“WISEMEN: SEEKERS OF THE TRUTH”
(Matt 2:1-12)
- Matt 2:1-12
- Pray
- Our text today tells us about some wise men. They are called magi. These were men of science, students of astronomy, students of the body of
knowledge of their day. They were seekers of the truth and they had
come upon some very important knowledge.
- But that knowledge alone is not what made them wise. It is what they did
with that knowledge. You see, these wise men knew how to apply the truth
they had.
- And that is what made them wise.
- What can these magi teach us today? What example do they give us to live by? Are we willing to be SEEKERS OF THE TRUTH.
- As we look at several characteristics of their wisdom, if we will be open to follow their example, we may find the ability to live above the level of the ordinary and mundane.
1. AN ATTITUDE OF EXPECTENCY
- Expectancy motivated them to seek out the child
- Certainly they had knowledge that the King of the Jews would be born. They told Herod they had seen His star while they were still in the east
- But merely the having of the knowledge was not enough. I’m sure they could have made note of the sighting of His star in their journal. They could have recorded it for posterity, but they wanted to see for themselves
- They were filled with anticipation of what they might discover. So, they became men on a mission. But it was a mission full of hope. Hope of finding a savior, a King of all Kings.
- In fact, they were so sure they would find Him that they brought the gifts with them
- Do you have a great expectency of seeing the Messiah? Do you have child like anticipation that Christmas is coming?
- Jesus said in Mark 10:15, “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
- In order to come into the Kingdom, you must look to the Lord with hope. You must believe that He can do something in your life. Expectancy says that Christ can make a difference
- When I seek Him with expectency, it gives me hope to live another day.
- A few years ago the psychology department of Duke University carried on an interesting experiment. They wanted to see how long rats could swim.
- In one container they placed a rat for whom there was no possibility of escape. He swam a few moments and then ducked his head to drown.
- In the other container they made the hope of escape a possibility for the rat. The rat swam for several hours before finally giving up.
- The conclusion of the experiment was just the opposite of our common conclusion. We usually say, "As long as there is life, there is hope."
- The Duke experiment proved, "As long as there is hope, there is life."
- We must live our lives with great expectency of seeing the hope that can only be found in the Christ child.
The next characteristic we find is ...
2. A WILLINGNESS TO TAKE A RISK
- Not only did they exhibit a certain expectancy, but they also were willing to risk that they were right.
- We’ve all heard the little cliche, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." There is truth to that statement.
- Jesus said it another way. He said, "Seek and ye shall find." In other words, we must step out on our expectation if we would find what we are seeking.
- The wise men were willing to put their faith to the test of action.
- Risk is what puts the works to faith. It is the wise men hitching up to the camels and starting out across the desert following the star.
- It is Peter stepping out of the boat to walk on the water. It is Moses being pursued by Pharaoh, stretching out his rod to part the Red Sea.
- It is Abraham lifting the knife to sacrifice his son, Isaac, believing that God knew what He was doing. It is Joshua marching around the walled city of Jericho, trusting that God would bring the walls down,
- It is David going forth to face a mighty giant, armed only with a sling and some rocks.
- It is Daniel walking into the lion’s den, refusing to leave off his devotion to God.
- It is Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednigo willing to risk all for Christ and be thrown into a fiery furnace
- You see, risk is precisely what we need. Risk is faith in action, and faith in action causes us to grow.
- Being willing to risk causes our faith to be stretched. It increases our capacity for being used of God.
- Are you willing to take the risk to do whatever it is that God is calling you to?
- Faith without works is dead. Are you willing to put your faith to the test of action?
- Those who are wisemen and are seekers of the truth are willing to take risks in order to find themselves in God.
- The third characteristic was they had...
3. AN OPENNESS TO DISCOVERY
- The Scripture says, "And they came into the house and saw the child."
- They had taken the risk and now they had arrived. They had pushed beyond their horizons. And now they were witnesses of the greatest event in history.
They had discovered the child who was king. What they came upon was the God of the universe, who had left His throne in glory to be made a man.
- They discovered there in Bethlehem the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
- And once they had discovered Him they had...
4. A HEART TO WORSHIP
- When they found Jesus, they bowed down and presented the gifts they had brought.
- This was the fulfillment of their journey and it reveals the wisdom of the wise.
The Scripture says, "The fool has said in his heart, there is no God." Far from being foolish, these wise men knew the truth, and I suspect that the truth set them free.
- They bowed before the King of Kings, who, at that time, was only a babe.
- You see, it is not enough to know about Jesus. We must bow before Him in surrender of our very lives.
- We see by the wise men’s actions what worship truly means.
- They not only bowed before Him, but they gave out of their treasure to Him.
- They gave gold, which is the gift for a king; frankincense, which is the gift for a priest; and myrrh, which is the gift for one who was to die.
- They acknowledged Jesus for who He was, and they exhibited, by their actions, their allegiance to Him.
- True worship is giving — yourself — all you are and all you have.
CONCLUSION
- These wise men had seen a great light, and now they went forth to live in its glory and brightness.
- This is also what we must do. We must put into practice the principle the wise men exhibited and live in the grace and glory of that babe in Bethlehem who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
- We must never lose sight of the reason why we are here. We are here to glorify God and to do his bidding.
- The wise men still preach to us the virtues by which they lived: Expectancy, Risk, Discovery, & Worship.
- They speak to us about the possibilities in God for all of us.
- They speak to us about what can happen when you put your faith into action.
- They speak to us about an encounter with Jesus that can change a life.
- What is your need? What is your desire? How do you want to be used of God?
- What victories do you need to win? Jesus can do it all, in you and through you, as you come to Him in faith.
- But we must come in faith. We must come in openness and confession, expecting that God will work on our behalf.
- We must come in willingness and repentance. We must mean business with God, and He will do business with us.
- Are you one of the wise today, this Christmas season by being a SEEKER OF THE TRUTH!
- Pray
