David Tests the LORD, and Finds Him True - Jan 12, 2014

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SERMON:

David is one of the most remarkable characters found in the Old Testament. He rose from being a humble shepherd boy, taking care of his father’s sheep in the fields, to reigning over hundreds of thousands of people as Israel’s greatest king.

As a youth David faced the mighty Goliath, a real life giant, and defeated him with a single stone. He ruled in Israel for over 40 years, and received a promise from our LORD that one of his descendants would be the Eternal King—the Messiah.

Far from being just a warrior, David was also a skilled musician, a poet, and a deeply introspective man. In the book of Psalms he has left us over 70 songs and prayers, written straight from the heart.

And yet, for all his greatness, David consistently gave credit to the LORD. Early in his life David was called an arrogant man his oldest brother, but David’s words and actions show him to be the opposite. He was a humble man. A man who regularly approached the throne of God in prayer. A man who depended on the LORD’s guidance, and in every situation sought to do that which would honor the Almighty.

It would be true to say that David was a great man. But it is more accurate to say that David was a simple man made great, by the LORD that he trusted in. The same LORD we still pray to today.

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For the next eight weeks we’re going to study the life of David. We’re going to get to know this man of faith, and learn from the record of his life which the Holy Spirit has preserved for our benefit.

PRAYER: Father in heaven, you made David great. As we study his life, use your Word to reveal ways in which we are like David. Reveal our weaknesses. Reveal our strengths. Amaze us by his faith, and help us to grow in our own faith through his example. Amen.

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In our study of David, we’re going to divide his life up into four chapters. In chapter one of David’s life we’ll watch as “David Tests the LORD, and Finds Him True.” This is also the period in David’s life when he grows to be a great warrior.

Before we read, let’s set the historical context. By this time in history, the LORD has brought the people of Israel up out of Egypt and has begun to settle them in their new land. But there are still other nations and people inhabiting this land. The nation of Israel has been instructed by the LORD to destroy these other nations as God’s judgment over their idolatry.

This is a very different time than we live in today. Today battles are fought with machine guns, laser guidance systems, missiles and all sorts of high tech weaponry. In David’s time battles were fought hand to hand, with sword and spear and javelin.

During this specific time, Saul was serving as the first king of Israel. As such he led the armed forces to war with sword in hand. In our sermon reading we find Saul and the armies of Israel encamped on one side of a valley, and the Philistine army encamped on the other. At this time David’ was serving Saul as an armor bearer, but not as a soldier. When his work for Saul was complete, he would hurry home to tend his father’s flocks of sheep. The present battle line was only 14 miles away from Bethlehem, where David’s father grazed his animals.

1 Samuel 17:4-11, 32-37, 45-50 (NIV)

⁴ A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span. ⁵ He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; ⁶ on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. ⁷ His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.

⁸ Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. ⁹ If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” ¹⁰ Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” ¹¹ On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

³² David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”

³³ Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”

³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, ³⁵ I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. ³⁷ The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”

⁴⁵ David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

⁴⁸ As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. ⁴⁹ Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

⁵⁰ So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

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Goliath was an intimidating figure to say the least. First of all, he was huge. In our measurements, he stood somewhere around 9 foot 9 inches tall. Standing on his toes, Goliath could have bumped his head on a regulation size basketball hoop.

And Goliath was no string-bean. The weight of his war gear reveals he was an immensely strong man. His armor alone weighed 125 lbs! His spear was compare to a “weaver’s rod”. I’m not sure how big a weaver’s rod is, but I do know that the spear’s tip weighed 15 lbs. That’s about as much as two 12 inch cast iron skillets. Imagine the strength it would take to just hold up a nine foot long spear with two skillets attached to the end. This was a ridiculously large weapon wielded by a ridiculously large man.

And Goliath wasn’t just enrolled in the army of the Philistines to look mean. We’re told that he was a “champion,” and that he had been a warrior since he was a boy. This was a seasoned veteran who had taken many lives in his service to Philistia. The fact that he was bold enough to challenge anyone in Israel’s army to a winner-take-all fight to the death pretty much says it all.

When Goliath marched out to challenge Israel, he found no takers. For forty days the armies of Israel and Philistia camped opposite each other without meeting each other in battle. Each day Goliath had made his challenge, and no one stepped up to take him on.

This is a sad commentary on the state of Israel’s faith. You see, when the LORD brought his chosen nation to this new land he had told them the following:

“¹⁷ “If you should say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?’— ¹⁸ you shall not be afraid of them, but you shall remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: ¹⁹ the great trials which your eyes saw, the signs and the wonders, the mighty hand and the outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out. So shall the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. ²⁰ Moreover the Lord your God will send the hornet among them until those who are left, who hide themselves from you, are destroyed. ²¹ You shall not be terrified of them; for the Lord your God, the great and awesome God, is among you” (Deuteronomy 7:17-21 NKJV).

But Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified when Goliath stepped out to challenge them. He was just too big, too mighty, too deadly.

Israel’s mistake was judging Goliath by his outward strength, and estimating their chance of victory their according to their own military might. They should have remembered the promise of the LORD, and the power he had displayed in Egypt when Moses brought them out of slavery with miracles from God’s own hand.

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And this is where we first see the faith of David displayed. He was just a young man, but he was immediately appalled that this Philistine had been permitted to challenge the armies of the LORD without repercussion. And so David offered himself. He told Saul that HE would battle Goliath.

Saul shows his lack of faith again, by telling David that surely he can’t face Goliath because he is just an inexperienced shepherd. But David reassures him that while he hasn’t fought in wars, he has fought wild animals to protect his father’s sheep. He tells Saul that he’s killed both lion and bear in defense of the flock.

But even in this David wasn’t showing a reliance on his own ability. He gives God the credit for giving him the victory over lion and bear. David says,

“³⁶ Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. ³⁷ The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:36-37 NIV).

The story of David and Goliath is often held up as an example of what the little guy can do when he gives it his best shot. But this story isn’t about self confidence at all. This story is about faith.

When David steps out on the field of battle he says as much to Goliath and all who are listening. He says,

“…You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head” (1 Samuel 17:45-46 NIV).

In other words, Goliath’s confidence for victory rested in his weapons of war and his own strength, but David’s confidence rested in the LORD. The LORD was David’s weapon. David emphasizes where his strength lies by saying,

“…it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands” (1 Samuel 17:47 NIV).

From David’s faith in the LORD, courage sprang forth. When Goliath moved forward to silence this little gnat who was lipping off to him, David RAN to meet him. He didn’t even have a shell in the chamber when he ran either. As he ran he reached into his bag to find a stone for his sling. And the rest is history.

From faith in the LORD’s promise and power, courage sprang up and David ran forward. And while David gained notoriety for this act of bravery on the field of battle, his intention was actually to honor the LORD by simply trusting his promise.

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There’s so much for us to learn here. From David’s faith which brought about courageous action, our faith can learn to do the same.

First, we need to know God’s promises. We learn of these by reading God’s Word, together here, and at home with our families, and by ourselves.

Then, we need to learn not to let outward circumstances weaken our faith in God’s promises. The LORD wasn’t intimidated by Goliath, so why should we be intimidated by people or circumstances that face us today? The LORD has promised to be with us also. We are his followers.  

With confidence in God’s almighty power, we can then learn to CHARGE into the fray just like David did. And the result will be the same—victory for us, and praise for the LORD.

Here’s a few of God’s promises for us to remember today. Jesus once said…

“²⁴ “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life” (John 5:24 NKJV).

Later, Jesus made this promise…

“…If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23 NKJV).

Paul spoke of this assurance we have in Christ…

“²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28 NKJV).

So the promises that we have from God are these: Those who trust in Jesus, are forgiven all their sins. They will live forever with him in heaven. Those who love Jesus, are loved by the Father and he makes his home right in our hearts. And nothing can then happen in our lives that God will not cause to benefit us.

These are promises to hold onto. From them comes courage. From them comes power from God which can overcome anything we face in this life. Through simple faith in the LORD’s power and promises, WE become the giants, and the giants of the world become the defeated.

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What’s really neat about the story about David and Goliath is that it also reminds us of our Savior from sin.

Like David, Jesus also trusted in his heavenly Father above all else. Like David, Jesus bravely stepped forward to meet his betrayer in the garden of Gethsemane, and his greatest battle on the cross of Calvary. Like David, Jesus triumphed when no one else thought he could. Through his suffering and death our sin was overthrown, and the power of Satan over us was destroyed.

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Are you an ordinary person? Not known in the world for your great deeds of courage and faithfulness? So was David.

Do you trust in the LORD who is greater than all obstacles this world can raise up? So did David.

May the LORD’s promises ever be the soil from which our souls find their sustenance. And may the LORD produce great things in our lives, courageous words and actions which give glory to the LORD—who can topple our greatest giants with ease and grace.

Amen.

Jesus - Name Above All Names - Jan 5, 2014

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SERMON:

Luke 2:21

When eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

Dear fellow Christians:

January 1^st, was a noteworthy day. It was noteworthy not only because it was New Year's Day according to our calendars, but also because it was the eighth day of the twelve days of the Christmas season. When we look at what happened on the eighth day of that first Christmas, we find an important event. Now, Scripture doesn't tell us much about the Lord's childhood, but we are told about that particular day. An important day in the life of Jesus, it was the day of His circumcision.

Circumcision was the outward sign God had given to the Jews that they were children of the promise. It was similar in significance to the New Testament sacrament of Baptism. It reminded the Israelites that they had been set apart as the people from whom the Savior of the world would be born—that they were the people of the covenant.

