WISE WORSHIP
Matthew 2:1-12
INTRO: Recently a great deal of talk has centered around the subject of worship. Though the Greek word translated worship is used nearly sixty times in the New Testament, no prescribed order of service states how many hymns should be sung or what kind of sermon should be preached.
Nevertheless, we can glean some important truths concerning our worship is we study what is the greatest worship service in the Bible —that recorded in Matthew 2:1-12. I believe the Magi came with some specific attitudes concerning worship, and I want to share three of them with you.
I. THEY CAME DESIRING GENUINE WORSHIP.
Worship is really the act of paying tribute to someone (or something). These Magi obviously understood the momentous occasion before them, for they traveled several hundred miles to be there and worship Christ, the Lord.
These Magi, as do all human beings, had a need to worship something. But they were desirous of genuine worship. When they got to the house where the family lived, they went in and bowed before the Christ child. Genuine worship to them meant sacrifice and humility. Here were learned men, no doubt well respected in their community, bowing before a baby. Could there be a better example of genuine worship?
We have a need to worship, too. Mane no mistakes about it, people today worship something. It might be a new house, a fishing boat, a car, their families, or just themselves. But for us, worship of God must be primary.
We need to realign our thinking as to what worship really is—acknowledging the lordship of Christ in our lives.
II. THEY CAME PREPARED FOR WORSHIP.
The Wise Men came prepared to worship the Messiah. We find evidence in verse 11 that they came bearing gifts from their homeland. They were physically prepared for their meeting with Jesus.
They were also prepared spiritually. No doubt they had studied the Scriptures and knew that the star represented the birth of the King of the Jews. I am certain that each day as they journeyed toward Bethlehem, they became increasingly excited about the coming worship service.
Preparation is imperative in any endeavor. On most cans of paint the instructions admonish the user to “prepare the surface.” Dirt or flaking paint would certainly adversely affect the quality of a new paint job. Just as in painting, preparation is imperative in worship.
Try preparing for the worship service by praying for thirty minutes on Saturday night. Pray earnestly and specifically for God to grant a meaningful experience to you and your co-worshipers on Sunday, and I guarantee that He won’t disappoint you. Then come expecting great things to happen in worship, and they will.
III. THEY CAME WITH SINGLENESS OF PURPOSE.
When passing through Jerusalem, the Magi did not say they were vacationing and had decided to stop by Jesus’ house while they were in the area. No, they declared emphatically the driving force that compelled them to come: “We have come to worship Him.”
We ought to come to worship with one purpose—not to be entertained or to swap fish stories or even to see our friends—but we ought to come with the single purpose of meeting Almighty God and allowing Him to change our lives. Let us not be guilty of making that trek for any other reason.
