Born is the King

I'm gonna invite you to, if you can, remain standing.

I'm going to be reading today

out of the book of Matthew chapter two.

At the end of the sermon,

we're gonna have a special presentation

from our Ignite Kids.

So invite you to hang around and to witness that presentation.

So we're looking forward to that.

But I wanna share this message

that God has placed in my heart.

Matthew chapter two and verse one,

considering the times, the season,

the purpose of our celebration today,

this is where God has led me.

The word of the Lord says as follows

in Matthew chapter two and verse one.

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,

saying, where is he who has been born

who has been born king of the Jews?

For we have seen his star in the east

and have come to worship him.

Can somebody say amen?

My message today is this, born is the king.

Born is the king.

I'm gonna invite you to pray with me

and we're gonna come before the Lord right now.

We're going to ask him to speak to us today

as we have opened up our hearts to his word.

Father, we love you today, God.

We thank you for this beautiful presence that we feel.

We know God that the greatest gift

anyone could receive this time of year is you, Lord.

It is Christ.

And I ask today, Lord,

that as we have heard this beautiful musical presentation,

God, that now we would open our hearts to your word.

God, I ask that you would anoint all of our hearing today

to receive this message, God,

and anoint my lips of clay, God,

that all that is spoken would glorify your name.

You are the reason for the season, God.

You are our purpose for gathering here today, Lord.

And I pray that before this service is over,

someone's life would be transformed by your presence.

Father, we love you in Jesus' name.

Somebody say amen.

Amen.

You can be seated in the presence of God.

I wanna begin by sharing according to English folklore.

Long ago in the kingdom of Britain,

a child was born who would become its greatest king,

and they called him King Arthur.

His birth as the fairy tale goes

was shrouded in mystery and danger.

Rival lords driven by ambition sought to eliminate him.

To protect this infant, a wise man hid him away

and raised him in secret as a commoner.

Years later, his moment came.

A sword embedded in a stone bore the inscription

that whoever pulls this sword out of the stone

is the rightful king.

And many tried, and everyone failed to do it.

But apparently, Arthur approached the stone

and pulled the sword out easily,

and that revealed him as the king.

And King Arthur is but a product of human imagination,

and some believe that the tale of Arthur

is even molded after or modeled after the life of Jesus.

For instance, Arthur's birth is said to be supernatural,

just as Jesus' birth was.

Arthur supposedly performed miracles

just as Jesus performed miracles,

and Arthur even had 12 nights

reminiscent of Jesus' 12 disciples.

And like Jesus, Arthur is hailed in folklore as a hero,

as a savior to his people.

And I begin with the story,

and what is the moral of the story?

What is the moral of the story?

The moral is this, that in every generation,

both ancient and modern people have attempted

to invent their own kings.

Just replace the name Arthur with a favorite celebrity,

athlete, cultural, political icon, or even belief system.

Just replace the name Arthur with just about anything

and anyone that someone could invent or imagine

in their mind to be that king for them.

But today, but today, we have come to declare and adore

the one and true King, Jesus Christ.

Can we clap our hands right now for the King, amen?

Hallelujah.

And just like the wise men,

we've gathered to offer our gifts of praise

and worship unto God.

But let me ask today, what qualifies Jesus,

or any man for that matter, to be a king?

What makes a king a king?

I believe that it all starts with a royal bloodline.

You cannot be a king without a royal bloodline.

A king is often defined by his lineage.

In technical terms, this is called a hereditary monarchy,

where succession to power is automatic

and based on bloodline.

A couple of years ago, King Charles III

became King of England simply because he was next in line

as the son of the queen.

That is a hereditary monarchy.

His only qualification was that he was born

into the right family.

And I want to tell you today that in the case

of Jesus Christ, he is the rightful king

as the descendant of a royal bloodline,

the line of David, which was prophesied

in the Old Testament.

In Psalm 132 and verse 11, it says,

the Lord swore an oath to David

that one of your own descendants

I will place on your throne.

David was the chosen king that God had in the Old Testament

and Christ came through that line.

And this was confirmed in the opening passages

of Matthew's gospel, which really is like

the original ancestry.com.

I don't know if anybody has tried to ancestry.com.

The opening pages of Matthew is the original ancestry.com

because it traces the genealogy of Jesus Christ

as the connected to King David.

It points from generation to generation

that Christ, his birth was not just a matter

of coincidence, but it had been always a part

of God's plan to come through the seed

of the line of David to be born at that specific time,

to redeem and to save the world from our sins.

But what I want you to understand today is that this Christ

that we are celebrating today, this Christ that we worship,

not only is he of the royal bloodline of David,

however, he is not only just a king,

but he is also the king of king.

