A New Kind of King is Born

Welcome/Intro/Prayer

Greeting:

Would you pray with me?

Good Morning Church! How is everyone doing this morning?

Series: Unexpected Messages

In this Advent Series We are going to be looking at the unexpected Messages that come in the Birth and Life of Jesus Christ! Each of the messages we will encounter in this series changed the world forever! My hope for this series is that as we encounter these ancient messages that God would have a message for each of us that would change our world today.

Last week we talked about the Unexpected Messages to Zechariah and Mary.

They were both told they were going to have a baby

Zechariah responded with doubt and a need for reassurance

Mary responded with humility and faith.

We landed on the idea of HOPE: has the strength and durability of that which we put our hope in.

Today we are going to talk about the Birth Announcement of King Jesus.

Intro:

Question: if you heard today that there was a new King born in the world how would you respond?

If were honest, we may not think much of it, we don’t live in a world of Kings and Queens anymore.

In fact, How many of us think of Jesus as a King?

Its easy to think of Jesus as Messiah and Savior. He saved us from our Sin.

But, in our world today at least here in the US, we dont have Kings.

So before we dive into the scripture for this morning I want to Set the Stage and Take us Back to the World that Jesus was born into. This is going to be a message that is more “teaching” than preaching, but I truly hope that the Spirt moves in us in a powerful way today! AMEN? AMEN!

Context:

Jesus was born into a time of Kings and Emperors

Ceasar Augustus was the ruler during Jesus’ time. He was the first and most successful emperor

Caesar was literally deified in Rome, He had temples built to worship him. His statues were all over the place. On the currency, His face was depicted and on some of the coins it said “Son of God”

There was a gospel announcement about Augustus Caesars birth that was read throughout Rome, probably at least every year on his Birthday. Im going to put it up on the screen, but listen how much it sounds like it comes from the bible.

Since providence, which governs all things in our life in divine manner, has with eager generosity bestowed the most beautiful ornament on our life by bringing forth Augustus, whom it has filled with virtue to the good of the human race, as the savior for us and for our descendants, the man who ends war and creates peace; and since by his appearing the emperor has now superabundantly fulfilled the hopes of all earlier times, in that he has not only towered over all the benefactors who lived before him, but has also robbed all future benefactors of the hope of doing more than he has done; and since finally the birthday of the god meant for the world the beginning of the gospel (euangellion) which has him as its author… (Priene Inscription; OGIS458 ll. 32-41 ).

Then You have “King” Herod, who ruled over the Jews

Ruthless rule, He had most of his opposition killed anyone that would dare appose his authority killed.

Herod was responsible massive building projects like the City of Caesaria

What were the expectations of a the Jewish People around Political Power?

We learned last week they have spent hundreds of years under foreign rule and havent heard a peep from Yahweh.

At the Time of Jesus’ birth there were 4 factions of Jews in the realm of Religious/Political Thought

Zealots: violent revolt against Rome

Essenes: withdrawal from pollution of Rome

Pharisees: “separatists” – establish boundaries from pollution of Rome

Saducees: compromise and accommodate to occupying powers

Common People: Poor, Over 1 Million displaced, they were farmers, heavily taxed by Rome. They desperately wanted liberation.

Summary: For these people, hearing about the Birth of King Jesus was a world changing event, A person to stand up against Rome and Herod, someone to lead the Zealots in Military Charge. A King was a huge deal. So lets read the passage of Jesus’ birth with fresh eyes.

Walking Through the Text: Matthew 2:1-12

The Magi- Gentiles, astrologers and spiritual individuals who discerned of Jesus’ birth from astrological signs we know this today as the Star.

Jerusalem- Naturally, when they heard about a The Birth of a New King, Where did they Go? Jerusalem, that was where royalty was expected to be!

Worship: The fact that these astrologers wanted to come worship Jesus was both common and uncommon.

it was common for foreign leaders to pay homage to new leaders, kings, and political figures.

But matthew uses the word, proskenow here which means to worship. For the Magi to want to worship this baby was more than just political homage, but a spiritual act

Herod’s response was fear and paranoia! Why?

The Power of Scripture: The priests and religous rules find Micah in their seach for answers.

Micah 5:2,4.

Herod’s Mission: Herod sends the Magi to find Jesus in Bethlehem, why?

Herod wants to worship too, but we all know thats not true.

Finding the Baby King: The Magi find Jesus in Bethlehem and they bow down and worship, but they also present him with gifts.

A Different Kind of King (Unexpected)

Different Kind of Birth: Parents, Place, and Power they all were unexpected. Who Jesus was born to, Where Jesus was born, and the power behind it all, there wasnt this glorious display, but Jesus was born in an common way.

Different Kind of Rule: Jesus came not to be served, but to what? SERVE. Jesus didnt lord over the people, but lived among them. Jesus didnt exercisize his power through Destruction, War and Domination, but through healing, restoration, and ultimately sacrifice.

Different Kind of Kingdom: Jesus’ Kingdom is built through relationship not through conquering. People in Jesus’ kingdom are freed from sin, not enslaved.

All of these things point to a different kind of King, this was not Caesar or Herod, but King Jesus. The King of the Jews. As Collisions 1 states the King of Creation. The Cosmic Ruler, but the Question for the church today is simple: Is Jesus your King?

Is Jesus your King?

Hear these words from Richard Gardner as He reflects on this passage:

Matthew The Text in the Life of the Church

Here the issue is the more fundamental question of whether we can think of Jesus as our king. For many, talk of kings and kingdoms belongs to other eras or other cultures. For still other persons, talk of kingship is problematic because it reinforces a hierarchical view of life.

Whatever limitations talk of royalty may possess, it directs our attention to a fact of life which applies to us as much as it did to ancient monarchies. We live in a world in which various powers or structures exert sovereignty over our lives and clamor for our loyalty. We in turn must make decisions about what powers we will recognize and how much loyalty to offer them. To acclaim Jesus as king is to affirm that his sovereignty is ultimate, and that he has the first and final claim on our loyalties. That is what the homage of the magi is all about.

Reflection Questions:

What does the Message that King Jesus has been born mean to you?

if we claim Jesus as King, What parts of our life does he rule over?

Are there areas of our life that we don’t acknowledge him as King?

Who can we share the Unexpected Message of King Jesus with this week?

Id like to invite the worship team up to sing our closing song, Joy to the World.

Before we sing would you pray with me?

Benedicition: It is not enough to acclaim Jesus Christ as our Lord and King. Our mission in life is to make his kingdom a reality among us and to bring it to those around us by our words and deeds. The way to do this is to live as he lived: for others, in love and service. May almighty God bless you for this task: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.