The Eyes of Christmas: Through the Eyes of the Magi
What Are You Looking For?
Dr. Marty Baker / Christmas Eve 2001 / Matthew 2:1-12
www.stevenscreek.net
How much time have you spent this week looking for something important? Many of you have invested hours looking for the right gift to give for that special person in your life. You’ve examined the newspaper ads, mulled over the catalogues and surfed the web hoping to find the right gift at the right price.
Maybe it’s not a gift that you’ve been looking for, could it be that you’ve spent hours looking the all important "remote control" to the television. In our house, the remote control ends up in the weirdest places. Typically, the remote gets lost at least once a day. We find it between the cushions of the sofa, underneath the sofa, on the mantle, behind the television, on the kitchen counter, and sometimes it mysteriously ends up in someone’s bedroom. We’ve gone days having to get up, walk over to the television and change the channel. It’s like being in the dark ages.
Maybe it’s not the remote that you are looking for, but it is your car keys. Yes, I am talking about those pesky little metals gadgets that keep you going and going and going. Sometimes people spend hours looking for their car keys only to discover that you’ve locked them in the car.
Maybe it’s not the car keys, but it’s your glasses. There’s is nothing worse than being on an all-out search for your glasses. You are looking for the very thing that gives you the ability to see. Most of you know that I’ve worn glasses for thirty years. I’ve shared with you that my biggest fear was having to speak in public without my glasses.
Well, I conquered that fear this past September when a local ophthalmologist could not get an accurate read on my vision, so he instructed me to go without glasses for seven days. The first several days were very difficult. I had great difficulty finding what I was looking for. After a few days, my eyesight adjusted and my vision improved. My day vision has continued to improve over the last ninety days, but the night vision has been a little shady.
This past week, I took the next step. I scheduled the lasik surgery. I was quite excited until I went to the preoperative consultation on Wednesday. The doctor scratched his head and said I don’t understand it. When I examine your eyes straight out, you need the surgery, but when they are dilated you don’t. Let’s wait. He couldn’t find the right diagnosis.
I told my wife about it when I got home and she said, "How many doctors is it going to take to say that you’ve been healed for you to accept it? You have been to three doctors already." Well, I haven’t found what I’m looking for. I want clear vision all the time, not just in the daylight hours.
How about you? Are you having trouble finding what you are looking for? Are you groping around looking for a clear path? I meet a lot of people who are searching, but many of them are not quite sure what they are looking for?
Oh, they say that they are looking for a better life, so they embrace success. They convince themselves that if they only had enough, things would be better. Enough of what? If they only had enough achievement, recognition, money, or a larger home, more exciting vacations, a good marriage, beaming kids, a wide circle of friends - then maybe they would be satisfied.
But what happens when you have all of that? Does all of that stuff fill the empty places of your life? No, not at all. I’ve met too many people who have a close-knit life with their family and friends and they possess everything that they had ever dreamed, yet they feel insufficient. They have a deep longing to be at home with themselves ... to be comfortable in their own skin.
This deep longing has intensified over the last few months. The recession, the bombing of the Pentagon, the attack on the World Trade Center and the present war on terrorism has caused many people in our nation to reassess their lives and focus their attention on what really matters.
For too long we have been focused on ourselves, our careers, our pleasures, our dreams and visions ignoring the things that really matter. Then, a tragedy like September 11th, or a sickness, a job-loss, a financial reversal kicks us into reality and we begin to understand that we are not promised tomorrow. The stark reality that life is fragile often speeds up the search for meaning and purpose. They long for something real ... something timeless. They long for truth.
We find this longing for truth in the Christmas story. In the New Testament section of the Bible, we discover the writings of Matthew. He describes the Christmas story through the eyes of the Magi or what many call the Wise Men.
The Magi had it all. They were endowed with great minds, resources, and opportunities. They were cult heroes of their day yet they had a longing deep inside to find the messiah. For years they gazed into the heavens looking for the star. They were well versed in Hebrew literature and understood that one day God was going to break through the darkness with His light. In fact one Old Testament book stated that there would be a star that would announce the birth of the Messiah.
Numbers 24:17a
"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.
Finally one day in 4 BC, the star appeared. The Magi’s search for the Messiah entered into another phase. We pick up their story in Matthew 2.
Matthew 2:1-2
1 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 in the east and have come to worship him."
Matthew 2:7-12
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 make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east 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 and of incense and of myrrh.
12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Most people do not realize that from the time the Magi found what they were looking for, they had been searching for months. Some historians believe that the Magi search up to two years. We see the Nativity scenes in the stores and it appears that the Wise Men showed up on Christmas Eve, but in reality they were late. Recently, I saw something that suggested that if the Wise Men had been Women, things would have been different and better.
If the Wise Men Had Been Women...
First, if the wise men had been women, it would not have taken them two years to get there because they would have stopped and asked for directions.
If the Wise Men had been women, they would have been there to clean up the mess so Jesus wouldn’t have had to be born in a barn.
