WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.120 Lord Jesus, you came. 00:00:04.679 --> 00:00:06.780 Speak to us now from your word. 00:00:08.480 --> 00:00:10.519 Exalt your name. 00:00:12.099 --> 00:00:14.019 Fill us with gratitude and praise 00:00:14.019 --> 00:00:16.019 for what you have done. 00:00:17.179 --> 00:00:19.240 In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 00:00:20.620 --> 00:00:23.559 Matthew chapter one, verses 18 to 25. 00:00:23.559 --> 00:00:30.539 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. 00:00:31.919 --> 00:00:34.560 When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, 00:00:35.100 --> 00:00:36.619 before they came together, 00:00:36.899 --> 00:00:39.939 she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 00:00:40.799 --> 00:00:43.700 And her husband, Joseph, being a just man 00:00:43.700 --> 00:00:46.820 and unwilling to put her to shame, 00:00:47.560 --> 00:00:49.159 resolved to divorce her quietly. 00:00:50.060 --> 00:00:51.840 But as he considered these things, 00:00:51.840 --> 00:00:55.360 behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, 00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:57.800 saying, Joseph, son of David, 00:00:58.260 --> 00:01:00.780 do not fear to take Mary as your wife, 00:01:01.460 --> 00:01:03.820 for that which is conceived in her 00:01:03.820 --> 00:01:05.980 is from the Holy Spirit. 00:01:07.040 --> 00:01:08.400 She will bear a son, 00:01:09.520 --> 00:01:12.159 and you shall call his name Jesus, 00:01:13.420 --> 00:01:16.340 for he will save his people from their sins. 00:01:17.719 --> 00:01:19.980 All this took place to fulfill 00:01:19.980 --> 00:01:21.740 what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, 00:01:21.840 --> 00:01:26.159 behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, 00:01:26.480 --> 00:01:29.299 and they shall call his name Emmanuel, 00:01:30.520 --> 00:01:33.120 which means God with us. 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:36.820 When Joseph woke from sleep, 00:01:36.900 --> 00:01:39.320 he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. 00:01:39.980 --> 00:01:40.800 He took his wife, 00:01:41.460 --> 00:01:44.219 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son, 00:01:44.620 --> 00:01:47.060 and he called his name Jesus. 00:01:47.060 --> 00:01:50.320 This is God's holy and authoritative word. 00:01:51.700 --> 00:01:53.439 In Western cultures, 00:01:53.659 --> 00:01:56.579 many parents choose their children's names 00:01:56.579 --> 00:01:58.420 not based on their meaning, 00:01:58.939 --> 00:02:00.379 but for other reasons, 00:02:00.500 --> 00:02:02.420 such as to preserve the name of a relative 00:02:02.420 --> 00:02:04.300 or for the way it sounds. 00:02:04.800 --> 00:02:07.140 But in many other cultures in the world, 00:02:07.240 --> 00:02:08.439 including the Jewish culture 00:02:08.439 --> 00:02:10.980 that we find here in chapter 1 of Matthew, 00:02:10.979 --> 00:02:14.019 parents chose their names based on their meaning. 00:02:15.219 --> 00:02:17.239 And at crucial points of the Bible, 00:02:17.500 --> 00:02:19.699 God names certain individuals. 00:02:20.419 --> 00:02:22.659 For example, in Genesis 17, 1 to 6, 00:02:22.799 --> 00:02:25.759 God renames Abram to Abraham 00:02:25.759 --> 00:02:29.079 because God will make him a father of many nations. 00:02:29.080 --> 00:02:31.680 And in Genesis 32, 28, 00:02:31.760 --> 00:02:34.320 God renames Jacob Israel 00:02:34.320 --> 00:02:36.400 because he wrestled with God 00:02:36.400 --> 00:02:38.720 to ensure, to secure a blessing 00:02:38.720 --> 00:02:39.620 that will become, 00:02:40.020 --> 00:02:42.260 and he will become the father of the nation of Israel. 00:02:43.020 --> 00:02:43.900 So in our passage, 00:02:44.200 --> 00:02:46.500 Jesus is named after his birth, 00:02:46.939 --> 00:02:48.040 and in his name, 00:02:48.140 --> 00:02:51.520 we see clues to his identity and mission, 00:02:52.300 --> 00:02:55.960 namely that Jesus is the divine Messiah 00:02:55.960 --> 00:02:58.500 who saves his people from their sins. 00:02:59.400 --> 00:03:00.440 We'll explore that further 00:03:00.440 --> 00:03:01.560 by looking more specifically 00:03:01.560 --> 00:03:03.860 at Jesus' identity as the Christ 00:03:03.860 --> 00:03:06.260 and as God and as Savior. 00:03:06.380 --> 00:03:07.280 So we'll follow that outline. 00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:08.360 That Jesus is the Christ, 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:10.280 he's God, and he's Savior. 00:03:10.760 --> 00:03:12.920 So let's first look at his identity as Christ. 00:03:13.460 --> 00:03:14.640 By beginning his gospel, 00:03:14.760 --> 00:03:15.580 as we saw last week, 00:03:15.620 --> 00:03:17.000 with the genealogy of Jesus, 00:03:17.540 --> 00:03:21.060 Matthew showed us that Jesus really is the promised, 00:03:21.060 --> 00:03:23.620 the prophesied Christ, the Messiah. 00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:26.760 He was the son of Abraham and the son of David. 00:03:26.759 --> 00:03:29.459 There was a slight problem, however, 00:03:29.560 --> 00:03:30.579 in that genealogy, 00:03:30.879 --> 00:03:34.439 because after carefully tracing Jesus' lineage 00:03:34.439 --> 00:03:37.579 from Abraham and through David to Joseph, 00:03:38.539 --> 00:03:40.079 Matthew noted in verse 16 00:03:40.079 --> 00:03:43.500 that Joseph is the husband of Mary, 00:03:44.120 --> 00:03:45.459 of whom Jesus was born. 00:03:46.620 --> 00:03:48.439 He specifically didn't say 00:03:48.439 --> 00:03:53.620 that Joseph is the father of Jesus. 00:03:55.859 --> 00:03:57.359 That was the pattern that was followed 00:03:57.359 --> 00:03:58.500 all throughout the genealogy, 00:03:58.759 --> 00:04:00.840 so-and-so, the father of so-and-so, 00:04:00.840 --> 00:04:03.240 but here he deviates from that to show us 00:04:03.240 --> 00:04:05.819 that Joseph was not Jesus' biological father. 00:04:07.759 --> 00:04:10.579 Now, since the lineage is traced through the father, 00:04:10.580 --> 00:04:14.219 how can Jesus be the Christ 00:04:14.219 --> 00:04:17.600 if he is not a child of Joseph 00:04:17.600 --> 00:04:19.520 who is descended from King David, 00:04:20.319 --> 00:04:22.100 and the Messiah is supposed to be a son of David? 00:04:23.120 --> 00:04:25.900 So Matthew answers that question in our passage 00:04:25.900 --> 00:04:28.080 by telling us that Jesus was conceived 00:04:28.080 --> 00:04:29.319 by the Holy Spirit 00:04:29.319 --> 00:04:31.939 and born of the Virgin Mary, 00:04:32.660 --> 00:04:34.840 and that Joseph adopted him 00:04:34.840 --> 00:04:37.280 and made him a son of David, 00:04:37.439 --> 00:04:38.540 in a sense, through that adoption. 00:04:38.540 --> 00:04:40.840 So let's look at verses 18 to 19. 00:04:41.020 --> 00:04:41.200 It says, 00:04:41.379 --> 00:04:44.040 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way 00:04:44.040 --> 00:04:46.720 when his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph 00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:49.200 before they came together. 00:04:49.300 --> 00:04:51.980 She was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit, 00:04:52.800 --> 00:04:53.900 and her husband Joseph, 00:04:54.060 --> 00:04:56.200 being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, 00:04:56.300 --> 00:04:57.960 resolved to divorce her quietly. 