WELCOMING JESUS

It's sad that Jesus wasn't welcomed by the people who should have been the first to do so. It's a sad fact. But we can learn something from the history of Jesus coming into the world. Let's look at those who didn't welcome Him.

Why didn't they welcome Him? What was it that made them not ready?

Why didn't the Israelites welcome Him? Those who received prophecy, laws, and the message that Jesus is sent to the lost sheep of Israel were the first people to receive Jesus.

What happened? Why didn't they welcome Him?

In Matthew 2:2, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him"

 They were troubled instead of excited. All of Jerusalem was in fear and anxiety. Herod was worried because he was the king of the Jews back then. He'd done a lot for them. They recognized him as king, so here was somebody to challenge him. As a result, Herod and the Jews were one crowd that never welcomed Jesus, never looked forward to His coming. 

Can you tell me why they didn't look forward to His arrival?

I.  They were happy as they were. They were not ready to change themselves in order to welcome Jesus.

Every thing was highly organized and highly planned. They have organized themselves to the extent that they do not need the Holy Spirit any more. They planned their lives in such a manner that they do not need God to move any more. They are doing all the moving. This is also the state of many churches, denominations, and ministries. They may be highly organized by men and women, but little was inspired or approved by the Holy Spirit. This is actually lawlessness since many works are done without seeking the Lord’s counsel and approval. In such highly organized human enterprises, lawlessness has been institutionalized and established. It is therefore not a surprise that when there is a genuine move of God, the first to react negatively are these human enterprises that call themselves Christian.

II. The Jews have the Word of God but they do not practice the Word of God.

The Word told them where Jesus was going to be born. If they had been sensitive to the Word of God, they will know the time is right. They have the Word but they do not practice the Word. They were hearers of the Word but they were hypocrites. Jesus later in His lifetime rebuked them. You have the Word but you do not do the Word. They were hearers of the Word but not doers. If you hear the Word long enough but never practice it, some thing will happen to your heart. You would be worse off than never hearing the Word. It means that now even the mighty Word of God has no effect on you. It means that now you will be many times as hard as you were before.

III. Here is  King Herod in Matthew 2:7, "Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared."

He (King Herod) did it for a wrong motive. He did it because if he could find out where Jesus was he wants to get rid of Jesus. Jesus was not crucified by the masses that He healed, touched and blessed in His ministry. The crucifixion of Jesus was a plotted by this same group of scribes, Pharisees, and the high priests. The third reason these people did not welcome Jesus is that they have locked themselves into a position that if God wants to do something, God has to do it their way. If God manifests any other way, or if the voice of God comes from a carpenter and not from one of the Pharisees, they will not accept it. In other words, they are saying, “God, I want you to work my way. Yes, Lord we are looking forward to welcome You but if you want us to welcome You, You come on our terms and conditions. Please do not ask us to come on Your terms and conditions.” They have made themselves bigger than God had. They have built their thrones higher than God’s throne.

HOW ABOUT THE WISE MEN?

A wise man represents people of the world. He represents people who want to know God. They followed the star because they were hungry for God. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” When they saw the star, they committed to Him.

This group represents people who are sincere about God. When the light comes to them, they'll gladly accept it and be born again. They'll accept Jesus and the move of God when it happens. They have a hunger for Him.

Those who aren't hungry for righteousness or God can come and go and will make no difference to their lives. Those who are hungry for God will follow their spiritual hunger and search for God.

What about those who welcome God?

This group was the shepherds.  They were away from the world. Firstly, they were people who were not caught up with the things of this life. Some shepherds took off to town but this group of shepherds were not interested in those things.  They were simple folks who just love God more than things. However, the people in the world love things more than God.

These shepherds were faithful. Luke 2: 8, "Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night." They knew they had a job to do and if nobody does that job, the sheep will be lost. These people had a high measure of faithfulness. They were sacrificial and they were faithful.

Luke 2:9-14, "9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

The shepherds responded in verse 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

Seeing such a commitment, I am sure the Lord will take care of the sheep for them. That day the angels were doing the shepherding for them to make sure no bears, no lions would attack their sheep. You can see the third response. They immediately responded to God. They were right and ready for the harvest. They were people who trembles at God’s Word and who loves God. The moment God says anything, they were willing to drop everything and just say, “Lord Jesus, I will follow you wherever You lead.” That is why God blesses the shepherds.

IN CONCLUSION:

The group of people who will be there to welcome Jesus Christ are those who give themselves to prayers, to worship and fasting. She gave Jesus the kind of welcome that He deserves when He came into the world. Many believers today keep remembering the day Jesus came. We give Him the welcome that He so deserves. However, how sad that when He actually came there were so few to welcome Him. Although all heaven was praising God and rejoicing that night, however, on earth only a handful were rejoicing and praising God. However, that handful today has grown to ten thousand times ten thousand. Many believers in Jesus really understand the spirit of Christmas. 

We want to remain a group of people who will welcome the Lord when He comes the second time. We want to be the group of people that welcome the Lord and the Holy Spirit whenever He does some thing in our lives. Let us be like the shepherds, lets be like Simeon and Anna. Let us not be like Herod and all those scribes. Let us not be like the people of the world who are not hungry for God. Let us be like these groups that welcomed the Lord Jesus.