Week 4: “Responding to the King”

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Video: Sermon Bumper -“Responding to the King”

Title of the Series

Christmas: the Whole Story

Title of the Message this

Morning is:

Week 4: “Responding to the King”

Big Idea:

The Magi traveled for months.

Simeon waited for decades.

But both responded in worship when they finally saw the promised Savior.

Their stories remind us that Jesus is not just meant to be admired, He’s meant to be worshipped, obeyed, and adored.

This week’s message helps us reflect: How will we respond?

PRAYER -

“Lord, we thank You for the gift of Jesus, our promised Savior and true King.

Like the Magi and Simeon, help us to respond with worship, obedience, and surrender, offering You our very best.

May our lives reflect awe and gratitude as we daily walk in the salvation and hope You have given us.”

Scripture: Matthew 2:1–12; Luke 2:25–35

Think: - Do I truly see Jesus as my personal Savior? Have I responded to Him?

Feel: - Let awe and gratitude fill your heart because Jesus came for me.

Do: - Commit to daily surrender, allowing His salvation to shape your decisions and relationships.

Sermon:

Good morning, church!

It’s such a gift to be together as we continue our Advent journey.

Advent is about waiting, watching, and preparing our hearts for the arrival of Jesus—the Savior who often shows up in ways we don’t expect.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been walking through Christmas: The Whole Story.

We began with the 400 years of silence, a reminder that even when God seems quiet, His promises never fade.

Then we stepped into the story of Mary and Joseph, who trusted God with their disrupted plans.

And last week, we saw how God revealed His glory to shepherds—ordinary people who became unlikely messengers of good news.

Today, we come to the final week of our series, and we discover that whether it’s Magi traveling months from the East or Simeon waiting decades in the temple, the response to Jesus is always the same… worship.

Jesus isn’t just someone to admire or appreciate.

He is the King who calls for our allegiance, obedience, and adoration.

STORY:

(Consider having a beautifully wrapped Christmas box on stage) Several years ago, I heard about a family who had a tradition on Christmas morning.

Before any gifts could be opened, they placed a small wrapped box under the tree labeled, “To Jesus.”

Inside was a slip of paper where each family member had written what they wanted to give Christ that year, not material things, but acts of worship: a commitment to serve, a step of obedience, a prayer of surrender.

It was a simple practice, but it was powerful because it reminded them: Christmas isn’t just about receiving, it’s about responding.

That family understood something that’s at the very heart of Christmas.

Christmas isn’t just about what we get, it’s about how we respond to the One who has already given us everything in Himself.

This is something that two characters in the whole story of Christmas understood.

The first was a group of people known as Magi from the East.

READ Matthew 2:1-8

To understand the significance of the Magi, we need to step back and look at who they were.

The Magi were not just travelers; they were wise men, scholars, and astrologers from the East, likely from Persia or Babylon.

They studied the heavens, read the signs, and sought understanding.

When they saw a new star, something extraordinary, they recognized it as a sign that a king had been born.

They didn’t dismiss it.

They didn’t debate endlessly about whether it was worth pursuing.

They responded with faith, curiosity, and action.

POINT #1 – OUR RESPONSE TO JESUS REVEALS OUR HEARTS

Now contrast that with King Herod.

Herod saw the news of a “new king” as a threat.

His first instinct wasn’t wonder, celebration, or even curiosity.

It was fear.

And fear quickly turned into manipulation, deception, and eventually violence.

Herod’s concern was not worship, but self-preservation.

He wanted to protect his throne; the Magi wanted to honor the King.

Think about it: the same truth, the birth of the Messiah, produced radically different responses.

One group traveled miles to lift up the newly born King.

The other plotted in secret to destroy the child who threatened their own comfort and control.

The story of the Magi and Herod isn’t just history, it’s a mirror for our own hearts.

When we encounter Jesus, we have a choice every day: respond with faith or respond with fear, curiosity or indifference, worship or self-preservation.

Many of us can relate to that in subtle ways.

