Guiding Light | Sermon by Gray Gardner

Transition out of sermon series bump video

Three Quick Things

1. Jason Smith is preaching live here next Sunday.

2. Christmas Eve times are set: 3pm and 5pm.

Two identical services with childcare provided for birth - kindergarten (CONFIRM)

Make plans to attend with us, and invite your neighbors.

3. Sunday after Christmas - one service at 11am.

Darren Russo preaching. No kids @ FHC - families welcome to worship together

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Message Introduction

Last week Jason Smith showed us how the light of Christ reveals who we are, who God is, and how we can be in relationship with him. This week we’re focusing on how the light of Christ guides us.

Our focal Scripture today is from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 2, verses 1-12. Matthew 1 and 2 are known as infancy narratives, and carry some of the only information we have about Jesus’s birth and early childhood. In chapter one, Matthew tells us about Jesus’s genealogy, or family tree, and about the miraculous events related to his conception and birth. Here in chapter two we read another account from Jesus’s early life which identifies Jesus as the promised King of Israel.

It’s a familiar story for many of us, but perhaps today we can see it with fresh eyes.

With that said, if you’re able, I’d like to invite you to stand for the reading of God’s Word.

Matthew 2:1-12 CSB

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.

5 “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:

6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah: Because out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”

7 Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship him.”

9 After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.

This is God’s Word. You can be seated.

Correcting the narrative

Now you may have noticed, but there are a few ways in which the traditional understanding of the wise men’s visit differs from what’s actually in the biblical account.

For instance, we commonly associate the wise men with the nativity scene, hanging out beside the manger with their camels. If you noticed, though, Jesus is not in a manger at this point — he’s in a house in Bethlehem. This is taking place after the night of his birth.

In fact, as we learn from other details later in the chapter, this event apparently occurs a couple of years after the birth of Jesus. When the wise men open the door to Mary and Joseph’s house, they don’t see a mother with her infant, but a mom corralling her two-year-old. The wise men meet Jesus as a toddler here, not as an infant. I told my two-year-old, Finley, that Jesus was was the same age as her in this story, and she thought that was so cool.

To further blow up your festive nativity scenes, while we often think of there being three wise men, you’ll notice that Matthew does not mention how many wise men are present. We know there was more, and in keeping with what we know of these folks from history, we know that they often travelled in large groups — like a pack of girls going to the bathroom together. There are three gifts mentioned, which is where we seem to have gotten the tradition of thinking there were three wise men, but we can’t be sure.

Not only that, but as far as we can tell, these men were not kings. You know the song, “We Three Kings?” While wise men, or magi, had positions of political and religious influence, they most likely were not royal.

Now listen, I love Christmas traditions more than anyone, so I’m not suggesting you go set your nativity sets on fire when you get home. But I do think it’s a good reminder to confront and question our assumptions by going back to Scripture itself.

The real thing is much more interesting than the stories we’ve built up around it!

Focus of the message

I think there’s one more detail of this story that needs correcting.

For good reason, we tend to focus a lot on the star in this passage.

Many attempts have been made to connect the appearance of this star with known astronomical events from this time period, like the convergence of Saturn and Jupiter with other planets and stars in the night sky, or the appearance of a comet, or a supernova from a distant galaxy, but we can’t say with any certainty what the wise men actually saw.

The star in this story is traditionally seen as the guide for the wise men coming from the east — the shining light which leads them to the feet of Jesus.

But what if the star isn’t ultimately what guided the magi to Jesus?

What if there’s a deeper truth at work in this story that could help us in our pursuit of guidance and direction in our lives?

That’s what I want to show you today.

Here’s the thing: just like many of us had ill-conceived notions about the story of the wise men that needed correcting from Scripture, many of us also need correcting in the our ideas about how to find direction in our lives.

Two Truths about the Guiding Light of Christ:

1. We need the Light of Christ to shine on the right path. (Matt. 2:1-8)

Consider this fact: the star was a public spectacle. It was not a private revelation given only to the wise men from God. It was a guiding light placed in the night sky for anyone with eyes to see.

Response of the Wise Men

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.”

Of course, the wise men were astrologers, trained in the art of following the stars and seeking meaning from their movements. What’s incredible is that these are non-Jewish pagans. The Greek word “magos” translated “magi” or “wise men” literally means “magicians” or “sorcerers.” These are not the kind of people you would expect to get a VIP ticket to meet the God of Israel.

And yet, God accommodates himself to them and speaks to them in a way in which they would understand.

Maybe you’re hear today and you’ve been walking far from God. Maybe you’ve been an atheist or agnostic, or looking into New Age or Buddhist philosophies, and you’re here because you’re searching for something solid, something real. It turns out, you’re the exact type of person God most wants to reach out to and draw in.

The wise men see the star, they decipher its meaning — that the king of the Jews has been born — and they begin their long travel from the east to Jerusalem to worship him.

