1 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:07,120 Well, good morning. It's good to see you guys. 2 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:11,760 If you have your Bible, you can open the Matthew chapter 2. 3 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:15,360 We'll be in verses 19 through 23 today. 4 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:19,240 Just a reminder, Matthew is writing a book about the king 5 00:00:19,240 --> 00:00:22,040 and his Kingdom, All right? So he's he's telling the story 6 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:24,600 of Christ the King. He's telling the story of the 7 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:28,520 Kingdom he's come to establish. And we'll see a whole lot about 8 00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:30,520 that. But here in these last few weeks 9 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:36,080 and more today we are in what we just called an Advent miniseries 10 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:37,840 within this. He's still in the birth of the 11 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:41,120 king here, the coming, the arrival of the king. 12 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:46,520 And so as we come to verses 19 through 23, we're reaching the 13 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:49,920 final scene of Matthew's opening birth narrative. 14 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:53,960 Matthew's been carefully showing us from the very beginning that 15 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:59,600 Jesus is the promised king. He's David's son, He's Abraham's 16 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:03,720 offspring, he is Emmanuel, God with us. 17 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:06,000 All right, so this is the arrival of the king. 18 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:09,480 But this King's arrival has not been met with a celebration by 19 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:12,840 everyone, right? Not everyone's giddy, not not 20 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:16,240 everyone's over the moon excited about the arrival of this king. 21 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:19,720 We've already seen that. Herod the Great, which is Rome's 22 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:22,640 client king. He responded to the birth of 23 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:27,000 Jesus not with worship, but with fear and violence, Right. 24 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:30,680 Herod's jealousy led to the slaughter of the innocents. 25 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:35,240 It fulfilled Jeremiah's words of sorrow and laments. 26 00:01:35,960 --> 00:01:40,200 However, God preserved his son by sending the family into exile 27 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:42,920 in Egypt. Now this echoes. 28 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:46,720 It's really interesting because that the travel of Christ echoes 29 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:51,160 Israel's own history, right? It reminds us that the child is 30 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:54,120 retracing the story of God's people. 31 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:57,760 Now, historically speaking, in this moment that we're going to 32 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:02,040 read today, Herod has died and Herod's no longer with us. 33 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:05,880 His Kingdom has been divided among his sons, and Judea has 34 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:10,720 fallen under the rule of Archelos, King Archelos, A ruler 35 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:15,680 so cruel and unstable that even Rome would later remove him from 36 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:18,560 power. It's bad when Rome removes you 37 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:21,880 from power, right? Politically, the land is still 38 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:25,040 dangerous. Spiritually, the nation is still 39 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:28,840 waiting and the promises are not yet complete. 40 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:32,800 And it's here. It's here, after the danger, 41 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:37,800 after the exile, after the sorrow of the slaughter of all 42 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:41,520 those male children, that Matthew tells us where Jesus 43 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:46,920 will grow up, right? This passage may feel brief, and 44 00:02:46,920 --> 00:02:48,960 it is. It might even feel a bit 45 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:52,560 understated, but I want you to understand it is weighty and it 46 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:56,480 has a lot of meaning to it. Matthew's not merely closing a 47 00:02:56,480 --> 00:03:00,440 chapter of the Christmas story. He's not merely explaining a 48 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:04,520 geographical footnote. He's showing us what kind of 49 00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:10,600 King Jesus is, and He's showing us how God means to bring peace 50 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:14,120 to His people. It won't be through a spectacle, 51 00:03:14,920 --> 00:03:17,840 it it won't be through force. It will it? 52 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:22,440 It will be, however, through humility, obscurity, and quiet 53 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:25,840 obedience. So with that in mind, let's read 54 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:29,160 Matthew 219 through 23. If you're able, would you please 55 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:31,480 stand to your feet in the honor of the reading of God's Word 56 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:42,040 this morning. Verse 19 But when Herod died, 57 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:45,240 behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in 58 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:50,240 Egypt, saying, Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to 59 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:53,560 the land of Israel. Those who sought the child's 60 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:57,320 life are dead. And he rose and took the child 61 00:03:57,320 --> 00:03:59,400 and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 62 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:04,800 But when he heard that Archelos was reigning over Judea in place 63 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:07,880 of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. 64 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:10,920 And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of 65 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:13,720 Galilee. And he went and lived in a city 66 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:17,519 called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might 67 00:04:17,519 --> 00:04:21,000 be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene. 68 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:25,040 This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God, let's pray. 69 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:28,160 Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. 