Herod
Series: THROUGH THEIR EYES
Speaker: John Lau
Date: 8th December 2018
Passage: Matthew 2:1-23
00:00:00 --> 00:00:01 In about two weeks will be Christmas.
00:00:02 --> 00:00:05 Do you have any tradition during this festive season?
00:00:06 --> 00:00:09 Are you looking forward to have some time off?
00:00:09 --> 00:00:12 Or are you one of those that have to work through the holiday
00:00:12 --> 00:00:14 and only have a few red days for a break?
00:00:16 --> 00:00:20 Another father of my kids, who is an Italian,
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 he told me that his German father-in-law
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 would often visit them during Christmas.
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 They did not get on very well
00:00:29 --> 00:00:32 because he feels that his father-in-law is too strict.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:35 Everything needs to be right and exact,
00:00:36 --> 00:00:38 needs to be on the dock, so to speak.
00:00:39 --> 00:00:41 So to make his Christmas family gathering
00:00:41 --> 00:00:43 more bearable and entertaining,
00:00:44 --> 00:00:47 my friend would deliberately adjust all the clocks in his house
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 to be out by one or two minutes
00:00:49 --> 00:00:54 and observe the reaction and expression of his father-in-law.
00:00:54 --> 00:01:00 My friend said his father-in-law would want to do something
00:01:00 --> 00:01:03 to adjust all the clocks back to the exact time,
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 but since it's not his house,
00:01:05 --> 00:01:08 he cannot do so without asking him for permission.
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 But being a German father-in-law,
00:01:11 --> 00:01:15 he's not willing to ask an Italian for his permission.
00:01:15 --> 00:01:20 So he just spent the whole time being disturbed.
00:01:20 --> 00:01:27 When you wanted things to go your way,
00:01:27 --> 00:01:30 when you wanted to take control,
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 but the environment does not allow you to do so,
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 it must be a very painful experience.
00:01:36 --> 00:01:39 What if you are allowed to take control?
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 What if you have the full reign?
00:01:43 --> 00:01:44 What would you do with it?
00:01:44 --> 00:01:49 What would you do to make sure you would not lose that control again?
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 Today we will reflect on King Herod,
00:01:53 --> 00:01:58 a man who also wants everything to go according to how he wants them,
00:01:59 --> 00:02:02 and consider having control as the most important thing.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:06 Today we will see Christmas through his eyes,
00:02:06 --> 00:02:09 and as we prepare for the lead-up to Christmas Day,
00:02:09 --> 00:02:14 we will also take some time to see Christmas through the eyes of the angels,
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 of Mary, and of Jesus' fathers.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 As we reflect on King Herod today,
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 let us answer three questions.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:24 Who is Herod?
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 Who is this newborn king?
00:02:27 --> 00:02:29 And who is your king?
00:02:29 --> 00:02:30 Let us pray.
00:02:32 --> 00:02:33 Father, thank you for Jesus.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:38 Thank you for breaking into our world a little bit more than 2 years ago,
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 and provide us with a way to be reunited with you.
00:02:42 --> 00:02:46 As we reflect on the meaning of Christmas through King Herod today
00:02:46 --> 00:02:49 and other characters in the coming weeks,
00:02:49 --> 00:02:54 please help us to also reflect on the true meaning of Christmas to ourselves
00:02:54 --> 00:02:55 and what you have done for us.
00:02:56 --> 00:02:57 Amen.
00:02:58 --> 00:02:59 So who is King Herod?
00:02:59 --> 00:03:04 The birth of Christ, Christmas, was predicted in the Old Testament
00:03:04 --> 00:03:08 and recorded in Matthew and Luke in the New Testament.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:12 The record in Matthew was read out for us just now.
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 So let's turn to it again in Matthew 2.
00:03:15 --> 00:03:20 It's saying in Matthew 2, verse 1 to 2,
00:03:20 --> 00:03:50 Jesus was born during the time of King Herod.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 You will encounter three different Herod.
00:03:53 --> 00:03:54 They are all related,
00:03:55 --> 00:03:58 and today we are talking about Herod the Great,
00:03:58 --> 00:04:01 the very first Herod who made it to be a king
00:04:01 --> 00:04:04 and passed on the position to the other Herod
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 that you will read in the New Testament.
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 The Bible has not given us much detail
00:04:09 --> 00:04:13 about the background about this Herod,
00:04:13 --> 00:04:14 but we can rely on historians
00:04:14 --> 00:04:18 and from the time and also archaeology
00:04:18 --> 00:04:19 to know more about him.
00:04:19 --> 00:04:23 Historians told us that Herod the Great
00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 was born an Edomite,
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 followed the lines of Isaac,
00:04:28 --> 00:04:30 Isaac's oldest son, Esau.
00:04:31 --> 00:04:33 In Genesis, the first book of Old Testament,
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 we were told that Isaac is the son of Abraham,
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 and he has two sons, Esau and Jacob.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 So those who follow the line of Esau
00:04:43 --> 00:04:46 are Edomite because they live around Edom.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:50 And those who follow the line of Jacob are the Jews,
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 which live in the land of Judea and Jerusalem.
00:04:54 --> 00:04:57 Herod shared the same ancestors with the Jews,
00:04:58 --> 00:04:59 going back to Abraham and Isaac,
00:05:00 --> 00:05:01 but he is not a Jew.
00:05:02 --> 00:05:04 He is a descendant of Esau and Edomite.
00:05:04 --> 00:05:08 He obtained his position as the king of the Jews,
00:05:09 --> 00:05:09 his relatives,
00:05:10 --> 00:05:11 not by birth,
00:05:12 --> 00:05:14 but through careful political maneuvers,
00:05:15 --> 00:05:16 risking his life at every step
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 in his dealing with the Romans.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 Despite the fact that he was appointed king by the Romans
00:05:22 --> 00:05:26 and was bound to carry out the will of Rome,
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 Herod wants to set up something great
00:05:28 --> 00:05:33 and pass on his achievements and inheritance to his children.
