Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro:

Pay close attention to the words here; the wise men were not at the nativity of Jesus.

Yet, they play a very important role in the narrative of His birth.

1).

The star appeared when Jesus was born, and these men came from the east which would have been a several month journey.

They saw His star while they were still in the east.

2).

When they came to Herod, he tried to determine from them the exact time the star appeared.

This is b/c he was trying to calculate the age of the child in order to destroy him.

3).

V. 11 “coming into the house” not the stable.

Furthermore as a newborn infant Jesus nor Mary would not have had the strength for the flight into Egypt.

The gifts of the Magi would have given the Messianic family the financial resources for the journey, and these gifts were their respective offerings of worship, and through that worship is the revelation of who this child was to really be.

The gifts were not merely profitable; they also were prophetic.

The True Meaning of the Gifts

The Bible doesn’t really tell us how many wise men there were; we have assumed three b/c there were three gifts presented to Jesus.

The emphasis here should not be on the magi or how many of them there were, but on the gifts they brought.

These gifts were not just presents for the new baby, they were prophetic insights into the nature of the Christ-child.

They are listed in order of significance and worth.

But I want to begin w/ the lowest first.

Myrrh - the anointed one.

Myrrh was one of the primary ingredients in the anointing oil recipe God handed down to Moses.

Anointed one means He was the anointed prophet who was to come.

Myrrh was also used as an anesthetic and was offered to Jesus when He was on the cross (Mark 15:23).

It was believed to have medicinal value.

Myrrh was bitter to the taste which is also indicative of the role of the prophet; prophets were persecuted and put to death for their messages.

Jesus was to be no different; He was put to death b/c of His message and representation of the Father.

Yet, He was the greatest prophet who ever lived.

2. Frankincense — high priest.

It was only the high priest who could enter in to the Holy of holies, and that only once a year and NOT w/out incense.

It was the high priest who offered sacrifices and made expiation for the sins of the people.

The high priest served as a mediator between God and man; yet, his mediatorial service was limited b/c he was just a man.

Hebrews is a great book that reveals much about Christ as mediator.

Paul said

Gal

Jesus was the God-man and therefore able to represent both parties.

3).

Gold — the King

The ark of the covenant w/ it’s mercy seat and cherubim that faced each other was all overlaid w/ gold as also were the table of showbread and lampstand.

Gold speaks of royalty, abundance and worth.

The true value and worth of gold is in its purity.

It is the greatest of all minerals.

When Nebuchadnezzar saw his vision; the first and greatest of the kingdoms was his own Babylonian kingdom represented by the head of gold.

In the interpretation of that dream Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar:

Daniel 2

Nebuchadnezzar was the greatest earthly king, but Jesus had not come yet.

1 Tim

Rev

Rev

OT types and shadows

In the OT, it was the prophet, the high priest, and the king who were anointed by God.

These three anointed offices were indicative of and types of the person Jesus would be; they were prophetic.

They were prophetic

We share in that anointing!!

A — a prophet speaks for God and we are to speak His word to others, especially the lost as His representatives.

A prophet in the truest sense of the word is God’s representative.

B — we are priests (not high priests for there is only one) and as such are to worship God and interceded for those who do not as mediators.

REv

C — Jesus is the only king and truly is the king of kings, but we shall rule and reign w/ Him.

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