Pastor Harlow, 12.14.2025 Luke 2:8-20

It begins when people recognize who the king really is, when they actually seek him, and when they fall down in worship. So let's stand together in honor of God's word as we read Matthew chapter 2:es

1-2. God's word it says this. Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold wise men from the east came to Jerusalem saying where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. And assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet," "And you, oh Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah. For from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel." Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child. And when you have found him, bring me word that I too may come and worship him." After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother. And they fell down and worshiped him. And then opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold, and frankincense and myrr. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. Let's pray. And so Lord, thank you for this time that we get to have together. Thank you for your grace and your mercy. Thank you for your word that you have given to us. [snorts] And I pray God that you would please speak through this passage to our hearts. We ask father that Christ would be born in our hearts today. For anyone

That doesn't know you and for anyone that does know you and maybe their their hearts are a bit cold. I pray that be warmed by your spirit. God, help us to lean closer to you and to listen carefully to you and to walk according to the ways that you have set for us to understand exactly what it is that you ask of us. Father, I do want to lift up to you the many people in our church that are expecting God. Thank you, Father, for the safe delivery of baby Milo. We pray for Robert and Haley. Thank you that they got home safely. I want to pray for Sarah and for Amy as they're expecting their little ones anytime. And Father, I just pray that those those births go really well. Thank you, Lord, for our brother Vern being here with us this morning. We still want to pray for peace and for comfort for him. We pray that you would just surround him with family most of all with your with your spirit, God. Help him to abide in your presence and to see the joy of the Lord this season, Lord. There's so many of us that are battling all sorts of ailments, God. For Mara. Just want to pray for her foot. And Lord, for my brother for my sister Pam who's got that hernia. God, thank you for the good news for that she doesn't have to have surgery. But God, we know many people that are suffering during this season. And I pray that you'd give us the eyes of Christ to do what we can to minister and to point them to the life that is in that is in Jesus. Father, may people be drawn to you through our ministries. God, we love you in Jesus name. Amen. Well, our passage, it begins with some period of time after Jesus was born. Now, this could have been months or even up to two years after Christ's birth. So, as you look at a nativity and it has everyone kind of coming together all at once, it's not exactly what happened. This was a time of economic prosperity for this region. This was a time of political stability. From 37 BC to shortly after the birth of Jesus, Herod the Great, he ruled as king of the Jews by Roman appointment. In 6 AD, Judea had became a Roman province. So, this is before 6 AD. It was after that it was governed by prefects like Pontius Pilate and others. But that's after these events. The passage it gives us a location. These events take place in Jerusalem, the capital of the region at this time. And it gives us a timeline when we meet some magi that only Matthew talks about in his Gospel. These are called the magi. These are wise men that came from the east. They weren't kings like [snorts] tradition like traditions tell us. Okay? You've heard that h that Christmas carol. We three kings of Orient are. They weren't kings. They were scholars and they served in the courts of kings. They were experts in things like astronomy and in dreams and ancient texts. They were they were very smart men that had a special connection with heavenly bodies. Now the magi, these magi were very likely from Babylon or Persia, right? That's where Daniel and Ezra and Nehemiah spent much of their lives with Daniel actually becoming the chief leader of all the wise men in Babylon and Persia. He left a legacy. And we know that the Jewish Scriptures were preserved in that culture during the exile. And so the magi, they were probably very familiar with the Old Testament. And when the magi arrive in Jerusalem, they ask a dangerous question. Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? Now that title of king of the Jews is not some type of sentimental thing for a Christmas card. It's actually a powder keg because in Israel, it is a direct claim to the throne of David. God, he had promised that one of David's sons would actually rule from Jerusalem

Forever. In 2 Samuel, here's where that promise is. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, the talking to David, right? When you're dead, I will raise up your offspring after you shall come from your body and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. Now that was partially fulfilled through his son, right? But it was it's actually completely fulfilled in Christ. So this son of David was to be the king of the Jews and he would reign forever. And when the magi use this title, they are saying that the promises of God that were given to David are being fulfilled right now. And Matthew, he's already revealed this in Matthew chapter 1 verse one, the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David. But that title, King of the Jews, what it also does is it exposes false power. For years, King Herod had ruled Judea as the king of the Jews. He ruled Jerusalem with an iron fist. But by asking about the king of the Jews, the Magi. They're pointing to the fact that there is a better leader that God has promised. Not by inference. Okay? Not just simply by inference, but by actually saying there is a promised king of the Jews and he's been born. And guess what? It's not you, Herod. We'll talk about him more in a minute, but let's let's stay focused on the magi here because they are seeking for the king of the Jews in order to what they have traveled all that distance because they want to come and they want to worship him. And the first thing that we are going to learn about those who have joy is that they seek the promised king. These men, they traveled hundreds of miles to give homage to Jesus. And how did they know about Jesus? Well, for them, they watched the stars.

