12/21/14 The Birth Of The King

12/21/14 The Birth Of The King

Those who want to keep Christ out of government should read what God said concerning the birth of His Son.

Isaiah 9:6-7
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Christ has not forced His rule on anyone, YET. However, He did come to bring the rule of God into the lives of His people. In the Old Testament, His people was Israel, in the New Testament, His people is the Church. Jesus is King, but He requires us to decide if we will submit to Him. Today the kingdom of God is not an earthly, temporal domain, but it is heavenly, eternal, spiritual. Those who do not receicve Christ as Savior, and do not yield to Christ as King, will stand before Him as Judge.

If you don't worship and serve Christ as King, you are not a Christian. If you deny His Lordship, you do not truly celebrate His birth.

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Luke 2:9-14
(9) And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
(10) And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
(11) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
(12) And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
(13) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
(14) Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Matthew 2:1-6
(1) Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
(2) Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
(3) When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
(4) And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
(5) And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
(6) And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

The Conflict
There is an understandable conflict of perception, concerning the birth of the King, especially among westerners, who are not familiar with the rites and power of royalty.

We celebrate the birth of a Baby. Nothing is warmer and sweeter than a baby. Babies are so vulnerable and so helpless and so dependent on adults to take care of them. This is the prevailing view of some people concerning the birth of Christ. He is Baby Jesus, and will always be perceived as baby Jesus. This attitude is found in all communities. Some adults always see certain people as a baby or as a child or as the son or daughter or the younger sibling. They remember when the person was born, they remember their behavior and their calamities as children. They cannot think of the person as an adult. Too many people celebrate the birth of a baby at Christmas, and never see Him as the man He became or the eternal God that He is. Usually, people do not submit to babies or children. This is obvious, concerning most people's relationship with Jesus. They don't take Him seriously.

Then there is the gala that goes with the birth of royalty. Even before the expected child is born, people are celebrating his coming. However, as a future king, people are very careful to not offend or become too intimate with him. He is held in high regard, but he is not necessarily held in affection or loved.

This is the conflict that must be settled in our view of the birth of Jesus. He is everything that is beautiful, lovely, hopeful. He is approachable and inviting, as a sweet child. But He is also Sovereign God. He is to be feared, obeyed, honored. The mystery of the incarnation is that the King of the Universe came to be a Man and to be a Servant, and to be a Sacrifice. He is of all men the most approachable. But He is also God with us, God in the flesh, He is the Ruler of the Universe, and must be recognized.

Believers yield to Christ, not only because He is Creator and King, but because He is altogether lovely, He is tender and merciful and kind and loves us more than anyone ever loved us. I am His slave, but I am bound to Him by love. I give all to Him, because He has a right to everything and because He is worthy of all praise and service, but also because He is love and He has permitted me to love Him.