New Beginnings Church of the Nazarene
December 28, 2025
  • 446. Faith Is The Victory
  • 447. O For A Faith That Will Not Shrink
  • 442. Blessed Assurance
  • I. ENGAGE: The Setup (Superman vs. The Savior)
    The Pop Culture Myth:
    Most of us know the origin story of Superman, the 'Man of Steel.'
    The planet Krypton is destabilizing, and is about to blow up.
    Superman’s parents build a prototype space ship pod and they place the Super Baby inside,
    and launch him into space hoping to save him from the disaster that is coming to their home.
    The parents die, but the baby glides silently through the stars, protected by advanced alien technology.
    Superman’s origin of how he got to earth is a great story.
    The Biblical Reality:
    Today we are going to look at the story of Jesus, and how it starts with a similar threat but a much harder solution.
    A tyrant is coming to destroy the baby who is to grow up to be the Messiah.
    But God doesn't send a spaceship.
    He doesn't wrap Jesus in a vibranium suit.
    He entrusts the life of the Son of God to a hard-working man and a teenaged girl.
    There is no autopilot driving the space ship....
    There is just a donkey, a dirt road, and the terrifying responsibility of two young people keeping the Savior alive.
    The Pivot:
    We want the spaceship—the fast, easy, miraculous escape in the safety of broad daylight.
    We don’t want to deal with hardship and pain,
    BUT
    God usually gives us the donkey—the slow, obedient walk through the dark.
    II. TENSION: The Problem (Safe Christianity)
    The False Assumption:
    Many of us have bought into 'Safe Mode' Christianity.
    We assume that because we follow God, life should be smooth.
    We think the manger was the end of the danger.
    But Matthew 2 tells us that the manger wasn't the end of the danger; it was the start of the war.
    The Reality of 'Krypton':
    Light provokes Darkness.
    When you start carrying Jesus into your workplace, your family, or your culture, you will attract 'Herods.'
    If you expect a forcefield, you will be disillusioned.
    The question isn't 'Will the crisis come?'
    The question is, 'Will you know how to move when it does?'
    III. TRUTH: The Biblical Solution (Matt 2:13-23)
    TRANSITION IN:
    Superman had a alien space ship pod to keep him safe while he was being threatened;
    Jesus just had parents. Two very young parents.
    Turn with me to Matthew 2:13 to see how God actually protects His Son when the world wants Him dead.
    A. THE MONSTER: Understanding the Threat (Herod the Great)
    The History:
    This isn't a cartoon king.
    This is Herod the Great, a man suffering from paranoia and disease.
    He murdered his own wife and three of his own sons.
    The Quote: "Caesar Augustus said, 'It is safer to be Herod's pig than his son.'
    When Matthew says Herod was 'furious,' that is a death sentence.
    The Light came into a lion's den.
    B. THE WARNING: The Call to Flee (v. 13)
    Matthew 2:13 ESV
    13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”
    The Command:
    God speaks: 'Flee' (pheuge).
    It means to seek safety by rapid flight.
    God doesn't say, 'Stand your ground.' He says, 'Run.'
    C. THE OBEDIENCE: The "Night Move" (v. 14)
    Matthew 2:14 ESV
    14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt
    The Immediacy:
    Notice the timing: 'By night.' He didn't wait for morning.
    In the ancient world, night travel was dangerous, but Joseph realized the danger inside Bethlehem was greater than the danger on the road.
    The Silence:
    Joseph never speaks a single word in the New Testament.
    He only has recorded actions.
    He hears, and he moves. Joseph became the spaceship.
    His obedience was the vessel that carried the Savior to safety.
    Matthew 2:15–18 ESV
    15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: 18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
    The Typology:
    Matthew quotes Hosea 11:1:
    Hosea 11:1 ESV
    1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
    Just as Israel (God's collective son) was called out of Egypt,
    Jesus (God's true Son) must go into and come out of Egypt.
    He is reliving Israel's history but getting it right.
    D. THE OUTCOME: Outlasting the Tyrant (vv. 19-23)
    Matthew 2:19–23 ESV
    19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
    The Resolution:
    But when Herod died..." (v. 19).
    The Lesson:
    The tyrant always dies.
    Herod ended up in a grave.
    The baby he tried to kill ended up on the Throne.
    The threat has an expiration date.
    IV. APPLICATION: The Choice
    Become a Disciple Who Listens:
    Joseph recognized God's voice in the dream because he listened in the daylight.
    You can't obey a voice you don't know.
    The "Night Move" (Obey in the Dark):
    What is God telling you to do that you are delaying?
    Ending a relationship?
    Confessing a sin?
    You are waiting for the sun to rise so it feels safe.
    God is saying, 'Go now.' Delayed obedience is disobedience."
    Outwait the Enemy:
    Some of you are in 'Egypt' (a holding pattern).
    Remind yourself: 'Herod will die.' Y
    You just need to stay faithful until he does.
    V. INSPIRATION: The Vision
    Imagine a church that acts like Joseph—awake, listening, and ready to move instantly.
    Herod is dead.
    The Empire is gone.
    But the Church is still here because ordinary people trusted the Father more than they feared the tyrant.
    Trust the Protector.
    Ignore the Tyrant.
    Walk in the Light.
    VI. ACTION: Your Assignment
    Remember: Joseph rose 'by night.'
    He didn't wait for the sun to come up to make the hard decision.
    Some of you have been delaying obedience.
    You're waiting for the perfect time.
    God says, 'Move now.'
    If you are ready to stop delaying and start obeying—even if you're scared—
    Tell God, 'I'm moving. and then move!
    Or if you are in the crisis right now,
    let us know so we can pray with you.
    Take a moment.

