WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.200 I invite you to open your Bibles to the first 00:00:02.200 --> 00:00:06.879 chapter of Matthew. Just a word about our Tuesday 00:00:06.879 --> 00:00:10.699 evening service at 4 .30. There's going to be 00:00:10.699 --> 00:00:13.660 an octet playing some traditional carols as a 00:00:13.660 --> 00:00:15.140 part of the prayer loop, so I would encourage 00:00:15.140 --> 00:00:18.260 you to come a few minutes early before 4 .30 00:00:18.260 --> 00:00:25.000 in order to enjoy that special music. An atheist 00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:29.879 was talking to a friend of his one time, was 00:00:29.879 --> 00:00:32.899 complaining that Christians had their special 00:00:32.899 --> 00:00:38.259 days, like Christmas and Easter, and Jews have 00:00:38.259 --> 00:00:43.020 special holidays, like Hanukkah, Yom Kippur, 00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:47.520 etc. And he was complaining that atheists don't 00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:50.500 have any special days. And his friend said to 00:00:50.500 --> 00:00:52.000 him, well, then why don't you celebrate April 00:00:52.000 --> 00:01:00.600 1st? The record doesn't show his reply. I am 00:01:00.600 --> 00:01:03.359 glad that we have special times to celebrate, 00:01:03.500 --> 00:01:08.439 though, like Christmas time. Amidst the cappings 00:01:08.439 --> 00:01:10.819 of Christmas, though, we ask the question, who 00:01:10.819 --> 00:01:14.359 is the Christ of Christmas? Who is this Jesus 00:01:14.359 --> 00:01:19.680 of Bethlehem? Is he someone that is a commercial 00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:24.340 figure like we often see? Is he an irrelevant 00:01:24.340 --> 00:01:28.739 person who belongs to a century 2 ,000 years 00:01:28.739 --> 00:01:32.409 ago? It has no meaning today. Who is the Christ 00:01:32.409 --> 00:01:36.170 of Christmas? To get an authentic answer to that 00:01:36.170 --> 00:01:37.989 question, we have to go back to the biblical 00:01:37.989 --> 00:01:41.890 record that tells us about him. We have to go 00:01:41.890 --> 00:01:44.989 back to the Gospels. As some of you are aware, 00:01:45.109 --> 00:01:47.790 each Gospel writer, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and 00:01:47.790 --> 00:01:51.670 John, presents Jesus Christ with an identity 00:01:51.670 --> 00:01:55.689 somewhat peculiar to his own purpose and theme 00:01:55.689 --> 00:02:00.319 in writing his Gospels. Matthew, for example, 00:02:00.400 --> 00:02:04.719 presents Jesus as the sovereign, as royalty. 00:02:05.019 --> 00:02:09.919 That is his theme. Mark presents Jesus as the 00:02:09.919 --> 00:02:13.680 servant, the one who fulfills Isaiah's picture, 00:02:13.819 --> 00:02:17.120 the servant of the Lord, and his theme is duty, 00:02:17.379 --> 00:02:22.879 not royalty. Luke, the beloved physician, presents 00:02:22.879 --> 00:02:27.969 Jesus as the son of man. And this scene emphasizes 00:02:27.969 --> 00:02:32.710 the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. While 00:02:32.710 --> 00:02:36.789 John, in writing his gospel, speaks about Jesus 00:02:36.789 --> 00:02:41.090 as the Son of God. He writes these things to 00:02:41.090 --> 00:02:43.389 us, he says, that we might believe that Jesus 00:02:43.389 --> 00:02:48.689 is the Son of God. He is the Son who's come to 00:02:48.689 --> 00:02:53.169 reveal. He is deity come into flesh, says John. 00:02:54.129 --> 00:02:57.080 Now in the gospels... Matthew, Mark, Luke, and 00:02:57.080 --> 00:03:00.379 John, there are three records of Christ's coming. 00:03:01.639 --> 00:03:03.699 Each is written, again, from a little bit of 00:03:03.699 --> 00:03:07.259 a different perspective. Although the details 00:03:07.259 --> 00:03:12.340 vary slightly, there is no contradiction in those 00:03:12.340 --> 00:03:15.740 records. In fact, what is said there is complementary. 00:03:16.139 --> 00:03:18.159 You put them all together and you have a full 00:03:18.159 --> 00:03:21.099 and complete picture of the coming of the Lord 00:03:21.099 --> 00:03:25.300 Jesus Christ. It is interesting that Mark... 00:03:25.500 --> 00:03:32.099 Gospel does not record any birth narrative. There's 00:03:32.099 --> 00:03:34.560 nothing said about Jesus coming into the world, 00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:39.479 about Bethlehem. Why is that? Well, it's because 00:03:39.479 --> 00:03:42.599 he is writing from the perspective of a servant. 00:03:43.060 --> 00:03:46.879 And it is not important where a servant came 00:03:46.879 --> 00:03:50.780 from. It is only important what he does. And 00:03:50.780 --> 00:03:55.659 that is what Mark records. In our three services 00:03:55.659 --> 00:03:57.860 during this Christmas season together, we're 00:03:57.860 --> 00:04:01.520 going to study the three gospel accounts of Messiah's 00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:04.939 first advent. And together we're going to notice 00:04:04.939 --> 00:04:10.360 these themes and how they affect what the writers 00:04:10.360 --> 00:04:16.120 say. Matthew, for example, presents in his narrative 00:04:16.120 --> 00:04:23.250 in chapters 1 and 2, Jesus coming as a son. Indeed, 00:04:23.310 --> 00:04:28.329 Jesus, who comes to reign, remember this theme, 00:04:28.470 --> 00:04:32.329 is that of a sovereign. Luke, and we'll look 00:04:32.329 --> 00:04:36.009 at this on Tuesday evening, Luke presents Jesus' 00:04:36.209 --> 00:04:41.269 coming as the Savior, Christ the Lord, the one 00:04:41.269 --> 00:04:45.529 who comes to die. And finally, John, and we'll 00:04:45.529 --> 00:04:48.490 look at this next Sunday morning, presents in 00:04:48.490 --> 00:04:53.990 his introduction Jesus as the Word, the Logos 00:04:53.990 --> 00:05:00.470 of God, who has come to reveal. The Christ of 00:05:00.470 --> 00:05:03.189 Christmas, the Jesus of Christmas, according 00:05:03.189 --> 00:05:07.389 to Matthew's account, is the Son come to reign. 