1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,750 2 00:00:00,833 --> 00:00:02,083 Hi there Mars Hill Church 3 00:00:02,167 --> 00:00:05,167 and the extended family of Mars Hill Global. 4 00:00:05,250 --> 00:00:08,542 I'm pastor Sutton Turner here in Dilla, Ethiopia 5 00:00:08,625 --> 00:00:10,500 and I wanted to take a moment and explain 6 00:00:10,583 --> 00:00:14,625 what the extended family of Mars Hill Global is. 7 00:00:14,667 --> 00:00:18,542 I was a podcaster when I was living in the Middle East 8 00:00:18,625 --> 00:00:22,333 and consuming those podcasts every week, 9 00:00:22,375 --> 00:00:26,333 participating, really one way, from Mars Hill Church. 10 00:00:26,375 --> 00:00:28,000 I was really a consumer. 11 00:00:28,083 --> 00:00:29,833 So what we're doing is setting up 12 00:00:29,917 --> 00:00:33,375 the extended family of Mars Hill Global and saying, 13 00:00:33,458 --> 00:00:39,167 "Come, be a part of what Jesus Christ is doing in and through our church." 14 00:00:39,208 --> 00:00:41,000 So what does Mars Hill Global do? 15 00:00:41,042 --> 00:00:46,333 Well, Mars Hill Global is doing and participating in church planting 16 00:00:46,375 --> 00:00:48,833 here in Ethiopia and also in India. 17 00:00:48,875 --> 00:00:51,667 Also, we're doing church planting in the United States as well. 18 00:00:51,750 --> 00:00:53,958 We're doing all of that because in Mars Hill Church 19 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:58,708 we believe that Jesus has called us to make disciples and plant churches. 20 00:00:58,792 --> 00:01:02,667 So I want to ask you to be a part. I want to as you to be a part 21 00:01:02,750 --> 00:01:04,417 of the extended family of Mars Hill Global. 22 00:01:04,500 --> 00:01:05,792 Sign up today. 23 00:01:05,833 --> 00:01:08,542 Become a member of the extended family, 24 00:01:08,625 --> 00:01:11,000 start participating online with us, 25 00:01:11,083 --> 00:01:13,833 and let's see what Jesus Christ is going to do, 26 00:01:13,917 --> 00:01:16,875 not only in the United States, but to the ends of the Earth. 27 00:01:17,375 --> 00:01:30,167 [music] 28 00:01:30,833 --> 00:01:35,000 [music] 29 00:01:35,042 --> 00:01:39,667 The biggest opportunity in the world 30 00:01:42,125 --> 00:01:44,833 is to be a part of God's people, 31 00:01:44,917 --> 00:01:46,375 God's family, his church, 32 00:01:46,458 --> 00:01:49,375 and what he is doing. 33 00:01:49,458 --> 00:01:51,292 There's some amazingly faithful people 34 00:01:51,333 --> 00:01:55,667 that have made this into a vibrant, growing family. 35 00:01:55,708 --> 00:01:58,250 I just couldn't look at anything without 36 00:01:58,333 --> 00:02:02,750 actually seeing that God was telling me that he loved me. 37 00:02:02,833 --> 00:02:05,208 If Jesus is ultimately important, 38 00:02:05,292 --> 00:02:07,167 then the people who love Jesus 39 00:02:07,208 --> 00:02:10,500 are critically important to us as well. 40 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:15,583 I love the Christmas season. 41 00:02:15,667 --> 00:02:20,333 It lasts basically from just after Thanksgiving 42 00:02:20,417 --> 00:02:23,167 through the first week of January. 43 00:02:23,250 --> 00:02:28,125 And during that season, every year, the same stories come up, 44 00:02:28,167 --> 00:02:30,875 both in the church and in the culture, 45 00:02:30,958 --> 00:02:35,167 we revisit every year, Matthew 1-2, 46 00:02:35,250 --> 00:02:37,333 we look at the birth of Jesus. 47 00:02:37,375 --> 00:02:39,333 We look at his mother, Mary. 48 00:02:39,375 --> 00:02:41,208 We look at his father, Joseph. 49 00:02:41,292 --> 00:02:43,167 We see him in the manger. 50 00:02:43,250 --> 00:02:46,500 We include the wise men who came from the east. 51 00:02:46,583 --> 00:02:49,125 This is in the nativity scenes in our homes. 52 00:02:49,167 --> 00:02:52,000 This is on the Christmas cards that we give and receive. 53 00:02:52,042 --> 00:02:54,292 This is on some of the television specials 54 00:02:54,333 --> 00:02:58,000 that we watch, and in the songs that we sing. 55 00:02:58,042 --> 00:03:02,042 So this year, I wanted to look at the opening few chapters 56 00:03:02,125 --> 00:03:03,500 of Matthew. 57 00:03:03,542 --> 00:03:05,958 And one thing that's curious is that every year, 58 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:09,167 Christmas is celebrated but the investigation of 59 00:03:09,250 --> 00:03:14,083 Matthew's account ends at Matthew 2:12. 60 00:03:14,167 --> 00:03:17,458 Mary, Joseph, baby, and then the assumption is 61 00:03:17,500 --> 00:03:20,542 they lived happily ever after. 62 00:03:20,625 --> 00:03:24,292 Today we're gonna pick up the story in the next verse. 63 00:03:24,333 --> 00:03:26,500 We're gonna look at what happened to Jesus 64 00:03:26,542 --> 00:03:28,667 as a young child. 65 00:03:28,750 --> 00:03:33,000 So if you would, find Matthew 2:13-23 66 00:03:33,042 --> 00:03:34,917 as we look at the fact 67 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:39,375 of "Why Life Is Hard for Jesus' People." 68 00:03:39,458 --> 00:03:40,917 And then we're gonna read it, 69 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:44,208 and then we'll unpack it in succession. 70 00:03:44,292 --> 00:03:47,375 Some of you have never heard this part of the story. 71 00:03:47,458 --> 00:03:49,708 You're like, "What, Jesus didn't live happily ever after?" 72 00:03:49,792 --> 00:03:52,292 Here's what happened to him as a baby. 73 00:03:52,333 --> 00:03:54,917 Chapter 2 verse 13 of Matthew, "Now when they had departed," 74 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:58,625 that's Mary and Joseph and Jesus, 75 00:03:58,667 --> 00:04:00,375 "behold, an angel of the Lord 76 00:04:00,458 --> 00:04:02,375 "appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 77 00:04:02,458 --> 00:04:04,167 'Rise, take the child,'" that's Jesus, 78 00:04:04,250 --> 00:04:05,875 "'and his mother,'" that's Mary, 79 00:04:05,958 --> 00:04:07,583 "'and flee to Egypt, 80 00:04:07,667 --> 00:04:10,750 and remain there until I tell you, for Herod,'" he's the king, 81 00:04:10,833 --> 00:04:14,167 "'is about to search for the child, to destroy him.' 82 00:04:14,208 --> 00:04:17,000 "And he," that's Joseph, Jesus' adoptive father, 83 00:04:17,042 --> 00:04:21,083 "rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to 84 00:04:21,167 --> 00:04:25,042 "Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. 85 00:04:25,125 --> 00:04:26,583 This was to fulfill--" 86 00:04:26,667 --> 00:04:28,958 Make note of that word, Mars Hill. 87 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:31,875 You're going to see it three times in this section. 88 00:04:31,958 --> 00:04:34,583 We're going to come back to it in a little bit, 89 00:04:34,667 --> 00:04:36,917 but it's a very important word, "fulfill." 90 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:39,708 "To fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet," 91 00:04:39,792 --> 00:04:44,875 quotes Hosea 11:1 written 700 years 92 00:04:44,958 --> 00:04:47,333 before Jesus was born. 93 00:04:47,375 --> 00:04:50,500 God knows the future, God rules over the future, 94 00:04:50,583 --> 00:04:54,125 and God reveals the future through the prophets. 95 00:04:54,167 --> 00:04:57,083 And so 700 years prior, a promise, 96 00:04:57,167 --> 00:05:00,375 a prophecy had been made, and Matthew is saying here 97 00:05:00,458 --> 00:05:03,000 that it's fulfilled in Jesus Christ. 98 00:05:03,042 --> 00:05:06,167 "'Out of Egypt I have called my son.' 99 00:05:06,250 --> 00:05:08,667 "Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked 100 00:05:08,750 --> 00:05:11,083 "by the wise men, became furious, 101 00:05:11,167 --> 00:05:14,083 "and he sent and killed all the male children 102 00:05:14,167 --> 00:05:19,000 "in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old 103 00:05:19,042 --> 00:05:22,375 "or under, according to the time that he had ascertained 104 00:05:22,458 --> 00:05:24,375 "from the wise men. 105 00:05:24,458 --> 00:05:27,458 Then was fulfilled," there's our word again, 106 00:05:27,500 --> 00:05:30,333 "what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah." 107 00:05:30,417 --> 00:05:35,000 He quotes Jeremiah 31:15 written about 600 years before Jesus 108 00:05:35,083 --> 00:05:38,083 was born, showing that the entire Old Testament 109 00:05:38,167 --> 00:05:42,792 was foreshadowing the coming of Jesus who is the fulfillment 110 00:05:42,833 --> 00:05:45,000 of Scripture. 111 00:05:45,042 --> 00:05:48,000 Quotes Jeremiah, "'A voice was heard in Ramah, 112 00:05:48,083 --> 00:05:51,833 "'weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; 113 00:05:51,875 --> 00:05:55,500 "she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.' 114 00:05:55,583 --> 00:05:58,167 "But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared 115 00:05:58,250 --> 00:06:00,667 "in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, 'Rise, 116 00:06:00,750 --> 00:06:04,000 "'take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, 117 00:06:04,042 --> 00:06:06,333 "'for those who sought the child's life are dead.' 118 00:06:06,417 --> 00:06:08,875 "And he rose and took the child and his mother 119 00:06:08,958 --> 00:06:10,667 "and went to the land of Israel. 