THE WISE WILL ALWAYS SEEK HIM
INTRODUCTION:
We are starting today a new series on the relevance of the Christmas story to our lives.
We will start with the story of the three wise men in search for the baby Jesus in Matthew 2.
Do you know that the Bible is a book filled with many examples of wisdom and wise people?
• There was Enoch and Noah, they were wise enough to walk with God in their day while the world around them refused to.
Thus, they were both saved while others perished.
• There was Ruth, she was wise enough to say to her Jewish mother-in-law, " Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." (Ruth 1:16), while her sister-in-law turned around and went back to sin.
Thus, she became an ancestor of Jesus. She was rewarded because of her wise decision.
• There was Andrew, who was wise because he brought people to Jesus including his brother Simon Peter.
• There was David, who was wise enough to say, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
• There was Martha, who was wise enough entertain Jesus in her home.
• There was Mary, who was wise enough to sit at Jesus feet and hear his word.
• There was Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, 1 Kings 12:3. People from all over the world sought out his wisdom.
• Then, there were the wise men, who came to worship the Lord Jesus when he was but a child.
The word wise means having the power of discerning and judging properly.
There are still many wise people living in our world today.
They may not be famous in this world but God calls them wise.
Just like these wise men, we can be wise when we seek Him with all our hearts.
That’s what the men in our text did.
The Lord gave them a light and they followed it until they came face to face with the Lord Jesus Christ.
When they met Him, their lives changed forever.
When you meet Christ, your life will change forever.
We will look at three things today:
1. The Wise men in search for Jesus.
2. The Wise men disturbed King Herod.
3. The Wise men worshiped the child.
I. THE WISE MEN IN SEARCH FOR THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Matthew 2:1-2 (NIV) "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Verse 1 starts with the Magi who came from the east.
Who are these men?
The Bible talks about these three wise men who followed the star to visit Jesus Christ when he was a baby and gave him presents.
According to the Bible Dictionary, these wise men came from Mesopotamia, somewhere in the east, perhaps Persia or Babylonia--we are not told.
They were famous for their learning, and for their search for wisdom.
They were very interested in astronomy (study of celestial objects) and astrology (study of the movements of these celestial objects)
When they observed the movements of stars and the planets they carefully recorded everything they saw.
Anything out of the ordinary was taken by them to be some kind of a message to humans.
Then, one day, they had seen a strange and brilliant star that could not be identified.
They were suddenly curious decided to follow it with great enthusiasm.
They already knew from their previous study that a star would march forth out of Jacob and a scepter will rise out of Israel.
Numbers 24:17New International Version (NIV)
17 “I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
a scepter will rise out of Israel.
He will crush the foreheads of Moab,
the skulls of all the people of Sheth.
Clearly, that star is in reference to the star of David who will someday be the king of the Jews.
That is why they knew that this person to be born would be special, worthy of worship.
As they searched their collections of books and talked to various scribes of the different religions, they would have learned that Israel was the place.
And so, when they saw the star, they searched diligently for the King of the Jews.
They never gave up in their search in spite of the heat and in spite of the hazards of the deserts.
They kept looking in the midst of the dangers from the bands of robbers along the way.
They did not give up even though they had no GPS, they had no apps such as Waze and no electronic gadgets to help them reach their desired destinations.
It required such great effort of persistence and perseverance until they were led directly to the house where Jesus was.
It was wise for them never to give up in search for the baby Jesus.
We could learn from their story.
If the Magi could find Him, and so can we.
If they had such determination, and so can we.
This brings us to the first life lesson:
Lesson No. 1. SEEK HIM AND SEARCH FOR HIM DILIGENTLY.
1 Chronicles 16:11New International Version (NIV) " Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always."
Look at this underlined word: "SEEK:
To seek means to look for, to explore, to follow, to investigate further just like a detective searching for clues.
This is a picture of a man who is so eager to know the truth about Christ that he inquires to more people about Christ.
He is diligently studying His word and learning more about Him.
His desire is to understand Christ better each day.
Are you that kind of a man or a woman?
Are you seeking His face always?
And so, let us look for God's provision of a Savior.
We will find what we have looking for in Jesus.
We must submit to His Lordship and accept Him.
There was an interesting story I read from the Daily mail.com website about a man named Raffi Stepanian.
Using nothing more than a Styrofoam cup, tweezers and a butter knife, he collects hundreds of dollars worth of gold, diamonds and rubies each week along the Diamond District of New York City.
