Matthew 2:1-8 – How Did the People Respond? – Bible study

Matthew 2:1-8, 16-18 How Did People Respond to Jesus? There are five Biblical stories which we often think of when we think of Christmas. 1. Gabriel appearing to Mary 2. An angel appearing to Joseph 3. The trip by Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus 4. The angels appearing to the shepherds 5. The wise men coming to Baby Jesus Looking over those accounts, I see that they offer to us the typical responses most make toward Jesus. How Did People Respond to Jesus? I. Herod rebelled. Matt 2:3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. A. Herod was the Roman-appointed king over Israel during this time period. 1. Herod was an Edomite. 2. History tells us this man was an evil, diabolical man. 3. He had no problem killing people to maintain his throne. 4. In fact, he killed some of his own family for that very purpose. 5. We read Herods murderous response to Jesus when he has all the small children around Bethlehem killed. B. Herods reaction was to flatly reject Christ and rebell against the notion that any other might be king. 1. One might think Herods response rare, but really, it is not. 2. Granted, few people have the authority that they could kill so many young and innocent lives, but apart from that, many respond the same way. 3. You see at the root of Herods murder was his unwillingness to give up his throne. a. When you get right down to it, the only difference is the size of your kingdom. b. Whether you rule over a region or just over your own life is not the issue. c. The issue is, will you get off your throne and let Jesus have it? d. The answer most people give is the same as Herods. NO. C. Heres a thought. 1. Most people figure Herod went to hell. a. They figure that because he was such cruel man. b. After all, he killed his own family members and all those babies! 2. I dont doubt that Herod is in hell, but it isnt because of those he killed. 3. If Herod is in hell, it is because he rejected Jesus Christ as his Savior. 4. By-the-way, that will be the same reason that anyone who refuses Jesus Christ goes to hell! John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 5. It is lack of faith that sends people to hell not bad behavior. D. Might I encourage you, dont fall into the same behavior as Herod? II. Mary pondered. Luke 2:19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. A. To ponder means to think. 1. To think about the things of God and Jesus is good. 2. Truthfully, it is a lot more than the average American does today. 3. By taking God out of our schools, our pledge (I know that it hasnt happened but people are working on it), and our Christmasjust to name a fewmost people dont think about Him at all anymore. B. While thinking about God is not salvation, one cannot get saved with thinking about God. 1. Conviction is a work of the Holy Ghost but before He can convict, the Word must be preached and some thought to it must be given. 2. Pondering God is not the first or the last step to salvation but it is an important part of the journey. C. I hope that this message will cause you to think about Jesus. 1. Is it possible that Jesus is God, born in the flesh? 2. If He is, why would He come to this earth? 3. Why would He die on the cross? 4. Am I really that bad of a person that I need a Savior? D. Read the Bible and seek for the truth. III. The shepherds came. Luke 2:16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. A. One of the best known Christmas stories is the one of the shepherds who heard the message by the angels and came to see Jesus. 1. We sing their story in the Christmas carols and see it on the Christmas cards. 2. As preachers, we often note that God did not send His angels to the palace with this announcement but to the common man. 3. That fact is an illustration that Bible salvation is to any and all who will believe. B. However, have you ever considered that fact that just because the shepherds came, that doesnt necessarily mean they were saved? 1. It is sad but true that many came to Jesus during His earthly abode. a. However, their attendance does not guarantee their salvation. b. And why not? c. Because salvation is a matter of repentance and faith not a matter of standing in a certain place. d. If all you had to do for salvation was come to Jesus, everyone who had ever walked into a church might have a claim; but it isnt. e. Somebody once wisely said that going to church doesnt make a person a Christian any more than going into a garage makes you a car. 2. It may surprise some to realize that not all the people who were healed by Jesus were saved. a. And why not? b. Because salvation is a matter of repentance and faith not a matter of being blessed by God. c. If receiving a miracle from God was all that was necessary for salvation, everyone alive would have a claim because most everyone I am preaching to today is alive and that is still a miracle that no scientist can reproduce. C. I am glad for everyone who draws near to Jesus, regardless of how they do it. 1. Some read the Bible. 2. Some go to church. 3. Some are baptized. 4. Some join a church. 5. Some give their money. 6. These and about 100 hundred acts could be considered "coming" to Jesus, but salvation is more than just coming to Christ. 7. While these things might mark your location, they dont make for salvation. IV. Joseph believed. A. \#Matt 1:18-25\ The story of Joseph. 1. Joseph was engaged to Mary when God gave her the Baby Jesus. 