70 00:04:28,280 --> 00:04:30,800 We thank you for the opportunity we have together with the Saints 71 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:33,800 of God this morning to open up the scriptures. 72 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:37,840 Your breathed word, which is meant for our instruction, it's 73 00:04:37,840 --> 00:04:40,960 meant for our in correction. It's meant to teach us and train 74 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:45,160 us in godliness that we might be equipped for every good work. 75 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:49,360 And so, Father, we do not look to this text as though it is 76 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:52,880 dead. We look at it with eyes that see 77 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:56,560 that it is alive, that it's active, it's sharper than any 78 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:59,000 double edged sword. And we ask, Lord, that you would 79 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:02,920 use it to penetrate our own hearts and souls this morning. 80 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:07,080 That you would speak to us, that you would train us for godliness 81 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:11,120 in every way, Lord, that you would help us to Revere your 82 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:12,920 name. That you would help us to Revere 83 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:16,680 Christ, That you would help us to be obedient, as we see here 84 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:21,200 in the text of Joseph, Father. And we thank you for the peace 85 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:23,880 that you have brought through Christ. 86 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:26,640 We ask these things in his name. Amen. 87 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:28,520 Amen. You may be seated. 88 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:35,640 So as we sit here just a few days away from Christmas Day. 89 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:38,240 All right, You do know it's just a few days away, right? 90 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:41,440 Yes. Your children are reminding you 91 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:43,440 daily. If it's like my home. 92 00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:47,240 The word peace is everywhere around us. 93 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:50,600 We hear it in songs. We see it on cards and in 94 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:53,960 decorations. We even speaking to one another 95 00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:56,720 in many ways, saying things like peace on earth, right? 96 00:05:57,280 --> 00:06:00,760 And And yet, if we're honest, right? 97 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:04,240 Peace often feels elusive, right? 98 00:06:04,280 --> 00:06:07,960 It feels like you are the beauty queen on the stage, wishing for 99 00:06:07,960 --> 00:06:10,920 World Peace if you could have anything you want. 100 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:16,080 Our world is restless. Our schedules are slam packed. 101 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:20,080 Even at a time where things are supposed to slow down, our 102 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:25,040 hearts are often anxious. We long for quiet. 103 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:29,720 We long for safety. We we long for things to finally 104 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:33,240 feel settled, right? But we live in a world that 105 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:37,200 usually define P, usually defines peace in terms of power 106 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:41,640 and control, right? Peace comes, we think, when the 107 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:45,960 right people are in charge, or peace comes when threats are 108 00:06:45,960 --> 00:06:50,440 removed, or peace comes when strength is displayed and 109 00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:55,480 enemies are silenced. That's certainly how Herod 110 00:06:55,600 --> 00:07:00,440 understood peace, right? That's how Rome enforced peace, 111 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:04,640 and it's how most kingdoms in history have tried to secure 112 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:07,800 peace. But the peace God promises at 113 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:12,040 Christmas comes in a very different way, right? 114 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:16,640 It does not arrive riding a War Horse, although he will. 115 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:21,640 It does not rule from a palace, although he'll rule heaven and 116 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:24,360 earth. It does not announce itself with 117 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:27,520 force, although trumpets will sound one day. 118 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:30,720 But in the beginning, that's not how it comes. 119 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:34,240 Instead, God's peace arrives rather quietly. 120 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:38,320 It arrives unexpectedly. It arrives humbly. 121 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:42,320 Matthew ends his birth narrative not in Bethlehem, the city of 122 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:45,600 David, as we might assume if you are familiar with the Old 123 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:48,120 Testament. All right. 124 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:51,200 He doesn't end his story in Jerusalem, which is the city of 125 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:54,440 the temple. He doesn't even end his story in 126 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:57,320 Egypt, the place of exile and deliverance. 127 00:07:58,440 --> 00:08:04,800 He ends this story in Nazareth, a town so small and so 128 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:08,680 unimpressive that it would later become a term of reproach. 129 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:13,720 It's an insult, and Matthew wants us to see that this is no 130 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:18,160 accident. This is how God brings peace. 131 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:21,480 Now here's the truth that Matthew is teaching us as we 132 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:24,320 approach Christmas. If you're taking notes, it's 133 00:08:24,320 --> 00:08:26,240 there and top of your worship God. 134 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:33,600 Because God brings peace through a humble king, we must rest in 135 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:37,640 his rule and receive his salvation on his terms. 136 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:42,559 Because God brings peace through a humble king, we must rest in 137 00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:46,520 His rule and receive His salvation on His terms. 