A Call to Worship

Good morning church…it is good to be here this morning as we approach Christmas.

I want you to begin to think about the the things you love most in your life.

When I was a boy I loved this bicycle I had.

I had the opportunity to go to a bike shop and pick out a bike.

When I was growing up it was all about the BMX Bike.

We had this area that we called the “Dips” and kids of all ages would go out to the Dips and ride through them.

They are just like the name implies; they were dips.

Small dips and large dips, dips with jumps in the middle and dips with small BMX type obstacles at the bottom.

There were also these really large dips and what you do is you would speed down them and peddle, peddle, peddle to try and make it up.

Some were so big that if you made you and your bike became legendary.

But again it was about the bike you had as you were sitting there with the other kids waiting for your turn at any one of the Dips.

When I 1st started going to the Dips i had a Roadmaster BMX bike.

Now if you know anything about bikes in the early 1980’s the Roadmaster was the KMART brand of bike and I had it for many years.

After a year or so of riding the dips I knew I wanted; no I needed a new bike.

So I asked my Mom and Dad and they said what; no.

But I’am pretty persistent and I kept working on them until I took the Roadmaster apart in the garage because I bent the cranks…where…at the Dips.

So my Mom gave in and I got to go to a bike shop for a new Bike.

So back in the early 80’s BMX bikes like Mongoose, GT, Redline, Diamondback were the top end BMX Bikes.

Now I think you can buy a Mongoose at Walmart.

But there was another brand which, when I saw it I loved; it was the Macho.

Macho BMX bikes were made in Italy and they had the coolest resin mag wheels.

When I saw it I fell in love; it was black and red with black mage wheels.

Red cross bar pads and upper tube pad.

It was cool...

I got to take that Macho home and I could not wait to show it off at the Dips.

But here is the thing; I loved it; I loved it so much I did not want to ruin it.

I washed daily, I oiled the chain not because it needed it but just because.

I basically took this bike, brought it to my bedroom and leaned it up against the wall and just stared at it.

I protected this bike, nobody could touch this bike; I essentially worshiped this bike.

It became an object of my affection; I put before everything else, but you want to know the problem with that.

It was just a bike.

A boat is just a boat, a game is just a game, worship is something that objects do not need and objects have no eternal significance.

What matters is God, your spouse, your children, your family and then everybody / everything else in that order.

But 1st on that list, the focus of your worship is God.

Today there is a calling to worship.

It means more today than it ever has; we are called to worship.

So as our text opens; we are following the Wise men as they set out to find the One who was predicted to come.

So open your Bible today to Matthew Chapter 2 beginning in verse 1.

Matthew chapter 2.

The Scriptures tell us this...

Matthew 2:1–12 CSB

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 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.” When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born. “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet: 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.” Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. 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.” 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. When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. 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. And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.

Pray...

1st let’s look at the Call to Worship.

The Call to Worship

Matthew 2:7–9 CSB

Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. 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.” 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.

Theses men loaded up their packs with gifts and went to find the child that was prophesied .

Now Herods motives were not to worship, but seek and destroy the child once he confirmed who it was.

Herod wanted to keep his kingdom; he wanted to keep his seat of power.

Church there is a calling for us to worship something.

I do not know why but God put a longing for us to pursue things; to conquer thing; to desire things, but He did.

He placed those things in so that they could be used for worship; but it was meant for us to worship Him.

In that design he made us unique.

For many Worship means to come to a church and listen to songs that uplift God, but that is not the only means of worship.

Worship for me is leaning into a passage of the Bible; seeking the true meaning of it and then going the next step.

Because Worship to me is getting to know my God more and more through Study.

I feel more connected to God when I have good study.

Some worship is talking to God.

The intimacy experienced with a daily conversation is where some find what they are looking for in a relationship with God.

Some it is through serving.

They find their calling to worship in the form of serving their church; serving others.

For some giving is a form of worship; this is really worship in the form of obedience; being faithful to support the work of ministry.

For some worship is in the form of music; lifting up God in music; leading others to a better prepare our hearts to hear the Word of God; to express their love for Him through music.

My friends we are all called to worship the God of all creation and when we keep our mind focused, our worship is pure and undefiled and our worship is directed to the right place.

But here is the problem…Genesis 3.

Genesis 3:6 CSB

The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

This passage explains why our worship goes off track.

The problem...sin.

Sin comes into this world and all of a sudden our worship shifts; our worship shifts to wrong desires and wrong objects.

Herod’s motives were off; he was an evil man.

He spoke of worship of God, but had no real intention of doing so.

Herod looked like and acted as if he wanted to worship; so he sent these wise men to find the child.

A simple reading of the passage seems as if Herod wanted to find the child because he too beleived that the baby was God, but we know that is not true.

Herod’s worship was his position and title and anything that threatened that; he wanted destroyed.

Church our worship can be just like Herods; pointed in the wrong place, to the wrong ideal.

We may even be fooled that what we worship is not wrong, because it is not a bad thing or bad activity, but if what we worship has risen up in our heart to be above God; above Jesus; than that object or ideal you are worshipping is causing sin in your life.

Sin is a seperation from God and a seperation from God is death.

We are not called to worship and idea or ideal.

We are not called to worship a political agenda.

We are not called to worship our children.

We are not called to worship our toys.

We are not called to worship our passions.

We are called to worship the God on High.

We are called to Worship the Lord who give us life.

But there is hope…there is always hope found in God.

Through repentance and rightfully directed Worship.

When we repent and re-direct our worship then it will bring joy and bring fullness to your life.

So we must seek the object of our worship.

