The Coming of Christ, Part 3 - SERMON NOTES

Intro: responses to Jesus → every move toward Christ is a response to his offer

Anxious Anger (3, 7-8, 12): (1) Jesus “king of the Jews” (v.2) → Herod “the king” (v.3) (2) background → puppet ruler, politically savvy, temple, building projects (3) paranoid in later life, killed family members (cf. v.7-8, 2:13-18) (4) “Jerusalem” also “troubled” → status quo about to be shaken up ((cf. Psalm 2, Mt. 10:34-38) (5) Jesus a threat → he dethrones us (6) following Jesus means I’m no longer in charge → this can create anxious anger (7) Herod more concerned with power/projects → where do I need to let go of my agenda/expectations (cf. holidays, job, marriage, retirement, etc.) (8) John 6:68

Indifferent Apathy (4-6): (1) Herod’s first response is to find out where Messiah is to be born (2) his question a 100 level on jeopardy → Bethlehem, based on Micah 5:2 → they get an A on the quiz (3) they possess head knowledge but lack heart desire (cf. John 5:39-40, 2 Timothy 3:7) (4) over-familiarity can allow apathy to creep in (5) cautions → reading Bible mostly for info, participating in church out of routine, growing weary in doing good (6) Buddy vs. Wayne → war against by remembering you have a role (cf. Christmas project, Denise G, advent candle lighters, banquet help)

Enduring Pursuit (1-2, 9): (1) Bethlehem outside Jerusalem (2) “wise men from the east” → potential origin of Babylon → this term used in Daniel, enduring prophetic legacy of Daniel (4) don’t know their number/names/timing (“house”), but can assert they were Gentiles (5) “we saw his star” → likely from Numbers 24:17, perhaps taught by Daniel (6) whatever “star” was they had been following for 900 miles (7) willing to travel because God met them where they were (8) relationship with God often described as “path” (9) one way to cultivate endurance is to remember that Christ meets us where we are

Extravagant Worship (10-11): (1) response of joy when star stops in Bethlehem (2) v.2 → expressed desire of worship, repeated in v.10 (3) imagine Mary’s day (4) their actions display far more than curiosity (5) giving of costly gifts (“treasuries”) → likely used to actions of court life with kings (6) need to be careful about reading too much gifts (7) gold the rare metal of kings, frankincense used in worship ceremonies, myrrh used to set apart for service and to embalm the dead → all three associated with Christ’s person/work (8) Romans 12:1-2 → time, abilities, money, relationships (9) Luke 2:10-11

Conclusion: examining responses to Christ → threatened hostility, boring religion, worshipful pursuit