FINDING The KING-V...FINDING The KING’s WORTH—Matthew 2:1-12
Mr. 'M’s' cemetery plot in Carrabelle.
There is an archway & small gazebo.
It is always beautifully landscaped with flowering plants.
During Christmas I discovered that the plot is also rigged for lights & has a beautiful but simple little manger scene.
People drive thru the cemetery just to see the care given to the family plot.
When you observe the plot you do not see death but life!
Thru Mr. M’s attention to detail, in his care & concern for the plot, he demonstrates his love for his now deceased wife of many years. He obviously loved her deeply. He demonstrates her worth to him personally.
God doesn’t want you to miss the King’s WORTH.
Magi traveled from the east to pay homage to the newborn King of Israel.
Jesus is worthy of discovery.
The King of Israel is worthy of one's careful searching.
Who are those who discover Jesus?
8 characteristics of people who find Jesus.
Last week we found that Those who find the King, perceive His....
1. SIGNS(:1-2)
2. OBJECTIVE/Direction(:3-6)
3. CIRCUMVENTION(:7-8, 12)
4. EQUIPPING(:9-10)
5— Those who find the King’s WORTH are drawn to....
WORSHIP(:11a-b)
Explanation:(:11a-b)
:11—“And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, & fell down & worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, & myrrh.”
“...into the house...”
“House”—oikia—A house, the dwelling itself.
!No manger here...No stable! Time has passed since the mention of Jesus’ birth in 1:25(but we don’t know how much time...~6 mths. but no more than 2 years(:16))
“... & fell down & worshiped Him;...”
“Worshiped”(see :2, 8)—proskunew—1) To kiss the hand to(towards) one, in token of reverence; 2) among the Orientals, esp. the Persians--To fall upon the knees & touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence; 3) in the NT by kneeling or prostration--To do homage(to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication—3a) Used of homage shown to men & beings of superior rank. Strong—To fawn or crouch to, i.e. literally or figuratively--Prostrate oneself in homage(do reverence to, adore).
From—prov—1)To the advantage of; 2)At, near, to, towards.— & a probable derivative of—kuwn—A dog. =Meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand.
Argumentation:
Rev. 5:11-12— “And I looked, & I heard the voice of many angels around the throne & the living creatures & the elders; & the number of them was myriads of myriads, & thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power & riches & wisdom & might & honor & glory & blessing."”
Rev. 19:10; Rev. 22:9—John is tempted to worship the angel but is told to “...Worship God...”
1Chron. 16:26-29(Repeated in Ps. 96:9)—“For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens. Honor & majesty are before Him; Strength & gladness are in His place. Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory & strength. Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, & come before Him. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!”
Mt 22:36-37—““Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him,” ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, & with all your mind.’”
Ps. 95:6-7—“Oh come, let us worship & bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand....”
6—Those who find the King’s WORTH are drawn to....
HONOR(:11c)
Explanation:(:11c)
:11—“And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, & fell down & worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, & myrrh.”
“Gold”—crusov—Precious things made of gold, golden ornaments. Will not tarnish/rust/corrode.
* “Gold” is the treasure of kings!
“Frankincense”—libanov—Hebrew—hnwbl leb-o-naw'—meaning ‘whiteness”(milky white juice). Grows in southern Arabia, India, & elsewhere. Frankincense(French meaning ‘pure incense’). A sweet smelling perfume valued by Egyptians for fumigation & embalming. A costly, beautiful smelling incense used for the most special occasions—royal processions & weddings(if affordable).
a) Most often associated with ceremonial grain/cereal offerings of the Jews(Lev. 2:1-3).
b)Used on the show-bread in the Holy Place(representative of 12 tribes—Lev.24:5-9).
c) An ingredient of a most “holy” “incense” used before the Testimony, where God would meet with the high priest only. Anyone making it for personal use was cut off from Israel(Ex. 30:34-38).
d)Not used with sin offerings(Lev. 5:11).
e)One of the commodities traded by the merchants mourning the demise of Babylon the Great(Rev. 18:11-19)
“Myrrh”—smurna—Myrrh, a bitter gum & costly perfume which exudes from a certain tree or shrub in Arabia & Ethiopia, & is obtained by incisions made in the bark. It is a valued spice, perfume, as an antiseptic, & for embalming.
a)Used in the ‘holy anointing oil’ for consecrating only the priests(Aaron & his sons) & the articles within the Holy Place(within the tabernacle)—To smell alike. Anyone making it personally was cut off from Israel.(Ex. 30:23-33).
b)Used by individuals as a perfume(Prov. 7:17; Sos 1:13, 3:6).
c)“The ancients used to infuse myrrh into wine to give it a more agreeable fragrance & flavor”—Thayer
d)Mixed with wine & gall as a pain deadening concoction offered to Jesus on the Cross...which He refused.(Mk. 15:23).
