The one true King (2)

The One True King

Matthew 2:1-12

This morning as we begin the celebration of Advent, it is important to remember, the greatest Christmas gift ever given was the first. It was God’s gift to us, and it never gets old. It never loses its value. It is the same yesterday, today and forever and it is ours for all eternity. It is the gift of a Savior, Jesus Christ, our King.

As Christians, we have this saying; we don’t worship the gifts we worship the Giver, but in this case, The Gift and the Giver are one and the same. It is Jesus and He is worthy of all the praise, all the honor, and all the glory. And He is still the greatest gift ever given. Matt. 2:1-12

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,

2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,

Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;

For out of you shall come forth a Ruler

Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

7 Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”

9 After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way. (pray)

In our passage this morning we have the tale of two kings. I am talking about Herod the great, who was chosen by Rome to be King of the Jews. And Jesus Christ, who was chosen by God to be King of the world.

Matthew purposely puts this story at the beginning of his gospel so everyone could see the contrast he is making and recognize the one true King.

In Chapter one we have the preparation of the King. Matthew prepares us for the birth of Jesus by tracing His lineage back through David to Abraham.

Abraham and David were two of the most important characters of the Old Testament. God made a covenant with both of them. God promised Abraham that through him the whole world would be blessed. And God promised David that through his people one would come to be the ruler of the world. Both of those promises were fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Now in chapter two we have the presentation of the King. Matthew brings Jesus on to the scene and announces the Savior has been born. The long- awaited Messiah has arrived. All four gospel writers do this in their own unique way.

What is interesting to me is Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience. Yet he uses Gentile wise men, who are called Magi, as his first witnesses.

What is also interesting is how different the story is in the bible, from our Christmas tradition. What I mean is we have all seen the Christmas cards and the nativity scenes. Where there are three wise men, riding on camels, coming to the manger, to present their gifts to baby Jesus. But that is clearly not what we see in this story.

No, what we see in this story is when the wise men arrive Jesus is in a house. He is in his mothers’ arms and some time has passed since His birth.

Also, we don’t have any idea how many wise men there are or how they got there. Maybe the idea of three wise men comes from the three gifts they brought Him, we don’t know. What we do know is this is a unique story, and it is meant to teach us; Jesus Christ is the one true King.

The first thing I want you to see in this story is the witnesses, Vs. 1-2. There are two witnesses to the birth of Christ in Matthew’s gospel. A witness from the world and a witness from heaven. First, we are given the setting of our story.

Notice Vs. 1 we are told these things take place “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea.” We don’t know how long after the birth of Jesus these things take place. We can compare this with the gospel of Luke and know, it must have been almost two months.

In Luke 2:22-24 we are told 40 days after Mary gave birth, she came to the temple to present an offering for her cleansing. This was a requirement of the law. Her offering was either two-turtle doves or two young pigeons. That speaks to just how poor Mary and Joseph were because they were required to bring a lamb but could not afford a lamb, so they brought doves or pigeons.

So, we must assume the visit of the wisemen came after the offering at the temple, at least 40 days after Jesus was born, because Mary and Joseph would now have gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They would have easily been able to afford the lamb for the sacrifice.

Also, notice Matthew emphasizes Jesus was born “in Bethlehem of Judea.” Bethlehem is a little obscure town that sits 5 miles south of Jerusalem. There is nothing there, yet God uses this place for the most important event in human history, the birth of His Son.

By the way, The word “Bethlehem” means house of bread. So, isn’t it interesting that the Bread of Life was born in the house of bread.

It is important for Matthew to emphasize Jesus was born in Bethlehem because his readers were Jewish. They knew He was raised in Nazareth, and the prophecies all spoke of the Messiah coming from the city of David, Bethlehem.

In fact, we see that down in Vs. 6 when Herod inquires where the Messiah was to be born. The chief priests immediately quote Micah 5:2, “And you Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a ruler, who will shepherd My people Israel.” So, it is important here for Matthew to emphasize Jesus was born in Bethlehem, because he is writing to a Jewish audience.

