Follow That Star

follow that star

OS 240

CS 137

Matt 2:1-2

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

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.

(KJV)

It is the last month of the year and I believe that the Lord would have us reflect on our journey.

I suggest to you today that before the foundations of the world God saw you and He saw me. He was infinitely interested in our direction the way we would find in this dark world. Knowing that we could never find our own way by ourselves God sent His Son, His great star to guide you and me. Are we following? My topic this morning "Follow that Star" Let us pray.

What are stars?

Star, large celestial body composed of gravitationally contained hot gases emitting electromagnetic radiation, especially light, as a result of nuclear reactions inside the star. The sun is a star. [1]

Whatever they are they have held mankind in fascination since the beginning of time. Stars have allured with their brightness and majesty. They have been a source of guidance and direction.

Even wild birds rotate their direction with the movement of the stars overhead. They depend on stars for orientation and bearing.

From ancient antiquity there has been a fascination of the stars. The Ancient nation of Babylon was rich in the study of astronomy-- Astronomy, science dealing with all the celestial bodies in the universe, including the planets and their satellites, comets and meteors, the stars and interstellar matter, the star systems known as galaxies, and clusters of galaxies.[2]

. Babylonian stargazers could predict the time of the new moon and the day on which the new month would begin. As a by-product, they knew the daily positions of moon and sun for every day during the month.

In a similar manner the planetary positions were calculated, with both their eastward and retrograde motions represented. Archaeologists have unearthed hundreds of cuneiform tablets that show these calculations. [3]

They were the originators of the worship of the heavens. The system of astrology--"Astrology, the study of how events on earth correspond to the positions and movements of astronomical bodies, particularly the sun, moon, planets, and stars. Astrologers believe that the position of astronomical bodies at the exact moment of a person's birth and the subsequent movements of the bodies reflect that person's character and, therefore, destiny.

The Zodiac is a system of ideology that came as a result of Babylonian philosophy.

"Ancient astronomers noted that the sun makes a yearly journey across the celestial sphere, . . . . The ancient astronomers associated dates with the constellations in this narrow belt (which is known as the zodiac), assigning to each constellation of stars the dates when the sun was in the same region of the celestial sphere as the constellation. The twelve zodiacal signs for these constellations were named by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, as follows: Aries (ram), Taurus (bull), Gemini (twins), Cancer (crab), Leo (lion), Virgo (virgin), Libra (balance), Scorpio (scorpion), Sagittarius (archer), Capricorn (goat), Aquarius (water-bearer), and Pisces (fishes). "9

That's why people say today that this is what the stars say about your future. That's Astrology! Luck charms and moon guidance. The belief that constellations and heavenly bodies effects the life of individuals on earth. Science has long ago disavowed such beliefs.

Even today people believe that the direction of their lives, the fate that hands them fortune or misfortune is directly related in the heavens. It's in the stars!

We know that the Ancient Israelites were acquainted with Astronomy. Moses recorded that God told Abraham that his descendants would be like the stars of the sky.

But about 2000 years ago there were royal astronomers--I don't believe these great men were astrologers but astronomers.

Saw something in the night sky that they had not seen before. A star that had not come on the scene before this. They knew it had to be a sign. That star shone brightly in the darkened sky. That star led them to the light, that light was Jesus.

The story is simple, the lesson is simple. The wise men followed the star that led them to the light that light was Jesus. The light is a star Himself!

Numbers 24:17

17 there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, . . . (KJV)

In this world of darkness we have a star that leads us to the light. We need to follow that light in order to make it out of this world of darkness.

We need to follow the star, problem is that there is more than one star.

Sometimes we get dizzied by the neon signs of starry host that exists in this worldly atmosphere and that exist in our minds. And if we concentrate and examine and pursue these stars we will not be able to comprehend the one star that counts the most and that is Jesus!

See darkness is a great thing. . . and if you don't know anything but darkness that it's hard to find your way.

The story is told about a man who stopped his car and asked for directions at a rural convenience store:

"Keep going down this road until you get to the old Jones homeplace, then turn left. Stay on that road, and just before you cross Brown's Creek there will be a road that goes off to the right . . ."

"Wait! Jones homeplace? What's that look like?

"Well, you can't see it from the road. It's about a half mile past where the big oak used to be."

"What big oak?"

After several tries, the local gave up and said, "Mister, you've got to know something before I can tell you something."

