Make Room: Joy In The Seeking

Key Elements

In Matthew 2:1-11, Matthew revealed through the account of the journey of the Magi that the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem were indifferent to the birth of Jesus while foreign Gentiles traveled hundreds of miles joyfully seeking to worship King Jesus.

Main Idea: True joy belongs to all who actively seek Jesus as King, making room in their hearts and lives for the costly, disruptive journey that leads to a life of extravagant worship.

I want my audience to intentionally make room in their lives this Christmas season for the joy that comes through actively seeking Jesus as King leading them to a life centered on worship.

Intro

It’s so good to see everyone here today, open your copy of God’s Word with me to Matthew 2:1-11 and as you’re finding your place in God’s Word today, I want to begin with a question. What are you seeking this Christmas season? In these weeks leading up to Christmas Day, what are you searching for? Maybe you’ve been preoccupied with seeking the perfect gifts for everyone on your list. Maybe you’re seeking a little peace and quiet in the chaos of the season. Maybe you’re searching for that nostalgic feeling, that Christmas magic that you remember from your childhood that is usually conjured up by a classic Christmas song or a place you go when you’re shopping. Or maybe you’re just seeking to make it to the end of the year, to survive the stress, to check all the boxes and make it to 2026 in one piece. The truth is we’re all seeking. And most of the things we are seeking are bringing anything but joy to our lives. We’re busy. Kristi and I were going through our calendar for December and probably like all of you we have something, multiple things, scheduled every week until Christmas. I mean think about what happens this time of year: we fill our schedules, we check off our lists, we show up at all the events and parties, and in the midst of all of the busyness, we sometimes lose our joy. We sing about joy on Sundays but our hearts are anxious, exhausted, and restless and then Christmas Day comes and we are literally spent in every way. But what if I told you this Christmas could be different? What if I told you that in the midst of the busyness that this time of year brings, in all of the seeking we are doing in our lives, there could be joy in the seeking? That might just change everything for us. And the key to finding this joy is making room for it in our lives.

We are in our third week of our Advent series entitled Make Room and we’ve spent each week focusing on a different theme during these weeks leading up to Christmas we call Advent. The first week we focused in on Hope and we said that we must make room in our hearts and lives to receive the hope only God can give us this time of year. Last week, we focused in on peace and we said that we make room for peace not by waiting for circumstances to change, but by preparing our hearts for God's presence while we wait. And today, we want to focus in on joy. And in doing this we want to look at one of the most popular parts of the Christmas story and really one of the most misunderstood. It’s a story about seeking. It’s the journey of the Magi or the Wise Men as they’re sometimes called. And it is an event recorded in the Book of Matthew that communicates to us that as we make room in our lives this Christmas season for joy through actively seeking Jesus as King, it will lead us to a life that is centered on the worship of Him.

Message

Look with me at Matthew 2:1-11...

This event Matthew records for us in his Gospel is probably one of the most remarkable parts of the Christmas story. You have these Magi, these Wise Men, these mysterious figures, who show up in Matthew 2. The Bible doesn’t really tell us a whole lot about them only that they were men of high regard from the East. They were likely Persian or Babylonian astronomers, scholars who studied the stars and sought wisdom from the heavens. What we do know about them is that they were seekers not just casual observers. And in their seeking, what they found was something that the Jewish religious establishment actually missed. They found joy. Not temporary happiness but joy. In fact, Matthew describes it as “overwhelming joy.” And their story teaches us something profound: joy can be found in our seeking. You see, joy doesn’t come to those who wait, it doesn’t come from religious knowledge only or going through the religious motions at Christmas. True joy only comes to those who are actively seeking Jesus.

Which leads us to our main idea on this third Sunday of Advent: True joy belongs to all who actively seek Jesus as King, making room in their hearts and lives for the costly, disruptive journey that leads to a life of extravagant worship.

The Magi's journey reveals that God sent Jesus for the entire world, not just the religious insiders. So, this morning as we look at Matthew 2:1-11, we are going to see three ways we make room for joy in our lives this time of year.