138 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:55,400 Matthew's going to show us this piece through three movements in 139 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:57,840 the text. The first will be in verses 19 140 00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:01,040 and 20, where we see that God preserves his king according to 141 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:03,920 his perfect timing. Next, we'll see that God 142 00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:08,200 established his king through humble obedience in verses 21 143 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:10,240 through 22. And then finally, in verse 23, 144 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:13,880 we'll see that God defines His King by lowliness, not by 145 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:17,240 earthly glory. So as we open up this final 146 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:21,360 Advent text, Matthew is preparing our hearts not just to 147 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:27,120 remember that Jesus was born, but to understand who He is and 148 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:31,880 how he brings peace and why His humility is our hope. 149 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:38,240 His humility is our hope. So point #1 God preserves his 150 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:41,160 King according to his perfect timing. 151 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:44,160 Verses 19 through 20. I'll read them again as you 152 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:48,840 write that down. But when Herod died, behold, an 153 00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:52,400 Angel of the Lord appeared in the dream to Joseph in Egypt, 154 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:56,400 saying, rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land 155 00:09:56,400 --> 00:10:00,920 of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead. 156 00:10:00,920 --> 00:10:06,040 But when Herod died, Matthew says, behold, an Angel of the 157 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:09,120 Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. 158 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:14,120 Now Matthew begins this section with a phrase that is easy to 159 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:17,200 Passover, but it's loaded with meaning. 160 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:24,000 But when Herod died, Herod the Great has died. 161 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:27,200 He's the man who raged against heaven. 162 00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:30,320 He's the man who slaughtered innocent children. 163 00:10:30,680 --> 00:10:33,560 He's the man who attempted to destroy the Christ before he 164 00:10:33,560 --> 00:10:36,880 could speak a word. And now he's gone. 165 00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:40,800 He exit the story rather quietly. 166 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:44,880 There's no funeral describes. There's no legacy that's to be 167 00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:47,600 honored. There's no that lasting victory 168 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:52,120 of his to be recorded. History just simply moves on. 169 00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:57,480 But God's plan does not. Matthew wants us to see the 170 00:10:57,480 --> 00:11:01,040 contrast. Herod's schemes. 171 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:05,880 But God waits, right? Herod grasp for control, but God 172 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:09,520 governs time itself. The King of Heaven does not 173 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:13,040 hurry, he does not panic, he does not react. 174 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:18,960 The King of Heaven simply rules. He rules all things. 175 00:11:19,200 --> 00:11:22,160 Matthew Henry captures this beautifully when he writes. 176 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:26,480 God easily brings to nothing the greatest designs of his enemies. 177 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:31,000 When they have done their worst, God can do his best. 178 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:35,120 Amen. Herod's fury, fury felt 179 00:11:35,840 --> 00:11:40,560 overwhelming in the moment. It brought real suffering, it 180 00:11:40,560 --> 00:11:44,360 brought real sorrows, but it never placed the promise at 181 00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:47,760 risk, right? Christ was never in danger, not 182 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:52,120 not because the world was safe, but because the Father was 183 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:57,400 faithful, right? Notice also how God acts once 184 00:11:57,400 --> 00:12:00,640 again. An Angel appears to Joseph in a 185 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:05,480 dream, just as before, right? God is consistent. 186 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:10,320 He guides the same servants in the same way, with the same 187 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:13,840 clarity, so that there is no confusion, there's no 188 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:17,640 contradiction, there's no scrambling on Joseph's parts. 189 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:21,320 And look closely at the language of the Angel. 190 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:25,280 Those who sought the child's life are dead. 191 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:29,520 It's plural, all right. Those who sought the child's 192 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:32,560 life are dead. This reminds us that the threat 193 00:12:32,560 --> 00:12:37,120 was never only harried. And it'll never only be harried. 194 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:40,560 The opposition to Christ is bigger than one ruler. 195 00:12:40,560 --> 00:12:43,960 It's bigger than one regime. It's bigger than one moment in 196 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:47,160 history. And yet God removes the threat 197 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:53,800 decisively and effortlessly. John Calvin notes this. 198 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:57,360 He says the Lord sometimes permits his enemies to rage for 199 00:12:57,360 --> 00:13:01,520 a season, not because he is powerless, but because he is 200 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:06,320 patient and because his appointed time has not yet come. 201 00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:11,600 Amen. Those words from Calvin really 202 00:13:11,600 --> 00:13:17,600 are deeply pastoral. God's delays are not denials, 203 00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:21,200 right? His timing is not indifference. 204 00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:25,280 His apparent silence is never absence. 205 00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:29,040 Just read the book of Esther if you're curious about what God's 206 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:33,120 silence looks like even as he's working. 207 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:37,880 Here's what Matthew is teaching us beneath the narrative Peace 208 00:13:37,880 --> 00:13:40,760 is not found in the speed of God's rescue. 209 00:13:40,760 --> 00:13:44,480 Rather it's found in the certainty of God's rule. 210 00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:49,200 I'd say that slower because I think we need to hear that peace 211 00:13:49,560 --> 00:13:53,200 is not found in the speed of rescue. 212 00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:58,600 Rather it's found in the certainty of God's rule. 213 00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:01,520 That's where you find peace, brothers and sisters, in the 214 00:14:01,520 --> 00:14:06,440 certainty of God's rule. RC Sprole often reminded his 215 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:10,880 hearers that there are no maverick molecules in the 216 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:15,240 universe, that God is completely sovereign over all things. 