Foretold - Advent Series - Part 1 - Matthew 2:1-12

[00:14:03] Happy Holidays, as they say, Merry Christmas. I don't mind saying Merry Christmas too early, right? Once Thanksgiving's over, we're back to Christmas season, aren't we? That's what I like to do. We have a Christmas tree up pretty early every year and one of my daughters over here likes to get it up early.

[00:14:18] So she asked and so we put it up I think last week. But it is Christmas time and so we are focusing on now the anticipation of our Lord's coming, our Messiah coming as they had in the past. And so we're taking a break from John and we'll have an Advent Series called Foretold over the next few weeks. And we'll get into that. So I think there's a slide there. Yeah, that's for later. But we do have a couple announcements and they're the same ones. We have two big things coming up.

[00:14:48] Over the next couple weeks. One is next week here in this room after service, we have a potluck party, Christmas style. So we'll have games and some fun and good food. So bring a dish to pass and bring a friend. They may come to a service like this over Christmas or Easter. They might actually be expecting an invite. So I don't think it'd be off color to just ask someone to church even for the potluck

[00:15:13] party afterwards or for our Christmas candlelight service, which is the next announcement.

[00:15:19] December 24th, Christmas Eve in this room, 4.30 p.m. It'll be about an hour. And we'll celebrate Christmas here as well on that Tuesday evening. We are starting up our Tuesday night Bible study this week again.

[00:15:33] Where we are looking at how to defend our faith. So that's at the other location. If you need the address there, it's on the website. I don't know off the top of my head, but it's right downtown Lakeville.

[00:15:44] We meet there at 6.30 p.m. on Tuesdays. So with that, I don't know how much Christmas shopping y'all done already. I haven't really done much at all.

[00:15:52] But there just seems like there's a hustle bustle in the air beginning now with the Christmas get-togethers and this and that and everything.

[00:16:00] But let's just use this short time we have this morning to settle that down and just relax and come feast upon God's word.

[00:16:07] Because that's where we find our sustenance to get us through all that stuff that's outside these walls, right?

[00:16:12] So I'll open in prayer and invite Jacob to come with the catechism question.

[00:16:16] Dear Heavenly Father, you know intimately what's happening in the hearts and minds of all your people.

[00:16:24] And there's so many things that distract us, especially during the most important times of the year like Christmastime.

[00:16:32] So we just ask that you calm our hearts and focus our minds so that we can receive from you today,

[00:16:39] from your living word, by the power of your spirit to guide us, to show us and to lead us into all truth,

[00:16:46] to help us understand what your words mean so that we can apply them to our lives and better reflect you in all that we do.

[00:16:53] So bless this service today, Lord, and help us to keep our eyes upon your son who was sent and dwelled among us

[00:17:03] so many years ago in that little stable.

[00:17:07] We love you, Lord. Bless this service.

[00:17:08] We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

[00:17:11] Jacob, please come.

[00:17:22] I'm glad to be back doing our catechism.

[00:17:25] The question of the New City Catechism is question 49.

[00:17:30] Where is Christ now?

[00:17:33] This is one of the greatest truths of ultimate security for the Christian.

[00:17:38] Where is Christ now?

[00:17:40] It certainly hurts a little bit sometimes when we think of the fact that Christ isn't physically present with us.

[00:17:48] We may sometimes want Christ to be physically present with us, but he did give us the Holy Spirit to be with us.

[00:17:54] So God is still with us, even if Christ isn't bodily present with us.

[00:17:59] But what is the glorious truth that we can find within the fact that Christ may not be physically present with us right now?

[00:18:06] Where is Christ?

[00:18:08] Christ.

[00:18:09] That's our question.

[00:18:10] And the answer the New City Catechism provides is a blessed truth.

[00:18:15] Christ rose bodily from the grave on the third day after his death and is seated at the right hand of the Father,

[00:18:21] ruling his kingdom and interceding for us until he returns to judge and renew the whole world.

[00:18:30] Christ's job is now interceding for us at the right hand of God the Father.

[00:18:37] What does that interceding mean?

[00:18:39] He's arguing for us.

[00:18:40] He's pleading our case throughout our sins.

[00:18:43] He's giving us grace and love and praying for us, pleading with the Father for our salvation,

[00:18:51] always and continually at his right hand.

[00:18:54] Hebrews talks about this, Christ being our priest, and that is the reason that we are saved to the uttermost.

[00:19:01] Because as Hebrews 7 says, he lives to make intercession for us.

[00:19:06] And who does he make intercession for us with?

[00:19:08] God the Father.

[00:19:10] We are justified because of Christ and because of his work right now where he is.

[00:19:16] The scripture provided is Ephesians chapter 1 verses 20 through 21.

[00:19:21] He raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,

[00:19:25] far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,

[00:19:29] and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come.

[00:19:36] I think Charles Wesley here's commentary, it's actually a wonderful poem, hymn, however you'd like to call it.

[00:19:43] It's really beautiful, so let's read it together.

[00:19:47] Hail the day that sees him rise, ravished from our wishful eyes.

[00:19:52] Christ, a while to mortals given, reascends his native heaven.

[00:19:56] There the pompous triumph waits.

[00:19:59] Lift your heads eternal gates.

[00:20:00] Wide unfold the radiant scene.

[00:20:02] Take the king of glory in.

[00:20:04] Circled round with angel powers, their triumphant lord and ours.

[00:20:08] Conquer over death and sin.

[00:20:11] Take the king of glory in.

[00:20:13] Him through the highest heaven receives.

[00:20:15] Still he loves the earth he leaves.

[00:20:17] Though returning to his throne, still he calls mankind his own.

[00:20:22] See, he lifts his hands above.

[00:20:24] See, he shows the prince of love.

[00:20:27] Hark, his gracious lips bestow.

[00:20:30] Blessings on his church below.

[00:20:32] Still for us, his death he pleads.

[00:20:35] Prevalent, he intercedes.

[00:20:36] Near himself prepares our place.

[00:20:39] Harbinger of the human race.

[00:20:40] Master, we will ever say.

[00:20:43] Taken from our head today.

[00:20:44] See thy faithful servants.

[00:20:46] See, ever gazing up to thee.

[00:20:49] Grant through parted from our sight.

[00:20:51] High above yon azure height.

[00:20:54] Grant our hearts may thirtier rise.

[00:20:57] Following thee beyond the skies.

[00:20:59] Ever upward, let us move.

[00:21:01] Wafted on the wings of love.

[00:21:03] Looking when our Lord shall come.

[00:21:05] Looking, grasping after home.

[00:21:07] There we shall with thee remain.

[00:21:10] Partners of thy endless reign.

[00:21:12] There thy face on clouded sea.

[00:21:14] Find our heaven of heavens in thee.

[00:21:17] Our prayer.

[00:21:19] Risen and ascended Lord.

[00:21:21] Though you no longer walk this earth,

[00:21:23] you rule over us from your throne.

[00:21:26] All authority and power are in you.

[00:21:28] Your name is above all names.

[00:21:31] Raise us up at the last day to live with you in your kingdom.

[00:21:33] And help us right now to ascend the holy Mount Zion

[00:21:37] as we worship you here today.

[00:21:40] Gather with one another to sing you songs of praise

[00:21:43] and to be fed by the hearing of your word.

[00:21:46] Increase our faith.

[00:21:48] Holy Spirit, bring us peace and newness of life.

[00:21:51] Help us to walk in you this week.

[00:21:53] Restore our souls in your love, Lord Jesus.

[00:21:57] And pray for us, Lord.

[00:21:59] Pray for us.

[00:22:00] In Jesus' name I pray.

[00:22:02] Amen.

[00:22:03] You may now stand and rise for worship.

[00:22:29] Amen.

[00:22:30] Amen.

[00:22:30] Christ is calling.

[00:22:33] Son of God and Son of man.

[00:22:46] Come to us.

[00:30:56] The sun is.

[00:30:58] The sun is.

[00:31:04] The sun is.

[00:31:05] The sun is.

[00:31:05] The sun is.

[00:31:05] The sun is.

[00:31:38] It's a circumstance of being.

[00:34:36] Sometimes a fresh perspective can revitalize

[00:34:39] and deepen our understanding of what he said

[00:34:44] in 1 Corinthians 11.26.

[00:34:47] For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup,

[00:34:51] you proclaim the Lord's death.

[00:34:56] I think it's important to remember that communion is above.

[00:35:07] In Revelation 1.5 it says,

[00:35:10] To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood

[00:35:14] and made us a kingdom, priest to his God and Father,

[00:35:18] to him be glory and dominion forever and ever.

[00:35:21] Amen.

[00:35:22] Behold, he is coming with the clouds,

[00:35:25] and every eye will see him,

[00:35:26] even those who pierced him.

[00:35:28] And all the tribes of earth will wait,

[00:35:31] will wail on account of him.

[00:35:34] Even so, amen.

[00:35:37] We, the church,

[00:35:38] are charged with keeping alive the memory of Christ's tortured death

[00:35:43] and subsequent piercing by sinful people.

[00:35:47] Communion maintains a proclamation to the world

[00:35:50] of the Lord's death until he comes.

[00:35:53] Without the constant testimony of the church

[00:35:56] through the practice of communion,

[00:35:58] the world would not recognize the man coming with the clouds as Jesus.

[00:36:02] It would be classified as an alien encounter.

[00:36:06] And what about the people struck with profound fear,

[00:36:09] grief, and wailing?

[00:36:10] Without foreknowledge of the Lord's unjust death

[00:36:13] at the hands of sinners,

[00:36:14] what could possibly be the source of their sorrow?

[00:36:18] It is communion, the Lord's table,

[00:36:21] that tells of the injustice of Calvary,

[00:36:24] and it is this relation that will cut to the core

[00:36:27] all the tribes of the earth.

[00:36:30] Acts 2.36 says,

[00:36:32] Let all the house of Israel, therefore,

[00:36:34] know for certain that God has made him

[00:36:36] both Lord and Christ,

[00:36:38] this Jesus whom you crucified.

[00:36:43] Now when they heard this,

[00:36:44] they were cut to the heart

[00:36:45] and said to the rest of the apostles,

[00:36:49] Brothers, what shall we do?

[00:36:50] And Peter said to them,

[00:36:51] Repent and be baptized,

[00:36:53] every one of you in the name of Jesus,

[00:36:55] for the forgiveness of your sins,

[00:36:57] and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

[00:37:00] Communion is no doubt for us,

[00:37:03] but it is meant also to inform the grief

[00:37:07] to the lost to come.

[00:37:09] So while we remember the Lord's broken body

[00:37:11] and shed blood and consume the elements

[00:37:13] of bread and grape juice today,

[00:37:15] let us also recognize the testimony of communion

[00:37:18] that we are called to maintain until he comes.

[00:37:22] This we do so that the world may see the error

[00:37:24] and be brought to grief and repentance

[00:37:26] like happened in the book of Acts.

[00:37:29] With that, let us consume the bread

[00:37:32] that reminds us of his torn body

[00:37:35] that was sacrificed for us.

[00:37:43] In drinking the fruit of the vine,

[00:37:45] may we recall the blood he spilt

[00:37:47] to save us all.

[00:37:53] Amen.

[00:37:57] Pastor Nate will be available for prayer

[00:38:00] this time.

[00:38:44] Please be seated.

[00:43:14] Thank you so much.

[00:43:19] Pastors need prayer too, don't they?

[00:43:21] So I asked the elders to come pray with me just now.

[00:43:25] Nothing's wrong.