They receive guidance from above, they follow, and they anticipate humbly submitting themselves to the young king.

Response of Herod and the Chief Priests and Scribes

Herod and the chief priests and scribes, respond a little differently to the event of the star:

7 Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem . . .

If anyone was going to get this right, you’d think it would be Herod, the chief priests, and the scribes.

Not only is the star a public spectacle — they must have been able to see it, especially after the wise men pointed it out to them — but they also have the very words of God in the Scriptures. They have double revelation — an apparently divine sign in the sky, and God’s authoritative written word to help interpret it. They have what David would call in Ps 119:105 “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Herod discovers from the priests and scribes that the Messiah, the king of the Jews — the one whom Israel had been waiting for for hundreds of years to lead God’s people to overthrow their enemies and instill a kingdom of shalom, peace —would be born in Bethlehem.

The wise men eagerly continue their trip with this new knowledge, but Herod stays back, and apparently so do the rest of the priests and scribes.

How do people seeing the same things respond so differently?

Now you have to think about this situation. There’s literally an astronomical spectacle happening in the sky — a publicly visible sign from God. Not only that, but there’s a prophecy from the very Word of God completing the direction of the star’s leading, explaining that the king would be born in Bethlehem.

Yet, the only people on earth we have on record as having acted on this information is this lone group of wise men.

Why is that? How is it possible to have phenomenal revelation from God and yet not follow it?

It’s because information alone is not enough to lead you to true and lasting satisfaction in life.

We all have situations in our lives where the outcome is cloudy and uncertain—a type of darkness in which we could use some light. If we’re honest, we’re all looking for some kind of guidance— some answers, some new and better information for the road ahead.

Work — Maybe you’re trying to figure out if you’re going to stay in your same job or pursue a new opportunity, if you need a career change, how you can smooth over a conflict with your boss or a coworker, or come clean about a mistake you’ve made at work.

Parenting — Maybe you’re trying to figure out what you’re going to do about your child’s behavioral issues that have gotten out of hand, or their anxiety which is crippling them, or how to mend a relationship that is broken. Or maybe you’re trying to have kids and you’re having trouble and don’t know what to do next.

Identity/Purpose — Maybe you’re asking bigger questions, trying to figure out who you are, why you’re here. Maybe you’re wrestling with faith and what’s true about God. Maybe you’re questioning why you married your spouse, or you’re confused about your gender or sexuality, or you’re struggling with your sense of self worth or purpose, with anxiety or depression, and you could use some answers.

You get the idea.

We have a tendency to think in these situations, “Man, I wish God would give me a star in the sky! I wish God would give me a clear direction like he gave the wise men!”

But if everyone in the world saw the same thing the wise men saw and yet were left uninspired and unmoved, what makes you think that you would be any different?

We need more than just answers, more information, to be guided to purposeful, meaningful life.

You know this!

If all you need is the right information in order to be guided in wise and meaningful living, then everyone would have six pack abs, McDonalds would go out business, and there’d be a Chop’t on every corner.

I read an author recently who talked about recognizing the distance between what he knew to be true and what he actually did in his lived experience. His moment of recognition came while sitting in the Costco foodcourt reading a book on the paleo diet and eating a footlong hot dog with a Coke, when he realized something wasn’t adding up.

More than that, we have 66 books of divine wisdom at our fingertips. We have access to more biblical teaching today than any generation of people in the history of the church. We have more bible studies, more bible translations, bible apps on our phones, video teachings and sermons on Youtube — the list goes on and on. And yet, how often do we actually alter our lives based on that information?

Now, having the right information is critically important if you want to be lead in the right direction in your life. Thinking rightly about God and His Kingdom is crucial if you want to live wisely.

And yet it remains, as illustrated in this story, that information alone is not enough to actually move us where we need to go.

**You can have all the right information and yet still feel directionless.

The star shined a light on the path, but it couldn’t make anyone walk it.

We need something more than external direction.

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2. We need the light of Christ to shine in our hearts. (Matt. 2:9-12)

Quick word on “heart” — not effeminate Jesus talk. It’s what the ancients referred to as the core of our being, our deepest desires, and longings.

Returning to the story, we recognize the reason why information alone was not enough to change them.

The wise men leave Herod and go towards Bethlehem in search for the king:

9 After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:9-11 CSB)

The main point of this passage is to reveal Jesus as king, even as a child — king over all the nations. Matthew does this by showing the nations coming to worship Jesus, while the people of Israel, represented by Herod, clash with him.

Now consider the discrepancy in POSTURE here.

The wise men, in seeking and finding Jesus, are “overwhelmed with joy” and “falling to their knees,” they worship him.

Herod, at even just the thought of there being a rival king of the Jews, becomes paranoid, angry, and fearful.