00:04:58.900 --> 00:05:01.060 So some of you might be wondering at this point, 00:05:01.600 --> 00:05:03.040 if they were only engaged, 00:05:03.780 --> 00:05:06.420 why did Joseph need to divorce Mary? 00:05:06.420 --> 00:05:09.480 For Jews during this time, 00:05:09.759 --> 00:05:12.460 the marriage process had two formal steps. 00:05:12.560 --> 00:05:14.080 The first stage was the betrothal. 00:05:14.680 --> 00:05:16.580 It was an agreement to marry, 00:05:16.939 --> 00:05:19.720 formalized by the exchange of the bright price 00:05:19.720 --> 00:05:20.900 in the presence of witnesses. 00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:22.840 And after that engagement, 00:05:23.060 --> 00:05:25.819 the woman was considered legally married, 00:05:26.020 --> 00:05:27.840 legally to belong to the man. 00:05:28.700 --> 00:05:30.960 And they were referred to as husband and wife. 00:05:30.959 --> 00:05:32.459 And so if you are to, 00:05:32.620 --> 00:05:34.199 so it's not like the engagements nowadays, 00:05:34.199 --> 00:05:36.680 which is very public, 00:05:36.799 --> 00:05:38.399 but does often get broken off. 00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:40.620 The breaking off the engagement 00:05:40.620 --> 00:05:42.319 was considered a divorce, 00:05:43.139 --> 00:05:44.979 which is why after Joseph finds out 00:05:44.979 --> 00:05:45.899 that Mary is pregnant, 00:05:46.180 --> 00:05:47.759 he resolves to divorce her. 00:05:48.459 --> 00:05:49.879 So betrothal is the first stage 00:05:49.879 --> 00:05:50.679 of the marriage process, 00:05:50.759 --> 00:05:51.679 and the second stage 00:05:51.679 --> 00:05:53.539 was the actual wedding ceremony 00:05:53.539 --> 00:05:56.299 and the consummation of the marriage 00:05:56.299 --> 00:05:57.179 through physical union. 00:05:57.180 --> 00:05:59.600 Now, we know that Joseph and Mary 00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:00.680 were at the first stage, 00:06:00.860 --> 00:06:02.360 but not yet at the second stage 00:06:02.360 --> 00:06:03.800 because verse 18 tells us 00:06:03.800 --> 00:06:05.360 that Mary was found to be with child 00:06:05.360 --> 00:06:06.199 from the Holy Spirit 00:06:06.199 --> 00:06:08.720 before they came together. 00:06:09.079 --> 00:06:10.060 That's the second step. 00:06:11.340 --> 00:06:13.660 Before they had conjugal relations. 00:06:13.960 --> 00:06:15.280 So this tells us clearly 00:06:15.280 --> 00:06:17.759 that Mary was a virgin. 00:06:18.920 --> 00:06:21.860 She was not pregnant from union with a man. 00:06:22.519 --> 00:06:24.519 Rather, conception was from the Holy Spirit. 00:06:24.519 --> 00:06:27.819 But Joseph, at this point of the story, 00:06:27.899 --> 00:06:29.719 is not aware of the fact 00:06:29.719 --> 00:06:31.959 that she had conceived from the Holy Spirit. 00:06:32.479 --> 00:06:34.459 And you can imagine how distressing 00:06:34.459 --> 00:06:37.079 the discovery of Mary's pregnancy 00:06:37.079 --> 00:06:38.180 would have been for Joseph. 00:06:38.919 --> 00:06:41.099 Imagine yourself in his shoes. 00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:43.939 Here is a woman whom he loved, 00:06:45.339 --> 00:06:46.199 whom he courted, 00:06:46.719 --> 00:06:49.139 a woman who had been engaged to him, 00:06:49.560 --> 00:06:50.859 who belonged to him, 00:06:50.860 --> 00:06:53.280 and he to her, 00:06:54.040 --> 00:06:55.420 the woman he cherished, 00:06:56.259 --> 00:06:58.660 was looking forward to a lifetime of marriage with 00:06:58.660 --> 00:07:00.840 and before their wedding day, 00:07:02.100 --> 00:07:04.300 before they had enjoyed conjugal relations, 00:07:05.720 --> 00:07:06.500 he or she is pregnant. 00:07:08.680 --> 00:07:10.240 Under normal circumstances, 00:07:10.240 --> 00:07:12.100 that can only mean one thing, 00:07:13.100 --> 00:07:13.819 infidelity. 00:07:13.819 --> 00:07:17.680 She had betrayed Joseph's trust 00:07:17.680 --> 00:07:19.319 and given her body to another man, 00:07:19.379 --> 00:07:20.620 is what Joseph would have thought. 00:07:20.699 --> 00:07:22.120 And according to Old Testament law, 00:07:22.240 --> 00:07:24.120 Deuteronomy 22, 13 to 24, 00:07:24.480 --> 00:07:25.819 a woman who was discovered 00:07:25.819 --> 00:07:27.399 not to have been a virgin 00:07:27.399 --> 00:07:28.439 at the time of her wedding, 00:07:28.759 --> 00:07:31.180 or a woman who slept with another man 00:07:31.180 --> 00:07:32.800 during her betrothal period, 00:07:33.159 --> 00:07:34.639 was to be stoned to death 00:07:34.639 --> 00:07:36.560 to purge the evil from among them. 00:07:36.560 --> 00:07:41.180 And since under Roman rule, 00:07:41.399 --> 00:07:42.519 Jews had no right 00:07:42.519 --> 00:07:45.300 to mete out capital punishment, 00:07:46.180 --> 00:07:47.300 by the first century, 00:07:47.740 --> 00:07:49.459 the usual punishment was not death, 00:07:49.879 --> 00:07:50.780 but divorce. 00:07:51.699 --> 00:07:52.500 So at this point, 00:07:52.579 --> 00:07:55.120 Joseph had a couple obvious choices before him. 00:07:55.379 --> 00:07:58.160 He could have hidden Mary's pregnancy 00:07:58.160 --> 00:08:00.360 to save face 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:03.560 and just married her 00:08:03.560 --> 00:08:05.680 and then despise her 00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:06.660 for the rest of his life. 00:08:10.080 --> 00:08:13.280 Or he could expose Mary's infidelity 00:08:13.280 --> 00:08:14.680 through a public trial 00:08:14.680 --> 00:08:16.520 and divorce her, 00:08:16.720 --> 00:08:18.060 which would have been a normal process. 00:08:19.860 --> 00:08:21.480 That would have brought great shame 00:08:21.480 --> 00:08:22.360 not only upon Mary, 00:08:22.460 --> 00:08:23.180 but also on Joseph 00:08:23.180 --> 00:08:24.879 and Mary's entire family. 00:08:25.960 --> 00:08:27.800 But Joseph opts for neither of these options. 00:08:27.920 --> 00:08:28.600 Verse 19 says, 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:29.540 and her husband Joseph, 00:08:29.540 --> 00:08:31.160 being a just man 00:08:31.160 --> 00:08:33.300 and unwilling to put her to shame, 00:08:33.399 --> 00:08:34.899 resolved to divorce her quietly. 00:08:35.399 --> 00:08:36.920 The fact that he was a just man 00:08:36.920 --> 00:08:38.920 does not mean that he was merciful 00:08:38.920 --> 00:08:40.659 or considerate toward Mary. 00:08:41.159 --> 00:08:43.100 The word just means righteous. 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:46.560 It means to do what the law requires. 00:08:47.399 --> 00:08:49.440 And because Joseph was a just man, 00:08:49.639 --> 00:08:51.960 Joseph resolved to divorce Mary. 00:08:52.860 --> 00:08:55.340 That was the right thing to do. 00:08:56.139 --> 00:08:57.340 The lawful thing to do. 00:08:57.340 --> 00:08:57.840 However, 00:08:58.560 --> 00:09:01.100 because he was unwilling to put her to shame, 00:09:01.259 --> 00:09:03.720 Joseph resolved to divorce her quietly. 00:09:04.560 --> 00:09:06.160 So the conjunction translated, 00:09:06.340 --> 00:09:08.620 and there is probably better translated 00:09:08.620 --> 00:09:09.660 as an adversative, 00:09:09.820 --> 00:09:11.379 yet or but. 00:09:11.960 --> 00:09:12.660 Her husband Joseph, 00:09:12.840 --> 00:09:14.000 being a just man, 00:09:14.360 --> 00:09:16.620 yet unwilling to put her to shame, 00:09:17.139 --> 00:09:18.460 resolved to divorce her quietly. 