[00:43:26] It's just that,

[00:43:28] and many of you probably know,

[00:43:29] maybe all of you know,

[00:43:30] that our family's going through a few things,

[00:43:34] and there's an appointment this week

[00:43:36] that's important,

[00:43:37] and I think everything's going to go well.

[00:43:39] But I just thought I'm going to ask the elders today

[00:43:41] to pray for us.

[00:43:42] So if you want to chat later about that with me,

[00:43:44] that's fine too.

[00:43:45] But yeah, pastors need prayer too, right?

[00:43:47] I appreciate that very much.

[00:43:49] Okay.

[00:43:51] Well, I'd like to begin here

[00:43:54] taking a break from John.

[00:43:55] And I looked at the calendar,

[00:43:57] and it looks like,

[00:43:58] interestingly enough,

[00:43:59] in the Lord's providence,

[00:44:00] we may finish John right about Easter,

[00:44:03] which would be perfect timing

[00:44:05] because at the end of John

[00:44:06] is when the Lord is resurrected,

[00:44:08] and that's Easter time,

[00:44:09] and some of the things that happened after that.

[00:44:12] So I think that'll work out very nicely,

[00:44:13] and then we'll get on

[00:44:16] to our three-year study of Leviticus.

[00:44:18] I'm just kidding, you guys.

[00:44:21] Why does no one like to go through Leviticus?

[00:44:24] Maybe someday.

[00:44:26] Maybe on a Tuesday night we'll do that.

[00:44:28] We want people to come on Sundays, right?

[00:44:30] But that is the Lord's Word,

[00:44:31] and it's actually very important things in Leviticus,

[00:44:34] but that's for another time.

[00:44:35] But looking at the calendar,

[00:44:36] I kind of saw that on the horizon,

[00:44:37] just so you kind of know where we're going,

[00:44:39] where we're heading.

[00:44:41] But we've had a great time through John,

[00:44:44] just going verse by verse like what we do.

[00:44:46] But for this season in Advent,

[00:44:48] I just want to take a break

[00:44:50] because of Christmas time.

[00:44:53] And so many of you probably know,

[00:44:56] maybe you don't,

[00:44:57] but if you don't,

[00:44:58] typically, traditionally,

[00:45:00] this season has been called Advent.

[00:45:02] The three or four weeks before Christmas itself

[00:45:05] is called Advent,

[00:45:06] and that word Advent means,

[00:45:07] it comes from the Latin word Adventus,

[00:45:09] pretty similar,

[00:45:11] and it just means the coming or the arrival.

[00:45:14] And of course,

[00:45:15] this is the anticipation of the arrival of a Messiah

[00:45:18] that had been proclaimed for eons past.

[00:45:22] And it doesn't just mean any arrival.

[00:45:23] It really means a particularly important

[00:45:25] someone or something to be coming,

[00:45:28] the anticipation of that important thing

[00:45:30] or person to come.

[00:45:33] And it is,

[00:45:34] there is an attachment of that anticipation

[00:45:37] and expectation.

[00:45:38] Something is definitely coming.

[00:45:39] It's going to happen.

[00:45:41] In this Greek word,

[00:45:43] that's the Latin word,

[00:45:43] the Greek word is parousia.

[00:45:45] Maybe you've heard of that word parousia.

[00:45:47] And that's the word that over and over

[00:45:49] is used again about the coming of Christ

[00:45:52] is the parousia,

[00:45:53] the king's presence,

[00:45:54] the king's arrival.

[00:45:55] And so there's that parallel

[00:45:57] between the coming of Christ

[00:45:58] as a human baby in the stable

[00:46:00] and also the second coming

[00:46:01] that we look forward to anticipate

[00:46:03] in our future.

[00:46:05] In the ancient Near East culture,

[00:46:07] the word parousia was often used

[00:46:09] to describe a ceremonial

[00:46:11] or a visitor of a king or dignitary

[00:46:14] as he came into the village or the city.

[00:46:16] People would see the caravan coming

[00:46:18] and then they'd go out to meet him on the road

[00:46:21] as he was still coming in.

[00:46:22] And this is what Paul talks about

[00:46:24] in 1 Thessalonians.

[00:46:25] When the Lord comes,

[00:46:26] we see him on that day.

[00:46:27] We will be caught up in the air to meet him

[00:46:29] as he descends.

[00:46:30] And then we'll walk,

[00:46:32] or I guess fly back down here

[00:46:33] as he comes to earth in the flesh again.

[00:46:36] He will be in the flesh again with us

[00:46:38] on the earth.

[00:46:39] So there's just interesting parallels

[00:46:41] how those people back 2,000 years ago

[00:46:43] were anticipating the coming of the Savior,

[00:46:45] the coming of Christ.

[00:46:46] And so are we,

[00:46:48] but it is second coming.

[00:46:50] And so we see that parallel.

[00:46:52] It's interesting.

[00:46:54] And in the New Testament,

[00:46:55] you find passages about the Messiah's backstory.

[00:46:57] You can find them in three Gospels.

[00:47:00] In Matthew,

[00:47:01] we see the royal lineage of Jesus

[00:47:05] fulfilling prophecies

[00:47:06] of his physical relationship

[00:47:08] to the line of David,

[00:47:10] who was the king.

[00:47:11] And of course,

[00:47:11] Christ was prophesied to come

[00:47:13] from the line of David.

[00:47:14] And further tracing back to Abraham,

[00:47:16] the first Hebrew,

[00:47:16] when God called Abraham out of paganism

[00:47:18] from his father's house

[00:47:19] to go to where a land I will show you,

[00:47:22] which required faith.

[00:47:23] Lord, I don't know where you're sending me.

[00:47:24] Well, I'm going to show you.

[00:47:25] You need faith.

[00:47:27] And Abraham expressed that,

[00:47:28] a great story of faith.

[00:47:30] In Luke,

[00:47:31] we see the physical lineage of Jesus

[00:47:33] from Mary back to Adam

[00:47:35] in the garden

[00:47:36] whom Scripture calls the Son of God.

[00:47:40] As Luke further there infers

[00:47:42] Jesus' divine lineage.

[00:47:44] And in John 1,

[00:47:46] we see that Jesus is called the Word.

[00:47:47] Remember in John 1,

[00:47:49] the Word was with us

[00:47:51] and the Word was God.

[00:47:55] Okay.

[00:47:55] In the beginning was the Word.

[00:47:56] The Word was with God

[00:47:57] and the Word was God.

[00:47:58] And then John 1, 14,

[00:48:00] it says,

[00:48:00] the Word became flesh

[00:48:01] and dwelt among us.

[00:48:02] And where did he become flesh?

[00:48:04] In that stable in Bethlehem.

[00:48:08] Advent is a time of anticipation

[00:48:12] for the arrival of the Messiah.

[00:48:17] I want to ask you a question,

[00:48:18] but why would anybody

[00:48:19] be anticipating

[00:48:20] this arrival in the first place?

[00:48:24] You ask yourself that question.

[00:48:27] Those people back in,

[00:48:28] you know,

[00:48:29] three or four B.C.,

[00:48:31] they were anticipating

[00:48:33] the arrival of a Messiah.

[00:48:34] I mean,

[00:48:35] were they?

[00:48:36] Some were.

[00:48:37] Some weren't.

[00:48:38] Some were oblivious.

[00:48:39] Most, I think,

[00:48:39] were oblivious.

[00:48:41] They might say,

[00:48:42] the arrival,

[00:48:43] we're anticipating the arrival

[00:48:45] of what,

[00:48:45] of who.

[00:48:46] And the question is,

[00:48:47] how would anyone have known

[00:48:49] to be looking

[00:48:49] or to be anticipating anything?

[00:48:51] Why were they anticipating?

[00:48:53] Were they anticipating?

[00:48:54] Some were.

[00:48:55] But how did anyone know

[00:48:56] to be looking forward

[00:48:57] to someone or something arising?

[00:48:58] Were there signs?

[00:49:00] Were there prophecies?

[00:49:02] And if there were,

[00:49:04] what was it about?

[00:49:05] Was it a person?

[00:49:06] Was it an event

[00:49:07] that would be happening?

[00:49:08] Did the signs point

[00:49:10] to when this would happen?

[00:49:12] Well,

[00:49:13] those with the eyes

[00:49:14] to see

[00:49:14] and the ears to hear

[00:49:16] saw the signs.

[00:49:19] And they saw the signs

[00:49:20] of the coming

[00:49:21] of a Savior King

[00:49:22] in Israel.

[00:49:24] And they even knew

[00:49:26] when and who

[00:49:27] and what and where

[00:49:28] and they knew so much

[00:49:30] they even came

[00:49:30] bearing gifts

[00:49:31] at the appropriate time.

[00:49:32] So somebody knew something.

[00:49:35] But not everyone did.

[00:49:37] How did they know?

[00:49:41] They knew because

[00:49:42] it had been foretold.

[00:49:46] It had been foretold.

[00:49:49] The Old Testament

[00:49:50] prophet Micah

[00:49:51] will be reading

[00:49:52] from Micah 5.

[00:49:53] Wrote over 700 years

[00:49:56] before Jesus

[00:49:56] was born in Bethlehem.

[00:49:58] seven centuries

[00:50:00] and he foretold

[00:50:01] the coming of the Messiah.

[00:50:02] In Micah 5.2

[00:50:04] where he writes,

[00:50:06] But you, O Bethlehem,

[00:50:08] Ephrathah,

[00:50:09] who are too little

[00:50:10] to be among

[00:50:11] the clans of Judah,

[00:50:12] from you shall come forth

[00:50:14] for me

[00:50:15] one who is to be

[00:50:16] ruler in Israel,

[00:50:17] whose coming forth

[00:50:19] is from old,

[00:50:21] from ancient days.

[00:50:24] This is the word of God.

[00:50:26] Let's pray together.

[00:50:27] Father.

[00:50:29] Dear Father in Heaven,

[00:50:31] we're talking now

[00:50:32] about the coming

[00:50:33] to earth of your Son

[00:50:34] in human form

[00:50:36] so many years ago

[00:50:37] in a little stable

[00:50:38] in Bethlehem.

[00:50:40] Lord, show us

[00:50:41] its significance today

[00:50:42] and help us

[00:50:44] to connect some dots

[00:50:44] and to show us

[00:50:45] how amazing you are

[00:50:46] to have worked

[00:50:48] these things out

[00:50:48] through history

[00:50:50] because we know

[00:50:51] you have complete control

[00:50:52] of the timeline

[00:50:53] of creation.

[00:50:55] help us to let

[00:50:56] these words

[00:50:58] from your scripture

[00:50:59] show us

[00:51:00] how amazing you are,

[00:51:01] how majestic.

[00:51:02] You are in complete control.

[00:51:03] You are the sovereign,

[00:51:04] almighty God

[00:51:05] that we serve

[00:51:06] and that if we have

[00:51:07] salvation in you,

[00:51:08] you'll never let us go.

[00:51:09] We love you, Lord.

[00:51:10] Have grace upon us

[00:51:12] and be glorified

[00:51:12] as we look

[00:51:13] into your word today.

[00:51:14] We pray in Jesus' name.

[00:51:15] Amen.

[00:51:19] So we just skipped back

[00:51:20] about 700 years

[00:51:21] to Micah.

[00:51:22] I want to bring us back

[00:51:22] 700 more years

[00:51:23] to the birth of Jesus.

[00:51:25] In Matthew chapter 2

[00:51:26] and we'll be in Matthew 2,

[00:51:28] the first 11 verses

[00:51:29] here today

[00:51:30] for the most part.

[00:51:31] And Matthew writes this now

[00:51:33] after the Messiah had come.

