Five Seasons of Growth are given by God to help the Christian to follow Jesus Christ.
Read Matthew 2:1-23
The recent hit Disney + series The Mandalorian is directed by Happy Day’s Ron Howard’s daughter and actress Bryce Dallas Howard. For Star War lovers it is a lot of fun to watch. The Mandalorian is the story of a Mandalorian certified Guild bounty-hunter who captures fugitives for pay all over the known galaxy. Mandalorian’s are considered the greatest warriors in the galaxy.” Mando” is the name or the star of the show. His planet was wiped out by the evil empire and his parents killed by droids. He was rescued by a Mandalorian and then raised “in the Way”. Eventually, Mando’s exploits land him the job to pursue and capture an asset who is of great concern to the remerging dark Empire. The payday is enough to retire on and live the good life. He accepts the assignment and eventually captures alive an adorable little green bi –pedal carnivorous swamp creature about 18” tall. Thus, into the story enters “Baby Yoda”! BY (Baby Yoda) is 50 years old at the time of the capture. Yoda is around 900 years, about the age of Biblical Methuselah, when he incorporeally transitions to the good side of the force. After this miracle, BY goes into a coma for a few days to recover from this miracle. BY has a little white Egg Crib that floats around as he follows Mando around through various battles and tricky situations. In one early episode, BY saves Mando from a wild gigantic hairy Rhino beast by levitating the Rhino beast so Mando can knife the Rhino in the side of the head. This all makes for great fun and entertainment. BY attaches himself to Mando as a surrogate father. In time Mando develops a fatherly affection for this mysterious sorcerer, who later becomes one of the founding leaders of the Jedi’s. Mando delivers alive BY to an evil empire politician but changes his mind and manages to escape with the money and BY! The story unfolds from there as Mando and BY avoids capture and death as bounty hunters from all over the galaxy pursue them.
As I have been reading and meditating on Matthew 1 & 2 I keep thinking about Mando, Baby Yoda and the evil leaders of the empire. Likewise, In the Matthews account of the Christmas story you have Joseph, Jesus and Herod. Some of you may already be offended by this comparison. My intent is to just raise awareness how hungry or world is for a ‘messianic’ figure or hero. BY does it all…he heals, he performs astral projection by moving objects with mental telepathic powers, he can even choke people out who might be trying to hurt Mando, he just doesn’t seem to worry about anything but KNOWS (Yoda can be Sanskrit for “warrior “or Hebrew for “know”) everything…BY is somehow BORN TO OVERCOME no matter what comes against him. One minute he can be cooing and chasing frogs for food and the next scene he is pushing back nuclear fire balls back on his enemies! BY seems to always pass out after does a good deed.
My oldest brother John taught me to enjoy Science Fiction and Fantasy. John has been reading Sci-Fi for 50 years. He is a world-renowned expert in the Nuclear Power industry. He frequently travels around the world as a key note speaker at Nuclear and Utility Conferences. I’ll never forget when John came to the revelation that Jesus Christ was Lord and Savior and believed Jesus was the Son of God. One of the first things John said to me was, “Little Bruder, I have been reading Science Fiction most of my life, but there is nothing that compares to the stories I read in the Bible. It’s like every story of the Bible is in some way the seed thought in all literature.” What John was saying is the common anecdote, “truth is stranger than fiction.” All Truth, the Bible is non-fiction, it is God-breathed and capable of breathing life into a dead hopeless soul. The Madalorian is fun but falls very short of bringing life to someone who is hungry and thirsty to know The Truth and to know The Way and to walk with The Life. Baby Yoda has no known genealogy. He is fictional for crying out loud…hahaha. The world is more excited about a fictional green swampy space creature than the Incarnate Son of God, who came to save us from our sins. We must throw off the heavy blanket of entertainment and be awed once again by the truthful history of salvation found in the Bible. I enjoy some good ‘ole fictional literature or movies but not at the expense of my bible gathering moss on my bed stand.
TODAY, WE NEED TO GO ON BIBLE BINGES
Matthew 2:1-23 again reveal some tried and true tips on how to OVERCOME the world, the flesh and the devil. You and I, like Jesus, are “born of God”. Jesus said to the elderly Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, “unless one is born again (born of the Spirit) he cannot see the kingdom of God”.
Peter said, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:3-9
The Apostle John said, “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God… Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God… For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith…Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.…”
( 1 John 2:23;3:9;4:7;5:1,4,18)
Allow me to pivot to the truth of the matter. Matthew 2:1-23 gives us a few more keys to living overcoming lifestyles as those who are born of God’s Spirit and follow Jesus Christ as Lord. There are divine seasons of growth for the Christian. These seasons cycle much like our natural season of Fall, Winter, Summer and Spring. We are predestined to be conformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ (Rom.8:29). We are called to “follow in His footsteps” (1 Peter 2:21). Therefore, the early years of Jesus Christ are footprints that help us understand these seasons. The language of the New Testament uses the work KAIROS to understand these DIVINE SEASONS of OPPORTUNITY.
