The Refugee

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​Before Jesus was a month old He was a refugee.  Herod feared this baby might be a threat to his throne, so he sought to kill him.  Jesus can certainly identify with those Syrian and Iraqi refugees, many of whom are Christians, who are fleeing for their lives.
 
The Pharisees and religious leaders conspired to kill him for fear that he was undermining the law of Moses and their temple.  The Roman Emperor, Julian, sought to check Christianity because he said, “This Jesus is the greatest rebel that ever lived.”
 
Nietzsche, the German philosopher whose ideas influenced Hitler, declared that, “Christianity is the one great curse, the one great corruption, the one immoral blemish in the earth.  You must purge this disease of Christianity out of your German hearts.”  Communism took the position that, “Religion is the opiate of the people”, and sought to remove it from society in both the Soviet Union and China.  Today, the ISIS terrorists and other Muslin radicals are seeking to wipe out Christianity.
 
Yet, there is an interesting verse in the Christmas story in Matthew 2:20.  The angel tells Joseph after his sojourn as a refugee in Egypt, “those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”  Herod, the Chief Priests, Julian, Nero, Nietzsche, Hitler, Stalin, Osama bin laden ... all dead.
 
None of us know what might happen in this crazy world of ours but know this:  No one can blow out the light of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  One of these days we are told that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10-11) Our God still reigns this morning and He always will.  Be encouraged.  Nothing can stamp out the flame of the gospel.
 
Have a great week!
Pastor Barry