[00:51:35] Chapter 2 of Matthew

[00:51:36] verse 1.

[00:51:38] He says,

[00:51:38] Now after Jesus was born

[00:51:40] in Bethlehem of Judea

[00:51:42] in the days of Herod the king,

[00:51:44] behold,

[00:51:45] wise men from the east

[00:51:46] came from Jerusalem

[00:51:46] saying,

[00:51:47] Where is he

[00:51:48] who had been born

[00:51:49] king of the Jews?

[00:51:50] For we saw his star

[00:51:52] when it rose

[00:51:52] and have come

[00:51:53] to worship him.

[00:51:55] When Herod the king

[00:51:56] heard this,

[00:51:56] he was troubled

[00:51:58] and all Jerusalem

[00:51:59] with him

[00:52:00] and assembling

[00:52:01] all the chief priests

[00:52:02] and scribes

[00:52:03] of the people,

[00:52:03] he inquired of them

[00:52:04] where the Christ

[00:52:05] was to be born.

[00:52:07] They told him,

[00:52:08] In Bethlehem of Judea.

[00:52:10] For so it is written

[00:52:10] by the prophet,

[00:52:12] And you, O Bethlehem,

[00:52:13] in the land of Judah,

[00:52:15] are by no means

[00:52:16] least among

[00:52:16] the rulers of Judah.

[00:52:18] For from you

[00:52:18] shall come a ruler

[00:52:19] who will shepherd

[00:52:20] my people Israel.

[00:52:24] Here in Matthew chapter 2,

[00:52:25] he refers back to

[00:52:26] the prophet Micah

[00:52:26] 700 years prior.

[00:52:29] And Matthew puts it

[00:52:30] this way,

[00:52:30] looking back to

[00:52:31] the first part

[00:52:32] of verse 1,

[00:52:32] he says,

[00:52:33] After Jesus was born

[00:52:34] in Bethlehem

[00:52:35] of Judea.

[00:52:36] Pause.

[00:52:38] In verse 4,

[00:52:39] we just read,

[00:52:40] When Herod asked

[00:52:41] the chief priests

[00:52:42] and scribes,

[00:52:45] Can you tell me

[00:52:45] where the Christ

[00:52:46] is supposed to be born?

[00:52:47] They tell him

[00:52:47] and they answer

[00:52:48] and say,

[00:52:49] Yeah,

[00:52:49] he'll be born

[00:52:49] in Bethlehem

[00:52:50] of Judea.

[00:52:51] They knew.

[00:52:52] They knew the scriptures.

[00:52:55] And remember,

[00:52:56] when Micah writes,

[00:52:57] he references

[00:52:58] back in Micah 5,

[00:53:00] to Bethlehem

[00:53:01] Ephrathah,

[00:53:02] he says.

[00:53:03] So what's the point here?

[00:53:05] Is there a point here?

[00:53:07] We have Matthew

[00:53:08] referring to Bethlehem

[00:53:09] as Bethlehem

[00:53:09] of Judea.

[00:53:10] The chief priests

[00:53:11] and scribes

[00:53:12] after Herod asked them

[00:53:13] where is the Christ

[00:53:13] to be born,

[00:53:14] they say Bethlehem

[00:53:15] of Judea.

[00:53:15] And not only that,

[00:53:17] 700 years prior,

[00:53:18] Micah says,

[00:53:19] Bethlehem Ephrathah.

[00:53:22] Is there a point here?

[00:53:24] There is a point here.

[00:53:25] And the point is,

[00:53:27] here's a word for you,

[00:53:29] specificity.

[00:53:32] Specificity

[00:53:32] is the quality

[00:53:33] of being specific.

[00:53:35] How specific are you?

[00:53:37] God is very specific.

[00:53:38] When he gives a prophecy,

[00:53:39] he's specific.

[00:53:40] You know,

[00:53:41] nowadays we see people

[00:53:43] on TV,

[00:53:43] on YouTube.

[00:53:44] If you start

[00:53:45] a YouTube channel,

[00:53:46] you can call yourself

[00:53:47] a prophet,

[00:53:49] a self-proclaimed prophet.

[00:53:50] You can make prophecies

[00:53:50] all day long.

[00:53:52] But I'll bet you

[00:53:53] one thing,

[00:53:54] I've heard a lot

[00:53:54] of these things

[00:53:55] come and go.

[00:53:56] A lot of those prophecies

[00:53:57] here are so vague.

[00:54:00] They could never be

[00:54:02] disqualified

[00:54:02] or disproven.

[00:54:04] And I think

[00:54:05] for some people

[00:54:06] that are

[00:54:08] out just to get

[00:54:09] a buck,

[00:54:09] it's by design.

[00:54:11] Because they don't

[00:54:12] want to be disproven.

[00:54:13] And in order

[00:54:14] to not be able

[00:54:14] to be disproven,

[00:54:15] you have to be

[00:54:16] very vague.

[00:54:17] Not specific.

[00:54:19] Specificity

[00:54:19] is your enemy

[00:54:20] if you're a prophet,

[00:54:22] if you're a false prophet.

[00:54:24] Because if you

[00:54:25] are specific one time

[00:54:26] and you're wrong,

[00:54:27] the Bible says

[00:54:27] don't listen to you.

[00:54:29] You're a false prophet.

[00:54:31] It tells us

[00:54:31] in Exodus 18-20

[00:54:33] about false prophets

[00:54:35] if they're wrong

[00:54:35] one time

[00:54:36] and they face

[00:54:37] the death penalty

[00:54:37] one time.

[00:54:39] God is not vague

[00:54:40] in his prophecies.

[00:54:42] He's very specific.

[00:54:44] Both Matthew

[00:54:45] and Micah,

[00:54:45] of course,

[00:54:46] being led

[00:54:46] by the Spirit

[00:54:47] of God,

[00:54:47] were inspired

[00:54:48] to write

[00:54:49] these specific

[00:54:49] things about

[00:54:50] Bethlehem.

[00:54:51] But why?

[00:54:52] The reason why

[00:54:53] is because there are,

[00:54:54] whether you know it

[00:54:54] or not,

[00:54:55] two Bethlehems.

[00:54:57] There's two Bethlehems.

[00:54:59] And I'm not talking

[00:55:00] about the Bethlehem

[00:55:01] Pennsylvania.

[00:55:02] There's Bethlehem,

[00:55:04] two Bethlehems

[00:55:04] in Israel.

[00:55:05] And so,

[00:55:06] of course,

[00:55:07] Micah knew that

[00:55:08] and Matthew knew that.

[00:55:09] The Lord knew it

[00:55:10] and he said,

[00:55:11] in my prophecy

[00:55:13] but the correct

[00:55:14] Bethlehem

[00:55:15] in my prophecy.

[00:55:16] So there will be

[00:55:16] no question

[00:55:17] in 700 years

[00:55:18] about,

[00:55:19] well,

[00:55:20] they could have said,

[00:55:20] Jesus,

[00:55:21] this baby was born

[00:55:22] in Bethlehem.

[00:55:23] And the naysayers

[00:55:24] would have said,

[00:55:24] yeah,

[00:55:24] but there's another

[00:55:25] Bethlehem.

[00:55:25] So this is not

[00:55:26] the right Jesus.

[00:55:27] This is not

[00:55:27] the right Bethlehem.

[00:55:28] God nipped that

[00:55:29] in the bud

[00:55:31] beforehand.

[00:55:33] He was specific.

[00:55:36] According to Micah,

[00:55:37] the Messiah would

[00:55:38] be born in Bethlehem

[00:55:39] Ephrathah.

[00:55:40] Bethlehem Ephrathah.

[00:55:42] And Ephrathah

[00:55:43] used to be,

[00:55:43] it was the older

[00:55:44] name for Bethlehem,

[00:55:45] that Bethlehem.

[00:55:47] This Bethlehem,

[00:55:48] the one Jesus

[00:55:48] was born in,

[00:55:49] is about six miles

[00:55:50] south of Jerusalem

[00:55:51] in Judea.

[00:55:54] The other Bethlehem

[00:55:55] is in the north.

[00:55:56] It's about 100 miles

[00:55:56] north and it is

[00:55:59] about eight miles

[00:56:00] west of Nazareth

[00:56:01] of all places.

[00:56:02] Interesting,

[00:56:03] the connections there.

[00:56:04] I mean,

[00:56:05] Mary and Joseph

[00:56:05] lived in Nazareth.

[00:56:06] They were called

[00:56:07] down to Bethlehem

[00:56:08] in Luke chapter 2

[00:56:09] for the census.

[00:56:12] So they had to come

[00:56:12] down and register

[00:56:14] in Bethlehem,

[00:56:15] but their home

[00:56:16] was Nazareth.

[00:56:17] And it's interesting.

[00:56:18] We'll get to why

[00:56:19] in a moment.

[00:56:20] But if you're taking notes,

[00:56:21] your first note says,

[00:56:22] we serve a God

[00:56:22] who is specific

[00:56:24] in prophecy

[00:56:25] and powerful enough

[00:56:26] to ensure it.

[00:56:29] Because I can be

[00:56:30] specific in prophecies

[00:56:31] all day long.

[00:56:31] I'm not a prophet.

[00:56:34] But I'm not powerful

[00:56:35] enough to make sure

[00:56:36] those prophecies,

[00:56:37] those specific prophecies

[00:56:38] that I would make,

[00:56:38] those false prophecies,

[00:56:39] would come to pass.

[00:56:41] But in God's case,

[00:56:42] He determines the end

[00:56:43] from the beginning.

[00:56:44] Whatever He says goes.

[00:56:46] He can be as specific

[00:56:47] as He desires to be

[00:56:48] and ensure that

[00:56:49] every little detail

[00:56:50] is fulfilled.

[00:56:52] That's the God we serve.

[00:56:53] Not a vague God.

[00:56:54] A God that

[00:56:55] just gives us

[00:56:56] vagaries

[00:56:57] and broad,

[00:56:58] sweeping statements

[00:56:58] that could mean

[00:56:59] anything to anyone

[00:57:00] as a prophecy.

[00:57:01] No, He gives us

[00:57:03] the details.

[00:57:06] Specifics.

[00:57:08] He accomplishes

[00:57:09] whatever He wills

[00:57:10] and I always love

[00:57:12] going back to

[00:57:13] and referencing

[00:57:13] Isaiah 46,

[00:57:15] a great passage

[00:57:15] about God's sovereignty.

[00:57:17] He says in,

[00:57:18] the prophet Isaiah

[00:57:19] says in Isaiah 46,

[00:57:22] speaking about God,

[00:57:23] speaking for God,

[00:57:24] He says,

[00:57:24] I am God

[00:57:25] and there is no other.

[00:57:28] I am God

[00:57:29] and there is none like me.

[00:57:31] It seems like

[00:57:31] He has to be so clear

[00:57:32] with these people.

[00:57:35] Declaring the end

[00:57:36] from the beginning

[00:57:37] and from ancient times

[00:57:39] things not yet done

[00:57:40] saying,

[00:57:40] My counsel shall stand

[00:57:42] and I will accomplish

[00:57:43] all my purpose.

[00:57:48] What's another way

[00:57:49] to say that?

[00:57:49] I am God

[00:57:50] and you are not,

[00:57:52] He says to us,

[00:57:53] and I do what I want.

[00:57:56] Period.

[00:57:57] Period.

[00:57:57] And it gets done

[00:57:59] because He's God.

[00:58:02] This is just to give you

[00:58:03] an idea of who we're

[00:58:03] dealing with here.

[00:58:04] Who our ultimate prophet

[00:58:06] is, God.