Then we are told this takes place in “the days of Herod the king.” This is the original Herod; Herod the great. He was given power by Caesar Augustus of Rome. But what is important is this tells us a little about when this took place. Because Herod died somewhere in the middle of 4 BC, shortly after Jesus was born, and We will talk a little more about Herod in a moment.

Then we are introduced to the “Magi from the East.” also known as wisemen. We are not sure how far from the East they came, but there is evidence in the Bible that suggests they came from Babylon. Because in the days of Daniel and King Nebuchadnezzar, there were Magi who were put under Daniel’s authority.

Daniel was a prophet, and we know when he was in Babylon he shared the prophecy of the coming King who would rule the world. Remember how Daniel interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and told him of a stone that would be cut out of a mountain without hands, that would crush the kingdoms of the world.

Well that was a reference to the Messiah coming into the world from God. So, we believe these wisemen came from Babylon and they learned these prophecies from Daniel 400 years earlier.

In Vs. 2 we are told why they came. They say, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His Star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

They arrive in Jerusalem, and they begin asking everyone they meet about the birth of the King. Imagine their surprise when God’s own people are unaware of what has taken place. These are Gentile’s who have come from a faraway land, and they are more aware of what God is doing than God’s own people.

I can’t help but think about how this reminds me of the church today.” We can’t allow weak Bible teaching to put us to sleep and cause us to miss what God is doing in the world. We need to know the scripture, because the Son of God is going to return, and He is going to establish His Kingdom, and we don’t want to miss it.

So, what we see taking place in this story is Matthew is using these Gentile wisemen as his very first witnesses of the birth of Christ.

But there is another witness here that I don’t want you to miss. There is a witness from heaven. There is a star God has provided to lead the wisemen on their journey. We don’t know how they knew to follow the star but notice what they call it in Vs. 2, “His Star.”

This is where the idea comes from that the Magi were astrologers. We have no idea but what we do know is they were watching the heavens. There was something about this star that compelled them to follow it, and somehow they were fully aware it was leading them to the Messiah.

What is important for us to understand is for something to become law in Israel it had to be established by two witnesses. It was a requirement. That is what we see here in Matthew, he is writing to a Jewish audience, and He is giving them two witness. Magi from the East and a star from heaven, both proclaiming the birth of Christ the King.

The next thing I want you to see in this story is The Wickedness, Vs. 3-8. Herod the Great was a wicked king who would do anything to maintain power.

Notice Vs. 3 “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him.” The word “this” here is referring back to the question the Magi asked in Vs. 2; “Where is He who has been born king of the Jews?”

It is important we understand this is what Herod called himself. He called himself the king of the Jews. So, it is no wonder why he is troubled by this, and anything that troubled Herod meant trouble for everyone.

He was a paranoid tyrant. He murdered one of his wives and two of his sons because he didn’t want them to have power. According to Josephus, Herod was so protective of his favorite wife, Mariamne, that he told his soldiers to kill her if anything were to happen to him.

Just before he passed away, knowing that no one would mourn his death, he arrested one hundred Jewish elders and ordered they be executed when he died, so that people would be in mourning.

Also, just before he died, he had his oldest son Antipater be put to death, so he would not become king. Not all of those orders were carried out, but when Herod died his land was divided among three of his sons.

But what we see here is the contrast Matthew is making in this story. Which of these rulers do you want to be king over your life? The King that represents the world or the King of heaven.

God brought Jesus into the world to turn the hearts of the people back to Him. He wanted to be their God and He wanted them to be His people. So, He sent His Son into the world, not to condemn the world but that through Him the world might be saved.

That promise is still true today, we don’t have to bow down to the wickedness of the world, we have a king from heaven who loves us and wants to saves us. And He gave His life on a cross so we could be forgiven and set free. We no longer have to live with the guilt and shame over the mistakes we have made, but we can live in the grace of God.

Then I want you to notice the evil plot in Vs. 7. Herod is a diabolical psychopath, but he is also cunning and shrewd. After he learns where the Messiah was to be born, he wants to know when He was born.

