2819 Church - THE KING IS HERE | Game of Thrones | Matthew 2:1-23 | Philip Anthony Mitchell

Episode Date: January 2, 2025

In the phenomenal week THREE of “THE KING IS HERE,” Pastor Philip A. Mitchell guides us through Matthew 2, and details the happenings after the birth of Christ. Welcome to the official Youtube channel for 2819 Church. This channel features powerful and life-impacting messages from Philip Anthony Mitchell and guest communicators. As you listen to these sound biblical messages you can expect to be challenged, stirred, matured and inspired in your faith and walk with God. For more information about us visit 2819Church.org.

You can be seated, family. The spirit of the Lord is there is freedom and liberty. Somebody just say hallelujah. I praise him from my seat. Ain't no rock gonna cry out for me. I say hallelujah. I know there's some people in this room who are not followers of Jesus. I know that you're in the room. I know that you sat down and watched us worship.

I know you scratch your head saying, well, it doesn't take that much. One day you're going to feel what we feel. I prophesy. You won't be on the outside of the kingdom hall. For some of you, that's going to happen today I said today The Holy Spirit is slaps you from the fires of hell and bring you into the kingdom of light. Don't worry. You all know what we feel one day.

For me that was in a bathroom over a toilet seat. Suicidal. Crying out to a God I didn't know existed. And he snatched me from the fires of hell and ushered me into the kingdom of life. You won't know what we shout about for some of you today in the name of God the devil is a lion at the feet of God today is the day of salvation we didn't come to have services

we proclaim the word and spread the gospel come to have services. We proclaim the word and spread the gospel with souls and multiply disciples. Time is running out. You heard what I said? Time is running

out. Pay attention to the news. It's reading right out of the pages of the Bible. No, we're going to be watchmen on the wall. And they've got time for sucking out dumb and playing around in church and doing conferences that don't matter. It doesn't matter if the gospel's not being spread and Christ is that don't matter. It doesn't matter if the gospel's not being spread and Christ is not being exalted and souls is not being won

and men and women are not being discipled. It does not matter. We say, Lord, give us souls lest we die. I'm so serious about this John 3 16 will remain the most famous scripture in the world but I'm praying that God use this church this house, to make Matthew 28, 19,

the great commission, the second most famous scripture in the whole world, to send a ripple effect through the whole body of Christ globally, that we was not only saved out of something, the bottom of the pool of sin. We were saved into something, the kingdom and a commission. Don't nobody want to say amen to that because of your

secular humanistic preaching you listen to all day that makes you think all of this is about you. And that the Bible is about you. No. The Bible is about one man. He is the center of the narrative. We are privileged if we are saved to be inserted into his story. See? Because we are privileged if we are saved to be inserted into his story see because we

American we think it's all about us and that what God is to us it's just a genie in a Bible and we just rub him to get whatever we want and God forbid he don't say yes. God forbid he don't answer your prayer. We're so busy trying to build utopia here when it's waiting for you over there. This is a life of testing, a life of service, a life of sacrifice, a life of faithfulness. See?

And for this kind of preaching, we don't want to... For this kind of preaching, we ain't knocking down the doors for this kind of preaching. No, we love that garbage that make you feel awesome every single week while you're on your way to hell. We need revival in this nation. And stop blaming the world.

Revival don't start in the world. It starts right here in the pulpits of America. This is the enemy of the church, not the world. This is the enemy of the church, this right here. This is the greatest threat to the American church, the American pulpit, and the nonsense that comes out of it every single week. No. This is why men like John and Paul wrote when they left churches,

my greatest threat or my greatest concern for you is not the devil. My greatest concern is that when I leave, I know that men will come behind me and preach to you the doctrines of devils and demons and lead people astray. Comfortable in a chair. Speeding towards damnation. Yo, I...

Dang it. They're not going to shut me up. I'm going to shout like this from the rooftop until the Lord takes the last breath from my body. And I don't care if they don't invite me to their platforms or their conferences on the stage. I don't care. They're not going to shut me up. We're not going to be silent in this church.

I said we're not going to be silent. We're going to let the world know that we serve a risen king who gave us a living kingdom and a great commission. And they're not going to shut us up. Not for popularity. Not for money. Not for platforms. I don't care. I'm so serious.

So serious. so serious for me my reward is not going to be no conference I preach at or no amount of money I make my reward is going to be the crown I lay down at the feet of my savior that's my reward Philip Anthony Mitchell

the crown I take off. And I lay at the feet of Jesus who looks me in my eyes and says, well done. You good and faithful servant, that's my reward. Not accolades, not a big

following, not a platform, not a dollar bill. I'm so serious. I'm so serious especially in this city it's filled with churches I pray for the churches of our city this city is masked in perversion, steeped in religion.

We need to... Yo, this is going to have to be a one o'clock Sunday. I just need, I need some time. There's going to have to be a one o'clock Sunday. My 2819 family, local and abroad. Buy buy the clothes rock the merch it's a bold statement of faith even god that man fixed my microphone i'm believing god that we're not gonna just be a church and just come together on sunday and play around no no no no no no no god help me i'm a fight tool for now.

We're going to be a gathering of disciple-making disciples in the name of Jesus. You heard what I said? A gathering of disciple-making disciples. A class helps that. And teachings help that. And growth track helps that. But discipleship

is not a class. It's not an intensive. It's the model Jesus gave us. It's life on life. Doing life together. The older teaching the younger. The younger learning from the older. Us keeping each other accountable.

