Narnia: The Journey of Life
Matthew 2:1-12
Intro.:
A. How would you define life?
Some perhaps might say that life is happiness, success, family, longevity, etc. But those are really Goals in life.
What is life?
- Ecc. 3:2; there is a time to be born and a time to die.
- We know that there is a definite goal to life – to continue to live.
- Scripture reveals this contrast in life:
• Death – eternal life
• Perish – everlasting life
• Mortality – Immortality
• Everlasting Destruction - Eternal Paradise
- Luke 9:25; What would it profit a man if he were to gain the whole world, yet lose his soul.
So we know that there is a great goal in life – to LIVE. But What is Life?
Perhaps the best explanation is that Life is a Journey!
And we Journey through Life seeking MEANING, PURPOSE, SIGNIFICANCE, AND ULTIMATELY IMMORTALITY!
B. The Movie Narnia that opened this Friday is a great movie about such a Journey of life.
In the setting of WWII, 2 boys; Peter and Edmund and 2 girls; Susan and Lucy Journey through the door of a Wardrobe Closet into Narnia.
They bark on a great Adventure to become who they were meant to be – to find MEANING, PURPOSE, SIGNIFICANCE, AND LIFE IN PARADISE!
Narnia is a great story full of Eternal Truths related to such things as Jesus Christ – as Aslan; Redemption, the Sacrificial Atonement, Ultimate Victory in a world much like ours, in conflict: between evil and Holiness/Righteousness; good and bad; enslavement to sin and Freedom!
C. But, Our passage today is not a story but a Record of the Journey of the Magi as they seek to find MEANING, PURPOSE, SIGNIFICANCE AND BE PART OF THE LIFE CHANGING VICTORY FOR HUMANKIND.
Read Matt. 2:1-12
Like Narnia, this first century time when Jesus was born was filled with conflict – lines were being drawn to the allegiance of God and His prophecies for the birth of the Messiah or allegiance to the rulers of darkness and self esteemed Power, like Herod.
Herod would do anything to keep his power – The Witch Jadis would do anything to keep her power.
It is in a such a world that the Magi come – even as Lucy, Edmund, Peter and Susan come to Narnia.
D. As we look to this Journey of Life by the Magi, let us learn what it takes to truly Find MEANING, PURPOSE, SIGNIFICANCE, AND ULTIMATE VICTORY FOR LIFE!
As we learn from the Magi we will find 4 characteristics necessary in this Journey of life!
Body:
A. In this Journey of life we need DESIRE.
- We need the Desire for Truth, a Desire to find the ultimate answers to life!
- The Magi had such a Desire!
• You can see it in their willingness to travel from afar. Travel at those times were not safe at times.
• You can see it in their seeking the Prophecies for the birth of the King, even though they lived in a land uphold the Scriptures.
- Narnia, you can see the Desire of the 4 kids, even at times wrestling with the Desire: should we turn around and go back or stay.
- You can see it in their willingness to do learn more Truth, to help others and to help one another as brothers and sisters.
- Yet, most people have this DESIRE for Truth, this Desire for Ultimate Answers to life. Instead, most people seek safety; settle in life; go with the flow of things; misbelieve that life is nothing more than making do in the Now!
- Life truly is more than now. Narnia demonstrates it; the Magi live it – But if you and I are going to truly find Success in the Journey of Life – we must have the DESIRE!
B. In this Journey of life we need COMMITMENT.
Commitment is the Follow Through of our Desire.
- The Magi had a such a Commitment!
- Commitment to traveling for the Journey
- Commitment to the Words of God that proclaimed the birth of Jesus and where, vs. 5-6
- Commitment to the TRUTH of the King of kings being born in Bethlehem.
- Commitment to Worship Jesus, the born king – Messiah.
Narnia reflects the commitment of Peter, Edmund, Lucy and Susan.
- Commitment to continue even when as Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve, they met up with some unusual creatures that were often scary.
- Commitment to Discover the TRUTH of Narnia – and the promised restoration of the land; the truth about Aslan, as well as the Truth about who they really were.
Do you and I have such Commitment?
- Commitment to God’s Word, to Worship the King of kings and Lord of lords?
- Commitment to continue to do all we can to Restore our Land which really belongs the Lord but is being ruled by evil, and sinful people seeking power.
- Commitment to work with one another for each other’s benefit?
