Come Worship the King (Matthew 2:1-12)

The Heart of Worship

In the 1990s, the Soul Survivor church located in Waterford, England played a vital role in the Christian revival taking place across the country. However, at some point, the church lost its way and failed to uphold the true meaning of worship during Sunday fellowship with God. Matt Redman, a prominent Christian musician at the time, was a member of this church. In an interview with Crosstalk Magazine, Redman notes,

“There was a dynamic missing, so the pastor did a pretty brave thing,” he recalls. “He decided to get rid of the sound system and band for a season, and we gathered together with just our voices. His point was that we’d lost our way in worship, and the way to get back to the heart would be to strip everything away.”

The pastor, Mike Pilavachi, asked, “When you come through the doors on a Sunday, what are you bringing as your offering to God?” With that, he stripped all musical instruments away from the worship team. The worship leaders joined the congregation. When the people gathered on Sunday, it was them and the Lord, and nothing but their voices.

How does a church loose its heart for worship?

I'm not sure why this happens, but one of the reasons that stands out to me in this text is how one responds to Jesus.

When Jesus presents Himself either through His word or in prayer, it's possible for one's heart of worship to become cold, anxious, or even angry if they don't find Him lovely, desirable, or worthy of treasuring.

Matthew's main point in this text is not about responding to Jesus. It's more about the revelation of the King. However, responding to Jesus plays a massive role in the story line. In the story of Jesus' birth, there are four ways people respond to the news that the King of the Jews has arrived. As you read the responses, you can't help but think of the parable of the soils that portrays the four types of hearts that respond to the gospel. In both cases, only one way is right.

Make no mistake, there's only one way to respond to Christ.

Worship is the right way to respond when God reveals His majestic King.

This morning I hope to help your heart see the King and respond to him rightly with worship so as to guard your heart from anger, anxiousness, and apathy.

God Mysteriously Revels His Majestic King (Matthew 2:1-6)

Matthew 2:1–6 ESV

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.’ ”

The Herod mentioned in Matthew's account is none other than Herod the Great, who was appointed by Rome to govern Palestine. Although he was not regarded as a legitimate king by the Jews, being an Idumean and viewed as a Roman puppet, he managed to establish peace in the land and boost the economy by creating jobs, particularly through large-scale building projects and the renovation of the temple. During the first twenty-four years of his reign, most people were content. However, by the time Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Herod had become a tyrant, as evidenced later by Rachel's lamentation over the slain children.

One day, King Herod was startled by a commotion in the city. Some men from the East had arrived, inquiring about the whereabouts of the child who was born to be the King of the Jews. This is where the mystery deepens! God chose to reveal His Son through these eastern Magi.

Revealed by Magi

I know the Christmas song says, “We three kings of the Orient are,” but the song is mistaken. There are not three men but an entourage of people. The entourage was so big that it caused a stir in Jerusalem. These men were not kings, but they were counselors to the king. They were a group of people knowledgeable of Babylonian religious and magical arts. They were the kind of magi Nebuchadnezzar would summon to interpret dreams. These men were also skilled in astrology, studying the heavens and interpreting signs from the sky. What is mysterious to me is that God forbids Israel from consulting with magi, mediums, and sorcerers of the like in Deuteronomy. The prophets also ridicule such people. Jeremiah says, “Do not … be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them”. Isaiah speaks of astrologers' inability to save themselves with their knowledge of the skies when he says, “stargazers who make predictions month by month” but cannot protect themselves. Paul portrayed a sorcerer as “full of all kinds of deceit and trickery” and a “son of the devil and enemy of all that is right.” These are the wise men whom God led Herod to reveal his Son.

Why would God use pagan Gentiles to reveal his Son to his Jewish people? It has always been God’s intention to save Gentiles from their idolatry. From the time God rescued his people and put them in a Gentile land to be a light to the nations to when he brought eastern magi to reveal the King of the Jews had been born, he intended to save the world from sin and death. Christ, from his very birth, was putting Satan’s paganism on notice.