120 00:06:10,708 --> 00:06:12,792 "But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning 121 00:06:12,833 --> 00:06:15,250 over Judea in place of his father Herod," 122 00:06:15,333 --> 00:06:17,083 a very evil man, 123 00:06:17,167 --> 00:06:20,083 "he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream 124 00:06:20,167 --> 00:06:22,333 "he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 125 00:06:22,417 --> 00:06:24,792 "And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, 126 00:06:24,833 --> 00:06:27,667 so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled," 127 00:06:27,750 --> 00:06:29,292 again there's our word, 128 00:06:29,333 --> 00:06:31,792 "he shall be called a Nazarene." 129 00:06:31,833 --> 00:06:34,042 There's the story. 130 00:06:34,125 --> 00:06:35,917 Let's start with Herod. 131 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:38,000 We see two things regarding Herod, 132 00:06:38,042 --> 00:06:41,208 that he is a king and he's a killer. 133 00:06:41,292 --> 00:06:44,333 He's a king and he's a killer. 134 00:06:44,375 --> 00:06:48,625 It says, in Matthew 2:2, that Jesus was born king. 135 00:06:48,667 --> 00:06:51,875 Herod was not born king. 136 00:06:51,958 --> 00:06:56,708 He had to fight his way into political leadership. 137 00:06:56,792 --> 00:06:58,625 In the Roman government in that time, 138 00:06:58,667 --> 00:07:01,167 there were certain areas and each was overseen 139 00:07:01,250 --> 00:07:02,875 by a particular leader. 140 00:07:02,958 --> 00:07:07,667 Herod did something unusual and declared himself to be king, 141 00:07:07,708 --> 00:07:10,542 like some of you, you've declared yourself to be king 142 00:07:10,625 --> 00:07:13,583 over your life, your business, your family. 143 00:07:13,667 --> 00:07:19,292 You've got some oversight area, maybe it's just you, 144 00:07:19,333 --> 00:07:20,875 but you're king. 145 00:07:20,958 --> 00:07:22,292 You're the highest authority. 146 00:07:22,333 --> 00:07:24,167 You're the boss. You're in charge. 147 00:07:24,250 --> 00:07:26,542 No one can tell you what to do. 148 00:07:26,625 --> 00:07:29,500 It's all about you. 149 00:07:29,542 --> 00:07:32,375 Herod declared himself to be king of the Jews, 150 00:07:32,458 --> 00:07:34,375 because he ruled over this area 151 00:07:34,458 --> 00:07:37,000 that had a high concentration of Jewish people, 152 00:07:37,083 --> 00:07:39,500 God's old covenant church. 153 00:07:39,583 --> 00:07:44,792 And Herod was always 154 00:07:44,833 --> 00:07:48,917 protecting his throne. 155 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:55,875 He was a man who was shaped by this title of king. 156 00:07:55,958 --> 00:07:58,083 When he declared himself to be king, 157 00:07:58,167 --> 00:08:01,167 he was establishing for himself an identity. 158 00:08:01,208 --> 00:08:03,875 Our next big series is going to be 16 weeks 159 00:08:03,958 --> 00:08:06,667 on our identity in Christ. 160 00:08:06,708 --> 00:08:11,667 But here we see with Herod, he defined himself as king. 161 00:08:11,750 --> 00:08:13,583 That was his identity. 162 00:08:13,667 --> 00:08:15,667 And so much of life is spent creating 163 00:08:15,750 --> 00:08:18,083 and then defending an identity. 164 00:08:18,167 --> 00:08:21,000 And what we see is if your identity is in anything 165 00:08:21,042 --> 00:08:24,083 other than "God made me and Jesus saved me," 166 00:08:24,167 --> 00:08:27,292 your identity is wrongly placed, and it's doomed for 167 00:08:27,333 --> 00:08:30,375 destruction, and devastation, and discouragement, 168 00:08:30,458 --> 00:08:34,167 and despair, and distress. 169 00:08:34,208 --> 00:08:37,708 So, if your identity is in your beauty, 170 00:08:37,792 --> 00:08:40,375 getting older will be a crisis. 171 00:08:40,458 --> 00:08:43,333 If your identity is in your relationship, 172 00:08:43,375 --> 00:08:46,708 then relationship strain or severing becomes a crisis. 173 00:08:46,792 --> 00:08:49,333 If your identity is in your health, and your strength, 174 00:08:49,375 --> 00:08:53,125 and your vigor, then sickness or age will be a crisis. 175 00:08:53,167 --> 00:08:56,333 If your identity is in a dating relationship, 176 00:08:56,375 --> 00:08:59,125 then a breakup is not just painful, 177 00:08:59,167 --> 00:09:02,167 it's identity shattering. 178 00:09:02,250 --> 00:09:08,333 Herod's identity was king. 179 00:09:08,417 --> 00:09:13,333 Anyone who would even question his kingship was in danger of 180 00:09:13,417 --> 00:09:15,542 losing their life. 181 00:09:15,625 --> 00:09:18,000 He would regularly kill his political opponents 182 00:09:18,042 --> 00:09:22,792 and their families so as to strike terror in the hearts 183 00:09:22,833 --> 00:09:24,167 of the citizens. 184 00:09:24,250 --> 00:09:27,458 Don't even question Herod, not only will he harm you, 185 00:09:27,500 --> 00:09:29,667 he'll kill your family. 186 00:09:29,750 --> 00:09:31,375 He was a tyrant of a man. 187 00:09:31,458 --> 00:09:32,792 He was very effective though. 188 00:09:32,833 --> 00:09:36,125 He's also regarded as Herod the Great. 189 00:09:36,167 --> 00:09:40,125 He brought peace and prosperity. 190 00:09:40,167 --> 00:09:43,125 Just goes to show that you can be successful, 191 00:09:43,167 --> 00:09:47,292 wealthy, and evil, and that we need to be careful, 192 00:09:47,333 --> 00:09:50,500 even in the selection of political leaders, 193 00:09:50,583 --> 00:09:53,000 that it can't always be about the economics, 194 00:09:53,042 --> 00:09:56,917 and it can't always be about our own comfort and safety. 195 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:01,083 Herod was a man who succeeded in bringing comfort, safety, 196 00:10:01,167 --> 00:10:02,875 peace, and prosperity. 197 00:10:02,958 --> 00:10:07,417 He also was an evil man, so evil that he killed 198 00:10:07,500 --> 00:10:09,833 three of his own sons. 199 00:10:09,875 --> 00:10:12,833 He was fearful that they might take his throne so he killed 200 00:10:12,875 --> 00:10:15,000 his own three sons. 201 00:10:15,083 --> 00:10:20,667 I can't emotionally even fathom--I've got three sons. 202 00:10:20,750 --> 00:10:23,208 I've got Zac, I've got Calvin, I've got Gideon. 203 00:10:23,292 --> 00:10:26,667 The thought of me murdering my own sons--he murdered 204 00:10:26,750 --> 00:10:31,833 one of his sons shortly before he, himself, died. 205 00:10:31,875 --> 00:10:36,042 A father is to be willing to die for his sons, 206 00:10:36,125 --> 00:10:39,042 not take the life of his sons. 207 00:10:39,125 --> 00:10:42,042 But if you're king and it's all about your kingship, 208 00:10:42,125 --> 00:10:44,750 then any threat to the throne must be annihilated, 209 00:10:44,833 --> 00:10:48,167 even if they have your last name. 210 00:10:48,208 --> 00:10:50,000 He also murdered his favorite wife. 211 00:10:50,083 --> 00:10:52,667 He had multiple wives, but he murdered his favorite wife. 212 00:10:52,708 --> 00:10:58,333 So we know that Herod is a king and a killer. 213 00:10:59,833 --> 00:11:04,833 And here we read of a mass murder. 214 00:11:04,875 --> 00:11:09,792 We see that Jesus was born, wise men come from the east, 215 00:11:09,833 --> 00:11:12,167 we learn in the previous section. 216 00:11:12,250 --> 00:11:14,708 They arrive looking for Jesus. 217 00:11:14,792 --> 00:11:17,667 So they go to the place where they assume that a king 218 00:11:17,750 --> 00:11:19,125 would be born, the palace. 219 00:11:19,167 --> 00:11:22,833 Jesus is not there, he's in Bethlehem. 220 00:11:22,875 --> 00:11:27,875 Herod hears that one has been born king so he asked 221 00:11:27,958 --> 00:11:31,333 the wise men, "Go investigate and if you find him tell me for 222 00:11:31,375 --> 00:11:34,708 I too would like to worship him," which is a lie. 223 00:11:34,792 --> 00:11:38,125 The Bible scholars convene, they tell the wise men from the east, 224 00:11:38,167 --> 00:11:41,833 Micah 5:2 predicted hundreds of years ago that the King 225 00:11:41,875 --> 00:11:43,667 would be born in Bethlehem, 226 00:11:43,750 --> 00:11:48,375 and so they venture to Bethlehem. 227 00:11:48,458 --> 00:11:52,500 They do not travel the same way home because God warns them, 228 00:11:52,583 --> 00:11:54,875 "Herod's an evil man. You're in danger." 229 00:11:54,958 --> 00:12:00,208 So they return home after visiting Jesus as a baby. 230 00:12:02,042 --> 00:12:05,500 And now Herod is uncertain exactly where Jesus is living. 231 00:12:05,542 --> 00:12:09,375 He does know that Jesus must be 2 years of age or younger 232 00:12:09,458 --> 00:12:12,333 based upon the timing of the visit of the magi 233 00:12:12,417 --> 00:12:14,333 so he sends forth a decree 234 00:12:14,417 --> 00:12:19,833 to murder all of the sons 2 years of age and younger 235 00:12:19,917 --> 00:12:26,083 living in and around the city of Bethlehem. 236 00:12:26,167 --> 00:12:29,000 And... 237 00:12:29,958 --> 00:12:34,292 and little boys die. 238 00:12:34,333 --> 00:12:41,000 The parents are devastated, and funerals are held, 239 00:12:45,458 --> 00:12:48,208 and in some of your Bibles this subsection is called, 240 00:12:48,292 --> 00:12:53,208 "The Slaughter of the Innocents." 241 00:12:53,292 --> 00:12:59,167 And with the recent mass murder in Connecticut, 242 00:13:00,750 --> 00:13:04,667 one of the first news stories that I read-- 243 00:13:04,750 --> 00:13:07,000 and I've been reading everything I can because 244 00:13:07,042 --> 00:13:13,458 I'm so devastated, disturbed, frustrated, horrified, 245 00:13:13,500 --> 00:13:15,667 as a father of five children, 246 00:13:15,750 --> 00:13:21,375 as a pastor to 3,000 children. 247 00:13:21,458 --> 00:13:24,333 One of the first news stories I read 248 00:13:24,417 --> 00:13:27,167 the headline was, out of Connecticut, 249 00:13:27,250 --> 00:13:32,083 "The Slaughter of the Innocents." 250 00:13:32,167 --> 00:13:35,208 I know nothing about the reporter but they 251 00:13:35,292 --> 00:13:39,333 were connecting Matthew 2 where we find ourselves in 252 00:13:39,375 --> 00:13:44,500 God's providence and a mass murder in Connecticut. 