Matthew 2 - January 2nd, 2024

Good morning.

My name is Nathan, and I'm one of the pastors here at Church of the Grove, and we're so thankful that you're joining us today as we journey through the Gospels together.

We'll be using the acronym BRED for our time today, which stands for Breathe, Read, Encounter, Apply, and Devote.

As we approach the scriptures today, let's remember that we're not called coming to gain more information, but we are wanting to have an encounter with a personal God.

He tells us in his word that we will seek him and will find him when we search for him with all of our heart.

So, as we enter into his presence this morning, believe that he wants to meet you with you where you are today.

While you may listen to this on a commute or while you're doing something around the house, I would strongly encourage you to set aside some time to go and be in a place where you can totally focus on being with the Lord.

I would suggest having a journal and a pen handy so that you can take notes for anything the Lord might be saying to you.

And with that, let's open up the scriptures to today's assigned passage.

Before we begin reading today, let's first begin by breathing.

Let's be silent with Jesus for a few moments.

And let's just pay attention to him.

Make sure you remove as many distractions as you can and just take a minute in this stillness to just be with Jesus.

Focus your whole self on the Lord this morning.

Maybe even open up your hands to him and then take a deep breath in.

And then exhale out.

Maybe take another breath in.

And then exhale out.

Calming your spirit.

And then just ask for the Holy Spirit to come and to be with you and to lead you as you begin to read through the scriptures together.

Today we're reading Matthew chapter 2, and as we read through this passage, just ask the Holy Spirit to just reveal to you what he wants you to see, and maybe even write down as we write work through this together.

Matthew 2 · chapter mention

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the reign of King Herod, about the time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem asking, Where is the newborn king of the Jews?

We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.

King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.

He called a meeting of the leading priest and teachers of religious law and asked, Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?

In Bethlehem and Judea, they said, For this is what the prophet wrote, and you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you, who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.

Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared.

Then he told them, Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child, and when you find him, come back and tell me, so I can go and worship him too.

After this interview the wise men went away, and the star that they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem.

It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.

When they saw the star, they were filled with great joy.

They entered the house and saw the child with its mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him.

Then they opened their treasure chest and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

After the wise men were gone, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.

Get up, flee to Egypt with the child and his mother.

The angel said, Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.

That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, and they stayed there until Herod's death.

This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet.

I called my son out of Egypt.

Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him.

He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem, who were two years old and under, based on the wise men's report of when the star first appeared.

Herod's brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah.

A cry was heard in Rama, weeping in great mourning.

Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are dead.

When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.

Get up, the angel said, take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.

So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother.

But when he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod's son Arculus, he was afraid to go there.

Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee.

So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth.

This fulfilled what the prophets had said.

He will be called a Nazarene.

This is the word of the Lord.

And so we're now moving into the encounter phase of the morning.

So take a moment and think through what verse or verses that the Holy Spirit might have led you to.

What stands out to you today?

What's something that resonated with your soul?

As you think about that verse, just ask the Lord, what are you trying to tell me?

What are you saying to me, God?

Does this verse or passage make you feel a certain way?

Does something jump out?

Does it stir some emotions within you?

What do you think the Lord is trying to say to you?

If you have a pen or some journal of some kind, maybe even take a moment and write a short reflection of what the Lord might be trying to say to you now.

As the Lord has maybe spoken to you already, now we're turning our focus outward and we're thinking about how we might actually practically live out what God has been saying to us today.

So ask the Holy Spirit now for just wisdom.

Ask, how should you apply this to your life today?

Spend a moment thinking and praying through that, just focusing on the Holy Spirit giving you wisdom and guidance.

Again, if you have paper and pen, I would encourage you to write this down.

As we come to a close for this morning, let's focus on the devotee.

And take some moments and time just to write a simple prayer of devotion to the Lord.

What do you need to say to him?

What do you need from him this morning?

Just write that down as you devote yourself fully to him today.

Don't rush through what the Lord might be saying and speaking to you this morning.

But I do pray that today, as you go throughout your day, that the Lord would fill you with hope and joy and peace as you commit your day to Him.

Thank you so much for joining me today for our reading.

And please join us again tomorrow for our next one.