Egypt James Shepherd
Series: Find HOPE
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 26th December 2015
00:00:00 --> 00:00:01 no matter what has been going on in our week,
00:00:01 --> 00:00:03 whether it's been a good week or a bad week,
00:00:03 --> 00:00:06 we can come here to be reminded of God's grace for us,
00:00:06 --> 00:00:08 His love for us in His Son,
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 and draw strength from Him.
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 And so as we hear from His Word this evening,
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 let us pray together once more
00:00:16 --> 00:00:17 that God would speak to us
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 and encourage us to keep going
00:00:19 --> 00:00:20 and walking faithfully for Him.
00:00:20 --> 00:00:21 Let's pray.
00:00:22 --> 00:00:23 Heavenly Father, we thank You so much
00:00:23 --> 00:00:24 for being come here this evening.
00:00:25 --> 00:00:25 We thank You, Lord,
00:00:25 --> 00:00:28 that You draw us to Yourself through Your Son.
00:00:28 --> 00:00:29 And we just pray, Father,
00:00:29 --> 00:00:30 as we are here,
00:00:30 --> 00:00:31 that You would be with us,
00:00:31 --> 00:00:32 that You would speak to us,
00:00:33 --> 00:00:34 that You would challenge us
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 and convict us to change
00:00:36 --> 00:00:37 whatever needs to be changed
00:00:37 --> 00:00:38 in order that we can continue
00:00:38 --> 00:00:40 to live faithfully following You.
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 And we pray, Lord, in Your Son's name.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:43 Amen.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:45 Well, it's all over.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 Christmas is done for another year.
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 I hope you all had a wonderful time at Christmas
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 shared with family and friends.
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 Christmas is a beautiful time of year.
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 Not just because it's a time
00:00:58 --> 00:00:59 we get to spend with family
00:00:59 --> 00:01:00 and with friends,
00:01:00 --> 00:01:01 but also it's a time
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 we go crazy with decorations.
00:01:05 --> 00:01:06 People put up pretty lights
00:01:06 --> 00:01:07 and decorations on their houses,
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 going nuts for the festive season.
00:01:10 --> 00:01:12 People spend a whole lot of time
00:01:12 --> 00:01:13 putting up their Christmas tree
00:01:13 --> 00:01:14 and decorating it
00:01:14 --> 00:01:15 and making a big deal out of it,
00:01:16 --> 00:01:17 putting up stockings as well.
00:01:18 --> 00:01:20 Shopping centers go absolutely wild
00:01:20 --> 00:01:21 with carols and trees
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 and decorations all over the place.
00:01:23 --> 00:01:25 And even now,
00:01:25 --> 00:01:27 we even decorate our own cars
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 with reindeer antlers being put on them.
00:01:29 --> 00:01:30 Has anyone seen those
00:01:30 --> 00:01:33 driving around the streets and such?
00:01:33 --> 00:01:33 Yes.
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 And is anyone here brave enough
00:01:35 --> 00:01:36 to admit that they have
00:01:36 --> 00:01:38 reindeer antlers on their cars?
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 There are some of you who are like,
00:01:41 --> 00:01:41 oh dear.
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 So if I was to walk outside right now,
00:01:44 --> 00:01:44 I would not see any, right?
00:01:45 --> 00:01:45 Is that right?
00:01:46 --> 00:01:47 Okay, I believe you.
00:01:47 --> 00:01:48 Fair enough.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 We go wild at Christmas
00:01:50 --> 00:01:51 for a whole month.
00:01:52 --> 00:01:53 We transform the way our shops look,
00:01:54 --> 00:01:55 the way our houses look,
00:01:55 --> 00:01:56 and even now,
00:01:56 --> 00:01:57 the way our cars look.
00:01:58 --> 00:01:59 All for Christmas.
00:02:00 --> 00:02:01 And then on Christmas Day,
00:02:01 --> 00:02:02 you might think it's all about the food.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:05 You might think it's all about the presents.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:08 You might even think it's all about family.
00:02:08 --> 00:02:09 But let me tell you,
00:02:09 --> 00:02:10 you'd be wrong.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:12 According to Facebook and Instagram,
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 the whole day is about the table.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:19 It's all about the table.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:21 And a successful Christmas lunch
00:02:21 --> 00:02:24 depends upon how good your table looks,
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 how pretty and original the bonbons are,
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 how neat and organized everything is,
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 how ornate and pretty the whole thing is.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 Even the location is important
00:02:36 --> 00:02:37 so that the environment around the table
00:02:37 --> 00:02:41 can complement the beauty of the Christmas table.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:44 Your table game is very important
00:02:44 --> 00:02:45 at Christmas time.
