Merry Christmas
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Christmas tradition.
Steak vs. ham or turkey.
Tree.
Lights on the house.
Christmas day, Christmas eve.
Christmas eve eve.
Gift giving
Gift giving
Everybody buys for the kids. And they open a present that they desperately want to play with, but they can’t, they have to keep opening other gifts.
Every year, we say the same thing…..Next year, we will do things differently.…
This morning we are going to look at the original Christmas gifts, when they came, by whom they were given, and what they mean.
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.
5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;
For out of you shall come forth a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”
9 After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
Magi
Magi
Came from the East
Possibly priests of Persia.
Interpret dreams, astronomers, astrologers.
HOW MANY
Probably a caravan of people.
His Star
New stars don’t just pop up everyday.
17 “I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near;
A star shall come forth from Jacob,
A scepter shall rise from Israel,
And shall crush through the forehead of Moab,
And tear down all the sons of Sheth.
Herod
Where?
Roman by citizenship, Jewish by blood. He was a “client king”
He was there to make the Jews feel like they being ruled by one of their own.
If a real king were to rise up, Harod would lose control of the Jewish people, and lose the confidence of Rome.
2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.
His goings forth are from long ago,
From the days of eternity.”
When
2 years and under.
Magi
He sent them to Bethlehem.
The star showed them the way.
Worshiped Him.
Gold
Royalty
Frankincense
Divinity
Resin derived from Boswellia tree
Myrrh
Mortality
resin like gum from Commiphoria Tree.
He was Human, He is God, He is Lord.