It does not matter whether people would consider him as fool or crazy.
It does not matter if he would be on his knees all day long searching diligently for those small precious objects.
What matters is that he is serious and committed in looking for gold so that he could sell this for a living.
He said, "The percentage of gold out here on the street is greater than the amount of gold you would find in a mine...
"Actually, the stones are already cut and manufactured - it's a step above a mine. I'm finding them already cut and polished.'
"Many of the fragments are carried out into the street by gold and gem merchants, who accidentally pick it up on their clothes."
And so, Mr Stepanian spends his days trawling through nooks and crannies in the area around 47th Street, searching for a glimmer of the precious metal.
He eases up mud from the cracks in the sidewalk using a butter knife, then takes it to a nearby polishing studio where he pans the dirt using a bowl and a sieve, just like a 19th-century prospector.
There was a time when he earned $819 in just six days by selling the gold to dealers in the area - where it came from in the first place.
I hope we have that same passion and persistence as Mr. Stepanian.
If you are committed in seeking for Christ as the answer to your life's problems, you will find Him.
Firstly, the wise men searched for the King of the Jews.
2. THE WISE MEN DISTURBED KING HEROD.
Matthew 2:3-8 (NIV) "3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
In these verses, we will discover the impact of the coming of the wise men to Herod.
It said that Herod after hearing that the wise men were searching for the King of the Jews, he was disturbed and all Jerusalem with him.
When Herod inquired to the priests and the scribes where the Messiah was to be born, they told him it was in Bethlehem based from the prophecy of Micah.
It was a confirmation that Jesus was indeed the Shepherd of Israel.
Now then, let us focus on this man named Herod?
Who is this man? This is Herod the Great, who ruled from 37 B.C. to 4 B.C.
Any study of Herod will immediately show that this man was a ruthless and paranoid tyrant.
He would easily kill his own sons, or one of his wives, or the high priest, if he thought any of these were in any way conspiring against him.
And so the thought of a king being born was an immediate threat.
And so, when the wise men told him of the promised Messiah, the king of the Jews, he felt threatened.
If you look at his background, Herod was not Jewish.
He was an Edomite, a descendant of Esau and not Jacob.
He had tried to blend himself to the Jews by marrying into the Hasmonean family (the line of Jewish kings [the Maccabeans] that had reigned for a hundred years), and by building the temple in Jerusalem.
But he could not be trusted; and he himself trusted no one.
King Herod was the ruling King in Israel when Jesus was born.
He became King of the Jews through the favor of the Romans.
Able and courageous, but jealous and cruel, he became half-insane toward the close of his life and tried to murder everybody who seemed to threaten his throne.
He killed his wife Marianne and three of his sons.
He killed his son Antipater just five days before his own death.
He commanded a large group of the nobles among the Jews to be assembled and killed at his death in order that there should be a sufficient amount of mourning.
Herod with all his pomp, his power, his prestige, his possessions and his position was not wise.
He was a fool because he failed to follow the light he had been given.
You see, He represents the response of the unbeliever to the news of the coming of the Messiah.
When a person does not know Christ as Savior and Lord, there will be no interest in studying about Him.
When they hear the message about Christ, they will be disturbed spiritually because they will be convicted of their sins.
That is what the unbelievers do.
They may inquire about Him, but they are not interested to go four and a half miles to see for themselves who Jesus really is.
In fact, they are more concerned that the presence of the Christ will interfere with their power, with their position, with their worldly lifestyle.
The world is filled with people who like Herod want to know God, but are not actually looking for the One who will save people from their sins.
This brings us to the next life lesson:
LESSON NO. 2. SHARE THE MESSAGE TO THE NON-BELIEVERS.
2 Corinthians 4:4New International Version (NIV) 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."
Because they have been blinded by the god of this age, we must be patient in sharing the gospel to them.
Because they have been blinded by sin, we must not give up until they realize they need a Savior.
Great patience is necessary to win them for Christ.
This reminds me of the story of Jodi Sta. Maria, the famed actress of the hit drama series, "Be Careful With My Heart."
According to the Cebu Daily News, Jodi spoke last October at a conference called, "The Perfect Love at the Center Mall in Mandaue City.
Jodi married Panfilo Lacson Jr when she was 22 years old and their marriage lasted for just 5 years.
They have a 10 year old son, Panfilo "Thirdy" Lacson III.
