 With that said I'll begin reading here in Matthew chapter 2. I'm gonna share with you in Matthew 2 verses 1 through 12 a portion of scripture that I chose to use today for our Christmas Eve service and so beginning at verse 1 reading to verse 12 Matthew writes 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've seen his star in the east and have come to worship him When Herod the king heard this he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him and when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the People together he inquired of them Where the Christ was to be born? So they said to him in Bethlehem of Judea for thus it is written by the prophet But you Bethlehem in the land of Judah are not the least among the rulers of Judah for out of you shall come a ruler Who will shepherd my people Israel? Then Herod when he had secretly called the wise men determined from them What time the star appeared and he sent them to Bethlehem and said go and search carefully for the young child And when you have found him bring back word to me that I may come and worship him also When they heard the king they departed and behold the star which they had seen in the east Went before them till it came and stood over where the young child was When they saw the star they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy And when they had come into the house they saw the young child with Mary his mother and fell down and worshiped him And when they had opened their treasures they presented gifts to him gold frankincense and Mur Then being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod they departed for their own country another way and so Let me begin in this way Christmas for many has traditionally come to be a time of celebration It's a time when families get together You can have fellowship you make memories and The Christmas season can be a beautiful time of the year and that's because the birth of the Savior was intended To bring great joy It's joyful because in the birth of Christ we see the great love of God as it's been demonstrated to us You see God revealed the depth of his love by sending his son to seek and to save that which was lost And when the lost are found they can experience great joy even be surprised by the joy that they experience When we look at Luke's account in chapter 2 Luke records that the angel announcing the birth of Jesus to the shepherds said I bring you good tidings of great joy Which will be to all people you see when someone comes to Christ the joy they have can be unbelievable That's because their sins have been completely Forgiven that's because they become brand new like the scripture says if we confess our sin He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness And the scripture says if any man be in Christ he's a new creation old things are passed away Behold all things are become new so when all of your sins are forgiven and you become brand new not not just Reconstructed we're talking about brand new When God does that work in you There's nothing but joy like it says in Psalm 32 verse 2 blessed or joyful is a man whose sin The Lord does not count against him So when you come to faith in Christ and he washes you by the blood of the lamb and you are made clean and brand new There's joy and so their joy can be sometimes beyond Understanding so the Christmas season is above all things a time to receive forgiveness and joy It's a time that we rejoice that God invaded human history and he provided for us Salvation it's a time of what is called the incarnation God becoming human flesh in Matthew 1 23 it reads behold the virgin shall be with the child with child and Bear a son and they shall call his name Immanuel which is translated God with us Isaiah 9 verse 6 a book that was written 700 or so years before Christ Isaiah said this he said unto us a child is born unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder His name shall be called wonderful counselor the mighty God the everlasting father the Prince of Peace Notice with me that Isaiah told us that a child was not only born, but to us a son has been given When he uses the term a son was given it reveals that he was to be a sacrifice and it was it was a Prophecy of Christ dying on a cross So not only was the son born, but that that child born But a son was also given which we know as the scripture says that God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life as John a moment ago mentioned You know God demonstrated his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us We're living in a an age and a time in a world that doesn't even know what the word love means We use it to cover so many different things things that we like or we prefer So we love ice cream and we love going to the park. We we have minimized what that word actually means So God wanted us to know what love really is and love was demonstrated when he gave his son for us when this child was given That we who have law our loss we who walking in darkness we who were in sin we who had no hope for heaven and nothing but Hal waiting for us. God said no. I'm demonstrating to you something. I'm gonna show you what love is If I said to you what does a strawberry taste like can you describe that? You wouldn't be able to if I said can you describe to me what the color blue looks like you couldn't describe that? What a song sounds like you couldn't describe that the things that you have by experience and feeling Aren't I easily described to others they have to experience that? themselves So when we talk about love a lot of people haven't experienced what love actually is and so they substitute other things