Listen to the Wise Men

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So far we have learned from Mary’s obedience, Joseph’s patience and the shepherd boldness. Today we are going to learn a powerful lesson from the wise men.

Lets take a moment to read their story.

Matthew 2:1–12 AV

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, 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 demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw 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 exceeding great joy. 11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

We dont know much about these nysterious men, but the one thing we do knoiw is that they brought gifts to Jesus.

Why? They were not told to bring gifts. The prophecy did not require them to bring gifts. Mary did not send out a baby shower list of gifts. Why did they bring gifts?

Because they were wise men.

Let me tell you: Generocity is a charicter trait of the wise.

Generocity is the fruit that only ripes when a person has won the battle against greed and covetiousness.

And Generocity will be blessed by God.

Proverbs 22:9 AV

9 He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.

God is Generious

God’s generosity is evidenced all around us.

God created this planet that is specially suited to sustain us and provide for our needs and pleasures.

He supplies us with color, light, sound, air, and the ability to taste and enjoy, hear and appreciate, touch and be satisfied.

Above all, God demonstrated His generosity when He offered His Son as a sacrifice to atone for our sin. In the face of such generosity, we can only say,

2 Corinthians 9:15 AV

15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

The gift of Jesus to sinful mankind was the ultimate act of generosity. Go has been so good to us.

And as we see God being generous, we are to be generous.

Generosity can be manifested in many ways.

We can give of our time, our material resources, our hospitality, and our friendship.

The Bible teaches the general principle that those who are generous will find favor and blessings from God.

Proverbs 11:24–26 AV

24 There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. 25 The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. 26 He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.

It IS more blessed to give than to recieve

God challenges us to be generous because He wants us to receive the blessing that comes from it. Jesus said:

Luke 6:38 AV

38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Its simple: The cup you use to give unto God is the same cup God uses to give ubto you.

We should show generosity to everyone, as we have opportunity:

Matthew 5:42 AV

42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

The rich should “be generous and willing to share” (1 Timothy 6:18).

1 Timothy 6:17–18 AV

17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;

A Word aboout Giveing and Discernment.

Giving must always be done in a discerning manner. The danger of christian generocity is that is attracts people possesed with demons of greed to take advantage of gheerfukl givers.

Look again at the wise men.

They gave gifts to jesus, BUT they did not give the details of his birth to Herod, being warned.

Also, you never give to others by taking away from your family - Family provision comes first.

1 Timothy 5:8 AV

8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

If you are single, go ahead and give it all, but your altruism must not come out of your childrens mouths.

And Finally, Always obey God’s word when it comes to giving. Dont enable the irrisponcible.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 AV

10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

and

1 Timothy 5:4 AV

4 But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.

The Defeat of Covetness

Jesus warned us about the dangers of greed and coveting. Let me tell you about money - its like water, it must flow. If must flow in and out. If you try to dam it and keep it it gets stagnet and its poison gets drawn into the heart.

Luke 12:15 AV

15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Look at the what the bible says covetness can cause.

1: Family Trouble.

Proverbs 15:27 AV

27 He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.

A sure fire way to curse your home is to become money obbsessed. Where oney is the talk at every dinner, every braai and every conversation and even every aurgument.

2: Depression

James 5:3 AV

3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

40% of depression linked to worrying about money. Hre is the thing, most people who worry about money have more money than most people. There are people who would simply love to eat the crumbs off your table, but an obession with stuff and money has made you depressed.

3: Constant Disapointment

Closley linked to depression is disapointment. Peace and contentment go hand in hand, but coveting cannot coexist with contentment and there cannot coexist with peace.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 AV

10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.

4:Foolishness

Here is a problem, money actually makes people mad. In our PC world they call it eccentric, but thats just a nice word for mad. If you have a coveting heart you loose common sense. Its why celebrities always get caught doing the evil and bizzar things that they do. Thy are mad.

Jeremiah 17:11 AV

11 As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.

Did you know that 90% of all people who declair bankruphy wrere once millionares?

5: Apostacy

And perhaps the greatest danger of all: Money and covetness will cause you to turn your back on God. I know many people who when they had nothing were at the alter everyday, but when they got succsess they left the house of God for the world.

1 Timothy 6:10 AV

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Conclusion

Generous or greedy?