00:05:07.870 --> 00:05:10.730 There are three important truths that are discovered 00:05:10.730 --> 00:05:14.449 in the record of Matthew. We will not take time 00:05:14.449 --> 00:05:17.709 to read each of these verses in detail. partly 00:05:17.709 --> 00:05:19.589 because I'm not sure I could pronounce correctly 00:05:19.589 --> 00:05:23.670 all of those names in the first 17 verses. But 00:05:23.670 --> 00:05:25.550 I would like you to notice with me that there 00:05:25.550 --> 00:05:28.189 are three important truths. One of them is found 00:05:28.189 --> 00:05:31.930 in those first 17 verses, the first one. The 00:05:31.930 --> 00:05:35.629 first truth is this, that he, the son, comes 00:05:35.629 --> 00:05:39.949 from a royal lineage. You will notice that these 00:05:39.949 --> 00:05:44.980 verses contain a genealogy. The purpose of genealogies 00:05:44.980 --> 00:05:49.879 is to prove relationships. In the Bible, there 00:05:49.879 --> 00:05:54.399 are some 50 different genealogies, most of them, 00:05:54.399 --> 00:05:58.019 of course, in the Old Testament. The reason that 00:05:58.019 --> 00:06:00.839 they are recorded, and remember that they too 00:06:00.839 --> 00:06:04.560 are a part of the inspired, inerrant Word of 00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:08.579 God, is so that relationships could be traced 00:06:08.579 --> 00:06:13.449 and proven. In the introduction, which is verse 00:06:13.449 --> 00:06:18.029 1, we see that the Lord Jesus Christ is the son 00:06:18.029 --> 00:06:22.410 of David, the son of Abraham. And so immediately 00:06:22.410 --> 00:06:27.069 Matthew states his relationship to David and 00:06:27.069 --> 00:06:32.589 to Abraham. Why these two? The answer to that 00:06:32.589 --> 00:06:37.230 seems to be because to these two men was given 00:06:37.230 --> 00:06:42.600 a covenant. To be there were two covenants. In 00:06:42.600 --> 00:06:45.680 each covenant there was a promise of a son, a 00:06:45.680 --> 00:06:51.300 descendant, or a seed. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment 00:06:51.300 --> 00:06:55.040 of those promises. The promise first given to 00:06:55.040 --> 00:06:57.899 Abraham, and then the promise secondly given 00:06:57.899 --> 00:07:01.939 to David. Turn with me, please, to Genesis chapter 00:07:01.939 --> 00:07:06.060 22, where we find the final stating to Abraham 00:07:06.060 --> 00:07:10.899 of the covenant between himself and God. Genesis 00:07:10.899 --> 00:07:22.579 22, verse 16. By myself I have sworn, declares 00:07:22.579 --> 00:07:25.860 the Lord, because you have done this thing, have 00:07:25.860 --> 00:07:30.240 not withheld your son, your only son. Indeed, 00:07:30.379 --> 00:07:34.839 I will greatly bless you. I will greatly multiply 00:07:34.839 --> 00:07:39.839 your seed. as the stars of the heavens and as 00:07:39.839 --> 00:07:43.500 the sand which is on the seashore, and your seed 00:07:43.500 --> 00:07:47.939 shall possess the gate of their enemies. And 00:07:47.939 --> 00:07:52.600 in your seed all the nations of the earth shall 00:07:52.600 --> 00:07:55.300 be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice. 00:07:55.860 --> 00:07:59.519 You will notice the term seed used there at least 00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:02.980 three times. You say, well, to whom does that 00:08:02.980 --> 00:08:06.540 refer? Well, in a general sense, of course, it 00:08:06.540 --> 00:08:10.180 refers to his descendants through his son Isaac 00:08:10.180 --> 00:08:15.379 and his grandson Jacob. The Jewish people are 00:08:15.379 --> 00:08:17.980 said to be as the stars of the heavens that stand 00:08:17.980 --> 00:08:21.579 at the seashore. And there's a sense, of course, 00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:23.920 in which it also includes his descendants through 00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:28.319 Ishmael. Primarily, though, it refers to his 00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:31.899 descendants through Isaac. However, we find in 00:08:31.899 --> 00:08:34.539 the New Testament in Galatians chapter 3 and 00:08:34.539 --> 00:08:37.899 verse 8 and then in verse 16 for sure, there 00:08:37.899 --> 00:08:41.620 is New Testament confirmation that God in saying 00:08:41.620 --> 00:08:44.840 this to Abraham on this occasion had one particular 00:08:44.840 --> 00:08:50.019 descendant in mind. And Paul puts it this way 00:08:50.019 --> 00:08:52.879 by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that 00:08:52.879 --> 00:09:02.149 seed is Christ. Galatians 3, 16. And so Jesus 00:09:02.149 --> 00:09:06.649 Christ is the fulfillment of the seed that was 00:09:06.649 --> 00:09:10.950 promised to Abraham. In your seed, all the nations 00:09:10.950 --> 00:09:15.509 of the earth shall be blessed. Meaning, of course, 00:09:15.529 --> 00:09:18.289 that the Lord Jesus Christ would provide a salvation 00:09:18.289 --> 00:09:22.769 available to Jew and Gentile alike. All the nations 00:09:22.769 --> 00:09:25.789 of the earth may partake of the salvation that 00:09:25.789 --> 00:09:31.240 he has provided. Now go with me to 2 Samuel chapter 00:09:31.240 --> 00:09:38.679 7. Here we find a covenant between God and David. 00:09:42.500 --> 00:09:46.240 We'll pick out two verses in this chapter to 00:09:46.240 --> 00:09:52.960 make the point. Verse 12 of 2 Samuel 7. God says, 00:09:53.039 --> 00:09:55.480 When your days are complete and you lie down 00:09:55.480 --> 00:09:59.190 with your fathers, I will raise up your descendants 00:09:59.190 --> 00:10:03.870 after you, who will come forth from you, and 00:10:03.870 --> 00:10:09.009 I will establish his kingdom. Verse 16. And your 00:10:09.009 --> 00:10:11.950 house and your kingdom shall endure before me 00:10:11.950 --> 00:10:15.370 forever. Your throne shall be established forever. 00:10:16.149 --> 00:10:20.289 Once more, who is in mind here? Well, Solomon 00:10:20.289 --> 00:10:24.190 directly is in mind. He is the one that was raised 00:10:24.190 --> 00:10:29.220 up to reign after David. death, but in the language 00:10:29.220 --> 00:10:32.519 of this passage, one greater than Solomon has 00:10:32.519 --> 00:10:36.720 to be in view. Because the kingdom of this descendant 00:10:36.720 --> 00:10:43.200 is said to be forever. So once more, the descendant 00:10:43.200 --> 00:10:46.259 or the seed or the son that is spoken about here 00:10:46.259 --> 00:10:50.340 to David is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:10:51.860 --> 00:10:55.179 Now that is why Matthew begins his gospel as 00:10:55.179 --> 00:10:58.629 he does. commenting about the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:10:58.889 --> 00:11:03.269 And now you may go back there. In Matthew chapter 00:11:03.269 --> 00:11:05.889 1, verse 1, he says, The book of the genealogy 00:11:05.889 --> 00:11:12.549 of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of 00:11:12.549 --> 00:11:17.970 Abraham. Now the covenant that God made with 00:11:17.970 --> 00:11:20.730 David did not guarantee that David's descendants 00:11:20.730 --> 00:11:26.480 would always rule without interruption. Rather, 00:11:26.559 --> 00:11:29.460 what God's covenant with David said was that 00:11:29.460 --> 00:11:32.720 the right or the authority to rule would always 00:11:32.720 --> 00:11:38.480 be in his family line. The Lord Jesus Christ 00:11:38.480 --> 00:11:42.620 inherited that right to rule. Again, we have 00:11:42.620 --> 00:11:45.399 a New Testament confirmation of that fact in 00:11:45.399 --> 00:11:50.419 the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1, verse 32. You 00:11:50.419 --> 00:11:52.720 will notice the genealogy then is developed beginning 00:11:52.720 --> 00:11:56.139 in verse 2. There are really three divisions 00:11:56.139 --> 00:12:00.600 of 14 names each. That is by design, according 00:12:00.600 --> 00:12:04.419 to verse 17. It