Word of Salvation – Vol. 37 No. 45 – December 1992

 

Come And Worship The Newborn King

 

Sermon by Rev. Alan Douma on Matthew 2:1-12

Readings: Psalm 72:10-11, Micah 5:2, Luke 2:1-12; 13-20

 

Introduction

Boys and girls, congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Christmas has come!  And I wonder if one of the boys or girls could tell me what we celebrate at Christmas.

That’s right, the birth of Jesus Christ.

But what was so special about the birth of Jesus?  Why was His birth more special than any other baby?  Can you tell me?

Yes, Jesus was born to be our Saviour!

He was born to save us from our sins.  The story of the Magi – of the wise men visiting baby Jesus teaches us that Jesus is the true king.  As we have already read earlier on the Old Testament long ago foretold the birth of the newborn king Jesus.

What sort of welcome is fit for the birth of a newborn king?  What would we do if a king was born in our country?  The church bells would ring.  There would be singing in the streets, flowers and gifts would be sent to the palace.

But what happened to Jesus?

We read in Luke chapter 2 that there was no room in the inn.  Mary had to give birth to baby Jesus in stable and put Him in an animal’s food box.  Newborn king Jesus was born in stable and placed in a manger.  Only the shepherds came to see Him and marvel.  No dignitaries at the doorstep.

No official welcome.  No special presents or gifts.  He was passed by as another birth of a child to mere peasants.

But here in chapter 2, Matthew shows that Jesus is the true king!  Jesus was the new-born king.  The fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies.  Jesus was the One born to bring the Peace of God to the world.  We see in verse one that Matthew makes careful reference to the fact that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea.  That is, in the royal town of David.  Jesus was of royal line.

And the census of Emperor Caesar Augustus (in the providence of God) had brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus.  After He had been born a star appeared in the East which the Magi noticed as something special and so they followed it through to Jerusalem.  They had seen in the star something that had signified the presence of a king born in Judea.  So they came to Jerusalem to find this newborn king and to worship Him.

They asked around: ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?  We saw His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’

King Herod heard about this and went into shock.  He got really upset about it.  For King Herod was ‘King of the Jews’!  It was a title he had been given by the Romans.  And now there were these men from the East who were asking about a newborn King of the Jews!  So Herod calls together the Sanhedrin and asks them where the Christ was to be born.  ‘In Bethlehem,’ they replied.

Here Matthew shows again that Jesus was the true king.  He was the one who the Scriptures said would one day come to save His people.  Jesus was the Messiah, the fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies.  Herod then finds the Magi and asks when they first saw the star.  He knew where the prophesied king of the Jews was to be born.  Now all he had to do was find out when.

Meeting secretly with the Magi, king Herod sends them on their way to Bethlehem: ‘Go, make a search for the child.  As soon as you find him report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him.’

Do you think that Herod really wanted to worship newborn King Jesus?  No.  He wanted to find out where Jesus was because he wanted to kill him!  He was upset about this news because he was a wicked and sinful king.  In fact we read that all Jerusalem was disturbed too!  For king Herod had done many bad things to his own family and the people of Israel.  So they did not like or trust him as king anymore.  The people of Jerusalem were waiting for the next atrocity – especially now as King Herod’s kingship was being threatened.  His hold on the throne was already slipping.  So Herod did not want newborn King Jesus to stay alive.  He wanted to take away his throne!

And here we see again the manifestation of the battle between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman of Genesis 3:15 – in Redemptive history.  Through Herod, Satan wanted to destroy the Messiah.  He wanted to stop Jesus from living and taking his throne.  Satan did not want Jesus to be born and live as the saviour of His people.

So Herod did not want to know where baby Jesus was so that he could worship Him!  But he wanted to know where baby Jesus was in order to kill Him!  We see that he did try to do that later on in chapter 2… when he gave the order to kill every male child under 2 years old.  (And so the people of Jerusalem were right to be disturbed about King Herod being upset!)

The same battle goes on today.

The whole myth of Santa Claus and Father Christmas is but Satan’s way to dethrone Jesus.  An attempt to shift our attention and allegiance from Jesus the newborn king to Santa the bringer of fine gifts and Christmas spirit.  Every Christmas the battle for the throne goes on in our country.

