What Kingdoms Are You Seeking to Preserve?

The Lord can use even the common cold for spiritual purposes. Tonight was our Christmas celebration with our congregation at Crossroads Church with wonderful singing, prayer, and scripture reading. Because of the cold I developed yesterday, I was unable to participate in the singing and was left to simply listen. Along with being enraptured by the beautiful voices with which the Lord has blessed our people, I was also stirred by the scripture story of the birth of Christ and the words of the songs that were sung. Matthew 2:1-4 tells us “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.”

Have you ever stopped to think about Herod’s reaction to the announcement of the wise men? I once preached a message entitled, “The Foolish Wise Men”. The point of the message was the foolishness of the chief priests and scribes for knowing and understanding the prophecies concerning the Christ, and yet, apparently none of them or Herod went to find the Christ after the inquiry of the eastern wise men. What an odd response from the chief priests and scribes who were supposedly awaiting the coming of Messiah! The key to everyone’s seeming lethargy might be found in Matthew’s comment in v. 3 concerning Herod’s attitude after hearing the announcement. Of course all Jerusalem was troubled when Herod was troubled. Heads usually began to disappear from people’s shoulders when Herod became troubled! Doubtless, his vexation would have caused quite a stir within these religious leaders, however there is another cause afoot that would also account for much of the trepidation of the religious leaders. Herod’s reaction later in Matthew’s narrative alerts us to the true cause. Matthew 2:13 & 16 Now when they [the wise men] had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him."…16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Herod was intent on protecting his Kingdom!

We find the same attitude in the chief priest and religious leaders much later in the story of Christ’s incarnation. John 11:47-50 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the Council and said, "What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish." Ah hah! What a man will not do to protect his kingdom! That is exactly what Herod and the religious leaders were doing. To go and find the Christ, the “King of the Jews”, would have required worship and giving up kingdoms to the rightful King. Herod wanted all to know that He was king of the Jews; the chief priests and scribes wanted everyone to know that they were the leaders of the Jewish religion. So, whether it was a physical kingdom or spiritual leadership these men were unwilling to seek the true King of kings and Lord of lords.

As I sat among the congregation tonight, I wondered how many people across our country and around the world will feign a desire to worship Christ at this Christmas season, but inwardly refuse to worship because they are unwilling to part with their kingdoms. While few of us will ever have the power of a Herod or even the religious prominence of the chief priests, we all have our kingdoms. We have the kingdoms of our homes; are we willing to have Christ as King there. What about our families, our work, our leisure, or our money. Perhaps our friends or our secret pleasures keep us from worshiping Christ. Whatever kingdom we try to preserve or withhold from the King of kings, whatever keeps us from genuine worship, that is our idol; it has become king of us. We can never be kings of our kingdoms, only slaves of those things which rule us. So, this Christmas season think carefully about your kingdoms you are seeking to preserve; consider what might keep you from seeking the Christ as the true wise men. Consider it all rubbish as Paul did that you might gain Christ in this life and for all eternity.

Living as God Conscious Believers

Lately, a doctrine found in 1 Peter 2 - 3 has captured my heart and attention. It is the calling of all believers to live with a "God consciousness" fleshed out in our daily lives. Most would readily agree that Christians are to live in light of the reality of God, but how often does that trickle down to the everyday issues of life?
At Crossraods Church, we've been studying how that applies in several very practical areas of life: our obedience to and honoring of civil authority, willingly suffering shame and reproach because we live for Christ, submission in home life, and this last week we studied how those in authority live with a God consciousness as they follow the example and teaching of Christ on leadership as service. (Matt. 20:20-28) We looked specifically at the subject of husbands practicing a God consciousness as they serve their wives. To put it another way, we serve our wives by leading them Godward because we see all of our calling as husbands in the reality of God. The authority and responsibility we have been given is to be used to direct our wife to God for her good and His glory. Only in this will she be genuinely happy and content.
The hard work comes in knowing specifically what ways we need to lead our wife. Do we know our wife so intimately as to recognize her greatest spiritual needs? Peter tells us as husbands to dwell with our wives in an understanding manner, or as the King James puts it "dwell with her according to knowledge". The term translated "dwell with" found only here in the New Testament has a very intimate connotation. Some commentators even interpret Peter to be speaking of husbands being understanding in sexual relations with their wives. However, this misses the point; Peter is using a very intimate expression, for intimacy is required if we will "know" our wives well enough to understand their greatest spiritual needs and how best to lead and guide them in these issues. So here are a few questions I've asked myself this week and that you might ask yourself if you are a husband.

1. Can I honestly say that I know my wife so intimately that I can identify her greatest spiritual needs?
   
2. Have I prepared myself spiritually that I have the wisdom and biblical understanding to lead her in those needs to God's provision?
3. When was the last time I talked intimately with my wife seeking to understand her struggles, desires, hopes, and concerns in our marriage and family?
4. Do I know her fears?
5. Do I understand God's teaching on marriage so that I recognize her danger areas and what I should be guarding and protecting her from?
6. What are my spiritual goals for our marriage today? This week? This year? Our life?
   

As I think on the issues in this way, I am made to realize that being a Christian husband is not for the fainthearted or the apathetic. It requires diligence, study and genuine love for our Lord and our wives, but think carefully about the advantages.

1. We will be honoring our Lord by holding Him and His commands to husbands as the highest priority in our marriage.
2. We will be playing a part in beautifying our wives according to God's instructions found in 1 Peter 3:1-6, a beauty which is lasting and genuine.
3. We will be showing our wives that we love them in ways that will be meaningful and other-worldly.
4. We will be helping them to grow as "fellow heirs of the grace of life."
5. We will be growing as we study to be unashamed workmen.

Father, give us the grace and wisdom as husbands to lead our wives in the paths of Your will and wisdom, and equip us for this great task You have given us to beautify our wives for Your glory and their highest good. Forgive us in our selfishness and sinfulness when we do not put Your commands first and instead use our leadership and authority as those who do not know You and "lord it over" those under our authority instead of following the example of Your Son who came "not to be served, but to serve and give His life". Father cause us to be servant leaders to our wives for Your glory we pray.