Drew Boswell

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“Go and Tell Others How God Has Changed the World” Matthew 2:13-23

Go Tell It

 Sermon Series

“Go and Tell Others How God Has Changed the World”

Matthew 2:13-23

 

Introduction

There is a battle raging – there is a right and wrong, truth and deception, good and evil. It is a world weary from sin, disease, darkness, and despair. Christmas is remembering when God stepping in to change the world, Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

This gives us insight into another realm beyond what we see and experience. When Jesus was born into this world, and He would grow in wisdom, and stature and in favor with men – at every step there was a very clear and present danger an enemy seeking to stop the change that was to come. Light from darkness, holiness and righteousness from depravity and evil, a broken world could be healed. The sinner could be saved.

We also, whether we know it or even want to be apart of it are, are participants in sharing this great story of a God who left glory, was born into darkness and would bring salvation and hope. This story is the greatest story we could ever tell!

Jesus Will Lead His People on a New Exodus (vv. 13-15)

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.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 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.”

 (v. 13) “when they had departed,” – The wise men had gone to Herod, seeking he who “was born king of the Jews,” had the exchange with Herod, and then leave to continue to follow the star to the Christ child. They give their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Imagine the excitement of these wise men from far away, arriving to the home, having followed a miraculous star, and then the conversations. But no sooner had they experienced their visit, they were gone (warned in a dream). There is a mixture of excitement, celebration, joy mixed with concern, urgency, and fleeing. God has come into the world but he must be kept safe.

The wise men had traveled approximately two years, a thousand miles to meet the Christ child. What were they looking for? Hope of a Savior, a restored relationship with God, an understanding of truth? They saw a miraculous star, met the promised Messiah and were able to worship Him, and they were given a dream from God that saved their lives.

Then “an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream,” – “A journey of some seventy-five miles southwest, would bring Joseph to the border, towards isthmus, and a hundred miles more would take them into the heart of the country.”[1] Alexander the Great had built the city Alexandria, and assigned a place for Jews. The historian Philo was around twenty to thirty years old at this time, and he records that at this time there were over a million Jews in Egypt. So, the family of Joseph, taking Mary and baby Jesus would have disappeared into the mass of Jewish people migrating into Egypt. Egypt was a well governed Roman province, well beyond Herod’s reach. But the gifts of the Magi would have given them the means to start over in a new country.

When God calls for obedience, He give you the means to do so.

“Matthew is quoting Hosea 11:1 to show that this is fulfilment of God’s purpose to call his Son out of Egypt.”[2] But, this passage is not really a prediction that looks forward, Hosea look backwards, (Hosea 11:1-2) “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. 2 The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols. . .”

In the past when God called His people out of Egypt and rescued them, instead of obedience, there was rebellion and rejection. Now God is calling his son, out of Egypt, he is remain faithful the Father. Israel failed in accomplishing its’ purpose (Genesis 12:3, to bless the nations) and worshipped idols, Jesus would succeed in his mission as the Savior. Jesus is reliving the history of God’s people[3].

 Joseph and his brothers, and their father all escape to Egypt for safety (from the famine). Matthew is showing us that Jesus is the second Israel.[4] Why did Jesus choose 12 disciples?[5] He is reestablishing the 12 tribes who are faithful to him. Why was he tempted for 40 days? He was reliving the 40 years of God’s people being tempted in the wilderness (with food being their temptation). They grumbled and complained, and did not trust God. Jesus was determined to trust God and so He passed the test.

Why did Jesus need to be baptized, since he was sinless? He needed to identify with His people completely as their representative – passing through the waters of the Red Sea. God the Father declared that Jesus would take on Israel’s mission. Matthew 3:17 “This is my beloved Son,4 with whom I am well pleased.”

Jesus Will turn His People’s Mourning Into Joy (vv. 16-18)

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 Magi were instructed earlier by Herod to bring information back to him about where the Christ child was located (so that he could also worship him). When the wise men did not return, (because they were warned in a dream) Herod felt tricked and was furious. Herod then orders the execution of all male children in Bethlehem and the surrounding region – to ensure that his throne would not be threatened.

Earlier in Matthew 2:4 he, “assembles all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.” He knew that he was looking for the Christ, the promised Messiah, the true king of the Jews, and in his pride thought he could stop God’s plan. Those same chief priests and scribes show no interest in going to find him or worship him.

