In the Scorpion song, Wind of Change, Klaus Meine sings of a new day dawning in the Soviet Union, a day of peace and unity. If you are unaware of this song, it's a song that served as the anthem at the end of the Cold War. It was played as the Berlin Wall was being torn down. In this song, Klaus says, the future is in the air. I can feel it everywhere, blowing with the wind of change. Klaus wrote this before the change in the Soviet Union actually took place. But he could feel that change was in the air. Though the wise men in this passage are not following the Moscow River, which is in Russia, they are following the star, a star leading them towards greater peace than that can be found after the Cold War. In this passage, we see the true wind of change that cannot be stopped. We see God's true King, Jesus Christ, who will bring about freedom, peace, and new life on earth. And that he will rule whether he is worshipped or opposed. Matthew makes clear to us this truth, the rule of Christ cannot be stopped. And we see this in three parts. The responses to the King, the attempt on the King, and the return of the King. You can see this outline printed in your bulletin for you, but we'll look at our first point, the responses to the King. Look at me at verses 1-12. We are transported to the first century, where Jesus' ministry has not even started yet. He is likely not older than two years old, but we are introduced to some wise men from the East. Most scholars agree that these men are from Persia, which is modern day Iran. They are likely non-Jews, but they are aware of biblical prophecy that seem to align with astrology. How that all makes sense? I don't know, but that's where we find ourselves in the text. So they follow a star to Jerusalem, knowing that this star was an announcement of the true King of the Jews, the one that was promised to be born. And as they arrive in Jerusalem, they are met by the puppet King of the time, Herod the Great, who was the quote unquote, King of Judea at the time. The wise men tell Herod that they are here to worship the King of the Jews. Where is he? Herod knew that these men were not here for him. Instead, he is troubled. The throne is in jeopardy. Verse 3 tells us that he is troubled in all of Jerusalem with him. History tells us that Herod was so paranoid about power and keeping it that he killed his own three sons. His wife, her mother, and her grandfather. And just like he saw his own family as a threat, Herod feels threatened by Jesus, the baby in Bethlehem. Herod is such a bad King of the Jews, he doesn't even know the biblical prophecies of the Messiah. He asks his officials to gather and he's like, where is the Messiah supposed to be born? I need to know. So he takes this information from what he has learned and he feeds it back to the wise men so that they could maybe serve as spies for him. He says to them, find out where the Messiah is. And once you found that out, tell me and I'll come and worship him too. We know as we read this text that that seems to be very disingenuous. We were told earlier that he's troubled. This inquiry that he presents to the wise men is more of a fixation to kill Jesus than to worship him. Unlike the wise men who rejoice in the thought of Jesus, Herod is filled with fear, anger, and trouble. Whereas the wise men relish, Herod rejects. Think of this scene like any Disney movie. There's a prince or a princess like Simba or Snow White and there's a villain that tries to ensure that this prince or princess does not fulfill their destiny. They pretend to be nice, they pretend to be caring, but you really know as you watch the scenes on the screen that they're really out to try and keep their power. In each of these stories, this false queen or king is trying to kill the true heir to try and keep their power. And this story is no different. Unlike these fairy tales, this is the true story of our savior, Jesus Christ. Herod was a historical ruler and he sought to kill Jesus. He feared that he would lose his power if this true king, Jesus, actually showed up. So like Scar from the Lion King, he tries to stop him by all means. But we know, church, that that's not what happens. That we know that Herod cannot stop him. Even from the beginning of his life, Jesus received one of two responses to who he is. Either he was relished or he is rejected. The mirrored moments of our savior's life from his birth to his death and resurrection are eerily similar. These wise men from the east who are likely Gentiles come to Jerusalem looking for the promised king to worship him. There is the quote unquote Jewish king of that day along with all of Jerusalem were filled with dread at Jesus arrival. We saw this contrast in our readings from Good Friday. We were reminded that the high priests and religious leaders of the day were the ones who were seeking Jesus' life. These two responses that people have to Jesus are the responses that still exist today. And so I would ask you, do you see the rule of Christ, his kingship over all of life, as a threat or as a treasure? There's really no in between. Even the posture of indifference is a form of rejection. It's not as bad as seeing Jesus as a threat, but it is still not seeing him as the gift of grace that he is. The wise men are limited with their knowledge, but they saw clearly who Jesus was that he was worthy of worship. What's almost though is that those with the most facts are the greatest skeptics. We see this in the birth narrative as well as the end of Christ. Whereas the wise men and the fishermen are willing to be disciples and long for the reign of their savior, the religious leaders of the day disdained it. Here at his birth or his death, we see that Jesus' rule cannot be stopped. The shepherd of Israel had come. The one who would lead his people by feeding them, seeing this in his miracles, by binding up their wounds, by healing them. The one who would lead them to green pastures and still waters has arrived. Like the wise men, do you see him and rejoice and bring all of your earthly belongings and treasures to honor him, seeing that he is the one of ultimate worth? They bring the gold, frankincense and myrrh. Or are you postured in suspicion and trouble and doubt, trying to claim your false sense of control of your life, vanquishing anyone who stands in your way for your sandcastle to be built? Herod did that then, Caiaphas later, and we often do it now. Would we