The Joy Journey (Part 3)

Introduction

Attention:

Raise your hand if you have ever been left on “read” before?

And just in case somebody doesn’t know exactly what that means… what does it mean? *get a volunteer to explain*

Yes; getting left on read is one of the worst feelings in the world

Unfortunately, at Christmas time, we often leave God on “read”

He sends us the message about Christ’s birth; something that we should no doubt respond to. But oftentimes, we don’t

Tonight, we are going to look at the first 12 verses of Matthew 2, and here, we will see a group of people that leave God on read with the Christmas message, and a group that actually take the time necessary to respond to it.

Need:

If you’re a teenage Christian, this is something that you need to hear because you’ve likely left God on read at Christmas plenty of times (if you are anything like me)

Things are so busy that it feels like you barely even have time to think about the true meaning of Christmas

And as great as Christmas break is, it only lasts 2 weeks! That’s not a whole lot of time to get in the right mindset for this stuff

But if you’re a Christian, you don’t want to leave God on “read” at Christmas time, so you need to hear this message so that you can see how to clearly respond

If you have not truthfully accepted Christ, you need to respond to the precious gift of salvation that Jesus is offering to you

Body

The Big Idea: Jesus birth demands response

The Question: What responses are demanded by Jesus’ birth?

Answer 1: Humbly following

Matthew 2:1-8 “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’ ” Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!””

Matthew 2:1–8 (NLT)

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,

are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,

for a ruler will come from you

who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’ ”

Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

Explanation:

Here, we are introduced to some different characters in this story

First, we have the wise men

There is a lot of misinformation about these guys! Have you heard the song “We three kings?” It is not accurate for two reasons: 1) the text does not say how many there were (most likely, though, it was a larger group on account of them causing such a stir in verse 3) and 2) it says nothing about them being kings

So then… who were these guys?

The Greek word reveals the proper title for them “Magi”

They are high-ranking, prominent astrologers (aka, followers of the stars) from the East (maybe Babylonia, but we don’t know for sure)

They obviously know something about Scripture; they are likely aware of a prophecy about a star in Numbers 22, and they respond to this knowledge by humbly following where the Lord is leading them.

I mean, just look at verse 3: “We have come...” The Lord led them somewhere, and they followed.

Jesus has been born, and they respond by following, by coming to the place that the Lord has led them.

This is in contrast to King Herod, the chief priests, and the scribes, as they were “deeply disturbed” by all of this

He asks them where this child is supposed to be born, and the religious leaders quote from the book of Micah

So the leaders are aware of what the Scriptures say about this, and after explaining it to Herod, he gets it, too.

But Herod doesn’t want to follow Him; Herod, in his pride, wants Him dead; that’s why he schedules the meeting with the Magi and deceptively tells them to keep him in the loop

It comes as no surprise that Herod would react this way: he wasn’t fully Jewish, but was rather an Edomite (a descendent of Esau, not Jacob)

A lot of people didn’t hold him in high regard for this reason, so anyone coming from the line of David and claiming to be the “king of the Jews” would be seen as a huge threat to his power, so it makes sense that he wants Jesus dead

This guy even went as far as killing one of his wives and some of his kids on account of threats to his power

So this behavior is characteristic of him, but you still can’t help but be sad that someone who knows the word of God fails to respond to it

David Platt puts it this way: “it is a dangerous thing to know the Word and fail to respond.” May that serve warning to us and how we celebrate Christmas.

And responding to Christ’s birth by following Him is something that takes humility; something that the Magi had, but that King Herod definitely didn’t

So in this text, we see two ways to respond to the coming of Christ: 1) you can follow God in humble obedience like the magi, or 2) you can reject what God says out of pride like Herod and the other Jewish leaders.