So the call for us is let’s make sure that when we worship, we worship the right thing.

Today for the wise men and for us; the Star points to...

The One to Worship

Matthew 2:9–10 CSB

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. When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy.

The object of worship was under the sign.

They came toward Bethlehem; they stood on the lookout for the sign.

Micah 5:2 CSB

Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times.

They knew near Bethlehem is where they would find Him, but here is some speculation on how they knew to follow the star.

Were they astrologers or were they astronomers?

Astrologers are mystics who claim to be able to make predictions from celestial events.

Astronomers are people who study the objects within the stars; the planets; they observe and try to make some sense of it all.

These are two different kinds of people.

Phil Ryken states that the wise men saw several conjunctions of Jupiter, the planet that represented Kingship.

So they saw and alignment of Jupiter and followed it; Jupiter is known as the King of planets.

But Ryken also argues that the theological meaning is,

“From the very creation of the world, God organized the solar system ---and indeed the entire universe---in a way that would signify the birth of His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.”

So that means that God made all things and pointed everything for man to know the this was the child redeemer.

God structured everything in that moment so that we all knew the birth of Christ was upon us.

These men were called to a point by a star and that start pointed them to the One we should worship.

That star pointed them to worship the Christ, born, lying in a manger, swaddled.

We are not to worship random things; we are to worship the Lord.

We are not to worship fleeting things; we are to worship the Lord.

We are not to worship other little “g” gods; we are to worship the One true God.

But Pastor how do we know today; where is our shining star pointing to the one who comes to save us all?

The Scriptures point us to the object of the Worship.

Look what we find...

Luke 4:8 CSB

And Jesus answered him, “It is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”

As Moses cut the 2nd set of Stone Tablets God passed before him and stood before him.

Exodus 34:8 CSB

Moses immediately knelt low on the ground and worshiped.

He knew who was before Him and he worshiped.

Psalm 29:2 CSB

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

The Scriptures are the sign for you and I.

The stars cannot tell us who we are to worship; that time has passed, but we have the infallible word of God to guide us to who we should worship.

All of this book points us back to Jesus and points us forward to Jesus.

There is not a writing in this text that does not cry out…JESUS.

This grand story is all about Jesus; we proved that last week; did we not?

Our worship should be singing and dancing before the Lord, our worship should be reflected in our obedience; our worship should be reflected in our generosity; our love, our care, our worship should be a reflection of the One we worship.

We are to worship Jesus Christ; He is the one we are to give our heart and our life too.

He is our God; He is the One true God, He is the only object of worship.

Look at what happens when these wise men walk in and see the Savior.

Matthew 2:10–11 CSB

When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. 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.

Their whole being was overwhelmed in the pressense of the King.

There was a great amount of emotion that whelmed up in them.

Their hearts were filled with joy.

Why?

They were in the presence of the One whom who came to save.

Church when our hearts and our minds have at their forefront Jesus; then our life no matter the circumstance can have an unmeasurable amount of Joy.

The response to this joy???

Their response to this joy and your response should be one of worship.

A laying down of your own life, your own heart, and your own desires to just focus upon Jesus and all He has done.

Jesus had not even approached the cross when these men gazed upon Him, they were filled.

But for us we know of the cross and what happened there; our response worship; a giving back to God what is His.

You have an opportunity to give back to Jesus the true treasure of worship.

The Treasure of Worship

Matthew 2:11–12 CSB

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. And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.

The bowed down and worshiped.

They presented gifts and treasure to Jesus; church even these were a form of worship.

Worship is not just song, but worship is bringing God all that we are.

Our time, our treasure, and our talent are things we bring to God in worship

It is bringing to God all that you as an individual are and laying on the table saying God I love you; God fill me; God move me.

It is saying God help me be more like you.

It is saying God i know who you are and I praise you for that.

It is saying God I will serve you.

It is saying God I will be obedient to you.

It is saying God I will love others.

it is saying God I will be yours and you are mine.

Look at Nehemiah’s words...

Nehemiah 9:6 CSB

You, Lord, are the only God. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their stars, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them, and all the stars of heaven worship you.

God I worship you becasue of you.

I know you because of all that you created.

John 9:38 CSB

“I believe, Lord!” he said, and he worshiped him.

God I believe you and I worship you with everything I have and everything I am because you are the Savior and I believe it to be so.

Church our worship should be this way.

Pure before the throne.

Our gifts are to be given to God and He will honor that work, the song, the gift, the love that you show, because of Jesus is the savior, born in Bethlehem.

Church as we leave here to day I want you to make sure that this coming week you remember what this week is really about.

This week is not about presents, not about family gatherings, not about Christmas dinner.

Even though all those things are good, but this season is about Jesus.

it is about the dawning of a time where God spent time with us; He came and met us where we are to redeem us.

It is about the wonderful gift of a God who loves beyond measure and it is about us laying down our life to worship Him.

Church give yourself over to worship God in this season and the coming season.

I going to close today by reading a quote from Thomas Kempis that was spoken in the 1400’s.

He said

“The Lord is with us: be not sad. Put on, you chosen ones of God, the garments of gladness and joy; cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light: as in the open day, so let us watch this sacred night. Let us rejoice and exult. Let us sing canticles and hymns. Let us praise the God our Savior. Let us offer Him our vows. Let us present Him the service of our mouth.” Thomas Kempis

You know what this man is saying?

He is saying; God is here so worship!

Let us not be sad but have joy; put on clothes of gladness; let the dark things go away, put on God and worship.

Rejoice Him; exult Him; sing to Him; praise Him, give all to him; worship Him!!!

Church there is no better time than now.

Pray in closing.