He Is The King

Procession movement drive from the East came to Jerusalem in search of a new king of the Jews roams King Herod played along with them so he could destroy this threat to his rule. A star appeared in the sky leading the Magi to the humble dwelling of Mary and Joseph there. They gave gifts to the infant King and then avoided seeing Herod on the way home from Chicago. This is The Moody Church. Our weekly service of worship and teaching with pastor Erwin Blitzer today.

The final answer to the question raised by a Christmas Carol, who is he in yonder stall. Later Erwin Blitzer will talk about the response of the wisemen who said he is the king pastor looks or comes now to open today's service we want to welcome you to The Moody Church today were glad that you are here so this Sunday after Christmas. We still have the privilege of the singing carols and reminding ourselves of the great message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are glad that you are here in a moment were going to be singing the first Noel, now you may wonder what does Noel mean.

I remember many years ago here in Chicago where the L wasn't working, and everyone said Noel Noel actually the word means Carol so it's really the first Christmas Carol, and that's why we read about the fact that at the first Noel has to do with the message of Jesus and the song that was sung as a result of that, the song of the angels were glad that you are here to worship with us.

Our intention is that our hearts and minds be lifted God word and I invite you to pray. Let us ask the Lord to bless us and to set aside all of the stresses and the concerns that we may have brought with us, that we might honor the Lord our God in our worship. Join me as we pray father once again we contemplate the angels singing about your goodness your greatness and reminding ourselves that a king has been born and so Lord during this busy season. We pray your blessing upon your people. As we gather together in the name of Christ, may we worship you acceptably. May our hearts be drawn to the one born that we might worship him in his name we pray. Father, we do crown him Lord of all and we humbly worship him today and give him all of our love and adoration.

Amen. Amen. Jesus is the King of what does that mean for us and why should our lives be changed as a result of that truth.

I've been praying that as a result of this message that we are going to be presenting today that after it's over. Our burdens are going to be lighter and our troubled conscience is going to be at rest.

This is number four in a series of messages entitled who is he in yonder stall we've learned that the baby in the manger is the son of God. He is the Savior. He's a light to the Gentiles and today were going to learn that he is indeed the king not just the king of the Jews. But ultimately the King of the universe in order to get into the text.

Would you take your Bibles and turn to that passage in the second chapter of the book of Matthew very familiar. It's one that takes place after Christmas is all of us know. But in Matthew chapter 2 we have this amazing story that oftentimes has intrigued us.

It says after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, where is he who has been born king of the Jews. There is the phrase King of the Jews.

We saw his star when it rose, or the star in the East and have come to worship him. When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him in Bethlehem of Judeo for so it is written by the prophet, and you will Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. I'm going to read just that far in this marvelous intriguing story. We don't know a lot about these wisemen, the Magi, for example, we don't know how many there were. Often times we sing about three you know we three Kings of Orient are three Kings. I don't believe that for a moment. I think that there was a whole entourage and the reason we must believe that if they came from Persia which is modern day air ran modern-day Iran if they came from there. Actually, as a plane flies.

It's about 500 miles, but by caravan it would be a thousand mile because of the winding roads in the hills that are in between the two areas of the world and so they perhaps were traveling for months. I can imagine 50 or 60 people coming and that they had servants they had to bring food.

They had to bring their tense.

This was a huge project and I can't imagine that Herod would be troubled, and all Jerusalem with him because three guys show up on.

I think that this was a group of people coming from the east. Now, we don't understand exactly why it is that they learn that Jesus would be likened unto a star. We find that prophecy in the book of numbers when bail and the false prophet your member spoke and said that he hold a star shall arise out of Jacob and his scepter out of Israel, and of course they picked up on that. It could well be because Esther remember was in the land of Persia and she was the queen there in the Bible tells us there were many people who believed in the Jewish God, the God Jehovah as a result of her witness and of course you had Daniel and the other men who were in Babylon after the time of what we call the Babylonian captivity and so from generation to generation tradition may have developed and was passed on that from the Jews at Kingwood arise who would be the king of the Jews. At any rate they show up and I want you to realize that God never bypasses his holy word. The star did not take them directly to Bethlehem. In fact in this star took them to Jerusalem and it's in Jerusalem where they opened the Scriptures and the scribes and the Pharisees looked into God's word. Remember, the prophet Micah's prophecy and quoted that it was from Bethlehem that the Redeemer was to come.