Praying for one another. Paying each other's bills. Helping one another. Supporting one another. Leaning on one another's shoulders. Somebody goes astray, go back and get them and bring them back. Loving one another, be kind to one another, forgiving

one another, and saying amen. It's like soldiers on a battlefield. We leave nobody bloody. We pick them up and carry them to a place of safety in prayer and in love. We will love one another and live one another and invite each other to our homes and eat chicken together and all that. This is discipleship until we all arrive in glory

together. Nobody left behind. More than a class. More than Grove Track. More than your small group. It is life on life. Who do you know? Who is your circle? Are they keeping you accountable? There's people in this church I do life with. A house of disciple-making disciples. People will see our love and be confused. See our friendliness and be confused.

See our acceptance and be confused see our acceptance and be confused so if you're a guest we are in week three of a teaching series called The King is Here. And he is here. This is a teaching series through the first four chapters of Matthew. Our church is spending one year in the book of Matthew.

A whole year in the book of Matthew. Unprecedented journey through the book of Matthew. Matthew, a former tax collector working for the Roman government, a despised and outcast Jew, called by Jesus in the first century to follow him. That decision changed Matthew's life. He becomes one of the eyewitnesses of Jesus's ministry. He writes for us the book that bears his name, Matthew, placed first in the New Testament, not written first, but placed first. It is the most widely read document in the history

of mankind. It is the document the church used for 1700 years to ground people in Christian discipleship. And I'm praying that after this year, we will have laid a firmer foundation as we study line by line, verse by verse, principle by principle, the words that Matthew recorded in the first century A.D. Amen. In week number one, we talked about the genealogy of the king. A message called a royal and ratchet family tree. Last week, we talked about the birth or the conception of the king and a message called the virgin birth or a vixen botch. Today, we're going to study Matthew chapter 2, the entire chapter. We're going to run through it really quickly.

So that's verses 1 through 23 for all of our students. We're going to title this message Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones. Spirit of the living God speak to your people through this weak vessel you've been struggling this very morning my faith is in you

I'm just a man just a man God trying to expound upon and exclaim the Lord Jesus Christ I ask for help publicly and ask that you open the hearts of my brothers and sisters expound upon and exclaim the Lord Jesus Christ. I ask for help publicly. And I ask that you open the hearts of my brothers and sisters to receive this engrafted word. We shall not rush you.

We shall sit and receive the seed of your word that our lives may be changed. In Jesus' name I pray. Somebody shout amen. Don't rush me. It's a one o'clock Sunday. Somebody say take your time. Take your time.

Can I? Yes. Are you sure? Yes. Don't rush me. my family as I was preparing for this message I was thinking about you I was thinking about me I was thinking about something that happened to me

early in my Christian walk something that a lot of us are familiar with even from a tender age as I thought about this particular text, this particular chapter, I thought about one of the most difficult and painful things that we deal with in our human experience and that is this painful word called rejection. If you've never been rejected, just keep living. And at some point in your lifetime, you might feel what many of us can testify of, of this human sting called rejection. This unfortunate, tragic reality of life called rejection that often leaves a lot of us with scars from our childhood and scars from our adulthood and all manner of trauma. For some of us, we can testify

of what it feels like to be rejected. There are people in this room, probably people watching right now, you was adopted, never met your biological parents, and maybe you thought to yourself, well, why did not they want me? Was I not good enough? Was I not pretty enough? Was I not a handsome one? Did nobody dedicated me when I was a little child. Some of us, we've never met our biological parents. And all these years, we're still wondering, why did they reject me? Why did they not want me? Why was I not good enough? Some of us know what it is to not meet a parent. They skated out at a young age, raised by a single mother or a single father, and battling with the feelings of rejection, this parent did not want me.

Some of us know what it is to love someone very deeply, a spouse, a significant other, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a mentor, who at some point in time just rejects you for whatever reason. They shut down the door of access. You don't know, but for whatever reason, you walk away feeling like you was not good enough for the relationship. What did you do wrong? You spend years questioning yourself, was I good enough? Was I pretty enough? Small enough? Tall enough? Thick enough? Thin enough? Whatever the case is, some of us know what it is to have good friends who, in some season, they walk out of our lives. And if you just keep living like I have, you might rack up a few scars of knowing what it feels like to be rejected.

I'm not sure if I've ever met someone yet who has never felt some measure of rejection. Can I get a witness from anybody in the room? Amen. body and yet for all of us who have felt rejection i want to tell you the lord is intimately acquainted with your feelings for from the even earliest days of his life jesus to know what it was to be a stranger and rejected. Matthew recorded for us an account of this unfortunate reality in the early days of the life of Jesus. I want to read to you this account and just unpack a few things for you and I'll pray for you and we'll be done. In Matthew chapter 2 verse 1, Matthew records these words now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem Luke would tell us they was

pushed there because of a census they did not originally live there but because of a census they had no choice but to travel to Bethlehem 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 Now a few things I want to point out from this text. I want you to notice that Jesus was forced to the town of Bethlehem. I find it so interesting that Jesus, who called himself the bread of life, was born in the city that's called the house of bread. God, watching over all of the affairs of his birth and his only childhood, we see Jesus, the bread of life, was born in a city called the house of bread. Now, for all of us of Christmas time, we hear about these dudes every Christmas

time so much that we're numb to them. The wise men, you've seen it in Christmas plays and in your nativity scene, we put three of them there. One always looks Asian, one always looks black, and one always looks white. They have funny hats on, and we always put three of them there. One always looks Asian. One always looks black. And one always looks white. They have funny hats on. And we always put three of them coming to see Jesus in a manger. They did not see Jesus in a manger because he was not in a manger when they arrived. The truth of the matter is we don't know who these wise men were. Wise men in the Greek is where we put the word magoi, where we translate that into magi. We don't have any idea who these men were. Wise men in the Greek is where we get the word magoi, where we translate that into magi.

