Seek Jesus
Matthew 2:1-12
Did you have a good Christmas? Did you get everything you wanted? Did it make you happy?
It is interesting as one grows older, you begin to see more and more that the things of this earth provide no lasting joy or happiness. So many of the toys and trinkets that we found under our trees last weekend, are now put away in a closet, or broken, or exchanged. And most of us have experienced a little of the Christmas blues that come from all the activity and hub-bub finally being over. And what was it all for?
Jesus in all of His wisdom told His disciples: Why do you chase after things which will be destroyed by moth or rust, or which will be stolen or wear out? Why do you worry and fret about food, clothing, and other material things. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. He’ll take care of the other things you need.
The end of one year and the beginning of another year is a good time for taking inventory. This morning I don’t want you to take inventory on whether or not you are wealthier or thinner or happier today. I want you to take inventory or whether or not your are closer to Jesus. How did you do in 2005 in seeking Him first? What grade would you give to yourself? Passing? Failing? Not sure?
Will you commit with me this morning that 2006 will be different? Will you make a new priority to seek Him first in your life?
This morning I want to look at an example of some men who did just that. We call them wise because they sought Jesus Christ at a tremendous cost.
The story of the wise men can be found in Matthew 1:1-12.
1. Wise men and women put a high priority on finding Jesus.
2. Wise men and women will obey the voice of God.
3. Wise men and women desire to worship Christ with all they have.
1. Wise men and women put a high priority on finding Jesus.
These wise men from the east were seekers of truth. They had the goal of coming and worshipping the new-born King of the Jews. (See Matt 2: 1-2) Who were they? And Why was this their goal?
The term Magi first came into use in the 7th century BC to refer to a tribe of priests in the Midian Empire - This priestly tribe served a religion very similar to Judaism in it’s worship of one God and in the understanding of the problem of sin in humanity. This group of wise men became the advisors to the kings during the Babylonian and Persian Empires.
Their religion was a strange mix of magic (from which the term Magi is a root), and astrology which was more like an early version of astronomy rather than what we characterize as astrology today. They also had a strong belief in the ability to interpret dreams. You may recall from the book of Daniel - Daniel and his three friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being included in this group of advisors to the King of Babylon.
At this point let me clearly state what scripture has to say about the practice of astrology and the usage of psychics. Scripture clearly warns against the usage of any form of occultic practices - the Jewish people avoided this practices - and we can see in Leviticus 19:31 - God said:
“Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them, I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD”
Seeking anything other than the Lord to guide and direct our paths - is equivalent to idol worship - those that consult mediums, or psychics or astrology are not looking to the Lord alone to direct their path, and in fact have turned their back on God, either consciously, or unknowingly.
Isaiah records these words of the Lord to the Babylonian people who did depend on these occultic practices in Isaiah 47:12-ff.:
“Keep on then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries, which you have labored at since childhood. Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps you will cause terror. All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you. Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up.”
All around us we see more and more the interest in the occult. People are seeking psychics and horoscopes and spiritists in increasing amounts. What before our society understood as evil, it now is accepting as normal and OK. We need to make sure that we are educated and understand the warnings in scripture against such practices.
So who were these particular Magi? They were not magicians or astrologers - but more like astronomers - scientists and advisors. Over the centuries as the Jewish people were taken into captivity by Babylon and then under the rule of King Darius, these wise men or magi were greatly influenced by Judaism and the prophecies of a Jewish Messiah who would one day come and rule the world bringing peace. They became familiar with the words of Daniel who in Daniel 9:25 had said:
“Know and understand this; from the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler comes there will be seven ‘sevens’ and sixty-two ‘sevens’.” - referring to the expected time of the birth of the Messiah.
They were familiar with the words of Balaam who had said in Numbers 24:17:
“ 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.”
How much of this did they understand? - we do not know? Did they have the complete writings of Moses and of the Law -probably not or they would have known that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, not Jerusalem. But these seekers of truth and of wisdom, these educated men of ancient science - did know enough to allow their education and their science to lead them to seek understanding and truth.