God’s ways are not our ways. He makes the wise fools and the fools wise. He turns what we expect upside down. He chooses to speak to sinners in a way they can understand.

Some of you might ask why God would want to speak to pagan astrologers. Why would God say to a stargazer using stars? Because God can do whatever he likes. “Our God is in the heavens and does whatever pleases him. Secondly, God met these men where they were with the language they spoke. They studied the stars, so God used a star to talk to them.

Daniel Doraini offers a modern illustration: “Today, we imagine he might drop a pile of coins on the tile floor in a casino to get the attention of a gambler or croupier. Some might ask why God would want to speak to gamblers in a casino using coins because that is his way. The Magi were pagans serving a pagan king. Yet God said to them, for that is what he does."

“Christianity is not a religion for “good people,” it is for sinners who listen when God calls.”

(Doriani, Daniel M. 2008. Matthew & 2. Vol. 1. Reformed Expository Commentary. pg 29)

The Magi reveal, once again, Jews is the Messiah, the King of the Jews, the Savior of not only the Jews, but of the world. A star has told them so.

Revealed through creation

The mystery continues. God not only uses pagan sinners, but he wields his power over creation. God uses a star to get the magi from the east to Jerusalem. We are not sure how. Did it go before them? Did they just intuitively know? Verse 2, only says they saw they star in the east. Once they were in Jerusalem, the star led them to Bethlehem, and then the star stood over the place where the child was. It would not be wise to land on the position that the star was moving around in the sky, even though it could’ve very well done that. God knows every star by name (Psalm 147:4-5). They obey his voice. The text is not clear enough to land on that position. What we can say is, God uses the heavens to declare his glory (Psalm 19:1-3). He used the stars to convey a message to he magi to find the Savior of the world.

Keep in mind the Bible was not written as we have it. We have a cannon of Scripture that explains truth to us. We do not have to depend on the mystery of the stars to understand God’s plan of redemption, and neither did the Jews. They had the Torah and the prophecies. Once Herod heard the Magi were there to see the newborn King of the Jews, he immediately told the scribes to search the scriptures.

Revealed through revelation

The Jews were waiting for the Messiah to come. The scriptures had predicted that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). God did not leave it to the stars alone to reveal his Son. He had been revealing his Son through the authority of his word.

Jesus is not revealed to us through the stars. Instead, God has chosen to reveal His Son through preaching, teaching, and proclaiming His truth to the nations. The scriptures are like a well from which we draw to evangelize the world. If you are not familiar with the Bible, you will not be able to drink from the well to defend your faith, nor will you be able to help your neighbor understand that there is a God who is present, as Francis Schaeffer says. God is not silent and has given us His propositional truth through the Bible (The God Who is There, Francis Schaeffer).

As brothers and sisters, we are called to know the Bible - the inerrant, fully sufficient, authoritative word of God. It is not enough to merely do good deeds or show kindness to a lost and perishing generation. We must testify that the Son has come, died on the cross to atone for sin, and has risen from the grave to justify sinners before God. He then ascended into heaven and will return to judge the living and the dead. We must call people to come to Christ by faith, confessing their sins and repenting, asking for forgiveness to be saved from the wrath of God.

The revelation of the birth of Christ is wrapped in a bit of mystery, but the life and work of Christ and the eternal life He offers have been revealed clearly in the scriptures. The question is, how will you respond to it?

Responses to the Revelation of the Majestic King

Evangelist Luis Palau once said,

When it comes to responding to Jesus, I find it’s important to distinguish between reverence, religion, and relationship.

Luis Palau

I think Matthew captures similar ideas in verse 3-12. Although this is not Matthews main idea of text, the way people respond to Jesus will be noted throughout the gospel. Matthew does make a distinction in how people responded to the news of the arrival of the new born King.

Herods Anger

In verse three, Herod was troubled by the news of the birth of the King of the Jews. The word for troubled means unsettled, disturbed. His heart was troubled because in his mind only he was the rightful king of the Jews. Now a child is born who could, at the very least, politically disrupt his rule.

