The Tale of Two Kings
The Christmas Story • Sermon • Submitted
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· 29 viewsIn Matthew's gospel account, we come across two kings. One lives in a comfortable palace in Jerusalem, while the other king lives in a little town named Bethlehem. A group of wise men from the East spots the star signifying the king of the Jews has been born! They wish to worship and give expensive gifts to him in honor of his coming. In this message, we discover who we are in this Christmas story - are we the wise men or Herod? This question is answered by how we respond to the newborn king.
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Transcript
Astronomy - The sign the king is born
One of the greatest blessings about living in the thumb of Michigan is the lack of light pollution. I can remember numerous times walking in Argyle, staring up into the void of the night, and see hundreds to thousands of stars shining. I even caught a glimpse of a couple of meteorites falling too. As rare as they were, I felt extremely fortunate to witness those kinds of events.
And speaking of stars, I remember when my parent bought my sister and me a telescope. It was a neat toy; the optical zoom wasn't spectacular, but you could zoom in on our moon and see the dark craters on it. If you need some ideas for Christmas gifts, I would recommend getting one.
Yet, even though I had a toy telescope, to this day, I still struggle to find Little Dipper and identify specific stars and planets. It is safe to say that God did not create me to be an astronomer but made me for something else. God placed me on this little earth to share with you the Christmas story.
In Matthew's gospel account concerning the Christmas story, Jesus is born in Bethlehem to the Virgin Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph. Not only was the conception and birth of Christ a miracle, but God was announcing to the world that his Son was born through a bright star.
Now you and I might have of miss this sign, but not the Magi or also known as the Wise Men. These men were trained in the art of astronomy, astrology, and natural science. They gazed out into the night sky daily and looked for signs from the heavens waiting for anything out of the ordinary to happen and one day when Christ was born. God prearrange a star in the sky to glow brighter than ever before. From their studies, they knew something extraordinary was taking place. They knew the king of the Jews is born according to the scriptures.
Numbers 24:17 (ESV)
17 I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near:
a star shall come out of Jacob,
and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;
it shall crush the forehead of Moab
and break down all the sons of Sheth.
With the evidence from the sky, the wise men committed to seeing the newborn king. So they packed up their animals with valuable goods and left their distant home to head to Jerusalem to where they hoped to honor him. Where else would the king of Israel live other than Jerusalem? So they headed to the capital city of the Jews.
Magi from the East arrive in Jerusalem (Matthew 2:1-2)
Political uproar: Herod knows the king is near.
Once entering the city of Jerusalem, these wise men request to see the born king of the Jews.
But there's a problem. There is already a king in Jerusalem. By title, he is the king of the Jews.
When the wise men requested to see the born king of the Jews, he knew they were talking about him.
The request didn't sit well in the stomach of Herod. Caesar Augustus made him the ruler of the city. Even though he is the pseudo-king of Israel, he had a temper problem, and this is evident later when he ordered the execution of all male children two years and younger to be killed.
The whole city was afraid because someone was threatening Herod's kingship. Siding with Christ will always upset the political powers of our day.
Herod consults his counselors about Christ (Matthew 2:3-6)
Herod wanted to know more about the born king of the Jews. So his subjugated servants came and told him the prophecy, according to Micah.
Herod informs the Magi and star guides them to Christ (Matthew 2:7-10)
Absorbing this knowledge about the real king, King Herod slyly summons them in secret and reveals the truth where the newborn king would be.
"The child will be in Bethlehem. When you find him, please tell me so I can worship him." That was a crock of lies.
His desire was not for worship but raw power and authority. Herod did not want to give this king anything; instead, he tried to take what did not belong to him. Sending the men out to seek, kill, and destroy the child and anyone who was a threat to his kingdom.
After the meeting, the wise men head out. Once out on the road, "behold," the star appeared. It bright them great joy, and it led them straight to king Jesus.
Illustration: Great joy, an overwhelming expression of happiness and bliss. The very moment has arrived; Bethlehem is only three miles! It the build-up compared to our graduation, wedding, and even giving birth. The closer we get, the more joyous we become.
Gifting treasures: Blessing the king who appears.
The Magi locate Christ and Mary and then proceeded to worship and offer their luxurious gifts (Matthew 2:11)
Entering the house, they saw what they were looking for, the born king of the Jews. Baby Jesus, hanging out, Mary. Seeing the infant, the wise men presented their experience gifts to Christ and worshipped him.
They offered their best to the king. They were surrendering everything for Christ at this moment. The wise men who saw the star came to the very spot where God came to be with humanity. No longer was Christ up in the heavens but now is with the man. Emmanuel - God with us. They had no gifts that could compare to seeing the king of the world face to face.
The Magi are warned of Herod and return home another way (Matthew 2:12)
Then after their time with the real king. They are given a dream not to go through Jerusalem and travel a different route home. The wise men, committed to seeing the king, submitted to the plan of finding him and surrender their worship and possessions to him.
Who Am I? Herod or Magi (Taking or Giving)
Yet, the Christmas story doesn't necessarily end there. It involves you and me.
Matthew writes his gospel account in a way so you can make the decision what you're going to do with King Jesus. When you hear the news, Jesus is King, and you only have two alternatives once you know that Jesus is King of the universe.
You can either be in King Herod's camp and see Christ as our opponent, enemy, stumbling block, and wish to take what belongs to him, all power, authority, and dominion. To take your life and control into your own hands and live according to your rules and guidelines.
Or you become like the wise men who committed to Christ once they saw the star, submitted by leaving home and following God's plan and surrendering everything to Christ with their worship and goods.
How you see King Jesus in your life determines if you're going to live a life of taking or giving.
If I see Jesus as King, I commit to him in faith. I will submit by following his plans for my life and surrender by worshipping daily and offering all my possession to be used for his glory.
To give is to be blessed, but to take is a life of suffering and pain in the end.
The spirit of Christmas is about commitment, submission, and surrender to the newborn king.