Understanding that Biblical Worship Requires Personal Sacrifice
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Introduction
Introduction
As I was studying for this morning’s message, I realized that these wise men came to worship the King of the Jews aka the King of Kings. In doing so, I also realized that they gave up some thing so that they might worship Him. That led to the this thought. What are we willing to give in our worship of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Now, before, we go any further. Let me begin by involving you in this discussion. What characteristics do you see in their attitude of worship to the Lord?
Take a few minutes and have people give some responses.
There are actually eight characteristics. Here they are.
8 Characteristics Noted About the Wise Men’s Worship
8 Characteristics Noted About the Wise Men’s Worship
They were Intentional in their Worship
They were Intentional in their Worship
2 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.
The came for the sole purpose of finding the King of Jews so that they could worship Him.
Should not our worship be intentional as well? What are some ways we can make worshipping God intentional?
They were Willing to Worship
They were Willing to Worship
2 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.
No one pulled their arms or forced them to come seeking Him to worship Him.
What are some ways we often show our UNWILLINGNESS to worship the Lord?
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Do you think the Lord is please more by our worship when we do it with a willing heart and with eagerness?
They were Personal in Their Worship
They were Personal in Their Worship
2 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.
9 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.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11 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.
Note they personally came in verse 2. They traveled from a great distance to worship Christ. They came in simple faith as they trusted the star to lead them. They rejoiced when the found Him. They personally humbled themselves before Him. They gave personally to Him the lavish gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They put aside self and made Christ the center of their attention.
How can we personally worship the Lord today? (sing when others sing, testify when others testify, give when others give, in other words, don’t just sit back and let others do the worshipping, each of us personally need to get involved each chance presented to us)
15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord; Praise him, O ye servants of the Lord.
2 Ye that stand in the house of the Lord, In the courts of the house of our God,
3 Praise the Lord; for the Lord is good: Sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.
4 For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, And Israel for his peculiar treasure.
5 For I know that the Lord is great, And that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatsoever the Lord pleased, That did he in heaven, and in earth, In the seas, and all deep places.
They were Confrontational in Their Worship
They were Confrontational in Their Worship
3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Should we be concerned about what others think in our worship to the Lord?
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
They were Emotional in Their Worship
They were Emotional in Their Worship
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11 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.
Is there anything wrong with being emotional? No, there is not. God made us with emotions. He Himself exhibits emotions. However, it is wrong when we allow our emotions to control us. Instead, we must bring our emotions under control and allow them to flow only when they are directed at glorifying and serving the Lord.
1 O clap your hands, all ye people; Shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
4 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: Make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing: Then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them.
They Affected Others with Their Worship
They Affected Others with Their Worship
3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
5 And they said unto him, In Beth-lehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6 And thou Beth-lehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Beth-lehem, 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.
12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
They affected Herod and all of Jerusalem. How did it affect them? (Everyone began thinking about the prophesy given by Micah, thus, they began thinking about the Word of God once again. It created a renewed sense to search Scripture.)
Can our worship today still create an effect upon people? How so?
32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
They were Relational in Their Worship
They were Relational in Their Worship
2 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.
9 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.
It is quite obvious that they had a relationship with God. They knew the star was from God. They knew that it was for the King of the Jews. They understood they were to follow the star so that might worship Him. How did they manage to gain all that information? There is only one conclusion. They had a relationship with God by which He revealed all that to them. Their obedience is evidence they had a personal relationship with God. A relationship that ended with them worshipping Him as the newborn babe.
Now, here is a few more thoughts about the wise men and their worship. It really is the heart of this evening’s message.
Biblical Worship Requires Personal Sacrifice
Biblical Worship Requires Personal Sacrifice
Go back to Matthew 2:2 for a moment.
2 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.
These men came from the east. Scripture does not tell us the exact location in the east from which they travelled. However, we do know that in the east were places like Persia, Arabia, and even Babylon. None of these places were in close proximity to Bethlehem or Jerusalem. I would imagine that their travels carried them over hundreds of miles. For them travel such a distance, they needed plenty of supplies. There were no Hilton Hotels to stay in. For traveling, they couldn’t just jump on the next train or plane since none were in existence. No, they most likely climbed on the back of camels or horses riding the entire way. It was along arduous journey. It is surmised that Christ was about 12-24 months old when they arrived. We know this from the events recorded in Matthew 2:16
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Beth-lehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.