And finally, if the Wise Men had been women, they would have brought much more practical gifts including a casserole so the family would have something to eat.
Even though they were a little late, the Wise Men still found what they were looking for. Some of you tonight are like the Magi, you have been searching for months looking for the meaning and purpose in your life. Tonight, I want you find what you are looking for.
How to find what you are looking for?
1. Be open to the promptings of God.
The Magi’s search for the Messiah began with a series of promptings. I believe that God used normal everyday occurrences to draw these men closer to Him. The Bible explains that they had an interest in the heavens. God revealed Himself to them right where they were. God spoke to them in their world.
God still speaks today. Could it be that God has been prompting some of you to consider the truth of the Christmas story. Could it be that God is preparing you for what He has prepared for you?
Tonight, I want you to be open to the promptings of God. Not only were the Wise Men open to the promptings of God, but they were willing to step out in faith.
2. Be willing to step out in faith.
When they saw the star, they embarked on a journey to find the Christ Child. This journey took them between five hundred and one thousand miles and lasted up to two years. Can you imagine riding a camel from hear to Dallas, or from hear to Boston or from hear Kansas City? They literally headed into an unknown land as they followed God’s direction.
God calls us to a similar path. He asks us to step out in faith...to take a risk...to believe in Him...to trust in Him. It is a path that is unfamiliar, but in the end we will find what we are looking for.
What happened when they finally arrived? Let’s read:
Matthew 2:11a
On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.
The Wise Men ultimately found what they were looking for when they found Christ. Their first response to the Messiah came naturally; they bowed down and worshipped. When a person "sees" the Messiah for who He is, they naturally surrender to Him.
One day, we all will bow down before Him.
Romans 14:11-12
11 It is written: "’As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ’every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’"
12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
The Wise Men bowed down, humbled themselves, and worshipped the Messiah. In essence, they put God first in their lives. This speaks of priorities. If you are going to find what you are looking for, then you must ...
3. Reconsider your priorities.
What really has first place in your life? What are your priorities? Have you put God first, family and friends second, career and possessions down the line. If God is not the central focus of your life, you will never understand true peace. On the first Christmas, the Angels declared:
Luke 2:14
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
Do you have peace? Put God first in your life; put God first in your family and put God first in your finances; and you will find peace.
When the Wise Men saw the Messiah, the bowed down and worshipped, but that’s not all, the Bible says that they brought gifts to honor Him. What lesson do we learn? It is important for us to develop a generous heart.
4. Develop a generous heart.
Matthew 2:11b
.... Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.
We discover true joy when we embrace a spirit of generosity. Our culture tells us to hold on to what we have. God teaches us to give it away. Over the next few hours many of us will receive presents from people that we love. It’s nice to receive presents, but if we are honest, we feel better when we give. The Wise Men started the gift giving and this tradition has continued for two thousand years. Have you ever wondered if their gifts had any significance? Well, they do.
Gold: The symbol for royalty. Therefore, with this gift, I believe the Wise Men were designating Jesus as The King.
Incense: The symbol for divinity. It was an expensive fragrance which in Old Testament times was sprinkled on the offerings at the temple in order to purify them and make them worthy of God. Therefore, with this gift, the Wise Men were designating Jesus as The Son of God.
Myrrh: The symbol for suffering. It was a substance used for deadening pain and for embalming the dead. With this gift the Wise Men were pointing toward the sacrificial death of Jesus, and they were designating Him as The Savior of the world.
What gifts do you have for Jesus this Christmas? Jesus wants your love, your devotion and your heart more than anything else. The emptiness in your life is there because you have filled your heart with things other than God.
I believe that one of the reasons the Bible teaches us to be generous in giving tithes and offerings to God’s work is that in doing so our heart becomes shaped like God’s heart. When we give, we become like God.
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave ...
There is one final thing that the Magi teach us in their story. We see it in Matthew 2:11-12.
Matthew 2:11b-12
11b Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.
12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
They returned home a different way. Once you bow down to Christ, your life is changed. You will never be the same. You will go home on a different path. What am I saying?
5. Strive to live your life differently.
Be different. Don’t let the world squeeze you into it’s mold. Stand up and be the person that God has made you to be. As you do this, you will find purpose and meaning. I believe that you will find what you have been looking for.
Song: Heidi Chaney: Looking For Medley: I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / Open the Eyes of My Heart
Tonight many of you will find what you are looking for. His name is Jesus. If you will ask Jesus into your heart; allow Him to forgive you of all of your sins; and surrender your future to Him; you will find life. You will discover the real meaning of Christmas.
In a few minutes, I am going to pray a simple prayer. If you want your life to be changed, I encourage you to pray with me. I will pray in short phrases and will allow you time to repeat the prayer privately to God. Many of you will become a Christ follower tonight; others will take this time to rededicate their lives to Jesus. In either case, ask God to fill you with His presence and His power. I believe that you will be changed.
Are you ready to pray?
"Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be. I pray this in your name. Amen.
Offering: Bobby Smith
Closing Song: April Sturgell "O, Holy Night."
