A King for Everyone

One of my favorite songs at Christmastime is “How Many Kings.” I love that song. Another song we sing a lot is “We Three Kings.” Some of us think these dudes were on the Oriental Express, but regions were different.

The kings we are going to be looking at today probably came from a region in Persia, or what is now modern day Iran. They were zoroastrians that studied the stars and believed that a new king of the Jews had been born. Turns out they were right, but this king was not just the king of the Jews. He was and is a King for Everyone!

Let’s turn in our Bibles this morning to Matthew 2.

Matthew 2:1–12 ESV

1 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, 2 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.” 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.

1. The Signs that Pointed to the King (vv.1-6)

God has to initiate each of our journeys to faith in Christ. He gives us two types of directions. Natural signs and His Word. We usually refer to these as General Revelation, or what can be seen in creation, and Special Revelation, or what is specifically revealed in the Bible.

A. The Star (v.1-2)

The journey starts with the star and superstitions that surround the birth of a king with the appearance of a star.

B. The Scriptures (vv. 3-6)

Ultimately, the star can only get them so far. The need more revelation to get them to Jesus.

2. The Search for the King (vv.7-13)

A. The False Motives of an Unbeliever (vv.7-8)

Herod never intended to worship Jesus. He only wanted to know where He was for a purpose. Herod’s purpose was to kill His rival. That is what many people try to do in their own hearts. God is their rival, because there can only be one king to sit on the throne of your heart. The king never gives his throne to another. He is either sovereign or he isn’t.

You can’t retain control of your life and follow Jesus. You can’t come to Jesus for the benefits that He gives you.

Some people follow Jesus because that’s what culture tells them they should do. That used to be the case many years ago.

Some people follow Jesus hoping for prosperity or health. Some follow him so they don’t look bad to others.

The can be a lot of false motives for following Jesus, but what matters most if if you are trusting Him as your Savior and Lord. Is He your King?

B. The Joyful Reward of Genuine Seekers (vv.9-12)

I’m using this term very loosely when I say seekers. The truth is that there really are no seekers, at least not of their own initiative. Salvation is completely a gift from God and God has to start that journey off in your life and bring it to completion.

Now, listen closely. If you are interested in the things of God, or if you are concerned about your eternal destiny, God has already started that journey off in your heart.

You can’t sit back and wait for someone else to choose Jesus for you. You have to decide to follow Christ on your own. But for those who genuinely seek after Jesus, God rewards that person’s faith.

God will give you more revelation of who He is. God will lead you to Jesus.

Notice this star. Some have given different explanations of what the star was. Some have said it was a planetary alignment. Some say it was a comet with a tail as big as a kite. Some say it was this or that, but the star moves and leads them to the house that Mary and Joseph were in. Now, it may have taken the wise men a little asking in the neighborhood to find out which house but this was no ordinary star.

Also notice that if God had of wanted to, He could have had that same star lead these men to Jesus without going to Herod, but then they would have missed hearing about the prophecies. The would have missed the Word.

Now, I’m not sure if these men really understood Who Jesus was. I don’t know if they understood the gravity of this newborn child’s birth. I kind of think they did. I would think that with everything that happened, these men became believers. They probably didn’t start out that way though. It was probably on the journey that their faith became sight.

That’s how it is for the one who seeks Jesus. You get a little more revelation as you go. But if you will truly follow after Jesus, God will reward those who seek him.

After all, isn’t this what Hebrews tells us.

Hebrews 11:6 “6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”