“When You Want to Give the Very Best”
Mt. 2:1-12
Are you giving Jesus your very best? What would your life be like if you were? What might be different – perhaps even radically different? As you reflect on that, let’s look at the Magi - the Gentiles – who made a long trek to see Jesus, the new King.
What becomes clear, first of all, is that THE WISE MEN PAID ATTENTION AND DEVELOPED FAITH. Consider what brought them to see the Christ child. These men – however many in number - were well versed in religious beliefs, including the Jewish religion and scriptures. That’s particularly noteworthy because they were Gentiles, not Jews. Yet it was precisely because they were well versed that they could recognize the signs and dare to set out on such a long journey. Additionally, they were the ones from whom their people sought information; they were already considered to be the learned ones. Yet they continued to seek truth. THEY PAID ATTENTION.
Let’s face it - we tend to find what we’re looking for. Buy a red car and what do you see? Lots of red cars! If the authorities are looking for a blonde, white woman about 5 feet tall with medium build, what do you see? A lot of blonde, white women about 5 feet tall with medium build! If someone tells you that the wedding is at the church with the steeple, what do you see? A lot of Churches with steeples! So the Wise Men were wise enough to seek and study information, and therefore were able to see and recognize God’s signs. That’s why Scripture so often admonishes us to seek so we can find.
So a good question this morning is WHAT ARE YOU SEEKING? To what, or to whom are you paying attention? Are you, in fact, seeking Jesus? Do you really want to find Him? Where are you looking for Him? Have you tried worship? Prayer? Study of the Scriptures? Paul, in Romans 10:6-8, wrote: “But the way of getting right with God through faith says, "You don't need to go to heaven" (to find Christ and bring him down to help you). And it says, "You don't need to go to the place of the dead" (to bring Christ back to life again). Salvation that comes from trusting Christ--which is the message we preach--is already within easy reach. In fact, the scriptures say, "The message is close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart." What a blessed fulfillment of what the prophet Jeremiah had proclaimed centuries prior (29:13): “If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you," says the Lord.” How diligently have you been seeking Jesus?
So the Wise Men found Jesus, because, as they sought God, God spoke in a language they could understand. As astrologers they knew stars. So God spoke through a star! God will meet anyone, at anytime, anywhere. God will write in whatever book we are reading, will park on any street where we are driving, will visit any home in which we are living. HIS SIGNS WILL BE IN OUR LANGUAGE. There is no one beyond the reach of God – He has servants everywhere, even in the skies! As a matter of fact, I firmly believe that you are here this morning by His arrangement! You only think you came voluntarily! But because you’ve been seeking Him, God has arranged this time just for you and brought you here so He can speak to you.
So the Wise Men paid attention and THEY DEVELOPED FAITH. At the sight of star, they knew enough, and had faith enough, to follow. The star was a miraculous phenomenon – it was God’s glory shining from the heavens. The Wise Men knew it was the symbol of God’s presence. Perhaps one of the verses they had learned was from the prophet Isaiah (60:3): “All nations will come to your light. Mighty kings will come to see your radiance.” Isn’t that just like God - ALWAYS IN THE DARK OF NIGHT, AT THE DEEPEST DEPTH OF OUR SEARCH, THE LIGHT OF GOD’S GLORY APPEARS. Are you prepared to find him? Perhaps you’ve come today in the throes of despair. Maybe you’re blinded by the darkness in which you’ve been living. Or it might be that your faith has become all too complacent and you’ve lost sight of Jesus – or you’ve become so busy that your focus on Jesus is blurred. But you are here. You are hearing the Word of the Lord today. Are you ready for God to break in and shine in your darkness, to shatter your darkness to smithereens? Are you prepared to follow Jesus? Do you have faith enough to follow? We must be obedient as well as aware.
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STUDYING & KNOWING JESUS AND FOLLOWING AND DISCOVERING JESUS. I can honestly tell you I know Billy Graham. After all, I’ve been to one of his crusades, I’ve been to retreats sponsored by his organization, and I’ve read much of what He has written and listened to some of his sermons. But I’ve never met him! He does not know me because I only know about him – I do not know him! I have never followed him and therefore have not really discovered him. Paul, in writing to Timothy, said (2 Tim. 3:7): some people are “…always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth”. So it was with the Jews who stood before Herod. How is it with you? Do you want to find Jesus? Are you ready to look for Him, to acknowledge the truth, to Know Him, to follow Him? The Wise Men paid attention and developed faith.
Because of this, THE WISE MEN PAID TRIBUTE & DEVELOPED DEVOTION. They were not satisfied with merely finding Jesus. They had traveled hundreds of miles to see this new king – and when they found Him they responded with gifts; THEY PAID TRIBUTE to Him. It was their intent all along – they were fully prepared to give gifts! I stress this because it is so unlike many today who seek God for what He can do for them, who expect God to come to them, to prove Himself to them, to explain Himself to them. And to do it all now!
But not the Wise Men – they came to give. HOW DO YOU COME TO JESUS? The Wise Men brought gifts appropriate for a King. The gold was the metal of a king; the incense was used for worship of a deity; the myrrh was a symbol of death or dying to self. Surely these men did not know the ultimate divine significance of all these gifts which pointed ahead to Jesus’ life. They just brought what they deemed appropriate for a king. And they gave them because they wanted to honor Him. The best gifts are not those given with an expectation of return, but, rather, those that come out of pure joy and gratitude. True gifts are not given because we know we shall receive or because we’ve been told it’s “good for us”, but because it is an exuberant response to something good that has happened to us. The Wise Men knew that in this King something good had happened to them. So how do you come to Jesus?
