Excerpt
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Intro
- In our penultimate lesson of our Christmas series
- The story of Christmas from people who were actually there
- The inn keeper - making room for Jesus
- The shepherds - loners and outcasts invited into the story
- The magi - pagan astrologers used by God
- Today: King Herod
But, as always, let’s start with a question:
Q. Whose Kingdom Are You Building?
- Think about it: everyone’s building someone’s kingdom
- A successful friend of mine wants to start his own business
- He’s made a lot of money for the owner of his company
- Dawned on him: why doesn’t he start his own!!
- Today’s point isn’t to inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs
- It’s to call your attention to this fact:
Everyone’s working for someone’s kingdom
Today as we meet King Herod we’ll find a ruler desperate to protect his kingdom at all costs, even opposing God’s eternal plan.
NOTE: The Bible mentions several rulers named Herod, each playing a distinct role in different contexts. The Herods were a dynasty of Edomite rulers under Roman control, and they feature prominently in the New Testament:
- 1st Gen: Herod the Great: Ruler at Jesus' birth. (Matthew 2:16-18)
- 2nd Gen:
- Herod Archelaus: Feared by Joseph. (Matthew 2:22)
- Herod Antipas: Executed John the Baptist, mocked Jesus. (Mark 6:14-29, Luke 23:7-12)
- Herod Philip I: First husband of Herodias. (Mark 6:17)
- Herod Philip II: Tetrarch of northeastern territories. (Matthew 16:13)
- 3rd Gen: Herod Agrippa I: Executed the apostle James and imprisoned Peter. (Acts 12:1-4)
- 4th Gen: Herod Agrippa II: Heard Paul’s defense. (Acts 25:13–26:32)
- Herod the Great = clear bad guy in the story
Driven by self-interest (building his own kingdom) made some terrible decisions
It’s easy to see sin in someone else’s life, isn’t it?
But when we look in the mirror, we’re often blind…
Truth is: We are Herod - we all tend to do this, act out of destructive self-interest:
- Sinful Habits
- Addiction that destroys you and your relationships
- Or Even Good things:
- Careers: pushing hard at any cost (often families)
- Finances: building wealth without asking “what for?”
- Relationships: burning bridges
- Influence: Gaining followers but losing friends
- Blinded by self-interest: Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos (see “The Dropout” podcast)
- once celebrated as a groundbreaking entrepreneur who promised to revolutionize the medical industry with her blood-testing technology.
- obsessed with maintaining her