00:05:34 --> 00:05:39 He wants an empire that will last a long time.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:41 However, at the same time,
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 he wants only to pass on his empire
00:05:44 --> 00:05:47 at the time that he feels,
00:05:48 --> 00:05:49 that is,
00:05:49 --> 00:05:50 feeding his schedule and his plan.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:55 So he murdered whoever might challenge his place on the throne,
00:05:56 --> 00:05:57 including his wife
00:05:57 --> 00:06:00 and several of his sons and other relatives.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:03 Reflecting on Herod,
00:06:03 --> 00:06:06 wanting to control the destiny of his own life,
00:06:06 --> 00:06:09 I thought about someone that was in China
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 around 247 BC.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:16 He became the emperor of the Qing dynasty.
00:06:17 --> 00:06:18 His title was Qin Qi Wang.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:21 Qin is the name of the dynasty.
00:06:22 --> 00:06:25 Qi is the very first of the founder.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:27 Wang means emperor.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:31 So Qin Qi Wang means the very first emperor of China.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 He was called by that title
00:06:34 --> 00:06:37 because he was the very first emperor of a unified China.
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 All the dynasty that come after him
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 inherited unified China
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 and able to expand China
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 based on what Qin Qi Wang has done.
00:06:49 --> 00:06:50 He did a lot of things
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 that we still talk about today,
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 such as connecting all the sessions
00:06:55 --> 00:06:58 of the defensive war around the 200 BC,
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 which become the Great War of China.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 And 2 years later,
00:07:04 --> 00:07:05 we still talk about it
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 and the Great War is still standing
00:07:07 --> 00:07:09 as one of the wonders of the world.
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 He was on a quest to find medicine
00:07:12 --> 00:07:14 that can grant him eternal life.
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 But after all the attempts at Pharaoh,
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 he had a few big tombs dug out
00:07:20 --> 00:07:24 and filled them with clay or terracotta warriors,
00:07:24 --> 00:07:25 horses and chariots,
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 in order that they would give him the protection
00:07:28 --> 00:07:31 and extend his reign after death.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 Something that both Herod and Qin Qi Wang
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 had in common
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 are the great building projects.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 Qin Qi Wang connected the Great War
00:07:42 --> 00:07:43 and built tombs.
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 Herod was known to have built
00:07:45 --> 00:07:46 the port of Caesarea,
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 restored the temple in Jerusalem,
00:07:49 --> 00:07:52 and built many theaters, cities,
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 palaces, and fortresses.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 They both done so much
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 to set up for themselves a legacy
00:07:58 --> 00:08:01 that they hoped will last for a long time.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 They both want to be in control.
00:08:05 --> 00:08:06 But as you and me both know,
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 things in life never go according to plan.
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 Have you ever planned to achieve
00:08:13 --> 00:08:14 some great things,
00:08:15 --> 00:08:16 make accurate effort,
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 with huge sacrifice to get there,
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 and have the pin pulled from under you?
00:08:21 --> 00:08:24 You walk carefully,
00:08:24 --> 00:08:25 like treading on thin ice,
00:08:26 --> 00:08:27 and someone jumped in
00:08:27 --> 00:08:28 and cracked everything.
00:08:30 --> 00:08:33 The question posed by the Magi in verse 2,
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 where is the one who has been born
00:08:35 --> 00:08:36 king of the Jews,
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 was such a stern reminder to Herod
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 that despite all that he has done,
00:08:42 --> 00:08:43 all that he is doing,
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 despite all that he has achieved,
00:08:46 --> 00:08:49 he is not really the king of the Jews.
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 He is not even born a Jew.
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 He is the half-blooded king,
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 if I may steal the title
00:08:56 --> 00:08:57 from a Harry Potter fan.
00:08:58 --> 00:09:00 So 1st Street told us that
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 when King Herod heard this,
00:09:02 --> 00:09:03 he was disturbed,
00:09:04 --> 00:09:05 and all Jerusalem with him.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 This could be one of the understatements
00:09:08 --> 00:09:09 in the Bible.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 It's like saying Jesus was hungry
00:09:11 --> 00:09:14 after fast for 40 days and 40 nights.
00:09:14 --> 00:09:17 If you put yourself in Herod's shoes,
00:09:18 --> 00:09:21 disturbed seems to be not very accurate
00:09:21 --> 00:09:24 or sufficient to describe how I would feel
00:09:24 --> 00:09:25 responding to that news.
00:09:26 --> 00:09:30 A new king that is not under my control has born,
00:09:31 --> 00:09:33 and has a right to be the king of the empire
00:09:33 --> 00:09:37 that I am building by birth.
00:09:37 --> 00:09:39 And he has that right by birth.
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 Being disturbed is such an understatement.
00:09:44 --> 00:09:47 And I believe all Jerusalem was disturbed too
00:09:47 --> 00:09:50 because they know what kind of person Herod is,
00:09:51 --> 00:09:55 what he will do to eliminate any threat to his thong.
00:09:55 --> 00:09:59 Herod was disturbed about the news of someone
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 who may threaten his thong,
00:10:02 --> 00:10:04 and he may also be disturbed
00:10:04 --> 00:10:07 because he doesn't know where he is born.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:09 So in verse 4 to 5,
00:10:09 --> 00:10:12 he called together all the people's chief priests
00:10:12 --> 00:10:13 and teachers of the law
00:10:13 --> 00:10:16 to find out where the Messiah was to be born.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:20 It's interesting that Herod seems to know
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 of the coming of the Messiah,
00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 who is the rightful king of the Jews,
00:10:25 --> 00:10:29 but he had done everything
00:10:29 --> 00:10:31 as if this Messiah would never come,
00:10:31 --> 00:10:33 that he can keep controlling
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 as a half-blooded king,
00:10:35 --> 00:10:36 a pretender to the thong.
00:10:38 --> 00:10:39 When they worked out
00:10:39 --> 00:10:42 where about the newborn king should be,
00:10:42 --> 00:10:44 in verse 7 to 8, it read,
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 Herod called the Magi secretly
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 and found out from them
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 the exact time the stars have appeared.
00:10:51 --> 00:10:53 He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
00:10:53 --> 00:10:56 Go and search carefully for the child.
00:10:56 --> 00:10:58 As soon as you find him,
00:10:58 --> 00:10:59 report to me,
00:10:59 --> 00:11:01 so I too may go and worship him.