says, therefore, all of the generations 00:12:04.419 --> 00:12:08.120 from Abraham to David are 14 generations. And 00:12:08.120 --> 00:12:12.100 from David to the deportation to Babylon, 14 00:12:12.100 --> 00:12:15.539 generations. And from the deportation to Babylon 00:12:15.539 --> 00:12:20.799 to the time of Christ, 14 generations. Now the 00:12:20.799 --> 00:12:25.330 question is, why? Did Matthew select 14? Because 00:12:25.330 --> 00:12:28.970 he did select certain people. He did not list 00:12:28.970 --> 00:12:32.769 every son and father throughout those ages. This 00:12:32.769 --> 00:12:38.250 is a selective genealogy. And why 14? For the 00:12:38.250 --> 00:12:44.809 answer is in the ancient practice of the Hebrews 00:12:44.809 --> 00:12:50.950 in assigning numerical value to the letters of 00:12:50.950 --> 00:12:54.340 names. or actually to any letters of the alphabet, 00:12:54.600 --> 00:13:00.139 and here to the name David. According to this 00:13:00.139 --> 00:13:06.139 practice, which is called genotria, the name 00:13:06.139 --> 00:13:12.259 David had a numerical equivalent of 14. And so 00:13:12.259 --> 00:13:16.159 in his design of the genealogy, emphasizing that 00:13:16.159 --> 00:13:18.879 Jesus is the son of Abraham, the son of David, 00:13:19.000 --> 00:13:21.779 the king, as he points out in his genealogy. 00:13:22.679 --> 00:13:26.279 He decides to use that number 14 from David's 00:13:26.279 --> 00:13:31.279 name and then list 14 generations in three time 00:13:31.279 --> 00:13:35.179 periods. You will notice that the genealogy includes 00:13:35.179 --> 00:13:39.659 four women. That is rare in a Jewish genealogy 00:13:39.659 --> 00:13:42.600 because women were not considered to be important. 00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:45.840 You can tell they didn't live in the 20th century. 00:13:48.460 --> 00:13:52.059 It is especially rare considering the four women 00:13:52.059 --> 00:13:56.340 that are chosen for mention. The first one is 00:13:56.340 --> 00:14:01.759 Tamar. Tamar was the daughter -in -law of Judah 00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:06.820 that made herself a prostitute, according to 00:14:06.820 --> 00:14:10.700 the record of Genesis. And then mentioned is 00:14:10.700 --> 00:14:15.879 Rahab, who was a Gentile who lived in the city 00:14:15.879 --> 00:14:23.100 of Jericho. And who also was a prostitute. The 00:14:23.100 --> 00:14:26.340 third woman to be mentioned is Ruth. Her moral 00:14:26.340 --> 00:14:31.840 record is clean. But she was a Gentile. And by 00:14:31.840 --> 00:14:35.759 birth, she was a Moabitess. That is, she was 00:14:35.759 --> 00:14:39.399 a descendant of Moab. For those of you who have 00:14:39.399 --> 00:14:41.440 studied the Bible and the book of Genesis know 00:14:41.440 --> 00:14:47.299 who Moab was. Moab was the grandson of Lot. a 00:14:47.299 --> 00:14:51.899 grandson produced through incest. And so the 00:14:51.899 --> 00:14:55.980 Moabites carried that record and that reputation. 00:14:58.779 --> 00:15:02.279 The fourth woman to be mentioned is Uriah's wife. 00:15:02.659 --> 00:15:05.600 Her name is not given. Of course, it is Bathsheba. 00:15:06.679 --> 00:15:09.980 She is the one who, with David, committed adultery. 00:15:11.039 --> 00:15:14.559 Is it not interesting that four women... with 00:15:14.559 --> 00:15:16.879 this kind of a record and reputation were chosen 00:15:16.879 --> 00:15:20.779 by the Holy Spirit to be included in the genealogy 00:15:20.779 --> 00:15:24.360 of the Lord Jesus Christ. You say, why is that? 00:15:25.340 --> 00:15:27.500 I'm not sure of the full reason, but this much 00:15:27.500 --> 00:15:31.299 I can tell you. There is evidence of two things. 00:15:32.860 --> 00:15:36.980 First, the humility of the Son of God in coming 00:15:36.980 --> 00:15:40.159 into the world and identifying with sinners like 00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:46.870 them and like us. And secondly, it is evidence 00:15:46.870 --> 00:15:53.409 of the grace of God in allowing women like this 00:15:53.409 --> 00:15:58.149 to be a part of the line of the Messiah. Now, 00:15:58.169 --> 00:15:59.850 there's a second thing that I want to take time 00:15:59.850 --> 00:16:01.509 to note this morning, and that is that there 00:16:01.509 --> 00:16:08.950 is a name, Jeconiah, recorded in verse 11. This 00:16:08.950 --> 00:16:11.850 was the final king, as they counted it at least, 00:16:11.950 --> 00:16:15.370 of Judah before they went into captivity to Babylon. 00:16:17.570 --> 00:16:21.269 Jeremiah prophesied in his day, and in the 22nd 00:16:21.269 --> 00:16:24.730 chapter of Jeremiah, as we record the book, there 00:16:24.730 --> 00:16:28.389 is a curse placed upon this king and upon his 00:16:28.389 --> 00:16:32.649 descendants. And what Jeremiah says by the word 00:16:32.649 --> 00:16:35.230 of the Lord is that no descendant of Jeconiah 00:16:35.230 --> 00:16:40.190 would prosper on the throne. It was impossible 00:16:40.190 --> 00:16:42.429 from that time on for one of his descendants 00:16:42.429 --> 00:16:47.870 to prosper on the throne. So had Jesus been the 00:16:47.870 --> 00:16:53.450 physical descendant of that king, he could not 00:16:53.450 --> 00:16:57.809 have come as the son to reign. He would have 00:16:57.809 --> 00:17:00.970 been disqualified because of that God -ordained 00:17:00.970 --> 00:17:06.089 curse upon the line of Jeconiah, who was in the 00:17:06.089 --> 00:17:09.200 ancestry. of Joseph as it is presented here. 00:17:10.420 --> 00:17:13.259 The genealogy that is here, as I have just said, 00:17:13.339 --> 00:17:16.619 is that of Joseph. It is a record of the legal 00:17:16.619 --> 00:17:20.880 descent of the Lord Jesus Christ, how it passed 00:17:20.880 --> 00:17:26.180 from Abraham to David to Jeconiah and finally 00:17:26.180 --> 00:17:31.240 to Joseph. He was the legal firstborn of Joseph 00:17:31.240 --> 00:17:35.299 and therefore inherited the rights of the firstborn. 00:17:36.009 --> 00:17:40.509 But he was not the natural son of Joseph, as 00:17:40.509 --> 00:17:44.630 verse 16 makes it exceedingly clear. It says 00:17:44.630 --> 00:17:47.710 unto Jacob was born Joseph, the husband of Mary, 00:17:47.910 --> 00:17:53.789 by whom was born Jesus. The whom that you see 00:17:53.789 --> 00:17:57.769 there in the Greek language is singular and feminine. 00:17:59.609 --> 00:18:03.009 And of course, therefore, could not apply to 00:18:03.009 --> 00:18:07.799 Joseph and Mary. Or to Joseph, it can apply only 00:18:07.799 --> 00:18:12.039 to Mary herself, by whom, by Mary, was born Jesus, 00:18:12.220 --> 00:18:18.099 who is called Christ. So Jesus Christ is the 00:18:18.099 --> 00:18:22.880 legal descendant of Abraham and of David, even 00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:26.680 more importantly in this context. He comes from 00:18:26.680 --> 00:18:30.900 royal lineage. As the legal son of Joseph, he 00:18:30.900 --> 00:18:36.460 inherits the right to rule. and who reigns. He 00:18:36.460 --> 00:18:42.140 is qualified completely to do that. If I may 00:18:42.140 --> 00:18:43.940 just take a moment here, I would like to say 00:18:43.940 --> 00:18:46.980 I fail to understand how anyone can call himself 00:18:46.980 --> 00:18:52.839 a Christian and be anti -Semitic. There are those 00:18:52.839 --> 00:18:55.420 who try to call themselves that strange hybrid, 00:18:55.660 --> 00:18:59.740 and yet it seems to me it is entirely contradictory. 