1. We Make Room for Joy When We Pursue Jesus the True King (vs. 1-3)

At the heart of seeking is a pursuit. And if we were honest this morning, most of our lives are spent in pursuit of something or someone. When we are dating, we’re in pursuit of that person. When we’re in high school, we are usually in pursuit of what college we are going to or what career we are going to settle in. At some point or maybe multiple times in our lives, we are going to be in pursuit of a job. Most of our lives are spent in a pursuit, a chasing after something.

And pursuit is at the heart of this journey for these wise men. From the very beginning of the text today, we see that these men have come in pursuit of someone, and not just anyone, they are in pursuit of the King. Look at vs. 1-2...

These foreign men have traveled hundreds of miles, a journey in that day and time that took months, probably close to a year. They have navigated across dangerous terrain and they are in pursuit of the King of the Jews. And the purpose for their pursuit is to worship this King. Now, having read the Christmas story for many years, we probably read about these men and don’t really fully grasp what’s happening here. We immediately reference our nativity scenes that have three wise men kneeling before baby Jesus in the manger. But the truth is those three wise men represent something much deeper that points to us this morning. They represent the pursuit that lies in all of us. A pursuit for something that will satisfy our souls and fill us with a joy that overwhelms us in the midst of any circumstance we face in life. And that only comes in the pursuit of Jesus the true King.

Here’s what we notice about the joy that comes from this pursuit...

a. Joy begins in searching for something different.

So, here’s where the Magi’s pursuit of Jesus the King begins to point to us. These men being from the East means they were Gentiles, they were not of Jewish descent. If we want to get down to it, they’re pagans. They were outside the covenant promises of the Jewish people, God’s people. From historical tradition, we know they were from Persia or Arabia, probably advisors to the king of whatever kingdom they were from. They were skilled in philosophy, medicine, and astrology, and they would have studied the stars religiously, in fact, astrology would have been a part of their pagan religion. So, they were not God worshippers, but they were seekers. They don’t know about Jesus the Messiah but they do know that a star has appeared in the sky that is different from anything they have ever seen before and knowing the stars, they would have known about the prophecy of the birth of a king in Israel. And in their recognition of this phenomenon in the sky, this sign from God, their search for something different led them to this pursuit of Jesus the King. This star they see in the skies stirs a restlessness that sparks a joy in them that leads them on a journey to find the Messiah.

And this is the same searching that exists in all of us. You see, these Magi represent us. We, just like them, are Gentiles. But what their story shows us is that in our search for something different, we too have been invited by God to come and worship King Jesus. The story of the Magi shows us that Jesus didn’t just come for the nation of Israel, He came for all of us. And this is where joy begins. It begins with the recognition that what we have isn’t enough. That there must be something more to this life and that we were made for someone beyond ourselves. That God has created us with a longing, a searching in our hearts for something different than this world has to offer and that something is a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

So, let me ask you this morning: Are you searching for something different? Have you tried everything this world has to offer and joy still escapes you? Here’s the truth that we need to see this morning, We will never experience the joy of finding Jesus if we’re not looking for Jesus. Because joy only comes to those who recognize their need for Jesus, who admit their need for Jesus, and confess Him as Savior and Lord.

The Magi show us that making room for joy begins with making room for a holy restlessness that comes in a search for something different and that something is a relationship with God that only comes through Jesus Christ His Son.

Joy begins in searching for something different and...

b. Joy deepens in seeking Jesus above all others.

Vs. 3 takes an interesting turn in the story. It says...

So, when an entourage of people who are considered royalty come into your city and they are asking the one who is considered king where the King is, that’s going to cause a little stress and anxiety. These Magi come to Herod, the Roman appointed king, asking for the location of the true King. And it says that Herod was “deeply disturbed.” Literally, Herod was so bothered by this that he was shaking in anger and it says “all Jerusalem with him” meaning that the arrival of these Magi caused such a disturbance in the city that riots literally broke out.

