Problems are situations based in the past or present in which we experience uncertainty or difficulty in achieving what we want to achieve. Problems arise when an obstacle prevents us reaching an objective.
The problems with problems is that we really don’t know what the solutions are. Christmas is very much a problem for most of us, it is a problem of time, trying to go out and mind read for the people who you are buying gifts for, it’s a problem because we base our happiness in the season and solving the problems. A lot of what we base our happiness ironically is on the problems we solve. We often say to ourselves, I’d be happy if we could just make this go away, just get a new car, have my boss leave me alone, if my kids behave, we base our happiness on making our problems just go away and the problem with that is, as soon as you get rid of one problem another one creeps up.
Today’s sermon is about Christmas in the context of problems, because that is why Jesus came to this Earth, because we had problems. The problems were much bigger than “just loosing your keys, or mix matched socks” The problems were, our relationship with God.
We will be looking at this through the eyes of King Herod. King Herod was known as “Herod The Great, or Herod The First”. He was the king of Judea during the time Jesus was born. He was a guy who was best known as a mad man, a person who was totally unpredictable, not only was he mad in the sense of his whims, he was mad in the depths of his evil. He would do anything to get over on anyone to get what he wanted. He had a reputation for killing his own family members for killing Jewish Rabbi’s, anyone who would criticize him because there was so much to criticize about. Not only was he a king of Judea but he was also a puppet king. A king that the Romans had put in place. We also know him as the person who built the temple. This is a person I want you to envision yourself as, a king at the time of the birth of Christ. A king who is a king not because of great battles won or by popular demand by the people but a king who is a king because the government above you determined that you would be a wonderful collaborator.
We will look at the problems of King Herod and how he solves them.
Matthew 2
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem
What were the Magi? They were basically astrologers, some people described them as magicians but that is not correct.
2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
What is your problem? You have these guy showing up on your doorstep asking you where the king of the Jews is, because they have been following a star leading to him, but apparently he is not you...
What is the problem? If you are king of the Jews and someone comes around looking for the other king of the Jews, what good is it being king if everybody is king, and your suppose to keep everyone in line, now there is another king vying for your throne and if the Romans hear about this you would be out the door. If this other king were to cause problems for you, you would have problems, the problem is there are two kings.
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
Not only does he have a problem, but he realizes that this is becoming a problem for the city, of the government, of the people. Not only is he disturb but everyone else is saying “hey did you hear there is a new king”
4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.
This problem is just growing, because he is king of the Jews, means anything Jewish he is suppose to be on top of and now he has to go through the embarrassment of calling the chief priest and teachers of the law and asking “what’s up with the Messiah? what is going on, when, how” showing his people he doesn’t know what is going on. Is this a problem? If your a king, yes it is... Kings don’t ever admit he is wrong. These priest did not like Herod because his past time would be to put to death these people. Now King Herod has to go to these people and ask for insight.
5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
How does he solve his problems? This all powerful all knowing king, he sends Magi from another country to go get for him what he can’t get for himself and he does it using lies, manipulations, distortions. We either jump on problems when they come too rashly and we make a mess of it or we just avoid them or deny them, we lie to ourselves, we lie to others or distort the truth. Why did Jesus come to this earth? Why did God send us a savior? Because we had problems. Our problems weren’t our problems, our problems were us. It is deeper than your behavior, it goes to the core of your personality is corrupted. Why did God send his son to this earth? Because we are in desperate shape.
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
They don’t seem to have much problems getting around but they cause a lot of problems.
The Escape to Egypt
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.
What is the result of Herod’s scheming and manipulating? He becomes outwitted. What happens when the king becomes outwitted? It doesn’t look good, and in fact it gets so bad he gets furious. In the spirit of depravity what do you do? You blame someone else. In desperation we kill someone.
17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”
The Return to Nazareth
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”
21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee,
Herod had a son and like every good son of a king, your waiting for the old man to kick, because then you get to be king. His fathers problems were also his problems now. because just like his father he knew, he had another king he had to deal with, and just like his dad he dealt with the problems like his father dealt with the problems and he puts out word to kill the child.
23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.
Our Only Problem Is When God Is The Problem
Because when God becomes the problem, we have problems and yet if we don’t have problems with God and we are right with him, then we don’t problems. Every problem is just an opportunity for us in dependency to go to God and say, God help me, knowing that at the end of the day I’m still going to be ok, because problems come and go, and at the end of the day the stuff of this earth does not matter, as long as stuff that matters to God matters to me. When Christ came into this world he brought the gift of salvation, a gift that takes away your biggest problem, and a gift that opens the door to paradise.
When you were alone, abandoned, desperate, weighed down by guilt and shame. When nobody was telling you that they love you or was willing to prove it. God came in and fixed all that, for God so love the world he gave. When God does something for you, who can match that? When God gives you something, who can take it away? What can separate us from the love of Christ? Nothing. Our only problem is when God is the problem. If something tragic happens in my life, Jesus said, in this life you will have trouble, but fear not for I have overcome the world. The minute you bring God to your problems you have solutions, the minute you bring God to your problems you realize they are not that big, because I’m not going to here that long.
What was Herod’s problem? He had a problem with God, Herod wanted to be king and not of just Judea, he wanted to be king of his own life. There was no room for another king, why? Cause we worship a king who doesn’t make room for another king. We worship a king that says there can only be one king and every other king is a fraud, and Herod tried and tried to make God a problem and Herod had problems.
The joy of Christmas is knowing that we have been given a gift that is the answer to all our problems, we have been given an opportunity for intimacy when were willing to come before him in total dependency with all our problems. The Magi came from another country led by a star to worship the Messiah, and when they couldn’t make things out God’s spirit lead them to a king for directions, and he gave them safe passage to worship and then redirected them home safely with no problems. When Joseph, a young father of a small baby and very young bride was facing problems he didn’t even know God sent him safe passage not this way but that way. When we start to look for two kings is when God becomes a problem to us. How do you avoid all the problems? You hold true to one king. You recognize that problems come and go but the solutions are all the same.
Notes taken by: lorelllawrence@comcast.net
The notes is for you to have for review in the series, also to reflect on during the week.
God Bless,
Sermon by: Pastor Frederick Williams