They saw a star. It wasn't a natural light. It was actually a very unusual light. We read, we heard from brother PJ in our call to worship about that prophecy about God bringing bringing these wise men that were to come and bring gold and frankincense in worship. This light coming from Israel. And as they looked at the night sky, they saw this star. They said, "Well, I don't recognize that star. That's a different star." And so they start pouring over their scrolls and their text and they're rehashing the old stories. And I believe personally that they came across this text in Numbers 24:17. 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, the Jewish Messiah, was born. And we see a star rising out of out of Jacob, out of Israel. Do you remember the stories about Daniel? Yeah, I remember that. H how God saved him from the lion's den? Yeah. Do you remember how God saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from that previous ruler in Babylon? Yeah, I remember that. What did King Darius say? I make a decree that in all my royal dominion, people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, that's the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of Israel. For he is the living God, enduring forever. His kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues. He works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth. He who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions. So let's let's go see him. Let's go see the king of the Jews. And Matthew, he uses this title intentionally because it's going to come up again. But as I've already said, the this is a big problem because the Jews already have a king and his this king's name is Herod. And Herod, he's not

Actually Jewish in the strictest sense. He's what's called Adumian. Now the Adumians, they were forcibly converted to Judaism about 150 years before this event. A little background on Herod here. He was appointed by Rome to rule this entire area, okay, before they became Roman provinces and everything like that. Herod, he was known as Herod the Great. He took on a lot of big construction projects including the temple that Jesus worshiped at. That whole temple complex was built by Herod the Great. But he was not a good man. He was actually a very wicked man. He killed his wife that he claimed to love. He killed his mom. Her name was Alexandra. He killed three of his own sons. Alexander Aristobolus and Antipeder who was his firstborn. He killed his firstborn son in a rage. Augustus Caesar, he said this about him. He said, "It is better to be Herod's pig than his son." That's sad when you think about it, right? And of course, he slaughtered all the male children two years old and younger in Bethlehem. He treated the priesthood as a political tool. If he felt like any priest was not 100% in allegiance to him, he would have them executed and he would replace them with other men that were loyal to him. He even had secret police that kept an eye on all the things that were happening in Jerusalem. It was it was so bad that he was known to execute people on suspicion alone. If he just got a whiff of anything that just kind of seemed weird, he would execute people. Actually, his dying wish because he was so hated by everyone. No one liked Herod. He was so hated and his dying wish was that people would mourn when he died. But he knew no one would cry at his funeral. Everyone would celebrate. And so what he did was he said on his

Deathbed, he asked for his next wife and one of his sons. He said, "My dying wish is for you to go and collect all of the leading men in Israel." And so a call went out and thousands of men gather in Jerusalem. He says, "Gather them in the theater and have them all gather down there. And when I die, I want you to kill all of them, but don't let them know that I've that I'm dead yet. I want you to take arrows, shoot them while they gather in the pit. That way, everyone will be sad, even though it may not be about me. That's the kind of man that Herod is. Now, he didn't get his final wish. Everyone hated him. They were like, "Well, he's dead. What's he going to do?", so we thank the Lord for that. But I tell you all this because Herod, he's a wicked and he's an evil man. He's an illegitimate king of the Jews in three ways. He's a foreigner. He's not an Israelite. He's a Roman puppet. And he was the king by appointment. And so when the wise men come into Herod's palace and they ask this question, where is he who was born king of the Jews? Do you do you get the sense that this is a really bad situation? This is an innocent question that is actually in death sentence for innocence. Jesus, he is the true king of the Jews. He still is to this day. He's the king of all things. This title, King of the Jews, it's found in several places in Matthew's Gospel. It's found at the beginning here and it's found at the end. Look now Jesus stood before the governor. This is Pontius Pilate. The governor asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You have said so. Look." And twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews."

