Sunday Sermon
sunday morning service 20th Dec 2009
Mat 2v1-16.
Rejoice or Reject!
This story of the Magi seeking out Jesus and Herod wanting to kill Jesus highlights for us the only two reactions that people can have to Jesus!
The Good News of Jesus Christ provokes some to Rejoice but other to Reject!
1) some Reject God v3,16.
Herod and all of Jerusalem respond with fear to all that they learn from the Magi.
All that they have learned is that these men are seeking the king of the Jews to worship him!
They become “troubled” – literally stirred up, like water!
Why this reaction?
Because there can only be one king!
If another has been born, then Herod must feel that his position is under threat!
Herod was not the real king, he ruled because he had aligned himself with Rome.
So if a true king, thee Davidic King was to come, his place was gone!!
He is afraid!
Where does this reaction lead?
To murder. He is troubled and afraid to such a point that he goes out to kill all the boys,
2 years and under in Bethlehem and its surrounding area!!!
He wants to kill off any threat to his throne.
He loves his power, he loves his position.
His fear of it going leads him to terrible evil.
App
One reason people do not become Christians is fear!
What do I mean?
Though we may not be kings like Herod, we all do have our kingdoms.
The places we rule and have say over:
“an Englishman’s home is his castle ” – the idea that a man can do as he pleases in his own house!
Being a Christian means bowing the knee to King Jesus, who says your home is My castle!
So many people are afraid of giving up their kingdoms to Jesus.
Afraid of the demands a new king will make!
· But be warned: fear can lead to great evil!
The great evil in mind is rejecting God.
At a personal level we are all free to do this.
We can say no thank you to God. And God will leave us alone.
· But not just now, forever, for all eternity.
Hell is separation from God, from all that is good and lovely.
That is the ultimate end for those who reject Jesus.
· On a wider scale the consequences of rejecting God as a society are equally terrible.
God will leave a society to simply get on with things by themselves if they so please.
Proverbs 14v34 “righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people”!!
Reading our newspapers and seeing the TV news over this past week there is no doubt that as a nation we are a sad sorry disgrace!
Some of the news this past while might lead us to complain and say what a terrible country.
But societies only become like ours as individuals one after another chose to reject God.
So the question is: what have you done with God? Best to follow the Magi!
2) Some Rejoice over God v10-11.
The only other possible response to God is to love and adore Him.
The Magi are the great example here.
They are somewhat unknown men. Wise men from the east, secret and mysterious!
Following a star they make their way to Jerusalem and get further direction on the whereabouts of the King. They seem to know little of the detail, but they know enough to be searching for the King, so that they can worship him!!
They are seeking God and when they find him they Rejoice and worship.
· V10 their response is so different to Herod, there is no fear, just overwhelming joy.
“exceedingly great joy”.
Not joy, not great joy but exceedingly great joy! They are ecstatic, hyper-joy-filled.
They see the star which points them to the spot, that fills them with joy.
· V11 Next they see Jesus and his mother Mary, that leads them to worship.
They bow down, the appropriate approach to the King, then they worship.
What did their worship consist of? Basically a giving of themselves to God.
That is worship, giving of yourself to God.
That giving is expressed by the Magi in the gifts that they then offer.
Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. Much has been made of their possible symbolic meaning but basically they were precious items, given by the Magi to show their true worship of the King.
Likely the gifts would have been used to help the family in the exile in Egypt!
App
Fear of God and running from him leads to terrible consequences, but seeking him and finding him leads to overwhelming good consequences!
Following Jesus brings Joy, Worship and Generosity.
Joy: joy is the drumbeat of the Christians life.
We rejoice over many things. God, Gods love for me, forgiveness, Salvation, eternal life ....
Yes there are times of sadness, but these times are minor themes soon to be no more!
Worship: worship is what we as humans have been made for.
We have been made to live our lives for God. To give our lives to God, for him to use as He pleases. Worship of God gives life meaning (God has made me for himself), purpose (God has work for me to do) and dignity (my life is Gods).
Generosity: worship spills over into generosity.
We develop a giving spirit because we are living in the power of the Giving God.
What a great society we would have if we all followed Jesus as we should!
A society full of Joyful, Life Filled(worshipping), Generous people. Heaven on earth!
How do we get this society?
By individually, one at a time, turning to seek out and worship the King.
What can you do to change the world you are in? Seek out and worship the King!
Conclusion:
King Herod and the Wise Men leave us asking a simple question this Christmas:
What will I do with Jesus?
The choice is yours:
Reject “when King Herod heard this he was troubled”?
Rejoice “when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy”?