Matthew quotes Jeremiah 31:15. It was a time in Israelite history when God’s people were being carried off into captivity by Babylon’s Nebuchadnezzar and his conquest of Judah. The captives had to wait seventy years before God would restore them to the land God promised to their forefathers (Jer. 29:4-14). “God punished Israel and Judah for their apostacy, but he would restore them to himself and to the Davidic dynasty (Jer. 30:8-9; 33”14-15, 17).”[6] Ramah was a city where the Babylonians gathered the Jewish people before taking them all, and was really geographically close to Bethlehem.

In the Jeremiah passage, there is a promise of restoration and they are given assurance that there is hope for the future (for the nation). Rachel is often called the mother of Israel and poetically from her grave she is weeping as God’s people walk past her as they go into exile.

How does this prophecy of promise in Jeremiah 31, that God’s people who are being carried off into captivity and a promise of their restoration connect to this massacre of these children by Herod? As horrific as mother’s weeping over the death of their children, they are given a promise by God that there is some kind of meaning behind their tragedy.

(v. 17) “Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah,” – in both instances there is the threat of destroying the nation’s The exiles being carried off (but they returned), and the threat on Jesus’ life (he escaped and was safe). When there seems to be no hope of a future, God will restore – He will save. God does not cause this horrific act, but in His omniscience he prophesied that it would happen and he will redeem it for some good.

But when the enemy of God knew that the promised Christ child was in the world, he killed the children of an entire village and surrounding area to try and stop it. When the gospel moves into new areas, when the name of Jesus is proclaimed, there is a very real enemy who will fight against its’ expansion. “Those innocent and precious babies of Bethlehem were the first casualties in the now-intensifying warfare between the kingdoms of this world and kingdom of God’s Christ, God’s Anointed.”[7] Their death was the beginning of a terrifying conflict.

Jesus even warns us of this pain when He said in Matthew 10:21, “For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake.”

These are not just ideas and beliefs that people disagree over. Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” This passage goes on to say that you better put your armor on. But when Jesus comes on to the scene, and His name is mentioned, we should anticipate a reaction from these authorities who rule over this present darkness, the spiritual forces of evil.

So do we remain quiet? If we know all hell breaks loose when we say the name of Jesus do we remain quiet? Why cause trouble? Why potentially endure pain? Acts 4:12 “. . . there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Romans 10:14 “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”

Bellevue Baptist Church Exists to Make Disciples of Jesus Christ

Therefore We Cannot and We Will Not Remain Silent.

But also see, Joseph is warned multiple times by angels of a danger and what to do to avoid the danger. When Jesus endured the temptations in the wilderness angels came and tended to him (Matt. 4:11). At Jesus’ arrest Jesus said to Peter who had drawn a sword, Matthew 26:53, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” We are not left alone to do God’s work, He is with us every step of the way.

Jesus’ entrance into the world will cause conflict and pain – Yet We Must Tell the World.

Jesus Will Rule Over and Restore God’s People (vv. 19-23)

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 angel of the Lord appears again, and warns Joseph again in a dream, giving him instructions on how to keep Jesus safe. God gives Joseph the information as he needs it, he does not get it all at once – only as he needs it.

God has a plan for our lives.

 (v. 20) “for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” – The language indicates that the search for Jesus continued until Herod died. So the whole time they were in Egypt, Herod was sending out assassins trying to find the promised king and to kill him.

(v. 23) “so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene,” – that he would be called a Nazarene is not in the OT. We can’t locate the source that Matthew is quoting here. But, “far from an accident, Jesus’ association with Nazareth was planned by God in order that Jesus would be called a Nazarene, a confirmation of his identity as the prophesied and messianic Davidic branch of Isaiah 11:1.

The root meaning of Nazarene is the word for branch, So the promised branch of David (the messiah) would grow up in Branchtown or BranchMeade, or Branchville. There is also some indication that Branchtown was a despised area, “Jesus of Nazareth” was said with contempt. The Messiah was prophesied to be despised and rejected by His own people.

When we get to chapter three of Matthew, Jesus has grown up into a young man about to be baptized by John the Baptist, go into the wilderness, endure the temptations of Satan, and begin his public ministry – but Joseph is not mentioned again. The plan for Joseph’s life was to trust God (not abandon his pregnant wife), to listen and obey God’s messengers and dreams (warnings to keep Jesus safe), and end up providing for his family until Jesus was able to begin His public ministry.

Part of that plan is listening and obeying God, and part of that plan is fading away. Our calling in this epic battle is to be faithful to what God has called us to do in our lifetime, and then someone else will take up the cause until His return.

