Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20011230.htm

GOD'S ANGELIC CONFLICT CRISIS GUIDANCE GIFTS
Part V: God's Use Of Scholarship In Crisis Angelic Conflict Guidance
(Matthew 2:1-12 with Micah 5:2-3)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

(1) Recently, a member of our Church told me of a fellow Christian who claimed that "Knowledge puffeth up," so he was not going to be proud and focus on gaining Bible knowledge like a Pastor like myself would do, but let the Holy Spirit teach him independent of other human Bible scholarship!

(2) This viewpoint is not only represented in isolated cases of believers, but whole churches and church groups hold to it.



Well, it IS true that the Apostle Paul HIMSELF wrote in 1 Corinthians 8:1 KJV that "Knowledge puffeth up" to say people can MISUSE knowledge in letting knowledge be an end in itself to produce PRIDE!

HOWEVER, does this mean a Christian should NEVER learn ANYTHING about the Bible from a FORMALLY TRAINED scholar, or that he should IGNORE ALL SCHOLARSHIP? WHY or why NOT?



(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )



Need: "IS a believer PROUD if he places a high priority on Bible KNOWLEDGE? What does GOD think of human scholarship?"
  1. As we before learned Satan tried to kill Jesus at birth (Rev. 12:4), so God used QUALITY HUMAN SCHOLARSHIP to lead the magi to Jesus in a way that would still protect Jesus from Satan!
    1. God used HUMAN Hebrew Scripture scholars to lead the magi to Jesus in a way that could still protect Jesus from Satan's Herod:
      1. When the magi arrived in Jerusalem asking for the newborn king of the Jews, they naively created a great threat to the infant Jesus:
        1. Herod's paranoia was intense as seen in his killing some of his own sons to protect his power shortly before the magi arrived (cf. Harold Hoehner, Herod Antipas, p. 9-11).
        2. Thus, had the Hebrew Scripture scholars Herod consulted not been able to tell Herod where Messiah would be born, Herod's paranoia could have led him immediately to try killing all of Judaea's Hebrew infants in an effort to hold onto his throne!
      2. Well, the scholars told Herod Messiah would be born in little Bethlehem of Judaea according to Micah 5:2, cf. Matthew 2:5.
      3. That news left Herod assuming he had time to let the magi lead him to find and kill the infant with little political repercussions and thus keep peace-demanding Rome happy! This in turn gave time for God to get Jesus out of danger via dreams to men, 2:12-13.
    2. Upon close analysis, we find these scholars were very ACCURATE:
      1. Herod's question to the Hebrew Scripture scholars in particular dealt with just WHERE Messiah would be BORN, Matthew 2:4.
      2. Well, though Micah 5:2 alone is the verse cited in Matthew 2:5-6 re: the scholars' response, the Scriptural context of Micah 5:2 shows how precise was their scholarship on the subject:
        1. In the first place, (a) there are actually two Bethlehems -- one in Northern Israel (Naphtali) and one in Southern Israel (Judaea), cf. Z.P.E.B., vol. One, p. 539-540. (b) Well, the scholars properly identified the Bethlehem of Micah 5:2 to be the one in Judaea by way of its associated name, "Ephratah" mentioned in Micah 5:2. They knew this as the Ephratah of antiquity, an old district surrounding Bethlehem in Judaea just a few miles south of Jerusalem, Ibid., Ryrie St. Bib., KJV, ftn. to Micah 5:2.
        2. Second, (a) Micah also wrote Messiah's mother would have birth pangs in connection with the Bethlehem of Mic. 5:2, Ryr. St. Bib., KJV, ftn. to Mic. 5:3! (b) So, the scholars skillfully identified Messiah's birthplace to be Bethlehem in Judaea!
  2. This ACCURATE HUMAN SCHOLARSHIP gives US TODAY an APOLOGETIC that ALSO guides US out from SATAN'S HARM:
    1. As Micah 5:2 was cited by all the Hebrew chief priests and scribes to inform Herod of Messiah's birthplace, in conjunction with Isaiah 9:6 and God's miracle of the star, they authoritatively (though inadvertently) promoted the claims of Christ to be God Incarnate!
      1. The Messiah to be born in the Bethlehem near Jerusalem would be God-come-in-the-flesh, or God Incarnate according to Micah 5:2:
        1. The Hebrew Scripture at Micah 5:2b translates, "whose goings out are from days of immeasurable time," B.K.C.O.T., p. 1486.
        2. As Scripture counters belief in reincarnation in Heb. 9:27, this Micah 5:2 phrase coupled with Isaiah 9:6 means the One born in Bethlehem of Judaea would be the pre-human and thus the Immeasurably Eternal God who took on humanity at birth!
      2. Well, when the magi followed the directions of the Hebrew scholars to Bethlehem, coupled with the miracle of the moving star, they ended up worshipping Jesus Christ, Matthew 2:9-12.
      3. Thus, we have evidence from the reputable Hebrew scholars along with the miracle God's moving the star and Isaiah 9:6 that Jesus is God-come-in-the-flesh, or God Incarnate!
    2. Well, in believing in Jesus as God-come-in-the-flesh, we also believe in His death for sin to receive eternal life, John 20:31 with 20:25-30.
    3. Finally, in trusting in Jesus this way, one is taken out of Satan's reign into the safety of the kingdom of Jesus Christ, Colossians 1:12-14.
Application: As God USES PRECISE HUMAN SCHOLARSHIP in the angelic conflict, and AS such scholarship has identified Jesus as God Incarnate, (1) we must BELIEVE what it reveals that MATCHES GOD'S WORD, and thus be SAVED from SIN, John 20:31. (2) Then, though (a) TESTING all human scholarship for VALIDITY by way of SCRIPTURE, realize God (b) USES such HUMAN SCHOLARSHIP, and (c) PAY HEED to its FINDINGS!