The eighth day was also significant in the life of Jewish boys because it was the day they were officially given their names. In the case of Jesus, there was no suspense or surprise about the name He would have. Before He was born, even in an age without ultrasound machines, Mary already knew she was having a boy, and she knew what He would be called. Nine months earlier she had been visited by the angel Gabriel who had told her “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus” (Luke 1:31 NIV).

I.

Notice when Jesus’ name was chosen. Luke recorded for us in our text that this was “the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.” See the timing of the choosing of Jesus' name. The name was chosen before Jesus had ever been conceived. It was picked out beforehand. Can this tell us something about God? Does it mean something for us?

This tells us that God was sure this was going to happen. Imagine a mother saying to her friends, “Yes, and the name of my next child will be...” when she doesn't even know if she will even have a child in the future. There was no such trouble in the case of Jesus. God knew this was going to happen, because He had been planning this birth for a long time. He had been getting ready for it in many ways. He was sure of it.

Down to the last detail everything had been made ready. For hundreds of years the prophets had been announcing that the Savior would be born. They had been telling the people to get ready. The wheels of history had been turning in this direction—turning faithfully toward the manger and the swaddling clothes and the shepherds in the field.

Mary, the mother, and stepfather, Joseph, were in place. They were descendants of King David as had been prophesied. The family had been brought to Bethlehem by royal decree, so that too had been worked out and fulfilled prophecy.

God knew what He was doing, and this birth was no accident. It was planned and carried out in the mind and by the power of God. It was specially engineered by the Father in Heaven—specially engineered for you. It is because of you that God got everything ready like this. Because you needed someone to save you from yourself. You’re not perfect. You never have been and you never will be, so someone needed to come for you and live a life that really could please God. This Jesus came to do.

God was sure about all this. He didn’t change His mind back and forth even when He saw mankind on earth sinning against Him and straying away from Him like foolish sheep. That isn’t the kind of God you have. You don’t have a God who one minute determines to help you and the next minute decides to withdraw that help. That’s how we are sometimes, and so we tend to think of God in those terms too. We think sometimes that God gives things to us and takes them away on a whim without any thought for our feelings and needs. But God isn’t fickle that way. You can count on the fact that He is absolutely unchanging with regard to His decisions and judgment. That’s a great blessing for it means also that His love toward you does not change and you need never doubt it.

Jesus was named before He had been conceived. This tells us too that God was excited and anxious to send this child.

When you see a husband and wife paging through a baby name book before a child is officially “on the way,” it means they are very anxious to have a baby. How much more does it mean when God chooses a name for His Son even before the child has been conceived! It means God was eager for this Child to come into the world! God was not only sure He was going to save you, but He was eager to do so! God couldn't wait to send Him to you!

That’s how the Lord is with you. He can’t wait to share with you His greatest gifts. When you sometimes think that He is slow and forgetful with His blessings, He perhaps has them named already in preparation for sharing them with you. Have you ever thought of that?

It does not give our Heavenly Father any joy when He sees His children depressed and sorrowing any more than we earthly parents are joyful when a child of ours is hurting. So it did not give God joy to see the world fall under condemnation for its sin, so He sent His only begotten Son—not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. Indeed, God wanted with all His heart to do this for you.

II.

The name “Jesus” also fit this Child perfectly. We have something of an interest in names “fitting” people too. My sister and I had a game we would play sometimes. We would see people in a mall or in a grocery store and we would try to guess what their names were. Sometimes we were able to find a sneaky way to tell if we were right. For example, by getting behind them in a checkout line and overhearing a conversation. During this game wee would ask each other things like, “Does she look like an Amy or a Nancy? I don’t know, what do you think? With that color of hair she has to be an Amy!”

Did you know people have certain stereotypes in their minds when it comes to names? Many hear a name and they make some kind of association, sometimes without even thinking about it. I found a survey on the computer about name stereotypes. I discovered that 45% of people think the name Alfred suggests a grumpy old guy. 63% think Brad suggests a high school athlete. Ashley is a cheerleader. Mary is a Sunday School teacher. Shelly is a hairdresser. Mario is a drug dealer, and so on.

What do you think the Lord’s mother thought when the angel said to her, “Jesus”? Would she have thought: Shepherd? Businessman? Farmer? No, none of these. For there was a clear association with that name. Jesus is the same name as the Hebrew Joshua. They mean, “Jehovah saves.” Jesus’ name suggested that through Him God would save all people. It was a name that fit Him perfectly!

It is the name the Apostle Paul proclaimed to the Philippians when he said of the Lord: “... being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Philippians 2:8-10 NIV).

At the name of Jesus we bow down—for He is our Savior. At the name of Jesus we rejoice, we enjoy forgiveness, we find peace, we have hope for all time. Bless His holy name! Amen.