for it So God says let me show you what love is. Let me show you the essence of what love is. I Love you so much. I'll send my son to dine across for you So when we celebrate Christmas, we're actually looking to the cross When Jesus was born It was that was he was born to die and So during this this season we celebrate the giving of a gift God's son. He was placed in a manger, but he left it He was placed in a tomb and he left that too We see a crown Because the scripture says the government will be on his shoulder. So Jesus is born to rule as Messiah He's the one who was born king of the Jews and What we see is that God took upon himself human flesh and God actually dwelt amongst us Now why would God do such a thing somebody once said humanity is lost fallen We were separated from God because of our sin and our only hope of forgiveness was for someone completely innocent of any wrongdoing To take all the punishment for our crimes Such a perfect life and a perfect love were impossible for any human to achieve. So God himself did it for us He sent his son from eternity into mortality from glory into flesh From a throne to a manger Ultimate hope was born in ultimate Humility, so that's the immense love that God has for us And that's the love that has been revealed in such an incredible way God's son leaving the splendor of heaven to dwell with us reveals his great love Now I chose to share out of this passage for a simple reason because in this story We see three responses people have towards Jesus Christ some are like the Magi People who have united to worship him some are like Herod who are threatened and hostile towards him and some are like the scribes and the priests who are indifferent to him and As we look at this passage it is good for us to decide which of these is most like us Now as we begin the events are going to take place that we're looking at several months after the birth of Jesus How do we know that well? I'll show you verse 8 notice verse 8 how it refers to Jesus as a young child a Young child usually was up to the age of around 2. That's not the word that is used for an infant or a newborn baby Jesus is referred to as a young child in verse 12. This young child resides in a house He's not in the manger and then verse 16 Herod commands children two years of age and younger to die and Another point would be that when Jesus was eight days old Mary offered for her Purification and offering that was made by the poor and it showed that she had yet to receive the expensive gifts of the Magi And so this is taking place somewhere after Jesus had actually been born these events that we're looking at today are Speaking of that so in verse 1 starting our study in verse 1 of chapter 2 It says 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've seen his star in the east and have come to worship him So these are the wise men now the wise men the words wise men are actually the word magi That's where you get the word the magi These were the the wise men the magi they were a priestly class From media which is in northern Iran They first appear around 700 bc. They were highly skilled and they were educated They knew astronomy and agriculture science mathematics as well as history They had become the most respected members in Babylon and the Medo-Persian empires When you read your bible you read about a man named Daniel in the old testament Well, Daniel was placed in charge of this cast of priests In Daniel chapter 2 verse 48 it says Daniel was made chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon So he would have influenced them concerning the god of israel as well as messiah He may have told him the prophecy that was made by a man by the name of Balaam Balaam lived in their region Balaam in numbers 24 17 gave a prophecy and he said I see him, but not now I behold him, but not near A star will come out of Jacob a scepter will rise out of israel He will crush the foreheads of mob the skulls of the sons of sheth So I see him not now meaning it'll come later And I see a star and this star may have been in their mind what they were seeing in this in this time Where they saw the star in the heavens they may have been waiting for a sign of the coming ruler There there are students of astronomy the sign of a star would have been significant They're acquainted with the old testament. They're acquainted with messianic prophecies So in conjunction with this unusual star they make their journey to israel Now the journey is estimated to be around between 500 and 700 miles At that time people would travel an average around 20 miles a day So if they're following that star at night, it's going to take them Around up to 40 days to get there. So they're taking a journey of over a month And it says in verse 2 that they came to Jerusalem saying now notice. Where is he who has been born the king? It's evident that the star didn't lead them to where jesus was they they came to the capital city because they were expecting a king to be in the capital And there are a couple of things i want to point out as i'm developing the foundation for this study one It took them time and effort to get to the city So that reveals a hunger and a desire to find this one The bible tells us in jeremiah 29 13 you will seek me and find me when you seek seek for me with all your heart And so there takes a desire in the heart of a person That god works with to draw them and then a second thing It shows us that the sign was for the wise men alone. It wasn't for everybody And again, that's how kingdom truth is revealed It reveals the reason that people can celebrate christmas Without knowing jesus christ You know over