We don't have any idea who these men were. We don't even know how many of them there were, although we say there's three because of what they came. We don't know how many they were. We don't know who they were. We have no historical record about who these men were or where they actually came from, except they came from the east towards Bethlehem. But we do know something about these men, that these men had knowledge of prophetic records from the Old Testament. The Old Testament existed when Christ was born. They had knowledge of the Old Testament because they said to herod where is he who has been born the king of the jews so they would have known from the scriptures from the prophecies of

the past that at some point in time in history god was going to send his son god was going to send a king god was going to send the promised messiah god was going to send a ruler these men who had knowledge of the scriptures maybe maybe parchments of the Scriptures, knew that the Messiah would be born sometime soon. And then they saw his star appear, and they knew that he was on the earth. I want you to notice that they didn't see a star. I want you to look very closely at the text. They said they saw his star.

Got to read slowly. Not Orion's belt. Not the little dipper. Not all the stars we see every night down here in the city or in the country. All these beautiful stars we see. They didn't say anything about those stars. They said they saw his star. So that means these wise men from whatever country they was in, some believed Persia,

some placed in the east, one night looked up and saw some type of formation in the sky that was different from all the stars they had seen before. And from that formation, they knew to themselves that the king must be on the earth it couldn't have been any star but it was some kind of cosmic supernatural formation now in history in the year 6 bc the planets jupiter mars and saturn had aligned in the year 6 BC, the planets Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn had aligned in the year 6 BC. And it formed something in the sky. And so some people say that what they saw was the aligning of those planets in the year 6 BC. This happened in history. But I don't think that's what they saw was just the aligning of those planets because I don't think the

aligning of the planets would be his star. What I believe they saw was just the aligning of those planets because I don't think the aligning of the planets would be his star what I believe they saw was the Shekinah glory of God sending a divine sign to the earth that the king you have been waiting for for thousands of years he is now on the earth just like one day we're going to feel in the spirit that the antichrist is in the earth. Another vicious person that's coming in world history according to the scriptures, I'm telling you, we're going to feel. He might be alive right now in school, a little boy

preparing to take over the world, empowered by the devil according to Revelation. He might be alive right now. The spirit of rebellion and all that is evil and wicked dwells in him through the power of the enemy. He might be alive right now, but what these men I saw was not the planets aligning, but what I believe they saw was the Shekinah glory of God called his star. And I think this is so powerful how God arranged the circumstances for this to happen. Because, man, it just speaks volumes to me that sometimes God will allow circumstances in our life to bring about his divine purposes. That it was a census that pushed Jesus' family to Bethlehem.

Him being at Bethlehem was a fulfillment of prophecy. And as I look at this passage carefully, man, it just reminds me, I'm telling you, some of you have been through things and have moved to different places and think that, man, it was just this hardship, this person rejected me, that door closed, not realizing God was allowing certain circumstances in your life to engineer in your life the things he's already spoken over you. For some of you, he said, man, I got to get that child from where they are to the south, for in the south, they ministry shall be born. I got to get Philip from New York to in Atlanta because in Atlanta, his church will be born. God did not intend for my church to be born in New York so he engineered

the circumstances of my life to push me out of that city into the south that my ministry will be born where he purposed for it to be born. Some of you, your feet is on the ground that God intended for you to be on because he engineering circumstances in your life to bring out of you the purposes and plans that he has for you but look not everyone was excited about the news of the birth of jesus the magi was but not everybody watch verse two we flying verse three let's let's let's. Are y'all okay? Are you sure? Do you need a stand and stretch?

Can I teach? Verse 3. When Herod the king heard this about the birth of the son, he was troubled. And all of Jerusalem with him, they were what? Troubled. So the Magi is excited about the birth of Christ. Herod is troubled about the birth of Christ. All of the city of Jerusalem, because the king is troubled, they are troubled about the birth of Christ. So a group of wise men are excited that the king is here. An entire city is in trouble because they feel like the king is here.

One group is excited about Jesus. The other group is stirred up and troubled over Jesus. And assembling the chief priests and scribes and the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. He inquired where the Christ was to be born he inquired where the christ was to be

born so he would have to have some knowledge that somebody was coming that was greater than me and they told him in bethlehem of judea for so written by the prophet matthew says and you oh bethlehem in the land of judah by no means least among the rulers of Judah from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel so according to the prophets the king was supposed to be coming out of Bethlehem and it was watch not their desire to be in Bethlehem but a census that forced them to be there that put them in Bethlehem. Some of the hardships that you've cried about was God engineering something greater in your life. I'm telling you that right now.

Some of you have shed tears over things you despise that was God really engineering. Listen, God sent some of you to some cities and broke you in that place only to get your attention. Slam some doors in your face only to get your attention. Slam some doors in your face only to get your attention. I ended up suicidal in the south, which really turned my heart all the way to Jesus. Some of you went north. Some of you went east and west, wherever God found you. But there's some circumstances in your life that God was engineering

so he could get your absolute attention. Fulfilling prophecy in your own life. Things he's spoken of you that you're not even aware about. Every now and then it's good to look over your shoulder and trace where God brought you from and be like, oh snap, that happened because.

And you was working there. And you closed that door because. And you pushed me out of that city because I lost that job because this person walked away because they came into my life because I got hurt because you found me on the basement of the floor because you met me in that bathroom in North Carolina because somebody just thank God for being a great chess player. Man, who was Herod, the king? Herod was the puppet king of the area of Judea.

Herod in history, if you read about him, was a very wicked and evil man, very ruthless and very vicious. This brother was so evil, he killed his first wife. He killed many more of his wives. And when his sons had become teenagers to protect his throne, he slaughtered two of his sons. He was killing his own children to keep them away from his throne. Roofless, vicious. Herod was a thug, a puppet king set up by the Roman Empire. And it says Herod was troubled. Why? Why was he troubled? This is so powerful. Herod is troubled because he thinks if a king was born that's greater than me, he's coming for my throne. But watch.

