CHRISTMAS: CELEBRATING THE BIRTH OF THE KING OF KING.
-By Tony Evans
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “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.” (Matthew 2:1–2) CHRISTMAS: CELEBRATING THE BIRTH OF THE KING OF KING
The Wise Men in the Nativity story found Jesus when no one else did. Even though the Jewish people had been longing for a Messiah, they missed him because Jesus’ birth failed to meet their expectations. CHRISTMAS: CELEBRATING THE BIRTH OF THE KING OF KING
Yet the Wise Men recognized that Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem was about the arrival of a King. They sought Him from afar and celebrated. They were the only ones who sacrificed to Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.CHRISTMAS: CELEBRATING THE BIRTH OF THE KING OF KING
Despite the common manner of His arrival, they celebrated His authority and honored the birth of a king.
This is significant, and says as much about the perspective of the Wise Men as it does about the perspective of the Jews.CHRISTMAS: CELEBRATING THE BIRTH OF THE KING OF KING
We can learn from the way the Magi recognized Christ’s authority, because how we view Jesus and His authority will determine our entire relationship with Him and our ability to experience Him in our lives.CHRISTMAS: CELEBRATING THE BIRTH OF THE KING OF KING
Consider Romans 10:9—”…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
This passage means we confess Him as the supreme authority in our lives and submit to Him. Many people want a savior who isn’t a king. That is deception. Many in Israel wanted a Messiah who wasn’t a king and that’s why they missed Him…and ultimately killed Him.
And yet a king is what we need most. The biggest problems in our lives are caused when we try to be our own king. In our marriages, in our families, and as individuals, we want to rule. We want the authority. But this only leads to stress, confusion, strife, failure, and division.
What’s the solution? We need to change kings.
People make lousy kings. One of the most common analogies God uses in the Bible to describe our relationship with Him is that of a shepherd and sheep, as in Psalm 23 or John 10.
Sheep can’t bear burdens. (Have you ever heard of a “pack sheep”?) Sheep can’t navigate, nor can sheep provide for or defend themselves. That’s why they need a shepherd.
We need a King to be our shepherd—someone to bear our burdens, to lead us, and to protect and provide. The good news is that God has given us the best King in the universe; we only have to receive Him.
We will never experience God’s true power or peace until we acknowledge Him as King.
This Christmas, I hope you’ll look past the gifts and stress and busy-ness to seek out the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I hope you’ll acknowledge the Lordship of Christ in your daily life. This dramatically changes the way you see life, the way you interact with people, and the way you relate to God.
Karen and I are praying that you’ll find the true King this holiday season.
