What Do You Do With Jesus?

Introduction

About a month ago I was asked if there could be a baby Jesus in a manger

After seeing the size of the doll, I determined it was baby Goliath

As I pointed out on the first night of the Cantata - many of us have a tendency to treat Jesus just as we treat the manger scene

We get out Jesus along with all of the other decorations - set Him up - proclaim to follow Him - But as soon the gifts are open, the turkey is gone, and the songs begin to be suddenly out of place - we put the manger scene up

That what many of us do with Jesus - We put him away

But it is just not that simple

The Birth of a Savior demands a response - Jesus demands a response

In the account of - We have three groups of people - with three different responses

Today - You will be in one of the three categories

First, lets understand texts with a little depth

Exposition

Background:

Why doesn’t Matthew mention the shepherds and Luke the wisemen

Because this is not the same time and place - Jesus is now going on two years old

Sorry that your nativity scenes are wrong - Sorry not sorry

Matthew 2:1–12 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.

Wisemen - Magi - scientists, astrologers, and studied religion; probably from Babylon, having had exposure to OT scriptures through Daniel and the Jews brought to Babylon during the captivity

Matthew 2:1-12

We don’t know how many there were - 3 or 30

Rich and they would have come from a long ways away

They would have had a Caravan - and their arrival would not have been silent - but have caused a commotion

The Star - This was not an eclipse or aligning of the planets; This was supernatural - How do I know? - Read v9

Exhortation

Fear & Selfishness - Respond Like Herod

You must understand who Herod is

Political appointee by the Roman government - He was named king because He was half Jewis

He is a paranoid man- fearing that someone is trying to take his power and authority

He was a boastful man - looking to become popular through his many building projects including the rebuilding of the temple

He killed many - including a wife and sons - one while on his deathbed

Jesus scared him - A King was born with the very title Herod possessed

Herod was a afraid he was going to lose his power, prestige - He wasn’t going to give that up

Here is the crazy thing - Herod believed the wisemen - but there was no way he was going to submit to Jesus

Application: Could that be you today?

Are you unwilling to follow Christ because you might have to give something up -

Will you put the baby Jesus in the attic on December 26 because to have Him in your life would change it too much - you love your sin and you don’t want a Savior

Herod was a man overcome by his own arrogance and blinded by his sin

Herod was blinded to the fact that this life on earth is temporary

He was blinded to the fact that the life Jesus offers is much better than he we could come up with

He was blinded to the fact that he was trying to destroy the only way of salvation

Friends don’t fear - Perfect love casts out all fear

Jesus came to give you something much better than what you are clinging onto - Forgiveness, Life, Love, Joy, and Peace

All the while taking away guilt, shame

Doubt & Pride

Unbelief & Pride - Respond Like the Rulers

Now many might say that is not me, I am not like Herod

Maybe you are like the chief priest and rulers - Religious - Know your Bible (had no problem answering Herod’s question) - (You would want them on a Bible trivia quiz team)

Considered upstanding citizens - everyone would say about them - these are good people

They had every advantage

But they were unbelieving

They were cold and calloused to the Gospel

That is my fear you - that you would come to church for an outward show but that your heart would be cold towards Christ in unbelief

May I postulate to you this morning - they were worse than Herod

They didn’t believe the wisemen or they would have went with them

They were unbelieving

Religiosity is not going to lead you to Jesus - it will lead you to deny Him

I need to remind you that Herod tried to kill Jesus - The rulers of Israel succeeded

But why didn’t they believe the wisemen? They were expecting a savior, it was promised, it was the right time - So why?

Pride:

They believed that if a Messiah was to come - He would certainly come to them - Self-righteousness

The pride of racism - These wisemen were not Jewish - And there hatred for the gentiles, kept them from salvation

Do not let your doubt and pride keep you from searching this morning

Faith & Adoration - Respond Like the Wisemen

Imagine the response of the wisemen - they probably thought that they were getting ready to crash a big party - but there was no fan fare, no celebration

You can’t see faith - you can only see the products of faith

The wisemen have quite a list:

They traveled a long way

They sacrificed a lot: A lot of time, a lot of money, a lot of talent

They responded to the star - (BTW-If your saved its because God supernaturally drew you to Christ too.)

They sought after Jesus

But you can not miss the key message here - Why did they travel, give, seek, and sacrifice?

To worship

The mark of a true saving faith is Worship - look at v2 and v11

I am not speaking about performance, entertainment, or simply singing because you like to

Illuss.: My family loves music. What type of music do I love? The answer is yes.

I am not talking about just singing - I am talking about fall your knees, heart pouring out, exaltation of Christ

Faith and adoration

Conclusion

So who are you?

Herod - Fearing what you might lose?

The Rulers - Calloused and uncaring about the whole Jesus thing.

The Wisemen - Having a Faith that will carry you to Worship the King