00:09:18.879 --> 00:09:20.980 That's exactly how the New International Version 00:09:20.980 --> 00:09:21.720 translates it. 00:09:21.780 --> 00:09:22.320 It says this, 00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:23.820 because Joseph, 00:09:23.940 --> 00:09:24.320 her husband, 00:09:24.379 --> 00:09:25.720 was faithful to the law 00:09:25.720 --> 00:09:28.580 and yet did not want to expose her 00:09:28.580 --> 00:09:29.640 to public disgrace, 00:09:29.940 --> 00:09:32.460 he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 00:09:33.720 --> 00:09:35.560 Joseph was a just man 00:09:35.560 --> 00:09:37.860 and yet a merciful man. 00:09:38.520 --> 00:09:39.860 He's a great guy to be named after. 00:09:41.160 --> 00:09:44.020 He had in mind to divorce her quietly. 00:09:44.019 --> 00:09:48.600 But if Joseph actually divorced Mary, 00:09:49.559 --> 00:09:51.120 that would have been a disaster 00:09:51.120 --> 00:09:52.919 because Jesus, 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:55.139 being the messianic son of David, 00:09:55.639 --> 00:09:59.639 depended on him being adopted legally by Joseph, 00:09:59.899 --> 00:10:02.079 who was descended from David. 00:10:02.600 --> 00:10:04.220 So the angel of the Lord intervenes, 00:10:04.319 --> 00:10:05.519 verses 20 to 21. 00:10:06.079 --> 00:10:07.600 But as he considered these things, 00:10:07.679 --> 00:10:07.980 behold, 00:10:08.059 --> 00:10:10.000 an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, 00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:10.419 saying, 00:10:10.919 --> 00:10:11.320 Joseph, 00:10:12.100 --> 00:10:13.700 son of David, 00:10:14.940 --> 00:10:17.059 do not fear to take Mary as your wife, 00:10:17.120 --> 00:10:18.460 for that which is conceived in her 00:10:18.460 --> 00:10:19.480 is from the Holy Spirit. 00:10:19.879 --> 00:10:20.940 She will bear a son 00:10:20.940 --> 00:10:22.700 and you shall call his name Jesus, 00:10:23.259 --> 00:10:25.639 for he will save his people from their sins. 00:10:26.220 --> 00:10:28.100 It was the legal responsibility of the father 00:10:28.100 --> 00:10:29.500 to name his child 00:10:29.500 --> 00:10:30.960 and in naming the child, 00:10:31.039 --> 00:10:33.860 he was acknowledging that the child is his heir. 00:10:34.919 --> 00:10:36.899 And so that was the official process. 00:10:37.120 --> 00:10:38.779 And so we see that concept displayed 00:10:38.779 --> 00:10:39.720 in the Old Testament as well. 00:10:39.799 --> 00:10:41.139 In Isaiah 43, verse 1, 00:10:41.199 --> 00:10:44.120 what does God say to his firstborn Israel? 00:10:44.279 --> 00:10:44.659 He says, 00:10:45.220 --> 00:10:47.339 I have called you by name 00:10:47.339 --> 00:10:49.199 to the nation of Israel. 00:10:49.720 --> 00:10:51.439 I have called you by name, 00:10:51.559 --> 00:10:52.699 you are mine. 00:10:53.600 --> 00:10:56.299 It's by naming that you claim an heir 00:10:56.299 --> 00:10:57.759 as a child, as a son. 00:10:58.039 --> 00:10:59.899 And so the angel here addresses Joseph 00:10:59.899 --> 00:11:02.919 specifically as a son of David 00:11:02.919 --> 00:11:06.100 to confirm exactly what is at stake. 00:11:06.100 --> 00:11:10.200 Nothing less than Jesus' very Davidic lineage, 00:11:10.500 --> 00:11:11.980 his messianic heritage, 00:11:12.360 --> 00:11:13.100 is at stake. 00:11:14.220 --> 00:11:15.659 And this is why Joseph's role 00:11:15.659 --> 00:11:17.480 in this birth narrative is indispensable. 00:11:17.720 --> 00:11:19.399 So despite Joseph's reservations, 00:11:20.420 --> 00:11:22.460 the angel commands him to do this, 00:11:22.680 --> 00:11:23.500 do these things. 00:11:23.580 --> 00:11:24.879 Take Mary as your wife first 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:26.500 and then name the son 00:11:26.500 --> 00:11:27.639 she will give birth to Jesus. 00:11:29.680 --> 00:11:30.680 I know there are some of you 00:11:30.680 --> 00:11:31.519 who have been adopted. 00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:32.819 I think it's cool that our Savior 00:11:32.819 --> 00:11:35.799 was adopted in this way. 00:11:37.100 --> 00:11:38.419 Verses 24 to 25 00:11:38.419 --> 00:11:40.039 tells us of Joseph's obedience 00:11:40.039 --> 00:11:42.559 by echoing the angel's commands. 00:11:42.699 --> 00:11:42.919 It says, 00:11:43.079 --> 00:11:44.399 when Joseph woke from sleep, 00:11:44.439 --> 00:11:46.480 he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. 00:11:46.860 --> 00:11:47.840 He took his wife, 00:11:48.120 --> 00:11:48.840 but knew her not 00:11:48.840 --> 00:11:50.039 until she had given birth to a son, 00:11:50.059 --> 00:11:51.480 and he called his name Jesus. 00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:53.759 It's by Joseph's naming 00:11:53.759 --> 00:11:55.919 and claiming Jesus as his own 00:11:55.919 --> 00:11:57.199 that Jesus officially becomes 00:11:57.199 --> 00:11:58.519 the son of David. 00:11:59.379 --> 00:12:00.659 And as we saw last week, 00:12:00.659 --> 00:12:01.639 Jesus is the one 00:12:01.639 --> 00:12:03.120 who fulfills in this way 00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:04.459 God's promise to David 00:12:04.459 --> 00:12:06.860 in 2 Samuel 7, 12 to 14. 00:12:07.439 --> 00:12:10.259 I will raise up your offspring after you 00:12:10.259 --> 00:12:11.799 who shall come from your body, 00:12:12.019 --> 00:12:13.959 and I will establish his kingdom. 00:12:14.439 --> 00:12:16.299 He shall build a house for my name, 00:12:16.360 --> 00:12:17.879 and I will establish the throne 00:12:17.879 --> 00:12:19.620 of his kingdom forever. 00:12:21.480 --> 00:12:22.600 Jesus is the one 00:12:22.600 --> 00:12:24.720 who establishes God's kingdom forever. 00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:27.539 Jesus is the prophesied Christ. 00:12:27.539 --> 00:12:29.439 He is the king, 00:12:29.779 --> 00:12:30.699 the anointed one, 00:12:31.339 --> 00:12:31.779 the ruler. 00:12:33.500 --> 00:12:34.860 His subjects, then, 00:12:35.099 --> 00:12:36.980 we exist to honor him, 00:12:37.439 --> 00:12:38.639 to love and serve him. 00:12:39.500 --> 00:12:40.879 Those of you who have put your faith 00:12:40.879 --> 00:12:41.599 in Jesus Christ 00:12:41.599 --> 00:12:42.699 and are therefore living, 00:12:43.219 --> 00:12:44.559 or those of you who have not done that 00:12:44.559 --> 00:12:47.319 and are now living in disobedience to God 00:12:47.319 --> 00:12:49.199 are under the tyranny of Satan. 00:12:49.319 --> 00:12:50.620 You're still under the dominion, 00:12:50.699 --> 00:12:52.019 the domain of evil, 00:12:53.079 --> 00:12:53.959 the evil one. 00:12:53.960 --> 00:12:55.940 And that's why this world 00:12:55.940 --> 00:12:57.680 is full of rebellion. 00:12:58.379 --> 00:12:59.340 Everywhere we turn, 00:12:59.940 --> 00:13:01.500 we meet cultural forces 00:13:01.500 --> 00:13:02.759 that are hostile to God 00:13:02.759 --> 00:13:04.800 and his purposes and priorities. 00:13:05.500 --> 00:13:06.940 Everywhere we turn, 00:13:07.060 --> 00:13:07.420 we meet, 00:13:08.139 --> 00:13:10.519 we hear the name of our king, 00:13:10.740 --> 00:13:11.060 Jesus, 00:13:11.460 --> 00:13:12.780 used as a curse word. 00:13:14.379 --> 00:13:15.460 Ministers of the gospel 00:13:15.460 --> 00:13:16.700 are but of a joke, 00:13:17.300 --> 00:13:18.920 and the word of God 00:13:18.920 --> 00:13:20.660 is scorned and mocked. 00:13:20.659 --> 00:13:24.600 But we are a people 00:13:24.600 --> 00:13:26.319 who must plant our flag 00:13:26.319 --> 00:13:28.039 and declare that we follow 00:13:28.039 --> 00:13:28.939 a different king, 00:13:29.459 --> 00:13:31.339 that we have the king, 00:13:31.480 --> 00:13:31.759 Jesus, 00:13:32.139 --> 00:13:33.279 the Christ who has come. 