— Pastor David P. Schaller

The Flight Into Egypt - Dec 29, 2013

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SERMON:

We’re going to begin our message today by talking a little about prophets and prophecy.

The job of a prophet is to announce God’s Word. Sometimes that Word has to do with things that have already taken place. Sometimes that Word deals with things that are currently happening. And sometimes a prophet speak of things yet to come.

When most people think of prophecy, they think of Predictive Prophesy. Prophecy that foretells events that haven’t yet taken place. The Greek word for “prophecy” is made from two words smooshed together—“before” and “saying”. It literally means, “a before saying.”

THE PURPOSE OF PROPHESY

Predictive Prophecy serves both the people who live before, and people who live after, its fulfillment.

For those living before, Predictive Prophecy engenders hope. When Adam and Eve heard that the Lord would crush the power of Satan through one of Eve’s descendants, they were given hope through that first Gospel prophecy.

Those living after a Predictive Prophesy is fulfilled receive reassurance of God’s faithfulness as well as validation that God’s wisdom and power transcend space and time.

TYPICAL AND DIRECT PROPHESY

There are two basic types of Predictive Prophecy: Direct Prophecy and Typical Prophesy. A Direct Prophecy is fulfilled by ONE person or event. Typical Prophecy is fulfilled by more than one individual at different times in history.  However, even though Typical Prophesy may be fulfilled by more than one individual, it finds its ultimate fulfillment in One person or event. For example, in our Old Testament reading for today a Typical Prophesy was announced to king David. We read…

“Also the Lord tells you that He will make you a house.

¹² “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴ I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. ¹⁵ But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶ And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.”” (2 Samuel 7:11-16 NKJV).

When king David wanted to build a temple for the Lord to replace the worship-tent they had been using, God told him “no”. Instead God prophesied the coming of one of David’s sons who would…

·         Have a kingdom

·         Build a house for the Lord’s name

·         Have the throne of his kingdom established forever

·         Be the Lord’s son

·         Be chastened if he sinned

·         Not have the Lord’s mercy fully removed because of sin

The question is, does this prophecy refer to David’s son Solomon, or does it refer to David’s later son, Jesus Christ? The answer is both. Solomon built a physical Temple for the Lord, but Christ builds the eternal house of God in people’s hearts, through the Gospel message. Solomon was a “son” of the Lord by faith, but Jesus Christ is the Son of God by substance, from eternity. Solomon and his descendents were indeed chastened by the Lord for their sinful departures from God’s Word. And yet their line was not extinguished because the promised Savior had to come from David’s family tree. Jesus Christ was also chastened, even punished fully for sins—though they were not his own sins. Christ experienced hell on the cross when he stood in the place of all sinners. And yet, when this payment was complete, three days later, the Lord raised his Son from the dead. Even though the Lord punished Christ on the cross, he was not abandoned forever.

Solomon is called a “type” of Christ because he fulfilled this Christ-prophecy in a small way. Jesus Christ later fulfilled this prophecy in the most complete way. This is how Typical Prophecy works. Smaller “types” fulfill the prophecy before the most complete fulfiller comes.

PROPHETIC FORESHADOWING IN ACTUAL HISTORY

Sometimes Predictive Prophecy is made so that the hearers will be able to act when an event is about to take place. For example, Christ told his disciples about certain signs that would precede the destruction of Jerusalem so that they might recognize these signs and escape before the Roman army surrounded the city. But more often, Predictive Prophecy is simply God calling his shots so that afterward people will know this was no chance happening—this was the Lord’s hand in action.

The Bible tells us the Old Testament is full of “shadows of the good things to come”. What that means is, God used the actual events of Old Testament history, to foreshadow more significant events to come. These foreshadowings served to give hope to God’s people as they waited for the promised Savior. And these foreshadowings still serve us today by verifying that God’s hand has been preparing our salvation—and has now finished that work in Jesus Christ.

The Old Testament way of worship, with all its animal sacrifices foreshadowed the great sacrifice God’s Son would offer on the cross.

In Colossians it says…

“¹⁶ So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, ¹⁷ which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17 NKJV).

Even the Old Testament days of rest and worship were shadows of things to come. The religious festivals and Sabbaths, on which the people rested and worshipped foreshadowed the peace that each believer finds in Christ.

UNDERSTANDING THE PROPHESIES IN MATTHEW 2:13-23

Now, we’ve been reviewing all this stuff about Predictive Prophecy, and Typical vs. Direct Prophecy in order to help us understand our sermon reading for today. Our sermon reading speaks of the flight into Egypt. As we read, listen for the different kinds of prophesy we just talked about.

Matthew 2:13-23 (NKJV)

¹³ Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

¹⁴ When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, ¹⁵ and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

¹⁶ Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. ¹⁷ Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

¹⁸    “A voice was heard in Ramah,

      Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,

      Rachel weeping for her children,

      Refusing to be comforted,

      Because they are no more.”