217 00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:17,920 There's no maverick molecules, right? 218 00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:23,360 Herod's throne was not maverick. His cruelty, his cruelty was not 219 00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:25,640 random. He even his death came at the 220 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:28,200 exact moment that God had ordains. 221 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:32,560 The same God who numbered Herod's days was preserving his 222 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:37,680 Son and advancing redemption without haste and without risk. 223 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:41,440 Morden Lloyd Jones once said this. 224 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:44,600 He said the ultimate proof of God's sovereignty is that he can 225 00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:48,560 afford to wait. How true is that? 226 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:55,120 I never feel less sovereign than when I feel like I have to 227 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:58,720 change the circumstance in a moment, and I have no power to 228 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:02,000 do so. And yet one of the proofs of 229 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:04,320 God's sovereignty is that he can afford to wait. 230 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:09,080 Amen. It's precisely what we see here 231 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:13,400 in this text. Brothers and sisters, this text 232 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:18,840 presses us to ask a question. And that question is this. 233 00:15:19,400 --> 00:15:25,960 Where do you locate your peace? Where do you locate your peace? 234 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:34,240 If peace depends on immediate answers, if peace depends on 235 00:15:34,240 --> 00:15:39,280 political stability, if peace depends on the removal of 236 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:44,600 threats, then peace will always be fragile. 237 00:15:47,960 --> 00:15:53,800 It'll always be fragile. However, if peace rests in the 238 00:15:53,800 --> 00:16:01,240 sovereign care of God, It becomes steady even when your 239 00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:06,000 circumstances are not steady. John Piper puts it this way. 240 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:11,000 He says that God is always doing 10,000 things in your life and 241 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:12,920 you might be aware of three of them. 242 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:17,880 Amen. You may not see what God is 243 00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:21,200 doing in your waiting. You may not see what God is 244 00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:23,640 doing in your suffering. You may not see what God is 245 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:26,200 doing in your fear or your uncertainty. 246 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:30,560 But the same God who preserved Christ through exile, the same 247 00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:32,960 God who preserved Christ through danger, the same God who 248 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:36,320 preserved Christ through delay, is governing your life with 249 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:40,280 equal wisdom and care. You can be sure of that. 250 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:44,800 So I want you to hear this clearly, especially as you 251 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:49,120 approach Christmas Day. Your peace does not depend on 252 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:54,840 how quickly God acts. Your peace does not depend on 253 00:16:54,960 --> 00:17:00,120 who rules the nations. Your peace depends on the God 254 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:04,680 who rules history. Your peace depends on the God 255 00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:07,200 who keeps every promise that He has made. 256 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:13,640 That's where we find peace. The child preserved in Egypt is 257 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:18,720 the Prince of Peace in Isaiah 9, and the God who guarded him then 258 00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:21,800 is the same God who holds His people today. 259 00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:27,520 As God preserves His king through perfect timing, Matthew 260 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:31,280 now shows us that he is also establishes his king through 261 00:17:31,280 --> 00:17:37,400 humble obedience, not only in Christ's path, but in the 262 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:40,120 faithful response of those who follow God's Word. 263 00:17:41,680 --> 00:17:46,000 Point #2 God establishes his king through humble obedience. 264 00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:50,600 God establishes his king through humble obedience. 265 00:17:53,680 --> 00:18:00,360 Verse 21 and 22 again. And he, Joseph, rose and took 266 00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:02,960 the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 267 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:06,440 But he went. But when he heard that Arkilos 268 00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:10,640 was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was 269 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:13,440 afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he 270 00:18:13,440 --> 00:18:16,040 withdrew to the district of Galilee. 271 00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:19,280 Right. So he rose, He takes the child 272 00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:21,240 and his mother, He went to the land of Israel. 273 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:24,720 Now Matthew records this obedience with striking 274 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:28,200 simplicity. It's instructive for us. 275 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:30,080 There's no drama in the sentence. 276 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:33,360 There's no emotion described. There's no internal struggle 277 00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:37,720 narrated. Joseph simply rises and goes. 278 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:44,760 This is now the third time that Joseph has responded this way in 279 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:49,000 Matthew's opening chapters. Each time God speaks, Joseph 280 00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:53,760 obeys immediately, completely without qualification. 281 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:57,360 And yet disobedience is not an easy obedience. 282 00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:01,760 The land of which Joseph returns is still unstable. 283 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:06,880 Herod may be dead, but his son now reigns in Judea, and he's a 284 00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:11,880 ruler known even in his own day for brutality and incompetence. 285 00:19:14,120 --> 00:19:18,480 Historically, he would later be removed by Rome for his cruelty. 