Jesus wasn't coming for Herod's throne. Because Jesus didn't want that physical seat that Herod sat on. Jesus was coming to establish a heavenly throne, a eternal throne. Herod is worried about a physical throne. Jesus is coming to establish a eternal throne. And so now a man with a lesser throne is worried about a greater man with a greater throne. And watch, he's fighting to protect something that Jesus don't want.

Watch this. You and I behave the same way. I'm telling you, there are people who are so afraid of God because you're worried about what Jesus is coming to take from you. So I don't want to give my life to Jesus because I'm worried he might take my freedom and he might make me a missionary in Africa or he might take away my liberties Or he might take away my liberties. Or he might take away my money or my bank account. And some of us, man, we fight to protect things that Jesus don't even want. But can I go deeper? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

No, no, no, no, no, no. Let's put Jesus on trial. No, he is a taker. He is a robber. Yeah, he is a robber. He is a taker. Yeah, he is. He is a taker. He is a robber. Yeah, he is a robber. He is a taker. Yeah, he is. He's a taker of sin.

He's a taker of unforgiveness. He's a taker of heaviness. He's a taker of depression. A taker of suicide. A taker of depression, a taker of suicide, a taker of loneliness. He's the taker of all these things that be harassing the human heart. Yes, he is a taker. He's a taker of tears for exchange for joy. He is a taker. You know what he took from me? He took from me hopelessness when I was suicidal you know what else he took from me purposeless purposelessness he took that from me aimless living he took

that from me blindness he took that from me spiritual death he took that from me being outside of the kingdom he took that from me he robbed me of all of that he is a taker he didn't take my car or my girl or my money man. He took all those things that were killing me on the inside. Yes, he is a taker. He's a taker of the penalty of sin. He's a taker of the wrath of god he's a take of all those things you're holding on to that you really don't want like trying to give your own account before god in the judgment like your blood is strong enough to pay for your own sin no he's a taker of your case and say listen i'll pay the price for them he's a taker of your court

case in heaven everybody in here was born with a court case before heaven and your wreck sheet says you're guilty and he stuff but the throne of your heart that's what he's after he wants the throne of your heart not your stuff you can have your stuff he just wants the throne of your heart that place the seat of where everything else sits there that you love more than him that's the throne he's after. Some of us are so afraid, like Herod. We're trying to block Jesus from getting all of us. We're just so afraid. If I really give him all of me, he might take my business or he might take my podcast

or he might take my money or he might make me give everything away to the poor and send me away. We're so afraid. No, no, no, no, no. He might bless those things. he might make them greater he might use them for a greater purpose what he's really after is the throne of your heart he just wants full surrender is what he's really after not the throne of your stuff the throne of your heart so matthew i just want you to notice can i teach you notice how matthew keeps continually saying jesus did this so that this would be fulfilled jesus this happened so that this would be fulfilled and he was born here so that this matthew keeps adding i mean matthew just keeps taking passages from the old testament i mean he, he's sitting down in here, A.D. 60.

He's writing about Jesus, everything he remembered about Jesus, and he keeps taking scriptures from the Old Testament and said, man, I realize he was born for this to be fulfilled. He came here for that to be fulfilled. This happened that that may be fulfilled. When Jesus did that, that was fulfilled. When he fed the 5,000, that was fulfilled. When he rose from the grave, that was fulfilled.

When he was persecuted, that was fulfilled. That was fulfilled. That was fulfilled. That was fulfilled. That was fulfilled but he rose from the grave that was fulfilled when he was persecuted that was fulfilled that was fulfilled that was fulfilled that was fulfilled that was fulfilled that was fulfilled that's what matthew's doing he's a jewish man looking back at jewish scriptures and said this man who i knew for three and a half years man he fulfilled all this stuff we've been reading about since we were little kids now why is this so significant okay i want to read you something that's not coming up on the screen on purpose because I want you to listen to my voice. I read an article about a team of mathematicians who published a study of the mathematical odds of a person fulfilling just eight of the 50 explicit prophecies that Jesus fulfilled when he came to. Now, I'm going to tell you right now, as a student of the Bible, Jesus fulfilled some 300 prophecies. Okay? Let me, this is, this is important. Okay? As a student of the scriptures, I want to tell you that Jesus' life, his birth and his life, he fulfilled some 300 prophecies from the Old Testament, but there are

50 that's like right in your face. Now, I want you to listen to this, okay? The odds of a person not fulfilling 300, not 58. How many? Somebody say the number. Say the number. Shout at me the number. What is the mathematical probability that one human being in history could fulfill eight of just 50 prophecies about where they would be born, how they would be born, what cities they would be in, how they would live, how they would die, how they would raise, just the mathematical prophecy of how many? How many?

Now listen to this article. The reason why prophecy is an indication of divine authorship of scriptures. And hence a testimony to the trustworthiness of the message of the scriptures. Is because the minute possibility of fulfillment of prophecy. Anyone can make predictions. Having those prophecies fulfilled is vastly different. In fact, the more statements made about the future and the more detail there is about the future, the less likely the precise fulfillment can be. For example, what's the likelihood of a person predicting today, in 2023, the exact city in which the birth of a future leader would take place?

Well into the 22nd century or 24th century. This is indeed what the prophet Micah did 700 years before the birth of Christ. Further, what is the likelihood of predicting the precise manner of death that an unknown religious leader would experience thousands of years into the future, especially a death that had not been created yet? Like crucifixion did not exist exists during these prophecies. Yet this is what David did a thousand years before Christ when he wrote about the death of Christ in the Psalms. Again, what is the likelihood of predicting the specific date of the appearance of some great future leader? Hundreds of years in advance yet this is exactly what daniel did 530 years before the birth of christ now listen to this now watch this everybody listen this is dope this is dope a professor at westmont college calculated the probability of one human being fulfilling any one of the major

prophecies made about Jesus the Messiah. The estimates was worked out by 12 classrooms of students representing 600 university students. Now listen to this. After examining only eight, not 300, not 50, only eight different prophecies, they conservatively, lowball, estimate that the chance of one human being in history fulfilling all eight prophecies is 10 to the 17th power. That's a lot of commas. That's not what you want your bank account to be. I already know. Right?