And so they continued over the centuries to study the stars and to look for the fulfillment of these prophecies. Over the centuries these Magi became members of the upper house of the constitutional government of Persia - they became the kingmakers of the Persian empire (A little like our electoral college) - the ones who would appoint new kings. And so when the time of Daniel’s prophecy seemed to be drawing close, God in His graciousness spoke to them in their searching, using a method they would comprehend and understand - he sent them a star (the star they believed Balaam had prophesied about)
We don’t know very much about this star; except that it must have been a new occurrence in the sky - something that would lead them to believe it was ‘the star’. Our astronomers have speculated that it was perhaps a supernova ( a new star); or a rare alignment of the planets - in fact some astronomers have identified around the projected time of Christ’s birth - that there was a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn with the earth and sun that occurred on 3 different occassions over a 4 month period - this could account for these magi witnessing a new object in the sky - setting off on the journey - losing the ‘star’ when they arrived in Jerusalem and then seeing in once again on their journey from Jerusalem to Bethlehem - this particular conjunction occurrs only once every 800 years or so in the eastern sky from the perspective of someone in persia - but the fact is we do not know for sure - what really matters is that somehow God grabbed hold of these scientists and they set out on a terrific journey crossing hundreds and hundreds of miles of desolate dessert through dangerous hordes of robbers and thieves and wild animals at great expense of time, money and effort - for what? To meet and worship a Jewish King! - What tremendous confidence this gives to me to know that when someone seeks the Lord - God will respond to their search - whether their seeking is in the world of science or some other field - God can be found by those truly seeking Him.
Look once again at the first two verses of Matthew Chapter 2: “ Where is the one born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship him. “ Notice to whom they were saying this - Herod! Perhaps they thought the baby that was born was His Son? Or perhaps they recognized he had no true claim to the throne and their comments were made to offend him? We don’t know - but contrast for a moment their search with the search of Herod - a man who had manipulated and connived and killed his way into the Palace.
He did not care who this promised King was - he did not care about the prophecies - he did not care about God and His plan - instead - all he cared about was his own power, his own prestige, his own kingdom - he was king of his own little world - and so unlike these wise men from the east - their was no room in his world for another king!
What about us? Is there room in our hearts for a King? Are we seeking Christ everyday? Jesus said: You can only serve one master - with two masters you will hate the one and love the other - he was speaking of the conflict between love for God and love for material things; but the same statement can be made of anything in our lives that we seek above knowing, loving, and serving the king of kings and Lord of Lords!
The bible describes pursuit of any other thing in our lives above our pursuit of God - as idol worship. Are their idols in your life? What is the pursuit of your life? What would you leave home and hearth to follow after? Many of us come out of the Christmas season - with a blue feeling - it did not live up to our expectation. What was our idol? Was I seeking first the kingdom of God? Or was I looking for things to fill that empty space in my life that only God can fill? Perhaps you’ve struggled with the idol of wanting to be liked and accepted by people? Perhaps the idol of wanting to have the best of everything? - Any pursuit in our lives can easily usurp the pursuit of Jesus Christ - but wise men still seek Him.
How will you approach this new year? What will be your goal? Will you forsake all other ambitions - for the ambition of finding Jesus Christ and of worshipping Him? I’m speaking to all of us here - Perhaps you have never trusted in Christ as your Saviour - you have been pursuing religion, or worldliness - but you have not found Christ - let today begin a new day for you - may today be the day you come and bow before Jesus Christ; others of us here have known Christ for many years - we have followed Him; but the pursuit and passions of this world have turned us from the quest of knowing, loving, and serving Jesus first and foremost. We’ve turned to follow a different star, or we’ve lost sight of the star all together. Choose today to be the day you turn once again to Him - come and worship Him alone today!
In 2006 seek to know the King of Kings better than you did in 2005. Seek to fall more in love with Him - Seek to be the kind of wise friend your friends can depend upon to point them to the only one who can save and satisfy their thirsty souls.
2. Wise men and women will obey the voice of God.
These wise men from the east; scientists, educated, leaders in their community – had open and teachable hearts - when they heard - they acted upon it. Isn’t it amazing that God would speak to them through a star, through their science - God is never far away - He never had larangytis? - We just need to be open and have responsive ears and hearts to hear His voice.
So often - I will hear people say - God doesn’t speak to me anymore - and yet Jesus says in His Word - I am the Good Shepherd - I know My Sheep and they know Me - When I call - they know and hear my voice.
If we have trouble hearing God speak to us - the trouble is not with the Shepherd - perhaps you as a Sheep have strayed out of ear shot of the Shepherd’s voice - come back to Him and you will hear His voice. God used a star - to speak to this men.
Notice too, when they came to Jerusalem - they came with open, listening hearts.
Vs 2 “Where is He?”
Vs. 9 “ After they hear - the king is to be born in Bethlehem - they go!’
They acted upon the knowledge God gave them.