00:19:00.980 --> 00:19:05.069 Because one who is a Christian, He's one who 00:19:05.069 --> 00:19:09.890 is a disciple of the Christ of Israel. He is 00:19:09.890 --> 00:19:14.910 one who follows the Lord Jesus, who was a Jew 00:19:14.910 --> 00:19:22.789 and a descendant of David and of Abraham. He 00:19:22.789 --> 00:19:29.650 comes as the son of David to take up the throne 00:19:29.650 --> 00:19:35.500 that belonged to his father. The second truth 00:19:35.500 --> 00:19:37.660 that we see in the record of Matthew is this, 00:19:37.660 --> 00:19:41.180 that he comes through a miraculous birth. Now, 00:19:41.180 --> 00:19:42.839 it was important for Matthew to say something 00:19:42.839 --> 00:19:45.140 about that because of the strange way that he 00:19:45.140 --> 00:19:50.099 said the fact in verse 16. But he said there 00:19:50.099 --> 00:19:53.039 needed explanation, and so now he begins to explain 00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:56.160 that. The first thing that he does is tell us 00:19:56.160 --> 00:19:58.440 about the relationship between Mary and Joseph. 00:19:59.259 --> 00:20:02.680 Basically, two words summarize it. The first 00:20:02.680 --> 00:20:06.640 one is the probe. He uses that word in verse 00:20:06.640 --> 00:20:14.859 18. Epophel was a legal engagement. Epophel, 00:20:14.859 --> 00:20:17.079 according to the Jewish tradition, was arranged 00:20:17.079 --> 00:20:20.839 by the parents of the man and the woman involved. 00:20:21.900 --> 00:20:27.839 A legal contract was drawn up between them. That 00:20:27.839 --> 00:20:32.339 began the period of Epophel, a legal period in 00:20:32.339 --> 00:20:35.299 which they were counted as married. and yet they 00:20:35.299 --> 00:20:39.059 did not exercise the rights of marriage. There 00:20:39.059 --> 00:20:42.940 was a waiting period, up to a year in length, 00:20:43.099 --> 00:20:48.759 to prove the purity of the bride. If, in fact, 00:20:48.819 --> 00:20:51.900 during those months in purity were found, the 00:20:51.900 --> 00:20:56.359 marriage would be annulled. After the waiting 00:20:56.359 --> 00:20:58.759 period was fulfilled, the groom then would come 00:20:58.759 --> 00:21:03.369 to receive his bride at her house. and would 00:21:03.369 --> 00:21:07.670 return with her to his own home. It was in this 00:21:07.670 --> 00:21:11.970 waiting period, this period of disposal, that 00:21:11.970 --> 00:21:16.710 Mary was found with child. Now there's a second 00:21:16.710 --> 00:21:18.769 word that describes the relationship between 00:21:18.769 --> 00:21:23.150 Mary and Joseph. It is the word cure. It is a 00:21:23.150 --> 00:21:25.089 word that ought to describe the relationship 00:21:25.089 --> 00:21:30.289 of every engaged couple. They reserved themselves. 00:21:31.279 --> 00:21:36.059 until the time that their marriage was officially 00:21:36.059 --> 00:21:40.839 approved by the community. You see, legally the 00:21:40.839 --> 00:21:42.980 contract had already been signed by the parents. 00:21:43.759 --> 00:21:47.099 They were now in a waiting period. And at the 00:21:47.099 --> 00:21:50.599 end of that waiting period, publicly, the vows 00:21:50.599 --> 00:21:54.420 would be taken. And that was important. Their 00:21:54.420 --> 00:21:56.640 relationship was pure. They had not experienced 00:21:56.640 --> 00:21:59.940 any sexual relationship as is made very clear 00:21:59.940 --> 00:22:04.460 by the language. But then Matthew records for 00:22:04.460 --> 00:22:09.759 us the crisis. Mary was found with child. Now 00:22:09.759 --> 00:22:11.720 he tells us, of course, that it was of the Holy 00:22:11.720 --> 00:22:17.000 Spirit. This was a miraculous conception, which 00:22:17.000 --> 00:22:19.799 precluded, and this is the importance of the 00:22:19.799 --> 00:22:22.799 virgin birth, which precluded the inheritance 00:22:22.799 --> 00:22:27.059 of sin and guilt which comes from the natural 00:22:27.059 --> 00:22:31.990 father. Because the Lord Jesus Christ had no 00:22:31.990 --> 00:22:36.170 natural father, he did not inherit the sin and 00:22:36.170 --> 00:22:40.549 guilt from Adam. Furthermore, the Lord Jesus 00:22:40.549 --> 00:22:46.690 was protected from Mary's sin by the Holy Spirit 00:22:46.690 --> 00:22:51.150 working within her womb. So the Lord Jesus Christ 00:22:51.150 --> 00:22:55.789 did not inherit sin legally. He did not inherit 00:22:55.789 --> 00:22:58.880 the guilt from Adam and Joseph, of course. because 00:22:58.880 --> 00:23:02.220 he was not his father. Nor did he inherit the 00:23:02.220 --> 00:23:05.000 sin of Mary, for he was protected from that within 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:08.339 Mary's womb. Now, there may be some who say, 00:23:08.460 --> 00:23:11.220 well, I thought Mary was sinning. Was she not 00:23:11.220 --> 00:23:14.339 immaculately conceived? The answer to that is, 00:23:14.380 --> 00:23:17.440 of course, no. She was not conceived in such 00:23:17.440 --> 00:23:22.180 a way. Indeed, Mary herself said that she needed 00:23:22.180 --> 00:23:25.559 a Savior. In her words after the announcement 00:23:25.559 --> 00:23:28.900 of her birth, or her conception, rather, the 00:23:28.900 --> 00:23:31.819 perception within her of the Lord Jesus. She 00:23:31.819 --> 00:23:36.599 praises God, her Savior, and she rejoices in 00:23:36.599 --> 00:23:40.440 the grace that God has showed to her. Mary was 00:23:40.440 --> 00:23:44.299 not conceived without sin, nor was she sinless. 00:23:44.960 --> 00:23:48.660 She was God's instrument to bring his Son into 00:23:48.660 --> 00:23:51.980 the world, and what a privileged position she 00:23:51.980 --> 00:23:56.480 had. Matthew also makes it clear in verses 22 00:23:56.480 --> 00:24:00.059 and 23 that this is all the fulfillment of Isaiah 00:24:00.059 --> 00:24:05.839 7 .14. Behold, the virgin shall be with child, 00:24:06.160 --> 00:24:09.180 and shall bear a son, and they shall call his 00:24:09.180 --> 00:24:13.660 name Emmanuel. I heard a very enlightening discussion 00:24:13.660 --> 00:24:18.660 of this last Sunday night on a television talk 00:24:18.660 --> 00:24:23.359 program, which involved a... professor from Trinity 00:24:23.359 --> 00:24:27.599 Evangelical Seminary, and a Jewish scholar. It 00:24:27.599 --> 00:24:29.920 was interesting to hear the Jewish scholar trying 00:24:29.920 --> 00:24:33.299 to worm his way around this verse in Isaiah. 