Why does the world love the baby but not the King?

At Christmas, even a secular world finds "baby Jesus" appealing. In Matthew 2 and Luke 2, Dr. Toby Holt shows that the child in the manger is the King — and that changes everything. A baby, a teacher, even a healer the world will accept. But Jesus as King, Jesus as God, is another matter — the wise men sought "He who has been born King of the Jews," while Herod plotted to kill Him. Holt presses past the sentiment of the season to the real identity of Christ: the divine King who calls for our allegiance, not just our admiration.

Questions this sermon answers:

1. Why is the world comfortable with "baby Jesus"? Because a harmless infant makes no demands. It is Jesus as King and God — with authority over our lives — that the world resists.

2. Who sought the newborn King, and who opposed Him? Wise men came from afar to worship Him, while King Herod sought to destroy Him. The newborn King drew both worship and hostility.

3. What does Christmas really call us to? Not just sentiment, but submission. The child of Bethlehem is the King of kings, worthy of our worship and our lives.

"Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." — Matthew 2:2 (NKJV)

Speaker: At Christmas, even a secular world finds "baby Jesus" appealing. In Matthew 2 and Luke 2, Dr. Toby Holt shows that the child in the manger is the King — and that changes everything. A baby, a teacher, even a healer the world will accept. But Jesus as King, Jesus as God, is another matter — the wise men sought "He who has been born King of the Jews," while Herod plotted to kill Him. Holt presses past the sentiment of the season to the real identity of Christ: the divine King who calls for our allegiance, not just our admiration.