William Woo 12/9/2018
This week was an emotional week. We had the passing of a President. His funeral reminded us of his past accomplishments and failures. I read the following quote from my professor on the Internet. What he said lends well to the sermon this morning:
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| HPCBC 聖誕禮拜 |
In the 1960s, I was a student in a small Baptist college in a deeply conservative Democratic State. My Grandfather prided himself in being a “Yellow Dog Democrat.” But my roommate was a member of the college’s very small “Young Republican” Club. He talked me into attending a campaign speech given by a young conservative Republican running for the U.S. Senate. I was impressed but I never told my Grandfather. I would have been disowned. That young Republican lost his race. In 1970, I was a Campus Minister/Bible Instructor in the very conservative, Democratic Rio Grande Valley of Texas. The same Republican showed up. He was running again for the U. S. Senate. He rolled up his sleeves, loosened his tie, and spoke. Again, I was impressed. Again, he lost. In 1980, the same man ran for President of the United States and lost in the Republican Primary. By now I had become not only a Republican, but greatly impressed with a man who knew how to lose but didn’t know how to quit.Finally, in 1989, George H. W. Bush became President of the United States. This week I will join millions of Americans in front of a TV set watching a funeral and a burial. I will likely shed a few tears. He was one of my heroes - a man who learned how to lose, but never learned how to like it, the last President from the Greatest Generation.[1]
What my professor wrote made me think about belief. What did President George HW Bush believe that caused him to keep on attempting to win the next election?
In fact another president also had a similar history of defeat and there is a timeline of his success and failures, here were some of his failures: 1832 he lost a job and was defeated for state legislature, 1833 failed in business, 1835 sweetheart died, 1836 had a nervous breakdown, 1838 defeated for Speaker, 1843 defeated for nomination for Congress, 1849 rejected for land officer. 1854 defeated for Senate, 1856 lost nomination for Vice President, and 1858 lost election for Senate again. But he became President in 1860. Who was that man? Abraham Lincoln.
I believe that there is a great biblical principle from:
Proverbs 24:16-18 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
16 Though a righteous person falls seven times,
he will get up,
but the wicked will stumble into ruin.
he will get up,
but the wicked will stumble into ruin.
I know these stories lend well to a pep talk about not quitting. I do want us to think about belief. What we believe defines us. Today’s sermon is not about believing in yourself but I want us to examine belief and more precisely your beliefs this Christmas season? And the most important belief that anyone must deal with and that is- Who is Jesus?
Today’s sermon I want us all to think about Jesus Christ and what you believe about him. Do you KNOW Him or do you just know about Him?
Please turn in your Bibles to Matthew 2: 1-12. We will examine 2:1-12. This story is unique to Matthew’s Gospel . Although the setting is after Christ’s birth this story is embedded in our Christmas traditions concerning his birth.
As we read this morning, think about, “What does each character believe?” Notice the two main characters in this story. A King and the wise men. What do they believe? At the same time examine your belief- what do you believe?
Matthew 2:
2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.”[a]
3 When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Christ would be born.
5 “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:
6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah:
Because out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.”[b]
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah:
Because out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.”[b]
7 Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship him.”[c]
9 After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him.[d]Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.
From the first word in verse 1-“AFTER” we see that this occurs after Jesus was born.
2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.”[a
Our tradition lumps this passage in with Jesus birth narrative.
(PC- Lifeway.com- Fisher Price Nativity Scene)
The setting is now afterhe was born. We even find later in the passage the child (in the New King James Version they translate Young Child), or young Child[4]in the NKJV in a house.
As we move from verse 1 to verse 2, there is another strong word that leads us into verse 2 and that word is the word saying. The wise men had arrived in Jerusalem saying,“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews. In the original language the word which is translated “saying” conveys continual action.[5]This word is not simply a past tense, or future tense word. The idea here is that the wise men were asking not just once but asking of everyone they came across – “Where is he who is born king of the Jews?” “Where is he who is born king of the Jews” over and over. The wise men were tenacious in their pursuit of Jesus. Are you tenacious in your longing for the savior? Are your thoughts of Jesus confined to Sunday morning?
In contrast to the wise men we read about the King – Herod in verse 3 3 When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
What a powerful sentence. Herod was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with Him! I hate to say it but there is that sense today that a volatile President of the United States can cause us concern. I was a teen when President Reagan was caught joking about sending a nuclear missile to Russia. Jerusalem was concerned and partly because Herod was disturbed, there is no telling what he would do. In fact “Herod was so wicked and ruthless that he had three of his own sons and a wife put to death in a jealous rage. Though 70 years of age he could not bear the thought of anyone usurping him as ruler of the Jews.”[6] And I imagine that the people of Jerusalem were waiting to see what evil would occur as a result of this visit by the wise men. But also isn’t this an omen of how the world views Jesus.[7]
Herod’s treachery is seen later in chapter 2 verse 16:
16 Then Herod, when he realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men. 17 Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
18 A voice was heard in Ramah,
Notice in verse 8 that Herod tells the wise men that he wants to worship this child. This irony screams out at us! Because we know worship was the last thing on his mind.
8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship him.”[c]”
What about you this morning- is worship the last thing on your mind?
