Several weeks ago, unbeknownst to me until afterwards, I began a series on great Bible questions. I preached one and then I got to thinking. I said, man, you know, the Bible is just full of a lot of great questions. And this will actually, I believe, be the fourth now that I intend to look at today. Great Bible questions, things that are worthy of being asked and things that are worthy of being answered. As we'll read together this morning, I think you'll find yet another one of these wonderful and great Bible questions. Matthew chapter 2, we're going to read together the first 18 verses. Matthew 2 verse 1 says, Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah, for out of thee shall come a governor. that shall rule my people Israel. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search diligently for the young child, and when you have found him, bring me word again that I may come and worship him also. And let me just throw in right there, that's just a bold-faced lie. That's all that was. He had no interest at all in coming and worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ. It was his design to kill him, and we'll go on and find out a little more about that. Verse number nine, When they had heard the king, they departed. And lo, the star which they saw in the east went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshipped him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts, gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy it. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night and departed into Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which is spoken of the Lord of the prophets, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and all the coast thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, In Ramah there was a voice heard lamentation and weeping, and great mourning. Rachel, weeping for her children, would not be comforted, because they are not." Hard to imagine that in the city of Bethlehem. hundreds probably, I suppose, of little baby boys, young boys killed by the cruel hands of King Herod. I want to take our text this morning. In fact, I think it's very fitting that this particular question would be asked and answered this time of year out of verse number two. Right at the beginning of verse number two, we read these words saying, where is he that is born King of the Jews? These wise men set before us a question that is worthy of seeking an answer. The answer to their inquiry is of terrible importance to us. Where is he that is born King of the Jews? Is he indeed lying in a manger? Is he hanging on a cross? Is he buried in a tomb? Where is he that is born King of the Jews? I want for us this morning to look at three things. I want to look first of all at the biblically accurate account of his birth. Secondly, I want to look at this question itself. And then thirdly, I want to seek to answer the question that is given to us. In our text, we have the biblical account of the birth of the Messiah. And I think that anyone who looks at the biblical narrative and compares it, and everybody just relax, okay? I'm going to talk about some Christmas things, but it's okay to breathe, all right? But I think that anyone who looks at the biblical narrative in comparison to much of what is claimed or practiced today, that one would be forced to admit that these two do not always line up. And it's not my intent today to bust anybody's Christmas bubble. I would, however, like to try and clarify a few things that is found in God's Word about this. And I'm not going to be critical or sarcastic, but I am interested in seeing what the Scriptures have to say about the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Kindly, kindly we could say that there are liberties taken with the true account of the story of the birth of our Lord. The events surrounding Christmas, some of these things that surround Christmas are embellished far beyond scriptural mandate, far beyond what the Holy Bible has to say and what anyone does. Now let me just go ahead and say this because I know some of you are like, oh boy, here it is. What anybody does in their home is between them and God. You understand that? We have within our church family those who are very into Christmas and delight in it and do a lot of things and then at the same time we have within our body people who separate themselves from it and just don't have a lot to do with it. For that reason, I think it very wise that we leave Christmas out of the church and it is up to each family unit what they do. Some of you go to one end, some go to another end. And some are in the middle. What we do in our home, that's our business. That's between us and God. And that's how I feel about you. But I am interested in clarifying some things today. I'm not going to rob you of your joy this week. I know for a lot of people, Christmas time is family time. And a lot of you, maybe Thanksgiving or something like that, Christmas is about the only time you get together. And I'm not interested in robbing you of any joy or a good time this week. But I am interested in preaching the Bible. And I am interested in trying to declare clearly and plainly what the Bible has to say. And although I may not get as involved as others do in the festivities around Christmas, I will rejoice in the birth of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I will take great delight in the fact that our Savior was born, and He was born in the most humble and meek of manners. Now, undeniably, And judiciously, any thinking person will admit that many of the things that surround Christmas have little or nothing to do with the birth of our Christ. And yet, how could we not take advantage of this time and try to tell others about the unique and miraculous birth of our Savior? Let me quickly interject that we need to be sure that others know and know full well that our Christ was indeed born of a virgin in the town of Bethlehem. But it also needs to