Today we begin the fourth and final gospel account of Jesus. I have been preaching on it for several months, so I rejoiced to rehearse many familiar thoughts in a familiar order today as I read through these.
I have a short message at the end dealing with gene therapy and what it has to do with how we read our scriptures. I’d like to think it is a worthy meditation.
And don’t miss the retelling of the Christmas story according to Matthew. Wise men and a flight to Egypt. And always remember the meaning of Jesus’ name: SALVATION!
Isaiah 26
In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city;
salvation is established as its walls and ramparts.
Open the gates so a righteous nation may enter—
one that remains faithful.
You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of mind,
because he trusts in You.
Trust in the LORD forever,
because GOD the LORD is the Rock eternal.
For He has humbled those who dwell on high;
He lays the lofty city low.
He brings it down to the ground;
He casts it into the dust.
Feet trample it down—
the feet of the oppressed,
the steps of the poor.
The path of the righteous is level;
You clear a straight path for the upright.
Yes, we wait for You, O LORD;
we walk in the path of Your judgments.
Your name and renown
are the desire of our souls.
My soul longs for You in the night;
indeed, my spirit seeks You at dawn.
For when Your judgments come upon the earth,
the people of the world learn righteousness.
Though grace is shown to the wicked man,
he does not learn righteousness.
In the land of righteousness he acts unjustly
and fails to see the majesty of the LORD.
O LORD, Your hand is upraised,
but they do not see it.
They will see Your zeal for Your people
and be put to shame.
The fire set for Your enemies
will consume them!
O LORD, You will establish peace for us.
For all that we have accomplished,
You have done for us.
O LORD our God, other lords besides You have had dominion,
but Your name alone do we confess.
The dead will not live;
the departed spirits will not rise.
Therefore You have punished and destroyed them;
You have wiped out all memory of them.
You have enlarged the nation, O LORD;
You have enlarged the nation.
You have gained glory for Yourself;
You have extended all the borders of the land.
O LORD, they sought You in their distress;
when You disciplined them, they poured out a quiet prayer.
As a woman with child about to give birth
writhes and cries out in pain,
so were we in Your presence, O LORD.
We were with child; we writhed in pain;
but we gave birth to wind.
We have given no salvation to the earth,
nor brought any life into the world.
Your dead will live; their bodies will rise.
Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust!
For your dew is like the dew of the morning,
and the earth will bring forth her dead.
Go, my people, enter your rooms
and shut your doors behind you.
Hide yourselves a little while
until the wrath has passed.
For behold, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.
The earth will reveal her bloodshed
and will no longer conceal her slain.
Isaiah 27
In that day the LORD will take His sharp, great, and mighty sword, and bring judgment on Leviathan the fleeing serpent —Leviathan the coiling serpent—and He will slay the dragon of the sea. In that day:
“Sing about a fruitful vineyard.
I, the LORD, am its keeper;
I water it continually.
I guard it night and day
so no one can disturb it;
I am not angry.
If only thorns and briers confronted Me,
I would march and trample them,
I would burn them to the ground.
Or let them lay claim to My protection;
let them make peace with Me—
yes, let them make peace with Me.”
In the days to come, Jacob will take root.
Israel will bud and blossom
and fill the whole world with fruit.
Has the LORD struck Israel as He struck her oppressors?
Was she killed like those who slayed her?
By warfare and exile You contended with her
and removed her with a fierce wind,
as on the day the east wind blows.
Therefore Jacob’s guilt will be atoned for,
and the full fruit of the removal of his sin will be this:
When he makes all the altar stones
like crushed bits of chalk,
no Asherah poles or incense altars
will remain standing.
For the fortified city lies deserted—
a homestead abandoned, a wilderness forsaken.
There the calves graze, and there they lie down;
they strip its branches bare.
When its limbs are dry,
they are broken off.
Women come and use them for kindling;
for this is a people without understanding.
Therefore their Maker has no compassion on them,
and their Creator shows them no favor.
In that day the LORD will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, O Israelites, will be gathered one by one.
And in that day a great ram’s horn will sound, and those who were perishing in Assyria will come forth with those who were exiles in Egypt. And they will worship the LORD on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.
Isaiah 28
Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards,
to the fading flower of his glorious splendor,
set on the summit above the fertile valley,
the pride of those overcome by wine.
Behold, the Lord has one
who is strong and mighty.
Like a hailstorm or destructive tempest,
like a driving rain or flooding downpour,
he will smash that crown to the ground.
The majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards
will be trampled underfoot.
