When Life Challenges Your Destiny

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.

Introduction: As we conclude this series today, I want us to understand that we are each divinely called by God to serve God with our whole hearts. There is nothing or no one who should impede our progress to serve God. Our destiny is not limited to serving God with our hands, we must also worship God with our hearts.

As believers, we must recognize the activity of worship as important and necessary. Worship is not something we as Christians can afford to ignore and dismiss from our lives. We were created to worship.

I want to make it clear that fulfilling your destiny is not always easy. There are some challenges and setbacks at times.

Take for instance these men in the text. They are urged by a star to stop what they are doing and worship Jesus. These men met challenges along the way but they would not allow the challenges in their life to overshadow their hearts for worship.

That’s really what I would like to encourage you to do when life challenges your destiny.

DT: We are created to worship and bring Him glory when we worship

AIM: We will make worshipping God a priority in our lives

Psalm 150:1 ESV

1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens!

Psalm 95:6 ESV

6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

Psalm 96:9 ESV

9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!

Transition: Since we are created to worship our texts we must

Be Determined to Worship Christ (vv. 1-7)

Matthew 2:1–7 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.

these guys had to have heard of Herod. His reputation at that time was not the best of reputations. But they were determined to worship Jesus!

Describe Herod the Great

Herod was a tyrant

Herod was insecure

Herod was paranoid

Illus:

Appl: Do not allow people and their issues to impede your worship. People who make everything about themselves will try to make worship about them also. Determine to worship Christ.

Transition: As we determine to worship Christ we must also be determined to get to the designated place of worship.

Be Determined to Get to the Designated Place of Worship (vv. 8-11)

Matthew 2:8–11 ESV

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.

This principle answers the question of where worship takes place.

While it is true that Christ can and should be worshiped anywhere, there is a place designated for for worship. For these men the star hovered over the place which was where Jesus is. They could have stopped but they kept going to place. In fact, verse 10 says, they worshiped on the way to the place.

These men wanted to be in the place where Christ is

They would not allow the terrain to be an excuse

They would not allow the king’s treachery to be an excuse

They would not allow the time to be an excuse

They wanted to be in the place! There is nothing like being in the place where worship happens. David says,

Psalm 122.1

Psalm 122:1 ESV

1 I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”

Psalm 34:1–3 ESV

1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. 3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!

ILLUS:

Appl: Make up your mind to be a part of worship each week. Do not allow anything to keep you from getting to the place. Church is the place designated for worship.