Will You Serve the King of Kings (Matthew 2:1-12)
Gary McManus, 01/03/2021Part of the Christmas series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
Will You Serve the King of Kings
January 3, 2020 Matthew 2:1-12
A NEW year! And the year AFTER 2020.
Will we get our old lives back? Do we want our old lives back?
This should make us reconsider our feelings about change. Did you receive a surprise gift at Christmas?
The wise men noticed changes in the night sky.
The changes announced big doings on earth.
The wise men would embrace this change.
The wise men: magi, from the east, travelled.
Maybe they were from the royal court of Nabataea, Aretas IV.
Several other countries are also possible.
Even the magi gifts are not “local”.
These magi foreigners could not have expectations about a Messiah, a Jewish promise. The magi do not ask about a Messiah-born. The magi expected a child—a royal child. The magi had gifts for royalty.
Let’s talk about ourselves a moment.
Americans are adventurous, right?
The wise men didn’t know where they were going.
Were the magi adventurous? Wise men + adventurous?
The wise men had a goal—to bow before the new king. The wise men would “bowed down and worship”. See Matthew 4:9)
Matthew Chapter 1: who Jesus is/was
= Messiah, son of David, God with us (Matthew 1:18, Matthew 1:23)
Matthew Ch 2, People’s responses to this Messiah.
Herod: earthly King by appointment by Rome.
Jesus: born King through House of David, Kingdom of Heaven
Bible trivia: Matthew uses the word “King” more than the other gospels. RSV (72), NIV (74), KJV (74)
For ANY royal baby born, there is rejoicing.
Where Herod is King there is trouble.
The magi will worship with gift offerings!
(Matthew 13:20, Matthew 13:44: Matthew uses the words joy for finding the Kingdom of Heaven and
the things of God (God’s Word))
John and Jesus: same message:
“the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
The magi were obedient to divine signs and dreams,
not earthly kings.(Matthew 2:11-12)
Ancient world; kneel to superiors.
With Gods, you worship=bowed down, face to the ground (Luke 24:5)
The wise men have insulted Herod.
Herod is a king and the wise men are not.
Herod would want them to pay for their rude insubordination. But the magi must obey a higher power.
The wise men’s response to Jesus’ birth is the right response to the birth of Jesus.
What about your response to Jesus’ birth?
It is never too late to do the right thing.
Matthew shows us the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophets. . .
The world will flow to the living God in worship and offerings: [Isaiah 55:5, Isaiah 60:3-5, Isaiah 66:18, Micah 4:2, Haggai 2:7, Zechariah 8:22]
Will you join in?
Will you serve the King of Kings? The wise men did just that. Amen.
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