Series: The Story of Christmas

A Hope That Walks With You

Recap:

Last week we talked about the hopethat we have because of Jesus. How this hope was extendedto some wisemenwho were from the east. They were not Jewish they were excludedfrom the commonwealthof Israel and to top it off they weremagiciansand/or astrologers who studied the stars.    Yet God showed them a sign in the skyto draw them to Himself so that they would encounterKing Jesus and be forever changed.

Today we want to talk about how the hopeof Christmas continues afterthe celebrations are all over.  Let’s face it, as much as Christmas is filled with hope and expectationand joyous celebration, this season also comes with great hardshipand even disappointments.

Especiallythis Christmaswhere things are not like they used to be. Perhaps you were not able to meet with certain friends and/or family this year due to COVID concerns.  Or if you were able to meet it was a socially distancedevent in which you were not able to exchange the warmth that a human embraceoffers.

Perhaps there were other reasons for hardships and/or disappointments this Christmas season     

• Perhaps going through the holidays without a loved onemade it especially difficult this year
• Having to deal with unappreciative peoplecould make for a difficult season as well
• Havinglabored a great dealto make sure everything is right, but only for it not to work out as plannedcan be frustrating
• Perhaps you had to scale backa bit because of your financialsituation or maybe you got yourself into a bind financially.
• Perhapsfamily quarrelinghas brought about disappointment as well.
• Not getting that giftthat you were hoping for could also bring disappointment as well

Experiencingdisappointmentsandhardshipsafter having experienced so much hopeand expectation so is commonand is also found in the Story of Christmas.

I am thankful that the Bible is so relevantto our lives, because it teaches us to not only have hope, but how to maintain that hopein the midst of trying times.

Let us look back at our story in Matthew. Last week we ended with verse 11.  Let’s read it again.

¹¹ And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 

We have seen how God drew these wisemenwho were gentiles to a place where they encountered king Jesus and they were forever changed.  They bowedtheir knee and gaveHim gifts.   Hope had arisen.

But the next few verses illustrate several attempts to crush that hope.

Matthew 2:12-23

¹² And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. ¹³ Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” ¹⁴ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt ¹⁵ and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

After Hope (Jesus) had been born, Herodwas wanting to destroy that hope. This Herod was an Edomite, made king of Judea by Augustus. 

The Edomites derivedfrom the name Edom, which was given to Esau, the first-born son of Isaac.  He was given the name Edom on the day he sold his birthrightto Jacob for a mess of pottage in doing so Esau forfeited his right asthe first-born son.  In forfeiting his birthright he also forfeited the promisesand blessingsthat were associated with that birthright.

This is interesting to point out, because the conflict between Jacob and Esauwas a foreshadowingof the conflict that would take place during the life of Christ. For when Jacobthrough deceit, had received the blessingfrom his father Isaac, also receiving the hope of the promise, his brother Esaubecame angryand wanted to kill him.  Thus, Jacob fleesfor his life. 

This is a common theme throughout scripture, that when hope arises, so also does the attemptto destroy that hope.

We find the same thing happening in our story today.  When Herod, who was a descendant of Esau, found out that there was another Kingof the Jews, he too became angryand wanted to kill Jesuswhose mother Mary and stepfather Josephwere descendantsof Jacob.  He wanted to destroy Hope.

It’s the same family feud, the same hatredfor God’s chosen ones.  This hatredhas passed on from generation to generation.

Herod was a cruel and vengefulman. He ruthlessly murderedanyone who stood in his way.  Whether they were prominentmen, religious leaders of the Sanhedrinand even his own family members, he murdered them all. Yet he was complimentedwith the title of Herod the Great.  

He wasdeemed king of the Jewsand was jealousthat someone else would have that title.

¹⁶ Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 

Notice how quickly the story turnswhen in verse 11 the wisemen were filled with hope and expectationbecause they had found Jesus, they bowed downand worshippedhim they gave him gifts.  Now the wisemen must travel a different routehome and avoidtelling King Herod of Jesus’ whereabouts. 

