Love: Advent of the Messiah

Introduction

Advent of the Messiah: Love

This is the last in the series on the Advent of the Messiah. If you have missed some, let me recap.

Hope

The first week was the advent of Hope. The long awaited messiah foretold through the prophets came and brought the fulfillment of their hope

Peace

The Angel’s message brought news that the Peace or shalom of God has come

Joy

The shepherds saw the realization of the Lamb of God and shared this good news of joy with all they could tell,

And finally,

Love

Love has come to the world. God’s love for the world has come in the form of a child to become the saviour of the world.

The magi or wisemen from the east came to see the love that was promised.

This morning we are going to discover the LOVE and what will our response be this Christmas season.

We are going to look at it from 4, not three different perspectives.

In preparations for this sermon, for those of you following me on FB found out, I had to see what the world’s perspective is on the story of the wiseman. I watched the move “The star” on netflix.

No it’s not my first primary source of information about the scriptural text, but it was cute. There were a couple of line in there that were true in nature, true to the text, but the main message was that the Son of God was born and that the Star brought them to see him.

If you have young children, or grandchildren and you have netflix, it’s not a bad show to bring up discussions of Christmas.

The truth is that this message comes from the text of Matthew 2:1-20

It draws us to look, to observe, to view the events and finally see an expression of worship. but before we dive into the text, let’s pray.

PRAYER

Turn with me if you would to Matthew’s Account of the Magi found in the second book of Matthew starting in vs 1

Matthew 2:1–12 ESV

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 saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

we need God’s Love. The wismen or magi came from the east driven by a passion to worship for what this promised child wold bring. It was God’s love that drove them to come and see.

Who is seeking Christ today. Why do we seek God.

Do we come to God seeking Him to worship him or to get the gifts.

Do we come to the feet of our saviour and offer our gifts.

Looking

The first of the four thoughts this morning is the thought of looking. When the messiah was born people began to look for things. The first verse begins to tell us of the various characters in the narrative that are looking. Each has a different reason or purpose for looking.

What are you looking for this Christmas season? For some of us its that time where we once again get to see loved ones. A time of celebration and refreshment with family. Connecting with each other.

For some of us we are awaiting that special gift. We have been dropping hints for the last 4 months hoping that that special someone would catch the hint.

For some of us, we are looking just to make it through the holidays. For those feeling that way its a painful time. It could be a lonely time. As a pastor over many years the messiness of life appears its ugly head during the holidays and pain and sorrow comes to some during this season. For those of you who are in this state right now, God’s sent his son for you. To bring about the Hope, Peace, Joy and love that we can only experience through Christ. May I encourage you this morning if you are in that state, hoping just to make it through the holidays, continue to look to Christ.

The wise men from the east came looking.

Their trip began much earlier. You see it was prophesied that they would come.

Psalm 72:10–11 ESV

10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! 11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!

The Magi were looking

The Advent of the Messiah also brought about the advent of God for the entire world. These men from the east came looking because they noticed a change in the heavens. The celestial world, the stars.

God uses whatever means he has to bring men to come and worship him.

God used the stars and these men noticed something had happened. Something great, something different. The shinning star got the attention of the people of the world. It got noticed.

I began to wonder to myself.

Who is Looking at us

How do I present myself to others? Does the love of God shine through me.

I asked myself the question, if people are looking for something, a fulfillment in their lives,

If they are looking and sensing something is missing would they look to me and see something I have that they need?

Is Christ’s love shining through me?

We often say Jesus is the reason for the season, but isn’t he the reason for living. He is the reason for every season and purpose in our lives.

This Christmas season what are you looking for?

Their are many things in our lives that can appear to be the most important thing in our lives, but let me remind you as the Wise man came looking they came looking for the King.

The ruler.

The child

The one that will save His people from their sins.

Are you on a journey this Christmas season? Is your journey leading you into God’s Love?

Are you seeking His truth, his grace? I hope this Christmas season, no matter what life looks like for you that you would begin and continue to see the one, the saviour of the world.

Herod was looking.

He was looking to rule. He was the farthest person looking to have God in his life. He was cruel. He believed himself to be God and set out to keep a grasp on that kingship. I don’t want to give anymore credence to this man than what was in the story.

Herod began looking for the child not to worship but to destroy.

The greatest part of this story is that God would not allow the power of the King of the land to overthrow Power and Purpose of God.

