Welcome on this Christmas morning 2006 as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  This time of year can be so busy that some just don’t have the time for Jesus, or they can’t be bothered with Jesus, or their life just goes on not even giving Jesus a second thought and-so-on.

            One of my favorite Christmas shows, and I shared this with you on Thursday, is A Charlie Brown Christmas.  You know the story.  Charlie Brown goes out to buy a Christmas tree, I believe it was for their school play. And he picks out the most pathetic looking tree in the lot. And he buys it.  As he returns from burying this tree and places it on the stage, all his friends mock him and put him down, they make fun of him because this tree was nothing, a few pine needles, that was it!

            And as they left Charlie Brown cries out these words, “Does anybody know the meaning of Christmas?”  And Linus, standing next to him, says these powerful words about what the true meaning of Christmas is all about.  He quotes out of Luke chapter 2 and he says; “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.’  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’” Luke 2:8-14.

            Do you realize those words were almost silenced. Schulz was told by Lee Mendelson, the producer of the program, “Look, you can’t read from the Bible on network television.”  The same producer said, “When we finished the show and watched it . . . I said, ‘We’ve ruined Charlie Brown.’”  But Schulz insisted that the New Testament quotation regarding the birth of Christ remain, and he would not back down.  On its first airing, over 50 percent of the viewing audience tuned it in, an amazing accomplishment, and the special went on to win both an Emmy and Peabody award.  Forty-one years later, it remains one of the highest rated programs on network television when it airs.  Mendelson now admits that he was dead wrong.

            This show that first aired in 1965 continues to touch people’s hearts.  But in saying that, look at where Christmas has gone.  Away from the manager and away into the shopping mall!  The silent night is now filled with pushing and shoving and fighting over the last Elmo doll, or whatever is hot this year!  Joy to the World is now changed to depression when the credit card bill comes!

            This morning we are going to be reading out of Matthew chapter 2, but before we get to our text, let me share with you this story that helps illustrate why Jesus came. We are told:

            There was once a man who didn’t believe in God, and he didn’t hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion and religious holidays. His wife, however, did believe, and she raised their children to also have faith in God and Jesus, despite his disparaging comments.

            One snowy eve, his wife was taking their children to a service in the farm community in which they lived.  They were to talk about Jesus’ birth. She asked him to come, but he refused. “That story is nonsense!” he said. “Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That’s ridiculous!”

            So she and the children left, and he stayed home.  A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm.  He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening. Then he heard a loud thump. Something had hit the window. He looked out, but couldn’t see more than a few feet.

            When the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see what could have been beating on his window. In the field near his house he saw a flock of wild geese. Apparently they had been flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and couldn’t go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter. They just flapped their wings and flew around the field in low circles, blindly and aimlessly. A couple of them had flown into his window, it seemed.

            The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It’s warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm.

            So he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside.  But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and didn’t seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them.  The man tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them, and they moved further away. He went into the house and came with some bread, broke it up, and made a bread crumb trail leading to the barn.  They still didn’t catch on.

            Now he was getting frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the barn, but they only got more scared and scattered in every direction except toward the barn.  Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe. “Why don’t they follow me?!” he exclaimed.  “Can’t they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?”

            He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn’t follow a human.  “If only I were a goose, then I could save them,” he said out loud.  Then he had an idea. He went into the barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese.  He then released it. His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn – and one-by-one, the other geese followed it to safety.

            He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: “If only I were a goose, then I could save them!” Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier.  “Why would God want to be like us?  That’s ridiculous!”  Suddenly it all made sense.  That is what God has done. We were like the geese – blind, lost, perishing. God had his Son become like us so He could show us the way and save us.

            As the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet and pondered this wonderful thought. Suddenly he understood why Christ had come. Years of doubt and disbelief vanished with the passing storm.  He fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first prayer: “Thank You, God, for coming in human form to get me out of the storm.”

- Source Unknown

            That is what God has done, that is what Christmas is all about, God coming to save man from His sin and to point him back to God, to show him the way!  With that said, lets begin reading in Matthew chapter 2, starting in verse 1 as we look at a few different people and how they respond to Jesus because I believe we haven’t changed much over the years!

            Now keep in mind that the time frame here is probably one year or so after the birth of Jesus. We now see Joseph, Mary and Jesus still living in Bethlehem but not in a manger or cave, but in a house.  And in these verses I see four different responses to Jesus.  Like I said, we haven’t changed much over the years, many respond in one of these four ways when it comes to Jesus.  So lets look at these responses and see where you fit in.

1.  THE WISE MEN CAME TO WORSHIP HIM – MATTHEW 2:1-2, 9-12

            Now over the years we have seen extra-biblical information appear about who these wise men are. In fact, their legend has grown so much that they now have names; Casper, Balthzar and Melchior.  Folks, the Scriptures don’t tell us the names of these men or even that there were just three of them but these ideas, these legends were developed in the Middle Ages, but they don’t have Scriptural support.