2. The Bible doesnt tell us how Joseph found this out, but it is obvious that he either had not heard how God produced this Child in Mary or else he did not believe it. 3. However he found out, his first thought was simply to put her away, that is, to divorce her. a. The Bible tells us that Joseph was a just man, but he was also a merciful man. b. If he had had no mercy, he would have had Mary stoned. 4. But while Joseph considered his options in this situation, an angel appeared to him, not in person, but in a dream. a. The angel told Joseph that the Baby was by-product of God. b. \#Matt 1:20-21\ If you will read what the angel told Joseph, you will see it is just a condensed version of what Gabriel had told Mary. c. That tells me that the message probably did not contain anything that Joseph had not already heard. (1) I would think that Joseph would have wanted to have talked with Mary and that Mary would have wanted to have talked with Joseph. (2) It seems logical she would have told him the story. (3) It seems just as logical that he would not have believed it. d. The fact that the message came in a dream is also interesting. (1) We have all dreamed things in dreams that we did not accept. (2) Sometimes we even dream things that we want to happen, but when we wake up, we understand that it was just a dream and forget it. 5. But Joseph believed the dream and accepted the message. I find that interesting. Why? B. Because Joseph took a leap of faith. He believed. 1. I make much of emphasizing the fact that salvation is not a leave- your-brain-behind package. a. I want people to understand that a belief in the existence of God, in a seven-day creation, in a sin-cursed world, and in a God that cares is not just faith. b. However, there is no doubt, evidence will only take you so far. c. As some point, you have to just believe. 2. Without faith, there can be no acceptance of Jesus as Christ, no substitutionary death, no bodily resurrection, and no salvation. 3. If you are not saved and have some doubts about the claims of the Bible, may I suggest that you do what Mary and Joseph did. a. Think on it. b. Study the evidence. (1) That will probably mean that you will have to do some research. (2) I am amazed as these atheists who have never studied the Bible, creationism, prophecy or anything else but have decided there is no God. (3) Spend a little time studying before you make such a drastic claim. c. Believe what God will show you. – If you will study and think, I think you will come to the place where you will believe. V. The Wise Men Worshipped Matt 2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. A. There is really a lot about the wise men that that we do not know. 1. We dont know how many of them there were. Some speculate that there were three because there were three gifts brought. 2. We do not know from where they came? Some speculate that they came from Persia (modern-day Iran or Iraq), primarily because that is where the Jews were taken as a punishment hundreds of years before (the Babylonian Captivity) and that might help to explain how these wise men might have understood the significance of the heavenly star. B. However, there are some things we know. 1. They pondered the things of God. a. Where ever these men came from, they had less information about Jesus than those in Israel. (1) They had no angelic messenger. (2) If they had a copy of the Scriptures, it was likely only a partial copy. (3) We would suppose that they had no Jewish prophets or priests to explain whatever Scriptures they might have had. b. Yet, with nothing more than a aberrant star in the sky, they deduced that the King of Jews had been born! c. Friend, it took some heavy thinking to get conclusion from that sign. 2. They believed. a. They believed whatever source had told them that the star would direct them to that King. (1) I know of no Scripture in our Bible that would have given them that clear an understanding. (2) Perhaps God did give them a prophet. (3) Or perhaps they had a portion of Scripture that God did not preserved for the Cannon of Scripture. b. They believed to the point that they packed precious gifts and made a journey of perhaps 700 miles (on foot and camel) to see the King. 3. They came. a. They didnt just come. They persistently came. b. They followed the star for hundreds of miles and when it disappeared, they did the only logical thing. c. They went to the palace, supposing the new King would be born there. 4. They worshipped. a. Of all the people who had met the Christ-Child, this was the first time that action has been used. b. The word "worship" means "to kiss the hand, to do reverence to adore." c. One note that I read said it was a Persian custom to kiss the hand and bow on ones knees to demonstrate honor and reverence. C. I dont want to stop until I have worshipped Jesus Christ the Lord! 1. I dont want to just ponder. 2. I just want to just believe. 3. I dont want to just come. 4. I dont want to adore Him, to honor Him, and to serve Him. Perhaps you would like to do that as well. Then allow me to get you started. The first step to worshipping Jesus is accept Him. 1. Believe who the Bible says that He is. He is the only begotten Son of the living God, who donned human flesh and came to this world to die a substitutionary death for your sins and mine. 2. Yield to Him. Quit trying to live your life by your standards and start living your life under His rule. 3. Ask Him to save you. Dont delay and dont wait. Tell Him that you are a sinner who desires to have your sins forgiven, paid for by His death at Mount Calvary. Invite Him into your life and heart. If you will do these things, you can