Jesus: Creator, Savior, Lord and King #46 Jesus The Newborn King Matthew 2
JCSLK #46 Jesus The Newborn King
Matthew 2
Jingle Bells On Christmas Sunday Carol are important part of Christmas. A new carol by me, I think
Dashing through the snow
in an old used Chevrolet
To the church we go
Praying all the way.
Let's hope the preacher is fast
And gets us home by noon
Yes this is a lot to ask
We never leave that soon.
If only he understood
How much I have to cook
I’m sure that he would
Not preach a whole book.
By now my turkey is burned
The dressing is undone
The message has just turned
into a Christmas marathon.
Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells
We need an fire alarm
To let the firemen know
My dinner just burned down the farm.
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
Christmas time wouldn’t be the same without Christmas Carols. We celebrate the birth of Jesus by prasing Him in songs and hymns. So lets begin this sermon by talking about a carol that I’ve come to really appreciate in the last few years. Charles Wesley wrote “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus,” in 1744 in a hymnal called “Hymns for the Nativity of Our Lord.” This collection of eighteen hymns was so popular that it was reprinted over twenty times during Wesley’s lifetime.
“Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus” is a prayer that expresses the need for a Saviour for all mankind. The promised Messiah would be Savior for both Jews and Gentiles. The first stanza expresses the anticipation of the arrival of Jesus as promised in the Old Testament. The second stanza explains the excitement and amazement surrounding the actual birth of Jesus as told in the New Testament.
The hymn uses the word born four times. Each of the four times represents an aspect of Christ’s purpose for coming into this world: “Born to set thy people free,” “Born thy people to deliver,” “Born a child and yet a king,” and “Born to reign in us forever.”
Come, thou long expected Jesus,
Born to set thy people free,
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in thee:
Israel's strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth thou art,
Dear desire of ev’ry nation,
Joy of ev’ry longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a king,
Born to reign in us for ever,
Now thy gracious kingdom bring:
By thy own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone,
By thy all sufficient merit
Raise us to thy glorious throne.
Jesus probably born not at 0 AD but about 5 years earlier in 5 BC. Which means it has been not 2025 years since Jesus was born but 2030 years. Now how silly does all that stuff about the year 2000 seem? We were actually 5 years into the new century when the world was going crazy about the end of the world. We don’t know exactly when Jesus was born, but we know with absolute certainty that he descended from heaven, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died upon the cross for us, rose from the dead and then ascended back to heaven. We also know, just as surely as He came once, He is coming again as King of Kings. The title of King is first told us by Matthew in the New Testament.
That title is in found in our sermon passage today, Matthew 2, and it is first uttered not by the people of Bethlehem or Jerusalem but by foreign searchers, Wise men from the east.
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
They had seen a star, an astronomical event and they knew it meant something. It could have been one of many events in the heavens that occurred at this time. The Chinese recorded what they called a broom star, a comet, at about this time. The Aztecs recorded what we would say was a Nova. Others recorded a conflux of several planets coming together. The Bible says a star and yes the God of creation could have had an angel light up a star just for this great even and I’m good with that.
Who were these wise men? This is a Persian word, μάγος magos; and it refers to a Magian, i.e. Oriental scientist; a magician, a wise man. They were the scholars of their time. They studied astrology, astronomy, medicine, math, and natural science. These esteemed wise men, introduce themselves with a quest, in vs. 2 Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
So the Magi saw the star, or comet, or nova or planet alignment and they knew this was something momentous, so they began to search their records and found the prophecy of one of their greatest magi of the past the Hebrew captive, Daniel. Daniel the prophet was taken to Babylon as a boy and trained to be a servant of two Empires, first Babylon and then Persia. In both empires he was faithful to Jehovah, his God and God used Him to make a home in a strange land for the captured Jews until they could return home. That return began a countdown that accurately predicted when the Messiah would appear.
Daniel’s Prophecy - The prophecy of the coming anointed One, the Messiah of Israel, the King of the Jews is in Daniel 9.
Daniel 9:24-25 Seventy weeks (Seventy weeks or sevens of years, so that is 70x7 = 490 years) are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: (49 years + 62x7 years. The wall of Jerusalem was finished in 49 years, plus 374 years means that messiah would come in 483 years starting from the time of the decree to rebuild the wall.)
The magi came looking because they saw the star, read the prophecy and realized that the timing was right for Daniel’s prophecy. So, they came searching for the One born a king. It was the wisest thing they ever did.
Do you know what would mark you and I as wise? Something that would rank you right up there with the magi? If you would search for and find the Christ, the Messiah. You might say, "Well, if I saw a star, or had a great prophecy to track down, I would do that!
The truth is that we are surrounded with evidence, surrounded with unfailing provable prophecy, surrounded by undeniable proof and yet most will never take the time to search. These wise men road hundreds of miles because they knew the world had changed when they saw that sign. Our own personal world will change if we just see the signs around us and would search and find the One born a king.
In the midst of the horrors of World War I, there occurred a unique truce when for a few hours, enemies behaved like brothers.