She said that during the time when she filed for the annulment of her marriage, her life was a total mess.
"Before becoming a workaholic, I became an alcoholic.
"I drank day and night. I even drank during tapings.
"I want a solution to my feelings of pain and emptiness.
"When alcohol wasn't enough, I turned to drugs.
"I felt empty.
"I pretended to be okay when the truth is I wasn't okay.
"I was in and out of the bad relationships that left me all the more wounded and broken."
She further said that she thought marrying at a young age was one of the reasons their marriage did not work out.
"Instead of bringing out the best in each other, it brought out the worst in us.
At that point, we could not protect Thirdly from the chaos in the home, so we decided to separate."
However, things changed in 2014 when she accepted the invitation to attend church by the patient and constant urging of Coney Reyes.
"That is when I found Jesus."
Jodi said that she has since quit her vices and has a newfound respect for her body.
She tweeted these words: "It is amazing to me that the Lord of the universe would take time to listen to me and care about what I say.
I trust you God."
Then, Coney Reyes said, "God has the best plan for you, Jodi! Plans to prosper you and not to harm you.
As you seek Him and trust Him, watch Him move!"
Amazing what a little bit of patience can do for the non-believer until he or she is ready to receive Christ as Lord and savior.
You see, if you win people for Christ, you are wise.
Wise because that is our very purpose on this earth.
Our message is about the life of Christ for those who believe.
First, we learned that the Wise men searched diligently for Jesus.
Second we learned that the Wise men disturbed King Herod.
3. THE WISE MEN WORSHIPED THE CHILD. Matthew 2:9-12 (NIV) "9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 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, frankincense and myrrh.12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
There was a story of a certain king that needed a faithful servant.
And so, he 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.
He also told them 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."
But the other answered, "But we have our wages, haven’t we? And this is the master’s desire, 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. Our work was not useless."
The King found his most faithful servant!
That is the same thing with the story here.
In spite of the dangers they went through and the evil intent of King Herod, they kept on because they knew that they will discover their purpose.
At first, they could not understand it, but God was directing them to the exact house where Jesus was.
They just followed the star that went ahead of them.
That star led them to the child and Mary.
Then they bowed and worshiped Christ.
They presented their gifts and went by another route.
Their determination paid off.
Their purposes have been fulfilled.
They were able to worship Christ.
Their work was not useless.
Verse 11, "On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him."
These men were wise because they came to worship Jesus.
And you will be wise if you come here to worship Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Worship includes submission, adoration, and homage.
The evidence of their worship came in the gifts they gave, gifts fit for a divine king.
They brought gold, incense and myrrh.
Biblical commentaries often see symbolic meanings in the specific gifts; they say that gold was a gift for a king (but in the Old Testament gold was also the proper setting for the sanctuary where God dwelt among His people).
The incense was for deity (as the sacrifices in the Old Testament were sprinkled with it).
The myrrh was a preparation His suffering.
But we will not concern ourselves with these symbolisms.
We will simply say that these were costly gifts that were certainly appropriate for a king.
They speak of the homage of the Magi.
You see, when you pay homage to Christ the King, you will be happy that you can give the best gift for Him.
Because giving is an overflow of our true worship to Christ.
Paying homage to Christ is the same teaching we find in many Scriptures such as in Philippians 2:10 and 11.
Because of the wonderful salvation that Jesus has provided for us, God has highly honored Him, and given Him a name above every name,
“that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
The same truth is found in the Book of Revelation where we read about those in heaven who lay their crowns before Him and acknowledge that He is worthy to receive all the glory and honor and power and wealth and praise (see Rev. 4:10,11; 5:9-14).
So what the Magi do here is a little preview of what everyone will do in the future, bow before Him as Lord and King.
That is what we will be doing in heaven - bow before Him as Lord and king.
So this brings us to Lesson No. 3. WORSHIP CHRIST AND SHINE BRIGHTLY.
Daniel 12:3 (NIV) " Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever."
We are wise when we worship Christ.
The more we worship Christ, the more we shine brightly.
The more we lead people to Christ, the more we will be like the stars in the sky.
So, let me ask you today.
Are you wise?
That is an easy question to answer!
You are wise if you seek Him and search for Him diligently.
You are wise if you share the message to the unbelievers.
You are wise if you worship Jesus.
You are wise if you keep on doing doing these things.
I thank God that there are a lot of wise people in this room.
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