He is not just a king, he is the king.

He is the king of kings, hallelujah.

He is not just of an earthly bloodline,

but he is also of a heavenly bloodline.

He is the son, not only the son of man,

but he is also the son of God.

He is Emmanuel, God with us.

He is the only begotten of the father

full of grace and truth.

He is God manifested in human flesh.

We don't just come today to acknowledge and to adore

a man born of a Virgin Mary,

a man that came through the line of David as the son of man,

but we have also come to adore that he is the rightful heir

to the throne of God, that he is God Almighty.

He is the king of kings and the Lord of lords.

He is high and lifted up, hallelujah.

Somebody today, the royal bloodline,

but what else does it take to be a king?

To be a king, you can't just come from a royal bloodline,

but a king has to have a throne.

Someone say a throne.

A king rules from a throne.

A throne is more than a king's chair.

A throne is more than just a place where a king sit.

It's a place of sovereignty and rule.

It's a place where as the king sits on the throne,

he is now responsible.

He oversees all of the affairs of the kingdom.

Archaeologists believe that the oldest surviving throne

in the world can be found.

It is the throne of Knossos,

which was built on the island of Crete, Greece,

around 1400 BC.

This is considered by archaeologists

the oldest surviving throne in the world.

And it's definitely an ancient throne

if it's been around since 1400 BC.

But I wanna tell you that the throne of God

is older than that.

The throne of God is older than that.

The psalmist declared these words in Psalm 93 in verse two,

your throne is established from old.

You are from everlasting.

Thrones symbolizes government.

And there is no throne that is older, that is higher,

that is greater than the throne of Jesus Christ today.

Amen, somebody.

Oh, there's lots of thrones

that you can visit throughout the world.

In fact, you can go to different countries

and perhaps capture a picture of the various thrones

that have existed throughout the centuries.

Some that are still around today

where maybe some kings may sit,

but there is no throne that is greater than the throne

upon which our Lord and Savior sits upon today.

His throne is higher.

I'm reminded of the vision that Isaiah had

when he saw him high and lifted up.

Oh, hallelujah.

And his train filled the temple.

His glorious vision of God was so great and so grander

and so splendid and so marvelous and wonderful.

He had never seen anything like it in all of his life.

And that was just but a flash,

but a glimpse of the glory and the throne of God.

How much greater is that throne today

where there are seraphim that are circling around that throne

that are angelic beings that are crying unto him

day and night, holy, holy, holy.

How much greater is that throne?

Oh, that sits high and lifted up.

This throne is above every government

and above every politician

and above every system of rule all throughout the world.

You can travel all the four corners

and you will not find a greater throne in this world

than the throne upon which our Lord and Savior

sits upon today.

Isaiah prophesied this in his word, Isaiah 9, 6,

for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given

and the government will be upon his shoulder,

the governments of the world

and his name will be called wonderful, counselor,

mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace.

I've got news for somebody here today.

God is still sitting upon his throne

and he has not surrendered it to anybody.

How many of you know that he's still on the throne today?

Can you clap your hands?

Can you shout hallelujah for him?

Oh, John the Revelator said in the book of Revelation,

he saw the elders crying out to him,

to him who sits on the throne and unto the lamb.

He is God Almighty and he has a throne today.

And I've got news for you today,

no matter what you're going through,

no matter what happens in our world,

no matter how times and seasons may change,

as long as God is still sitting on his throne,

everything is gonna be all right.

Oh, I wish I had a witness today.

I said everything is gonna be all right

as long as he comes on the throne.

People were wondering if their favorite politician

was gonna get elected.

And I'm here to tell you that even if he didn't

and even if she didn't, he's still on the throne.

I don't worship man, I worship God.

He's on the throne and when men rise and when men fall

and when governments rise and when governments fall,

he'll still be seated on his throne.

And there will be a church that'll be saying unto the lamb

who sits on the throne.

And he is worthy of our praise today.

Amen.

And this is why the men,

I'm telling you the Christmas story if you didn't know,

hallelujah, because this is why the Magi

and the wise men came from the far east,

he came from near, from far and wide.

They were not just looking for another man,

for another world figure, for another political figure,

they came seeking a king, oh hallelujah.

And I've come to tell you today that wise men

will still seek him in this hour.

But what else does a king need?

Well, he has to have a royal bloodline

and he has to have a throne.

But can a king be a king unless he also has a kingdom?

Someone say kingdom.

To be a king, you have to have,

you can't call yourself a king if you don't have a kingdom.

You gotta have a kingdom.

You know, you gotta have a kingdom.

