I'd like to turn your Bibles again to Matthew's gospel, chapter two. Of course this morning we were considering the claims that Matthew presents to his audience of the rightful kingship of the Lord Jesus Christ. Considered briefly that wonderful genealogy there that Matthew presents to us, and also that very simple verse in verse 16, Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. And just in that simple statement, we have the heart of the gospel. that one who was born, Jesus, was born and conceived of the Holy Spirit. In itself a wonder, isn't it, that God should be contracted to that span, that small embryo, that seed, and that almighty God was compressed and then developed as a young child and came forth from the Virgin's womb. And through that simple statement, we see there that the Lord Jesus is the God-man. And I suggested to you that if this was a fabrication, that Matthew would embellish that simple statement. And Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who was called the Christ. He would have embellished it, made much of that story, that narrative, but a simple statement. born the Christ. Matthew's intention of this gospel is to reinforce the truth that Jesus is the rightful heir to the kingship of Israel. He is the one who is born King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And Matthew continues in chapter two that thrust to stress this truth that Jesus is the true Messiah. Jesus Christ has the right to reign. He is the true king. This is the thrust, this is the emphasis in these early chapters of Matthew. And he gives us more proof, more evidence to that fact. And he presents to us here in chapter two, three points, three points of evidence that Jesus is the Messiah, the one to come, the promised one to the people of Israel. First of all, he gives us the testimony of the wise men, the Magi. Secondly, he gives us the negative testimony of Herod the Great. And then thirdly, He gives us evidence which is the fulfillment of the scriptures. In verse 5, the first prophecy which Matthew brings to their attention, Herod is inquired and the wise men want to know where Christ is born, verse 5. Jews, religious leaders come together and they said unto him, in Bethlehem of Judah, for it is written by the prophet. That's the first solid truth that Matthew brings to their attention. And then in verse 13, when the wise men depart, When they departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there. For this is, again, in verse 15, this is what the Lord, by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. And then in verse 17, another prophecy which is fulfilled, Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah, the prophet saying, in Ramah was their voice heard, lamentation, weeping, great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and would not be comforted because they were not. And then finally, in verse 23, the fourth proof in this chapter, he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, but it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophets, he shall be called a Nazarene. And in our Old Testament, there are over 330 prophecies given to the birth and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, 330. Yet in this chapter, we have the fulfillment of four of those prophecies. This is not by chance. This is by God's design. This is what God declared. This is what has come to pass. This is the truth of it. And we know this truth, not because of our intellect, not because we are great minds and great thinkers, no, because God has revealed it to us. These things are hidden. and yet God in his mercy has revealed these truths to his people. And you notice that in this chapter here, there are four geographical areas which are mentioned, Bethlehem, Egypt, Ramah, and Nazareth. And Matthew builds his narrative around those four geographical points, places which are still here today, historical these are not fairy tales you're not stories made up these are truths eternal truths and we can take strength and encouragement and what God has spoken in the past he has fulfilled and what he speaks of the future will be fulfilled ie being that he will come again and every knee and every tongue will confess him as Lord so Matthew is emphasizing the kingship of the Lord Jesus Christ. He says there, chapter two, verse one, now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Just a very simple statement, almost a throwaway statement. Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king. Bethlehem. that great city, the city of David. Bethlehem was a small town. It is still a small town, even today. You can visit Bethlehem. Maybe some of you have had that wonderful experience. It's a small town in a valley. It's on the main road to Egypt. It's five to six miles south of Jerusalem. Bethlehem. Bethlehem means the house of bread. That's a wonderful fact, isn't it? Bethlehem, the house of bread. What did Jesus say? I am the bread of life. And the eternal son of God is born in a house of bread. And he comes to nourish and supply his people. Bethlehem. Jacob buried his wife Rachel in Bethlehem, Genesis 35, 19. It's an important town, village there in Israel. It's where Ruth met and married Boaz, Ruth 1, 22, and 2, 4. You see the significance of Bethlehem. It's small, it's almost insignificant, but in the realm and the sovereignty of God, it's a place of importance. It's a place where many have been blessed and kept. It's other name being the City of David. The city of David, this tiny weeny village, the city of David. This is where David grew up. This is where he had his child. This is where he cared for the flocks, probably where he composed many of his psalms, particularly Psalm 23. David knew this area intimately. This was his childhood playground, so to speak. And he grew up there. Bethlehem, Micah promised that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, Micah 5.2. So just in those simple words there, now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, there's a historical background, there is a narrative which is a biblical narrative for the people to understand and to grip and to comprehend. