Messiah's Birth Causes Joy and Rage

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In 2010 give God you’re very best! You’re best with the substance He has given you, may it be as a pleasing aroma to the King of kings, and may our sorrow and suffering be as a living sacrifice to Jesus our Lord and Savior.

Matthew 2 (NLT)

Visitors from the East

2 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,

are not least among the ruling cities* of Judah,

for a ruler will come from you

who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’* ”

7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

The Escape to Egypt

13 After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, 15 and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”*

16 Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. 17 Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

18 “A cry was heard in Ramah—

weeping and great mourning.

Rachel weeps for her children,

refusing to be comforted,

for they are dead.”*

The Return to Nazareth

19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. 20 “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.”

21 So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother. 22 But when he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee. 23 So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

Long before Christ was born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1) there lived a man named Jesse whom had eight sons; however, the youngest would grow up to be a king that is spoken of forever!

Can anyone tell me the baby’s name? Ironically, Bethlehem is certainly a place of little influence; however, God chose to make Bethlehem the birth place of king David and Jesus Christ the King of kings.

Micah 5:2 (NLT)

A Ruler from Bethlehem

2 * But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,

are only a small village among all the people of Judah.

Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you,

one whose origins are from the distant past.

In our story there are two very different responses. One is that of worship and the other scorn. The wise men respond to Jesus in worship and king Herod responds like how?

Herod kills all the babies in Bethlehem two years old and younger. Matthew quotes Jeremiah the prophet,

18 “A cry was heard in Ramah—

weeping and great mourning.

Rachel weeps for her children,

refusing to be comforted,

for they are dead.”*

In all this there is some real application for us…are we in the coming year going to worship Christ as King with all our heart, soul, mind and strength…I pray by God’s Spirit we do…

In 2010 give God you’re very best!

A missionary couple said that someone sent them used tea bags! What kind of message does that give? In this New Year God gets our very best! He does not deserve our used tea bags. When we ponder what he has done and continues to do for us now and in the age to come give Him you’re very best!

Let’s pray…

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