What is a kingdom?

What is a king without a kingdom?

A king must have a realm to rule over.

That's what makes him a king.

The king with the largest kingdom in history,

human history, was King George V,

whose British empire at one point spanned

more than 13 million square miles.

That's almost a quarter of the world's land mass

at one point.

And this is regarded in human terms

as being the greatest earthly kingdom at one point.

That's a lot of territory that King George ruled over.

That was the size of the British monarchy.

That's pretty impressive, I think.

But that doesn't compare though

to Jesus' spiritual kingdom, not even at all.

It doesn't even come close.

I'm sorry, King George, I'm sorry, George.

Hate to break it to you, but that doesn't even come close

to the rule and the reign of God's kingdom.

When you consider Isaiah 9 and verse 12, he says,

of the increase, of the increase of his government

and peace, watch what he says, there will be no end.

Upon the throne of David and over his kingdom,

doesn't matter where you go in this world,

above it or beneath it, doesn't matter where you go

in outer space, you can reach other cosmos

that are light years away.

And still, the kingdom of God is constantly expanding.

You'll never get to the end of it.

There is no place you can go.

This is why the Psalmist said,

if I make my bed in hell, you are there.

Hallelujah.

Anywhere I go, God is there.

He's omnipresent, he's everywhere at the same time.

And there is no place that God does not rule.

There is no area, there is no territory,

be it earthly or spiritual, where God does not rule.

His kingdom is without an end.

And the biggest difference between Jesus's kingdom

and man's kingdom is that his kingdom is not limited

to geographical borders, but it encompasses all of creation

and the heart of his people.

What makes the kingdom of God so awesome

is that it doesn't just cover a span of territory.

The kingdom of God is living on the inside of our heart.

When you accept the King of Kings

and you make him your personal Lord and Savior,

and you are born again into that kingdom,

now the kingdom of God has expanded into you.

Oh God, if there is one place

where the kingdom wants to expand, it's in your life.

It's in your heart.

Oh, that the kingdoms of my heart, oh, hallelujah,

those things in my heart would bow down and give way.

And I would remove the crown that is upon my head.

And I would die to my own kingdom.

And I would seek first the kingdom of God

and all of his righteousness.

Is there somebody here today who has come

to seek his kingdom?

I have come for the kingdom of God.

I have come to adore him.

Come on, why don't we clap our hands today

and give God a hand of praise.

Hallelujah, hallelujah, Jesus.

How many of you love him?

Hallelujah.

Somebody shout hallelujah.

Hallelujah.

You gotta have a kingdom.

Can't be a king, can't have a kingdom.

Gotta rule.

What else does a king need to be a king?

Gotta have a bloodline, he's gotta have a throne.

He's gotta have a, if I'm applying to be a kingdom,

I mean, these are things you gotta have

to be a king, you gotta have a kingdom.

But you also, you also have to have worshipers.

Adherents in your kingdom.

You can't just have a big old land of territory

and not have a group of adherents within there

that worship you.

A king's greatness is often reflected

in those who honor and worship him.

Throughout history, there have been many kings

who were deified by their people

and they were worshiped such as,

we see it in scripture, we see it in scripture.

Did not Nebuchadnezzar have an image made of him

and demanded that everyone bow down to that image?

To worship him, he wanted to be a god to them.

And the same happens in the New Testament

with King Herod, King Herod Agrippa,

the first we read in the book of Acts chapter 12,

Acts 12 · chapter mention

don't have the verse right now,

but the Bible says that the people came together.

These were Jewish people, they came together

and they were saying, oh, the voice of a god

and not of man.

They were just hailing this King Herod Agrippa saying,

oh, he's god and they begin to worship him.

And you know what happened in that very moment?

An angel come and struck him dead.

And it's a pretty graphic what happened.

The Bible says that worms ate him up.

Oh my God.

It worms and ate him up and they consumed him.

Right then that angel came and struck him down.

Why?

Because he didn't give glory to God.

He let them worship him.

Hmm, my Lord.

He let them worship him.

He let them glorify him and God judged him

because all the glory and all the worship

belongs to the Lord.

Why would God strike down Herod?

Because Christ alone is king

and he alone is deserving of our worship.

The Bible says at the name of Jesus,

every knee should bow of those in heaven

and of those on earth and those that are under the earth

and that we should confess that Jesus is Lord.

If we want to, oh, hallelujah.

I feel this in my heart today.

If Christ is our King,

then we are not to hold back our worship

and our praise to him today

because he is deserving of it all.

He is, how many of you know he's worthy of it all.

Oh, like the wise men have followed the star

to Bethlehem in order to worship him,

the newborn King, so have we today.