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:35.159 We're no longer under the rule 00:13:35.159 --> 00:13:36.819 of the prince of the power of the air, 00:13:36.980 --> 00:13:38.179 the evil spirit. 00:13:40.100 --> 00:13:41.139 In other words, 00:13:42.199 --> 00:13:43.600 nations and kingdoms, 00:13:44.799 --> 00:13:45.839 geopolitical entities, 00:13:46.159 --> 00:13:47.639 militaries, political parties, 00:13:48.120 --> 00:13:49.980 various philosophies and ideologies 00:13:49.980 --> 00:13:52.680 that clamor for our allegiance, 00:13:53.320 --> 00:13:55.139 that clamor for our votes 00:13:55.139 --> 00:13:56.539 and our subscriptions, 00:13:57.100 --> 00:13:57.899 our money, 00:13:58.320 --> 00:13:59.300 and our obedience, 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:02.240 that fight for our allegiance 00:14:02.240 --> 00:14:04.220 to their flags, 00:14:05.580 --> 00:14:06.980 must recognize 00:14:06.980 --> 00:14:08.220 and hear our declaration 00:14:08.220 --> 00:14:09.720 that we have pledged allegiance 00:14:09.720 --> 00:14:10.519 to a different king. 00:14:13.740 --> 00:14:15.139 And that we can partner 00:14:15.139 --> 00:14:16.840 with the people of this world 00:14:16.840 --> 00:14:17.820 only in so far 00:14:17.820 --> 00:14:18.960 as they are advancing 00:14:18.960 --> 00:14:20.160 the purposes 00:14:20.160 --> 00:14:21.060 and priorities 00:14:21.060 --> 00:14:21.660 of our Lord. 00:14:24.780 --> 00:14:25.580 This is something 00:14:25.580 --> 00:14:26.379 that's important for us 00:14:26.379 --> 00:14:26.860 to remember 00:14:26.860 --> 00:14:28.980 as we live as Christians. 00:14:30.320 --> 00:14:31.800 It's Christ's priorities 00:14:31.800 --> 00:14:33.860 that must define our lives 00:14:33.860 --> 00:14:35.160 because Christ is our king 00:14:35.160 --> 00:14:36.100 and the gospel 00:14:36.100 --> 00:14:36.800 is our charter. 00:14:37.620 --> 00:14:38.500 The word of God 00:14:38.500 --> 00:14:39.480 is our constitution. 00:14:39.480 --> 00:14:43.820 Worship is our anthem. 00:14:47.440 --> 00:14:49.300 So Jesus is the Christ. 00:14:49.480 --> 00:14:50.659 He's the king that has come 00:14:50.659 --> 00:14:51.899 and he will come again 00:14:51.899 --> 00:14:53.320 to exert full authority 00:14:53.320 --> 00:14:54.360 and power over the earth. 00:14:55.060 --> 00:14:55.600 And in addition 00:14:55.600 --> 00:14:56.539 to being the Christ, 00:14:56.700 --> 00:14:57.379 Matthew tells us 00:14:57.379 --> 00:14:58.980 that Jesus is also God. 00:15:00.039 --> 00:15:01.659 He is the incarnate God, 00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:02.460 the son of God 00:15:02.460 --> 00:15:04.060 who has taken on human flesh. 00:15:04.600 --> 00:15:05.659 This is hinted at 00:15:05.659 --> 00:15:07.259 in verses 18 and 20 00:15:07.259 --> 00:15:08.939 where twice we are told 00:15:08.939 --> 00:15:10.259 that Jesus was conceived 00:15:10.259 --> 00:15:11.100 in Mary 00:15:11.100 --> 00:15:12.679 from the Holy Spirit. 00:15:14.220 --> 00:15:15.019 I mean, imagine that. 00:15:15.080 --> 00:15:15.899 No wonder Joseph 00:15:15.899 --> 00:15:16.559 was hesitant 00:15:16.559 --> 00:15:17.679 to approach Mary 00:15:17.679 --> 00:15:19.279 and to have conjugal relations 00:15:19.279 --> 00:15:19.620 with her 00:15:19.620 --> 00:15:21.019 even after the wedding ceremony. 00:15:22.500 --> 00:15:22.700 Right? 00:15:22.759 --> 00:15:24.120 It said in verse 24 to 25, 00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:25.100 Joseph took his wife 00:15:25.100 --> 00:15:26.000 but knew her not 00:15:26.000 --> 00:15:27.220 until she had given birth 00:15:27.220 --> 00:15:27.919 to a son. 00:15:28.799 --> 00:15:29.779 The word know 00:15:29.779 --> 00:15:31.580 is a biblical euphemism 00:15:31.580 --> 00:15:32.700 for sexual intimacy. 00:15:33.299 --> 00:15:33.580 For example, 00:15:33.720 --> 00:15:34.500 Genesis 4 once 00:15:34.500 --> 00:15:34.639 says, 00:15:34.639 --> 00:15:36.340 Now Adam knew Eve, 00:15:36.419 --> 00:15:36.980 his wife, 00:15:37.159 --> 00:15:38.039 and she conceived 00:15:38.039 --> 00:15:39.539 and bore Cain. 00:15:40.419 --> 00:15:41.720 Joseph refused 00:15:41.720 --> 00:15:43.519 to know his wife 00:15:43.519 --> 00:15:45.559 even when it was appropriate 00:15:45.559 --> 00:15:46.679 for him to do so 00:15:46.679 --> 00:15:48.939 until she had given birth 00:15:48.939 --> 00:15:49.419 to Jesus. 00:15:50.299 --> 00:15:51.240 Matthew is making it 00:15:51.240 --> 00:15:52.059 extra clear 00:15:52.059 --> 00:15:53.379 that Jesus is not 00:15:53.379 --> 00:15:54.980 a child of Joseph 00:15:54.980 --> 00:15:56.360 and Mary's sexual union. 00:15:57.220 --> 00:15:58.039 It's not hard 00:15:58.039 --> 00:15:58.600 to understand 00:15:58.600 --> 00:15:59.080 why Joseph 00:15:59.080 --> 00:15:59.960 was apprehensive 00:15:59.960 --> 00:16:01.500 about approaching Mary 00:16:01.500 --> 00:16:02.059 in this way. 00:16:02.799 --> 00:16:03.319 This virgin 00:16:03.320 --> 00:16:04.260 is pregnant 00:16:04.260 --> 00:16:05.580 from the Holy Spirit. 00:16:05.780 --> 00:16:07.140 Something sacred 00:16:07.140 --> 00:16:08.260 has taken place 00:16:08.260 --> 00:16:09.240 inside her. 00:16:10.160 --> 00:16:11.060 Something holy 00:16:11.060 --> 00:16:12.000 has happened to her. 00:16:12.220 --> 00:16:13.140 Something divine 00:16:13.140 --> 00:16:15.140 is in her womb. 00:16:17.000 --> 00:16:17.980 How can I, 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:19.960 a mere man, 00:16:20.720 --> 00:16:21.980 Joseph the carpenter, 00:16:22.740 --> 00:16:23.460 approach her 00:16:23.460 --> 00:16:24.960 and have conjugal relations? 00:16:24.960 --> 00:16:27.900 Some people will say 00:16:27.900 --> 00:16:29.060 that it is impossible 00:16:29.060 --> 00:16:29.720 for a man 00:16:29.720 --> 00:16:31.980 who is lawfully wedded 00:16:31.980 --> 00:16:32.460 to a wife 00:16:32.460 --> 00:16:33.460 to be sexually inactive 00:16:33.460 --> 00:16:34.200 for such an extended 00:16:34.200 --> 00:16:34.860 period of time, 00:16:34.980 --> 00:16:36.200 but Joseph's example 00:16:36.200 --> 00:16:36.800 teaches us 00:16:36.800 --> 00:16:37.440 that self-control 00:16:37.440 --> 00:16:38.560 is possible. 00:16:40.540 --> 00:16:41.860 And notice how delicate 00:16:41.860 --> 00:16:42.680 and restrained 00:16:42.680 --> 00:16:43.420 Matthew is 00:16:43.420 --> 00:16:44.200 in his description 00:16:44.200 --> 00:16:45.220 of Mary's conception. 00:16:46.460 --> 00:16:47.720 Ancient Greco-Roman 00:16:47.720 --> 00:16:48.600 mythology 00:16:48.600 --> 00:16:50.940 is full of lurid tales 00:16:50.940 --> 00:16:51.920 of Greek 00:16:51.920 --> 00:16:52.980 and Roman gods 00:16:52.980 --> 00:16:53.860 impregnating 00:16:53.860 --> 00:16:54.740 human women, 00:16:55.539 --> 00:16:56.240 thereby producing 00:16:56.240 --> 00:16:57.080 demigods 00:16:57.080 --> 00:16:58.200 who are partly 00:16:58.200 --> 00:16:59.879 God and partly human, 00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:01.060 inferior deities. 00:17:01.659 --> 00:17:02.419 But such myths 00:17:02.419 --> 00:17:03.600 have more in common 00:17:03.600 --> 00:17:04.799 with the disobedient 00:17:05.380 --> 00:17:06.339 angelic beings 00:17:06.339 --> 00:17:07.620 taking human wives 00:17:07.620 --> 00:17:08.160 for themselves 00:17:08.160 --> 00:17:08.799 and giving birth 00:17:08.799 --> 00:17:09.579 to the Nephilim 00:17:09.579 --> 00:17:10.920 in Genesis 6, 00:17:11.460 --> 00:17:13.000 and it's quite far 00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:14.039 removed from 00:17:14.039 --> 00:17:14.900 this account 00:17:14.900 --> 00:17:15.839 of Mary's conception. 