The Religious Leaders Missed The First Christmas Series

INTRODUCTION

Most of life is made up of ordinary moments. You wake up, you head out to work, you must deal with people throughout the day, and no ordinary day would be complete without having to solve a problem or two. Yet, sometimes extraordinary events can break into those ordinary moments. In today, message the religious leaders were going about their various religious duties probably at the temple when King Herod summoned them to inquire about where the Messiah was to be born. This is an extraordinary event, because you couldn’t call Herod, a religious man; he normally would have no interest in the Jewish beliefs, and so for him to ask that question makes it more than just an ordinary moment. So, that question should have aroused in those religious leaders more than just a Scriptural response to Herod’s question. It should have aroused a level of curiosity to go seek information in Bethlehem if indeed the Christ child was born. After all, He was the Jews long awaited Savior.

But they didn’t leave Jerusalem and travel the five point two (5.2) miles to Bethlehem. Why not? I say it was indifference. Indifference is the lack of interest or concern, especially regarding matters of general importance. In this case, the religious leaders showed a lack of concern for the possibility that the Messiah has been born, the Messiah who their prophets prophesied about for centuries.

And so, just as the religious people were indifferent to Jesus’ first coming; the church is going to be indifferent to His Second coming. Jesus asked about that indifference in Luke 18:8 when He questioned when the Son of Man returns will He find faith on the earth? So, we need to correct our indifference, the question is how.

BIBLE VERSE

Matthew 2:4-6 (NKJV)

4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

6 ‘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.’ ”

2 ONE

I NEED TO DO SOME SOUL SEARCHING. ONLY GOD AND I KNOW THAT IF I HAVE FIRE IN MY HEART FOR THE THINGS OF GOD.

The religious leaders on the outside all gave the appearance that all is well with them and God. I am sure that when Herod demanded their presence at the palace, they came dressed in their finest religious garments. When Herod asked the question, “where is the Christ to be born’, the religious leaders did not say that we are going to have to go back to the Temple to research the answer to that question, and we will get back to you. Instead, they quoted from memory Micah 5:2.

They had the right appearance; they had the right answer; but they lacked one thing- there was no fire in their heart for the things of God. I may not know if you have fire in your heart for God; you can fake me out with your outer appearance and your right answers; but you know and more importantly God knows. Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 23:27 (NKJV)

27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.

We just got finished with revival services at the end of October. The whole purpose of revival is to reignite that fire within. For every one of us in this room there is always the possibility that the fire will lose some of its intensity as we do life and needs to be restoked. Think back to a time when you knew that you were on fire for God. How do you compare yourself now? I pray that you still have that fire, but if not, some indifference has crept in.

3 Two

I NEED TO CHECK BY DEPENDENCY LEVEL. THINK BACK OVER THIS PAST WEEK, HAVE YOU BEEN GOD DEPENDENT OR SELF- SUFFICIENT?

Matthew 2:5 (NKJV)

5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

But you know what I did not read. After leaving Herod, the religious leaders went to Bethlehem in search of the Christ child. What the absence of that statement tells me is that they most likely went back to the Temple to do their religious activities. And that shouts out that they felt self-sufficient rather than God dependent. Those religious leaders felt everything was going fine without Jesus in their lives and there was no need to let Him in. They had everything under control. They were self-sufficient. And I am afraid, that is how a lot of people in the year 2021 feel. At this first Christmas, the religious leaders did not openly oppose the Christ child, they just ignored Him, and the same thing will happen this Christmas in homes all across this country. People will ignore Christ and have their holiday celebration without Him.