be known He's not laying in a manger right now. He's no longer wrapped in swaddling clothes. He's no longer cradled in the arms of his mother. He is somewhere, but he's not in that little barn or in that stable, in that manger anymore. He isn't in the streets of Nazareth where he was brought up and raised as a young boy. He isn't there in the city of Jerusalem walking and teaching. He isn't in Bethany. He isn't in Bethage. He isn't in Samaria. Where is he that is born? the King of the Jews. He is not hanging upon a Roman cross. He is not in a borrowed tomb. Where is he that is born the King of the Jews? And to answer that question, we need not turn to tradition, and we need not turn to the historical accounts of this world. We need to turn to the Bible, because the Bible will answer this question for us. First of all, I want us this evening to, I'm sorry, today to think about the biblical background of this question. This night, this holy night when the Messiah was born, is one of the most important nights in the history of humanity. This event, have you ever thought about this? This event, the birth of our Christ, is of equal importance to the day of His death and the day of His resurrection. For without the virgin birth of our Christ, we don't have a Redeemer. Without His sinless birth and a sinless nature, we don't have a fitting substitute. And I don't want to draw comparisons to say which is more important, his birth, his death, or his resurrection. They're all three equally important. It was necessary. In fact, the Bible says it behooved him to be made like unto us, that he may be a faithful high priest concerning the things that touch our lives. This event, this glorious night in which our Christ was born is of such value. Would you agree with me that it is important that we look at it scripturally and set aside tradition and set aside what others may say and see what the Bible has to say about His birth and walk accordingly as God's Word directs us. We don't turn to history. We turn to God's inspired record of his son. The biblical background of the question, where is he that is born the king of the Jews? In verse number one in our text, we have the wise men who come from the east to Jerusalem. How many wise men were there? Now don't answer because you don't know. And I'll go ahead and tell you something. I don't know, and no one really knows for sure. The Bible just doesn't say. I'm not trying to pick fights this morning. I'm not trying to be narrow, but I am going to try to preach the book. How many wise men were there? I don't know. The Bible doesn't say how many there were. All I know is that there were more than one because it was not a wise man, but wise men, a plurality of them. They came to Jerusalem. They had seen the star of our Lord. I'm inclined to believe that that star appeared the night of his birth, and that's when they began to follow and seek after our Christ. Now, I'm not interested in doing battle with Nativity scenes today. I'm thankful for every manner in which Christ is rightly preached. But there are some things that ought to be cleared up. And if this night of our Christ and His birth is so important, why not tell the truth about it? Why not tell what the Bible says about it? Some things are fact, and some things are fiction. So let's be clear about it. Now, we don't know how long it took them to arrive in Jerusalem. Months, if not at least a year or more, they traveled until they finally arrived in Jerusalem. And it is interesting, if you ever stop and think about it, that these wise men, now don't get upset with me, they may not have been all that wise after all, because they didn't know where the Lord was to be born. Now, I think sometimes we elevate these wise men to a stature that I don't know that it rightly fits them. Do some word study of what this is, the magi, those wise men. And if they were all that wise, they would have known the Old Testament prophecy that tells us that Christ was going to be born in Bethlehem and not in Jerusalem. So I'm not trying to beat these fellas up because I do believe that God had burdened their heart. He had showed that star unto them and they did seek after them. But let's not elevate them above the stature of men. Now these wise men, they follow that star and they go to Jerusalem. They go and they ask, where is he that is born the king of the Jews? And when Herod hears about this, you know the narrative. When Herod hears about this, Jerusalem hears about this, there's an uproar in the city. The king is born. The king that's going to set us free from Roman bondage, the king that is going to break the chains of Roman slavery, the king is being born, and all of Jerusalem is in a stir. And King Herod hears this, so he calls those wise men to come to him, and he asks them, now, when did that star appear, and how long have you all been traveling, and where did you come from? And then he goes and gets some of the Jewish scholars, he gets some of those, and he asks them, What does those Old Testament scriptures say about the birth of the Christ? And the reply is, they say to him that Christ would be born in Bethlehem. And so Herod tells those wise men, you go to Bethlehem, and when you find him, you let me know, and I'll come over there and I'll worship him with you. Lion dog. Lion dog did have one bit of interest in worshiping the child Jesus. He wanted to kill it. And when he heard about the king that was going to free Israel from Roman bondage, he wanted him put to death. That was his desire. And so he sends these wise men. They go over. Now, here's where we really start having fun this morning. They go over to Bethlehem, where Christ is, and they find him. And where do they find him? Oh, I thought he was in a manger. No. When they find him, the Bible says he was in the house. Now, you say, Preacher, you're making a lot out of it. I just think it's important that we teach the Bible and that we're true with the Bible. Now, you've got to make