00:17:15.839 --> 00:17:19.199 Matthew's unadorned 00:17:19.199 --> 00:17:21.059 account of Mary's 00:17:21.059 --> 00:17:21.619 conception 00:17:21.619 --> 00:17:23.279 is a stark contrast 00:17:23.279 --> 00:17:24.139 to these elaborate 00:17:24.139 --> 00:17:24.759 mythologies. 00:17:25.220 --> 00:17:25.740 Look at how he 00:17:25.740 --> 00:17:27.119 so carefully avoids 00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:28.139 any insinuation 00:17:28.139 --> 00:17:29.559 of sexual activity. 00:17:30.019 --> 00:17:30.179 Rather, 00:17:30.279 --> 00:17:30.539 he says, 00:17:30.639 --> 00:17:32.119 the angel simply says, 00:17:32.179 --> 00:17:33.059 that which is conceived 00:17:33.059 --> 00:17:33.399 in her 00:17:33.399 --> 00:17:34.740 is from the Holy Spirit. 00:17:36.199 --> 00:17:36.919 I'll add that 00:17:36.919 --> 00:17:38.059 there's no mention here 00:17:38.059 --> 00:17:39.279 of the Catholic doctrine 00:17:39.279 --> 00:17:40.939 of immaculate 00:17:40.939 --> 00:17:41.579 conception, 00:17:41.579 --> 00:17:44.220 claiming that Mary 00:17:44.220 --> 00:17:45.220 was born without 00:17:45.220 --> 00:17:46.000 original sin 00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:47.460 and never sinned 00:17:47.460 --> 00:17:47.919 personally. 00:17:49.419 --> 00:17:50.639 Mary was not sinless. 00:17:50.839 --> 00:17:51.919 Jesus is the only 00:17:51.919 --> 00:17:53.339 sinless human. 00:17:54.619 --> 00:17:55.019 In fact, 00:17:55.059 --> 00:17:55.899 to claim that Mary 00:17:55.899 --> 00:17:56.639 was sinless 00:17:56.639 --> 00:17:58.399 and that only 00:17:58.399 --> 00:17:59.159 a sinless woman 00:17:59.159 --> 00:17:59.899 could give birth 00:17:59.899 --> 00:18:00.439 to Jesus 00:18:00.439 --> 00:18:01.919 runs in the face 00:18:01.919 --> 00:18:03.279 of Jesus' genealogy, 00:18:03.379 --> 00:18:03.939 which we looked at 00:18:03.939 --> 00:18:04.559 last week, 00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:05.799 which showed that 00:18:05.799 --> 00:18:06.879 Jesus is descended 00:18:06.879 --> 00:18:08.460 from incestualists 00:18:08.460 --> 00:18:09.439 and murderers 00:18:09.439 --> 00:18:10.339 and adulterers 00:18:10.339 --> 00:18:11.240 and idolaters 00:18:11.240 --> 00:18:12.960 child sacrificers 00:18:12.960 --> 00:18:14.059 and prostitutes, 00:18:14.519 --> 00:18:15.660 among other things, 00:18:16.819 --> 00:18:17.759 to show that 00:18:17.759 --> 00:18:19.099 Jesus really did 00:18:19.099 --> 00:18:20.599 take on humanity 00:18:20.599 --> 00:18:21.519 with all its 00:18:21.519 --> 00:18:22.720 sinful history, 00:18:23.059 --> 00:18:24.359 its sordid history 00:18:24.359 --> 00:18:25.380 upon himself. 00:18:27.079 --> 00:18:28.200 And that in his 00:18:28.200 --> 00:18:29.019 saving grace, 00:18:29.099 --> 00:18:30.460 that Jesus really did 00:18:30.460 --> 00:18:32.000 and really embraced 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:32.900 sinners 00:18:32.900 --> 00:18:35.079 and saved them 00:18:35.079 --> 00:18:35.859 by dying on the cross 00:18:35.859 --> 00:18:36.140 for them. 00:18:37.519 --> 00:18:38.980 There's also no hint 00:18:38.980 --> 00:18:40.160 of the Catholic doctrine 00:18:40.160 --> 00:18:40.960 of Mary's 00:18:40.960 --> 00:18:42.340 perpetual virginity, 00:18:43.340 --> 00:18:45.100 the claim that 00:18:45.100 --> 00:18:46.100 Mary remained a virgin 00:18:46.100 --> 00:18:47.279 for the rest of her life. 00:18:47.940 --> 00:18:49.340 Verse 25 does not say 00:18:49.340 --> 00:18:50.720 that Joseph never slept 00:18:50.720 --> 00:18:51.759 with Mary for the rest 00:18:51.759 --> 00:18:52.540 of her life. 00:18:53.460 --> 00:18:53.900 It says, 00:18:54.240 --> 00:18:55.460 Joseph knew Mary not 00:18:55.460 --> 00:18:57.000 until she had given 00:18:57.000 --> 00:18:57.720 birth to a son, 00:18:58.779 --> 00:18:59.840 which implies that 00:18:59.840 --> 00:19:00.759 after Mary gave birth 00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:01.120 to Jesus, 00:19:01.240 --> 00:19:01.759 Joseph and Mary 00:19:01.759 --> 00:19:02.740 assumed normal 00:19:02.740 --> 00:19:03.720 marital relations 00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:04.779 like any couple. 00:19:04.779 --> 00:19:04.839 people. 00:19:05.720 --> 00:19:06.839 That's why later 00:19:06.839 --> 00:19:07.740 in chapter 13, 00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:09.099 verse 55-56, 00:19:09.220 --> 00:19:09.960 Matthew notes that 00:19:09.960 --> 00:19:11.180 Jesus had brothers 00:19:11.180 --> 00:19:12.440 and sisters. 00:19:14.480 --> 00:19:16.019 But Jesus was set 00:19:16.019 --> 00:19:17.700 apart from all of them. 00:19:20.299 --> 00:19:21.519 He was conceived 00:19:21.519 --> 00:19:22.460 like no other human 00:19:22.460 --> 00:19:23.180 being in history 00:19:23.180 --> 00:19:24.660 because even though 00:19:24.660 --> 00:19:25.680 he was truly man, 00:19:26.500 --> 00:19:27.319 a son of Mary, 00:19:27.619 --> 00:19:29.099 he wasn't merely a man, 00:19:29.779 --> 00:19:30.599 he was conceived 00:19:30.599 --> 00:19:32.000 from the Holy Spirit. 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:33.400 And the prophecy 00:19:33.400 --> 00:19:34.900 from Isaiah 7-14, 00:19:35.039 --> 00:19:35.839 which Matthew cites 00:19:35.839 --> 00:19:37.119 in verses 22-23 00:19:37.119 --> 00:19:38.859 confirms this reality. 00:19:39.519 --> 00:19:40.279 Matthew is known 00:19:40.279 --> 00:19:41.279 for often citing 00:19:41.279 --> 00:19:42.299 Old Testament scriptures 00:19:42.299 --> 00:19:43.480 and then demonstrating 00:19:43.480 --> 00:19:44.859 how Jesus fulfilled it. 00:19:45.240 --> 00:19:46.740 He does this over 10 times 00:19:46.740 --> 00:19:47.619 throughout his Gospels 00:19:47.619 --> 00:19:48.980 and five of them occur 00:19:48.980 --> 00:19:50.400 right here in the birth narrative. 00:19:51.339 --> 00:19:51.900 And so sometimes 00:19:51.900 --> 00:19:52.779 people call this 00:19:52.779 --> 00:19:54.940 the formula quotations. 00:19:55.160 --> 00:19:56.160 It's the fulfillment 00:19:56.160 --> 00:19:57.359 formula quotations. 00:19:58.779 --> 00:19:59.980 So he'll show us, 00:20:00.039 --> 00:20:00.779 we'll see these 00:20:00.779 --> 00:20:02.700 throughout chapters 00:20:02.700 --> 00:20:03.480 one and two. 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:04.960 But the one that he 00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:05.859 has in view here 00:20:05.859 --> 00:20:07.940 is Isaiah 7-14. 00:20:08.639 --> 00:20:10.480 Read verses 22-23 with me. 00:20:11.339 --> 00:20:12.359 All this took place 00:20:12.359 --> 00:20:13.660 to fulfill what the Lord 00:20:13.660 --> 00:20:14.940 has spoken by the prophet. 00:20:15.700 --> 00:20:16.139 Behold, 00:20:16.799 --> 00:20:18.639 the virgin shall conceive 00:20:18.639 --> 00:20:19.940 and bear a son 00:20:19.940 --> 00:20:21.240 and they shall call 00:20:21.240 --> 00:20:22.680 his name Emmanuel, 00:20:23.319 --> 00:20:24.779 which means God with us. 00:20:25.660 --> 00:20:27.119 The word translated 00:20:27.119 --> 00:20:28.180 virgin here 00:20:28.180 --> 00:20:29.200 refers in scripture 00:20:29.200 --> 00:20:30.200 to a young woman 00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:31.779 of marriageable age 00:20:31.779 --> 00:20:33.920 that is not married. 