Christ’s Rule: The King of the Jews

Today as we rejoice in Christmas – we are going to looking choosing something far greater…but let me start with a short story to put a picture in your head…

The year that Toy Story hit the theaters, our sons were 2 and 5 years old – that certainly made gift giving easy – well at least we thought so– Woody for Tim and Buzz Lightyear for Chris, then they would have them both and could play together, but we quickly realized – they both love Buzz…so Buzz it is…

The anticipation of what would be…first Tim – 2 ½ years old - he opens his Buzz Lightyear

{Insert Picture – BL-Soft} on Left half of slide…

While at the same time, Chris opens his gift…

{Add picture BL – Action Figure} on right half with first pic…

Chris is overjoyed – no need for anything else that Christmas morning…but back to Tim…His Buzz Lightyear – paled in comparison – it was tossed into the pile of wrapping and he was right over to his brother asking to share…He wanted to choose the greater toy

Tim had never seen his brother’s Buzz – He would be been happy with having no wings, no laser…

When we look at Christ this Christmas – my prayer is that we would all act that way, setting aside the lesser for the greater hope and joy in Christ…

TI want you to keep this picture in mind today as we explore

5 Fulfillments of Christ’s Birth that Bring Joy [Please delete the titles of the Sermon series]

This morning we are going to look at the fulfillment of Christ as the promised King, but before we can dig into the anticipation within the Christmas Story, we need to see what was the picture of a king that the people in Jerusalem were living under at the time…

One of the reasons that Rome was able to expand the Roman Empire across continents bridging many nations was the practice to place Local rulers with authority who were under the control of Rome or at least loyal to Rome. As such you can imagine that the appointed king might be less than popular with the people.

In Jerusalem, that king was Herod, and he was not even a Jew, he was Idumean. His family was loyal to Rome and the Emperor appointed Herod the governor over Galilee at age 25. But after his father’s death in 40 BC, Herod fled to Rome where he was crowned king of Judea. He returned with an army of foreigners to regain control of the land from the Parthians to establish his rule for the next 33 years, right up to the time we will hear of Herod in the gospel.

By this time, he had become a paranoid king, constantly worried about losing his kingdom. So he ruled with force seeking to eliminate any possible threats that might seek to take his throne.

This was the king of the Jews, a lesser king as we consider the greatness of the promised King and Christ’s fulfillment that

Christ’s Rule: The King of the Jews

He would come to Rule – He would be born to be the King, King of the Jews, and also the King of Kings, Lord of Lord…

Just as the Jewish people would have been looking for the promised King who could take the place of Herod, so too as we anticipate the coming of Christmas, as we looking for the King to replace the tiny kings of today who seek to hold on to their control in the same ways that Herod did.

Christ was born as fulfillment of the promise of the perfect king, the great kings sent to save us.

Join me in reading this portion of the Christmas Story in Matthew chapter 2.

READ Matthew 2:1-12

Having unwrapped the gift of the greater King, let’s take our Buzz Lightyear that does not compare, that does not satisfy, toss it back in the pile of wrapping paper and come to the Lord to ask to share in the greatest gift in all time such that we might find the…

3 Aspects of Jesus being the King that gives us great hope.

First, we begin by looking at how one becomes King…

Again for our son Tim, his soft and cuddly Buzz was an imposter – Buzz was not supposed to be cuddly – He was a Space Ranger with wings and a laser. Someone, some toy maker had tried to replace what was real with flannel and fluff…that could not fulfill the promise…

The Messiah, the promised King would be something far greater too, not a lesser replacement, because he was…

I. Jesus is the rightful king of the Jews

And to see the beauty and wonder of that truth, we must first look at his kingship…

In contrast to Herod

Now Herod was anything except soft and cuddly – and He too was the false replacement for the promised king of the Jews.

As I mentioned earlier – Herod was Idumean – He was the second son of Antipater the Idumean, a high-ranking official under an Arab princess from the region of modern-day Jordan. His father was by descent an Edomite, a descendant of Esau, not Jacob and hence not an Israelite. His mother was Jewish and he was raised as a Jew – but the people did not accept him as a rightful Jew.

Additionally, his right to rule did not come as God’s anointed king, but rather as a rule put in place by Rome. Herod’s power and authority came from man, they were given to him by Rome and as such, he was not the rightful king of the Jews

And so the people waited in anticipation for the promised King who had been announced from of old…they knew there was something greater, a rightful King, they just did not know who…

Sometimes when we are in such great anticipation, when we want something so badly, we can miss the promises of fulfillment that are right before us…because Jesus was

Foretold by the Prophet Micah

Jesus’s birth, life, and death fulfilled well over 300 prophesies. As a math guy, it amazes me to fathom God’s plan here…if we simply focus on 48 or the Messianic prophesies, the probability of one man fulfilling them all would 1 in 10 followed by 157 zeros…my brain cannot wrap itself around that, so when I consider that one man fulfilled all 300 plus prophesies, the probability becomes unthinkable, yet it is true, because Jesus is the promised Messiah, the rightful king of the Jews.