Christmas Eve in 1914 was all quiet on France's Western Front, from the English Channel to the Swiss Alps. Trenches came within 50 miles of Paris. The war was only five months old, and already around 800,000 men had been wounded or killed. Every soldier wondered whether or not Christmas Day would bring another round of fighting and killing. But something happened: the German soldiers began singing a German Christmas carol “Silent Night Holy Night. The British soldiers heard and raised "Merry Christmas" signs above the trenches, and soon they were all singing carols from both the German and British trenches. Christmas Day dawned with and soldiers left their trenches walked across “no man’s land” and greeted the enemy. Officers of both sides tried to stop their troops but the soldiers cam out and joined in songs, conversation, shared pictures of home and exchanged coffee and cigarettes. All along the front Christmas Day passed peacefully. In open area the played soccer, with the Germans winning 3 goals to 2.
In some places, the spontaneous truce continued the next day as neither side was willing to fire the first shot. Finally, the war resumed when fresh troops arrived, and the high command of both armies ordered that further "informal understanding" with the enemy would be punishable as treason.
What would have happened if the generals and the national leaders had just saw the signs of peace that Christmas Day? How many lives would not have been lost? How many broken families and devastated nations would have been saved. They just had to see the sign, search for a way to peace, but they would not. What a difference it would be to our own lives and families if we just see the sign here in God’s word search until we find the peace Jesus.
The prophecy of Daniel told the time of the birth of the King, but it did not contain the location, so the magi came to the capital of Israel, Jerusalem to continue their quest by asking more wise man.
Found the Answer - Matthew 2:4-6
And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Wise Because They Turned to Scripture
You know what also made the magi wise men? They were willing to search for what they did not yet know. They were willing to go far distances and ask strangers and even foreign kings for clues. The wisest thing they ever did was begin this quest for the newborn King by turning to scripture, the prophecies written in God’s word. Wise men, wise people always turn to God's word to answer the most important questions of life and eternity.
They found their answer in the Word of God, specifically to the Old Testament prophecy in Micah 5:2. There God told the prophet Micah 700 years before Jesus was born, exactly where He would be born.
The OT was filled with prophecies that foretold the events Jesus life and death. Signs as clear as a star in the sky, that God has given to point the way to the Savior.
His coming at a set time. Ge 49:10 Da 9:24,25
His resurrection. Ps 16:10 Isa 26:19
His being forsaken by God Ps 22:1
His being mocked Ps 22:7,8
His hands and feet being nailed to the cross Ps 22:16
The intensity of his sufferings Ps 22:14,15
His garments being parted, and lots cast for his vesture Ps 22:18
His being betrayed by a friend Ps 41:9 55:12-14
Gall and vinegar being given him to drink Ps 69:21
His being born a virgin, His being called Immanuel. Isa 7:14
His being preceded by John the Baptist. Isa 40:3 Mal 3:1
His being numbered with the transgressors, intercession for His murderers, and death Isa 53:12
His being buried with the rich. Isa 53:9
His entering publicly into Jerusalem. Zec 9:9
His being sold for thirty pieces silver Zec 11:12
His price being given for the potter's field Zec 11:13
Over 360 prophecies in the Old Testament were fulfilled in the lifetime of Jesus. When you break it down, one quarter of all the Bible is prophecy. It is absolute proof that God is saying, “Look here and see my Son, See the Savior, See the One born a King.
God is still leading us to Jesus through the Word.
All we have to do is look and listen as His word shows us Jesus, this time not coming into the world by a virgin birth but into our hearts and lives by our own rebirth.
Read the Gospel accounts in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Read the opening chapters of Romans. In these passages and so many others we see and hear the invitation of Jesus to “Come unto me, all ye that are weak and heavy laden.”
Yet, there are so many say, "If God is real, if Jesus is real why doesn’t He show Himself, why doesn’t He send us a sign? And God will answer them one day, I sent you had my miraculous book, the Bible. I left you the church. I gave you pastors, preachers, evanglests, missionaries and billions upon billions of my people, the Christians. Why didn't you look to them? Why didn't you seek, why didn't you look up and see the signs I had provided? Why did you not follow the path I marked for you and to find salvation in my son Jesus at the end of that quest?
Last year LeeOra and I went with our son and his family to the Titanic museum in Branson, Mo. It is amazing, don’t miss it. When you buy your ticket they give you a name and a short biography of one of the passengers on the Titanic. At that moment you begin to wonder did I survive the wreck. After viewing all the displays that have been reclaimed from the bottom of the Atlantic ocean, see the pictures reading about the different lives, you come to a room that lists all the passengers and you find out if you lived or died that terrible night. My passenger was a father with his wife and all their 4 or 5 children one just a baby. They all died in the icy waters that night. They died because the Titanic was in in too big a hurry, too preoccupied with being the biggest and the fastest that it ignored the signs of icebergs in the water until it was too late.
The ship that even God couldn’t sink did sink on its maiden voyage, but it didn’t have to happen. All through that night warning after warning had been sent to tell the ship they were speeding into an ice-field, but the messages were ignored. In fact, when a nearby ship sent an urgent warning telling them ice had been spotted, the Titanic radio operator was talking to Cape Race about the time chauffeurs were to meet arriving passengers at the dock, and what restaurant menus were to be ready.
