Here With Us In Our Worship

Here With Us  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  37:05
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A couple weeks ago, I introduced the sermon by discussing the problem with doing something for the first time. Do you remember that? I said the problem with doing something for the first time is that you can never repeat the event. You can do the exact same things in the exact same order, but it will never again be for the first time. Then I told you about the lemonade and charro beans from Irma’s in Houston.
But just because we cant experience something for the first time more than once doesn’t mean the experience is not worth having again. I may be a diabetic now, but if I end up at Irma’s I’m probably going to get me some of that lemonade. I would go to a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert tomorrow if I could. How many of you enjoy a good steak from your favorite steakhouse? It’s good stuff! When something has an impact on our lives, we will often do it again unless it is one of those once-in-a-lifetime type experiences.
If you knew you were going to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience, what would you do to make sure you got the experience? How far would you go to have that one experience you may never have again? People do crazy stuff for less.
Last week, we revisited the story of Joseph and the angel’s appearance to him verifying the truth of Mary’s claims. We learned that Christ is here with us in our weakness. Today, we revisit the story of the wise men, these mysterious men who journeyed a long way to worship Jesus. The identities of these men are uncertain, but what is certain is they saw something, connected it to an ancient prophecy, and chose to pursue it. The journey of the wise men shows us the lengths they went to worship Jesus, recognizing Him as King.
Christ is with us in our worship. As we experience the presence of Christ, our natural response is worship. Today we are going to look at three distinct elements of worship as we look back at this final part of the Christmas story.
Matthew 2:1–12 NASB95
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “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.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: 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.’ ” Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. 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.” 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. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 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. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
As we talk about this familiar story, we are going to see three distinct elements of worship:

Worship begins with seeking Jesus.

While we don’t know specifics on the identities of these wise men, we only know they came from the east. Where from the east? We don’t know! Many speculate what used to be Babylon, which fell to the Persians. How many were there? We don’t know! We assume three because three gifts were given. What we do know is they saw a star in the sky and it was an unusual enough occurence that the wise men connected it to a prophecy concerning the birth of a Jewish king. Assuming that the wise men traveled from the area of Babylon to Jerusalem, they could have traveled upwards to 900 miles (that’s from Three Rivers to Tallahassee, FL) searching for the one born King of the Jews. You had to be determined back in the day to make that kind of trip.
The most important aspect of this trip is not the distance or the difficulties in travel, but the motivator. They sought to accomplish one thing: worship the king. They may not have understood all of the prophecies or understood the true identity of Jesus as the Savior of the world. They may not have understood the gospel. What they did know is that there was a child born king and he was the object of their worship.
It is almost ironic to see a group of foreign men travel hundreds of miles to worship a baby while the religious leaders in Jerusalem seemed to be indifferent though they were only six miles away. The wise men appear before Herod, explain why they have come, and he calls all the chief priests and scribes (the religious experts) together to find out where the Messiah was to be born. They report back saying Bethlehem because of the prophecy they found in Micah 5:2. Herod then sends the wise men to Bethlehem to find this boy but interestingly enough not one person is recorded as going with them. They traveled an insane distance with an intense motivation to worship Christ the king and those who were just six miles away stayed home.
This reminds me of Christians in other parts of the world who will travel long distances, sometimes days or more to gather with the saints for worship. It always makes me feel just a little icky inside when I realize the biggest hurdle we face is convenience. While you have real people facing real persecution for their faith in other countries, Christians in America can’t be bothered to go to church if it doesn’t fit within their schedule. I would venture to argue that one’s devotion to Jesus Christ in America can be determined in part by their church attendance record.
I want to be charitable, and I recognize there are circumstances that hinder in-person attendance, but worship starts with a heart that seeks Jesus. And the question boils down to this: Did you come today because you are actively pursuing Christ, or are you merely fulfilling an obligation? Is there a genuine stirring in you to seek Jesus in your daily lives, or are you doing the Christian thing hoping that if you do the right things enough times maybe God will bless you?
Authentic worship begins with authentic seeking. Christ is the object of our worship or it is not real worship.

