The King Has Come: Christ's Sovereignty Revealed

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus is not a figurehead—He is King

We often live as if Jesus were a ceremonial monarch, smiling from a distant throne while we manage our own lives. Scripture describes something very different: a true, absolute King whose word is final and whose reign is total. He does not wait to become King; He is King by birthright, authority, and nature. His kingship reaches into our calendars, our decisions, and our desires, not to restrict joy but to anchor it in His good rule. Today is an invitation to stop negotiating with Him and start kneeling before Him in trust and obedience [03:12]

Matthew 2:1-2 — After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, travelers from the east arrived in Jerusalem asking, “Where is the one who was born to be King of the Jews? We saw His sign in the sky and have come to bow before Him.”

Reflection: Where are you treating Jesus more like an advisor than a ruler, and what one decision could you submit to His authority before this week ends?

Day 2: A global King drawing distant hearts

The Magi crossed rugged miles because a distant light told them a true King had come. Their journey reminds us that Jesus is not the King of one tribe or nation; He is the King who calls the nations. He gathers worshipers from far-off places and unexpected backgrounds, including you. His star still shines—through Scripture, through the Spirit’s prompting, through the faithful witness of His people—guiding seekers to His presence. Let your heart travel again, in wonder and joy, to kneel before Him who welcomes the world [04:05]

Matthew 2:9-11 — The sign they had seen in the east moved ahead of them until it rested over the place where the child was. Seeing it, they were overwhelmed with great joy. Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary, fell to the ground in worship, and opened their chests to give Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Reflection: Who in your life feels “far away” from God right now, and what small, specific step could you take this week to help point them toward this King?

Day 3: Darkness opposes, God protects the King’s work

From the beginning, King Jesus faced furious resistance—Herod schemed, and the powers of darkness stirred. Yet God was not caught off guard; He warned, redirected, and preserved His plan through dreams and divine guidance. The same God still shields His purposes in and through your life. Opposition may be loud, but it is not ultimate; the King’s will stands. Take courage: the One who rules is also the One who watches over you [02:58]

Matthew 2:13,16 — An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up, take the child and His mother, and escape to Egypt; stay there until I tell you, because Herod is coming to search for the child to destroy Him.” When Herod realized he had been outwitted, he erupted in rage and ordered that all boys two years old and under in Bethlehem and the surrounding area be killed.

Reflection: Where are you experiencing pushback as you seek to obey Jesus, and what protective boundary or prayerful action will you take in response this week?

Day 4: Worship looks like knees bowed and hands open

When the wise men finally saw the child, they didn’t merely admire—they fell and offered. True worship engages posture and possession: knees to the ground, hands open, hearts yielded. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh hint at our own gifts—our resources, our prayers, even our grief and pain—entrusted to a generous King. You can offer what you treasure most and what weighs you down most; both belong at His feet. Worship is not a song to sing only, but a life to place in His hands [03:47]

Matthew 2:11 — They entered the house, saw the child with Mary His mother, collapsed in reverence, and opened their treasures, laying before Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Reflection: What is one concrete “treasure” (time, resource, talent, or burden) you will place before Jesus this week as an act of worship?

Day 5: The humble King who saves and reigns

Jesus reigns unlike any ruler we’ve known—He stooped to serve, suffered to save, and now sits exalted above every name. He holds all things together, and yet He drew near to carry your sin and offer you life. One day every knee will bow and every tongue will declare that He is Lord; grace invites you to bow now with joy. He came for you, He died for you, and He lives to lead you into freedom under His good rule. Receive His mercy and walk in faithful allegiance to the King who is both humble and holy [05:22]

Philippians 2:6-11 — Though He shared the very nature of God, He did not cling to His status, but emptied Himself, taking on the form of a servant and becoming human. He humbled Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God raised Him to the highest honor and gave Him the name above every name, so that at Jesus’ name every knee will bend—in heaven, on earth, and under the earth—and every tongue will openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Reflection: If you were to bow before Jesus today, what single sentence of confession or praise would you speak—and what specific step of trust will you take in the next 24 hours to align your life with that confession?

Sermon Summary

Christmas invites us to look again at the Child on Mary’s lap and ask, What child is this? I traced that question through William Chatterton Dix’s story—his brush with death, his rediscovered faith, and the poem that became the carol we love—because the poem’s genius is to move our eyes from the manger to the visitors and then to the identity of the Child. Scripture answers plainly: this Child is King. But most of us, especially in our context, don’t instinctively know what that means. We live under constitutions, representatives, and term limits—so we often treat Jesus as a ceremonial figurehead or a partner we “work with,” not as an absolute sovereign.

