Seeking the King
Christmas 2025 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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As we continue our Christmas series, we have walked with those who stood nearest the miracle of Christ’s birth.
With Mary, we learned surrender: “Let it be to me according to Your word.”
With Joseph, we saw quiet obedience when no one understood the cost.
With the shepherds, we witnessed God revealing His glory to the humble and the overlooked.
Today, in our final Christmas message of this series, we turn to another group.
A group very different from the shepherds.
Not locals, but foreigners.
Not the poor, but the learned.
Not the watchers of sheep, but instead, the watchers of the skies.
Today, we turn to
the Wise Men—
the seekers,
the travelers,
the worshipers.
1 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, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen 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 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” 9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
The Wise Men stand almost mysteriously in the nativity story.
They come from a far country.
They follow a strange star.
They bring unusual gifts.
And yet—God chooses them to bear witness to His Son.
Mary taught us surrender.
Joseph taught us obedience.
The shepherds taught us humility.
But the Wise Men teach us pursuit—
Or rather, what it means to seek Jesus with all your heart.
The shepherds received the message,
But the Wise Men followed the sign.
Where the shepherds ran from nearby fields,
These Wise Men traveled miles across harsh terrain.
Where the shepherds heard angels,
These Wise Men studied Scripture, searching the skies, and stepped into the unknown.
Their story tells us one powerful truth:
Those who truly seek Christ will always find Him.
And when they find Him, they will worship Him.
Now lets read that first verse of the second chapter again
1 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,
These were not weekend travelers.
They were not strolling across town.
They trekked hundreds of miles—across long, dangerous, exhausting miles.
Why?
Because they were convinced God was doing something.
They believed the prophecy of
17 “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.
“A star shall come out of Jacob, a scepter shall rise out of Israel.”
They saw the sign.
And they moved.
Unlike the shepherds who responded immediately to angelic glory,
These Wise Men responded to a distant light, a subtle sign, a whisper.
Some of you right here today, or watching online, are waiting for God to shout to you from heaven…
But sometimes His guidance looks more like a quiet star in the distance—
An impression,
a direction,
Or even a Scripture standing out, or speaking to you louder than usual.
Illustration:
Think of the explorers who set out long before maps covered the world—
men who sailed into fog not because they saw the destination, but because they believed it was out there.
The Wise Men were spiritual explorers.
They followed a sign they didn’t fully understand…
Because they trusted the One who placed it in the sky.
You see, God’s guidance doesn’t always look like a lightning bolt.
Sometimes it might look like:
a burden that just won’t leave your heart,
a Scripture that keeps returning to your mind,
or a door that keeps opening,
like a small nudge from the Spirit.
The question on your heart shouldn’t be, “Is God guiding me?”
The question should be, “Are you willing you move when He does?”
The Wise Men first arrived in Jerusalem—
After all, it was the logical place for a king.
They walked into King Herod’s court and asked the most dangerous question imaginable in
2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
Herod was the king—at least in title.
But they weren’t pursuing Herod.
They were pursuing Jesus.
Church—there will always be “many Herod's” competing for your worship:
the Herod of success,
the Herod of materialism,
or how about that old “king Herod” of your comfort,
or even the most detestable of all, the Herod of yourself.
Nevertheless,
As you can imagine, Herod was troubled because a rival king threatened his throne.
Our flesh reacts the same way doesn't it?
Many of us push back on obedience to Jesus when He threatens our self rule.
Many unsaved don’t reject Jesus because of a lack of faith,
But rather, because they don’t want to give up the Herod of their self rule.
Jesus trumps the throne of self-rule.
Illustration
It’s like a child holding a toy steering wheel in the back seat—pretending to drive while the real driver controls the car.
We think we’re in control, but Christ is the true King.
The Wise Men understood this:
Herod might wear a crown…
But only Jesus deserves worship.
And thats exactly what they had come to do,
And to bring gifts to the new born ing of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Now, these were costly gifts.
Valuable gifts.
Symbolic gifts.
They did not give Jesus leftover gifts.
They gave Him their best.
Illustration
If you’ve ever seen a child pick a flower for their mother—crumpled, half-wilted, stems broken—the mother still cherishes it.
But if that same child grows up and gives his mother a gift from love and sacrifice, the heart behind it speaks even louder.
But notice, these Wise Men not only brought gifts, but sacrifice.