For the sake of time, I will not attempt to prove to you all the fulfillments, so let’s find the Joy in what was foretold by Micah.

Micah 5:2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”

When we consider the kingship of Christ, we should ask ourselves what makes him the legitimate Kingdom the rightful king…

Unlike Herod, who was appointed, Jesus was born to be king.

Micah prophesied that One would go forth from Bethlehem to be ruler in Israel.

Bethlehem was not a prominent city – it essentially sat in the shadows of Jerusalem, just a half days walk to the SW. It was the unlikely place where David was anointed to be King, and yet it remained small and insignificant in comparison to Jerusalem, the home of the king.

Yet, Bethlehem was the place where God told us in advance that His Son would be born, a humble birth, in a humble place, for a humble king.

Yet, there were many other children born in Bethlehem – How do we know that Jesus fulfills this prophesy?

One reason - it was expected by those who were looking for the king. In Matt 2:2, We hear the Magi asking in Jerusalem “Where is he who is born the King of the Jews?” They were looking specifically for a King to be born at this time because they were men who studies the scripture. Jesus was recognized as King by those who came from the East. His right to be King came from the Word of God foretold through his prophets

That is an amazing part of God’s sovereign plan, that his kingship would be recognized even by those from afar and not just that they might comment to one another – “did you hear they have a new king in Israel – cool…” rather the announcement was so wondrous that it caused the Magi to embark on a long and dangerous journey simply to worship the new king…

The rightful rule of Jesus is important because it brings legitimacy and authority over Israel and over man – an authority that would be necessary for his mission, the salvation of his people…

And in contrast to the current king, Herod, Jesus does not have to bring an army and take the throne by force, it is his birthright, because of who He is…He was not born to become the King of the Jews…He simply is King,

But how do we know that the Magi got it right? God confirmed it for them by leading them with the star…a miracle that creation would light up to point the way to the Messiah…

Matt 2:9 tells us that After hearing the king (that is Herod), they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the East, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the child was.”

There are other miracles that point us to Jesus as the Son of God, such as the miracle of the virgin birth, and here we see God’s work to draw the Magi from the East, astronomers and wise men, to make the journey leading them to Christ

And when finally saw what God was showing them – it says that they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy…

When was the last time that you felt that way about Christ? Our only response, like the Magi, should be to bow down and worship.

That gives us a first response and application to Christ’s birth…

Do you rejoice exceedingly about coming to worship? Does it bring you great joy?

First, we need to pray to ask God to increase our joy in Him, then how will we respond? Will you come to Worship? Will you choose not just to come to worship at Christmas, but to make a commitment to come to worship throughout the year? Will you choose to make Worshipping the King more important than sports, more important than ease and comfort? Not just after you have done all the things you think you need to get done, will you put Worship on your calendar first?

I am so looking forward to growing in joy in our worship together in the coming year…

We also find that Jesus is the rightful ruler because

His right to rule goes back to eternity

Unlike Herod who had only been crowned 30 years earlier…Christ’s rule did not begin on the day of his birth. He was born as the King of the Jews because he w=always has been the King of the Jews.

Look again in Micah

Micah 5:2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”

Not many of us would use the phrase our “goings forth” to describe our past…so what does that describe here in Micah…the goings forth point to the promised rulers origins and in this case His victories in creation, his theophanies or appearances on Earth and his providential dealings with man. They are from long ago, from the days of eternity. Christ’s birth is not the beginning of his rule, it is his coming down to humble himself to take on the form of man as a helpless child while at the same time retaining his eternal glory and his rightful place as King.

Finally, we find hope in Jesus taking his rightful place because by how Micah goes on to show the sources of his authority…

He rules in the strength and majesty of the Name of the Lord

Micah continues by saying

Micah 5:4–5a And He will arise and shepherd His flock In the strength of the Lord, In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God. And they will remain, Because at that time He will be great To the ends of the earth. This One will be our peace.

Herod maintained his rule through money, cleverness and cruelty for he had to demand the loyalty of the people – why? – because they did not recognize the authority who made Herod the king…

And in God’s Sovereign plan, he allowed Herod to hold this role because it would provide a beautiful contrast to Jesus as the rightful king and Herod would be used by God to fulfill further prophesies about the Christ child…next week we will be exploring the how God called his son out of Egypt…that had to happen because Herod, out of fear, seeking to keep his grasp on the kingdom, gave the order to kill all of the male children under 2 years old…why, because He knew the prophesied king had the right to rule…more on that next week.

