Three Responses to the Messiah
Discovering How Hearts React to the Arrival of King Jesus
Sermon Summary
This sermon addresses the human heart's reaction to the lordship of Jesus Christ as revealed in Matthew 2. It examines the contrasting responses of political hostility, religious apathy, and genuine worship, encouraging believers to surrender their lives completely to King Jesus in faithful adoration.
Introduction
When light shines into a room, it reveals everything that was hidden. Similarly, when Jesus Christ enters human history, He exposes the true condition of every human heart. In Matthew chapter 2, the arrival of the Messiah compels three very different groups of people to make a choice. King Herod sees Jesus as a threat to his personal power and reacts with hostility. The chief priests and scribes possess religious knowledge but react with cold indifference. Meanwhile, foreign wise men travel vast distances to bow down in joyful worship. Today, the claims of King Jesus present us with the exact same test. Every person sitting in a church pew, serving in leadership, or working in the marketplace must answer one defining question: how will you respond to the true King?
Main Scripture
Matthew 2:1-12
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “ Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ would be born. They said to him, “ In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is written through the prophet, ‘ You Bethlehem, land of Judah, are in no way least among the princes of Judah; for out of you shall come a governor who shall shepherd my people, Israel.’” Then Herod secretly called the wise men, and learned from them exactly what time the star appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem, and said, “ Go and search diligently for the young child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I also may come and worship him.” They, having heard the king, went their way; and behold, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them until it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country another way.
Matthew 2:1-12 serves as the foundational text because it vividly illustrates the immediate divide caused by Christ's birth. Set against the backdrop of King Herod's reign, the text contrasts earthly political tyranny with the humble, heavenly kingdom of God. While Jerusalem's religious establishment remained indifferent despite knowing the Scriptures, pagan scholars from the East were led by a star to worship the infant Messiah. This passage demonstrates that biblical knowledge without heart devotion leads to spiritual paralysis, whereas genuine faith seeks and honors Christ above all else.
Main Sermon Points
1. Beware the Hostility of Self-Throned Hearts
When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Herod felt threatened by the announcement of a born King of the Jews because he refused to surrender his own earthly throne and authority.
King Herod was an Idumean ruler obsessed with political survival and personal control. When he heard that a legitimate King had been born, his reaction was fear, deceit, and ultimate violence. Hostility toward Christ often stems from a heart that refuses to relinquish control over its own life.
Examine areas of your life where you resist Christ's lordship, such as your finances, career, or relationships. Repent of any desire to remain the king of your own life, and yield total authority to Jesus before self-reliance leads to spiritual ruin.
Quick Insights
- A heart obsessed with self-preservation will always view the lordship of Christ as a threat.
- Fear and pride are the root causes of spiritual resistance to God's kingdom.
- Attempting to guard your own throne leads only to anxiety and ultimate destruction.
2. Reject the Apathy of Relational Indifference
Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ would be born. They said to him, “ In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is written through the prophet,
The religious scholars could quote Micah's prophecy accurately, yet they felt no personal desire to walk five miles to Bethlehem to see the Messiah.
The chief priests and scribes possessed intellectual accuracy regarding God's Word, but their hearts were cold. They knew the exact location of the Messiah's birth, yet their theoretical knowledge produced zero spiritual action. Indifference is often more dangerous than outright hostility because it masks spiritual death behind religious familiarity.
Do not settle for head knowledge about the Bible without active, personal devotion. If you have grown comfortable with routine church attendance while your heart remains lukewarm, ask the Holy Spirit to revive your love for Jesus today.
Quick Insights
- Knowing the Bible intellectually is useless if it does not lead to worshipping Jesus personally.
- Spiritual indifference is a subtle trap that lulls familiar believers into complacency.
- True theology always moves the feet to seek Christ and the heart to obey Him.
3. Offer Joyful Worship to the True King
They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The wise men surrendered their dignity and presented costly treasures to honor the young child as the true King.
The wise men demonstrated genuine faith by traveling a great distance, bowing low before a humble child, and offering their finest treasures. Their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh recognized His kingship, deity, and sacrificial mission. True worship always involves humbleness, surrender, and sacrificial giving.
Bring your absolute best to Jesus Christ in every sphere of life. Offer your talents, resources, time, and worship unreservedly, honoring Him as the supreme King who alone is worthy of your life's full allegiance.
Quick Insights
- Genuine worship requires humbling our pride and bowing before the authority of Christ.
- True faith offers its finest treasures to God without counting the personal cost.
- Encountering Jesus fills the believer's heart with exceedingly great joy.
Bottom Line
Every person must choose whether to resist King Jesus in pride, ignore Him in religious indifference, or bow before Him in joyful, sacrificial worship.
Memorable Quote
When Jesus enters your life, you will either defend your own kingdom in fear, ignore Him in indifference, or bow before Him in joyful worship.
Theological Point
Jesus Christ is the divine, sovereign Messiah who demands total lordship over human hearts, exposing the inadequacy of mere religious knowledge and fulfilling God's ancient covenant promises.
Prayer Guide
- Ask God to reveal any hidden pride or self-reliance in our hearts that resists the authority of King Jesus.
- Seek God's help to turn intellectual biblical knowledge into active, passionate devotion and obedience.
- Pray for a heart like the wise men, willing to offer our finest worship, resources, and lives to Christ.
- Thank God for His sovereign protection and guidance over every step of our spiritual journey.
Responding to God’s Word
Responding to God’s Word requires an honest evaluation of our hearts in light of the sermon title, Three Responses to the Messiah. In Matthew chapter 2, we see that neutrality toward Jesus is impossible. King Herod tried to eliminate Him out of prideful fear, while the religious leaders ignored Him out of comfortable routine. Only the wise men saw Him for who He truly is: the sovereign King of kings, worthy of humble worship and precious gifts. Jesus Christ came into the world, died upon the cross for our sins, and rose again in power to redeem us from self-destruction. Today, He invites you to step off the throne of your own life. Abandon the hostility of self-will and the cold apathy of empty religious habit. Bow your knee to Jesus Christ, trust in His grace, and offer Him the devotion of your whole heart.
