The Gift of Knowing God

Anticipating Christmas Presents

So have now entered the season of anticipation haven’t we?

I remember this time as a kid. By now I had come up with a solid Christmas list and was dreaming about playing the video game, building the Lego set, or riding the bike I had asked for.

Every day until Christmas day, the presents under the tree would grow and so would my anticipation.

Then, on Christmas morning, my sister and I would wake up way too early and run into our living room to find all (or most) the toys we had dreamed about under the tree.

The wait was finally over and we would spend the next week riding, building, and playing with all the new things.

Fast forward a month (or even a few days) and many of those things I was SOOO excited about and had anticipated playing with for months were sitting abandoned in my toy box, perhaps never to be played with again.

I am sure you relate to that story both as a former child and as a parent.

The anticipation is often more enjoyable than actually receiving the gift.

Our anticipation really is rooted in the belief that the thing we desire will some how bring us a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction that is missing in our lives.

But what we most often find in the satisfaction only last until we get bored or something newer and more exciting shows up.

This Christmas season, I want us to unwrap THE gift that, by God’s grace, doesn’t wear out or get boring…the gift of Jesus.

We are going to look at who Jesus was/is in light of the offices or titles Jesus came to serve as the promised Messiah.

In the OT there were three positions that were divinely appointed and anointed with oil signifying their importance…Prophets, priests, and kings.

Over the next 3 Sunday we are going to look at how Jesus became

Our prophet- allow us to know God personally.

Our priest- reconciling our broken relationship with God.

Our king- bringing peace and comfort from this sin-stained world.

Today we are going to unwrap how Jesus give us the gift of knowing God

Seeing ourselves in the Christmas Story

Matthew 2:1–20 CSB

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born. 5 “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet: 6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah: Because out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” 7 Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship him.” 9 After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route. 13 After they were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt. 15 He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called my Son. 16 Then Herod, when he realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men. 17 Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: 18 A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be consoled, because they are no more. 19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, because those who intended to kill the child are dead.”

This is a well-known and well-preached Christmas story and the characters that make up this account are familiar.

We see the wise men in our Christmas plays and in our Nativity sets.

I don’t think I have ever seen a Nativity set with Herod in it though, but we all recognize his part in the story.

But do you see yourself in these verses?

Sure none of us our kings, or religious leaders, or, NO offence, wise men.

But where we can see ourselves in these characters is their response to the knowledge about child born in Bethlehem.

How did they respond? And how have or will YOU respond?

Let’s look at them.

Herod - IGNORANTLY ANTAGONISTIC

The word “ignorant” is a harsh word, but it simply means someone doesn’t know about a particular thing.

I am ignorant when it comes to flying airplanes and doing high school algebra.

Though Herod was half Jewish, he was not a faithful Jew.

He didn’t seem to know much about the Messiah, didn’t care to follow the law, and really had little concern for others unless they were somehow useful to him getting or maintaining power.

He wasn’t all bad. He was known to do a lot of good for the needy in Judah and was successful in diplomacy.

But, it is wellknown of Herod that he had many people killed during his reign as King of Judah. Even his own family members were murdered if he felt threatened.

Though Herod was likely familiar with Jewish traditions and belief, and maybe even sympathetic to it, it seems he was mostly ignorant to the faith.

When the wise men from the east come to Herod asking about the child who had been born “King of the Jews,” he didn’t think “Could this be the Messiah, promised many years ago?”

No, Herod was “deeply disturbed” (agitated, stirred up to anger).

Just a few years before this, he had had 2 of his sons executed because he thought they might be trying to overthrow him.

His interest in the child wasn’t theological or worshipful, it was antagonistic/hostile.

The idea that his position, what he valued more than anything, was threatened, even in the slightest, made him insecure and hostile.

We will go to great lengths to protect what is precious to us.

Everyone has a sense that there is something out there that is bigger and greater than us, but what do we do with that awareness?

Ignore it- by staying busy or distracted.

We work hard—> we get money—> enjoy life

We play hard—> we have fun—> enjoy life.

As long as we stay busy with work, hobbies, sports, entertainment, friends, family, or whatever else then we don’t have to deal with the emptiness.

Or we just deny it and fight against it.

We try convince ourselves that there isn’t anything greater or more important than me.

We just have to find the right combination: the right job, the right spouse, the right house, the right boss, the right hobby, the right (FILL IN THE BLANK), then we will be satisfied with ourselves.