Look at Vs. 7, “Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.”

He needs to know when the star appeared so he knows what age group of children he must destroy. He is evil and sinister and is planning the premeditated murder of the children of Bethlehem. We know from the story that immediately follows our passage, that is exactly what Herod did.

Look at how his plan unfolds in Vs. 8, “And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I to may come and worship Him.”

Now we have no reason to believe the Magi suspected anything at this point. Why wouldn’t he want to worship the king? They had no idea Herod was the manipulative monster he was.

The actions and words of Herod should be a warning to us today. We need to be careful of who we listen to. There are people who say one thing with their mouth and mean something altogether different in their heart. We need the Spirit of discernment, because without the spirit of discernment, people will constantly try to pull us away from God.

So, the Magi begin their journey again. They set out as witnesses of the King, confirming to the world the Messiah had been born. The One who is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory.

And throughout this whole story we see the sovereign hand of God, not only confirming His Son but protecting Him from the enemy. And He will do the same thing in your life and in mine. (Romans 8:28)

The 3rd thing I want you to see in this story is the worship, Vs. 9-11.These Gentile believers come to God with all their heart, and they worship the King.

It shouldn’t surprise us that these are Gentile believers because they represent us in the gospel story. It is no mystery Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience, but he is proclaiming Christ the King of the world.

Notice Vs. 10, “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” How do you do that? How do you rejoice exceedingly with great joy? I want to do that.

It is as though Matthew is struggling to describe the enthusiasm of the moment. He just can’t put it into words, how excited they were.

And really this should be true in the life of all believers. We should be enthusiastic and full of joy at the opportunity to worship God. It is a privilege not everyone in the world shares and it is a privilege we should not take for granted. (Jeremiah 29:13) Are you seeking Him with all your heart, because wisemen still seek Him today.

Naturally, we learn in Vs. 11 they found the child in His mothers’ arms. There was never a doubt because God was guiding their journey throughout the story, and the same thing is true in your life.

If you trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

The wisemen worshipped the Lord and we could go on to talk about each one of these gifts and what they represent, but I think it is appropriate we just say that these were gifts that were fitting for a King.

Matthew leaves no doubt about why the Magi came. They came to worship. They did not come to Bethlehem to be spectators. They came because they grasped the value of Jesus.

There are many people in the world today, even in the church who just don’t value Jesus. They just don’t place any priority on Him in their life. But these magi recognized His worth. The question is do you? Is Jesus valuable in your life?

The final thing I want to show you in this story is the Warning, Vs. 12 God in His infinite wisdom is not going to let anything happen to His Son. Vs. 12 says, “And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the Magi left for their own country by another way.”

Notice who is doing the warning here. This is a warning from heaven. God Himself is still leading these Magi even after they have completed their journey. But not only does God warn them not to return to Herod, but God is going to use the gifts they brought to allow Joseph, Mary, and Jesus to escape to Egypt.

The lesson for us is if you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior then God is there for you. He is our refuge and strength. An ever present help in your time of need. He is sovereignly at work leading and guiding the steps of your life. He protects His children from the enemy. The Bible says, Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy, but we have a Savior who has been born, Christ the King.

And that is what we learn from this story. Jesus Christ is the one true King who was confirmed by the world and protected from heaven.

I heard a story this week about Satan standing outside a church one Sunday morning. Inside, the people were singing, praying, and listening to Word. And someone passing by asked Satan if that bothered him, to hear those people worshipping God. With a demonic, sneering laugh he said “no, it doesn’t bother me.” Then he added, “They get that way on Sunday, but they will be all right tomorrow. It’s just a little habit they’ve acquired.”

I pray that God would save us from such a habit. I pray our worship would make a difference in who we are. Because worshipping God is life transforming.

It transforms our grief into gladness, our disappointments into victories, and our problems into praises. Worship has a way of changing our life, reviving our heart, and renewing our mind. It builds our faith and confidence in God.

It is through our worship we confirm Christ to the world, and we are protected from heaven. Why? Because we worship the one true King.