Galatians 4:4-6 reveals, “But when the fullness of the time (KAIROS) came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
Matthew 2:1-23…Five Seasons of Growth for the Christian Man or Woman of God:
1) Seasons of Celebration (vv1-2,9-11)
This is the season of the new birth! We celebrate newness of life. We have new hunger and thirsts for the things of God. Like the wise men, we love to worship and sing praises to the Lord and Savior Jesus! We love giving gifts to others. Our First Love is ablaze with forgiveness, faith and fervor. Church attendance is a joy and privilege. We can’t get enough of God’s word and prayer. We are free from church pain and delight in deep fellowship. Nothing can stop us from our journey to give all we have to Jesus our Lord!
2) Seasons of Mixture (vv3-8,12)
All of a sudden we encounter ‘mixture’. Like Herod, we encounter a situation or system or religious leader who should know better. The encounter leaves us wondering, who is this ‘kill-joy’. The “troubled” (v3) Herod agitates everyone around us. Somehow we managed to agitate someone and they are upset with us. Our “zeal without knowledge” steps on somebodies religious toes. We here the crowd say “he is so heavenly minded he is of no earthly good.” For the first time we question ourselves, our motives, our service and our worth. We are shaken a bit, but we move on. The purity and simplicity of devotion to Christ is subtlety used against us to kill our faith and love. We were just seeking God and bringing Him our best and all of sudden someone is threatened and jealous that we are slaying our 10,000’s! Goliath’s head is in our hand with his sword tied to our back. Next thing we know is there is a price on our head and somebody wants to take our sword…stop us from proclaiming the truth of Jesus.
We find mixture in ourselves too. We do and say some things we thought we would never do. Romans 7 and Psalm 130 become our bread and water day and night. Eventually or duplicity and humanity opens us up the deeper grace of God and His continual choice and forgiveness. God warns us not to feed the flesh and sends us on our way back to a place of solid ground, devotion and service. Like Peter we must be “sifted” before we are ready to serve God and truly strengthen our brethren. The Father will allow our enemy to sift us, so the enemy of pride in us will be defeated with humility.
3) Seasons of Hiddenness (vv13-15)
Like Joseph and Mary we flee to Egypt for a season of hiddenness. Life is more precious than death in this case. We have to do what we have to do to survive to fight another day. Destruction is on God’s terms not the Devils. In this cave of anonymity we learn to listen to the “still small voice of God”. All the pomp and circumstance associated with the ministry fades away into a resolute focus. Pillar of fire by night and pillar of smoke by day is exchanged for a blue-fame of assurance and the smoke of wilderness camp fire. You see this “hiddenness” is an essential step in the process of becoming free of pride. Loneliness can purge us of the need to please others and subject ourselves to manipulation and control. Something or someone will try to DESTROY you before you are release to partner with Jesus to destroy the works of the devil. Hiddenness is a mandatory season to learn to wait on God to purge you of pride and release you on his terms and timetable. David learned to hide in the caves and trust God BEFORE he sat on the throne to rule. Jesus too lived in hiddenness before He was released and anointed with the Holy Spirit to do good. Mixture should drive us to the Refiner’s fire to be purified and shaped into vessels of honor.
4) Seasons of Weeping (Matt.2:16-18)
Jesus wept over the death of his beloved friend Lazarus (John 11:35). Peter wept bitterly because of his failure to stand boldly for Jesus (Matt.26:75). Profound loss and failure are seasons during which the Father prepares us to love deeper and be truly humble and reliant upon Him to help others with His strength. Tears need to flow before we can truly move with compassion. Rachel prophetically wept over this senseless slaughter of innocent male children by the power monger Herod. This is the Dark Night of the Soul. Saint John of the Cross was thrown in prison by his brothers for 9 months for exhorting them to be more Christ-like. St. John said something to the effect, “Dusk purifies the mind…the Dead of night purifies the body…the Dawn purifies the Soul”. Jeremiah said “weeping may endure for a night but rejoicing come in the morning.” Seemingly senseless suffering must be embraced in intercession to free the human spirit from passivity. The deluge of “bad news” and “fake news” through the media can lull us into a state of passivity if we are not careful. Intercession, fasting, and weeping must seize us to deal with the blackness and deep darkness settling up on our world. I believe a spirit of grace and supplication is coming upon the church to prepare us for great persecution. We must groan and yield in Gethsemane BEFORE the “swords, torches and lanterns” come to betray us and deliver us into the hands of enraged leaders and mobs. The God of all Grace must be embraced so we can endure the short seasons of suffering.
1 Peter 5:8-11 declares, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. 11 To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
5) Seasons of Transition (vv19-23)
Transition is not doing things you can do better. Transition is doing things you have never done and doing them well. Recently, Cheri and I realized we have moved 23 times in 35 years. I was stunned with this fact of reality. In Egypt and in Israel, the Lord appears to Joseph in two dreams to move back to the Galilee. Once again Joseph obeys. I find it amazing that we do not have a single word spoken by Joseph recorded in Scripture. The father who adopted Jesus never gives a prophesy, a song, a prayer or even asks a question. He is simply a SILENT GIANT. Transition is about obedience not sacrifice. Transition is about fulfilling God’s word and obeying His voice. Godly transitions can set the tone of our lives for years. As those born of God, we know His voice like a sheep know the voice of the Shepherd. God has a place for you to take root, grow in greater wisdom and greater grace in order to release greater faith, greater love and greater works!