Sermon Tone Analysis

The Magi

fourth wise man

Wise man video

Who were the Magi.

Tomorrow is epiphany - The day we remember the coming of the wise men to Mary, Joseph and Jesus.

We remember the star they followed and the gifts they bring.

The symbolic meanings of the gold, frankincense and myrrh.

We

Who were these magi and what were they seeking?

They would have known the skies they would have been quick to spot changes and quick to ascribe meaning to those changes.

They were sort of occultists in a way.

They had some sort of divination processes.

They were involved in certain kinds of things that we would assume, perhaps, were like a sorcery and that’s why the word magi was corrupted through history into the word magic, magician, which is a synonym for sorcerer.

Their interest in astronomy and astrology was only part of their involvement.

They were sort of occultists in a way.

They had some sort of divination processes.

They were involved in certain kinds of things that we would assume, perhaps, were like a sorcery and that’s why the word magi was corrupted through history into the word magic, magician, which is a synonym for sorcerer.

The magi were a pagan, priestly tribe of people from the Medes and the Persians and there are many, many historical sources to validate this, they were referenced in the book of Daniel and recored in the writings of Herodotus.

They were very skilled in both astronomy and astrology.

They would have known the skies they would have been quick to spot changes and quick to ascribe meaning to those changes.

In those days they didn’t make much of a separation between the superstition and the science.

The science is astronomy, the superstition/divination is astrology, and they were pretty well blended at the time.

Now, what’s interesting about this is that during the time of the Babylonian Empire these magi were dwelling in the area of Babylon.

They were there during the Babylonian time and the Medo-Persian Empire as well.

They were sort of occultists in a way.

They had some sort of divination processes.

They were involved in certain kinds of things that were like a sorcery and that’s why the word magi was corrupted through history into the word magic, magician, which is a synonym for sorcerer.

Above all though they were searchers.

- they were searching using some dubious methods for something of God.

It seems strange that a God who’s word says

and

Deut 18:19

Would choose these people to seek out and honour the new born Jesus, but He did.

Now while they were there during the Babylonian Empire, they were very heavily influenced by the Jews.

You remember that one of the things that Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon did was take Judah into captivity.

Do you remember that?

That’s what Jeremiah was saying.

“You are going to be taken into captivity.”

Jeremiah pronounced this fact and of course even the book of Lamentations laments this reality.

And they were carried off into the Babylon captivity.

Many people that are searching for Jesus do not conform to the stereotypical ‘nice’ image the church had given to ‘christians’

No seeker of the King is perfect.

Nor do we have to be perfect to approach him.

We keep mixing this idea up.

We place perfection before access to the holy one.

when in reality access to the king Jesus is what makes us righteous.

Samuel Colgate, the founder of the Colgate business empire, was a devout Christian, and he told of an incident that took place in the church he attended.

During an evangelistic service, an invitation was given at the close of the sermon for all those who wished to turn their lives over to Christ and be forgiven.

One of the first persons to walk down the aisle and kneel at the altar was a well-known prostitute.

She knelt in very real repentance, she wept, she asked God to forgive her, and meanwhile the rest of the congregation looked on approvingly at what she was doing.

Then she stood and testified that she believed God had forgiven her for her past life, and she now wanted to become a member of the church.

For a few moments, the silence was deafening.

Finally, Samuel Colgate arose and said, "I guess we blundered when we prayed that the Lord would save sinners.

We forgot to specify what kind of sinners.

We'd better ask him to forgive us for this oversight.

The Holy Spirit has touched this woman and made her truly repentant, but the Lord apparently doesn't understand that she's not the type we want him to rescue.

We'd better spell it out for him just which sinners we had in mind."

Immediately, a motion was made and unanimously approved that the woman be accepted into membership in the congregation.

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NASB95“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.

His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”

Jesus welcomes searchers of all shapes, genders, colours, sexual orientations, beliefs and backgrounds.

God may desire them to change - but he accepts us as we are as long as we are seeking.

but what are we seeking.

What are we seeking

The magi were seeking a king - a ruler -

art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, &c.—This quotation, though differing verbally, agrees substantially with the Hebrew and the Septuagint.

For says the prophet, “Though thou be little, yet out of thee shall come the Ruler”—this honor more than compensating for its natural insignificance; while our Evangelist, by a lively turn, makes him say, “Thou art not the least: for out of thee shall come a Governor”—this distinction lifting it from the lowest to the highest rank.

The “thousands of Juda,” in the prophet, mean the subordinate divisions of the tribe: our Evangelist, instead of these, merely names the “princes” or heads of these families, including the districts which they occupied

I wonder what impact meeting Jesus would have had on them.

There was obviously some, in the way they protected him

Video

What are you searching for?

On Christmas day I spoke how we react to jesus based on how we identify with him.

The angels new the truth and they exalted and worshipped him.

Mary and Joseph new him personally.

- and loved him as their own.

The shepherds - heard he was special and were perplexed and amazed in equal measure and they searched and found him and worshiped him and it changed them.

- they went off to tell everyone.

The wisemen - came looking for a king and they found one, though not they king they may have expected but that sums up meeting with Jesus - whatever we are searching for Jesus meets us as we are and provided so much more.

Some of you here are looking for an encounter with God to

give you foregivenss

Restoration

Love

A hope and a furture

To be a Father a husband a friend.

Someone to follow to be teacher and lord.

Jesus wants you to Come to him today and he will be all of these things and more.

Today we have the opportunity to come and meet this Jesus at the Lords table as we take communion

This table is open to all whatever your back ground or circumstance

Come to this table, not because you must - but because God says you may, not because you are strong, but because you are weak.

Come, not because any goodness of your own gives you a right to come, but because you need mercy and grace.

Come, because you are seeking Him more.

Come, because he loved you and gave himself for you.

Come and meet the risen Christ, who paid the ultimate cost to restore you into a loving relationship with God and with His children.

Come and meet your King.

NIV