Hope in the Low Born King

This morning my son. He's always the first one up here. He's 6 he came downstairs and we're sitting there hanging out and the last night Jessica had actually come home from that woman's Christmas gathering and had this jar that have these gingerbread men and them and I said and I are just talking and hanging out and we were noticing the sun rise anybody see the sun rise this morning I know you did you post that James. Yeah. That was it made me look outside. Thanks bud. So is beautiful and some look at my son and we're just kind of talk and you goes gorgeous he's six. I don't know who uses that word at six. I look at them really confused and he goes daddy those gingerbread men are just gorgeous.

Oh my goodness. You want one of these. Right now son. I open up with this for very specific reason. Gingerbread man. Like they're not gorgeous Lori. Thanks for making those are awesome. I just don't have the same Rosie colored eyes during Christmas season as he has and many people actually during this time of the year 10 to put those rose colored glasses on their face and shoes to just look at this time of the year. I think I'm going to be a little extra, I'll be a little extra generous until January one and then it's my resolutions my life and it's all about me at this point. Look at this Christmas Story here this morning as we've been making our way through a Luke an hour into Matthew. We're going to see actually that Christmas brings conflict. Look at this in a couple different facets over the last few years, but we're going to read the dark side of the Christmas story. So check it out starts out chapter 2 verse 1 now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king you hold wise men Magi from the East came to Jerusalem saying, where is he who has been born King of the Jews? So we saw his star when it Rose and I've come to worship him when 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 it is written by the prophet and you don't Bethlehem in the land of Judea and Judah are by no means least among the rulers of Judah. For from you should come a ruler who you will Shepherd My People Israel, then Herod summon the wise men secretly in a certain 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 the rest over the place for the child was and 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 worshipped him that opening their Treasures they offered for him gifts gold frankincense. And myrrh, and being the hair of The Departed to their own country by another way now when they 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 eat. And remain there until I tell you her hair is about to search for your child to destroy him and he rose and took the child and his mother by night to departed to Egypt remain there until the death of Herod. This is what the Lord has spoken by the prophet out of Egypt. I called my son then Herod when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise man became Furious and sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and all the region you were two years old or under according to the time that had certain from the wise men. Only read this we hear words like flights Slaughter brutality. The only time of year we really associate this with is Black Friday rides. You can go on YouTube and you can see the two ladies fighting over the last big toy and then punches thrown or the mobster people to some degree. We understand that Black Friday is the kickoff of the conflict of Christmas, but it's a story that we tend to actually gloss over. It's one in which we never look at at as a church because it deals with some dark and horrible issues. You got a leader who is wanting to eradicate this newborn child somewhere under the age of 2 according to his calculations from the Magi that had come over he was afraid that this King was going to bring an uproar and cause problems in difficulty and struggle for he himself to the best thing to do with him would be to kill him. The birth of Jesus brought conflict it brings Cosmic conflict as well as Earthly conflict Cosmic conflict as well as Earthly conflict. I want you to kind of wrap your mind around the entire story of God because often we get really never really focused on just the here and now and us and sometimes ignore the spiritual world that actually exist around us and Genesis chapter 3. You see those Two Worlds Collide where the Mukesh This circuit comes and speaks to even deceived her and Adam and they eat of that fruit and they now have this fall in broken nature. We see because of that. There's no conflict between man and God now there's this office spiritual evil present that's continuing throughout the scripture. You see it in the Nephilim. You see it in with Michael and this Angel there in Daniel