Pastors Corner

Sunday Jan 18th 2009
Herod, a man of deep faith(?).
As we move into the new year I would like to make one final reference to the Christmas story. One of the notable villains of the Christmas story is King Herod. This wicked king, in an effort to kill the baby who was born King of the Jews, killed all baby boys under the age of two in the Bethlehem area. King Herod is definitely NOT a hero of the Bible, but he did have a deep faith in the Bible. We know this because when Herod learned from the magi that they were looking for the “one who was born King of the Jews”, he didn’t dismiss it as a myth but consulted the chief priests and scribes and inquired of them where the Christ would be born. He believed the prophecy. He believed that the Messiah would be a literal person, who would be king of the Jews. Herod's conviction of the truthfulness of the prophecy was so deep that he took terrible and violent action to remove this threat to his throne. Herod's faith however, was fundamentally the same as Satan's faith. James tells us that even the demons believe and tremble! (James 2:19). In spite of his deep conviction in the facts concerning the true King of the Jews, one thing Herod would not do was bow before this king, in fact, he was determined to destroy this king. My point in focusing on Herod's faith is to point out that faith will not save us unless and until we, in faith, repent of our sins and surrender to the King of Kings, Jesus the Christ. You must do more than believe in the Christ you must bow before him to be saved. The magi came to worship the king; Herod wanted to destroy the king. Where do you stand?
Pastor Don