Introduction

Have you ever noticed the wise men (or kings) in the nativity scene and wondered, “what’s that all about”? Today we’re looking at their story, vs. Herod’s. By doing so, we’ll learn what it really looks like to follow Jesus.

Message Outline

The Wise Men...
- Used their resources to pursue Jesus.
- Were open and honest in their pursuit of Jesus
- Joyfully rejoiced
- Were protected by God

Herod...
- Used his resources to protect himself.
- Was deceitful and impulsive.
- Became furious.
- Tried to take away Jesus' life.
- Suffered the natural consequences of his actions.

Getting Started
-Have you ever heard about the wise men before?
-What did you learn about the wise men through hearing about this passage of Scripture taught on?
-What do you think the wise men’s journey to go see Jesus was like?

Diving In
Read Matthew 2:1-4. The wise men took the resources that they had, and pursued Jesus, while Herod took the resources he had to protect himself. Both of these actions would have had costs and risks involved. What do these actions tell us about the difference between Herod and the wise men?

- Take some time and list out all of the resources that you have at your disposal.
- Taking a look at your list from above, how well are you using your resources to pursue Jesus, as the wise men did, versus using those resources for selfish means, as Herod did?
- What do you need to do in order to use your resources to better pursue Jesus?What would your life look like if you were to use your resources to better pursue Jesus? What effect would doing that have on your life (i.e. more patience, greater self control, having a deeper faith, ect.).

While reading Matthew 2:1-9, think about the attitude that the wise men have versus the attitude of Herod. The wise men seem to be open, honest, and diligent in their pursuit of Christ, while Herod seems to be deceitful and impulsive. What do you think led to the differences between Herod and the wise men?
- Read 2 Corinthians 8:21. How well does your attitude honor the Lord?
- How could you better honor the Lord with your attitude?
- How would it affect your life if you could honor the Lord better with your attitude?

Read Matthew 2:10 and 16. What is the difference between the reaction of the wise men versus Herod?
- Joy is a major theme of the Christmas story. When you think of your life, what percent of the time are you joyful? What percent of the time are you angry?
- Read Proverbs 14:29 and Galatians 5:19-23. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. What would your life look like if you had more joy and less anger?
- Spend some time in prayer and ask the Lord to give you more joy, and less anger this Christmas season.

Applying the Scripture
- What are your biggest takeaways from this passage of God’s Word?
What practical step(s) do you need to implement in your life to apply what God has taught you in this passage of Scripture?
- How would applying this affect your life and your relationship with the Lord?
-Who can you ask to keep you accountable to applying this to your life?

CHURCH FAMILY NEEDS: Pray for Katy, as she recovers from her wrist surgery. Pray for Carolyn Dodd and what’s going with her thyroid. Pray for Jerry Jamrozy, who has bone cancer. Pray for the Walter family, as Bill recently had surgery for skin cancer.

MISSIONARIES: This month pray for the Bellas.

FAMILY OF THE WEEK: Each week we’ll pray for a different family in our church. This week pray for Josh Lamble.

HILLSIDE HAPPENINGS: Pray that the church would continue to stay unified under Christ. Pray for our livestream and for the people joining us there. Pray for Casa Del Alfarero, the Spanish-speaking Missionary Church 5 minutes from our building.

CURRENT HAPPENINGS: Pray for the war in Israel. Pray for the war in Ukraine.

Attendance
In-person on 12/10: 42
Online views through 12/15: 15

Giving
Online (12/4/23-12/10/23): $265 for general
In-Person on 12/10/23: $3475 for general, $50 for missions
Total general needed weekly to meet budget: $1480

Our foster closet is holding a pajama drive to bless their foster families with new, warm winter pajamas, sizes 3T to adult. Contact our foster closet team-leader, April with any questions.

Thank you to all who shared in this year’s volume of Hillside’s Story. If you would like to share in next year’s video, please see Pastor Josh. To watch this year’s volume of Hillside’s Story, you can go to our website, YouTube, or Facebook.

We are having our annual Christmas Candlelight Service on Saturday, Dec. 23rd at 7pm. We encourage you to invite friends and loved ones to this special Christmas service. On Sunday, Dec. 24th, we will be having service at our normal time, 10:45am.

If you do not receive our weekly emails, announcements, and prayer requests, please join our email list! You can do so by going to hmcworship.com/im-new

TECH: Our worship team is looking for someone who would like to run sound and/or slides. Please see Pastor Josh.

WORSHIP TEAM: Would you like to help out on the worship team? Please see Carolyn Dodd for details.

PRAYER GUIDE: Will you be in prayer for Hillside? Prayer guides are available at the welcome counter. Also, if you would like to be a prayer advocate, please see Pastor Josh.

MAINTENANCE TEAM: Would you like to help out on the maintenance team? We need help inside and outside the building. Please see Jeff Soule for details.