¹⁹ Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, ²⁰ saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” ²¹ Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

²² But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. ²³ And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

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In the account of the flight to Egypt, we find a number of prophesies, some of them Typical Prophecies.

First off, after the wise men visited the Christ Child and presented their gifts in reverent worship, they were warned by God not to return to King Herod. Herod wanted to use the wise men to find the newborn King so that he could kill him. Simple minded Herod saw the Christ Child as a threat to his reign.

So, an angel was sent to Joseph, and away they fled to Egypt. Matthew notes that this event was guided by the very hand of the Lord so that what had been foretold in the past would come true in its greatest sense. Through the Old Testament prophet Hosea God had said…

“11 “When Israel was a child, I loved him,

And out of Egypt I called My son” (Hosea 11:1 NKJV).

At the time when this prophecy was originally spoken, this had already happened. God had called Israel out of Egypt. Moses had gone down to the enslaved Israelites and had led them out of Egypt to the Promised Land. But in Christ’s time this Typical Prophecy was fulfilled in a greater sense. It wasn’t just God’s figurative “son” that was called out of Egypt, but his actual Son, the eternal Son whose human name is Jesus.

This example of prophecy and fulfillment serves to strengthen our faith in God’s promise keeping ability. First God called Israel out of Egyptian slavery to a new and bountiful land. Then God called his only-begotten-Son out of Egypt to return to Judea. And now, God has called us through the Gospel to live no longer in the land of sin, and condemnation, but to live in the land of forgiveness and justification through Christ. And this prophesy will be fulfilled one more time on the Last Day when God calls all his faithful followers to live beside him in the promised land of heaven.

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When Herod found out that the wise men weren’t coming back to him, he was enraged, and tried to carry out his plan to extinguish the Christ’s life. He ordered the execution of any child that had been born around the same time. Matthew notes that another Typical Prophesy was fulfilled in this tragic event. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah had said,

“A voice was heard in Ramah,

Lamentation and bitter weeping,

Rachel weeping for her children,

Refusing to be comforted for her children,

Because they are no more” (Jeremiah 31:15 NKJV).

Ramah was a town about five miles north of Jerusalem. In the Old Testament, when Jerusalem was conquered and the Israelites led captive to Babylon, they passed through this town on the way. There must have been much weeping and sorrow, for before Jerusalem was finally conquered, many had died at the hands of the Babylonian armies.

At the time of Christ, this “weeping prophesy” was again fulfilled. Herod’s rampage left the unspeakable carnage of many dead children. Once again, there was much weeping in Ramah.

And yet, this dark prophesy has a light of hope along its edge. The Babylonian Captivity, which caused the first weeping, did not last forever. A remnant of the people returned to Israel, after a time, and from that remnant the Savior of the world was eventually born.

Furthermore, we are given hope today. Just as Herod was not able to extinguish the life of our Savior before his time had come, so also we are assured by God’s Word that a remnant of faithful followers will remain in this world until the Last Day. The light of the Gospel will continue to call sinners to forgiveness and life in Christ. And finally, the remnant of God’s followers will be called to eternal peace and glory at God’s side in heaven where there will be no more weeping  and sorrow among God’s redeemed children.

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The final prophesy that Matthew relates is a little different than the first two we’ve addressed. When Herod was dead, God sent an angel to tell Joseph to return to Palestine with his family. Upon returning, Joseph learned that Herod’s son Archelaus was ruling in Judea. So, instead of returning to Bethlehem, Joseph took his family north to a little back-water village called Nazareth. Matthew tells us that yet another prophesy was fulfilled here. A prophesy that had been spoken by a number of different prophets.

If you search the Old Testament for a specific prophecy that says, “He shall be called a Nazarene” you won’t find one. The statement that the Christ would grow up in Nazareth simply wasn’t made in the Old Testament. However, if we look a little closer, we can see what Matthew was talking about.

Over and over in the Old Testament it was predicted that the Savior would be despised by the people. In Psalm 22 the Savior himself says…

“⁶ But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people” (Psalm 22:6 NKJV).

In Isaiah 49, the Redeemer of Israel is called…

“…Him whom man despises…Whom the nation abhors…” (Isaiah 49:7 NKJV).

Isaiah again describes the Savior in chapter 53, saying…

“³ He is despised and rejected by men,

A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him” (Isaiah 53:3 NKJV).

When Jesus began to reveal himself as the promised Christ during his ministry, his enemies seized on the opportunity to remind everyone where he came from. That he was a mere Nazarene. Nothing good came from Nazareth. It was a piddly back-water city not noted in the Old Testament even a single time. The title “Jesus of Nazareth” served to simply indicate which Jesus this was, the one who came from Nazareth. But, to those who hated Jesus it also served as a title of insult and disgrace, “Jesus—OF NAZARETH.” Thus was fulfilled every Old Testament prophecy that proclaimed that the Christ would be despised by the people.