Timothy sing at home. That's between you and God. But I'm telling you, the wise men were not there the night that Christ was born. They never showed up at the manger. There were shepherds. We'll get over, and if you want to, you can Luke chapter number 2 deals with it. There were shepherds that came. And they worshiped Him, but the wise men were not there. Now, does it matter to you what the book says? Does it matter to you? The wise men came to Him, and they came to Him, and they found Him. I have in my Bible those words, young child, underlined. Not the baby. But they found the young child, Jesus, in a house. And when they found Him, verse 11 says, they came into the house where the young child was. So you make a lot out of a little. I think, what about the death of Christ? Is it important we preach it rightly? What about the resurrection of Christ? Is it important we teach it rightly? Why not the birth of Christ? Are you going to put down your traditions and believe the book? Yeah, I knew it would get quiet up in here. That's all right. I am in my own preaching. Herod sought his life. He sent the wise men. The wise men found him. And by this time, Christ was no longer a baby. He was a young child. He was somewhere around the age of two or younger. And that's why when Herod sent and had all the little babies killed, he said age two and younger. Probably our Christ was a little toddler. He had taken his first steps. Boy, you ought to let that stew a little while. The God-man taking his first steps. the glorious Son of God who was learning to talk. Isn't that something to try to contemplate? And then Herod sent his murdering, cold-blooded killers to come and to take those little baby boys and kill them. And it says that it is done age two and younger because that's probably about the age of our Lord. And let me go ahead and make some more friends this morning. The gifts that were bestowed upon him when those wise men came into the house, they offered unto him gold and frankincense and myrrh. And let me just go ahead and say, you know, I'm not interested in running anybody off, but that it is what it is. These weren't birthday presents. This had nothing to do with his birthday. Nothing. I love the sound of silence. These gifts were symbolic gifts given to him as the king of the Jews. Go back to Isaiah chapter 60 at your own time, read that, and it speaks specifically of them going and giving these gifts to him as the Messiah king. It has nothing, nothing, nothing to do with his birth. Always I can preach a lot harder, but I ain't going to But I've always wondered why on Jesus birthday you won't give everybody else gifts On your wife's birthday give my wife's gifts and we'll see how that works. No, I don't do that. I'm just kidding I got throw a little humor in to bring you back bring you back. Okay, I They were given to him as king. Frankincense, myrrh, oils, ointments, perfume, this was given to him because he was king. The night in which He was born, there were shepherds out watching their flocks by night, and the angel of God appearing unto them and said, Lo, He is born that is the King of the Jews. And they went and they left their sheep, and they went and worshipped Him, and the angels of God sang in unison, Glory to God in the highest, and peace and good tidings on earth. That's all good and true, but let's be right about what we say. This night in which He was born, It was not December 25th. It was, it just wasn't. Now I'm going to move on so I can, you know, y'all open your ears and start listening. You want to know why December 25th was chosen? Just get you a good encyclopedia and study it out. It has nothing to do with the birth of the Messiah at all. I doubt those shepherds were out watching their flock by night at the end of December. You want to know how that date was chosen? Get your encyclopedia and read about it. Now, there are a lot of other things that ought to be made clear about the glorious birth of our Lord. These are just a few things that I've mentioned. I could go on, and I'm not going to go on. I'm going to say this, though, as your pastor. I do not police the pews. I don't police your homes. I said to you, what you do at home is your business. It's between you and God. But you better make sure that you conscriptionally justify what you do and what you call worship, OK? And we could go on further, but let's move on. Some of you want to hear more, and others of you didn't want to hear that. So I'm probably just about right. Secondly, let's look at this question that they ask a little more closely. A lot of the things that we've talked about, I want to clarify a few things. But I don't want to neglect, and I think a lot of times that's what happens in preaching, You get so hard against something, you forget about the glory of what took place. Christ was born. I don't know when it was. I know when it wasn't, but I don't know when it was. I don't know all the details surrounding His birth, but I know a little bit about what this book has to say about it. And my dear friends, let's not get so lost that we can't see that Christ was born. Where is he? I want us to look at that question that these wise men ask. Where is he that is born King of the Jews? And may that question, may it lay on your heart and your mind and that you may meditate upon it in the hours of the days to come. Where is he that is born? Now just let that stop and stew a minute. You and I and our finite minds have no real ability to appreciate the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, that God became robed in flesh and was born, that the Lord of glory who Colossians tells us that by Him everything is made, that He is before all things, and by Him all things consist, that He is the Creator of the divine universe, and that He, our Christ, the eternal Son of God, became like unto us and was born of a woman. I can't preach it because I'm not a preacher enough. that God became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, that