His disturbed heart was not mere confusion or worry. It was hostility. In verse 12, the wisemen were warned in a dream to not return to Herod. In verses 13-15, Joseph is warned in a dream about Herod.

Matthew 2:13 ESV

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”

Herod’s anger resented any threat to his kingdom, his right to rule. His heart was so consumed with enmity toward God’s Messiah, that when he realizes the wisemen duped him, he has all of Bethlehem’s boys who were under the age of two years old murdered.

Matthew 2:16 ESV

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.

Proverbs 27:4 CSB

4 Fury is cruel, and anger a flood, but who can withstand jealousy?

If Tullius Cicero is right, and

“Anger is the desire of punishing the man who seems to have injured you.” Tullius Cicero

then Herod's anger, fueled by jealousy, wanted to punish God for threatening his kingdom. And when he could not kill God, he killed God's children. How misguided and awful is that? But how many of us are no different than Herod the Great?

In my fallen condition, I had a heart like Herod. I was a king, and no one could threaten my autonomous rule in my life. I was my boss, and in the words of Frank Sinatra, "I did it my way." How many in our culture have an over-realized commitment to self-autonomy that screams at God to back off? I will be whatever I want to be. I will do whatever I want to do. I will love whoever or whatever I want to love. Who are you, God, to tell me what I can and cannot do?

Do not be surprised when you share the gospel with someone, and they respond with anger. God threatens their mistaken belief that they are the king of their life. Even if you say, "Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life," you assume Jesus has control of your life. Fallen sinners do not want to hear that. I never did.

As we read Jesus' ethics in the Sermon on the Mount, he will warn you not to let anger harbor in your heart. Anger leads to hatred, and hatred leads to murder. Murder is the worst offense against your neighbor and God. We cannot respond rightly to Jesus if anger consumes our heart."

Jerusalem’s Anxiety

Jerusalem was as troubled as Herod. But their troubled heart was not anger, but anxiety. By this time of his rule, Herod was paranoid and cruel. People knew his brutality. He killed his wife and two sons because they threatened his seat on the throne. Now, a massive group of people from the east came, declaring the King of the Jews had been born. They were anxious to see how Herod would respond. And as we have already seen, their anxiety was justified. He slaughtered Rachels's children (Matthew 2:16)

I don’t want to draw too many conclusions from this, but you will see people in Matthew's gospel respond to Jesus with unbelieving anxiety. For example, when Jesus cast the demons out of the man and into pigs, the people plead with Jesus to leave their town (Matthew 8:23-34). I am sure they were upset that they lost money from the pigs, but it is also likely they were fearful of his power.

Anger is not the only response of unbelief to Jesus. Anxiety about what Jesus will cost you or bring into your earthly life is real as well. Jesus says to count the cost before you follow him. In the parable of the soils, two kinds of heart followed Jesus until fear of losing life and goods in this world became a reality. We cannot respond rightly to Jesus if anxiety fills our hearts.

Priest Apathy

The behavior of the priest in the story is quite surprising to me. If I were a scribe or a priest in the Old Testament, eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come, why wouldn't I go with the Magi to investigate? The Magi were not just some random individuals who came to spread religious prophecies. Their entire procession and presence in Jerusalem were quite significant, just like the security team and assistants of a top political figure arriving before their leader. This should have alerted the priests to take notice and investigate. Sadly, the priests did not show any interest. They did not want to worship the one true God and were indifferent to the arrival of the Messiah.

Apathy is dangerous. Spiritual apathy is deadly. John MacArthur notes that spiritual apathy and lethargy is an unresponsiveness to the things of God.

“Spiritual apathy chills your heart to the degree you’re not moved by God, and therefore you do not move toward God, and you don’t move for God.”

You cannot respond rightly to Jesus when apathy consumes your heart.

Magi’s Worship

Even though the priests and scribes stay behind uninterested in God’s Son, the Magi move toward the King of the Jews. Pay attention to how the Magi respond to the Son of God coming to the wold. Their worship consists of three parts.

They respond with exceedingly great joy.

Matthew 2:9–10 ESV

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.

