Some of you may be wondering, Why in the world are the Christmas decorations still up in the sanctuary? It's the second week of January already! I asked that they be left up for a reason.

Most Christians assume that the day after Christmas ends the Christmas Season. We assume this because everything Christmasee lights, wrapping paper, tinsel, bows, Christmas cards, etc. -- all go on sale. While some of you were taking advantage of the post-holiday bargains, you probably noticed that the department stores were quickly taking down their Christmas decorations to make way for the Valentines Day decorations.

We assume that the Christmas Season is over because the kids have gone back to school B finally!

We assume that the Christmas Season is over because the decorations in our homes have been boxed up and put in storage, and the Christmas tree is long gone even though you=ll be sweeping up pine needles until March.

We assume that the Christmas Season is over because the parties have ended, the company has gone home and you have started your post-holiday diet.

We assume that the Christmas Season is over because all the Bowl games have ended.

But the reason that I asked that all the decorations be left up is that Christmas really isn't over. In many other Christian faiths, today is known as Epiphany Sunday and is considered the close of the Christmas Season.

Now, I know that as Baptists, we really don't much care for church tradition B especially ancient church tradition -- and especially ancient church tradition that has anything remotely to do with Catholicism.

But, in my defense, let me quickly say, that: 1) some traditions are good in that they teach us important truth about our faith, and 2) a lot of church tradition predates the Catholic church.

According to tradition, the wise men found the new born king not on Christmas Day, but twelve days after Christmas. That's where the tradition of the Twelve Days of Christmas that we sing about comes from. The Sunday that follows the first 12 days after Christmas is called Epiphany.

I love that word -- it's a word that means to show or to reveal. In Western church culture, it celebrates the coming of the wise men bringing gifts to the Christ child. In doing so, they reveal Jesus to the world as Lord and King and teach us some important spiritual truths about our faith-walk as Christians.

I. WISE MEN WILL DILIGENTLY SEARCH FOR THE CHRIST

Matthew 2:1 "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem"

what significance do we find in this verse?
if it is true that these Magi were Persian astronomers, then they were men who had nade a long, and arduous journey

the trip from Persia to Palestine is a distance of about 1,100 miles
in our day of modern travel where we think nothing of driving a few hundred miles in a day, we forget that their journey would have been fraught with dangers and hardships
if they were lucky, they made 10-15 miles a day by Camel caravan making it three-month trip

lesser men may well have turned back, but these men had received the revelation that the King whose kingdom would never end had been born

they were bound and determined to let nothing stand in their way of expressing their homage to this King
their determination teaches us an important lesson

A. CHRISTIANS MUST BE DETERMINED IN THEIR FAITH

determination means a /willingness to carry through with a commitment
let me be honest with you this morning B the church is currently raising its second generation of biblically illiterate, spiritually incompetent, narcissistically self-involved baby saints, who do not know what it means to be committed to the Lord, Jesus Christ
the typical attitude toward church today is What's in it for me -- what do I get out of it?

ILLUS. Two or three times a year, I'll get a phone call from someone whose family has just moved into the community. They'll grill me about our programs and ministries. Sometimes they'll ask about the general tenor of our theology -- are we conservative or moderate or liberal. But most of the time they'll want details about our children's and youth programs. Secondary will be what programs and ministries we have going for adults. Bottom line -- they're asking What do you have for me, if I come to your church? Now, let me say I think it's important that we establish programs to meet the spiritual and ministry needs of our people from preschoolers through senior adults. But let me tell you of the phone call that Pastors day-dream about. It would go something like this: Hello. My family and I have just moved into your community. We're looking for a church home that will allow us to use our spiritual gifts and talents to minister to the church and community in a variety of ways. We'll be there every time the doors are opened. Oh, and by the way, we're tithers.

