Sunday Service

All right, it is good to be speaking to you today. Bill challenge me and I did not know there was an assignment for this time. I thought I was just going to be able to talk about whatever I want, but he wanted me to talk about the Wiseman tonight. I kind of was nervous at first because I was like, I don't really know. I know I know is they get, you know, I know the story but I don't really, you know, that I wasn't planning on talking about stuff like this but you know he challenged me so I read through the through it a couple times and then and you know what I what I got out of it and you know, it's just a lot of a big store or a story about people. And this is pretty much the whole Bible of people trusting. God, people, like we keep talking about your new day, putting that, that one foot in front of the other towards God. And it begins with that. Matthew chapter, 22, verses 1 through 6. so after Jesus was born in Bethlehem and Bethlehem Village Judah territory, this was during herod's kingship a band of Scholars arrived in Jerusalem, from the East.

They asked around, where can we find and pay? Homage to the new born King of the Jews. We observed a star in the east, and in the Eastern sky and signal that signaled. His birth. We're on a pilgrimage to worship Him. When where do they are? Inquiries got to hear. He was terrified and not hurt alone, but most of Jerusalem as well. Are Laughlin time. He gathered all the high priests and religious scholars in the city together and ask, where is the Messiah supposed to be born? They told him Bethlehem, Judah territory, the prophet Micah wrote it plainly.

It's you Bethlehem in Judah in.

Just like blocking the word sorry it's you Bethlehem in Judah is land.

Sorry, no longer bringing up the rear from, you will come the leader. Who will Shepherd? Rule My People Israel. At that back one. There we go.

so,

What stood out to me during all of that was how terrified Herod was? And it says, You Know, Not only was Herod terrified, but most of Jerusalem was terrified because there's a huge power structure that's being threatened, by a lot of people stand to lose a lot. If there's a new king for right,

and that's I can speak personally about this. That's something that I struggle with when it comes to my face. When it comes to my life is What I think I'm going to lose. If I let God lead, what I think I'm going to lose if I give my life up to God. So I'm weirdly enough, I identified with Herod and this part of the story. The next verse 7 & 8, It's a hair, it sends them so that he can work lies and says you know he he wants to worship this new born King Herod from the East pretending to be devout as they were. He got them to tell him exactly when the birth announcement star appeared.

So you scared right? Then he told them the prophecy about Bethlehem and said, go find this child. Leave no stone unturned. As soon as you find him, send word, and I'll join you at once in your warship. So, we have this Kingdom's, terrified. This power structure that's scared to lose their power.

And they want to worship this new baby know, they don't want to worship at me baby, right? He's pretending so that he can trick the scholars. These wise trying to trick the Wiseman. Which I always thought was funny into telling him the location of this new king.

Now. We all know we we, we can all agree with the statement. God is greater than Kings, right? I wouldn't, I wouldn't say there's anyone here that would disagree with that funding our current reality. We see a divided between those in power and the rest of us. It's very clear in our. Let you know, there's a huge US versus them mentality. Especially in America right now.

God is above all of that. God is greater than any of those powers on Earth. If you know,

we talked about politics, right? We talked about a lot of divisive issues with with friends, with, with Straight Talk to Strangers, sometimes about politics really enough. And it always comes back to the same thing, right? We're scared of missing out, we're scared of losing out. We're scared of not getting enough. We're scared of our needs not being met. And I think if you have that power, if you are someone in power and you're going to lose that power, that's why I don't have much power. Power of my kids a little bit and I cannot imagine when they grow older and I start losing some of that power. What's what's that going to be? Like no, that's a scary thought already.

so, you have this man who is Trying to trick these Scholars into telling him the location of this threat to his power. And wiseman's had a lot of reasons to do what Harold wanted I in my opinion their own lives could be at stake, you know, there's, there's a lot of reasons for us to fall in line for us too. Do what everyone else does, right? We can just be like everyone else and choose the same things, but that's not what God would have us do so verses 9 and 10, make it hardly contain themselves, they were in the right place that arrived at the right time.

Next first police force 11.

The end of the house and saw the child. In the arms of Mary is Mother overcome. They kneeled and worshipped him. Then they open their luggage and presented gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Verse 12, please.

