A GIFT of Salvation (Matthew 2:1-12)
Gary McManus, 12/08/2019Part of the Christmas series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
December 8, 2019 The Second Sunday in Advent
Matthew 2:1-12 The wise men!
The wise men are PROOF of the declarations of
the prophets—that representatives of royal houses
and the Kings themselves will recognize the Lord
God of Israel and God’s Son. . .Jesus had said. .
Luke 13:29
And men will come from east and west, and from
north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God.
Most people want to be saved FROM their enemies.
Most people do not want for their enemies to be saved. See the Book of Jonah.
Ever have someone you don’t like join your church?
Scholars believe that Matthew’s congregation for which he wrote down his Gospel--that congregation was a Jewish congregation.(not the only one, of course)
Matthew knows how his people feel. He wants to remind
them of God’s plan and Jesus’ love.
See Isaiah 56:7 with Matthew 21:13.
And our Psalm for today, Psalm 72.
“Magi” or “magi”—it matters!
[Check out Exodus 7:8-13.]
[Much of this review was written by Paul L.
Maier who has several books published.
One of them was used for a Bible study a couple
of years ago here at DCC.
Maier has served as Professor of Ancient History
at Western Michigan University.]
Magi, their gifts and they are “from the East.”
DO you want to know MORE?
That term “the nations” shows up 469 times in
the Bible; does God care about the rest of the
world—God certainly does. The Lord God intends
to save the people of all the nations as well as
God’s own people, Israel.
Remember Jesus’ words (Matthew 28:19). . .
“ go into all the world and make disciples of
all the nations.”
The prophets had seen it. . .
Isaiah, Haggai, Zechariah. . . Ch 9:9-10
Pastor wonders:
the traditional enemies of Israel?
Luke 24:19-25 (p. 1047)
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are,
and how slow to believe all that the prophets
have spoken!
Amen.
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