Jesus is the King

Jesus is the King – Matthew 2:1-6

Please stand for the reading of God's word.

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, 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.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “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.”

This is the word of the Lord.

Audience: Thanks be to God.

You may be seated.

About four years ago, I found myself sitting in my counselor’s office, a space that had become all too familiar over the course of our meetings. The room enveloped me in a peculiar comfort, with soft couches arranged invitingly and warm, low ambient lighting that cast a gentle glow. A soothing scent hung in the air, a delightful blend of warm apples and spicy cinnamon emanating from a wooden wick candle flickering in the corner, creating an atmosphere conducive to introspection.

Lining the walls were bookshelves filled with an eclectic assortment of literature and trinkets, distractions that offered me refuge from the inevitable moments of awkward eye contact. The ambiance was undeniably homey, inviting vulnerability—a sacred space for tears, heated debates, breakthroughs, and profound spiritual growth.

Yet that day, an unsettling air replaced the usual coziness. Instead of feeling as if I were nestled in an embrace, warmed by the fire while savoring slices of apple pie on a frosty winter afternoon, the room transformed into a pressure cooker of anxiety. It became the setting for the most intense panic attack I have ever experienced, overwhelming and consuming, rendering the previous comfort utterly unrecognizable.

My gaze became transfixed at my limp arms, and I did my best to move my fingers, but in a weird way that no longer felt like mine. My legs shook as I tried to make any sort of movement, but a deep haze fell over my eyes, and it was like I was no longer inside of my own body.

I could barely speak, and the only words I got out were enough for my counselor to understand that I needed some help. My parents rushed to the office after a phone call, and I could barely say a word when they arrived. I laid across the back seat of my dad’s truck and reclined into the fetal position as they took me to my doctor.

Forty-eight hours later, after tears and long talks and filling out a paper asking if I had thoughts of harming myself and a prescription for antidepressants, Leann Gabel, our worship director, anointed my head with oil and prayed for me. With the help of a dear friend helped me realize that this panic attack came from years and years of built-up anxiety and that all of it was because I was grasping for one thing.

Control.

And to be honest, most, if not all, of us in this room understand what it means to try and grasp for control. It doesn’t matter what it is; it doesn't matter if we have control or not; you better bet that we will try our hardest to control what happens around us. And it’s not a bad thing. You are doing that because you are trying to control how uncomfortable you want to be or not. If you can control the room's temperature, you can control whether you have a hot flash or not. Or if your wife will complain or not. If you can control what kind of job you have, you can control the amount of money you have coming in. This will allow you to live the type of lifestyle you want, which allows you to control the type of car you have, the house you have, and the clothes you wear. You invest in certain accounts; you move assets around, all so you can control the comfort of your life in the future. We control the type of friends we have; we control who comes in and out of our houses with locked doors and garages for our cars. We make sure that we sit at this pew, on this row, on this side, because if we don’t, then we might sit next to that one guy who talks too much, or that one lady who wears too much perfume, or that one guy who is too tall so see anything past him. We try to control our spouses, we try to control our kid’s teachers, and we wonder why they don’t do the things that we want them to. We try to control what happens in our homes, what happens to our parents, and what preservatives are going into our dog’s food.

We want to control our kids, our marriages, our ex-husbands, our bank accounts, our schools, our cities, our states, our governments.

We want to be in charge because we know best. We have the best ideas. We know how it should be done. Not them, we have got it. How can we trust someone to tell us what to do? How can we trust someone in a position of power? What if they tell us to do something we don’t want to do? What if they don’t want what we want? What if the person in power tells us to do something that would make us uncomfortable? Or do something that we wouldn’t choose to do, or be someone we don’t want to be? We want to be in control because we care. And we know what they need. We know what we need. We know what is the thing that will keep us the most comfortable, that will cause the least amount of resitence for us. We want to control the outcome. Not someone else. Control is comfort. You can’t tell us who is in charge. We all have a right. A say. A vote.