The Magi come seeking Jesus and what they encounter is opposition from rival kings and religious powers. First, there’s King Herod. Who is a paranoid, violent, illegitimate king who has been politically appointed by Rome and rules by brutality. In fact, all throughout his time in power, because he is so paranoid, he had some of his wives and his children executed because he suspected they were trying to take his kingdom from him. Second, there’s the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem: the chief priests and the scribes. These men represent the Jewish religious system and were responsible for leading and guiding the people spiritually. And over time, these men had been corrupted by power and began to use worship at the Temple as a way to profit off of the people. Both groups were corrupt and felt threatened by this mention of a King being born.

And in the opposition of these two groups we see a reality of our pursuit of Jesus the True King: Is Jesus a threat to our kingship over our lives or is He King over our lives? And our answer to that question is really revealed by determining if we are seeking Jesus above all others. Because only one person can sit on the throne of our hearts and lives as absolute King, and if we aren’t willing to give up the throne of our hearts and lives in surrender to Jesus’s Kingship over us, then that means He’s a threat to our kingship and He’s not King.

These Magi come looking for Jesus the King of The Jews and immediately they are confronted with other kings. Immediately they meet opposition. These men, these highly educated men. These advisors to kings and high-ranking officials. These men who were used to being in the presence of some of the most powerful people in the world, come seeking to worship the King of Kings and being met with powerful opposition, they choose to seek Jesus above all other kings and earthly powers.

And that’s where our joy deepens, when we choose to seek Jesus above all other things in our lives that try to sit on the throne of our hearts. Because let’s be honest, we all have rival kings competing for the rule of our hearts and lives. We all have things that are competing for the kingship of our hearts: success, relationships, going through the motions of religion. It all wants to be the king of our lives. But none of those things provides true joy.

Like the Magi, we must keep seeking Jesus above all others. We must keep pursuing Jesus in the face of opposition in our lives. And we make room for joy by refusing to be distracted by those other things that are competing for the throne of our hearts. This Advent season God is inviting you and I to search for something different, to seek Jesus above all others, and when we do, we make room for joy.

Next,...

2. We Make Room for Joy When We Persist Through Radical Obedience. (vs. 4-9)

Not only is pursuit at the heart of seeking but, for the follower of Jesus, obedience is also at the heart of seeking. Because obedience to Jesus is what keeps us, as Christ followers, seeking after Jesus. Now, remember, these Magi weren’t worshippers of God, they weren’t followers of the Messiah, they were seekers; but God was drawing them to the worship of His Son Jesus Christ through creation, the stars. And for them to make the journey they made and to continue following where God was ultimately leading them, which was to His Son, it took radical steps of obedience.

So, again, they set an example for us of what it means to make room for joy that we find in Jesus Christ and that happens through persisting in radical obedience. It’s a step by step, sometimes moment by moment movement of our hearts and lives in the direction that God is leading even when we don’t know exactly what the destination is going to be.

And through this radical obedience, we find that...

a. Joy grows on the path of obedience.

The Magi have journeyed long and far. They have been drawn by a star that God was using to guide them to Bethlehem where Jesus the Son of God has been born. They come to Jerusalem and meet opposition from the ruling and the religious authorities. And after much consultation among these people in power, in vs. 7 it says… (vs. 7-9)

King Herod gives them permission to continue on with one stipulation, that they return to him and tell him where Jesus is located so that he can worship Him as well. All the while not knowing that Herod’s intentions are to exterminate this child who is threatening his rule. And so the Magi continue their journey. Step by step, closer and closer to the place where the King they are seeking has been born.

Joy grows on the path of obedience. Think about it, the Jewish religious leaders who knew all the prophecies about the Messiah that would be born in Bethlehem, the guys that had just quoted the prophecies to Herod moments before, were 5-6 miles from where the prophecy was fulfilled. They were that close to the Messiah they had been waiting centuries for. And even with all of that knowledge, they missed the Savior. They refused to believe. But these Gentile men who came from lands farther away, in obedience, journeyed on.