 Application Points:

  • Joseph was given instructions and he was expected to follow them. By following them he kept his family safe. He also fades from the scene when he has accomplished what God had intended for him. 
  • The events surrounding Jesus’ birth were foretold many years before. God knows what is going to happen and He has a plan. (Jesus being born in Bethlehem, living in Egypt for a period of time, etc.)
  • Jesus’ entrance into the world will cause disruption. Brace yourself for the impact.
  • “When we think of the extraordinary care that God the Father took to preserve the life of His Son, assigning an angelic host to be over Him, remember that the same God and angelic host are assigned to take care of everyone who puts their trust in Christ, because we too are by grace the children of God.”[8]

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[1] John A. Broadus, An American Commentary on the New Testament, Matthew (Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; The Judson Press, 1886) 22.

[2] Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures In The New Testament, Volume 1 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1930) 20.

[3] A typological recapitulation

[4] Paul uses a similar idea of showing Jesus as the second Adam, 1 Cor. 15:20 ff.

[5] Andreas J. Kostenberger & Alexander E. Stewart, The Story of the Incarnation, The First Days of Jesus (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2015) 81.

[6] David L. Turner, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, The Gospel of Matthew (Carol Stream, Illinois; Tyndale House Publishers, 2006) 54.

[7] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Matthew 1-7 (Chicago, Illinois; The Moody Bible Institute, 1985) 44.

[8] R. C. Sproul, Matthew: An Expositional Commentary (Sanford, Florida, Ligonier Ministries, 2019)  22.

“The Virgin Birth” Matthew 1:18-25

Go Tell

 Sermon Series

“The Virgin Birth”

Matthew 1:18-25

Introduction

The Gospel of Matthew says that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virgin when she gave birth to the Son of God. The world laughs at this idea and mocks it as if it were a myth. Even worse, some proclaiming Christians doubt the Virgin Birth; some don’t believe it at all.

But the truth is, there is no hope of salvation apart from the Virgin Birth. If the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ did not happen, the foundation of Christianity collapses. The Virgin Birth is not incidental: it is fundamental to our faith. This morning we will look at why the virgin birth is something that must be told to the world.

The Virgin Birth Points to Jesus as the Messiah

“18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

Engagement (betrothed) in ancient Judaism was legally binding and required divorce if it were to be broken, but sexual relations and living together under one roof were not permitted until after the marriage ceremony.[1] But now Joseph discovers that she is pregnant (and he knows that it wasn’t him.)

 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Joseph could therefore be spoken of already as Mary’s husband; Matthew emphasizes this by saying “before they came together.” Joseph assumes that she has been unfaithful to him. When Joseph is referred to as “a just or righteous man” it does not mean that he perfect, only that he was law-abiding, and upright in character. Because of the character of Joseph, he wants to spare her any public disgrace or even death (Duet. 22:23-24). Jewish law required a man to divorce (or that she be stoned) an adulterous wife.  She would have been marked for life as unfaithful, and an adulterous.

The angel explains in a dream that Mary has not been unfaithful and that her child has been supernaturally conceived. As he calls him “son of David” the angel is reminding him of messianic lineage.  It is as if the angel is saying, “remember, there is a messiah coming through your lineage.”  He commands him to go ahead and marry her thereby legally making the Christ child a son of David.

In this angelic dream there are no images of delivering the Israelites from the Roman oppression instead the angel emphasizes salvation from their sins. He is to be named Jesus which means Yahweh is salvation or “the Lord saves.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us) (Isaiah 7:14). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”

Historically, the virgin birth was an essential Christian doctrine. The amended version of the Nicene Creed in 381 says, “For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.”

The Apostle’s Creed says, “I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary…”

This morning I want to answer the question of, “Why is it so important that Jesus had to be born by a virgin birth?” One answer would be because God prophesied that He would be (Isa. 7:14), but God could have chosen any event or miracle to be fulfilled to show Jesus to be the Messiah – why a virgin birth?

Original Sin

Our answer begins at the beginning of time with the Doctrine of Original Sin. Original Sin is the biblical teaching that sin is not just an act but also a condition that has been handed down from Adam to all mankind. When Adam sinned in the Garden, his physical and spiritual nature was corrupted—his body was no longer eternal but would eventually die, and his soul was no longer spiritually alive but separated from God.

Separation is an essential theological theme in Scripture. In the Bible, separation is how death happens. Ecclesiastes 12:7, in speaking to physical death, Solomon writes, “and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”

Death is the separation of the body from the soul. When the soul leaves, the body dies. On the other hand, spiritual death is defined as the separation of the soul from God. Isaiah 59:2 says, “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God.”

Original Sin Results in Death

 The Bible defines death as a separation: separation of the soul from the body (physical death) and separation of soul from God (eternal death).

 Because God is spirit, holy, and without sin, the soul of a sinner cannot be in His presence. Therefore, sin acts as the means to detach (or separate) us from God.