you see war going on in another Realm and there's this mission to derail the plans of God, you see humans operating in this conflict as well. This story of the birth of Jesus is reminiscent of the story and exodus poor Pharaoh was afraid that Israel was growing too large for them. So they were killing every male child that was born there to keep the population under control. We have Earthly conflict and we have Cosmic conflict and often these Two Worlds Collide and here in this story. The first thing I want to look at is the wise men the scriptures call them Magi from the East coming from the Babylonian region. Most likely what these men were they were not wise men in the sense of they knew all kinds of great things about God, but they were Magi they were Sorcerers. They were astrologers who would look to the stars and look to the heavens and then they would consult with whatever ruler was in place there based upon the stars in the patterns. And the way that things were changing in the sky. They were stargazers. Why were they watching Stars? If you were to read through a bunch of just mundane boring history kinds of books about ancient culture. There is a belief that stars were gods. They were The Shining glory of the Gods. This is prevalent throughout all of that Eastern culture. And there was this idea that they were gone because they moved in the sky and anything that move it would ascribe of Life Choo. They would change seasons in a sense of the obviously had some sort of power and some kind of authority. They were The Shining Glory of living beings was the idea behind the Stars. Astro religion and solar mythology for common Mansion world and They Carried through New Testament times. Therefore it would not be surprising that has the Magi we're looking at the stars and gazing at them when a new star rose above Jerusalem. The region of Judea they would have thought that is interesting the burst of something new and they would know such prophecies like that a Balaam recorded for us in scripture. Cuz the Jews had lived in their region famed. I see him with the words of Balaam but not now I Behold Him but not near a star will come out of Jacob a scepter will rise out of Israel. This was a prophecy held dear to many Israelites hearts. I'm here at the Magi. They see this star now. Our Stars gods You can get some great great ideas from Timon and Pumbaa on this right there big burning balls of gas. However, their belief system in that day. Led them to believe that the stars were gods and the scriptures are recording how God is using their beliefs actually in order to reveal the real truth of who God is I could see you some people protesting like how dumb were they how archaic why would you ever think a star was God? When was the last time you read some of the things we believe in our culture today? We have these crazy thoughts in the 21st century that somebody can identify as a certain age or a certain gender and that makes it truth. And now we must accept that as truth just cuz they culture at large accepts accept something as truth and they even maybe make a truth for themselves today doesn't mean that it is truth, but it'll be recorded in history as something that those people actually helped you and believe and it doesn't make it wrong that is recorded in history, though. It may not actually be accurate and correct. I got a great story on this this comes from at Jake. He shared this with me and I can't wait to share this with you regardless of this being right or wrong, which I definitely have a side I mean to its what is shaping culture today? There is a Dutch man and he's asked Court in the Netherlands to legally change his age from 69 to 49. Hey man, right saying he wants to avoid age discrimination. Emo I'm going to butcher his Dutch name rattle bend a positivity trainer who is called himself a young God has asked a local Court to shift his birthday from March 11th, 1949 to March 11th, 1969 on a TV personality who answered questions from the Associated Press on Thursday, since the petition is not a publicity stunt. He said he would give up his monthly pension. If his request is granted with this freedom of choice choice of name freeness of gender. I want to have my own age. I want to control myself. He said having his age legally changed would offer inspiration and Hope fantastic This is what our culture believes. Do you have this ancient culture that believed that stars were God's armor like we we can't buy into anything that they believe we shouldn't trust any ancient document because they had some beliefs that though they held strongly to it. Maybe it was an accurate get God is using it in their lives to draw them to him here in our culture. We have just some complete morons out there doing crazy things.

