Worship Like Wise Men Series

INTRODUCTION

Advent is the time when the world celebrates the most glorious event in the history of the world, God becoming human and giving the name Jesus because He will save his people from their sins. We have the details of this account mentioned in the gospel according to Matthew and Luke. Jesus is called Immanuel which means God with us. One of the narratives of Advent is about the wise men coming from the East to worship Jesus.

TODAY WE ARE GOING TO LOOK AT THE TRUE WORSHIP BY WISE MEN NARRATIVE

Matthew 2:1-6

1After 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.” 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.’”

Matthew 2:7 – 8

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.” 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.

Matthew 2:10 – 12

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.

We must understand that all 4 gospels are very different.

Each gospel has its own focus. Matthew writes to the Jews, but he emphasizes to them the focus on the gentile mission. Matthew 28, go into all the world to make disciples of all the nations.

So here in the beginning of the gospel, you have a prophetic event to show that the Gentiles will come to worship the Messiah. We are here now to worship the Messiah. Around the world, the majority of the people who worship Jesus are non-Jewish people.

GOD DOES NOT HAVE ANY SPECIAL LOVE FOR OE GROUP OF PEOPLE, NOT EVEN FOR ISRAEL. GOD CALLS EVERYONE TO WORSHIP

There is a simplicity to this familiar story of worship by wise men. Some of us may have heard it many times. Familiarity can sometimes numb our spirits to the wonder of discovery. Embedded in this passage are some practical examples of simple things we can do to worship Christ. In this passage, we can learn about true worship, something that we do not hear anywhere in scripture based on the worship by wise men.

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 when it rose and have come to worship him.”

HOW DID THE WISE MEN WHO WORSHIPPED KNOW ABOUT THE BIRTH OF JESUS?

From the Scripture. The wise men heard about the Jewish king maybe from the scripture as the Jewish exiles were there. In 587 BC Judah was destroyed and people were taken into captivity. The Jews in captivity hoped for the coming of the Messiah and the wise men heard about it.

Maybe they heard from the mouth of a disobedient prophet, Balam.

Numbers 24:17

A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.

THIS IS NOT THE APPROVAL OF ASTROLOGY

We do not find here an approval for astrology in this. Astrology tells us what the stars foretell. It tells us that people’s lives are somehow controlled by these stars and unfortunately even Christians begin to think about bad times and good times and think that stars control our lives. This is not a sanction for astrology because we believe God controls the greater light and smaller light.