Herod was looking to win over the wise man only for his own purposes.

The People

The people began looking, at least in Jerusalem. The people were not looking for the Christ child, they were looking and watching what Herod was going to do.

Scripture described that all of Jerusalem was troubled. You see when you have an evil king ruling and he is feeling threatened, only bad things can happen.

To me its a reminder that when we feel the evils of the world are in control, we must look to God who will triumph in the end. God is still in control and the people had been so in bondage with this ruler that they couldn’t get their minds off of the impending destruction. The reality is that Herod’s rage did come to fruition, much suffering and loss came at the hands of this man, yet God’s promised Messiah was protected.

Observing

The Second thought this morning on the Advent of the Messiah’s Love is the idea of Observing.

Observing is different than looking.

Looking is seeing something, Observing is making some assumptions.

The dictionary describes observing as registering it as being significant.

The Wise man stated,

Matthew 2:2 ESV

2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

They had seen the star and observed it to be different.

They had done their research.

They knew about the child. He was born as a king. We sometimes look at the narrative after the event, but in this case we need to see it as it happened.

Notice that they identified that the child is the King. Not going to be the king, or will grow up to inherit the kingdom. They didn’t believe that he might be the king one day but that he was born the king.

They also believed that the star they had been following was his star.

A star marking the birth of the child.

They knew from research that the king was born and that this star was his and they observed that they must worship him.

We have seen the star when it rose and we have come to worship Him.

Their research wasn’t complete. If they knew the whole story what came next would not have happened.

Knowing that he was a king led them to Jerusalem.

It wasn’t the start that was guiding them to the city, but their own belief on where a king should arrive.

It would make sense to them to come to the capital as that would be the most likely place where a king would be born.

Why travel throughout the city asking, let’s go right to the source, the palace.

What they didn’t observe was what this would do to the King of the land.

The king observed that instead of magi coming to worship him they came to worship another king. Another king would threaten Herod’s rule.

Herod observed that he was uniformed and summoned all the spiritual leaders to him

Where is the Christ to be born.

He used the word Christ, messiah, but had little understanding of what a messiah would mean for the people.

Herod observed that this news was a potential risk for his own kingship.

He observed it was a result of a prophecy and assembled the group of people that must know how this was to come.

He assembled the unlikely group of people. The two groups of people that don’t and didn’t get along with one another.

It’s unclear whether he called the together or seperately, but it was like a check and balance.

During the days and reign of Herod, the chief priest were given their power by Herod. It was creating much chaos withing the people as to who was leading.

Asking the two ruling factions would give the result he needed. The exact location the prophecy would be fulfilled.

Bethlehem.

The small hamlet just out of view of the king’s palace.

A stones through away from the palace.

You can almost hear the outrage from Herod as he heard the words

“For from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people”.

Herod was observing that he was losing his power and that must be changed.

The third theme this morning is what I called Viewing the advent of the messiah

Viewing

What were the people viewing.

Let’s start with Herod.

Herod was viewing that there was a conspiracy happening around him. A child was born that was going after what he called his power, his kingdom.

He was viewing that the wise man where his path to secretly control the situation. He must convince them of his plan.

He investigated with the wise man when the child was born, the timeline so as not to miss how old the child would be.

Herod also viewed that he had duped the wise man on his hidden agenda. He believed that they could not see his intention to “Go and worship the child himself” were nothing but self serving.

In reading the narrative, and hearing later in the story that they were warned, we can only assume the Magi viewed Herod’s request as accurate.

One commentary shows that if Herod doubted the wiseman’s agreement that they would return, he would have sent an escort with them to Bethlehem.

Expressing

The last thought of this narrative is the expressing the love of the advent of the messiah.

Things were in motion.

The people Looked, Observed, Viewed, and now there was the expression.

We now see the Magi after the conversation with Herod are back on their way travelling.

What Matthew points out is critical in this narrative.

You see once they began once again to head to Bethlehem, the star appeared once again.

The wise man for a time had taken their eyes of what should had been leading them, the star and found themselves in the wrong place. Once they were back on the right track the star appeared before them.

So to with us.

In our walk and journey with God we need to consistently keep our eyes on God.

The first sign of expression comes when the magi encountered the resting place above the Christ child.