the eternal God, the eternal God the Son, condescended, left the ivory palaces of eternity and came and was born in a manger. There were no heralds that set out the news throughout all the kingdom that Jesus was born. There were no trumpets sounding. There were no hordes blowing that announced, at least on earth, there might have been some in heaven and those angels were singing, that announced the birth of the Messiah King. You read and we see in these movies, and even in the young people's movies, When a prince or princess is born, the word is sent through all the kingdom and there's a big party and there's a big celebration. But none of this took place the night that the King of the Jews was born. The only real rejoicing there was, was in a little barn in Bethlehem as the angels sang in the heavens. Glory to God in the highest. To think that God the Son was born. I try to speak of these things, but such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high. I cannot attain to it. That our Lord Jesus Christ was supernaturally and miraculously conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary. And I'm not going to back up or buck a bit of the Virgin Mary. You hear me? It was necessary. It was absolutely needful. that Christ would be born of the Virgin. He is the only one, and you hear this Bible language, that has been born of the seed of a woman. You hear me? Our Adamic nation is passed on from father to child, from father to child, but He had no earthly father. Now, I don't do combat with a lot of things I hear. I let a lot of things go. But I heard a preacher brother say not too long ago that Jesus was Joseph's firstborn son, but that's not true. He's God's firstborn son. He was conceived of the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit, overshadowed Mary, and she became with child. in a supernatural and unique and miraculous way like nothing else that has ever happened. He came forth without that sinless nature that you and I get from our fathers. Because His Heavenly Father had no such nature. He was born. There's no wonder why the Apostle Paul was inspired to write in 1 Timothy 3.16 and without controversy. There's no arguing this. There's no debating this. This shouldn't be controversial at all. Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. I've got to settle down some, because I've got to preach at funerals happening. I don't have any voice left, but it's hard for me not to preach hard on this. See, I think sometimes those of us, you know, that maybe don't get as involved with Christmas, we shy away from talking about that holy night and that wonderful thing that took place. Christ was born. That God became like unto us. The eternal God became so helpless that He became a newborn babe, depending upon His mother's milk for life. Think about that. Where is he that was born? In a barn. In a stable. You know what a manger is, right? That's where they put the food that they feed the animals. They took him in some little swaddling clothes, some little clothes and a little blanket, and they wrapped him up and put him there where they feed the horses and the mules with. There's where the king was born, and that's where the king was laid. Don't tell me he didn't condescend. Don't tell me he didn't leave that. Did you hear what I said about those ivory palaces of eternity to come and be laid down there in a horse trough? Oh, how he loves us. Galatians chapter 4 verse 4 says when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son made of a woman made under the law to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of son. Where is he that was born? And I'm on preach now. Where is he that was born king of the Jews? Born king. I'm interested in those words. See, I think, how many of you paid any mind to it when we read those words? Where is he that is born king? Isn't that pretty sweet? He was born king. He didn't have to wait for somebody to die to be inaugurated as king. He was born king. did not have to wait as many before him in the customary manner to be brought in as king. He was born king. It would have been customary in a Jewish society for the firstborn son to be heir to the throne, for the firstborn to be a prince. And upon the death of his father, he would be instated as king. But isn't it something glorious that the Father of our Lord will never die from everlasting to everlasting? Thou art God, that His Father would never die. He would not be brought in as prince and then be sworn in as king. Rather, He was born king. King Jesus lying in a manger. King Jesus there, crowded out by the world, King Jesus in all of His glory, that the angels, the holy angels of God would sing at His birth, King Jesus lying there as a helpless baby. Christ doesn't have to be declared King. He was born King. I don't think y'all are with me on this. It's too good. Furthermore, as a king, it would have been customary that a prophet of God would come and declare him king. If you'll go back to the Old Testament, do you remember God sending Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint little ruddy David as the new king over Israel? Or how about when God sent Elisha into the house of that speed-driving Jehu? and anointed him as king. Christ was born king. No prophet had to come and anoint him king. He was born king. We may go ahead and say that there would be no need for a prophet to come and anoint him as king because he is the prophet, the priest, and the king. Rising Out of the dark and dreary night, in the little town of Bethlehem, there was born a King. He is the King. Lying in the manger, Jesus is the King. Hanging on the cross, Jesus is the King. They put a sign over his head as he was nailed to Calvary's tree that read, This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. They did that to mock him. They did that to ridicule him, but they didn't have any idea they were telling the truth. That, indeed, was Jesus, the King of the Jews. He