Illustration:

While the true meaning of Christmas calls for humility, it can actually be pretty difficult to be humble at Christmas sometimes

I think one of the main reasons for this is our Christmas lists; we get so excited about all of the gifts that we want that Christmas become more about us than about Christ

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been disappointed that you didn’t get something on your Christmas list. I’ve definitely been there! I usually want like 12 video games for Christmas but am only able to get one

But when we allow ourselves to get too upset about that, it shows us that Christmas is more about us than it is about Christ and humbly following the Savior of the World

Christmas provides the perfect opportunity to check your heart… what are you most concerned about this Christmas season?

Application:

There is a King Herod living inside each of us; there is a part of us, a sinful nature, that doesn’t want to follow God; we want to be the king of our lives and to go wherever we want to go, and to do whatever we want to do

This is true for people who haven’t accepted Christ, and its true for those who have as well

So as you think about the coming of Christ this month, how will you respond? Will you follow after God, or will you follow yourself?

What is it that is going to determine your behavior at school: your following of God, or your following of yourself? What is it that will determine you behavior towards your parents and siblings?

As we celebrate the birth of Christ, be reminded that He is someone worth following; he is worth the pursuit of humility.

So respond to the Christmas narrative by humbly following God!

Answer 2: Superior joy

Matthew 2:9-10 “After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!”

Matthew 2:9–10 (NLT)

After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!

Explanation:

To say that they were “filled with joy” when they see this star again is an understatement: in the literal Greek, it says that they “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy”

So these guys were SUPER joyful. Heck; we’ve got some HYPER joy going on here (a joy that is superior to other forms of joy)

This passage actually seems to suggest that, at some point, the star had disappeared, and they had no idea where they were going

But then the star reappears and leads the way, which gives them joy!

This isn’t the only reason that they have joy, however; the star not only reappears, it does supernatural stuff that can only be explained by the sovereign hand of God (it moves ahead of them and stops at Bethlehem).

God is leading and directing the wise men, and as they follow, the magi experience superior joy

Here’s anther quote from David Platt that I think should be a joyful thing for us to hear: “The God who two thousand years ago sovereignly arranged the stars in the sky, the God who sovereignly directed these magi to the Messiah, is the God who has sovereignly arranged your life and every detail in it—your family, your job, your school, your background, and your relationships.”

At Christmas, you see that God is in control, and you get to respond to that with the best joy that there is

Illustration:

You’re not responsible for getting your own gifts at Christmas; other people are responsible for it

To a certain extent, it is out of your control

And that’s tough, because its like, “Will I really get what I want?” All you can do is tell people what you want, but whether or not you get it is dependent upon them.

Whether or not the wise men were going to be able to find Jesus was dependent upon God, and He led them where they needed to go

God is in control, and while you might not always get the gifts that you want, you always get the gifts that you need

And Christ even gives us the ultimate gift of salvation! We didn’t buy that for ourselves; he bought it with His blood

The same God who sovereignly ordains the wise men to encounter Jesus is the same God who sovreignly ordains the death of Jesus so that you might have a relationship with Him

There is no greater gift than that! Thank God that He’s’ in control and we’re not.

Application:

When was the last time that you truly experienced joy? Has it been awhile?

We live in a world where finding true joy can be a challenge, and with all of the challenges that come along with teenage life, this can be especially the case for you guys

As you think about God directing the course of the Wise men and led them to the right place, think about how he is leading you to the right place as well

You might not be on your way to Bethleham, but you’re moving towards Jesus regardless

Respond to Christmas with the joy that only Christ can give!

Answer 3: Exclusive worship

Matthew 2:11-12 “They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.”

Matthew 2:11–12 (NLT)

They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

Explanation:

Here, the disciples finally reach Jesus, and they worship Him

In verse 2, they said that this was the purpose of their “following.” They are finally able to do what they set out to do.

There are a few different things to note about the wise men worshipping Jesus here

First, the term “worship” could be used in the context of a king’s subjects bowing down to Him

This fits with the theme of Jesus being the “King of the Jews”

But Matthew is also wanting us to see that the magi are worshipping him in more than just a kingly sense.