[00:58:08] How specific He is,

[00:58:09] how powerful He is

[00:58:10] to make sure His prophecies

[00:58:12] come true to the T.

[00:58:14] And I want to,

[00:58:15] through this message,

[00:58:16] show you something

[00:58:17] about our Heavenly Father

[00:58:17] today.

[00:58:18] It's a story about

[00:58:19] the anticipation of Christ,

[00:58:20] His Son coming.

[00:58:21] But I do want you

[00:58:22] to see the majesty

[00:58:23] and the,

[00:58:26] just,

[00:58:27] otherworldliness of God.

[00:58:29] How He

[00:58:31] writes the timeline

[00:58:31] of history

[00:58:32] to the T,

[00:58:33] exactly how He wants it,

[00:58:34] to the day,

[00:58:35] to the hour.

[00:58:36] If you look at

[00:58:36] when Jesus was crucified,

[00:58:38] it was to the hour

[00:58:39] on Passover

[00:58:40] that the last Passover lamb

[00:58:42] was slain.

[00:58:43] And the high priest

[00:58:44] in the temple

[00:58:45] across town said,

[00:58:46] It is finished.

[00:58:49] At that moment,

[00:58:50] the moment Christ

[00:58:51] was giving up His spirit.

[00:58:52] This is the God we serve.

[00:58:54] Don't think God

[00:58:55] is smaller than you

[00:58:55] think He is.

[00:58:56] He's not.

[00:58:57] He's bigger than you

[00:58:57] think He is.

[00:58:59] And so,

[00:59:00] in a sermon,

[00:59:01] we should come to

[00:59:02] a Sunday morning

[00:59:04] or wherever we gather

[00:59:05] to hear God's Word preached

[00:59:07] in an expectation

[00:59:08] of learning something

[00:59:10] about God,

[00:59:11] about exalting Christ.

[00:59:13] Not about me

[00:59:14] or you,

[00:59:15] necessarily.

[00:59:16] That will affect us.

[00:59:17] It should affect us.

[00:59:18] But the more you know

[00:59:19] your God,

[00:59:20] the more bonnet-filled

[00:59:21] and blessing-filled

[00:59:23] your life will be

[00:59:23] and you'll be more

[00:59:24] effective for His kingdom.

[00:59:24] Why?

[00:59:25] Because you'll know

[00:59:25] more about your God

[00:59:26] and you'll be conformed

[00:59:28] more into the image

[00:59:28] of His Son.

[00:59:29] And so,

[00:59:30] if we hear a sermon

[00:59:31] and all we do

[00:59:32] is glorify God

[00:59:33] and glorify Christ,

[00:59:34] that's a good sermon.

[00:59:35] Amen?

[00:59:36] It's a good sermon.

[00:59:37] So be glorified today,

[00:59:39] Lord,

[00:59:39] as we talk about

[00:59:41] how amazing

[00:59:42] you are in prophecy.

[00:59:43] Your next note here says,

[00:59:45] when God writes history,

[00:59:46] because He's the one

[00:59:47] who writes history,

[00:59:48] He does it in profound ways.

[00:59:52] Profound ways.

[00:59:55] And you may have heard,

[00:59:56] but I like to talk a lot

[00:59:57] about making connections

[00:59:58] throughout Scripture

[00:59:58] and connecting dots

[00:59:59] because it's all connected.

[01:00:01] Old Testament,

[01:00:02] New Testament,

[01:00:02] there's a divide there,

[01:00:03] but it's all connected.

[01:00:05] It's all integrated

[01:00:06] in the same story,

[01:00:07] a story about how God

[01:00:08] redeems a fallen people,

[01:00:10] His people.

[01:00:11] It's about redemption.

[01:00:13] And Christ is

[01:00:14] the thread throughout.

[01:00:17] And so,

[01:00:17] I want to show you

[01:00:18] just a sliver,

[01:00:20] if I could today,

[01:00:21] of how exquisitely

[01:00:22] God directs

[01:00:23] the world's events

[01:00:24] and especially

[01:00:25] with the coming

[01:00:27] of His Son

[01:00:27] into the world.

[01:00:28] He's the one

[01:00:29] who gave us those signs

[01:00:30] all those centuries ago.

[01:00:31] He's the one

[01:00:31] that inspired Micah

[01:00:33] to write those words.

[01:00:34] And for Matthew

[01:00:35] to refer back to Micah,

[01:00:37] he specified that

[01:00:40] a Savior would come.

[01:00:42] He determined

[01:00:43] that it would be His Son,

[01:00:45] that He would be Messiah,

[01:00:46] that He'd be born

[01:00:47] as a human baby

[01:00:48] in Bethlehem.

[01:00:50] And He even specified

[01:00:51] which Bethlehem

[01:00:53] in Scripture,

[01:00:54] let alone

[01:00:55] when He would be born.

[01:00:57] He determined

[01:00:57] when He would be born.

[01:00:59] And isn't it interesting

[01:01:01] also that

[01:01:01] King David

[01:01:02] was born

[01:01:04] in that same Bethlehem.

[01:01:06] Why is that so important?

[01:01:07] Well, King David,

[01:01:08] if you go to Bible college

[01:01:10] or if you know enough

[01:01:11] about Scripture,

[01:01:13] David was a foreshadowing

[01:01:14] of Christ.

[01:01:16] He was what they call

[01:01:17] a type of Christ.

[01:01:19] He foreshadowed Christ.

[01:01:21] He was a young boy,

[01:01:23] became king,

[01:01:24] anointed king.

[01:01:25] Many areas in his life

[01:01:26] reflect forward

[01:01:28] to Jesus.

[01:01:31] the most popular

[01:01:32] probably story,

[01:01:32] David and Goliath

[01:01:33] and Jacob touched on it

[01:01:34] a few weeks ago.

[01:01:35] We always put ourselves

[01:01:36] in the shoes of David,

[01:01:38] in the sandals of David.

[01:01:39] I'm David,

[01:01:39] I'm going to conquer

[01:01:40] my giants in life.

[01:01:41] But that's not

[01:01:42] where we should see ourselves

[01:01:44] in that passage.

[01:01:46] We should see ourselves,

[01:01:47] if at all,

[01:01:47] in the passage

[01:01:48] as those Israelites

[01:01:50] hiding and cowering

[01:01:51] in fear

[01:01:52] of the big giant

[01:01:53] that they couldn't slay.

[01:01:54] Who's David?

[01:01:55] Christ is David.

[01:01:56] And who's Goliath?

[01:01:58] He's not your mean boss

[01:02:00] or your financial troubles

[01:02:02] in your life.

[01:02:03] David represents Christ

[01:02:05] in that passage.

[01:02:08] Goliath represents

[01:02:09] the ultimate enemy

[01:02:11] that we cannot overcome,

[01:02:12] sin and death.

[01:02:13] And who could ever

[01:02:14] overcome that

[01:02:15] but an anointed king?

[01:02:18] Jesus.

[01:02:20] Jesus is David

[01:02:21] in that story.

[01:02:22] We're the people

[01:02:22] cowering and hiding

[01:02:23] in the corner

[01:02:24] and running for our lives

[01:02:24] because it's too much.

[01:02:26] We can't overcome

[01:02:26] this huge giant

[01:02:27] of sin and death

[01:02:28] but David could.

[01:02:29] And so,

[01:02:29] interestingly,

[01:02:31] the Lord in his wisdom

[01:02:34] had this type of Christ,

[01:02:36] David,

[01:02:36] born in the same town,

[01:02:37] the same little town.

[01:02:38] It's a little town.

[01:02:40] In fact,

[01:02:40] they just took a census there

[01:02:42] I just heard recently

[01:02:44] and I think they said

[01:02:45] there was like 700 people

[01:02:46] that lived there.

[01:02:47] So it's tiny.

[01:02:48] It's small.

[01:02:48] But you know,

[01:02:49] it's still there.

[01:02:50] I think God

[01:02:51] in his providence

[01:02:52] just wants to keep

[01:02:53] Bethlehem there.

[01:02:54] It's never going to be

[01:02:55] turned into a pile of dust.

[01:02:56] That's probably

[01:02:58] part of the apple

[01:02:59] of his eye,

[01:03:00] the place where

[01:03:00] the Savior was born.

[01:03:02] Very interesting

[01:03:03] how God sees these things

[01:03:04] and we can see them too

[01:03:05] if we put those,

[01:03:07] connect those dots

[01:03:08] and put those things together.

[01:03:12] Many times in Scripture,

[01:03:13] as we know,

[01:03:14] God uses precursors

[01:03:15] and David was one

[01:03:16] of those precursors.

[01:03:17] He hints at what

[01:03:18] the future holds for us

[01:03:19] and so then we have

[01:03:20] to ask ourselves,

[01:03:21] are we paying attention?

[01:03:23] Because the hints

[01:03:23] are out there

[01:03:24] and the dots

[01:03:25] to be connected

[01:03:26] are out there

[01:03:26] and they're in Scripture.

[01:03:28] Are we paying attention?

[01:03:30] And some of you

[01:03:31] may know this as well.

[01:03:33] Bethlehem,

[01:03:34] the name Bethlehem

[01:03:35] means house of bread.

[01:03:38] House of bread.

[01:03:40] And of course,

[01:03:41] again,

[01:03:41] isn't it fitting

[01:03:42] that the Lord God Almighty

[01:03:44] would have his son

[01:03:45] born in the house of bread,

[01:03:47] especially seeing

[01:03:47] after he is called

[01:03:49] the bread of life.

[01:03:52] And Jesus calls himself

[01:03:53] the bread that comes

[01:03:54] from heaven.

[01:03:55] John 6.

[01:03:58] Well,

[01:03:59] what's the big deal

[01:03:59] about that?

[01:04:00] Maybe that's just

[01:04:00] a coincidence.

[01:04:01] No,

[01:04:02] it's not a coincidence.

[01:04:03] Your next note says

[01:04:04] in Scripture,

[01:04:06] bread symbolizes

[01:04:07] sustenance

[01:04:09] and Christ

[01:04:10] is our eternal

[01:04:11] sustenance.

[01:04:12] He's the bread from heaven.

[01:04:14] Eternal bread from heaven.

[01:04:16] What does bread do?

[01:04:17] It nourishes us.

[01:04:18] It feeds us.

[01:04:19] It's food for us.

[01:04:20] What did the Israelites

[01:04:21] have in the wilderness

[01:04:22] for 40 years?

[01:04:23] Bread from heaven.

[01:04:24] Manna.

[01:04:26] And the manna

[01:04:27] was Christ, really.

[01:04:28] The heavenly bread.

[01:04:30] The bread of life

[01:04:31] coming from heaven.

[01:04:33] More dots

[01:04:34] to be connected.

[01:04:37] He's born

[01:04:38] in the house

[01:04:39] of bread,

[01:04:40] Bethlehem.

[01:04:40] And the word

[01:04:41] Ephrathah here

[01:04:41] also means Bethlehem.

[01:04:43] Ephrathah.

[01:04:44] The older name

[01:04:45] for Bethlehem

[01:04:45] means a place

[01:04:46] of fruitfulness.

[01:04:48] You know what?

[01:04:49] Of course it means that

[01:04:49] because Christ

[01:04:50] was probably

[01:04:51] the most fruitful person

[01:04:52] who ever lived.

[01:04:53] Isn't he?

[01:04:55] A couple of weeks ago

[01:04:56] we looked at

[01:04:56] what Jesus told

[01:04:57] his disciples

[01:04:57] that last night

[01:04:58] before he died

[01:04:59] in John 15

[01:04:59] and he said this,

[01:05:01] it is to my father's glory

[01:05:04] what is?