We can’t trust someone else to have our best interests in mind. We can define what’s good and what’s evil.

Right?

Merry Christmas! Aren’t you glad you showed up this morning? Today We are starting this series today called. “Who is this?” to help us understand what the gospels are really about and what each one individually tells us. And my job is to help us understand what the gospel of Matthew says about Jesus. But before we get there we need to rewind a bit.

Because listen,

We have been grasping for control since the very beginning. So much so that it brought us to our demise.

Whether you know it or not, the story of the Bible is really about a kingdom. And not just any kingdom, but the kingdom of God.

There is a book I have bought recently for Luca written by Kenneth Padgett, and Shay Gregorie called “The Story of God our King,” and I’ve been referring to it a lot lately. So, if it seems like I am rhyming at any moment, I am giving all credit to these very talented authors. The beginning starts like this.

“In the very beginning, before there was anything, our king reigned supreme. Water and waves rumbled in the wild and the waste, and like the light of seventy suns, the king’s words lit up the whole universe! He spoke, and the earth burst forth towering trees, the sky started buzzing with birds, bugs, and bees, and schooling things of all sizes swam the bright blue seas. So much light and so much life flowed from the heart of the King. Then he prepared his kingdom for the very best thing! He created people who could love, laugh, and sing. Would his kingdom last forever? Could it be any better?”

Quoting Genesis 1:26, the book continues, “The very next day the king rested on his throne, and gave his people loving laws that set them free to flourish in the garden. He wanted them to fill the earth with a great, big royal family. Adam was the first husband of the first wife, and Eve was the mother of all life. God created them to rule and to reign over the earth with him. To share his dominion in a world without end. What kind of king does that? Could it even be true? That he would share his rule with me and you?

You see, God, the creator of the universe, the Trinity, the alpha and the omega, was the ruler of all. God made all and was in charge of all. And God created man and woman and gave them the first decree. He said, be fruitful and multiply and rule over the earth! Rule alongside me and have dominion over the earth. He invited us to be coheirs with him in his kingdom. From the very beginning, God chose to share his love through sharing the power of his kingdom with us. We had seats in the throne room. His courts were our courts. His space was our space. Heaven was Earth. They were not separate spaces.

But like a maddening episode of your favorite fantasy thriller, the co-heirs, those he had trusted with his creation, chose to take things into their own hands.

The serpent said, “Are you sure you can trust him? He doesn’t want you to be like him. He doesn’t want you to be in control. He wants to control you. The coheirs revolved against the king by failing to listen to his one rule, to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The coheirs chose to usurp the power and the authority to define what was best for them or not.

Darkness and death fell over the earth as God removed the coheirs from his throne. We were no longer invited into his home, where before we could run around like naked children instead we covered ourselves with fig leaves in shame. And the king knew that things would not be the same from this moment onward. (That rhyme was on accident.)

Sin had entered into our bodies and caused us to die. We chose to choose for ourselves. Because we thought we knew what was best. So God kicked us out of his kingdom, and gave us what we wanted. The Serpent king, full of pride, thought he had done it. But those who knew the excellent king knew better.

As Padgett says, “All creation was eagerly waiting; a hush fell over the King’s army of angels. The stars and the planets hovered with hope. And without any warning, in a faraway land, the king appeared to a man called Abraham. God revealed a plan for a royal son! Soon the serpent king would be undone!

He will be a king like no other, defender and friend. Always and forever world without end.

Humanity, at this point, had only gotten worse. So much death and so much pain came from this decision to control. So God chose a man he could trust and decided that this ancient couple would be the two to start a contrast community in a land of destruction and sin. Genesis 12:1-3 says this: Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2, And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” God used Abraham to create a group of people that would choose to be under his reign as king, and through Abraham’s obedience to the king, the whole earth would be blessed. Through Abraham, God would create a new royal family. A new family that was blessed because they were not in control but under the reign of God the King. And this family, for a long time, became really big and started to follow God’s first command to fill the earth and have dominion over it with him. But as Padgett says, “ Then one day, an evil king became worried that they would grow to be a kingdom greater than his own. So he made them slaves to build his kingdom out of dusty, dry stone! It was one of the darkest times for God’s people, and the land was flooded with sorrow.” But their good king heard after their cries. He stretched out his right hand and destroyed the enemy with the unstoppable fury of a determined father. Rushing waters rumbled and roared – over, under and through God’s enemies. God would never let his people be taken. He promised never ever to leave or forsake them.”