286 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:22,920 So Joseph's fear is not irrational, it is discerning, 287 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:25,720 right? And once again, God speaks, and 288 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:29,080 once again, Joseph obeys. No complaint, no argument, no 289 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:31,040 insistence on clarity before going. 290 00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:37,000 This is obedience that's shaped by trust, not certainty. 291 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:42,920 How many times should our obedience be shaped by trust 292 00:19:43,520 --> 00:19:48,040 rather than certainty? Matthew shows us a repeated 293 00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:53,040 pattern in God's work. First, we see God reveals his 294 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:56,840 will. Next we see God's servants 295 00:19:56,840 --> 00:20:00,080 obeys. And 3rd, we see that God 296 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:03,800 advances his redemptive plan through this process. 297 00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:09,400 You see, Joseph is not passive. He's active in his obedience, 298 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:12,720 but he he's never the hero of the story. 299 00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:19,120 Right he he does not devise a plan, he follows a plan, right? 300 00:20:19,120 --> 00:20:22,480 He does not demand safety. He trusts God's word. 301 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:27,120 John Calvin wisely observed. He said God does not always show 302 00:20:27,120 --> 00:20:32,000 us the whole path, but he never fails to show us the next step. 303 00:20:33,160 --> 00:20:37,680 Amen. That truth is embodied here. 304 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:40,200 Joseph does not know the destination when he begins the 305 00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:42,520 journey. He only knows the direction God 306 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:45,400 has given. And this is again deeply 307 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:50,120 instructive for us. You see, peace and obedience are 308 00:20:50,120 --> 00:20:54,840 not opposites. Brothers and sisters, peace and 309 00:20:54,840 --> 00:20:56,720 obedience are not at odds with one another. 310 00:20:56,720 --> 00:20:58,320 They're complementary of each other. 311 00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:02,360 We often assume that peace comes when decisions are easy. 312 00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:07,240 We'll assume peace must come if risk are removed. 313 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:11,720 We'll assume that peace comes when outcomes are guaranteed, 314 00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:17,360 but Scripture teaches the opposite to his time and again. 315 00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:20,840 Biblical peace is not the absence of uncertainty. 316 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:29,720 It is confidence in God amid uncertainty, Matthew Henry 317 00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:31,040 writes. Those that would have the 318 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:34,760 comfort of God's guidance must be willing to follow it. 319 00:21:37,040 --> 00:21:41,120 In other words, if you want to know the peace of God, obey him. 320 00:21:43,360 --> 00:21:45,800 It's really that simple. Obey Him. 321 00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:53,120 Joseph's obedience does not eliminate danger, but it places 322 00:21:53,120 --> 00:21:57,080 him under divine care. And through this obedience, God 323 00:21:57,080 --> 00:22:02,000 is establishing his king, again, not by force, but by 324 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:07,160 faithfulness. Martyn Lloyd Jones once said 325 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:11,480 faith is not a leap in the dark, it is obedience to the light you 326 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:13,880 have. Amen. 327 00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:17,880 So many times people describe faith as some leap into the 328 00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:24,000 darkness, that walking by faith must mean we're walking by 329 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:26,000 darkness. No, not at all. 330 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:30,520 Walking by faith is walking according to the light that God 331 00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:37,080 has given us, right? Joseph walks in the light God 332 00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:41,040 gives him, step by step, and in so doing he participates, 333 00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:44,920 quietly and humbly, mind you, in the unfolding of salvation 334 00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:48,760 history. There's something profoundly 335 00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:50,920 fitting here. The king whose reign will bring 336 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:54,600 peace to the nations is establisher, a path marked by 337 00:22:55,080 --> 00:23:01,520 submission. Before Christ preaches, he is 338 00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:07,200 protected. Before he commands, he submits. 339 00:23:08,120 --> 00:23:12,520 Before he reigns in glory, he is shaped by obedience. 340 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:18,160 John MacArthur notes this. He says from his earliest days, 341 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:22,720 Jesus was associated not with power, but with submission to 342 00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:25,840 the Father's will and to God's appointed means. 343 00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:30,560 So this is not accidental. Again, Matthew's not recording. 344 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:33,440 This is just some afterthought just to kind of wrap up the 345 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:37,120 story of the birth of Christ. No, this is not accidental. 346 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:42,560 What we're seeing here in the early life of Christ is the kind 347 00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:45,760 of king that Jesus is. We're seeing the kind of key 348 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:56,120 peace that he's going to bring. This passage presses us, presses 349 00:23:56,120 --> 00:24:00,800 us rather firmly. What we see here is that 350 00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:03,280 Christian. What we see here is that peace 351 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:06,120 does not grow in hearts that demand control. 352 00:24:07,120 --> 00:24:11,320 Peace grows in hearts that trust God's Word more than their 353 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:17,560 circumstances. When we when we demand control, 354 00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:23,640 we lose peace. Why? 355 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:28,400 Because you aren't in control. You. 356 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:37,160 You can't exercise sovereign control over all things, but 357 00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:43,920 peace can be yours. You can possess peace when you 358 00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:46,720 learn how to trust God's Word more than the circumstances 359 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:53,200 you're in currently. RC Sparrow often reminded the 360 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:56,960 church that trusting God does not mean understanding His plan. 361 00:24:57,240 --> 00:24:59,600 It means resting in His character. 