Pastor Dave Martin, Cross Creek Community Church, December 25, 2011

“Christmas Miracles” Part 4 of 4

Wise Men

Mt 2:1-12 & Selected

How many times have you heard the Christmas story? If you'll like me, it doesn't matter how many times you hear it – it's still the greatest story on earth!

As a little introduction this Christmas morning, Last week we learned about the lowest class of people, the shepherd… Today the highest class of people called the Wise Men… I believe they date back some 530 years before the birth of Christ… They are referred to in the book of Daniel where we read… Daniel 2:48 “Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.”

I believe God used His prophet Daniel to instruct the “Wise Men” in OT prophetic scriptures concerning the GREATEST event of all History – the coming of the Messiah, Immanuel, Jesus the Savior of the world…

1400 year earlier the Lord prophesied in Numbers 24:17a "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel….” Then from God’s prophet Micah we read, Micah 5:2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."

God tells us: Proverbs 10:14a “Wise men store up knowledge…”  These Wise Men in deed “stored up knowledge” concerning the coming Messianic King… Let’s begin by looking at the Wonder of the Magi…

1. 1. The Wonder of the Magi!

Matthew 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem

• We’re not told very much about the Magi, the Wise Men from the East.
• They were not Jewish but rather Gentiles from “East” of Israel: Babylon, Persia, perhaps India or China?
• The trip could have taken them 3-6 months across some very difficult desert terrain. Because of their stature they would have traveled with a large number of people, a caravan...
• Usually referred to as the “Three Wise Men” because of the three gifts they presented to Christ but we really do not know the exact number of them. They were taught in all religions including the Jewish faith and Jehovah God… Magi is a term used to describe astronomers, doctors or philosophers… They were very wise and very educated and very wealthy…
• I believe, because of their intellectual pursuits they were seekers of knowledge & a greater understanding of deep questions of life itself…  Why am I here? Why do I exist? Is there an after life? Who is God?

1. 2. The Wonder of the Star!

Matthew 2:2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

• The star led them to Jerusalem where they sought the one “born king of the Jews”… they “SAW HIS STAR”
• Explanations range from a planet conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, to a low hanging meteor, to an erratic comet, to some saying maybe it was just an “inner vision”… This was NOT an ordinary star or some natural occurrence... all efforts to explain this star are inadequate… Supernatural, God’s special angels… Possibly only visible to the wise men, angels are seen appearing at certain times to certain people.
• We see a glimpse of God’s Shekinah glory in the O.T. leading the Israelites with fire & cloud.

Someone pondered what the first Christmas might have been like if wise women had come from the east instead of wise men…They probably would have asked for directions, made it to Bethlehem on time, helped with the delivery, cleaned up the stable, made a decent meal. But I’m not sure about that...

• They were seeking the truth, relying upon God’s Word – their hearts started to yearn within them for more… WHY did they come? We saw His star and have come to WORSHIP HIM…

1. 3. The Wonder of the Prophecy!

Matthew 2:3-8 ³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵ "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: ⁶ "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

• King Herod was “disturbed” – agitated, stirred deeply troubled… just who is this king Herod? King Herod now 70, hated the Jews and the Jews hated him. He was very cruel, often referred to as a "monster in human form – a wild beast"… He crucified hundreds of people who disagreed with him. Murdered his wife, his sons – every rival – he even had his last son murdered from his death bed…
• Large caravan of famous Magi comes riding into town asking about a new born King… paranoid Herod…
• He called ALL the chief priests who were mostly Sadducees and teachers of the Law/ scribes/ Pharisees
• Authority on Jewish Law, referred to as lawyers who were recognized as key scholars of religious Judaism
• Used authority of scripture… Where was the Messiah to be born?  Bethlehem in Judea, some 6 miles away!

⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

• Herod’s concern was the time the star appeared, not its meaning or significance… He wanted to kill the threat to his throne… time indicates the age of the child… then LIED – “I too may go and worship Him”…
• He later slaughtered every male child 2 years and under, in and around Bethlehem… To destroy any rival…
• The magi were seeking the King (Joy); Herod was opposing the King (fear); the Jewish priests were ignoring the King (indifference)… Everyone fits into one of these three categories today…

The Wonder of the Wise Men, Star, Prophecy…

1. 4. The Wonder of the Encounter!

Matthew 2:9-11 ⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

• Saw the star & was “overjoyed, exhilarated, bursting forth with excitement” when God’s special star appeared again… then supernaturally “stopped” over house where the Christ child was… sought & found
• Charles Wesley captured the experience in his beautiful Christmas hymn: "Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail the incarnate deity; pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus our Immanuel!"

The Wise Men…

• “Bowed down and worshiped Him” (they worshiped Jesus, not Mary, not Joseph)
• “Presented Him with Gifts… Gold, Incense, Myrrh” (gifts were an expression of worship)

• Gold=Royalty/King… Incense=Deity/Purity… Myrrh=Humanity/Death  (Early church fathers…)
• We see two significant things the Wise Men did…  They Worshiped and they Presented Gifts
• Let’s bring this familiar story closer to home…

1. 5. Christmas Day Application!

Matthew 2:12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

1. The Wise Men found Christ and were changed forever… they went home different! (Saved)
2. Critically important, we too must be WISE (Men & Women)

Ephesians 5:15-16 ¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

1. We too are called to be WISE as we live out our lives in these short few years we have earth…

Two things we can take with us this Christmas morning… worship and service

The Wise Christian…

• Worships the Lord Jesus! (Rev 5:11-14)   

John 4:23-24 ²³ Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴ God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

“As a tear magnifies grief, as laughter magnifies humor, as a smile magnifies joy, so worship magnifies God…”   

Counting towards Eternity… How’s your worship?

• Presents Him with Gifts! (Rev 22:3) 

1 Peter 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

Colossians 3:23-24 ²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, ²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

“Do all the good you can by all the means you can by all the ways you can in all the places you can and at all the times you can to all the people you can as long as you ever can”. ~ John Wesley

Counting towards Eternity… How are you serving?

1. We read in Revelation that heaven is filled with worship and serving…
2. Life on earth is our training ground… Are you using what God has given to you?
3. We worship God by serving one another using your God given talents/abilities/spiritual gifts

C.S. Lewis tells us, “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.”

Be wise like the wise men… TODAY, with a view towards eternity:  Worship & Serve the Lord!

Live a lifestyle of Worship as we serve Christ by serving one another… 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!