Worship or Destroy

Scripture

Matthew 2:1–18 ESV

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.’ ” Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 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.” 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. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 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. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. 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.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 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. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Intro

Getting thrown from Callidora

The rider and horse have a special relationship

The horse wants to do what she wants to do

The rider has grander things in mind

We must hand over the reigns of our life to God

We follow His guiding

To Destroy

Herod wanted to destroy Jesus

Evil wants to destroy good

Darkness attempts to snuff out the light

But why did Herod want to kill the King of the Jews?

Jesus would mess up his way of living

Herod and the rulers had things set the way they wanted it

Jesus’ agenda is a different one

Our natural tendencies

Have we surrendered everything to God?

Are we holding some things back because we don’t want to lose them?

Jesus tore the veil to the Holy of Holies in two, and we try to put it back up. ~ Tozer

The way things have always been

Many churches want to simply keep existing

It’s a nice social club

It makes them feel holier than thou

Many churches are resistant to the Holy Spirit

“God might mess with something I don’t want Him to mess with.”

“We might have to do things differently.”

The sluggard is kin to the destroyer

Herod actively sought to kill Jesus

Many Christians and Churches want limits on Jesus

One actively seeks to destroy

The other destroys inactively

Proverbs 24:30–34 “I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”

Proverbs 25:26 “Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.”

To Worship

The wise men sought to worship the King of the Jews

Worshiping God is truly what made them wise

They gave of their time

They gave of their possessions

They humbled themselves and worshiped

Let us seek after Jesus

Let us spend our time searching for Him

Let us spend our treasures in service of Him

Let us humble ourselves before Him and offer all we are