[01:05:04] That you bear

[01:05:05] much fruit.

[01:05:08] He would know

[01:05:09] something about that.

[01:05:10] Bearing fruit.

[01:05:12] And his father

[01:05:13] saw to it

[01:05:13] that he was also

[01:05:14] born in that town

[01:05:15] that had been called

[01:05:17] a place of fruitfulness.

[01:05:22] God writes history

[01:05:23] in profound ways

[01:05:25] because he's amazing.

[01:05:27] He's magnificent.

[01:05:29] He's majestic.

[01:05:30] He's all-knowing,

[01:05:31] all-powerful,

[01:05:32] making sure

[01:05:33] that these things happen

[01:05:34] as he plans.

[01:05:35] He says,

[01:05:36] I am God.

[01:05:36] I do whatever I want.

[01:05:38] That's my paraphrase.

[01:05:40] And he does it

[01:05:41] to his glory.

[01:05:43] We're celebrating Advent

[01:05:44] here in these few weeks.

[01:05:46] The Advent of our Savior

[01:05:47] this month.

[01:05:48] Again, Advent means

[01:05:49] the coming or the arrival.

[01:05:50] We're celebrating that.

[01:05:52] Here's the word

[01:05:53] anticipating it.

[01:05:55] It's a time of anticipation.

[01:05:56] We know what's coming.

[01:06:00] Back to the second part

[01:06:01] of verse 1

[01:06:02] here in Matthew 2.

[01:06:03] It says this,

[01:06:04] Wise men from the east

[01:06:05] came to Jerusalem.

[01:06:08] Pause there.

[01:06:10] We have breezed

[01:06:11] by this

[01:06:12] every time we've read it

[01:06:13] probably for the last

[01:06:13] how many years

[01:06:14] we've read it.

[01:06:16] Wise men from the east

[01:06:17] came to Jerusalem.

[01:06:18] Yeah, of course

[01:06:19] wise men came

[01:06:19] from the east

[01:06:20] to Jerusalem.

[01:06:21] We've heard the song,

[01:06:22] We three kings

[01:06:23] have come so...

[01:06:24] What's the word?

[01:06:25] We three kings

[01:06:26] of Orient are

[01:06:28] bearing gifts

[01:06:28] we traverse afar.

[01:06:30] We know the words.

[01:06:31] Well, I used to know

[01:06:32] the words.

[01:06:34] We know this.

[01:06:34] Yeah, they came

[01:06:35] from the east.

[01:06:35] Great.

[01:06:36] We just know it.

[01:06:39] But have we

[01:06:40] asked this question

[01:06:41] ever?

[01:06:43] Why?

[01:06:43] Why did they come?

[01:06:44] I don't think

[01:06:48] I've ever really

[01:06:49] asked the question.

[01:06:50] Why did you make

[01:06:50] the trip?

[01:06:52] You're three kings

[01:06:53] from Orient

[01:06:54] that's in the east.

[01:06:55] You're not of Judea.

[01:06:56] You're not Israelites.

[01:06:57] You don't know

[01:06:58] the God of Israel.

[01:06:58] You don't have the law,

[01:06:59] the temple,

[01:07:00] the sacrifices.

[01:07:01] Who are you

[01:07:01] and why did you

[01:07:02] come here today?

[01:07:03] Why did you make

[01:07:04] that trip?

[01:07:07] Maybe I was

[01:07:08] the only one

[01:07:08] but probably

[01:07:09] one or two

[01:07:10] of you really

[01:07:10] never asked

[01:07:11] why did they

[01:07:11] make that trip?

[01:07:13] Well, we

[01:07:14] will definitely

[01:07:15] gain a little

[01:07:16] more information

[01:07:16] if we look

[01:07:17] at the Greek

[01:07:17] and I want

[01:07:18] to see what

[01:07:18] the word

[01:07:19] translated here

[01:07:20] was wise men.

[01:07:21] The word wise men

[01:07:23] translated in Matthew 2

[01:07:24] 1 is Magoi.

[01:07:27] Translated

[01:07:27] to English

[01:07:28] we know it

[01:07:28] as Magi.

[01:07:30] We've heard that

[01:07:30] before.

[01:07:31] The Magi.

[01:07:31] The Magi came.

[01:07:33] The Magi

[01:07:34] were a learned

[01:07:35] and priestly class.

[01:07:36] They were high class,

[01:07:37] high culture

[01:07:37] in the east

[01:07:38] and when I say east

[01:07:39] you know

[01:07:39] that's Assyria,

[01:07:40] Babylon,

[01:07:41] eastern Iraq,

[01:07:42] western Iran,

[01:07:43] even further

[01:07:43] into Saudi Arabia.

[01:07:46] A learned

[01:07:47] and priestly class.

[01:07:48] If you study this

[01:07:49] out you'll see

[01:07:50] that many times

[01:07:51] they are called

[01:07:52] the king makers.

[01:07:56] They were royal

[01:07:57] advisors.

[01:07:59] They were pagans.

[01:08:01] They were religious.

[01:08:03] They were mystics.

[01:08:05] They were well

[01:08:05] renowned,

[01:08:06] well respected.

[01:08:08] They were experts

[01:08:09] in astronomy.

[01:08:10] They were experts

[01:08:10] in astrology.

[01:08:12] They syncretized

[01:08:13] religions

[01:08:13] along with science.

[01:08:18] they were seers.

[01:08:19] They were called

[01:08:19] sorcerers,

[01:08:22] soothsayers,

[01:08:23] interpreters of dreams,

[01:08:24] this kind of thing.

[01:08:27] We get our words

[01:08:28] in English

[01:08:29] magician

[01:08:29] and magistrate

[01:08:31] from this word

[01:08:32] magoi.

[01:08:34] They held secret

[01:08:35] knowledge

[01:08:37] and they were able

[01:08:38] to either qualify

[01:08:38] or even disqualify

[01:08:40] those who were

[01:08:41] to be king.

[01:08:44] Interesting.

[01:08:45] So the Magi

[01:08:46] make the trip

[01:08:47] for the king

[01:08:48] to be born

[01:08:48] of the Jews.

[01:08:51] Now we are not

[01:08:52] told how many

[01:08:52] Magi came,

[01:08:54] how many made

[01:08:54] the trip,

[01:08:55] but most assuredly

[01:08:56] if you look

[01:08:56] at the history

[01:08:57] it was not three.

[01:08:58] It was a lot

[01:09:00] more than that.

[01:09:01] It was probably

[01:09:02] more like hundreds

[01:09:03] if not thousands

[01:09:04] because they didn't

[01:09:05] just make trips

[01:09:06] willy-nilly.

[01:09:07] These people were

[01:09:08] literally scientists.

[01:09:10] They were religious

[01:09:12] even though

[01:09:12] they were pagan

[01:09:13] religions,

[01:09:13] scholars.

[01:09:15] and so when

[01:09:16] they went to

[01:09:16] either,

[01:09:17] as they might

[01:09:18] say,

[01:09:18] anoint a king

[01:09:19] or make their

[01:09:21] assessment of

[01:09:22] this person

[01:09:23] to say he's

[01:09:24] worthy of being

[01:09:24] a king or not,

[01:09:26] it was business.

[01:09:27] It was big business.

[01:09:28] Not that they

[01:09:28] would make money

[01:09:29] but it was a big

[01:09:29] deal to them.

[01:09:30] Big deal to them.

[01:09:32] They were not

[01:09:32] cavalier about this.

[01:09:33] They wouldn't just

[01:09:34] like we see

[01:09:35] in the pictures

[01:09:35] the three guys

[01:09:37] on the camel

[01:09:37] walking across

[01:09:38] the desert

[01:09:38] in the night.

[01:09:39] It wasn't like that.

[01:09:40] It was a lot

[01:09:41] bigger.

[01:09:41] A lot bigger

[01:09:42] would have

[01:09:42] been a big

[01:09:43] excursion.

[01:09:44] This would

[01:09:44] have been a

[01:09:44] caravan from

[01:09:46] the east.

[01:09:47] A large

[01:09:48] entourage.

[01:09:49] There is no

[01:09:50] mention of

[01:09:51] three kings

[01:09:51] in scripture

[01:09:52] like the song

[01:09:53] says.

[01:09:54] We just think

[01:09:54] of the three

[01:09:55] kings probably

[01:09:55] because of

[01:09:56] the three gifts,

[01:09:57] gold,

[01:09:57] frankincense,

[01:09:58] and myrrh.

[01:09:59] I think the

[01:10:00] song was written

[01:10:01] back in the

[01:10:01] 1870s,

[01:10:02] we three kings

[01:10:03] of Orient are.

[01:10:05] That person

[01:10:06] probably just

[01:10:06] thought three

[01:10:07] gifts,

[01:10:08] three kings,

[01:10:08] done.

[01:10:10] There's no

[01:10:11] mention of

[01:10:11] three kings.

[01:10:12] But there

[01:10:13] is the

[01:10:13] mention of

[01:10:14] the three

[01:10:15] gifts,

[01:10:15] gold,

[01:10:15] frankincense,

[01:10:16] and myrrh.

[01:10:18] But you

[01:10:19] know,

[01:10:19] kings would

[01:10:19] bow down

[01:10:20] to Jesus.

[01:10:20] And so

[01:10:21] there may

[01:10:22] be something

[01:10:22] in scripture

[01:10:22] that is

[01:10:23] true about

[01:10:24] these kings

[01:10:24] worshiping

[01:10:25] Jesus.

[01:10:26] And in

[01:10:26] fact,

[01:10:26] there is

[01:10:27] if you

[01:10:27] look.

[01:10:28] Look at

[01:10:28] how God

[01:10:28] led the

[01:10:29] spirit

[01:10:29] to

[01:10:29] inspire

[01:10:29] these

[01:10:30] writers

[01:10:31] to

[01:10:31] foretell

[01:10:31] us

[01:10:32] about

[01:10:32] the

[01:10:32] Messiah.

[01:10:33] One

[01:10:33] is the

[01:10:33] psalmist.

[01:10:35] In

[01:10:35] Psalm 72,

[01:10:37] he wrote

[01:10:37] this,

[01:10:38] May the

[01:10:38] kings of

[01:10:39] Tarshish

[01:10:39] and of

[01:10:40] the coastlands

[01:10:41] render him

[01:10:41] tribute.

[01:10:42] May the

[01:10:43] kings of

[01:10:43] Sheba and

[01:10:44] Seba bring

[01:10:45] gifts.

[01:10:45] May all

[01:10:46] kings fall

[01:10:47] down before

[01:10:47] him.

[01:10:48] All nations

[01:10:50] serve him.

[01:10:52] Back in this

[01:10:53] time in the

[01:10:53] Old Testament,

[01:10:54] what king is

[01:10:56] worshipped by

[01:10:56] all other

[01:10:57] kings?

[01:10:58] Messiah king

[01:10:59] is.

[01:11:02] And if you

[01:11:03] look at

[01:11:03] Isaiah 60,

[01:11:05] the Holy

[01:11:05] Spirit led

[01:11:06] Isaiah's

[01:11:06] hand to

[01:11:07] write this,

[01:11:07] A multitude

[01:11:08] of camels

[01:11:08] shall cover

[01:11:09] you,

[01:11:09] the young

[01:11:10] camels

[01:11:10] of Midian

[01:11:11] and

[01:11:11] Ephah.

[01:11:12] All those

[01:11:13] from Sheba

[01:11:13] shall come,

[01:11:14] they shall

[01:11:14] bring gold

[01:11:15] and frankincense

[01:11:16] and shall

[01:11:17] bring good

[01:11:17] news,

[01:11:18] the praises

[01:11:19] of the

[01:11:19] Lord.

