The Sunday after Christmas

SERMON - Glory To the “Once-Born” King!

INI

Text: Matthew 2:13-15; 19-23

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt,and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son….” Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

In Christ Jesus, the heavenly King sought by wise men of every age, dear fellow redeemed:

On the night of our Savior’s birth the heavenly hosts sang with joy to the shepherds, who were watching their flocks in the fields surrounding Bethlehem. There were other spiritual forces, however, aware of Jesus’ birth that first Christmas night—spiritual forces of wickedness that were none too happy about our Savior’s birth, and which were already plotting through evil men, such as Herod, to destroy the new-born King. Paul Gerhardt spoke of this opposition to Christ in our opening hymn, Come, Your Hearts and Voices Raising! He wrote: “Sin and death may well be groaning, Satan now may well be moaning…” (The Lutheran Hymnal, Hymn 90:2). Moaning and groaning about what? They were moaning and groaning about the Father’s great love for us and the plan of salvation Jesus would effect for us—a plan leading to their eternal demise. William Dix addressed the opposition Jesus would encounter as well, when in our second hymn, What Child Is This, he spoke of the opposition Jesus would face on Good Friday: “Nails, spear shall pierce Him through, the cross He’ll bear for me, for you” (Worship Supplement 2000, Hymn 712:2).

Jesus was sent into this world to overcome sin in all of its evil manifestations. He was sent to overcome death and the evil spirit, Satan, who wields death as such an effective weapon of mass fear and destruction. This Jesus did and continues to do with great success, but not without powerful opposition. Our text today speaks of that opposition and illustrates how, in spite of that opposition, the will of our Savior God always and ultimately finds fulfillment. Paraphrasing another Christmas carol, which will be our third hymn today, let us join the angelic hosts in proclaiming GLORY TO THE “ONCE-BORN” KING! Then with joy let us acknowledge that His opposition in the past, present and future fails, while His will in the past, present and future is fulfilled!

I.

It did not take long for Satan to arouse serious opposition to Jesus. When the wise men came to Jerusalem searching for the new born King of the Jews, they were not greeted with joy and thanksgiving by a population celebrating a prince’s birth, but rather they were met with fear and dread. King Herod, who ruled Judea at that time, was a wicked, violent, and vain man who tolerated no rivals of his power. He had ruthlessly murdered numerous individuals whom he suspected of having designs on his throne, including the woman he claimed to have been his favorite wife, as well as several of his own sons. No wonder Matthew records that “when Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him” (Matthew 2:3).

We are familiar with the story. We heard it recited once again by the children on Christmas Eve. Herod called together the chief priests and scribes to inquire about the birthplace of the Promised Christ. They informed him that the prophet Micah had said that the world’s Savior would be born in Bethlehem. Herod then called the wise men to his private quarters, inquired of them the time at which they had first seen the star, and then sent them on their way to find the Child with a command to return to him with accurate information regarding His whereabouts—supposedly to allow him to go to worship Him. But we know this was but a ruse. Herod’s wicked intentions became evident when the wise men, being warned in a dream, did not return to him, but departed for their own countries a different way. Herod sent his soldiers and had them destroy every male child two years old and under in the vicinity of Bethlehem. It is estimated that between fifteen and twenty children died as a result of that fierce opposition to Jesus, but Herod did not succeed. Joseph was warned in a dream of what was about to happen, and he faithfully fulfilled the instructions given him by the angel. He got up and took Mary and Jesus and immediately traveled into Egypt, where they all remained safe until Herod died a short time later.

Opposition to our “once-born” King has never halted—not during Jesus’ early life or ministry, and certainly not throughout the twenty centuries of time that have passed since Jesus’ ascension. In fact, the number of Christian martyrs who have lost their lives in the last one-hundred years far outnumbers those martyrs killed in the previous nineteen centuries altogether. For you and me here in the United States, where we enjoy such freedom of religious expression, it is hard to imagine such opposition. We contend with people who refuse to say, “Merry Christmas,” and who suggest the more politically correct greeting of “Happy Holidays.” Yet, if you consider the reports of opposition to Christianity coming out of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia on the part of radical Islam together with various communist and totalitarian states, you will find the number of recorded deaths absolutely appalling. If you have never read the book written by the late Richard Wurmbrand, entitled Tortured for Christ, or reviewed any of the materials produced by the organization he founded, Voice of the Martyrs, I would encourage you to do so. It will open your eyes to how hard Satan is working to overcome Christ’s church. If you have an opportunity, I would encourage you to introduce yourselves to any of the members of the two Sudanese families that have been attending our services recently and who are currently preparing for membership. They have both lost family members in the civil war in Sudan, which has a definite spiritual component of radical Islam attempting to exterminate Christianity in southern Sudan. Let us be on our guard—the battle is on between King Jesus and those who would oppose Him! Yet, we need not fear or despair, for Jesus assures us that “the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it (His Kingdom)” (cf. Matthew 16:18).