Vs 10 - God sends the star again - and it points the way to the very house -
They were full of joy
Vs. 12 - God warns them in a dream (a valid way in their cultural context
to hear a message from God) - they don’t question it - they obey
Open, responsive, obedient - these are hallmarks of these wise friends - we would do
well to follow their example. BUT, contrast their response with that of the scribes - Here were men who studied the scriptures for a living - it was their job to know the Word of God inside and out - they taught what the Bible had to say - they above all people should be able to hear when God is speaking and should act in obedience to His voice - but Matthew paints a very different picture of them - look at verses 3-6
It says all Jerusalem was in an uproar over this caravan of wise men from the east;
why are they hear, what do they want - they are seeking the King to be born - Herod calls in the priests and scribes - where is the Messiah to be born - Bethlehem -
Why didn’t the scribes go to Bethlehem? It was only 6 miles away - these wise men
had traveled hundreds, perhaps a thousand miles to find Jesus - the religious ones;
the ones who knew the scriptures inside and out wouldn’t even go around the block!
There is a lesson in here for us! Woe to us that we do not become like the Pharisees
and scribes - full of head knowledge - but with deaf ears and closed hearts - unwilling to listen for the voice of our King and unwilling to respond in obedience.
Maybe this coming year we do not need to obtain more head knowledge -
but instead more heart - a willing and responsive heart to what you have already heard the Lord say to us.
How are you doing? How does God speak to You? The writer of the book of
Hebrews tells us how God speaks to us today - Look at Hebrews 1:1-2 - He has spoken to us through His Son Jesus Christ - the writer of Hebrews warns us not to harden our hearts - but to come and submit our lives to the Son of God - to listen to Him and His Word - which is alive and active - we are encouraged in Hebrews 3:12 to:
“See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”
Has His voice fallen on a cold and callused heart this past year? Have you chosen to ignore the Word of God; have you surrounded yourself with friends who criticize and tear down your desire to walk with the Lord, or have you found friends who encourage you to not allow sin to harden your heart. Circumcise your heart once again to the King. Listen to His calling and obey!
Henry Blackaby in his tremendous work “Experiencing God” says their are two words that do not connect in the Christian language - they are the words NO and LORD - you can not say no to Him if He is truly Lord - The Lord is looking for wise men and women who still seek Him with all their heart, and who listen and obey readily when God speaks to them whether it be through the Word of God, the proding of the Holy Spirit, or the counsel of a godly friend - let our answer be - YES, LORD in 2006.
3. Wise men and women worship Him with all that they have.
See verse 11 - they bowed, they worshipped, and they gave Him gold, frankincense,
and myrrh; there have been those who have seen in these gifts the significance of
gold being given to Christ because He was a king; frankincense given to him because it was a fragrance often used in worship of God - that they were acknowledging He was God; and myrrh, a spice often used for burial - they were
acknowledging his humanity and as a symbol of the fact that he came to die for us.
While this is beautiful symbolism, it is more likely that these gifts were just the most
precious treasures they could find in their posession and they represented the best they had to offer this new born King of the Jews.
The real question is - what will we bring Him today? We are so quick - even as
believers in Jesus Christ to approach Him with the attitude - what can you do for
me; what prayer can you answer today; what gift will you give me now; what
need will you fill this moment. Even in our worship we can come to Him, not to
ascribe to Him the honor and glory that He deserves, but more out of a need -
we almost have the attitude that God’s role is to make us feel better, to fill our empty lives. This is not worship of the true King, but idol worship!
What have you given to Christ in 2005?Can you look on this year and truly
say that you gave Him everything that you had - your life, your love, your
all. One of my favorite songs I was taught as a child says this beautifully:
All that I am
All that I’ll be
All that I’ll ever have
I offer now to thee
Take and sanctify these gifts
For you honor Lord
Knowing that I love and serve You
Is enough reward
All that I am
All that I’ll be
All that I’ll ever have
I offer now to thee!
What is in your hands and heart today? Will you give everything to Him? - Will you lay your goals and aspirations for 2006 at His feet? So often I hear the words - I’m afraid to give myself completely to Him. These words represent a misunderstanding of the nature and character of God - and a lack of understanding of the impossibility of running our own lives by our own resources. At it’s heart it is a refusal to embrace Christ because we cannot come to Christ with anything in our hands - it must all be laid at His feet - heart, mind, soul, and strength!
The Old Beautiful Christmas Carol says it all:
What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a Shepherd, I would bring Him a lamb;
If I were a wise man, I would do my part;
What can I give Him? Give Him my heart.”
Pray