00:20:34.759 --> 00:20:36.120 So someone who has not 00:20:36.120 --> 00:20:37.360 known a man sexually. 00:20:38.319 --> 00:20:38.819 For example, 00:20:38.940 --> 00:20:40.259 in Genesis 24-43, 00:20:40.500 --> 00:20:41.340 Abraham's servant 00:20:41.340 --> 00:20:42.100 who is searching 00:20:42.100 --> 00:20:43.220 for marriageable women 00:20:43.220 --> 00:20:45.559 for Abraham's son Isaac 00:20:45.559 --> 00:20:47.259 asks God specifically 00:20:47.259 --> 00:20:49.140 to reveal to him 00:20:49.140 --> 00:20:50.279 the virgin 00:20:50.279 --> 00:20:51.279 that he has prepared 00:20:51.279 --> 00:20:51.819 for Isaac. 00:20:51.819 --> 00:20:54.679 I don't have the time 00:20:54.679 --> 00:20:55.139 to get into 00:20:55.139 --> 00:20:56.299 how this prophecy 00:20:56.299 --> 00:20:57.980 was fulfilled 00:20:57.980 --> 00:20:59.299 in the immediate context 00:20:59.299 --> 00:21:00.099 of Isaiah, 00:21:00.339 --> 00:21:01.279 but this prophecy 00:21:01.279 --> 00:21:03.200 finds its ultimate fulfillment 00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:05.139 in the coming of Jesus. 00:21:05.899 --> 00:21:06.879 And it predicts 00:21:06.879 --> 00:21:08.619 the nature of Jesus' birth 00:21:08.619 --> 00:21:09.819 with remarkable 00:21:09.819 --> 00:21:10.919 specificity 00:21:10.919 --> 00:21:12.059 and precision. 00:21:13.099 --> 00:21:14.220 The virgin 00:21:14.220 --> 00:21:15.460 shall conceive 00:21:15.460 --> 00:21:16.960 and bear a son. 00:21:16.960 --> 00:21:20.120 And here's another name 00:21:20.120 --> 00:21:21.220 by which Jesus is known, 00:21:21.440 --> 00:21:22.140 Emmanuel, 00:21:22.880 --> 00:21:24.640 which means God with us. 00:21:25.240 --> 00:21:26.660 Because Jesus is 00:21:26.660 --> 00:21:27.940 the son of God himself, 00:21:28.480 --> 00:21:29.720 because Jesus is conceived 00:21:29.720 --> 00:21:30.720 from the Holy Spirit, 00:21:30.900 --> 00:21:32.220 when Jesus is born, 00:21:32.680 --> 00:21:33.900 God is with us. 00:21:35.140 --> 00:21:36.600 Jesus is not only fully man, 00:21:36.660 --> 00:21:37.880 but he is fully God. 00:21:38.039 --> 00:21:39.220 He's the incarnate God, 00:21:39.279 --> 00:21:40.039 the God who has taken 00:21:40.039 --> 00:21:40.880 on human flesh. 00:21:40.880 --> 00:21:43.380 And this is why 00:21:43.380 --> 00:21:45.560 Jesus does not stop 00:21:45.560 --> 00:21:47.040 people from worshiping him 00:21:47.040 --> 00:21:48.640 throughout his lifetime 00:21:48.640 --> 00:21:49.140 on earth. 00:21:51.560 --> 00:21:53.000 All pious people, 00:21:53.160 --> 00:21:54.120 all godly people, 00:21:55.420 --> 00:21:57.180 in case you didn't know this, 00:21:57.240 --> 00:21:57.820 if people start 00:21:57.820 --> 00:21:58.500 bowing down to you 00:21:58.500 --> 00:21:59.220 and worshiping you, 00:21:59.620 --> 00:22:01.020 you're supposed to stop them. 00:22:03.180 --> 00:22:04.320 Because you're not supposed 00:22:04.320 --> 00:22:05.080 to be worshiped. 00:22:08.680 --> 00:22:10.760 Acts 10, 24 to 26, 00:22:10.880 --> 00:22:12.180 Cornelius falls 00:22:12.180 --> 00:22:13.580 at the feet of Peter, 00:22:14.200 --> 00:22:15.060 worships him, 00:22:15.320 --> 00:22:16.120 lifts him up, 00:22:16.200 --> 00:22:16.400 saying, 00:22:16.980 --> 00:22:18.040 Peter lifts him up, 00:22:18.100 --> 00:22:18.240 saying, 00:22:18.380 --> 00:22:18.980 stand up, 00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:21.620 I too am a man. 00:22:22.960 --> 00:22:24.780 Don't worship a man. 00:22:27.220 --> 00:22:28.580 Even angels 00:22:28.580 --> 00:22:31.560 refuse to be worshiped. 00:22:31.940 --> 00:22:33.180 In Revelation 22, 00:22:33.320 --> 00:22:34.180 verses 8 to 9, 00:22:34.280 --> 00:22:35.200 when John falls 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:36.140 and worships 00:22:36.140 --> 00:22:37.840 at the feet of an angel, 00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:38.800 he says to John, 00:22:39.080 --> 00:22:40.740 you must not 00:22:40.740 --> 00:22:41.440 do that. 00:22:42.440 --> 00:22:44.059 I am a fellow servant 00:22:44.059 --> 00:22:45.240 with you 00:22:45.240 --> 00:22:46.279 and your brothers, 00:22:46.400 --> 00:22:46.940 the prophets, 00:22:47.240 --> 00:22:47.700 and with those 00:22:47.700 --> 00:22:48.579 who keep the word 00:22:48.579 --> 00:22:49.480 of this book. 00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:51.480 Worship God. 00:22:51.480 --> 00:22:58.019 The great apostle Peter 00:22:58.019 --> 00:23:00.259 refuses to be worshiped. 00:23:00.920 --> 00:23:02.319 Even the angels 00:23:02.319 --> 00:23:04.059 refuse to be worshiped. 00:23:04.720 --> 00:23:05.700 And here is Jesus 00:23:05.700 --> 00:23:06.900 throughout his life. 00:23:07.480 --> 00:23:08.819 People bow down to him 00:23:08.819 --> 00:23:09.579 and worship him 00:23:09.579 --> 00:23:11.480 and he receives it. 00:23:16.599 --> 00:23:18.259 Matthew 2, verse 11, 00:23:18.259 --> 00:23:20.440 the wise men come. 00:23:21.160 --> 00:23:22.200 They fall down 00:23:22.200 --> 00:23:23.420 and worship him. 00:23:24.700 --> 00:23:26.079 Matthew 14, 32, 00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:27.000 after Jesus walks 00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:27.500 on the water 00:23:27.500 --> 00:23:28.480 and calms the wind, 00:23:28.819 --> 00:23:29.980 he says that his disciples 00:23:29.980 --> 00:23:31.240 worshipped him, 00:23:31.359 --> 00:23:31.559 saying, 00:23:31.720 --> 00:23:32.099 truly, 00:23:32.299 --> 00:23:34.440 you are the son of God. 00:23:34.920 --> 00:23:35.859 Jesus does not 00:23:35.859 --> 00:23:36.460 correct them. 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:39.160 In Matthew 28, 00:23:39.220 --> 00:23:39.619 verse 9, 00:23:39.660 --> 00:23:40.500 when Mary Magdalene 00:23:40.500 --> 00:23:41.279 and the other Mary 00:23:41.279 --> 00:23:41.759 that's with her 00:23:41.759 --> 00:23:42.460 visiting Jesus' 00:23:42.460 --> 00:23:43.339 empty tomb 00:23:43.339 --> 00:23:44.640 encounter Jesus, 00:23:44.640 --> 00:23:45.980 the resurrected Jesus, 00:23:46.300 --> 00:23:46.560 he says that 00:23:46.560 --> 00:23:47.220 they came up 00:23:47.220 --> 00:23:48.000 and took hold 00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:48.560 of his feet 00:23:48.560 --> 00:23:49.980 and worshipped him. 00:23:50.540 --> 00:23:51.280 In Matthew 28, 00:23:51.360 --> 00:23:51.980 verse 17, 00:23:52.180 --> 00:23:52.780 it says that Jesus' 00:23:53.000 --> 00:23:53.800 eleven disciples, 00:23:53.920 --> 00:23:54.380 when they saw 00:23:54.380 --> 00:23:55.280 the resurrected Jesus, 00:23:55.460 --> 00:23:57.520 they worshipped him. 00:23:58.560 --> 00:24:00.480 And that is right. 00:24:02.380 --> 00:24:04.460 Because Jesus is God. 00:24:07.400 --> 00:24:08.680 If he were not God, 00:24:08.740 --> 00:24:09.660 that would be idolatrous. 00:24:11.700 --> 00:24:12.900 It would be the height 00:24:12.900 --> 00:24:13.820 of human pride 00:24:13.820 --> 00:24:14.680 and presumption 00:24:14.680 --> 00:24:16.280 to receive worship. 00:24:18.600 --> 00:24:20.280 But Jesus is Emmanuel, 00:24:21.120 --> 00:24:22.600 God with us. 00:24:24.080 --> 00:24:25.259 That's why it's not only 00:24:25.259 --> 00:24:26.600 appropriate, 00:24:27.380 --> 00:24:29.480 but necessary. 00:24:30.220 --> 00:24:31.680 It is incumbent upon us 00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:32.840 to worship him. 00:24:34.180 --> 00:24:35.860 So Jesus is the Christ, 00:24:35.960 --> 00:24:36.400 the Messiah, 00:24:36.860 --> 00:24:38.900 and not just a human one. 00:24:38.960 --> 00:24:41.040 He is the divine Messiah. 