In a dream, they were warned not to report back to Harrods. So they worked out. Another route left. The territory without being seen and return to their own country.

Now, I always try and put myself in the story cuz I'm a huge fantasy nerd and that's that's how I absorb stuff and I was thinking about.

How terrifying it could be to be running from a powerful person, a king, how much at stake that you have? I mean, not only for you yourself in your lives, but if you believe that this is this new King's new powerful. This this this person is supposed to this God that you're supposed to get pay homage, do you want to protect them? You're going to want to protect the mother or the father, your own life. There was so many reasons for them to go back to Herod and do exactly as he told them to do.

Again, in my own life.

There's been so many times where I made the wrong decision where I messed up and I didn't do what God would have me. Do I did what other people wanted me to do. I lived my life for people.

If these wise men live there, their lives that way, if they go back to Harrison, they save their own skin and they make sure they're protected.

And in reality I'm sure God could have handled anything but these were people that had stuff to lose. They had steaks and they chose to do it. It would have them. Do they chose to

Give things up. Give up their own lives, almost to save this young child to to save the newborn king.

And when we go to the next verse and Angel comes and warns Joseph next after the scholars were gone. God's angel showed up again in Joseph's dream and commanded get up. Take the child and his mother to flee to Egypt. Nick, Barkley, stay until further notice, Heritage, on the hunt for this, child and wants to kill him.

Again, putting myself in Joseph shoes. So you're telling me my wife, who I've never laid with his pregnant, okay? The Son of God, okay, he's born in a barn, you're on the Run. You're you're you're hiding from people.

You're hot. You're constantly visited by terrifying angels that coming delivery secret messages from God to you.

I don't know about you, but the prince of none of my children was nowhere near that bad.

And I'm glad it was not that bad. I'm glad that I was in a hospital and that nobody was outside. Find my child or me. And I just put myself in Joseph shoes as as a father and as a man, how much can you really take? You know, that is Faith right there. That is a man who put one foot in front of the other and kept going when I'm telling you right now. I don't know if I could have done that.

Just imagine, just imagine trying to hide your child from Killers after you. You've already accepted. Your wife didn't cheat on you. It was God, I mean it helps that Angels visiting him. I'm sure but You have no better options, but to have your child born in a manger. And but again just putting one foot in front of the other and trust in God that it will turn out, right?

Verses 19 and 20, please.

Herod when he realized that the scholars and tripped and flew into a rage, he commanded the murder of every little boy, two years old and under who lived in Bethlehem and its surrounding Hills. He determined that age from the information, he got from the scholars. That's when Jeremiah sermon was fulfilled. A sound was heard in Ramah weeping and much limit Rachel weeping for her children. Rachel refusing all Solace her children, gone dead and buried.

Grandpa. That later, this is my favorite part. When Herod died. God's angel appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.

Up take the child and his mother returned to Israel. All those out to murder. The child are dead.

I took care of it. God took care of it. God said he would take care of it, and God took care of it. All of your enemies are dead. That's a little shocking, but Got took care of it. It's very, it's it's it's it's incredibly hard. I fail a lot at trusting God, because I'm, I'm scared. I'm selfish. Turn off. Ray. Won't give me what I want. We have to trust that God. Yes, no, that's not going to give you what you want. He's going to give you something better.

So if you can just put that one foot in front of the other and keep trusting, God Miracles will happen because he is faithful, he is faithful. He will slay your enemies.

so, As we were walking around this awesome light display and we're talking about these different things. Remember most every one of these stories is a story of someone putting one foot in front of the other walking towards God trusting that everything is going to be right in the end. He will be faithful. And it's not going to be easy and it's not going to be fun all the time. It's not always going to be with a smile on your face. but if you trust God, he is faithful. I'm going to pray and then we're going to see me. Alright, Jesus, thank you for being faithful. Thank you for when we are in the midst of trouble. When we're in good times. Valleys mountains that you're there. Every step of the way God that you have, the power to change that, you have the power to give you, you've given us a purpose. You were you created this weather purpose on purpose, God, we just pray that we can trust you enough to keep walking towards you in your name. We pray.