Christmas Sunday Service
Let’s take our Bibles and locate Matthew 2…today we journey in the footprints of the Magi – “we three kings of Orient are” – the three wise men (by the way, none of those actual titles are true. There weren’t technically three and they weren’t kings. But more about that later). And if there’s one word that describes the magi, it is the word “hope.” Think about it – they journeyed far and long based on their hope that a king was born in the town of Bethlehem. That’s a pretty strong hope, isn’t it?
There is hope everywhere at Christmas. As Australians we hope for many things
“I hope I get a PS3 for Christmas.”
“I hope I get a new dog for Christmas.”
“I hope I get a Mercedes Benz.”
We often make New Year’s resolutions
“I hope I get to keep my job this year.”
“I hope I get married next year.”
“I hope I can beat my cancer next year.”
But the problem with ‘New Year hope’ is that it is always based upon uncertainty. For example, we may say “I hope we get pregnant soon.” That kind of hope is a wish, not a certainty. We can hope all we want, doing everything humanly possible to “help our New Year’s wishes along.” All the indications may be that it will come true. But life is unpredictable and things can change at the last moment. Suddenly, all our New Year’s hopes are dashed.
You keep trying to improve your life and every Christmas you make new resolutions. Most of them you do not achieve and a few you succeed in. But it seems there is no way forward. There is no lasting joy, no sense of purpose.
That’s the problem with New Year’s hope – as good as it makes you feel sometimes, it is still fundamentally based on uncertainties. In the bible we see something different.
1) The bible shows us how to live
2) What about now?
3) Live with confidence
4) Christmas is all about Jesus
1) The bible shows us how to live
Put your nose into the Bible everyday. It is your spiritual food. And then share it. Make a vow not to be a lukewarm Christian.
Kirk Cameron
American, Actor
Have you ever wondered how to move your life forward?
I mean to make sure that next year is better than this year? Really better.
The magi, however, had biblical hope. Biblical hope is an expectation, desire, or anticipation, but without the human uncertainty because biblical hope has, as its foundation, the promises and character of God.
Before we look at Matthew 2, let me show you the sort of hope you want to build your life on. It is
18God cannot tell lies! And so his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed.
We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us. 19This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls. Hebrews 6:18-19a
At this time of year when so many people are hoping for something, we hope because of someone – God! We know that next year will be better than this year for one simple fact, we will grow as a Christian this coming year.
This is the kind of hope that motivated the Magi to leave their country and travel a long distance. This is the kind of hope that propelled the wise men to give of the treasures. This is the kind of hope that prompted the Magi to risk their own safety in search of the king.
It is the sort of hope that we need in our lives today.
Let’s look at their journey and see what insights we glean from this passage about biblical hope.
Matthew 2:1-12
Matthew 2:1-2 says these wise men were “Magi from the east” and had seen a “star in the east.” So they came. Had they come on a hunch? Or was biblical hope really driving their search? Perhaps a little background will help answer that question.
Much of what has been written about the Magi is based upon speculation or traditions that may have no basis in fact. For example, they were not kings but were rather advisors to kings. And no where are we told there were only three. There was probably an entourage of people with these kingly advisors. So the song “We Three Kings” is really an urban legend (no offense to you Christmas carol lovers).
The group of Magi mentioned here in Matthew 2 were no doubt indirectly influenced generation after generation by Daniel and his Jewish friends. The fact that they undertook such a difficult journey in order to worship Him strongly suggests that they believed in the God of the Jews. In fact, did you know that Daniel is the only book – and only one – in the whole of the Bible that foretells the time of the Messiah’s first coming? The passage is
24God has decided that for seventy weeks, your people and your holy city must suffer as the price of their sins. Then evil will disappear, and justice will rule forever; the visions and words of the prophets will come true, and a most holy place will be dedicated. 25You need to realize that from the command to rebuild Jerusalem until the coming of the Chosen Leader, [c] it will be seven weeks and another sixty-two weeks. Streets will be built in Jerusalem, and a trench will be dug around the city for protection, but these will be difficult times. 26At the end of the sixty-two weeks, the Chosen Leader] will be killed and left with nothing. A foreign ruler and his army will sweep down like a mighty flood, leaving both the city and the temple in ruins, and war and destruction will continue until the end, just as God has decided. Daniel 9:24-26.
In the year 0 Jesus was born, in the year 70AD the Romans came and destroyed the city and the temple was destroyed.
In this prophecy, Daniel is told by the angel Gabriel (the same angel who visited Mary) that the King would come 483 years after a decree was issued to rebuild Jerusalem.
So guess what they did? 483 years later they “loaded up the truck and moved to Bethlehem”. That’s right – based on God’s past revealed revelation, they had a future hope. That’s biblical hope!
2) What about now?
But the God of the Bible is not only One, but the only possible One.
Leo Strauss
German, Philosopher (1899 – 1973)
We can all learn something from this about biblical hope: Biblical hope finds it source in God! If you’re wondering about the future, the coming year, your eternal destiny, your purpose on earth, upcoming decisions – if you are needing hope for tomorrow, it is in the Bible that we find the certainty we need to act with confidence in the present.
People often wonder, “What happens when I die?” “What is the point of prayer?” “What am I supposed to do with my career and life?” “Can my marriage really be restored?” “Is it possible to really be happy?” “What on earth am I here for?” For the Christian, the bible holds the answers. For instance,
• Someone may be here who thinks they always have to be perfect in their job, never having a flaw at work or at home. But did you know God says
3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4
The way to true success in our relationships is through humility. And that’s a secure foundation for hope in relationships. And much better than always trying to outdo one another.
