Subject Question: What Four Specific God- given opportunities does Matthew teach that King Herod heartbreakingly missed?

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Curtis Shelton
5 years ago
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1 Matthew 2: 1-18 (NIV) Lesser Known Characters of Advent: Herod After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 In Bethlehem in Judea, they replied, for this is what the prophet has written: 6 But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him. 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. Get up, he said, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him. 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: Out of Egypt I called my son. 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more. Subject Question: What Four Specific God- given opportunities does Matthew teach that King Herod heartbreakingly missed? Compliment answer: The opportunity to Seek, the opportunity to Search the opportunity to See, and the Opportunity to Serve. Big Idea: The four God- given opportunities that Matthew taught King Herod heartbreakingly missed are: the opportunity to Seek, the opportunity to See, the opportunity to Search, and the Opportunity to Serve.

2 Homiletical Idea: Playing second fiddle in the Wrong Band Purpose: I want the congregation to understand the tragic God- given opportunities that King Herod and even today, others continually miss and the tragic consequences that can unfold as each opportunity passes. Introduction: Elizabeth and Joseph provided wonderful illustrations of those who were willing to play second fiddle in God s great orchestration of His Son s birth. Today we consider one on the other side. King Herod unwittingly but assuredly played second fiddle for the Enemy of our Souls. But he did not have to! God gave him four specific opportunities to change His mind, His actions, His choices and mostly His heart. Take heed today is the Day of salvation claimed Isaiah. Opportunities wasted are opportunities missed. I. Herod the Great: Herod (/ˈhɛrəd/; Hebrew: הוֹר דוֹס, Hordus, Greek: Ἡρῴδης, Hērōdēs; 74/73 BCE 4 BCE), also known as Herod the Great and Herod I, was a Roman client king of Judea, referred to as the Herodian kingdom. He has been described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis", "the evil genius of the Judean nation", "prepared to commit any crime in order to gratify his unbounded ambition" ] and "the greatest builder in Jewish history". He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea, including his expansion of the Second Temple in Jerusalem (Herod's Temple), the construction of the port at Caesarea Maritima, the fortress at Masada and Herodium. A. Missed Opportunity #1. To Seek (Vs. 1-2) After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. Herod was a Bad Man, yet power has a way of corrupting people. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. He had a lot of baggage in hi life. Still, he was a human being and God loved Him as he does everyone. And as such even this despot was given unique opportunities to heed the call of God. B. These wise men for seeking this baby King. Why, Herod must have wondered? What made this baby so special? And more, would I be wise to seek him myself. When the Wise men came to Him, He was offered an opportunity of a lifetime to Seek with us the one whom had been foretold was to be a king, a special king, a king who would be a shepherd, a guide, a

3 person of peace. A good King. Certainly Herod must have considered, no wise man ever came seeking me when I was a baby. C. (Contra) It s interesting to note that God in His sovereignty intended for Herod to know this information God did not really have to urge the Magi to go to the King and inquire the whereabouts of His Son. It was if out of the goodness of God, He was providing a mentally hurting, emotionally wounded person with a golden opportunity to step up to the plate and see what an honorable King looked like. The real question was, would he listen to the voice of the wise and to respond positively. How ironic that a baby could strike fear in the heart of such a hardened individual. But it did. God basically said, come Herod, I want you to seek and find not only a king but yourself D. Sin, power, having to live up to a certain image or position still causes folks to fear the babe of Bethlehem. It s just a baby in a manger. The true wonder of Christmas is God still invites the mentally hurting and the emotionally wounded to Seek seek with the promise that you will find. A. Missed Opportunity #2. To Search (Vs.3-6) 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 In Bethlehem in Judea, they replied, for this is what the prophet has written: 6 But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. The second opportunity comes when it s now not the wise, but the religious who God sends Herod way. A Second voice saying not only Seek with us but Search for yourself. B. Surely, Herod had a unique opportunity. He knew before the Magi, where this Baby was. He did not have to share with them what the religious had said. Just for a moment I think he considered the opportunity to go and Search for himself. And I think that is what God had wanted Him to do Seek and find search him out find out why the Wise had traveled so far and the Religious seem so excited. After all it s just a baby Maybe in searching you ll find more than you thought. Maybe in finding Him you ll find something out about yourself. I think God was trying to really do a work in the heart of Herod. C. (Contra) In the end, Fear is what probably kept Herod way. Fear of God, Fear of being exposed. Fear of being found out for the person that he had

4 become. Fear that what people had been telling him about this good baby was actually true. D. Lots of people still are fearful about being in the presence of God, going to church, being around others who have told them what this Jesus has done for them Fear of You dear Christian family. Fear of being exposed and fear of having to face the reality of just how far one has gotten off the good track on their lives. Yet, at Christmas people are more open to seeking and searching than at any other time of the year. Why? Because Christmas provides a safe environment and an excuse to actually come to church to hear the old, old story, to see, to feel, to actually draw close to God After all it s just a baby. A. Missed Opportunity #3. To See (Vs.7-12) 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him. 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. I have often wondered if Herod went out that night after the Magi had left and watched their dimly lit shadows disappearing into the night and then noticing a strange star that seemed to be going before them. B. I wonder if at that moment God didn t whisper to Him, go and see. Or maybe the voice said, come and see. And for just a moment, Herod thought, why not? What kind of child beckons the very stars to lead others to him? Maybe if I just saw Him, I could make up my own mind. C. (Contra) How different the rest of Herod s life could have been. How big of an opportunity this really was? And we know for all intent and purposes God s voice was getting dimmer. Opportunities were slipping away like the very shadows of the Wise men. D. One less thing to do on Christmas Eve The kids all want to get to bed early It s too cold outside. After all, it s just a baby. And yet, to most, there is still for the time, a still small voice emphatically saying, come, come and See

5 A. Missed Opportunity #4 To Serve (Vs ) 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. Get up, he said, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him. 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: Out of Egypt I called my son. 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more. For all the opportunities God had given to Herod, to Seek, To Search, and to See, there was one that he actually took up. It was the opportunity to Serve. However it was not an opportunity extended by God, it was the life choice Herod made to serve himself. B. And look where that got him. Instead of helping, he hurt. He was indeed a king, a king to himself. A king whose kingdom only encompassed the distance between his ears. A king who played the role of second fiddle, not in God s orchestration, but the Enemy s band of discord. C. (contra) Not everyone who chooses to serve themselves in their lives is a madman, or deranged like Herod. But they run the risk of pushing God so far away, time after time, that they no longer can hear the sweet words of Jesus calling out the them to Seek me, you will find me, search for me, I can be found, and see me, you ll see my reflection in the people who know me. D. Which leads to our final thought. II. The 4X6 s: A Christmas Prayer

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