When Joseph made the decision to turn aside and settle his family in Nazareth, he just wanted to put them in a safe, easily overlooked location. But the Lord of Heaven was working behind the scenes, even in this. And this fact should also strengthen our faith in the power of God. In the Old Testament, God guided the actual events of history to foreshadow the work of salvation which his Son would do. And in the life of Jesus, God was continually working so that each Direct Prophecy, and every Typical Prophecy was fulfilled. Through these foreshadowings and fulfillments God draws our attention to his great work of saving us through Christ.

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So, how has the Lord guided your life to this day? What has he caused to happen so that you have been led to just the right place, at just the right time, to see your sin and your Savior from sin? And how has the Lord guided your life to help bring others the knowledge of salvation through Christ?

Some people wonder what we’ll fill our days with in heaven. Perhaps God will take some time to show us just how he worked in the lives of each redeemed sinner to carry out his master plan of bringing salvation to the world. What a feature presentation that would be.

But for now, lets just take comfort in the lessons God has given us here in the simple story of the flight into Egypt. God’s plan of salvation was predicted and foreshadowed in so many ways. And his every promise and prediction was fulfilled. The Christ Child, though hated and despised, was not allowed to die until he had suffered on the cross for each and every sin we have ever committed. Only after our debt was fully paid did he speak those precious words…

“…It is finished…” (John 19:30 NKJV).

It was then that Satan’s power was shattered. With our sins forgiven, Satan no longer has any charge to make against us that can stick. Praise be to our gracious, and all powerful God who has painted prophecy and fulfillment right into events of human history. May his skilful and beautiful craftsmanship serve to give us hope, and strengthen our faith in our great Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus Our Brother, Kind and Good - Dec 25, 2013

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SERMON:

This year, during the Sundays of Advent we prepared to celebrate Christmas by taking a look at the miracles that happened in the days and months before Jesus was born. We heard how an elderly couple was miraculously blessed with a child, a child who would one day prepare the people for the Messiah. A young girl conceived a Son while she was yet still a virgin. Later, it was revealed to that young girl’s husband that her Child had been conceived by the Holy Spirit’s power. Still later, it was revealed to a group of shepherds, in the fields outside of Bethlehem,  that a Savior had indeed been born. A Savior who was God’s gift to the world. Each of these events was marked by the appearance of one or more of God’s angel messengers.

And yet, in the actual place where the Savior was born there was no bright light. No miraculous messenger. When the world’s Savior was born, it was a remarkably natural occurrence.  

Though we’ve probably heard the account of our Savior’s birth hundreds of times, perhaps we’ve missed this fact. As we read the story again this year, try to hear it with different ears. Try, if you can, to listen to the details of this account like someone who isn’t familiar with the story. Like someone who doesn’t yet know the significance of this Child’s life.

Luke 2:1-7 (NKJV)

 

2         And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. ³ So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. ⁶ So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. ⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

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When Caesar Augustus, also known as Gaius Octavius, had the decree published that his empire should undergo a census, he was not thinking of the Savior that God had promised to send the world. Rather, his decree was just one more governmental exercise. If you’re going to tax people, it helps to know how many people are going to need to pay.

This wasn’t the first census ever taken. So, Luke notes that this census was the the first that took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.

Instead of sending counters out to the people, in Judea the people were required to travel to certain cities. Cities that matched up with their family’s origin where they would then be registered. Around Christmas time today, the roads are packed with people on their way to buy gifts, or groceries. But at the time of the first Christmas the roads were packed for a different reason. The people had to comply with the emperor’s decree.

When Joseph and Mary left Nazareth, bound for Bethlehem, they probably weren’t thinking about the prophesy that said the Savior would be born in Bethlehem. They were descendants of King David, and so their census city was the one where David had been born—Bethlehem. Like everyone else, they too had to comply with the emperor’s demand.

No flashy miracles here. Just the Governmental red-tape, and the everyday taxation of a nation.

And then the time came for Mary to give birth. The contractions came slowly at first, and gradually increased in intensity and frequency. And with one final push, the little Child that the world had waited so long to see, let out his first cry into the cool air of the Judean night.

There was no lightning. No flash of heavenly glory. Just a tired young Mary, and a beautiful new Child, wriggling and kicking in the dark.

And what did they do with this Child? They did what parents do with newborn children. They wrapped him up tightly to keep him warm and calm. And because poor Mary needed to rest, they laid him down in his first crib. Sure it was a manger, usually used to hold food for animals, but even this detail, though now famous, was not miraculous. They simply used what they had at hand. What else could they do?

No miracle here. Just a poor Judean couple doing their best to care for their newborn Child.