362 00:25:03,760 --> 00:25:07,720 When you sit down for counsel or you going through a difficult 363 00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:13,920 situation and you say something to the effect of I really want 364 00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:16,960 to trust God in this, but I just, I don't understand what's 365 00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:19,200 going on. I don't understand, you know, 366 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:21,880 the outcome of this. I don't know what it leads to. 367 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:25,400 I don't know how to get through it right. 368 00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:28,880 Whatever it is that's hindering you from trusting God, I want 369 00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:31,800 you to understand that trusting God means you're trusting his 370 00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:37,400 character in the midst of the situation, even if you don't 371 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:39,400 understand the plan that he's working out. 372 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:43,240 Trusting God means, I believe wholeheartedly. 373 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:48,000 Romans 828 God works all things together for the good of those 374 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:51,840 who love Him and are called according to His purpose, even 375 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:53,600 if I can't understand it in the moment. 376 00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:58,920 All right, why? Because I trust His character. 377 00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:07,960 I trust that He has eternal good for me on His mind in the things 378 00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:12,640 that He's working out. May not look temporarily good, 379 00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:16,600 but eternally it's the best, right? 380 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:22,080 Some of the most peace filled obedience you will ever practice 381 00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:30,360 will feel quite unspectacular. Choosing faithfulness when the 382 00:26:30,360 --> 00:26:35,760 future feels unclear feels pretty unspectacular. 383 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:43,160 Obeying Scripture when the outcome is unknown feels pretty 384 00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:47,520 unspectacular. Walking forward with God's Word, 385 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:52,960 even when the path feels narrow, feels pretty unspectacular. 386 00:26:56,920 --> 00:27:00,320 As Christmas Day approaches, these things matter deeply. 387 00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:04,720 The peace announced at Christ's birth was secured not by angels 388 00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:09,640 alone, but by ordinary obedience, by faithful man 389 00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:12,680 rising in the night, trusting God, and leading a humble family 390 00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:16,680 wherever the Lord directed. Brothers, sisters, God still 391 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:21,280 works this way, right? He advances His purposes, He 392 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:25,320 establishes His Kingdom, He grows peace in His people, all 393 00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:27,720 of it through humble obedience to His Word. 394 00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:35,040 Still, how God operates He has not changed His practice. 395 00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:43,120 We must be obedient to His Word, and that obedience leads us to 396 00:27:43,120 --> 00:27:47,360 an unexpected destination, one final place that defines not 397 00:27:47,360 --> 00:27:50,400 only where Jesus would live, but how He would be known. 398 00:27:51,520 --> 00:27:57,520 Nazareth, a place of humility, and it would shape the identity 399 00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:01,840 of the King Himself. Point #3 God defines His King by 400 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:13,240 lowliness, not earthly glory. Verse 23 says And he went and 401 00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:16,800 lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the 402 00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:21,560 prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a 403 00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:26,440 Nazarene. Matthew ends the birth narrative 404 00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:30,920 with a single sentence and a single word that would have 405 00:28:30,920 --> 00:28:34,320 landed with force on his original readers. 406 00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:41,520 Nazareth, Not Bethlehem, the city of David, not Jerusalem, 407 00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:44,600 the city of the Temple, not a place of promise or prestige or 408 00:28:44,600 --> 00:28:49,200 power. Nazareth, a town with no 409 00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:53,120 reputation, no political importance, no spiritual 410 00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:55,800 standing, a place that was looked down upon. 411 00:28:55,880 --> 00:29:01,440 It was overlooked. It was even mocked later in the 412 00:29:01,440 --> 00:29:03,600 Gospel. Someone will ask, can anything 413 00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:08,880 good come out of Nazareth? The question captures the 414 00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:15,800 cultural weight of this verse. Nazareth was not neutral, it was 415 00:29:15,800 --> 00:29:19,920 despised, it was rejected. And Matthew wants us to 416 00:29:19,920 --> 00:29:24,120 understand this is exactly where God wanted His King to be known 417 00:29:24,280 --> 00:29:28,040 from. Matthew tells us this fulfills 418 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:32,080 what was spoken by the prophets, plural. 419 00:29:33,280 --> 00:29:38,000 Not one prophet, not one verse, but a consistent prophetic 420 00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:41,040 pattern. This is not a citation, it's a 421 00:29:41,040 --> 00:29:44,320 summary fulfillment. Across the Old Testament, the 422 00:29:44,320 --> 00:29:47,520 coming Messiah is described again and again as one who would 423 00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:51,800 be despised and rejected. Isaiah 53, Lowly and humble. 424 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:54,920 Zechariah 9A. Shoot from a stump, a route out 425 00:29:54,920 --> 00:29:57,400 of dry ground. Isaiah 11. 426 00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:01,920 And you could go on and on. Nazareth. 427 00:30:02,120 --> 00:30:07,040 Nazareth fits the shape of the prophecies, even if it is not 428 00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:10,680 named explicitly. To be called a Nazarene was to 429 00:30:10,680 --> 00:30:15,000 be identified with obscurity and weakness and reproach. 430 00:30:17,920 --> 00:30:21,080 John Calvin explains this kind of prophetic fulfillment by 431 00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:24,680 saying Matthew does not point us to the syllables of a single 432 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:28,760 prophecy, but to the substance of many, that Christ would be 433 00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:31,280 despised in the eyes of the world. 