By His Grace,
Pastor Bryan Ries
Psalm 34:8

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The book of Lamentations is a series of dirges, or songs of mourning, that were written against the backdrop of the Babylonian invasion and destruction of Jerusalem.

In the verses of this book, we can see the awful sufferings endured by the people of that city at the hand of their enemies.  Still, even in the midst of all the pain and the turmoil, God had His man in Jerusalem to record the events and to bring honor to His Name.

The writer of the book of Lamentations is believed to be Jeremiah.  He was known as the Weeping Prophet.  A study of Jeremiah’s life reveals a portrait of unending sadness and deep depression.

But, when we arrive at Lamentations 3:21-26 we see a glimpse of hope that I think will help us as we approach 2011.

21  This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.

22  It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

23  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

24  The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

25  The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

26  It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.

As we enter into the new year and say goodbye to the last, may we find hope in the scriptures.  We may have failed God, or perhaps there have been some major trials this year.  But, let’s remember there is hope in the Lord!

I hope that you can say, like Jeremiah did, “Great is Thy faithfulness.”

By His Grace,

Bryan Ries, Pastor

Blue River Baptist Church

Psalm 34:8

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The biblical story of the visit of the Wise Men at the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem is recorded for us in Matthew 2.

It was ironic that the vast majority of Jewish people, who should have been looking for their Messiah, were unaware of the birth of Christ; whereas these Gentile Magi, who were not God’s people at that time, did seek to acknowledge this King.

Not only was Christ a King by virtue of His lineage from David, but also by virtue of the fact that there were those in the world who were official king-makers (as the Magi were) who recognized Him as such.

In his first chapter, Matthew has shown us Jesus deserving royal honor.

In his second chapter, he has shown us Jesus receiving honor as He is being recognized by the Wise Men.

This event reinforced that Jesus Christ had the  right to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.

But, in contrast we see in Matthew 2 some other characters that were fools and not “wise men”, King Herod and the chief priests and scribes that he consulted.

As you may recall, the Magi arrive in Jerusalem and inquire of Herod, the “so-called” King of the Jews, “Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”

The Scriptures say, “When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”

Herod was “troubled.” That word, in the Greek, appears in the active voice and means “to be shaken up, stirred up, or agitated.” He was panicky and upset. In fact, I can’t think of a stronger word than this one in reference to this type of reaction.

Herod was agitated with good reason, after all he was the king of the Jews, in his own mind. Having been given the title by Caesar Augustus, he had fought hard to keep it and maintain it, and now, all of a sudden, a new king had apparently arrived who was going to take his throne.

Now, we see the other group of fools, the chief priests and scribes.  In other words, the corrupt politicians and cold-hearted theologians.  They should have been anticipating this moment.  But instead, they were too indifferent and focused on their own power and financial gain that they turned against Christ.  They continued in their hatred for Christ until, and even well after, His death.  They missed it!

But, the Wise men found Him!  And when they did, they presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.  What a picture of complete adoration of the child King!

What about you?  Are you a fool like Herod and the chief priests, or are you wise like the Magi?  The answer is found in these ways:

The Three Different Responses to Christ

1. Hostility

Herod was afraid that this little baby would interfere with his life. Jealous and fearful, he sought to eliminate Him. And some people still felt that way thirty-three years later, successfully completing Herod’s original plot.

Some people feel that way today. Jesus is an interference in their life. He bothers them, upsetting their plans, and if they had their choice, they too, would eliminate Him.

Jesus cautioned His disciples about the hatred and the hostility of the world toward Him and His servants: “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you” (Jn. 15:18). “…the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service” (Jn. 16:2b). And, of course, we see the hatred and the hostility exemplified by Herod.

The second category of responses is that of…

2. Indifference

This response is characterized by the chief priests and the scribes, who were so engrossed in their bandying about theology, so engrossed in their political intrigues and their games to get power, and so engrossed in making money in the Temple at the expense of the people, that it didn’t even matter to them that their Messiah had been born.

There are many who are indifferent like that today.

Studdart Kennedy’s poem satirically captures the seriousness of modern-day indifference:

When Jesus came to Golgotha
They hanged Him on a tree
They drove great nails through hands and feet
And made a Calvary.

They crowned Him with a crown of thorns
Red were His wounds and deep
For those were crude and cruel days
And human flesh was cheap.

When Jesus came to Birmingham
They simply passed Him by.
They never hurt a hair of Him,
They only let Him die.

For men have grown more tender–
They wouldn’t give Him pain,
They only just pass down the street,
And leave Him in the rain.

Still Jesus cried, “Forgive them,
For they know not what they do,”
And still it rained the winter rain
That drenched Him through and through.

The crowds went home and left the streets
Without a soul to see,
And Jesus crouched against the wall
And cried for Calvary.

But thirdly, there is the response of…

3. Adoring Worship

This was characterized by the Magi. Worship is clearly the best of the three choices that can be made with regard to Jesus.

By His Grace,

Bryan Ries, Pastor

Blue River Baptist Church of Edinburgh, Indiana

Psalm 34:8

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Since the times when Jesus asked the Pharisees, “What think ye of Christ?  Whose son is he?”, that question has continually been asked.  In those days, the Jewish leaders focused on the fact that the Messiah had to be the son of David.  Frankly, they really weren’t sure of much more than that.  They didn’t really understand that the Messiah would be God in human flesh.  This is evidenced in the fact that when Jesus claimed to be both the son of David and the Son of God, they railed against him as a blasphemer.

Today, people are willing to admit that he is in the royal lineage of King David, but they’re not willing to give him the title of Son of God.  Even those who claim to be Christians do not firmly believe that Jesus was virgin born.  A study a few years ago revealed that among students in Protestant seminaries, 56% rejected the idea of the virgin birth.  Also, the Survey Research Center of the University of California at Berkeley polled the denominations regarding the virgin birth of Christ.  They found that 69% of American Baptists believed in the virgin birth, 66% of Lutherans, 57% of United Presbyterians, 39% of Episcopalians, 34% of Methodists, and 21% of Congregationalists believed that Jesus Christ was virgin born.  It seems to me that if churches are not ready to accept as truth the virgin birth of Christ, then certainly, neither is the rest of the unchurched world.

Dr. John Walvoord once said, “The incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ is the central fact of Christianity.  Upon it the whole superstructure of Christian theology depends.” He states that the whole essence of Christianity falls upon the fact that Jesus is God in human flesh, a truth that is made clear by the manner of His birth!

What has happened is this, the supernatural has been discounted and attempts have been made to explain it away.  Indeed, there is no evidence remaining to prove the validity of a virgin born Christ.  But, it certainly requires two things:

1. Submission to the Word of God.
2. Faith in the Promises of God.

I could lay out for you all of the scripture that lays the foundation for a miraculous virgin birth of Christ, but without a trust in the Bible and the faith to believe it wholeheartedly it would be a waste of my time and yours.  We must simply believe God’s Word.

I’m going to close with the simple words of Matthew 1:18-25.  May God grant us the faith to BELIEVE IT!

¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

¹⁹Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

²⁰But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

²¹And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

²²Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

²³Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

²⁴Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:

²⁵And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

By His Grace,

Pastor Bryan Ries

Blue River Baptist Church of Edinburgh, Indiana

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Psalm 34:8

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Blue River Baptist Church, Edinburgh, Indiana

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Keynote Speaker – Brother Ken Fielder, FirstBible International
Guest Missionaries – Amos Moses, India; Brian and Ashley Todd, Costa Rica

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