    6. COMMUNION SCRIPT

    If you made a decision,
    Maybe it was to trust God for the first time,
    or maybe it was to make a 'Night Move' and obey Him in a hard area.
    But here is the reality:
    Obedience requires strength.
    Joseph couldn't make that journey to Egypt on empty.
    And you can't walk out your obedience on your own power either.
    In the Old Testament, the night the Israelites fled Egypt, God told them to eat a meal—the Passover.
    They ate it ready to move.
    Today, we celebrate the fulfillment of that meal.
    Jesus was the baby who fled to Egypt so that thirty years later, He could lead us out of our spiritual Egypt.
    At this time, would the board members come to the front to prepare to serve the congregation.
    COMMUNION
    The Communion Supper, instituted by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is a sacrament,
    which proclaims His life, His sufferings, His sacrificial death, and resurrection,
    and the hope of His coming again.
    It shows forth the Lord’s death until His return.
    The Supper is a means of grace in which Christ is present by the Spirit.
    It is to be received in reverent appreciation and gratefulness for the work of Christ.
    All those who are truly repentant, forsaking their sins,
    and believing in Christ for salvation are invited to participate in the remembrance of the death and resurrection of Christ.
    We come to the table that we may be renewed in life and salvation and be made one by the Spirit.
    In unity with the Church, we confess our faith:
    Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
    On the night he was betrayed,
    Luke 22:19 ESV
    19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
    Would you take the bread and eat it and be thankful as you remember his body broken for you.
    Likewise, when the supper was over,
    Matthew 26:27–28 ESV
    27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
    Would you take the cup and drink it and be thankful as you remember his blood that was shed for you.
    Lets Pray:
    Holy God,
    We gather at this, your table, in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ,
    who by your Spirit was anointed to preach good news to the poor,
    proclaim release to the captives, set at liberty those who are oppressed.
    Christ healed the sick, fed the hungry, ate with sinners, and established the new covenant
    for forgiveness of sins. We live in the hope of His coming again.
    And so, we gather as the Body of Christ to offer ourselves to you in praise and thanksgiving.
    Pour out your Holy Spirit on us and on these your gifts.
    Make them by the power of your Spirit to be for us the body and blood of Christ,
    that we may be for the world the Body of Christ, redeemed by His blood.
    By your Spirit make us one in Christ,
    one with each other,
    and one in the ministry of Christ to all the world,
    until Christ comes in final victory.
    In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
    Amen.

      • Matthew 2:13ESV

      • Matthew 2:14ESV

      • Matthew 2:15–18ESV

      • Hosea 11:1ESV

      • Matthew 2:19–23ESV

      • Luke 22:19ESV

      • Matthew 26:27–28ESV

  • 218. Jesus Paid It All
New Beginnings Church of the Nazarene
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