Through the power of God alone, through a shepherd and a stutter, God used Moses to reinstate his contrast community that would live under his reign. And God brought Moses up to a mountain for a covenantal marriage between himself and his people. God, as we see in Exodus, gave his people the Ten Commandments, a new way of life that would allow them to live under his in his kingdom. But at the bottom of the mountain, his people, in light of their recent salvation from Egypt, chose to try and gain control again by worshiping a golden calf king of their own making.

After years of wandering in the desert and judges upon judges, the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served other kingdoms. Eventually, they begged for a king and received a little shepherd boy with a slingshot and good aim. But this king was not the one the Israelites needed, and even King David and all his sons after him were not the chosen ones who would fulfill God’s perfect promise to bring his kingdom back to earth.

As Padgett says, “In one of the saddest moments there ever was, David’s great-grandsons gave up their kingdom to an evil beastly king. And the land was covered in Darkness.

What about the Forever King? The defender and friend? Would God forgive them or forget them? Was this the Forever Kingdom’s end?”

In beautiful language, Padgett speaks of the moment after God had given his people a king to lead them, even when he told them it wouldn't be the right one. After years of not looking like the contrasting community that would live under God’s reign, eventually, the Israelites were overtaken again and put into slavery by the king of Babylon.

Do you see the drama of the story of the Bible? Since the very beginning, God has wanted to reconcile with his children. Even though his coheirs have revolted, all he wants is to rule alongside them again. He has promised a forever king that will one day bring forth the kingdom of God and allow us to rule alongside him again, despite us missing the mark, despite us revolting against him, despite our sins. But the contrast community he set up to live under his reign, as all humans would, continues to grasp for control. And eventually, it leads to their enslavement. Over and over again, the Israelites prove to us that God chooses the unlikely and the unqualified to bring about his kingdom but that disobedience to his royal decrees will eventually lead to chains.

There is a beautiful poem in the book of Isaiah. During this time, Jerusalem was destroyed, and most, if not all, of the Jews were taken as slaves. But there are few who remain in the town that is desolate upon their own making. And in the people start to wonder? Who will save them? Who will bring forth God’s kingdom again? What shall we do without a king? Does God still reign?

And they look off into the distance and see a man running toward the city with a piece of paper in his hands. It says this in Isaiah 52:7-9

“How beautiful upon the mountains

are the feet of him who brings good news,

who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,

who publishes salvation,

who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice;

together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see

the return of the Lord to Zion. Break forth together into singing,

you waste places of Jerusalem,

for the Lord has comforted his people;

he has redeemed Jerusalem.”

Your God still reigns! He is still in control. Don’t worry. The forever king is still in charge!

But then it’s quiet. Quiet for 645 years to be exact. Where was God? Where was his king? Would his reign continue? Had the serpent king won?

This is the context for what Matthew brings to the table when we open up the New Testament. This is the context for what it meant to be a jew. From the revolt in the garden to Abraham to Moses to judges, to kings, to Babylon. All because we wanted control. All because we wanted to be in charge. All because we couldn’t trust our father.

The Gospel of Matthew starts with a genealogy—a list of descendants from Abraham, the very person with whom God started his contrast community. In this genealogy, you see the patriarchs and matriarchs of a family filled with unqualified, broken, but obedient people. These people, in some fashion, had their own flaws but chose to follow the one true king. From Abraham to David, fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon, 14 generations, that all leads to a little boy, conceived by the Holy Spirit, to a betrothed teenage girl in a small town called Bethlehem. Matthew in 17 verses traces the story of God’s kingdom, the rise, and prosperity, to the fall and demise, to the hope-filled dreams of a savior who would bring back the kingdom of God, to a small child born in a manger. A king like no other, defender and friend. Always and forever world without end.