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judah in the days of Herod the king. Now this whole chapter, we could spend probably a whole year just on this whole chapter. We have no intention of doing that, but just to bring out some points. Bethlehem, one of those points. In the days of Herod the king. Who is this Herod? We have some ideas about him, don't we? He is the first Herod, Herod the Great. He's the first of many Herods. He was an Edomite. He wasn't a Jew. He was usurper. He had no right to sit on the throne of Israel. He gained that through political intrigue. He's a great diplomat, a great politician. He was a great orator. He was a great warrior. And he had fought his way to the throne. And this Herod was a ruthless man. I've just been reading some of the history of Henry VIII. Where's a ruthless man if there was one? Real tyrant. Well, here's another tyrant. And power seems to go to the heads of these men, and they become horrible people who do horrible things. But he was clever, and he was capable. And he had a kind side to him. I've been doing some research on this guy and he said that during the Great Famine of 25 BC, he melted down the gold and other precious objects to buy food for the poor. Doesn't sound like a tyrant, does it? He began the reconstruction of a temple in Jerusalem. He did some good things, but he was also cruel. He was incredibly jealous and afraid of his position of power. Now, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, where is he that is born king of the Jews? You've got to understand this man's mentality. He knew he was a usurper. He knew he had no right to be on the throne. When he hears those words, We have come to worship. He that is born King of the Jews." He just went into a rage and into a fury. How bad was this man? How jealous was he of his position? I'll give you some instances. He had the high priest, the brother of his wife, drowned. and he put on a great funeral possession and he wept crocodile tears. He was married to Marianna and he had her killed. And he had her mother killed. He had two of his sons killed. One of the greatest evidence that we see of this man's insanity is that When he knew he was about to die, he had all the nobles arrested in Jerusalem. And upon his death, he ordered them to be killed, because he knew he was so unpopular, no one would mourn for him. There would be mourning in Jerusalem over the death of all these noble families. It's the sort of character Herod the Great was. With no greater evidence of that truth, where we read there, of those who wept, in verse 17. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, in Ramah was there a voice heard lamenting and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. This is the Herod who destroyed all the children at the age of two, after he ascertained from the wise men the birth of the Christ. He was a tyrant. He was ruthless. And we see here two views, don't we, of the reaction to the Lord Jesus Christ. We see the view of Herod, who is jealous, who seems to be insane, who destroys the children. And we see the attitude of the wise men. The same, verse two, where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him. This is what Christ does to men and to women, to boys and girls. You either hate him, you're against him, or you love him and you are for him. There's nothing in between. I'm sorry, it's black and white. It's that extreme. And the wise men, they come with expressed reason to worship him. Who are these wise men? Well, we know that they are from the east. They're probably from Assyria, that region in the east. They are the Magi. We get our word magic from the Magi. They were wise men. They were men who were king makers in their own country. They were men who had studied. They were wise in the arts, or philosophy, or astrology, and of the planets and their movements. And they were wise. How many were there? We don't know. In our nativity plays, we see three wise men. We don't know they were three wise men. They're probably more. They were wealthy men. They come with gold, frankincense, and myrrh, precious objects of worship and of worth. They probably come with a band for protection. And you can wonder why that. You cannot but wonder why Herod was fearful. And their report. Where is he that is born king of the Jews? They come, they've seen his star. Many ideas and thoughts about what that star was. Was it comets or some planets in alignment? I suggest to you that this star was the Shekinah glory. This star appeared to these men in the east. God gave them a revelation of a great event. They knew the times and the seasons. They knew the scriptures. They'd had dealings in the past with Daniel there in their own land. And they were looking, and God pointed out to them, through this star, Shekinah Glory, that this one is to be born. And they set off for Jerusalem. of his place to seek for a king. And they seek diligently. Now that word there means that they didn't just ask a question, they asked questions of many people, as you would. Where is the king born? And to their surprise, we have no idea what you're talking about. We have no idea. And they asked more questions. Where is the king that has been born? Can you imagine the amazement? These people don't know their king is born. And we live in a day and an age where we don't know that the King has come. We don't know, but he has been born. I was watching a program, a guided tour of Jerusalem the other evening, and to be at the Wailing Wall, they're looking for the Messiah. They're looking for the one promised. He has come, and they're blinded to the truth, but he has come, and his name is Jesus. So they make inquiries. And Herod is perplexed. He's troubled by this news. He inquires of the Sanhedrin and those in authority there who know of these things. So it gives you an idea that Herod is not a Jew. He's not interested in the Jewish culture or Jewish religion. He had no idea. And they say them to him, verse five, in Bethlehem or Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet. And Herod, the scheming man that