Listen. To illustrate how large the number 10 to the 17th power is, a figure with 17 zeros, The professor gave this illustration. If you mark one of 10 tickets and place it all in a hat, thoroughly shake up the hat, and then ask a blindfolded man to draw one ticket out, his chance of getting the ticket is one in 10. Now suppose we take 10 to the 17th power. This is equivalent to taking 10 to the 17th silver dollars, coins to taking 10 to the 17 silver dollars coins lay them on the face of the state of Texas they will cover the entire state of Texas until it's two feet deep this is like covering the state of Texas with two feet deep of silver coins.

Now mark just one silver dollar and stir up the entire state. Blindfold one man and tell him you could travel to the top of the state, to the bottom of the state, to the east or the west, in any direction you want, but you must pick up one coin that's marked. What chance would he have of getting that coin right? He'll have the same chance as the prophets would have had writing these eight prophecies and having all of them come true by one man in human history so the chance of one human being fulfilling the prophecy the Old Testament just eight of them is equivalent to filling the state of Texas with silver dollars two feet thick and telling one person to who's blindfolded to find one silver dollar.

Pastor, I don't get what you're trying to tell me. Jesus is the only son of God. Who came from heaven for there is no other God. There is only one true God. And every other God is an idol. It cannot see, it cannot hear. There is only one true living God, and every other God, no matter what his name is, is an idol. It is false. It is the creation of human beings and the trick of demonic devils.

There is only one God and his name is Jehovah and Jesus is his son. There is no other God. Every other God is an idol. Cannot see, cannot hear. There is only. Cannot hear. There is only one true living God. Some of you will be fighting for Jesus using the wrong weaponry. Just go to prophecy. All right, let me finish up. Verse, can I teach?

Somebody said teach us. I just heard that in my spirit. Not entertain us. Teach us. Teach us. Y'all going to be theologians by the time this series is over. All right. Verse 7. Let me hurry up. Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem saying, go and search diligently for the child. Watch, watch, watch, watch, watch Herod. Go and search diligently for the child. Watch, watch, watch, watch, watch Herod.

Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word that I too may come and worship him, right? Here is Herod saying to man, go find him, and when y'all find him, let me know, and when y'all get there, I'm gonna follow y'all when y'all get there, and I'm gonna come, and I'm gonna worship worship. Right? Herod is not really trying to worship the Lord. He just has an evil plot, an evil motive. So what do we see right here in this time? We see the first rejection of Jesus. From the time he was a little boy, already the king is like, no, I don't want no parts of him. The whole city, the king, everybody is like, no, where they're troubled about the Lord Jesus Christ, Herod rejects him. I whole city, the king, everybody is like, no, we're in trouble about the Lord Jesus Christ. Herod rejects him. I don't want to hear nothing about the coming Messiah.

So he disguised behind piety an evil motive. Come and show me where the king is so I will come and worship him, man. Man, religious people do this all the time. We disguise evil behind the guise of religion. Herod was plotting on Jesus. Just like, man, you be having Christians plotting on you. Like, I love you. Bless the Lord, man. Plotting on you. That's why.

My mother used to tell me, that's why when you deal with people, you got to have discernment. You just can't believe everything everybody tell you. That's why I teach my children not to be gullible, to look at people with an eyebrow raised. You gotta know the spirit and test the spirit by the spirit. I don't care if you've been in church your whole life, man. That part, man, you gotta pray and ask God for discernment so you could be in a conversation with someone and feel like static in your soul. I mean, this sounds good, but something about this don't feel right. You about to do the business contract. This looks good on paper, but something about this don't feel right.

You got to have discernment. Now watch the supernatural guidance of God. Verse 9. And after listening to the king, they went on their way, and behold, the star that they had seen when it arose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. So they followed the star, and it stopped over the house where Jesus was, and when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. Now pause, okay? Now, I know you read this and we don't see nothing supernatural in this text, but I'm like, I'm a nerd on the low. I like astrology and I like theology. Our night sky, the star, the sun, the moon, they move from what direction to what direction? The sun rises in the?

And it sets in the? So in our sky, all of our planetary activity is from the east to the west. That can't change because of the rotation of the earth. But it says the star led them from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. I've been to Israel. Bethlehem, I've been there, is south of Jerusalem. I think the plane took off. They wasn't strapped in.

Bethlehem is south of Jerusalem. But this star led them from Jerusalem south to Bethlehem. So it could not have been. It's not a regular star. It's not a regular star. It could have been a regular star. Because a star can't move north to south. With the rotation of the earth, it can only go from east to west. But this star was like...

That star was percolating in the wrong direction. So either it was the planets, like they said in 6 BC, or it was the glory of God Almighty invading the cosmos to make sure that these men did not have to search. He gave them a heavenly GPS to make sure it would lead them to the exact house of the Messiah. Man, this shows me the great lengths God will go through to guide and lead the hearts of the humble and the hungry. Man, the Lord would disrupt the cosmos to lead the hearts of the humble and the hungry that if you are humble and if you are hungry man God will move heaven and earth

to guide you somebody thank God for his guidance right now what what what I said thank God for his guidance right now.

He will move heaven and earth to guide you when your heart is humble and hungry. He'll speak to a person. He'll speak through the word. He'll talk to you in a commercial. He'll talk to you from a song. He'll talk to you from a song. He'll talk to you from a circumstance, man. My son, my daughter, what I called you to do is so significant, man. I will move heaven and earth to guide you. I'll shut down the whole plant at FedEx to guide you. I'll give 299 people a reassignment, except one person, just to guide you.

