Wisdom For A Unwise World

Introduction

The Bible is a book filled with many examples of wisdom and wise people.

• There was Enoch and Noah, they were wise enough to walk with God in their day while the world around them refused to. Thus, they were both saved while others perished.

• There was Ruth, she was wise enough to say to her Jewish mother-in-law, “...for whither thou goest I will go; and whither thou lodgest, I will lodge; Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God,” Ruth 1:16, while her sister-in-law turned around and went back to sin. Thus, she became an ancestor of Jesus.

• There was Andrew, who was wise because he brought people to Jesus.

• There was David, who was wise enough to say, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

• There was Martha, who was wise enough to entertain Jesus in her home.

• There was Mary, who was wise enough to sit at Jesus feet and hear his word.

• There was Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, 1 Kings 12:3.

• Then, there were the wise men, who came to worship the Lord Jesus when he was but a child.

There are still wise people in our world today. As you travel from place to place during the Christmas season, you may see church signs that read, “Wise men still seek Him.” I suppose that is a statement that contains a fraction of truth. Of course, the truth is, we don’t seek Him until He first seeks us. When we respond to His seeking of us, that makes us wise. Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

That’s what the men in our text did. The Lord gave them a light and they followed it until they came face to face with the Lord Jesus Christ. When they met Him, their lives changed forever.

We can see some of the characteristics that identify truly wise people in the text before us today. Those people who are truly wise share the same qualities that characterized the wise men who came to worship the Lord Jesus in Bethlehem. I will point out those qualities today, as I preach on the thought, Wisdom for an Unwise World.

Notice with me what it is that makes one a true wise man today.

I. v. 1-8 WISE MEN COME TO GOD

Mat_2:2  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.

These learned men would have known of the prophecy of Num. 24:17, which says, “…there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel…” This teaches us that these men were on a spiritual journey. I have no doubt that they were moved to go to Bethlehem by the Spirit of God. He impressed upon their hearts the truth of the words they read, and they were led to go find the Lord Jesus.

A) On the right path

We don’t know how many there were that came in search of the King Of The Jews, all we know is that they came bearing gifts and they traveled a great distance. These men had traveled many miles to find this small child. They had traveled through deserts, crossed mountains, forded rivers, endured hardships and faced bandits all for the sake of coming to Jesus, they felt that what they would find would be worth all the trials and hardships. They were right! No matter where you are this morning, God is drawing you, You may be in a far country searching the sky for answers or you may be like the shepherds abiding the fields close by. Either way God is wanting you to come to Him this morning. And there is only one Path to God and that is through Christ. Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. These men came from the east, following a star that caught their attention. God began drawing them, they came to God on the right path the only path.

B) For the right purpose.

They came for the right purpose. They did not come because their finances were bad, they did not come because their marriage was in trouble, they did not come for better health or a better job. They came to worship. Christ is not a get out of jail free card, so many come to Christ because they are in trouble or need to be healed. Can Christ heal? Absolutely! Can he bring you out of the trouble you are in? Absolutely! But that is secondary to the reason Christ came.

Luke 19:10 tells us why He came. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. And our purpose for coming to Christ needs to be the same purpose the wise men came to Christ. They came for the right reason.

These Wise men were gentiles, they left a king to go to The King, the Jews stayed with a king and denied The King. They liked the prestige and prominence. They decided to stay with the world when they should have went to God. The wise men were wise and the Jews were fools.

Wise men come to Jesus; fools do not - Psa. 14:1. “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.”

The wisest moment in my life was the moment I came to Jesus Christ by faith! I can’t take any credit for it! I was “dead in trespasses and sins”, Eph. 2:1. I was lost in my sins and separated from God, Isa. 59:2. Like Lazarus, I was bound up in the grave clothes of my depravity.

In that condition, He came to me and He opened my eyes, showed me my condition and pointed me to Calvary. Then, like those people who had been bitten by those serpents in the Old Testament, all I did was lift my eyes, in faith, to Jesus Christ Who died on the cross and rose again from the dead to redeem me. In that instant, my chains fell off, the grave clothes of sin disintegrated, and I was set free! Hallelujah!

One of the greatest days in any life is the day when the Holy Spirit opens a dead sinner’s eyes and allows him to see his condition before God. It hurts to see yourself as you really are, but it is the first and essential step toward salvation, John 6:44; 16:8. When your eyes are opened, and Jesus draws you to God, you’re about to experience His saving power.

If you have been waiting to come to Jesus for salvation, delay no longer, just come to Him today! He waits to save those who will call on Him! Whether you respond to it or not, the greatest truth you’ll ever hear In your life, is that Jesus Christ died for your sins on the cross, and that if you will come to Him He will save your soul, John 3:16; Rom. 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. , 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. No matter who you are; no matter what you’ve done, you can be saved if you will come to Jesus Christ, John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

I. WISE MEN COME TO GOD

II. v.11 WISE MEN YEILD TO GOD

Mat 2:11  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. 

When these men came before the Lord Jesus, they came with gifts in their hands. These gifts they gave Him were rather significant.

The Gold Presents Jesus As Potentate.

In some countries, no one could approach a king without a gift. The wise men brought Him gold. This gift acknowledges Him to be a King. Since we can never meet Jesus on equal footing, we should always bow in submission before our Lord and acknowledge Him as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Wise men do just that!

The Frankincense Presents Jesus As Priest.

If you study the word “frankincense,” you will discover that it was a priestly gift. It was used in the worship at the temple, and when sacrifices were offered up to God. The frankincense was a gummy substance, which came from a certain species of tree. It released a sweet smelling fragrance.

The Book of Hebrews tells us that His priesthood is permanent, Heb. 7:17; powerful, Heb. 9:11-14; 9:24-28; 10:11-14; and that it procures for us entrance into the presence of God, Heb. 4:15-16

The Myrrh Presents Jesus As Our Propitiation.

