Matthew 2: 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
Thirty plus years later
Luke 17: 20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.23 And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
Luke 21: 34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
There are many names to give King Herod, and he deserves every one that could be thrown at him. The way he treated the first advent is terrible and puts us in mind of events this past week with the killing of the children in Connecticut. Herod made demands on the wise men which means he put pressure on them to tell him all they knew about the birth of Jesus. They saw a star, followed it two years, and came to worship the newborn king. You would think that the reference to the Old Testament scripture in Micah would have caused a spirit of anticipation and happiness that the Messiah had come. Given the political climate, you would think Herod would have been more than willing to step aside and turn things over to Jesus. But that wasn’t so.
From the people’s perspective, they should have known the signs. For two years a new star had moved in a westward direction. Everyone should have noticed it. If Herod had taken the time to look up and take it in, he would have been prepared and not unaware of the events. I believe the star was ignited at Jesus’ conception to let the world know that God was in the world. Two years later it was still shining. God was giving plenty of time, plenty of signs that something was happening. However we find the star mentioned only by the wise men. Many in Israel had probably stopped believing the Messiah would come. Many probably didn’t want him to come.
It’s the same today. Regardless of what the world thinks or says about Christmas, God sent Jesus. The world can’t take Christ out of Christmas. The fact that he was born cannot be changed no matter who tries to do it. Earlier this week there was a digital sign in New York City that showed an advertisement with a Santa at the top. At the bottom was Jesus on a cross. It says “Keep the MERRY Dump the MYTH.” A few days later we witnessed the horrific deaths in Connecticut. The first question asked was why would God allow this? We can’t have it both ways. If we ditch Christ because he doesn’t exist, we can’t turn around and blame him when things go wrong. The next questions concern guns. You can’t blame a gun because it must have a finger, a mind behind it—a soul in darkness. We can blame a society that teaches atheism, that took morals out of society and schools, that says you can live any way you want and it’s okay and normal. That’s what we’ve come to. It’s wrong to mention Jesus. The Bible is irrelevant. Christianity and Christians are bad. Jesus is insignificant. Ditch him. The truth is we need God now more than ever. When a nation turns its back on God, what good is a Christmas tree? When we put God out, we have nothing left but our own resources and ideas. Evil is what happens. People behave in ways unspeakable. We need God and Jesus back in the family to help our children. We need to dump a lot of stuff and put God back because ready or not, Jesus is coming again.
Herod was unaware. If he had gotten his nose out of his little kingdom and looked up he would have realized something was going on. His heart may have been convicted and he might have gone to see Jesus himself. The only hope for this world is repentance. The only hope for readiness is to become aware and check ourselves. The Pharisees in Jesus’ day were so settled in their religion that they ignored Jesus. They saw him heal people and raise people from the dead. You would think having seen this they would have repented, yet they demanded things of him. The world continues today in the same darkness. The only thing left is for Jesus to come and the judgment that follows.
The Bible says as it was in the days of Noah and Lot, it will be when Jesus comes again. There is wickedness on every hand today just as there was then. We can’t help but live in a wicked world, but the wickedness of the world doesn’t have to live in us. Before the angels could destroy Sodom, Lot had to be removed. Lot became so insensitive to his surroundings that the angels had a hard time getting through to him. God kept his promise to Abraham and took care of Lot. Just as Lot was surrounded by the sin in his day, so are we. Before it all winds up, Jesus is here through the Holy Spirit and through the gospel, and he offers the way out. If you want to carry the influence of the world around you, you may find yourself in trouble when judgment falls.
This world is set for destruction and is gearing itself for it. Where the Word of God is not found and where right and wrong are determined by people and not God, there is lawlessness. God will have the last word. As the lightening shines from east to west, Jesus will quickly come. The Bible says that when we see things come to pass to lift up our heads because our redemption is near. Don’t be so obsessed with the world that you are caught unaware when Jesus comes. Herod made the fatal mistake of trying to destroy Jesus. Look at what’s happening in the world today. Judgment is coming. You don’t have to be caught unaware.
In order to be aware, your soul must be in order. Be aware of yourself. Raise your vision from what holds your mind in your daily life. Ask God to take a look at you and show you your needs. If repentance is necessary, do it. You won’t get to heaven if you’re not saved. If your family is saved but you’re not, you won’t go to heaven. If your co-workers are saved but you’re not, you won’t go to heaven. YOU must be ready or you will be left behind.
Are you ready? Take advantage of the signs. Jesus is getting ready to come. Look to the heart of the matter. Quit blaming others and take blame. Repent. Don’t worry about what others do. Consider your needs. See yourself in this message. Get hold of the Lord. If others are caught unaware, so be it. You don’t have to be. The star is shining plainly. Look up. Look inward. See your need. Call on the Lord now, and he’ll call you out soon.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 