‘Rejoicing in the righteous King’ (Psalm 97:1-12)

In this message for the new year, Daniel Jansen explores how God’s righteous rule as King over ‘the whole earth’ from Psalm 97:1-12 should comfort the hearts of anxious believers and cause us to rejoice in this uncertain and fragile world.

Message

Outline

Introduction:

  1. The King’s righteousness and Justice (1-6)
    Theophany = Appearance of God
    Mt Sinai-
    Jesus-
  2. Varied Responses to the King (7-9)
  3. Those who Love the King (10-12)
    What they desire
    What the King does

Conclusion

‘The coming of the Messiah as told to …King Herod’ (Matthew 2:1-23)

Not everyone enjoys Christmas nor finds it a time of celebration or joy. Herod was certainly in that number. When the wise men rocked up with news about the birth of the Messiah in Matthew 2:1-23, they really rocked Herod’s world in more ways than one! In fact, Herod’s response to the news was quite an exterme one. Harsh too. And yet, even more tragic than the deaths of the innocents was the fact that Herod himself missed out on the salvation this baby came to bring. When people repeat Herod’s mistakes, that tragedy is simply repeated over and over.

Message

Outline

• The last in this series!
• Christmas: not always accompanied by happiness!
• Not a happy time for King Herod…
• See how we are shown Herod’s mistakes and errors…

  1. The dangers of self-centredness (v.1-15)
  2. The fruits of hard-heartedness (v.16-18)
  3. The limits to earthly greatness (v.19-23)

‘We don’t want to live under the rule of this king’
The tragedy of the ‘neglected’ Jesus

‘The coming of the Messiah as told to …Joseph’ (Matthew 1:18-25)

Joseph is one of the key characters in the story of the birth of Jesus, especially so in the text of Matthew 1:18-25, but he can easily be overlooked in the preaching of the Christmas narratives – probably because he doesn’t get to say anything at all. Even the shepherds and wise men get some lines in the gospels, but Jospeh gets none! Even though that is the case, we can ‘read between the lines’ and see what was going on in Joseph’s mind and heart, and how in a crisis situation, the angel who spoke to him in his dream put everything into perspective for him – even if he didn’t fully understand the implications of it all!

Message

Outline

• The fourth in this series!
• Does Joseph get left out of the story?
• Not much told us about how he felt…
• See how we are told of how the angel…

  1. Appeared to him in a crisis (v.18-20)
  2. Averted him from his intentions (v.20)
  3. Assured him of God’s purposes (v.21-25)

Joseph is not alone in needing rescue!
The great exchange!

‘The coming of the Messiah as told to…Mary’ (Luke 1:26-38)

When the angel Gabriel finally found the moment to meet up with Mary, his initial greeting to her was something Mary wasn’t prepared for. It seems as though the appearing of the angel to her was not the cuse of her discomfort, but the greeting and what it might mean for her. It certainly brought change. Far more change than she could ever have anticipated, but God was also in that change, and though she wondered ‘how?’, the angel could answer that question as well. As a result, Mary submitted herself to do God’s will and accepted the Lord’s promise to her that she would be the mother of the Messiah with a humble heart.

Message

Outline

• The third in this series!
• The dangers we face
• The text’s context…
• See how the text tells of …

  1. The unsettling greeting conveyed to her (v.26-30)
  2. The amazing details told to her (v.31-32)
  3. The welcome assurance shared with her (v.33-37)

Mary’s submissive response
Paul’s direct summary…

‘The coming of the Messiah as told to …King Ahaz’ (Isaiah 7:1-14)

The setting of the well known prophecy about the birth of Jesus through a virgin in Isaiah 7:14 is set in a context of a fascinating story about King Ahaz of Judah in Isaiah 7:1-14. Ahaz was in a bit of a spot, politically. The neigbouring nations of Syria and Israel (!) were threatening to attack and he was afraid. It was then that the Lord sent the prophet Isaiah to Ahaz with a message that basically said, ‘trust Me, I’ll even show you a sign if you want one…’ But Ahaz refused. So the Lord gave Ahaz another sign, one of His own making, about the coming Messiah. But this sign wasn’t for Ahaz, but for us who live in this age (A.D.). The sign, of course, is Jesus!

Message

Outline

• This Christmas series!
• Learning from the past
• The chapter’s context…
• See how the text tells of …

  1. A King who was afraid to trust (v.1-9)
  2. A sign that was offered to assist (v.10-11)
  3. A virgin birth was promised as proof (v.13-14)

Who was the sign for?
Will you be like this faithless King?