There are so many people in this world all over this globe who don't know better. They don't know anything but darkness. But I got news today just like in the days of old. There are people who are aquatinted with the light but they would prefer to walk after darkness.

Maybe because they have been confused by what they thought were true stars. They have seen by definition what is called variable stars. You know what variable stars are don't you?

All stars probably vary slightly in their brightness on a more or less periodic basis, including the sun. Such variations may be scarcely measurable. Some stars, however, change greatly in brightness and are called variable stars. There are many types. Some repeat cycles with almost clocklike precision; others are highly irregular. Some may require only hours or days to return to a starting brightness; others may require years. The brightness of such stars may change almost imperceptibly or violently.

You may have thought he was a bright star when he told you that you had stars in your eyes. And when he said "Honey, our love has taken us beyond this point. I can't hold back we got to go all the way."

It may have seemed dazzling, stellar and popular for those teenagers to make love but when they stood up in court telling the judge who they had slept with earlier this year in New York City they realized that they had been given the HIV Virus along with several other young ladies on purpose. (your star doesn't shine that bright now).

It may seem vivid bright to listen to the rebellious sounds of Hip hop and forget what you learned in Sabbath School as a youngster--

follow suit by applying your life to the words of hellish lyrics but when you realize that more and more teenagers are dying from bullets and STD you realize that the star is not shining as bright as you once thought.

You have to remember that some stars are not what they seem to be at all. They exist in the realm of light years. Which means what you see in the sky is not a reflection of what a star looks like now but what it looked like 4 years ago.

Jesus says I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end. I been there, I know what will happen in the end. What things look like now doesn't mean it will be that way later.

If you don't know where you are, or where you are going you're finished!

Know the goal! The true goal. . .

Cigarette might make a good stress buster . . . until you find out that . . .

Hang out with friends doing drugs, having sex, stealing—you might look cool now!

It might seem enticing to follow the crowd, hang out and leave the God your parents and family love, the One you grew up to respect. The star you are looking at may seem prosperous but if you were to see later on down the road that you would end up a toothless, smelly, broke begging drugged up prostituting bum. I wonder whether you would go there!

In life as in football, you won't get far unless you know where the goalposts are.

Jesus says "I am the way the truth and the life."

(whatever you do don't make a mistake and get sidetracked and leave Christ because of variable stars)

Sometimes the path laid out for us by Christ just doesn't make sense. It doesn't make sense. Instead of flowers and pleasant fields the pathway is moth eaten and the grass is dry and parched and the way is thorny.

You know the trouble with us sometimes is that we expect roses good weather all the time. We live in an age where we must be entertained all the time. Can't even sit down and have a quite moment. If we are not in front of the TV we are by the radio, if we are not by the radio we have a game boy in front of us.

Kids--medicine

Peter said

1 Pet 4:12

12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

(KJV)

But funny though we go through the storm He's always there. Even when it seems when we are alone.

You all know what Double stars are?

More than half of the stars in the sky are actually members of two-star (binary) systems or multiple-star systems[4]

These stars are detected as doubles only by spectroscopic means. A double-star system consists of two stars that are physically close to each other and that revolve in an orbit around their common center of mass.[5]

spec·tro·scope (spĕkʹtrə-skōp´) noun
An instrument for producing and observing spectra. [6]

Jesus is there with us . . .

Life is not an interminable ride of fun and games. There has got to be a little rain sometime along with the sunshine. It helps us to grow.

Jesus says trust me though it may look grim sometimes, even now things are going to be different when we get to the end of our journey.

That’s why you have to stick with Him have faith in Him.

You may be down and feel like God

Has somehow forgotten

That you are faced with circumstances

You can't get through.

Right now it seems there's no way out

And you're going under,

But God's proven time and time again

He'll take care of you.

Chorus:

And He'll do it again,

He'll do it again.

If you'll just take a look at where you are now

And where you've been.

Well hasn't He always come through for you?

He's still the same God as then.

You may not know how-

You may not know when-

But He'll do it again.

You see God knows the things you're going through

And He knows how you're hurting.

He sees your tears and He knows

When your heart- when it's been broken in two.

But He's still the God of the sun and the sea

And He's still your Father;

And if He can calm those stormy seas

I know He'll fix this for you.

Oh yes He's still God

And He does not fail

I know He's still God

And He does not change.

He's still God and He's fightinng for you

Just like Moses, just like Daniel,

Just like Shadrack, Meshack, Abednego-

He's gonna do it again.