Matthew’s Gospel confronts that. Jesus’ genealogy announces royal lineage through David back to Abraham; Matthew 2 introduces a rival “king,” Herod, who is threatened by the true King, and foreign Magi who travel far to worship the Child. Their journey reminds us this is not a provincial story; it’s global. Their question—Where is he who has been born King of the Jews?—doesn’t picture a prince waiting for a coronation but a King whose reign is already in force. Even creation seems to participate, whether by a supernatural star or a rare conjunction, guiding outsiders to Israel’s Messiah.

I highlighted four ways Matthew shows Jesus’ kingship. First, Jesus is King over all the earth: nations stream to His light. Second, the message is explicit: He is born King, sustaining all things even as an infant. Third, His kingdom meets immediate opposition—Herod’s rage, Satan’s schemes, and a swirl of angelic activity—because true authority always unmasks false thrones. Finally, every knee will bow. The Magi did first what the whole world will do at last: fall down before Him. But this King is unlike any other—humble, good, and self-giving, emptying Himself to the point of death for our salvation. So the right response this Christmas is not sentimentality but surrender—costly, joyful, trusting worship that treats Jesus not as an ornament to our lives but as Lord over all of them.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus is an absolute sovereign King Many of us treat Jesus like a constitutional monarch—honored yet limited. Matthew insists He reigns without rival, not as our consultant but as our Lord. True discipleship means laying down veto power and receiving His rule as good news. That’s freedom we only find on our knees. [75:10]
2. Christ’s reign embraces all nations The Magi’s long journey announces a global kingdom from the very start. Outsiders, without Israel’s Scriptures, are drawn by God’s initiative to the feet of Israel’s Messiah. Wherever you begin—near or far—grace can find you and lead you home to worship. [88:21]
3. The true King meets fierce resistance Herod’s violence exposes how threatened we are by real authority. The same collision plays out in our hearts whenever Jesus disrupts our self-rule. Yet God’s providence is never outflanked; the Child is preserved because the cross, not a sword, is His chosen path to triumph. [94:55]
4. Worship bows before understanding The Magi fall down first, then open their treasures; love moves faster than complete comprehension. Prayer, obedience, and generosity are how our lives “kneel” today. When we worship, our clarity grows, and our treasures find their rightful place—at His feet. [77:41]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[66:13] - Family update and gratitude
[67:14] - William Chatterton Dix’s story
[69:07] - From Greensleeves to carol
[71:55] - What does “Jesus is King” mean?
[73:13] - Monarchies and absolute sovereignty
[75:10] - Christ the absolute sovereign King
[76:19] - Reading Matthew 2:1-12
[79:33] - Genealogy and royal lineage
[83:45] - Who were the Magi, really?
[88:21] - Four ways Jesus is King
[92:12] - Darkness opposes the true King
[99:14] - Every knee will bow
[104:27] - Invitation to receive the King

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- Matthew 2:1-12

Observation questions

In Matthew 2:2, the visitors ask, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” What does the wording “born king” suggest about when His reign begins?
What happens in Jerusalem when Herod hears about the birth (Matthew 2:3)? How does that reaction shape the rest of the story?
Trace the Magi’s steps in Matthew 2:9-11. What leads them, what they feel, what they do when they arrive, and what they give. What order do these come in?
Compare the two “kings” named in Matthew 2:1-2. What do we learn about each one from the details Matthew gives?

Interpretation questions

“Born king” means Jesus is not waiting for a coronation. What does that teach about the kind of authority He holds over life right now? How does that differ from rulers who must wait to receive power? [01:21:55]
The clash between Jesus and Herod highlights a conflict between true and false thrones. What does this reveal about how real authority exposes and unsettles counterfeit power? [01:22:35]
The Magi bow before they understand everything. How does worship “first” become a pathway to greater clarity and faith? [01:17:41]
Outsiders with “no Old Testament understanding” are led by God to Jesus. What does this say about God’s initiative to draw people from far and near into His kingdom? [01:27:45]