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 At Christmas time,
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 we go that extra mile
00:02:49 --> 00:02:52 to make the month and the day look beautiful.
00:02:52 --> 00:02:55 We do it because it makes us feel good.
00:02:56 --> 00:02:57 We like beautiful things.
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 And it can make our life,
00:03:00 --> 00:03:01 even just for a day,
00:03:01 --> 00:03:03 seem perfect and beautiful.
00:03:04 --> 00:03:05 We forget everything
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 that might be going wrong for us in our life
00:03:07 --> 00:03:10 and focus on the vibe around us,
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 the joy that Christmas time brings.
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 Christmas in our modern culture
00:03:15 --> 00:03:19 is a time to focus on the good things in life.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:20 We spend our time celebrating
00:03:20 --> 00:03:23 the joy of your friends and family.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 We celebrate good food and presents.
00:03:26 --> 00:03:29 We celebrate the good times we've had this year
00:03:29 --> 00:03:32 and the good times we're looking forward to next year.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 Christmas is a time of celebration.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 And so we don't want to be thinking about
00:03:36 --> 00:03:39 the brokenness of our world.
00:03:40 --> 00:03:41 We want to have fun.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:43 We want to be joyful.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 And this is why we go to such lengths.
00:03:47 --> 00:03:48 Why we decorate.
00:03:48 --> 00:03:50 Why we have so many presents and food.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:54 And why we go all out on our dinner tables.
00:03:54 --> 00:03:57 We want the day to be entirely filled
00:03:57 --> 00:03:59 with joy and excitement.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:01 But the reality is
00:04:01 --> 00:04:05 we can't escape the brokenness of our world.
00:04:06 --> 00:04:07 No matter what we do,
00:04:08 --> 00:04:09 the brokenness of this world
00:04:09 --> 00:04:11 will always be ready to stare at us
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 right in the face,
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 even on Christmas Day.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 Your kids don't always like
00:04:18 --> 00:04:19 the presents you get for them.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 I'm sure there are some in your family
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 that you struggle to deal with on Christmas.
00:04:25 --> 00:04:29 And Christmas time only makes you more aware of this
00:04:29 --> 00:04:33 as old wounds and pains resurface once more.
00:04:34 --> 00:04:34 For some of us,
00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 Christmas can be quite a lonely time.
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 And the day only serves to remind us
00:04:40 --> 00:04:42 of what we have lost
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 or what we've never had.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:46 Our world is broken.
00:04:47 --> 00:04:49 And not even Christmas Day
00:04:49 --> 00:04:52 can disguise that well enough.
00:04:52 --> 00:04:56 But that's wherein lies the good news.
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 Christmas Day is not about
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 disguising the ugliness
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 and the brokenness of our world.
00:05:04 --> 00:05:06 Indeed, Christmas Day
00:05:06 --> 00:05:07 is all about exposing it.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:12 Matthew's account of the first Christmas story
00:05:12 --> 00:05:14 is to clearly expose
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 the brokenness of our world.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 He recounts a very violent account
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 of the Christmas story
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 that honestly leaves us shocked
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 and a little bit confused.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:27 But as we read,
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 we learn of a God who is in control
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 despite all the brokenness
00:05:31 --> 00:05:32 going on in our world.
00:05:32 --> 00:05:34 We learn of a God
00:05:34 --> 00:05:34 who has not overcome
00:05:34 --> 00:05:36 or affected by the brokenness
00:05:36 --> 00:05:37 of our world,
00:05:37 --> 00:05:40 but who has a plan to expose it
00:05:40 --> 00:05:41 in order to deal with it.
00:05:42 --> 00:05:43 Christmas Day
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 is all about exposing
00:05:45 --> 00:05:46 our brokenness
00:05:46 --> 00:05:48 and dealing with it.
00:05:50 --> 00:05:51 Let's read again from verse 13.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 When they had gone,
00:05:54 --> 00:05:54 an angel of the Lord
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 appeared to Joseph in a dream.
00:05:56 --> 00:05:57 Get up, he said.
00:05:57 --> 00:05:58 Take the child and his mother
00:05:58 --> 00:05:59 and escape to Egypt.
00:06:00 --> 00:06:01 Stay there until I tell you,
00:06:01 --> 00:06:02 for Herod is going to search
00:06:02 --> 00:06:03 for the child
00:06:03 --> 00:06:04 to kill him.
