True Worshipers

Matt 2: 1-12

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.

The Focus of Meditation today...

V. 11 “and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him.”

John 4:23,John 4:24 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Worship confronts the sinful human impulse to rebel against God, exposing how our flesh naturally gravitates towards idolatry. The lust of the flesh is fundamentally an act of idolatrous adoration, and worship calls us away from these fleshly addictions. 1) The flesh constantly attempts to intrude into every aspect of life, including worship, and its self-prompted worship is considered an abomination to God. Not all earnest worship is genuine; believers must completely distrust themselves and rely on the Holy Spirit’s guidance to worship correctly. 2) The flesh can make worship a formal, powerless exercise, allowing external religious motions without true reverence. God demands wholehearted worship that engages not just bodily actions, but our entire being—thoughts, longings, and dreams—with a profound understanding of His divine nature. 3) True worship is a specific act of acknowledging and contemplating God’s perfection, where the worshipper is focused entirely on God Himself rather than personal needs or blessings. This can only be achieved through worship inspired and directed by the Holy Spirit.

Phil 3:3 “for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh,”

So, how do we know the difference between worship in the flesh vs the spirit?

The Fear of the LORD

Prov 9:10The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Prov 14:27The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death.

Prov 10:27The fear of the Lord prolongs life, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.

Ps 128:1–4How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways. When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands, You will be happy and it will be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine Within your house, Your children like olive plants Around your table. Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed Who fears the Lord.

So, how did the Wise Men display their worship?

Study 1 . 2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

2. Ps 119: Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.

2. Meditation 1. Psalm 1: 2“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His he meditates day and night.”

2. Joshua 1:8 ““This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”

3. Submission 1. Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”