[01:11:22] And you

[01:11:23] know what?

[01:11:24] The Magi

[01:11:25] came.

[01:11:26] The Magi

[01:11:27] came.

[01:11:28] But how

[01:11:28] did they

[01:11:29] know to

[01:11:29] come?

[01:11:30] The question

[01:11:30] remains.

[01:11:32] How amazing

[01:11:33] is our

[01:11:33] God?

[01:11:35] He knew

[01:11:36] the Magi

[01:11:36] would come.

[01:11:36] He determined

[01:11:37] from ancient

[01:11:38] days the

[01:11:39] Magi would

[01:11:40] come.

[01:11:40] How did

[01:11:41] they know

[01:11:41] to come?

[01:11:43] Your next

[01:11:43] note here

[01:11:44] says,

[01:11:44] The Lord

[01:11:45] God Almighty

[01:11:45] foretold

[01:11:46] the coming

[01:11:47] of His

[01:11:47] Son,

[01:11:48] the Savior

[01:11:49] King,

[01:11:49] eons

[01:11:50] before His

[01:11:51] arrival.

[01:11:54] God told

[01:11:55] us His

[01:11:55] Son was

[01:11:55] coming.

[01:11:56] Eons

[01:11:57] ago.

[01:11:59] But most

[01:12:00] people weren't

[01:12:01] paying attention.

[01:12:02] And you

[01:12:03] say,

[01:12:03] well,

[01:12:04] why the

[01:12:04] Magi

[01:12:05] of all

[01:12:05] people?

[01:12:05] They were

[01:12:06] Gentiles.

[01:12:08] They weren't

[01:12:08] even Jews.

[01:12:09] Jews.

[01:12:09] They were

[01:12:10] from the

[01:12:10] East,

[01:12:11] the Orient.

[01:12:12] They were

[01:12:12] pagans.

[01:12:13] They didn't

[01:12:14] believe in

[01:12:14] the one

[01:12:15] true God

[01:12:15] of Israel.

[01:12:16] Who are

[01:12:17] these people

[01:12:17] and why

[01:12:17] are they

[01:12:18] coming?

[01:12:19] What is

[01:12:20] the connection

[01:12:22] with the

[01:12:22] Messiah being

[01:12:23] born and

[01:12:24] these Magi?

[01:12:25] What's the

[01:12:25] connection?

[01:12:27] Well,

[01:12:28] as we all

[01:12:28] know,

[01:12:29] sometimes God

[01:12:29] uses,

[01:12:30] isn't this

[01:12:31] true,

[01:12:31] the most

[01:12:31] unexpected

[01:12:32] ways to do

[01:12:34] things,

[01:12:34] to tell a

[01:12:34] story,

[01:12:35] the most

[01:12:35] unexpected

[01:12:36] people to

[01:12:36] get His

[01:12:37] will done.

[01:12:38] He can

[01:12:39] speak through

[01:12:39] a donkey

[01:12:41] and have

[01:12:41] His will

[01:12:41] be done.

[01:12:43] Think about

[01:12:44] who discovered

[01:12:44] the empty

[01:12:45] tomb when

[01:12:46] Jesus was

[01:12:46] risen.

[01:12:47] It was not

[01:12:48] men in a

[01:12:49] male-dominated

[01:12:50] culture.

[01:12:51] It was none

[01:12:52] of the

[01:12:52] disciples.

[01:12:53] It was not

[01:12:53] Caesar.

[01:12:54] It was not

[01:12:54] Herod.

[01:12:55] It was two

[01:12:56] women.

[01:12:57] And to read

[01:12:58] that in the

[01:12:59] first century

[01:13:00] would not have

[01:13:01] been how

[01:13:02] someone would

[01:13:02] write that

[01:13:03] as a

[01:13:04] forged

[01:13:04] gospel.

[01:13:05] They would

[01:13:05] have Peter

[01:13:07] show up

[01:13:07] or they

[01:13:08] would have

[01:13:08] Herod show

[01:13:09] up and be

[01:13:09] embarrassed,

[01:13:10] a man.

[01:13:11] But the

[01:13:12] truth is,

[01:13:12] the two

[01:13:13] Marys showed

[01:13:14] up.

[01:13:14] And it's

[01:13:14] the truth,

[01:13:15] and that's

[01:13:15] how God

[01:13:16] wanted it

[01:13:16] to be.

[01:13:18] Unexpected.

[01:13:19] In that

[01:13:19] culture,

[01:13:19] unexpected.

[01:13:20] Today we

[01:13:20] would think

[01:13:20] it's not so

[01:13:21] unexpected,

[01:13:21] but in that

[01:13:22] culture,

[01:13:22] very unexpected.

[01:13:25] When Goliath

[01:13:26] challenged anyone

[01:13:27] to fight to

[01:13:27] the death,

[01:13:28] we just

[01:13:28] talked about

[01:13:28] that.

[01:13:29] Who

[01:13:29] fought him?

[01:13:30] Who

[01:13:30] fought Goliath?

[01:13:31] Not the

[01:13:31] largest,

[01:13:32] biggest,

[01:13:33] meanest Israelite

[01:13:34] soldier.

[01:13:34] No,

[01:13:34] it was a

[01:13:35] young shepherd

[01:13:36] boy who

[01:13:39] was the

[01:13:40] end of

[01:13:40] that giant.

[01:13:41] Unexpected.

[01:13:42] You wouldn't

[01:13:42] expect that.

[01:13:44] And when

[01:13:45] the Savior

[01:13:45] King Messiah

[01:13:46] was to

[01:13:47] enter the

[01:13:47] world,

[01:13:48] who came

[01:13:49] to proclaim

[01:13:50] it to

[01:13:50] Herod?

[01:13:51] A prophet?

[01:13:53] Maybe an

[01:13:54] angel?

[01:13:55] Gabriel?

[01:13:56] No,

[01:13:56] it was

[01:13:57] pagan

[01:13:58] Gentiles.

[01:13:59] Of all

[01:14:00] people.

[01:14:03] It's

[01:14:03] unexpected.

[01:14:06] And you

[01:14:06] know what?

[01:14:06] They were

[01:14:07] right.

[01:14:07] Those pagan

[01:14:07] Gentiles were

[01:14:08] right.

[01:14:08] And they

[01:14:11] expected.

[01:14:14] Our

[01:14:14] amazing,

[01:14:15] majestic

[01:14:15] God writes

[01:14:16] history in

[01:14:16] the most,

[01:14:18] at times,

[01:14:19] unexpected

[01:14:19] ways to

[01:14:21] His glory.

[01:14:24] He uses

[01:14:24] foolish things

[01:14:25] to confound

[01:14:26] the wise.

[01:14:28] And there's

[01:14:28] a lot of

[01:14:29] people that

[01:14:30] think they're

[01:14:31] wise.

[01:14:35] And He

[01:14:36] does it

[01:14:36] all to

[01:14:37] His glory.

[01:14:38] So,

[01:14:39] why did

[01:14:40] the Magi,

[01:14:41] of all

[01:14:41] people,

[01:14:42] make the

[01:14:42] trip?

[01:14:43] How did

[01:14:43] they know

[01:14:43] to come?

[01:14:44] How did

[01:14:44] they know

[01:14:44] when to

[01:14:45] come?

[01:14:46] How did

[01:14:46] they know

[01:14:47] why to

[01:14:47] come?

[01:14:48] That's a

[01:14:49] long trip.

[01:14:49] That's an

[01:14:50] expensive

[01:14:50] trip.

[01:14:52] Why would

[01:14:53] they do

[01:14:53] that?

[01:14:55] Now,

[01:14:56] let's go

[01:14:56] back,

[01:14:56] again,

[01:14:57] 600 years

[01:14:58] before Christ

[01:14:59] and find a

[01:15:00] connection from

[01:15:00] the book of

[01:15:01] Daniel.

[01:15:03] Remember the

[01:15:04] story of

[01:15:04] Daniel?

[01:15:05] He was

[01:15:05] taken into

[01:15:05] exile as a

[01:15:06] youth from

[01:15:07] Israel to

[01:15:08] Babylon.

[01:15:10] Many things

[01:15:11] happened there.

[01:15:12] Eventually,

[01:15:12] he interprets

[01:15:14] the king,

[01:15:14] Nebuchadnezzar's

[01:15:15] dream.

[01:15:16] And

[01:15:16] Nebuchadnezzar

[01:15:18] kind of finds

[01:15:18] an affinity

[01:15:19] for Daniel.

[01:15:19] He likes

[01:15:19] Daniel.

[01:15:20] And then he

[01:15:21] gets caught

[01:15:21] up making

[01:15:22] a decree

[01:15:22] to pray

[01:15:23] to no one

[01:15:23] else but

[01:15:24] the king.

[01:15:24] And Daniel

[01:15:25] says,

[01:15:25] I won't

[01:15:25] do it.

[01:15:26] Gets thrown

[01:15:26] into the

[01:15:26] lion's den,

[01:15:27] survives God,

[01:15:28] brings him

[01:15:28] through that.

[01:15:29] Nebuchadnezzar

[01:15:30] liked Daniel.

[01:15:32] So,

[01:15:33] eventually,

[01:15:33] we learn in

[01:15:34] Daniel 4 and

[01:15:34] 5,

[01:15:35] if you want

[01:15:35] to go back

[01:15:35] and read

[01:15:36] that later

[01:15:36] today.

[01:15:37] King

[01:15:37] Nebuchadnezzar

[01:15:37] makes

[01:15:38] Daniel,

[01:15:39] here it is,

[01:15:40] wait for it,

[01:15:41] the king,

[01:15:43] I'm sorry,

[01:15:44] the chief

[01:15:45] of the

[01:15:46] magicians.

[01:15:49] King

[01:15:49] Nebuchadnezzar

[01:15:50] makes Daniel

[01:15:51] the chief

[01:15:51] of the

[01:15:52] Magi.

[01:15:55] There's

[01:15:56] your

[01:15:56] connection.

[01:15:58] 600 years

[01:15:59] previous to

[01:16:00] Christ,

[01:16:01] God

[01:16:02] writes

[01:16:03] history

[01:16:04] in profound

[01:16:05] ways.

[01:16:06] He said

[01:16:07] to himself,

[01:16:10] I'm assuming

[01:16:11] he said

[01:16:12] to himself,

[01:16:12] I don't want

[01:16:13] to speak

[01:16:13] for God

[01:16:13] here,

[01:16:14] I'm going

[01:16:15] to make

[01:16:15] the Magi

[01:16:16] come.

[01:16:16] Pagans,

[01:16:17] Gentiles,

[01:16:18] they're not

[01:16:19] believers yet.

[01:16:21] How am I

[01:16:21] going to do

[01:16:21] that?

[01:16:22] Okay,

[01:16:22] I'm going

[01:16:22] to start

[01:16:23] 600 years

[01:16:24] prior,

[01:16:25] and I'm

[01:16:25] going to

[01:16:25] put a

[01:16:26] believer in

[01:16:26] me,

[01:16:26] a true

[01:16:27] believer in

[01:16:27] me,

[01:16:28] in a

[01:16:28] high place,

[01:16:29] in a

[01:16:30] pagan

[01:16:30] nation,

[01:16:31] Babylon,

[01:16:32] Daniel,

[01:16:33] over the

[01:16:34] Magi,

[01:16:35] who will

[01:16:35] then sprinkle

[01:16:37] through the

[01:16:37] Magi

[01:16:38] history,

[01:16:39] become a

[01:16:39] renowned

[01:16:40] Magi

[01:16:40] himself,

[01:16:41] and the

[01:16:41] people later,

[01:16:42] like we

[01:16:42] look at the

[01:16:43] U.S.