I was recently visiting with a gentleman, who inquired about the general meaning of the Revelation. I was able to point out that Jesus gave the Revelation to John during a time of great persecution and was intended by Jesus to reassure Christians of every age that in spite of any and all persecution inspired by Satan against the Church, such opposition will inevitably fail! Jesus will prove victorious in the end! He will condemn Satan and his evil forces to eternal destruction in hell, and He will sit in judgment of all men—inviting those of us who believe in Him to share in His eternal glory, while condemning those who in unbelief reject Him to eternal destruction along with Satan and his evil angels. Consequently, while opposition to Christ is to be expected while we live in this world, we need not fear even though we certainly want to be careful. His opposition in the past, present, and future fails! Therefore, let us join the angelic choirs in singing: GLORY TO THE “ONCE-BORN” KING! He is and will always remain our precious Savior and Lord!

II.

Our text also reveals the positive statement that His will in the past, present and future is fulfilled! Matthew wrote his Gospel to convince his fellow Jews that Jesus was indeed the Promised Christ. In order to do so, he frequently makes reference in his Gospel, as he does twice in our text, to Old Testament prophecies that found fulfillment in the events of Jesus’ life. The fulfillment of those prophecies also serves to demonstrate that the will of our Savior God is always and without fail fulfilled!

Matthew first alludes to the fact that Jesus, as a Child, was taken by His parents to Egypt and then returned to Judea after Herod’s death. He comments regarding these historical events—they occurred so “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, ‘Out of Egypt I called My Son” (cf. Hosea 11:1).

Matthew then alludes to the fact that Jesus would grow up in the little town of Nazareth, stating, that this occurred in order “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, ‘He shall be called a Nazarene.’” This is an interesting quotation by Matthew, for unlike all of the others to which he makes reference this particular quotation is not specifically found in any of the Old Testament Scriptures. Matthew does use the plural form of the word “prophet,” which suggests more than one reference. Two different but complimentary suggestions have been put forth, which help explain this unique situation. One is that the phrase “He shall be called a Nazarene” was simply a common expression among the prophets and widely accepted by the people. The other is that the phrase refers to those prophecies, which suggest a humble, servant-like upbringing for the promised Christ. These suggestions are supported by what appears to be a very common distain both for Galilee and especially for Nazareth among many people in Jesus’ day. For instance, when Philip approached Nathanael about coming to see Jesus, Nathanael is reported by John to have said, “Can any good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46)

That being said, the point for our consideration today, is that our Savior God’s will, as expressed in the past, was faithfully fulfilled. Therefore, whenever Jesus addresses our present or our future, we can rest assured that His will is fulfilled. He will always keep His promises. He will always finish His plans. As we approach the end of one year and the beginning of another, let us review some of the things Jesus says to us—things upon which we can build our future!

As you consider yourself and all those whom you love, take heart in this expression of God’s will for us all: the apostle Paul writes, “God our Savior…desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3b-4). That is the foundational will of God for each of us. Having stated that, consider this statement of Paul as well: “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). We will never be abandoned by our Savior, but always supported by His presence. Consider, finally, this statement as well: “There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).

Add to these statements all of the promises of our Savior to be present with us (cf. Matthew 28:20), to hear and answer our prayers (cf. Psalm 50:15; Matthew 7:7), to hold us safely within His hands (cf. John 10:28), and to provide for our every need as we seek the advancement of His kingdom (cf. Matthew 6:33), and you will find that you need never fear—not at all. Rather you can entrust yourself always and entirely to Jesus’ loving care. Therefore, let us joyously join the angelic choirs in singing GLORY TO THE “ONCE-BORN” KING! Amen.

—Pastor Paul D. Nolting
Soli Gloria Deo!