00:24:41.300 --> 00:24:41.880 And that brings us 00:24:41.880 --> 00:24:43.860 to my third point 00:24:43.860 --> 00:24:44.760 that Matthew tells 00:24:44.760 --> 00:24:45.200 about Jesus, 00:24:45.280 --> 00:24:46.120 that he is Savior. 00:24:47.100 --> 00:24:48.300 The angel who appears 00:24:48.300 --> 00:24:48.860 to Joseph says 00:24:48.860 --> 00:24:49.560 in verse 21, 00:24:50.340 --> 00:24:51.700 Mary will bear a son 00:24:51.700 --> 00:24:53.140 and you shall call 00:24:53.140 --> 00:24:55.080 his name Jesus. 00:24:57.160 --> 00:24:58.640 For he will save 00:24:58.640 --> 00:24:59.500 his people 00:24:59.500 --> 00:25:00.940 from their sins. 00:25:03.120 --> 00:25:04.420 The name Jesus 00:25:04.420 --> 00:25:06.020 means the Lord saves. 00:25:07.040 --> 00:25:07.960 And since Jesus 00:25:07.960 --> 00:25:09.799 is Lord, 00:25:10.180 --> 00:25:10.779 Emmanuel, 00:25:11.059 --> 00:25:11.779 God with us, 00:25:11.940 --> 00:25:13.140 it is Jesus himself 00:25:13.140 --> 00:25:14.180 who will save 00:25:14.180 --> 00:25:15.100 his people 00:25:15.100 --> 00:25:16.400 from their sins. 00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:19.279 This is wonderful. 00:25:22.420 --> 00:25:23.440 It's wonderful 00:25:23.440 --> 00:25:24.340 that he's named Jesus, 00:25:24.440 --> 00:25:24.779 isn't it? 00:25:26.180 --> 00:25:28.039 Jesus could have been named 00:25:28.039 --> 00:25:29.539 a lot of other things. 00:25:32.340 --> 00:25:33.559 He could have been named 00:25:33.559 --> 00:25:34.319 Neziah, 00:25:34.319 --> 00:25:37.619 the one who conquers. 00:25:40.859 --> 00:25:42.099 He could have been named 00:25:42.099 --> 00:25:42.839 Daniel, 00:25:44.519 --> 00:25:45.799 the God who judges. 00:25:49.399 --> 00:25:50.480 He could have been named 00:25:50.480 --> 00:25:51.859 a lot of other things. 00:25:53.539 --> 00:25:54.740 But his name 00:25:54.740 --> 00:25:55.919 is Jesus. 00:25:55.920 --> 00:26:02.880 the one who saves. 00:26:04.400 --> 00:26:06.100 One who will save 00:26:06.100 --> 00:26:06.800 his people 00:26:06.800 --> 00:26:08.220 from their sins. 00:26:12.220 --> 00:26:13.300 The Jewish people 00:26:13.300 --> 00:26:13.920 were familiar 00:26:13.920 --> 00:26:15.840 with political subjugation 00:26:15.840 --> 00:26:17.019 and military conquest. 00:26:17.140 --> 00:26:17.480 I mentioned 00:26:17.480 --> 00:26:19.100 that they were conquered 00:26:19.100 --> 00:26:19.580 and oppressed 00:26:19.580 --> 00:26:20.800 by many foreign nations, 00:26:20.920 --> 00:26:21.440 Assyrians, 00:26:21.620 --> 00:26:22.180 Babylonians, 00:26:22.300 --> 00:26:22.680 Persians, 00:26:22.840 --> 00:26:23.120 Greeks, 00:26:23.580 --> 00:26:23.940 Romans 00:26:23.940 --> 00:26:25.500 at the time of Jesus. 00:26:25.920 --> 00:26:27.600 But what caused 00:26:27.600 --> 00:26:28.720 their subjection 00:26:28.720 --> 00:26:30.759 and their oppression 00:26:30.759 --> 00:26:32.960 was their own sin 00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:33.800 and idolatry. 00:26:35.200 --> 00:26:36.380 Because they were 00:26:36.380 --> 00:26:37.460 unfaithful to God. 00:26:37.680 --> 00:26:38.820 Because they were 00:26:38.820 --> 00:26:39.860 an adulterous people. 00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:40.480 Because they were 00:26:40.480 --> 00:26:42.360 disloyal and treasonous 00:26:42.360 --> 00:26:43.279 toward God, 00:26:43.380 --> 00:26:43.980 their king. 00:26:44.100 --> 00:26:44.920 They experienced 00:26:44.920 --> 00:26:45.500 the curse 00:26:45.500 --> 00:26:46.100 of the covenant. 00:26:46.960 --> 00:26:47.880 And so the obstacle 00:26:47.880 --> 00:26:49.640 that God's people faced 00:26:49.640 --> 00:26:51.180 was far bigger 00:26:51.180 --> 00:26:52.460 than the Roman Empire. 00:26:53.740 --> 00:26:55.360 They needed nothing less 00:26:55.359 --> 00:26:56.939 than to be saved 00:26:56.939 --> 00:26:58.379 from their sins. 00:27:00.219 --> 00:27:01.439 In our day too, 00:27:01.519 --> 00:27:02.819 we have our own share 00:27:02.819 --> 00:27:03.559 of suffering 00:27:03.559 --> 00:27:04.419 and oppression. 00:27:06.039 --> 00:27:07.619 We want to be saved 00:27:07.619 --> 00:27:09.319 from a housing crisis, 00:27:10.119 --> 00:27:12.279 from a climate catastrophe, 00:27:12.679 --> 00:27:14.519 from a global pandemic, 00:27:14.879 --> 00:27:16.639 from economic depression, 00:27:16.899 --> 00:27:18.539 from social injustices, 00:27:18.699 --> 00:27:20.079 from world hunger, 00:27:20.259 --> 00:27:22.019 from a mental illness epidemic. 00:27:22.579 --> 00:27:23.539 There's a lot of things 00:27:23.539 --> 00:27:24.559 we want to be saved from. 00:27:24.619 --> 00:27:25.839 But there is one thing 00:27:25.839 --> 00:27:27.399 that is more urgent 00:27:27.399 --> 00:27:28.779 and more pressing 00:27:28.779 --> 00:27:29.940 and consequential 00:27:29.940 --> 00:27:31.759 than any of those things. 00:27:31.859 --> 00:27:32.500 And that is 00:27:32.500 --> 00:27:33.799 that we must be saved 00:27:33.799 --> 00:27:35.519 from our sins. 00:27:36.720 --> 00:27:38.519 Because sin is the cause, 00:27:38.639 --> 00:27:40.379 the root of our alienation 00:27:40.379 --> 00:27:41.159 from God. 00:27:41.559 --> 00:27:42.659 Sin is the reason 00:27:42.659 --> 00:27:43.680 for people's 00:27:43.680 --> 00:27:45.000 eternal damnation. 00:27:45.579 --> 00:27:46.599 Sin is the root 00:27:46.599 --> 00:27:48.799 of all the diseases 00:27:48.799 --> 00:27:49.819 and disasters 00:27:49.819 --> 00:27:50.460 and deaths 00:27:50.460 --> 00:27:51.619 that have entered our world. 00:27:51.619 --> 00:27:54.479 sin is the reason 00:27:54.479 --> 00:27:55.559 for the hostility 00:27:55.559 --> 00:27:56.500 and hatred 00:27:56.500 --> 00:27:57.939 between peoples. 00:28:00.599 --> 00:28:03.059 Do you give appropriate attention 00:28:03.059 --> 00:28:04.799 to dealing with the sins 00:28:04.799 --> 00:28:05.719 in your own life? 00:28:07.759 --> 00:28:09.659 Or are you more preoccupied 00:28:09.659 --> 00:28:12.279 with your suffering, 00:28:13.719 --> 00:28:16.659 with your external circumstances? 00:28:16.660 --> 00:28:22.680 sickness and sufferings 00:28:22.680 --> 00:28:23.980 do not separate people 00:28:23.980 --> 00:28:24.600 from God. 00:28:25.980 --> 00:28:27.920 But sin does. 00:28:31.320 --> 00:28:32.360 And sin is not something 00:28:32.360 --> 00:28:32.980 we can never, 00:28:33.320 --> 00:28:34.279 sin is not something 00:28:34.279 --> 00:28:35.400 we can ever contain 00:28:35.400 --> 00:28:36.700 by quarantining. 00:28:37.480 --> 00:28:38.360 Sin hides. 00:28:39.640 --> 00:28:40.880 Sin lurks within us. 00:28:40.940 --> 00:28:41.779 Sin spreads. 00:28:42.279 --> 00:28:43.560 Sin infects. 00:28:43.779 --> 00:28:45.279 Sin kills. 00:28:45.279 --> 00:28:48.019 Not only physically, 00:28:48.180 --> 00:28:49.200 but even more gravely, 00:28:49.359 --> 00:28:49.799 spiritually. 