Christmas 2012
He’s Worth the Wait
Matthew 1:21-2:1-6
        
We have been trying to think through the mindset of a first-century Jew as they anticpated the coming of the Messiah.  What was it like to waiting for the very first Christmas? 
 
Zacharias gives us a little bit of insight and we’ve been studying his song of praise.  He has sung to us of a covenant keeping God.  God would keep His covenant with David that promised an everlasting kingdom and throne. 
 
God would keep His covenant with Abraham that promised a land and name and blessing.
 
God would keep the New Covenant prophesied through Jeremiah that provided forgiveness of sin and a new heart resulting in light and peace. 
 
And He would do it through His Son who would come into this world and be born as the Messiah.  This morning I want to focus ont hat Child whose birth we still celebrate and remind you of why He was worth the wait. 
 
Text
 
What is it about Christ that made Him worth the wait?  What is it that gave the Jew down through the centuries such hope?
 
I would suggest to you that the answer is found in the names and titles that are given to Jesus.
In this text I have read to you there are four titles given to Christ, each of which gives us insight into why He was worth the wait; they reveal to us how He fulfilled the covenant promises of God and why His birth is so significant to us today. 
 
First of all, let's consider the name
 
1. Jesus
 
verse 21
 
"And she will bear a son and you shall call His name Jesus."  Why?  "Because it is He who will save His people from their sins." 
 
That is a direct fulfillment of the New Covenant that we studied last week.  Zacharias sang of One who would come bring “the remission of sin”. 
 
And through the name Jesus, we are reminded that He gives salvation to His people.  He saves them from their sins. 
 
The name Jesus, by the way, is the sweetest name the world has ever heard. 
 
It is used over 700 times in the New Testament.  It is a form of the Hebrew word Yeshua, translated Joshua.  It means Yahweh or God will save. 
 
Luke 2:11 says He would be born a Savior.  Mark 10:45 says the Son of Man is come to save.  Luke 19:10, "He is come to save.  He shall save His people from their sins." That is a glorious reality.
 
The Apostle Paul writing in Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 7 says, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses." 
 
Now the implication here is that men are sinners and that sin is reality from which man needs to be saved, or delivered, or rescued.  And Jesus came into the world to save you from your sins. 
 
In what sense?  Certainly, there is the eternal sense of the word.  That means we are saved from the consequences of our sin.  We may not like to think about it; we don’t even like the sound of the word, but hell is a reality.  We don’t hear much about that at Christmas time.  Were too busy looking at a baby in a manger, but never lose sight of the fact that the reason that baby came was to save us from hell. 
 
Salvation is by definition a rescuing from the consequence of sin. 
 
At the Last Supper as Jesus gathered with His disciples the night before He was to be taken prisoner and then crucified.  We are told He took a cup of wine, representing His own blood, the blood of the New Covenant, by the way. 
 
And Matthew records for us that He said, that blood would be poured out for the forgiveness of sins. 
 
In Acts 13:38-39 the Scripture says, "Through Him, that is Jesus, forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things." 
 
Don’t miss the fact that He was a child born to provide forgiveness for sins. 
Israel's great holy day is the day of atonement.  Annually the ancient Jews celebrated that one day in which a great offering was given for all the sins of all the people through the previous year. 
 
On that day, according to Leviticus chapter 16, the high priest would select two sacrificial goats.  One of those goats was killed and his blood was splattered all over the altar as a sacrifice for sin.  There is great symbolism in that in regard to sin as the people saw that death was required to pay for sin. 
 
But the other animal was not killed.  The high priest would go to the other goat and put his hands on that goat, symbolically transferring the sins of all the people on to that goat and then that goat was taken into the wilderness so far away that it could never find its way back or be seen again. 
 
Symbolically, God ordained that simple and graphic ceremony to show that where there was a sacrifice for sins and there was a removal of sin so that they would never ever be brought to attention again.
 
Now watch this:  the goat that was slaughtered couldn't really pay the price; it could only symbolize the one who could and that goat that carried sin out into the wilderness symbolically couldn't really carry away sin but it symbolized the one who could. 
 
When Jesus came, He came as One.  He is THE sacrifice for our sin, and he is our Scapegoat.  He is the sacrifice for sin and He carried our sins away. 
 
In fact Zacharias knew what He was singing about and the New Testament writers understood the language as they wrote. 
They wrote and sang about the “forgiveness” of sin.  The word "forgive" means to send away, to dismiss.  It is used in legal terminology to refer to canceling a debt or granting a pardon. 
 
So through His death on the cross, Jesus took the sins of all of us on Himself and died our death as a blood sacrifice for our sins and then carried them away an infinite distance from where they will never return again.
 