I love what scholar Warren Wiersbe says about this: “The magi were seeking the King; Herod was opposing the King; and the Jewish priests were ignoring the King. These priests knew the Scriptures and pointed others to the Saviour, but they would not go to worship Him themselves! They quoted the prophecies but did not obey them. They were five miles from the very Son of God, yet they did not go to see Him! The Gentiles sought and found Him, but the Jews did not.” (Wiersbe)

You see, joy doesn’t come to us from just knowing about Jesus or being near Jesus, joy comes from following Him, taking each step God leads us to take in obedience drawing closer to Him. And I think this is where many of us get stuck in our walk with God. Because we want the joy that a relationship with God brings without the obedience a relationship with God demands. We want the blessing without the following. We want Christmas morning without the seeking of Advent. And that’s not how it works in our relationship with God. Joy in the seeking grows step by step and moment by moment as we choose to walk the path of obedience.

Joy grows on the path of obedience and...

b. Joy is sustained by God’s faithful guidance.

Now, I’ve never noticed this before but look at vs. 9...

Apparently, at some point, they had lost sight of the star. For whatever reason, as they approached Jerusalem, the star was not visible to them. Which is why they had to ask for directions in Jerusalem. But as they take their next step of obedience and continue their journey, the star reappears and it moves, leading them to the exact spot where Jesus and His family are residing in Bethlehem. As these men took another step of faith, God faithfully caused the star to reappear and faithfully guided them to the Christ child.

Our joy that grows on the path of obedience is sustained by God’s faithful guidance. Like the Magi, you may be searching for Jesus today without even knowing it. You’re looking for something to bring joy to your life and today God has faithfully guided you here because He wants you to take a step of faith today and surrender your heart and life to Him as Savior and Lord. To find that joy you’ve been looking for. And your journey has led you to this very moment today. Or maybe today, as a follower of Jesus, you may not know what’s next and today God is saying to you “take the next step and trust Me to continue to faithfully guide you to where I want you to be.” No matter where you are today, God is here, He is with you, and He wants you to trust Him in obedience, step by step and moment by moment, and as we do, He is faithful to guide us every step of the way.

Making room for joy means persisting through radical obedience, trusting that God’s faithful guidance will sustain us every step of the way.

One final way we make room for joy...

3. We Make Room for Joy When We Present Our All to Jesus in Extravagant Worship. (vs. 10-11)

Here’s what I love about the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew, who was a disciple of Jesus, is primarily writing to a Jewish audience. When he wrote this book of the Bible that we now have as one of the four gospels in the NT, his focus was writing to the Jews. But here’s what’s interesting, even though he is writing to a Jewish audience, he begins his gospel focusing on Gentiles, non Jewish people. He doesn’t begin telling us about Jewish shepherds coming to visit Jesus in the stable, no, he begins with the Magi, foreigners, pagans. Matthew records these men as some of the first worshippers of Jesus. And why? Again, to show his readers and us that Jesus came for all people.

And when you have that information, it adds so much depth to this part of the Christmas story. Because I think that might be why we see the response of worship that we see from these men. They were so overwhelmed by the realization that God had sent His Son for them. And the joy that they felt was so overwhelming that it led them to the most extravagant response of worship. Look at vs. 10-11...

And when we come to the same realization that these men did that night, that God has sent His Son Jesus to be our Savior and Lord. That no matter who we are or what we’ve done or what our lives might look like right now, Jesus Christ came for us. The only response we have is worship. A worship that is fueled by an overwhelming joy that supersedes anything else in this life. And you may be thinking this morning “Well, you’re the pastor and it’s Christmas, you have to say stuff like that on Sundays.” I’m here to tell you that when you finally realize what Jesus has done for you and what Christmas truly means, even in your moments of the deepest and darkest despair, you’ll find the light of joy that only comes from Jesus.

It’s a...

a. Joy that overflows in full surrender.

Now, I would say that surrender would characterize these Magi. I mean think about what they have gone through up to this point. The long journey, the opposition in Jerusalem. They haven’t even gotten to the place where Jesus is yet and they are still in pursuit. And it says in vs. 10...