Maybe we hold back our time, our resources, or our influence because we’re afraid of what it will cost us to fully follow Jesus.

Maybe we admire Him from a distance but aren’t willing to let Him truly lead our decisions, our finances, or our relationships.

The Magi, on the other hand, show us what it looks like to have a heart fully devoted to Jesus.

They left the familiar, they journeyed far, and they brought gifts as an act of worship.

STORY:

When I was very young, at a worship service in my church, someone presented the Gospel.

I didn’t fully understand everything about Jesus’ sacrifice, but I knew one thing clearly: the only proper way to respond was to give Him my heart.

I knelt down at the front of the small sanctuary and prayed a simple, sincere prayer, saying, “Jesus, I give my life to you.”

At the time, I felt a peace in my heart.

I didn’t have any gifts to lay at His feet like the Magi, and I certainly didn’t know how to following Him, or worship Him, but I did know that I gave my life to hime that day.

That small decision, marked the beginning of a lifelong journey of responding to Jesus, choosing obedience, and offering my heart to the King who gave everything for me.

So, are you like the Magi, willing to step out of your comfort zone, follow the star wherever it leads, and give your very best to honor the King?

Or are you like Herod, protecting your comfort, guarding your control, and letting fear or pride dictate your response?

The Magi in the story show us how we ought to respond to the Christ child.

READ Matthew 2:9-12

continue reading

When the Magi finally arrived and saw the child Jesus, they didn’t just stand in awe, they worshiped Him.

And then they did something remarkable: they gave gifts.

Each gift carried meaning.

Gold symbolized kingship and it honored Jesus as the King of all.

Frankincense, a fragrant offering used in worship, represented His priestly role, pointing to His divinity and intercession for us.

Myrrh, often used for embalming, foreshadowed His death and sacrifice, reminding us that His life was given for the salvation of the world.

POINT #2 – FOLLOWERS OF JESUS OFFER THEIR GIFTS

Worship is never passive.

It’s not just singing songs on Sunday or admiring Jesus from a distance.

Worship involves an offering… giving our time, our talents, our resources, and ultimately, our lives.

Like the Magi, we are called to bring our very best, even when it costs us something.

Ask yourself: what “gifts” can I bring to Jesus this Christmas? Maybe it’s generosity to someone in need, maybe it’s forgiveness in a relationship, maybe it’s committing your daily choices fully to Him. Whatever it is, your worship should be visible, meaningful, and costly, not because God needs it, but because He deserves it.

Illustration: (Hold up a small, wrapped box on stage)

In the early 1900s, a missionary named Lottie Moon felt a call from God to leave her home in Virginia and travel to China.

She left behind the familiar, her family, friends, and a comfortable life, to bring the message of Jesus to people who had never heard of Him.

When she arrived, she had very little: no grand gifts, no riches, just a heart willing to serve, a Bible, and a deep trust in God.

Her days were long and challenging.

She learned new languages, adapted to a foreign culture, and faced dangers that most of us can’t imagine.

Yet she never wavered in her mission.

Every lesson she taught, every child she cared for, every conversation about Jesus was her way of offering her “gifts” to God.

She didn’t have gold, frankincense, or myrrh but she gave something far more valuable: her life, fully surrendered in worship. (https://www.imb.org/about/lottie-moon/)

Like the Magi, Lottie Moon’s life reminds us that following Jesus often requires leaving our comfort zones and giving Him our very best.

Our gifts are most meaningful when they come from hearts fully devoted to Him.

The whole story of Christmas reminds us that the birth of Jesus moves us to respond by giving our very best in our daily lives, not to earn God’s love, but because of His love revealed in that manger in Bethlehem.

The Magi were not the only ones in the story who responded to Jesus’ birth in a way that honored God.

READ Luke 2:25-35

Now we meet Simeon, a man described as righteous and devout, who had been waiting patiently for God’s promised Messiah.

Imagine the years he spent in anticipation, decades of faithful service, prayer, and hope.

