Wise men seek Jesus

 

LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 18 DECEMBER 2022

MATTHEW 2 VERSES 1 – 12

The wise men are associated with the birth of Christ yet when we read scriptures, they come later than that.  What can we learn from this visitation today?  Remember all scripture is given to us for our learning today.

There is the drawing of these wise men.  What was happening?  God was not prepared to leave these men in darkness, without seeing his Son.  God is not willing that any should perish today.  We see God’s own precious Son who knew no sin made sin for us.  He was perfect in all his ways, never sinned.  God laid on him the iniquity of us all.  Every one of us was born in sin and shapen in iniquity.  God in his mercy sends his son in the fulness of time.  He sent his son into the world for one purpose – he came as a great teacher who taught the scriptures, many were healed by him.  We think of many famous and infamous people in that respect.  He came primarily as a Saviour.  The message of the angels to the shepherds as they watched their sheep that day was simple “for unto you is born in the city of David a Saviour.”  He came primarily to be the Saviour of the world.  God was not willing for these men to be in darkness’s.  He wanted this message to be revealed to them.  God used the star to draw the attention of these men.  They would have studied the stars in their everyday lives.  On one day there was one star they had never seen before.  They realised as they studied it that it was from God himself.  They had a journey to make.  You and I have a journey to make tonight.  The Holy Spirit comes to where we are and reveals our need of salvation.  He shows us his son dying on the cross for us.  There is a journey we have to make – to the cross of Calvary.  He forgives our sin at Calvary.  Isn’t it wonderful how God draws these men.  God draws us deeper into the things of God, closer to his wounded side.  We may know our sins forgiven today but maybe we haven’t begun to follow after the Lord.  Remember Matthew sitting there at the seat of taxes.  Jesus stopped with him one day.  He asked him to follow him.  He arose and followed him.  Sometimes we arise but are not following.  Are we following closer today?  There are people watching to see if our course in life will be changed and how it will affect us.  These men ere studying the stars and saw one star which drew them to the Lord.  It was a burning bush for Moses.  Maybe God is changing the course of our lives today.  He is showing us something in our lives that needs dealt with.  For Jonah it was a whale that changed his course.  He was told to go to Nineveh but he wouldn’t do it.  He got into a ship and set off in the opposite direction, away from God.  God sent a great ship and a great whale.  He commanded the one to cast him out and the other to eat him up then throw him out.  It was all God’s plan.  These men were coming to worship.  They identified the star with a king. They believed he was born in Bethlehem.  Their main aim was to worship,  Have we come today to worship?

Think of the distraction these men ran into.  These men had a knowledge of the Old Testament scriptures.  They were comparing it with all the promises there.  The scriptures looked forward to the promise of the Messiah.  They thought he would come to Jerusalem as that is where the king lived.  They got distracted, got their eyes off the star momentarily.  Their own thoughts and imaginations took them to Herod’s palace.  Why did they go there? They thought as he was a king he would come to a palace.  The whole palace was troubled when they heard of a new king being born.  Herod gathered many intellectual men to try and understand this.  He asked them where this king would be born.  They turned back to the prophets and specifically Micah 5 verse 2.  They hadn’t even to think of it.  They opened up exactly to where the prophecy was.  They knew were this king was to be born.  Isn’t that what we find in our present day society?  There are many churches going through the motions but have no time for Christ and salvation.  We have to be careful that religion does not distract us.

The direction.  God was not going to allow them to go wrong – verse 9.  They had listened to the king and all his wise men.  They departed “and low the star which they saw in the east, went, before them.”  The very same star that had been leading and directing them was seen again.  Lets not get our eyes on religiosity but the way of God.  It will lead us to the Lord Jesus Christ.  When they followed the star they came to the very place where Jesus was.  We need to let Jesus lead us to the place where he is exalted and worshipped.

The determination. We need to realise the drawing, the distraction and the direction God has given us.  We need to then be determined.  The coldness and apathy met in Jerusalem did not bother them.  They went on and sought after the Lord.  We will meet the obstacles in the road of life.  Barnabas was named the son of consolation.  He was willing to hold out the hand of friendship, to go the extra mile.  In Acts 11 the word came back to the believers in Jerusalem and they wanted to send someone from Antioch so Barnabas was chosen.  Acts 11 when he saw the grace of God men and women believing in the Lord, delivered from sins and on their way to heaven and home he only had one word for them – “continue”.  Acts 11 verse 23 they should “cleave” unto the Lord.  That word cleave means to hold on tightly, that was the advice of this godly man.  Remember the new converts in Acts 2 Peter preached and souls got saved.  Acts 2 verse 42 “they continued steadfastly”.  Maybe we have been on the road a long time, we still need that determination to go on.  Simeon in the temple was drawn of God to the very place where the Lord was carried in in his mothers arms.  “Lord now lettest thy servant depart in peace for my eyes have seen thy salvation.”  He waited for that day.  He continued steadfastly.  Determined to hold on until he would see for himself.  Maybe we get discouraged, an apathy and coldness sets in, we see the wickedness of others.  We can see those 3 attitudes here in this story – the bitterness and hatred of king Herod, the coldness of the religious leaders and then the determination of the wise men.

The devotion of the wise men – verse 11.  They fell down and worshipped him.  They were prepared to give.  They opened up their treasures of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  Are we prepared to give to the Lord today?  The woman with the alabaster box had only that box.  Maybe had it for years but now she saw the opportunity to glorify God.  She broke open the box and poured it on Jesus’ feet.  The widow with 2 mites – all she had in this world – she gave all she had.  Jesus saw them thrown into the offering plate.  She was prepared to give her all.  The lad with loaves and fishes was chosen out of all in the crowd.  He gave what he had for his lunch.  It was only loaned to him.  What you have belongs to the master today.  He has gifted it to us while we are on this earth.  Notice more importantly that they gave what they could but they fell down and worshipped him first and foremost.  Maybe it is easy to give gifts, to throw into the plate and think that is enough until next week but we must worship first.  They gave their own devotion to the Lord first and foremost then they gave of their gifts.  In the Corinthian church Paul took up that offering for the saints at Jerusalem.  They gave of themselves first before they put into the plate.  They said “Lord here’s my life.   I will put in my offering for the saints but in reality here’s my life first and foremost, I want you to have it.”  We have to come today to worship.  Let’s not hold back today.  Like Isaiah of old lets say “Lord send me.”