Notice the emphasis on joy. The rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. It is the superlative of joy. Their joy was overwhelming. it was not just great, but exceedingly great joy. its the kind of joy I am convinced we will have when we meet Jesus face to face in heaven.

It is with joy we advance the kingdom of God by making much of Jesus. We are eager to see Jesus, be with Jesus, know Jesus, experience abundant life with Jesus and out eternal life with Jesus. Jesus is not simply our get out of hell free card. He is heaven to us. Joy, friends, must be a central theme in your heart with you worship the Christ.

They ascribed dignity with their posture

Matthew 2:11 (ESV)

11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down

John Piper says.

Sermons from John Piper (1990–1999) We Have Come to Worship Him

Falling to the ground is what you do to say to someone else: you are high and I am low. You have great dignity and I am lowly by comparison.

Humility, then, is a proper response to Jesus. He must increase, I must decrease.

They sacrifice their earthly treasure.

Matthew 2:11 ESV

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.

Their joy for the Lord moved their hearts to give Him their treasures. Frankincense and myrrh were considered luxury items, and gold was and still is a precious metal. These gifts were fitting as a present for a King.

Although some may be tempted to say, 'Well, Jesus does not need my money or treasure,' that is true, but it misses the point. The Magi saw Jesus as so precious and valuable that He was worth such extravagance. Your heart is where your treasure is, and for the Magi, Jesus was that treasure. That is worship.

John Piper has taught me so much about what it means to treasure Jesus. In relation to giving gifts to Jesus, Piper talks about how gifts are intensifiers of desire for Christ, much like fasting. He says, 'When you give a gift to Christ like this, it's a way of saying, "The joy that I pursue (verse 10!) is not the hope of getting rich with things from you. I have not come to you for your things, but for yourself. And this desire I now intensify and demonstrate by giving up things, in the hope of enjoying you more, not things. By giving to you what you do not need, and what I might enjoy, I am saying more earnestly and more authentically, "You are my treasure, not these things."' - John Piper.

The right way to respond to Jesus is through worship - joyful, humble, sacrificial worship. Worship Jesus as the only one who can satisfy your heart with His steadfast love."

How is your heart of worship

Like many others, Matt Redman's church had lost sight of the importance of responding to Jesus with worship. Perhaps some were angry with God, others filled with anxiety and doubt, while most were likely apathetic. How would you describe yourself this morning?

However, by stripping away all distractions and focusing solely on Jesus, they were able to rediscover the true meaning of worship. Initially, there was some awkward silence, but eventually, people broke into a cappella songs and heartfelt prayers, experiencing God in a fresh and profound way. Matt Redman recalls this moment as a powerful reminder of the transformative power of worship.

Redman continues,

“Before long, we reintroduced the musicians and sound system, as we’d gained a new perspective that worship is all about Jesus, and He commands a response in the depths of our souls no matter what the circumstance and setting. ‘The Heart of Worship’ simply describes what occurred.”

How are you responding to Jesus this morning? Do you marvel at the mystery of God's wisdom and power, which was used to reveal His Savior of the world through pagan sinners, creation, and His promises in His word? Or, are you angered by the presence of Christ? Is your anxiety about Jesus hardening your heart with unbelief? Is your heart cold with apathy?

On the other hand, is Jesus your King, your treasure, the one who satisfies you with His steadfast love? Do you respond to Him with joyful, humble, sacrificial worship?

If you feel angry, anxious, or indifferent towards Jesus in your heart, it's time to repent and confess your sins. Turn towards Jesus and rediscover the beauty of your Savior. If Jesus brings you joy and delight, then come forward and worship Him. Encourage others to worship Him too. Let your actions this week help advance His kingdom by honoring and glorifying Him. Worship Him with joy, humility, and sacrifice.

Schrader, David, Crosswalk: Song Story, “Matt Redmans The Heart of Worship.” August 17, 2016. https://www.crosswalk.com/church/worship/song-story-matt-redmans-the-heart-of-worship-1253122.html#:~:text=The%20song%20dates%20back%20to,musical%20outpouring%20at%20the%20time.