3 When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

It’s a scary prospect to potentially have to give up power, freedom, and comfort.

For Herod, Jesus is a rival-king to be destroyed.

For the wise men, Jesus is a king to be worshiped.

How could the wise men respond this way when others didn’t?

It must be because something else in addition to the light of the star was leading them to Jesus.

Think about it: what kind of faith does it take to follow a star hundreds of miles on a hunch?

Sure, add a piece of ancient scripture from a God they don’t worship. Does that make it any more logical that they would pack up their treasures and go on this journey?

Then consider what they find in Bethlehem. It’s not like the wise men find Jesus in a palace. Mary and Joseph were poor. They’re probably in a ramshackle house in backwoods Bethlehem.

And what do they find there? A toddler.

I mean, how much external verification would it require for you to bow down on your knees and worship a 2 year old? Have you ever been around a 2 year old?

I’m not worshiping a 2 year old, not even with a sign in the sky and explicit Scriptures. God’s going to have to do a lot more to get me to that point.

This was the most unbelievable body of evidence. You don’t rationalize your way through these facts and establish toddler-Jesus as king of the world, let alone your life.

At 2, kids are beginning to figure out they have a will, the ability to choose. What’s a 2 year old’s favorite words?

“NO”

“MINE”

John Ortberg notes that these are “kingdom words.” Your kingdom is the effective range of your will, and we’re all constantly seeking to assert our will, to grow the domain of control and influence we have in our lives, to expand our personal kingdoms.

In other words: We are all pursuing a kingdom.

You see, whether you’re a follower of Jesus or not, you are pursuing a kingdom and submitting to a king.

This language of “kingdom” may throw you off, but I assure you it’s how we think of where we’re going.

We all have some vision of “the good life” — how we describe our ideal life — that’s operating under the surface of our conscious awareness moment by moment. The good life is what your life would look like if everything worked out exactly the way you wanted it to. You might be able to figure out what it is by recognizing what it is you’re longing for — peace? love? stability? relationships? power?

**The question is — whose the king in the kingdom you’re pursuing?

—> So long as we sit on the throne of our own hearts, Jesus will always be a threat to be neutralized instead of a king to be joyfully worshiped.

And this is why I said that the star must not have been the ultimate guide for the wise men.

No amount of external evidence or information will bring you to remove yourself from the throne of your heart.

It must be that the Spirit of God was shining the light of Christ in their hearts so that they saw the star, heard the prophecy, and worshiped the Child in faith.

Transformation > Information

If we want direction and guidance in our lives, we must have hearts illuminated by the Spirit of God to see Jesus as he really is, as the true king, so that we orient and direct our lives the right way: with a lens of worshiping him in all things.

Which means that in all the areas today you’re seeking answers from God:

In your marriage

In your finances

In your identity, sense of purpose, or belonging

In your relationships —

You don’t need to be more informed — you need to be more transformed.

We must have our hearts illuminated by God’s Spirit so that we see things in a whole new way, with eyes of faith, believing that the baby in the manger wasn’t just another baby, but was the incarnate Son of God.

Nobody else could even see the reality of the star as a guide to finding life. But the wise men did.

You see, the light of Christ begins to shine in your heart to the truth of God’s kingdom when you recognize Jesus as King, by faith.

What that means is that you can’t understand the proper direction for your life until your dark heart is illuminated by faith.

If you’re here and you’re struggling because you’re looking for answers for some direction in your life, keep pressing in, seek answers with all you’ve got. Shine light on the path that you need to go on.

But don’t miss this crucial part — without the eyes of faith, you won’t be able to see the path, no matter how hard you search.

So how do you allow the light of Christ to illuminate your heart?

By making these three commitments that will guide you in every other circumstance of your life.

You’ll humbly submit to His Word as the authority of your life.

You’ll joyfully worship Him

You’ll freely give Him your best

What areas of your life are you still holding on to control instead of submitting it to God’s Word?

Do you worship Him with joy, or have you failed to be moved in your heart by his glory, his beauty, his excellence?

What areas of your life are you still holding onto — “no, mine!” — rather than giving it freely to Jesus?

Consider the gifts — what kind of king

The wise men open their treasures and give him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Gold - As a recognition of his kingship.

Frankensense and myrrh — aromatic perfumes from spices used in the preparation of bodies for burial, among other things.

These gifts are not just the wise men’s best: they are a foreshadowing of what kind of king Jesus would be.

A king who would reign in humility and service.

A king who would die in the place of the sinful people he loved.

A king who would be buried for the sake of burying sin and death.

A king who would be raised to life so that those who believe in him might be raised to life.

This morning — this Christmas — let the light of Christ the king shine in your hearts, enthrone him as king over your life, and find guidance in all the thousands of other decisions you make day-to-day on your way to his kingdom.

Let’s pray.

Pray to close — transition to communion on floor (Darren)