The fading flower of his beautiful splendor,
set on the summit above the fertile valley,
will be like a ripe fig before the summer harvest:
Whoever sees it will take it in his hand and swallow it.
On that day the LORD of Hosts will be a crown of glory,
a diadem of splendor to the remnant of His people,
a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,
and a strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate.
These also stagger from wine
and stumble from strong drink:
Priests and prophets reel from strong drink
and are befuddled by wine.
They stumble because of strong drink,
muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments.
For all their tables are covered with vomit;
there is not a place without filth.
Whom is He trying to teach?
To whom is He explaining His message?
To infants just weaned from milk?
To babies removed from the breast?
For they hear:
“Order on order, order on order,
line on line, line on line;
a little here, a little there.”
Indeed, with mocking lips and foreign tongues,
He will speak to this people to whom He has said:
“This is the place of rest, let the weary rest;
this is the place of repose.”
But they would not listen.
Then the word of the LORD to them will become:
“Order on order, order on order,
line on line, line on line;
a little here, a little there,”
so that they will go stumbling backward
and will be injured, ensnared, and captured.
Therefore hear the word of the LORD, O scoffers
who rule this people in Jerusalem.
For you said, “We have made a covenant with death;
we have fashioned an agreement with Sheol.
When the overwhelming scourge passes through
it will not touch us,
because we have made lies our refuge
and falsehood our hiding place.”
So this is what the Lord GOD says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;
the one who believes will never be shaken.
I will make justice the measuring line
and righteousness the level.
Hail will sweep away your refuge of lies,
and water will flood your hiding place.
Your covenant with death will be dissolved,
and your agreement with Sheol will not stand.
When the overwhelming scourge passes through,
you will be trampled by it.
As often as it passes through,
it will carry you away;
it will sweep through morning after morning,
by day and by night.”
The understanding of this message
will bring sheer terror.
Indeed, the bed is too short to stretch out on,
and the blanket too small to wrap around you.
For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim.
He will rouse Himself as in the Valley of Gibeon,
to do His work, His strange work,
and to perform His task, His disturbing task.
So now, do not mock,
or your shackles will become heavier.
Indeed, I have heard from the Lord GOD of Hosts
a decree of destruction against the whole land.
Listen and hear my voice.
Pay attention and hear what I say.
Does the plowman plow for planting every day?
Does he continuously loosen and harrow the soil?
When he has leveled its surface,
does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?
He plants wheat in rows and barley in plots,
and rye within its border.
For his God instructs
and teaches him properly.
Surely caraway is not threshed with a sledge,
and the wheel of a cart is not rolled over the cumin.
But caraway is beaten out with a stick,
and cumin with a rod.
Grain for bread must be ground,
but it is not endlessly threshed.
Though the wheels of the cart roll over it,
the horses do not crush it.
This also comes from the LORD of Hosts,
who is wonderful in counsel
and excellent in wisdom.
Matthew 1
This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:
Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
and Hezron the father of Ram.
Ram was the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
and Nahshon the father of Salmon.
Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of David the king.
Next:
David was the father of Solomon by Uriah’s wife,
Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
and Abijah the father of Asa.
Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
and Joram the father of Uzziah.
Uzziah was the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers
at the time of the exile to Babylon.
After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abiud,
Abiud the father of Eliakim,
and Eliakim the father of Azor.
Azor was the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Achim,
and Achim the father of Eliud.
Eliud was the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary,
of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
In all, then, there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged in marriage to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and was unwilling to disgrace her publicly, he resolved to divorce her quietly.
But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin will be with child
and will give birth to a son,
and they will call Him Immanuel”
(which means, “God with us”).
When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and embraced Mary as his wife.
But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.
Matthew 2
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,
asking, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
And when he had assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.
“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of My people Israel.’”
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and learned from them the exact time the star had appeared.
And sending them to Bethlehem, he said: “Go and search carefully for the Child, and when you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him.”
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the Child was.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great delight.
On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they withdrew to their country by another route.
When the Magi had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.”
So he got up, took the Child and His mother by night, and withdrew to Egypt,
where he stayed until the death of Herod. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi.
Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
“A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”
After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.
“Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those seeking the Child’s life are now dead.”
So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and went to the land of Israel.
But when he learned that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee,
and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
Matthew 3
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for Him.’ ”
John wore a garment of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region around the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his place of baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance.
And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come One more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”
“Let it be so now,” Jesus replied. “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness in this way.” Then John permitted Him.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him.
And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”
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