He was to be born in Bethlehem. And so what we have here in the text is that the star took them to Jerusalem. You know throughout the Middle East today you find many people who are being saved or being brought to faith in Christ as a result of dreams they have dreams about Jesus, but those dreams do not introduce them directly to Jesus.

They only prepare the way for the introduction many years ago there was a student studying at Trinity seminary, a Palestinian and I interviewed him at length because he had a very interesting story of Mary was in Jerusalem and one night he had a dream and he awakened and could not get out of bed. He felt himself pinned down to the bed and he knew that this had something to do with Jesus, so finally he said Jesus, if you allow me to get out of bed. I promise I'll investigate and find out about well the rest of the story is a few days later he meets a Christian, he's introduced to the Bible and he received Jesus Christ as his Savior and is ministering in the Bethlehem Jerusalem area today. The stars and the dreams never take you directly to Christ.

They only lead you to the Scriptures and there we find out about him and that was learned by these wise men will all that to introduce the topic of the kingship of Jesus. Where is the king of the Jews. The message that I'm going to give you today is going to be from about 30,000 feet. In other words, it's going to cover a lot of territory in a very short period of time in just a few minutes, so sometimes I'll quote the Scripture. There will be one or two times when I'll ask you to turn to the Scripture. I want you to understand the kingship of Jesus and then we'll talk about its relevance and the way in which it applies to our situation to our need to our struggles to our disappointments and why it is that it is such a great message of hope, so we can see the kingship of Jesus in various phases. First of all that was predicted in the Old Testament predicted in the Old Testament. Second Samuel chapter 7 God comes to David and says you're going to have a son who's going to rule and his kingdom shall be established and his throne shall be established forever like to ask you. Has that been fulfilled.

I don't think so. Dr. Adele, Mike and I led a tour to Israel several months ago and while we didn't go everywhere in Jerusalem we saw no palace. We saw no king ruling, we saw no descendent of David on the throne in Jerusalem and God says no I'm going established forever. Psalm two yet I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion Zion. Of course, representative of the entire city of Jerusalem. Is there a king ruling today from Zion from Jerusalem. No, there isn't a king ruling from Jerusalem US.

The question is Jesus at King today.

Yes, Jesus is a king.

He's been crowned in heaven, but is unrecognized on earth and so is kingship on this earth has not yet been established. As predicted, you know the Bible says in the book of Hebrews that Jesus has been exalted waiting until his enemies be a footstool for his feet.

So in a sense he is King he is Lord, all things are under his feet legally, but is not yet fulfilling the promises of the Old Testament to rule this world and to bring justice to the nations that his future, I want you to think about this and to see the continuity of Scripture. When Gabriel comes to marry you remember what he says.

He says regarding Jesus, he shall be great, and shall be called the son of the highest and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David, and he shall rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end is been fulfilled once again. No, it's not been fulfilled. Jesus is not on the throne of David today that there's some people say all the throne of David was transferred up to heaven rules in heaven is at the way Mary would've understood that knowing the Old Testament and knowing the promises given in the Old Testament to David. She would've understood that the child that she is bearing is going to rule over the house of David on the throne of David, that is to say the lineage of David and the kingship of David ruling were David rule, namely Russo them is not yet been fulfilled. So there's a second phase that we need to understand regarding the kingship of Jesus and that is what is known as the millennial kingdom.

