Christmas is Bigger Than…

Bible Text: Matthew | Preacher: Alan Conner | Series: 2003, Christmas, Holiday

Northwest Bible Church – Dec. 28, 2003 Worship Service – Alan Conner

THE BIRTH OF JESUS
AND THE DAWNING OF THE NEW ISRAEL
INTRO
The glory of Christmas, is that Jesus Himself would become the NEW ISRAEL. By the events in His own life, according to the Gospel of Matthew, Christ would retrace the major historical events in the life of OT Israel and establish Himself as the New Israel. This was all a part of the Father’s plan in sending His Son that Jesus Christ would establish a new Israel, not based on the flesh but on the Spirit.
I. THE BIRTH OF CHRIST AS A NEW ISAAC (Mt. 1).

A. The genealogy in Mt. 1:1-17 is to show that Jesus is the son of Abraham. Here Christ is identified with Israel of old, for as Israel was descended from Abraham, so was Christ.

B. The miraculous birth of Jesus in Mt. 1:18-25 lines up with the miraculous birth of Isaac. Abraham must have a son but he is too old to have one, his body was as good as dead, and Sarah’s womb was dead, being 100 and 90 years old, not exactly in the prime of their child bearing years (Rom. 4:19). Yet God miraculously gives this old couple their own son. As the miraculous birth of Isaac in the OT began the people of Israel, so the birth of the new Israel must also be miraculous.

II. THE BIRTH OF CHRIST AND THE EGYPTIAN EXPERIENCE (Mt. 2)..
Matthew ch. 2 parallels this in three ways:

A. Jesus goes to Egypt (Mt. 2:13). Just as the old Israel went to Egypt, so the new Israel must go to Egypt. The circumstances are different but the pattern is the same. Ironically, even the names are the same. It was Joseph, the son of Jacob that brought his brothers and father to Egypt for safety from the famine, and so also it was Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus that took his young family to Egypt for safety.

B. The slaughter of male infants by Pharaoh (Ex. 2) and King Herod (Mt. 2:13-18). Just as Pharaoh has tried to destroy Israel, so Herod was attempting to destroy Christ, the infant King at Bethlehem. During both times, God protected His chosen son.

C. Jesus returns to the land of Israel as did the nation of Israel (Mt. 2:19-21). Matthew tips his hand in Mt. 2:15 that he is drawing a comparison between the life of Israel and Christ.

III. THE BAPTISM OF JESUS AND THE CROSSING OF THE RED SEA (Mt. 3).

As Israel leaves Egypt to return to the land of Israel, so does Christ. On the way, however, they come to the Red Sea and must pass through the waters. This can be viewed as a picture of baptism.

1Cor. 10:1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
1Cor. 10:2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

Thus as Israel was baptized by both the sea and the cloud, so Christ is baptized in water and receives the Spirit in full measure. Another marvelous parallel between the life of Israel and the new Israel, Jesus Christ.
IV. FORTY DAYS OF TEMPTATION – FORTY YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS (Mt. 4).

What happens after the Red Sea? Israel begins her 40 years of wilderness wandering. It is no surprise that we see Jesus being led by the Spirit into the wilderness for 40 days. See Mt. 4:1 of how the Spirit led Jesus.

But as the Israel of old continually failed her tests, the new Israel triumphs in obedience. In every case, the new Israel shows Himself superior to the old.
V. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT AND THE LAW AT MT. SINAI (Mt. 5-7).

Old Israel ends up at Mt. Sinai and receives the law and next in Matthew’s gospel is the Sermon on the Mount where Christ gives His laws to His people.

Christ is like a new Moses. As Moses said that a prophet like him would arise, Deut. 18:18 ‘I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.

VI. CHRIST THE NEW ISRAEL.

There are other parallels between Christ and Israel:
12 tribes of Israel and 12 apostles
Physical (false) circumcision and spiritual (true)circumcision, Phil. 3:2-3
Physical seed vs “THE ONE SEED”, Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:16).
The sacrifice of the new Isaac by the Father
SUMMARY