What a blessed reality that Jesus Christ came into the world to forgive sin.  It doesn't mean that we don't commit sin, we do.  It doesn't mean that sin won't have harmful effects in this life, it does.  What it does mean is we will never pay the ultimate penalty for sin.  It's been paid.  We will never die eternally, we will never spend a moment in hell, we will go from this life into heaven. 
 
That’s why the angels said, “Call His name Jesus because He will save people from their sins”.
 
Then notice the second title given to the child of Christmas.  Its found in verse 23
 
2. Emanuel
 
Here we find the second part of the fulfillment of the New Covenant.  The very thing God promised through Jeremiah is that there would come a day when He would be our God and we would be His people.  He was speaking of the intimacy of relationship.  It wouldn’t be a long distance relationship with distance between us. 
 
But there is also a direct link to the Davidic covenant.  To see that, we need to see a little of the background.  Now verse 23 is a direct quote from the Old Testament.  It is taken from Isaiah chapter 7:14.
 
The scene in Isaiah chapter 7 is during the reign of King Ahaz in Judah.  You remember that after Solomon's life the kingdom was split. Israel in the north, ten tribes, Judah in the south with just Judah and the tribe of Benjamin. 
 
The Northern Kingdom was apostate, the Southern Kingdom at times was true to Jehovah God.  It is in the Southern Kingdom that Isaiah is prophesying.  It is in the Southern Kingdom that Ahaz is king.  Ahaz, by the way, is the son of one of the great kings, Uzziah. 
 
But even though Ahaz was the son of the great Uzziah, he filled Jerusalem with idols.  He reinstated the worship of the pagan god Molech which required sacrificial burning of babies.  In fact, he burned his own baby on the altar to Molech. 
 
He was so wicked and so evil that even wicked kings around him thought he was wicked and got upset with what he was doing.  Two of them, a man named Rezin who was king of Syria and a man named Pekah who was ruling over the territory of Israel decided to get rid of Ahaz. 
 
In the face of such a threat he decided to strengthen his hand, not by turning to God to preserve the Davidic line and preserve the people, but by turning to the Assyrian king Tiglath- Pileser. 
His idea was if he made an alliance with this great Assyrian monarch, then Rezin and Pekah would be intimidated and not attack.  In fact, he was so adamant about it that he went and plundered the temple, stole all the gold and silver and gave it to Tiglath-Pileser to buy him and his allegiance. 
 
It was precisely at that time that God said, "Isaiah, you need to go have a talk with Ahaz."  So God sent Isaiah to Ahaz to confront him, to tell him not to trust the Assyrians but trust the living God. 
 
In spite of all of his evil he said, "God will preserve your people and God will preserve the Davidic line.  He will deliver you from those two kings.  You don't need this alliance with the Assyrian."  Ahaz refused to listen.  And it's at that juncture that the prophet said this, "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son and they shall call His name Emanuel." 
 
So what’s the point?  What's he saying?  How does this fit?  He's saying, “God is saying to you no one will be allowed to destroy the people of God and no one will be allowed to destroy David's royal line.  The virgin shall be with child, shall bear a son, shall call His name Emanuel. God has a plan and it’s going to come to pass.” 
 
That's what he's saying.  Even if the armies of Rezin and Pekah come against you, the virgin born Son of God who is Emanuel will come.
 
Now what does that mean?  Listen carefully to this.  What Isaiah is saying to him is God has promised not to forsake His people.  That's what he's saying.  You don't have to fear these two petty kings.
God won't forsake you.  In fact, when the Messiah comes it will be God with us.  God not only will not forsake you, He will come among you.  Just trust Him, He won't forsake you. 
 
In fact, what does Emanuel mean?  It means God lives among us.  Therefore the promise is, God is not only not going to forsake you, He is going to be present with His people. 
 
The child of Christmas is Emanuel, God with us.  That child that was born that day though fully human was also fully God.  In the Old Testament the presence of God was in the tabernacle, the presence of God was in the temple.  And now in the New Testament the presence of God is in a body in the person of Christ.
 
That’s the historical significance, but what does it mean to you and me? 
 
Listen to Hebrews 2:14
 
We have flesh and blood, so He took flesh and blood.  We share the same common physical elements.  He became flesh and blood.  He added to Himself our nature to die our death to save us from our sins. 
 
But there's more, look at verse 17. 
 
He had to be fully human in every sense in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest.  A priest is someone who intercedes for you, someone who goes to God for you.  How can He go to God for us and plead our case and ask God to help us if He doesn't understand us? 
So a priest was always chosen from among men because he could then pray for the needs of men because he knew what they were.  Jesus became one of us in order that He might rightly represent us as our faithful high priest before God.  
 