00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:37.359 The Holy Spirit makes it clear in the New Testament 00:24:37.359 --> 00:24:41.599 that that verse does indeed apply to the conception 00:24:41.599 --> 00:24:48.160 of the Messiah, the Christ, the Lord Jesus. Mary 00:24:48.160 --> 00:24:53.450 is the virgin. The word in the Old Testament, 00:24:53.609 --> 00:24:57.490 as he argued last week, can indeed refer to a 00:24:57.490 --> 00:25:03.369 young woman of marriageable age. It can refer, 00:25:03.710 --> 00:25:07.130 technically, to other than a virgin in Isaiah. 00:25:08.049 --> 00:25:10.809 But when you come into the New Testament, as 00:25:10.809 --> 00:25:14.589 the Holy Spirit writes this now in Greek, there 00:25:14.589 --> 00:25:17.869 is another word that is used which emphasizes 00:25:17.869 --> 00:25:23.000 the virginity. of the young lady involved. So 00:25:23.000 --> 00:25:25.819 there can be no mistake about this whole doctrine, 00:25:26.059 --> 00:25:30.099 if one is a student of the Word of God and is 00:25:30.099 --> 00:25:34.240 faithful to what it says. The crisis was that 00:25:34.240 --> 00:25:37.400 Mary was a child, that it was indeed the fulfillment 00:25:37.400 --> 00:25:40.000 of prophecy in the work of God the Holy Spirit, 00:25:40.099 --> 00:25:43.559 that it wasn't still a crisis for Joseph and 00:25:43.559 --> 00:25:48.819 Mary. We see the love of Joseph and Mary. Joseph 00:25:48.819 --> 00:25:53.599 is called in verse 19 a righteous man. And yet 00:25:53.599 --> 00:25:58.019 he is a compulsive man as well. Now why was he 00:25:58.019 --> 00:26:02.420 called here a righteous man? Well, because he 00:26:02.420 --> 00:26:05.920 was an upright person. He was morally pure. He 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:09.380 had kept himself. And initially it appeared that 00:26:09.380 --> 00:26:13.380 his loved one had not kept himself in such a 00:26:13.380 --> 00:26:18.000 way. Had he gone ahead and married her? That 00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:20.400 marriage would have implicated him as guilty. 00:26:22.680 --> 00:26:25.680 And yet he desired to treat her with kindness. 00:26:26.700 --> 00:26:30.599 And therefore, he desired to quietly divorce 00:26:30.599 --> 00:26:33.839 her, according to the last divorce law of that 00:26:33.839 --> 00:26:37.920 day. You see the point? He felt that if he married 00:26:37.920 --> 00:26:40.079 her, it would be an acknowledgement on his part 00:26:40.079 --> 00:26:43.180 of something he had not done. He was a righteous 00:26:43.180 --> 00:26:46.690 man. And yet he loved her, and instead of bringing 00:26:46.690 --> 00:26:49.869 her before the public in a scandalous sort of 00:26:49.869 --> 00:26:53.990 manner, he desired to quietly divorce her with 00:26:53.990 --> 00:27:00.009 a broken heart on his part, and to protect her 00:27:00.009 --> 00:27:04.549 from public scandal. It was in the midst of this 00:27:04.549 --> 00:27:06.769 battle within himself that he received revelation 00:27:06.769 --> 00:27:10.509 from an angel. The angel basically told him three 00:27:10.509 --> 00:27:14.869 things. The cause of her pregnancy. what he was 00:27:14.869 --> 00:27:19.109 to do about it, and then the good news of what 00:27:19.109 --> 00:27:25.490 it meant. The angel said to Joseph that this 00:27:25.490 --> 00:27:30.049 child would come to save his people from their 00:27:30.049 --> 00:27:36.849 sin. Joseph immediately obeyed what the angel 00:27:36.849 --> 00:27:39.970 said. He said to him, verse 24, Joseph arose 00:27:39.970 --> 00:27:43.180 from his sleep and did. as the angel of the Lord 00:27:43.180 --> 00:27:46.940 commanded him and took her as his wife and kept 00:27:46.940 --> 00:27:53.319 her a virgin until she gave birth to a son. Basically, 00:27:53.319 --> 00:27:56.220 what Joseph did here was a violation of all of 00:27:56.220 --> 00:28:00.420 the questions. He immediately took her instead 00:28:00.420 --> 00:28:03.700 of waiting for the period of because of the people 00:28:03.700 --> 00:28:09.269 killed. And he refrained after their... coming 00:28:09.269 --> 00:28:14.950 together from the miracle relationship. Undoubtedly, 00:28:14.970 --> 00:28:18.869 what he did here caused him to suffer with her 00:28:18.869 --> 00:28:22.650 gossip and rumors of the community at large. 00:28:23.849 --> 00:28:26.650 Rumors that were still present 30 years later 00:28:26.650 --> 00:28:32.890 in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. What 00:28:32.890 --> 00:28:36.809 we see in this text at the end of chapter 1 is 00:28:37.480 --> 00:28:40.940 But he comes to a miraculous birth this time. 00:28:40.980 --> 00:28:46.619 He comes to reign. He had to. One of my favorite 00:28:46.619 --> 00:28:49.380 contemporary Christmas songs is the song by Paul 00:28:49.380 --> 00:28:53.680 Sandberg. Asking the question, how should a king 00:28:53.680 --> 00:28:58.039 come? Have you heard it? After describing all 00:28:58.039 --> 00:29:02.579 the flair and announcement that could be a part 00:29:02.579 --> 00:29:05.940 of the coming of a king. He simply said that 00:29:05.940 --> 00:29:10.000 the king came in the virgin's womb, and there 00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:15.079 in the manger was God incarnate. That is how 00:29:15.079 --> 00:29:18.720 the king came. He came through a miraculous birth. 00:29:19.319 --> 00:29:22.339 He came in a manner that people might not have 00:29:22.339 --> 00:29:25.240 expected, but which indeed is prophesied in the 00:29:25.240 --> 00:29:28.720 Old Testament. Now, in the next 12 verses of 00:29:28.720 --> 00:29:32.339 our study this morning in chapter 2, we'll see 00:29:32.339 --> 00:29:35.460 a third truth. about the son who comes to reign. 00:29:35.799 --> 00:29:40.559 We see that he comes to a troubled world. Law 00:29:40.559 --> 00:29:44.119 and order of the Roman government was enforced 00:29:44.119 --> 00:29:48.900 by a terrible oppression which was despised by 00:29:48.900 --> 00:29:51.819 the Jews. There was nothing that they longed 00:29:51.819 --> 00:29:56.200 for anymore than deliverance from Rome. There 00:29:56.200 --> 00:30:00.599 was a troubled time in Palestine. And there was 00:30:00.599 --> 00:30:05.779 a despotic ruler on the throne of Israel by the 00:30:05.779 --> 00:30:09.779 name of Herod. It is important for you to notice 00:30:09.779 --> 00:30:13.460 that what occurs here in the coming of the Magi 00:30:13.460 --> 00:30:16.920 occurred several months after the manger scene. 00:30:17.539 --> 00:30:23.220 In most of our films, as well as our picture 00:30:23.220 --> 00:30:27.490 books about the Nativity, We see the shepherds 00:30:27.490 --> 00:30:29.609 coming, and right on their heels come the wise 00:30:29.609 --> 00:30:32.390 men. But according to the biblical record, that 00:30:32.390 --> 00:30:36.950 is not so. Several months transpired. Probably 00:30:36.950 --> 00:30:41.089 a trip back to Nazareth, and then back to Bethlehem. 