00:06:05 --> 00:06:06 So he got up,
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 took the child and his mother
00:06:08 --> 00:06:09 during the night
00:06:09 --> 00:06:10 and left for Egypt,
00:06:10 --> 00:06:11 where he stayed
00:06:11 --> 00:06:12 until the death of Herod.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:13 And so it was fulfilled
00:06:13 --> 00:06:14 what the Lord had said
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 through the prophet.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:17 Out of Egypt
00:06:17 --> 00:06:18 I called my son.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:20 When Herod realized
00:06:20 --> 00:06:21 that he had been outwitted
00:06:21 --> 00:06:21 by the Magi,
00:06:21 --> 00:06:22 he was furious
00:06:22 --> 00:06:23 and he gave orders
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 to kill all the boys
00:06:25 --> 00:06:25 in Bethlehem
00:06:25 --> 00:06:26 and his vicinity
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 who were two years old
00:06:28 --> 00:06:28 and under.
00:06:29 --> 00:06:30 And according to the time
00:06:30 --> 00:06:31 he had learned
00:06:31 --> 00:06:31 from the Magi.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 Here we learn firsthand
00:06:34 --> 00:06:35 just how broken
00:06:35 --> 00:06:36 and sinful
00:06:36 --> 00:06:37 the world is.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:38 The king of Judea
00:06:38 --> 00:06:38 at this time
00:06:38 --> 00:06:40 is King Herod
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 and he is quite a character.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:43 As Steve mentioned
00:06:43 --> 00:06:44 at our Christmas services,
00:06:45 --> 00:06:46 King Herod
00:06:46 --> 00:06:47 was a paranoid leader.
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 always thinking
00:06:49 --> 00:06:50 he was about to be betrayed.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:53 He had his brother-in-law killed,
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 his wife killed,
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 as well as both of his sons killed.
00:06:58 --> 00:07:00 All because he thought
00:07:00 --> 00:07:00 they were trying
00:07:00 --> 00:07:01 to take over him.
00:07:02 --> 00:07:03 He was an unforgiving,
00:07:04 --> 00:07:05 paranoid tyrant
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 who constantly feared
00:07:08 --> 00:07:09 any challenge
00:07:09 --> 00:07:10 to his sovereignty.
00:07:11 --> 00:07:12 And so when the Magi
00:07:12 --> 00:07:13 came to him
00:07:13 --> 00:07:14 and approached him
00:07:14 --> 00:07:14 and asked him,
00:07:15 --> 00:07:15 where is the one
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 who has been born
00:07:17 --> 00:07:18 the king of the Jews,
00:07:18 --> 00:07:18 we want to go
00:07:18 --> 00:07:19 and worship him,
00:07:19 --> 00:07:20 this sends Herod
00:07:20 --> 00:07:22 into a frenzy.
00:07:23 --> 00:07:23 He is the king
00:07:23 --> 00:07:24 of the Jews,
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 not this newborn kid.
00:07:28 --> 00:07:29 He orchestrates a plan
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 to find this newborn king
00:07:31 --> 00:07:32 and kill him.
00:07:33 --> 00:07:33 However,
00:07:33 --> 00:07:34 this plan is foiled.
00:07:35 --> 00:07:36 So what does he do?
00:07:37 --> 00:07:38 Verse 16,
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 when Herod realized
00:07:40 --> 00:07:41 that he had been outwitted
00:07:41 --> 00:07:42 by the Magi,
00:07:42 --> 00:07:43 he was furious
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 and he gave orders
00:07:45 --> 00:07:46 to kill all the boys
00:07:46 --> 00:07:47 in Bethlehem
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 and in its vicinity
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 who were two years old
00:07:51 --> 00:07:52 and young and under.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:55 To be crude,
00:07:56 --> 00:07:57 he widened his net.
00:07:59 --> 00:08:00 If he couldn't locate
00:08:00 --> 00:08:01 Jesus exactly,
00:08:02 --> 00:08:03 maybe he would manage
00:08:03 --> 00:08:04 to kill him
00:08:04 --> 00:08:05 in the midst
00:08:05 --> 00:08:05 of killing
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 every single other boy,
00:08:08 --> 00:08:09 baby boy,
00:08:09 --> 00:08:10 in Bethlehem.
00:08:12 --> 00:08:13 It's sick.
00:08:14 --> 00:08:15 It's wicked.
00:08:17 --> 00:08:18 It's pure evil.
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 I cannot begin
00:08:21 --> 00:08:21 to describe
00:08:21 --> 00:08:22 the sheer evil
00:08:22 --> 00:08:23 of this act.
00:08:23 --> 00:08:24 This event brings
00:08:24 --> 00:08:25 to mind
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 the events
00:08:27 --> 00:08:27 in Exodus
00:08:27 --> 00:08:28 where Pharaoh
00:08:28 --> 00:08:29 ordered the killing
00:08:29 --> 00:08:30 of all the boys
00:08:30 --> 00:08:31 of the Hebrews
00:08:31 --> 00:08:33 in order to cull
00:08:33 --> 00:08:34 their population.