253 00:13:49,500 --> 00:13:52,500 In the days of--and I tell you this for this reason, 254 00:13:52,542 --> 00:13:55,917 sometimes we can read history and because it's not current, 255 00:13:56,000 --> 00:14:00,500 and it's not people we know, it's not faces that we've seen, 256 00:14:00,542 --> 00:14:03,000 we can lack the Father heart of God that is 257 00:14:03,042 --> 00:14:09,042 devastated and grieving. 258 00:14:09,125 --> 00:14:12,667 But in the season we find ourselves, 259 00:14:12,750 --> 00:14:15,833 there's national mourning. 260 00:14:15,917 --> 00:14:18,500 The same mood that we're experiencing is the same mood 261 00:14:18,542 --> 00:14:22,292 they were experiencing, the same conversations they were having, 262 00:14:22,333 --> 00:14:28,542 the same grief they were expressing. 263 00:14:28,625 --> 00:14:32,542 What we do know is that in Connecticut 20 children 264 00:14:32,625 --> 00:14:38,500 between the ages of 6 and 7 were murdered, 265 00:14:38,583 --> 00:14:41,208 as well as 6 teachers, 266 00:14:41,292 --> 00:14:45,833 all women who had educated themselves and took, 267 00:14:45,875 --> 00:14:52,583 essentially, lower-paying jobs because they loved children. 268 00:14:52,667 --> 00:14:54,917 I want to say thank you to the teachers, 269 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:56,792 thank you to the nursery workers, 270 00:14:56,833 --> 00:15:02,250 thank you to all who love and serve children. 271 00:15:05,333 --> 00:15:09,792 And it was all done by one man. 272 00:15:09,833 --> 00:15:13,292 Well, the slaughter of the innocents in the days 273 00:15:13,333 --> 00:15:16,833 of Jesus was similar. 274 00:15:16,917 --> 00:15:19,000 Like Connecticut, it was a small town. 275 00:15:19,042 --> 00:15:21,792 Bethlehem was, the archaeologists tell us and I've been there, 276 00:15:21,833 --> 00:15:25,875 in that day, maybe a thousand people plus a few more 277 00:15:25,958 --> 00:15:28,750 in the outlying area. 278 00:15:28,833 --> 00:15:31,583 And all the commentators that I've read say that if you 279 00:15:31,667 --> 00:15:38,125 were to do basic calculation of population, that perhaps 280 00:15:38,167 --> 00:15:44,208 20 or so young boys were murdered by Herod, 281 00:15:44,292 --> 00:15:47,833 about the same number as were murdered by another man 282 00:15:47,875 --> 00:15:52,000 in Connecticut. 283 00:15:52,083 --> 00:15:57,292 And invariably what happens then is that people start asking 284 00:15:57,333 --> 00:16:01,958 lots of questions, reasonably so. 285 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:06,833 And in our day then, "experts" are brought forth, 286 00:16:06,917 --> 00:16:11,042 usually by the media, to speak to those who have questions 287 00:16:11,125 --> 00:16:13,875 and are struggling and hurting and grieving. 288 00:16:13,958 --> 00:16:16,583 And even those who are not Christian will start to act 289 00:16:16,667 --> 00:16:19,583 in ways that are church-like. 290 00:16:19,667 --> 00:16:21,875 People will gather together. 291 00:16:21,958 --> 00:16:28,333 They'll sing whatever spiritual songs they can recall. 292 00:16:28,417 --> 00:16:31,667 They'll talk to one another and light candles as a form 293 00:16:31,750 --> 00:16:34,667 of prayer and weep together. 294 00:16:34,750 --> 00:16:39,708 And then questions get raised like, "Is the president coming?" 295 00:16:39,792 --> 00:16:42,208 like the pastoral father figure, 296 00:16:42,292 --> 00:16:44,417 to bring peace and comfort to the hurting. 297 00:16:44,500 --> 00:16:46,417 It's very curious. 298 00:16:46,500 --> 00:16:52,167 When things go bad, we all want to go to church. 299 00:16:52,250 --> 00:16:56,083 And then the experts are brought forth to answer the questions. 300 00:16:56,167 --> 00:16:59,583 And I have nothing against the social sciences, 301 00:16:59,667 --> 00:17:03,167 psychology, sociology, they can be very helpful. 302 00:17:03,208 --> 00:17:08,167 I tend to read pretty extensively in those areas, 303 00:17:08,250 --> 00:17:10,542 but you won't really get an answer until you 304 00:17:10,625 --> 00:17:12,750 delve into theology. 305 00:17:12,833 --> 00:17:15,083 What happens is they'll start going back and saying, 306 00:17:15,167 --> 00:17:17,167 "Well, what was this person's upbringing, 307 00:17:17,250 --> 00:17:19,042 "and what was their family like? 308 00:17:19,125 --> 00:17:20,833 "And what kind of cultural conditioning 309 00:17:20,917 --> 00:17:23,083 did they experience?" 310 00:17:23,167 --> 00:17:25,375 The problem is it doesn't go back far enough 311 00:17:25,458 --> 00:17:27,333 into the family tree. 312 00:17:27,417 --> 00:17:33,500 It doesn't go all the way back to Adam and Eve. 313 00:17:33,542 --> 00:17:35,417 We're not good people. 314 00:17:35,500 --> 00:17:37,708 We're sinners by nature and choice. 315 00:17:37,792 --> 00:17:40,833 The Bible alone gives us the right insight to understand 316 00:17:40,875 --> 00:17:45,208 what's wrong with the world, and what's wrong with us. 317 00:17:45,292 --> 00:17:48,667 We're not all good people. 318 00:17:48,750 --> 00:17:51,708 From our first parents forward, we inherit a sin nature. 319 00:17:51,792 --> 00:17:55,208 It's where Psalm 51 says we're conceived in sin, 320 00:17:55,292 --> 00:17:58,000 and we're sinful from our mother's womb. 321 00:17:58,083 --> 00:18:02,250 But the human heart is deceitful and wicked, Jeremiah tells us, 322 00:18:02,333 --> 00:18:04,167 that when the Bible speaks of sin, 323 00:18:04,250 --> 00:18:10,333 it does so with terms like "evil" and "madness." 324 00:18:13,250 --> 00:18:18,833 When our depraved nature is untethered, 325 00:18:18,917 --> 00:18:24,167 we're capable of horrific things. 326 00:18:24,250 --> 00:18:28,750 Friends, that's why we need a new nature. 327 00:18:28,833 --> 00:18:33,875 It's why we need not just be born, we need be born again. 328 00:18:33,958 --> 00:18:36,667 That's why we need not simply have Adam as our father, 329 00:18:36,750 --> 00:18:41,208 we need to have God as our Father. 330 00:18:41,292 --> 00:18:45,833 And so Jesus comes to save us from sin, to save us from death, 331 00:18:45,875 --> 00:18:50,667 to save us from ourselves. 332 00:18:50,750 --> 00:18:53,500 And I want you to see that behind all of this, 333 00:18:53,583 --> 00:18:57,417 the Bible and its theological insights also tells us that 334 00:18:57,500 --> 00:19:00,375 the battles we face are not merely flesh and blood 335 00:19:00,458 --> 00:19:02,375 but behind the curtain 336 00:19:02,458 --> 00:19:04,375 are powers, principalities, and spirits. 337 00:19:04,458 --> 00:19:07,083 We believe in Satan, we believe in demons. 338 00:19:07,167 --> 00:19:09,875 We believe that God is the author of life, 339 00:19:09,958 --> 00:19:13,958 and that Satan is the opposer of life. 340 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:19,167 We believe that anytime we see an attack 341 00:19:19,250 --> 00:19:22,083 on human beings, 342 00:19:22,167 --> 00:19:26,167 particularly women and children, particularly innocent women 343 00:19:26,208 --> 00:19:32,667 and children, particularly from a man, 344 00:19:32,708 --> 00:19:36,417 he is to blame but Satan is involved, 345 00:19:36,500 --> 00:19:39,708 and demons are included. 346 00:19:39,792 --> 00:19:41,417 It's an atrocity. 347 00:19:41,500 --> 00:19:43,000 It's an injustice. 348 00:19:43,083 --> 00:19:47,500 It's an evil. 349 00:19:47,542 --> 00:19:49,792 I'm a father. 350 00:19:49,833 --> 00:19:52,792 I'm a husband. I'm a pastor. 351 00:19:52,833 --> 00:19:57,000 The thought of a man harming a woman, killing a child, 352 00:19:57,083 --> 00:20:02,417 killing a woman, I don't know about you, emotionally, 353 00:20:02,500 --> 00:20:07,500 it's very disorienting for me, and once they put the photos of 354 00:20:07,583 --> 00:20:11,333 the 6- and 7-year-old children online and I saw the faces 355 00:20:11,375 --> 00:20:18,083 of the children, it went from 20 in number to 20 in face, 356 00:20:18,167 --> 00:20:21,917 and it's haunting. 357 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:26,583 So the way we feel is the way they felt in the days of Jesus. 358 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:34,000 But the answers can only come theologically, 359 00:20:34,042 --> 00:20:38,208 that something has gone terribly wrong with this world, 360 00:20:38,292 --> 00:20:43,042 and that people are sinners and capable of great evil. 361 00:20:43,125 --> 00:20:45,042 And when human nature is unrestrained-- 362 00:20:45,125 --> 00:20:47,667 yes, there may be psychological contributions or medical 363 00:20:47,708 --> 00:20:50,500 or hormonal or chemical or environmental 364 00:20:50,583 --> 00:20:53,042 or family of origins contributions, 365 00:20:53,125 --> 00:20:55,667 at the end of the day, 366 00:20:55,708 --> 00:21:01,000 when Satan empowers and compels the unrestrained depravity 367 00:21:01,042 --> 00:21:04,917 of human nature, horror is not only possible, 368 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:08,667 it is certain. 369 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:22,292 We should all grieve when innocent life is taken. 370 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:31,083 And innocent life is taken all the time. 371 00:21:34,250 --> 00:21:39,333 If what is required to be a killer like Herod is to kill 372 00:21:39,375 --> 00:21:45,375 an innocent child, there's a lot of Herods walking around. 373 00:21:48,250 --> 00:21:52,000 We live in a day that is profoundly confused 374 00:21:52,083 --> 00:21:55,167 about children. 