Worship is marked by joyful devotion.

As the wise men went on their way, they continued to follow the star until it stopped over the place where Christ was. Verse ten record that when the star stopped, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.When the wise men saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. Their worship overflowed from hearts filled with joy. Worship is marked by joyful devotion. Without joy, it isn’t worship. Worship absent of joy is duty.
There is joy in celebrating many of life’s key moments. There is joy in a birthday celebration. There is joy in the birth of a child. There is joy when our team wins the national championship. Joy in worship is important because it elevates what we do from mere duty. Worship is not something we do merely out of obligation. Worship stems from the overflow of your personal walk with the Savior. The more Christ-centered your life is, the more joy is expressed in worship. We all express joy in worship in different ways, but there is a joy that is present in the body of believers when everyone’s relationship with God is going well.
Worship is not just duty; it’s a joyful response to God’s presence in our lives. As I said at the beginning of the month, God is with us in our waiting. We wait for a day in which Christ returns and we see him face-to-face. But when we think of the name Immanuel, which means God with us, we often think of the incarnation of Christ. The virgin-born baby who is our central focus during the Christmas season. But we must be reminded that God is with us in every aspect of our lives as he is present in us through the Holy Spirit. As I cultivate that relationship or at times ignore it, I can begin to experience more or less joy respectively.
Are we approaching worship with joy or as an obligation? Was it work to talk yourself into coming here today? I’m not talking about the hurdles you might have had to jump through like getting up on time, getting the kids ready, getting breakfast made, or anything like that. I’m asking, was your mind saying, “Awww…church...” or were you saying, “Today I’m going to be in the presence of God with the people of God because I love my Savior and he is worthy to be praised.” Our worship is marked by joyful devotion.

Worship involves sacrificial giving.

When the wise men arrived, they offered gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We can talk about the symbolism of each gift and how they are truly gifts fit for a king, but I want to emphasize the importance of the gift giving itself. It is said that the gifts represent his kingship, divinity, and his sacrifice, but it is difficult to know if that was the true intention in presenting the gifts. These were very lavish gifts, and in the minds of the wise men, they are giving gifts to a king and his parents. A scented candle just wasn’t going to do!
We get our gift giving concept at Christmastime from the gifts the wise men gave, but it is a reminder that worship involves sacrificial giving. At the heart of Christian faith is an attitude of selflessness. Modeled after the selflessness of Christ, who gave himself up for us, we are to model a selflessness within the body. I am reminded of the early church in Acts 2 which says they were together (that is unified) and had all things in common. That’s not interests, personalities, or anything like that. There was a mutual sharing of resources. Nobody in the church lacked anything they needed, yet this meeting of one another’s needs was not forced. Nobody was being coerced. It was a natural expression of the selfless attitude developed because of their relationship with Christ.
True worship involves giving of ourselves—our time, talents, and treasures—as an act of surrender to Jesus. Though giving in terms of financial resources is important, that is not the sole meaning of sacrificial giving. The question is how much of us does Jesus actually get? Does he get a part of us, or is he getting all of us? This season is busy and heavily commercialized. If not careful, we can forget why we celebrate. What are we offering Christ this Christmas season?
Conclusion
Worship is more than a moment. Worship doesn’t end when you walk out these doors at the end of the service. It is a lifestyle of seeking Christ, joyful devotion, and sacrificial giving. We are called in Romans 12:1 to present ourselves as living sacrifices, not just on Sunday morning, but in every day and in every aspect of our lives.
Challenge: This Christmas, how will we respond to Jesus being "here with us"? We saw he is here with us in our waiting. He s here with us in our wonder. He is here with us in our weakness. He is here with us in our worship. Are we bringing Him our worship?
Call to Action: Bring your "gifts" to Jesus—whether time, resources, or surrender—and commit to living lives of worship.
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