00:08:34 --> 00:08:35 And so the fact
00:08:35 --> 00:08:36 that Herod
00:08:36 --> 00:08:37 would dare
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 to have the audacity
00:08:39 --> 00:08:40 to inflict such pain
00:08:40 --> 00:08:41 and suffering
00:08:41 --> 00:08:42 on his own people
00:08:42 --> 00:08:43 again
00:08:43 --> 00:08:45 goes to show
00:08:45 --> 00:08:47 just how wicked
00:08:47 --> 00:08:48 he is
00:08:48 --> 00:08:49 and how horribly
00:08:49 --> 00:08:49 broken
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 our world is.
00:08:53 --> 00:08:54 Matthew
00:08:54 --> 00:08:55 here
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 doesn't introduce
00:08:57 --> 00:08:58 a Christmas story
00:08:58 --> 00:08:59 that looks glamorous
00:08:59 --> 00:09:00 and beautiful
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 like the Christmas stories
00:09:02 --> 00:09:03 our world
00:09:03 --> 00:09:03 might be used
00:09:03 --> 00:09:04 to hearing
00:09:04 --> 00:09:05 that are filled
00:09:05 --> 00:09:06 with joy,
00:09:07 --> 00:09:07 luxury,
00:09:07 --> 00:09:08 comfort,
00:09:09 --> 00:09:10 food and family,
00:09:10 --> 00:09:11 presents and good times.
00:09:11 --> 00:09:11 No,
00:09:12 --> 00:09:12 Matthew
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 introduces a story
00:09:14 --> 00:09:15 that is violent
00:09:15 --> 00:09:17 and terrifying.
00:09:18 --> 00:09:18 A story
00:09:18 --> 00:09:19 that brings out
00:09:19 --> 00:09:20 the brokenness
00:09:20 --> 00:09:21 of our world
00:09:21 --> 00:09:22 for all of us
00:09:22 --> 00:09:23 to see.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:25 Therefore,
00:09:25 --> 00:09:26 as the reader,
00:09:26 --> 00:09:27 we are exposed
00:09:27 --> 00:09:28 to the sinfulness
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 and brokenness
00:09:30 --> 00:09:31 of our world.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:32 The story
00:09:32 --> 00:09:32 of Christmas
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 is not only
00:09:33 --> 00:09:34 confronting
00:09:34 --> 00:09:36 because of the horrors
00:09:36 --> 00:09:37 that Herod
00:09:37 --> 00:09:38 committed,
00:09:38 --> 00:09:39 but also because
00:09:39 --> 00:09:40 we are reminded
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 that we're a part
00:09:42 --> 00:09:43 of the same world
00:09:43 --> 00:09:44 as Herod.
00:09:45 --> 00:09:45 We too
00:09:45 --> 00:09:46 contribute
00:09:46 --> 00:09:48 towards the brokenness
00:09:48 --> 00:09:49 of this world.
00:09:50 --> 00:09:51 We too
00:09:51 --> 00:09:52 are sinful,
00:09:53 --> 00:09:53 flawed
00:09:53 --> 00:09:55 and broken people.
00:09:56 --> 00:09:57 And Christmas
00:09:57 --> 00:09:58 is all about
00:09:58 --> 00:09:59 exposing us
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 in such a way.
00:10:03 --> 00:10:03 Indeed,
00:10:03 --> 00:10:04 Christmas
00:10:04 --> 00:10:05 deconstructs
00:10:05 --> 00:10:06 our own
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 self-inflated view,
00:10:09 --> 00:10:09 the pretty
00:10:09 --> 00:10:10 and glamorous
00:10:10 --> 00:10:11 idea we might
00:10:11 --> 00:10:12 build of ourselves
00:10:12 --> 00:10:15 and it plunges us
00:10:15 --> 00:10:16 into the reality
00:10:16 --> 00:10:17 that we are
00:10:17 --> 00:10:18 desperate
00:10:18 --> 00:10:19 and in need
00:10:19 --> 00:10:20 of a saviour.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:22 The story
00:10:22 --> 00:10:23 of Christmas
00:10:23 --> 00:10:23 exposes
00:10:23 --> 00:10:24 our sinfulness
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 and brokenness
00:10:26 --> 00:10:27 but it does not
00:10:27 --> 00:10:28 leave us there.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:30 It exposes
00:10:30 --> 00:10:31 our sin
00:10:31 --> 00:10:32 in order
00:10:32 --> 00:10:33 to deal with it.
