THE DANGERS OF CHRISTMAS
Some have said that Christmas is a dangerous time. This is because there is that possibility of missing the real meaning in the midst of the tinsel and presents.
Christmas proclaims God’s love, and reminds us that God was not satisfied to speak His word from a distance, but became a man and lived among us. Jesus was "God with skin on, the perfect means of revealing all we can comprehend about the mind and heart of God."
The other danger lies in rediscovering Jesus as the focus for the holiday season. Bible scholars say, "For then, life can never be the same. To celebrate the Incarnation is to say ’yes’ to God’s plan to raise us to life in Christ - it is to say ’goodbye’ to our old comfortable lives enjoyable sins, and private agendas, and lay ourselves on God’s operating table."
I. Response of Herod
v.3 -- "disturbed" or troubled
-you cannot have Jesus in your life AND remain the same.
Why troubled? He felt THREATENED -- wise men were looking for a king -- Herod: "But I’M king!"
The essence of sin: Thinking of yourself as king: autonomous, powerful, call the shots, make the rules, live to please self, others exist to serve you
However, to have a "saving faith" means to look away from self and to look to Jesus. Faith is relying on and resting in Christ to be and to do what we cannot do in our own resources. -- Tim Keller
II. Response of the religious leaders
"disturbed" rather than excited. These are men who knew their Bibles -- memorized, taught it to others ... yet missed Jesus
ILL. MISSING THE IMPORTANCE OF CHRISTMAS
In December 1903, after many attempts, the Wright brothers were successful in getting their "flying machine" off the ground. Thrilled, they telegraphed this message to their sister Katherine: "We have actually flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas." Katherine hurried to the editor of the local newspaper and showed him the message. He glanced at it and said, "How nice. The boys will be home for Christmas." He totally missed the big news--man had flown!
Can it be! -- read the Bible and MISS JESUS/THE GOSPEL?!
You? -- read it but all you find are rules, laws, stories; doesn’t break you, move you, lead you to the cross?
Religious leaders knew all about the Messiah, but when he finally arrived, they didn’t feel compelled to seek him out.
Herod had a problem with Jesus being a king, the religious leaders had a problem with Jesus being a Savior.
Herod didn’t WANT Jesus, the religious didn’t NEED Him.
Religious people are so hard to convince, because they are so convinced of their own worthiness
III. Response of the Magi/Wise Men
These men saw something extraordinary in a star that millions paid no attention to. Some say "It’s just a star; "It’s just a story"
"Jesus was just a man"
v.10 - Their reaction: "overjoyed" cp. RAY BOURQUE when he finally won the Stanley Cup after 22 years.
In finding Jesus, they found everything that their hearts were longing for: peace, forgiveness, hope., purpose
-this is the "normal" Christian experience -- "good news of great joy"
v11. "they bowed down and worshipped him"
Herod’s Response:
The opposite. Herod didn’t seek Jesus. He wanted to be freed of Jesus. Herod saw in Jesus someone who would away all of the things that he held dear.
He was afraid that Jesus would take control of his work, his family, his life. And Herod wanted to be the one in control. If there was one thing about Herod, he was always in control.
If Herod were here today, he would probably be mystified that the one thing for which he is remembered is a brief conversation with the Wise Men, the Magi from the East, the astrologers from Persia.
To this day there are remains of cities he built still hugging the Mediterranean. But he is not remembered for those things.
He is remembered as one who had to stay in control. He is remembered as one who had to watch after himself. He is remembered as one who was threatened by the holy child of Jesus.
So badly did Herod want to be in control that he was determined to kill Jesus. He was not about to let Jesus have control of his life.
Herod is the one and only villain in the Christmas story. Pilate, Judas -- they all come later. But here at the birth of the holy child, it is Herod who is the one and only villain.
He was so desperate to be in control that nothing else mattered -- even the life of children.
Poor Herod. He didn’t have a clue. He heard about this little baby boy who had been born, and he didn’t know who he was. Jesus was not going to take control of Herod -- unless Herod let Jesus into his life and allowed him to do so.
And everything would have been so different in Herod’s life, if he had let this baby born on Christmas Day take control. Herod would have found the security he never had in this life. Herod would have found the love he had never known.
Herod would have been accepted by a Lord who did not care that he was half Gentile and half Jew. Herod would have served for a purpose, rather than ruled in vain.
How many of us are just like Herod? We will do anything we can to keep Christ out of our lives, because we want to stay in control.
We may not be as dramatic as Herod. We may not be killing babies, but we are still adamant that we are not going to let Jesus take control of our lives. We are not going to let Jesus get too close to us. As MC Hammer once said, “Can’t Touch This.”
This world is happy to let Jesus Christ be a baby in a manger (not threatening), but not willing to let Him be Lord and Savior.
People do not mind celebrating the birth of a baby, but they do not want to hear about the Lord of lords.
People are willing to sing about the nativity of Jesus, but they arrogantly reject His authority.
People are willing to adore Jesus as an infant, but will not pay homage to Him as God Incarnate.
They can tolerate the trappings of Christmas, a manger, shepherds, wise men, and Joseph and Mary. But they cannot bear the thought of giving their life to Christ in a commitment that involves the entire calendar year.
Herod didn’t know. He didn’t know who this child was. He was God. We can see that clearly now. The Scriptures are clear.
The only question is, will you be like Herod, and do everything you can to keep Jesus out of your life?
Will you do everything you can to keep Jesus as a baby who never grows up?
Or will you be like the Wise Men, and seek Him, worship Him, and serve Him?
Lesson: There is no joy in God without worship of God. -- worship is the way in which joy expresses itself.
What is worship? Worship is to feel in your heart and express in some appropriate manner a humbling but delightful sense of admiring awe and astonished wonder and overpowering love in
the presence of that most ancient Mystery, that Majesty which philosophers call the First Cause, but which we call Our Father Which Are in Heaven. A.W. Tozer
-it’s not simply to know about God but to be drawn; feel him; experience him; thoughts up him lift you up and carry you away
Have you found Jesus?
The fear is that some of us may have only come as far as Jerusalem, but have never followed the star to Bethlehem; have read our Bible but don’t find Jesus; gone to church but don’t worship. NICE PALACE BUT NO KING!
Does the news of Christmas threaten or thrill you? Leave you the same or effect you to the very core of your being? Amen
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