[01:16:43] Constitution,

[01:16:44] we look at

[01:16:44] people like

[01:16:44] George Washington,

[01:16:45] our nation

[01:16:46] is young,

[01:16:46] 200 years,

[01:16:47] we look at

[01:16:48] those men as,

[01:16:49] we kind of

[01:16:50] lift them up

[01:16:50] and say,

[01:16:50] these men

[01:16:51] were brilliant,

[01:16:52] and so we

[01:16:52] still read

[01:16:53] what they

[01:16:54] have to

[01:16:54] say about

[01:16:55] the

[01:16:55] Federalist

[01:16:55] Papers or

[01:16:56] the Constitution

[01:16:57] or whatever

[01:16:57] that is,

[01:16:58] historical

[01:16:58] documents.

[01:16:59] Think about

[01:16:59] the Magi,

[01:17:00] not 200

[01:17:01] years ago,

[01:17:02] 600 years

[01:17:03] ago,

[01:17:03] they had

[01:17:04] held Daniel

[01:17:05] in high

[01:17:05] regard,

[01:17:05] he was the

[01:17:06] chief of

[01:17:07] the Magi,

[01:17:08] they knew

[01:17:08] what Daniel

[01:17:09] had written,

[01:17:10] they knew

[01:17:10] what Daniel

[01:17:11] had said,

[01:17:12] and they

[01:17:13] knew that

[01:17:13] Daniel had

[01:17:14] foretold of

[01:17:15] this coming

[01:17:16] king.

[01:17:18] That's your

[01:17:18] connection.

[01:17:21] Well,

[01:17:21] let's look at

[01:17:22] what Daniel,

[01:17:22] the chief of

[01:17:23] the Magi,

[01:17:23] said in the

[01:17:24] book of

[01:17:25] Daniel,

[01:17:25] in Daniel

[01:17:25] chapter 7,

[01:17:27] he says,

[01:17:59] Now,

[01:18:01] and you're known to be kingmakers,

[01:18:04] you'd be very interested in a king whose kingdom will never pass away, wouldn't you?

[01:18:09] Very interested.

[01:18:11] You might be looking at the calendar and say,

[01:18:14] hey, Magi, guys, this is coming up like in three years.

[01:18:18] We're going to be here for this time.

[01:18:19] Daniel prophesied this.

[01:18:21] We've got to go.

[01:18:22] We've got to go to Israel.

[01:18:23] I've got to see what this is about.

[01:18:26] And the word spread.

[01:18:27] I'm sure they were looking at this.

[01:18:28] They knew astrology and astronomy.

[01:18:31] And the stars and everything.

[01:18:32] And we're going to get to the star next week.

[01:18:35] But the Magi knew who Daniel was.

[01:18:39] They knew that one would come to Israel as a divine king

[01:18:43] and an everlasting king with a kingdom that would never be destroyed.

[01:18:47] That's of high interest for a Magi.

[01:18:50] It was foretold by the renowned chief of Magi, Daniel.

[01:18:55] And from that, the Magi knew both the who and the what

[01:18:59] from Daniel 7, from the Old Testament scriptures.

[01:19:03] They knew the who and the what.

[01:19:05] A king was coming.

[01:19:06] Everlasting king.

[01:19:09] And then in Daniel 9, Daniel gives his progeny, Magi,

[01:19:13] even some more hints.

[01:19:15] He says,

[01:19:18] In Daniel 9, 25, the prophets told by the angel Gabriel that

[01:19:21] from the time of the decree that Jerusalem would be rebuilt

[01:19:25] to the coming of the Messiah would be 483 years.

[01:19:30] God is specific.

[01:19:33] This is a big prophecy.

[01:19:35] And God is specific.

[01:19:39] He doesn't say in hundreds of years this is going to happen.

[01:19:43] He doesn't say way far off in the distance.

[01:19:45] Someday, Israel, this is going to happen.

[01:19:47] No, God says it will be 483 years.

[01:19:50] From the moment that King Artaxerxes decrees that Jerusalem be rebuilt,

[01:19:55] start counting 483 years, and that's when my son will show up.

[01:19:59] And you know who's paying attention to that?

[01:20:00] Not many people, but the Magi were.

[01:20:06] And so they came, and from this they found out both the when and the where.

[01:20:12] So now they knew the who and the what and the when and the where,

[01:20:16] all from Daniel's prophecies.

[01:20:18] And I'm sure they had other writings from other biblical preachers or prophets.

[01:20:23] These are just two examples.

[01:20:25] And so they came, the Magi came, pagans, Gentiles,

[01:20:30] with anticipation and an expectation for the Messiah King to be born in Israel.

[01:20:38] That's why they came.

[01:20:39] That's why they made the trip.

[01:20:41] Your next note says,

[01:20:42] Another way to express the idea of anticipation, and this is important,

[01:20:46] or Advent is in a word, hope.

[01:20:54] It's a nice word, hope.

[01:20:57] It's even nicer when you have it.

[01:21:00] Because some people this Christmas season do not have it.

[01:21:03] And I told someone yesterday, because I've heard it before,

[01:21:13] if you're looking for something to complain about, you're going to find it.

[01:21:18] But if you're looking for something to be thankful about, you're going to find it.

[01:21:22] I told you the story last week about my truck.

[01:21:25] I had to get new wheels and tires because I saw a lug nut on the street.

[01:21:30] And when I checked my lugs, I found two of them were missing.

[01:21:33] Now at that moment, I could have said,

[01:21:35] kick the dirt and, oh my goodness, and complain, complain.

[01:21:40] But I have learned through watching my parents, mostly, in ministry, pause.

[01:21:46] Is there a blessing here? Where's the blessing here?

[01:21:48] And to me, the blessing was, I took my truck in and found out there was a bigger issue.

[01:21:53] It has to be fixed.

[01:21:54] And I could have gotten into, if I kept driving the truck, a bad accident.

[01:22:00] And I have the kids in the truck all the time.

[01:22:02] So my blessing was, thank you, Lord, I found this problem with my truck.

[01:22:08] Maybe it saved my life.

[01:22:11] See how you can look at it differently?

[01:22:15] Anticipating some hope.

[01:22:19] Whether the Lord takes the truck from me, fine.

[01:22:22] No matter what, I still have hope in other things.

[01:22:25] Hopefully not a truck.

[01:22:26] It's Jesus Christ.

[01:22:28] But some people don't have hope this season.

[01:22:33] But it really depends on how you look at it.

[01:22:35] Because if you're a Christian, you do have hope.

[01:22:38] You might not feel like you do.

[01:22:40] You might feel like you're running out of hope.

[01:22:43] When everyone else is being merry and jolly, and you go home and you say, I have no hope.

[01:22:48] There's no hope for me.

[01:22:49] But Advent is a time of hope.

[01:22:53] It's an anticipation of what's to come, what is promised to come.

[01:23:02] Advent, I like to say it this way, is a season of hope, not hype.

[01:23:08] Because there's a lot of hype out there.

[01:23:10] Especially in the Christian world.

[01:23:12] But there's a lot of hype over Christmas, too.

[01:23:14] You look at any store, you go to Macy's or wherever, it's just hyped up.

[01:23:19] There's a lot of hype in church services, too.

[01:23:22] But hype is not hope.

[01:23:25] There's a big difference.

[01:23:27] Hype has to do with emotions.

[01:23:28] You know how long emotions will get you through your hard times?

[01:23:32] They won't.

[01:23:34] They won't.

[01:23:36] Hope has to do with knowledge.

[01:23:40] Knowledge of what?

[01:23:41] Knowledge of what God said.

[01:23:44] Knowledge of the promises of God to you as a believer.

[01:23:48] That's not hype.

[01:23:50] That can hype you up.

[01:23:52] But hope has to do with the foundation of the knowledge of the promises of God.

[01:23:58] That never changes.

[01:23:59] Whether your emotions are high or low, the promises of God remain strong.

[01:24:06] Hype doesn't get you far.

[01:24:08] Hope will get you home all the way.

[01:24:11] We have hope as Christians because we know what God said.

[01:24:15] And we believe it.

[01:24:17] And we believe it.

[01:24:20] The people of Israel were anticipating their promised king and the coming Messiah.

[01:24:25] They were hopeful for him to come.

[01:24:27] According to their knowledge of the scriptures and of God's promises, even the pagan Gentiles had that knowledge.

[01:24:34] And they believed it.

[01:24:36] And you know what?

[01:24:36] It became true.

[01:24:37] It was true.

[01:24:39] They had a certain expectation of his soon arrival.

[01:24:42] And of all the people.

[01:24:44] Really, of all the people.

[01:24:45] It was the Magi who acted first on this expectation in a big way.

[01:24:49] They're the ones that acted first in a big way.

[01:24:52] Reading again, straight through.

[01:24:54] I'm just going to read these quick verses.

[01:24:55] Matthew 2, verse 1.

[01:24:56] So we get the full picture.

[01:24:58] 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, saying,

[01:25:05] Where is he who had been born king of the Jews?

[01:25:08] For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.

[01:25:12] When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled.

[01:25:16] And all Jerusalem with him.

[01:25:18] And assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

[01:25:24] They told him, In Bethlehem of Judea.

[01:25:27] For so it is written by the prophet.

[01:25:29] And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah.

[01:25:34] For from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.

[01:25:40] In verse 2 here it says,

[01:25:41] Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?

[01:25:43] For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.

[01:25:50] Again, I said we'll look at the star of Bethlehem next week.

[01:25:54] But note that when Herod hears this, he became troubled.

[01:26:02] He was troubled.

[01:26:03] He was nervous.

[01:26:04] Why was the king nervous?

[01:26:08] Herod was an overseer of Judah.

[01:26:10] He was like a proxy king, a surrogate for Caesar in that area over Judea, over the Jews.

[01:26:17] And so if someone came to Israel and says,

[01:26:19] Who's the king of the Jews?

[01:26:20] They would say Herod is.

[01:26:24] So when these kingmakers come from the Orient,

[01:26:29] It's a big deal.

[01:26:30] And they want to know where's the king of the Jews that was just born?

[01:26:35] Herod takes that personally.

[01:26:37] And he was troubled.

[01:26:40] Because he knows these people mean business.

[01:26:42] They're kingmakers.

[01:26:48] Verse 3 says,

[01:26:50] When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled.

[01:26:52] And all I got to say is,

[01:26:53] You better believe he was troubled.

[01:26:57] Maybe Herod thought he was kind of a big deal.

[01:27:00] But when this caravan shows up,

[01:27:02] Hey, King Herod, where's the king of the Jews?

[01:27:04] He was just born.

[01:27:05] And we know it's true.

[01:27:06] So where is he?

[01:27:06] Do you know where he is?

[01:27:08] And Herod, I can just feel his heart sink in his chest.

[01:27:12] So he's nervous.

[01:27:14] The scripture says in verse 3,

[01:27:16] When Herod heard this, he was troubled.

[01:27:19] Your next note here says,

[01:27:20] If you ever find yourself clearly outside of God's plan,

[01:27:25] You should be troubled.

[01:27:28] That should trouble you.

[01:27:31] In your deepest part of your heart,

[01:27:34] If you clearly know,

[01:27:36] I am outside of God's will here,

[01:27:39] That should trouble you.

[01:27:43] And Herod was troubled.

[01:27:45] But not for the right reasons.