In comparison, Jesus would arise and shepherd his flock, He would rule, “in the strength of the Lord and in the Majesty of the Lord. Jesus did not need to consolidate his rule, and build a group of lackeys around him to affirm him and hold off those who disagreed.

He was born to rule in the confidence and strength of the Lord knowing the final out come of his salvation mission – This one will be our Peace.

Jesus is the rightful King, because he was born a king, because he was the fulfillment as the prophesied king, and because his authority to rule is based in the strength and majesty of the Lord. It is God who places rulers on throne…

And in God’s Sovereign plan

II. Jesus is the continuation of the promised Davidic King

To see the patterns and the contrasts again, let’s come back to Herod…was he the promised Davidic King?

How could he be – as we noted earlier, Herod’s father was a descendant of Esau…David was a descendant of Jacob…their family lines separated long before the nation of Israel had a king.

Herod’s rule ended

And if that did not show us the Herod was not the promised Davidic king…we can see how his kingdom dissolved…first to ensure not even his sons would hold onto his kingdom, at his death, Herod split it in three and his son Antipas would become tetrarch over Galilee and a generation later Agrippa II died, and the Herodian dynasty died with him, the kingdom was absorbed into the Roman province of Judaea.

God promised something far greater in His son…not only does Jesus rightly rule, but he rules the kingdom which God had established…

Jesus is a descendant of David

We have to go back to the Old Testament again to find the importance of this truth.

In a Word of God given to the prophet Nathan, this is what David was told…

1 Chronicles 17:11–14 “When your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up one of your descendants after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. 12 “He shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 “I will be his father and he shall be My son; and I will not take My lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. 14 “But I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.”

See the beauty and hope in this promise

• God will provide for a son, a descendant of David

• God will be the one to establish his kingdom and establish his throne

• God promises His faithfulness, His loving kindness and a relationship –

• Though God says he will be one of David’s son, He also says I will be his Father and he will be my son.

David was the anointed king from Bethlehem and God’s covenant was to place David’s son, his descendant on the throne forever

The people of Israel acknowledge this truth, this promise as well. We heard it even in their murmuring when they were uncertain about Jesus – In John 7:42, the people were asking many questions one of them being “Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”

SO what does the Scripture say?

Matthew’s gospel begins with genealogy of Jesus so that the reader is immediately pointed to the truth that Jesus is the Son of David. The people of Israel would have been exceptionally familiar with the promise made to king David – it was in this promise where they found hope even while living under a cruel and illegitimate king.

Matt 1:1, 17 - The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:… 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

When we look for a rightful king, we look for the descendant of a rightful king. Saul was first anointed king, but he had been selected by the people for all the wrong reasons – separate sermon there – but David was anointed king by the Lord, chosen by God not man and He becomes the lynchpin and thus to see that the Son of God is the promised king, he must also be the Son of David, a term which was often used to indicate the messiah.

This is another aspect of the birth of Jesus that brings great hope because as the rightful King, as the promised Davidic King, Jesus opens the door for you and me.

But I am not of the Davidic line, I am not even able to trace my origins to the people of Israel….

We need to see one more truth about Jesus as the promised Davidic King to fully see how he brings us into the kingdom as well…

The Davidic King is eternal

Let me take us to 2 Samuel to look at what Scripture holds regarding God’s promise to David…

2 Samuel 7:12–13 -12 “When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

David may have been considering his own death, asking what would happen to all that God had done in making him king. He would have sought to teach his sons to follow the Lord, but we can see in Scripture that they did not all have the same heart, they did not all Love the Lord with all their heart, soul and might. His sons tried to kill him and steal his throne for themselves – that would not have been a lasting kingdom. Solomon did well and was pleasing to the Lord, but even at the end of his life and certainly in his sons, the kingdom split and the pattern of good kings and evil kings repeated. They ignored the prophets and God tore the kingdom out from under them, exiling the nation of Israel.

But that was not the end –

2 Samuel 7:16–17 -¹⁶ “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ” ¹⁷ In accordance with all these words and all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

This was the Word of God and this was the promise that brought the people hope, hope that during the exile they would be restored, hope that during a time of silence from God, that the kingdom had not ended.

“Your kingdom shall reign before me forever.”

That hope rang out on the road to Jerusalem as the people welcome Jesus, their hope…not in the man, but in the promise of the return of the Davidic kingdom.

Matthew 21:9 -⁹ The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!”

See how they cried out for the Son of David as they hoped for the restoration of his kingdom in their time…but they were thinking too small…

And we can sometimes think too small as well when we see Jesus as our promised Savior.

Ask yourself – what are you asking Jesus to save you from? Whose kingdom do you want him to rule?

Jesus, if you will just save me from the trials of my life…if you will just help me in my suffering to make my life easier today and for the rest of my days – we have missed the truth of his eternal kingdom and we would be asking Jesus to simply take a role in my little kingdom that is centered around me.