Matthew is saying! Look! This is the Messiah! This is the king! This is the Anointed one! He is the one we have all been waiting for! The promised one! The forever king would defeat the serpent king! The one who God told Abraham if he obeyed, would bless all the nations!

But he is born in Bethlehem. The Claude of the Middle East. Nothing good comes out of this little town. Yet, this is where our messiah has been born.

And even with the humble beginning, a new king, is afraid of the potential threat this messiah can bring to his kingdom. Our anchor text this morning.

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, 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.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “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.”

King Herod was afraid of this so-called king of the Jews. What would he do to his kingdom? Would he take it down? Was this really the messiah that has been prophesied about for so long?

So he does the unthinkable and, honestly, the predictable if you know the story of the Bible. Like the Pharoah king before him, he sends out a decree to kill all the babies in the region of Bethlehem under the age of two. But God had a plan, and just as he passed over those before, he protected the messiah child.

And not long after that, the little baby boy became a man. Thirty-three years old, and his time had come. After a baptism in the Jordan River and a time of testing in the wilderness to prove he was the second Adam. His ministry has started.

When you picture Jesus? What do you picture him saying? Do you picture him saying, I love you! Or you are my son! Or you are forgiven. Or maybe you picture him talking about sheep, mustard seeds, or trees. Well, if you look at the gospel of Matthew, it is about 30 pages. And in those 30 pages, jesus talks about the kingdom of God about 1.5 times per page. If you want to summarize what Jesus is trying to say in the book of Matthew it is this.

Chapter 3:17 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Jesus is saying, “repent! Turn away from the serpant king; do not choose this any longer. I am presenting something to you that should dramatically change the way that you think and act, and it should change every priority that you have.”

Because Jesus is the king we have been waiting for. He has come to bring forth the kingdom of heaven. He is the forever king, and he will bring forth God’s reign over the earth again.

And throughout Matthew, we see him doing exactly that, bringing heaven to earth. He heals the lame, cures the blind, makes the mute speak, and the dead come to life.

And 18 chapters later, we see King Jesus enter the town of Jerusalem in the fashion of kings before him as a triumphal entry of the one foretold about, not on a white horse, not something majestic and grand, but a donkey. And most were excited about the coming messiah, but all were. Because some still were grasping for control.

Some were so afraid of this forever king that they knew they could do what only all the kingdom graspers could do before them.

Eliminate the competition.

His head was crowned, not with gold but with thrones. A purple robe, the color of royalty was placed around him before being ripped off to be whipped, punched, and spat on.He was raised not on a throne but on a cross. His hands and his feet dripped in a red liquid, not of wine and abundance, but of blood and sacrifice.like Isiaha said “How beautiful upon the mountains

are the feet of him who brings good news”

And plastered above his head, the honor placed on a board.

“The King of the Jews.”

A king like no other, defender and friend. Always and forever world without end.

Here is what I want us to understand this morning. Jesus is our king. Jesus is the one who has brought forth the kingdom of God. So that God’s space, and our space could be one again. The Bible isnt about us going to heaven when we die. Its about Jesus dying so that heaven could come here.

But Jesus, when you look at what he says and does, wouldn’t be a king you would want to have in office. Jesus was beaten and broken, and killed on a cross, humiliated in front of everyone. He told people to free their slaves, to love their enemies, to pray for those who hate them. He said those who were weak in spirit would be blessed, those who were poor would be rich, those who were weak would be made strong, and those who were last would be made first. He told us if we aren’t willing to forgive then we shouldn’t expect to be forgiven that we should love no matter what. That the kingdom of God, looks like a mustard seed.