00:30:43.109 --> 00:30:47.150 And there they stayed in a house. And Jesus is 00:30:47.150 --> 00:30:50.730 not a baby anymore. He is called a child in this 00:30:50.730 --> 00:30:55.079 part of the text. The text gives a composite 00:30:55.079 --> 00:30:58.619 picture of what happens in these 12 verses, a 00:30:58.619 --> 00:31:03.539 composite picture of the world as it was then 00:31:03.539 --> 00:31:07.619 and as it still is today. Well, you see, there 00:31:07.619 --> 00:31:11.019 are four different heart conditions that are 00:31:11.019 --> 00:31:14.980 exposed in this narrative. The first one I would 00:31:14.980 --> 00:31:20.000 point out is that of the Magi. A word about them 00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:25.420 first. The Magi were Gentiles. They were likely 00:31:25.420 --> 00:31:29.960 astrologers. They were powerful men from the 00:31:29.960 --> 00:31:34.460 East, perhaps Parthians, which was a rival of 00:31:34.460 --> 00:31:37.440 the Roman Empire. It was a part of the world 00:31:37.440 --> 00:31:39.960 that Rome never quite conquered and was always 00:31:39.960 --> 00:31:44.920 a threat to Rome. The Magi, however many there 00:31:44.920 --> 00:31:49.400 were we do not know, were intellectuals of their 00:31:49.400 --> 00:31:53.700 day. They were schooled in all of the science 00:31:53.700 --> 00:31:56.339 and the religion and the philosophy of the East. 00:31:59.500 --> 00:32:03.920 They were the ones who claimed the kings of that 00:32:03.920 --> 00:32:07.519 day. They chose, indeed, the kings in their land. 00:32:09.240 --> 00:32:12.220 The Magi, because part of their science involved 00:32:12.220 --> 00:32:16.240 the study of the heavens, observed an unusual 00:32:16.240 --> 00:32:20.359 event, what is called by Matthew a star. Now, 00:32:20.359 --> 00:32:23.160 exactly what it was, we do not know. There have 00:32:23.160 --> 00:32:25.339 been many guesses, but that's all any of them 00:32:25.339 --> 00:32:29.440 are, is, rather, guesses. But there was an unusual 00:32:29.440 --> 00:32:33.119 heavenly display of some sort that led them to 00:32:33.119 --> 00:32:37.960 Jerusalem. It is suggested, and this seems reasonable 00:32:37.960 --> 00:32:40.420 to me, that whatever it was that happened occurred 00:32:40.420 --> 00:32:44.680 in the constellation of Pisces in the heavens. 00:32:46.460 --> 00:32:50.700 That constellation... by astrologers, was often 00:32:50.700 --> 00:32:54.619 connected with Israel. And so when this, whatever 00:32:54.619 --> 00:32:57.440 it was, occurred in the heavens, probably in 00:32:57.440 --> 00:33:00.359 that section of the heavens, we immediately felt 00:33:00.359 --> 00:33:03.400 that this was a sign regarding Israel and the 00:33:03.400 --> 00:33:06.019 arrival of a king, which was often noted by some 00:33:06.019 --> 00:33:08.960 heavenly display, according to ancient theories. 00:33:12.009 --> 00:33:16.309 They had knowledge of what Numbers 24, 17 records 00:33:16.309 --> 00:33:21.109 regarding a star coming out of Jacob. So how 00:33:21.109 --> 00:33:23.930 might they have known that? Well, you'll recall 00:33:23.930 --> 00:33:27.250 that Daniel was taken to Babylon and was made 00:33:27.250 --> 00:33:33.210 a member of the Magi. He was a part of the same 00:33:33.210 --> 00:33:36.809 group in Babylon and was well respected by them 00:33:36.809 --> 00:33:38.950 eventually, as you recall, made even the prime 00:33:38.950 --> 00:33:43.299 minister of the land. perhaps from Daniel or 00:33:43.299 --> 00:33:47.180 from other traveling Jewish scholars. These people 00:33:47.180 --> 00:33:50.059 learned regarding the prophecies of the Old Testament, 00:33:50.339 --> 00:33:53.980 and undoubtedly God led them to make the connection 00:33:53.980 --> 00:33:59.220 so that they then went to Jerusalem in search 00:33:59.220 --> 00:34:03.400 of the king of the Jews. Now remember in the 00:34:03.400 --> 00:34:06.099 first place that Rome had little use for Parthia. 00:34:06.200 --> 00:34:09.179 Now here are some of the kingmakers from Parthia 00:34:09.179 --> 00:34:12.789 arrived. And they're seeking for the king. And 00:34:12.789 --> 00:34:14.510 not just the king, but they're coming for the 00:34:14.510 --> 00:34:19.250 king of the Jews. And Herod is quite upset about 00:34:19.250 --> 00:34:23.829 that. He inquires about this. And ultimately, 00:34:23.949 --> 00:34:27.889 the Magi arrive in Bethlehem and find the house 00:34:27.889 --> 00:34:31.050 where Joseph and Mary and the young child were. 00:34:31.530 --> 00:34:33.730 Indeed, once again, there was a supernatural 00:34:33.730 --> 00:34:39.179 direction provided by God to that place. It is 00:34:39.179 --> 00:34:41.619 with joy that they arrived in Bethlehem and with 00:34:41.619 --> 00:34:46.099 gifts rather that were fit for a king, gold, 00:34:46.340 --> 00:34:50.039 frankincense, and myrrh. We see in the Magi now 00:34:50.039 --> 00:34:54.460 the heart condition of worship. They worship 00:34:54.460 --> 00:35:00.059 the king. And so today there are those whose 00:35:00.059 --> 00:35:04.059 hearts are led sovereignly by God to perceive 00:35:04.059 --> 00:35:08.389 the meaning of all of these things. and are led, 00:35:08.429 --> 00:35:11.389 therefore, to worship the king who has come to 00:35:11.389 --> 00:35:15.750 reign. Indeed, I trust that you are among those 00:35:15.750 --> 00:35:19.269 today who have been led by God to understand 00:35:19.269 --> 00:35:24.949 who Jesus Christ is and why he is. He came as 00:35:24.949 --> 00:35:27.610 a king to reign. He was rejected by his people. 00:35:27.809 --> 00:35:31.889 He nonetheless today has a kingdom, a kingdom 00:35:31.889 --> 00:35:37.199 in the heart of those who believe on him. at 00:35:37.199 --> 00:35:39.840 the hands of his own people. His resurrection 00:35:39.840 --> 00:35:42.780 from the dead by the power of God was all a part 00:35:42.780 --> 00:35:45.559 of what God had planned to provide redemption 00:35:45.559 --> 00:35:50.420 for mankind. The Gentiles, of course, who came 00:35:50.420 --> 00:35:52.780 on this occasion did not recognize all of that, 00:35:52.920 --> 00:35:56.360 but they recognized that here was one worthy 00:35:56.360 --> 00:36:01.659 of their worship, their gold speaks of his royalty, 00:36:02.139 --> 00:36:07.820 their frankincense of deity. Frankincense was 00:36:07.820 --> 00:36:11.679 a sweet perfume. And then the myrrh, a spice, 00:36:11.940 --> 00:36:15.280 a rare spice of that day, often used in embalming. 00:36:15.719 --> 00:36:18.159 And as a number of people have pointed out, it 00:36:18.159 --> 00:36:20.260 was interesting that even there on that occasion, 00:36:20.280 --> 00:36:22.539 they offered him something that was symbolic 00:36:22.539 --> 00:36:27.440 of the death that he was to die. There's a second 00:36:27.440 --> 00:36:29.380 heart condition that we see on the narrative, 00:36:29.500 --> 00:36:33.099 and that is of Herod. A word regarding Herod. 