When I believe all these prophecies will be literally fulfilled will be fulfilled in the millennium. Take your Bibles and I want you to turn to Isaiah chapter 2 Isaiah chapter 2, there are so many references not only throughout Isaiah but all the prophets. They speak of the time of the glory of the city of Jerusalem. They talk about a time of peace that will be established and we can see this in the second chapter of Isaiah and its prediction. It says in chapter 2 of Isaiah. The word that Isaiah the son of Amos saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, it shall come to pass in the latter days. I don't believe those days are here yet, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted above the hills. By the way, whenever you come across that kind of terminology it's referring to Jerusalem, which is really established on the heels and all the nations shall flow into it and many people shall come and say let's go on to the mountain of the house of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob that he may teach us his ways that we may walk in his paths for out of Zion that Jerusalem shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes. For many people, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. That certainly has not happened in Jerusalem go to Jerusalem today and it is a time of tension. The time of conflict, a time when they try negotiations which are of necessity, must ultimately fail and you will discover that that's not where the laws going forth in all the nations are obeying the king that will be yet fulfilled.

Now here's something interesting. Your Bibles are open to verse four it says he will judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes. For many people. If you go to the United Nations building in New York and then you walk across the street you get to what is known as the Isaiah wall.

The Isaiah wall has this snatch from the book of Isaiah the last half of verse four they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore two things about the Isaiah wall across the street from the United Nations. Number one, it does not quote the whole verse because he is even quoted the whole verse. He shall judge among the nations. This is clearly messianic.

It's a reference to Jesus fulfilling the prophecies of the Old Testament, which he will eventually do, that's what it is and so they leave that out.

They take this verse and then they don't even write beneath it. Isaiah chapter 2 verse four. Last, apparently less somebody actually look it up in the text and read it in context. So what you have is simply the Isaiah wall. You have half of the verse and then underrated, says Isaiah well what the United Nations is attempting to do and God bless them their attempting to do without Christ. What eventually can only be done by the power of Christ, namely to bring peace to the world that still is future if your Bibles are open to Isaiah chapter 2. You can also turn to chapter 11 and as I mentioned all throughout the prophets you have prediction such as this.

I'm picking it up. For example, in verse three and his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what is I see he shall not decide disputes by what his ears here but with righteousness he will judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth, and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked righteousness shall be the belt of his waist and faithfulness the belt of his loins. The wolf and the lamb shall lie down and the leopard would you today. Take a wolf and put it in the same folder as a lamb today. If you take a wolf in a lamb and they both lie down together.

If you notice carefully when the wolf stands up.

The lamb is missing, but in that day and this will satisfy all the animal lovers of the the tooth and claw. The raw the raw selfishness of animals with a kill one another and so for the even that will be lift. This will be a time when the curse actually is partially lifted. Not entirely lifted, but partially lifted. Now I don't want to scare up more rabbits here than I can shoot today, but what I'd like to do is to just outline for you again as sequence of events so that you might be able to see when I believe this will happen in context. First of all, Jesus Christ comes and the church's rapture. Now many people believe that the church goes through the tribulation and will not be ruptured at that time. But I'll tell you this, that if they go through the tribulation. Bill wish that they had believed in the pre-tribulation rapture. So, that day is still coming.

Everybody will hope for the pre-tribulation rapture. But we have to go through the tribulation. God will be with us through the tribulation. So here you have the rapture of the church, you have the tribulation. And then Jesus returns in glory, and that this is one of my favorite passages, it is breathtaking. But I won't take time to read it today, but it is there in the 19th chapter of the book of Revelation, where we are going to be at the marriage supper of the Lamb enjoying the company of Jesus and then we his saints are going to be returning with him to the Mount of olives, as it says in Zachariah's feet shall stand upon the Mount of olives in the mount shall cleave in the midst thereof and break apart and there'll be a whole different typography in the Jerusalem area and we are going to come back with him and it says that as Jesus is descending on his role, but and on his thigh is written, king of kings and Lord of lords. While and Deb were going to be there. That's why I told you if he can't go to Israel during this period of time.

Don't feel too badly because someday if you're a believer you're going to get the royal tour by an incredible tour guide. He is going to return to the Mount of olives and that's when the kingdom will be established and that's when none. There'll be a separation of the sheep and the goats and those who are still living in their earthly bodies will go into the millennial kingdom, righteousness and justice shall prevail. And Jesus will be sitting and he has all the qualifications both through his lineage and because of other factors that have to do with who he is.