00:10:33 --> 00:10:34 The story
00:10:34 --> 00:10:34 of Christmas
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 is one of violence
00:10:36 --> 00:10:36 from beginning
00:10:36 --> 00:10:37 to end,
00:10:37 --> 00:10:38 beginning with
00:10:38 --> 00:10:38 the horrific
00:10:38 --> 00:10:39 slaughter
00:10:39 --> 00:10:40 of children
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 and ending
00:10:42 --> 00:10:43 with the violent
00:10:43 --> 00:10:43 murder
00:10:43 --> 00:10:44 of the Son
00:10:44 --> 00:10:45 of God.
00:10:45 --> 00:10:47 It's barely
00:10:47 --> 00:10:47 palatable
00:10:47 --> 00:10:50 but that's
00:10:50 --> 00:10:50 the story
00:10:50 --> 00:10:52 it leaves
00:10:52 --> 00:10:52 us feeling
00:10:52 --> 00:10:53 sick
00:10:53 --> 00:10:54 as we are
00:10:54 --> 00:10:54 confronted
00:10:54 --> 00:10:55 with the
00:10:55 --> 00:10:55 reality of
00:10:55 --> 00:10:56 sin in our
00:10:56 --> 00:10:57 world
00:10:57 --> 00:10:57 and our
00:10:57 --> 00:10:58 own
00:10:58 --> 00:10:58 brokenness
00:10:58 --> 00:10:59 and sinfulness.
00:11:00 --> 00:11:01 But there
00:11:01 --> 00:11:01 is hope
00:11:01 --> 00:11:03 because Jesus
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 did not merely
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 come to expose
00:11:06 --> 00:11:06 our sin,
00:11:06 --> 00:11:07 he came to
00:11:07 --> 00:11:08 deal with it.
00:11:09 --> 00:11:10 What this story
00:11:10 --> 00:11:11 shows us
00:11:11 --> 00:11:12 is that in his
00:11:12 --> 00:11:12 coming,
00:11:12 --> 00:11:13 God doesn't
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 merely show
00:11:15 --> 00:11:15 that he is able
00:11:15 --> 00:11:16 to expose
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 our sinfulness
00:11:17 --> 00:11:18 but that he
00:11:18 --> 00:11:19 is also
00:11:19 --> 00:11:19 sovereign
00:11:19 --> 00:11:20 over it.
00:11:21 --> 00:11:22 He's in
00:11:22 --> 00:11:22 control
00:11:22 --> 00:11:23 and he can
00:11:23 --> 00:11:24 deal with it.
00:11:25 --> 00:11:26 The world
00:11:26 --> 00:11:26 might be in
00:11:26 --> 00:11:27 a chaotic
00:11:27 --> 00:11:28 mess
00:11:28 --> 00:11:29 but he is
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 able to
00:11:30 --> 00:11:31 ruin that
00:11:31 --> 00:11:31 chaos,
00:11:32 --> 00:11:33 achieve his
00:11:33 --> 00:11:34 perfect plan
00:11:34 --> 00:11:35 and will
00:11:35 --> 00:11:36 to save us
00:11:36 --> 00:11:37 from our
00:11:37 --> 00:11:38 sin.
00:11:38 --> 00:11:39 We see it
00:11:39 --> 00:11:40 straight up in
00:11:40 --> 00:11:40 our passage
00:11:40 --> 00:11:41 in the opening
00:11:41 --> 00:11:42 verse.
00:11:42 --> 00:11:42 An angel
00:11:42 --> 00:11:43 of the Lord
00:11:43 --> 00:11:44 appeared to
00:11:44 --> 00:11:44 Joseph in
00:11:44 --> 00:11:44 the dream.
00:11:45 --> 00:11:45 Get up,
00:11:45 --> 00:11:45 he said.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:46 Take the
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 child and
00:11:47 --> 00:11:47 his mother
00:11:47 --> 00:11:47 and escape
00:11:47 --> 00:11:48 to Egypt.
00:11:49 --> 00:11:49 Stay there
00:11:49 --> 00:11:50 until I tell
00:11:50 --> 00:11:50 you,
00:11:51 --> 00:11:52 for Herod is
00:11:52 --> 00:11:52 going to
00:11:52 --> 00:11:52 search for
00:11:52 --> 00:11:53 the child
00:11:53 --> 00:11:53 to kill
00:11:53 --> 00:11:54 him.