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 With what we just found out about Herod,
00:11:05 --> 00:11:08 it's so obvious that he's not going to go
00:11:08 --> 00:11:09 and worship the child Jesus.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:12 If you are Herod,
00:11:13 --> 00:11:16 what do you think are the justifiable actions
00:11:16 --> 00:11:20 to take towards this newborn king of the Jews?
00:11:21 --> 00:11:25 This new threat to what you want to establish
00:11:25 --> 00:11:26 for yourself and your family?
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 How far would you go
00:11:29 --> 00:11:33 to protect what you have worked hard to set up
00:11:33 --> 00:11:33 before your life?
00:11:33 --> 00:11:37 Verse 16 told us that
00:11:37 --> 00:11:40 when Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi,
00:11:41 --> 00:11:42 he was furious
00:11:42 --> 00:11:46 and he gave order to kill all the boys in Bethlehem
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 and his vicinity
00:11:47 --> 00:11:50 who were two years old and under,
00:11:51 --> 00:11:54 according to the time he had learned from the Magi.
00:11:56 --> 00:11:58 Herod killed all the boys in Bethlehem
00:11:58 --> 00:11:59 and his vicinity
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 who were two years old and under
00:12:01 --> 00:12:02 to protect his control
00:12:02 --> 00:12:05 and lordship of the empire he is building.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:08 To him,
00:12:08 --> 00:12:10 there is a justifiable action to take.
00:12:11 --> 00:12:13 He had dealt with any threat to his throne
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 in the same way all along,
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 even to kill his wife and murder his sons.
00:12:18 --> 00:12:22 He wanted to hold on to whatever control he can exercise
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 to ensure his plans of building his empire.
00:12:27 --> 00:12:27 Succeeds.
00:12:28 --> 00:12:29 In Chen Qi Wong,
00:12:29 --> 00:12:32 quest to ensure his dynasty and Jews forever
00:12:32 --> 00:12:35 and to decide who remind his sons
00:12:35 --> 00:12:38 are more suitable to carry on his legacy.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:41 He let his sons fight each other.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 In his quest for eternal life,
00:12:44 --> 00:12:46 he become very suspicious
00:12:46 --> 00:12:49 and his heart-like control of his dynasty
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 drew many opposition.
00:12:52 --> 00:12:53 In response to Chen Qi Wong,
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 he burned all the books and literature
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 that is not in line with the policy
00:12:58 --> 00:13:00 that he wants to enforce
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 and murder any scholar
00:13:02 --> 00:13:04 that dare to speak up against him
00:13:04 --> 00:13:07 by burying them alive
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 to drown them out.
00:13:09 --> 00:13:11 The forced labor he put in place
00:13:11 --> 00:13:13 to connect up the Great Wall
00:13:13 --> 00:13:16 caused many men to be separated from their family.
00:13:17 --> 00:13:19 Husbands are taken away from their wife.
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21 Children become fatherless.
00:13:21 --> 00:13:25 One of the famous Chinese folk stories says that
00:13:25 --> 00:13:28 a wife so desperate to find her husband,
00:13:28 --> 00:13:31 she searched along the Great Wall every day
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 and weeping and crying,
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 and her cry cracked the wall.
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 We read today
00:13:37 --> 00:13:39 the weeping and great mourning
00:13:39 --> 00:13:40 that was predicted,
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 mentioned in verse 18,
00:13:42 --> 00:13:45 of those who had lost their children
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 in Bethlehem and its vicinity
00:13:47 --> 00:13:50 is not the greatest concern of Herod.
00:13:51 --> 00:13:53 They were just one of his necessary casualties.
00:13:56 --> 00:13:57 Have you met someone
00:13:57 --> 00:13:59 or known of anyone like Herod?
00:14:00 --> 00:14:02 Someone who is so determined
00:14:02 --> 00:14:04 to achieve what they have set up to do
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 or to protect their ownership
00:14:06 --> 00:14:08 of things that they want to hold on to.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:11 They are willing to sacrifice others to get there.
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 Verse 19 told us that
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 are universal threats
00:14:15 --> 00:14:17 that everyone needs to face.
00:14:17 --> 00:14:19 No matter how hard you try,
00:14:19 --> 00:14:21 no matter how powerful you become,
00:14:22 --> 00:14:24 Chen Chi Wang tried and failed.
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 Same goes to Herod and all of us.
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 They say Herod died.
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 We all have to face the fact
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 that we will be dead one day.
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 Herod died searching
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 for the newborn king
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 for the wrong reason.
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 He wants to find him to kill him.
00:14:40 --> 00:14:44 You can live life,
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 you can live life like a king
00:14:45 --> 00:14:47 in your life now,
00:14:47 --> 00:14:49 but without meeting a true king,
00:14:49 --> 00:14:51 you will only die disturbed
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 and searching like Herod.
00:14:54 --> 00:14:56 Herod questioned the people's chief priests
00:14:56 --> 00:14:58 and teachers of the law
00:14:58 --> 00:15:01 so that he knows of the Messiah,
00:15:02 --> 00:15:04 but he did not really know who he is
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 and where to find him.
00:15:06 --> 00:15:08 When he found out where to find him,
00:15:09 --> 00:15:11 when the opportunity presented for him
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 to meet the Messiah,
00:15:12 --> 00:15:14 he was too busy building his empire.
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 He rejected and ignored the chance
00:15:17 --> 00:15:19 for him to meet the one
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 that can give him eternal life,
00:15:21 --> 00:15:23 the one that can ensure his achievement
00:15:23 --> 00:15:25 that really lasts to eternity.
00:15:25 --> 00:15:28 Instead of taking up the opportunity
00:15:28 --> 00:15:30 to meet the real king of his life,
00:15:31 --> 00:15:32 he killed off the only chance
00:15:32 --> 00:15:34 he could have to meet the Messiah.
00:15:36 --> 00:15:38 So who is this newborn king?
00:15:38 --> 00:15:40 Who is this Messiah?
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 Let's now look at this second question,
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 who is this newborn king,
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 by going back to verse 5.
00:15:48 --> 00:15:50 Verse 5 told us that the Messiah
00:15:50 --> 00:15:53 was to be born in Bethlehem in Judea.
00:15:53 --> 00:15:57 And for this is what the prophet was written.
