Who am I? A study of the Gospel according to Matthew Week 4

A Study of the Gospel According to Matthew

Happy Sabbath

Who am I? Who am I? This week I have found that sometimes the answer to this question is wrapped up in the tasks of the week. I'm an employee, boss, mom, friend, sister, daughter, shopper, cleaner, decorator, gift wrapper.  Today I would say I am... behind, inadequate, tired.  The good news is that the answer to this question is not wrapped up in my to do list, or in my failings, or even in my titles.  The answer to this question can only be answered by the one who conceived of me, created me, gifted me with gifts and most importantly saved me - bought me.  I remember when we were at Family Camp my friend, Tammy, approached me and informed me that her son, Luke, might decide he was a refrigerator or any other random object.  He could also choose an animal or character, it just depended on the day or hour.  She begged us to just go along and not try to correct him.  You see they had tried many times to convince him of who he really was but no matter what they said or did, he wouldn't budge.  They were just hoping that someday he would figure it out and come back to reality.  He was about 4 at the time.  I think Jesus must look at us and our labels that we put on ourselves and wish He could bring us back to the truth of who we are.  Let's discover a little more of who we are because of who He is.

 

READ:  

 

Matthew 2: 13-18 We pick up in the story after they wise men have left...

The Escape to Egypt

¹³ When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
¹⁴ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, ¹⁵ where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
¹⁶ When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. ¹⁷ Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

¹⁸ “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.”

  

^{In verse 13, once again how does God communicate with Joseph?  Here God communicates with Joseph that he needs to take action to protect this little boy that he has been entrusted.  Can you imagine?  First, this baby almost tears apart your relationship and then when things calm down, you are told to up root your entire family and move to Egypt. There are few men I can think of who if told to take their entire family to another country would willingly do so.  Then add the fact that he was told in a dream.  Once again we see the character of Joseph.} 

^{Where were they told to find asylum?}

^{Was Egypt a "Holy" place?}  

^{In Ellen Whites writing's she says, ".. that in a heathen land he would find asylum..."} 

^{So the place that was memorizing prophesies about the coming King, the place where HIS people were, the very same people that had been rescued from the heathen land and brought into the promise land, these people could not keep Him safe.} 

^{Satan was trying to destroy the Messiah and yet it was in the heathen land where the Messiah would be safe.}  

^{How many people are out there - out in the "heathen land" - seeking asylum?}

^{Is it possible that they are seeking asylum even from the church?} 

^{Why did the King Herod want Him killed?}

^{Who was persuading the king?}

^{So how do we make sure we are NOT being like the king?}

^{READ 1 John 1}

The Incarnation of the Word of Life

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. ² The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. ³ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴ We write this to make our joy complete.

Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness

⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
⁸ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

^{This passage starts with a declaration of who Jesus Christ is.  Then it goes on to share a message from Him to us...  In Him there is no darkness... If we walk in the light we have fellowship with one another..... his blood purifies us from all sin....}

^{How do we make sure we are not the evil King trying to kill the Messiah?}

^{Walk in the light.  Know Jesus.  Don't walk in the dark, don't claim to have not sinned... Have Him with us!}

^{What is a sign that we are walking in the light?} 

^{So is it possible that if we are not in fellowship with each other, that we are not walking in the light?  Is this not an odd sign?  At times, I think we look at it the opposite way. We tell our children not to be persuaded by others and we almost see it as holy if we are willing to give up all our relationships for one relationship with Jesus.  I agree we should be willing but here it is clear that if we will walk in the light with Him, we will have fellowship not just with him but with one another.  Interesting.}

^{Just as Herod let Satan get to him, just as he used his weakness to persuade him to hunt down Jesus, and kill all the babies.  Satan is trying to use us too.  Our only safety is to walk in the light - to walk with Jesus.  If we do that we will not be exiled but in fellowship with one another. We find a place of safety and we will be a place of safety.}  

^{READ: Matthew 2:19-23}

The Return to Nazareth

¹⁹ After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt ²⁰ and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”
²¹ So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. ²² But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, ²³ and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.  

 

^{Jesus came so that we would know His Father.  So that we would better understand our God.  It says in John 14:7} 

⁷ If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

 In the old testament over and over again we see a God who went to war when needed, he defeated entire armies with choirs. He beheaded giants with a shepherd boy.  I am sure he could have loudly and swiftly defeated the king and proclaimed loudly who Jesus was, yet this time he choose not to. 

Why?

What was to be gained from being quiet and running instead of fighting?

What was to be gained from the quiet?

What do we learn about the Father from this?

What can I learn from this?

Here we see how God wanted to keep Jesus quiet for a while.  We see the character of Joseph. We see how Satan is working so hard to destroy the Messiah.  We see how running is sometimes the right move.  We see how walking with Jesus- being in the light - will result in Fellowship.  So how does this come together to help us better understand who we are?  Is there any common connection or lesson for us?

 

While preparing for this I did some reading on the internet.  It is filled with theories.  Many see this passage in conflict with the same story in Luke.  Luke doesn't mention the running to Egypt.  Some believe that it is not a literal story but symbolic.  Others believe that because of the "conflict" you have to throw it all out.  I was struck by how strong the disbelief is.  There is no way to conclusively prove the validity of this unbelievable story! The declaration that Jesus Christ is alive is best proclaimed in and through my life.  

 

If I am in the light, in Him Jesus Christ, my life will show it and I will have fellowship...

 

It is our lives that proclaim His arrival! It is the transformation of our lives that is the proclamation of His existence.  It was his miracles here on earth, the transformation of the lives for all who came in contact with him.  God didn't need a battle, or a huge spectacular show, it would be the lives transformed that would proclaim who He was.

 

I am... I am a proclaimer. 

 

Do I have the character of Joseph who listened to God? 

Do I have the character of Joseph who took action?

Am I walking in the light, or am I like King Herod?

Am I a safe place?

Am I in fellowship?

Am I willing to be quiet and run if asked?

 

If I am a proclaimer, what am I proclaiming? 

 

Little 4 year old Luke proclaimed he was a refrigerator that day at Family Camp.  He has since become an incredible young man who proclaims who Christ is through his music and is unashamedly Luke a child of the King.  We are always proclaiming something.  What are you proclaiming?