The Coming Kingdom: Matthew 1.18-25
Pray Psalm 66.13-16.
I will go into Your house with burnt offerings;
I will pay You my vows,
Which my lips have uttered
And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.
I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals,
With the sweet aroma of rams;
I will offer bulls with goats. Selah
Come and hear, all you who fear God,
And I will declare what He has done for my soul.
Sing Psalm 66.13-16.
(Regent Square: Angels from the Realms of Glory)
To Your house we come with off’rings, what we vowed, LORD, help us do.
O, receive our praise and homage as we give ourselves to You.
Come and listen, all who fear Him: hear what this great God can do!
Read Matthew 1.18-25; meditate on verse 21
Meditate on the Name, Jesus. What has Jesus done for you?
Prepare.
1. Why was the Baby to be named Jesus?
2. What thoughts revolve in your mind around that word, “save”?
Meditate.
Everything in Matthew 1 points to the coming of Jesus. His genealogy descends to Him. Joseph and Mary were betrothed and thus ready for His coming. The angel prophesied of Him. A manger was prepared for Him.
Why did He come? Think of that for a moment. The eternal Word of God, by Whose power the worlds came into being and continue to exist; Who inspired prophets and psalmists; entered a woman’s womb; and assumed the body of a human Baby. Why? He didn’t need any of this. He was eternally joyful and at peace with the Father and the Holy Spirit. None of this humbling of Himself was necessary.
Of course not. It was done out of love, that He should “save His people from their sins.” Who? His people, chosen from before the foundation of the world. Not all people, His people, who by the continuing work of His grace will believe and repent and embrace and follow Him in love to God and neighbor. Saved from their sins to the righteousness of God’s Law, which is holy and righteous and good in all its facets (Rom. 7.12). Saved to know Immanuel and His Father by the indwelling Spirit of God (Jn. 17.3). Saved to die no more but to live forever. Saved to have a glorious purpose in life (1 Thess. 2.12). Saved to live in joy and peace irrespective of circumstances.
Saved and pointed forward to the coming of Jesus’ Kingdom now and the full realization of it then, when Jesus comes again. Saved. Surely, irrevocably, increasingly, selflessly, gloriously, joyfully. Jesus.
Saved.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
JESUS.
“O LORD, our Lord,
how excellent is Your Name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!”
“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
and the son of man that You visit him?”
“O LORD, our Lord,
how excellent is Your Name in all the earth!” (Ps. 8.1, 3, 4, 9)
JESUS.
“GOD, Who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
has in these last days spoken to us by His Son,
Whom He has appointed heir of all things,
through Whom also He made the worlds;
Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person,
and upholding all things by the Word of His power,
when He had by Himself purged our sins,
sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
having become so much better than the angels,
as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent Name than they,
for to which of the angels did He ever say:
‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You’?
And again:
‘I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son’?
But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says:
‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.’
And of the angels He says:
‘Who makes His angels spirits and His minsters a flame of fire.’
But to the Son He says:
‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.’
And:
‘You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
They will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed.
But You are the same, and Your years will not fail.’
But to which of the angels has He ever said:
‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool’?” (Heb. 1.1-13).
Only to JESUS have these words been said.
And only to His people—those who are repentant, who have turned from their sins, who are trusting in JESUS’ death and resurrection, and who are now obedient to His Law and love Him supremely—has salvation been granted, and entrance into His glorious Kingdom here and now and there and then.
“Surely, irrevocably, increasingly, selflessly, gloriously, and joyfully”—by JESUS.
Reflect.
1. How would you explain salvation to a non-Christian friend?
2. What does Jesus save us from? To?
3. How would you counsel a new believer to keep growing in salvation?
He was to call his name Jesus, a Savior. Jesus is the same name with Joshua. And the reason of that name is clear, for those whom Christ saves, he saves from their sins; from the guilt of sin by the merit of his death, and from the power of sin by the Spirit of his grace. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Matthew 1.21
Pray Psalm 66.1-12.
Saved is worth shouting for—why not go ahead? Meditate on the greatness of Jesus and His mighty power to save. Thank Him for His saving work in your life. Call on Jesus, Immanuel, to carry you through the burdens of this day.
Sing Psalm 66.1-12.
(Regent Square: Angels from the Realms of Glory)
Shout for joy to God, all people, sing the glory of His Name!
Give Him glorious praise and say, “How great Your pow’r and great Your fame!
All the earth shall worship gladly as they praise Your glorious Name!”
Great and awesome is our Savior in the works which He has done.
He the sea and river dried to let His people cross as one.
Then our joy was great to worship Him our mighty, sovereign One.
He the nations watches ever—all you rebels, humbled be.
Bless our God, all men and nations, praise His Name eternally!
He preserves our souls, and He will keep His paths beneath our feet.
You have tried us, LORD, as silver, and have brought us into nets,
made us carry heavy burdens, let men trample o’er our heads.
But through all Your grace sustained us and has brought us through to rest.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: The Read Moore podcast pushes on through our readings from Joy to Your World!. Our Crosfigell teaching letter continues its brief series on the early 6th-century Irish saint, Coemgen. The ReVision column finishes the study of Kingdom values and turns to consider how to grow the divine economy. Check out our other excellent writers. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
