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Text: “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy” (Matt.
2:10).
Scripture Reading: Matthew 2:1–10
Introduction
There was a scurry in heaven.
A commotion was caused by the fact that the Christ was leaving heaven for his humiliation.
Peter said in his first epistle that the time of the coming of Christ was a time unknown to any of the angels in heaven.
Only God knew the appointed time.
When the time came, even the angels of heaven participated in the things that God was now doing.
God sent an angel to speak to Zechariah, Mary, and Joseph, and also to announce Jesus’ birth to the shepherds.
He even sent an angelic choir to the shepherds.
During this great commotion of heaven, God decided to speak to some Gentile men.
We do not know much about these men, but many fables and myths have arisen about them.
The Eastern church in the fourth century gave names to them and declared that there were three of them.
The Bible does not tell us who they were.
Doubtless they were students of the stars and probably some of the wisest men of their time.
The Bible says they saw a star in the East, which they knew to be the star of Christ.
Upon seeing that star, they became excited and made the journey to Jerusalem so they might inquire about the birth of the Messiah.
If we do not get lost in the fables and myths, and if we stay with God’s truth, we have a marvelous revelation.
Some theologians tell us that when Paul went on his first missionary journey, or when Peter went to share the gospel with Cornelius, the first Gentiles were converted to Christianity.
Actually this is untrue.
The first Gentiles to be converted were these wise men who came when Christ was born.
They fell down before him and worshiped him.
There are two lessons we should learn this morning.
We should gather light from the star and;
Wisdom from the wise men.
I.
The light of the star.
The star was an unusual creation.
It may have been a comet, as many have claimed.
It may have been a special creation.
Whatever it was, it revealed to the magi that the Jewish Messiah was born.
God had told Israel to be ready for the coming of the Messiah.
They were ready neither to receive him nor to share his message, so God revealed the coming of the Messiah through creation.
God never fails.
If people do not do his will, he uses others.
A leading light.
This star led to Christ.
It told the wise men that Christ had been born.
Then they went to Jerusalem.
They traveled through arid desert country.
No doubt it was a difficult trip, but they would not be stopped.
They inquired as to the place of the Messiah’s birth.
Ultimately they were taken to the scribes and told that Christ would be born in Bethlehem.
As they proceeded toward Bethlehem, the star appeared, leading the way to Christ.
We ought to be like that star, leading people to Christ, always showing the way to him.
The star attracted their attention.
The Word of God taught them the exact details.
The light led them to Christ and stopped there.
The light of every Christian needs to lead others to Christ.
Do not lead people to church buildings or programs and leave them there; lead them to Christ.
Listen to this quote from Warren Wiersbe: The magi were seeking the King; Herod was opposing the King; and the Jewish priests were ignoring the King.
These priests knew the Scriptures and pointed others to the Saviour, but they would not go to worship Him themselves!
They quoted Micah 5:2 but did not obey it.
They were five miles from the very Son of God, yet they did not go to see Him!
The Gentiles sought and found Him, but the Jews did not.
Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 14–15.
The star became a witness.
It told those wise men that the Messiah was born.
Then it led them to the Messiah.
That is the kind of light the church must have in the world today.
II.
The wisdom of the wise men.
Perhaps these men were teachers of science in Persia.
They were not called kings; they were called magi, which means “wise ones.”
God’s message in nature.
Many scientists conclude that perhaps the Christian message is not true because we have made so many myths about God rather than listening to God as he has spoken.
God spoke loudly through nature to those ancient scientists.
People may see God’s handiwork in a tree or in the human body.
Who could study without recognizing that a divine Designer made them?
God’s message in his Word.
Paul said that God reveals himself in nature.
Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
He reveals himself in a general way in nature, but for details we must turn to God’s Word.
Psalms 119:105 says
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
That is exactly what these wise men did.
We must be just as wise.
When we look at the beauty of the sky, of the ocean, or of human life, we should recognize God’s handiwork.
Then let us turn to his Word and believe the exact details that God reveals to us about himself.
The wise men persisted.
When the wise men saw the Messiah’s star, they wanted to know him, so they traveled across the desert.
They went through wild, rugged country filled not only with physical hardship but also with bands of robbers.
They journeyed not on an airplane but on camels or by walking.
They persisted in their search.
They were not discouraged when they arrived at Jerusalem and found uninterested people.
Many people today are discouraged by lesser things in their search for Christ.
The wise men did not become discouraged.
In trying to learn about the Messiah, they could have said,
We will see if we like the scribes.
Where did the scribes go to school?
Are they friendly scribes?
Are they good mixers?
Do they stand at the door and shake hands when you come in, or do they not?
They did not say those things.
They went eagerly to hear the message of God.
They were tenacious in their search.
The wise men rejoiced.
They knew that God was leading them, and they rejoiced.
Oh man, if we could return to a rejoicing search for God!
We come here to church like zombies.
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