Just because it says it's truth and culture said this truth doesn't make it truth, but doesn't mean it won't be recorded in history. And what we see her in this passage is a huge grace of God because we're going to see the lowborn king for everyone. The low born king for the Pagan Magi were astrologers and worshippers of all the other gods in that day and age the lowborn king for the outcast Shepherds would not be allowed in the temple because of their profession the lowborn team for the religious Keely as they gather together to discuss where the Messiah is born and they won't make the 20 mile Trek to go see if it actually true the lowborn king. for the dictator ruler where the gospel is proclaimed and that the King has come and everybody is going to have a response to this King. Everybody has a response to this King and what happens is we either respond and faith. God moves on our hearts and respond and worship like the wise men in like the Shepherds or like the religious elite .

Like Herod, we reject him see this is a war and it's a war of worship and Allegiance the birth of Jesus will strike fear and fear in your heart because you put your kingdom at risk. That's what Jesus Does.

Heard here is going. How can I protect my kingdom my world on a ruler? I'm an elite. I got control. I can tell people what to do. If there's a new King in this new king comp must I submit to this king must I give to his rule. Oh, that's not for me. So I'm going to be entirely against this Kink his word and his ways. I want nothing to do with him. I want to stay far away from him. He would not Embrace him the birth of Jesus that announcement of this great king is idea either going to come under him or you're going to come against him and the conflict is a war that is over our hearts today. It's personal conflict conflict. It's a battle. It's a war with inside of us. It says my independent my way. Not your way. God your autonomy and his lordship cannot exist. tonight Kind of like when you have two loves. a deal of money and making money But you also want to start to be generous one of those things is going to win out. I love berry pie and I'm trying desperately to shed a few more to kiss what berry pie one last Sunday with my dad. Mom pulled it out. There are two at war in our heart on a greater. Scale. There are two love in our lives cuz I did I want to be autonomous. I want to be about me. I want to be about my kingdom to come face-to-face with the fact that the King has Tom. Can I going to respond to him and love or my going to reject him the coming of the king brings conflict because to follow Jesus means to come underneath his head ship. It means to lose your life in order to find it. Here's why Prince conflict. Everybody has looked at God in his way and they've either said I'm going to come underneath of that or it's going to be my way and how I want it. Just think of the Fallout of the people in Genesis. Very early on after Adam and Eve is sand and they have their sons and one son is envious and jealous over the acceptance of the sacrifice of the other son any turns from God and he murdered his brother got another man who said, you know, it's the most important thing to me is power Prestige is name was lamech. He says if anybody even harms me a little bit I'm going to avenge him tenfold using change a needle. I'm going to wreck somebody for just blowing on me and I'm also going to oppress and take more than what I should and he enslaved women there in Genesis chapter 4 brutal ugly. When we say our way. Not your way God. This is what we wants. We put our trust in our way and we insulate ourselves what we think is going to make us happy and satisfied in the moment and it ends up failing us and Wrecking us we often think they were going to find some sort of peace and happiness outside of what God actually has for us. This is the story of man in Rebellion to God. I'm going to say that my way will bring me with only God can actually give to me you're not a follower of Jesus your follower something today that is telling you how to truly be human. Your father of getting the most amount of money and having the most powers. What's going to make you the most. Youman being it's going to give you everything you've ever wanted and desired and what ends up happening is were on this cycle a treadmill of always trying to get more more and more in order to satisfy our broken hearts the path to contentment and hope and fulfillment is found in whatever the world says is the most prestigious think when we fail to reach those goals, what does it say about us or what does it say about you when you actually reach them and you're still empty because that tends to be more of the story of the American culture today. We have everything at our fingertips and so I can just become famous if I can just become a YouTube sensation if I can just make enough if I can just get my little goals accomplished. Why didn't am I still empty that's because every person in here trying to figure out how can I truly be human? How can I be full and fill to the fullest? What do I do? I think this is going to satisfy me. This is going to make me whole and they go outside of what God has given to us and we find ourselves as empty as the day. We started it doesn't bring about inner peace and inner hope. And we're left to oppress and hurt.

And it's tragedy and Brokenness. We're in search of Shalom when I search a piece. How are we going to find it if you want to turn over to Luke chapter 1

We're going to look at verses 32 through 33. I mention this every year and I want this to stick with us. When we think of Jesus. We think of the low born king the king that came that was not placed in a palace. Did not come into a prestigious family who was not born into wealth. It was the exact opposite of all of that. But yet he is still a king and says in verse 31 behold you will conceive in your room and bear a son. You should call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the most high and the Lord God will give him the Throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom. There will be no end to end. What's holding 2 verses 6 through 7. that he was then Luke. And while they were there the time came for her to give birth and she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes. And laid him in a Manger because there was no place for them in the end. If you never had a newborn, especially your first newborn you get like the the onesie the first onesie that your kids ever going to wear and it's the go home outfit. Maybe you familiar with this or not. This is the equivalent of being born in the back of the station wagon on your way to the hospital and just being wrapped up and whatever gym bag clothes you have. Okay, not not a great scene. Great situation is the lowborn king whose life is immediately in danger because of who he is.

Jesus the one who did not come and worldly power, but would give of himself his reputation be marred by Scandal because his mother who was the man that she actually slept with who can we place him to his whole life being ridiculed and made fun of Heroes for Comfort laid in a stable with rap in those clothes. It's the low born King and what Luke is doing is recounting the lowliest state a King Jesus in the way that he can came the poverty that Jesus experienced his humiliation the first seconds of his life. All of this is a part of redeeming you. I don't want you to miss it because of what he's saying is this is what Great Lengths God went to to save you to save me. Whatever it takes Jesus does whatever it cost. Jesus pays every has to go Jesus goes whatever he has to bear Jesus bears for us in the very moment of his birth to the end of his life in complete submission to the father as James even talked about it is prayer. We is there to glorify the father and in so doing he is redeeming and saving us what he's called to but Jesus is willing to count the cost and put his life on the line the humiliation in order to what take on a people for himself because sin has marred us sen has wrecked our relationship with God it is put distance between us and and Reconciliation through Jesus Christ. God is redeeming us. That is the story of Christmas. Is the reason we sing? That is the reason we have hope that is the reason my son can say that is gorgeous.