He was charged and he was condemned for this t title. And over his head they put the charge against him which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." The same title that leads Gentiles to worship is the same title that leads Jesus to be crucified. And Jesus, he never denies the title. He is the king, but not the kind that the world actually expects because his crown comes not through conquering, but through the cross. And it's the cross that conquers men's hearts and his kingdom. It comes through humility, not by forced conversion. And this is where joy begins. It begins when you recognize Jesus not just as a baby in the manger, but as he presents himself, not as a not as a teacher or a positive example. Jesus Christ is the promised Savior. That is the king of all things and all people everywhere. And you can't know the joy of Christ if you don't know who he is. Secondly, we have those those that have joy. They follow God's revelation. The wise men, they God met the wise men right where they were at. They were probably serving some sort of eastern king. And when they saw that star arising out of Judah, that got their attention. Now, I don't want you to think that this is God's stamp of approval on astrology or anything like that. Jupiter and Saturn have no power over you. Okay? Some have tried to make this a scientific claim. You might read those articles or see those documentaries on YouTube. Please do not for the life of everything get your theology from YouTube, okay? It's a cessp bit or tik tok. Oh my gosh, please don't. But back in this time, I think it was around 4 AD, Jupiter and Saturn, they converged and people think that's what happened. But I'm not convinced about that because it the

Bible clearly presents it as a supernatural phenomenon. This is a unique thing that happened in all of history because it's it's rising in verse two. In verse 9, it's reappearing for the wise men. It's moving in the sky and resting over where Christ was born. It's not a natural occurrence. It's not. It is God that meets us in our darkness. It is God that finds us. We don't find God. We were dead in our trespasses and sins. It is God that brings us life and light. And the wise men for all their wisdom. They didn't know Christ or salvation, but what God was doing was he was drawing men to himself. And he uses the Scriptures to know him. They were able to get kind of close, but what did they have to do? Where was he born? What do the Scriptures say? And we have to follow what the Scriptures say. Secondly, those that have joy or thirdly, those that have joy, they expose false kings and false religions. The wise men, they came with joy because of the birth of the king. But Herod was troubled. And when Herod was troubled, Jerusalem trembled. What on earth is Herod going to do now? He's this paranoid, brutal, unpredictable man. Yeah, he built the temple to God, but he was an enemy of God. And it's kind of funny when you think about it. The wise men, they came. They traveled in a caravan. People took notice of these foreigners coming into Jerusalem, a very Jewish city. They were wealthy guests from the east. And Herod heard why these men came. We're looking for the king of the Jews. We're looking for him. He was born. And immediately he goes, "Excuse me, I need to go and talk to my advisors, my priests and my scribes really quick about a totally unrelated matter." And so they point them to Micah 5:2. But you, oh Bethlehem, right? That's what it says there. They know exactly where the Savior is born. So

Herod, he hears where the Messiah is born. All Jerusalem hears where the Messiah is born. Chief priests and scribes surely hear about it too because all Jerusalem caught wind about all of this and no one does anything. And this teaches us something that's very important for us to remember as Christians is that knowledge does not equal faith. They quoted Micah 5:2. They knew where the Messiah was, the promised one that they were like, "My deliverer is coming. My deliverer is standing by." and they're worshiping together and they're making their sacrifices and meanwhile God's going, "Hello, he's right here." And this is what happens when people love the knowledge of God more than God. I love theology, but theology is not God. We're not going to be saved by how much we learn about God. We're going to be saved by knowing God. >> Amen. Look, look at what Jesus said. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life. That's a condemnation. It is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may live. But you should also note that the Messiah was threatening to their comfort, to the status quo. Bethlehem was a six mile walk. And for some of us, we go, "Well, I couldn't make that, right? I think that God has grace on people that literally can't make the walk. But what about those of us that those of them that were able-bodied at this time? What about the ones that said, "We're the chosen people of God, and we're just waiting for the Messiah. He's going to come and he's going to reign, and he's going to rule. There he is." They didn't even go and just check it out. Why? They were hard-hearted and they didn't love God. Sure, they were chosen as the people of