In addition, Joseph and Mary had to flee to Egyptfor the child’s sake, and now we read of this massacreof male toddlers and infantsin Bethlehem.  

What began as a hopefulandjoyous celebrationnow appears to be concealed with darkness,gloom, death, injusticeand the preeminence of evil.

How trying it must have beenfor Joseph & Mary and all those who encountered Jesus thus far.  

• Could they have gotten it wrong?
• Is this what they were promised? That they would be on the run for their life, exiled from their own country and living in the land of Egypt.
• Was this child really “Immanuel” God with us? Would there not be a host of angelsready to make war on the child’s behalf, why was it necessary to leave their home?
• What about the wisemen, did they make the journey for nothing?
• WouldHerod succeedin killing the child and would their efforts prove to be in vain?
• Was this really the King of the Jews?

How could such hopehave turnedto suchdespair so quickly?

¹⁷ Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

¹⁸ “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation,

Rachel weeping for her children;
    she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Up to this point, there was worship and adorationin Bethlehem.  Now there is great sorrowand weeping. Hope had been turned to despairin Bethlehem. Meanwhile hope had come to Egypt.

Egyptwas a trying placefor Israelites. Egypt was known for idolatry, oppression, and their deep hatredtowards the people of God.  It was a place which God had deliveredtheir ancestors from the bondage of slavery.  Now it would seem that God has brought themright back to where they started.

God’s promises are often concealed in uncertainty. We do not always understandHis ways.

But in those moments of disappointments and uncertaintywe must trust that God has a planto get us out of Egyptand that Egypt is only for a season. 

Let us not forgetthat when Joseph and Mary took Jesusto Egypt, they took “Immanuel” or “God withus” to Egypt as well.  He has deliveredHis people from Egypt once before, surely He will do it again.

You can endure your Egypt, your place of isolation, your place of depression, place of uncertainty, place of disappointments, that place where you are surroundedby all types of worldliness, if “Immanuel” is with you.  If God is with you, then who shall be against you?

• We must trust that He is a loving Godand that He sees allthings,
• He knows allthings, and
• He knows howto cause all things to work according to His perfect plan.

Romans 11:34

“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”

Who are we to blame or even question God when things do not go according to our plan?

Job 40:1-2 And the Lord said to Job: “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.”    

Job 40:8-9 Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right? Have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like his?

For Joseph and Mary this was a test. 

• Would they trust in Godand in His planfor their lives?
• Would they hold on to the promisesthat they have received from God’s messengers.
• Would they be able to endure Egyptwhile God worked His planof deliverance?

Surely, they did, as we find no evidenceof them murmuring, or giving up or abandoning hope.  God was faithfulto bring them out of Egypt.  God was with them!

¹⁹ But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, ²⁰ saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.” ²¹ And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 

The Herod’s of life must die. There is coming a day when the oppressors of God’s peoplewill meet their doom.

Josephus- (speaking of Herod’s death) that he was seized with a disease which burned him inwardly with an inexpressible torture; that he was insatiably greedy of meat; had the colic, and gout, and dropsy; such an intolerable stench attended his disease, that none could come near him: and so passionate and impatient was he, that he was a torment to himself, and a terror to all that attended him:

Besides encouraging yourself in the fact that God is with you(Immanuel) we can also be encouragedthat God will judge the Herod’sof our lives.  Herod for us represents our spiritual adversary the devil. Just as ¹³“Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 

One day your spiritual adversary, satan, the devil, will be judgedfor all that he did in trying to destroythe hopethat you have in Jesus Christ.  Every disappointment, opposition, negative reportthat was meant to destroy your hope, will be judgedby a Holy and righteous judge.

Revelation 20:10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

There are 5 principles that we must learn from this passage:

1. Disappointments and adversity will come after seasons of hopeful expectations.
2. God allows these trials to come into our lives to test and prove our faith.
3. We have Immanuel “God with us” living on the inside of us. We are not alone.
4. He is faithful to bring His people out of Egypt.Egypt will not last forever.
5. He will judge our oppressors.