I want you to think about something this morning. If you had to describe yourself in one word this morning, what would that one word be? If other people had to describe you using one word, what would that one word be? Think about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Does Happy or Grumpy describe you? Maybe you are more like Sleepy or Sneezy. Or, maybe you already have a nickname that people use that describes you in some way. I had a friend in high school that I could never remember his real name. Everyone always called him Screwy. I asked him why everyone called him that, and he didn’t really know why; but it didn’t take long until you figured out that this was an appropriate word that you could use to describe him.
Now, in the Christmas story, there are a group of people in the account in Matthew that were not known by their names. Instead, they were known simply as the wise men. That sounds like a nickname I could live with, but did you ever wonder how things would have been if the three wise men would have been women?
1. First of all, they would have stopped to ask for directions before they arrived in Jerusalem and alerted King Herod.
2. They would have arrived on time to help deliver the baby.
3. They would have cleaned and decorated the stable to make it a more soothing environment.
4. Finally, they would have brought more practical gifts such as a casserole, diapers and baby wipes.
But seriously, despite the short fallings of these men that visited the baby Jesus, they were still seen as wise in the eyes of everyone around. They were so wise that their wisdom was more evident than their names. And, if they were so wise, I figure that there are things that we can learn from them. Turn with me to Matthew 2:1-12 so that we can read about their wisdom from Scripture, or you can follow along in your sermon notes.
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When Herod he king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, Land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshipped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
As we open up the words of this verse, I want us to find out how we can have a wise Christmas. What set these men apart as wise in God’s eyes? Let’s discover that as we open in prayer.
We must seek Him
One of my favorite movies of all time is “The Goonies”. How many of you have seen that movie? This movie features a family who are going to lose their house, but one of them comes up with a plan. There is an old story about a Pirate ship full of gold that is hidden somewhere in their town. They find a map in the attic and they begin to think that if they join together with heir friends and find the treasure on this ship, then they will be saved from having to move. Now, their journey is not an easy one. They have to find clues, navigate through a bunch of underground tunnels, solve a few mysteries, escape the booby-traps, and stay ahead of the bad guys. They search after this treasure with all of their heart in order to be saved from the upcoming foreclosure of their home. It’s a great story in the end when they find what they were looking for and get the money to save the house.
Why do I tell you this? I tell you it because it is a great story that illustrates how you can seek after something with all of your heart. That is what the wise men did in our story. Think about it. All they did was see a star that they started following in hopes that they would find the Savior. But, they had a little bit of evidence that this would happen.
The magi were a caste of wise men that specialized in astronomy, astrology, and natural science. They were men of great learning, and even though they were not Jews, signs point to the fact that they were very aware of what the Scriptures said. First of all, they knew that a Jewish Messiah was coming. They were obviously familiar with the prophesy in the Old Testament that spoke of the coming Christ. But still, how did they know to follow this star. Some people think that it was because it was a unique phenomenon, so they were going to try to get at the source of it. This makes sense because their science had a great deal to do with the stars. However, I don’t think this is the end of the story. If they were just off to do scientific research, why did they bring gifts with them? I believe they knew this star was a sign of the Christ right away because they knew the Scripture better than the Jews knew it.
In Numbers 24:17, there was a prophesy about a star. In this chapter, Balaam, an oracle or seer is telling Balak about upcoming events. He sees a vision of the Almighty and in it he says, “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob.” Even at this early point in the Bible, people are predicting the coming of Christ, and Balaam is saying that he shall be accompanied by a star. Obviously, the wise men had studied this Scripture, and when they saw the star, they knew the Messiah had come.
We need to learn two things from this about what it means to seek the Lord. The wise men were in the Word and knew the Word of God, and they followed it no matter how ludicrous it must have seemed to the people around them. Just like in the Goonies, most of the kids did not believe that there was a pirate ship at all except for one. He never wavered because he had read about the existence and knew it was true. In our story, the wise men knew the prophecies in and out, and they believed them with all their heart. Other people probably thought they were crazy to follow a star to look for a King, but the wise men were rewarded in the end. If we want to be wise this Christmas, we will get in his Word and learn it. We will believe what it has to say. And, we will do what it says. That is how to wisely seek after God.
We must fall down in worship before Him
A man was going through his mail a couple of days before Christmas. He enjoyed the many Christmas cards he received in the mail that day. Finally, he came to a card that came from the bank he had used to take out a mortgage on the house he was living in. The card was very nice on the outside, and on the inside, it had one simple message. It read: Merry Christmas from our house to our house.
I’m sure that this little message was a reminder to the man that his house was not truly his house. It belonged to the bank as long as there was still money owed on it. Even though he lived in it and used it as his own, it did not truly belong to him. I think the same thing applies to Christmas. We have taken ownership of Christmas when it truly belongs to God. After all, why do we celebrate? It should be because of what God did by sending his Son to earth as our Savior.
I found a poem this week that I want to read to you that I think is very relevant. Its author is unknown.
If our greatest need would have been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.
Because of what God did, we need to remember that this is His holiday and should be all about Him. We need to keep Him first and foremost, and we do this by offering ourselves in true worship to the King. This is the wise thing to do. Our Scripture tells us that the magi fell down and worshipped Him. Are we doing that this Christmas? They actually fell down either to their knees or on their faces to pay tribute to the tiny Christ child. It doesn’t say that they sang a Christmas carol. It doesn’t say if they sung at all which is what we often refer to as worship. But, we do know that they worshipped Him in a way that was beyond wishing someone a Merry Christmas or merely singing a song. They were stirred in their souls to lay down their pride and pomp to bow before a baby. After all, these were important people. They probably had people bow before them on a daily basis, but yet, they humbled themselves before the Lord and sat in His presence. To be wise at Christmas means that we offer our entire being in humble worship to God. We lay down our pride and bow before the King in holy reverence.