There was rejoicing. They had arrived. Their long destination with countless times of

“Are we there yet” behind them to discover the place were Christ was living.

What brings joy into your life? Are you still looking for something to bring joy.

Those who have come to the realization of who Jesus is and have come to recognize what he can do in our lives will have the same joy described in this passage as the wise man had.

The last part of expressing love is what the Magi do when they come in contact with the child.

They worshiped him

Taken from the Gift- Youversion Plan

When we worship, we’re expressing awe at someone or something. At this time of year, we all have reason to worship—and it’s not tied to our current circumstances. We have reason to worship because of the gift we have received through Jesus.

Just look at what happens when some wise men hear about the birth of Jesus: 

And when they [the wise men] saw the star, they were so ecstatic that they shouted and celebrated with unrestrained joy. When they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, they were overcome. Falling to the ground at his feet they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure boxes full of gifts and presented him with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:10-11 TPT

For hundreds of years, people had been waiting. Waiting on God to fulfill His promise to send our Savior. And Christmas is one of the best reminders that God keeps His promises. He sent us Jesus as the ultimate gift to show that God wants to be with us.  

The wise men celebrated with unrestrained joy. They were overcome. They fell to their feet and did the only thing you can do when faced with that much wonder—worshiped.

They worshiped by offering gifts.

It was the custom in the east to bring gifts upon arriving at someone who is a king.

Many stories and commentaries have taken great pains to describe the significance in the gifts described in Matthew.

Let me describe one.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible Chapter 2

gold, frankincense, and myrrh—Visits were seldom paid to sovereigns without a present (1 Ki 10:2, &c.; compare Ps 72:10, 11, 15; Is 60:3, 6). “Frankincense” was an aromatic used in sacrificial offerings: “myrrh” was used in perfuming ointments. These, with the “gold” which they presented, seem to show that the offerers were persons in affluent circumstances. That the gold was presented to the infant King in token of His royalty; the frankincense in token of His divinity, and the myrrh, of His sufferings; or that they were designed to express His divine and human natures; or that the prophetical, priestly, and kingly offices of Christ are to be seen in these gifts; or that they were the offerings of three individuals respectively, each of them kings, the very names of whom tradition has handed down—all these are, at the best, precarious suppositions. But that the feelings of these devout givers are to be seen in the richness of their gifts, and that the gold, at least, would be highly serviceable to the parents of the blessed Babe in their unexpected journey to Egypt and stay there—that much at least admits of no dispute.

another thing to note was gifts were given to nobility, but as was the custom, gifts were reciprocated.

In this Case, God’s gift was already given to mankind. God’s Saviour

Advent of Love

You see God also showed the Love with the advent of the messiah.

He looked at his creation and saw that his creation had fallen away from him

He observed that there was a need for a saviour

He viewed the plan from beginning to end

Finally he Expressed his full love for mankind by sending his one and only son to the world to become Emmanuel with Us.

Love

L-looking

O-observing

V- viewing

E- expressing

What is your response this Christmas

Taken from the Gift devotional

For hundreds of years, people waited for Jesus. So this Christmas, if you find yourself in a season of waiting—you’re not alone. And waiting can be a powerful reminder of the One we worship.

God could have saved us in a second, yet He chose to send us a child. Someone who would come to live among us, suffer among us, and die for us as the perfect gift we could never earn nor deserve.

Sometimes we can find ourselves so busy in the holiday season doing things for God that we forget His gift was to be with us. Our resentment builds because we’re doing the right things with the wrong heart. It’s all too easy for us to forget that the gift of Jesus isn’t about us or our effort but about God and His grace.

But this Christmas, we don’t have to hustle through the holidays. We can pause to reflect and remember the gift of grace. The gift that means we can stop striving, stop stressing, and stop trying to earn our way to God—and instead receive what Jesus came to give us. 

The wise men didn’t present gifts to win their way to God. The gifts weren’t offered with an agenda or an expectation of blessing. Instead, they presented gifts as an overflow of worship and an extension of their wonder. 

May we follow their lead. May we not offer our obedience out of obligation but out of an overflow of passion for the One who sent us the ultimate gift. 

The gifts the wise men offered are a source of hope for us today because they remind us of who we worship. A God who would send His Son as our King, our Healer, and our Savior. 

Stop hurrying through the holidays and start embracing a pace of wonder as we remember the birth of Jesus—our risen King.