00:36:33.159 --> 00:36:36.920 He was a gifted administrator. He was a powerful 00:36:36.920 --> 00:36:43.480 orator. He was a keen ruler. But in addition 00:36:43.480 --> 00:36:45.619 to these other positive things about him, he 00:36:45.619 --> 00:36:50.719 was also paranoid. And his paranoia became increasingly 00:36:50.719 --> 00:36:56.059 prominent as he got older. He was cruel and murderous, 00:36:56.099 --> 00:37:00.199 killing some of his own children, killing his 00:37:00.199 --> 00:37:03.670 own wife. that they should somehow usurp his 00:37:03.670 --> 00:37:07.849 throne even after his death. He arranged in advance 00:37:07.849 --> 00:37:10.050 so that on the day that he would die, there would 00:37:10.050 --> 00:37:12.750 be scores and scores of Jewish leaders who would 00:37:12.750 --> 00:37:16.710 also die. That's the kind of a man that Herod 00:37:16.710 --> 00:37:19.610 was. And we see that revealed in his plot to 00:37:19.610 --> 00:37:25.489 kill the infant in Bethlehem. Herod was loosely 00:37:25.489 --> 00:37:30.730 identified with the Jews, but his real descent... 00:37:31.469 --> 00:37:37.929 is from Esau. He was an Edomite. Now, if you 00:37:37.929 --> 00:37:39.929 know anything about biblical history, you know 00:37:39.929 --> 00:37:43.230 that Esau and Jacob and their descendants had 00:37:43.230 --> 00:37:46.829 problems throughout history. So what we see here 00:37:46.829 --> 00:37:51.530 is another example of a descendant of Esau attacking 00:37:51.530 --> 00:37:55.650 the descendant of Jacob. But beyond that, of 00:37:55.650 --> 00:37:57.730 course, it was a satanic plot to kill the Christ. 00:37:59.079 --> 00:38:01.599 The heart condition that we see here is hostility. 00:38:04.219 --> 00:38:07.219 Ted was threatened by the king of the Jews, and 00:38:07.219 --> 00:38:09.420 he sought to kill Jesus. He would have nothing 00:38:09.420 --> 00:38:13.139 to do with this one. Indeed, it was not just 00:38:13.139 --> 00:38:15.340 that he ignored him, but that he sought with 00:38:15.340 --> 00:38:20.280 anger to strike out and to kill him. And so today, 00:38:20.519 --> 00:38:23.440 there are those who rage against the Christ. 00:38:25.099 --> 00:38:27.539 There are those today who call themselves his 00:38:27.539 --> 00:38:31.840 enemies and curse him and refuse, as an act of 00:38:31.840 --> 00:38:37.119 their will, to submit to him. They're simply 00:38:37.119 --> 00:38:40.960 following the train today of Herod. There's a 00:38:40.960 --> 00:38:43.800 third group, a third heart condition that we 00:38:43.800 --> 00:38:46.719 see, and this is the religious leaders. Herod 00:38:46.719 --> 00:38:49.119 inquired of them, where is the Christ to be born? 00:38:49.260 --> 00:38:53.019 They replied, quoting from Micah, that it would 00:38:53.019 --> 00:38:57.500 be Bethlehem. of the land of Judah. You say, 00:38:57.559 --> 00:39:00.239 what is wrong with that? Well, they were biblically 00:39:00.239 --> 00:39:03.920 correct. They pointed to the right prophecy and 00:39:03.920 --> 00:39:06.440 came up with the right answer. But their heart 00:39:06.440 --> 00:39:10.000 condition was that of indifference. You see, 00:39:10.079 --> 00:39:12.519 here was a group of people who knew the prophecy, 00:39:12.820 --> 00:39:17.199 who knew the Old Testament scriptures, and yet 00:39:17.199 --> 00:39:21.480 they did not even bother to investigate whether 00:39:21.480 --> 00:39:24.340 this scripture was coming to pass. in their day. 00:39:25.119 --> 00:39:29.360 How descriptive this is of so many today, who 00:39:29.360 --> 00:39:33.119 know the story, who can tell you about the season, 00:39:33.460 --> 00:39:37.480 but it doesn't really make any difference in 00:39:37.480 --> 00:39:40.900 their lives. Because whatever the affairs are, 00:39:40.980 --> 00:39:44.000 their temporal concerns have caught them up, 00:39:44.139 --> 00:39:47.460 and they too have a hard attitude of indifference. 00:39:50.679 --> 00:39:54.429 Perhaps that would describe you. I trust not. 00:39:56.090 --> 00:40:00.909 There is a fourth and final group that is not 00:40:00.909 --> 00:40:03.289 actually mentioned, but which is suggested by 00:40:03.289 --> 00:40:05.530 the text, and in it we say a four -part attitude. 00:40:06.130 --> 00:40:08.809 It is the mass of the people outside of Jerusalem. 00:40:11.190 --> 00:40:14.309 The people who lived around the city, Judea. 00:40:16.150 --> 00:40:18.750 The heart condition that I see here is that of 00:40:18.750 --> 00:40:22.510 ignorance. It is interesting that only a few 00:40:22.510 --> 00:40:25.429 thousand in Judea had any knowledge of the events 00:40:25.429 --> 00:40:29.610 that were taking place. Most of the people were 00:40:29.610 --> 00:40:33.550 ignorant of what was taking place in their very 00:40:33.550 --> 00:40:37.070 midst. But I suggest to you today that there 00:40:37.070 --> 00:40:42.150 are so very many who could be identified as these 00:40:42.150 --> 00:40:45.869 four students. There are so very many whose heart 00:40:45.869 --> 00:40:49.429 condition is that of ignorance. They do not have 00:40:49.429 --> 00:40:53.469 knowledge. of these things they have a cultural 00:40:53.469 --> 00:40:59.150 knowledge of christmas but that is all in a recent 00:40:59.150 --> 00:41:01.829 letter alan george who is the president child 00:41:01.829 --> 00:41:07.710 of angels and fellowship tells about shana who 00:41:07.710 --> 00:41:12.369 is seven years of age and anthony they live on 00:41:12.369 --> 00:41:17.010 the tenth floor of a project in new york city 00:41:18.730 --> 00:41:20.750 Compared to some of their neighbors, Anthony 00:41:20.750 --> 00:41:23.510 and Shauna are privileged. They have a father 00:41:23.510 --> 00:41:26.730 who can pay the rent and buy a pizza once in 00:41:26.730 --> 00:41:31.090 a while because he's a cocaine dealer. Anthony 00:41:31.090 --> 00:41:34.550 and Shauna have other privileges. They're never 00:41:34.550 --> 00:41:37.690 disciplined, except when they get on their parents' 00:41:37.829 --> 00:41:41.929 nerves. Then they're beaten or thrown against 00:41:41.929 --> 00:41:46.250 the wall. They can use foul language and drink 00:41:46.250 --> 00:41:49.889 beer. Like all children, they see their parents 00:41:49.889 --> 00:41:52.230 as role models. That's why they get sick from 00:41:52.230 --> 00:41:55.630 sniffing baby powder up their noses. After all, 00:41:55.690 --> 00:41:59.530 mom and dad's cocaine looks like that. Anthony 00:41:59.530 --> 00:42:02.670 and Shauna know nothing about the true meaning 00:42:02.670 --> 00:42:06.449 of sickness. Do you realize that there are boys 00:42:06.449 --> 00:42:08.730 and girls all over the Twin Cities who are just 00:42:08.730 --> 00:42:11.650 like Anthony and Shauna? Their social conditions 00:42:11.650 --> 00:42:14.610 may be different, but their spiritual heart conditions 00:42:14.610 --> 00:42:16.949 are the same. They're ignorant of the truth. 