Application questions

It’s easy to treat Jesus like a constitutional monarch—honored but limited. Where are you keeping “veto power” in your life right now, and what would surrender look like this week? [01:15:10]
The Magi traveled roughly 715 miles to worship. What “distance” (time, comfort, resources) would it take for you to pursue Jesus with similar priority this season? Identify one concrete step you will take. [01:29:13]
Herod guarded his throne at all costs. When Jesus disrupts your self-rule, what defenses show up—excuses, delay, anger, distraction? Share one current place of resistance and what obedience would look like instead. [01:33:59]
The Magi “fell to the ground and worshiped him” before opening their treasures. What would it mean for you to “kneel” before you “give”—prayer before planning, obedience before budgeting? Name one gift, act of generosity, or step of service to lay at Jesus’ feet. [01:17:41]
“Every knee will bow.” How can that future certainty shape how you relate to people now—especially those far from faith or from other nations? Name one bridge-building step you can take this month. [01:39:14]
Jesus is a humble, self-giving King who chose the cross. Where is He inviting you to choose humility in a practical way at home, work, or church? Share it with the group and invite accountability. [01:41:17]
The true King meets fierce resistance. What opposition are you facing right now—spiritual, relational, or internal—as you submit to Jesus’ lead? How can this group pray and stand with you in it? [01:34:55]

Sermon Clips

The song's powerful words presented a unique view of the birth of Christ. While the baby was the focal point of the song, the brilliance of the song, though, shifts the ones that are singing from focusing not just on Christ, but to consider those who visit the child, wondering, who is this child that lays before them? Each verse of the song takes us through Jesus' birth, his life, his death, and his resurrection. And each verse triumphantly declares the baby's divine nature. [01:11:04] (45 seconds) #WhoIsThisChild

The message of the New Testament is that Christ is the absolute sovereign king over all creation. And let me add to us as well. He is the king over all. To help us to understand the supremacy of Jesus's kingship, I would like us to look at Matthew chapter 2. This is a familiar story. It's a part of the Christmas story. I don't think it belongs a part of the Christmas story, though. As we unpack it a little bit, we're going to see that some of these events took place quite later than the birth in the manger. [01:15:34] (40 seconds) #ChristSovereignKing

Now this passage is found in one of the four accounts of the life of Christ. We call them the Gospels, the stories of the good news of Jesus Christ. There are four Gospels because we have four writers that are writing from four different perspectives to four different audiences, but all focusing on the same message, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who has come into the world to take the place of sinners by dying on the cross. And that by dying on the cross, he will provide salvation and redemption for those sinners if they place their trust and faith in him. [01:18:14] (47 seconds) #GospelsProclaimSalvation

There's a king born as king. He's not awaiting to be king. He's not going to, there's not going to be a time later in his life when he becomes king, but he's king. And then we're introduced to another king, Herod. Now Herod was a puppet king, a territorial king. He was not supreme leader. He was placed by Rome who was overseeing the region at the time. But Herod was not a true king. Matthew's setting the scene in Matthew chapter 2 for the conflict that is going to exist between the true king and the false king. [01:22:10] (47 seconds) #TrueKingVsFalseKing

Jesus's arrival brought angst to the power brokers of religion and life. We see that throughout his life and ministry as Jesus would minister to people in the three and a half year public ministry that he had. He would often cause the religious leaders and the political leaders to be frustrated at best and murderous at worst. Jesus overturned the cultural norms of religion and secular systems that were in place in the world. [01:22:58] (36 seconds) #JesusChallengedAuthority

The frankincense was an incense that was used in worship and so it could quite symbolize the worship of this baby and the gold that Jesus is a royal king. I mean, we hand out onesies and toys right at baby showers. We're not handing out these kinds of gifts. He's heaven sent. The angel tells the magi to go another way. Satan will not be able to take the baby today. This baby will grow up. And when you read the life of Christ and everything, all the opposition that he faced, it's not that God was afraid. Jesus will always remain king. [01:37:47] (87 seconds) #WorshipGiftsForKing

This baby who is the king is a humble and good king. That's Paul's point in Philippians 2. The king that came into the world was not an autocratic king that just demanded things from his servants. The king that came into the world was a generous, kind, benevolent king. Jesus as king is like no other leader the world has ever known. And it's to this king that every knee will bow. [01:41:17] (34 seconds) #HumbleBenevolentKing

``He came for you. He left heaven and humbled himself to the point of death for you so that he could take your place as the perfect substitute for all the sin that you have committed that separates you from God. And by trusting in him and who he is, this good and generous king provides forgiveness for your sins and he provides eternal life. [01:44:36] (46 seconds) #JesusTookOurPlace

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