375 00:22:00,333 --> 00:22:06,667 See, we know that there is no difference between a child 376 00:22:06,750 --> 00:22:09,458 that is in a mother's womb and a child that is 377 00:22:09,500 --> 00:22:13,583 in a mother's arms. 378 00:22:13,667 --> 00:22:19,042 We know that both equally bear the image and likeness of God, 379 00:22:19,125 --> 00:22:23,042 both have dignity, value, and worth. 380 00:22:23,125 --> 00:22:25,667 The Bible tells us that John the Baptizer was filled 381 00:22:25,750 --> 00:22:27,875 with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb. 382 00:22:27,958 --> 00:22:33,042 Jeremiah says that he was chosen from his mother's womb. 383 00:22:37,167 --> 00:22:39,375 It's a good thing there wasn't a Planned Parenthood 384 00:22:39,458 --> 00:22:41,500 in Bethlehem, 385 00:22:41,583 --> 00:22:44,917 Mary being single, and young, and poor, 386 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:51,833 and uneducated, and pregnant. 387 00:22:54,458 --> 00:23:00,375 The horror, the outrage, the grief for the 20 should be 388 00:23:00,458 --> 00:23:05,542 for all, all innocents who have been slaughtered. 389 00:23:12,833 --> 00:23:17,958 We live in a profoundly conflicted day. 390 00:23:20,500 --> 00:23:23,667 I was thinking about that recently, 391 00:23:23,750 --> 00:23:25,667 Prince William and his wife, Kate, 392 00:23:25,708 --> 00:23:32,542 are pregnant and Britain rejoices. 393 00:23:32,625 --> 00:23:36,333 I wonder if there would be a response if they now had 394 00:23:36,375 --> 00:23:38,708 an abortion because they're young, 395 00:23:38,792 --> 00:23:41,208 or perhaps the child had Down Syndrome, 396 00:23:41,292 --> 00:23:46,042 or it wasn't a good season for them. 397 00:23:49,875 --> 00:23:53,500 Children are not valuable or more valuable because they 398 00:23:53,542 --> 00:23:59,333 come from royal blood. 399 00:23:59,375 --> 00:24:03,542 All children, all men and women, bear the image and likeness 400 00:24:03,625 --> 00:24:07,500 of God. Particular dignity, value, 401 00:24:07,542 --> 00:24:13,167 worth, and respect is bestowed on human life above animal life. 402 00:24:16,125 --> 00:24:19,292 I'm glad that the royal couple is pregnant and I rejoice 403 00:24:19,333 --> 00:24:22,000 when anybody at Mars Hill comes up to me and says, 404 00:24:22,042 --> 00:24:23,583 "I gotta tell ya something." 405 00:24:23,667 --> 00:24:27,000 And I can tell by the look on their face, it's good news, 406 00:24:27,042 --> 00:24:31,000 a child is coming. 407 00:24:31,042 --> 00:24:34,708 But this royal baby will be born into the nation of Britain 408 00:24:34,792 --> 00:24:40,833 where the number-one cause of death is abortion. 409 00:24:40,875 --> 00:24:44,125 A nation is celebrating the conception of a child that 410 00:24:44,167 --> 00:24:46,917 they hope will rise up to lead a nation 411 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:50,208 that kills its children, 412 00:24:50,292 --> 00:24:56,125 and that is now the leading cause of death in that nation, 413 00:24:56,167 --> 00:24:58,500 and in that collection of nations because that statistic 414 00:24:58,583 --> 00:25:03,083 includes royals. 415 00:25:03,167 --> 00:25:08,875 We live in a day that is profoundly confused about 416 00:25:08,958 --> 00:25:13,167 human life and the dignity of human life. 417 00:25:17,125 --> 00:25:20,833 For those of you that have had an abortion, 418 00:25:20,917 --> 00:25:23,333 or those of you men who have encouraged an abortion, 419 00:25:23,417 --> 00:25:25,250 or driven a woman to an abortion, 420 00:25:25,333 --> 00:25:27,000 or funded an abortion, 421 00:25:27,042 --> 00:25:28,667 or impregnated a woman with no intention 422 00:25:28,750 --> 00:25:30,500 of raising that child and thereby contributing 423 00:25:30,542 --> 00:25:34,708 to abortion, you're a Herod, you're a murderer. 424 00:25:34,792 --> 00:25:37,000 You've murdered a child. 425 00:25:38,667 --> 00:25:41,833 You've murdered a child. 426 00:25:41,875 --> 00:25:46,583 Whatever anger you have toward the events in Connecticut 427 00:25:46,667 --> 00:25:51,125 is, to be consistent and not hypocritical, 428 00:25:51,167 --> 00:25:55,125 the same kind of anger you should have for yourself. 429 00:25:55,167 --> 00:25:57,625 If you ask questions like, "How could he do that?" 430 00:25:57,667 --> 00:26:00,167 you need to also ask, "How could I do that?" 431 00:26:00,250 --> 00:26:02,583 If you ask questions like, "Why would he do that?" 432 00:26:02,667 --> 00:26:04,667 you've gotta ask, "Why did I do that?" 433 00:26:04,750 --> 00:26:07,083 If you ask a question like, "Who kills a child?" 434 00:26:07,167 --> 00:26:12,375 you have to also ask, "Why have I killed a child, my child?" 435 00:26:12,458 --> 00:26:14,542 Some of you say, "It's not illegal." 436 00:26:14,625 --> 00:26:21,333 Dear friend, it wasn't illegal for Herod either. 437 00:26:23,833 --> 00:26:28,250 Mars Hill Church, we're pro-life. 438 00:26:28,333 --> 00:26:32,250 We've always been pro-life, and by the grace of God, 439 00:26:32,333 --> 00:26:35,208 we'll always be pro-life. 440 00:26:35,292 --> 00:26:38,000 Some of you say, "I disagree." You don't disagree with me. 441 00:26:38,083 --> 00:26:40,917 You disagree with the God who made you in his image 442 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:45,167 and likeness. 443 00:26:45,250 --> 00:26:47,833 What we're talking about is the number of human beings 444 00:26:47,875 --> 00:26:50,167 who get to live. 445 00:26:50,250 --> 00:26:55,333 There is so little that is equal in importance to that. 446 00:26:55,375 --> 00:26:58,000 Some of you say, "I thought Mars Hill was not political." 447 00:26:58,042 --> 00:26:59,417 It's not. 448 00:26:59,500 --> 00:27:02,458 It's radically biblical and where politics gets in the way 449 00:27:02,500 --> 00:27:08,667 of theology, we proceed forward without apologizing. 450 00:27:08,750 --> 00:27:11,375 This is not a Democrat/Republican issue. 451 00:27:11,458 --> 00:27:14,875 This is a life/death issue. 452 00:27:14,958 --> 00:27:17,167 This is not a pro-life/pro-choice question. 453 00:27:17,250 --> 00:27:20,958 This is a pro-God/anti-God question. 454 00:27:25,333 --> 00:27:32,167 I am so joyful that we have children in Mars Hill. 455 00:27:32,208 --> 00:27:36,833 I'm so joyful anytime a child is born. 456 00:27:40,042 --> 00:27:44,875 Now for those of you who are murderers, 457 00:27:44,958 --> 00:27:46,833 don't argue, 458 00:27:46,875 --> 00:27:51,125 don't give excuses, don't give reasons. 459 00:27:51,167 --> 00:27:56,875 See, that's what Herod does. 460 00:27:56,958 --> 00:27:59,417 I have good news for you. 461 00:27:59,500 --> 00:28:02,333 Herod was trying to murder Jesus and, again, 462 00:28:02,417 --> 00:28:04,500 it is a spiritual battle. 463 00:28:04,542 --> 00:28:07,583 Herod's family descends from a man named Esau who was 464 00:28:07,667 --> 00:28:12,083 a brother to a man named Jacob, and they had a real conflict. 465 00:28:12,167 --> 00:28:15,958 It's always been two kingdoms colliding. 466 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:21,167 The reason Herod was ultimately trying to kill Jesus was Satan 467 00:28:21,250 --> 00:28:26,833 knew, here is Immanuel, God with us, coming to save sinners, 468 00:28:28,333 --> 00:28:32,667 and he knew that he needed to kill Jesus before he could 469 00:28:32,708 --> 00:28:36,125 preach, and teach, and perform miracles, and cast out demons, 470 00:28:36,167 --> 00:28:40,375 and evidence himself to be God. 471 00:28:40,458 --> 00:28:42,417 But Jesus' life was spared. 472 00:28:42,500 --> 00:28:45,417 Jesus says it elsewhere, "No one could take my life from me. 473 00:28:45,500 --> 00:28:47,500 I lay it down of my own accord." 474 00:28:47,583 --> 00:28:50,708 Jesus wasn't going to die at the hands of Herod as a baby. 475 00:28:50,792 --> 00:28:53,292 He was going to lay down his own life later. 476 00:28:53,333 --> 00:28:56,167 And let me say this about the death of the Lord Jesus, 477 00:28:56,250 --> 00:29:00,083 particularly to those of you who are murderers. 478 00:29:00,167 --> 00:29:03,083 He says something from the cross to those who are murdering him. 479 00:29:03,167 --> 00:29:07,458 He says, "Father, forgive them." 480 00:29:07,500 --> 00:29:12,958 So here's the truth, Jesus is God who becomes a man, 481 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:17,083 goes to the cross and dies without sin in our place for our 482 00:29:17,167 --> 00:29:23,875 sins that we might be forgiven of anything and everything, 483 00:29:23,958 --> 00:29:26,833 including murder of those who are innocent. 484 00:29:26,917 --> 00:29:30,542 And no one is more innocent than Jesus, and he forgave those 485 00:29:30,625 --> 00:29:32,167 who murdered him. 486 00:29:32,250 --> 00:29:34,292 So if you're here today and you say, 487 00:29:34,333 --> 00:29:35,667 "Okay, I'm a murderer," 488 00:29:35,750 --> 00:29:42,667 yes, and Jesus died for your forgiveness, and he loves you, 489 00:29:42,750 --> 00:29:45,208 and no one is beyond the grace of God. 490 00:29:45,292 --> 00:29:48,417 And I would just encourage you, I would beg you not to defend 491 00:29:48,500 --> 00:29:52,917 yourself, not to deny your sin, not to diminish your sin. 492 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:58,208 To right now, insofar as Herod called himself king, 493 00:29:58,292 --> 00:30:04,667 call yourself murderer, and then let Jesus call you forgiven. 