Sermon Tone Analysis

Christ-miss

King Herod the Great

Have you ever missed an important event?

Something that would’ve been a life changing part of your life?

There’s a man I know who were going to call John.

John was a married man who at the time of his second year being married he was expecting the arrival of their first child, a baby boy.

Now, John really enjoyed living life for himself and what I mean by that is he really enjoyed going out partying and drinking.

He enjoyed so much going out parting and drinking that the day his baby boy was being born he missed it.

John was out drinking at a bar while his first son was being born.

Unfortunately, this was the beginning of a trend for John.

A trend that his wife was not going to put up with and she asked for a divorce when their son was only a few months old.

When John’s son was 5 years old his son was super excited to start his first game of football, he was expecting his daddy to be there and even asked his father if he was going to be at his game.

John replied, “yeahhhh buddy I’ll be there.

You can count on me.”

John was at the bar when he answered the phone, as you can expect.

John missed his sons first game of football.

As the years went by John’s son would call his dad and let him know when he was going to have important football games, graduations from one grade to another.

John’s son became the star quarterback of his high school team.

A five-star recruit as a senior in high school.

John’s son was playing his last game of his high school career and called his father to let him know that he reserved a seat for him.

John as always said, “yeaaaah buddy I’m going to be there don’t you worry.”

The most important game in his son’s life.

The state championship.

John’s son before the game, kept peaking around the opening of the stadium to see if his dad was going to show up in the seat that he reserved for him.

With as much hope as his son had, John did not show up.

The game went on, Johns son and his team won the state championship.

As john’s son was driving home late at night after celebrating the championship, he sees bright lights coming around the corner and BOOM… Johns son got hit by a drunk driver that night… That drunk driver was John.

He missed everything that happened in his son’s life because he was feasting on his own selfishness and wanted to be at the bar instead of with his son.

His selfishness of wanting to live life his own way and it cost him his son’s life… John will now spend the rest of his life in prison.

He repeatedly had his heart hardened and turned towards himself and missed so much just like a man we are going to talk about today by the name Herod the Great.

Now there are two Herod’s mentioned in the Bible, coincidentally a Herod at the birth of Jesus and a Herod at the death of Jesus.

We are going to talk about Herod the Great which is mentioned during the birth of Jesus if you could turn with me to Matthew chapter 2, a little back story of who Herod the Great is.

Herod the Great was a man born in 72 BC and died 4 BC, he was appointed the king of Judea officially in 37 BC by Antony when he came to power under Octavius Caesar.

He was called Herod the Great because he was the only ruler of Palestine who ever succeeded in keeping the peace and in bringing order to a situation of disorder.

He was a great builder; he was indeed the builder of the Temple in Jerusalem.[1]

Herod eliminated every possible threat to his throne including assassinating his wife Mariamne I and her mother Alexandra, his oldest son Antipater, and two other sons Alexander and Aristobulus.

Augustus, the Roman emperor said this about Herod, “it was safer to be Herod’s pig than Herod’s son.”

Herod was such a tyrant that when he knew he was going to die he ordered that a collection of the most distinguished citizens of Jerusalem be arrested.

Herod ordered that the moment he died, that all be killed because he was aware that nobody would mourn for his death.

He was determined that some tears should be shed when he died.

Herod did not care about anybody except for himself, he feasted on his own selfishness.

Matthew 2 verse 1.

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,

2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?

For we saw bHis star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

The Magi or just another word for wise priestly men who specialize in astronomy, astrology, and natural science that came from possible Arabia, Babylon, or Perisa.

These men were aware of the prophecy foretold in “the star shall come from Jacob…”

So…

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

6 ‘aAnd you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,

Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;

For out of you shall come forth a Ruler

Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”

From the first day, the first minute Christ was born he had people after him.

Herod conspired with the priests, and the scribes to figure out where Christ would be born.

They found out that in Christ would be born in Bethlehem.

Herod received nearly precise time from the Magi and sent them towards Bethlehem.

I could almost picture King Herod in his palace talking with these wise men, Herod saying with alternative motives and a smirk on his face, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him”

If your taking notes…

Point 1: Seeing ≠ Believing

Herod had a genuine nature of unbelief.

Herod saw the evidence the scribes and the chief priests gave him as far as where the King of the Jews would be born.

He saw the evidence and rejected it.

He saw but did not believe in the King, he saw and he was frightened he would lose his throne to Jesus Christ.

Being appointed the ‘King of the Jews’ by Caesar Octavius and Antony to hear about a King of the Jews being in Bethlehem, he was ready to take action in his own hands.

Many today that have an unbelief will say, “if your God is real, why can’t I see Him?”

First of all, if you were to look upon the face of God, , “But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” if you were to look at God you would die.

When I say God, I don’t mean Jesus Christ who is God in the flesh, I mean looking at pure God without flesh, you will die.

So, IDK maybe you don’t want that.

Now if we were in the time of Jesus

Would you believe in Jesus as God?

How many people saw the miracles Jesus performed and rejected Him? Oh, IDK the pharisees, scribes, chief priests who have read the Scriptures and saw Jesus Christ who claimed to be God but they didn’t believe because they loved being in power.

They did not want to give up their life style to follow a no name man from Nazareth.

Their heart was hardened, their heart was dark.

Listen, seeing is not believing.

Believing or having faith as says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we see… NO, ASSURANCE ABOUT WHAT WE DO NOT SEE.

Many today are like Herod.

They want Jesus to be a good moral teacher, a religious leader, but the moment Christians claim He is God in the flesh, the hostility rises.

WHHY?

Why is it so scary for there to be a God? it’s because like Herod many don’t want to submit to God’s authority in our lives.

Many don’t want to be accountable for our actions, the lifestyle they live.

Content to hear about Jesus as Savior but not Jesus as Lord.

Herod doesn’t seek the source of the message; he doesn’t seek the truth; he seeks out people who will have a head knowledge of the events but not have the heart’s desire to submit to that message.

Point 2: Knowing ≠ Believing

There’s a disconnect between the heart and the mind… remember John in the beginning of the message, John knew that his boy was growing up and having all these games but he still didn’t go and watch him, he still didn’t put in the effort to experience his son’s life.

He missed the truth because the knowledge did not connect with heart.

Often times today we see many people having knowledge which points to God but they MISS Him because they reject the reality that there is a God.

For instance, many people today have been presented the opportunity to believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and they say no.

we give people evidence for the existence of God, they say no.

we tell people that Christ is life changing, they say no.

why do they say no?

To change their lives from where they are at now takes a softening of the heart.

To believe in God doesn’t take knowledge, it takes a transformation of the heart.

The knowledge you gain about God is what you anchor your belief.

You can have all the knowledge in the world but if you don’t have the heart softened to then Receive Christ then you will never believe in God of the Bible then your knowledge will never equal faith in God.