Wisemen

Good morning everyone, it is so good to be here and to worship with everyone. I want to encourage you join in on the Bible Recap reading this year. There were quite a few of you this year that read through the Bible for the first time ever, and I hope you were blessed by seeing everything in a new way. I hope you all decide to join in on one of the reading plans this year and plan to go through again. It is such a blessing to hear from God on a daily basis.

Right now Im gonna invite our kids to go and meet up with your teacher. Isn’t it exciting to know that our kids here have teachers that actually care about them and want to partner with you as their parents to help disciple your kids. I love that so much…I also want to welcome those of you online. I want to thank you for joining us as part of our extended spiritual family today.

Hey, Christmas is over and we are in that last week of the year where we are both exhausted from the Christmas holidays. but also excited about the potential of a new year. Some of you might have made some new years resolutions, or goals, while others are just happy to continue on attempting to live a life pleasing to the Lord. Where ever you fit on that spectrum, I do hope that you will at least add to your goals to be pleasing to the Lord. That is our main goal as a church, and I pray that is one of your main goals as a believer. We read that in

2 Corinthians 5:9 (ESV)

So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.

That’s not our focus today though. You see, we have been in a series called Christmas Emotions. I have been encouraged as there have been many people that have mentioned that you have been blessed and challanged through this series. So, a quick recap on our shared vocabulary so that we can make sure we are all on the same page today. Everyone can come up with a different definition of emotion, and so I did some research and came up this definition that makes alot of sense. Emotions are subjective feelings, that can be either positive or negative, and subject to change. Now, I have to say that there is some discussion around this definition because I said that emotions are subjective. They are…in other words how you respond and what you feel is up to your perspective. two people can experience the same events, and have completely different emotional responses. That is why I like this definition. It puts the onus on the person experiencing the emotions, and not on others for their actions, or responses. You see, what I mean by that, is that you are in charge of your own emotions. That is actually the other thing that I said through this series. Emotions are not meant to control, but to be controlled In other words, you are meant to control your emotions, your emotions are not meant to control you. I have had conversations with people where I am told things like, “I have an anger management disorder”, incorrect, you have chosen to respond in anger and then you have made an excuse for your lack of self control. Listen, Ive responded in anger before, but that is my responsibility to control, not to make excuses for…make sense? I know there may be some folks that get mad at me, or think I don’t understand their condition. I know, there are things that may cause you to have a greater temptation, but you are still responsible for your own emotions. Now, of course there is a small percentage of people that have emotional disorders (like under 5% from my research), but for the majority of us, it is a lack of self control. That is what I want us to see through this series, that you really are capable of controlling your emotions, and what the potential result is if you choose to allow your emotions to control you. Although I suspect, if you are anything like me, you have seen what happens when you allow your emotions to control you. You see, God created our emotions, and so our emotions exist to help us see and experience the Lord in worship, not drive us away from the Lord to self.

Today we are going to be finishing up this series as we look at the Wisemen, well, really the Magi, but we will get into that in a little bit. For now, let’s look at…

The Emotions of the Magi

These are some fascinating men to be honest with you. I also wanted to talk about these guys after Christmas because, well, they showed up after Christmas didn’t they. Yeah, they weren’t there in Bethlehem on the day of Jesus’ birth, they came later and so we are going to see that in just a little bit. We are again going to be in Matthew 2, so go ahead and turn your Bible there. Of course if you don’t have a Bible there are Bibles in the seats in front of you, there is also the Bible App, and of course if you would like one, you are welcome to take one of the Bibles in the back so that you have one of your own. So go ahead and turn in your Bible to

Matthew 2:1–12 ESV

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ” Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Now, I want us to understand who the Magi are, because they are truly fascinating men. So, let’s answer the question…

Who are the Magi

Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem. This is where we get the name “Wisemen”. You see, the word actually used in Greek is Magi. However, this is kind of an untranslatable word. So over the years the Biblical scholars have eventually translated this term into “wise men”, two words, not one. They were men that were wise. However, there is much more to who they are than simply men that were wise. You see, over the years this word has been translated into magic because of who these men were. These men, or men that were Magi, have been seen as magicians, or sorcerers, but not like you think of from books like Harry Potter. No, these would be priestly sorcerers. A Magi is a wise man and priest, who was expert in astrology, interpretation of dreams and various other occult arts. These are men who are born into this field, much like the Levitical Priest in Jewish history, they were a part of a particular tribe of priests. The Magi are astronomers…or magicians…or priest of various cults…They are also trying to discover the next important thing that will impact the world. They would study scrolls and prophecies from all over, not just from their region. Now they have studied these Jewish scrolls, and they have found that there is a new “messiah” being born for the Jews. They are not from the area, so they begin to travel to find that place and pay homage to this new King of the Jews. The Magi are Persians and they were actually members of a scholarly class of people that have existed since at least the time of Daniel of the OT. These men are wise and have a great deal of political influence as they are consulted about everything that happens in the culture.

This is where the Magi get really interesting actually. You see, these men are from Pagan beliefs, that means that they aren’t Jewish, and so you might ask the question how they even got Jewish scrolls…Well, look with me back at

Daniel 5:11–12 ESV

There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.”

So, way back in Daniel we see that God had placed Daniel in a place to be put in charge of the magicians and all other sorcerers, or Magi. Now, Daniel is a man that is following God and is not afraid to tell others about God. I believe it is entirely likely that he shared with the Magi about the one and true God. Then a sect of Magi actually continued to believe in the Jewish Messiah and understood how the whole world will be saved through this Messiah and some of the Magi have been looking for this King of the Jews.