Myrrh is a substance used to embalm dead bodies. It reminds us of why and him Jesus came into the world.

• He came here to die for sinners, 1 Tim. 1:15, 1 John 2:2.

• He came to “propitiate” or “satisfy” the holy demands of a just and righteous God in regard to sin, 1 John 4:10; Ill. Isa. 53:10-11.

Now, I do not have gold, frankincense or myrrh to give to the King. Thus, I have to give that which I do possess.

• I can give Him my love, my worship, my attention, my tithes, my praise, my glory.

• I can give Him my labor.

• I can give Him all that I have and all that I am on the altar of sacrifice to His glory, Rom. 12:1-2.

This text teaches us what coming to God involves. Real faith will always involve yielding or giving up of something. The wise men yielded or gave to Jesus in three important ways.

• First, they gave simply. Verse 11 says, “they presented unto him gifts.”

• Secondly, they gave sacrificially. Verse 11 says, “they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”

• Thirdly, they gave of self. Verse 11 says, they “fell down, and worshiped him.”

It always costs something to worship Jesus.

• He expects our worship to be simple and straightforward.

• He expects our worship to involve sacrifice, as we give back to Him from the things He’s given to us.

• He expects our worship to involve self, as we fall before Him and give Him public adoration, praise, and worship for who He is to us, and for all He has done for us.

• Any exercise that does not involve selfless, sacrificial, and simple adoration of the Savior cannot rightly be called worship.

What are you giving to Him? What do you have in mind for Jesus this Christmas.

I. WISE MEN COME TO GOD

II. WISE MEN YIELD TO GOD

III. v. 12 WISE MEN ACKNOWLEDGE GOD

Pro_16:23  The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.

God warned the wise men in a dream that they were also in danger and they were return to their homeland by a different route. They heeded the message of the Lord and went a different way and survived the rage of Herod the King.

May I remind you that wise men still turn their ears toward Heaven? God has promised us in His Word that He will lead and guide us until we reach that Heavenly home, John 16:13. Our duty, therefore, is to listen for His voice and then respond in obedience when He reveals His will unto us.

Ill. There are many who run to and fro looking for the answers to life’s questions. When all the while, we hold those answers in our own hands in the form of the Bible. God has given us His perfect revelation and our job is to read it and follow it to the letter. Wise men still listen for a Word from the Lord!

Wise men acknowledge God in their Walk

You will notice that verse 12 says, “they departed into their own country another way,”

This demonstrates an important principle. Those who meet Jesus are always altered by Jesus, 2 Cor. 5:17. When you meet the Lord Jesus Christ, and he becomes your Savior, you will be a different person. You will come away from your encounter with him a changed individual. That is the power of his grace; that is the power of his salvation.

One of the biggest problems in the American church is the fact that many people who come to our altars, pray a prayer, and profess to be saved, never demonstrate a true change of life. That is why the New Testament repeatedly cautions us to be sure that our salvation experience is genuine, 2 Cor. 13:5; 2 Pet. 1:10.

The wise men were warned to flee from King Herod, so that they might avoid his wrath.

Wise Men acknowledge God in Their Witness

I am sure these wise men did not keep their mouth shut when they returned to their home countries. I am sure that folks knew that their journey resulted in a change. I can see them now, walking into the royal courts and telling their kings about The King of Kings. Who have you told recently about Christ? A Wise man will tell others about Christ. And He has given us a message just like he did to the wise men about going back a different way.

God, in His Word, sends out a warning to all humanity. He tells us that death is coming, and that beyond that there is a place called Hell, where sinners be punished for all eternity. God calls the lost to repentance. He calls the lost to faith. He call sinners to come to Jesus so their sins might be forgiven and their souls washed white in the blood of the Lamb.

If you’ve never been saved, you need to heed the warnings and come to Jesus today, 2 Cor. 6:2. Jesus will save you, after all, that’s why He was born, why He lived, and why He died on the cross. If you will come to Jesus today He will save your soul, . He is the only one who can, Acts 4:12; John 6:14. A new life can be yours if you will come to Him.

Conc: For just a minute think with me about the great contrast we see in this text between Herod, the priests, and the scribes and the wise men. The scribes had in the possession the very Words of God, vv. 4-6, but they didn’t believe the Word of God enough to go and see the Messiah for themselves. Herod was clearly told that “the King of the Jews” had been born, that the wise men were going to “worship Him.” Yet, he refused to leave the comforts of his palace to travel a mere five miles to see the child for himself. When Herod did make a move, he tried his best to kill the Lord Jesus by killing all the babies in and around Bethlehem, Matt. 2: 16-18.

The priests and scribes may have been called “men of God,” but they knew nothing of the true and living God. The priests and the scribes with all their learning and with their familiarity with the Word of God were not wise. They were fools because they failed to follow the light they had been given.

How would you describe yourself today? Are you wise? That is an easy question to answer! You are wise if you have followed the light you have been given. You are wise if you have believed the Gospel. You are wise if you worship Jesus. You are wise if your give to Jesus the things that belong to Him. You are wise if you listen to Him and heed His voice.

Do you need to come to Him for salvation? Have you been dealing with conviction and the sure knowledge that you are lost? Please come to Jesus today! He will save you, He will change your life, and He will give you the best Christmas you ever had.

Do you need to come to Him in repentance? Have you allowed your love for Him to grow cold? Have you seen your devotion to Him, His house, His work, and His worship decline? If you will come to Him, He will forgive you, He will restore you, and He will bless you again for His glory.

If He is calling you to come home, to come for salvation, or if you just want to worship Him, obey His voice and do what He says to do right now.