In 30 years of ministry, I've never had that conversation. If I had, I'd probably have dropped dead of cardiac arrest.

a determined faith is a faith that is committed to our God and His Christ no matter what

ILLUS. Most of you know the story of Job in the Old Testament. We studied him in our adult Sunday School classes just last quarter. Job was a man who lost everything of earthly importance to him. In a few catastrophic days, he lost his wealth, his community standing, his family, and his health. His wife, whom I'm sure was in a state of shock and mourning herself, urged her husband to curse God, lay down and die. Instead, Job retains his faith and confesses a great confession when he declares, "And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, 27 Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" (Job 19:26-27)

Job is confessing that even though he has no earthly reason for trusting in God, yet he will do so anyway

even if there is nothing tangible in it for him, he will still believe and worship

a determined faith is a faith that is committed to our God and His Christ no matter what

a determined faith is a faith that is committed to our Christ and to His Body -- the Church -- no matter what

I've discovered after 30 years of ministry, that the vast majority of Christians are absolutely 100% committed to their church -- as long as they've got nothing better to do

ILLUS. A couple of years ago, the Northend Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Seattle, had a No-excuse-to-stay-home-Sunday. The week before, the pastor sent the following letter to each member: Next Sunday, cots will be available for those who say Sunday is their only day to sleep. Eye drops will be supplied for those who have red eyes from watching late Saturday-night TV shows. There will be steel helmets for those who say the roof would cave in if they ever went to church, blankets for persons who think the church is too cold, fans for those who say it is too hot, scorecards for those wishing to list all the hypocrites present, TV dinners for those who can=t go to church and also cook dinner. Lastly, the sanctuary will be decorated with Christmas poinsettias and Easter lilies for those who have never seen the church without them.

a determined faith is a faith that is committed to our Christ and to His Body -- the Church -- no matter what

a determined faith is a faith that is committed to our Christ's church and its ministry no matter what

ILLUS. Many churches have a Beau Geste view of ministry. In that movie, the Arabs were attacking a Legionnaire fort where only four Legionnaires were left alive. The Arabs were not aware of this, because if they had been, the fort would fall for sure. Therefore, the Legionnaires devised a plan to disguise their weak condition. They set up the bodies of their dead comrades along the wall of the fort and ran back and forth, firing off the guns of their dead friends. From the outside, it all looked very convincing -- but on the inside, there were only four men. Likewise, in many of our churches, we have a handful of believers who run around and shoot off the guns of the spiritually inactive congregation. Outwardly the church looks like it is alive and well -- but inwardly there are only a very few people doing the work of the whole body -- everyone else is spiritually dead.

these men were determined in their faith and willing to suffer any price in their search for the Christ

II. WISE MEN WILL OFFER THEIR SINCERE WORSHIP TO THE KING

Matthew 2:1-2 "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.
Matthew 2:11 "On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. ...

first and foremost the Magi have come to worship the new born king of the Jews

A. TRUE WORSHIP IS FROM THE HEART AND ADORES GOD FOR WHO HE IS

Isaiah 42:8 "I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images."

friends, it is not a matter of what you get out of worship B but what God gets out of worship

He is to be adored, and praised, and magnified, and exalted, and honored, and glorified, and acclaimed, and celebrated

Revelation 15:3-4 "... Great and marvellous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! 4Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For all the nations will come and worship before You, For Your righteous acts have been revealed.

if you leave this place not having done any of those things, you've not worshiped
in the Gospel of John Jesus has a conversation with a lady who has come to be known as the Woman at the Well
in that conversation he talks to her about worship and He says ... Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23‑24)

many men seek to worship God, but because they do not know the Christ, the Son of the Living God, they worship in the flesh and in error

the Buddhist monk may be sincere in his worship, but he worships in the flesh and in error because he doesn't know Jesus
the Moslem cleric may be sincere in his worship, but he worships in the flesh and in error because he doesn't know Jesus
the Voodoo priestess may be sincere in her worship, but she worships in the flesh and in error because she doesn't know Jesus
and yes, even the professing Christian may be sincere in his or her worship, but if they've never been born again through personal faith in Christ, they are worshiping God in the flesh and in error.

in this morning's passage we see the marked difference in attitude between the Magi and king Herod

Herod feigns interest and pretends that he wants to worship, but does not worship
the Magi turn out to be the kind of worshipers Jesus would speak of some 30 years later

God sets some very strict standards for worship

worship is not our puny attempt to make God feel good
worship is not a weekly pep talk to rally the troops for another week
worship is not the Christian alternative to a Saturday night rock concert
worship is the believer's recognition of the Christ's Lordship in his or her life as they adore him and who, like the Magi, bow their knee to his authority