the years i've been walking with the lord for a while And i can't tell you over the years how often i've heard people call Christians hypocrites You know, we're all a bunch of hypocrites I don't want to join the church because a bunch of hypocrites We've always said well join anyway. We could always use one more because people People have They talk about hypocrisy in such a casual way, but but i find it odd that somebody who can call us a We as christians hypocrites Are celebrating the birth of someone they don't even believe in so if you want to talk about hypocrisy But that's that's the way the world is i remember hearing of two two women We're looking into a window of a department store and they notice the manger scene So one lady said to the other isn't it terrible how they're inserting religion into christmas So there's people who really don't understand the whole point of celebrating christ christmas You see the bible reveals that people need spiritual truth to be revealed to them In matthew 11 27 all things have been committed to me by my father No one knows the son except the father No one knows the father except the son and those to whom the son chooses to reveal him These people had a desire that was a god-given god-placed desire Undoubtedly they had heard the word they were waiting as pagans for this sign It finally came and they were drawn to fall with the attitude that we want to worship The wise men were following the light that had been revealed to them. They saw the start They followed it and they're seeking a newborn king notice in verse two How they said we have come to worship him who has been born king But we've come to worship a king. So we've come to a palace to find him You see herod was upset over this wife because herod wasn't a true king He actually had been appointed to the position by rome. That's what got him so upset Jesus is the true king He was born from the kingly line of king david In the old testament book a second Samuel chapter 7 verses 12 and 13 A prophecy is given to david when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers I will set up your seed after you who will come from your body and I will establish his kingdom He shall build a house for my name I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever in verse 16 of the same chapter Your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you your throne shall be established forever And that's what they came to do. They came to worship the king and that's what they say We have come to worship him. So there are people who come to worship Jesus christ But there are others who don't there are others who are hostile Notice verse 3 how it says when herod the king heard this He was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. Well, that's the second response We see those who come to worship, but we also see hostility Herod was troubled and all Jerusalem with with him Now history records a herod was insanely power hungry To repeat retained power. He murdered the high priest aristobulus by drowning him He killed his wife mariam her mother and two of his own sons So he could retain power of the throne and the people were troubled along with him Because they knew he could turn his wrath upon them And so when he got upset everybody got upset You see Jesus is to be crowned as the king over our lives and some people respond angrily to that Not everybody wants him to rule over him Not everybody wants him to to be the lord of their life and and people will be hostile They're opposed to the idea of that they reject the gospel. They reject the god of the gospel It's interesting how people like christmas, but they don't care for christ And so there are people who hear of the gospel. They don't want to hear anything about it And they really have this hostility towards it It reminds me of something Jesus said in Luke 19 verses 12 through 14 When he said a certain noble man went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return He called his 10 servants and delivered them 10 pounds and said to them occupy till I come But his citizens hated him and sent a message after him saying we will not have this man to reign over us And that's the attitude of many people from the beginning until now. We will not have this man rule over us I will not yield my my heart to this person. I will not yield the throne of my life to him Including jesus christ. We will not have him rule over us I'm gonna live the life that I desire to live So what do they do? Well, they hear the gospel message. They call it a a myth or a story of fable and they reject it They want nothing to do with light like herod They have a willful rejection of the gift that god gave to them In john 111 and 12 it says that he came to his own his own didn't receive him But as many as received him to them he gave the right to become children of god to those who believe in his name And so the king heard this verse three. He's troubled all jerusalem with him And verse four when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together He inquired of them where the christ was to be born So they said to him in bethlehem of judaea for thus it is written by the prophet But you bethlehem in the land of juda are not the least among the rulers of juda for out of you shall come a ruler Who will shepherd my people isreal? This is the third response and this I think is a very grievous one. It's a response of indifference When question asked to where messiah was to be born, they knew They told herod what the old testament prophet mica had said In the old testament god made prophetic promises that he would deliver the people He had said the people