He is going to be sitting on the throne of David. He will rule over the house of David, and I believe that the Scriptures will be literally fulfilled. Now I have to ask you, what would Christmas be if it were not for joy to the world, the Lord is come grace song by Isaac Watts. I do have to try to get into his mind a little bit here because you know one of the stanzas. In fact, the last says he rules the world with truth and joy as it and makes the nations prove the wonders of his his glorious righteousness and the wonders of his love.

I got a little bit wrong but that's the idea. Are you kidding me that's millennial. He's not making the nations prove anything today makes the nations prove his justice and his righteousness. Isaac Watts is thinking of the millennial kingdom. And another stanza says no more lead time sin and sorrow broke nor thorns infest the ground when I was a farmboy back in Canada were used to spray for thistles. We used to spray for bugs we used to spray for all of these things in their spring for more things today than they did back then that was a long time ago. Of course, and that the time is going to come though in the millennial kingdom where the farmers will not need all of these sprays that contaminate our food. I thought I just kind of throw that out there, but no letters please. But to all that won't be needed in the millennial kingdom now.

Maybe Isaac Watts thought is, some people thought that this is the millennium well know this is not the millennium, the millennium is going to come and Jesus is going to rule from Jerusalem and all of the prophecies made in the Old Testament and confirmed in the new will someday be fulfilled, and when he returns. It is as King of Kings and Lord of lords. Now we have to ask the question what is the what is the relevance of the kingship of Jesus to us today. Many of you came with great burdens that Christmas has been difficult. You've gone through a period of loneliness. There's been strife may be between members of the family. Economically you're going through a difficult time. How does the kingship of Jesus relate to us… Back off for a moment and that. But before we do that by the way, there was a phase that I actually missed that. I don't think I'd much time to comment on it all and that is the eternal kingdom. You see, Jesus is going to be raining here on earth, and that eventually will morph into an eternal kingdom, and the new Jerusalem, which comes down from God out of heaven as a bride adorned for her husband and I need to mention this, that there in the book of Revelation. The Bible says that all the kings of the earth will bring their glory and honor into the city that is to say though surrender all their glory and honor to Jesus and in the 19th chapter of Matthew when it says that Jesus is descending its is on his head were many diagrams.

The imagery is this.

In ancient times when a king lost and had to submit to the victorious king. He took the crown from his head and he gave it to the victor.

When Jesus returns every king that is ever existed every glory that has ever been given to King will be surrendered to the king of kings Jesus Christ Lord of lords and King of all God's and then the Bible says this and I have to read it because you may think that I'm making it up but it isn't true, it says, and that is to say, it is true that I'm making it up. I want to be clear today. You'll notice in chapter 22 verse three it says no longer will there be anything accursed about the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him, they shall see his face, his name will be on their foreheads and night will be no more. They will need no light of the lamp or the sun for the Lord God will be there late. They shall reign for ever and ever. I just reread that this morning and I thought to myself how incredible is this that any eternity we are going to worship the throne of God and of the land that is the Lamb and God the father were going to worship but were also going to rain with him for ever and ever. The exaltation of humanity. The undeserved exaltation of humanity, the kingship of Jesus and what he had by divine right. He is going to share because of divine grace and we will be there with him recognizing his sovereignty and his kingship. Now how does all this relate to us as individuals and as I mentioned, how does the kingship of Jesus change our lives today so this just back off and think about this for moment. First of all I want you see the humility of the King the humility of the King.

Remember with me the manger scene there in Bethlehem, where Jesus is laid in a manger, and now when the wise men come is the passage that we began with today they actually come to the house. This is way after the time that Jesus was born, maybe a year or so after Jesus was born there reasons to believe that maybe 18 months after Jesus was born and Joseph and Mary are now in a house in Bethlehem and that's where the wise men come and they worship him.

There, but that notice the humility of the King.