was born king. Where is he that is born king? He has a kingdom. It is not of this world. Not now anyway, but it will be. He is King of Kings and he is Lord of Lords. And then thirdly, finally, we answer that question, where is he that is born King of the Jews? Having said these things, we would be remiss if we failed to answer this question that these wise men asked. When they asked it, Christ was a young child. His parents were living in a home in Bethlehem, Judah. Bethlehem Judah. Anybody remember what Bethlehem Judah means from the book of Ruth? The house of bread. Isn't it sort of fitting that the bread of life would be born at the house of bread? See how beautiful God's word is. He said, I'm the bread of life. Come down from heaven. Born at the house of bread. When they asked this question, Christ was a young child. He was in Bethlehem, Judah, living there in the home with his mother and with his stepfather. But that wonderful baby boy grew up, grew up to be a man. In fact, to be the man among men. And he isn't lying in a manger any longer. He isn't standing in the Jordan River with John the Baptist. He isn't nailed to a Roman cross. He isn't in Joseph's new tomb. Then where is he? Where is he that is born the King of the Jews? And there's no reason you and I shouldn't be able to answer that question. God's Word tells us where he is. The answer to that is, right now, the King of the Jews is sitting at the right hand of the throne of God. That's where he is. When they asked it, he was here on earth. But that's not where he is now. The Bible declares that Jesus is sitting on the right hand of the throne of the majesty on high, awaiting until his enemies are made his footstool. And then his father will return to him and say, go and lay claim to my children and bring them home. I want to read something to you out of the book of Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 3, speaking of our Christ as who being the brightness of His glory, and the expressed image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power. Listen, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high. That's where He is. You want to know where He is that is born the King of the Jews? not lying in a manger, not nailed to a cross, not in a tomb. He's in heaven. When he was upon the cross, he cried out those words, it's finished. What he needed to do to redeem his own was completed. His earthly task was done and he yielded and gave up the ghost and they took his body and they laid it in a tomb, but he didn't stay there. They rolled that stone away. The angels rolled that stone away, not so he could get out, but so they could get in and see that he was not there. He's risen. Hebrews again, chapter 10, verse 12 says, But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God. That's where he is. From henceforth, expect until his enemies be made his footstool. Now, I'm not splitting hairs and I'm not starting to fight this morning, but I think it's important that we tell and know and be able to tell where Christ is. He's sitting right now at the right hand of God. You get your mind around this, you'll be doing better than I am. God is the spirit. But God's still sitting on a throne. Now, you get that wrapped around your mind, you'll be doing good. But Christ is sitting at his right hand. And when you and I pray, Anybody who shows up on Sunday night knows about that intercessory prayer of Moses. Our Christ intercedes in our behalf. The Holy Spirit aids our infirmities in prayer. Christ hears our prayers, presents them faultless before the throne of our God. He is there right now, sitting at the right hand of the throne of God. Just busy in his intercessory work, but also waiting until his Father says, Son, go bring my children home. He's not sitting on His throne, not yet. Now Christ has a throne and He will sit on His throne and I ain't going to preach it because I can tell time, but oh, there's a day coming. There's a day coming when Christ will sit on His throne and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And He'll have a throne, I believe, right here on this earth where He'll have dominion and power and He'll rule and His scepter will be a scepter of righteousness. And He'll rule and reign. And He's coming back, but right now, where is He? He's at the right hand of God. We learn a lot about Christ by looking at His birth. We can learn a lot about Him. He was envied. He was hated even from His birth, but adored by others. From the appointed hour, Or at the appointed hour, he was separated from his mother's womb. His life was sought by his enemies. He was crowded out. There was no room for him in the end, just as Jesus is crowded out right now out of people's lives today, for they have no place for Christ in their busy schedules. And I ask you, where is he that is born the King of the Jews? I know that he's at the right hand of the throne of high, but I also know this, he lives within me. Does he live within you today? I like the words of that old song. You ask me how I know he lives? He lives within my heart. You ask me where is he that is born the king of the Jews? Well, bodily, he's in heaven. But his spirit, the spirit of Christ, the spirit of God the Holy Spirit dwells within me. Does He dwell within you? Is He in your life? Is He your King? This idea about making him Lord or making him king, you forget about it. God's already made him Lord, and he's already born king. So you might want to clarify that right now. God's made him Lord. He was born king. The answer is not, is he king? I'm sorry, the question is not, is he king? It is not, is he Lord? The question is, is he your Savior? He is king. He's king of kings and he's Lord of lords. Is he your Savior today? If we can help you in any way, it's our desire to do so. trusted Christ, you want to confess it before men, we invite you to come and make a public confession of faith. If you have a need within your soul and we can help you, we invite you to come.