494 00:30:07,292 --> 00:30:08,917 He didn't just die, he rose. 495 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:11,375 He conquered sin and death, 496 00:30:11,458 --> 00:30:15,000 and he's alive to forgive you right now. 497 00:30:15,083 --> 00:30:20,917 For those of you who have not murdered but you think 498 00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:27,208 in a murderous way, pro-choice is such a cute title 499 00:30:27,292 --> 00:30:33,542 for pro-murder. 500 00:30:35,500 --> 00:30:38,625 I understand. 501 00:30:38,667 --> 00:30:42,667 Previous to my meeting Jesus, I thought just like you. 502 00:30:42,708 --> 00:30:48,750 I grew up in a pro-life Catholic family and totally disagreed. 503 00:30:48,833 --> 00:30:53,750 I took evolution to its logical conclusion. 504 00:30:53,833 --> 00:30:56,833 Some people are more fit, others less so. 505 00:30:56,917 --> 00:30:59,000 The fit survive. 506 00:30:59,083 --> 00:31:02,000 Those who are poor, those who are disabled 507 00:31:02,083 --> 00:31:03,833 or handicapped in any way, 508 00:31:03,875 --> 00:31:05,625 those who have diminished mental capacities, 509 00:31:05,667 --> 00:31:08,417 those who can't make as much of a contribution to 510 00:31:08,500 --> 00:31:14,833 the earth as wonderful people like myself, should die. 511 00:31:14,875 --> 00:31:18,500 So I was not just pro-choice, I was pro-abortion. 512 00:31:18,542 --> 00:31:23,833 I studied the teachings at a fairly young age of Malthus, 513 00:31:23,875 --> 00:31:26,333 Malthusian eugenicist. 514 00:31:26,375 --> 00:31:30,833 Malthus posited that certain races and peoples and groups 515 00:31:30,875 --> 00:31:33,208 should die. 516 00:31:33,292 --> 00:31:35,792 I didn't agree to the racial part. 517 00:31:35,833 --> 00:31:38,500 I looked at it more socially. 518 00:31:38,542 --> 00:31:40,625 Those who are poor, those who are uneducated, 519 00:31:40,667 --> 00:31:43,167 those who are unhealthy, they need to die because they're 520 00:31:43,250 --> 00:31:45,500 a drain on the rest of us. 521 00:31:45,542 --> 00:31:47,583 I argued this position in high school, 522 00:31:47,667 --> 00:31:49,417 quite effectively, 523 00:31:49,500 --> 00:31:52,833 as student body president, even in debates. 524 00:31:52,875 --> 00:31:55,792 I went to college and I studied some more, 525 00:31:55,833 --> 00:31:58,917 and I actually remember winning a debate in a very large 526 00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:01,500 philosophy class, hundreds of students, 527 00:32:01,542 --> 00:32:08,083 dismantling the Christian publicly on these issues. 528 00:32:08,167 --> 00:32:12,292 And then Jesus saved me, 529 00:32:12,333 --> 00:32:14,083 and all of a sudden, Romans 12, 530 00:32:14,167 --> 00:32:16,542 "Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world. 531 00:32:16,625 --> 00:32:18,542 Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." 532 00:32:18,625 --> 00:32:20,542 Next thing I know I'm reading the Bible. 533 00:32:20,625 --> 00:32:23,292 Oh, we're all made in the image and likeness of God. 534 00:32:23,333 --> 00:32:25,333 We all have dignity, value, and worth. 535 00:32:25,417 --> 00:32:27,583 Jesus was poor, not rich. 536 00:32:27,667 --> 00:32:29,792 His parents probably were not educated. 537 00:32:29,833 --> 00:32:35,542 They were rural. 538 00:32:37,750 --> 00:32:41,708 I love you and I just want you to love people that are not 539 00:32:41,792 --> 00:32:47,583 like you, not just people who are. 540 00:32:47,667 --> 00:32:52,083 And it's interesting because when you ask, 541 00:32:52,167 --> 00:32:55,500 "Who are those that are less fit?" 542 00:32:55,583 --> 00:32:59,500 It's always someone not like me because we tend to 543 00:32:59,583 --> 00:33:03,167 worship ourselves. 544 00:33:03,250 --> 00:33:06,583 And if we idolize ourselves, we demonize and destroy others 545 00:33:06,667 --> 00:33:09,167 and that's what Herod did, 546 00:33:09,250 --> 00:33:11,875 and that's what some of us have done. 547 00:33:11,958 --> 00:33:15,000 Now, I've never been complicit in the murder of child, 548 00:33:15,042 --> 00:33:17,667 the abortion of a child, but I thought exactly like 549 00:33:17,750 --> 00:33:21,792 so many of you think. 550 00:33:21,833 --> 00:33:25,000 I invite you to have a change of mind, a change of heart, 551 00:33:25,042 --> 00:33:27,583 a change of life. 552 00:33:27,667 --> 00:33:32,000 You're thinking like Herod. 553 00:33:32,042 --> 00:33:34,500 Some of you have been acting like Herod. 554 00:33:34,583 --> 00:33:40,917 There's a lot of Herods walking around. 555 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:44,083 And it's just such an insane day that we live in. 556 00:33:44,167 --> 00:33:49,167 A deacon in the church, he and his wife are pregnant 557 00:33:49,250 --> 00:33:50,708 with a child. 558 00:33:50,792 --> 00:33:53,833 They have healthy children, praise God, and pregnant, 559 00:33:53,875 --> 00:33:57,125 very excited and go to the doctor. 560 00:33:57,167 --> 00:34:00,083 The doctor says, "There's a possibility of some sort of 561 00:34:00,167 --> 00:34:02,375 "birth defect, maybe Down Syndrome, 562 00:34:02,458 --> 00:34:04,667 so when would you like to abort the child?" 563 00:34:04,708 --> 00:34:06,500 This was very recent. 564 00:34:06,542 --> 00:34:09,250 Said, "What, abort the child? We're not gonna abort the child. 565 00:34:09,333 --> 00:34:11,458 "They have Down Syndrome, they don't have Down Syndrome, 566 00:34:11,500 --> 00:34:13,458 "they bear the image and likeness of God. 567 00:34:13,500 --> 00:34:14,833 "We love them. 568 00:34:14,917 --> 00:34:16,958 We'll welcome them into our family." 569 00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:19,500 Doctor says, "Oh, there's something wrong with your baby." 570 00:34:19,542 --> 00:34:23,833 Oh, there's something more wrong with the doctor. 571 00:34:28,500 --> 00:34:34,583 The couple loves Jesus and says, "No, no. 572 00:34:34,667 --> 00:34:38,708 "Children are a blessing, even those that have special needs. 573 00:34:38,792 --> 00:34:42,417 Sometimes they're a special blessing." 574 00:34:42,500 --> 00:34:46,000 The doctor say, "Well, I'm gonna go ahead 575 00:34:46,042 --> 00:34:48,083 "and schedule the abortion anyways, 576 00:34:48,167 --> 00:34:52,333 and I'm gonna encourage you to murder your child." 577 00:34:52,375 --> 00:34:57,833 Didn't use that language but that's what he meant. 578 00:34:57,875 --> 00:35:01,667 They said, "There's no way." 579 00:35:01,750 --> 00:35:04,958 Of course they didn't abort their child but they got a bill 580 00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:08,167 for an abortion because the doctor was so certain 581 00:35:08,208 --> 00:35:10,583 that they would kill their child that he scheduled it, 582 00:35:10,667 --> 00:35:14,500 and when they didn't show up for the abortion they did not want, 583 00:35:14,542 --> 00:35:16,500 to the meeting they did not plan, 584 00:35:16,542 --> 00:35:23,042 they got the bill for the procedure that they did not do. 585 00:35:24,167 --> 00:35:26,167 Right now they're fighting the insurance company saying, 586 00:35:26,208 --> 00:35:28,875 "We will not pay for the abortion that we did not 587 00:35:28,958 --> 00:35:30,875 "show up for because we didn't schedule it 588 00:35:30,958 --> 00:35:32,667 because we don't agree with it." 589 00:35:32,750 --> 00:35:34,792 The doctor hands them a form and says, 590 00:35:34,833 --> 00:35:37,667 "I want you to sign away your right to sue me saying 591 00:35:37,750 --> 00:35:39,833 "if the baby is born with a defect, 592 00:35:39,875 --> 00:35:44,625 you can't come after me because I warned you." 593 00:35:44,667 --> 00:35:49,667 What a profoundly confused day in which we live. 594 00:35:53,875 --> 00:35:58,083 Emotionally, seeing the faces of 20 murdered children plus their 595 00:35:58,167 --> 00:36:03,000 6 female teachers is devastating, and I want us 596 00:36:03,042 --> 00:36:06,667 to have that kind of father's heart for all children 597 00:36:06,708 --> 00:36:12,667 and all victims of murder. 598 00:36:12,750 --> 00:36:16,167 And I know some of you right now, you are thinking, 599 00:36:16,250 --> 00:36:19,500 "I'm going to leave this church." 600 00:36:19,542 --> 00:36:23,667 Please stay and change your mind. 601 00:36:23,750 --> 00:36:25,375 We're not asking you to leave. 602 00:36:25,458 --> 00:36:30,083 We're asking you to change your mind. 603 00:36:30,167 --> 00:36:33,333 Again, I've had a change of mind, 604 00:36:33,417 --> 00:36:37,667 and I'm asking you to have one with me. 605 00:36:41,333 --> 00:36:45,500 In the grace of God, we've got a baby making noise. 606 00:36:45,583 --> 00:36:47,500 Okay, for those of who are parents, 607 00:36:47,583 --> 00:36:49,625 when your baby's making noise at Mars Hill, 608 00:36:49,667 --> 00:36:52,333 don't feel like you gotta run them out of the room 609 00:36:52,375 --> 00:36:54,333 because they're alive and we rejoice in that. 610 00:36:54,375 --> 00:36:59,000 Amen? 611 00:37:03,958 --> 00:37:05,833 And here comes the Lord Jesus. 612 00:37:05,917 --> 00:37:07,875 He's not like Herod. 613 00:37:07,958 --> 00:37:09,667 He's not a king who takes life. 614 00:37:09,750 --> 00:37:13,750 He's a King who gives his own life. 615 00:37:13,833 --> 00:37:17,292 Now over and above Herod is God. 616 00:37:17,333 --> 00:37:21,542 If all that we had was the human and not the divine perspective, 617 00:37:21,625 --> 00:37:23,083 we would only see Herod. 618 00:37:23,167 --> 00:37:25,500 We would not see the hand of God. 619 00:37:25,542 --> 00:37:28,167 There are four things in this section of Matthew that we 620 00:37:28,250 --> 00:37:30,083 learn about the Lord. 621 00:37:30,167 --> 00:37:33,375 He's sovereign, supernatural, he speaks, and he sends. 