It is interesting that Herod consulted the Bible experts. Look at verse 4 of Chapter 2. 4 So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Christ would be born.
5 “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:
6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah:
Because out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.”[b]
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah:
Because out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.”[b]
At this point in Jesus’ story, these priests and scribes are indifferent.[8]As you know later in Jesus life and ministry, these religious leaders would grow to oppose Jesus, but here we see no vitriol. In contrast notice the behavior of Herod. He secretly summons the wise men, and we already read why he would approach the wise men secretly. He was planning murder!
7 Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared.
I read that if Herod had taken better notes, we would know more precisely the time of Jesus birth. Thinking that he can trick the wise men into giving him information we read in verse 8: 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship him.”[c]
As you read this you want to scream to the wise men, “Don’t Tell Him.” And we read with relief in verse 12. 12 And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.
The wise men are warned to not go back to Herod in a dream. This is perhaps one of the many times where the life of the Messiah could have been taken. To keep the Messiah alive, notice the use of supernaturalevents. Here the wise men are warned in a dream not to go back to Herod.[9]And in the very next verse 13 13 After they were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to kill him.”
The other day, our mother church had a viewing of a new Billy Graham Documentary. We were reminded of that day while in the mountains outside of Los Angeles – Billy Graham had to deal with his belief about God and the Bible as the current around him was to disprove the veracity of the Bible. . Billy Graham prayed- “Father, I am going to accept this as Thy Word—by faith! I’m going to allow faith to go beyond my intellectual questions and doubts, and I will believe this to be Your inspired Word!”*[10]
We see in the bible these supernatural acts. Just in the story of Jesus, the use of Angelic messengers, warnings to the wise men and to Joseph -Mary’s husband – by way of dreams. In terms of dreams
I believe this teaching is a good guide:
God may communicate through dreams or visions even today, but we need to carefully check any such guidance we receive with Scripture and godly counsel to be sure it is from the Lord. Anything which contradicts Scripture is not from God. Our minds and even Satan are capable of producing great deception in such subjective areas.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 shows that God has revealed His will to us primarily through His Word. It says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”[11]
Heeding the warning in the dream, the wise men have gone back to their home, Once again we see Herod’s inner belief come out in the next verse. v. 16 16 Then Herod, when he realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.
Herod didn’t really want to worship Jesus- did he?
I like how the scripture describes the wise men’s search and encounter with Jesus:
9 After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was*—the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was.
*There it was- one commentary I read suggested that for a short time, the star they first saw in the east had disappeared and reappeared at this moment. Note also that the star led them- A supernatural event guiding the wise men to Jesus.
Next- their reaction v. 10 10 When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him.[d]Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
They were overwhelmed with Joy, they Fell to Their Knees! They worshipped.
It has been contrasted how wise men from a foreign land had diligently sought after Jesus, yet Herod had wanted to kill him, the scribes and priests were indifferent, and the city of Jerusalem was troubled.[12]
I hope that this Sunday we would be like the wise men, diligently seeking after Jesus.
Definitely NOT like Herod.
But perhaps we can be like the scribes and priest at this point—indifferent. Or perhaps like Jerusalem, concerned.
The question this morning is about your belief. Do you just know the Christmas story about Jesus or do you know Jesus?
I read those words on the internet, that some people know the story but not the savior. Here is what my friend wrote[13]:
Today at church my pastor talked about the meaning of Christmas songs and he dissected "O Holy Night," a favorite of mine
This morning as we sing for our response song “O Holy Night”, will you respond to the Savior today? If your diligently seeking – text me at 323.236.4408 and I want to talk with you, pray, and connect you with our pastor and church leaders.If your indifferent or concerned---we’ll pray for you also!
Let us worship our King, as we sing O Holy Night.[14]
O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining. Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices! O night divine, the night when Christ was born; O night, O Holy Night , O night divine! O night, O Holy Night , O night divine! Led by the light of faith serenely beaming, With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand. O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming, Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land. The King of kings lay thus lowly manger; In all our trials born to be our friends. He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger, Behold your King! Before him lowly bend! Behold your King! Before him lowly bend! Truly He taught us to love one another, His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother. And in his name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, With all our hearts we praise His holy name. Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we, His power and glory ever more proclaim! His power and glory ever more proclaim! |
[1]Crawford, Dan. Via Face Book. Accessed December 2, 2018.
[2]Picture Credit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/george-h-w-bush/
[3]PC: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/abraham-lincoln/
[4]Young child as opposed to a baby.
[5]Note from MacArthur Study Bible for Matthew 2:2.
[6]Cox, Steven L, and Kendell H. Easley. “Harmony of the Gospels”, p. 35
[7]Believer’s Bible Commentary. Location 34905. The world views Jesus with concern.
[8]Believer’s Bible Commentary. Kindle Location 34903.
[9]Post sermon note: reader- who is it that gives this dream? What is the cause of the supernatural event?
[11]https://billygraham.org/answer/does-god-reveal-things-through-dreams-and-visions/Accessed 12/8/18.
[12]Believer’s Bible Commentary. Location 34905.
[13]Facebook Friend “DC”. Accessed Dec. 8, 2018. Edited by sermon author.