[01:27:46] He wasn't being humbled here.

[01:27:48] He was afraid.

[01:27:49] He wanted to hold on to his power.

[01:27:52] So Herod assembles the chief priests and scribes

[01:27:54] And asks them,

[01:27:56] Where's the Christ supposed to be born?

[01:27:57] You guys know all the Old Testament scriptures.

[01:27:58] Where's the Christ supposed to be born?

[01:28:01] In verse 5, they tell him,

[01:28:03] And they know this because it had been what foretold.

[01:28:06] 700 years prior in Micah,

[01:28:09] The chief priests answered him,

[01:28:11] Apparently right away,

[01:28:12] They say,

[01:28:13] In Bethlehem of Judea,

[01:28:15] Right down the road, six miles.

[01:28:16] I can see the hill right over there.

[01:28:18] That's where he's going to be born.

[01:28:23] Herod's hopes and anticipation,

[01:28:24] Maybe that the Magi would be wrong or mistaken,

[01:28:27] Were dashed.

[01:28:29] They were completely dashed.

[01:28:30] Why?

[01:28:30] Because it was foretold already,

[01:28:32] 700 years ago.

[01:28:33] And at that point,

[01:28:34] Herod knew his days were numbered.

[01:28:36] And you know,

[01:28:36] Within about two or three years,

[01:28:37] Herod was dead.

[01:28:41] The writing was on the wall for him.

[01:28:46] What he suspected was true.

[01:28:49] I'm done.

[01:28:50] I'm done here.

[01:28:53] Just to conclude these events now,

[01:28:55] In this passage,

[01:28:56] And show how,

[01:28:58] And that,

[01:28:59] God was in full control of them,

[01:29:00] Reading from verse 7 in Matthew 2.

[01:29:02] Matthew writes,

[01:29:14] Yeah, right.

[01:29:21] After hearing the king,

[01:29:22] They went on their way,

[01:29:23] And behold,

[01:29:24] The star which they had seen in the east

[01:29:26] Went on ahead of them,

[01:29:27] Until it came to a stop over the place

[01:29:29] Where the child was to be found.

[01:29:31] When they saw the star,

[01:29:32] They rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

[01:29:34] And after they came into the house,

[01:29:36] They saw the child with his mother,

[01:29:38] Mary,

[01:29:38] And they fell down and worshipped him.

[01:29:41] These pagan Gentiles did this.

[01:29:43] Then they opened their treasures

[01:29:44] And presented to him gifts of gold,

[01:29:46] Frankincense,

[01:29:47] And myrrh.

[01:29:48] And after being warned by God in a dream

[01:29:51] Not to return to Herod,

[01:29:53] The magi left for their own country

[01:29:55] By another way.

[01:29:58] These magi had been anticipating the arrival

[01:30:02] Of the Savior,

[01:30:04] Messiah,

[01:30:05] King of the Jews.

[01:30:06] How?

[01:30:07] How?

[01:30:09] Because it had been foretold.

[01:30:11] And they were paying attention.

[01:30:14] And they weren't even Israelites.

[01:30:21] And they did it through the man of God

[01:30:22] Who God placed there centuries before,

[01:30:24] Daniel,

[01:30:24] To become chief of the magi.

[01:30:27] And they came right on time.

[01:30:31] And God's word won out again.

[01:30:35] And to me it seems that the magi

[01:30:36] Were converted from their paganism

[01:30:37] To the belief in the true God of Israel

[01:30:39] Because God protected them.

[01:30:41] He spoke to them in a dream

[01:30:42] And warned them,

[01:30:43] Don't go back to Herod.

[01:30:44] You guys go home now.

[01:30:45] And they came and worshipped him.

[01:30:47] They fell at his feet.

[01:30:50] I think they found the truth

[01:30:51] Through God's man Daniel

[01:30:54] Who he planted 600 years ago.

[01:30:56] How many people will your life

[01:30:57] And your testimony have

[01:30:59] In 600 years?

[01:31:00] How many people will that affect?

[01:31:03] If the Lord tarries

[01:31:04] And he doesn't come back for a thousand years,

[01:31:06] Will anyone

[01:31:07] Be affected by what you did today?

[01:31:09] You don't have to be famous.

[01:31:10] I'm not talking about

[01:31:11] Being well renowned.

[01:31:12] I'm talking about

[01:31:13] The seeds you plant in your family

[01:31:15] And your kids and grandkids.

[01:31:16] Will those seeds bear fruit?

[01:31:19] Because Jesus is big on bearing fruit.

[01:31:22] He came from the place called

[01:31:24] A place of fruitfulness.

[01:31:27] Will your testimony bear fruit?

[01:31:30] Forget 600 years.

[01:31:32] How about six days from now?

[01:31:35] Will it bear fruit?

[01:31:40] Daniel's testimony bore fruit

[01:31:41] 600 years after he died.

[01:31:43] And his testimony is bearing fruit today.

[01:31:45] Of course, it helps when you write

[01:31:47] A book of scripture, I'm sure.

[01:31:50] But you can have

[01:31:51] Those eternal effects too

[01:31:52] In your lives.

[01:31:55] And the Lord wants us to plant

[01:31:56] Seeds and be fruitful.

[01:32:00] Anyway, these magi

[01:32:01] Believed the scriptures.

[01:32:03] They believed them for centuries

[01:32:04] And their belief was confirmed by God.

[01:32:06] Perhaps no

[01:32:07] Like no other pagan scripture

[01:32:08] Had ever been

[01:32:10] To them before.

[01:32:11] And it was enough for them to believe.

[01:32:13] The God of Israel is a true God.

[01:32:16] And their anticipation was well placed.

[01:32:18] And their hope was rewarded.

[01:32:20] The Christ had arrived

[01:32:23] Right when God said he would.

[01:32:25] And their faith was

[01:32:28] Blossoming

[01:32:29] In that moment.

[01:32:31] Your next note here says

[01:32:32] If you're a Christian today

[01:32:35] Whether you believe it or not

[01:32:38] You have hope.

[01:32:42] You have hope.

[01:32:43] It doesn't matter if you feel like

[01:32:44] You have hope or not.

[01:32:45] If you're a Christian

[01:32:45] You have hope.

[01:32:48] Not only that

[01:32:48] We have the blessed hope.

[01:32:51] Depending on the situation you're in

[01:32:54] You may not feel like you have hope.

[01:32:55] You say, Lord, I don't

[01:32:56] No, I don't.

[01:32:58] It doesn't feel like I have hope.

[01:32:59] I don't feel hopeful.

[01:33:01] You may have convinced yourself

[01:33:02] That you're

[01:33:03] Not really expecting anything

[01:33:04] To be very merry this year.

[01:33:10] But let me tell you

[01:33:11] As today

[01:33:12] As I stand in the place

[01:33:13] Of an ambassador of the Lord

[01:33:17] As a child of God

[01:33:18] You have hope.

[01:33:20] How do I know that?

[01:33:21] Because he said we do

[01:33:23] As his children.

[01:33:25] Well, it doesn't depend on you

[01:33:26] It depends on him

[01:33:27] And his work.

[01:33:28] He's done it.

[01:33:29] He's our blessed hope.

[01:33:32] We're celebrating the advent

[01:33:35] Of the Christ this month.

[01:33:36] The coming of the Christ.

[01:33:38] The first coming.

[01:33:40] But from our position

[01:33:42] On the historical timeline

[01:33:43] We're also

[01:33:44] Looking forward to his second coming.

[01:33:46] His second advent.

[01:33:46] Are we not?

[01:33:48] And through faith in him

[01:33:51] He's washed our sins away.

[01:33:53] And we now anticipate

[01:33:54] That second advent.

[01:33:55] Could come at any time.

[01:34:00] We now anticipate

[01:34:01] This second advent

[01:34:02] When he comes again

[01:34:03] To redeem his creation.

[01:34:04] When he comes to wipe away

[01:34:06] All of our tears.

[01:34:06] When he comes to wipe away

[01:34:08] All of our sorrows

[01:34:08] And turn our sorrows

[01:34:09] Like we were told last week

[01:34:11] Into joy.

[01:34:13] We anticipate that.

[01:34:14] Aren't we expecting that?

[01:34:15] Aren't we hopeful for that?

[01:34:17] On our worst days

[01:34:18] We hope for that.

[01:34:20] If anything's

[01:34:21] Taken away from us

[01:34:22] At least we have that

[01:34:23] To look forward to.

[01:34:24] That's our blessed hope.

[01:34:26] And it's an expectant hope.

[01:34:27] But it's only a hopeful thing

[01:34:29] If you believe in him.

[01:34:31] And if you believe him.

[01:34:33] How do you believe him?

[01:34:34] You believe his words

[01:34:35] What was written.

[01:34:37] Do you believe him or not?

[01:34:38] Do you believe him or not?

[01:34:40] And if you don't

[01:34:41] He's calling you

[01:34:42] To believe him today.

[01:34:44] And to put your hope

[01:34:45] Your anticipation

[01:34:46] And nothing else

[01:34:49] But him.

[01:34:54] Without Jesus

[01:34:55] You're right

[01:34:55] You have no hope.

[01:34:58] But with him

[01:34:59] Whether you feel it or not

[01:35:01] You have all hope.

[01:35:03] You have all hope.

[01:35:04] Amen.

[01:35:06] Please stand with me

[01:35:07] As we close in prayer.

[01:35:14] Father once again

[01:35:15] We're so thankful

[01:35:16] Just to be able to meet here

[01:35:18] On Sunday mornings

[01:35:19] And pause our busy lives outside

[01:35:22] With everything going on.

[01:35:23] I always like to be thankful

[01:35:27] When we approach your throne.

[01:35:29] I always like to ask

[01:35:30] For your assistance

[01:35:31] In our lives

[01:35:32] Your help.

[01:35:32] Lord help us

[01:35:33] Guide us again

[01:35:34] To prioritize things

[01:35:36] In this busy time of the year.

[01:35:37] But let us to see

[01:35:38] Through a passage like this

[01:35:40] As we anticipate

[01:35:41] The coming of your son

[01:35:42] In the fleshly form

[01:35:43] Again when he comes

[01:35:44] A second time

[01:35:45] Help us to understand

[01:35:46] That you are the one

[01:35:48] Who writes this history

[01:35:50] To the T

[01:35:52] Being very specific

[01:35:53] About people

[01:35:54] Places

[01:35:54] Events

[01:35:56] Help us also understand

[01:35:58] The kind of God we serve

[01:36:00] The almighty God

[01:36:00] Who is in control

[01:36:01] Of everything

[01:36:03] Let us never be worried

[01:36:04] If you're going to

[01:36:05] Come through for us

[01:36:06] If you're not

[01:36:07] Big enough to handle

[01:36:08] Our problems

[01:36:09] As we call them

[01:36:11] Let us see the blessings

[01:36:12] In what we call problems

[01:36:14] Because your hand

[01:36:15] Is in everything

[01:36:16] Let us never lose sight

[01:36:17] Of that

[01:36:18] Lord let us to be

[01:36:19] A blessing to people

[01:36:20] Around us this season

[01:36:21] As we gather in people's homes

[01:36:23] Family, friends

[01:36:25] So that the light of Christ

[01:36:26] Can be seen

[01:36:26] Through us

[01:36:27] To them

[01:36:28] Especially to those

[01:36:29] Who don't yet know you

[01:36:31] Lord be blessed this week

[01:36:32] As we take our separate paths

[01:36:34] Keep us safe

[01:36:35] Keep us healthy

[01:36:36] Until we meet again

[01:36:37] In Jesus name we pray

[01:36:38] Amen