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 If we read on in verse 6,
00:16:00 --> 00:16:03 But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
00:16:03 --> 00:16:06 are by no means least among the rulers of Judah.
00:16:06 --> 00:16:08 For all of you will become a ruler
00:16:08 --> 00:16:11 who will shepherd my people Israel.
00:16:13 --> 00:16:16 Messiah is a special Hebrew term in the Bible.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 In Greek, it is Christ.
00:16:19 --> 00:16:23 Both means the anointed one, the king.
00:16:23 --> 00:16:26 Judea or the land of Judah is today
00:16:26 --> 00:16:28 what we call Palestine.
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 And Bethlehem, this city,
00:16:32 --> 00:16:35 the name of that city actually means house of bread.
00:16:37 --> 00:16:39 So this is where the bread of life,
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 referred to in John 6, 48, come to earth.
00:16:43 --> 00:16:45 From this city to town,
00:16:45 --> 00:16:47 a ruler will come to shepherd God's people.
00:16:47 --> 00:16:57 If you turn back with me to Matthew chapter 1,
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 in verse 1 to 18,
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 it says,
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 this is how the birth of Christ,
00:17:03 --> 00:17:05 Jesus, the Messiah, come about.
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 Jesus is the Messiah,
00:17:08 --> 00:17:10 a ruler who shepherds God's people.
00:17:10 --> 00:17:15 So what do you think of when you hear the term ruler?
00:17:16 --> 00:17:19 Do you think of someone high above you,
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 very distant,
00:17:21 --> 00:17:24 a privilege with absolute power,
00:17:25 --> 00:17:28 something like Queen Elizabeth of England,
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 or Donald Trump,
00:17:30 --> 00:17:32 or President Kim of the North Korea?
00:17:32 --> 00:17:36 Jesus is not that kind of ruler.
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 Reading on in Matthew 1,
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 verse 20 to 21,
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 when an angel appeared to Joseph
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 to encourage him about the son he is going to have,
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 he said,
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 Joseph, son of David,
00:17:48 --> 00:17:50 you are to give him the name Jesus
00:17:50 --> 00:17:54 because he will save his people from their sins.
00:17:54 --> 00:17:57 When Jesus was born,
00:17:58 --> 00:18:00 the Old Testament had already been translated
00:18:00 --> 00:18:02 from Hebrew to Greek,
00:18:02 --> 00:18:05 and Greek is a common language at the time.
00:18:07 --> 00:18:09 Theologian Warren Wisby said that
00:18:09 --> 00:18:12 the name Jesus means Savior
00:18:12 --> 00:18:16 and comes from the Hebrew's name Joshua,
00:18:17 --> 00:18:19 which also means Savior saves.
00:18:20 --> 00:18:23 Another theologian, Michael Horton, said,
00:18:23 --> 00:18:26 although the origin of the name Jesus
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 is not very certain,
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 the consensus is that
00:18:29 --> 00:18:32 it derives from the root to save.
00:18:33 --> 00:18:35 Jesus' name is descriptive
00:18:35 --> 00:18:37 of his relationship to his people
00:18:37 --> 00:18:39 in faithfulness and mercy.
00:18:40 --> 00:18:42 His mission is already embedded
00:18:42 --> 00:18:45 in his personal identity.
00:18:45 --> 00:18:47 Jesus is the Messiah,
00:18:47 --> 00:18:49 the king who will save his people
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 from their sins.
00:18:50 --> 00:18:53 Jesus is a king
00:18:53 --> 00:18:55 that was not born
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 into a life of privilege
00:18:56 --> 00:18:58 or political power.
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 When he was born,
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 his own race
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 was under the authority of Rome.
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 His birthplace
00:19:05 --> 00:19:07 was a place of occupied land
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 governed by Herod,
00:19:09 --> 00:19:11 a pretender
00:19:11 --> 00:19:13 half-blooded king.
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16 And in verse 22-23,
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 all this took place
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 to fulfill what the Lord
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 had said
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 through the prophet.
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 The virgin will conceive
00:19:23 --> 00:19:25 and give birth to a son
00:19:25 --> 00:19:27 and they will call him Emmanuel,
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 which means
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 God with us.
00:19:30 --> 00:19:33 So Jesus is God with us
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 to save us.
00:19:35 --> 00:19:37 Have you ever looked at Jesus
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 from that perspective?
00:19:39 --> 00:19:41 Jesus is God
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 and he comes
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 to be with us
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 to save us.
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 Who is Jesus to you?
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 Reading on from Matthew 2,
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 verse 13,
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 When they, the Magi,
00:19:55 --> 00:19:55 have gone,
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 an angel of the Lord
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 appealed to Joseph
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 in a dream.
00:20:00 --> 00:20:00 Get up, he said.
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 Take the child
00:20:02 --> 00:20:02 and his mother
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 and escape to Egypt.
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 Stay there
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 until I tell you,
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 for Herod is going
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 to search for the child
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 to kill him.
00:20:09 --> 00:20:11 So he got up,
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 took the child
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 and his mother
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 during the night
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 and left for Egypt,
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 where he stayed
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 until the death of Herod.
00:20:18 --> 00:20:20 And so was fulfilled
00:20:20 --> 00:20:20 with the Lord,
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 what the Lord
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 has said
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 through the prophet,
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 Out of Egypt
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 I call my son.
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 Jesus is about
00:20:27 --> 00:20:29 to save us
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 because,
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 sorry,
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 Jesus is able
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 to save us
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 because he is
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 100% human,
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 born of Mary,
00:20:37 --> 00:20:37 and he is also
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 100% God.
00:20:38 --> 00:20:40 He is God
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 the Son.
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 It's not just
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 another character
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 of a story
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 that was told
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 once upon a time.
00:20:47 --> 00:20:47 Because Jesus
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 is truly human
00:20:48 --> 00:20:50 and truly God,
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 he can save us
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 from our sins
00:20:52 --> 00:20:54 by being our substitution
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 to pay the penalty
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 of our sins.
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 He knows
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 what it means
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 to be displaced
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 because he had
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 to spend his childhood
00:21:02 --> 00:21:04 in a foreign country
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 with his family
00:21:05 --> 00:21:07 to preserve his life
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 for the right moment
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 to fulfill
00:21:09 --> 00:21:11 the ultimate substitution
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 on the cross.