We must give something back
One Christmas, a parent decreed that she was no longer going to remind her children of their thank-you note duties. As a result, their grandmother never received acknowledgments of the generous checks she had given. The next year things were different, however. “The children came over in person to thank me,” the grandparent told a friend triumphantly. “How wonderful!” the friend exclaimed. “What do you think caused the change in behavior?” “Oh, that’s easy,” the grandmother replied. “This year I didn’t sign the checks.”
Have you ever been in the awkward position where someone bought you a Christmas gift and you didn’t get them anything? What do you do or say in that situation? It’s almost like those Southwest airlines commercials on television. Whether the person goes into the wrong restroom, knocks over an entire display of products at the store, or declares his love to a coworker who is actually talking on the phone instead of to him, they all have one phrase in common which is, “Wanna get away?” That’s how we can feel sometimes when someone gives us a gift that we didn’t buy for. Why is that? I believe because it is only natural for us to give something back when someone gives us something. It may be as small as a thank you note – but we should always repay generosity with thanksgiving.
So, if we feel we should give something back to people who give to us, shouldn’t we also give back to the Lord? Right after teaching the disciples about prayer, Jesus goes on to teach the following in Luke 11:11. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” You see, God gave us the gift of His Son, the gift of salvation, the gifts and abilities to do ministry, and the gift of the Holy Spirit to name a few. So, I ask you, what did you give Jesus? Is it worthy of what He has given you?
The magi/wise men were not even church goers, but they had enough sense to give something back to this Christ child. They brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. These were all things that ordinary people did not have. These were items set apart for royalty and the richest among people. And yet, they saw something in this Christ child that said that He was worth giving the very best to. Are you giving your very best to Him? Are you giving Him an offering above and beyond the required ten percent for what He has done? Are you even giving Him the ten percent He requires? Are you giving yourself and your God given talents in service to the church, or are you just along for the ride to enjoy the Christmas services? Have you given Him your time and attention more at this time of year, or have you become too wrapped up in things you need to get done for you? If we feel we have to give back to people who give to us, shouldn’t we be trying to give back to the One who has given us His Son in place of our lives? A wise Christmas is one in which we lavish our King with gifts.
We must be open to God’s leading
A funny thing happened to the magi as they returned to their homeland. Instead of taking the safe, comfortable, and familiar way home, they took a detour. The Scripture says that they left for their own country by another way. Think about this for a minute. There were not detailed road maps like we have today. They certainly had no GPS navigation systems. Due to their professions, chances are, they were guided home by following the stars. It would have just been easier to go home the same route that they had come. They would have already known the good hotels to stay in. They would have already known some good places to stop and eat. And, they would have had the opportunity to stop and experience the sights and sounds of Jerusalem again which was a magnificent city in this time. So, why would they pass this all up?
The Scripture makes it plain. The reason that they went about in a different way was because they were directed by God in a dream to do this. God was leading them according to His plan. How many of you would like to be able to know God’s plan and where He wants to lead you? We can know it if we follow the model that the wise men show us. Look at their actions. First of all, they seek after God. Then, they fall down and worship God when they find Him. Finally, they give gifts to the Lord. Then, and only then, does God reach out to them and lead them according to His plan. The same is true for us. Until we seek Him, find Him, worship Him, and give Him our best, God will not lead us and direct us. Too many times, we try to jump the gun and just ask God to lead us without us doing anything in return. We must take a lesson in wisdom however and do our part first through our seeking, worship, and giving.
I do want you to notice one more thing about this. God’s plan is not our plan. It is often more difficult and requires us to change our plans. Obviously, the wise men had planned on going back the same way, but God made them altar their plans. Like we said earlier, the easy and comfortable thing to do would have just been to go back the same way. It is human nature to want the familiar and the comfortable; therefore, we often try to say that God is endorsing our plans and our preferences so that we can stay comfortable and don’t have to be inconvenienced. We will quote Scripture, claim Godly inspiration, and find others who agree with us so as to avoid seeking God and finding His true plan. We don’t want the boat to rock. We don’t want to have to change. But, we must remember that most of the time, God’s ways are not our ways. There is no shortcut to finding out God’s plan. The wise know that they must seek, find, worship, and give in order to uncover God’s plan.
In December of 1903, after many attempts, the Wright brothers were successful in getting their “flying machine” off the ground. Thrilled, they telegraphed this message to their sister Katherine: “We have actually flown 120 feet. We will be home for Christmas.” Katherine hurried to the editor of the local newspaper and showed him the message. He glanced at it and said, “How nice. The boys will be home for Christmas.” He totally missed the big news and the main point of the whole telegram.
As the season passes, I pray that we don’t miss the main point. It would not be wise to forget to seek after God. It would not be wise to skip past our worship of Him. It would not be wise to give gifts to everyone and forget to give to God himself. It would not be wise to close ourselves to hearing God’s voice and not go where He leads. I pray that through the hustle and bustle that we would have a wise Christmas. I like the bumper sticker I saw recently that stated, “The wise still seek Him.” Will you be wise this holiday season and do the same or will you miss the best part of the season? It’s your decision. Let’s pray.