622 00:37:33,458 --> 00:37:35,417 We see here that he is sovereign. 623 00:37:35,500 --> 00:37:40,125 Yes, Herod is the king but above him is the Lord. 624 00:37:40,167 --> 00:37:43,833 And Herod wants to kill but the Lord wants life. 625 00:37:43,875 --> 00:37:47,875 And Herod wants to rule, but ultimately Jesus will rule 626 00:37:47,958 --> 00:37:50,375 as King of kings. 627 00:37:50,458 --> 00:37:54,500 Over nations, over politicians, over presidents, over kings, 628 00:37:54,542 --> 00:37:58,417 over queens, is the Creator God. 629 00:37:58,500 --> 00:38:02,667 Secondly, we see that the God of the Bible is supernatural. 630 00:38:02,708 --> 00:38:06,083 We see it repeatedly with Joseph, even in this section. 631 00:38:06,167 --> 00:38:10,542 He has a dream and a visit from an angel. 632 00:38:10,625 --> 00:38:12,250 At Mars Hill we believe in that. 633 00:38:12,333 --> 00:38:14,167 We don't believe it happens all the time, 634 00:38:14,250 --> 00:38:16,792 but we believe it happens, that God speaks to, 635 00:38:16,833 --> 00:38:19,375 reveals to Joseph. 636 00:38:19,458 --> 00:38:23,458 We believe in a supernatural God, a God who can heal, 637 00:38:23,500 --> 00:38:25,500 a God who does hear and answer prayer, 638 00:38:25,542 --> 00:38:29,000 a God who can speak, and can save, and can lead, 639 00:38:29,042 --> 00:38:31,250 and can guide, and can direct. 640 00:38:31,333 --> 00:38:32,792 He's supernatural. 641 00:38:32,833 --> 00:38:34,167 And thirdly, he speaks. 642 00:38:34,250 --> 00:38:36,000 He's not mute. He's not silent. 643 00:38:36,083 --> 00:38:38,333 He speaks to Joseph, speaks to Mary. 644 00:38:38,375 --> 00:38:42,833 Sometimes does so through an intermediator like an angel. 645 00:38:42,875 --> 00:38:46,500 And a careful reading of an important text I think 646 00:38:46,583 --> 00:38:48,500 will be helpful here. 647 00:38:48,583 --> 00:38:51,917 God does speak and he speaks through Scripture. 648 00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:54,917 I told you that in the reading of this section 649 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:58,125 on three occasions it says, "Fulfill, fulfill, fulfill," 650 00:38:58,167 --> 00:39:00,792 and then it goes back and quotes Old Testament prophecy, 651 00:39:00,833 --> 00:39:02,667 things like Hosea and Jeremiah. 652 00:39:02,750 --> 00:39:04,167 Why does it do that? 653 00:39:04,250 --> 00:39:06,667 Because the Bible is saying in the Old Covenant, 654 00:39:06,750 --> 00:39:10,042 the Old Testament, the prophet spoke on God's behalf, 655 00:39:10,125 --> 00:39:13,667 and Matthew is saying, "Now it's all being fulfilled in Jesus." 656 00:39:13,750 --> 00:39:16,167 This tells you a lot about the Scriptures, 657 00:39:16,250 --> 00:39:18,042 the Word of God. 658 00:39:18,125 --> 00:39:21,333 The Old is about Jesus, the New Testament is about 659 00:39:21,417 --> 00:39:26,000 the fulfillment in Jesus, and all of the Bible is about Jesus. 660 00:39:26,042 --> 00:39:29,875 I'll show it to you from Matthew 2:15, 661 00:39:29,958 --> 00:39:33,792 there he quotes Hosea 11:1 written hundreds of years prior, 662 00:39:33,833 --> 00:39:38,375 actually 700 years prior. 663 00:39:38,458 --> 00:39:40,500 Here's what Matthew says. 664 00:39:40,542 --> 00:39:44,500 Matthew 2:15, the who? 665 00:39:44,583 --> 00:39:46,667 Read it carefully, Mars Hill. 666 00:39:46,750 --> 00:39:53,125 "The Lord had spoken by the prophet..." 667 00:39:53,167 --> 00:39:55,125 Here's what Matthew's saying, 668 00:39:55,167 --> 00:39:58,500 it was Hosea's voice but the Lord's words. 669 00:39:58,583 --> 00:40:00,833 We call that divine inspiration. 670 00:40:00,875 --> 00:40:04,833 Hosea's voice, the Lord's words. 671 00:40:04,875 --> 00:40:09,417 This is why we call the Scriptures the Word of God. 672 00:40:09,500 --> 00:40:11,917 We believe this is the Word of God. 673 00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:14,708 It may have Matthew's voice, it may have Paul's voice, 674 00:40:14,792 --> 00:40:17,500 it may have Peter's voice, it may have Isaiah's voice, 675 00:40:17,583 --> 00:40:21,417 it may have Moses' voice, but it's the Lord's words. 676 00:40:21,500 --> 00:40:23,667 This is the perfect Word of the Lord. 677 00:40:23,750 --> 00:40:26,000 It's the only thing on earth that is perfect. 678 00:40:26,083 --> 00:40:28,125 It's the Word of the Lord. 679 00:40:28,167 --> 00:40:30,792 And it's interesting here, I love how he says it, 680 00:40:30,833 --> 00:40:33,167 the Lord spoke through the prophet. 681 00:40:33,250 --> 00:40:36,250 This means, Mars Hill, we don't edit Scripture. 682 00:40:36,333 --> 00:40:38,042 We don't ignore parts of Scripture. 683 00:40:38,125 --> 00:40:41,042 We don't try and update parts of Scripture. 684 00:40:41,125 --> 00:40:44,042 We accept the whole Word of God as the Word of God, 685 00:40:44,125 --> 00:40:45,500 not just a Word about God. 686 00:40:45,583 --> 00:40:47,833 Amen? 687 00:40:47,917 --> 00:40:50,458 And I just--I would say, "Pray for me." 688 00:40:50,500 --> 00:40:52,750 Man, I get into some serious media fire fights 689 00:40:52,833 --> 00:40:55,042 and sit in the hot seat under the lights. 690 00:40:55,125 --> 00:40:57,125 And they're like push, push, push, 691 00:40:57,167 --> 00:40:58,833 "Can you please edit, change?" 692 00:40:58,917 --> 00:41:01,625 No, no. 693 00:41:01,667 --> 00:41:07,500 God needs messengers, not editors. 694 00:41:07,583 --> 00:41:10,000 Ours is a God who's sovereign, supernaturally speaks, 695 00:41:10,083 --> 00:41:11,792 and he sends. 696 00:41:11,833 --> 00:41:13,625 He sends. 697 00:41:13,667 --> 00:41:15,625 He sends an angel to Mary. 698 00:41:15,667 --> 00:41:18,083 He sends an angel in a dream to Joseph. 699 00:41:18,167 --> 00:41:20,333 He sends them from Nazareth to Bethlehem, 700 00:41:20,375 --> 00:41:23,125 from Bethlehem to Egypt, from Egypt back to Nazareth. 701 00:41:23,167 --> 00:41:24,917 He's sending them. 702 00:41:25,000 --> 00:41:26,625 He sent you, he sent me. 703 00:41:26,667 --> 00:41:29,333 Wherever your find yourself is where the Lord has sent you. 704 00:41:29,375 --> 00:41:32,500 And you may be there for a long time or a short time, 705 00:41:32,583 --> 00:41:35,208 but you're there because that's where the Lord has sent you 706 00:41:35,292 --> 00:41:38,000 if you're one of his people. 707 00:41:38,083 --> 00:41:42,000 Well, what about the Lord Jesus? 708 00:41:42,083 --> 00:41:44,833 Four things we learn here about the Lord Jesus, 709 00:41:44,875 --> 00:41:46,708 he's the greater Moses, the greater Israel, 710 00:41:46,792 --> 00:41:49,583 the greater King, and he provides the greater Exodus. 711 00:41:49,667 --> 00:41:52,333 First he's the greater Moses. 712 00:41:52,375 --> 00:41:55,500 The story here in Matthew has echoes and intimations 713 00:41:55,542 --> 00:41:58,167 of the life of Moses. 714 00:41:58,250 --> 00:42:04,667 The life of Moses, many years prior, was one where, 715 00:42:04,708 --> 00:42:08,292 like Jesus, a ruler, at that time it was Pharaoh, 716 00:42:08,333 --> 00:42:13,542 put a death sentence forth to kill the children, 717 00:42:13,625 --> 00:42:18,792 and both were under a death sentence but both were spared, 718 00:42:18,833 --> 00:42:21,667 and both, for a season, lived in Egypt. 719 00:42:21,750 --> 00:42:24,583 And both had the hand of the Lord upon them, 720 00:42:24,667 --> 00:42:30,083 and both were raised up by God to lead a deliverance 721 00:42:30,167 --> 00:42:32,083 of God's people. 722 00:42:32,167 --> 00:42:36,375 Moses, that they might leave the rule of Pharaoh and be free 723 00:42:36,458 --> 00:42:41,875 to worship God, Jesus as the God to be worshiped who delivers us 724 00:42:41,958 --> 00:42:47,000 from Pharaohs like sin, and Satan, and death. 725 00:42:47,042 --> 00:42:49,333 Jesus is the greater Moses. 726 00:42:49,375 --> 00:42:52,792 Number two, Jesus is the greater Israel. 727 00:42:52,833 --> 00:42:54,208 When they would read 728 00:42:54,292 --> 00:42:56,000 the Old Covenant Old Testament sections 729 00:42:56,083 --> 00:42:59,625 of Scripture, the Jews would read the parts about God 730 00:42:59,667 --> 00:43:02,500 having a Son, which is a position where you get 731 00:43:02,542 --> 00:43:04,667 the family name, and inheritance, and title 732 00:43:04,750 --> 00:43:07,292 and it includes men and women but in that day, 733 00:43:07,333 --> 00:43:11,375 legally and culturally, it was a privileged position. 734 00:43:11,458 --> 00:43:13,333 They'd say, "Oh, that's about us," 735 00:43:13,417 --> 00:43:16,167 and here we learn ultimately 736 00:43:16,250 --> 00:43:20,083 Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus is the one in the favored, 737 00:43:20,167 --> 00:43:22,083 blessed position. 738 00:43:22,167 --> 00:43:24,250 Jesus is the big brother. 739 00:43:24,333 --> 00:43:27,542 It quotes in Matthew 2:15, Hosea 11:1, 740 00:43:27,625 --> 00:43:30,333 "Out of Egypt, I have called my Son." 741 00:43:30,417 --> 00:43:33,083 Jesus is the Son of God. 742 00:43:33,167 --> 00:43:35,917 Number three, he is the greater King. 743 00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:38,833 Again, I've said it multiple times in this sermon, 744 00:43:38,875 --> 00:43:42,500 but when the magi, the wise men, come to worship Jesus, 745 00:43:42,583 --> 00:43:47,792 they say in Matthew 2:2, "Where is the one born King?" 746 00:43:51,167 --> 00:43:54,583 Herod was never born king. 747 00:43:54,667 --> 00:43:58,500 He was never fit for the title of king. 748 00:43:58,542 --> 00:44:01,500 You and I should never be king. 749 00:44:01,542 --> 00:44:04,167 Some of you say, "I'm only king of my life." 750 00:44:04,208 --> 00:44:06,542 It's still far too much. 751 00:44:06,625 --> 00:44:09,458 Jesus is a greater King. 752 00:44:09,500 --> 00:44:13,375 And number four, he provides a greater Exodus. 