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 He breaks through
00:21:14 --> 00:21:16 all stereotypes
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 of what we think
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 a king is.
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 He breaches
00:21:19 --> 00:21:19 the gap
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 of all cultures
00:21:20 --> 00:21:22 to bring salvation
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 to everyone.
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 Jesus was born
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 king of the Jews
00:21:26 --> 00:21:28 who lived in a life
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 in a time
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 under cultural influence
00:21:30 --> 00:21:30 of the Greek
00:21:30 --> 00:21:33 and the political influence
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 of Romans
00:21:34 --> 00:21:36 and spent his childhood
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 in Egypt.
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 Is this the Jesus
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 that you know?
00:21:43 --> 00:21:46 And in verse 19 to 23,
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 when those who were trying
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 to take the child's life
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 are dead,
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 his whole family
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 withdrew to the district
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 of Galilee
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 and he went and lived
00:21:54 --> 00:21:56 in a town called Nazareth.
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 So it was fulfilled
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 what was said
00:21:59 --> 00:21:59 through the prophet
00:21:59 --> 00:22:01 that he would be called
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 an Assyrian.
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 Jesus' life
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 from birth to death
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 was predicted
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 by himself
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 through the prophet.
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 Every step of Jesus' life
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 was lived out
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 as fulfillment
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 to what he said
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 in the Old Testament.
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 In the first two chapters
00:22:16 --> 00:22:16 of Matthew,
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 we have only looked
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 at the first few years
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 of Jesus' life.
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 The faith
00:22:21 --> 00:22:23 fulfilled what the Lord
00:22:23 --> 00:22:23 has said
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 through the prophet
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 already appeared
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 about six times.
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 The Old Testament
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 of the Bible
00:22:30 --> 00:22:33 is God's redemptive plan
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 being told
00:22:34 --> 00:22:36 and the New Testament
00:22:36 --> 00:22:36 is a fulfillment
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 of that plan
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 through the life,
00:22:39 --> 00:22:39 death,
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 and resurrection
00:22:40 --> 00:22:40 of Jesus.
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 The birth of Christ,
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 Christmas,
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 is the beginning
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 of the unfolding
00:22:46 --> 00:22:48 of God's grace-saving act
00:22:48 --> 00:22:50 of mercy towards us.
00:22:50 --> 00:22:52 Jesus is not
00:22:52 --> 00:22:54 a king that born
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 and grew up
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 in a palace
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 with privilege
00:22:57 --> 00:22:59 that does not know
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 his people.
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 Jesus was born
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 and grew up
00:23:03 --> 00:23:05 in a humbly circumstance
00:23:05 --> 00:23:07 in an occupied land
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 as an exile.
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 The newborn king
00:23:11 --> 00:23:13 is Jesus,
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 the Messiah,
00:23:14 --> 00:23:16 the one who saved us
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 from our sins
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 because he is
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 the only one
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 that had lived
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 a perfect obedience
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 life according
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 to every letters
00:23:23 --> 00:23:25 of God's word.
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 No human
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 is able to do so
00:23:28 --> 00:23:30 because we do not
00:23:30 --> 00:23:30 have the nature
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 of God.
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 The Son of God,
00:23:33 --> 00:23:33 Jesus,
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 who is God,
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 the Son,
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 had died
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 and resurrected
00:23:38 --> 00:23:38 to make way
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 for us
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 to be united
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 with God.
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 Is that the Jesus
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 that you know?
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 Have you been
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 seeing Jesus
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 from that perspective?
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 Do you honor Jesus
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 as a king
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 as he deserves
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 to be honored?
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 Have you let Jesus
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 take control
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 of your life
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 as a king
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 that he should?
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 We have looked at
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 who Herod is
00:24:04 --> 00:24:06 and who is
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 this newborn king.
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 Now let's look
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 at the last question
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 that I want us
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 to reflect on today.
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 Who is your king?
00:24:13 --> 00:24:16 With Christmas
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 just only a couple
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 of weeks away,
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 what has been
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 occupying you
00:24:21 --> 00:24:21 and your mind?
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 Is it about
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 how many days
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 you will have
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 for holiday?
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 What you can do
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 and where you can go?
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 Is it about
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 how you are going
00:24:31 --> 00:24:33 to fit all the gatherings
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 of works and families
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 in between those days?
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 Is it about
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 how to make
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 those gatherings
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 more bearable
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 like my friend
00:24:42 --> 00:24:42 did to his German
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 family-in-law?
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 Is it about
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 what kind of gifts
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 you should get
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 for your friends
00:24:48 --> 00:24:50 or what kind of gifts
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 you are hoping to get?
00:24:52 --> 00:24:54 During the very first Christmas,
00:24:54 --> 00:24:56 the Magi was very busy.
00:24:57 --> 00:24:57 They were busy
00:24:57 --> 00:24:59 looking for the child Jesus.
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 They found him
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 by the help of God.
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 Let's read
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 from chapter 2,
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 verse 9.
00:25:05 --> 00:25:07 It said,
00:25:07 --> 00:25:09 After they had heard
00:25:09 --> 00:25:09 the king,
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 they went on their way
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 and the stars
00:25:12 --> 00:25:12 they had seen
00:25:12 --> 00:25:14 when it rose
00:25:14 --> 00:25:16 went ahead of them
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 until it stopped
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 over the place
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 where the child was.
00:25:20 --> 00:25:22 When they saw the star,
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 they were overjoyed.
00:25:24 --> 00:25:26 On coming to the house,
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 they saw the child
00:25:26 --> 00:25:28 with his mother Mary.
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 They bowed down
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 and worshipped him.
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 Then they opened
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31 their treasures
00:25:31 --> 00:25:33 and presented him
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 with gifts of gold,
00:25:34 --> 00:25:36 Frankenstein's and myrrh.
00:25:39 --> 00:25:41 The star sent by God
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 led the Magi
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 to the child king.
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 And when the Magi
00:25:45 --> 00:25:47 see the newborn king
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 of the Jews,
00:25:48 --> 00:25:51 they were overjoyed
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 and they came
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 fully prepared
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 to see him.
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 They were ready
00:25:57 --> 00:25:57 to bow down
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 and worship him
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 as king,
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 offer up their treasure
00:26:00 --> 00:26:02 and present Jesus
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 with gifts.