who sat in darkness will see a great light They're going to see the light of salvation He was going to show them the great light by providing for them the messiah When peter was speaking about this the apostle said in second peter 116 We did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power incoming of our lord jesus christ But were eyewitnesses of his majesty We have not been influenced he's saying by pagan myths of their gods who came to earth You see the birth and the ministry of christ was foretold by ancient prophets That's because god had determined to rescue us through his son jesus christ You see the bible is the only religious book that has prophecy That's because only god knows the future In isiah 46 9 and 10 it says remember the former things of old from god And there is no other i'm god. There is none like me Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things that are not yet done Saying my council shall stand and i will do all my pleasure when you read your bible You discover that the old testament contains over 300 specific prophecies Concerning jesus christ the place of his birth was well known. They even provided the location They knew what the bible said, but they didn't care They were not the ones who received the divine direction of the birth of christ The ones who had received it were pagan priests who desired to find him Of all people these priests Should have been most sincerely awaiting his arrival, but their hearts were not prepared In mouth through 1315 jesus said the hearts of this people have grown dull Their ears are hard of hearing their eyes. They have closed less. They should see with their eyes They hear with their ears less. They should understand with their hearts in turn so that I should heal them You see it's not enough for us to know scripture We need to obediently follow it And they didn't I've had times when I've spoken to people and they've had some kind of difficulty and they've asked for some council And I've said to them well, this is what the scripture says and I can't tell you the times that people will say to me and have said to me Well, I already know that Now they're coming for advice and they're getting scripture But they're telling me they already know that and so I have a habit of Of quoting out of john's gospel chapter 13 where jesus said if you know these things Blessed are you if you do them? It's not enough for us to hear Because the word to hear Speaks in many in many cases in its context. It speaks of not only listening but hearing with the with the desire to obey It's not just the listening It's the listening and doing that demonstrates that we're actually hearing So sometimes people say well, I hear you but they're not listening They're not listening with the tablets of the heart. They're not listening With the willingness to do that which is taught These people were were the experts of the day. They knew the scripture would when asked where is messiah to be born They were able to quote the scripture in bethlehem for this is what it says They were able to quote scripture, but they didn't know the god who inspired it It's not enough to know the bible. You have to act upon it And so as this is taking place in verse 7 herod when he had secretly called the wise men Determined from them what time the star appeared and he sent them to bethlehem and said Go and search carefully for the young child and and when you found him bring back word to me that I may come and worship him also so He was concerned about the time So that he could secure his power Notice what he's doing. He's saying I want to go and worship He was making a false statement of faith to secure what he wanted the most And that's what sometimes people will do A young lady will say to a young man the young man says I'd like to go out with you and the young lady says Well, no, I'm not I don't date non-believers and the young man says, oh Well, you know, I I have some faith, you know, I'd like to go and he even comes to church And I'll sit there and you'll go and clap and sing the songs and everything as he's waiting to seduce the young lady As he's waiting to make her think that he really is sincere He's it's like he's saying I'm really interested. I need you to show me where Jesus is like harrod was saying Tell me where he's at It wasn't so that he could go and worship it. It was so that he could go and kill him And and people don't understand that so you might out of the goodness of your heart think oh The lord is using and I've been praying for this person and he's coming to faith in christ when in fact He just wants to use you I remember a lady in our fellowship number of years ago Who had met somebody began to date him and she had spoken to me about how she had met her true love and this and that And he was a believer she said and and he said oh, that's wonderful And all to have a believer and as a boyfriend and all and she ended up getting married And this is a true story after they got married. He told her You can't go to church anymore. You don't worship god anymore. You are now to worship me And there are people who actually think that way and do that Herod was no different. Tell me where he's going to be born. I want to go and worship him too But that wasn't the truth at all. He had no desire to really know the lord and worship him Verse nine says when they heard the king they departed Behold the star which they had seen in the east went before them till it came and stood over Where the young child was and when they saw the star they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy And when they had come into the house, they saw the young child