            What we do know is that they came from the east, probably from the area of Babylon, and they were skilled in astronomy, astrology and dream interpretations. And it is very possible that during the Jewish captivity in Babylon, Daniel shared with them his love for God with their ancestors, the coming of the Messiah and that information was passed from generation to generation until God got these stargazers attention by placing this special star in the sky!

            And this star takes them to Jerusalem and they begin to ask where this king of the Jews was to be born.  Well, Herod, this paranoid little king, catches wind of this and he inquires of the Jewish religious leaders who tell him that the king of the Jews will be born “in Bethlehem of Judah.” Herod then tells these wise men this information and they once again begin their journey to see this king, they travel to the city of Bethlehem.

            And as they are traveling the star once again appears and leads them to a house, not a manger or cave now, where Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus are living. Now, when they saw Jesus what did they do?  “I want a bike for Christmas, and one of those Rokem-Sokem Robots, and Twister, Battleship, some GI Joe’s and-so-on!”  No, because that is not what this day is all about, that is what it has become in this country, but that is not what this day is truly about. You see, God gave to us the greatest gift, His Son who was going to pay in full the penalty for our sins so that we can fellowship with Him, we don’t need anything else!

            And so the response of these wise men was worship, the worship of the king of the Jews, the Messiah!  And folks, think of their journey, the months of traveling and not knowing where they were going, except that they were being lead by a star to the king of the Jews, they walked by faith!  And as they come before Him, they worship Him and that worship is born out of love.  You see, the gifts they presented to Jesus were not done out of obligation, but it was love and worship does cost us.  They were not looking to get anything in return, but out of love they come and gave to this newborn king!

            And notice the importance of these gifts.  The gold speaks of Him being a king.  The frankincense speaks of Him being our high priest. And the myrrh speaks of his death, this prophet or spokesman for God was put to death!  Revelation 17:14 speaks of Jesus being a king, Hebrews 2:17 speaks of Jesus being our great high priest and Deuteronomy speaks of Jesus being our prophet who would speak forth the words of God!  It is interesting to note that in Isaiah 60:6, in speaking of the kingdom age, the second coming of Jesus that there is no mention of myrrh, only gold and frankincense, why?  Because Jesus died once for our sins and thus, myrrh is no longer needed!

            Folks, worship is always born out of love, reverence of the Lord and true worship will cost you something, otherwise it is empty. You see, when you ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior it may cause you to lose friends, relationships, it may cost you financially as you can no longer do those things you once did, and-so-on.  But God has given to us the greatest gift ever, His Son and all we must do to obtain that free gift is to receive it by faith!  It is as Paul said in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the [free] gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  True worship does cost, but these wise men were not afraid or ashamed to bow before the king and neither should we!

2.  THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS WERE INDIFFERENT TO HIM –

     MATTHEW 2:3-6

            There are many people today who are very religious, like these Jewish religious leaders, but they are indifferent to God. Yes, they know about Him but let’s not become fanatics or yes they know God but it is according to their pre-conceived ideas about Him and not according to the Scriptures. In either case, there is an indifference towards God!

            Here is a classic example. The wise men don’t know where the king of the Jews is to be born, and they ask around Jerusalem and Herod hears about it and he is not sure. So he goes and asks the religious leaders and they told Herod, “ . . . ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.”’”  Matthew 2:5-6.

            They knew the Word of God, they knew what the prophets had said, they knew exactly where the Messiah was to be born, and yet it didn’t move them at all!  The wise men traveled for months through deserts to get to Bethlehem, for these Jewish religious leaders, it was only about 5 miles away, and yet they could not be bothered to go!

            How many of you here this morning know of God but have never been moved to ask Him to be your Lord and Savior!  You see, that is what He desires, that is why He came and yet many are just indifferent.  May you be like the wise men that were willing to sacrifice all and worship the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus. Don’t be like these Jewish religious leaders who were indifferent to the truths of God, they could not be moved to come and see the king.  Don’t know the things of God and yet become indifferent to Him!

3.  KING HEROD WAS HOSTILE TO HIM – MATTHEW 2:7-8, 16

            Herod was tough, he was a little paranoid dude, only some 4 feet 4 inches tall!  And he was placed as the king over the land of Israel by Octavian and Antony with the concurrence of the Roman Senate, even though he was not a Jew, he was an Edomite.

            Herod was constantly afraid that someone was going to take away his position as king, take away his power.  So much so that he killed some of his wives and his sons because he thought they were conspiring against him.  In fact, it was so bad that Caesar Augustus said, “It is safer to by Herod’s pig than his son.”

            Thus, when these wise men arrived and began to ask where this king of the Jews was born, you can imagine the anger that was building inside of him, because of course he was the king!  The only solution to this problem is that this newborn king must die!  His plan was to gather the information from the wise men and then go and kill Jesus, but they were warned by God of Herod’s evil plan and they did not return to Jerusalem to tell him.

            But that did not stop this mad man.  You see, he figured out when these wise men began their journey, when they first saw the star in the sky, and thus, he must be under 2 years of age.  Herod then orders his men to kill all the male children that were 2 years old and under, thinking he would then kill this king of the Jews, he would never make it to the throne!  Obviously he failed and he is dead and the Lord lives on and one day will sit upon the throne of David!