There may be some symbolism intended in these 3 gifts regardless of whether the magi may have ‘given better than they knew.’ Matthew does not relate this symbolism directly, so it may be a stretch.
Gold—Jesus’ Kingship/Royalty
Frankincense—Jesus’ Deity/Divinity
Myrrh—Jesus’ Suffering/Passion/Burial
Argumentation:
Jn. 5:22-23—““For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, “that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”
Josh. 24:15—““And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me & my house, we will serve the LORD.””
Rom. 12:1-2— “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living & holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good & acceptable & perfect.”
*If you are unwilling to take the posture of a dog before its loving owner/master, then you neither worship nor honor your God...Do you ‘bite his hand’ or ‘run away’ as it were?...then...
You don’t fully grasp His WORTH!
*If you are unwilling to support(as a member) God’s church(Money, Time, Commitment, Involvement, Effort), then you neither worship nor honor God.
Economic troubles take us to a decision point—God or me. Forces us to reckon with our lifestyle(our real trust)—To discard things of lesser importance & hold those of greatest.
Many/most get sentimental during Christmas, but they cannot worship or honor Christ.
7— Those who find the King’s WORTH are drawn to....
WITNESS(:12b)
Explanation:(:12b)
:12—“Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.”
Their purpose is fulfilled & Take their experience home
The experience that...
—Yes, indeed the King has been born
—God provided direction for their journey
—God provided specifics to the very house
—Jesus threatens earthly rule(Herod)...
“...warned by God in a dream...”
—The child is special...
—The child is human...
These are just cold facts, that should convince us to share our experience with others.
Argumentation:
Mat. 28:18-20— “And Jesus came up & spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven & on earth. Go therefore & make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & the Son & the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; & lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””
Lk. 2:8-20—“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, & the glory of the Lord shone around them, & they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God & saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem & see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste & found Mary & Joseph, & the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things & pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying & praising God for all the things that they had heard & seen, as it was told them.”
?You bring your Encounter with the Living Lord Jesus to others?
?Have you brought that Experience Home...
...Wherever you go?
?Have you had a life changing experience with Jesus?
SUMMATION: Those who find the King’s WORTH are drawn to....
His WORTH(:11-12)
Argumentation:
Mat. 6:19-21—“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth & rust destroy & where thieves break in & steal; “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys & where thieves do not break in & steal. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Mat. 13:44-46—“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found & hid; & for joy over it he goes & sells all that he has & buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, “who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went & sold all that he had & bought it.”
Col. 2:1-3—“For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you & those in Laodicea, & for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, & attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father & of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom & knowledge.”
Rev. 3:17-20—““Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, & have need of nothing’--& do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, & naked-- “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; & white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; & anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. “As many as I love, I rebuke & chasten. Therefore be zealous & repent. “Behold, I stand at the door & knock. If anyone hears My voice & opens the door, I will come in to him & dine with him, & he with Me.”
Illustration:
Pres. Franklin Roosevelt’s CCC(Civilian Conservation Corp)/1933-1942/Young-Poor-Male-Unemployed/6 hr. day/Fed & clothed/$1-day/Payday sent $25 sent home & kept $5 for yourself/Taught work ethic, discipline, patience, courage, tolerance/Employed 3 million people in every state/Flocked to the work!/My Daddy was one who was helped thru that program/WORTH
Sam’s Jeep Cherokee/Mom & I wanted him to get a car that would take him thru college, but he was paying for it/He will willingly or unwillingly work specifically to pay for that Jeep—repairs, upgrades, etc./I told him, “A Custom car=Custom problems & custom repair bills!/WORTH
POW’s returning from imprisonment/Kiss American soil/WORTH
Application:
?You Perceived His WORTH?
?You found the King?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Mr. 'M’s' lavish cemetery plot reveals his wife’s worth!
Action:
Those who find the King’s WORTH are drawn to....
5. WORSHIP(:11a-b)
6. HONOR(:11c)
7. WITNESS(:12b)
SUMMATION: His WORTH(:11-12)
1. SIGNS(:1-2)
2. OBJECTIVE(:3-6)
3. CIRCUMVENTION(:7-8, 12)
4. EQUIPPING(:9-10)
Pts. 5-SUMMATION Presented 12/27/2015pm to:
FBCCbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
*This sermon was very well received.
Presented 12/27/2009pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf NC 27054