753 00:44:13,458 --> 00:44:17,792 The connection is that Moses led God's people out of Egypt, 754 00:44:17,833 --> 00:44:22,292 and Jesus leads us out of death, 755 00:44:22,333 --> 00:44:26,667 hell, sin, the wrath of God. 756 00:44:26,708 --> 00:44:30,250 Jesus provides a greater Exodus, not just for this life, 757 00:44:30,333 --> 00:44:34,292 but forever. 758 00:44:34,333 --> 00:44:38,208 So he is, he is the hero. 759 00:44:38,292 --> 00:44:40,917 We learn three things about Jesus' people, 760 00:44:41,000 --> 00:44:42,833 and Jesus' people here in Matthew 761 00:44:42,875 --> 00:44:44,417 are Mary and Joseph. 762 00:44:44,500 --> 00:44:46,125 They're the ones with Jesus. 763 00:44:46,167 --> 00:44:48,500 If I could make it as simple as possible, 764 00:44:48,583 --> 00:44:51,333 to be a Christian is to just be with Jesus. 765 00:44:51,375 --> 00:44:54,000 You're with Jesus. 766 00:44:54,083 --> 00:44:57,125 Mary and Joseph are Jesus' people. 767 00:44:57,167 --> 00:44:59,125 They're with Jesus. 768 00:44:59,167 --> 00:45:02,875 He's their parents--or rather, they're his parents 769 00:45:02,958 --> 00:45:07,875 but he's their Lord. 770 00:45:07,958 --> 00:45:11,583 We learn three things about what it means to be Jesus' people, 771 00:45:11,667 --> 00:45:14,083 difficulties, duties, and delights. 772 00:45:14,167 --> 00:45:19,083 Difficulties, to say the least, was Mary and Joseph's life 773 00:45:19,167 --> 00:45:23,167 easier or harder once Jesus arrived? 774 00:45:23,208 --> 00:45:25,000 Harder. 775 00:45:25,042 --> 00:45:28,167 Let me be clear. 776 00:45:28,208 --> 00:45:31,375 I can't promise you that if you stick close to Jesus 777 00:45:31,458 --> 00:45:33,083 you're gonna get rich. 778 00:45:33,167 --> 00:45:34,792 You may be poor like them. 779 00:45:34,833 --> 00:45:37,000 I can't promise you that life will be simple. 780 00:45:37,042 --> 00:45:38,625 It might get complex like theirs. 781 00:45:38,667 --> 00:45:41,333 I can't promise you that your suffering will go away. 782 00:45:41,375 --> 00:45:44,417 It might intensify as theirs did. 783 00:45:44,500 --> 00:45:48,000 We don't come to Jesus to use him for an easier life. 784 00:45:48,042 --> 00:45:52,208 We come to Jesus for eternal life, 785 00:45:52,292 --> 00:45:55,125 which is a quality of life that begins now, 786 00:45:55,167 --> 00:45:59,625 and a duration of life that lasts forever. 787 00:45:59,667 --> 00:46:02,375 They had difficulties, not the least of which 788 00:46:02,458 --> 00:46:04,792 was all the moving. 789 00:46:04,833 --> 00:46:06,792 I mean, you just look at the difficulties. 790 00:46:06,833 --> 00:46:09,250 They're probably teenagers. They're poor. 791 00:46:09,333 --> 00:46:11,875 Joseph's trying, as a carpenter, to make ends meet 792 00:46:11,958 --> 00:46:13,500 to feed his family. 793 00:46:13,542 --> 00:46:15,333 Any of you men feel that? 794 00:46:15,417 --> 00:46:17,167 Just feeding your family is hard enough. 795 00:46:17,250 --> 00:46:19,583 Imagine you keep moving, unannounced, 796 00:46:19,667 --> 00:46:23,958 to a different country in the middle of the night. 797 00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:26,333 It's difficult. 798 00:46:26,417 --> 00:46:32,667 Everybody's gonna think that your wife is a tramp. 799 00:46:32,750 --> 00:46:36,167 Your son is gonna have all kinds of confusion because 800 00:46:36,250 --> 00:46:41,083 he's Immanuel, God with us. 801 00:46:41,167 --> 00:46:44,208 Now, go from Nazareth to Bethlehem with your 802 00:46:44,292 --> 00:46:47,792 pregnant wife so Micah 5:2 can be fulfilled, 803 00:46:47,833 --> 00:46:49,500 and he can be born in Bethlehem. 804 00:46:49,583 --> 00:46:51,875 Oh, they're trying to kill him. Complicated. 805 00:46:51,958 --> 00:46:54,125 Who is? The king. 806 00:46:54,167 --> 00:46:55,833 "Well, who do I call?" 807 00:46:55,875 --> 00:46:57,500 Can't call the police. 808 00:46:57,583 --> 00:46:59,708 You can't call the military because it's the king 809 00:46:59,792 --> 00:47:02,792 who's trying to kill your son. 810 00:47:02,833 --> 00:47:06,667 Move to Egypt, they're in Egypt for a while. 811 00:47:06,750 --> 00:47:09,292 Move to Nazareth, moved to Nazareth for a while. 812 00:47:09,333 --> 00:47:15,333 It's difficult because everything for Jesus is hard. 813 00:47:15,417 --> 00:47:18,292 Everything for Jesus is hard. 814 00:47:18,333 --> 00:47:21,167 If you're gonna be with Jesus and do what's right for Jesus, 815 00:47:21,250 --> 00:47:22,583 it's gonna be hard. 816 00:47:22,667 --> 00:47:25,583 It's gonna be hard in ministry. It's gonna be hard in business. 817 00:47:25,667 --> 00:47:27,083 It's gonna be hard in families. 818 00:47:27,167 --> 00:47:29,167 It's gonna be hard in relationships. 819 00:47:29,250 --> 00:47:31,792 It's gonna be hard financially, emotionally, spiritually, 820 00:47:31,833 --> 00:47:33,375 mentally hard. 821 00:47:33,458 --> 00:47:35,000 You know why? Because there's resistance. 822 00:47:35,083 --> 00:47:36,500 You know why there's resistance? 823 00:47:36,583 --> 00:47:39,208 Because Satan hates Jesus, and he makes life hard 824 00:47:39,292 --> 00:47:44,667 for all the people who are close to Jesus. 825 00:47:44,750 --> 00:47:47,375 There's a lot of difficulties. 826 00:47:47,458 --> 00:47:53,000 That's the story of Mary and Joseph. 827 00:47:53,042 --> 00:47:56,500 In addition to the difficulties, there are duties. 828 00:47:56,542 --> 00:48:01,667 One of the things I love about Joseph is his simple obedience. 829 00:48:01,750 --> 00:48:03,958 He doesn't say much. 830 00:48:04,000 --> 00:48:07,667 We don't get any indication that he felt much, he just does much. 831 00:48:07,750 --> 00:48:11,375 Some people feel a lot, say a lot, don't do a lot. 832 00:48:11,458 --> 00:48:12,875 Joseph doesn't say anything. 833 00:48:12,958 --> 00:48:14,583 I don't know if you've seen that. 834 00:48:14,667 --> 00:48:16,375 He's definitely the strong silent type. 835 00:48:16,458 --> 00:48:20,000 All it says is, "An angel came to him in a dream and told him 836 00:48:20,042 --> 00:48:23,000 "in the middle of the night to grab his wife and baby 837 00:48:23,042 --> 00:48:25,000 and move to another country and he did." 838 00:48:25,042 --> 00:48:26,667 "Well, how did he feel about that?" 839 00:48:26,750 --> 00:48:28,083 We don't know. 840 00:48:28,167 --> 00:48:31,000 "What did he say?" I don't know. 841 00:48:31,042 --> 00:48:33,167 "Mary, please get up." 842 00:48:33,250 --> 00:48:35,333 That's--maybe he said that. 843 00:48:35,375 --> 00:48:39,500 We don't know what he said. 844 00:48:39,583 --> 00:48:43,000 Some of you men have a wrong portrait of what it means to be 845 00:48:43,042 --> 00:48:44,917 a godly man. 846 00:48:45,000 --> 00:48:47,833 Some of you are called to teach as I am. 847 00:48:47,875 --> 00:48:53,708 We're all called to obey, and if you'll trust the Lord and obey, 848 00:48:53,792 --> 00:48:56,625 that's maturity. 849 00:48:56,667 --> 00:48:58,833 Some of you say, "I don't--sometimes I don't know 850 00:48:58,875 --> 00:49:00,375 what to say." 851 00:49:00,458 --> 00:49:02,500 Joseph doesn't say anything. 852 00:49:02,542 --> 00:49:05,458 Sometimes that's the best thing to say. 853 00:49:05,500 --> 00:49:06,958 We don't know what he felt. 854 00:49:07,000 --> 00:49:08,458 He don't know what he said. 855 00:49:08,500 --> 00:49:14,167 We know what he did. 856 00:49:14,250 --> 00:49:16,750 "Give your life to Mary as her husband." 857 00:49:16,833 --> 00:49:18,583 "Okay." 858 00:49:18,667 --> 00:49:20,083 "Go to Bethlehem." "Okay." 859 00:49:20,167 --> 00:49:22,000 "Go to Egypt." "Okay." 860 00:49:22,042 --> 00:49:25,083 "Go back to Nazareth." "Okay." 861 00:49:25,167 --> 00:49:28,375 And I love that his obedience was immediate. 862 00:49:28,458 --> 00:49:31,500 Careful reading in the text says that he went at night. 863 00:49:31,542 --> 00:49:33,250 You know what that meant? 864 00:49:33,333 --> 00:49:35,208 He had a dream, an angel showed up. 865 00:49:35,292 --> 00:49:37,167 He wakes up middle of the night, 866 00:49:37,250 --> 00:49:42,000 "Mary, grab Jesus, we're leaving." 867 00:49:42,083 --> 00:49:45,792 And I love the fact that Mary goes with him, okay? 868 00:49:45,833 --> 00:49:49,000 Ladies, ladies, you see that? 869 00:49:49,042 --> 00:49:50,583 She goes with him. 870 00:49:50,667 --> 00:49:53,167 She doesn't, you know, jump on Facebook, 871 00:49:53,250 --> 00:49:56,625 "My husband got a dream from an angel that we're supposed to 872 00:49:56,667 --> 00:49:58,417 "walk to Canada right now. 873 00:49:58,500 --> 00:50:01,125 "So pray for the drug test. 874 00:50:01,167 --> 00:50:02,708 The police are on the way." 875 00:50:02,792 --> 00:50:07,417 You know, I mean it doesn't--right? 876 00:50:07,500 --> 00:50:10,417 He walks so closely with the Lord that the Lord 877 00:50:10,500 --> 00:50:12,625 can speak to him as head of household, 878 00:50:12,667 --> 00:50:15,208 and when he explains it to his wife she says, 879 00:50:15,292 --> 00:50:17,417 "Well, I trust you and I trust the Lord. 880 00:50:17,500 --> 00:50:19,292 Let me get Jesus. We'll walk now." 881 00:50:19,333 --> 00:50:20,792 What are they walking away from? 882 00:50:20,833 --> 00:50:23,000 Well, every time they move, they're leaving his job, 883 00:50:23,042 --> 00:50:24,500 they're leaving their possessions, family, friends, 884 00:50:24,583 --> 00:50:26,000 comfort, security. 