see the supreme worth of our king and see that he cannot be stopped and that he is meant to rule and he will continue to? And for us who are unwilling to see his kingdom come, would we turn and repent today? Because I tell you, church, with certainty that what Jesus will bring on earth is far better than anything that we ever could. The rule of Christ cannot be stopped. He will reign regardless of our responses, but our responses to him matter. What you respond with today matters because what you rehearse day over day is what you will experience in the future. Do you delight in King Jesus, who will lead you to rest and restoration in this life and the life to come? Or do you reject him, keeping for yourself your sandcastle? That is here today and gone tomorrow. Jesus' rule cannot be stopped, but ours can and will. In the end, we will need to ask, where did it lead us? Did it lead us to paranoia and posturing or rejoicing and restoration? And so we've seen there are two responses to the King who cannot be stopped, Jesus Christ. Now let's look at the attempt on his life point two. Look at me back at verse 12. The wise men are told to not share their findings and they are to go home. Before Herod launches his attack to try and kill Jesus to stop his reign, Joseph, Jesus' earthly father is warned to flee to Egypt because Herod is trying to make an attempt on Jesus' life. We see this in verses 13 to 15. So Joseph flees to Egypt with his family and the camera pans back to Herod in verses 16 to 18. Herod is fuming in his castle because the wise men didn't come back and give him the information that he had wanted and his sin and power-hungry paranoia leads him to massacre all male children aged two and under in Bethlehem. It's sickening. The same man who killed his own sons, it should be of no surprise to us that he ruthlessly tries to keep his power even here. In this action he is trying to stop Jesus the true King from ruling over God's people to get him in the cradle so that he would not need to deal with him later. It's disgusting. The scriptures tell us that there was weeping that took place in Bethlehem. That night and the days that followed, it was inconsolable weeping. As readers we know that our King Jesus was kept alive. That Herod's attempt on his life did not work. Knowing that the rule of Christ cannot be stopped. This attempt on his life led to the fulfillment of prophecy. Jesus fled to Egypt with his parents. It is fulfilling the prophecy of the second Exodus. It says, out of Egypt I will call my son. Jesus foreshadows here the one leading God's people out of slavery, not to men like the first Exodus, but in the second Exodus freeing them from the slavery to sin and death. Jesus does this by giving of his very life on the cross. In this text we see the attempt on his life as a mark of God's preservation. But in it we see it points towards Jesus' work on the cross. That it could not stop Jesus' rule. Death did not stop him. It could not stop him. The cross is where the killing of the innocent in Bethlehem finds its fullness. The true and most innocent son, God's own son, dies. And yes it was an attempt by wicked men to try and keep power. But it was also God's means of dying for the sins of those who believe in him. He died the death that death may die. That everlasting life may be known. And his resurrection, which we remember this morning, is the proof. It is the proof that death could not stop our Savior. In this we see Jesus returning to his people. Either as a child or as an adult. Neither Herod or Pilate could stop the reign of Jesus. Jesus our Savior cannot be stopped. He returns to his people. And this is the point that I want to consider last this morning, the return of the king. Look at me at verse 19. Verse 19 tells us that Herod dies and that Joseph is told by an angel to return to Israel. We read that Joseph is fearful to return to Judea. Or to Judea. The surrounding region of Jerusalem. Because Herod's son, Archalaeus was there. This is one of the sons he clearly did not kill. But one of his sons is there. So Joseph keeps his son and his wife in obscurity in Nazareth. In the district of Galilee. Yet again fulfilling prophecy of the Messiah being called a Nazarene. And as I say this, this is not God just checking boxes with Jesus' story. In the fulfillment of prophecy we see the intentionality of our God and the accuracy of our God of bringing about salvation as he is promised throughout the scriptures. And so King Jesus returns to Israel. Likely as a toddler. But we know that he returns to his people. To grow into a man that fully fulfills his mission. By living a sinless life to lead to the liberation of his people from sin. This return of the king is far more anticlimactic than the return from the dead. But it is a foreshadowing of what Christ will do in his life. As a resurrected king. Making clear his victory over false rulers. His victory over death. And showing that he truly did pay the penalty for our sins. The resurrection is the receipt that the debt had been paid in full. We see that the rule of Christ, his reign cannot be stopped. It couldn't be stopped by Herod. It couldn't be stopped by death. And in this, Jesus removes a greater barrier than the Berlin Wall. He removes the barrier between God and man. That a holy God can now live and be in full relationship with us. Because of the price that Jesus paid. Redeeming all who believe in him that we may have a relationship with God. Jesus in his resurrection ends a worse tyranny than Herod the Great. He overcomes sin, death and Satan. Bringing about new life in his resurrection. The winds of change of our savior on the cross and his resurrection are experienced in part now. But we will experience them in full. It's almost as though in the resurrection of Jesus Christ that he is living in obscurity in Nazareth. But church he is not. We know that our king conquered the grave. That he resurrected and is ascended on high. Ruling and reigning at the right hand of the father. Until that day where we see this in fullness. Would we see our unstoppable God who seeks to save the lost. From the cradle to the cross. To the cross to the grave. To the grave to the sky. Our king reigns on high. The rule of Christ cannot be stopped. So may we take comfort in that today. And if you are not comforted by that. May you be confronted. May be in your denial of his rule. And may God work to lead you to be comforted.