with mary his mother and fell down Worshiped him and when they had opened their treasures. They presented gifts to him gold frankincense and myrrh So once again the star leads them They locate jesus yet stood over the scripture says where the young child was And god led them by the star to where jesus was They were led to the place Where they could see christ It's already been mentioned and i'm not going to bore you with a long story But i will say this This season has a certain special significance for me because as mentioned earlier I got saved december 27th Two days after christmas. I was 20 years old It was to me just another christmas. It was just another day of It meant nothing to me I'd already been doing drugs and alcohol for a number of years and so at the age of 20 I was already burnt out and I was already already hardened and callous towards everything So all I really wanted to do on christmas at that time all I did on christmas that day was I stayed with my family for a little while went to a friend's house smoked some pot drank some wine got high That's what I did Because I was celebrating christmas the way I like to celebrate it had nothing to do with christ or anything like that So for me it was just another another empty christmas I discovered early that that there's no present under the tree that's ever going to be given to me That's going to make me happy give me joy or make me feel anything that I'd like to feel like I never got peace from any kind of present did you I never got joy from any kind of present I never got any of that. I I didn't know what love was through a present. It meant it mattered nothing to me That those things aren't real those things are you'll have another christmas next year another christmas next year It's just giving of gifts and all of that it meant nothing What I wanted to do was get high what I wanted to do is get drunk. That's what I wanted to do and that's what I did In a couple days later. I had told a friend of mine I'd go with him to a to a christian concert and and I drove to his house And when I drove to his house pulled into his driveway He had placed his car behind me He came in and had uh his car was behind us a Volkswagen van and I went in and I and I and I told the guys I'm not going to go with you today. I'm not going to this concert and And they said oh you need to go and I said no some other time. I don't want to go But I was just being polite. I thought I just went there instead of calling him and I went there He's only a few miles away from where I lived So he said oh you got to go I said no and I said but and I turned my car on and he and the others were in this van behind the car In the driveway and and I'm looking in my rear view mirror and I see all of their heads go down And then they came back up and my car is running. I'm just waiting to get out of my way. I want to leave I was supposed to get high we had I had a friend who was getting a kilo from thailand that day We were going to smoke some some marijuana. That's what we were going to do. I have other plans So I see these heads go down And they go back up and I see his His door the driver's side door open and he comes up to my window and taps my window and I roll my window down We used to roll your windows down and uh He says we just talked to god and god said you have to go turn your car off. You're coming with us and I thought Well, if god says that I better, you know, what do I know? I don't he knows god I don't know god if god's saying that I better and that's how I that's how I actually went to hear the gospel That's how it happened with me. I didn't want to go. I said I don't want to go. I've got other plans I have I I have I enjoy pot. What's wrong with you? I like to drink. What's wrong with you? I didn't understand them But because they said god said to go I thought well, maybe he did who am I to say he didn't and that's how it worked So I went to this place called the hollywood palladium. We had a uh concert and then an evangelist comes out And his name is arthur blessed and arthur comes walking out. He gives a message and while i'm there I'm starting to feel something uncomfortable and i'm thinking what is this I later on was told what it is It's called conviction And I I'm thinking, you know, I'm he's talking about me. He's talking about my loneliness. He's talking about my My hurts and disappointments. He's talking about my habits. He's talking about me And and that was a holy spirit who is basically just saying son, I know who you are And I know what you have done And I know what you need And it isn't a girlfriend. It isn't more drugs It isn't more alcohol It's it's me And as I was listening I started sensing there's something different about me and that's when Arthur blessed gave an invitation and he said if you want to give your heart to christ stand to your feet Because just a moment before I had I had felt something I'd never felt before and and it was like I heard a voice speaking to my heart And the voice said to me you're uncomfortable And I said to the voice. Yes, I thought it was speaking to myself. I believe it was the voice of the spirit now, but at that time I just thought I was talking to myself. So I said, yeah, I'm uncomfortable and the voice said why I said because I'm not like these people I'm not like these people and the voice said what makes you different And that's when I said to this voice I'm not a christian If you'd have asked me Up to that day if I was a christian I would have said I was why Because I was raised in the catholic church I was baptized. I received Communion did penance Confirmation I went through the four the