You see, Worship, true Worship costs something:
time
pride
convenience
self-will
comfort
obedience
If worship costs you nothing, then it’s just sentiment or what we call the flesh.
If it costs you something, then it’s love.
The shepherds were local Jewish laborers.
But the Wise Men?
were Gentiles.
Scholars.
Pagans.
Foreigners.
They were theologically wrong, culturally distant, and geographically far.
Yet God drew them to himself.
From the beginning of the story, Jesus is not just Israel’s Messiah—
He is truly, the Savior of all the world. Amen.
Illustration
For them it must have been like receiving an invitation to a family gathering you didn’t even know you were connected to.
So, you walk in expecting to be a strange.
And then you find out you have an honored seat at the table.
Brothers and sisters, — That is the gospel.
God invites those who don’t “fit,”
Those who never felt worthy,
Those who thought they were too far gone.
The great news is,
You don’t have to be born near Bethlehem to be called by its King.
Now, the story changes a bit,
12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
Yes—physically, they took a different route.
But spiritually, they took a different life path.
They were changed!
They did not return the same men as they were before.
You cannot meet Christ and return the same.
You cannot bow to Jesus and keep the old road.
You cannot worship the King and then go back to Herod.
The shepherds ran from the manger telling the news.
The Wise Men went home transformed by the news.
So, what do the wisemen show us about seeking Christ?
1. Seeking Christ requires movement.
Faith is not passive.
The Wise Men traveled; so must we—maybe not physically, but spiritually, emotionally, relationally.
2. Seeking Christ requires discernment.
Not every voice is the King’s voice.
We must know Scripture, know His heart, and recognize counterfeits.
3. Seeking Christ requires sacrifice.
The gifts you bring matter.
Bring Him your time, your worship, your obedience.
4. Seeking Christ is rewarded with joy.
Matthew says they rejoiced “with exceedingly great joy.”
You will never regret the distance you’ve had traveled to be near Jesus.
5. Seeking Christ changes your path.
If your road looks the same after meeting Him,
then you haven’t met Him deeply enough.
CONCLUSION
As we reflect on this fourth message in our Christmas series:
Mary surrendered.
Joseph obeyed.
The shepherds believed.
And today we learned how—the Wise Men sought.
Each step brings us closer to the manger…
And closer to the King.
Church,
Let us be seekers.
Let us be worshipers.
Let us be followers of the Light that still shines in the darkness.
May we be, like the Wise Men,
To journey in faith,
bow in worship,
offer our gifts,
and walk away changed.
Before we close, church, let us remember
—why the Wise Men traveled,
—why the shepherds rejoiced,
—why Mary surrendered,
—and why Joseph obeyed.
All the roads in this story lead to one holy moment:
The birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Matthew records it simply.
Luke paints it beautifully.
But Heaven witnessed it in glory.
God Himself took on flesh.
The infinite became an infant.
The Creator who breathed the stars into existence,
now breathed the cool air of Bethlehem.
He came not in a mansion or a palace, but in a stable.
Not surrounded by royalty, but by barn animals.
Not wrapped in fine linens, but in swaddling cloths.
Not laid in a cradle, but in a manger — in a feeding trough.
This is the miracle the Wise Men sought.
This is the good news proclaimed to the shepherds.
This is the glory Mary treasured in her heart.
This is the promise Joseph protected with quiet courage.
His birth means:
God is with us.
God has come for us.
God keeps His promises.
God is not distant or silent—He is Emmanuel.
The world’s greatest gift came wrapped in humility so He could be received by all:
the rich and the poor,
the wise and the simple,
the near and the far,
the broken and the whole.
The manger is God’s declaration:
No one is too far.
No one is too small.
No one is too late.
I’ve come for you.”
Mary surrendered.
Joseph obeyed.
The shepherds believed.
The Wise Men sought.
And Jesus—the center of it all—came.
—He came for shepherds in the fields.
—He came for Wise Men from distant lands.
—He came for broken homes, weary hearts, and wandering souls.
—He came for me.
—And He came for you.
Church, let us draw near to the manger with the same eagerness as the Wise Men, the same humility as the shepherds, the same
obedience as Joseph, and the same surrender as Mary.
CLOSING PRAYER
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for drawing seekers from every nation, every background, every story.
Give us hearts like the Wise Men—
hearts hungry for Your presence, willing to follow Your lead, ready to worship You with our best.
As we celebrate this Christmas, help us take a new path—
one shaped by obedience, joy, and pursuit of the true King.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Invitation