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 They treat Jesus
00:26:05 --> 00:26:08 as their king
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 even though
00:26:09 --> 00:26:09 they are not Jews.
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 They were well-educated
00:26:12 --> 00:26:14 wise men
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 willing to travel
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 a long distance
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 to submit themselves
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 to the newborn king
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 of the Jews.
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 Are you ready
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 to face Jesus?
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 Are you ready
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 to face your king?
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 What gifts
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 have you prepared
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 to offer to him?
00:26:30 --> 00:26:30 What treasure
00:26:30 --> 00:26:32 have you bought
00:26:32 --> 00:26:32 for him?
00:26:32 --> 00:26:35 Have you ever
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 prepared something
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 as a gift
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 and to find out
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 that it's not suitable
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 or not exactly
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 what the other person
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 would like to have?
00:26:44 --> 00:26:44 What did you do
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 to avoid
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 that embarrassment
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 and headache again?
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 I think the best way
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 is to get to know
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 the other person
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 very well
00:26:52 --> 00:26:54 and even ask them
00:26:54 --> 00:26:54 directly.
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 So do you know
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 your king?
00:26:58 --> 00:26:58 Do you know
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 where to find him?
00:26:59 --> 00:27:03 King Herod
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 was cruelest
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 of Jesus'
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 whereabouts
00:27:06 --> 00:27:06 and what
00:27:06 --> 00:27:08 did he do?
00:27:09 --> 00:27:09 He asked someone
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 that should know.
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 If you're not sure
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 where to find Jesus
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 and who Jesus is,
00:27:15 --> 00:27:15 the Bible
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 and someone
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 who knows the Bible
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 is the best place
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 for you to start.
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 So please speak
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 with anyone
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 in the red vest
00:27:22 --> 00:27:24 or write your question
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 about Jesus
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 in the card
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 in front of you
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 and we will contact you
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 to help you
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 look for Jesus.
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 So in that way,
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 as you search for Jesus,
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 you'll be able to find out
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 what he wants from you.
00:27:35 --> 00:27:37 So when you find him,
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 you're ready to bow down
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 and worship him
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 and offer up
00:27:39 --> 00:27:41 your treasured gifts.
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 We should learn
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 from Herod
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 asking other to help
00:27:45 --> 00:27:47 to learn about
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 where Jesus is
00:27:48 --> 00:27:50 and what we should learn
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 and we also should learn
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 from the Magi
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 putting in the action
00:27:53 --> 00:27:55 to find the real king.
00:27:55 --> 00:27:58 Herod was given
00:27:58 --> 00:27:58 a chance
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 to meet the real king
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 of the Jews
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 but instead of going
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 to meet him,
00:28:03 --> 00:28:03 he sent someone
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 to do it.
00:28:07 --> 00:28:09 Even the religious people
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 at the time
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 who can tell Herod
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 where Jesus is
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 did not go
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 to meet the king
00:28:13 --> 00:28:15 but the Magi went
00:28:15 --> 00:28:17 and they got
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 to see the child king
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 and pay their respect
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 and honor
00:28:20 --> 00:28:22 but Herod did not
00:28:22 --> 00:28:24 because he was not
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 sincere and authentic
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 in his searching.
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 He said he wants
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 to worship Jesus
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 but his actions
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 say something else.
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 His mind
00:28:33 --> 00:28:35 was preoccupied
00:28:35 --> 00:28:35 with other things
00:28:35 --> 00:28:37 with the worry
00:28:37 --> 00:28:37 of losing
00:28:37 --> 00:28:39 the control
00:28:39 --> 00:28:39 of his
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 pretended kingdom.
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 His mind
00:28:42 --> 00:28:44 was preoccupied
00:28:44 --> 00:28:44 with what to do
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 to eliminate
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 any new threat
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 to his control.
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 He's not willing
00:28:49 --> 00:28:49 to hand over
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 his kingship yet.
00:28:50 --> 00:28:53 What are you not
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 like in terms
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 of holding on
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 to things
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 that you do not
00:28:56 --> 00:28:56 want to let go?
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 What are you like
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 in terms of
00:29:00 --> 00:29:02 being disturbed
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 and distracted?
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 How sincere
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 and authentic
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 in your worship
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 of Jesus
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 our Savior
00:29:09 --> 00:29:09 and Messiah.
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 Jesus started
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 his ministry
00:29:14 --> 00:29:14 in going from
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 town to town
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 to teach people
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 about the kingdom
00:29:17 --> 00:29:17 of God
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 after he turned
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 30 years old.
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 In Luke 10
00:29:20 --> 00:29:22 it tells us
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 that Martha
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 opened her home
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 to Jesus
00:29:24 --> 00:29:26 and his disciples
00:29:26 --> 00:29:28 to do their teaching.
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 As soon as
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 he entered the house
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 Martha's
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 sister Mary
00:29:33 --> 00:29:36 sat at the Lord's feet
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 and listened
00:29:36 --> 00:29:38 to what he had to say.
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 But Martha
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 was distracted
00:29:41 --> 00:29:43 by all the preparation
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 that had to be done.
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 And she complained
00:29:46 --> 00:29:46 to Jesus
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 and wanted Jesus
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 to tell her
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 sister Mary
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 to stop sitting
00:29:50 --> 00:29:50 on her bedside
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 and get up
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 and help her.
00:29:54 --> 00:29:54 And this is what
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 Jesus said to her.
00:29:57 --> 00:29:57 Martha,
00:29:58 --> 00:29:58 Martha,
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 you are worried
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 and upset
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 about many things
00:30:01 --> 00:30:03 but few things
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 are needed
00:30:03 --> 00:30:05 or indeed
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 only one.
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 Mary has chosen
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 what is better
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 and it will not
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 be taken away
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 from her.
00:30:14 --> 00:30:14 Jesus
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 deserves
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 our full attention
00:30:16 --> 00:30:18 and his message
00:30:18 --> 00:30:18 and his message
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 is worth
00:30:19 --> 00:30:19 for us
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 to drop
00:30:20 --> 00:30:20 everything
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 to listen to.
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 He is the only
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 one thing
00:30:24 --> 00:30:24 that is needed
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 for life.