            Folks, we see that today. People want to be king of their lives and thus, they put Jesus out.  People can’t kill Jesus physically, but they will do so with the words they speak as they try to negate everything about Jesus.  Case in point.  Last week I happened to turn on one of the news shows, like Dateline and it caught my attention because they were talking about the birth of Jesus. I should have turned it off; I didn’t need that kind of aggravation by listening to the garbage they were saying that is not supported by the Bible or history!

            On the show a woman was being interviewed, a professor of religion and she denied the virgin birth.  Her explanation for what really took place went like this.  Mark seems to be the oldest Gospel written, the others were written after his. Thus, because Mark does not speak of the virgin birth, there is no genealogy of Jesus in Mark, Jesus was born out of wedlock.  You see, according to this woman, Mary got pregnant before she was married and thus, Jesus is illegitimate!

            Then, by the time we get to the Gospel of Matthew and Luke, they try to make things sound better and they came up with this idea of a virgin birth.  I get so aggravated when they speak on things they know nothing about even though they have all these degrees.  Professing to be wise they have become fools!  Look at what the Scriptures tell us of the virgin birth in Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”  Also, in Micah 5:2 we are told, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”  It speaks of Jesus being eternal, that He always existed, that He is God!

            And Matthew makes this interesting point linking the old testament prophecy to Jesus as he tells us, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.  So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’”  Matthew 1:21-23.

            And folks, Mark does not give us the genealogy of Jesus because he is writing to the Romans and they didn’t care about this, it was not important to them. Also, Mark presents Jesus as the suffering servant and thus, you don’t keep the genealogy of a slave!  And please understand that we just skimmed the surface here but it still doesn’t stop people from being hostile toward Jesus!

            Where are you at this morning?  Do you try to negate Jesus by the words you speak, by your feelings, your thoughts instead of what God’s Word is saying?  You see, God’s Word is truth, that is what Jesus tells us in John 17:17, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”  Also, Paul tells us in II Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

            And let me say this, I don’t care what people may say, I am more concerned about what God says because it is truth and it has stayed the test of time!  Never forget that.  This child born in a manger became the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world if you would only receive Him into your life and He is coming back as the Lion from the tribe of Judah to judge this world and to take His throne to rule and reign!  May you not be hostile towards Jesus, trying to kill Him with your words, because in the end, like Herod, you will lose!

4.  THE COMMON PEOPLE WERE TOO BUSY FOR HIM

            Think of the people living in the city of Bethlehem, living in the city of Jerusalem, and yet, we have no record of people coming to worship Jesus besides the shepherds and these wise men. How come?  Because life went on as usual, people were too busy to come and see and worship Him!  “The Packers are playing!” “I’ve been to church once this week already!”  “The kids need to go here and there!”  “I have shopping to do!”  “I am working over time!”  And as you can see the list can go on-and-on but the reality is, you are saying you are just too busy to come and worship Him! And before long a lifetime has passed you by and you were just too busy for Him!

            Let me say this, Jesus is not too busy for you!  God became flesh and dwelt among us to save us from our sins!  Think of it like this, it puts things into perspective for us.  Here’s a side to the Christmas story that often isn’t told or many don’t want to hear.  Those soft little hands, fashioned by the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb, were made so that nails might be driven through them.  Those baby feet, pink and unable to walk, would one day walk up a dusty hill to be nailed to a cross.  That sweet infant’s head with sparkling eyes and eager mouth was formed so that someday men might force a crown of thorns onto it.  That tender body, warm and soft, wrapped in swaddling clothes, would one day be ripped open by a spear.  Jesus was born to die!

            You see, are you still too busy for Him?  Look at what He has done for you!  It is not just that Jesus came, but more importantly why He came – to save us from our sins, to restore that relationship with God once again and He alone could do that.  That is Peter’s point in I Peter 3:18 as he tells us, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.”  You see, we can’t save ourselves that is why He came to save us from our sins and that is why it is a free gift that we receive by faith. Jesus paid the price and now He extends that gift to all of us.

            Think of what God has done for us, again look at this picture and again, see if you are too busy for Him. If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior!

            Thus, won’t you come to Bethlehem and see the King, come to the house of bread and partake of the giver and sustainer of life, Jesus Christ.  Bow before Him and ask Him to be your Lord and Savior and receive the greatest gift ever given!  If you are struggling in your walk with God this morning, you too need to return to Bethlehem and partake of Him, the bread of life!  Jesus said in John 5:24, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”  That is a promise from God!

            Don’t be like the religious leaders who were indifferent to Jesus. Don’t be like Herod who was hostile towards Jesus.  Don’t be like the common people who were just too busy to take the time for Jesus. Be like the wise men who took the time, listened to the voice of God and came and bowed before Him, they worshiped Him!  What a gift God has given to us, may we not neglect it or toss it aside but take Him into our lives!

As Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”  John 3:16-21.  The story of Christmas – GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON SO THAT WE MAY LIVE IN FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM, that is what Christmas is all about!