Because, Jovita, I'm going to take this from me. When you know you're in God's will, man, he will move heaven and earth to guide you. He will guide you. He created a brand new star just to guide a group of men to the house of the Messiah and to make sure in history that nobody could get the credit. He caused the star to go from north to south. A cosmic impossibility because of the rotation of the earth. Did you hear what I just said?

A cosmic impossibility because of the rotation of the earth. I'm sorry, I'll be reading these scriptures in my office. I'll fall out of my chair chair I'd be in awe of God am I the only one just in awe of God I told y'all last week Deidre when I worked for FedEx, true story, 300 people at that plant shut down the whole thing. 299 people got a reassignment except one Philip Anthony Mitchell. Now, you going to follow me or not? Who's taking notes?

Let me write this down. Let me tell you the best GPS you will ever have is not the app on your phone. Just write this down. Let me tell you the best GPS you'll ever have in your entire life. If you really want to be guided from now until you die, let me tell you the best GPS you'll ever have in your entire life. Y'all ready for this? You ready?

You ready? Proverbs 3, 5 through 6. trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding you ain't that smart in all of your ways acknowledge him watch the promise and he will direct your path. Can I say it to you one time? Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all of your ways, your good ways and your bad ways,

acknowledge him and he will direct your path. So if I don't know my path, am I trusting? Am I acknowledging? That's been my GPS since I was 25 years of age. It's better than the app on your phone. Verse 11. Watch their response to the presence of the king. Now this is heat. You better lock in.

I say lock in, lock in. This is heat. The wise men are led by some cosmic activity. It comes to the house of the king. They enter into the house of the king and watch their response to the king. Lock in. This verse is probably the most important.

Verse 11. And going into the house, not the manger. That's why your nativity scene is messed up. I'm just teaching. I'm just trying to teach. There was no wise men in a manger. When they found Christ, he was about two years of age.

In a house. That's why you can't let culture inform your theology. So a lot of y'all are going to be clearing out your nativity scene next Christmas. Ain't no wise men in no manger. When they found him, he was in a house. And going into the house, they saw not the baby, the child. With Mary, his mother. And when they saw

the two-year-old king, when they came into the presence of the two-year-old king, when they put their eyes on the two-year-old king, when they felt the glory of the two-year-old king, they fell down, prostrate,

and they worshiped him. Then opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold, frankincense, expensive, myrrh. These magi traveled thousands and thousands of miles to get to the house of the king and when they saw him they had the only right response to the presence of the Lord Jesus worship, joy, generosity the natural response to the king of glory is not give me and do for me is worship

listen has anyone ever can testify this you you go close your door you come to the presence of god and you just start crying you You don't even know why. You don't even start to pray yet and you just start crying because his presence is so overwhelming. Anybody? You close the door and your heart is heavy. You've been hurt by some man, some woman. You lost something you love. Your heart is grieving. You go into his presence. You close the door and your heart is heavy you've been hurt by some man some woman you lost something you love your heart is grieving you go into his presence you close the door and before you can

get any words off your lips you just start crying you just feel over that's why you should never laugh when you see somebody on their knees or face down on the floor that when you really feel the presence of the king man the only right response is not give me and do for me the first response is it's worship worship could be a song worship could be a dance worship could be silent you could stand up in worship sit down in worship lay down in worship roll around You could stand up in worship, sit down in worship, lay down in worship, roll around in worship, pass out in worship, fall asleep during worship. The only right response to the king is homage. Reverence.

He's not just a name on a bracelet or a t-shirt. He's the holy king of kings. And when we come into his presence, we owe him what? Worship. Homage. Let me finish up. Notice the gifts that they gave him.

What were the gifts? Gold, frankincense, myrrh. Why do you bring gold to a child and frankincense expensive to a child and myrrh i i don't know why they brought these gifts but as a student of the word i see these gifts as almost prophesying the life and the death of christ gold was an expensive gift fit for a king that he was the king of kings and he is the king of kings frankincense is a type of incense you use incense for deity is what gods take so we give we give deity incense as a symbol

that this little child he's not just a human being he is divine so we give him incense and not just any incense frankincense not that stuff from vicky seeks first century frankincense but this last gift myrrh myrrh who brings a king myrrh that's like the present under the tree you don't want to unwrap myrrh I don't want myrrh

you know what myrrh was a spice you use as embalming fluid for dead people I'm Joseph like why are you bringing my son Murr Murr what are you trying to said. He was born to die. This is foreshadowing of that cross that was coming for him. For you. And for me.

Yes, sir. Come on. Who can you serve? And he is the Bible. And he is. Yes, sir. He was the world. prophesying his life let me finish verse 12 now watch oh God God.

Verse 12. Watch. This verse is profound. Watch the scriptures. Watch verse 12. Watch the exit of the Magi the scriptures. Watch verse 12. Watch the exit of the Magi from history. Watch verse 12. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country.

I like these words. By another way. Now, you know where I'm going, Jay? What? Hey. The scripture says they came to see the child and they left from seeing a child, they went back another way. They came in to see Jesus from one direction. And they left out a different direction. They did not go back the way that they came. Oh my God, oh my God. They came in one direction and they left out another direction. And I know that's talking about geography,

but spiritually when we come in contact with Jesus, we come into his presence one way. We leave from his presence another way. We come in contact with Jesus as a sinner. We leave out of his presence forgiven. We come in contact with Jesus as a sinner. We leave out of his presence forgiven. We come in contact with Jesus unrighteous. Man, we leave from his presence righteous. We come in contact with his presence guilty.