Here is the King of Kings, the Lord of lords, and he is born in such humble surroundings, and then lives and ultimately is brought up in Nazareth, a city that is despised.

I think it was Augustine, the great theologian who says that God has humbled himself, but we as men remain proud, you know, this ought to really shock us almost the fact that God became man. The fact that the king was so humble that he came to redeem us immediately sends an important signal, namely that we are in desperate need. – Brittany. What could possibly cause because the King of glory, to leave his glories in heaven, and to come to redeem us unless our need word absolutely huge but it is only God can redeem us from our sins and therefore God comes to this earth, and he comes humbly and don't we all struggle with pride. God humbled himself something else we must learn about the kingship of Jesus and that is the victory of the King, the victory of the King when Jesus came to this earth, he came to a world of darkness. He came into hostile territory. The Bible says that the whole world lies in the lap of the wicked. And so Jesus entered into this conflict and as a parable indicates he bounded the strong man. He bound Satan's power so that we would be delivered in the Bible says this in Colossians 113 that we are delivered from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his son, for we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. This is huge is a you and I are actually born in darkness, but we don't know it. So we try to manage the darkness and pretend that it is light and and yet we are slaves.

The Bible says that Jesus came to deliver those who have been captured, he came to set the prisoners free some of us may be in prison to our own sense of significance and we spend our whole lives trying to make people believe that we are better than we really are.

And this becomes so huge and we look over our shoulders over those who have more significance than we, and worth plotting and thinking of ways. What as to why there significance is not really that great after all. And so we spend our entire lives imprisoned trying to make ourselves look good, believing that we must always be right. But the gospel comes along and tells us we don't always have to be right because Jesus was right for us and he came to set us free. Sometimes we think that that Jesus came to set good people free only good people come to church and are set free. Let me assure you today that if your life is a train wreck. Jesus came for you he came to those who really needed him. Those who recognize that they were prisoners to their own feelings to their own desires to their own aspirations. Jesus comes to us and he transfers us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his dear son, by redemption and the forgiveness of our sins and God can forgive you today, and God can totally blot out the guilt that is against you. Some of you may be bound because of your own anger and because of your own bitterness, but you can forgive today and you can be free because God has come to forgive and God has come to set us free. Remember this, the greater you recognize your need and your desperation, the greater candidate you are. For God's marvelous forgiveness, his grace, some of the consequences of your sin may continue, but the sense of guilt and despair and alienation is lifted when you come to the King, who transferred us from one kingdom to another. Transferred all those who believe in him and given them hope and given them life there something else about the King not only is he a victorious king. He is also a king with authority.

This is what Isaiah said in chapter 9 it says this regarding Christ.

The government of the world will be upon his shoulders. The governments of the world upon his shoulders.

Imagine having that much authority and power that all the world upon his shoulders and he bears it easily and he bears it gladly, because he is the King of Kings, the Lord of hosts.

Now, don't you think that Jesus was strong enough to bear the governments of the world cannot he bear your grief, your sorrow, your disappointment, your pain, I believe that he can and I invite you today to make that transfer casting all your care upon him for he cares for you at the end of the day. What we must do is to realize that the anxiety and the burdens that we bear that are far too heavy for us to bear those burdens must be given to him, but you can't do that just by saying L that's a nice idea. There must be an actual transfer. Sometimes I like to give this illustration of the Rebecca and I flying from hearsay, to Frankfurt on American Airlines and let us suppose, in this is more true or more possible during the days before security was an issue. Let's suppose that after the plane took off in Chicago and the night began to descend that I was concerned because I thought maybe the pilots were falling asleep so I talked a flight attendant and say to make sure that the pilots are awake so let's suppose she does.

And then she comes back to me and she said they are awake but an hour later. I think to myself, you know, I know people who have fallen asleep in an hours time. So what I do is II asked her again and say wonder if you check to see whether or not the pilots. She does that she comes back and assures me that they are wide-awake. An hour or two later. I'm talking with her about Tom your windows. This plane landed in Frankfurt talk about her scheduled the she fly back the next day and then I say well you know now that we're talking would you check to see whether or not the pilots are awake. I can imagine her saying I want to make a deal with you.