he is, asked them to declare the time of the sighting of the star. And verse 7, when Herod had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, go and search diligently for the young child. You have found him, bring me word again that I may come and worship him also. He had no intention of worship. His intention was to destroy. This has been the case all through church history. It was the case with Moses, found there in the bulrushes. Pharaoh wanted to destroy. The devil has always sought to destroy the seed of the woman. and we see the same principle being worked out here in the birth of the Lord Jesus. But I may come and worship him. Go and search diligently. That's a lesson for us, to search diligently the word of God, to leave no stone unturned, to ask God to reveal precious things from his word. Go and search. It appears that the star didn't lead them all the way, They didn't follow the style of Bethlehem. When they come to a palace, they have an audience with Herod, they're instructed, go and search diligently for the young child. And we need to have that spirit in our own hearts. These wise men, they made that search. They searched the scriptures, they asked the questions, they were instructed, Bethlehem, And in obedience to the word of God, they go to Bethlehem. And they go, and they find the Christ child, verse 11, and when they come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and fell down and worshipped him. They fell down and worshipped him. That's why we gather together in a place like this. We gather to worship him. We gather to bring our praise and worship because he is worthy. And the word worship there means to prostrate ourselves, to acknowledge his worth, his kingship, to acknowledge that he is king of kings and lord of lords. And they fell down and they worshiped him. It's a rich word in the Greek, to worship. Many people worship many things, but by God's grace, we are here to worship the Christ, to glory in his work upon Calvary's cross, to glory in the salvation, to glory in our sins forgiven. Does that stir our hearts and our minds to worship? If it doesn't, there's something wrong with our hearts. We need to examine ourselves. The prayers we come to church, we all say morning and evening, that we come with that expressed intention to worship Him, and to Him alone is our worship due. And they opened their treasures and presented them gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country. another way. Again, we see these wise men. They're so obedient. It's the same with Joseph. The Lord speaks to him a dream. Take Mary for your wife. He does so. Again, he's instructed to take the child to Egypt. He does so. He doesn't quibble. He doesn't question. We see obedience with the wise men also. They're instructed and they are warned and they go another way. They are led by the word of God, by the spirit of God. They had that blessed revelation of the Shekinah glory as it led them to the house where Jesus was. It's there that they worship him. Remember the Shekinah glory there in the desert? For the Egyptians, night was day and night was day. Children of Israel had light, the Egyptians had darkness. The Shekinah glory led them through the desert as a pillar of fire, as a cloud during the daytime. It led them, it guided them. This is what I believe is this star. It's God's revelation, a special revelation of Almighty God. When, verse 13, they departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, arise, take the child and his mother, and flee into Egypt and be there until I bring thee word, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. Again, obedience. This is what God requires of us. This is the requirement God requires of all true believers, all true disciples, obedience. That's that word marked you out as a Christian, that you are obedient to the word of God. These wise men showed that obedience. Joseph showed the obedience. You look in the Psalms particularly, Look at Psalm 119 tonight. We see their obedience, David's obedience, his continual obedience. Lord, teach me that I may walk in your ways, that I may be obedient. It's what God requires of us. At the end of the year, has your life been summed up as a life of obedience to the scriptures? Or are you one of those who comes and goes? who shows no commitment, who shows no steadfastness, no holding firm to the truths of God's word. God requires obedience. And that's a thing in this day and generation. And alas, also in the church, we're not willing to take up. We see nothing but disobedience. You speak to teachers in their schools. My daughter was telling us just recently about, got one child in the class and Their parents said, we never say no, we never say no to our child. Where's the obedience? Obedience to those in authority, to law, to teachers, to many other institutions in our land. There's this lack of obedience, this lack of respect. Yet the scriptures demand of us obedience. And they were there until Herod died, and they were called back. They were called back. Verse 22, but when he heard that Achilles did reign in Judah in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither. Notwithstanding being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee. He came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth. But it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophets, that he shall be called a Nazarene. A Nazarene. Do you remember that time where Philip is under that fig tree? And his friend says to him, I have found the Christ. I've found the Christ. He's in Nazareth. Philip says, can any good thing come from Nazareth? Despised old Nazareth. And he shall be called a Nazarene. And yes, a good thing did come from Nazareth. Even our blessed Lord Jesus. It's through his work. the one who is despised and rejected, that we come at the end of the year to bring our worship to him. May we at Gordon Road be a worshipping people in this new year. May we be an obedient people to the word of God. And may our Lord Jesus Christ be the center of our preaching and teaching from this pulpit in this new year. May God help us. Amen.