You know you may not know how

You may not know just exactly when-

You know you may not know how

You may not know when-

But He'll do it again!

Oh yes He will- He'll do it again!!

And boy you got problems when you think that the stars, planets, heavenly bodies and galaxies in the universe exists just to revolve around you!

Society had that problem in medieval times

"During the 2nd century AD, Alexandrian astronomer and geographer Ptolemy, Ptolemy (AD100?-170?),[7] drawing heavily on the work of the Greek astronomer

Hipparchus, established the idea that the earth was the center of the universe. Ptolemy proposed an elaborate mathematical theory to prove his earth-centered or "geocentric" theory. This theory became known as the Ptolemaic System, and it held that the immovable earth was circled, in order, by the moon, Mercury, Venus, the sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Ptolemy combined his work with astrology, arguing that the stars had the power to determine both individual character and the future.

It wasn't until the 16th century hundreds of years after Ptolemaic System that Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus revolutionized science by postulating that the earth and other planets revolve about a stationary sun.

The church refused to listen and had him thrown in jail for his teaching where he was made to recant his statements. It wasn't until long after his death that the works of Copernicus was accepted.

Some of us truly live in our own world where we believe the universe revolves around us. What we do and what we think and what we say. We believe we are

stars but are only stars in our own minds. Who believe, I say believe that they are far beyond the path from falling and that God sent them here to get the rest of us straight.

I don't care what you say, how many scriptures you call, or how many spirit of prophecy references you quote. Devil knows the Bible too! Jesus says you shall know them by their fruit.

Some folk all it seems they want to do is criticize, condemn and tell other people how to live holy or as holy as they think they are! Trouble is they are stars in their own minds and they are not following the true star!

The reason the Priests, Scribes and Pharisees didn't check what the wise men said about following that star was because God didn't personally inform them! They had no light! Trying to instruct others.

Sometimes what we need to do instead of trying to correct our fellow ministers, our husbands, our wives, our brothers and sisters, our children is listen to that small voice ourselves saying "This is the way walk ye in it!"

Honey it's not everyone quoting something knows something you better "Watch and pray yourself"

Jesus Himself said

Matt 7:3-5

3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

(NIV)

And when we see clearly we will learn what it is to be like Jesus. And to treat people like Jesus would.

You ever notice how sinners are treated and how they are changed when they come into contact with Jesus!

The woman at the well with her five husbands and shacking up with one when she met Jesus at the well.

Mary Magdalene seven demons, a woman who was ready to be stone,

And Zacchaeus who stole everything from everyone, a down right thief. You remember how Jesus saw him up that tree and said Zacchaeus come down for I'm going to your house today.

Luke 19:8-10

8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

(KJV)

Why is it that when some of us in the church deal with sinners there is hatred, avarice, strife? Why is it some feel resentment and want to leave Christ and the church? Why is it some Christian homes feel the need to be broken? And some spouses feel the need to say I want a divorce?

Why is it that when some folks deal with us it causes division instead of unity, hurting instead of healing?

Condemnation instead of Salvation?

It’s easy to stomp up and down, quote E.G. White, carry on and complain so much (one preacher says) yp hate it when you come around (doom and gloom)

· Falls in sin

· Discouraged

· Mistake

Jesus was never rude nor forebearing nor spiteful nor revengeful, never scornful or distrusting.

Not with my Jesus! That's why I love Him! That's why I'll shout His love on the rooftops! That's why I want to tell the world about Him because He is a great God! He is a God of love!

Take His Word, read it and by His power and grace follow it! You can trust Him.

2 Pet 1:19

19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

(KJV)

That's why I can recommend to you today Jesus is the one True bright star that never fades!

Revelation says He's a star that shines so bright He even shines during the day!

Rev 22:16

16 I Jesus . . . I am . . . the bright and morning star. (KJV)

Follow that star . . . because He'll lead you the right way

Follow that star because He never flickers or fades away.

Follow that star because He'll never lead you astray.

Follow that star because He'll never leave even when the times get rough.

Follow that star because in the times of discouragement, times of failure, times of insecurity and doubt you need to lift up your head amidst the troubles and see Jesus!

Follow that star because He loves His church It's the only object in which He bestows His supreme regard.

Follow that because He's going to lead you to the light, He'll lead you to glory!

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[6]Excerpted from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition Copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V., further reproduction and distribution restricted in accordance with the Copyright Law of the United States. All rights reserved.