00:11:54 --> 00:11:54 In the
00:11:54 --> 00:11:55 face of
00:11:55 --> 00:11:55 conflict
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 and oppression,
00:11:57 --> 00:11:57 God
00:11:57 --> 00:11:58 divinely
00:11:58 --> 00:11:59 intercedes
00:11:59 --> 00:12:00 and ensures
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 that the
00:12:01 --> 00:12:02 newborn king
00:12:02 --> 00:12:02 would be
00:12:02 --> 00:12:04 safe and
00:12:04 --> 00:12:04 kept away
00:12:04 --> 00:12:05 from Herod's
00:12:05 --> 00:12:06 attempts to
00:12:06 --> 00:12:06 kill him.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:08 And Joseph
00:12:08 --> 00:12:09 is once more
00:12:09 --> 00:12:09 warned in
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 verse 22,
00:12:10 --> 00:12:11 but when he
00:12:11 --> 00:12:12 heard Achelaus
00:12:12 --> 00:12:12 was reigning
00:12:12 --> 00:12:13 in Judea
00:12:13 --> 00:12:14 in place
00:12:14 --> 00:12:14 of his
00:12:14 --> 00:12:15 father Herod,
00:12:15 --> 00:12:15 he was
00:12:15 --> 00:12:16 afraid to
00:12:16 --> 00:12:16 go there.
00:12:17 --> 00:12:17 Having been
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 warned in
00:12:18 --> 00:12:18 a dream,
00:12:18 --> 00:12:19 he withdrew
00:12:19 --> 00:12:20 to the
00:12:20 --> 00:12:20 district of
00:12:20 --> 00:12:22 Galilee and
00:12:22 --> 00:12:23 he went and
00:12:23 --> 00:12:23 lived in a
00:12:23 --> 00:12:23 town called
00:12:23 --> 00:12:24 Nazareth.
00:12:25 --> 00:12:26 He shows
00:12:26 --> 00:12:26 that in the
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 midst of a
00:12:27 --> 00:12:28 broken and
00:12:28 --> 00:12:29 violent world,
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 he is still
00:12:31 --> 00:12:31 in control,
00:12:32 --> 00:12:32 that he will
00:12:32 --> 00:12:33 achieve his
00:12:33 --> 00:12:34 purpose and
00:12:34 --> 00:12:34 plan,
00:12:34 --> 00:12:34 that this
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 Jesus will
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 save his
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 people from
00:12:37 --> 00:12:38 their sins.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:40 Death pursued
00:12:40 --> 00:12:40 Jesus.
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 This was the
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 pattern of
00:12:43 --> 00:12:43 his life.
00:12:44 --> 00:12:44 But death
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 itself never
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 consumed him.
00:12:47 --> 00:12:47 It never
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 caught up to
00:12:48 --> 00:12:49 him finally and
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 overtook him.
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 No, death
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 had no power
00:12:52 --> 00:12:53 over Jesus.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 What happened,
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 as Paul says in
00:12:56 --> 00:12:56 Philippians 2,
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58 was that Jesus
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 became obedient
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 to death.
00:13:02 --> 00:13:03 Death pursued
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 Jesus until the
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 appointed time
00:13:05 --> 00:13:06 where Jesus
00:13:06 --> 00:13:07 would become
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 obedient to
00:13:08 --> 00:13:09 death in
00:13:09 --> 00:13:10 order to
00:13:10 --> 00:13:11 save his
00:13:11 --> 00:13:12 people from
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 their sins.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:14 What we see
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 here is the
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 incredible
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17 sovereignty of
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 God working
00:13:18 --> 00:13:19 through the
00:13:19 --> 00:13:20 brokenness of
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21 our world in
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22 order to
00:13:22 --> 00:13:22 redeem it.
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 God turns the
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 brokenness of
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 this world in
00:13:27 --> 00:13:27 on its head.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 As we saw in
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 the genealogy,
00:13:30 --> 00:13:31 God uses broken
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 people, people
00:13:32 --> 00:13:33 who we would
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 otherwise look
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 down upon and
00:13:35 --> 00:13:36 despise for their
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 sinfulness and
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 their ugliness and
00:13:38 --> 00:13:38 their yuckiness.
00:13:39 --> 00:13:40 God uses those
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 people to achieve
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 his good and
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 perfect plan of
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 salvation.
00:13:45 --> 00:13:45 In a broken
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 world where death
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 brings destruction
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 and hopelessness for
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 so many people,
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 God in his power and
00:13:52 --> 00:13:54 sovereignty uses the
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 death of his son to
00:13:56 --> 00:13:57 bring hope and
00:13:57 --> 00:14:00 life, to save us
00:14:00 --> 00:14:01 from our sins.
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 He deals with our
00:14:03 --> 00:14:05 brokenness, our
00:14:05 --> 00:14:05 sinfulness.
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 He lifts up our
00:14:07 --> 00:14:09 head and fixes
00:14:09 --> 00:14:10 our gaze on him,
00:14:11 --> 00:14:12 giving us hope in
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 a broken world.