We leave out of his presence justified. We come into his presence damned. Man, we leave out of his presence saved in the name of Jesus somebody give him glory in his house somebody praise him for leaving another way I left from Jesus another way. Y'all playing with me. I know what it is to go into his presence heavy and come out of his presence with joy. I know what it is to go into his presence confused and come out of his presence with clarity. Somebody give him praise that we come out of his presence a different way than the way we came in.

We don't leave his presence the same. We don't leave his presence the same. Can I get one praise out of you? I want somebody, no, hold on. Because I got to get this out of me, but I don't want to be it by myself. Former knucklehead from Queens and suicidal. I want us to give Jesus praise for the fact that once our path intersects with Jesus, our whole life goes in another direction.

Now give him praise for that, that he sent your life. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Somebody praise him that he sent your life in another direction. He sent my life in another direction. Another direction. Another direction. Another direction. Another direction.

Another direction, another direction, another direction, another direction, another direction. He met you one way and sent you a different way. praise him Frank man I met Christ one way he sent me out a different way I met him lost he sent me out with purpose I met him condemned

he sent me out free I met him blind he sent me out seeing. Man, once you encounter the resurrected Savior, man, he sends you out a different way. Some of us knew where you was when he found you and what you was doing when he found you and where you was in your mind when he found you.

And he sent you another way. He changed the trajectory of your entire life how's the Eric he changed the trajectory of our lives it took you from the streets of Philly, Elder Milton. He changed the trajectory of your life. He took you from Durham, North Carolina, Lena, lost,

with no idea what you're going to do with your future and changed the whole trajectory of your life stay there Frank I'm just going to shut this down. Let me just read these final verses. It says, And when they had departed, behold, an angel appeared to Joseph. Stay there, Frank.

I'm about to be done. In a dream it said, Rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt and remain there until I tell you, Herod is about to search for the child to be done. In a dream it said, rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt and remain there until I tell you, Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him. He rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was done to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet,

out of Egypt I call my son. Again, God engineering the circumstances to fulfill prophecy. This is from Hosea chapter 11 verse 1. Then Herod verse 16, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he became very furious and angry and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem of all that region who was two years old and under, according to the time he had ascertained from the wise man so since i can't find jesus i'm killing all the children genocide this is rejection

to the extreme utter degree verse 17 this was fulfilled watch look what it says and verse 18 right so herod did that and this was fulfilled by the prophet jeremiah a voice was heard in rama weeping loud and lamentation rachel weeping for her children she refused to be comforted because there were no more so herod's slaughter fulfilled prophecy a double reference from j Jeremiah's time and this time. Roman soldiers snatching babies out of arms and piercing their knives through these babies. Mothers crying because their babies are being put to death as they search for the Lord Jesus Christ. Herod is killing every child, two years, families is being ruined and destroyed.

Rachel, who was the daughter of Jacob, represents the mother of Israel, and she represents the cries and the tears of women who saw their children put to death because of the rejection of Jesus. This is what happens when evil people rule. It's why we should pray for our leaders first Timothy and the last couple verses but when Herod died and he died a very vicious death his body was filled with maggots he had pain he died a very painful slow death an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph a saying rise take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel. For those who sought the child's life are dead and he rose. That's why obedience is important because you fulfill the

God's will over your life when you're obedient. Took the mother, he went down to Israel. Last two verses and I'm going to pray. But when he heard that Archelaus, who was the daughter or the son of Herod, was reigning in Judea. He was afraid and warned in a dream. He went to the district of Galilee. Last verse. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth. Prophecy, prophecy, prophecy. So what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled.

Jesus will be called the Nazarene. You can't find that verse in the Old Testament. It is an unrecorded prophecy. Nazareth, I've been there. It's a tiny little ghetto town on a hilltop. It was a Roman garrison. It was a despised place. Jews didn't like that place.

It was like the basement of the whole area it's like the worst place in Atlanta and this is the place that Jesus grew up and a shabby ran down despised town so despised that when Philip brings a man named Nathaniel and said come and see the king

Jesus of Nazareth he says Nazareth and see the king, Jesus of Nazareth, he says, Nazareth, can any good thing come out of Nazareth? I love how Jesus was raised in Nazareth. The theologians call something the Nazareth principle. How God takes the foolish things of this world and uses them to confound the wise how he'll choose people who are the least likely men and women who people say would never be used by God not that teenager from the vibe not that woman from Durham not Batman from Carrollton not that boy from Queens, not that

wealthy person who's far away from God, not that poor person from the country, not somebody from Mississippi. How God called his son from Nazareth because he does not choose as the world chooses. Shakia. But God has a way of choosing

those people people Kena who the world will pass over I love how he don't have to look at the external or the background or the family tree or where he was from that some of us men are in Christ and have no business being in Christ

and your whole life is a testimony of the glory of God, the choosing of God, the favor of God, the grace of God, the majesty of God, the wisdom of God, the mercy of God,

the wisdom of God. I know I'm not the only person that has thought to himself, I am not worthy to be called son or daughter for where I came from, what I did, where my mind was, where my heart. I'm not worthy. But I'm so thankful that God doesn't need my sense of worthiness for his choosing. I'm going to take that college kid from Clayton State and use him to write songs that change the whole world. I'm going to take that little girl with a boy's name and use her to write songs that change the whole world. I just thank God for his choice of you before the foundation of the world.

And although Jesus was persecuted and rejected, everything we see in his story is the affirmation of God in the midst of rejection. I want to say to all of you who've been rejected by men but affirmed by God I don't know who that's for I just somebody need to hear that in this room just that might be a tattoo for somebody rejected by men affirmed by God somebody take that for yourself rejected by family affirmed by God. Somebody take that for yourself. Rejected by family. Affirmed by God. Rejected by someone, but affirmed by God. if we are wise, we respond to God like the Magi. We search for him. We find him. We worship him.