And verse 18 says He Himself was tempted in that which He suffered and so He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.  He knew temptation.  He knew testing.  He knew suffering. 
 
In fact, chapter 4 verse 15 says, "He was tempted in all things like we are but without sin."  He never sinned, but He still knew all the temptations.
 
He was hungry, He was thirsty, He was tired, He slept, He learned, He was glad, He was sad, He was angry, He was indignant, He was grieved, He was troubled, He was disappointed, He was tearful.  He was overcome by the prospect of future events.  He exercised faith.  He read the Scripture.  He prayed.  He sighed with an aching heart.  He felt everything. 
 
He is not some cosmic God who is indifferent.  He knows our hurts and He knows our weaknesses.  And He's not only the Christ of salvation but He's the Christ of sympathy.  The child born that day was God with us to feel what we feel, to experience what we experience, to be tempted and tested as we are tempted and tested in order that He might sympathize with us on the one hand, in order that He might aid us on the other hand. 
 
It's not just to sympathize, it's also to aid us.  Yes we cast our care on Him because He cares for us, but it says here in Hebrews 2:18 He is able to come to the aid of those who are tested.  God with us.
What does it mean to come to our aid?  What does He do?  I'll tell you what He does.  He gives you the courage to face your cares.  He gives you the wisdom to understand your cares.  He gives you the strength to endure your cares.  And He gives you the faith to trust Him for the rest. 
 
Call Him Emmanuel, God with us not only to understand us but help us. 
 
Jesus, He saves us from our sins.  Emanuel, He's God with us to help us in our struggle. 
 
Third title
 
3. King
 
Notice Matthew 2:2
 
He came not only to save His people from their sins, He came not only to sympathize and help His people, but He came to rule the world.  Down in verse 6 it says He will be a ruler. Now we are seeing the fulfillment of the Davidic kingdom again. 
 
It is now many months after the birth of Christ when the wise men arrive.  Chapter 2 verse 11 says the family is in a house by now.  And the wise men have come a long journey.  They go to King Herod to find out about this other King. 
 
And, of course, King Herod is paranoid.  King Herod is a maniac of the worst order.  King Herod isn't even a king and that's why he was so nervous.  He is an Indumaean who was put into that position by the Romans.  He was a political king. 
He had been in a long time by now but he was paranoid about losing his position.  So paranoid was he that if he didn't like somebody he got rid of them.  If he felt them threatening him, he killed them.  He drowned the high priest for one.  He murdered his wife.  He murdered his wife's mother and he murdered three of his sons because he thought they were all threatening to his throne.
 
And then he went through the city of Jerusalem, found all the most distinguished citizens in the whole population and said to his soldiers, "Put them all in prison and keep them in prison and the minute I die execute all of them." 
 
And when asked why he said, "Because no one will mourn when I die and when I die I want mourning in Jerusalem.  And if they won't mourn for me they'll mourn for them." 
 
So when he heard there was a little baby king born he set out to murder all the male children under two years of age and massacred babies all over.  He was paranoid.  He was a maniac. 
 
And in stark contrast to this man who wasn't a true king who didn’t come from a royal line and who wasn't even a Jew is the true King of the Jews, Jesus.  Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?
 
We are told the wise men brought fitting gifts for a king of gold frankincense and myrrh.  How surprised they must have been to find what they found when they got there. 
 
Because even though He was a king, in fact THE King of kings and Lord of lords, it sure didn’t look like it most of the time. 
 
Remember, the Jews were waiting for something to fix the mess they were in.  When is He going to assert Himself? 
 
Even Pilate confronted Him and said, "Are You a King?"  And He said, "Yes, I am a King."  But He said, "My Kingdom is not of this world, if it were of this world My servants would fight." 
 
He said, "I'm a King but My Kingdom is a spiritual Kingdom."  Yes He was a King, but not a king like other kings and yet a king unlike any other king, a king over all kings. 
 
Follow Him through Scripture and you won’t have any trouble recognizing Him as a king. 
 
In Psalm 2 the Father said to the Son, "This day have I begotten Thee and I have given Thee the nations of the world as Thine inheritance and Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron." 
 
In the book of Revelation we look to the future and we see Jesus as He assumes His earthly throne.  It tells us in Revelation 11:15, "And the seventh angel sounded and there arose loud voices in heaven saying, The Kingdom of this world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ and He will reign forever and ever."  
 
Chapter 12:5 says, "And she gave birth to a son, a male child who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron." 
And we see Him as He comes to His Kingdom in Revelation 19, heaven opens up, He comes on a white horse, His name is faithful and true. 
 