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You see, the miracle had happened nine months before, when Mary had conceived this Child without the help of Joseph. When Mary had been overshadowed by the Spirit of God and had received the spark of life that would grow into the very Son of God in her womb. That’s when the miracle happened. At the actual time of Christ’s birth it was all a very common natural occurrence. A child was born.

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And there are reasons why the birth of God’s own Son happened in this ordinary way. First of all, back in the Garden of Eden, God had promised that one of Eve’s descendants would crush the power of the devil. And so the Savior had to be HUMAN. God had told Satan…

“¹⁵        And I will put enmity

            Between you and the woman,

            And between your seed and her Seed;

            He shall bruise your head,

            And you shall bruise His heel”(Genesis 3:15 NKJV).

And so the Seed of Eve was born to Mary, in the same way that every other Child has been born since the beginning of the world.

And though this human Child was also the very Son of God, he would not use his divine power to ease his way in this world. For if he was to be the great stand-in-sacrifice for all sinners, he would have to struggle along like everyone else. And so even in his birth, the Christ refrained from the miraculous, and was born in the ordinary way of physical exertion and pain.

It was necessary for this Child to be truly human for another reason. He had to be able to die. The great redemption of the world could only be accomplished by a great sacrifice. The Messiah must not only live a life of sinless perfection, he must also die a humble death in accordance with prophesy. And so he was born in the same way as every other human child.

One of our lesser known Christmas carols reads like this…

Jesus our brother, kind and good,

Was humbly born in a stable rude.

The friendly beasts around Him stood,

Jesus, our brother, kind and good.

  

This Christmas carol points out one last reason why our Savior was born in this common, ordinary way. He was born to be our brother. That phrase, “Jesus our brother” simply means that Jesus was truly one of us, though without sin. Truly human. And that’s the whole reason why he was born like he was. The eternal Son of God became a HUMAN BEING so that he could rescue sinners like you and me from hell.

Jesus became our brother. What a comfort that fact is. He didn’t just APPEAR human like the angels sometimes do when delivering God’s messages. He actually BECAME human.

And so he knows. He knows what our lives are like. He’s experienced it. And even after all the abuse he received in his life, he was still willing to give his life to save mankind. To save you, and me, from all our ugly sins. Jesus our brother, kind and good.

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Artists often portray the little Christ Child with beams of light shining from his face as he lays there in Mary’s arms, or in Joseph’s arms, or in the manger. They paint him like this to illustrate the fact that he is true God, the eternal Son.

But today, as we look into the manger, let’s see the OTHER great truth. He was born a human child, that he might save the human race. He was born a human child, that we might believe that he really gets it, he knows our thoughts and dreams, he knows our struggles and problems, and he cares. Jesus our brother, kind and good.

Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, thank you for sending your precious Son to be our brother. The fact that this has happened is mind-boggling and awe-inspiring. Strengthen our faith that we may always hold this truth dear, and look to the Christ Child as our only Savior, and our great King. Fill us with peace at the birth of your Son. And along with your forgiveness, fill our hearts, minds, and mouths with praise for your astounding grace. Amen.

Glory to God, Peace to Mankind - Dec 22, 2013

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SERMON:

Our great God is capable of turning the most humble substances into the most beautiful things. This fact is displayed in his creation at nearly every turn. In the earth’s mantle, under intense heat and pressure, black carbon is transformed into sparkling diamonds. When a bit of sand finds its way into a clam, it is surrounded by layer upon layer until it is transformed into a shimmering pearl. A grain of dust floating through a cloud in the winter sky is surrounded by a sheath of frozen water that gradually crystallizes into the gorgeous and intricate shapes we know as snowflakes.

When the creative power of the Lord comes into contact with the humble elements of this world, astounding and beautiful things result. 

When the glory of the Lord came down to mankind in the form of the Christ Child, the result was the same. On the first Christmas, God’s glory met our darkness, and two things happened: God was glorified, and sinful mankind received peace.

Luke 2:8-15 (NKJV)

⁸ Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

¹⁴    “Glory to God in the highest,

      And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

¹⁵ So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”

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In this account, Luke paints a beautiful picture of dramatic contrasts. The story of the shepherds is one on great darkness, and one of brilliant light. We’ll start with the darkness.

These were shepherds. We might imagine a kindly band of working men, maybe a boy here or there, snuggled around a fire out in the countryside. But that image is more from our idealized nativity sets and Christmas decorations than from reality. Shepherds were outcasts. They were considered among the lowest classes of society, and not to be trusted. Sure there were trustworthy men among the shepherding class, but the number of unscrupulous ones led to a harsh stereotype. At the time when these events took place, shepherds could not serve in judicial positions and they were forbidden from being witnesses in a court of law.

Reputations aside, lets take a look at why these men had to be out in the fields at all. They were tending sheep. Sheep that were easy prey for predators, thieves, or simply harsh weather. After the fall into sin, the world became an ugly place of struggle, death, and robbery. Sin’s effect on the world was what made shepherding necessary.