He wasn’t following a star like the Magi, but he was attentive, ready, and trusting God’s promises.

And when the Holy Spirit led him to the temple on that very day, he saw the infant Jesus in Mary’s arms and recognized Him as the Savior.

POINT #3 – GOD’S PEOPLE RESPOND WITH PATIENCE AND FAITHFULNESS

Simeon’s response was immediate.

He took Jesus in his arms and praised God, saying, “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.”

In that moment, Simeon’s worship was a result of a lifetime of waiting and faithfulness.

His devotion reminds us that responding to Jesus sometimes requires patience, steadfastness, and a heart tuned to God’s timing.

Worship isn’t only about bold action; it can also be about quietly, faithfully waiting and recognizing God’s work when He moves.

Notice what Simeon calls Jesus, he calls Him salvation.

The child in Mary’s arms wasn’t just a newborn to marvel at.

He was the long-awaited Savior, the fulfillment of God’s promise to redeem His people.

His life, His death, His resurrection… everything about Jesus was God’s plan to rescue humanity from sin, brokenness, and separation from Him.

When we truly see Jesus as our salvation, our response must go beyond admiration.

Worship flows from the understanding that Jesus came to save, to heal, to redeem, and to bring us into a restored relationship with God.

STORY:

"The life of Christianity consists of possessive pronouns" said Martin Luther. It is one thing to say, "Christ is a Saviour"; it is quite another thing to say, "He is my Saviour and my Lord." The devil can say the first; the true Christian alone can say the second.

(sermonillustrations.com)

It’s one thing to acknowledge Jesus as Savior in general terms.

It is a whole other thing to recognize that Jesus came to save you.

Like Simeon, we must decide how we will respond this Christmas season to the arrival of Jesus.

Notice the difference in the story of the Magi and Simeon.

The Magi responded with action, leaving home, following a star, and presenting gifts.

Simeon responded with patient recognition, faithfully waiting for God’s promise to unfold.

So, today, during this Christmas season, ask yourself:

Have I personally received Jesus as my Savior, or am I still admiring Him from a distance?

When we truly encounter the salvation He offers, our hearts are compelled to respond in ways that shape our daily lives.

Let’s pray together.

Salvation:

The Word of God says in: John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 10:13 NKJV

For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you’d would like to receive Jesus today, please pray this prayer with all of us:

Lord I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He died On the cross for my sins and His resurrection from the dead gives me eternal life. I ask forgiveness of my sins, and I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

Pastor [e-mail]

Church Office: 909-922-8090

And I will send you a Bible & a Free Book on how to begin your first 21 steps with Jesus (show the book)

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Prayer Requests

Mona - Yolanda’s Sister

Wayne Boyd Needs a Kidney

Let us Pray (P/P)

Praying for the 10-40 Window

The "10/40 Window" refers to an area stretching from North Africa through the Middle East to East Asia.

Coined in 1989, this area is significant in some Christian missionary contexts because it is home to a high concentration of the world's least evangelized people groups and is also home to the majority of the world's poorest people.

United States of America

Moral and spiritual renewal: 

Heavenly Father, I Pray for a turning to God for a moral and spiritual revival to help address national problems. 

I pray for Leaders: I Pray for national leaders to have the wisdom to know what is right and the courage to do it. 

I pray for Peace and justice:  Lord I’m asking for peace to dwell in the nation and for justice for those who have suffered injustice. 

I pray Repentance and reconciliation: I Pray for the nation to have a spirit of repentance and for reconciliation among its people. 

Lord I now pray for Unity and protection: As Faith Vision Christian Ministries, family and friends are here today, We are asking you to protect our country! Protect it from division and help us to be unified as a people. 

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This is Pastor Doc & Lady Pepper with:

Faith Vision Christian Ministries

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Benediction Scripture

25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

 Luke 5:25-26

Have a Great Week! Goodbye!

This is Pastor Doc and Lady Pepper signing off until next time we meet. Blessings to you all!