Help Me! I'm Trying to Get to the King.
Notes
Transcript
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,
2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;
4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”
9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Trouble in the text: How will these people who have traveled so far ever meet the King when the king and his religious system stand in there way.
17 I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.
Thes men are Babylonian Magi - astrologers — who have traveled over 700 miles which would have taken them months over hills, rivers, deserts, mountains to be here.
It dumps them at the center of power in the land of the Jews. Jerusalem
They want to meet this man who is born King.
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,
2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
But the king is troubled and is worried about his Spot, the rest of Jerusalem is worried about their spot as well. Herod is put their by the Jewish Oppressors the romans as a puppet king. He isn’t Jewish. He is Idumean. And he is illegitimate. The real kings of Israel have David as their grandfather.
10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly,
11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house.
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,
2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;
Herod is a full grown man his adversary is an infant or a toddler. With no army, no emperor backing him, and probably can’t even talk. And he’s got some help eliminating him...
It’s trouble in our text, these men just want to come and worship Jesus, but the king is about to use them to eliminate him and they don’t even know...
Trouble in the world:
This world is threatened by the birth of Jesus. It has attacked Christians for thousands of years. Millions have been martyred in the name of Christ.
Governments have banned him like China and Russia.
People have killed in his name trying to damage his reputation.
And now in our culture we have sidelined him.
We acknowledge his existence but we do not worship him as king.
We have taken Resurrection Sunday and made the Easter Bunny
We have taken Christmas and made it red and green and made Santa the hero.
The world and its system has tried to choke the very meaning of Christmas out of Christmas. the birth of the King.
It has setup other illegitimate Kings to be worshiped and adored. This isn’t by accident. Satan works overtime to ensure that people acknowledge his puppets of love, sex, family, Santa, media, social media, as kings and not Jesus. And we give our deep worship to those things....
Finish this quote:
I can’t live without...
That might be your king.
With all this is their Grace in Our Text
Nothing not even a king can stop the purposes of God.
When they’ve come to the end of their senses. We came to where power usually is and we came to the king to ask about a King.
It’s not merely the star. It’s God’s word that gives them guidance.
It’s not merely the star. It’s God’s word that gives them guidance.
5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.
God then operates supernaturally above and over the earthly power of the king and his systems to get them to Jesus. (the star, and the dream).
God then operates supernaturally above and over the earthly power of the king and his systems to get them to Jesus. (the star, and the dream).
Who did they see when they got there a big tall king with millions of angels waiting on him, no...
The God of the universe decided to express himself as a BABY and they decided to WORSHIP him.
The God of the universe decided to express himself as a BABY and they decided to WORSHIP him.
They stopped trusting what it needed to look like and trusted the word that he would be born in country Bethlehem and not in rich jerusalem. They didn’t merely trust in what they saw they trusted what they heard. This baby was the king!
He is a new kind of king. poor, helpless.. He hadn’t come to be a boss, he had come to serve. And who was at his feet the readers and the guardians of God’s word. No it was the astrologers, the doers of God’s word.
Grace in Our World
The same word of truth that guided the magicians is here for us. The world can be confusing and misleading about where our worship should go. But the bible is God’s ultimate guide and His Spirit will lead us to where Jesus can be found.
Stop the Scroll, Pick up his word. Seek his guidance. Start with the proverbs. Start with the gospels.
Stop the Scroll, Pick up his word. Seek his guidance. Start with the proverbs. Start with the gospels.
Invest some time talking to him. 5 or 10 minutes a day. Ask him to guide you to the truth of Him and how you can operate in this world as one who follows him.
Invest some time talking to him. 5 or 10 minutes a day. Ask him to guide you to the truth of Him and how you can operate in this world as one who follows him.
Don’t forget to celebrate and enjoy the King this Christmas and everyday after.
Don’t forget to celebrate and enjoy the King this Christmas and everyday after.