434 00:30:33,280 --> 00:30:36,040 In other words, Matthew is teaching us how to read the Old 435 00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:40,680 Testament rightly. The Messiah was never promised a 436 00:30:40,680 --> 00:30:43,800 glorious beginning. He was promised a humble path. 437 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:48,040 Here's the crucial theological truth that we find here. 438 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:51,560 God did not bring peace by elevating Christ early. 439 00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:54,840 He brought peace by humiliating him deeply. 440 00:30:57,160 --> 00:31:01,440 From the beginning. Jesus is identified not with 441 00:31:01,440 --> 00:31:06,520 prominence but with poverty, not with admiration but with 442 00:31:06,520 --> 00:31:09,840 reproach. Spurgeon captures this 443 00:31:09,840 --> 00:31:13,240 powerfully when he says the Lord of glory is content to wear a 444 00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:17,080 name of reproach, that he might clothe his people with garments 445 00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:23,120 of righteousness. You see, Nazareth is not some 446 00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:27,960 footnote, brothers and sisters, it is a declaration. 447 00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:32,960 This is the King who will later touch lepers, eat with sinners, 448 00:31:33,040 --> 00:31:37,640 wash his disciples feet, be mocked, beaten and crucified. 449 00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:42,720 The humility of Nazareth points forward to the humility of the 450 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:45,040 cross. John MacArthur writes this. 451 00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:48,960 He says Jesus's association with Nazareth was an early indicator 452 00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:52,280 that he would not conform to the world's expectations of 453 00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:57,400 greatness. And that, brothers and sisters, 454 00:31:57,400 --> 00:32:02,800 is exactly why Jesus is the only one who can bring true peace. 455 00:32:07,920 --> 00:32:10,760 You see, you and I, we often want peace to come through 456 00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:19,400 upward movement, promotion, recognition, success, security, 457 00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:23,480 power. But God brings peace through 458 00:32:23,480 --> 00:32:30,040 downward movements. Condescension, humility, 459 00:32:30,560 --> 00:32:35,920 sacrifice. It's no wonder the Scriptures 460 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:39,280 tell us that those who humble themselves before the Lord will 461 00:32:39,280 --> 00:32:47,040 be lifted up by him. We must learn how to go down in 462 00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:52,000 humility, brothers and sisters, how to humble ourselves before 463 00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:57,200 the King, how to humble ourselves in obedience to the 464 00:32:57,200 --> 00:33:02,280 King. And Christ is our example of 465 00:33:02,280 --> 00:33:05,240 this. Martin Lou Jones said the way to 466 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:11,640 peace is not self assertion, rather it is self abandonment to 467 00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:17,480 God. That is the way of Christ and 468 00:33:17,480 --> 00:33:19,800 it's the way that Christ forms his people. 469 00:33:20,560 --> 00:33:23,760 The King who brings peace does not stand above suffering. 470 00:33:24,400 --> 00:33:28,840 He enters into it. He does not demand honor. 471 00:33:29,560 --> 00:33:33,720 He bears shame. He does not cling to rights. 472 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:40,640 He lays them down. John Piper puts it memorably. 473 00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:42,800 Many of you would know the statement. 474 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:46,880 God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him, 475 00:33:47,440 --> 00:33:49,680 even when He is all that we have. 476 00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:54,360 Amen. Nazareth tells us that God is 477 00:33:54,360 --> 00:34:01,400 not embarrassed by weakness. God works through weakness. 478 00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:07,840 Paul reminds the people in first in Corinthians this and and are 479 00:34:07,840 --> 00:34:10,679 in Corinth this when he writes in First Corinthians that he's 480 00:34:10,679 --> 00:34:13,120 chosen the weak of this world to confound the strong. 481 00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:22,120 So again, this text is pressing us in a very practical way. 482 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:29,159 Brothers and sisters, if peace came through humility, we should 483 00:34:29,159 --> 00:34:34,639 not be surprised then when God shapes us through humility. 484 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:42,679 It's humbling when faithfulness feels unnoticed. 485 00:34:45,280 --> 00:34:49,760 It's humbling when obedience to God places you on the margins of 486 00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:53,800 society. It's humbling when the Christian 487 00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:56,480 life looks smaller than you expected. 488 00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:03,320 But these things are not a sign that God has abandoned you. 489 00:35:05,760 --> 00:35:09,080 It's a sign that God is conforming you to his son 490 00:35:09,080 --> 00:35:15,000 Christ. Again, Archie Sproull, he once 491 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:16,840 said this. He said God does not promise us 492 00:35:16,840 --> 00:35:20,560 comfort, but he does promise us purpose. 493 00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:26,640 Nazareth reminds us that God's purposes are often hidden before 494 00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:31,320 they are revealed, and humility is often the soil in which peace 495 00:35:31,320 --> 00:35:37,880 grows deepest. And I submit to you that as 496 00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:43,280 Christmas Day draws near, this is good news, right? 497 00:35:43,280 --> 00:35:46,960 The peace we celebrate does not rest on atmosphere. 498 00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:50,240 The peace we celebrate does not rest on tradition. 499 00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:53,760 It rests on a humble king who entered obscurity so that 500 00:35:53,760 --> 00:35:55,720 sinners could enter into his glory. 501 00:35:57,040 --> 00:35:59,720 The King of Nazareth is the Prince of Peace. 502 00:35:59,920 --> 00:36:02,960 And because he went low, brothers and sisters, we can 503 00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:07,320 finally rest. We can finally know peace. 504 00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:13,000 You see, Matthew ends the birth narrative not with angels 505 00:36:13,120 --> 00:36:16,200 singing glory to God in the highest. 506 00:36:17,840 --> 00:36:21,800 He ends with a family settling into obscurity. 507 00:36:25,400 --> 00:36:29,880 And that's his point. The peace of Christmas does not 508 00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:33,360 rest on sentiments or tradition or nostalgia. 