00:28:52.039 --> 00:28:53.079 In his book 00:28:53.079 --> 00:28:54.680 of the mortification of sin, 00:28:54.799 --> 00:28:56.480 17th century English theologian 00:28:56.480 --> 00:28:58.000 John Owen says this, 00:28:58.399 --> 00:29:00.139 Do you mortify sin? 00:29:00.460 --> 00:29:01.399 Do you kill sin? 00:29:02.039 --> 00:29:02.920 Do you make it 00:29:02.920 --> 00:29:04.160 your daily work? 00:29:04.859 --> 00:29:06.240 Be always at it 00:29:06.240 --> 00:29:07.299 whilst you live. 00:29:07.559 --> 00:29:08.599 Seize not a day 00:29:08.599 --> 00:29:09.440 from this work. 00:29:09.920 --> 00:29:11.039 Be killing sin, 00:29:11.359 --> 00:29:13.019 or it will be killing you. 00:29:13.019 --> 00:29:17.839 For those of you 00:29:17.839 --> 00:29:18.779 who are not yet followers 00:29:18.779 --> 00:29:19.279 of Jesus, 00:29:19.519 --> 00:29:20.900 what is your solution 00:29:20.900 --> 00:29:21.400 for sin? 00:29:23.059 --> 00:29:24.259 Do you have a way 00:29:24.259 --> 00:29:27.319 making atonement 00:29:27.319 --> 00:29:27.819 for sin? 00:29:29.200 --> 00:29:30.379 Do you have a way 00:29:30.379 --> 00:29:31.400 of earning forgiveness 00:29:31.400 --> 00:29:31.980 from God, 00:29:32.039 --> 00:29:32.920 of being reconciled 00:29:32.920 --> 00:29:33.259 to Him? 00:29:34.299 --> 00:29:37.059 Romans 6, 23 00:29:37.059 --> 00:29:37.960 tells us that 00:29:37.960 --> 00:29:38.960 the wages of sin 00:29:38.960 --> 00:29:40.099 is death. 00:29:40.099 --> 00:29:42.659 Hebrews 9, 22 00:29:42.659 --> 00:29:43.179 tells us that 00:29:43.179 --> 00:29:43.899 without the shedding 00:29:43.899 --> 00:29:44.419 of blood, 00:29:44.539 --> 00:29:45.319 there is no 00:29:45.319 --> 00:29:46.859 forgiveness of sins. 00:29:47.379 --> 00:29:48.980 The inescapable punishment 00:29:48.980 --> 00:29:50.119 for sin is death. 00:29:50.599 --> 00:29:51.779 And the holy wrath 00:29:51.779 --> 00:29:53.379 of God cannot be appeased 00:29:53.379 --> 00:29:54.419 without the shedding 00:29:54.419 --> 00:29:55.240 of blood. 00:29:55.879 --> 00:29:57.059 But the good news 00:29:57.059 --> 00:29:58.059 for all of us 00:29:58.059 --> 00:29:58.519 is that 00:29:58.519 --> 00:29:59.459 because God 00:29:59.459 --> 00:30:01.279 so loved us, 00:30:01.639 --> 00:30:02.500 He sent 00:30:02.500 --> 00:30:03.079 His son, 00:30:03.139 --> 00:30:03.740 only son, 00:30:04.740 --> 00:30:05.719 His only son 00:30:05.720 --> 00:30:07.839 named Jesus 00:30:07.839 --> 00:30:10.319 to save His people 00:30:10.319 --> 00:30:11.579 from their sins. 00:30:12.700 --> 00:30:14.059 Jesus does this 00:30:14.059 --> 00:30:14.880 by shedding 00:30:14.880 --> 00:30:16.299 not our blood, 00:30:16.539 --> 00:30:17.799 but His own blood 00:30:17.799 --> 00:30:18.980 on the cross. 00:30:19.720 --> 00:30:20.579 Jesus dies 00:30:20.579 --> 00:30:21.640 in our place 00:30:21.640 --> 00:30:22.960 as the substitutionary 00:30:22.960 --> 00:30:23.579 sacrifice 00:30:23.579 --> 00:30:25.339 is by His death 00:30:25.339 --> 00:30:26.000 that He takes, 00:30:26.180 --> 00:30:26.940 makes atonement 00:30:26.940 --> 00:30:27.480 for sin, 00:30:27.600 --> 00:30:28.539 and He is raised 00:30:28.539 --> 00:30:29.240 from the dead 00:30:29.240 --> 00:30:30.180 to show us 00:30:30.180 --> 00:30:31.519 one sin for all 00:30:31.519 --> 00:30:32.460 that He has defeated 00:30:32.460 --> 00:30:33.460 sin. 00:30:33.460 --> 00:30:35.880 that all who trust 00:30:35.880 --> 00:30:36.340 in Him 00:30:36.340 --> 00:30:39.059 can be guaranteed 00:30:39.059 --> 00:30:40.279 resurrection, 00:30:41.640 --> 00:30:42.500 eternal life, 00:30:43.819 --> 00:30:44.299 be united 00:30:44.299 --> 00:30:44.900 with Jesus 00:30:44.900 --> 00:30:45.480 through faith. 00:30:47.200 --> 00:30:48.600 That was Jesus' 00:30:48.880 --> 00:30:49.740 mission on earth. 00:30:51.240 --> 00:30:52.220 Jesus did many 00:30:52.220 --> 00:30:52.779 good works 00:30:52.779 --> 00:30:53.400 during His time 00:30:53.400 --> 00:30:53.819 on earth. 00:30:54.299 --> 00:30:55.259 He healed the sick, 00:30:55.960 --> 00:30:56.660 He even raised 00:30:56.660 --> 00:30:57.079 the dead, 00:30:58.180 --> 00:30:58.779 but Jesus' 00:30:59.000 --> 00:30:59.759 central mission 00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:00.380 was not any 00:31:00.380 --> 00:31:01.019 of those things. 00:31:02.059 --> 00:31:03.299 It was to give 00:31:03.299 --> 00:31:04.039 His life 00:31:04.039 --> 00:31:04.759 as a ransom 00:31:04.759 --> 00:31:05.359 for many, 00:31:05.659 --> 00:31:06.419 as Matthew 20, 00:31:06.480 --> 00:31:07.159 28 says. 00:31:08.379 --> 00:31:09.319 It was to save 00:31:09.319 --> 00:31:09.940 His people 00:31:09.940 --> 00:31:11.079 from their sins, 00:31:11.339 --> 00:31:11.899 Matthew 1, 00:31:11.919 --> 00:31:12.259 21. 00:31:13.299 --> 00:31:13.700 Likewise, 00:31:13.879 --> 00:31:14.000 then, 00:31:14.059 --> 00:31:14.799 we as Christians 00:31:14.799 --> 00:31:15.819 should love 00:31:15.819 --> 00:31:16.319 our neighbors 00:31:16.319 --> 00:31:18.180 and do many 00:31:18.180 --> 00:31:18.899 good works 00:31:18.899 --> 00:31:19.980 wherever we are, 00:31:21.099 --> 00:31:21.960 in the classrooms, 00:31:22.200 --> 00:31:22.839 in the libraries, 00:31:23.039 --> 00:31:23.659 in the labs, 00:31:23.859 --> 00:31:24.539 in the courts, 00:31:24.759 --> 00:31:25.460 in the banks, 00:31:25.700 --> 00:31:26.399 in the offices, 00:31:26.619 --> 00:31:27.220 in the studios, 00:31:27.500 --> 00:31:28.059 in the homes, 00:31:28.180 --> 00:31:29.159 in the marketplaces. 00:31:29.759 --> 00:31:31.139 We should abound 00:31:31.139 --> 00:31:31.839 in good works, 00:31:31.839 --> 00:31:32.419 do many 00:31:32.419 --> 00:31:33.299 of these good works, 00:31:33.439 --> 00:31:35.819 but the central 00:31:35.819 --> 00:31:37.220 mission of the church 00:31:37.220 --> 00:31:38.939 is to proclaim 00:31:38.939 --> 00:31:40.459 the name of Jesus, 00:31:41.459 --> 00:31:42.980 is to make disciples 00:31:42.980 --> 00:31:44.740 of Jesus Christ. 00:31:48.679 --> 00:31:49.740 So let's not lose 00:31:49.740 --> 00:31:50.759 sight of that mission 00:31:50.759 --> 00:31:51.480 that the Lord Jesus 00:31:51.480 --> 00:31:52.199 has given us. 00:31:53.539 --> 00:31:54.559 Let's not forget 00:31:54.559 --> 00:31:55.179 the good news 00:31:55.179 --> 00:31:56.179 that Jesus is 00:31:56.179 --> 00:31:57.339 the divine Messiah 00:31:57.339 --> 00:31:58.659 who saves people 00:31:58.659 --> 00:31:59.459 from their sins 00:31:59.460 --> 00:32:01.259 and declare that news 00:32:01.259 --> 00:32:02.120 to all nations 00:32:02.120 --> 00:32:03.779 to the end of the earth. 00:32:03.920 --> 00:32:04.340 Let's pray. 00:32:09.759 --> 00:32:10.200 God, 00:32:10.240 --> 00:32:10.819 we thank you 00:32:10.819 --> 00:32:11.200 for 00:32:11.200 --> 00:32:15.960 giving your son 00:32:15.960 --> 00:32:16.519 the name 00:32:16.519 --> 00:32:17.299 Jesus. 00:32:17.299 --> 00:32:26.919 it's a name 00:32:26.919 --> 00:32:27.579 we could say 00:32:27.579 --> 00:32:28.240 to ourselves 00:32:28.240 --> 00:32:29.659 over and over again. 00:32:33.259 --> 00:32:34.339 We could sing 00:32:34.339 --> 00:32:35.279 the praises 00:32:35.279 --> 00:32:36.159 of that name. 00:32:37.759 --> 00:32:38.559 That name 00:32:38.559 --> 00:32:39.639 can be on our lips 00:32:39.639 --> 00:32:42.240 all day long, 00:32:43.039 --> 00:32:44.139 every day. 00:32:44.139 --> 00:32:44.220 Amen. 00:32:44.220 --> 00:32:44.259 Amen. 00:32:47.299 --> 00:32:48.359 And it would not 00:32:48.359 --> 00:32:49.399 lose its sweetness. 00:32:56.059 --> 00:32:56.960 Because you have 00:32:56.960 --> 00:32:58.720 saved us 00:32:58.720 --> 00:33:00.539 through Jesus 00:33:00.539 --> 00:33:01.440 from our sins. 00:33:01.680 --> 00:33:02.399 Lord, we praise you. 00:33:05.059 --> 00:33:05.799 Help us 00:33:05.799 --> 00:33:06.539 to remember that. 00:33:10.480 --> 00:33:11.619 To live in light 00:33:11.619 --> 00:33:11.960 of that. 00:33:15.119 --> 00:33:16.259 In Jesus' name 00:33:16.259 --> 00:33:16.619 we pray. 00:33:17.559 --> 00:33:17.879 Amen.