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 Is that who
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 Jesus to you?
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 With all that
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 need to be prepared
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 for the first
00:30:33 --> 00:30:33 season,
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 it is easy
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 to forget
00:30:35 --> 00:30:35 the most
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 important things.
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 The only one
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 thing that is
00:30:39 --> 00:30:39 needed
00:30:39 --> 00:30:39 is to be
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 at Jesus'
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 feet.
00:30:42 --> 00:30:42 The best
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 gift you can
00:30:43 --> 00:30:43 get for your
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 family and
00:30:44 --> 00:30:44 friend
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 is to tell
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 them about
00:30:46 --> 00:30:46 Jesus.
00:30:48 --> 00:30:48 However,
00:30:49 --> 00:30:49 with the demand
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 of life on us
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 from family
00:30:51 --> 00:30:51 and work,
00:30:52 --> 00:30:52 we are often
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 worried and upset
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 about many things.
00:30:56 --> 00:30:56 Do you feel
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 like being
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 snowed under
00:30:58 --> 00:30:58 all the time?
00:30:58 --> 00:31:01 Don't be
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 like Martha
00:31:01 --> 00:31:03 who gets
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 worried and
00:31:04 --> 00:31:04 upset about
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 many things.
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 Be like
00:31:07 --> 00:31:07 Mary
00:31:07 --> 00:31:09 who chooses
00:31:09 --> 00:31:09 to be at
00:31:09 --> 00:31:09 the feet
00:31:09 --> 00:31:10 of Jesus
00:31:10 --> 00:31:11 to hear
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 what he
00:31:12 --> 00:31:12 has to say.
00:31:14 --> 00:31:14 Jesus'
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 teaching is
00:31:15 --> 00:31:15 the only
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 one thing
00:31:16 --> 00:31:16 that is
00:31:16 --> 00:31:16 needed.
00:31:18 --> 00:31:18 Jesus is
00:31:18 --> 00:31:19 the only
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 one who
00:31:20 --> 00:31:20 born to
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 save.
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 The newborn
00:31:22 --> 00:31:22 king comes
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 to be ruler
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 who shepherds
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 God's people.
00:31:26 --> 00:31:26 If you are
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 God's people,
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 Jesus is
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 your shepherd
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 and he
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 will lead
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 you to
00:31:31 --> 00:31:31 the right
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 place to
00:31:32 --> 00:31:32 meet your
00:31:32 --> 00:31:32 needs.
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 Do you
00:31:34 --> 00:31:34 believe that
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 he will
00:31:35 --> 00:31:35 look after
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 you much
00:31:36 --> 00:31:37 better than
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 what you
00:31:38 --> 00:31:38 try to
00:31:38 --> 00:31:38 plan to
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 do?
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 If you
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 believe he
00:31:41 --> 00:31:41 will,
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 follow him.
00:31:44 --> 00:31:44 Don't
00:31:44 --> 00:31:44 wander around
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 like a
00:31:45 --> 00:31:45 sheep.
00:31:46 --> 00:31:46 Don't
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 just follow
00:31:47 --> 00:31:47 the herd.
00:31:48 --> 00:31:48 Make sure
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 you are
00:31:49 --> 00:31:49 following the
00:31:49 --> 00:31:49 shepherd.
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 Listen to
00:31:51 --> 00:31:51 his voice
00:31:51 --> 00:31:51 from the
00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 Bible and
00:31:52 --> 00:31:52 you will
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 not go
00:31:53 --> 00:31:53 astray.
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 If you
00:31:57 --> 00:31:57 have been
00:31:57 --> 00:31:57 a regular
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 member of
00:31:58 --> 00:31:58 St.
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 Paul's,
00:31:59 --> 00:32:01 what time
00:32:01 --> 00:32:01 did you
00:32:01 --> 00:32:01 get here
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 today?
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 Have you
00:32:05 --> 00:32:05 signed up
00:32:05 --> 00:32:05 to join
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 a community
00:32:06 --> 00:32:06 group?
00:32:07 --> 00:32:07 And what
00:32:07 --> 00:32:08 time did
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 you arrive
00:32:09 --> 00:32:09 in the
00:32:09 --> 00:32:09 last group
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 meeting?
00:32:12 --> 00:32:12 Why are
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 you here?
00:32:14 --> 00:32:14 Why are
00:32:14 --> 00:32:15 you here
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 just to
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 clock in,
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 to make
00:32:18 --> 00:32:18 yourself feel
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 good about
00:32:19 --> 00:32:19 yourself,
00:32:20 --> 00:32:21 to take
00:32:21 --> 00:32:21 off what
00:32:21 --> 00:32:21 you think
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 is the
00:32:22 --> 00:32:22 requirement of
00:32:22 --> 00:32:23 being a
00:32:23 --> 00:32:23 Christian?
00:32:23 --> 00:32:25 Are you
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 here to
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 truly treasure
00:32:27 --> 00:32:28 Jesus together
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 with us in
00:32:29 --> 00:32:30 bringing glory
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31 to God and
00:32:31 --> 00:32:31 joy to
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 others?
00:32:33 --> 00:32:33 Is Jesus
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 truly your
00:32:34 --> 00:32:34 King?
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 What effort
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 are you making
00:32:38 --> 00:32:38 to be on
00:32:38 --> 00:32:39 time at
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 church and
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 your gathering
00:32:41 --> 00:32:41 with your
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 brothers and
00:32:42 --> 00:32:42 sisters?
00:32:43 --> 00:32:43 What
00:32:43 --> 00:32:44 arrangement
00:32:44 --> 00:32:44 have you
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 made so
00:32:45 --> 00:32:45 that you
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 can stay
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 behind to
00:32:47 --> 00:32:47 fellowship and
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 be part of
00:32:48 --> 00:32:49 God's family
00:32:49 --> 00:32:49 on Sunday?
00:32:51 --> 00:32:51 Are you
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 always arriving
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 after the
00:32:53 --> 00:32:53 singing worship
00:32:53 --> 00:32:55 finished or
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 rushing off to
00:32:56 --> 00:32:56 your lunchtime
00:32:56 --> 00:32:57 appointment with
00:32:57 --> 00:32:58 your friends?