God. That doesn't make them saved. Doesn't they hated God because they hated Christ? You see, the leaders, they were just content with where they were. But when Christ gets a hold of your heart, he has a way of bringing loss to your life for his glory. You're no longer to be the master of yourself. You're called to submit to Christ because he's the king. You see, a lot of people, they reject Christ not because they disbelieve in what he says about himself. It's because peace is found in submitting to Christ. And most people just don't want to submit. And so Herod, he's insincere in his words. He's saying, "Go and search diligently for the child. And when you have found him, bring me word that I too may come and worship him. You see, if someone is sincere, they're going to go. They're going to search for Christ. If you want Christ, then you need to seek him. Seek him with all of your heart. Search for the Lord. See where he is. If you're not seeing Christ in your life, it's because you move, not him. I wish with all of my heart that I could save my family by proxy. I wish that with all of my heart. But until they want Christ for themselves. There is nothing that I can do. See, Herod, he was more concerned about protecting his temporary throne than honoring the one true king. But that's how many people, including the church, can be. Some people think that they can have Christ and cling to their own rule. And King Saul, he tried that and that didn't work out very well. The kingdom was ripped away from him. So you come to Christ and you seek him and you know the joy that he offers to you freely because as you seek him, he reveals himself to you and you fall more and more in love

With the Savior as you pursue him. But don't let the knowledge of the word deaden your hearts to walking with Christ. Knowledge of God is good, but knowing God is way better. Walk with God because he invites you to walk with him. And so, what are you searching for in Christ? Fourthly, those that have joy, they seek the shepherd king. The king that was promised was a king that would shepherd his people, Israel. God, he bypassed Jerusalem with all of its political power and religious centrality and he came to little old Bethlehem. Christ, he was born in a manger to show us that the kingdom of God advances through normal ordinary means of his grace, not through these extraordinary celebrityfilled political posturing human strategies, whatever. He works through normal things, daily things. Just faithful small acts of ministry. And finally, those that have joy, they respond with worship and giving. Look at what these men do. They saw the star and they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped. And then opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrr. Now, this rejoicing that Matthew uses here in the Greek is the strongest language that Matthew uses for joy in all of his Gospel. You see, the joy it increases as they continue looking for Christ. And it's in the midst of their obedience as they're actively seeking the King of the Jews that their joy overflows. And this shows us that joy is not the starting place. [snorts] It's the reward of active faith which leads us to worship. The Greek word for worship here is procono which means homage implicitly

Given to the divine. This is the word that Matthew uses throughout his Gospel for when people come down and worship Jesus. But I want you to see the people that came to worship Jesus, they're not the Jewish leaders. They're not the scribes. They're not the priests or anything like that. These are gentile men that are looking for the king of the Jews. And this picks up a very important New Testament theme that if Israel will not worship the one true God, then the nations will. The gift that the magi gave, they were gold, they were frankincense, they were myrr. These are valuable gifts that were fit for a king. Now, we don't know if there's only three magi. That's what tradition says because there's three gifts. There could have been 20. We don't know. But since there are three, that's where the tradition comes from. But the important thing to know is their willingness to worship the one true king. And their response is in giving lavishly. And worship is expressed through our generosity, not simply financial. Please don't hear that if you're giving generously or more generously that you're more worshipful. I mean, the widow, she gave her pennies, right? And she gave out of a place of worship to the Lord. It's about a heart posture. Matthew, he presents the gifts and the worship of the magi is a good and a positive thing. So, what is Matthew doing in this passage? Well, he's forcing us to figure out what is your response going to be to the king that brings joy. Who will you be? Are you going to be like the religious leaders and be indifferent to the king? And I believe that this is the response most people are tempted to have in this room. The problem that most churches have is not that we have too many people that are passionate about Jesus. It's