885 00:50:26,083 --> 00:50:27,500 They don't have time to pack. 886 00:50:27,542 --> 00:50:29,000 They don't have time to move. 887 00:50:29,042 --> 00:50:31,000 They don't have time to make a plan. 888 00:50:31,042 --> 00:50:33,708 They don't know where they're gonna live in the next country. 889 00:50:33,792 --> 00:50:35,458 For those of you who are organized, 890 00:50:35,500 --> 00:50:36,833 this is faith, right? 891 00:50:36,917 --> 00:50:38,708 This is faith. 892 00:50:38,792 --> 00:50:42,625 But they obey. 893 00:50:42,667 --> 00:50:45,250 I'm glad that they didn't stay and argue because Jesus 894 00:50:45,333 --> 00:50:47,417 might have died. 895 00:50:47,500 --> 00:50:53,333 Sometimes when the Lord says, "Do this, don't do that," 896 00:50:53,417 --> 00:50:57,333 it's because he loves us and he knows what's going to happen, 897 00:50:57,375 --> 00:51:03,458 and he's trying to get us to move quickly for our safety. 898 00:51:06,375 --> 00:51:10,125 Praise God that sometimes he answers our prayers no. 899 00:51:10,167 --> 00:51:12,167 "Can I stay?" "No." 900 00:51:12,250 --> 00:51:13,625 "Can I go?" 901 00:51:13,667 --> 00:51:15,708 "Not yet" or "no." 902 00:51:15,792 --> 00:51:17,875 See, a good parent, a mother or father, 903 00:51:17,958 --> 00:51:21,500 knows that if you always say yes, you don't love your child. 904 00:51:21,542 --> 00:51:23,208 Amen? 905 00:51:23,292 --> 00:51:25,708 Because they're going to ask for things that are not 906 00:51:25,792 --> 00:51:28,000 in their best interest or it leads to danger. 907 00:51:28,042 --> 00:51:30,208 Some of you have been asking God for things. 908 00:51:30,292 --> 00:51:32,000 I don't know about Mary and Joseph, 909 00:51:32,083 --> 00:51:33,500 maybe they wanted to stay somewhere. 910 00:51:33,583 --> 00:51:35,208 Maybe they wanted to settle down. 911 00:51:35,292 --> 00:51:38,500 Maybe they were tired of all of the chaos and the death sentence 912 00:51:38,583 --> 00:51:41,625 on their Son but when God moves them, 913 00:51:41,667 --> 00:51:44,417 he moves them because he loves them and he moves them 914 00:51:44,500 --> 00:51:46,167 so that his love might protect them. 915 00:51:46,250 --> 00:51:47,875 So it is for us. 916 00:51:47,958 --> 00:51:50,125 Don't question the goodness of God. 917 00:51:50,167 --> 00:51:53,583 Trust, trust the goodness of God and obey the commands of God. 918 00:51:53,667 --> 00:51:57,417 That's the dutiful picture of Mary and Joseph. 919 00:51:57,500 --> 00:51:59,375 And then there are delights. 920 00:51:59,458 --> 00:52:01,292 So to be Jesus' people is difficulties, 921 00:52:01,333 --> 00:52:03,083 duties, and delights. 922 00:52:03,167 --> 00:52:06,500 Here's what Mary and Joseph don't have: stellar reputations. 923 00:52:06,542 --> 00:52:10,000 Here's what they don't have: economic certainty. 924 00:52:10,042 --> 00:52:12,875 Here's what they don't have: all of their possessions. 925 00:52:12,958 --> 00:52:15,667 Here's what they don't have: close proximity 926 00:52:15,708 --> 00:52:18,667 to their family and friends. 927 00:52:18,708 --> 00:52:21,667 Here's what they don't have: 928 00:52:21,750 --> 00:52:24,875 certainty about what the future holds. 929 00:52:24,958 --> 00:52:28,375 Here's what they do have: Jesus. 930 00:52:28,458 --> 00:52:31,458 They have Jesus. 931 00:52:35,542 --> 00:52:37,250 Do you have Jesus? 932 00:52:38,792 --> 00:52:41,000 Do you have Jesus? 933 00:52:41,042 --> 00:52:45,333 If you do, you have everything. 934 00:52:45,375 --> 00:52:50,000 And if you don't, you have nothing. 935 00:52:50,042 --> 00:52:54,167 Father God, I thank you that I get to teach the Word, 936 00:52:54,250 --> 00:52:56,833 preach the Word. 937 00:52:56,875 --> 00:53:00,167 I love what I get to do. 938 00:53:00,208 --> 00:53:02,500 God, I thank you that in your providence, 939 00:53:02,542 --> 00:53:07,750 the slaughter of the innocents in the book of Matthew is 940 00:53:07,833 --> 00:53:13,500 in the season of national and international mourning. 941 00:53:13,542 --> 00:53:20,458 Holy Spirit, I repent of not trusting you when you said 942 00:53:20,500 --> 00:53:23,833 to teach through the first few chapters of Matthew. 943 00:53:23,917 --> 00:53:25,750 This section didn't make any sense. 944 00:53:25,833 --> 00:53:27,500 I didn't want to teach this one. 945 00:53:27,542 --> 00:53:30,250 It seemed like such a downer for a Christmas series, 946 00:53:30,333 --> 00:53:34,917 and it seemed like it didn't fit. 947 00:53:35,000 --> 00:53:40,375 Holy Spirit, thank you for compelling me to put it on 948 00:53:40,458 --> 00:53:44,500 the list and put it on the net and agree to teach it. 949 00:53:44,542 --> 00:53:46,875 Even though I didn't know the future, 950 00:53:46,958 --> 00:53:53,708 you did and that timeless Word proves to be so timely. 951 00:53:53,792 --> 00:53:56,333 Lord Jesus, I pray for our people that they would 952 00:53:56,375 --> 00:53:58,833 love the Scriptures, and study the Scriptures, 953 00:53:58,875 --> 00:54:00,875 and trust the Scriptures, 954 00:54:00,958 --> 00:54:03,458 and know that what they're studying today is 955 00:54:03,500 --> 00:54:06,458 probably a fitting Word for tomorrow. 956 00:54:06,500 --> 00:54:11,500 They just don't know what tomorrow holds, but you do. 957 00:54:11,542 --> 00:54:15,875 Lord Jesus, I pray for those of us who are murderers, that we 958 00:54:15,958 --> 00:54:18,375 would not live under guilt, and condemnation, 959 00:54:18,458 --> 00:54:20,542 and accusation, and shame, 960 00:54:20,625 --> 00:54:23,792 for there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. 961 00:54:23,833 --> 00:54:26,667 I pray that they would hear the echo of the words 962 00:54:26,708 --> 00:54:28,875 of the Lord Jesus from the cross, 963 00:54:28,958 --> 00:54:33,542 "Forgiven," and "It is finished." 964 00:54:33,625 --> 00:54:37,917 Lord God, I thank you that, though I can't prove it 965 00:54:38,000 --> 00:54:41,292 biblically, I trust it practically, 966 00:54:41,333 --> 00:54:43,500 children who don't make it out of the womb, 967 00:54:43,583 --> 00:54:45,833 including the one that Grace and I miscarried, 968 00:54:45,875 --> 00:54:48,500 they go into the Father's arms forever and one day 969 00:54:48,542 --> 00:54:52,583 we will see them again. 970 00:54:52,667 --> 00:54:56,333 Lord God, I pray for those who think like murderers. 971 00:54:56,375 --> 00:54:58,125 They've got philosophical reasons, 972 00:54:58,167 --> 00:55:00,333 and psychological reasons, and social reasons, 973 00:55:00,417 --> 00:55:03,000 and medical reasons, and personal reasons, 974 00:55:03,042 --> 00:55:08,083 and they're being very unreasonable. 975 00:55:08,167 --> 00:55:11,333 I pray, Lord God, that they would come to repentance, 976 00:55:11,417 --> 00:55:14,167 that they would come to Jesus, that they would come to 977 00:55:14,250 --> 00:55:16,292 a new heart and a new mind. 978 00:55:16,333 --> 00:55:20,000 I pray they would not feel like they need a new church. 979 00:55:20,042 --> 00:55:23,042 I pray that they would see that they need to come to 980 00:55:23,125 --> 00:55:27,375 a new understanding. 981 00:55:27,458 --> 00:55:30,750 Lord God, for those like Herod, 982 00:55:30,833 --> 00:55:35,000 we rejoice that though he did not get justice in this life, 983 00:55:35,083 --> 00:55:38,500 he got justice at the end of this life. 984 00:55:38,542 --> 00:55:44,292 Lord Jesus, he... 985 00:55:44,333 --> 00:55:47,125 he's judged by you. 986 00:55:47,167 --> 00:55:51,833 Holy Spirit, I thank you for showing me that right now, 987 00:55:51,875 --> 00:55:56,708 that Herod stood before the resurrected Jesus, 988 00:55:56,792 --> 00:56:02,083 and gave an account for his life and his family. 989 00:56:02,167 --> 00:56:05,667 Lord Jesus, we thank you that you are no longer a babe 990 00:56:05,750 --> 00:56:10,458 in a manger, but you're God on a throne. 991 00:56:10,500 --> 00:56:15,000 And Lord, we know that though some things are legal, 992 00:56:15,042 --> 00:56:18,500 like Herod's slaughter of the innocents or our nation's 993 00:56:18,542 --> 00:56:23,167 slaughter of the innocents through abortion, 994 00:56:23,250 --> 00:56:26,167 that there is ultimately another court, and another King, 995 00:56:26,208 --> 00:56:30,583 and another judge, and another sentencing. 996 00:56:30,667 --> 00:56:33,958 So Lord Jesus, as we repent of our sin and fight for justice on 997 00:56:34,000 --> 00:56:37,375 this earth, we thank you that ultimately everything 998 00:56:37,458 --> 00:56:41,333 will forever be settled in your presence. 999 00:56:41,375 --> 00:56:46,875 Until then, give us joy, and give us hope, and give us peace. 1000 00:56:46,958 --> 00:56:49,333 Let us celebrate at the birth of every child. 1001 00:56:49,375 --> 00:56:53,583 Let us fight the injustice against any child. 1002 00:56:53,667 --> 00:56:56,292 And Lord Jesus, for those of us who are parents 1003 00:56:56,333 --> 00:56:58,625 and grandparents, when we hold our kids, 1004 00:56:58,667 --> 00:57:04,542 may we hold them tight, and kiss them long and say, 1005 00:57:04,625 --> 00:57:08,500 "Thank you, Lord." 1006 00:57:08,542 --> 00:57:10,542 In Jesus' name, amen. 1007 00:57:10,708 --> 00:57:13,583 Each year, over 10 million Mars Hill church sermons 1008 00:57:13,667 --> 00:57:16,708 are downloaded worldwide for free. 1009 00:57:16,792 --> 00:57:19,167 This ministry is generously supported 1010 00:57:19,167 --> 00:57:21,792 by Mars Hill church members and listeners like you. 1011 00:57:22,167 --> 00:57:25,458 If you'd like to support our efforts to preach Jesus to the world, 1012 00:57:25,500 --> 00:57:28,458 please consider making a tax-deductible donation 1013 00:57:28,500 --> 00:57:31,333 by visiting marshill.com/give.