00:42:19.980 --> 00:42:22.340 There are men and women likewise, the same way. 00:42:24.079 --> 00:42:26.599 That's why, folks, we have a job to do at Christmas 00:42:26.599 --> 00:42:29.960 time. That's why we reach out to our neighbors 00:42:29.960 --> 00:42:32.599 and share the truth with them. We invite them 00:42:32.599 --> 00:42:36.440 to come with us to church. So that by the grace 00:42:36.440 --> 00:42:38.639 of God, they may be able to break through that 00:42:38.639 --> 00:42:42.059 shell of cultural Christmas and see what it's 00:42:42.059 --> 00:42:48.230 really, really all about. Jesus, for Christmas 00:42:48.230 --> 00:42:53.969 is the sun come to rain. Someone has written, 00:42:54.030 --> 00:42:57.130 Christ a thousand times in Bethlehem be born. 00:42:58.190 --> 00:43:02.489 If he's not born within your heart, your life 00:43:02.489 --> 00:43:08.469 is still forlorn. What about your heart, my friend? 00:43:09.349 --> 00:43:13.909 Is it a nativity scene today? Has Jesus Christ 00:43:13.909 --> 00:43:17.030 been born in your heart with faith? Your faith 00:43:17.030 --> 00:43:22.010 in Him? You say, you don't understand what my 00:43:22.010 --> 00:43:24.610 heart is like. It's not fit for the pure baby. 00:43:25.730 --> 00:43:28.489 It's not fit for the Holy Savior, the risen Lord. 00:43:32.150 --> 00:43:35.309 Neither was a manger. Do you want a manger's 00:43:35.309 --> 00:43:42.070 life? Do you want a stable's life? Whatever the 00:43:42.070 --> 00:43:43.969 conditions in your heart today, He would enter 00:43:43.969 --> 00:43:49.530 in. if you have room for him. A couple weeks 00:43:49.530 --> 00:43:56.170 ago, I heard about a fellow named Don Juan. Yes, 00:43:56.210 --> 00:44:01.610 there really is a Don Juan. His nickname is Magic. 00:44:02.789 --> 00:44:06.090 A year ago right now, Magic was the number one 00:44:06.090 --> 00:44:16.480 pimp in the United States. He got between $75 00:44:16.480 --> 00:44:23.559 ,000 and $100 ,000 a week from the girls who 00:44:23.559 --> 00:44:28.019 worked for him. He did not know what to do with 00:44:28.019 --> 00:44:33.039 his money. He spent it on lavish jewelry. I saw 00:44:33.039 --> 00:44:37.300 a picture of him. He had a ring of solid gold 00:44:37.300 --> 00:44:39.639 that stood on his finger but went across his 00:44:39.639 --> 00:44:44.199 whole hand. It said magic. He had jewels embedded 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:48.119 in his teeth. Do you know what else he did with 00:44:48.119 --> 00:44:52.619 his money? He had a green and yellow Cadillac 00:44:52.619 --> 00:45:00.000 and a green and yellow Rolls Royce. Knowing that, 00:45:00.119 --> 00:45:04.539 the magic was involved in drugs. He took a very 00:45:04.539 --> 00:45:07.300 powerful drug, which is often used as an animal 00:45:07.300 --> 00:45:10.579 tranquilizer. It's becoming more and more popular 00:45:10.579 --> 00:45:14.400 today. unfortunately it's the kind of a drug 00:45:14.400 --> 00:45:16.900 which is used regularly will burn out a person's 00:45:16.900 --> 00:45:21.599 brain in a matter of months magic used it for 00:45:21.599 --> 00:45:27.960 17 years just about a year ago while he was on 00:45:27.960 --> 00:45:32.380 one of his drug trips he had some kind of a religious 00:45:32.380 --> 00:45:36.119 experience which he identified as being saved 00:45:36.119 --> 00:45:43.309 he thought he had been born again Now, being 00:45:43.309 --> 00:45:48.869 in the area of Chicago last February, he drove 00:45:48.869 --> 00:45:52.070 up to the front of Moody Bible Institute and 00:45:52.070 --> 00:45:53.989 got out of the arch, even if he had been there, 00:45:54.170 --> 00:46:00.650 got out of his green and yellow Rolls Royce with 00:46:00.650 --> 00:46:04.929 a prostitute on each arm and a full -length mint 00:46:04.929 --> 00:46:08.230 coat that he was wearing, as well as the other 00:46:08.230 --> 00:46:11.070 kinds of clothing. Go with that little gaudy 00:46:11.070 --> 00:46:14.349 type of lifestyle. You have to appreciate the 00:46:14.349 --> 00:46:23.429 conservative... ...arts at Moody Bible Institute 00:46:23.429 --> 00:46:29.250 to understand how out of place this person looks. 00:46:30.210 --> 00:46:32.929 But he asked for someone. He said, I have been 00:46:32.929 --> 00:46:37.210 saved and I want to talk to somebody. So they 00:46:37.210 --> 00:46:40.239 called... And then Dr. Raskin came down and talked 00:46:40.239 --> 00:46:45.519 to him. Took him up to the office and began to 00:46:45.519 --> 00:46:47.380 probe and find out what had brought him. He got 00:46:47.380 --> 00:46:52.199 the story. And he opened the Bible to him and 00:46:52.199 --> 00:46:57.679 led him truly to Jesus Christ. And the two prostitutes 00:46:57.679 --> 00:47:02.940 were with him as well. Magic was immediately 00:47:02.940 --> 00:47:05.780 concerned for the girls who worked for him. There 00:47:05.780 --> 00:47:08.969 were 45 of them at that moment. He slammed his 00:47:08.969 --> 00:47:11.170 fist down and said, there's the other 45 of my 00:47:11.170 --> 00:47:13.530 girls passing here back there. He said, I'll 00:47:13.530 --> 00:47:14.949 have them here tomorrow night in a row, right 00:47:14.949 --> 00:47:18.130 out here for you. Dr. Asher said, no, that's 00:47:18.130 --> 00:47:22.889 not how we do things. Since that time, Magic 00:47:22.889 --> 00:47:26.650 has led 25 other people to Jesus Christ, almost 00:47:26.650 --> 00:47:29.170 all of them in the profession that they call 00:47:29.170 --> 00:47:32.809 it either way. He has memorized between 200 and 00:47:32.809 --> 00:47:37.909 300 Bible verses. He's studying in the evening 00:47:37.909 --> 00:47:40.150 school there and is looking forward to being 00:47:40.150 --> 00:47:43.670 a street teacher so he can reach people like 00:47:43.670 --> 00:47:47.429 himself. Every week he and Dr. Dicey conduct 00:47:47.429 --> 00:47:52.769 a Bible study for a group of pimps and prostitutes 00:47:52.769 --> 00:47:57.429 in the Chicago area, numbering between 45 and 00:47:57.429 --> 00:48:03.889 75 people. You see my friend Jesus Christ can 00:48:03.889 --> 00:48:07.119 be born in your heart too. And when he's born 00:48:07.119 --> 00:48:12.039 there to reign, he'll make a difference. That's 00:48:12.039 --> 00:48:20.219 right. Heavenly Father, I thank you for the coming 00:48:20.219 --> 00:48:23.840 of the Son. I thank you that he came to reign, 00:48:24.079 --> 00:48:27.059 and that he will reign today in the heart of 00:48:27.059 --> 00:48:31.280 anyone who receives him. Father, if there be 00:48:31.280 --> 00:48:33.400 some stranger today who does not know the meaning 00:48:33.400 --> 00:48:38.360 of that, I pray that the Lord Jesus today would 00:48:38.360 --> 00:48:43.840 be revealed to that one within the heart. And 00:48:43.840 --> 00:48:46.400 may there be a reaching out by faith and a trust 00:48:46.400 --> 00:48:50.059 in Christ that would allow him to be born within 00:48:50.059 --> 00:48:53.860 that heart and allow that one to be born again 00:48:53.860 --> 00:48:59.239 truly into your family. In Jesus' name.