‘The coming of the Messiah as told to …the serpent’ (Genesis 3:15)

Genesis 3:15 would have to be one of the most important verses in all of the Old Testament. Straight after Adam and Eve’s rebeliion against God’s righteous rule, the Lord himself promised that the ‘seed of the woman’ would one day come and crush ‘the head of the serpent’. This verse is widely known as the first announcement (or proclamation) of the gospel, and it is very, very good news – all fulfilled in Jesus, the seed of the woman!

Message

Outline

• A Christmas series!
• The unfolding story to grasp…
• What a text to begin with!
• See how the text tells of …

  1. A sober reminder of humanity’s undoing
  2. The original setting for conflict unfolding
  3. The certain promise of Messiah winning

There is hope here…
There is good news here!

‘The King pays the temple tax’ (Matthew 17:24-27)

On returning to the area of Capernaum after his ministry throughout the regios of Israel and beywond, the ‘Israeli Tax Department’ caught up with Jesus and his disciples, asking Peter if his master had paid the ‘temple tax’. Peter assured them that Jesus had, only to enter the house where Jesus was and take part in a conversation with Jesus that ended up with Peter going fishing and catching a fish with a shekel in it’s mouth to pay the tax, for Jesus and for Peter!!

Message

Outline

• All over the place with Jesus
• Now back to Capernaum and a challenge…
• A story found in Matthew only… Why?
• See how the text tells us of …

  1. Jesus, as a Jew, was subject to this tax (v.24)
  2. Jesus, as the Son, had grounds to ignore this tax (v.25-26)
  3. Jesus, as God, miraculously paid the tax (v.27)

Using our freedoms…
Trusting the Lord to provide!

‘The King’s challenge down in the valley’ (Matthew 17:14-23)

After being gloriously transfigured up on the mountain, Jesus and his three disciples, Peter, James and John, soon came down from the summit to face reality. There, right in front of him, was a challenge in the form of a pleading father, bewildered disciples, a critical crowd and a demon-possessed boy, all recorded for us in Matthew 17:14-23. And yet, Jesus was clearly in charge of the whole situation and used it once more to speak of his impending death.

Message

Outline

• Another turning point in the text!
• From up on the mountain to down in the valley…
• A confronting story…and Jesus takes charge!
• See how the text tells us of …

  1. The reality of sin and the misery it brings (v.14-16)
  2. The words of Jesus and the truth they bring (v.17-18)
  3. The key to the miracle and the help it brings (v.19-21)

Afflicted from youth…
The only One who can deal with sin!

‘The King’s glory up on the mountain’ (Matthew 17:1-13)

The reader of Matthew’s gospel goes to many places with Jesus, as we have noted in these last few chapters…by the sea, on the water, in the region of Tyre and Sidon and even at Caesarea Philippi. But the next place that jesus would go, according to Matthew 17:1-13, was the mountain top, where he was transfigured before three of His disciples. This would be a moment they would never forget, as evidenced by the later of two of them, Peter and John, whose testimony about Jesus is clear. They saw His glory.

Message

Outline

  • Our travels with Jesus
  • Next event in a long
    line of them…
  • Sleepy disciples …now and later
  • See how this transfiguration confirmed…
  1. An unwelcome message (v.1-3, 12)
  2. An unfinished story (v.4-6)
  3. An unmatched Saviour (v.7-8)

What was Jesus’ purpose here?
From the mountain of glory to the cross of shame!

‘The King will die… come and die for him’ (Matthew 16:21-28)

After Peter twigged who Jesus was in Matthew 16:16, Jesus took the time to explain to his disciples just what kind of Messiah he was. He was one that would suffer and die at the hands of the Jews. While this fact may have been lost on the twelve, they would also have been overwhelmed at what Jesus went on to say next; that they were also destined for suffering and would need to bear their own crosses. What did Jesus mean by all this? These disciples were about to find out…

Message

Outline

• That major turning point!
• Yes he was the Messiah, but what kind?
• Get His identity right, but get his purpose right too!
• See how in this text we find that …

  1. As Messiah, He would give up His life (v.21-23)
  2. As disciples, they should give up their lives (v.24-25)
  3. As witnesses, they would see His glory (v.26-28)

The kind of life He calls us to…
Three reasons why he calls us to this kind of life!