How about if I pour you a cup of coffee and then you step outside to drink okay and then she says you're insulting the American Airlines pilots and I am I'm speaking to my own heart first and now I speak to yours. We insult God like that every day we give him a burden than we say, wonder of God's awake alert he sold it yet. I wonder if he's taking care of this.

Why hasn't he taken care of it this way. This seems to be the best way wisely doing it and and what were really saying is that the governments of the world are upon his shoulders, but our anxieties are not we bear them.

He cares for you. Would you take out a moment and transfer all the weight that you brought with you today genuinely give it to him because it's too much for anyone of us and as we look at the pen. Remember the story of the wise men in Jerusalem want you to just think for a moment about three different responses that people had to Jesus. First of all, there was Herod. Herod was so intimidated because his sense of significance seem to be eroded because of the birth of a baby. Maybe they're going to start to call him the King and I won't be called the King and somebody does as he lashes out in you wants to kill.

Eventually all those who he thinks of Mike Tam qualify to be Jesus you know the rest of the story and so you know when Herod got a cold all of Jerusalem shivered and they were all up in arms because they knew that this could be bad.

He had a very hard heart.

Don't be like care. The scribes had a very indifferent heart. Didn't they vary in different you know I they said well he is to be born in Bethlehem, will they could've walked the 5 miles to Bethlehem but they don't. So you see that that represents those who they know all the things that are brought up in the church they would they know the gospel stories and they think that they know them better than perhaps they do but but it's all just old hat to them and they become indifferent.

Tragically indifferent the wisemen. They were the ones who were seeking and they bring him gold and silver gold. I should say in frankincense and myrrh. They bring him these gifts and the Bible says that they held down and they worshiped him because they knew that they were in the presence of the king, not just the presence of the king of the Jews, the king of the universe. Notice how the kingship of Jesus played itself out even on the cross member Jesus was hanging there between two thieves and people walk by and they shouted in Joe's come down from the cross pilot had put up what could be called a gospel tract. He wrote above the cross of Jesus, the King of the Jews and it was written in three different languages sarcastically putting it up there to show all your a king. Look at how your dying. One of the thieves thought, you know, if he's a king. He must have a kingdom and so perhaps being able to look back and seeing what was written and hearing what was being shouted at Jesus sarcastically.

He said remember me when you come into your kingdom and Jesus said today you will be with me in paradise.

Even on the cross, Jesus still remained king King of Paradise, king of Hades king of the world and today Jesus invites you and me into his kingdom to be transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. I invite you today to thank Jesus. Who is this in yonder stall at his feet. The shepherds of all it is Christ a wondrous story.

It is Christ the King of glory at his feet we humbly fall, crown him, crown him Lord of all, let's pray together. Father the needs among us are diverse but we thank you that they are all known to you and we thank you father that your King Jesus is adequate for each of us for the person going through a time of relational strife file for the person going through health issues and all kinds of internal victories and losses. We pray today show your glory. Help us to understand that we can transfer all of our concern to him as we worship him now before I close I'm gonna pause for just a moment. What you need to say to God today.

Would you say it right now. Father, help us meet us in our need and may we gladly worship the King in his name we pray on today's Moody Church. Our pastor looks or spoke on the words of the wisemen to Herod telling him that the child Jesus was to be the king. We hope these recent weeks together have enriched your appreciation for the Christmas story this Christmas series will encourage you in these troubling times all four messages can be yours on CD for a gift of any amount to The Moody Church.

Our call 1-800-215-5001. Let us know you'd like to support Moody Churches ministry are think you will come as a pair of CDs you can enjoy again and again. Call 1-800-215-5001 or you can write to us at Moody Church media 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 online go to moody offeror.com that's moodyoffer.com join us next time for another Moody Church.

Our with pastor Erwin lutes are in the congregation of historic Moody Church in Chicago. This broadcast is a ministry of The Moody Church