Because Adam sinned and was separated from God, all who are born of Adam are also born separated from God. Consequently, when the soul is separated from God (Who is the source of spiritual life), the soul is dead.

This is why Ephesians 2:1-3describes the spiritual state of a person before Christ by saying, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

For this reason, Jesus taught that we must be spiritually resurrected (or born again) to enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:3-5). As we know, spiritual life (the reuniting of the soul with God) is only found in repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. However, the Bible teaches that if a person remains spiritually dead by their unwillingness to repent and trust in Christ, they will experience what is called the second death. This is the eternalseparation of your soul from God (a.k.a. hell).

Revelation 21:8 says, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Ultimately, we learn two important truths in this doctrine of Original Sin. First, Adam’s sin was the reason Adam died (physically and spiritually). It’s also the reason why all of humanity is born spiritually dead (needing to be born again) and will experience physical death.

Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man (Adam), and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.”

Original Sin and Federal Headship

The second lesson we learn in the Doctrine of Original Sin is the concept of “federal headship” or “covenant representation.”

When Paul says, “so death spread to all men because all sinned.” He’s teaching that when Adam sinned, we all sinned with him or in him. Adam was the human race’s covenant representative before God in the covenant of works that was established in the Garden of Eden. That is, God established a law for man to follow (to not eat of the forbidden tree), and Adam failed to keep his portion of the covenant.

Now, because all humanity was, in a real sense, genetically inAdam, when Adam sinned and broke that covenant, we all sinned with him or in him. Therefore, when Adam was genetically corrupted, we were genetically corrupted. When Adam died spiritually, we died spiritually. When Adam was cursed, we were cursed. Ultimately, when Adam fell, all of humanity fell with him.

This is why Scripture teaches for a person to be saved, they must go from being in Adamto being in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:22). We need to switch from Adam (who failed to keep the law) to Christ (who kept the law, perfectly). We need to go from the man who is not righteous to the only Man who is righteous—Jesus Christ.

So, because of Adam I have inherited a sin nature, you may say, “that’s not fair. I am being judged because of something Adam did?” But have you sinned? Yes, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).” But if you think it is unfair to be linked with Adam “then we should also think that it is unfair for us to be represented by Christ and to have his righteousness imputed to us by God.”[2] One man brought sin into the world and one man defeated it for the world.”

Romans 5:17-19 says, “For if, because of one man’s trespass (Adam), death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass (though Adam) led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness (through Christ) leads to justification and life for all men.For as by the one man’s disobedience (Adam) the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience (Christ) the many will be made righteous.”

Jesus, the Second Adam

Jesus is a second and better Adam. In fact, God prepared His people for and pointed them to this need for a second Adam. For example, in the Old Testament, God’s covenantal mark of circumcision, while symbolic for several reasons, aims to demonstrate man’s sinfulness by marking the male’s reproductive organ.

It was a physical reminder to God’s people that sin is passed down from generation to generation. Namely, that sinful man can only reproduce sinful men. But more than that, it would remind God’s people that salvation would not be from men but by from God. Somehow God would have to break this chain of sin being passed from generation to generation.

Even in Isaiah 7:14, we see the prophet foretelling God will step in when he wrote, “Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”

God’s people knew to expect a Messiah that would come through a supernatural birth

—a pregnancy and birth that included a virgin woman.

This Messiah would be fully human and fully God. He would have His humanity from His mother and His divinity from God the Father. But most of all, He would not inherit the corruption, curse, or covenant representation of Adam.

He would be conceived by the Holy Spirit, free of sin, legally adopted by an earthly father of the tribe of Judah, born of the line of David, and would stand before the world as a new Adam. Namely, He would keep the Law with perfection, to give His life as a ransom for many, and to spiritually reproduce others who were not like the first Adam but like Him.

So how does this all come together? Why is the virgin birth of Jesus absolutely necessary? Because if Jesus were born of Joseph, He would have had original sin—He would have been born physically corrupted, spiritually dead, sinful, and cursed. If that were the case, Jesus could not pay for the sins of others because He would have to pay for His own sin with His own life.

Therefore, the cross would not be a moment of redemption but simply the passing away of another sinner. As a result, no justification could be given by faith. No redemption could be bought by His blood. No wrath could be satisfied by His death. And no resurrection could occur to validate His righteousness.

 Without the virgin birth, all of Christianity falls apart.

Therefore, during this Christmas season, we don’t simply celebrate thatChrist was born, but we also celebrate how Christ was born. He’s the first fruits of the harvest to come, the firstborn from the dead, and for those who trust in Him, the One who reconciles them to God for eternity.