00:14:14 --> 00:14:16 At Christmas time,
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17 our world is so
00:14:17 --> 00:14:17 focused on
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 forgetting the
00:14:18 --> 00:14:19 brokenness of our
00:14:19 --> 00:14:20 world, being
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 distracted instead
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 by the beauty and
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 the joy and the
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 glamour that is
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 engineered on the
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28 day itself.
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 But the true
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 beauty of Christmas
00:14:30 --> 00:14:32 that Matthew is not
00:14:32 --> 00:14:33 afraid to portray
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 boldly is that
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 Jesus came to
00:14:35 --> 00:14:37 save a broken
00:14:37 --> 00:14:37 world.
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 The beauty of
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 Christmas is that
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 it doesn't try to
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 hide our brokenness,
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 it exposes it in
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 order to deal with
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 it.
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 The joy and the
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 beauty of Christmas
00:14:49 --> 00:14:50 is that because
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 Jesus has come,
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 we are now able to
00:14:54 --> 00:14:56 face up to our
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 brokenness.
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 We are able to
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 look at our
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 sinfulness, our
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 wickedness, our
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 brokenness, not
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 with fear but
00:15:04 --> 00:15:04 with hope.
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 As we turn our
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 eyes to the one
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 who became sin
00:15:09 --> 00:15:11 for us, who
00:15:11 --> 00:15:13 carried our
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 sinfulness, the
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 sinfulness of the
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 world upon his
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 shoulders.
00:15:18 --> 00:15:20 When we look at
00:15:20 --> 00:15:20 our broken world,
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 when we look at
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 our broken and
00:15:23 --> 00:15:25 sinful life, we
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 ought not to be
00:15:26 --> 00:15:26 overcome.
00:15:27 --> 00:15:29 We ought not to
00:15:29 --> 00:15:29 fear.
00:15:30 --> 00:15:30 When our
00:15:30 --> 00:15:32 Christmas on
00:15:32 --> 00:15:32 Christmas Day
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 doesn't live up
00:15:33 --> 00:15:33 to what we
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 had hoped,
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 doesn't look as
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 pretty as we
00:15:36 --> 00:15:39 wanted, we ought
00:15:39 --> 00:15:39 not to be
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 dismayed.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 Christmas is all
00:15:43 --> 00:15:45 about exposing our
00:15:45 --> 00:15:47 broken lives and
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 our broken world in
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 order to save it.
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 Christmas is all
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 about giving us
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 hope in the
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 midst of our
00:15:55 --> 00:15:55 brokenness.
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 A hope that
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 sustains us in the
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 world that would
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 otherwise devour us.
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 A hope that gives
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 us strength as we
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 look to Christ who
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 deals with our
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 sinfulness and our
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 brokenness.
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 That is why
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 Christmas is
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 beautiful.
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 That is why
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 Christmas is
00:16:15 --> 00:16:15 joyful.
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 Because it gives
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 us strength through
00:16:18 --> 00:16:20 tears, through pain,
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 through suffering,
00:16:22 --> 00:16:22 through our
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 brokenness to keep
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 going.
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 To look at the
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 world in its
00:16:28 --> 00:16:28 broken state.
00:16:29 --> 00:16:31 To grieve, yes.
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 To feel the pain,
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 yes.
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 But to keep going
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 knowing that God
00:16:35 --> 00:16:37 has sent his son to
00:16:37 --> 00:16:37 deal with it.
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 To keep going as we
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 look forward to
00:16:42 --> 00:16:42 eternity.
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 So, what do we do
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 with our traditions on
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 Christmas Day and at
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 Christmas time?
00:16:48 --> 00:16:50 It might sound like I'm
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 throwing those things
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 under the bus a little
00:16:52 --> 00:16:52 bit.
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 That Christmas should be
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 more about a private
00:16:55 --> 00:16:57 reflection of what
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 God has done for us.
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 And whilst it's very
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 important to remember
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 who we are and how
00:17:02 --> 00:17:04 broken we are, I want
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 to say the opposite.
00:17:06 --> 00:17:08 Christmas is a
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 wonderful time.
00:17:09 --> 00:17:11 A joyful time.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 And we should feast.
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 We should celebrate.
00:17:14 --> 00:17:14 We should give
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 presents.
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 Not because these
00:17:16 --> 00:17:18 things should distract
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 us from our
00:17:19 --> 00:17:19 brokenness.
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 But because we know
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 full well.
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 Full well of our
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26 brokenness and that
00:17:26 --> 00:17:26 it has been dealt
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 with.
