Matthew 2:1-12 “Reacting to Royalty”

Message Details

Passage: Matthew 2:1-12

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men[a] from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose[b] and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

6 “‘And you, O 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.’”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 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.” 9 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. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Intro:
Reacting to a crisis, if a ship is going down and the captain pushes women and children out of the way to get onto the last lifeboat vs calmly helping others escape forfeiting his own life. Those are two very different reactions. And they tell us the state of someone’s heart position.

When Jesus arrived, people on this planet had different reactions. (throughout matthew) preview of all three right here. Three groups of people. Three reactions to Jesus. Two wrong. One correct.

How should we react to Jesus?

Outro:
Emmaus Road Church, how have you reacted to Jesus? If you’ve been actively opposed to Him or just neutrally indifferent, I urge you – consider this King. Consider a proper reaction. A fitting reaction for the one who came to save sinners. Here’s what’s nice – you can adopt a new reaction. Maybe today you react to the King for the first time in worshipping Him. In living for Him. In loving Him and in experiencing for the first time in your life – true joy.