Notes from a sermon on 26 November 2012
Matthew 2 verses 1 - 12
A fact we find in verse 1 – wise men. You cannot deny that. Here we see they are wise because doing one
thing – seeking after the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sometimes you see a sticker on the back of a car “wise men sought Jesus - they still do.” The travelling these
wise men did – it was to find the Lord.
Picture what our journey might be to find the Saviour.
These men observed. We find them
knocking on the door of the palace in Jerusalem, talking to Herod and is
counsellors – verse 3. Something stirred
in their hearts. These were ordinary
men, nothing supernatural about them who came from the East, making their way
to Jerusalem, to Herod’s palace inquiring about the Lord Jesus Christ. They observed Herod, bringing them into his
counsel rooms, sitting down with them, asking them to explain what has brought
them from the East. Can imagine them
saying “we were just attending to our every day needs and as we looked around
the galaxies we couldn’t understand one star.
It troubled us, we became more excited as we had never seen this before.” That is what brought them here. This was their normal day life that God broke
into. “We have seen his star”. They have come seeking for a person. God broke into their lives in their normal
every day activities. Sometimes we think
if God is going to speak to me something dramatic has to happen. Sometimes God speaks
in a quiet manner just in our every day activities - maybe ironing, getting
into the car and going to the shops. God
stirs the hearts – it begins on a journey and ends when we find Jesus for
ourselves. Moses was way out in the
desert doing his normal days work, tending his sheep, taking them out perhaps
to find grass or water for them when something happened. He was intrigued by a bush that began to
burn. Matthew was just a tax collector,
came down to his office, working away at receiving taxes. Just at that moment the Lord went past his
desk and said to him “follow me”. Do you
remember God speaking to you and called you out after himself?
These men were open.
As they gazed on the star they realised something different, something special
never seen before in the sky. They were
prepared to seek until they found the meaning of this star. Hadn’t a closed mind on it. Sometimes we can make up our mind before we
consider anything. They realised this
was the kings star. God began to speak
into situation. God revealed to them the
very birthplace they were to go to. As they
fixed their minds on Christ he opened up their minds. The bush burned when Moses observed it in the
desert. It didn’t burn up completely
away. That is how God captured the mind
of Moses that day. God told him to take
off his shoes because the ground he was on was holy ground. He was capturing his head now he wanted to
capture his heart. As we gather around
the Saviour, as seek to show you he is the only Saviour you need, you need to
go to Calvary. There he died for your
sins. Here were these wise men and God
opened their minds. Maybe God is going
to speak to you through something in your life.
He will capture your heart and mind as you consider this situation.
These men had obstacles too in their lives. As they came to find the Lord something
happened. They got confused and
bewildered, got their eyes off the star and went to Herod’s palace. They tried to work out where this child was
to be born. They thought this would be a
king and therefore would have to be born in a kingly city which was Jerusalem. They worked out in their own minds they had
to go to Herod’s palace but that is not where they found him. Sometimes we begin to think things out for ourselves. We think we need to live a better life, start
going to church, reading my bible. All
that is good but that is not God’s salvation.
Jesus came into the world to seek and to save that which was lost. Nicodemus had all these things but not
saved. Paul writing to Timothy “thou
hast known the scriptures from a child.”
His grandmother and mother both taught him the scriptures but that didn’t
save him, it only showed him the way. He
had to put his faith and trust in the Lord to save. Maybe there are obstacles in your life and they
are keeping you from the Lord.
These men had obedience. They listened to Herod and what he had to
say. Herod was trying to deceive
them. “I am interested in this new king
you come back to me and I will send someone and we will worship this king.” As we consider the things of God there is the
enemy, the devil. He will do all in his
power to deceive you and I from worshipping the King of Kings and Lord of Lords,
keep us back from finding the Lord as Saviour.
We need obedience. The star came
again. It was speaking louder than Herod’s
voice or his counsellors voices. God
wanted to take them out to where the star was.
They never stopped until the star rested over the house where they found
the Lord. That is what God wants to do
in our meeting. The most important thing
for you and I is that we know the Lord Jesus Christ as own and personal
Saviour. You can find him. He has come tonight and is standing in our
midst and bids you to come to him.
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