Hi Everyone
Here's our Christmas message, taught on 7 Dec for our little party! You can download the audio too!
Pray it blesses you this Christmas!
Chris
Study is based on the following passage:
Matthew 2: 1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “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.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” 9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. (NKJV)
Wise Men Seek Hard After God
Matthew 2:2 saying, “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.” (NKJV)
Even though they were not Jews themselves, they sought after the one true God. This is why they were able to come to Jerusalem in search of the King. They must have known this King was God. No one else had such revelation to do that!
Wise Men Study Scriptures
Matthew 2:2 saying, “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.” (NKJV)
They must have studied what little scripture they had very carefully, for they seemed to have had the much of the puzzle piece together, the Big Picture view:
- Like David, they saw a GOOD GOD in the scriptures worth seeking!
- They knew the sign of the star when they saw it (Numbers 24:17 “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult. (NKJV))
- They knew He was going to be the King of the Jews and that this meant a lot to the world
- They knew enough to have awe of God to journey to worship Him
Wise Men Wait Upon the Lord
Matthew 2:2 saying, “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.” (NKJV)
They were fairly certain that the Messiah would come in their lifetimes. Certain enough for them to be looking out at the skies on a regular basis, perhaps for many years, we don’t know. We don’t see the things of God only with casual glances – it takes patience and constant awareness on our part, a lifestyle of seeking Him. Like the Man seeking treasure in Matt 13:44, we don’t stumble on treasure if we don't dig many holes!
Wise Men Focus on Eternal Things
Matthew 2:2 saying, “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.” (NKJV)
They understood the BIG PICTURE of things. One might know about the Messiah, but to understand His significance in the salvation of Mankind requires deep hunger and seeking and studying of the Word for revelation. Remember they probably only had the Old Testament at most. Some experts surmise that these were people from Babylon, who had been touched by the life of Daniel and remained as followers of the Lord. They were focused on eternal things, and must have understood why a messiah was even needed at all! Many today don’t even care about God, worrying only on things on earth.
Wise Men Walk by Faith
Matthew 2:2 saying, “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.” (NKJV)
When the star appeared, it must have taken them faith to follow it. Mind you, they probably did not know for certain. It took faith to stop their lives for a few years to do this. Remember that Herod killed all the children 2 and under, implying that it might have taken them up to 2 years to reach where Jesus was and possibly the same returning. Right or wrong, these people put their lives on hold for a long time, measured at least in months.
It must have been a long and difficult journey fraught with risks. Following a star is not as easy as it looks. They had to travel by night, on camels. They had much wealth on them. It must have been a large entourage because
Matthew 2:3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. (NKJV)
The star did not guide them directly to the home where Jesus stayed (He was already not in the manger, contrary to many Christian depictions), but only in the direction of Jerusalem. This is possibly why Herod had no knowledge as to the exact location of Jesus. It was only from there were the star’s directions exact.
Matthew 2:9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. (NKJV)
Wise Men See in the Spirit
Matthew 2:11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (NKJV)
They saw the plan of God in the Word being unfolding before their eyes and it brought great joy to them. If they did not, they would not be able to see Jesus for who He really was. They would have just come to see a young child in a very humble setting.
They knew this was the Christ, the King, the Messiah. All this means little to people who don’t see in the Spirit, who don’t understand how badly we need salvation.
Wise Men Worship God
Matthew 2:11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (NKJV)
They had a deep reverence for God and in knowing His plan, they worshipped who was essentially a toddler. When we have that same deep reverence for what God had already done, our instinct too will be to worship, no matter how silly it might look to those outside.
Wise Men Steward Generously the Things of God
Matthew 2:11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (NKJV)
People who know God and His plans know they are stewards of God’s wealth are always generous for His causes. These men came with great gifts that I believe sustained our Lord and His family for a period.
You can be rich and wise if you understand stewardship.
Wise Men are Led by God
Matthew 2:12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. (NKJV)
Those who follow God expect to be led by Him.
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (NKJV)
They were actively aware enough of the presence of God in their lives, had a relationship with Him to be guided by Him.
Unwise Men, on the Other Hand…
Matthew 2:3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” (NKJV)
We see on the other hand, the religious elite of the day being so cold and callous toward the things of God. They had the exact knowledge of scripture, but not having faith mixed with it, it profited them nothing. Note that they:
- knew that there was to be a Christ, but had no hunger to find out about it
- missed the sign of the star themselves
- knew the prophecies as to where He was to be born
- made no effort whatsoever to journey a few miles to see Him – spiritual things did not excite them
- instead were willing to release such information to a jealously murderous king like Herod, knowing they would definitely be putting Jesus’ life in danger.
Hunger for God and the things of God are so important. Religion, without a hunger for a relationship with God, can be absolutely blinding.
Let’s all determine in our lives to be wise, to seek God in His Word, to know Him, His love and His will for us.
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