Andrew Phillips-12/21/25-God with us

Andrew Phillips opens the sermon by reading Matthew 2:13-23, which describes Joseph, Mary, and Jesus fleeing to Egypt to escape Herod's decree to kill infant boys in Bethlehem. He immediately draws a parallel to the story of Moses from Exodus, where Moses is also hidden as a baby from a murderous ruler. Phillips explains that the birth of Jesus is part of a larger biblical narrative, not an isolated event. He notes Matthew's frequent use of fulfillment phrases linking Jesus to Old Testament prophecies. The sermon focuses on three geographical locations from the passage: Egypt, Ramah, and Nazareth. For Egypt, Phillips cites Hosea 11:1 ('out of Egypt I called my son') and explains how Matthew reinterprets this past reference to Israel as a prophecy about Jesus. He draws parallels between Jesus and Moses as deliverers and discusses Egypt as a symbol of sin and slavery in the New Testament. For Ramah, referenced from Jeremiah 31:15, Phillips describes the weeping of Rachel for her children, connecting it to Herod's massacre. He provides historical context about Herod's paranoia, including his orders to kill family members. Phillips contrasts this tragedy with the hope offered in Jeremiah 31:16 and through Jesus. For Nazareth, Phillips addresses the prophecy that Jesus would be called a Nazarene, noting it lacks a direct Old Testament source but reflects prophetic tradition. He describes Nazareth as an insignificant town, contrasting it with the nearby vibrant city of Sepphoris. He references Nathanael's question in John 1:46 ('Can anything good come out of Nazareth?') to illustrate Jesus's humble origins. Phillips argues that Jesus's upbringing in Nazareth shows he identifies with ordinary people, and God uses the humble for extraordinary purposes. He applies these locations spiritually: Egypt represents slavery to sin, Ramah represents grief and need for hope, and Nazareth represents feeling ordinary or disqualified. The sermon concludes with an invitation for listeners to reflect on their spiritual state and respond to the gospel through prayer or baptism.

As heard by us

A steady Matthew 2 sermon moves from Egypt and Ramah to Nazareth, calling listeners toward deliverance, prayer, and ordinary faithfulness.

Matthew 2:13-23 is framed as a sermon about deliverance, suffering, and the ordinary places where God still works. It follows Joseph and Mary into Egypt, sits with Rachel's lament from Jeremiah, and ends in Nazareth, speaking to people who feel stuck in daily life and wonder how…

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You can follow Matthew 2 from Egypt to Ramah to Nazareth, with deliverance, grief, and ordinary life held in view.

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