Notice, too, that the Wise Men brought gifts were sacrificial. They were valuable to themselves. WHAT IS THE MOST VALUABLE GIFT YOU COULD POSSIBLY GIVE JESUS? If you hold nothing back, what could you give Him? If Christ fully ruled your life – what would your life look like? The Wise men, as Matthew records their story, are a foil against which see King Herod. Despite being non-Jews and of great influence in their own land, the Wise Men worshiped Jesus; but, in spite of his role as the regularly installed ruler of Israel and his professed conversion to Judaism, Herod refused to worship. For Matthew, this contrast between the rejection of Jesus by the Jews and the acceptance of Jesus by the Gentiles stands as a symbol for us of our own internal struggle between our joy at Jesus as Savior and our darker side, which rejects his right to completely rule our lives. As Douglas Hare succinctly said, “Scoff not at Herod until you have acknowledged the Herod in yourself.” What is the most valuable gift you could possibly give to Jesus? Your time? Your loved ones? Your money? Your devotion? Your sin? Will you give it?
You will only do so when you are able to COME IN HUMILITY AND SUBJECTION. (11) “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” To “bow down” is to lay prostrate, flat on the ground, face down. That’s what is appropriate for worship of a King. Isn’t it interesting that we won’t even raise hands in praise, for fear of what others might think; how could we ever lay prostrate before our Lord? Yet both are Biblical concepts. At any rate, in doing so the Wise Men unwittingly foreshadowed the day when “every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” (Philippians 2:10) Every knee and every tongue – no race, no class, no nationality, excluded! Every, all, shall bow. Are you ready to do so now? The word for “worship’ that Matthew uses means, literally, “to kiss toward”; it communicates intense adoration. How intense is you adoration of Jesus Christ?
Because the Wise Men paid tribute to Jesus, THEY DEVELOPED DEVOTION. Once we truly worship and adore Jesus, we cannot turn away. That’s why worship cannot be casual – it is dangerous. After their tribute the Wise Men had a choice to make: what direction would their life take? “And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod…” (12). Would they be content with the joy they had experienced in finding and worshiping Jesus? Or would they let it impact their lives? Would they be content because they had met Jesus, or would they be obedient? TO WORSHIP JESUS IS OFTEN A SUMMONS TO US TO RETURN BY ANOTHER WAY, to change the direction of our lives. That is, by the way, what repentance means – to turn around a go in a different direction. The Wise Men were devoted: “And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod…they returned to their country by another route.”
We should, if we want to be totally honest, place a sign at the entrance to every worship service: “Beware! Enter here and you may never be the same again!” Worship is a dangerous business. Finding and following Jesus may mean your life will take a different direction. Are you willing to let your life to go in a different direction? Are you willing to be flexible, to do whatever, go wherever, whenever? Are you ready to die to yourself? Will you go another route with Jesus?
The point is this: the very best you can give to Jesus is to give Him all of you. And GOD WANTS YOU – ALL OF YOU. Some years ago there was a beautiful little girl who was a patient at Vanderbilt University Hospital. She came from a wealthy family and, while in the hospital, was showered constantly with expensive gifts – overstuffed toys, dolls, a dollhouse, and games of all kinds. The nurses, in fact, complained because the abundance of gifts in her room made it difficult to even get into the room to care for her. Her Mother, a well-known socialite in their community, brought something every time she came to visit. But she never stayed long because she always had some social engagement which required her presence. One day the little girl was particularly unhappy, even in the midst of all the gifts. As the mother was attempting to leave – so as not be late for a bazaar – the little girl clung desperately to her. The mother tried to divert her attention by pointing to the new toy she had brought along that day. But the girl cried out, “Mommy, I want you.” That’s precisely what God says to us! He does not want our gifts, our talents, our money, our attention, or even our praise – as much as He wants our total devotion. He wants us. He wants you – all of you. IF YOU WANT TO GIVE THE VERY BEST TO JESUS, GIVE HIMSELF ALL OF YOURSELF.
I find it interesting that Matthew never records the birth of Jesus. In the first chapter he tells what is about to happen, and why, and then reports it happened. Then chapter two begins with the effects of this birth: “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem…” Jesus had not yet spoken a word, nor taught a lesson, nor performed a miracle; and yet there was movement in the world. As Charles Spurgeon eloquently wrote: “There is infinite power even in an infant Savior”. Once Jesus appears to us, once we find Him, there is a stirring within us; a revolution begins. Jesus is worth seeking – but He will not force Himself upon us. We must seek Him – and when we do we will find Him. In fact, He’s here! Now is your opportunity to give Him the very best –to give Him yourself. You don’t need to worry about how good, or how rich, or how talented or untalented, or how popular or unpopular you are; or how anything else – all He wants is all of you.
Think of it this way. If you bought a house and the previous owner wanted to keep the keys to some of the rooms, you’d want to know why. If he then proceeded to tell you that he had some things in the attic, and some in the kitchen, and some in the basement that he wanted access to, you would likely say – and have a right to say - “I purchased the whole house, and I want all the keys, or I don’t want any of them.” So it is with Jesus Christ – we are not our own, we have been bought with a price; we belong in body in soul, in life and in death to Him. And Jesus wants all the keys! So when you want to give the very best, give King Jesus all the keys to your life. WILL YOU GIVE JESUS ALL THE KEYS? From the attic to the basement?
A man named Henry Varley once said, “The world has yet to see what God will do with and for and through and in and by the (person) who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him.” Could you be the one? I dare you to give Jesus your very best. Right now. And see what the King will do with your life!