The Jews had expected a soldier king who would bring down their current oppressors, Rome, but what they got was a sacrificial nomad walking around washing his own student’s feet. They expected a kingdom that would kill their oppressors, but they received a king who would allow the oppressors to kill him.

We are just coming out on the tail end of the election season. And I want to be pretty clear when I say this. The kingdom of God is not a democracy; it is a theocracy. The kingdom of God is not built upon the control of the people. It is not voted upon. We have no right, say, or foundation to stand on for who should be in charge in the kingdom of God. We don’t have any control in the kingdom of God.

Jesus isn’t interested in being bipartisan. Jesus isn’t interested in being your president; he is interested in being your king.

Jesus isn't a president you vote for but a king you submit to.

Jesus isn’t looking to win an election, he is asking for your submission.

Jesus isn’t looking to win an election, he is asking for your submission.

Because he is the king of kings.

We aren’t meant to serve the donkey or the elephant but to give our full allegiance and submission to the lamb. But we don’t like that. We want to be in control. Our indidulaitsic [GU1] society sees it as a way of removing our rights to not give us choice.

What I am saying is that I have learned over these past couple of years that control is comforting but submission is freeing. I have understood that none of my life is mine. Not my ministry, not my wife, or my son. It’s all his. All of this around me is the king’s. And I am not meant to be in control. God has shown me that life in submission to Christ is a life that is free. I don’t want to be in control because I cant handle it all. My panic attacks showed me that. Only he can. Only he will, and I have to submit to that.

Matthew shows us that Jesus is the king of kings. Because he defeats death, he defeats the serpent king. He raises from the dead, and calls us all to go and make disciples of all nations, so more and more people can know that he is the king we have been waiting for.

Later in Acts, we see that as Padgett says “with blazing crows of fire that only the True king could create, King Jesus set his spirit upon his people so they could take part in his unfolding victory over evil. He wanted them to rule and reign over the earth with him, to share his dominion in a world without end! What kind of king does that? Can it even be true? That he would share his rule with me and you? Would it really last forever? Can it get any better?”

Those who knew God, knew better.

Because just as the beginning of the Bible started with a king, the end of the Bible in revelation ends with a king.

Padgett says, “ Some day at the perfect time, with the sound of a thousand trumpets, king jesus will make his royal arrival. With just a breath from his mouth, he’ll conquer the serpent king for good. With just a word from his lips, a kingdom city will burst forth – a shining city that only this king could create! Some much life and so much light will flow from the king’s heart that the sun and the moon will fade into the brightness, and all the loyal followers of Jesus, from every tribe, tongue and nation, will be united together in him. So we will let our praise ring and, as one family, sing.”

Who is this?

He is a king like no other. Defender and friend. Always and forever, a world without end.

Pray

Thank you for spending time in fellowship with us here at Washington Avenue Christian Church, a place where Real People Find Real Grace For Real Growth.

If you need prayer, or have questions about what it means to follow Jesus, please join one of our elders or staff members down here at the front after service

If you’re new here, fill out a connect card and bring it to the Guest Connection Desk in the lobby, we’d love to meet you and give you a gift.

Men’s breakfast

Don’t forget, the final men’s breakfast of the year is this Saturday

Raffle

Support our Embassy Student Ministry’s mission trip to Belize by purchasing a $10 raffle ticket! If you haven’t seen the list of prizes, I would visit the information desk after service

Your ticket purchase will directly help fund our trip to serve at Vo Tech, where our students will work on vocational projects and minister to young men in Belize. We appreciate your support.

Christmas Eve volunteers

Candlelight service times will be at 3, 5, and 7. If you would like to be a part of bringing light to this community on Christmas Eve, you can sign up to serve at the information desk. We couldn’t do this without you

Big tree over baptism missing

As always, more information, past services, and upcoming events can be found at our website (wacconline.org, also QR code on screen) or at our information desk in the lobby.

Have them stand, remember

“You are the light of the world. let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5.14,16