After hearing King Herod the Magi went on their way to Bethlehem.  And on their way they saw that star again.  The star stopped over the very house where the child was.  And when they saw the star and the house to which it led them they were overjoyed.  They were beside themselves with joy.  The journey was over.  The newborn King was found!  Now they could come and worship Him.  The newborn King of the Jews!

And isn’t that what Christmas is for us?  A time of joy and celebration as we come in worship to the Christ-child.  Doesn’t it warm our hearts as we come together and sing these magnificent hymns of praise to God’s grace shown in Bethlehem?  The metaphorical guiding ‘star’ of the Scriptures shows us the glory of the manger.  As we celebrate the coming of ‘Immanuel – God with us’.  God reached down through the Christ-child to bring us salvation.  God has worked out His plan of redemption through history to bring us new life in Christ.

The Magi had come to the end of their journey.  They had found the newborn King of the Jews.  And they went into the house and bowed down and worshipped Him.  Here Matthew so powerfully portrays the lesson of this chapter: We have come to worship Him – Jesus the King of the Jews.  In Jesus the true king has come.  And these Gentiles give evidence of His kingship.  The Jews, the people of God, would not accept Him.  Not now and not when thirty years later they crucified Him.  But these ‘foreigners’ in their adoration of the Christ-child fulfil what was written in Psalm 72:

            “The Kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to Him.
            The Kings of Sheba and Seba will present Him gifts.
            All kings will bow down to Him
            And all nations will serve Him.”

The Magi depict the worship of Christ by the foreign nations.  For Jesus is the true King of Israel.

The call to each one of us this morning is that we too must bow down in humble adoration before the Messianic King.  Jesus is the King.  And worthy of all glory and honour and praise.  He is the king who reigns on the throne of David forever and ever without end.

Finally, we see in the gifts the nature of Christ’s Kingship.  The gold denotes that He is King.  And we see that Jesus is indeed the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The frankincense represents that Christ is indeed God.  Incense was used in sacrifices which symbolised belonging to God alone.  And so Jesus was divine.

The myrrh represents that Jesus was also man.  Myrrh was used by and in the interests of man.  As a perfume.  As an anaesthetic when mixed with wine.  As ingredient used for preparing bodies for burial.

The Magi came to worship the Christ-child as the King of the Jews.  As the Messianic King foretold long ago.  The Christ who was the king of all kings.  Who was God and yet man.  The king who was born to die.  To usher in the kingdom of Peace.  Peace obtained in the victory upon the Cross of Calvary.  Jesus is the king who laid down His life for His people so that they may have life in Him.  Jesus the king who won the victory of Satan and death and hell as He suffered the agony and pain of God’s wrath upon our sins.

Matthew makes it very clear that the Christ-child is the messianic king of the Old Testament prophecies.  Jesus born in Bethlehem is the fulfilment of God’s plan of redemption for His people.  Jesus is the Messiah who came to save His people.

And that’s the joy of Christmas.  God reconciled sinful man to Himself.  Reaching down to sinful man through the Christ-child to restore us to covenant fellowship with Him.  Jesus the king born to die.  To give the victory of salvation to His people.

Jesus the King.  He is now ruling from the right hand of God the Father bringing all things under the rule of His kingdom.  The Magi came to worship the newborn King.  They were overjoyed as they came to house to see the Christ-child.

What about you?  Will you bow down in worship before Christ the King as we celebrate Christmas?  Rejoicing in God’s faithfulness and love?  Being overwhelmed by His grace and loving-kindness?

Or will you be like Herod?  Pretending to worship the Christ-child, but really seeking to reject Him and deny Him as the King in your life?  Going through the religious motions of Christmas, but not giving true allegiance to Christ the King?

God offers the beauty and glory of Christmas to you.  It is yours through faith.  Faith in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.  Come and worship the Christ child!  Worship Christ the newborn king!  Christ the King prophesied from of old.  Christ the King who has won the victory on the Cross of Calvary.  Christ who now reigns at God’s right hand.  Christ who will return again on the clouds and gather His own?  Come and worship the newborn King!

AMEN