Lesson: Though one MAY MISUSE knowledge in PRIDE, GOD USED very PRECISE HUMAN SCHOLARSHIP to guide the magi and yet protect His humanly infant Son from Satanic harm. God STILL uses such PRECISE HUMAN SCHOLARSHIP to GUIDE man to critically important TRUTH in angelic conflict crises! >

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 In the scholarly BUT PRO-evolution magazine, the National Geographic, in its March 1990 issue was an article entitled, "The Enigma of Time," authored by John Boslough (p. 109-132).

A statement in Boslough's article found on page 127 reads as follows: " . . . the seven day week . . . (is) the only calendar unit that does not trace its origins to astronomy."

In other words, ONLY the JEWISH calendar WEEK commanded of Israel in Exodus 20:8-11 out of all the calendrical dating systems used by her Gentile neighboring nations does NOT account for its existence from how the heavenly bodies function!

Well, if we view Exodus 20:8-11 in Scripture where that week was instituted, we find God established this calender time unit to memorialize His "six days" of creation followed by a "day" of rest.

(1) Hence, in the statement by author, John Boslough in the very PRO-evolution, scholarly National Geographic magazine, there is this "smoking gun" evidence of the DIVINE origins for the seven day week: as Israel ALONE scheduled its calendar APART FROM the astrology of its neighbors, this FACT argues for its origin as coming from a Party perceived as being more important than the gods of the stars so heeded by Israel's neighbors -- from the CREATOR HIMSELF! As such this calendar unit of time used by Israel testifies ISRAEL served the TRUE CREATOR GOD!

(2) Also, since BY the seven "day" week mentioned by Boslough in his article, as BOSLOUGH HIMSELF contextually wrote of a week of seven consecutive 24-hour "days", Israel's WEEK of DAYS is evidence God expects us to believe He created the universe in seven consecutive 24-hour, LITERAL days! There is thus no room for evolution or theistic evolution in the Scripture when seen with this "smoking gun" evidence inadvertently given to us in the pro-evolution, scholarly National Geographic magazine!

Thus, paying heed even to what SECULAR scholarship finds AS it is ALIGNED with SCRIPTURE insight equips us to be GUIDED by GOD to ESCAPE harmful DECEPTION!