Herod slew all the children under two years old. It is quite possible then that these wise men had been on their journey for over 12 months or more.
Here is my point!
Biblical Worship Demands Our Time!
Biblical Worship Demands Our Time!
They say time is money. There are many business that charge you for time labored. Thus, one of the most valuable things in our possession is our time. When it comes to worshipping the Lord, it is important to understand that giving our time to Him is something He expects.
Here is some food for thought! If indeed these men took more than 12 months in travel to worship the Lord, how difficult is it then for us to travel 30 minutes or less to a church service where God is worshipped? We often complain about the pastor preaching more than 30 minutes or the fact we have to spend 3 whole hours on Sunday at church. Yet, our time is of value. Should we not give more of it to Him than spend upon our selves? Real worship of the Lord means investing your time each day in glorifying Him and serving Him. I know that the majority of our lives are spent outside these church walls. I get it. However, what I also know is that what we do in service to the Lord and how we act about spending time at church can quite indicative of how much time we spend each day with Him. If you take a close look at many men and women in Scripture who were great men and women of faith, I believe you will find they spend enormous amounts of time with God. For example, think about Daniel. The Bible records that Daniel prayed morning, noon, and evening. Three times a day He spent with God. How many of us give God even that amount of time?
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Biblical Worship Demands Our Treasure!
Biblical Worship Demands Our Treasure!
11 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.
Here again we see these wise men. They brought their treasures and presented them unto Christ. Now, remember, He is just a 12 month baby at this moment. Yet, in their minds, they are in the presence of the God of the Universe, the King of Kings. Each of these gifts were extremely valuable. They were gifts worthy of any king. I imagine these men could have sold these things for a small fortune. Instead, they lay them at the feet of this baby born in a carpenter’s family in a small village of insignificance. Most would say, “What a waste!” Yet, for them, they could not give more and they gave what they had for it was Christ to whom they were giving it. They understood that what they possessed was giving to them by God. Now, they were simply returning to Him what was rightfully His.
It is no different today. All that we possess is from God.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
If we are going to worship Him utilizing true worship, then we must give Him what is rightfully His. The thing is that He does not demand we give all of possession back to Him. Indeed, He has only requested that we honor with Him only giving 10%. However, if we truly love Him and desire to worship Him, we will give more than just 10%. The great thing is this. Whatever we give back to Him, He turns around rewards for doing so.
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
There is an added bonus when we worship the Lord through generous giving.
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
We are laying up treasure in Heaven.
Biblical Worship Demands Our Testimony!
Biblical Worship Demands Our Testimony!
2 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.
11 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.
Think about it this way. Each of these men were not just rich, but they were influential. They were educated men who knew the arts of astrology, medicine, and possessed the ability to interpret dreams. Men like this were sought after. Kings often placed them by their side seeking their advice. Thus, they were powerful men.
What did they do? They left all that behind. In fact, think about it. They gave if their positions chasing what? They chases a star with the claim that it would lead them to the King of the Jews, the King of Kings. Where did it lead them? It led them to a baby in town that no one cared about. Can you imagine the scorn and the ridicule that must of have come with their pursuit? It is quite possible they lost their influence and their power when word began to spread about what they found. Yet, they care not for their own testimony. No, they found exactly what they were promised. In fact, we nothing about them other than they were wise men following a star. There are no names. We have no lineage. In fact, we have no idea where they come from other than from the east. Yet, we know about the child. We know that He was born King of the Jews. We know that He is the Messiah. We have 66 books contained in one book that tells us everything about the child they came to worship. You see their testimony was set aside so that Christ might shine.
We must do the same. Our job is to glorify Him and not ourselves. We are to lift His name up. Each we are to live in such a way that people see Christ. Our worship demands our testimony be sacrificed for His.
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: And the government shall be upon his shoulder: And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Conclusion
Conclusion
A truly wise person is one who worship the Lord.
13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
The words “good conversation” mean out of good conduct or living. In other words, a truly wise person live each day doing deeds that point to Christ. They will sacrifice their time, treasure, and testimony so that He might be lifted up.
Here is the question! Does that describe you? As people look at your life, do they see a person who worship the Lord? It is evident by the amount of time you spend with Him? If someone looks at your bank account, do they see some who sacrifices their treasure for Him? Do they see Christ in you? If not, they should! Let’s leave her this evening as wise people. Let’s leave with a determination to worship Him so that He is seen in us.