Is what Jesus has done in our lives. And the question here is is he your king? How do I know? How do I know we're going to roll through a few things here and there in a closeout? Jesus brings a new conflict in our lives in a new piece. If you don't know. Jesus was a conflict between you and God. It may not always be felt but I can tell you in this world are going to say I feel like a fish out of water. Something just doesn't seem right. My heart is longing for something deeper, but nothing can actually satisfy that deepness. My heart is craving odds with God because he's at this piece the Shalom that he wants to give and Grant to us. This hope of Salvation which is actually deep relationship with him and with others around us we see our King when we become a follower of Jesus. It brings a new kind of conflict and a new kind of Peace Matthew 10:34 think not that I've come to bring peace on Earth. Assisting to wreck that Christmas Carol for you now isn't it? Peace on Earth Goodwill toward men? Yeah. I have not come to bring peace on Earth but a sword I came to turn a man versus his father and a daughter versus her mother when Jesus comes There's fighting and there's peace. You get a radical piece when you become a Christian and you get brand new Strife in your life. A lot of things that didn't used to bother you when you weren't a Christian now seems a really bother you and some of the things that really seem to bother you. They don't bother you as much anymore. You can just sort of let them go because your identity is now placed in Christ that the world is constantly working towards really caring when somebody really Slanders and trashes you when you're a Christian it might upset you a little bit cuz you're thinking well, I'm not that but it doesn't make or Define you because their words do not tell you who you are. God tells you who you are. That's the changes happening in you also when you're not a Christian or things that you do and partake in real life that had no bother to my spirit to my heart you my soul. I can live that way and Gage in the sink, but now that I'm a Christian I feel radically and completely different about the things that I used to do. It is God working in me. You see we get this new fights. There's a first of all new piece though. Romans 1:8 says there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. That's the new piece that we get the sin the wickedness the evil that I parked truck in even the evil now that I don't want to do. When those things happen in my life, there is no condemnation because he has paid the price for that. You're not sweating the past you're not waking up in the middle of the night recounting every awful and wicked thing that you've done because he has forgiven you as a tremendous amount of peace that pushes out the guilt from what we've done in our past. Virtue of new identity every gamer should on this and numerous numerous different ways.

When is world we have an identity crisis people are constantly trying to find wise to identify themselves. Look no further than our social media accounts as some people can use. All but can use to save this is life. And this is what it looks like in this is who I am. This is how you should accept me. Think about somebody who has his identity crisis were at home there one way that work there. Another way in is to get the approval of their co-workers for the Rockton much nicer than even at home to their own families with all different sorts of ways in which we're trying to Define ourselves and tell the world. This is who I am. I'm a tough guy. I'm a sensitive guy. I'm a clean go. I'm a nice girl. Whatever it is we have ways in which we try to Define ourselves. Who are we what am I about?

When was the last time you asked yourself that question?

Who am I? Am I about? Deeply challenging question. I want you to consider that question in light of this study here this morning. I want you to consider it might have who Jesus is what makes me me. Do you know what concrete idea? What substance do you base your identity on? Cheap Jesus is the end of that struggle. This is good news for the Christian just to find ourselves. We lose ourselves in him. She has identified you. One of the things that every single person is trying to do constantly it's time to righteousness and what I mean by that is only wrong people may go back to them and try to do the right thing cuz we want some sense of righteousness. We pay retribution. We want them to actually look at us and go. Okay. They're right. They did the right thing in all sorts of ways in which we try to put righteousness on ourselves through good works are avoiding bad things. This world has a righteousness problem and Jesus comes and he says you're right just not because of you but because of me and I've given you my righteousness has been imputed the theological term to you given to you Jesus puts his new identity on us and says your chosen feel of your cared for your my child. So when you feel like a failure of loser on family didn't go how you wanted when Christmas broke down when all of the issues in your life fall apart. God says, none of those have to find you. I'll tell you who You are you are my beloved child who I would lay down my life for. In fact, I did in order to make you my own I have claimed you. I have named you you are mine and is a deep sense of love in that in our hearts respond and gratitude back towards God because you guys do not make me whether I preach great or not. You guys do not Define me and the opinion that others have about me or about you. They're not what make me a person. They may say hurtful things that they may see great things with the reality is in Christ. I have a sure Foundation. Do you know who you are? Do you have that?

