Disclaimer:
Due to the large amount of sermons and topics that appear on this site I feel it is necessary to post this disclaimer on all sermons posted. These sermons are original to the author and the leading of the Holy Spirit. While ideas and illustrations are often gleaned from many sources including those at Sermoncentral.com, any similarities and wording including sermon title, that may appear to be the same as any other sermon are purely coincidental. In instances where other minister’s wording is used, due recognition will be given. These sermons are not copyrighted and may be used or preached freely. May God richly bless you as you read these words. It is my sincere desire that all who read them may be enriched. All scriptures quoted in these sermons are copies and quoted from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Pastor James May
WISE MEN SEEK TO KNOW HIM
This morning our youth and children have done a great job in presenting a short play to us, impressing upon us the fact Jesus Christ, Mary’s son, and the Son of God are one and the same. Her question was so vitally important to everyone of the characters that she approached. That question is still the most important question that we could ever hear, “Do You Know Jesus”. I sincerely hope that you are able to answer with a resounding YES, I DO KNOW HIM!
We are often caught up in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas Season that we forget to stop and really know who it was that was born in that manger in Bethlehem and, most of all, for what reason was he born.
Today I want us to continue our examination of the characters of the Bible who were involved in the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. Last week we spoke of how that the poor shepherds upon the hills of Judea were suddenly awakened by the choir of Heaven’s angels and the announcement that Jesus had been born. As a result of that announcement they ran to the stable where Jesus lay and then became among the first evangelists to spread the news.
This morning I want us to look quickly at two other examples of men who heard the announcement. These men were King Herod and the Three Wise Men. Read along with me, if you will, the story of their reactions in the Word of God to the announcement of a newborn King in Israel.
Matthew 2:1-11 , "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh."
First, let’s look at the reaction of the 3 Wise Men from the East. These Wise Men are often referred to as the Magi or “magicians”. Their “magic” was not as so many who would be called magicians today for they were not involved in the occult arts, black magic, voodoo or any such thing. They were astronomers, scribes and seekers of truth and knowledge. They made it their business to study a multitude of cultures and religious belief systems.
Among those things that they studied were the writings of the Old Testament prophets and the Jewish historians. As a result of their studies they had come to the knowledge that a Messiah was to born in Israel and that this Messiah would be the new king of Israel and would deliver his people from their bondage.
One night, as they studied the skies above Israel, there appeared a star that they had never seen before. Somehow they knew that this star, that shone so brightly over Israel, was a sign from Heaven that the new king was born.
Now these Wise Men could have just made a note of the birth of the newborn king and continued on with their other studies, allowing this very special event to pass unheeded, but they chose to pack their bags, forsake their own agendas for a time, and go to visit this new king in Israel.
I have to admire their curiosity and their desire to know truth. It was their curiosity that drove them to Bethlehem to see if their predictions and the words of the prophets had come true. Was there really a new king in Israel or is the star only a preparation for the coming of the king in the near future? They would only know the answer by making the journey.
As they journeyed they brought gifts to present to this newborn king as a sign of their friendship and admiration. It is most likely that they came to pay homage and to show this new king that they were his friends lest they are looked upon as enemies at some later date.
I’m not convinced that these Wise Men knew that Jesus was the Son of God. It is possible that Mary and Joseph told them the story of the angelic announcements and that Jesus was the Son of God. Whether they accepted this as the truth or not is another matter. I believe that they had come to present their gifts at the direction of the Father in Heaven for each of their gifts has a great significance in the life of this newborn baby in Bethlehem. We will examine those gifts this evening, so come back tonight if you want to hear of their significance.
In any case, the Wise Men responded to the sign of the star and came to Bethlehem. There they met the Son of God as a young child at home with his mother. They bowed before Jesus and presented him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
They responded with worship, with humility and with great respect toward this new King of Israel, then they left and went back to their magic once again. I don’t know if this was a life changing event for them. I don’t know if they really knew that Jesus was the Son of God. I don’t know if they understood that Jesus would die on the cross for their sin and they must accept him as the Lord of their lives. I can only hope and pray that one day we may enter Heaven’s gates and see the Wise Men there. Was their curiosity temporary, or did they continue to seek to know Jesus more as the years passed? The Bible doesn’t say anymore of them after this time, so we can only speculate.
I want you to know that coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and King begins with curiosity. We must all do as those Wise Men did. We must forsake our own agenda, go where the Spirit of God leads us, answer the call of God to come to Him and then bow down before Him in surrender and worship. Then it takes a confession of who Jesus really is, repentance for the sin we have done and then allowing Him to come in and live within our hearts. Just being curious isn’t enough. It takes a total surrender of our will to His will if we are to make Heaven our home. As one sermon title I read states it so plainly, WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM!
Now I want us to look at how another man reacted to the announcement of the birth of the new King in Israel. That man is King Herod.
Herod was cruel and hard ruler. He did not receive the news of a new born king very kindly as it was a direct threat to his own kingship. He was not willing to allow any baby to live who would grow up to become a threat to his own position so he went so far as to murder every male child born in around Bethlehem to the age of two years old.
Here is the reaction of most of the world toward the coming of the Savior. Most of the world does not want to hear of anyone who will come and be the Lord of their lives. They would prefer to remain ignorant of him for to them ignorance is bliss. They won’t come under condemnation for sin as long they don’t know that the Savior has come who can deliver them. What the world fails to realize is that ignorance of the Savior is not bliss, it is eternal death!
King Herod did everything he could to get the Wise Men to tell him where he could find Jesus. It had to have been the Holy Spirit who kept the Wise Men from revealing all that they knew. It is obvious that the Wise Men heeded the voice of God for they obeyed his warning to them in a dream and left Judea without ever revealing all that they knew to Herod.
Still Herod was very troubled and so he had all those babies killed just protect himself. What a self-centered, egotistical man he must have been. His name has been synonymous with evil, hatred and murder ever since that day.
According to history, Herod died about 4 years later, in the city of Jericho. His body wracked with pain and his mind completely gone. What other fate could be more justified for the man who attempted to kill the Son of God and would not repent of the sin in his heart?
What other destiny could await every man who refuses to bow down to Jesus as their Savior? What justice could be more fitting? Those who refuse to go past their own desires to find what God desires for their life; those who seek after Jesus only to see how they can use His name for their own worldly benefits and pleasure; those who would join in with the world who cries crucify him, crucify him, can only bear one fate and that is the same as the fate of Herod.
If we don’t accept Jesus as the Savior and Lord of our lives, then we reject him and join forces with the world who is the enemy of God.
In this Christmas Season, as we come together to recognize the birth of Jesus, why do we come? Do we come out of pure curiosity, only to walk away and reject Him as our Lord and Savior?
Or do we come to bow down before Him, worship Him, and surrender our lives in service to Him and allow Him to the Lord of our life?
