The Gift of Myrrh

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Think Yourself Clear

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Preach Yourself Empty

Names - literally singing scripture that Jesus learned, and it’s about Him

Isaiah 9:6 NLT

6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Special Prayer for Nikayla:

Worship team stay up

Bring Nikayla up

Diagnosed with PNES

Passing out etc.

MANGER OFFERING (bring envelope)

Capture:

Illustration: As we celebrate Christmas, you’ve probably heard about the wise men giving Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

This made me think: “What is the greatest Christmas gift i’ve ever gotten?” And I honestly can’t even remember very many (material things get lost, stolen, or broken) - SPIRITUAL GIFTS LAST FOREVER AMEN?

Record player in HS with some old vinyls

Basketball goal (Bulldogs hoodie and sweatpants)

Only gift I really remember very well :

Mimme - Axe Body Wash/Shampoo/Spray set every year

Kind of a joke now, but every year she got me it.

(this started when my older brother used AXE and I thought it was so cool)

it’s better today than it once was

(IMAGE ON SCREEN) “get girl approved hair”

Back then it was like heck yeah I’m cool now!

A few years later it was like dang mimme… …I already have a collection of every scent and kind that axe makes under my bathroom sink!

But she consistently gave it to me, because she knew it was something I needed. I may not have always “wanted” it, but I needed it. And now that gift means so much to me. And I wish I could find a bottle from those Christmases because I would wanna keep it (i’m super nostalgic)

SOME GIFTS MEAN MORE THAN OTHERS

Even though I didn’t necessarily want those gifts, I remember them today still compared to the things I “wanted”

Not always based on price, but based on the meaning of the gift

I believe Jesus and salvation through him is the most meaningful gift we can ever receive

And it was costly, it cost His life.

Let’s go way back - 3 Men called “Magi”

Scholars/wise men

Possibly descendants of Noah’s three sons

Very well respected, probably rich, lots of authority

from another country

MAGI - Specialists in astronomy

Saw an eastern star rising up and began a pilgrimage

They knew that the star meant the Messiah had been born, and they were on their way to worship Him.

Brought gifts

they meant more than it seems

They got there when Jesus was a toddler/child most likely

They must’ve known something that most people didn’t know yet…

because these f3 grown men who are very respected and smart went to bow down/worship a kid?!

That the king of kings, the messiah, the saviour of humanity had been born!

The Gifts

Gold is still very common/popular in our day and age

And you may have heard how frankincense is used today in soaps etc. but we don’t know so much about myrrh.

(ON SCREEN) Video meme - “Jesus I brought you Myrrh… Murrderrr!; Judas!”…

Myrrh is a rare perfume/incense that is used for a variety of things

Today it’s still used as a medicine, to treat back pain and things like in the far east like China

But there’s one use in particular that’s important to our story.

Myrrh was a common ingredient mixed to use for embalming — to anoint bodies after death.

A 40 day process of preserving dead bodies

Myrrh and frankincense were used to “perfume” the body (to make it smell good)

In this use, we see a powerful symbolism that myrrh represents in the Christmas story.

It foreshadows the true reason Jesus is here on earth: to die.

Seems dark because He was just a baby at that point; but Jesus’ main work on Earth was to die for our sake.

Laying down his divinity to be a lowly human

Connect:

Why do we celebrate Jesus’ birth? Ever wondered about this?

If you’re a Christian then you know He’s worth celebrating, but have you ever thought about why?

We celebrate Jesus’s virgin birth because it’s a miracle

Because of what it means for all of Humanity

THE ULTIMATE AND GREATEST GIFT EVER GIVEN/RECEIVED

His death on the cross for OUR salvation.

Think of the best gift you’ve ever gotten, or the best you could ever get… IT DOES NOT COMPARE TO THE GIFT OF LIFE THAT JESUS GAVE US!

Some gifts mean more than others!

Philippians 2:5–8 (NLT)

5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.

7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,

8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Jesus, God Himself, emptied Himself and became flesh so that He may experience pain and die on the cross for your sins and my sins.

I’m so thankful for that gift!

Consider:

Think about this passage! Who’s it talking about?

Isaiah 53:1–12 (NLT)

1 Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?

2 My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.

3 He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.

4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!

5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.

7 He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.

8 Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people.

9 He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.

10 But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.

11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.

12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

This passage about the truth of Jesus’ calling here on earth is kind of sad, and sobering.

He was known as a man of sorrow who was pierced for our transgressions

A wrongful conviction where the innocent person chose to take the punishment for guilt even though we know He was not guilty.

OUR SIN HAD TO BE PAID FOR:

Because of how perfect and just God is, our sin must be accounted for. And our sin as humans deserves a death sentence of pain and suffering!

But the King of Kings, the Lamb of God, took your punishment so that our neck would not break with judgment.

(lambs sacrificed in place of first born donkey’s in OT)

There are sorrows, there is punishment that we deserve

But Jesus chose to give us the gift of freedom by taking those (punishments, painful things) for us.

He was crushed for our failures and weaknesses

God laid every sin that belonged TO YOU AND ME… onto JESUS.

In the OT priests made sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people, but Jesus didn’t sacrifice an animal, he sacrificed all He had, His life.

This makes the gift of His life and His salvation such a powerful, and valuable gift to us

He was the only perfect, spotless, pure lamb who had his flesh ripped to pieces, nails put through his body, and was slain for your sin and the sin of all mankind!

Please don’t lose sight of what we are celebrating this Christmas!

We’re celebrating the gift of a savior being born! The baby whose purpose was to carry our sin and shame to make it easy for us to be right with God. He is our sacrifice.

He had to be hung up on a criminal’s cross to be sacrificed for our sake

Collide: (WORSHIP TEAM)

OT Story that parallels to Jesus being our saviour in time of need

Numbers 21:4–9 (NLT)

4 Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey,

5 and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”

6 So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died.

7 Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people.

8 Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!”

9 So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!

(image of the staff)

Why did God ask Moses to do this?

I believe it’s a parallel to how Jesus was hung on a cross so we can look at Him!

(image of jesus and staff compared)

His sacrifice for the sake of our life!

A gift of eternal life!

Listen to how John connects this

John 3:14–17 (NLT)

14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.

You know this part say it with me John 3:16:

16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

Call:

Do you need to see the Jesus (son of man) lifted up for you? Do you need to see the bronze serpent?

If so… Don’t be afraid of being judged, He came to save you, not judge you.

That’s a gift we have to receive. He’s given it, now we have to receive it

Tonight if you’ve never done this I would highly encourage you to try it.

May change your life

God has never failed me, and he won’t fail you

Salvation Call:

Bow heads, Raise hands on 3

COUNT HANDS

Repeat after me:

Lord, I admit I am a sinner.

I realize now

That I need and want Your forgiveness.

I accept Your death as the payment for my sin, 

and I recognize that Your mercy and grace

is a gift You offer to me

because of how much you love me,

not based on anything I’ve done.

Clean my mind,

purify my heart

and make me Your child.

By faith I receive You into my heart

as the Son of God

and as the Savior and Lord of my life.

From now on, help me live for You,

and take control of my life.

Jesus thank you for your sacrifice

Holy Spirit consume me

In Your precious name, Amen

Ephesians 2:8–9 MSG

8 Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! 9 We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing!

Why do we celebrate Jesus’ birth?

Because he lived so he could die for us

What does it mean that Jesus is our sacrifice?

He took our place and received our punishment of guilt even though he was innocent

How can you look to Jesus this week, or perhaps for the first time?

MANGER OFFERING