They haven’t even seen the Christ child yet, they are still 5 miles away from their destination and just the potential of being in the presence of this king they’re seeking overwhelms them with joy. And then in vs. 11a it says...

They finally arrive at their destination, they see the child and in humble adoration, they worship Him. These men of royalty, these advisors of kings, these men of high status, fall to their knees in worship of Jesus. This is what extravagant worship looks like, it’s full surrender. It’s total submission to Jesus as King. And when we fully surrender, daily, to Jesus as King, joy overflows. When we stop trying to be in control, when we stop pretending that we have it all together, when we take ourselves out of the center of our lives and we place Jesus there-that’s when joy begin to flood our hearts.

And this is the key to joy in the life of a Christ follower-We find joy not by lifting ourselves up but by lifting up Jesus. We find joy not by being in control but by giving up control. We find joy not by holding everything close but by fully surrendering all we are and all we have to King Jesus. And just like the Magi, overwhelmed with joy, fell down in full surrender and worshipped Jesus; we too will experience the same joy as we fully surrender to Jesus holding nothing back from Him.

It’s joy that overflows in full surrender and it’s...

b. Joy that expresses itself in complete sacrifice.

Look at the last part of vs. 11...

Now, this is probably the most familiar part of the story of the Magi-the gifts. It says they brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And while these gifts themselves have been ascribed special meaning to Jesus’ kingship, priesthood, and sacrifice; what we see in this giving of these gifts to the Christ child by the Magi is their expression of worship.

Now, these weren’t cheap gifts. These were priceless treasures. And these men had traveled hundreds of miles with them in their possession. They had sacrificed as they journeyed to protect these gifts for a King that they would eventually be led to by God. And as they presented them to the Christ child and His family, they laid them before Him expecting nothing in return. The joy that overwhelmed them in their journey to find Jesus now expressed itself in giving to Jesus in complete sacrifice.

And for us, the same is true. Joy expresses itself in sacrifice. And I know this sounds backwards to us because we think joy comes from getting; but the truth is that the kind of joy we see in this text today, true joy that comes from Jesus, comes from giving. You see, when we have truly encountered Jesus and we’ve come face to face with who He is and what He has done for us; in obedience, we’ll give and we’ll sacrifice. That will be our expression of worship to Him as a result of the joy we have in Him. And this joy won’t be something that the world can give or that circumstances can take away, but it will be grounded in our Savior who loves us and gave His life for us.

Making room for joy means presenting our all to Jesus in complete sacrifice. Because worship is more than something we do on Sundays. It’s more than these songs we sing together. Worship is the way we live as followers of Jesus. And that always involves sacrifice. It may come in the form of finances and giving sacrificially. It may come in the form of time and serving sacrificially. It may be that we have to muster up praising God even through we just don’t feel like it and praising sacrificially. But we sacrifice because we are in awe of Jesus and through that sacrifice, joy overflows.

Closing

So, the question we have to answer today is Will we make room for joy this Christmas? Because this morning, God is extending the same invitation to us that He gave to the Magi 2000 years ago: “pursue Me as your true King, persist in obeying Me, and present your all to Me. And discover the joy that this world cannot give.” And this invitation is for all of us, no matter who you are or what your life looks like right now. If you're here this morning and you feel like an outsider, if you've taken a lot of wrong turns—the Magi are your story. God sent His Son for the whole world. Jesus came for seekers, for wanderers, for those who are searching for something different, something more. Don't let your past keep you from seeking the King. This morning surrender to Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Maybe you’re a follower of Jesus, then our encouragement to you today is Don't let familiarity with Jesus keep you from actually pursuing Jesus. Don't let knowledge replace obedience. Don't let comfortable religion replace costly worship. The greatest tragedy is to be surrounded by everything Christmas and miss the joy of actually encountering Christ.

Today be obedient to whatever God is asking you to do. Because that obedience leads to one place, overwhelming joy.