December 26, 2011
Scripture:
Psalm 84:11,1,10-12 - We have been reminded that death and judgement are behind us — grace and glory are before. We have looked at the judgement so now let us look at the grace.
Hebrews 9:27 - There it is again; that death and judgement is behind us and that grace and glory are before us. How is this possible?
Scripture:
I’d like to read a short verse in I Thessalonians 5; I’m reading it because we began by looking at a passage where those who are not saved are cast into the lake of fire, “reserved for the devil and his angels.” I’d like to read vv. 9 & 10: “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” What a different eternity, and how we’ve been able to rejoice in that this morning
Hymn 16 God in mercy sent His Son
Prayer
I was doing some studying on the wise men’s visit to the Lord this week; where was Jesus when the wise men came to see him? We’re told He was in a house. Obviously, he had moved out of the stable. Today, we’re going to look at the movements of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus when he was a young child.
1. Nazareth Home of Joseph Luke 2:4
2. Bethlehem Birth of Jesus; Shepherds’ Visit Luke 2:7
Luke 2:163. Jerusalem Purification Luke 2:22
4. Nazareth Home Luke 2:39
5. Bethlehem (?) Wise Men’s Visit Matt. 2:11
(…Where the young child was) (Jesus probably 2 years old)
6. Egypt Escape from Herod Matt. 2:14
7. Nazareth Home Again Matt. 2:23
We begin at the home town of Joseph and Mary, Nazareth (Luke 2:4). From here, they go to Bethlehem for taxation. Bethlehem is where the Lord Jesus was born (Luke 2:7) and where the Shepherds came to visit Jesus (Luke 2:16), as we saw last time.
Thirty days after Jesus birth the small family had to go up to Jerusalem to the temple, to obey the law of purification. At this point, Jesus was 4 - 5 weeks old. It is in the temple that they meet Simeon and Anna. This meeting was special for Simeon: the Lord had told Simeon that he was not going to die until he saw the Lord. It was also special for Mary and Joseph, because it was a confirmation of Who the Lord really was. Afterwards, they went home to Nazareth (Luke 2:39).
In Luke, we don’t hear any more about Jesus until He was twelve. But what about the wise men? To get the story of the wise men we need to go to Matthew. The only two Gospels that have the early part of Jesus’ life are Matthew and Luke.
We believe that the trip that the wise men took from the east took quite a while. Where did they go to find Jesus? We are not told where, exactly. Matthew 2:11 says, *“and when they were come into the house . . .they saw the young child.”* Notice that it says “child,” not “baby.” This means that the Lord Jesus is a bit older.
Read Matthew 2:14. We are not sure how long they were in Egypt, but by Matthew 2:23, they are back home in Nazareth. So, today we’ve learned a little more about the Lord’s life here on earth: his early travellings with Joseph and Mary.
Luke 9:7-17
Between the disciples’ departure and when they come back, we have a few words about Herod the tetrarch. Herod heard about all that Jesus was doing; and he was nervous because the last powerful preacher like this was John the Baptist - and Herod had killed him. He had done it for Herodias and her daughter, not of his own will, but no doubt his conscience was at work. Some said that this miracle-worker was John the Baptist risen from the dead, and that would certainly haunt him. The key words are in verse nine where Herod asks: “Who is this?”. Would to God that there were more people who saw Jesus’ work and found an answer to that question.
When the Apostles returned from their preaching trip, they told the Lord all that they had done. Of course, none of it was new to the Lord; but when we come to the Lord He’s not going to turn us away saying, “I know it all.” No! He wants to hear our problems.
Once they told the Lord what they had done, we might expect to hear the Lord to say, “Good job! Go and preach some more.” That’s not what happens, though. Jesus says, “Come apart into a desert place.” Some liken this to the Judgement Seat of Christ, because it’s possible the Lord took them apart to give them feedback on their work. When we go home to glory, the Lord will probably take us aside and say, “Let’s talk.”
We don’t hear anything about what the disciples did while they were gone, or what the Lord said to them about it. When we have our private talk with the Lord, it will be just that: private. We need to live each day in light of eternity; because once we’re there we can’t change anything. We may be busy in our day to day lives, but we need to take time to get our instructions from our heavenly Father. We must consider the question from under the painting of our Lord that inspired Zinzendorf: “All this I did for thee, what hast thou done for Me?” It will be worth a lot to hear Christ say to us one day, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” It should be much on our hearts to walk in the path where the Lord gathers His own. There is a cost to walking that path, but the blessing that will come in a future day far out weighs it. Revelation tells us: “Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.” (Revelation 3:11). Simeon held fast, and he was one of the few people in Jerusalem - the head of Jewish religion - and in the very temple - which was full of priests and scribes - to recognise the Lord. Anna rejoiced too, and she was in her eighties. May the Lord preserve us in the path of truth.
The disciples’ private interview with Jesus didn’t last long; because a crowd followed them. Jesus preached to the multitude, and healed those that needed healing. As it began to get late, the disciples wanted to send the people away, but Jesus said, “Give ye them to eat” (v13.). The disciples probably felt that they were running on empty; and sometimes we do, too. What do you do if you have to give the Gospel, but feel empty? Well, if it depends on you, you send the multitude away. But if it doesn’t depend on you, you turn to the One on Whom it does depend. It was the Lord’s power that fed the multitude.
Let’s look at a similar situation in Matthew 28:18-20. It seems to say that Jesus had the power, and the disciples had the work. However, Jesus also said, “Lo, I am with you always.” It’s as if your dad told you, “Please go buy the week’s groceries,” and you say, “But I don’t have any money.” Then your dad says, “I do. Don’t worry. I’ll go with you.” Jesus was telling the apostles “Go and make disciples,” but He also said, “Don’t worry. I’ll go with you, and I’ve got the power.”
Hymn 130 - To God be the glory, great things He hath done
Prayer