509 00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:39,400 It rests on a humble king who came low to lift centers high. 510 00:36:43,480 --> 00:36:46,720 This king will later say in the Gospel of Matthew in Chapter 11, 511 00:36:46,720 --> 00:36:51,200 verses 28 and 29. Come to me, all who labor and 512 00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:56,160 are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, for I'm gentle and 513 00:36:56,160 --> 00:37:02,680 lowly in heart. So as Christmas Day approaches, 514 00:37:03,960 --> 00:37:13,080 I want you to hear this clearly. Peace does not come in ignoring 515 00:37:13,080 --> 00:37:18,120 sin. Peace does not come to our 516 00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:22,760 hearts and minds, our souls, when we ignore the depths of 517 00:37:22,760 --> 00:37:30,680 depravity that exist in US. Peace comes when we humbly 518 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:37,040 confess and submit those things to Christ, when we hide 519 00:37:37,040 --> 00:37:40,160 ourselves in Him rather than hide ourselves from Him. 520 00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:45,560 Peace does not come by achieving control. 521 00:37:51,490 --> 00:37:54,450 Jesus asked this great question in Matthew chapter 6. 522 00:37:54,450 --> 00:37:58,450 Who of you, by worrying, can add even a single moment to your 523 00:37:58,450 --> 00:38:01,210 life? You might have worded it this 524 00:38:01,210 --> 00:38:03,610 way. Who of you, by seeking to gain 525 00:38:03,610 --> 00:38:08,170 control over every situation, can add even a single moment to 526 00:38:08,170 --> 00:38:15,400 your life? Peace doesn't come by achieving 527 00:38:15,800 --> 00:38:18,240 control. Peace comes in submitting 528 00:38:18,240 --> 00:38:23,360 ourselves to the one who has control, to the one who orders 529 00:38:23,360 --> 00:38:26,400 all things, to the one who governs all things. 530 00:38:32,340 --> 00:38:35,940 Peace comes by trusting the humble King who bore our guilt. 531 00:38:39,580 --> 00:38:45,280 He carried our shame and now reigns in righteousness. 532 00:38:48,880 --> 00:38:56,440 So if you're weary today, I want you to know that Christ brings 533 00:38:56,440 --> 00:39:00,560 you peace. Submit yourself to Him. 534 00:39:03,560 --> 00:39:08,120 If you're fearful today. Circumstances, health reports, 535 00:39:10,640 --> 00:39:13,840 relationships, whatever it may be, you're fearful today. 536 00:39:14,560 --> 00:39:17,000 I want you to know that Christ brings you peace. 537 00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:27,360 If you're sinful, Christ brings you peace. 538 00:39:28,840 --> 00:39:33,880 It comes through repentance and faith, but Christ brings you 539 00:39:33,880 --> 00:39:39,320 peace. Because God brings peace through 540 00:39:39,320 --> 00:39:44,000 a humble king, we must rest in His rule and receive His 541 00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:52,040 salvation on His terms. Church, as we move toward 542 00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:58,120 Christmas Day, let us rejoice not merely that Christ was born, 543 00:40:00,600 --> 00:40:02,440 although what a joyful thing it is. 544 00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:06,960 Let us rejoice that the humble King of Nazareth still gives 545 00:40:06,960 --> 00:40:09,520 peace to his people. Amen. 546 00:40:09,520 --> 00:40:11,800 Amen. Let's pray. 547 00:40:12,320 --> 00:40:15,920 Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word today. 548 00:40:17,400 --> 00:40:23,520 We thank You for this brief text in Matthew 2 and the way that it 549 00:40:23,520 --> 00:40:31,800 reveals the path to peace. Just as we see Joseph humble 550 00:40:31,800 --> 00:40:35,560 himself, we see Christ humble Himself before the Father. 551 00:40:38,120 --> 00:40:41,240 God, would you help us to humble ourselves before You? 552 00:40:41,760 --> 00:40:46,200 Would you humble us? Would you help us to follow Your 553 00:40:46,200 --> 00:40:51,080 commands, to obey Your Word, to live a life that honors and 554 00:40:51,080 --> 00:41:04,240 glorifies You? Father, would you forgive us for 555 00:41:04,240 --> 00:41:09,640 all the ways we have tried to grasp at peace, either through 556 00:41:09,640 --> 00:41:18,280 gaining control or power or worrying, trying to manipulate 557 00:41:18,280 --> 00:41:24,800 circumstances, wishing for an end to certain circumstances? 558 00:41:25,760 --> 00:41:28,000 God, whatever it may be, would you forgive us? 559 00:41:33,480 --> 00:41:40,080 We simply must obey You. We must submit to Your will for 560 00:41:40,080 --> 00:41:43,440 our lives. We must trust You above all 561 00:41:43,680 --> 00:41:49,920 things. God, would you help us to trust 562 00:41:49,920 --> 00:41:55,120 You? Father, I pray for anyone in 563 00:41:55,120 --> 00:41:58,320 here who doesn't know Christ as Lord. 564 00:42:01,320 --> 00:42:03,800 Would you grant them repentance and faith? 565 00:42:04,520 --> 00:42:10,000 Would you save them from their sins today to draw them to 566 00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:12,720 yourself? Father, let nothing hinder them 567 00:42:12,720 --> 00:42:20,600 from coming that they might find peace in Christ, that through 568 00:42:20,600 --> 00:42:25,400 repentance they would lay down their own unrighteousness, and 569 00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:28,040 through faith in Christ they would take hold of His 570 00:42:28,040 --> 00:42:31,320 righteousness. Would you grant them new life? 571 00:42:31,360 --> 00:42:40,670 Father, I'm going to give you a moment now there in your seat, 572 00:42:40,670 --> 00:42:44,110 just with your head bowed to seek the Lord. 573 00:42:44,750 --> 00:42:46,950 Reflect on the Word, preach this morning. 574 00:42:51,070 --> 00:42:55,470 Spend some time in prayer seeking God. 575 00:44:00,720 --> 00:44:04,000 Heavenly Father, we thank You for the grace and the mercy and 576 00:44:04,000 --> 00:44:07,520 the love that we've received in Christ. 577 00:44:09,600 --> 00:44:12,520 We thank You for the example that He sets for us. 578 00:44:14,440 --> 00:44:16,360 It's an example we can't live up to. 579 00:44:18,800 --> 00:44:21,600 But it's our desire, Lord, that you would conform us to His 580 00:44:21,600 --> 00:44:26,760 image as we humble ourselves before You, as we seek to obey 581 00:44:26,760 --> 00:44:32,040 Him because of our great love that we have, a great love that 582 00:44:32,040 --> 00:44:39,200 we've received first. God, would you help us obey the 583 00:44:39,200 --> 00:44:45,400 Lord in every way, the thoughts of our minds, the words of our 584 00:44:45,400 --> 00:44:51,240 mouth, the actions of our hands. May we obey Christ, may we 585 00:44:51,240 --> 00:44:53,240 glorify Christ and all the earth. 586 00:44:53,240 --> 00:44:58,040 May we let it be known that we believe Christ is King. 587 00:45:02,680 --> 00:45:06,920 He's worthy. He's worthy of our submission. 588 00:45:12,450 --> 00:45:17,730 God, I pray that as we reflect over the next few days on 589 00:45:17,730 --> 00:45:24,570 Christmas and Christmas Day and all that it holds, let the 590 00:45:24,570 --> 00:45:28,290 thoughts of a humble king be on our minds. 591 00:45:35,840 --> 00:45:40,520 And God, we thank you that you sent Christ, that he was humbled 592 00:45:40,520 --> 00:45:46,360 to the point of death on a cross, and he bore our shame for 593 00:45:46,360 --> 00:45:50,120 our wickedness, not his own. He bore our shame, our reproach 594 00:45:50,680 --> 00:45:57,200 on himself so that we might be made brand new, so that he could 595 00:45:57,200 --> 00:45:59,480 save your people from their sins. 596 00:46:05,000 --> 00:46:09,000 Christ is the greatest gift we could receive on Christmas. 597 00:46:09,000 --> 00:46:12,200 He's the greatest gift we can remember on Christmas. 598 00:46:14,600 --> 00:46:18,560 And so we thank you for this first Advent and we look forward 599 00:46:18,560 --> 00:46:28,240 to the return of the King. And until that day, would you 600 00:46:28,240 --> 00:46:31,920 help us to live day by day for the glory of the Lord. 601 00:46:35,440 --> 00:46:36,960 It's in the name of Christ I pray. 602 00:46:37,400 --> 00:46:37,680 Amen.