Matthew 2:7-18
This passage has always sickened me, for in it we see evil at it's very worst. Herod orders the massacre of many innocent children in the hopes of killing just one child - Jesus Christ.
This wasn't just any child however. This child was prophesied to be a King. Herod no doubt had destroyed others during his reign that he felt was a threat to his throne, but never before had he felt more threatened than he did now. This Child was not like any other child. He was the chosen One... the Messiah....
Isaiah 9:6
So now let's shift gears a second and let me ask a few simple questions.
The truth is however you did kill Him, and so did I. The very reason Jesus was sent into this world was to be our sacrificial substitution for the sin we are all guilty of. This is our kingdom - a kingdom of sin, and we can choose to rule within our own life doing as we please and continuing to sin....
Or... we can trade our crown in for His, and bow our knee to His Lordship, embrace His plan for our life, and be saved from Hell by accepting our only means of escape - that is accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior! This means confessing that His death on the cross was for your sins, and believing that God raised Him from the grave. Many would leave it right there, but there is more....
Jesus said, a house divided against itself cannot stand. You can't serve Jesus as Lord and still serve yourself as lord too. He is either Lord of all, or not Lord at all. You must surrender everything to Him - possibly even your very life should it be required of you. In this way you can have the assurance of your salvation because you know He is indeed your Lord and Savior.
So let me ask you again...
Do you embrace Jesus like the Wise Men did, or do you despise Him just as King Herod did?
Does Jesus sit on the throne of your life, or is He a threat your throne? Don't be foolish and see Him as a rival King like Herod did. Accept Him as the Lord of your life and experience life everlasting!
Merry Christmas & God bless!
Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 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." 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. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 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. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son."
Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
"A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more."
This passage has always sickened me, for in it we see evil at it's very worst. Herod orders the massacre of many innocent children in the hopes of killing just one child - Jesus Christ.
This wasn't just any child however. This child was prophesied to be a King. Herod no doubt had destroyed others during his reign that he felt was a threat to his throne, but never before had he felt more threatened than he did now. This Child was not like any other child. He was the chosen One... the Messiah....
Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born; to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.These were words I'm sure Herod knew very well even if he didn't acknowledge the God of the Jewish nation. For the words of this prophecy and other prophetic words like it in the Holy Scriptures were found to be threatening to his throne. This he could not and would not tolerate!
So now let's shift gears a second and let me ask a few simple questions.
Who is the king of your life?
Do you call the shots, or have you surrendered to Jesus Christ as the Lord over your life?
Is He your King, or do you rule your own life?
Do you embrace Jesus like the Wise Men did, or do you despise Him just as King Herod did?Herod didn't accept Jesus as being anything more than a threat to him. Today it is no different to you and me. Either we have chosen to accept Jesus, or we have chosen to reject Him. You may say, "True, but I would never try to kill Him like Herod attempted to do."
The truth is however you did kill Him, and so did I. The very reason Jesus was sent into this world was to be our sacrificial substitution for the sin we are all guilty of. This is our kingdom - a kingdom of sin, and we can choose to rule within our own life doing as we please and continuing to sin....
Or... we can trade our crown in for His, and bow our knee to His Lordship, embrace His plan for our life, and be saved from Hell by accepting our only means of escape - that is accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior! This means confessing that His death on the cross was for your sins, and believing that God raised Him from the grave. Many would leave it right there, but there is more....
Jesus said, a house divided against itself cannot stand. You can't serve Jesus as Lord and still serve yourself as lord too. He is either Lord of all, or not Lord at all. You must surrender everything to Him - possibly even your very life should it be required of you. In this way you can have the assurance of your salvation because you know He is indeed your Lord and Savior.
So let me ask you again...
Do you embrace Jesus like the Wise Men did, or do you despise Him just as King Herod did?
Does Jesus sit on the throne of your life, or is He a threat your throne? Don't be foolish and see Him as a rival King like Herod did. Accept Him as the Lord of your life and experience life everlasting!
Merry Christmas & God bless!
