Wise Men Still Seek Him Today
Matthew 2:1-12 NKJ
1. Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,
2. saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
3. When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5. So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
6. ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”
7. Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.
8. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
9. When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.
10. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
11. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
The story of the wise men is a fabulous story, a story of adventure, a story of intrigue, a story with a villain and an alternative plot in it,
Which involved the most sought out subject of all time, and it is one that is shrouded in somewhat of mystery.
They seemed to just show up mysteriously –and just as mysteriously they are gone, never to be heard of again.
Not even a future reference of someone claiming to be related, or a long lost relative, trying to claim their fifteen minutes of fame.
But one thing we can be certain about is that, the number of wise men and women grows, and are still being found today, as people continue to seek the Christ.
Let’s look at three things, that we can learn from the story of the wise men.
1. A wise man’s journey is one of FAITH.
"Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East.”
What would prompt someone to leave the comfort of their homes to go on a dangerous journey?
Romance? Yes Love, has inspired many great journeys.
Wealth? Most definitely wealth has caused many men and women, to cross the great divide in search of fame and fortune.
What about faith? Yes –faith in God, has inspired the impossible to become possible many times,
In Hebrews chapter 11, the bible tells us over and over what faith is capable of.
The Wise men said; “Where is He who has been born the King of the Jews?”
What a probing, confident question – there is no doubt by the authority in their question, they knew that He had been born,
They had seen the star, the evidence was real, they were ready to worship Him!
They had faith that He had been born, that He existed, their purpose, their quest, was to find Him.
And so they were willing to risk everything to find Him.
They were willing to leave everything they knew, to risk it all, to seek a King.
Can you imagine what their friends and neighbors thought?
So, your going on a journey huh? “Yes.”
“Where are you going?” “We don’t know for sure.”
“How far is it?” “Well we don’t know that either.”
How long are you going to be gone and who is financing this adventure?”
We don’t know for sure and we are paying our own way, "well, if you ask me, it Sounds more like mission impossible,"
there are always going to be naysayers,
Not everybody can go on the journey, to where God calls you to go,
The same type of crowd, probably said the same things about Abraham when he parted ways with Lot, his nephew,
And took the less attractive real estate that his nephew wasn’t interested in, and prospered greatly, in spite of his surroundings! Praise God!
They must have said the same things to Noah who was busy, building an ark, the size of a football field,
even though it had never rained in the history of the earth up till that point.
God’s journeys always involve FAITH.
Hebrews 11:6 MSG
6. It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.
People of faith, have always been willing to respond to what God calls them to, over and over again down throughout history.
Point #2. A wise man’s journey is one of WORSHIP.
When the wise men came on their journey it was for the purpose of worship, it was the very first thing they did, the moment they saw Him!
They brought with them gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
These were not just any gifts, they have a lot of symbolism associated with them.
Gold represents wealth. It is a gift fit for a king. (Jesus was and is, the King of Kings)
Frankincense is the sap of a tree that was dried and hardened and used as incense to worship God.
Thus we see a gift for his deity. (Jesus was the Son of God)
Myrrh is a fragrant perfume that was used to anoint the dead – to embalm and preserve them. (Jesus was The Sacrificial Lamb)
But there is more to worship then gold, frankincense, or myrrh isn’t there.
Worship always involves SACRIFICE.
Was there a price to be paid for the wise men’s worship? Yes there was.
They had given themselves to a long hard journey.
We know what its like to drive straight thru somewhere, say 15, 16 hrs., but can you imagine the trip, the wise men took?
Travel in those days was not very comfortable, no Starbucks on the way, no Garmin to help you find it, no rest parks along the way, no nothing, nada!
The wise men had sacrificed their own comfort and resources, to find the king and worship Him.
I like what David said about sacrifice:
Samuel 24:24 HCSB
“I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost [me] nothing.”
Romans 12:1 NKJ says it this way;
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."
To truly worship requires sacrifice.
your worship, sometimes it involves a sacrifice of praise, that’s part of your faith,
Its when you praise Him for what He’s going to do in your body, even when your body doesn’t feel like praising
The greatest gift,– the greatest sacrifice, you can give to God is 100% of you!
What God wants most of all, above every thing else is you and me, all of you & me, all of the time!
He wants your heart, He wants your attention, He wants your everything, He wants the whole kit and cabootal, the question is:
*What are we willing to give Him?
*Are we willing to give Him our best?
*Would we be willing to go on a lengthy journey, without knowing where we were going or when we would arrive, to worship Him?
*Are we willing to give up our comfort zone to follow Christ?
The wise men were, are you?
The third point I want to make this is morning is:
3. A wise man’s journey is always one, that is willing to change.
Look at vs. 12 with me:
"Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way."
Isn’t it interesting that after they worshiped Jesus that they could not go back the same way that they had come?
Its still the same today, once you have met Jesus, you will never be the same again.
An encounter with God changes things, It’s always been that way, one moment in His presence, is a life changing experience.
Jacob wrestled with God and never walked the same the rest of his life.
He was never the same again.
Paul had an encounter on the road to Damascus, that was a life changing event,
That not only changed him, but also untold millions upon millions, who have read his writings of Christ and His Grace and Favor, Life Changing Message!
That’s what happens when we walk into the presence of God, we become changed never to be the same again.
That’s what happened to the wise men when they encountered Christ – they were changed forever.
And that same power that changed them, is still alive and well, still changing hearts and lives today!
It’s Christmas time and we hear the story of the wisemen, but now we have a better understanding, as to why the bible calls them wise.
They were wise because they had faith, they were wise because they worshiped and they were changed forever – all because of a child.
Close;
Ill. There was once a certain King, who needed a faithful servant and had to choose between two candidates for the office.
He took both at fixed wages and told them to fill a basket with water from a nearby well, saying that he would come in the evening to inspect their work.
After dumping one or two buckets of water into the basket, one of the men said,
"What is the good of doing this useless work? As soon as we pour the water in, it runs out the sides of the basket."
The other answered, "But we have our wages, haven’t we? The use is the master’s business, not ours.
He is a wise King, and must have his own purpose that we do not understand."
"I’m not going to do such fool’s work," replied the complainer. Throwing down his bucket, he went away.
The other man continued until he had drained the well. Looking down into it, he saw something shining at the bottom - it was a diamond ring.
"Now I see the use of pouring water into the basket!" he exclaimed.
"If the bucket had brought up the ring before the well was dry, it would have been filtered out in the basket.
The King was looking for his diamond and our work was not in vain."
The King found his most faithful servant!
God is looking for faithful men and women, just like the wise men were, still today.
Who will not only seek Him, but who are willing to help others find Him also.
Tell someone about the true meaning of Christmas and the change He has made in your life,
And you will be amazed, by not only the continual change He makes in you, but also the change in others as well, when you do!
Amen? Amen!
*thanks to Tom Shepard for the starter
