Sunday Sermon Summary – Dec 28 2025

Strength in Weakness 

Matthew 2: 13 – 23

Joseph was appointed by God to be the father of baby Jesus.  He accepted his role and obeyed God in all situations.  We read very little about Joseph. The last mention of him is when Jesus was twelve years old. 

1. Flee  Matthew 2: 13

When king Herod realized that he was deceived by the wisemen, he was furious. He requested the wisemen to bring back information about baby Jesus because he wanted to kill Jesus.  The wisemen were cautioned in a dream to leave through another way.  To protect baby Jesus, the angel spoke to Joseph asking him to flee to Egypt. 

that would have been a tedious journey.  He obeyed God’s command and fled in the night. This was an urgent task for Joseph.  Why should the creator of the world flee for his life!!   Sometimes God calls us to flee from some situations; not because God is unable to protect us; but because that is the wise choice.  We are nearing the New Year, and we must be prepared to move away from some people or some situations when the Lord commands us. 

2. Fulfill  Matthew 2:  16-18 

After Joseph had fled to Egypt, Herod, seeing that the wisemen did not return to him, decided to kill all the children in and around Bethlehem two years and under.  He was such a cruel person to do this to his own people.  This was something never done before and was recorded in the chronicles of Herod.  This was also the fulfillment of prophecy by Jeremiah that there was weeping and whaling in (Rama) Bethlehem.  Sometimes the Lord may allow tearful situations in our lives; situations that cause pain and anguish.  We may not understand why our Lord allowed it; but we must understand that God allows some things to happen to fulfill His ultimate purpose.  Our Lord calls us to yield to Him in all situations. 

3.  Flourish  Matthew 2: 19, 20

Joseph settled in Egypt.  He was a handy man, it would have been easy for Joseph to find a job in Egypt; but the angel of the Lord spoke to him in a dream and commanded him to go back home since Herod, who was seeking his life was dead.  So, Joseph journeyed all the way back; he heard that Herod’s son was ruling in Bethlehem, so he turned and journeyed to Nazareth and lived there. No body can dis annul God’s ultimate purpose.  Our Lord will always fulfill His purpose for us. Jesus grew up in Nazareth and so he was called ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ On this last Sunday of this year our Lord reminds us that sometimes we must be prepared to flee some situations, sometimes we must realize that our Lord allows bitter situations but ultimately our Lord will fulfill His purpose for our good.   Let us yield to God and follow His commands and we will see how wonderfully he will fulfill His purpose for us and our loved ones.   Amen