seven sacraments. I went through those I was able to talk about god. I was able to speak about things because it had been put into me So I would argue and say I knew god But that's the first time even within myself that I ever said I don't I don't know god What makes you different I'm not a christian And then a moment later arthur blessed said give your heart to christ And I prayed and I said god I I need you I need you But he's telling us to stand to my feet and I can't there were 4 000 people sitting on carpets on a carpet I said i'm shy. I can't stand up. You know, I can't I can't stand up In front of people I can't But if someone would stand with me I would I said that If somebody would stand with me I would arthur blessed no sooner had those words been formed in my mind When arthur blessed said Perhaps you're afraid to stand by yourself But if somebody would stand with you would you And my friend george adams who just wrote me a happy spiritual birthday message George said to me he's sitting next to me he taps me and he goes i'll stand with you And that's how I got saved I was lonely. I was lost I loved drugs. I loved alcohol. I used people. I was totally angry at the world angry I was looking for love in the in the hippie movement Because that's what hippies said. I was a hippie. That's what hippies said. Yeah, we love one another But that kind of love is just using one another to get something from one another. I was smart enough to see that's empty But the love that was offered to me that day was the love that was pure It was the love of god and that's why I stood up and that's why I gave my heart to jesus christ 53 years ago this wednesday I stood to my feet and I said to jesus i need you And for 53 years i've been standing on my feet saying i need you That's how it works That's how it works So you could have a heart to worship god Like the wise man You can have a heart of hostility a rejection of him. What good have you ever done me? Like herit Or you can have a heart of indifference. It doesn't matter to me either way. Yeah, I know what it says, but it doesn't matter to me indifference like the priests But what happens is they saw the star in verse 10 they rejoiced and noticed with exceedingly great joy Light had dawned on those who had lived in great darkness Luke tells us in chapter 2 verse 32 that jesus is a light To bring revelation to the gentiles glory to your people israel And so when they had come to the house verse 11 They saw the young child with mary his mother fell down and worshiped him and when they had opened their treasures They presented gifts to him gold frankincense and myrrh They fell down. They worshiped him. They gave him honor as the king of the jews Like it says in psalm 72 verse 11 may may all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him Well, they opened up their their their presence. They they offered gifts to him It's an expression of humble worship and it's not just to some human whom they think was born as a king They were giving him gifts that were fit for a king. They gave him gold That's a gift for a king But they also gave him frankincense which is a gift for a priest And they gave him myrrh, which is a costly perfume that's used for embalming. It was a gift for the savior Somebody once said if our greatest need had been information God would have sent us an educator If our greatest need had been technology God would have sent us a scientist If our greatest need had been money God would have sent us an economist If our greatest need had been pleasure God would have sent us an entertainer But our greatest need was forgiveness So god sent us a savior amen They were divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to herit and they departed for their own country another way The gifts to jesus enabled him to make his way to egypt and survive The men who have been have have come to be known as the wisemen Are the first people in the new testament Who are said to have worshiped jesus? These pagans Are the first people in the new testament To have been said to worship jesus And it's been rightly said Wisemen still worship him When he came He came not just to live But he came with a mission and that was to seek and to save that which is lost He came to retrieve us To find us in our darkest mess And our deepest pain And our greatest loneliness And heaviest sorrow He came to give us joy He came to give us peace he came to give us hope he came came to give us love He came to give us freedom He came he came to give us a purpose He came to give us a kingdom he came to give us Fellowship with the god of this universe But our sin makes a separation So jesus was sent placed in a manger He came out of that manger And then it was placed on a cross And put in a tomb He died on that cross for our sins But it was raised from the dead for our justification And because he lives I live In him He came to give life And that life comes to faith in him You may be lonely right now. You may be lost. This may be another lonely lost christmas season for you But i'm here to tell you that it doesn't have to be that way You can be forgiven of your sins You can be cleansed of the dirtiness that you feel every day And you can have peace in a broken world that will never offer you peace And you can have your name written in the lamb's book of life And that one day you can see him face to face And you can say to him thank you For coming for me Thank you for what you did for me jesus I don't want this to be another wasted christmas May god break into our darkness today Show us the light draws to himself Bring peace and the joy that comes with knowing jesus christ