00:33:00 --> 00:33:00 Are you
00:33:00 --> 00:33:01 here today to
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 worship Jesus?
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 Do you
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04 worship Jesus
00:33:04 --> 00:33:05 and getting to
00:33:05 --> 00:33:05 know him more
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 and more every
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 day of the
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 week?
00:33:08 --> 00:33:08 In your
00:33:08 --> 00:33:09 day-to-day
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 life, is
00:33:10 --> 00:33:10 Jesus the
00:33:10 --> 00:33:11 true king of
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 your life?
00:33:13 --> 00:33:13 Or does
00:33:13 --> 00:33:14 your day-to-day
00:33:14 --> 00:33:15 life show that
00:33:15 --> 00:33:16 you have rejected
00:33:16 --> 00:33:17 him and even
00:33:17 --> 00:33:17 tried to kill
00:33:17 --> 00:33:18 him because he
00:33:18 --> 00:33:19 is threatening
00:33:19 --> 00:33:20 the kingship and
00:33:20 --> 00:33:21 control of your
00:33:21 --> 00:33:21 life?
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 Have you
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 welcomed the
00:33:24 --> 00:33:24 newborn king
00:33:24 --> 00:33:26 with joy like
00:33:26 --> 00:33:26 the Magi?
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 Or are you
00:33:28 --> 00:33:28 protecting the
00:33:28 --> 00:33:29 lordship of
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 your life in
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 your own
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 palace like
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 King Herod?
00:33:34 --> 00:33:36 How far
00:33:36 --> 00:33:36 would you
00:33:36 --> 00:33:37 go to ensure
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 your career
00:33:38 --> 00:33:39 goes according
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 to your plan?
00:33:40 --> 00:33:41 How far
00:33:41 --> 00:33:41 would you
00:33:41 --> 00:33:42 go to ensure
00:33:42 --> 00:33:43 you get what
00:33:43 --> 00:33:44 you want for
00:33:44 --> 00:33:44 your life and
00:33:44 --> 00:33:45 your family?
00:33:47 --> 00:33:48 Do you
00:33:48 --> 00:33:48 truly believe
00:33:48 --> 00:33:49 Jesus will
00:33:49 --> 00:33:49 look after
00:33:49 --> 00:33:50 you because
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 he is your
00:33:51 --> 00:33:51 shepherd?
00:33:52 --> 00:33:54 A writer and
00:33:54 --> 00:33:55 theologian
00:33:55 --> 00:33:56 Kim Keller
00:33:56 --> 00:33:57 said there
00:33:57 --> 00:33:57 is a little
00:33:57 --> 00:33:58 herod in
00:33:58 --> 00:33:59 all of us.
00:34:00 --> 00:34:00 We are in
00:34:00 --> 00:34:01 many ways just
00:34:01 --> 00:34:03 like Herod when
00:34:03 --> 00:34:03 we feel that the
00:34:03 --> 00:34:04 control of our
00:34:04 --> 00:34:05 life is being
00:34:05 --> 00:34:06 threatened by
00:34:06 --> 00:34:07 any outside
00:34:07 --> 00:34:07 force.
00:34:08 --> 00:34:09 We will do
00:34:09 --> 00:34:09 whatever we
00:34:09 --> 00:34:10 can to hold
00:34:10 --> 00:34:11 on to that
00:34:11 --> 00:34:12 control and
00:34:12 --> 00:34:12 we are not
00:34:12 --> 00:34:13 willing to let
00:34:13 --> 00:34:14 someone else
00:34:14 --> 00:34:14 to be king
00:34:14 --> 00:34:15 of our life.
00:34:16 --> 00:34:17 Is Jesus the
00:34:17 --> 00:34:18 Messiah, the
00:34:18 --> 00:34:19 king of your
00:34:19 --> 00:34:19 life?
00:34:19 --> 00:34:20 Are you
00:34:20 --> 00:34:21 ready to
00:34:21 --> 00:34:21 see your
00:34:21 --> 00:34:22 Savior Christ?
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 Or are you
00:34:24 --> 00:34:25 too busy and
00:34:25 --> 00:34:26 distracted, worried
00:34:26 --> 00:34:28 and upset about
00:34:28 --> 00:34:28 many things?
00:34:30 --> 00:34:30 Just as Jesus
00:34:30 --> 00:34:31 said to Martha,
00:34:32 --> 00:34:32 the only one
00:34:32 --> 00:34:33 thing that is
00:34:33 --> 00:34:34 needed, the
00:34:34 --> 00:34:34 thing that once
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 we have chosen
00:34:35 --> 00:34:36 will not be
00:34:36 --> 00:34:37 taken from us,
00:34:37 --> 00:34:38 is sitting at
00:34:38 --> 00:34:39 Jesus' feet with
00:34:39 --> 00:34:41 attentive ears and
00:34:41 --> 00:34:42 listen to the
00:34:42 --> 00:34:42 fulfillments and
00:34:42 --> 00:34:44 wonders that he
00:34:44 --> 00:34:45 unfolds by his
00:34:45 --> 00:34:45 life.
00:34:45 --> 00:34:48 He's
00:34:48 --> 00:34:48 uta
00:34:49 --> 00:34:49 to
00:34:49 --> 00:34:50 mouth
00:34:50 --> 00:34:50 to
00:34:50 --> 00:34:54 �
00:34:54 --> 00:34:55 Board
00:34:55 --> 00:34:57 video
00:34:57 --> 00:34:57 Mondi
00:34:57 --> 00:34:57 in
00:34:57 --> 00:34:59 one
00:34:59 --> 00:35:00 have
00:35:02 --> 00:35:03 earned
00:35:03 --> 00:35:03 gracious
00:35:03 --> 00:35:04 daughter
00:35:04 --> 00:35:07 CON
00:35:08 --> 00:35:09 karş
00:35:09 --> 00:35:09 remembered
00:35:09 --> 00:35:10 how
00:35:10 --> 00:35:10 he
00:35:10 --> 00:35:12 Damit
00:35:12 --> 00:35:12 to
00:35:12 --> 00:35:13 his
00:35:13 --> 00:35:13 walls
00:35:13 --> 00:35:14 and
00:35:14 --> 00:35:14 peace
00:35:14 --> 00:35:15 in