These men are wise…but they are something else, something that truly sets them apart from many others in that time, and frankly many others in our time today. You see,

The Magi are Passionate

They are traveled from from away and you don’t do that just on a whim. What the Magi did shows a great deal of intention. They travel and went to King Herod and then followed Gods leading to not go back to Herod, we are going to see that in a little bit. However, all of this paints of picture that the Magi are passionate about finding this new King of the Jews. When you really start to study, it is interesting to see that these men started off by studying the stars. Then, as we are used to reading, they followed a star that showed up and that led them to Bethlehem. Except that’s not how this would have happened. As we look into what took place we know from vs. 7 that Herod actually asked the magi when the star appeared, then in verse 16 we see that it was likely around 2 years ago, thats why every boy 2 and under was put to death. Did you catch that? The magi came and told Herod that the star appeared 2 years prior to when they got there. That is why Herod made the decision to kill all males 2 years and younger…just to make sure he didn’t miss anyone. That means that, assuming the star was born when Jesus was born, which is most reasonable, the Magi visited Jesus when he was around 2 years old…not on the evening of his birth.

So, what does a passionate magi do? Well, the magi seem to have taken there passion and turned it into various commitments. So…

The Magi are Committed

What are these men committed to though? Well, they are studying the stars and they see some crazy things happening in the sky. They see a new star. So they are committed to discovering why this star exists, and if this is the sign of the new Messiah that they have been looking for. They likely studied with a number of other scholars and finally came to the realization that this is a new King of the Jews…Obviously this is some sort of holy event, otherwise the sky would not have changed just for him. So they decide to be a part of this event.

They left, and traveled over 1000 miles, this would have been a long and dangerous journey that they traveled and it would have taken them quite a while. We know that from the time they saw the star until they got to Jerusalem was likely around 2 years, they studied and decided to go on a trip and then traveled. We do not know the specifics of how long they studied, how long they packed, how long they traveled…we can only speculate on all of that. What we do know is that they were committed to finding this new king.

Now we see the honor and commitment these men have. They have entered a new space and they are looking for where to go, so they go to the local ruler. They experience a great time as they spend time with Herod and eat and have conversations. Herod brings in many Jewish leaders in order to discover where the Messiah is to be born. Herod tells them that he wants to worship as well so they should find Jesus and then come back and let him know exactly where to go. They go on their way still committed to finding Jesus, they leave to search Bethlehem. Now, they have studied themselves, they have traveled a long way, they have studied with local experts and now they are leaving to go search to find exactly where Jesus is so that they may honor him.

In vs. 9 we can see that while the star led them to the area, it had likely disappeared, or they had lost it. However as they left Herod “Behold! The star they had seen in the East was there again” it says that the star went ahead of them and led them to the place where the child was. Now we don’t know exactly what happened here…did the star actually just move ahead of them, did the star place a beam of light on the house, we are unsure exactly what happened. However, we do know that the Magi were committed to following the star and in the end they found Jesus and they were able to honor and worship him.

This is in stark difference to Herod and even the religious leaders of the day. Actually MacArthur says it well here,

“Some, like Herod, are immediately hateful, wanting to know nothing of God’s way except how to attack and, if possible, destroy it. Others, like the chief priests and scribes, pay little if any attention to God and His way...Eventually, of course, this second group inevitably joins the first-because indifference to God is simply hatred that is concealed and rejection that is delayed.” — John MacArthur

Now, after all of this searching, their commitment finally paid off. They were able to do what they came to do. They gave gifts to honor Jesus. The gifts they gave are gold frankincense and myrrh. These gifts typically tell people that there were 3 men, however all we actually know is that there were more than 2 (because the term for magi is plural). These gifts however do have some significance. They are giving:

Gold: the sign of royalty

Frankincense: a incense used largely for priestly activities in worship

Myrrh: used as a burial spice

These gifts (although the men may not intend this) are pointing to the fact that Christ is the Priestly King that will die for all.

The Magi were committed to the truth, whatever that was. They were committed to finding Christ in their lives. They went through a lot of trouble to come to Jesus and worship him. They were committed to experiencing who Christ is. Finally as we see that they were told in a dream to not go back to Herod we can see that they were committed to obeying God.

So, now that Christmas is over and you have experienced all that has happened, what are you willing to do to come to Jesus and worship him? Are you willing to search for Jesus in your life? Are you willing to go through trouble and trials in order to worship Jesus in your life? Are you committed to experience Christ in your life? Or, are you like many others who simply assume they can deal with Jesus on their terms…according to their timetable. Do you believe you’re in desperate need of a Savior, or are you indifferent to the redemption He offers. Listen, many people who are professing believers fall into this category, they have no true love for Christ because they have never truly bent their knees in repentance and faith in the first place. So, have you recognized your need for a savior, or are you simply “playing church”?

This morning I want to challenge you to not allow your fear of losing control or some other fear lead to sin the way that Herod did. Instead turn your passion into commitment like the Magi. Make a choice to follow Christ even when everyone around you is indifferent to the truth of Christ. Be committed to Christ to the point of following him where he leads…Finally, don’t force others to see your image of God, but allow others to see the image of God in you.

If you are here and you have not made that decision before, or you would like to talk to someone about that decision, then please reach out and let’s have a conversation about what that means. Here’s the bottom line though. You must recognize that you are a sinner in need of a savior. You must recognize that your sin has caused you to fall short of God’s glory and that the only way to experience God’s glory is to pay the penalty of death. However, Jesus paid that penalty on your behalf, so all you need to do is make a commitment to follow him and make him the Lord of your life. If you are willing to do that, then as we are praying in just a moment just communicate that to the Lord… If you have done that, but you have never followed the Lord in beleivers baptism, then please reach out to me this week so you can be ready for next weeks baptism service.

Let’s pray (pray for our commitment to the Lord as a church and as individuals)