Christmas Series Christmas Party: The Protestors Series

CHRISTMAS SERIES

CHRISTMAS PARTY: THE PROTESTORS

MATTHEW 2:1-23, #ChristmasParty

CHRISTMAS SERIES

12/1 Christmas Party: The Angels

12/8 Christmas Party: The Shepherds

12/15 Christmas Party: The Protesters (Herod)

12/22 Christmas Party: The Birthday Boy

INTRODUCTION… Not Everyone Likes Christmas

It has been our aim this December to focus our minds and hearts on Christmas in a proper way in focusing on Jesus as the reason for the season. We have talked about the angels in Luke 2 and the wonderful message of the Savior they shared. The party in heaven spilled out onto earth as they announced the birth of Jesus. We have talked about the shepherds in Luke 2 and their reverent fear and witness of the events of the birth of Jesus. The birth of Jesus turned everything upside down and brought the plan of salvation to the forefront.

In the midst of the birth of Jesus, not everyone was happy. Not everyone marveled at what they heard. Not everyone judged the Son of God being born as a baby as a good, holy, and righteous event. There were those who rejected the coming of Jesus. John 1:10-11 says poetically, “He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. 11 He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.” There were protesters to the coming of Christ. There were rejectors of Jesus. There were adversaries to Christmas.

VIDEO ILLUSTRATION … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34w8xqFz3eU (1:13)

READ MATTHEW 2:1-23

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 6 "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'" 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son." 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more." 19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead." 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."