That there's too few with their mouth. Many people claim to love Jesus and with their actions there is just simply dead indifference. So don't be like the religious leaders. Commit to loving Jesus. And if you struggle with indifference, pray to Christ. Come to Christ. Ask him to reignite your heart and renew your heart with passion for him. Say, "God, I need you. I want you. Help me to pursue you." And then you walk in obedience to what he has said. And you pursue Christ. You seek him. And you talk to him throughout the day saying, "Lord, is this what you want for me? Is this the plan that you have for me? How can I walk more faithfully before you?" And as you live and walk and move and have all your being in him, you start to see him more and more in your life. And it draws your heart into a more fuller worship of who he is. Or you could be here visiting family and you might be like Herod and you might be hostile towards Jesus, right? Sure, you might be able to say the right things, but your heart is not right with God and you know it. There was another man who fought hard against Jesus. But God reached him. His name was Saul. He became Paul. And he wrote most of the New Testament. You see, Jesus, what he loves to do is he likes to make take enemies and make them friends. And if your heart is ready, he too can be your friend today if you were to turn away from your sin and trust in Jesus today. Or you might be like the magi who came to worship Jesus and they brought gifts fit for a king. And that's just you. You just love Jesus. I thank God for you. Thank the Lord that he doesn't demand gifts of gold and frankincense and mer today. I don't even know where you can find that stuff. But the truth is that he already paid for salvation in full. And so he doesn't ask for you to bring anything. But here's what he does ask. He says, "I

Appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable God, which is your spiritual worship." And so, who do you identify with? You see, Jesus Christ, he is the king that brings joy. And joy is not found in earthly f power. It's not found in knowledge. It's found in coming to Jesus, the king that God has sent to us. The king who brings joy. He welcomes the lost into his presence, even Gentiles. He defeats false rulers and he shepherds his people and he receives worship from unlikely people. And he delights in doing that. And if you want to know the joy of Christ today, come and speak to me or another elder or a deacon after service and or talk to the person that brought you and we can tell you how you can know the king that brings joy to your life today. Head, heart, hand, head. God. He wants you to know that Jesus Christ is the promised shepherd king. He is the Lord of all people. There is no one else that God is sending. Jesus's plan A. There is no plan B. It's Jesus alone. And you are invited to come and to worship him. Heart God. He wants you to believe that true joy is found only in worshiping in worshiping Christ and submitting to him. You might find it's a this is a very temporary time of the season. Okay. At on December 26. You might always feel a little let down, but let me tell you something. True joy when it's born into your heart can never go away. When you come to Jesus, he gives you that joy. It's a fruit of the spirit and he invites you to know him. Not the warm, cuddly, fuzzy feeling. It's not always that, but a deep and abiding hope and joy in Christ that's lasts forever. In hand. God, he wants you to seek him personally and submit to his rule and worship him sincerely because the heart of God is for you. He came into the

World to be the Savior and so trust him today. Father, we do love you and we thank you for this time that we get to have together. I just pray that as we worship you that we would worship you in spirit and in truth. And I just pray for anyone here that may not know you. I pray that today would be that day that they turn away from their sin and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray for anyone here that maybe they don't know you. I pray that you would make them a friend today. Transform their heart. Anyone's heart in here is cold or hardened towards you. I pray that you would warm them up and that you would soften them that they would pursue you all the days of their life. Father, for those of us that might be u just full-on worshippers, God, help us to pursue you to seek you. And we know that we will find you because you promised that. So Lord, help us to live this passage out today in Jesus precious name. Amen. Let's all stand. Let's respond together in worship. Oh, come all you [singing and music] unfaithful. Come weak and [singing and music] unstable. Come. Oh, [singing] you are not alone. Oh, come [singing] barren [music] and waiting ones weary [singing] of praying. Come see what [singing and music] your God has done. [music] Christ is born. Christ is born. [singing] for you. [music] Oh come bitter [singing] and broken. Come [music] with fears unspoken. Come, taste of [singing and music] his perfect

Love. [music] Oh, come [singing] guilty and hiding once. There [singing and music] is no need to run. See what your God has done. [singing] [music] Christ is born. [singing] Christ is born. [singing] Christ is born for you. [music] He's a love [singing] that was gi [music] for our pardon. [singing] His promise is peace for those [music and singing] who believe. Is the lamb who [singing] was given [music] for [singing] our pardon. His [music] promise is peace for [music] those who [singing] believe. So come [music] though you have nothing. Come. He is the [singing] offering. Come. See what your God has done. [music] Christ is born. Christ is born [singing] [music] for you. Christ is born. Christ [music and singing] is born. Christ is born for [music] you. Amen. Remember that Christ has been born for you today and that you don't need to go through any pastor or priest or

Anyone. You come to Christ and he will make you whole. Romans 15:13. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Go in peace. Thank you.