Word of Salvation – Vol.04 No.02 – January 1958

 

I Will Set Enmity

 

Sermon by Rev. D. C. Bouma on Matthew 2:13-23

Scripture reading: Psalm 91

Psalter Hymnal: 63; After Apostle’s Creed: 335; 187:1,2,3,4; 186

 

Congregation beloved of the Lord,

Way back in the beginning, after man had sinned, God made Him an amazing promise.  He chose man as His ally in the World War against Satan.  From now on, man and God would fight together, side-by-side.  And someday God Himself would send His general to take Adam’s place in the battle… and to win!

But, before the victory, blood would flow.  “Thou wilt crush his head… but he, that old serpent, will smash thy heel.”

Satan did not wait long after God’s Commander-in-Chief was born.  Before the baby Jesus was two years old, Satan attacked in full force.

I want to speak to you on Matt.2:13-23, under the theme: “I will set enmity…!”

We shall notice        (1) Christ’s flight;
(2) Christ’s enemy;
(3) Christ’s victory.

The wise men from the east departed.  Peace and quietness had again descended to the household of Joseph and Mary.  Being poor folks, they well appreciated the fine expensive gifts of their eastern friends.  It would be a big help to get back to Nazareth and settle down again at home after so much busyness and such strange happenings.

But, wait, Joseph!  Don’t you remember the words of old Simeon?  “Behold, this child is set for the fall and the rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against”…?  Remember, Joseph?

No, Joseph does not remember.  But God does, for He gave Simeon those words to speak.

That night God sent His angel to Joseph.  UP!  Take your family to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you – Herod wants to kill the baby!

What a shock!  In one moment all the peace and the rest, the rest and the joy of life are… gone!

EGYPT!!! ..but Lord, it’s night… the baby is sleeping… Mary is tired and will get cold… and what are we going to DO there???

What a bitter test of Joseph’s faith.  One moment there are worshipping wise men with rich gifts; the next, persecution from Herod and a jolting command from God.  Flee for your life!  How would you feel…?  A murderer behind you somewhere in the night, and a strange country before you in the dark?

No, Joseph and Mary had no star to lead them; no pillar of fire to light their way.  O yes, they had the riches of the wise men to pay for their supplies while under way and while in Egypt.

But they had much more than that.

They had the WORD OF GOD…!  And they believed it!  No matter if that Word commanded them to Egypt.  The same Word promised that God would end the time of testing.  Yes, it was enough to know that however black, strange or lonely the night or country, the Shepherd of Israel who neither slumbers nor sleeps, watched day and night over His own.

Talk about comfort…!!!  God was with them, indeed!  God was also with Herod in the palace.  The eyes of the Lord run to and fro in the earth.  Herod had his plan.  And Herod gave his orders.  But, what we say in the inner chamber is known to the Lord!

Does that make you afraid?

Yes, it should – if you are hiding something from Him.  He is the one who searches the hearts and tries the reins.  Tell Him quickly before His anger burns and you perish in the way!

Afraid?  No… not if you trust Him.  He knows the plan of Herod and also of the Kremlin.  He that sitteth in the heavens will laugh; the Lord will have them in derision!

God used Egypt as a school for Israel when it was still a child… a school of suffering.  There Israel was prepared for her entrance into the land flowing with milk and honey.

God puts His New Testament church in Egypt too.  All of God’s children… each in his own way… must be prepared for his entrance into God’s heavenly Canaan.

But because GOD puts us there in Egypt, the minutes and the hours are all counted.

Does God hear complaints from Egypt? …grumbling over the thorny and rocky path? …crying over God’s dark ways?  Didn’t you know that in Egypt we are safe from Herod, and cared for by no one less than the Most High God?

He who believes this will say with Job: “God bless Egypt..! …for the Lord who has given is the same God who has taken …blessed be His Name!”

Job could say that because He knew that His redeemer liveth!  You can say it too because you were not the first to come to Egypt.  JESUS WAS THERE BEFORE YOU..!!

O how angry was Herod!  He was furious.  The palace shook and the servants trembled.  Bethlehem would soon learn that what Caesar Augustus said of Herod was true: “It is safer to be Herod’s pig than to be his Son!”  No one might take his throne …not his sons …not David’s new-born Son …not even the Son of God!

Hate is the seed of murder from Cain down to Herod!  Herod hates and Herod will kill because… he feels it…. the new baby Christ has fooled Him.  Herod feels he is loosing his grip on this power.  This baby is taking something from him.  The boy must die!

That happens, beloved, in the hearts of everyone who will not give in to Christ.  They become ANTI-CHRIST.  They give themselves to Satan and they have just one will: to get rid of Jesus and wreck His power… to steal his glory and to capture his kingdom.  Away with Him; it is not fit for such a man to live!”

Every heart which will not surrender… which refuses to give everything to King Jesus will get hard; will begin to hate Christ and hate the church.  God have mercy on you if you cannot stand the claim of Christ.  Herod learned the hard way, that GOD ALWAYS WINS!

And the children of Bethlehem from two years and younger were killed.  God did not kill them, Herod and the soldiers did… and they have already answered to God for their death.

But, why did not God stop this horrible slaughter?  Did you ever stop to ask why God ever in His infinite grace DID NOT DESTROY you and me like He justly and rightly did to Korah, Dathan and Abiram, to Achan, to Ananias and Sapphira?

Who are you… anyway… oh man who dares to ask God to give an account of His works?  Is it somehow good form for the clay to say to the potter: Why do you make me thus?

The man who DARES to question God’s purposes or plans or program, is started out on the same road on which Herod ended up.

Shall we let God, who gave those babies, take care of their souls?

Yes, God did win.  Herod finally died.  It was a horrible death, a prolonged and painful death-bed.  God was showing His own righteousness Herold could not compete with God, and get away with it.  His death is a clear-cut warning to everyone that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to what he has done, whether it be good or evil.

Joseph and Mary, again following God’s command in a dream, returned to Canaan.  God did not tell Joseph where to go.  Joseph must keep depending on God from moment to moment.  He must learn to keep on looking up … even when things come back to normal in his family

And God does not fail him.  At just the right moment… not too early, nor too late… God shows Joseph in another dream where to go.

This time it is Nazareth …so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

God always honours His Word!  Long ago Isaiah had said: There shall come forth a shoot out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.”  The words “Nazareth” and “Nazarene” mean, in the Hebrew original, BRANCH!

And thus, to say, as they did about Jesus, “Can any good come out of Nazareth?” was the same as saying: God really does not mean what He says and does not keep His Word!

“Jesus, the Nazarene” …they wrote that in three languages on the cross …a name of peace, of honour and of forgiveness!

In the name of Jesus, the Nazarene, cripples leaped in the temple court-yard.

The sound of the Nazarene’s footsteps was a prophecy to the blind that He who is the Light of the World would give them their sight!

God honours His Word!

And Christ glorifies all that comes under His touch.  He changes a name of contempt to a name of glory.  He makes a twig of thorns into a crown.

He changes the cursed tree of the cross into the tree of life!

And He changes a filthy sinner into free child who walks in clothes of white!

Have you learned to call on the Name of JESUS the NAZARENE?

Amen.