This is the scene as Luke paints it to begin with: Out in the night, a band of rough shepherds, guarding a flock of sheep from death and theft. That’s a pretty dark picture.

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But then into the scene enters an angel of the Lord, and with that angel, the glory of the Lord. If you search the Bible for that phrase, “the glory of the Lord” you’ll see it in the Old Testament most of all. The glory of the Lord was a brilliant light that appeared when the Lord wanted to make his presence known.

At Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments, the glory of the Lord is described as being “like a devouring fire” (Exodus 24:17). This awe-inspiring sight was often accompanied by a mysterious cloud. When the prophet Ezekiel received a vision of the Lord sitting on his throne, he saw the glory of the Lord and said it was like the vivid brightness of a rainbow. When Solomon dedicated the first Temple of the Lord, the glory of the Lord filled the Temple making it impossible for the priests to enter it.

Here in the countryside outside of Bethlehem, the shepherds found themselves SURROUNDED by this brilliant and vivid glory.

And before long, that single angel of the Lord standing before them received backup. Luke says that all the sudden a multitude of the heavenly host appeared. That word, “host” is the same word used to describe an army arrayed for battle. That is to say, an angel army appeared before these shepherds, and with one unified voice they praised the God of heaven.

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This is the contrast that Luke presents. A dirty, rag-tag bunch of sinful shepherds and a brilliant and powerful band of angel messengers—accompanied by the light of God’s glory. And to add to the contrast between these two, Luke tells us that the shepherds were filled with fear, while the angels were filled with ecstatic joy. “Don’t fear!”, the first angel said, for we bring you GOOD NEWS!

If we attempted to actually put this scene on a canvas, we could start by simply putting a huge swatch of black on the bottom half, and huge swatch of light on the top of our canvas.

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And on the line between these contrasts we find the message of the Christ Child’s birth. Where the glory of God meets the darkness of sinful mankind we find God-made-Man. Human, yet sinless. Laid in a humble manger for his first crib. This was one through whom the whole universe had been created.

And in this Child, the glory of the Lord was expressed in a way that was far more glorious than the brilliant light shining on the fields and flocks and shepherds. Here in this Child the glory of the Lord was expressed in his GRACE.

What a gift was being given to mankind! This Child was to be a source of joy for all the people of the world, for he had been born for the specific purpose of being their Savior from sin. God’s promise to send salvation for sinners was being fulfilled. And the angels praised the Lord for what he was doing. They said…

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14 NKJV).  

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Now, I want to clear a little something up here about verse 14. Some English translations have the angels saying something like, “peace to those on whom his favor rests” (NIV), or “peace among those with whom he is pleased” (ESV). These translations fail to capture the meaning of the original Greek. They make it sound like the angels are saying, “peace be to SOME of mankind, namely, on those whom God is pleased with”. That’s not the meaning of the Greek.

The New King James Translation does a better job expressing what the angels said. They weren’t saying, “peace be to you humans who have made God happy”. They were saying, “peace be TO YOU MANKIND, because GOD IS SMILING ON YOU TODAY! By HIS goodwill, GOD is giving you ALL the gift of a Savior!”

When the glory of the Lord met the darkness of sinful mankind, two things happened: the Lord’s glory as the powerful and yet merciful God was shown, and peace was given to mankind.

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And then the light was gone. The angels went away from the shepherds, back into the realm of heaven, back to the Lord who had sent them.

And the shepherds who had seen the brilliant light that was the glory of the Lord, agreed that they should go and see the other glory of the Lord. The one that was wrapped in swaddling cloths, and lying in a manger.

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As we approach the manger this Christmas, let’s remember the details of this account. God sent his glorious angel messengers to dirty, sinful shepherds because this Savior was for them. No matter what sins stain your past, this Savior is also for you. The first angel made it clear enough even for the uneducated shepherds to understand—

“…Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to ALL PEOPLE. For there is born TO YOU this day in the city of David A SAVIOR, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11 NKJV).

And the angel army repeated the message—

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth PEACE, goodwill TOWARD MEN!” (Luke 2:14 NKJV).

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The creativity and power of God is revealed in nature in a million different and breathtaking ways. But in the birth of our Savior, God’s glory is revealed in a way that far exceeds the diamond or the pearl or the snowflake. For these things may make us stare in awe or smile with joy, but the forgiveness that comes to us through the Christ Child gives us PEACE WITH GOD.

This is what Christmas is all about. Glory and praise being given to God from all his creatures, because peace has been given to us, from our all gracious King.

Prayer: Father in heaven, strip away from our hearts and minds all the second rate tinsel that the world litters around Christmas. Help us to see the glory of your forgiving grace when we see the Christ Child again. This Christmas drown out the darkness of our guilt and shame with the light of your Son, and fill us with the unshakable peace that his forgiveness brings. Amen.