We open up our treasures, our life to him. We let him send us out a different way. He edges our name in the annals of history forever. Rejected but affirmed. This whole game of thrones between Herod and Jesus that the only throne

he really wants, the throne that matters most, the throne that he needs to transform your whole life, the throne of matters most. The throne that he needs to transform your whole life. The throne of your heart. Let me finish by saying this. You have no idea what God will do with a throne that's completely surrendered to him. I want to repeat this. You have no idea what God would do with a throne that's completely surrendered to him.

The best way to win the game of thrones is to just surrender. The best way to win this game of thrones, I see y'all standing in the back, is just surrender. Watch. You don't got to be afraid. Watch what Jesus will do

with a surrender throne. Every head bowed, every eye closed. Let me pray. Go back, Frank. Go back. Stay right there. Nobody move. Nobody move. Frank go back stay right there nobody move nobody move eternal garden of a wise father I pray over every throne in this room and watching me right now online

seated on those thrones God are dagons all these other things we love more than you, keeping us from the best that you have for us. I pray right now over these, my sons and daughters, my brothers and sisters, that you would topple every idol that sits on our throne. That we would willingly surrender in this game to allow you full reign over the throne of our hearts. Not to be afraid for you shall not reject us or mislead us

for you have our absolute best interest at heart. I pray for the one watching me right now in cities across the country that we will surrender our throne to you and not be afraid. That you would conquer these thrones.

How about that? Conquer these thrones. Win the battle for these thrones. That these lives may be radically transformed by you. That you would write our story. We've met you today and may we all go out a different way.

In Christ's name. Don't move. Lift your head. There are men and women in this room. Listen to my voice because you already know who you are.

You felt uncomfortable during parts of this message because you do not belong to Jesus and you know it. You have gone to church, but you don't belong to him. You've been to conferences, but you don't belong to him. You got one foot in the kingdom and one foot in the world. Some of you, you're standing on the doorstep of the kingdom. Your life could be changed forever. Jesus is not after your stuff to hurt you. He's after your heart to

transform you. Today could be the beginning of the rest of your life. The greatest step you will ever take for the greatest thing you will ever surrender is not just your time, your throne of your heart. He wants to

rule over it that he may transform you. It's the greatest step any human being will ever surrender. It's not just your time, your throne of your heart. He wants to rule over it that he may transform you. It's the greatest step any human being will ever take. For me, he conquered my throne when I was suicidal over a toilet seat in a bathroom. November 2003 changed my life forever. My name is recorded in heaven. If I die, I will not spend one day in hell. I will wake up in glory. Here is the gospel. My brother, my sister, I'm talking to you. You were born a sinner and you've committed sins. You've broken God's laws. You're guilty of the laws of a holy God. You've cheated, steal, lied, lusted. If you die in your sin, you're going to be separated from God for all eternity. You say, preacher, I don't believe that. Die and find out. It'll be too late. You're not ready for hell. It's forever. But God in his love for you, my brother, for you,

my sister, sent the King, the Lord Jesus Christ, who died a brutal sacrificial death in your place. He took upon himself all of your mistakes, all of your sins, all of your wrongdoing. And the scripture says if any man would call on the name of Jesus, repent and put their faith in him, not just church and Jesus. The Bible promises you will be saved, rescued, forgiven. You'll be made a brand new man, a brand new woman. All your sins will be wiped away.

You will have a heavenly father who's on your side and you could talk to him about everything until the day you die. This moment is for you. This moment is for you. You say, that's me, preacher. I'm not going to hide another day. I want you to pray for me. I want to see who I'm praying for. Nobody can't see you. It's just between you and God. I'm going to count to three. If I'm talking to you, nobody can't see. When I say three, I want you to throw your hand in the air and keep it there so I can see you. I already see hands going up. One, the king is calling.

I see hands going up. The king, Jesus, the king is calling you. Two, your life is about to be changed. You're about to meet him one way and go out another way. Three, throw your hands in the air, leave it there. One, I see that hand. Two, I see that hand. Three, I see that hand.

Four, I see that hand. Five, I see that hand. Six, seven, eight, keep it there. Nine, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, I see you in the back, 20, I see you, 21, 20, I see you brother, 23, I see you, 24, 25, 26, I see you. 27, 28, 28, 29, 30, I see you. 30, I see you. 30, I see you. 31, I see you. I see you.

32 in the back, I see you. You don't got to be afraid. Nobody can't see you. I see you. 32 in the back, I see you. You don't gotta be afraid, nobody can't see you. Nobody can't see you. 33, I see you. 33, I see you. 33. 33. 33.

33. 33. 33. Jesus died at the age 33. 33. 33. Jesus died at the age 33. 33. 33. All of you, all 33 of you, my brothers and my sisters, with your own mouth, you know what? Let's pray with them so they don't have to be silent. I want you to just, I want you to talk to God.

The prayer won't say the sincerity of your heart. Just cry out to the Lord. He can hear you. Say, Lord, forgive me of all of my sin, all of my wrongdoing. I repent. I turn. I put my trust and my faith in you as Lord and as Savior. And now, Father, in the name of Yeshua, I pray over these 33 men and women.

Maybe somebody watching me right now in some city or someplace in the land, I pray over them that according to Ephesians, they will be filled with the Holy Spirit, sealed for the day of salvation. I pray that their eyes would be open. They will feel your presence and know that you exist. I pray you will give them a love for you, for your presence, your word. I pray, God, they will know you deeply and intimately, that you would walk with them for the rest of the days of their lives. I pray, God, Lord, you would make them wise unto salvation and that you begin to fill their hearts right now with joy.

Their names have been recorded in the Lamb's book of life. Their sins have been forgiven. And Father, you said when one sinner repents, all of heaven rejoices. So we rejoice right now, God, with all of these in the name of Jesus.