00:17:27 --> 00:17:29 We celebrate the day
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 God opened our eyes
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 for the brokenness of
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 our world.
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 Confronted us with the
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 reality of our sin.
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 Not to put fear in us
00:17:36 --> 00:17:38 but to give us hope.
00:17:39 --> 00:17:41 That is something worth
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 celebrating.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 Us broken, sinful
00:17:45 --> 00:17:47 people enjoying peace
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 with God.
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 The Christmas story then
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 is not something that we
00:17:52 --> 00:17:54 celebrate or have on our
00:17:54 --> 00:17:56 minds only one day of the
00:17:56 --> 00:17:56 year.
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 For the Christian it is
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 something on our hearts,
00:17:58 --> 00:18:00 on our minds, something
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 that we are celebrating all
00:18:01 --> 00:18:03 the time, every single day
00:18:03 --> 00:18:03 of the year.
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 The Christmas story gives
00:18:05 --> 00:18:07 us the capacity to look at
00:18:07 --> 00:18:09 our brokenness and not be
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 overcome by it.
00:18:10 --> 00:18:12 It informs us that only in
00:18:12 --> 00:18:14 Jesus can we be sustained
00:18:14 --> 00:18:17 in our brokenness and have
00:18:17 --> 00:18:19 hope for the future.
00:18:19 --> 00:18:21 hope in a world full of
00:18:21 --> 00:18:24 wickedness, desperation and
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 brokenness.
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 There is a whole world out
00:18:28 --> 00:18:31 there who needs the tough
00:18:31 --> 00:18:33 love of having their sin
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 exposed.
00:18:34 --> 00:18:36 A world who doesn't know how
00:18:36 --> 00:18:38 to deal with their brokenness
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 and sinfulness.
00:18:39 --> 00:18:41 They only know how to distract
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 themselves from it.
00:18:42 --> 00:18:44 Whether it's by constantly
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 turning to the good things in
00:18:45 --> 00:18:48 life, focusing on the events
00:18:48 --> 00:18:50 themselves or otherwise.
00:18:52 --> 00:18:54 But we, brothers and
00:18:54 --> 00:18:57 sisters, do know how to deal
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 with our brokenness.
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 Indeed, we know the one who
00:19:00 --> 00:19:02 has dealt with it.
00:19:04 --> 00:19:07 Our world needs us to help
00:19:07 --> 00:19:09 them to look towards Jesus to
00:19:09 --> 00:19:11 deal with their brokenness.
00:19:12 --> 00:19:14 But the thing is, is that it
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 starts with us.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:17 It starts with you.
00:19:18 --> 00:19:20 Are you looking to Jesus in
00:19:20 --> 00:19:22 the midst of your own
00:19:22 --> 00:19:25 brokenness and sinfulness to
00:19:25 --> 00:19:25 find hope?
00:19:26 --> 00:19:28 To find salvation?
00:19:29 --> 00:19:32 Or are you allowing yourself to
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 be distracted?
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 Are you willing to be
00:19:35 --> 00:19:38 confronted by your own broken
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 life, by your own sinfulness?
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 Or would you rather just go on
00:19:41 --> 00:19:43 with your life and being
00:19:43 --> 00:19:45 distracted and not even think
00:19:45 --> 00:19:45 about that?
00:19:47 --> 00:19:49 The story of Christmas is all
00:19:49 --> 00:19:51 about how much God loves you.
00:19:52 --> 00:19:54 His love for you is so great
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 that he came into our sinful,
00:19:56 --> 00:19:58 broken world in order to
00:19:58 --> 00:20:00 expose it for what it really is
00:20:00 --> 00:20:02 that we might be saved from our
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 sins.
00:20:04 --> 00:20:06 So do not be afraid.
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 Do not despair.
00:20:09 --> 00:20:11 Christ has come to save
00:20:11 --> 00:20:14 sinners, broken people like you
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 and me.
00:20:16 --> 00:20:18 Facing up to our brokenness is
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 scary.
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 I mean, it's terrifying.
00:20:22 --> 00:20:24 To relinquish control of
00:20:24 --> 00:20:26 ourselves and to give it over to
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 God.
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 To realize that we are not good
00:20:29 --> 00:20:31 enough on our own to save
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 ourselves.
00:20:33 --> 00:20:36 But in the end, it ends with joy
00:20:36 --> 00:20:39 as we trust that God
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 can deal with it.
00:20:41 --> 00:20:43 As he deals with it by giving us
00:20:43 --> 00:20:45 himself in his son.
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 That is why we celebrate
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 Christmas.
00:20:49 --> 00:20:51 And that's what makes it
00:20:51 --> 00:20:51 beautiful.