They were so preoccupied with trivia, with the mundane, that the Titanic radio operator responded to the warning with this message: "Shut up. I am talking to Cape Race. You are jamming my signals."
God is send us messages warning of what lies ahead and where salvation can be found, but too many are telling Him, “Shut up, you are jamming my signals!”
The most important thing the marks these men as wise was that they went…
Found the Newborn King - Matthew 2:7-12
Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
They left Jerusalem and traveled to Bethlehem where Micah’s prophecy said the Messiah would be born. As they traveled, the star that proclaimed His birth reappeared. I don’t think this star could be anything but God’s direct intervention. He hung a star over the exact place where Jesus was, not just the town of Bethlehem, but the house where Joseph and Mary now lived. The Bible says, “When they saw the star they rejoiced greatly!” They knew this was not just a movement of the planets, it was a miracle of the God of the Heavens showing them the way.
Matthew 2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
Now I hate to mess up your family heritage nativity scenes, but …. Are you ready for this?... The magi and the shepherds weren’t there at the same time. Nope, sorry. The scripture says they were in a house now, not a stable, and it was a young child they saw, no longer an infant. In fact, it is probably around two years since the first star appeared, and Jesus was not a new born at this time, that phrase “young child” means a toddler in the original language.
You thought you were coming to church this morning, but you actually walked into an episode of The Myth Busters. But don’t throw away your nativity scenes just yet, because that really isn’t that important is it? What is important, what is vital to know is this, they searched for two years, they researched and they questioned for two years and then they found the house and fell down before Jesus, the One born a King.
He did not ascend a throne to become King; he descended from the throne of heaven as King. He did not serve as a prince before being named King, he served mankind as savior while being King. He was not like the kings of earth, He was, is and always will be the King of Heaven and Earth. Jesus was born the King of Kings.
No wonder the wise men worshiped Him, they fell down before Him and they presented the King with royal gifts.
Three Prophetic, Symbolic Gifts,. We actually know how many magi there were, nor do we know their names, but we do know they gave three gifts, and these gifts were symbolic and prophetic.
They presented Him with gold, a proper gift for a king. They gave frankincense, which is an incense which was burned in the Temple by the High Priest whenever He entered into the presence of God. They also gave Jesus myrrh, which was a very expensive perfume that was used when preparing a body for death before burial.
In these three gifts they show us Jesus, our King, our High Priest and our Savior who would die for us.
This Christmas Season, Do you know where I want to be?
Sure, I want to be with family, they are one of the greatest blessings in life. And I want to be with my church family. Now be surprised. I love being with God’s people and with my with my church family in especially. Most of you are as close as my bothers and sisters growing up. I won’t tell you which of you are most like my crazy uncle but you probably know who you are anyway and are proud of it. You folks are family and I love you in the Lord and that is the strongest love in the universe.
There is another place I want to be this Christmas, and it’s the most precious place of all. I want to be where Jesus is. Like the wise men I rejoice when I come into the house where Jesus lives. Like them, I want to worship Him as my King. I want to pray to him as my great High Priest and I want to give thanks to Him for dying for me on the cross and then defeating sin and coming forth out of that tomb. I don’t have to travel for hundreds of mile or spend two years to find that place. It right here in this church and if you know Him as savior then its also right here in your heart.
And also like the wise men, I want to worship Jesus in the gifts I bring. I don’t have gold, frankincense or myrrh to lay before Him, but I can give gifts that are worthy of the one born a King, my life, my heart and my soul. My life given in serving him now on this earth. My heart given to love him forever. My soul given in repentance and faith to find salvation for eternity. Three gifts, the only ones I can offer, the only ones befitting the King Jesus.
Conclusion
"I gave my life for thee. What hast thou given for me?
Frances Ridley Havergal was considered England’s Fanny J Crosby. They never met but did correspond and they lived and wrote about the same time. Frances Havergal's first hymn was a poem she wrote after seeing Sternberg's painting Ecce Homo. Ecsay Homo is what Pilate said when he presented the beaten and tortured Jesus to the crowd before he was crucified, “Behold the Man.” There have been several famous paintings of that scene using that phrase. The painting that Frances saw had a caption which inspired her it said, "This have I done for thee; what has thou done for Me?" She wrote the poem and forgot about it, she came across the poem years later, and thinking it wasn’t that good she threw it into a stove to be burned the next time it was lit, but it was found by her father, who loved it and told here to publish it. Here is the poem.
I gave My life for thee, My precious blood I shed,
That thou might ransomed be, and raised up from the dead
I gave, I gave My life for thee, what hast thou given for Me?
My Father's house of light, My glory circled throne
I left for earthly night, for wanderings sad and lone;
I left, I left it all for thee, hast thou left aught for Me?
I suffered much for thee, more than thy tongue can tell,
Of bitterest agony, to rescue thee from hell.
I've borne, I've borne it all for thee, what hast thou borne for Me?
And I have brought to thee, down from My home above,
Salvation full and free, My pardon and My love;
I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee, what hast thou brought to Me?
Comments
Post a Comment