Verse 11 says, "And in righteousness He judges and wages war and His eyes are a flame of fire and upon His head are many diadems and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself and He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood and His name is called the Word of God.  And the armies which are in heaven clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses and from His mouth comes a sharp sword so that He may smite the nations and He will rule them with a rod of iron and He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God almighty.  And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords." 
 
He will come and I believe He will come soon.  He will come as the equalizer.  He will come as the avenger.  He will come as the King, the puny petty little monarchs of this world who raise their fists in some kind of declaration of their power as if they ruled anything will learn who really rules. 
 
Like Nebuchadnezzar who thought he had made his own kingdom and wound up eating grass in insanity because he thought he could take the glory of the true king, all the monarchs of this world will bow their knee to Jesus Christ when He comes in His kingly glory. 
 
He is King in the spiritual Kingdom, He will be King over the world and the universe in the future. And as you look at that little babe in the manger, that is a Christmas reality.  What a child. 
Jesus, He saves His people from their sins.  Emanuel, He is God with us, sympathetic high priest, able to understand and to aid us.  King who rules a spiritual Kingdom which will someday come to His people and at which point He will rule the world. 
 
And finally, verse 4 gives us one more very familiar term, it says that he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born.  The Christ is just a term that means the
 
4. Christ
 
He is “the anointed One”.
 
God's special anointed one.  And it reflects His right to rule, His right to have authority and sovereignty as the promised Messiah of God.  There's so much in that term that we can't focus on at all but let me just capture one element that I believe is inherent in that. 
 
When you have the great prophecy of Isaiah chapter 9 introducing the coming Messiah, it says that there will be a child, a son, and He will be wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, or the Father of eternity or the eternal Father, you could translate it a number of ways, the Messiah is the eternal one and He is the eternal Father in the sense that He is the eternal generator of life.  He is the life giver. 
 
And in that we find the fulfillment of the Abrahaic covenant.  In the first chapter of John, John says "In Him was life”. 
 
 
That’s what God was giving to Abram; life that was centered in the blessing and knowledge of God. 
 
And in like manner, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 
 
Jesus said, “I am come, that you might have .  I am, John 11:25 and 26 says, I am the resurrection and the life.  He that believeth in Me though he were dead yet shall he live, and he that liveth and believeth in Me shall never die, do you believe this? 
 
John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life,"
 
John 14:19, "Because I live you shall live also." 
 
Peter says, "You have put to death the prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead." 
 
So when you think about this child think of Him as the originator and giver of life.  And not only that, think of the abundance of life. 
 
God said to Abram, “I’m going to bless you and bless others through you.”
 
Jesus gives abundantly and freely and generously!   
 
And so, I say to you, friends, that no matter how bleak the day, no matter how lonely the life, no matter how painful the situation, no matter how stark the scene, no matter how mistreated, rejected, scorned, and unjustly treated you are, no matter what life is dishing out to you, no matter how unfulfilled, you can live in the abundance of life both now and forever because of Christ!
Now, somewhere along the way, Christmas got way too complicated, and unfortunately, many will never understand the true meaning of Christmas. They’re too busy with Santa Claus and gift-buying and decorations and parties and they miss it. 
 
In fact, they are so busy waiting for Christmas to get here they don’t realize that it’s already come.  And if they could just learn to slow down a bit and puse for a moment they would find Christ and the real message of Christmas. 
 
Let me show you what I mean.
I guess everyone knows what a musical scale it.  We used to learn it like this:
 
Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti-Do
 
It’s actually a series of eight consecutive notes on the piano, and the real meaning of Christmas is found in those eight notes.
 
Did you hear it?  It’s a little easier if we play them in descending order!
 
How about then?
 
Remember I told you what people need to do is just pause a little because when you take some time and pause you discover the real meaning of Christmas. 
 
(Joy to the World)
 
 
 
 
His name is not Jesus, Emanuel, King, Christ because He's our example.
 
His name is not Jesus, Emanuel, King, Christ because He's our teacher. 
 
His name is not Jesus, Emanuel, King, Christ because He's our guide. 
 
His name is not Jesus, Emanuel, King, Christ because He's our friend.  
 
He is all of that but His name is Jesus because He saves us from our sins. 
 
His name is Emanuel because He is our sympathizing strengthener, He is God with us. 
 
His name is King because He's our sovereign and the sovereign of the universe. 
 
And His name is Christ because He is the source of our life.   And when you know all that and when you believe all that and when you confess all that, then you have seen through the trappings to the simplicity of the birth of Christ.
 
Listen:  He was worth the wait, and praise the Lord, the Wait is over! 
 
Let's pray