The Gifts Series

INTRODUCTION

• Christmas is fast approaching!

• Have you racked your credit card balance looking for that perfect gift for those who are important to you in your life?

• I was telling Robyn the other days about my memory of being a young kid when my parents would take me to the town square to see Santa!

• I was so excited to see Santa.

• Santa had a little house, as I think the tiny house was not much bigger than an outhouse.

• For all you youngsters, an outhouse is kind of like a permanent port-a-potty. 😃

• It was exciting to tell Santa all the gifts I wanted.

• Gifts are an essential part of many cultures.

• In many cultures, gifts are given on birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and certain holidays.

• Christians exchange gifts on Christmas.

• Most Americans give gifts on Christmas.

• Jews exchange gifts at Hanukkah.

• Just like in the Bible, sometimes gifts have special meanings intended to say something about the gift's receiver.

Big Idea of the Message: The gifts of the magi reflect what the Scriptures say the Messiah will be: Prophet, Priest, and King.

• Let’s turn to Matthew 2:1-12.

• The main focus will be on verse 11 today, but I would like us to go through the whole passage together.

Matthew 2:1–12 (NET 2nd ed.)

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, in the time of King Herod, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem

2 saying, “Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 After assembling all the chief priests and experts in the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.

5 “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they said, “for it is written this way by the prophet:

6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are in no way least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

7 Then Herod privately summoned the wise men and determined from them when the star had appeared.

8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and look carefully for the child. When you find him, inform me so that I can go and worship him as well.”

9 After listening to the king, they left, and once again the star they saw when it rose led them until it stopped above the place where the child was.

10 When they saw the star, they shouted joyfully.

11 As they came into the house and saw the child with Mary his mother, they bowed down and worshiped him. They opened their treasure boxes and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 After being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back by another route to their own country.

SERMON

I. Myrrh for a Prophet.

• FUNNY SLIDE

• When the wise men entered the home where Jesus was, Jesus was probably one or two years old at this time.

• When the wise men entered the home, the first thing they did was bow down and worship Him!

• Jesus alone was the object of their adoration!

• The wise men were not there to worship Mary.

• When they opened their treasure boxes, they presented gifts to and in honor of Jesus.

Commentary on Matthew (Chapter 2 (Matthew 2))

Gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh certainly suggest three phases of our Lord’s life. His kingship, his divinity, and his sufferings are in the most solemn manner suggested by these wonderful gifts; and, although we must agree with the commentators who reject any special symbolism in these gifts on the basis that nothing in the text supports such symbolism, nevertheless, it must be admitted, they DO SUGGEST those things with reference to Christ.

• The gifts would become useful and needed when Jesus and His family were forced to flee to Egypt to avoid the killing rampage of Herod.

• As a side note, we see that giving is an essential aspect of worship.

• The first gift we are examining is the gift of myrrh.

• The prophesied Messiah in the Scriptures is said to be a prophet.

• A prophet is someone sent by God to give people his message.

• We see this in the Old Testament: each of the prophets is called by God and comes with a distinct message.

• Jesus is presented as a prophet.

Matthew 21:11 (NET 2nd ed.)

11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”