B. TRUE WORSHIP GIVES OUR VERY BEST GIFTS TO GOD

ILLUS. In one of his commentaries, the Scottish theologian William Barclay, tells a story that comes out of the Middle Ages. It is the story of a fourth wise man. His name was Artaban. Like the other wise men, he set out to follow the star. As gifts for the new king, he took with him a sapphire, a ruby and a pearl B all beyond great price. He was riding hard in order to meet his three friends, Casper, Melchoir and Balthasar at the agreed upon place. Time was running out when he saw a traveler stricken with fever lying along the road. If he stayed to help he would miss his friends. He stayed. He helped and healed the man, but he had to sell the sapphire to do so. He was sad because the King would never receive this gem.Having missed his fellow Magi, Artaban made the trip alone. He finally reached Bethlehem only to find Joseph and Mary and the baby gone. While in Bethlehem, he suddenly heard the pounding of hooves and the pummel of a fist on the door. Herod's soldiers had come to kill the baby boy in that house. The mother stood weeping behind Artaban as he stood in the doorway. To save the child he paid the captain with the ruby so he would not enter. The child was saved, but the ruby was gone B one less gift for the King. For years, the legend tells us, Artaban wandered Palestine looking in vain for the child until 30 years later he found him in Jerusalem during his crucifixion. He thought just maybe he could use the remaining gem -- the exquisite pear B to buy our Lord's freedom. On his way to the hill called Golgotha a young girl came running from a band of soldiers. She flung herself at Artaban's feet and pleaded, "My father is in debt, and they are taking me to sell as a slave to pay the debt. Please save me!"/ Artaban hesitated; then sadly he took out his pearl, gave it to the soldiers and bought the girl's freedom.

The sky went dark. The King whom he had so long sought for was dead. But the fourth wise man truly had given his gifts to the King because he had cared for those who needed his gifts.

the story of the fourth wise man is a fable that illustrates this point well
if we are truly "wise" we will give Christ the very best that we have

the best of our time
the best of our resources
the best of our wealth

we give these things to our Lord for two reasons

one, as God incarnate, Christ is worthy of and deserves our very best as an act of love and adoration

the Magi presented unto him gifts of gold, and frankincense, and myrrh some of the most expensive and costly treasures of their day

secondly, God can take what we give Him, multiply it and use it more efficiently than we could ever think of doing

like the fourth wise man we also discover that when we give our treasures to those in need, we are, in reality, giving our treasures to the King of kings

Matthew 25:34-40 "Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

wise men will use Christmas as an opportunity to offer their treasures in service to the king

III. WISE MEN WILL SHARE THEIR FAITH IN THE KING WITH OTHERS

the last we hear of the Magi in the Scriptures, they have been warned in a dream as to Herod's true intentions and have returned home by a different route
what became of them is unknown and lost to history

oh, there are many legends, but they are just that B legends

but I have no doubt that they shared their findings and their excitement with their fellow countrymen upon their return

the Magi went to Bethlehem searching for the king of the Jews
what they found was a Savior for all peoples

as the wise men were packing their bags in preparation for their trip to Jerusalem, I'm sure their friends were asking them questions like, "Why do you want to take this foolish and dangerous trip?" "Why are you going to all this trouble?"

to which the Magi most likely responded, "Why? Because we have heard a story from Jewish Scripture; we have seen the star in the sky; and we have felt a stirring in our souls."
traditionally, Epiphany has been a day for Christians to focus on the mission of the church in reaching others by showing Jesus as the Savior of all people
like Abraham of old, the wise men went out, not knowing whither they went

they went in faith and found God
their lives would never be the same

as we face a new year, it's time for each of us here this morning to re-commit ourselves to three things ...

seeking out Christ for fellowship and worship
holy living
bold proclamation

This morning you are invited to bow before the King of king and Lord of lords. The Lord Jesus Christ whom we exalt at Christmas is not just a baby in a manger. He is not a character in a children's story. He is far more.

The first time he came, he came veiled in the form of a child. The next time he comes, he will come unveiled, and it will be abundantly and immediately clear to all the world just who he really is.

The first time he came, a star marked his arrival. The next time he comes, the whole heavens will roll up like a scroll, and all the stars will fall out of the sky.

The first time he came, wise men and shepherds brought him gifts. The next time he comes, he will bring gifts, and rewards for the faithful.

The first time he came, there was no room for him. The next time he comes, the whole world will not be able to contain His glory.

The first time he came, only a few attended his arrival B some shepherds and some wise men. The next time he comes, every eye shall see him.

The first time he came as a baby. Soon he will come as Sovereign King and Lord.