Scripture: Matthew 2
I. Since Jesus alone is king, Jesus is a threat to everyone who wants to be king.
- We see how threatened King Herod felt when he was told about the birth of King Jesus. The wise men do find Jesus, but when they find him, they don’t go back to tell King Herod where Jesus is (vs. 12). How does the king respond to the wise men’s trick on him? Verse 16 says that King Herod “became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under.” Based on the size of Bethlehem at this time, this means that Herod murdered somewhere between a dozen and two dozen children.
- We see how threatened King Herod felt when he was told about the birth of King Jesus. The wise men do find Jesus, but when they find him, they don’t go back to tell King Herod where Jesus is (vs. 12). How does the king respond to the wise men’s trick on him? Verse 16 says that King Herod “became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under.” Based on the size of Bethlehem at this time, this means that Herod murdered somewhere between a dozen and two dozen children.
II. Since Jesus alone is king, you need to put Jesus on the throne of your life.
- Notice the words of the wisemen in verse 2. These wisemen were not Jews. But Matthew is letting us know that Jesus is not just for Jews. Jesus is for everyone. The wisemen said that they came to worship Jesus. They meant that they wanted to show public respect to Jesus as the newborn king of the Jews. They did not know that this baby king Jesus was also God. But the wisemen spoke better than they knew. Jesus was not just a human king worthy of respect. Jesus was also God worthy of our worship. Have I placed Him on the throne of my heart as my king?
- Notice the words of the wisemen in verse 2. These wisemen were not Jews. But Matthew is letting us know that Jesus is not just for Jews. Jesus is for everyone. The wisemen said that they came to worship Jesus. They meant that they wanted to show public respect to Jesus as the newborn king of the Jews. They did not know that this baby king Jesus was also God. But the wisemen spoke better than they knew. Jesus was not just a human king worthy of respect. Jesus was also God worthy of our worship. Have I placed Him on the throne of my heart as my king?
III. Since Jesus alone is king, you need to trust in His power.
- The story of Jesus’ birth makes you wonder what kind of king Jesus is. At first glance, He doesn’t look like a very powerful king. For the fourth time in Matthew 2 we see in vs. 23 that God fulfilled prophecy in the events of Jesus’ life. Clearly, if Jesus was the fulfillment of prophecy about God’s chosen Messiah, He had the power of God behind Him. But the fact that Jesus lived in Nazareth – an unimportant town – tells us that Jesus was a different kind of king. God arranged things so that the king of the world would grow up in a town that the powerful religious leaders looked down upon. Why? Because God has a way of choosing towns and people that nobody else wants. God does this to teach us about salvation. Jesus came in weakness in order to identify with the weak and then save them by dying for their sins on the cross. But the second time that Jesus comes to earth as king He will come in power. And when Jesus comes again as king, He will powerfully end all evil without ending us.
Application:
Make Jesus your king today.
Sources:
The Gospel of Matthew
Commentaries on Matthew by D.A. Carson and Craig Blomberg
“Hidden Christmas” by Timothy Keller
SERMON DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Why was the birth of Jesus such a threat to King Herod? Do you recognize how you are threatened by Jesus’ claim to be king?
2) If Jesus is indeed God and king, what does that mean for how I relate to Him? Are there some areas of my life where I am currently rejecting Jesus as King?
3) Why does Jesus appear to be such a weak king at times in the Gospels? What is the connection between His weakness on the cross and His power to save us? When Jesus returns to earth as King, will He return in weakness or in power?