I'm not saying I don't want you to like me. I'm just saying that it's not going to make it break my life anymore. can't my job cannot make her break my life anymore. The way life goes cannot make or break my leg. I have a new identity because of that because of that live in Eternal Outlook, and we don't have to despair. Is Life deals some real bad hand? Sometimes nothing it? We all get the curveball when we thought it was supposed to be a fastball and we swing and we miss and it hurts. We don't despair because as followers of Jesus with an eternal perspective this world is not the end of it all. Because of what our King Jesus has done and saving us and grabbing hold of us and changing us his places in his body. He guarantees and Promises a future inheritance and therefore my circumstances. things that come at me They can't find me. They can't touch me. They can hurt. They can be difficult. I would never ever minimize that by the end of the day. My identity is in him and also brings a new strife. When do you want it to look at greater detail later on. I just want to lay a bit of a foundation here this morning. You are Christian. You really have to give yourself to others. Don't you? He's actually placed you in a new family. That's a pretty big family and we're still a small church and there's even a bigger family of God at Larch pretty amazing. We give ourselves to other people and we got to look at how this is working out in our lives meaning we're less self-centered, more others oriented. Jesus is called us to love and to care for one another. To meet each other's needs to pray for him being community and to lift one another up. One of our biggest problems is comes from a book called creature of the word is as Americans we often connect, but we don't have community. We can dance we get together. We can talk the fishing and guns we can talk sports and baking we can talk crafting and we can talk pictures and photography and we can have the sense of connection for Community goes on a much deeper level. There's actually care and love behind it. Connection can often happen for selfish motives. I'm connecting with you in order for you to give me something that I'm lacking that can be connecting points Community says I'm going to give myself to you. Live in a world of typically dependents or Independence dependence is when you have somebody fully relying upon you this person is always needing something always wanting something but they'll never give me their own lives their own selves. Then you have these people who just want to be independent. They're called northwesterners. We build really high fences and don't you dare look over it, but you dare knock on my door and offered me something kind. I don't want it. I don't need it. Don't sell me it the Pacific Northwest mindset. Independence you trained me when we get together. I don't want to be around you. What do we need then and interdependence went in which we give and take from one another. What do you need to work on in your own life on this? They are really great at giving but you're coming bad at receiving and you know that Jesus himself said is more blessed to give than to receive to work trying to give you something and you won't take it. What are you doing? Some of us some of us are really independent. Some of us are really dependent. My desire for a church is to operate in to walk an interdependent the community that is Reliant and caring for one another. Summit protests not just Christians live in that way. I would argue back that most people do things in order to get something back in return was because of what Jesus has done for us and given us we can love to get back because it's already been given the greatest gift. We've already been given love so I can serve in a way that is so self-giving and selfless and I don't need anything back. Most of time people are trying to get the upper hand when they're kind to you when they're nice to you cuz he brings us a new Strife over to give ourselves to one another. And finally this low-born King, he always attracts and repels. People are constantly coming to Jesus as he grows. Are falling down the speeds and worshipping him and loving him and other people are just standing and odds against him and it's the same today your tracks and he repels know if you are a disciple of Jesus follower of Jesus a Christian a little Christ in that sense of the word. What do you think your life's going to be like Going to be the same way. Even warns us of that they hate you because they actually hate me they can't stand you because they can't stand me because you're a follower of Jesus. There's now this new conflict and for some of us it's in really close quarters that are on families. I'm gathering in a couple of weeks with them and sharing meals and it's hard and it's a difficult and we can feel the tension for other us if that little bit bigger Circle where it's at work. It's hard when you feel the pressure and the subtle persecution, but don't be surprised because Jesus is always attracting and repelling and it's strange because he attracts the weirdest group of people have X and it's beautiful and what Jesus is doing and drawing a people unto himself this low-born King and his way is very different here this morning. Christians don't believe Jesus was just a good teacher and I believe he's the son of God born of the Virgin Mary. Tecumseh glorify the Father John 17 and to give his life for us and making us his people we recognize that he's more than a great teacher this like the story. I told you once on this guy came over to our house and begin to tell me something crazy because you probably don't believe this and I said why I believe a dead guy Rose from the grave, so I think we're even begin to talk to him about Jesus Buck. This is who Jesus says, this is what Jesus has done and he is our hope and our Salvation. Do you know that he believed that have responded to that is going to radically change your life of prayer father. Thank you today. For your word and your love or kindness?

Thank you today that you abide with us.

And that you've shown yourself faithful in our lives. Thank you for the lowborn king who came and gave himself for us. Emory Joyce and who you are and what you've done and we're here to glorify you. Try and God. You're good. You're kind your merciful. Thanks for this time. Amen.