"Wise Men Still Seek Jesus."
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I. Introduction
I. Introduction
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, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
Wise Men sought Jesus thousands of years ago.
They made it their business to find this King!
And so, funds were allocated, sacrifices made.
Arrangements had to be made with their families and students.
“We will return, but for now, we are going on a journey.”
“There is someone we must find and worship!”
Those wise men actively sought Jesus.
They still do.
The fool hath said in his heart, “there is no God.”
But Wise men still seek Jesus.
I am looking at wise men and wise women this morning!
Out on those streets are thousands and thousands of consumers.
They rush about as if in a frenzy!
They are looking for the best deal, the sale, the purchase, the find.
But you are here, this morning, assembled together with a goal in mind: You are seeking after the King!
And this very morning, God is going to prove His Word!
Now, I have worked with and known many people, so have you!
And I have learned that some folks make promises very easily.
And then I see that they are much better at making promises than keeping them.
I know others who are very sparing in their comittments, but when they say a thing, you just know, it will come to pass!
Now Jesus, He tops them all!
When He says a thing, you can take it to the bank!
It will come to pass!
He does not make false promises!
When God speaks, planets are formed!
When God speaks, He breathes life itself, so that mud and clay become man!
That’s why you should pay close attention when he says things like He did in Mat 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
The prerequisite to the filling, is hunger and thirst!
Mathew uses the verb “to hunger” nine times.
But the other 8 times he uses it, he is talking about a literal, physical hunger.
In this verse, it means something different.
This is a hunger of the soul!
An intense longing for righteousness!
A desire, a need for something more than what you have!
Something missing in families and homes, in this world at large!
A desperate vacuum, an instinctive need!
This line expresses a deep desire both for personal righteousness and for a world characterized by God’s righteousness (or justice).
He says Hunger and He says thirst!
If you’ll do those things, He promised to satisfy!
“Well that’s great Pastor Louw, but show me how. What are the mechanics of that?”
They are John 6:35
And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
“I Am.”
“I Am.”
“I Am the bread of life! Come to me, seek me, believe in me, follow after me, and you’ll not hunger or thirst ever again!”
Jesus is in the business of healing broken hearts!
He satisfies the longing and fills the empty places with joy and with peace!
He knows that ever since Adam and Eve fell in the garden, mankind has struggled with this internal void.
A vacuum of hope
An emptiness within!
A loss of connection to the Divine!
Hunger and thirst!
And so he made an announcement: “If you will adjust your hunger and thirst from other things to me, to righteousness, you will be filled!”
The emptiness goes away!
The Longing goes away!
He fills you and satisfies you and makes you whole!
He returns you to that relationship in the garden, in the cool of the day!
And He does this for people!
Normal people like you and me!
Like your neighbor, your coworker, your spouse, your friend.
He does this for outcasts, for the broken, for the hungry.
On a warm afternoon in Samaria, He told told one such woman a wonderful truth!
His words brought something into her life, and changed everything!
This is what He said:
John 4:14 (NKJV)
....whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
Jesus wants to make a deal with you!
With Sonoma county, with the entire world!!
It is an incredible bargain!
On our side, all we need to bring is our hunger and thirst!
We focus that on Him!
And then his side of the bargain is this:
He satisfies!
He satisfies the deepest longing of the soul!
He hears the cry of your broken heart!
The disappointments, the unmet expectations, all of the emptiness!
And then He fills the empty with Him!
What is Him?
He is love and He is justice!
He is joy and He is peace!
He is a fire baptizer!
Now if you hunger for fame and acclaim,
If it has to be your name up in lights,
If your desire is placed in this present world, God does not deal in that currency.
He is so much better!
His wealth is greater!
His way is grand!
He is the King of the World!!!!
That’s why we bow in His presence!
That’s why we end up on our face!
His glory is blinding!
His majesty is power!
And He wants to satisfy hunger.
He wants to satisfy thirst.
This is the answer to all the pain in this world!
The solution to the suffering!
This is why wise men still seek Jesus.
Conclusion
Conclusion
And so, you will not need to sell any belongings, or travel across sea or desert sands in search of the King today.
The King is here.
He is able to satisfy the deepest longing of your soul!!!
If you need a refreshing,
If you need a boost of joy or hope,
If you need direction,
If you simply want to grab a onto the hem of his garment,
If you hunger and thirst today,
If you want new strength,
If you want fresh fire,
Jesus is here!
He is here, you are here, and now is the time.
Together this morning, in prayer, Let us seek after Him!