We have gathered.

We have come to worship and adore him.

I wonder for a few moments if we can adore the King of Kings,

if we can adore him.

Did anybody come to adore him today?

Hallelujah.

Why don't we take a moment and adore him?

Did anybody come with a gift of praise?

Did anybody come with a gift of worship?

Did anybody come, hallelujah?

Come on, why don't we take about 30 seconds

and just give God the glory that is due his name.

Hallelujah.

Oh, hallelujah, hallelujah.

I'm about to hear a piano player to come on up,

but why don't we just worship him?

Oh, blessed be your name.

This is what the Magi did.

They came all those thousands of miles

and when they got to that young baby Jesus,

they knelt down before him.

They put their glory aside.

They put their name aside.

They put their grievances aside.

They put this aside.

They didn't even understand everything that was going on.

They didn't even understand all the mysteries

of what was happening, but all they knew

is that they were in the presence of someone

that was greater than they.

They understood that this was a King indeed.

And so they knelt down before him

and they offered up their gifts to God.

I wonder if somebody today came with a gift of praise

to offer unto the Lord.

I wonder if somebody today came with a gift of worship

to give unto God.

Oh, come let us adore him.

This is what we're singing.

Come let us adore him.

Come let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

This is what we've come to do.

We've come to adore him.

Come to worship.

I put on a suit today.

You didn't come to see me.

I hope you didn't.

Praise team did wonderful.

They sang beautifully,

but we didn't come to be entertained by that either.

We came to entertain him.

Come let us adore him.

Oh, come let us adore him.

Come let us open our eyes.

Is it your Lord today?

Is it your Lord?

Oh, shan'na laman.

I feel the Holy Ghost.

I feel the Holy Ghost.

Is that all right?

Can I feel the Holy Ghost?

Is that okay with you?

I feel the Holy Ghost.

You know what I feel?

The King of Kings is in this house right now.

And what the King of Kings placed in my heart

to tell somebody today,

as we have come today to gather,

celebrate Christmas,

celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior.

Wonderful, but let's not come and just celebrate

and not let the King rule in our hearts.

He's not just a baby.

He's a King.

He's a King.

He's a King.

He's a King.

I've got one more.

How many of you want one more?

Give me what else makes a King?

A crown.

A crown.

You can't be,

but you can't be a King without a crown.

I'm not gonna show any more pictures of a King.

What's his name?

We're done with that.

But you know, they put a big crown on him.

They coronated him.

Look, can I tell you about the crown

that our Lord and Savior wore?

It was a crown of thorns.

And they crowned him with thorns.

And on the cross, it said,

King of the Jews.

But I'm so glad that he,

how many of you today are glad he wore the crown?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Would you be so kind to stand with me today?

He wore the crown.

He wore the crown.

You know why he wore the crown?

So that we could be here today.

He said, why was Jesus born?

He was born to die.

Friend, I wanna tell you today

that if we just worship him and celebrate his birth,

but don't go all the way to the cross,

we may have missed the greatest gift to humanity,

which is that he shed his blood for our sins.

Would you close your eyes there?

We're gonna pray right now.

And I just feel God working in someone's life today.

I, this is just what the Lord gave me to speak.

I just, I know there was somebody here today.

I want to invite, oh, hallelujah.

I want to invite someone to join me today in,

in coming before him and adoring him in worship.

And you gotta open up your heart to do that.

You can't give God some mechanical praise.

You can't give God some, some, some washed up worship.

You can't give him whatever was left over.

You can't give him, you know, just some, you know,

just some go through the motions kind of praise.

If you're gonna adore him today,

then you gotta open up your heart to him.

And you really gotta pour out your love upon him.

And if you do that, this is what's gonna happen.

The crown of thorns that he wore for you,

oh my Lord, what God wants to do is crown you with life.

He wants to crown your life.

Shandala, my kandala, oh, your shandala.

Now God's not gonna share his glory with no man.

And this is not about sharing his glory,

but you know what the Bible teaches us?

That we are seated with him in heavenly places.

God is saying, now I'm the king of kings,

but because I love you and I died for you,

I came for you, I'ma let you see me.

I'ma let you sit up here on my lap.

I'ma let you sit with me in heavenly places.

I'm gonna bring you up to where I am

so that I can bless you, so that I can heal your heart today.

Somebody needs their heart to be healed right now.

Somebody needs their soul to be mended today.

Somebody needs their, oh, hallelujah,

you need your mind to be restored today,

right there where you're at.

Come and invite us to just worship and praise him today.

As the praise team, hallelujah, as they begin this.