C. In this Journey of life we need OBEDIENCE.
You see this characteristic with the Magi:
- Obedient to the Prophecies of God, vs. 5-6
- Obedience to God’s guidance; the Star, vs. 9-10
- Obedience to Worship Jesus the King, vs11
- Obedience to give gifts to Jesus as Lord, vs. 11
- Obedience to the Leading of the Lord, not to go about life on a different path. If they returned to Herod, he could have killed Jesus and like Narnia there would be No Christmas.
- This “different path in life” is how the Lord wants to change us – sanctify us; make us holy and set apart for His use.
- Edmund struggled with this as he followed the Witch and betrayed his brother and sisters.
- Obedience is a Key in our Journey of Life! Is there Sin in your life – you know what I am talking about! Drugs, Drinking, cursing, lie, stealing, adultery, fornication, lust, greed, etc.
- Are you walking on a Different Path – a godly path marked out by the sin and evil?
- Where you Fail, there is Forgiveness = Repent!
- Where you are Obedience, you grow close to God, you find more Strength, you experience more of True, Free life!
- Sin will take you further than you want to go and keep you longer than you want to be kept.
D. In this Journey of life we need PERSEVERANCE.
The Magi Persevered:
- They weren’t finished with the Journey just to learn and read about the birth of the King – Jesus in the Prophecies.
- They weren’t finished just because they traveled from Persia or Southern Arabia to Jerusalem.
- They weren’t finished just because they saw Jesus.
- They weren’t finished with their Journey just because they worshipped Jesus.
- They had to Persevere beyond those things to change their plans, their life direction.
- What if they wouldn’t have Persevered and went back and told Herod where Jesus was born? Mt. 2:16, gives us some clue – Herod wanted to kill the birth of the Savior, the Messiah, the King of the Jews – the Lord.
Narnia also demonstrates this necessary Perseverance:
- the kids weren’t finished just because they entered and found Narnia.
- They weren’t finished because they met Aslan.
- They weren’t finished when Edmund was restored.
- NO, they had to Persevere to live different, to seek to help Narnia overthrow the evil Witch.
So often we fail in the True Journey of life because we lack Perseverance. We have the Desire. We start off with great commitment and are living in Obedience but then after some time, we stop – we retreat back to our past living, we fall into the traps of sin, we focus on our self – on the difficulties, rather than on Jesus, our Lord!
Like the Magi we need to Persevere:
The Journey of life is beyond just finding Jesus
It is beyond just Worshipping Jesus from time to time.
It is about Being Transformed by Jesus and preparing ourselves to eventually Reign with Christ for eternity!
Conclusion:
A. When Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy enter Narnia together, they are startled by a sound in the forest near them. As they stood their holding their breath – a stranger came out from the behind the tree, glanced all around as if it were afraid someone was watching. He said “hush” and made signs to them to join it in the thicker bit of wood where it was standing, and then once more it disappeared.
“I know what it is. Said Peter; it’s a beaver, I saw its tail. “It wants us to go to it, said Susan, and it is warning us not to make a noise.”
After the beaver led them to a dark spot in the wood, did he begin to talk to them.
“Are you sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve?” said the beaver.
“We’re some of them” said Peter.
“S-s-s-h! said the Beaver – not so loud please. We’re not safe even here.”
B. It’s not safe here.
It wasn’t safe in Narnia for Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy in their Journey of Life to find Meaning, Purpose, Significance, and Ultimate Victory in life.
C. It wasn’t safe for the Magi on their Journey on life to meet Jesus and so find Meaning, Significance, Purpose, and Ultimately Life.
Herod was in power and looking to kill Jesus born for all mankind as the Savior and Lord.
After the Magi left and didn’t return to Herod, I am sure that their lives were endangered now too.
Yet, they succeeded in their Journey of Life because they had the Desire, Commitment, Obedience and Perseverance.
D. Today, it is not safe for us who are truly on the Journey of Life to find the ultimate answers of Life, and seek Truth, who want to participate in the Ultimate Victory for us, our families, others and even our Land.
Why? Because we all are Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve and we live in a world in conflict, reigned by sin and evil.
Ask yourself – Why is our land so set on taking Christ out of Christmas?
BUT YOU CAN SUCCEED IN THIS JOURNEY OF LIFE.
Our Answers lie in coming before Jesus, even as the Magi did through His Word, Worship, His leading and guidance and being Transformed through Him.
If you are going to succeed in this Journey You must have …
- Desire,
- Commitment,
- Obedience
- and Perseverance.
E. This Christmas celebrate truth, the joy, the meaning of life, Significance, Purpose and Ultimate Victory that was born to us through Christ – the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Here are great gifts to offer Jesus this year:
Your Desires
Your Commitment
Your Obedience
Your Peseverance
How can you give these to Him now?
