Sermon Tone Analysis

Text: Matthew 2:3-8, 16-18

Theme: Herod is an example of those through the centuries who have missed the grandeur of Christ's birth and have rejected His authority in their lives.

Date: 12/08/2019 File Name: Chronicle_of_Christmas_2019_02.wpd Sermon ID:

In the 1940's a Swiss watch was the most prestigious, and best-built timepiece in the world, and Switzerland was the world’s leader in watchmaking, and had been for 400 years.

In the late 50's, Peter Petroff, the man who invented the digital watch, presented his ideas to the leaders of the Swiss watch industry.

The digital display watch was the newest way to tell time in 500 years.

The Swiss rejected his idea outright because they believed that they had the best watches and the best watchmakers.

Their attitude was, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

The Swiss watch industry failed to see the enormous market potential of the new watch.

Petroff sold the idea to Pulsar which was later bought out by Seiko.

In 1940 the Swiss watch industry employed over 80,000 people.

In 1970 there were 1,600 Swiss watch manufacturers.

Today there are only abut 600 Swiss watch manufacturers which employ only about 58,000 workers.

In 1940 eighty percent of the watches sold in the world came from Switzerland, and were mechanical watches.

Today eighty percent of the watches sold around the world are digital.

The leaders of the Swiss watch industry rejected an innovative idea.

In doing so they lost a market.

Why do I tell you this story?

To illustrate that rejection of an idea can sometimes be costly.

King Herod is an example of those individuals through the centuries who have missed the grandeur of Christ's birth and have rejected His authority in their lives.

In rejecting Christ, they have forfeited their eternity with God in Heaven.

There are billions and billions of people in this world who know that something unusual happened at Bethlehem, but they have no idea what it means.

Regrettably there are millions in our own society who have the knowledge of the Christmas story and enjoy the Christmas traditions which surround that story, but who choose to reject the very person whom the stories and traditions are about.

King Herod was an interesting person.

He was a ruthless warrior, an astute businessman, and ambitious builder, a cunning opportunist, paranoid beyond reason, and an egotist prone to outbursts which frequently turned violent.

His family life was characterized by bitter feuds and murder.

Upon his personal orders, Herod had his wife and three of his sons executed.

The Roman Emperor Augustus quipped, that it was safer to be Herod's pig than Herod's son.

He clutched power and carefully annihilated all threats to his power and dominion in Judea.

We should not be surprised, therefore, that his jealous paranoia should flare when the Magi's entourage entered Jerusalem seeking the new born King of the Jews.

The phrase he was disturbed testifies to his anxiety.

The word disturbed means to agitate, to cause one inward commotion, take away his calmness of mind, to disquiet, to make restless, to stir up, to strike one's spirit with fear and dread.

It was a word used to describe the shaking of the ground during an earthquake.

What does Herod do with the news that a new king of Israel has been born in his realm?

He calls a religious cabinet meeting to find out where the new King would be born.

In vs. 4 he asked the religious leaders "... where the Christ was to be born."

The verb asked represents a continuous activity.

From the moment he called the religious leaders together he was constantly on their case, repeatedly in their face, "Have you discovered where yet."

"When will you be able to tell me something."

"I need and answer and I need it today!"

Once he found out that Bethlehem in Judea was the place, his skill at underhanded schemes took over.

He shrewdly gathered all the facts and sent the wise men to Bethlehem with instructions to inform him exactly where the child was so he could join them in worship of the new king.

As the wise men road out of sight, he must have stroked his chin and smiled to himself.

He would tolerate no rivals.

He was sure that his ingenious plan would work as so many others had.

But Herod's solution to his problem left out God, and no equation in life is ever solved apart from God.

To reject the Lord is to close the door on hope.

As we examine Herod's chronicle of rejection, we must ask what lay at the heart of his decision.

I. HEROD REJECTED CHRIST BECAUSE OF FEAR

1. phobias dominate our society and exert a paralyzing influence on the mind

a. a phobia is a persistent abnormal and irrational fear of something that compels one to avoid the thing feared

2. much of Herod's rejection was rooted in selfish fear

a. when he heard the term king he thought immediately about an earthly king

3. consequently, his egotistical defenses went up

a. such fear bolts the door against faith

b. it recoils from the light of truth

A. AN AWESOME FEAR OF GOD MUST DRIVE US TO ACCEPT GOD, NOT REJECT HIM

Psalm 40:3 "He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD."

ILLUS.

Richard Halverson, chaplain to the United States Senate, once said, "Men who fear God face life fearlessly.

Men who do not fear God end up fearing everything."

1. this was Herod

a. he did not fear God and wound up being paranoid of everyone and everything around him

b. he trusted no one but himself

c.

Herod feared anyone who threatened his temporal throne; but he failed to fear the One whose throne was eternal

2. in Herod we see the person who refuses to fear God or bow before His awesome might

a. this is the person who shakes his fist in God's face and cries out, "God.

Who do you think your are?

God?"

3. they have a fear of having their life influenced or controlled by anything or anyone other than themselves-including God

II.

HEROD REJECTED CHRIST BECAUSE OF UNCERTAINTY

1. some people will miss heaven because of fear

2. others will miss heaven simply because they are unsure what to do with this person called Jesus

a. though uncertainty as to where Christ fits into you life may seem like a legitimate reason to wait in your decision to follow him, it is actually a very subtle form of rejection

1 Peter 2:6-7 "For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious.

But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone," (OT quotes from Isa. 28:16 & Ps.

118:22-23)

ILLUS.

There is an old Jewish legend that tells about the riddle of the missing corner stone.

The temple of Solomon was under construction.

AN the stones that went into its building were precut in the quarry some distance away.

Practically all the stones were identical-all being of the same size and shape.

But one day a stone was found different from all the rest, and the builders said, "There is no place for this stone.

There must be a mistake."

So they rolled it to the edge of the cliff and tumbled it down into the Kedron Valley below the temple area.

As the years of construction went by the builders were finally ready for the chief corner-stone; so they sent down the order for it.

They were told, "You must have it there; we sent it to you long ago."

Their search proved fruitless.

And then an old workman said, "/ remember now.

There was a stone different from the rest and we thought there was no place for it and tumbled it down to the valley below."

The legend says they went down into the Kedron Valley and there they found the stone, now covered by lichens and debris ~ the very stone the builders rejected.

So now they had to hoist it to the top of the cliff, then back to the platform and put it into place.

It fit perfectly.

3. every Jew knew that story and knew what Peter meant when he said, "This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner."

a. the builders rejected the stone originally because they were uncertain where it fit into the plans of the Temple

b. but the stone the builders rejected had become the head stone of the corner.

A. HEROD WAS UNCERTAIN WHERE CHRIST FIT INTO HIS LIFE SO HE REJECTED HIM