• Or a someone may be here this morning who has lived their whole life worried they are not good enough for God. Many people do not want to come to church because they say they are not good enough.
But did you know the Bible says
28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. Romans 3:28
That’s right – by believing that Jesus rose from the dead, God’s only Son, we are freely forgiven and saved.
3. Live with confidence
We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and the oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.
Winston Churchill (1874 –1965)
It is hard to live with confidence. Especially as you get older more and more of your ideas turn out to be false, and you never know what is really real and what is not. As you get older there is a temptation to become more cautious and withdrawn.
Biblical hope says, “Proceed with confidence!” in a world filled with people shouting “proceed with caution.” As a Christian, who has faith in the bible, we know how to live. We know how to grow in Jesus Christ. We are not living insecure.
Oddly enough, while the Magi had “done the math” and were looking for the coming of the King, the Jewish religious leaders had not done so and were oblivious to the fact that the King of the Jews had been born in obscurity just a few miles away. Look at Matthew 2:3-6, would you?
Matthew 2:3-6
This comes from Michah, written hundreds of years ago.
2-4But you, Bethlehem, David’s country,
the runt of the litter—
From you will come the leader
who will shepherd-rule Israel.
He’ll be no upstart, no pretender.
His family tree is ancient and distinguished.
Meanwhile, Israel will be in foster homes
until the birth pangs are over and the child is born,
And the scattered brothers come back
home to the family of Israel.
He will stand tall in his shepherd-rule by God’s strength,
centered in the majesty of God-Revealed.
And the people will have a good and safe home,
for the whole world will hold him in respect—
Peacemaker of the world! (Micah 5: 2-4)
Amazing, isn’t it? Micah’s prophecy revealed the place, and no doubt they had access to Daniel’s writings as well. Yet they didn’t act on it. Same information, different result. Why? Because of the heart! People usually see what they want to see; you typically find what you’re looking for.
I learn something else from this about biblical hope: Biblical hope finds soil in a seeking heart! This morning, some will leave here and act on what I’ve taught you from God’s Word. Others will leave and ignore it, even possibly trying to make fun of it. Why? Because some people do not want to believe and some do want to believe. Human beings are very intelligent, if you don’t want to believe something you will not believe it.
Perhaps more than anything, the Magi teach us that you find what you’re looking for. Throughout the New Testament we find this same principle fleshed out – people finding what they were looking for. These teachers of the law and religious leaders, who knew same prophecies as the Magi, would one day be the very ones to crucify him instead of worshipping him. And the commoners who saw the same miracles as the Pharisees would be the ones who would believe, while the religious teachers drowned in their denial.
New Year and Christmas are wonderful times to look at our lives and reassess everything. To stop and say what is important?
Sure enough, the Magi found what they were looking for – Jesus! Look with me at the last few verses in this section.
read Matthew 2: 7 – 12
Yes, their hope was realized the moment they saw the Christ-child. I imagine one of them may have said, “I knew it!” Or maybe another said more religiously, “Just like God promised.” Regardless, the very person they were seeking – Jesus – and the very ruler they were hoping for, was now before their eyes.
What a journey this must have been! Their journey may have covered 1,000 kilometers and taken four to five months. Led by a moving and reappearing star.
It is like us. You spend your whole life looking for something to fill the void within you. Something that will guide you. You look for years and years until suddenly you find it.
4. Christmas is all about Jesus
One encounter with Jesus Christ is enough to change you, instantly, forever.
Luis Palau
Argentinian, Clergyman (born 1934 friend of Billy Graham)
There are many great things about Christmas. The friends, the family, the presents but in the end it is about Christ’s mass. It is about Jesus.
I learn one final thing from this about biblical hope: Biblical hope finds its fulfilment in Jesus. I love the words, “they saw the child.” Their journey was complete when they saw him. That’s when they knew it was well worth it.
It is the same for us. For those who grew up in church we remember when we first owned our faith for ourselves and wondering, is this true. And you go through those neurotic teenage years wondering if it is all true. And slowly, over time, the bible keeps calling you to live differently to everyone else around you. Eventually you start to realise that it is true. You finally have your faith confirmed all those years of submitting to the gospel.
And don’t you love how they showed their joy – in blessing others! The three gifts the Magi brought foreshadowed the person and ministry of Jesus.
Gold, frankincense and myrrh
• Gold for His royalty. In the Scriptures gold was a symbol for royalty and also signified the glory and deity of God. It was thus an appropriate gift to give to God the Son.
• Frankincense for His deity. This was a sweet incense that was used in connection with some of the offerings in the Temple, it’s aroma rising to God as a prayer.
• Myrrh for his humanity. Myrrh was an embalming ointment which would be wrapped in the garments of the deceased. It signified the fact that Jesus was born to die.
For us we give back to God by living a life of joy. By blessing and serving others.
13Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Romans 12:13-15
1) The bible shows us how to live
2) What about now?
3) Live with confidence
4) Christmas is all about Jesus
It my desire this morning to ignite hope within each of you. That you may live a good life based on the solid teachings of the bible. That every year we may be closer to living the life that Jesus wants us to live.
I invite you to come forward and light a candle as a symbol of Christ’s light in the darkness. For a Christian we have within us Christ’s light and we want to shine it to everyone this Christmas.