The idea that there is one that is greater than us and that our joy and satisfaction in life is dependent on us submitting our lives to Him is something we could never imagine doing.

So we fight, doing everything we can to avoid the idea that we are missing something.

Herod went to extreme lengths to protect his ignorance.

He ordered the mass execution of all the boys in and around Bethlehem under the age of 2.

Herod’s part of the story ends in verses 19-20.

He had done everything he could to keep what he values most, his perceived power, his perceived freedom, and his perceived sense of success.

But in the end…he died.

The Angel comes to Joseph and says in effect “the guy who thought he was in control of his life, who thought he knew what he needed, and the one who thought he has power, he is dead now.”

You may have walked in today ignorant to the knowledge of God, but you have a choice when we walk out.

Will you keep denying, keep ignoring, keep fighting, or will you come to know this gift we know as Jesus?

Religious Leaders - CONSCIOUSLY APATHETIC

When the wise men came to Herod and he didn’t really understand what they were talking about, Herod went to the chief priests and scribes, the leaders and teachers of the Jewish faith.

He didn’t understand all the ideas and words, but they would.

We don’t get any more information about the religious leaders in this passage, but what we do know is that it doesn’t seem like any of them made any kind of effort to go find out more about this child.

These were the church people of the day. In the pews every Sunday. Teaching Sunday school, serving on committees, doing all that needed to be done.

They would have known the prophesies about the Messiah. Would have memorized the verses about Him.

And yet, when they hear about this child who could be the Messiah, the one they, and those that went before them, had be waiting on for generations, they don’t do anything.

Apathy is different than ignorance, it is when you know something, but you don’t do anything about it.

Apathy is disinterests that results in a lack of effort.

Maybe at one point these Jewish leaders did care and dreamed about the Messiah coming to earth during their lifetime.

Maybe they meditated on those prophecies, hoping and praying that He would come and fix the brokenness of their world.

They were passionate about others knowing too.

But as the days added into months, the months into years, the years into decades, the decades into generations, they had become disinterested and complacent.

To the point that they had missed out on the very one the people of God had been longing for for 100s of years.

Perhaps the worst place anyone could ever be is to be apathetic toward the things of God.

It isn’t ignorance, it isn’t laziness, but a indifference that has lead to detachment.

The roots of our apathy really are 1 of 2 things.

We are either not nourishing our faith in Jesus and our knowledge of and relationship with Him.

Or we never really had it.

The knowledge of God, as revealed in Jesus, must and will drive us to a growing and sustaining willingness to submit to Him.

A few chapters from here, Jesus makes a statement that is probably the most sobering passages in the bible.

Matthew 7:21–23 CSB

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’

I can’t tell you where your at with the Lord, but I know the apathy and indifference aren’t the attitudes of genuine believers.

If you find yourself struggling to care about the things of God. Bored and distant from God’s people.

It is time to begin the journey home.

it is time to renew your commitment to pursue a relationship with our creator God who loves us unconditionally..

Wise Men - SINCERELY ADORING

The wise men weren’t Jewish scholars. They didn’t know the details of who this child was.

They, as astronomers, saw a star and just knew it was significant.

So they had to find out what it was about.

They searched the Word and then began to search the land.

And when they found the child, the one they were looking for, their response is powerful.

Matthew 2:10–11 CSB

10 When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Joy resulting in extravagant worship.

They, somehow, understood that they had met God.

Jesus has made it possible for us to KNOW God.

Not just to know ABOUT God, but to know Him PERSONALLY, EXPERIENTIALLY, and as the TREASURE He is.

Their response then is equally powerful as they get out the presents they had brother to given them.

Each of the gifts were immensely valuable, but nothing compared to the one they had come to know.

This is the definition of worship, valuing Christ above anything else.

We can’t stay apathetic brothers and sisters if we have come to KNOW God in Christ.

Philippians 3:7–8 CSB

7 But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ

The things that Paul values more than ANYTHING is the surpassing value of KNOWING CHRIST JESUS as HIS Lord.

The Wise Men came to KNOW Jesus and they responded in worship.

They gave Him precious treasures as an expression of the value they saw in Him.

Gold, frankincense, and myrrh were priceless possessions in Jesus’s day, but nothing was too much to give to honor Jesus.

We cannot ignore the gift of Jesus, for He has made God knowable and has finally and fully revealed to us the mystery of His goodness and glory.

Knowing God is a gift that doesn’t break after a few days of having it and never loses it’s delight.

It is the greatest gift we can receive, and the greatest gift we can give those we love.