Conclusion

 “Radio commentator Paul Harvey tells of a man who did not believe that God had taken human flesh in the person of Jesus. He was a kind, decent family man, but he was skeptical about the message of Christmas and couldn’t pretend otherwise. So on Christmas eve, he told his wife that he was not going to church with her and the children, because he just couldn’t believe. So they went without him.

Shortly after the family left, snow began to fall. As he sat in his fireside chair reading the paper, he was startled by a thudding sound against the house, then another, then another. At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against the living room window. But when he went to investigate, he found a flock of birds, huddled miserably in the snow. They had been caught in the storm, and in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his window.

He didn’t want to leave the poor creatures there to freeze. He thought of the barn where his children stabled their pony. He put on his coat and boots and tromped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the door wide and turned on the light. But the birds didn’t come in. He went back to the house and got some bread crumbs and sprinkled a path to the barn, but the cold creatures ignored the food and continued to flop around helplessly in the snow.

He tried catching them and shooing them into the barn, but they scattered in every direction, frightened by his well-meaning actions. As he puzzled over how he could help save these frightened creatures from sure death, the thought struck him, “If only I could become a bird and speak their language, then I could show them the way to safety in the warm barn.” At that moment, bells from the church rang out through the silent, falling snow, heralding the birth of the Savior. The message of Christmas suddenly made sense, and he dropped to his knees in the snow.

It is possible to believe in the virgin birth and incarnation of the Savior and yet not be saved. Salvation does not depend upon affirming the creeds. “The demons also believe” (James 2:19). Salvation depends upon personally receiving the free gift of eternal life which God offers to you through His eternal Son who took on human flesh through the virgin Mary on that first Christmas, who offered Himself as the substitute for sinners on the cross. If God is truly with us in Christ, then we must come to God only through Christ.”[3]

______________________

[1] Craig Blomberg. The New American Commentary, Vol. 22. Matthew (Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman), 59.

[2] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids,  Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1994) 495.

[3] https://bible.org/seriespage/christmas-1996-virgin-birth-why-believe-it-matthew-118-25-luke-126-38

Time For A Change, Right?

Time For A Change; Right?

What happens when you try one thing, and then another, and then another, and the results are not what you expected?

Consider #1 – Your timing is not the Lord’s timing. Make sure you have spent the time needed in prayer. Are you trying to rush something to put it on your timetable? Are you even trying to be or do something God doesn’t intend?

Consider #2 – Have you given your present strategy time to work? Typically, it takes longer for a strategy to come to fruition than you originally anticipated. Are you rushing the process?

So now you are prayed up and have given your strategy time to breathe and it is just not working – ok, so now what?

Keep going – keep pushing. Turning things around or advancing to a new level takes grit (and new ideas!). You have to keep pushing even when everyone is saying quit, stop, slow down. You need to discern through your “walk with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16), if you need to stop, wait, or try something new. But stopping, waiting, praying, is not quitting. You may need to back up and gain momentum to move forward.

Have you taken the time to get as many people as possible to go with you on the change (the new idea)? Explain why you are making the change (trying the new idea) and listen to those on your team. Taking time to explain is not slowing down, it will actually help you move forward faster down the road. At each rotation that doesn’t work, there will be a tendency to include less people – you will feel like it takes too long.

Is there any strategy from the past that you can pull ideas from – just because its old doesn’t mean it can’t be helpful to move forward? How did previous generations deal with the problem you are currently facing? Their solution may not be the right answer for today, but it may give insight that will help you find a new direction.

While I am hesitant to suggest this, because it can be too easily the go to when you are frustrated, “what are other churches in your area doing to address this issue you are struggling with?” But be careful; you may actually need to do the opposite of what everyone else is doing.

Resist the temptation to feel that you have wasted time – explored ideas are not wasted time; They help you move forward – just don’t stay in one place too long with an idea that is not working.

Know that once you finally get it going – you will have to change it again (eventually). Moving to new things and feeling the strain to change will always be part of the ministry for the growing leader. It’s not about will you need to change, but when will you need to change.

Some leaders get frustrated and quit but don’t leave, requiring them to be eventually removed (they are not doing their jobs). Others quit and move to another ministry entirely, so they can repeat what has worked for them in the past (but there is no guarantee that it will). But in order to grow as leader and to be effective in your position – you have to grow. Never leave just because you are frustrated or what you have tried hasn’t worked.

The best way for your ministry to grow and advance is for you, as the leader, to grow and advance as a person. Keep reading books, articles, listening to podcasts, etc.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith." Ephesians 2:8

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