude of what’s in front of him

How worthless his efforts are against God

And how desperately he needs Jesus to come

Herod struggles with Want

He wants power to himself

He wants all the glory

He wants to be the King of the Jews

And so God simply moves Jesus out of the way

And Herod is waiting for the wise men to come back with the baby

Matthew 2:12 (ESV)

12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

The magi or wise men figured out what Herod was trying to do

He didn’t want to worship Jesus

He wanted to kill Him to maintain his own power!

The magi found out in a dream and took a different route home

Look at how Herod reacts:

Matthew 2:16 (ESV)

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.

When Herod figures out the wise men didn’t come back, he killed babies

He wanted to be sure anyone with potential to be king was dead

Wise men came when Jesus was between 1 day and 2 years old

Probably closer to 2 - the wise men’s journey from the East would be about that

There is no record of this in history - many say this proves this story is false

Let me ask you this:

Many of you know Saddam Hussein killed his sons in law

Many know he commited genocide against the Kurds

Many know he tortures and executed Kuwaiti’s

But you probably can’t recall a specific family or town that was a victim of this

Individually they were probably not reported

No one will be able to read about them 2,000 years from now

Herod was so vicious and killed so many, there probably isn’t a record of killing babies 2,000 years ago

It was in a little town and it was a small age group - historians think maybe 20 babies were killed

While devastating, it makes sense we don’t have a Roman record of it

But everything worked out, let’s jump to the end:

Matthew 2:19–23 (ESV)

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.

5. Christmas is about goodness and generosity, not ignorance and want

Conclusion

At Christmas, I tend to think about the world more

I think that’s why I like Scrooge, Grinch and George Bailey

We see the importance of caring for others, self-sacrifice and love

We have tendency to blame God for allowing evil, but we miss ourselves

When Christmas Present brings out Ignorance and Want, it’s interesting how Scrooge responds

Christmas Present represents the Christmas of 1843

Every year, Present dies and the next year a new Christmas Present comes

He represents everything about Christmas, how Jesus came into the world for good

When Scrooge sees Ignorance and Want, He asks, “Are they yours?”

And he says, “No! They are man’s! Do you not know them? Beware them both, for upon their brow is written the word “doom”. They spell the downfall of you, and all who deny their existence.”

The problem with this world is not God, it is mankind

Instructor Jeff Ang was not a believer, but we talked a lot about God

Touch and go’s over homeless camp - Why doesn’t God help?

Suppose there’s exactly enough food and shelter for everyone in the world

Not enough for luxury, but enough so that everyone is adequate

You have more than most, would you sacrifice to let everyone be equal?

Give up some medical care, your nice car and shrink your home?

Unapologetically - No I wouldn’t

Jonathan Maberry - "Generosity could be as contagious as the zombie plague as long as enough people were willing to be carriers."

Actually we have more than enough

Those homeless people had food, clothing and shelter - God actually give an abundance

There’s enough money in the world for every person to have about $5,200

My household would have $28,000 - I know money circulates, but you get it

Would you ever give up everything you have over $28,000 in a year?

Why? Because we want luxury! $2,500 sq. feet isn’t enough

I need something medium-rare a couple times a month

I want a car that starts itself when it’s cold

Now, I have those luxuries too, but let’s be real

If we’re going to have more, somebody is going to have less

What’s the point?

If God has gives an abundance and He told us to be generous, who’s fault is it that some people don’t have enough?

It’s not His, it’s ours...

Last week, I mentioned that our past is a story of sin

But our present can be a story of generosity and love!

Think about that this Christmas season

I’m not saying you have to go spend $50,000 on presents...

I’m saying you could spend a little time teaching your kids the value of giving to other

You could take some time to shovel your neighbors driveway

You could tell someone about the hope that Christmas brings

Don’t let ignorance and want be the story of this year’s Christmas

Let it be a story of generosity and gratitude

Prayer