Matthew emphasizes the divinity of Christ over and over, so it is only fitting that it would be taken that way

Another way that we see this is through the phrase “bowed down and worshipped”

Here’s the way that one commentator put it: “If “worshiped” implies only a kneeling down before a superior, “bowed down” is redundant.”

In other words, if “worship” here is only being used in the sense of bowing down to the king, it is essentially saying that “they bowed down to bow down to him.”

So, certainly, this worship must be something more! This is an exclusive type of worship that is reserved for Jesus and Jesus alone

They respond to the birth of Christ by bowing down to Him as the king of the universe, and not only the king of the universe; the king of their hearts as well.

Another clue that this is an exclusive type of worship that’s happening is through the gifts that are given to Jesus: Gold, frankenincense, and myrrh.

These are definitely the types of gifts that you would give a king! But they also represent things that shows us that Jesus is even MORE than just a king

First, Gold emphasizes the royalty of Christ

Again, he is king!

Second, Frankincense emphasize’s Jesus’ deity *show picture on screen*

This is because it is used in various OT offerings to God; specifically, it was used to make perfume for the most holy place in the tabernacle

Lastly, Myrrh represents Jesus’ humanity *show picture on screen*

Its almost like, with this last gift, Jesus points forwards towards the cross, as he was offered a drink with myrrh on the cross.

Here’s the last David Platt quote of the night: “Jesus was presented myrrh as a King in a cradle, and then He would be offered myrrh as a King on a cross.”

Needless to say, Jesus wasn’t the type of king that people expected Him to be! He was something much greater

And all of that points to the fact that the worshipful response that Christ deserves is an exclusive one.

Illustration:

You know what makes it hard to bow down to Jesus in a way that only he deserves? The idols in our hearts

The truth is, we often give our idols the worship that only Christ deserves.

You know what an idol of mine that I’ve been struggling with recently? Social media

I spend so much time on there, especially if you count YouTube

I LOVE YouTube; I often find myself checking to see if any of my favorite YouTubers have posted new stuff several times a day

But there’s been times where I spend more time doing that than I spend in God’s word.

Because I’m bowing down to social media so often, it is making it difficult to bow down to Christ

I have given social media what Christ only deserves

This is something that I am repenting from

Application

Have you truthfully worshipped the King this month?

Are you bowing down to Him in a way that only he deserves?

Here is a big tell; I doubt that you are doing this if you’re not even successfully spending 10 minutes in His word a day

Jesus doesn’t just deserve some of your time; he deserves all of your time

As followers of Christ, we will be worshipping Him in Heaven for eternity

Why not participate in the greater narrative of eternity by responding to Him in worship right now?

Also, when we sing songs to God, do you truthfully use it as an opportunity to worship Him? Or do you just let it pass by like there’s nothing special about it?

Worshiping Jesus is a very special thing, because it’s a thing that no one else deserves!

Use this Christmas as a time to give Jesus what is only His. Don’t worship your hobbies (trust me, I struggle with this sometimes). Don’t worship the idea of dating someone. Don’t worship what other people think of you. Worship Jesus. Give to Him what’s His this Christmas season.

Conclusion

Visualization

You don’t have to leave God on “read” this Christmas! You can respond to what He is trying to tell you by humbly following, by having superior joy, and by giving Him exclusive worship

Reiteration

Allow this to be a Christmas to remember

Allow this to be a Christmas where you encounter Christ and respond to Him in meaningful ways

You are about to have a well deserved break from school. Awesome! You have an opportunity to truly respond to God this Christmas

Do it. Take advantage of it. Spend time with the Lord each day that you are on your Christmas break. Be intentional about talking about the Christmas message and celebrating it with your family.

I am about to commission you out to do this via prayer. Let’s join together and do this!

PRAY

Table Question: How can you take advantage of your break to respond to the Christmas message?