The Gospel of Matthew - Week 3 - (4/26/2026)
This powerful exploration of Matthew 2:1-12 challenges us to examine what truly consumes our hearts and minds. Through the contrasting stories of the wise men and King Herod, we encounter two radically different responses to the birth of Christ. The wise men, despite being foreigners and astrologers, embarked on an arduous journey driven by faith in a prophecy they had heard. They invested their time, resources, and energy to seek the newborn King, ultimately falling down in worship when they found Him. Herod, on the other hand, was consumed by fear and the desperate need to maintain his earthly power, leading him down a path of deceit and violence. The message powerfully reminds us that what we orient our lives toward becomes what we worship. Are we like the wise men, continuously seeking Jesus and allowing our knowledge of Him to transform into active faith and worship? Or do we risk becoming like the chief priests and scribes who possessed knowledge but lacked the faith to act on it? The call is clear: we must never stop seeking Jesus, not because we cannot find Him, but because gazing upon Him transforms us to reflect His image more and more. When we truly understand who Christ is and what He has done for us, it should move us to worship with our entire lives, maintaining that exceedingly great joy that the wise men experienced when they finally encountered the King of Kings. This sermon was first preached April 26, 2026 at Springfield Church of God by Pastor Jason Mitchell.