Our hope is found in Christ’s eternal Kingdom because we must acknowledge the eternal nature of our greatest problem, the things that we need to be saved from…

Our greatest problem does not lie in our circumstances, it rests in our hearts.

God’s Word confirms what we cannot deny…none is righteous, no not one and that includes me. Why because of the sin that pours forth from my heart as I choose to love myself more than I love God…as I choose to build my own kingdom instead of choosing to live in His eternal kingdom.

And the implications are eternal…

The wages of sin is death – Death being the eternal separation from God, my sin is worthy of an eternal punishment and in my kingdom, even if I ask Jesus to lower himself to fill the limited role of a little king in my little kingdom – there is no hope…

But in the eternal kingdom – God’s promised Kingdom – I find great hope!

Because God’s word tells me that when I choose to accept Christ as Lord, as my eternal King, one of the many beautiful things that happens is that the Father adopts me into His family. I become a true child of God with a faithful Father, and a grace filled Savior who is preparing a place for me in his eternal kingdom.

I need not fear the fires of hell – because my home is not there – I am a child of God and a citizen of heaven…

Do you have questions about what this can mean for you? As a gift to me, or to David, Alfonso or Sam, would you allow us to buy you a cup of coffee and look to answer those questions. The implication are eternal, but that does not mean you have forever…we are all called to choose. Will you choose to just ask the questions before Christmas?

There is one more aspect to Christ as King that brings great hope.

The truth that He is the rightful King and the promise Davidic King show me who he is, but this third truth today shows me the very nature of Christ’s heart.

We do not have a king in our nation, so our ruler is not about genealogy or prophecies, and even though I can know that the sitting president has the right to rule based on the election process, it does not change that I want to know about his heart, I want to know about his motivations and beliefs and does he have the best in mind for all the people, not just those who agree with him.

Thankfully, I am not looking for a promised Savior in the White House because no man could ever fulfill that kind of a promise…

If I am going to place my hope in Christ, I know He is the rightful king and the promised king –

I would like to know his heart as well and I am thankful for the truths that show me that

III. Jesus’s rule is that of a shepherd not a tyrant

We keep coming back to Herod as a contrast…and we can see that there was no hope in the kingdom because

Herod was a tyrant

It says when Herod heard about the child born king of the Jews – He was troubled…then it says that all of Jerusalem was troubled with him…Why because they were worried they might lose a gracious king in Herod…no because they were worried about how he would react.

Fearing the potential threat of a new king – Herod had his high priest Aristobulus drowned and even had his own wife, his mother and two of his sons killed because people might choose to believe that they were the promised king…

When all of Jerusalem was troubled – it simply showed how dangerous an angry Herod was…

But not our God – the heart of our God is that of a shepherd…recall what was said in Matthew 2:6 And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,…out of you shall come forth a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

In the cultures of the day – Being described as a Shepherd was not considered flattering – but we should not look at culture to find our truth…How does God describe a Shepherd – How does God describe himself as a Shepherd…

God is the great Shepherd

There are many passages that can help us build a truthful picture of the shepherd King…

Isaiah 40:11 Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

We see the gentleness of the shepherd towards his flock, we see the strength that he is able to lift us up when we are deep in the pit.

Is there somewhere else I would rather be that to be in the arms of my savior…the great Shepherd?

Psalm 78:52 But He led forth His own people like sheep And guided them in the wilderness like a flock;

We see the care for which the Shepherd leads. He guides them away from the dangers in the wilderness and he leads them to the pastures where they will find what they need.

Psalm 23:1–3 -1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

Is there someone else who I would choose to follow? Someone who cares to bring me through trials and bring me to a place to fill my needs? Who else should I follow?

God is the great Shepherd and in His Son, we have

Jesus is our eternal shepherd

Jesus specifically describes himself as Shepherd when he says…

John 10:11 -¹¹ “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

From this I can know that Jesus is not the tyrant King seeking to control and manipulate for his own purposes, rather He is a servant King who has chosen to consider his flocks needs before his own.

In choosing to be born of Mary, in the form of man – Jesus demonstrated that his heart to serve us first in that he did not seek what was his own – We see this in Philippians 2 where it says He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself taking the form of a bond-servant…and he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

And as our eternal Shepherd, not only will he lead us and care for us, putting us first, He will also equip us that we might follow and choose to become more like Him…

The author of Hebrews provides us with a truth that deserves a response…

Hebrews 13:20-21 -²⁰ Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, 21 equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus is the rightful King

Jesus is our promised King

Jesus is our Shepherd King

In these truths – we can find great hope…

The question we have to all answer this Christmas…

If I am holding a lesser king in my heart – will set him aside, and choose the Greater King – Jesus Christ…The King of Kings and Lord of Lords.